Tag: Adult (Page 25 of 51)

BOOK REVIEW: The Wolf and the Wildflower by Stacy Reid

February 27, 2023 / Jen / 0 Comments

The Wolf and the Wildflower by Stacy Reid
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
USA Today bestselling author Stacy Reid’s addictive tale of two lost people who are found…by each other

London is buzzing with the news that James Winters, the Duke of Wulverton—thought lost at sea a decade ago—survived in the harsh wilderness of the Yukon. Now he’s been returned to his family, his responsibilities, and a nightmarish world of artifice and noise. He has three weeks to become a refined, elegant duke for the Queen…or doom the entire family to ruin and scandal.

Promising psychologist Jules Southby knows a lot about disguises. She’s secretly been living as a boy since birth, enjoying the freedoms of men and knowing little about how to behave like a woman. When she meets the alluring duke, she’s unprepared for his raw, masculine beauty and icy intelligence…or that he can see through her darkest secret.

Jules has very little time to transform the duke into a true semblance of an English gentleman. Yet his very presence seems to unravel her in every way. Their attraction is stark and achingly real—and forbidden. But loving the lost duke would mean losing every sacrifice she’s made to earn her freedom…

Review:

The Wolf and the Wildflower was a charming historical romance! Jules Southby had lived her life as a lie. For the past 24 years, the world thought that she was a man. Her mother did it out of self-preservation, since her father wanted a boy. Yet Jules seemed happy with furthering her education and working in the psychology field. Two things that were not allowed for women back then. When Jules and her father were hired to help James Winters become refined within three weeks, they thought they were taking on an intriguing case. Yet Jules and James didn’t realize that from the moment they met, both of their lives would be changed forever.

“Were you not alone, Your Grace?”
Painfully so. Yet James would never admit that. Instead, he murmured, “I had the ice-capped mountains and the trees. At other times I had wolves and bears. I had nature and the call of the wild. Those were enough.”

James Leopold Winters, the Duke of Wulverton, and the Earl of Lydon was 18 years old when he was lost in the wild. For the last 10 years he had struggled to survive. Alone, in a freezing environment and with danger at every turn. Now that he was back with his family, he still felt all alone. His family treated him like he was a savage and at times talked around him as if he wasn’t even there. It was as though he was an animal in the zoo and they were studying him. They struggled that James didn’t want to be touched and refused to talk about what he went through when he was gone. But James was loyal and didn’t want to make his mom unhappy, so he agreed to see a doctor of the mind.

Wildflower? Jules’s heart shook, and she lowered her head to hide her expression. “Is this to be my new moniker, Your Grace?”
“It suits.”
Do not ask, it is unimportant.

My heart hurt for Jules. When Jules had mentioned in the past about living as a girl, her mother begged her not to and to keep up the lie. Yet at the same point, she was terrified that if she did announce she was a girl that her father wouldn’t want to share his studies with her anymore. Ironically from the moment that James met Jules, he was the first who could see through her disguise. And they struck a deal to keep one another’s secrets. From that first meeting I could see that they were kindred souls and they were both so alone. As they spent time around each other, I loved watching when Jules was able to get through to James with her insight and knowledge. It felt monumental! She was so brilliant and I loved how she explained things to him. As time went by, they both shared things about themselves that no one else knew. And whenever James did that, it felt like he was giving little pieces of himself to Jules. It was impossible not to fall for him!

James turned away from her and started walking. A feeling he did not understand hooked into him, and he paused. “Run with me, Wildflower?”
“Yes,” she said softly.

The banter between Jules and James was fabulous! It was much needed with the heaviness in the air about both of their lives. Jules living a lie and James’ gut wrenching past. It hurt that they both tried to shove down love. But when they were around each other, it felt like they were being given a fresh start. So I loved that he called her Wildflower and why that word was important to him. I loved how patient, kind and thoughtful James could be with Jules. And when they did become more, their moments together were racy, steamy and sooo hot! Alternating between the two of them gave us the best of both worlds and I loved hearing their different thoughts. Especially during their intimate moments. Yet I do need to mention that this story took quite a few times of suspending ones belief. I thought if I could read about vampires and werewolves, I didn’t see why I would struggle here and I was so right!

“What are you thinking now, James?”
“That I want my Wildflower to touch me and that perhaps I wish to touch her as well. Skin to skin, without any gloves on our hands.”
Jules’s heart stuttered inside her chest. His wildflower?

