Take note: this is how you write a good friends-to-lovers story. While this trope has its appeal, more often than not I can anticipate there will be a healthy dose of the following that will piss me off: immature characters; manufactured drama; lack of communication. Blurred Lines successfully manages to avoid those pitfalls.
Although Spin isn’t a 5 star read for me, I can say it is the start of a new favorite series.
While ShutterGirl is a bit of a departure from CD Reiss’s more sensual writings, her foray into the contemporary romance genre has all the hallmarks I’ve come to expect from CD’s work: superb writing woven with complex characters and a captivating plot. This is an alluring second-chance love story about two completely opposite people who dare to fall in love.
I admit I was disappointed by the depressing overtones of Becoming Calder given that I had expected more of a romance, but I was pleased to find the story picks up steam in Finding Eden.
This novella does a pretty good job kicking off the 5-part Timber Towers serial. Frankie Jordan is Boston’s highest selling real estate agent. She’s poised to take over her father’s successful agency. Derek Block is an elusive cutting-edge architect. He’s the developer for Timber Towers, an exclusive apartment complex in Boston. In Unblocked – Episode One, the two meet when Frankie interviews for the job of the complex’s in-house real estate agent. There is sexual tension, but neither wants to jeopardize their potential working relationship.
“Love is reckless because true emotions are immune to logic. The most beautiful love stories are often the most tragic.” Jewel E. Ann has officially become an auto-buy author for me. The first book in her Jack & Jill series, End of Day, completely blew me away and was a rare 5 star read for me. Middle of Knight proves just how addictive this trilogy is.
Reading is one of my favorite pastimes, but when you’re an avid reader who reads well over 100 novels per year, many books tend to blend together. Authors that bring something fresh to the table stand a better chance of producing work that stands out. Jewel E. Ann brought her A-game with End of Day, and I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like it. She has woven together a gripping, intriguing, and clever novel that I could not put down. What a fantastic start to the Jack & Jill series.
I thought Archer’s Voice was amazing so I was excited to read another book by Mia Sheridan, especially after reading so many glowing reviews of Becoming Calder. I think I set myself up for disappointment because I expected this to be a romance. The story is creepy, dark, tense, and just overall depressing, which is great if you’re reading general fiction or a suspense novel but it’s not what you sign up for in the contemporary romance genre. And while I liked the characters of Calder and Eden, they just didn’t click for me as a couple.
The Game Plan is the third book in the Game On series, and it can easily be read as a standalone. However, I think it’s because I kept comparing it to the previous books that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have otherwise. It’s by no means a miss. I really liked the book; I just didn’t love it.
Penny Reid can do no wrong in my book, and although I’ve only read one book by L.H. Cosway, I was impressed with her writing style. I thought pairing up these two intelligent and witty authors to write a book together was a smart move. It was with great anticipation that I settled in to spend an entertaining weekend reading The Hooker and the Hermit.
Let me just cut to the chase. I freaking loved this book! The synopsis sounded unique, and given my weakness for second chance love stories, I knew I had a potential winner on my hands. Well, it delivered all that and a bag of chips. I absolutely devoured it. Before We Were Strangers is easily one of my favorite books of 2015.
