When I finished Marni Mann’s Unblocked Collection, I had this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. It felt like moving away from your best friends—their lives keep going on, but you drift apart and you no longer know what they’ve been up to. Marni Mann has gifted fans with a mini reunion in Wild Aces, but it is a standalone that can easily be enjoyed without reading the other books.
I’m a huge Kate Stewart fan. I loved Loving the White Liar, and I was so spellbound by The Fall that it made my Top Ten of 2015 list. We are introduced to Rose and Grant in The Fall (the prequel to this book), and I was looking forward to the story of their whirlwind romance. The blurb makes it clear that the book isn’t intended for readers who dislike Insta-love – admittedly, something I’m not crazy about. The romantic in me appreciates the dedication: “For those who still believe in love at first sight.” The cynic in me, though, rejects that notion. Do I believe in attraction at first sight? Absolutely! Love? Not so much.
One day. I devoured this book in one day. Actually, less than a day, and when I finished I wanted to start over the next day and read it again. It’s that good. You could say it’s a friends to lovers story, but it’s so much more. It’s a dramedy with real depth. Don’t expect a light romance where the main characters suddenly hook up in the first five chapters, or a minor conflict is easily resolved. It’s not that kind of book.
“We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.” I officially have a girl crush on Melanie Harlow. I’m in love with her writing style, and in awe of all the original, entertaining characters she creates. I have yet to read a book of hers I haven’t liked, and with Some Sort of Love the streak remains unbroken. It’s the third book in the Happy Crazy Love series, but you don’t need to read the previous books to enjoy the story.
I don’t care how long you’ve been a couple before you make it official; marriage is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work whether you’ve been married two years or twenty years. It’s far too rare to find romance novels with main characters in their thirties and forties. As an older reader, I’m so grateful that Penny Reid penned a humorous yet thoughtful story featuring a mature married couple dealing with real life issues.
I must be addicted to college sports romances because even though they tend to be somewhat formulaic, I can’t seem to get enough of them. There’s usually a hot shot, sexy athlete (typically a football or hockey player) who enjoys bonking a different co-ed each night and is allergic to commitment—that is until he meets a pretty girl who doesn’t date athletes. He wants to get in her pants, but she’s unimpressed by him. That challenge makes him want to win her over even more. She finally relents and he is transformed into a committed, love addicted man, and they both live happily ever after. The End.
I really enjoyed the premise of this fun little story. Lila is proof that you can’t keep a good woman down. Her life changes in an instant when she catches her husband cheating in an unexpectedly humorous way. Suddenly, she goes from being a sensible stay at home mom of twins to being a feisty investigative photographer devoted to catching unfaithful partners in flagrante delicto.
After a disappointing book two I’m happy to say things are back on track with the quality of storytelling. For one thing, this time around Charlie is actually in the book full-time – not as a guest star. The mystery of Silas and Charlie’s recurring memory loss is just as intriguing as ever, and while I still consider it to be a page-turner, the story unfolds at a more languid pace. It’s a welcome break from the Xanax inducing tension in the previous two books. The developing relationship between this version of Silas and Charlie is fun and sweet. I’ve liked Silas from the beginning, and I really adore him in this book.
I can pretty much sum up my review in five words. I. Effing. Loved. This. Book. I wasn’t sure I would like it because I’m not into covers with mostly naked men—shocking, I know. I always feel like they’re overcompensating for a small…plot. And really the basis of the story isn’t anything deep or even original. Best friends pretend to be a couple, but eventually they cross the line between pretending and genuinely feeling something more. The End. Right? Except not so much in this case.
I wrote less than stellar reviews for the first two books in the series so I’m happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion. This Man Confessed has everything I hope to find in a good romance: sizzling chemistry, wit, angst, tenderness, mystery, romance, and a few tear-jerkers. If only we had been gifted these starting with book one!
Getting Rough is the second book in the Monkey Business trio. It continues the enemies to lovers story of Shaw and Cassidy, two competitive sports agents. The first book, Playing Dirty, heavily emphasized their animosity, and I enjoyed their verbal sparring and underhanded rivalry—not to mention their smoking hot chemistry. This book, however, focuses more on their transition from adversaries to acquaintances to lovers.
The book blurb should have the following warning: “You’d better hold on tight because you’re about to embark on one hell of a suspenseful rollercoaster.” Instead, the blurb says this book is, “sexy,” and, “hot.” I think that’s misleading. This isn’t a racy romance novel with a little whodunit thrown in. Yes, there are some romantic aspects that help propel the plot, but He Will Be My Ruin is first and foremost an edgy, hardcore, emotional thriller that kept me guessing until the end.