Joy and heartache were laced through the pages making The Wolf and the Wildflower so easy to devour. The story was filled with secrets, jealousy, friendship, love and so much heart! And James and Jules story ended with a wonderful epilogue, with a peak into the future. Now I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that James’ younger sister gets her own book hopefully. She seemed completely fascinating to me!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REIVEW: The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson

January 31, 2023 / Jen / 4 Comments

The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson
Purchase on: Amazon

Synopsis:
True love requires a little research and development in a funny, heart-racing romance by Sariah Wilson, the bestselling author of The Paid Bridesmaid.

How can Anna Ellis, a geeky, brilliant, and hopelessly smitten cosmetic chemist possibly win over Craig Kimball, the man of her dreams―who also happens to be her boss? The answer is Craig’s empathetic (and handsome) CEO half brother, Marco. The makeup mogul knows Craig for the ridiculously competitive rival he is. Whatever Marco has, Craig wants. That can be Anna, if she’s game to play.

All Anna and Marco have to do is pretend they’re falling in love and let the rumors begin. If the experiment in attraction works, a jealous Craig will swoop in and give Anna her happily ever after―if it weren’t for one hitch in the plan. There’s more to Marco than meets the eye. With every fake date, Anna’s feelings are starting to become dizzyingly real.

Blame it on chemistry. It’s unpredictable, exciting, and occasionally combustible. If Anna and Marco are really falling in love, who are they to argue with science?

Review:

None of this was going how I’d planned.

The Chemistry of Love was a hilarious fake dating romance! This was one of those stories where I Couldn’t. Stop. Smiling! If you’re looking for an adorable story that will make you smile and fall in love, then this may be your book!

I was keenly aware of him walking just behind me, and I wanted to pinch myself. We’d been having our second- ever actual conversation!

Anna Ellis was a cosmetic chemist who lived with her grandparents. She was madly in love with her boss, Craig. Whom she rarely was ever around, but she built him up as the most amazing man possible in her head. Think movie star worthy. And it didn’t matter that her friend Catalina wasn’t the hugest fan of him. Anna knew she was destined to be with Craig! So when Marco, Craig’s brother, stepped into her world, he was the key to reaching her dreams. Craig always wanted what Marco had. So if she were to fake date Marco, then Craig would be hers!

“Wow. That is some rom- com- level delusion right there,” she said. “It’s never going to work.”
“Marco seems to think it will.”
“It’s a good thing that man is pretty, because he’s obviously not very in touch with reality. I’ve seen the movies. This sort of thing never works out. If anything, it’s only guaranteed to make you fall in love with him.”

Anna was hilarious, quirky and so much fun! It took me a little while to warm up to her because she could be clueless and lost in her head at times, but she was goodhearted and had an innocent feel to her. So when Anna would make some bad life decisions, there was quite a few lol, I couldn’t stop the laughter from pouring out of me. I was so happy she had Catalina in her life, because she had no problems being brutally honest with Anna. And I loved her grandpa, their interactions together were heartwarming. Yet my heart hurt for Anna. Her ambition and dreams didn’t always pan out the way she wanted. I wanted her to find her happily ever after!

My pulse raced, and I couldn’t explain why exactly. Or why my stomach flitted with delight when he smiled at me.
I was in love with Craig. None of this made any sense.

Craig. Well. I lacked seeing what Anna saw in him. Yet whenever she and Marco were together, there were sparks. No matter how much Anna didn’t want to admit it! And I loved Marco right from the beginning. He was thoughtful, kind and caring. Yes he was gorgeous, but I loved learning about the sides he didn’t show others. I loved his interaction with her friends. And I loved even more the things he did to help Anna out. Except there was one tiny problem, Marco was the ultimate closed book. I desperately wanted to know his thoughts on everything. So his gestures of kindness and helping Anna out, well I built them up in my head. I didn’t even care if I was wrong. I loved Marco, and thought Anna should feel the same!

I came close to Marco, and he stiffened, standing straighter, tightening his arms so that his forearms flexed.
I didn’t understand what his reaction was about.
“Thank you,” I said. “It may be too much, but thank you.”
It took him a second, and I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed twice before he cleared his throat and said, “You’re welcome. I should, uh, get back to work.”
“And I should get back to looking nice.”

Anna and Marco clicked together so seamlessly. Even if they could be the polar opposites when it came to their opinions on love and marriage. Anna was a firm believer that it existed, while Marco didn’t think it did. And I got it. Marco’s back story gutted me wide open. I understood why he was jilted towards love. But his moments with Anna were sigh worthy. And the chemistry between them was intoxicating. So every time they had to “fake” being together I was a giddy mess. I loved when they had to touch, be near one another or kiss. I wanted THEM to work. Their moments could be so perfect, it was like they were destined for one another. Yet Anna was adamant that she still wanted Craig and he was her forever.

