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BOOK REVIEW: The New Guy by Sarina Bowen

BOOK REVIEW: The New Guy by Sarina BowenThe New Guy by Sarina Bowen
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

My name is Hudson Newgate, but my teammates call me New Guy.

That was my nickname in Chicago, too. And Vancouver. That’s what happens when you keep getting traded. Brooklyn is my last chance, especially after my poor performance last season.

But I can make this work. The new guy knows to keep his head down and shoot the puck. The new guy puts the game first.

What he doesn’t do is hook up with the other new guy—a hot athletic trainer who lives in my building. Gavin needs this job with my team. He’s a single dad with responsibilities.

We can’t be a couple. My arrogant agent–who’s also my father–will lose his mind if I’m dating a dude. And my team needs me to score goals, not whip up a media circus.

Too bad Gavin and I are terrible at resisting each other…

Review

Okayyyyy, Sarina, I see what you did there at the end. *side eye emoji*

Coming back into the world of the Bruisers is like stepping into a hot, steamy shower after an incredibly long day. Relaxing. Rejuvenating. Pure bliss. This one actually felt slightly different but I think that was for two different reasons. One being that Hudson was newly acquired by Brooklyn and is coming in as the “New Guy” and Gavin, a single dad, and an athletic trainer was also newly hired by the organization. They’re not in with all of the other staff and the players like you see in the other books but that’s okay. It honestly adds to their specific story and the conflicts that can be found in this book. The other reason this had a different feeling, to me, was for an intentional reason that you’ll find out when you finish the book!

Now to my favorite part–the romance. Sarina knows just how to match the two perfect characters that have the best chemistry. Every. Single. Time. Even though Gavin and Hudson do have their fair share of difficulties (Hudson isn’t out to the world as bi and his dad, who is also his agent, thinks he should wait until he gets a big contract and Gavin is again, a single dad AND a widow) they just work. Hudson immediately takes to Gavin’s daughter, though it doesn’t hurt that she’s adorable and loves hockey and gets under Gavin’s skin in a way that hasn’t happened since his husband died. Gavin gets Hudson to deviate from his very strict diet and eat his homemade ramen and gives him the best damn massages he’s ever had. See? It just works, LOL. Truly though, this book had a lot of ~real~ issues in it. The fact that it’s still so complicated to be gay in the NHL and how hard it can be to be a single dad, even if you have a stable job and are trying your very best. I think that’s another thing that I love about Bowen’s books. Any number of people can see themselves in her wide selection of characters and feel seen and I absolutely love that.

Huge thanks to Sarina Bowen and Tuxbury Publishing for allowing me to listen to an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review!♥

BOOK REIVEW: The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson

BOOK REIVEW: The Chemistry of Love by Sariah WilsonThe 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.*

Forget Me Not by Julie Soto

Forget Me Not by Julie SotoForget Me Not by Julie Soto
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

An ambitious wedding planner must work with her grumpy florist ex, whose heart she broke, on the most high-profile wedding of her career, in this spicy and emotional romance from popular fanfic author Julie Soto.

He loves me; he loves me not...

Ama Torres loves being a wedding planner. But with a mother who has been married more times than you can count on your fingers, Ama has decided that marriage is not the route for her. But weddings? Weddings are amazing. As a small business owner, she knows how to match her clients with the perfect vendor to give them the wedding of their dreams. Well, almost perfect…

Elliot hates being a florist, most of the time. When his father left him the flower shop, he considered it a burden, but he’s stuck with it. Just like how he’s stuck with the way he proposed to Ama, his main collaborator and girlfriend (or was she?) two years ago. But flowers have grown on him, just like Ama did. And flowers can’t run off and never speak to him again, like Ama did.

When Ama is hired to plan a celebrity wedding that will bring her business national exposure, there's a catch: Elliot is already contracted to design the flowers. Things are not helped by the two brides, who see the obvious chemistry between Ama and Elliot and are determined to set them up, not knowing their complicated history. Add in a meddling ex-boss, and a reality TV film crew documenting every step of the wedding prep, and Ama and Elliot's hearts are not only in jeopardy again, but this time, their livelihoods are too.

Review

Because this is Julie’s FIRST EVER PUBLISHED BOOK(!!!!) I’m going to try to keep my flailing about her as a person to a minimum and stick to the actual book so give me until the end of this paragraph and then I’ll get into the actual review, lol. I was introduced to Dramione fanfiction in April of 2021 and Julie’s (or better known in that fandom as lovesbitca8) Rights and Wrongs series was the 2-4th fics I had ever read. When I tell you that the quality of these first few fics blew me away and were better than over half of the published books I read that year, I’m being 100% serious. As I continued to become more ingrained in that fandom, interacting with authors (Julie herself included) in comments, Facebook groups, and the RoR discord, I told myself that if any of them ever wrote original material, I would (if possible) snatch up any and all ARCs that my librarian powers tend to provide me with and book talk the ever living SHIT out of them to promote them in all the ways I know how to as many people as I can. So here I am, doing just that. I feel so lucky to have snagged a copy of this and I WILL be reading this again before it comes out. (See there, I didn’t go too crazy, did I?!)

Alright, y’all let’s do this. Let’s get into why I am so utterly obsessed with this book that I’ll probably end up buying a ton of copies and making sure every acquaintance, friend, and library patron who asks me for a romance recommendation knows about this book. #1 is obviously the writing. I went into this very curious to see if I could recognize her style from what she’s done in fanfiction to a traditionally published work and I think her voice still shines through. Julie has a very specific brand of witty, hilarious banter, main characters that always seem to develop such DELICIOUS but also AGONIZING tension between them, a great supporting cast, and writing that quite honestly has the ability to take your breath away. I highlighted a ton of lines that I will probably wait to share until the book is actually published but just know..there are some real treasures in here.

Second reason why I loved this book so much? Ama and Elliot. Naturally. They both might be flawed, as normal human beings are and especially those that have unusual upbringings in the form of your mom being married and divorced over 10 times. I thought that Ama was a super relatable character, one that any number of readers could see themselves in, for so many different reasons. Elliot was indeed a grump but a sweet, caring grump that made the most beautiful structures and creations with flowers and got tattoos of the ones that are rare. I loved seeing their interactions from the past through Elliot’s eyes and I actually thought was genius that we got his POV from before and Ama’s while in the present. Most of all I loved how the two of them worked together and in working together, they brought out the best in the other person. If that’s not romantic as hell, I don’t know what is.

To wrap this review up, I will say that if you ARE a Dramione fan reading this, especially one who has read Rights and Wrongs and has listened to the podcast and been around on discord or the Facebook group–so basically DEEP in this world with Juls, Mar, and Cat, there will be a few little things that will make you snicker bc they will remind you of things that have been said or joked about before and that made this story all the more special to me, honestly. I am SO, so happy that Julie was able to publish original work that we can actually pay her for and I hope that she continues on to give us so much more. HIGHLY recommend this one.

Huge thanks to Edelweiss and Forever for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review!♥

BOOK REVIEW: Breaking All the Rules by Amy Andrews

BOOK REVIEW: Breaking All the Rules by Amy AndrewsBreaking All the Rules by Amy Andrews
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
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

BOOK REVIEW: Blush (Black Rose #1) by Helen HardtBlush (Black Rose #1)
by Helen Hardt
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
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.*

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