It was a strong release week! I read two great books, three good books, and one fun holiday novella. My favorite of the week was A Not So Meet Cute, a rom com with the sexual tension dialed all the way up. It was a very devourable read, and one of the two best books Quinn has released this year, in my opinion (the other being The Perfect Catch). I also loved the sweet and heartfelt The Fastest Way to Fall, which was such a feel good read. I was close to loving Swoon, and the only thing that steamy, intense read was missing was… well, the swoon. The Truth was another solid read from Landish – not one of my favorites, but the unique storyline kept things interesting. I enjoyed the newest from Amy Daws, but there were a few things that bugged me. And Jana Aston kicked off the holiday season with a fun novella that was just a little light on the romance. I also DNF two new releases that just weren’t right for me.
If you read my Teaser Thursday post (found here), you know that there are some exciting books on the way soon! I’ll have reviews going up throughout the week.
If you missed any of this week’s reviews, I’ve got the blurb and rating for each below. There’s also a link to my new release list.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So good
From USA Today bestselling author of The Highland Fling comes a brand new romantic comedy about a desperate billionaire seeking to find a fiancée. This modern day take on Pretty Woman is brilliantly clever and hilariously page-turning.
How did you two meet?
The quintessential question asked to every couple. And the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid’s arrow.
My meet cute (well not so meet cute) is slightly different. I was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride, you know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me.
He was stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it.
And that’s when we bumped into each other.
There were no sparks.
Not even a hint of blossoming love.
But next thing I knew, I was scarfing down free chips and guac, listening to this man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask . . . he wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman–minus the frisky behavior.
We’re talking about living in a mansion, intimate double dates, and pretending we were head over heels in love . . . and engaged. Can you imagine?
The absolute audacity.
But people do crazy things when they’re desperate. And I reeked of desperation. So, I struck up a deal.
My one big mistake, though . . . big . . . HUGE? I accidentally fell for the incomparable Huxley Cane.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pydUN4
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved it
Britta didn’t plan on falling for her personal trainer, and Wes didn’t plan on Britta. Plans change and it’s unclear if love, career, or both will meet them at the finish line.
Britta Colby works for a lifestyle website, and when tasked to write about her experience with a hot new body-positive fitness app that includes personal coaching, she knows it’s a major opportunity to prove she should write for the site full-time.
As CEO of the FitMi Fitness app, Wes Lawson finally has the financial security he grew up without, but despite his success, his floundering love life and complicated family situation leaves him feeling isolated and unfulfilled. He decides to get back to what he loves—coaching. Britta’s his first new client and they click immediately.
As weeks pass, she’s surprised at how much she enjoys experimenting with her exercise routine. He’s surprised at how much he looks forward to talking to her every day. They convince themselves their attraction is harmless, but when they start working out in person, Wes and Britta find it increasingly challenging to deny their chemistry and maintain a professional distance.
Wes isn’t supposed to be training clients, much less meeting with them, and Britta’s credibility will be sunk if the lifestyle site finds out she’s practically dating the fitness coach she’s reviewing. Walking away from each other is the smartest thing to do, but running side by side feels like the start of something big.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3B66Qtc
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Steamy and intense
Growing up, I knew my older brother’s best friend thought of me as “Logan’s kid sister.” For me, though, our next-door neighbor, Colin, felt like anything but a sibling. Whenever I spied on him through my bedroom window, as he banged away, shirtless, on his drum kit, I felt sensations inside me I’d never felt for my actual brother. But when we moved away and Colin’s band took off like a rocket, I knew my tweener fantasies would never become a reality.
Fast-forward nine years to my brother’s wedding, when I saw Colin again and we shared a secret, drunken kiss that rocked my world. The next morning, Colin blamed the alcohol. Said we should pretend the kiss, and my unfortunate text afterward, never happened.
Now that I’m heading to LA to work for Colin and crash at his place, though, all bets are off. I’m determined to make Colin swoon for me, the same way I’ve always done for him. Because no matter what he insisted, Colin’s body during our kiss, and the shocking thing he whispered into my ear right afterward, made it clear he doesn’t really think of me as his little sister, any more than I do.
Swoon is a standalone friends to lovers romance with no prior reading required and no cliffhanger that’s set in the world of River Records and the Morgan brothers.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3C5ti7g
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Light and sexy
What happens when you fall for your best friend’s dad?
On the surface, I’ve got it all – a great job, good friends, a cute apartment, and a smart mouth.
The only problem?
I’m in love with a man who doesn’t know I exist.
We’ve all had that crush.
The one you dream about even though he’s ridiculously out of reach.
Well, my crush is a lot closer.
Daniel Stryker is sexy, smart, handsome… and in a double-whammy ‘why me?’ twist of fate, he’s also my boss and my best friend’s dad. Can you say zero chances?
But when a night out turns into a drunken admission of some uncomfortable truths, things change.
Or they might, if I have the guts to go after what I’ve always wanted.
Because suddenly, I’m not invisible to him.
And I see him, the real him I’ve never known.
It’s scary plunging in heart first.
Is it too fast? Is it real?