“Hey, Anna?”
“Yeah?”
“In case you didn’t know, the ugly duckling never had to change. She just needed to figure out that she’d been a swan all along.” He paused, like he was waiting for a response. When he didn’t get one, he said, “Good night.”

The Chemistry of Love was laugh out loud hilarious and so much fun! Anna’s cosmetic mistake will be stuck in my head forever haha! But the friendship that developed between Anna and Marco made my heart sing. And as little pieces came together, I was patiently waiting for Anna to connect the dots. To see what I saw. This was another adorable story by Sariah Wilson! I can’t wait to read whatever she releases next!

PS All of the birds names?! They were great!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: Breaking All the Rules by Amy Andrews

January 27, 2023 / Jen / 6 Comments

Breaking All the Rules by Amy Andrews
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Sometimes you gotta toss your whole life into a burning dumpster to find what’s most important...

Beatrice Archer has always done everything she’s supposed to ―worked her ass off, ignored her non-existent personal life, and kept her mouth shut. Now she’s over it. The rat race, respectability…the underwire bras. She’s taking her life back. Starting with moving to Nowhere, Colorado to live life on her own terms.

Now Bea gives exactly zero forks. Beer for breakfast. Sugar for everything else. Baggy sweats and soft cotton undies FTW. Then a much younger and delightfully attractive cop is called to deal with her flagrant disregard for appropriate clothing outside the local diner (some folks just don’t appreciate bunny slippers) and Bea realizes there’s something missing from her little decathlon of decadence…and he might be the guy to help her out.

When it comes to breaking rules, Officer Austin Cooper is surprisingly eager to assist. He’s charming, a little bit cowboy, and a whole lot sexy. But Bea’s about to discover that breaking the rules has consequences. And all of the cherry pies in Colorado can’t save her from what’s coming…

Review:

Breaking All the Rules was a charming, romantic small town romance that was so much fun! With an age gap, steamy scenes, heartfelt characters and all the pie, this book was so easy to devour! Breaking All the Rules was so adorable that I went and added the first book in the Credence, Colorado Series to my tbr because I could not get enough of this world! Amy Andrews is an author I definitely need to read more of!

“If you want to know the number of each law you intend to break, then it’s Officer Cooper. If you just want to shoot the breeze about it, then it’s Austin.”
“Can I take a little bit of A and the rest B?”
“Beatrice,” he said, his loaded fork poised between the plate and his mouth, “you can take whatever you like.”

Beatrice’s whole world got flipped upside down when the promotion she worked so hard for, was handed to someone else. With the need to get out of LA, she landed up in the small town of Credence, Colorado. Where she binge watched TV, drank what she wanted, and kept track of what day it was by name of the week underwear. When Beatrice was finally ready to venture out into the small town, she ran into Austin. The town’s local sheriff. Who was 10 years younger than her 35 years of age. And from those first few moments together, there were lots of sparks. They were flirting even as he put her in a jail cell lol. And that banter and sparks continued as Austin encouraged Beatrice to continue to break all the rules.

Bea smiled. “You ready for this?”
“Honey,” he said, his gaze locking on hers, “I’ve been ready since the day I saw you eating ice cream outside Annie’s.”
And damn if her heart didn’t do a funny little triple tap in her chest. No twenty-five-year-old should have such a way with words.

Austin was my favorite! Not only were his parents absolutely hilarious, their fondue jokes killed me! But Austin was the ultimate book boyfriend! You’ll want to steal from the pages, just like me! Austin was intoxicating, swoon worthy and so easy to be obsessed with. I loved all of his confidence, how sure he was of himself and the way he handled situations. And his words. He made me melt and sigh out loud I don’t even know how many times! Ohhh and his thoughts….I don’t even have adequate enough words other then they made me love him even more! You have to meet Austin! I loved every single thing about him!

“I was wondering if you had that V thing going on between your hips, you know…” She dropped her gaze to the area of his anatomy under discussion. “With the muscles there.”
Austin didn’t say a word as the smile hovering on his mouth faded. He didn’t do anything for a beat or two, either, just drew in a couple of deep, ragged breaths.
Then reached for his belt buckle.

Austin brought out the best in Beatrice. I loved how she was so bold around him. Yet Beatrice was hurt from her past. And she could be skittish around him too. So while it took me a little while to click with Beatrice and her story, the moment I did I could not stop smiling and randomly laughing! I loved how the more time she spent around Austin and his small town, the more she seemed to grow. It was smile inducing watching Beatrice find her way. Especially with her passion for a different line of work. So I was so excited and rooting her on! Yet Beatrice definitely had her hang ups. She did not want to run into Austin’s mom lol. And she didn’t think anything could come of being with someone 10 years younger. So even though they spent the majority of Austin’s non-working time together, they were just a fling. They couldn’t become more than that. Right?

