Tag: Humor (Page 3 of 4)

BOOK REVIEW – Wallbanger (Cocktail #1) by Alice Clayton

BOOK REVIEW – Wallbanger (Cocktail #1) by Alice ClaytonWallbanger (Cocktail #1)
by Alice Clayton
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

“OH GOD.”
Thump.
“Oh, God”
Thump thump.
What the…
“Oh God, that’s so good!”

And so begins this utterly goofy, maddening, and, surprisingly, adorable story. When the opening line is as such, you never really know what to expect for the rest, do you?

I have had this on my TBR shelf for almost a year, and finally, on one fateful day in Target, I saw it was available in paperback, so I took a chance and bought it. And while I’m still a little giddy about Wallbanger himself, I can’t ignore the fact that there was also a lot that annoyed me as I read. There was a lot of good, though, don’t get me wrong-so much so, that I was smiling like an idiot and clapping my hands together whenever something swoon-worthy would happen-which was a lot. So, as you can see, I am a mixed up mess on this particular story.

Caroline is a single interior designer, not decorator, don’t get that wrong, who has recently moved into a new apartment owned by her boss. Everything is grand until the ‘wallbanging’ starts. See, this is even more of a problem, because, let’s face it, she hasn’t had an orgasm in forever. Tension is at an all time high for Caroline when the lights go out every night-she grits her teeth and ignores it, though-for now.

“The first thing I saw was blue. Blue sweater, blue eyes. Blue. Beautifully blue. Then I saw red as I recognized who belonged to the blue.
“Fucking Wallbanger,” I hissed, frozen on the spot.
His grin slid off as well as he played place-the-face for a moment.
“Fucking Pink Nightie Girl,” he finally concluded. He grimaced.

Then one fateful night, enough is enough and she storms over and interrupts one of his sex-capades, resulting in an embarrassing first encounter and heated words…but mutual attraction.

“Beneath the sheet-which was already lower on his hips than should be legal-
He
Was
Still
Hard”

There were so many many moments where I had to take a step back and laugh-just enjoy the ridiculous banter between these two. It was hilarious. They are obviously attracted to each other, but things have to build, there have to be multiple hot close encounters where the sexual tension is amped up a few notches, making us wait until the oh-so-beautiful build up is to the brink, where things will explode if they get any hotter. I loved that aspect of the story. The writing is much like my personality, so I found myself relating to it. Goofy dialogue in Caroline’s head, stupid comebacks that could never be labeled witty-It ALL reminded me of how I would write a story. Fun and flirty.

“I wanted to level him with my eyes, make him beg for mercy. But no…Not Simon, Director of the International House Of Orgasms.
He
Was
Still
Smirking.”

What I couldn’t relate to, however, is the constant “O” factor, the dialogue that just a moment ago I called funny, and not-so-witty-but-it-kind-of-is-witty banter becoming corny, Caroline’s attitude towards Wallbanger-all of that was more than I could handle or relate to. How many times is she going to talk about the damn “O”? It was okay at first, sure, it was in the damn blurb for God’s sake, but when you can predict that she is getting ready to talk about it everytime, it is being overused. I think I read somewhere that this is fanfiction-I think I have a feeling I know what it’s based off of….much like Ana and her ‘inner goddess’, I wanted to strangle Caroline and throw her ‘perked up’ “O” out the GD window.

Last, but not least, I have to bring up the character development. Caroline was supposed to be the mature, working girl, while Wallbanger was supposed to be the man-whore who travels for work never to call again jerk, right? Well I felt these roles reversed somewhere along the way. While Caroline was not an unlikeable character, I still wanted to slap her across the face and tell her to figure her shit out-someone *wink wink* *nudge nudge* obviously has feelings for you-quit frikkin’ running away or disbelieving what people tell you. Wallbanger became sweet, helpful, funny, irresistable…he became so mature within a matter of pages, while I found Caroline to be a tad immature and scared of her own shadow-running from all of her problems when things don’t go as planned. Now, she was also strong in some aspects, but when it came to WB, she got quite flighty.

