It’s been either hit or miss for me lately, and I guess I’m okay with that. In between doing a lot of DNFing this week (a lot!), I found two great 5-star reads. I’ve been looking forward to the newest from Rachel Lynn Solomon, and Business or Pleasure definitely didn’t disappoint. It was sexy from the start, with a unique storyline and compelling characters. I also loved King, by new-to-me author S.J. Tilly. After reading a lot of quieter books recently, it was fun to read something slightly unhinged, lol! The antihero was over the top and intense, and the chemistry was smokin’ hot. It reminded me a lot of JT Geissinger’s mafia romances.
Unfortunately, not everything was a win. I really just couldn’t get into Will They or Won’t They, which felt very toxic to me. The writing style was still compelling though, so fans of angsty, miscommunication-filled second chance romance might enjoy it more. I ended up DNFing. I also didn’t finish The Fastball, but not because I wasn’t enjoying it. I started it about two months ago and I was liking the quiet, emotional slow burn until something I’d been anticipating came out and I “temporarily” set it aside. It was finally time to admit that I wouldn’t be finishing.
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.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spicy fun 🎧
A ghostwriter and a struggling actor help each other on the page and in the bedroom in this steamy romantic comedy from the New York Timesbestselling author of The Ex Talk.
Chandler Cohen has never felt more like the ghost in “ghostwriter” until she attends a signing for a book she wrote—and the author doesn’t even recognize her. The evening turns more promising when she meets a charming man at the bar and immediately connects with him. But when all their sexual tension culminates in a spectacularly awkward hookup, she decides this is one night better off forgotten.
Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. Her next project is ghostwriting a memoir for Finn Walsh, a C-list actor best known for playing a lovable nerd on a cult classic werewolf show who now makes a living appearing at fan conventions across the country. Chandler knows him better from their one-night stand of hilarious mishaps.
Chandler’s determined to keep their partnership as professional as possible, but when she admits to Finn their night together wasn’t as mind-blowing as he thought it was, he’s distraught. He intrigues her enough that they strike a deal: when they’re not working on his book, Chandler will school Finn in the art of satisfaction. As they grow closer both in and out of the bedroom, they must figure out which is more important, business or pleasure—or if there’s a way for them to have both.
Read the audiobook review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44SuoBs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bingeable and spicy
Okay, so, my bad for assuming the guy I was going on a date with wasn’t married. And my bad for taking him to a friend’s house for dinner, only to find out my friend is also friends with his wife. Because, in fact, he ismarried. And she happens to be at my friend’s house because her husband was busy working.
Confused? So am I.
Unsurprisingly, my date’s wife is super angry about finding out that her husband is a cheating asshole.
Girl, I get it.
Then, to make matters more convoluted, there is the man sitting next to my date’s wife. A man named King, who is apparently her brother, and who lives up to his name.
And since my date is a two-timing prick, I’m not going to feel bad about drooling over King, especially since I’ll never see him again.
Or at least I don’t plan to.
I plan to take an Uber to the cheater’s apartment to get my car keys.
I plan for it to be quick.
And if I had to list a thousand possible outcomes… witnessing my date’s murder, being kidnapped by his killer, and then being forced to marry the super attractive but clearly deranged crime lord, would not have been on my Bingo card.
But alas, here I am.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OaKalr
Mini Review
Amanda:
I hate flying. In fact, it terrifies me. But the cute stranger seated next to me on my first flight in five years helps calm my nerves and put me at ease. When I find out that he flips houses, it doesn’t take much convincing to ask if he’ll help me with the house I just inherited from my grandpa. It’s not easy for me to put my heart on the line, and I don’t know if I can take that plunge.
Again.
James:
There’s nothing quite like breaking through the clouds into bright blue sky, but my seat mate might disagree with me on that. She’s terrified. And I’m not going to let her go through this experience alone. When she asks if I can help with her house, of course I say yes. I’m intrigued and want to get to know her more. But when our shared past comes calling, I don’t know if I can risk my heart.
Please be aware that The Fastball includes brief, on-page depictions of PTSD/flashbacks as a result of James’ military service, and subsequent discussions of mental health. Therapy sessions are also depicted on-page. The Fastball also includes chronic illness representation in the form of food sensitivity and digestive disorders. This is a closed door, pen-pals to friends to lovers romance, with elements of found family and forced proximity. This is the third book in the Wild Pitches series, but can be read as a standalone.
Read the mini review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3WpCJJR
Mini Review
Onscreen, they’re in love. Offscreen, they can’t stand each other. From the author of How to Fake It in Hollywood comes “a sexy lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romance that smolders then bursts into flames” (Abby Jimenez, New York Times bestselling author of Part of Your World).
“Wilder takes readers behind the scenes of a television shoot in this fun contemporary romance. . . . Fans of Emily Henry and Christina Lauren should check this out.”—Publishers Weekly
Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy are madly in love—at least, their characters are. As the stars of the hit paranormal TV show Intangible, Lilah and Shane spent years pining for each other onscreen . . . until Lilah ditched the show at the end of season five in hopes of becoming a movie star. With no such luck, she’s back to film the much-hyped ninth and final season, in which Lilah and Shane’s characters will get together at last.
But coming back means facing one of the biggest reasons she left: Shane. Ever since their secret behind-the-scenes fling imploded at the end of season one, the two of them have despised each other.
Now reunited on set for the first time in years—with the world’s eyes on them and their post-show careers on the line—they’ll have to grit their teeth and play nice. But under pressure to give Intangible’s fans the happy ending they’ve been waiting for, Lilah and Shane are forced to get closer than ever. And if they’re not careful, they might just get blindsided by one final twist: a real-life happy ending of their own.
Read the mini review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/430ytTC
Check out this week’s new releases here.
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Jeeves Reads Romance 
Sounds like an up and down week, between the DNF books and the 5 star books. Glad you had some books that worked out well for you. Hope you have a great weekend.
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Thank you, you too! It was definitely an uneven week.
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