Bea made sure to put a little extra swing in her step.
“Tease,” he called after her.
“Pervert,” she replied, so freaking happy, she practically skipped.

Anytime that Beatrice and Austin were in the room together, the sexual tension between them was scorching hot! And when they went further… I loved how they used pie *fans face*. This book was the perfect mix of emotions and passion mixed together in the pages! Especially with Beatrice having all of these different things she wanted to do, like camp beneath the stars. As she checked things off of her list, it was amazing to watch how happy she was becoming. How much Austin made her smile and laugh. And how Austin was feeling and looking at Beatrice. So while I had already fallen head over heels in love with Austin, I wanted to push Beatrice into that feeling too. Yet Beatrice still had more healing to do.

Their mouths fused, her arms wound around his neck, her legs wound around his waist as she kissed him deep and hard, and he almost lost his mind. It felt good. It felt perfect. Like everything he’d ever wanted was right here in his arms.
So why did it also feel like goodbye?

Breaking All the Rules was a fun and flirty small town romance! With bunny slippers, a cat, lots of pie, a cowboy and so much heart, this book had the right amount of hope and laughter. And I loved how issues were resolved, my heart was so happy by the time we reached that final page. So if you’re a fan of adult romance that is spicy and heartfelt, definitely make for sure you have this one on your tbr! I’m looking forward to whatever Amy Andrews releases next!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: Blush (Black Rose #1) by Helen Hardt

January 27, 2023 / Jen / 0 Comments

Blush (Black Rose #1)
by Helen Hardt
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
What he wants from you will make you…Blush

Amanda Thomas is hopelessly in love with Jackson Paris, but he will never see her as anything more than his sweet and innocent bestie. After being virgin-adjacent for too long, Mandy is officially ready to move on. She wants to learn about hot, dirty sex, so she joins an online dating app where the enigmatic Mr. Dark promises to fulfill all of her wicked fantasies...

Jackson Paris has been keeping secrets from his stunning, too-innocent best friend―like forbidden sexual proclivities and his membership at the exclusive Black Rose Underground club. But Mandy has decided she needs an education―the filthy kind. As Mr. Dark, Jackson can safely give her a taste of what she wants―and deter her from pursuing more―without revealing his identity.

But in the dim, provocative atmosphere of Black Rose Underground, there are no secrets. Here, every wicked appetite is satisfied. And for the first time, Mandy will discover who her best friend really is...just in time to shock him with a secret of her own.

Review:

Blush was an extremely seductive friends to lovers romance. Amanda Thomas had been in love with her best friend Jackson Paris for forever. With her sister getting married, Amanda was ready to change her life around. I was so excited for Mandy’s journey and for when Jackson would lead her into his world. Yet I never found a connection to Mandy, Jackson or their romance. The friends to lovers had all of the angst from Jackson, since he didn’t want to corrupt what they had. Or what he perceived was her innocence, even though Mandy was completely ready to go all in! So while there was a lot of push and pull, it wrapped up nicely with a one month look down the road and a happily for now. While the sex was erotic and the embodiment of empowering woman and their sexuality was shown, the nickname Jackson gave Mandy didn’t work for me at all. But so many other people fell head over heels in love with this book! So if you’re looking for an erotica that is friends to lovers, Blush may just be the book for you!

She’s going to be the undoing of me.
And it dawns on me.
I’m not afraid that she won’t like my dark side.
I’m afraid that she will.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this publisher, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: The Backup Plan (Sunrise Cove #3) by Jill Shalvis

January 24, 2023 / Jen / 2 Comments

The Backup Plan (Sunrise Cove #3)
by Jill Shalvis
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
When Alice receives a call about an unexpected windfall, she’s stunned to learn the gift is a falling-apart-at-the-seams old Wild West B&B she once considered home—and she’s inherited it along with two strangers. Except they weren’t always strangers. Once upon a time, they were friends. One is her ex-BFF Lauren. The other is Knox, the only guy to ever break her heart, all while never even knowing she existed.

It turns out their lives are unknowingly entangled because they once separately helped the same woman without expecting anything in return. Years later, Alice, Lauren, and Knox are broken in their own way, with their own history—and secrets— causing them to start out on the wrong foot with each other. But according to the will, they must renovate and be partners in the inn for one year or else lose their inheritance.

Stuck together, they make a list of rules to keep the peace—rules that end up doing the opposite, but by some miracle they find what they didn’t even know they were looking for—acceptance, true friendship, and in a case (or two!), true love.