All in all a very fun read. It was most definitely not what I was expecting, and it grew sweeter with every passing page. I was searching for a fun, light read, and I couldn’t have picked better. Simon was a really great guy who had so much to offer, and I fell in love with him more and more with each passing page. I laughed out loud, I rolled my eyes, and I became engrossed with these two characters. I am very happy I finally gave this book a try-because it was hilarious.

Things I forgot to mention that made me laugh:

Their text exchanges
Wallbanger’s love for bread/food
Music through the walls
Her sassy, know-it-all cat, Clive
Her nicknames for Wallbanger’s Harem

These are what made the book so good, and if I didn’t say it before, I’ll say it now-give this book a chance. If nothing else, you’ll get a good guy and a good laugh out of it. 🙂

BOOK REVIEW – Only With You (The Best Mistake #1) by Lauren Layne

BOOK REVIEW – Only With You (The Best Mistake #1) by Lauren LayneOnly With You (The Best Mistake #1)
by Lauren Layne
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads


They hugged, and Brynn tucked a wayward curl behind Sophie’s ear. “Soph, you know all that stuff you were saying about just wanting to be happy?”
Sophie nodded.
“Well…are you happy?”
Sophie looked out at the pouring rain and considered. “No. Not yet. But I’m learning how to be.”

Once again I am amazed to say that no matter how skeptical I am at the start of one of this woman’s books, I came out at the end with a huge smile on my face and in the giddiest of moods. It’s no secret that if a story is handled correctly I become a heaping pile of goo. But, as I’ve said on repeat recently, normally I don’t like contemporary romance novels anymore. They’ve become cliched, predictable and altogether forgettable-so when I find an author who can write the shit out of a contemporary romance, I feel as though I’ve hit the lottery. But the kicker is, I haven’t found an author in this genre recently who can make me feel much less cry or laugh or swoon. Now, what you’re about to read is going to be a major gush session about this author and this work of fiction-and I’m not afraid to admit it. Lauren Layne is highly underrated and I truly believe that when an author can write books that are fun, quirky, and hot without being trashy, they deserve recognition. Now, there is always, of course, some predictability or some cliche moments, but that comes with 90% of romance novels-I never claimed that her books are without those-but with her, they feel wholly unique (to me) and they make me happy.

And that’s all that’s important to me-being happy when I read a book. So, what you’re about to read may sound like an all out gush session, but that’s what it is. When I read a book I love, I tend to, well, gush. So, despite it’s mixed ratings, here is a positive review about how perfect (to me) this book was.

“Then absolutely. I’m in. Ugh, I don’t suppose you have a handkerchief,” she said, struggling to right her appearance.
He pulled one from his pocket, predictable as ever. “I thought you were supposed to save the one I gave you last time as a memento,” he said as she carefully removed her smeared lipstick.
“I believe what I said was that I wasn’t keeping it.”
“I thought you women were supposed to be attuned to romantic inklings.”
She snorted, “Maybe. Doesn’t mean I didn’t set your handkerchief on fire.”

Lauren Layne ripped my heart out and made me tear up when I least expected it. My heart expanded to such large proportions that I thought I might choke from the sheer velocity of it, but most of all-as I said above-she made me feel. Sadness, happiness, anger, angst, giddiness…you name it, I felt it. Even now as I type this my heart hurts from the capacity with which she made me fall for her characters.

“I am not working for your boyfriend,” Sophie said harshly, cutting off Gray’s babbling. “And I’m not working in a godforsaken office.”
“Now, Sophie,” her mother said, apparently coming around to the idea, “it could be a great opportunity…”
“An opportunity to what, learn how to staple?”
“You don’t know how to staple?” Will asked.

