Tag: Forced Proximity

BOOK REVIEWS: Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood, & Confessions: The Complete Duet by Kay Marie

March 9, 2026 / Jen / 0 Comments

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, aka her archnemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her—and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.

Review:

Two Can Play was a sweet and steamy forced proximity romance with an enemies to lovers vibe. This was classic Hazelwood with it being effortless to listen to and enjoy, a male that is secretive and sometimes hard to read, and a female that was so easy to click with. This story took place in a winter wonderland and ended wonderfully. I enjoyed listening to this one so much!

Confessions: The Complete Duet by Kay Marie
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
He knows all of her secrets...except one.

My name is Skylar Quinn. I just moved to New York with my best friend Bridget, and I have a confession. Well, more than one. Okay, quite a few really. Fine, here goes!

Confession #1: I'm a sex columnist. Hold on, that's not really the confession. You see, I'm sort of a virgin...sex columnist.

Confession #2: I'm kind of in love with Bridget's older brother, Oliver. No, I was. No, I am. Wait, was? Am? Crap.

Confession #3: I've been avoiding Oliver for four years. Or I was until today, because he just moved in. Yes, you read that correctly. He's my new roommate. So that night we've both been pretending never happened, well, we might not be able to keep it a secret any longer.

And trust me, this is only the beginning.

This box set contains both full-length novels in Confessions, a sweet duology perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot, and Christina Lauren! If you like second chance romance, roommate romance, or falling for your best friend's brother, you'll love this set!
- Book One: Confessions of a Virgin Sex Columnist!
- Book Two: Confessions of an Undercover Girlfriend!

Review:

Confessions of a Virgin Sex Columnist was the first book in the duet, and it was super cute! If you adore romcom movies from the 2010s, this is your book! I got all the vibes from my favorite romcoms I’ve rewatched so many times! Skylar was so easy to love, and I emphasized with her too. Even if her thoughts could be over the top at times. While she tried to go on other dates for her job, she couldn’t help but want her best friend’s older brother. This romance was set in the city and was so effortless to listen to!

Confessions of an Undercover Girlfriend, picked up right where the last one left off. I loved how this one was focused on her friendships and working towards her HEA with Ollie. But there were so many hiccups along the way. I didn’t always agree with the choices she made, and wanted to shake her sometimes lol, but the ending made me so happy. This is definitely a fun and flirty read that I enjoyed!

BOOK REVIEW: Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy #1) by Julie Soto

August 27, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Soto crafts a lush and dark romantic fantasy that’s filled with intrigue, magic, and an irresistible enemies-to-lovers romance.

The war is over, the dark forces have won, and the hero who was supposed to save them is dead.

Captured as her castle is overrun by the enemy, the world as Briony Rosewood knows it is changed forever. Evil has won, and her people face imminent servitude, imprisonment, or death.

Stripped of her Magic and her freedom, Briony and the other survivors are quickly sold off to the highest bidders in an auction—and as Evermore's princess, she fetches the highest price. After a fierce bidding war, she’s sold to none other than Toven Hearst, scion of a family known for their cruelty.

Yet despite the horrors of her new world and the role she must learn to play within it, all is not lost. Help—and hope—may yet arise in the most unlikely of places…

Review:

Rose in Chains pushed me outside my comfort. This book was gritty, dark, and held me in the palm of its hands. If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers romantasy and books that make the world fall away when you’re reading them, this is your book! I am not so patiently waiting for the next one to be released.

Briony was someone I instantly clicked with, and she easily pulled me into this story from that first page. Her pain, struggles, anger, and fight became mine. And as the past and the present wove together, I thought I understood everything from the beginning. Oh how wrong I was. As we truly started to see characters and their interactions, our world was made larger. So many things came into play, and Soto was a mastermind for how she made this story unfold.

While the plot, storyline and unique magic system were fascinating, the characters made this book for me. They all caused such strong visceral reactions in me. There were ones I loved, hated with every ounce of my soul, and others I was unsure of where they would land leaving my nerves buzzing inside me. But the ones I hated?! Oh. The atrocities that happened in this book were gutting. And as someone who will easily DNF a book that has SA, this one kept me reading. There are quite a few mentions of SA off the pages, one on page to another character, and shockingly I was able to keep reading. That is not normally how it pans out. Usually I throw my kindle or phone away from me, and I am done. But I was too invested in this story to stop, I had to know what happened next and that never happens.