Review:

“And we are a trio, whether you like it or not,” Lauren said and pointed to Knox. “One.” She pointed to Alice. “Two . . .” She pointed to herself. “Three. See? A threesome—”

Knox choked on a soda.

“Not that kind of threesome!” Lauren turned back to the rules and wrote rule number twelve, all in caps:

NO FALLING IN LOVE!

The Backup Plan was a tale of friendship, love, forgiveness and healing. Three lost souls came together and filled this story with letters, a list of rules that you just knew were going to get broken, secrets and a dog named Pickle that will completely steal your heart! With emotions running high, memories around every corner and secrets that refused to stay buried, this book had so much going for it! If you love women’s fiction mixed with romance and friendship, then you may want this one on your tbr!

Her usual mantra was an automatic “I’m fine,” but she could pretend all she wanted, the truth was that deep down she wasn’t fine and she wasn’t living her best life.

Alice inherited one third of the Wild West B&B from Eleanor, which was where she grew up. Along with Knox, who she had crushed on in her younger years. And her ex-bff Lauren. Yet each of them were filled with secrets, and haunted by their pasts. There were so many unspoken words and at times it seemed like everything would just fall apart. Especially since they were so different from one another. But differences and pasts aside, they had to work together to fix up the inn and have it running in 30 days. This story alternated between the three of them, and it was an emotional, messy journey that was filled with tons of heart!

Alice: Warning— sleep with one eye open tonight.

Knox: Sorry, can’t hear you. We’ve got a bad connection.

Alice: THAT DOESN’T WORK WITH TEXTS!

Lauren let out a horrified laugh and covered her mouth. “You like poking at the bear?”

“I’m the bear. He’s poking at me.” She turned on a heel and went back to painting.

Alice could be hilarious with her dry humor, yet she was extremely closed off. She wanted to get the job done and leave this town behind. There were too many ghosts hanging around and things she didn’t want to face. So Alice was the most challenging one to like or click with. She didn’t want feel. She didn’t want to heal. She just wanted to keep going with her head barely above water. Yet that was no life to live. And as she spent time around Lauren and Knox, I saw that she could still care. That she could still feel. She remembered why Lauren was the way she was for certain things, and in moments like that it felt as though she was giving us the tiniest bit of connection between them. It was a fight with Alice from start to finish. But I was so happy to watch her grow!

Knox looked Alice over for a long moment, then reached out. And as if her hand were a part of someone else’s body, it latched onto his.

He gave her a small but warm smile and a squeeze, and for a moment she held on. He didn’t ask her if she was okay, for which she was grateful. Because she wasn’t. Not even close.

But maybe she could get there.

Lauren was Eleanor’s grandniece and I never understood why she wasn’t at the inn, or had a relationship with Eleanor. Especially since she was bffs with Alice in her younger years. But that wasn’t the first thing I wanted to know. I desperately wanted to understand what happened between Lauren and Alice. And as we got pieces of their past and it all came together, hold onto your heart. There was so much healing that needed to take place and things that needed to be aired out. Their road was extremely challenging. But I loved who Lauren was. Her pink, vegan ways will always stick with me. So I wished for her happily ever after too! I was cheering her on every step of the way!

“Are you baiting me for a reason?”

“Is that what I’m doing?”

He smiled at her innocent tone, not fooled for a second. “It’s that, or you’re flirting with me.”

That shut her up.

Then there was Knox who ran a successful contracting company. He was one of my favorites. I loved that he remembered Alice, and that you knew he wanted her. His actions and words towards Alice made me smile again and again. He was such a hard worker, kind and so easy to fall for. And his patience with Alice and her struggles was mind blowing amazing! But his past hurt my heart too. So when him or Lauren would click, or he could make headway with Alice, I was so happy for Knox!

Lauren’s To-do List

Water succulents.

Ask Ben out on date (I know this was you, Alice, and it’s not funny!)

It felt as though Alice, Lauren and Knox were alone and each of them was against the world. Yet when they came together, there was so much possibility. For a fresh start. For friendship. And love. I loved how they all bickered together. I loved how they started to feel like a family. But as things from their pasts came out and truths became known, there was so much to unpack. But with each obstacle, it slowly pulled them closer together. I even shed tears in a moment between Alice and Lauren. And I was grateful when there was laughter, like with that lipstick lol. Or when their Ground Rules grew! The story ended with a wonderful epilogue and a fabulous happily ever after for all. The Backup Plan was filled with so much heart and emotion, and I can’t wait to see what Jill Shalvis writes next!

Pickle chewed the vegan burger, then froze, the whites of his eyes showing . He made a “gak” sound and spit out the food.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*