There were tears of both unexpected happiness and tears for a family that, while not wholly like my own, the bond between sisters, mother, and father when things go downhill had tears running down my cheeks as they consoled and defended Sophie. That bond can’t be faked, and I know for a fact that my family would react the same way and that this whole situation felt so authentic when life got messy near the end. And, most especially, I loved seeing the new and not-so-improved Brynn, her sister, falling apart at the seams while still giving her baby sister the undeterred support she deserves and helping (or attempting to help) to mend her fragile heart.

She waited for him to look back. Waited for him to realize that at the very least, some verbal acknowledgement of their minicatastrophe was required. But he kept walking.
A gorgeous shithead in a beautiful suit.

Sophie and Gray were so cute because they meet in such an unconventional way. Sophie is at a bachelorette party and she decides to wear thigh-high boots with only scraps for clothing (this seems to be the theme of the party) when she runs into Gray in the elevator. Naturally he dubs her a hooker-go figure lol. They go their separate ways and Gray is none the wiser of what his accusation has done to Sophie. But what happens when the girl you call a hooker becomes your closest employee? What ensues next is funny, not completely realistic, and over the top fun-I adored seeing Gray’s demons and how he handled them. It melted my heart and made me fall for him further…and Sophie was just the quirky, zany girl he needed. It was hilarious seeing how he wished she was quiet but then longed for her company when she wasn’t around.

“Nobody can see us here, right?” he asked.
“Nah, I think they designed this as a reprieve. It lets the oldies like us catch our breath without prying eyes.”
“Good,” he said firmly.
And then he rolled toward her, and before she knew what was happening, Sophie found herself pinned between the padded floor and a hard male body. His mouth took hers with such fierce possession she gasped from the shock of it.

Layne has created the funny college frat boy, the broken, tortured war hero, the struggling to find himself and his path business man, and now this cold, closed off CEO who won’t let another woman stomp on his heart-She broke my heart and pieced it back together again with her male lead. I laughed. I pouted. I teared up and I rooted for them to inevitably fall for one another. This is probably the longest it’s taken for two people in her books to quit being so stubborn, but I LOVE that. I LOVE how she can change her books up and make them seem completely individual and unlike her others. I love that I expected it to go one way, but it went another. So many authors I fall for start to sound so repetitive and I inevitably begin to lose that magical awe I once felt for them, but it hasn’t happened yet with Layne and I can’t help but to be grateful. In my life, it’s so nice to have an author I know I can turn to and read books by when I’m in a bad mood and I’ll feel better for doing so. I become jaded with with my favorite authors and I am so grateful to have found this one. Sure, I can see her style in each and every work, every author has a tell, but Layne has managed to work everything she loves to write about in each and every book without making me roll my eyes (or want to).

“Are you calling yourself pretty?” he teased.
She smiled back. “Aren’t I?”
His eyes roamed over her face, warming every spot they touched. “You’re beautiful.”

I have, admittedly, been trying to stay away from her books so I can space them out before I don’t have any left and so I don’t get tired of her characters and writing-but, and this happens every time, maybe half a week will pass and I’m instantly one-clicking all of her works because I just. Can’t. Stay. Away. It’s like crack-that’s it-these books are MY CRACK. It’s a perfect metaphor, really. Some people might not love her like I do, get addicted to her beautiful, broken, jealous characters, but I do-it’s my vice to read her books and an individual obsession. I’m a glutton for these books and I can’t stop.

By the time she exited the elevator, she was a sobbing mess.
This job at Brayburn was supposed to be her path toward respectability, and she was messing everything up.
Nobody would respect the girl who fell in love with the boss.

Another non-problem with reading her books is that I take so long reading them because I am on a continuous high-lighting frenzy. Everything makes me want to highlight and nothing deserves to be forgotten. I swear, in each story I’ve read there is more highlighting than actual plain page. And I’m always so satisfied with the conclusions and feel contented and happy. She is the queen of HEAs. Her men are so stubborn but end up being the best, sweetest BBFs ever, and I have adored each and every one of them.