Rose in Chains was a slow burn romance that was beautifully done. Watching that trust form, and then turn into more?! I was hooked. And when forced proximity was thrown into the mix, I was a goner. Also, there was a twist I didn’t see coming, but I should have. The clues were all there, but I was so focused on everything else I missed it. So while this book started out as a struggle for me, because of the mentions of SA, this book refused to be put down. And I will definitely be reading the next one when it releases!

BOOK REVIEW: Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli

May 19, 2025 / Jen / 2 Comments

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. Teetering on the edge of burnout, Tris is stunned when she’s picked to attend WMC's corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. It’s a chance to revive her stalled career and compete for a coveted spot in an executive training program—plus, three weeks in paradise! The only downside? Rafe is her co-attendee.

Tris plans to avoid Rafe entirely, but when she arrives in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. Sure, it’s not all torture. Rafe is a smoldering ten—okay fine, an eleven—but after years of competition, they can barely stand being in the same time zone. As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along?

Review:

Not Safe for Work was a fabulous enemies to lovers forced proximity romance! With heavier relatable themes laced through this story, I devoured this one! The slow burn was drawn out beautifully, the characters were easy to adore, and the location made me want to be laying on a beach somewhere. It was so much fun watching them make each other laugh as they knocked down the walls that separated them. It wasn’t an easy process, but I was completely invested in Trishara and Rafe! I listened to the audiobook and it swept me away. The narrators did such a fabulous job of making me lost within this story. So if you’re looking for a romance that you could binge in a sitting or would be the perfect beach read, this is your book!

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

BOOK REVIEW: The Au Pair Affair (Big Shots #2) by Tessa Bailey

July 23, 2024 / Jen / 1 Comment

The Au Pair Affair (Big Shots #2)
by Tessa Bailey
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.

Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.

Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah.

Review:

The Au Pair Affair was a single dad, forced proximity, age gap, adult romance. My favorite thing about this book was watching Burgess slowly start to win Tallulah over. From being his nanny, to friend, to more. I loved watching the progression of their relationship. This was a feel-good book that made me so happy!

God, this woman ruled his dick and she had absolutely no idea. Maybe allowing her to move in was unethical.

Burgess was a professional hockey player, who was definitely starting to feel his age. So, while he could be burly on the ice, he was thoughtful and sensitive when it came to his daughter and new nanny, Tallulah. His honesty and intensity were two of the things that I loved most about him. Like when he would state physically what he wanted from her eeps!

“You could say I’m old-fashioned, sure.”
“It’s very mean Daddy of you,” she whispered.
Burgess’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. It’s what?”
“Ooh.” She winced. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Tallulah was a much-needed light in Burgess’s life. The way she interacted with his daughter and helped Burgess and her talk warmed my heart. Yet, Tallulah guarded her heart. Her past was heartbreaking and I understood why she wanted to do her thing. And not be tied down in a relationship. Yet spending more and more time around Burgess, it was impossible for her not to fall for him.

“Give me a chance to show you that you’re safe with me.”

He was her boss. She was his nanny. Yet they both wanted each other desperately. So, Burgess and Tallulah had heart quickening chemistry! The tension between them simmered and when they crossed the line into more, it was scorching hot. Also, I adored the found family within these pages. Their best friends and his hockey team, also Chloe, added so much to this story! It made me laugh when they would offer advice, I was dying!

“Is she giving you any signs?”
“She gave me a massage last night in the kitchen.”
“Then I’d say you’ve got a fucking chance, my man. Especially if it was a dick massage.”
“It was a back massage, shithead. Jesus.”

If you’re looking for a beach read or a book to get lost in, I can’t recommend giving the Big Shot Series enough of a chance. I loved the first book, about Burgess and Tallulah’s best friends. And their own story was so much fun too. I can’t wait to see whose story is next, I have a guess and my fingers are crossed!

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