And will he still love me when he finds out I’m pregnant with his baby?
The Truth is a full-length romantic comedy with an HEA and no cliffhanger.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vZvNWo
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Playful and angsty
The cocky footballer next door has some serious game…luckily, Daphney Clarke knows how to play.
Zander Williams is the hot new American determined to take European football by storm. His head is so big, it barely fits under his backwards hat. And when he’s recruited to one of the biggest up and coming clubs in London, he’s certain to make his name known.
Managing the building where they live is only one of Daphney’s many jobs. It’s why she has zero patience for the obnoxious American on the other side of the wall who makes the most ungodly noises and likes to answer his door in nothing but a pink tea towel.
Tensions build and after one steamy hallway kiss, neighbor wars quickly shifts into neighbors-with-benefits and that’s a battle they both intend to win.
But Daphney doesn’t know the real reason Zander is in London and now she’s stuck in the middle of a game she didn’t even know she was playing.
Sweeper is a 117,000 word full length sports romance that is set in the Harris Brothers world but can be read as a standalone.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3E5bObO
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Quick and fun
My name is Ryan Sheppard and I don’t care about Christmas. I’m only returning to my over-the-top Christmas-themed hometown to sell the house I inherited from my late uncle so I can get back to the city and the promotion I’m chasing at work.
Unfortunately, there’s a flaw in my plan.
Because according to the town Christmas cop, there’s a moratorium on selling houses during December. She says it’s bad for the aesthetic. She’s also slapping an alarming number of tickets on my front door. For being in violation of holiday décor. And I swear on Rudolph himself, one is for ‘unsportsmanlike Christmassing.’
To top it all off, this Christmas cop looks like a red-headed elf.
A sexy red-headed elf…
Warning: Christmas in Reindeer Falls is more naughty than nice. These stories are over-the-top festive with merrily-ever-afters guaranteed. Novella length for quick holiday binge reading. Enjoy!
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XA5U2F
DNF: Not right for me
I always look forward to Winter Renshaw’s unique romances and never know quite what to expect from her books because the vibes can vary so much. This one just wasn’t a good fit for me. It’s much more of a second chance romance than anticipated, with a brief introduction to the couple as they’re breaking up and then a 10-year time jump. It’s one of those “her dreams were bigger than this small town” second chance romances with an extra secret thrown into the mix. Unfortunately, I’ve read enough of this particular trope to last me a lifetime, and I could not get into the story at all. I did not finish. So I’ll call this an “it’s not you, it’s me” read and look forward to the next book by Renshaw.
A broken marriage pact gives way to a devastating love that won’t let go in this heart wrenching contemporary romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Winter Renshaw.
Bogie had Bacall. Carrie had Big. I had Wyatt.
Growing up, he was the handsome cowboy next door, an unlikely confidant, my best friend, my first kiss, and my favorite person.
We were just a couple of small town kids with ambitions bigger than the stars in our eyes. The summer after graduation, we made a pact: I’d go to college in New York and he’d stay and take over his daddy’s ranch. If by twenty-eight we were both still single, we’d get married …
But as we stood in our high school gymnasium the night of our ten-year reunion, Wyatt told me he loved me too much to marry me.
He’d never broken a promise to me in his life, but in a single heartbeat he broke the only one that ever mattered.
He said it would all make sense someday, that there would come a time I might even be able to forgive him.
But then I stumbled upon the truth.
And there was no forgiving a secret this shattering—one that made me question if I ever knew him at all; one that only made me want him that much more.
Bogie had Bacall. Carrie had Big. I had Wyatt.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3G2ZDOm
DNF: Not right for me
It seems like I have the same complaints every time I pick up one of Foster’s books, and I’ve come to the conclusion that her writing style just isn’t for me. The quality is there, but it feels dated and some of the gender dynamics feel problematic. They’re also very, very interconnected, and even reading the other books within a series is often not enough to make sense of all the characters. I didn’t love the first book in this series but I thought I’d give this one a chance. It didn’t go any better, so I set the book aside. Many will love this, but it’s a DNF for me.
An emotional and sexy novel about guarded hearts, finding love, and families lost and found by Melissa Foster, the New York Times bestselling author of Maybe We Will.
After spending years wondering who she was, tattoo artist Cait Weatherby finally found her answers on the sandy shores of Silver Island. With two half sisters she never knew existed, a group of friends she adores, and a devastatingly charming admirer who flirts with her at every turn, she’s ready to figure out her next steps. The trouble is, Cait lives in the shadows of a dark past, and she can’t afford complications that might cause her to lose the family she’s only just found—complications like blue-eyed boatbuilder Brant Remington, who is as open as she is guarded. If only the sexy charmer would take the hint…
Brant is Cait’s opposite in every way, but he’s drawn to everything about the sexy newcomer—from the quiet strength that rivals the caution in her mossy-green eyes to her tough facade that he can’t wait to strip away.
As Brant works his magic, Cait’s walls come down. But as sweet as that feels, Cait knows how quickly good things can turn bad. It’s going to take more than a little trust to beat the ghosts of her past and claim the future they both deserve.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3m35R97
Check out this week’s new releases here.
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