“Why are you yelling?” she asked.
“I don’t yell.”
“Your voice was raised.”
“I had to raise my voice to get your attention,” he ground out.
“You’ve never raised your voice before to get my attention when I’m at my desk. I can hear you just fine with your normal voice-of-doom volume.”
“Sophie.”
“Gray.”
“You are possibly the most annoying assistant ever. I should fire you.”

An amazing author with not one bad book to date, she creates characters that don’t easily leave your mind but give you just enough fluff to get through the day. The characters that surrounded Sophie were some of my favorite by her yet, but her best friend Will took the cake-I LOVED him. He was funny, witty and I found myself giggling every time he was around. I can’t wait for his book, because I know he is next. I’m devouring these books in a shocking manner and at an alarming rate. I just can’t wait for all of her new releases…I can hardly stand that I have to wait from now on. It’s going to be a struggle-a struggle I’ll have to bear each and every time from this moment forth when I choose to read these incomplete series.

BOOK REVIEW – MacKenzie Fire (Shine Not Burn #2) by Elle Casey

BOOK REVIEW – MacKenzie Fire (Shine Not Burn #2) by Elle CaseyMacKenzie Fire (Shine Not Burn #2)
by Elle Casey
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Still bitter about his failed engagement and life on the family ranch, Ian MacKenzie has been cranky for nearly three years. His brother Mack’s married bliss hasn’t helped, and now his pregnant sister-in-law’s airhead best friend is coming for a visit.

Candice arrives to help with the new baby, even though it means swapping her Louboutins for snow boots and her flat irons for flannel. She’s far from prepared for the freezing cold and she certainly wasn’t expecting the sizzling heat of her attraction to a certain green-eyed cowboy. Ian may be rude and infuriating, but he looks sinfully good in those jeans of his.

The two clash at every turn, but there’s one thing they can both agree on—if they do give in to their undeniable chemistry, then it’s just a fling…because he’s a country boy and she’s a city girl, and their zip codes are on opposite sides of the map.

Review:

I laughed so much while reading this book that my husband kept asking me, “Are you ok?”, “Can you breathe?” and “What are you laughing at?!”. Elle Casey has this ability to write books that make me laugh hysterically one moment and before I can even catch my breath then I’m all antsy, hot and bothered….but in a reallllly good way! The males are HOT, the females are endearingly hilarious and the chemistry between the two of them is searing. Yet another book I love that she has written!

This time we get to hear what’s happening in the MacKenzie’s world from Candice’s point of view. No one can forget her from Shine Not Burn. Between the collagen (thin lips sink ships), holding in your gas (you spontaneously combust) and abhorring practicality she was one of my favorite people in that book. The girl is extremely loyal but she is a little crazy and her thoughts are sometimes all over the place. I loved being in her head and listening to her rationalization for her word and phrase choices and listening to her internal babble! It was SO entertaining and silly at the same time! Ohhh and I love that Google is her best friend lol!

“Just show me the guns. Which one is good for protection?”
Henry looks down into the case. “From lions? Well…I suppose any of these could work if you hit the lion between the eyes. Do you think you’re a good shot?” He looks up at me, hopeful, possibly a little stressed too.
I nod enthusiastically. “I’m sure I will be. I’m a hair dresser.”

So we start out with Candice flying to visit her best friend Andie for a few weeks. When Andie picks up Candice at the airport she brings in tow Ian, who is Mack’s younger brother. From the start, Ian gets under Candice’s skin. He knows how to push all of her buttons and she knows how to drive him absolutely insane. One thing leads to another and Candice ends up being on Ian’s I-will-get-you-back-if-it-kills-me-list. Ian trying to get Candice back and Candice trying to get Ian back is so high school BUT so funny! I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. I think I lost brain cells during some of the pages because I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe! Fav partView Spoiler ».  But during all of their interactions Candice is realizing how much she likes Ian. But she is from a bottom right state (Florida) and he is from a top left state (Oregon), so how can it ever work?

