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Book reviews from the week of April 11th






What a week! I read two rom-coms by a new author and two steamy ARCs from a couple of my favorite authors. "Southern Sinner" is kindle-melting goodness with family drama and real-to-life characters.  "The Belle and the Beard" tells Linden Santillan's story.  I absolutely fell in love with his gruff but sensitive lumber-bear character. Anne Harper delivered two funny, small town rom-coms that capitalize on viral sensations.  I will be talking more about her soon.  This week I read her debut novel and an ARC of her new book coming this week. Fake relationships, heat, and humor made this a wonderful reading week for me.  Three of these books release this coming week and readers will not want to miss them. 




Like A Boss (Accidentally Viral #2) by Anne Harper

ARC: Release Date-4/19/2021

#SmallTown #WorkplaceRomance #RomanticComedy #SingleDad #AgeGap #OppositesAttract #ARC

4.5 STARS

This was my first book by this author.  When I was halfway in, I picked up the other book she has published, and I am reading it next.  This story is written in third person from a dual POV.

The author has created a fantastic small-town setting in Arbor Bay, Alabama.  The reader gets to experience southern sensibilities with the characters in the town.  Nell is a feisty, fiery, youngest sister of a family of five children.  At 24, she is confident and determined to succeed.  She is unafraid to speak her mind and at times her thoughts are loud.  She thinks fast on her feet and is always working her way out of one chaotic mess or another, which leads to many funny situations.  I absolutely adored her character!

Quinn (34) is starting over in Arbor Bay as a single dad after his divorce.  He is not looking for a relationship and he is not prepared for the force that is Antonella.  The have instant attraction and the ability to laugh together.  It scares him silly.  I loved the way Nell helps him understand his new town.  I love the shenanigans they end up in.  I love the chemistry between them.  And I love that Quinn finally admits that he has fallen hard for the girl who is a force of nature.

Humor, a little spice, and wonderful characters make up a story that is fun with very little angst.  I love the plot of a viral video and its impact of the subject. As the author’s second book, I am impressed.  I believe this author has the potential to be a favorite of many.  I am excited to read more of her work and follow her journey.






Fake It Till You Make It (Accidentally Viral #1) 
by Anne Harper

#SmallTown #RomanticComedy #FakeRelationship #GrumpyHero 

5 STARS

I really enjoyed this romance. It is written in third person from a dual POV.

Sloane is a very interesting character. I love her vulnerability, her sense of humor, and her determination. She has a killer survival instinct, thinks fast on her feet, and can roll with the punches. I really appreciated how she grows over the course of the book and how she finds her voice and the courage to take chances with her heart. I love the fake relationship she begins with Brady. I loved reading as it became more and more real. Brady is a grumpy guy who has had heartbreak and is fighting for his dream. I loved reading as Sloane brought more laughter into his life. Her ability to surprise him and get her way when he was grumpy was fun. Their black moment felt like a realistic challenge to overcome. The grand gesture was really something! I could see it play out like a movie in my head.

I love the setting of the small southern town. The secondary characters; friends, family, mean girl, and social dynamics, felt true to life. There is a lot of southern humor entwined that some people may not appreciate but I loved it. The hours-long goodbye: oh yeah, that is definitely a thing. I laughed hard at that. I love the appreciation for the fierceness of a southern woman. I also loved the recognition that a southern man has of when to push that line. I adored the festival and how Sloane and brady tackled their events with a twist that made me laugh.

This novel was funny with a little heat, and a tiny bit of angst. I found it a very enjoyable read and I cannot wait to see where this new author goes from here. I am certain that she will be very popular with many of us who enjoy a romantic comedy with witty banter and fun characters in a story without a lot of emotional drama.




Southern Sinner (North Carolina Highlands #3) 
by Jessica Peterson

ARC: Release Date- 4/22/2021

#SportsRomance #BillionaireRomance #AgeGap #OWYM #FakeRelationship #FamilySeries #CurvyGirl #ARC

5 STARS

Hanks’s story is book three in the NC Highlands series and can be read as a standalone.  That said, you will want to read the other two books to better understand both Beauregard family dynamics and how Hank gets to where he is at the beginning of the book.  This book is written in first person from a dual POV.

Hank is broken and dealing with that by escaping in travel, women, and drink.  Many months pass before he meets Stevie.  The attraction is mutual, instant, and intense. I love that Hank has a good heart, that he wants that special someone badly, and that he dreams of having a family.  I appreciated the guilt he is carrying around that makes him act a certain way for a while.

Stevie is a butterfly emerging from her cocoon.  She is confident, vibrant, fun, and fierce.  I loved her!  I love that she is willing to go for what she wants and needs.  I love her success professionally.  She is a force, and she is ready to live life on her terms.  What starts as a fun weekend fling turns into two weekends and a fake relationship that feels way too real.

I really love these two together.   Physically they are dynamite (dirty, sm-exy, super-hot dynamite). This author is one of the best at writing intimate moments.  They are hot and all about trust, connection, and freedom of mutual pleasure.  I adore the friendship they form, the unexpected feelings and dreams they develop, and their mutual support, respect, and admiration.  I love that Stevie is ten years older than Hank and that she has learned lessons from her life experience that she can share with him.  I love that she is curvy and still confident and proud of her body.  I love that Hank cannot get enough of her.  I love that he and his family blow southern gender role stereotypes out of the water. Hank & Stevie must communicate and compromise to find their HEA.  It is not an easy feat, and I loved that.  Real relationships take work, communication, and mutual compromise.  The author has nailed this HEA as one that will require work to survive without leaving any doubt that they will make it through. This is a book with real-feeling characters, a ton of heat, and just the right amount of heartache on the way to happily ever after.  I highly recommend both this book and this series.




The Belle and the Beard (Adventures in Dating #3) 

by Kate Canterbary

ARC: Release Date- 4/23/2021

#RomanticComedy #FamilySeries #GrumpyHero #ARC

5 STARS

This is Linden’s book.  Jasper doesn’t know it, but he is exactly what she needs.  Their story is written in first person from a dual POV.

I love Linden.  He is quiet, reflective, values his solitude, and loves the trees he works with as an arborist. (BTW: how cool a job is that?) I really love that he has found his own identity outside of being one of the Santillan triplets.  I love the relationship he has with Magnolia and Ash as well as the friendship he shares with his mom.  He is a little grumpy, and a whole lot bossy and protective.  I love that he recognizes Jasper as a powerful woman from the beginning.  I also love that when he is bossy with her that it comes from the place of really trying to protect her from herself.

Jasper-Anne is something else.  She is fierce yet beaten down when she meets Linden for the first time.  I love her survival instinct.  The girl has some baggage and understandable trust issues.  I adored reading as she learned to trust Linden with her secrets, her heart, and when she ultimately takes the chance to go all in with him.  I love how supportive Linden is of her dreams and her power and her heart.

Their book is full of heat with sides of humor and a lot of heart.  The meet cute is original and adorable.  The bats, cat, banana bread and a crowbar make it hard to go wrong here. I adore that both characters have a fluid sexuality and have had varied relationships. I love that they are in their mid-thirties and are mature in how they communicate.  I love that they find so, so much with each other.  I absolutely adore the Santillan family dynamics.  This book can function as a standalone with one caveat.  If the reader plans to read The Magnolia Chronicles, they should read that first as it is a love triangle, and Magnolia is married in Linden’s book.  That would give away who she ends up with if readers have not yet read her book.  I definitely recommend this book as Linden is amazing.


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