I had a good week reading. I had three ARCs with one new-to-me author. Then I had time to squeeze in a debut author and another new-to-me author to meet part of this month's book reading challenge. It is funny how sometimes books come in waves. This week, age gap and celebrity romances took center stage.
#AgeGap #OWYM #Escort #FakeReleationship #ARC
4 STARS
This was my first book by this author, and I found it to be
a very enjoyable read. Fabio and Gabi’s
story is written in first person from a dual POV.
Gabi (44) is buried in grief and guilt 3 years after
becoming a widow. All her energy is
spent trying to save her small publishing house. Fabio (26) is working as a male stripper and
escort to provide a life for his family.
When a laundry mix-up brings them together, there is humor, a lot of
heat, and some angst on the way to their HEA.
Fabio is very mature for 26 and has been through a lot. I love the immediate feelings he has for Gabi. She is a challenge, but she is also more. He finds creative ways to break down her walls and I really appreciated his feelings and emotions that are so clearly illustrated. Gabi is a tough nut, but she is mostly likable. She is sometimes very mean to Fab, though her reactions are also understandable. They share excellent chemistry, and I liked the story. I appreciated that there was no cheating, and I liked how the author accomplished that. There were a few places where I would have liked more detail, especially at the end of the book. The wrap up felt a little rushed to me. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Irresistibly Irish (Getting Lucky) by Mika Jolie
ARC: Release Date- march 11, 2021
#BWWM #ReverseAgeGap #HolidayRomance #ARC
4 STARS
Ciara is a romance writer and due to some trouble in her
personal life she is in a slump.
Deciding to take a vacation to Ireland, she never dreamed she would find
passion and love. I really liked how
feisty Ciara is and how motivated she is to reach her goals. Shane is a younger man, an artist, and an
Irish hottie who falls hard and fast for Ciara.
I love his tender heart and his perseverance to convince Ciara that
their love can succeed. The setting of
the small Irish town is completely adorable.
I love the attraction between the characters and the friendship they
form. This novella is written in first
person from a dual POV and is a standalone within the multi-author Getting
Lucky collaboration. This is a sweet
romance with a bit of heat. It is the
perfect read for St. Paddy’s Day and I definitely recommend it.
Flirting with the Rock Star Next Door by Nadia Lee
ARC: Release Date- March 11, 2021
#OppositesAttract #RockStarRomance #BillionaireRomance #ARC
5 STARS
I loved this next-door neighbor/opposites-attract/ rock star
romance. It is written in first person
from a dual POV.
Killian is everything you want in a rock star hero. He is incredibly hot, kind, and humble. He has worked hard for his success and has
reached a point where he wants to be wanted for himself. He is tired of being used for someone else’s
success. Emily is a romance author who
has been successful, despite having a personal view that happily ever after
only exists in books. She has baggage,
doubts, and a cynical, introverted nature.
I love that she is perfectly comfortable being herself. I really love that she unashamedly goes after
what she needs for herself.
The meet cute in the book is hilarious. I loved the miscommunications that occur
early on. There are some absolutely
hilarious moments. I love how Emily
matches the description that many authors admit to meeting while in the middle
of writing a book and meeting a deadline.
I love that Killian adores her messy and bare faced in yoga pants. I love the heat they generate together. I also appreciated the other band members and
Emily’s writer friends who are supportive and funny. I loved Killian’s sister, Miriam. She is a cool character that I want to see
more of in the future. I am hopeful that
this is the beginning of a beautiful interconnected series of standalones that
focus on the band. I laughed, loved the
steamy moments, and dreaded the black moment while reading. Their HEA comes full circle with sweet
feelings, laughter, and ice cream. If
you like a rock star romance, you will want to read this one.
Between Us (Awkward in Love #3) by Amabel Daniels
#OppositesAttract #BodyguardRomance
4 STARS
This opposites-attract/bodyguard romance was a fun read and my first book by this author. It is written in first person from a dual POV.
I really enjoyed how the author let us get to know Felicia gradually, just like Aaron was getting to know her gradually. I love that the reader is aware up front of the circumstances that lead to the initial misunderstanding between them, and knows that Felicia is a nice person. I completely understood Aaron's feelings during the misunderstanding, and his anger, because he did not have the full story. I love the chemistry between them. I love that Felicia is dedicated to accomplishing her goals. I adored that Aaron, once he understood her, fully accepted and supported her. I loved how proud he was of her and her mission.
This was a fun read with humor, steam, and a little bit of awkward misunderstanding and I will definitely read more books by this author.
Second Chances (Love on the Set #1) by Alice Reed
#SecondChance #NewAdult #CelebrityRomance #DebutRomance
3.5 STARS
I was contacted by this author to read and review her debut novel. I downloaded it from Kindle Unlimited and finally got a chance to read it. I will admit that second chance romance is my least favorite trope. That said, I do feel the author did a good job with that aspect of the story. I think second chance is easier to accept when the first time around occurs while the couple is young and they reconnect when they are adults.
This story is set in Sydney, Australia, and I really enjoyed the beach scenes and the setting. Liam and Emelia are both 21, and still very young. Emelia has had a busy and prominent career which took her to Hollywood and Liam is just getting started. I found Liam to be a soft hearted, kind, and honorable hero. I really liked him. He felt like Emelia was out of his league, but I disagree. I felt he was too good for Emelia. I found her difficult to like. Her decision making skills are poor and she makes some terrible choices. I hated how she let other people push her around and dictate her story. I hated how she pulls away and hurts Liam over and over again. I was glad they finally have their HEA and she seems to grow some by the end of the book.
The writing shows promise and I believe the story is well told. I did not care for Emelia's character and there are quite a few errors that should have been caught during proofreading. Overall, I believe the author delivered a good book for her debut and has the potential to grow into an author with a large following in the future. I look forward to following her through that process.
This new-adult, second chance romance is written in third person from a dual POV.
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