I have lots of friends, both men and woman. I don’t really need any more, my funeral’s going to be standing room only as it is. But none of them have been able to make my blood boil one second and my panties get all twisted up the next. Not like Ian.

So many things were right about this book. The banter was hot and hilarious. The nicknames, which can be done soooo wrong, were perfect. He calls her City and she calls him Country and I absolutely adored that! Ian was a hot, broken, scheming, passionate mess and I loved every minute of him. And the ending was exactly what I wanted it to be. I’m so sad this is the end of the MacKenzie’s journey but I loved everything about it!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers) & Book Depository (click on book #)
shine-not-burn-elle-casey
Shine Not Burn #1
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
mackenzie-fire-elle-casey
MacKenzie Fire #2

Reviews:
Jen
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BOOK REVIEW – Shine Not Burn (Shine Not Burn #1) by Elle Casey

BOOK REVIEW – Shine Not Burn (Shine Not Burn #1) by Elle CaseyShine Not Burn (Shine Not Burn #1)
by Elle Casey
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Andie Marks, known as “Party Girl” in her college days, is now a whip-smart lawyer on the fast track to success. Determined to move on from a bad break-up, she joins her girlfriends for a wild bachelorette weekend in Las Vegas, promising to let her hair down just this once.

Vegas is a blur of cocktails and blackjack, and in the middle of it all she meets Mack, a real-life cowboy with a winning hand and an irresistible body. They get lucky in the casino and luckier back at the hotel, a hot night of passion that was definitely not part of Andie’s life plan.

By dawn Mack is gone and all she has to remember their one-night romance is a hangover and a pile of casino chips. Or so she thinks…

Review:

Holy hot cowboys, I love this book! I laughed A LOT, Mack is sooo sexy, Andie is a hysterical drunk, the chemistry between the two of them is HOT and the story reads as though you are watching a movie. I can’t believe I even thought for a second that I didn’t want to read Shine Not Burn. Back when this was first released I wasn’t a huge fan of romance books. But since I enjoyed some of the author’s other books I thought that I’d give it a shot. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the buildup, the struggles, the tension, the banter, anything and everything that will make me swoon but I only enjoyed that in paranormal, dystopian or fantasy books. I had never read a romance book that I was addicted to, that I couldn’t put down and that I would think about long after I finished the book. Shine Not Burn made me realize that I do love romance books but I just wasn’t reading my type of romance books. I’m so happy I gave this book a try for so many reasons!

Screw second thoughts, screw ex-boyfriends who break up by text message, and screw complications. All I wanted was one night of reckless abandon so I could get all this craziness out of my system and go home with a clean slate, ready to kick ass, take names, and get on with my life.

Andie is a lawyer who is her own worst enemy. She is obsessed with her “life plan” that she created when she was in a horrible situation as a child. It helped her get out and make something of herself. Unfortunately, she still lives and breathes it, even though it forces her to stay with loser boyfriends and not have as much time for her friends or anything that would make her truly happy. Andie has to be convinced to go to Las Vegas for her friend’s bachelorette party and the start of this journey is where the fun begins!

His beauty combined with his slow-talking cowboy sexiness had completely robbed me of any intelligence. The drinks probably weren’t helping.

In Vegas Andie drinks and drinks and drinks and then she runs into Mack. Their interactions made me all giddy and smiley and I kept laughing so hard I cried. Andie is a ridiculously clueless drunk and she reminds me so much of a family member that is sooo smart but when it comes to street smarts welllll heaven help her because she wasn’t gifted in that area! Her internal monologues and what pops out of her mouth is hilarious. I loved her voice, I loved her sassiness and I loved how utterly silly she was. BUT my feelings weren’t all sunshine and rainbows when it came to Andie. The girl was frustrating with clinging onto her annoying life plan. I wanted to shake some common sense into her again and again and tell her to throw that sucker out the window! Luckily, she had so many endearing qualities that I couldn’t help but like her even when she was being an idiot.

I really liked this cowboy. Mack. But I didn’t know a single thing about him other than the fact that he doesn’t wear any underwear and he’s got a big cock-a-doodle doo that he definitely knows how to use. Yee haw.

And Mack….ohh jeez louise that man was hot! He had this ability to say anything and make a smile appear on my face. I loved his loyalty and I loved that he knew exactly what he wanted in life and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. I loved that he was just a good, honest guy which kinda shocks me because usually my favorite type of BBF is jerky-butthead-turned-loving-while-constantly-being-intoxicating. Nonetheless, I completely fell head over heels for Mack. Andie and Mack together? Wow, they were this crazy ball of raw sexual tension, one-way witty banter lol, and reading about their journey made me so, so, so very happy.

He sounded so sincere, it made my heart skip a beat. How could a guy that good in bed and this gorgeous be so nice? Doesn’t it defy the very laws of Nature? Maybe he was an evolutionary mutant.

I love a book that can make me laugh again and again. I love a book that makes me giddy and constantly smile. And Shine Not Burn definitely made me laugh and be all giddy and smiley. I’m so happy that I read this book a year ago and that it changed my mind in regards to romance novels. I can’t wait to read the sequel for Ian’s story!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers) & Book Depository (click on book #)
shine-not-burn-elle-casey
Shine Not Burn #1
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
mackenzie-fire-elle-casey
MacKenzie Fire #2

Reviews:
Jen

BOOK REVIEW – Flat Out Love (Flat Out Love #1) by Jessica Park

BOOK REVIEW – Flat Out Love (Flat Out Love #1) by Jessica ParkFlat Out Love (Flat Out Love #1)
by Jessica Park
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

I have been asking people constantly for good recommendations for what to read next, and while they have all been good, this is the book I have been waiting for. The books don’t have to be over the top sappy romance (although I love those stories too ;)..), just well-written with the right amount of sass and a compelling story line. I was completely consumed and enthralled in this story and could not put it down. There was a certain amount of relativity that was easy to identify with, thank God, which I have been having a terrible time of lately.

Stunning, breathtaking, beautiful, heartbreaking and the perfect amount of angst and/or heartache are just a few of the words that come to mind when assessing Flat Out Love. Celeste, Matt, Finn, Flat Finn…just the best characters ever-especially Flat Finn lol. Celeste was the most intriguing character to read about, and I truly enjoyed the journey of Julie trying to help her leap out of her comfort zone. My breaking point? When Celeste tells Matty she loves him-can you cue the huge smile and awwwwwwwwwww? I teared up like crazy-nothing like a brother realizing how much his sister loves and idolizes him. I cherish those tender moments, because those are what real life is all about, and I couldn’t help but to relate that to my younger sister and I-the love we share (while when we were younger I swear we fought so much it almost led to hair being pulled out-a complete show of my inner strength as an older, more mature sis-yeah, right *rolls eyes*). You can’t help but to root for all the characters and wish them the very best, and this is a hard thing for the author to accomplish since in many books you just want to smack some sense into at least one of the main people.

An absolutely amazing read and I loved every second of it, even if I did see the ending coming within like….30 seconds lol. But that just goes to show you have much I LOVED this book! I hate complete and utter predictability, yet I couldn’t help but love every minute of the predictability. The perfect mixture of sweet, funny, witty, and entertaining I have ceaselessly been searching for; yet another staple to add to my favorites collection. I don’t know if the online plot could ever work for me again, but this author nailed it, and I am going to enjoy it in the here and now and continue to search for more books that have the stamina to match this one and many other of my long time favorites. I will most definitely be revisiting this read very soon in the near future.

Purchase on Amazon

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