Saturday, January 27, 2018

Four Adult Contemporary Romance Mini-Reviews

You know the drill.  Here are some mini-reviews to work on getting myself caught up!

On the Plus Side (A Perfect Fit #2) by Alison Bliss:

Published:  June 27th, 2017
Source:  Won copy of book
Genre:  Adult contemporary romance
My rating:  4 stars


I did enjoy this one. Although while Valeria may have been supposed to be a bigger woman, I don't know that any of that came across on her side.  Yay for all the self-confidence that I  know is good for her, it sometimes made it a little hard to connect to her because I am not that way.  But I did like the romance, even if  Logan totally irritated the crap out of me for all his not wanting to get with her because of her brother.  And in the end, her brother's overprotectiveness to the point of how angry he got when he found out about the two of them, well that was really annoying, and pretty over the top.  All in all a good, quick read though.  I look forward to reading on in the series, and I liked how we got to have some glances back at the couple from the first book, Size Matters.  

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

Big girls don't cry. They go after what they want.

Thanks to her bangin' curves, Valerie Carmichael has always turned heads-with the exception of seriously sexy Logan Mathis. Just Valerie's luck that the object of her lust-filled affection is also best friends with her overprotective brother. But Valerie's determined to get Logan's attention . . . even if it means telling a teeny little lie to get a job at his new bar. 

Logan can't remember a time when Valerie didn't secretly fuel all his hottest fantasies. Now the curvaceous she-devil is working behind his bar, tempting him every damn night. It's only when he finds Valerie's naughty things-to-do list that Logan decides to break every rule in the book-by making each red-hot deed a reality. 

No one warned them that they were going to fall this hard. And no one warned them that sometimes the smallest secrets can have the biggest consequences. 


Friends Without Benefits (Knitting in the City #2) by Penny Reid:
Published:  October 1st, 2013
Source:  Purchased paperback
My Rating:  5 stars

I am such a huge fan of Penny Reid, now that I've started her books.  I'll admit I did have a short time as I started this that I wasn't sure if I'd get into it, but once I actually picked it up, it got to where if I was reading before bed I could barely put it down so that I could get some sleep since I had to get up in the morning for work.  I wished I'd have read it over winter break so that I could have stayed up all night reading.  The characters are funny, the sex is steamy, the romance is sweet, it just all fits together perfectly.  Not only did we get some time with the characters from the first book, Neanderthal Seeks Human, but we keep in touch with others that I know must feature in future books in the series.  I highly recommend you pick up Penny Reid if you haven't had the chance yet.

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

There are three things you need to know about Elizabeth Finney: 1) She suffers from severe sarcastic syndrome, especially when she's unnerved, 2) No one unnerves her like Nico Manganiello, and 3) She knows how to knit. Elizabeth Finney is almost always right about everything: the musical merits of boy bands are undervalued by society, "benefits" with human Ken dolls are better without friendship, and the sun has set on her once-in-a-lifetime chance for true love. But when Elizabeth's plans for benefits without friendship are disarmed by the irritatingly charismatic and chauvinistic Nico Manganiello- her former nemesis- she finds herself struggling to maintain the electric fence around her heart while avoiding electrocution or, worse, falling in love.

Three Blind Dates by Meghan Quinn:
Published:  January 4th, 2018
Source:  Egalley won through Facebook giveaway
My Rating:  4 stars

This is the first book I've read by Meghan Quinn, even though I've been following her on Facebook for awhile now.  I have to say that I wish there was a real dating service like this, and that I could join.  All three of the main characters dates were great guys, but in the end, I was sad when each one didn't work out.  The little twist towards the end, that helps you figure out who will be the right guy, well, I didn't see that coming!  And while I'm happy with who she ended up with, I still think one of the others would have been my first choice.  One downside, I don't know how to pronounce the main character's name, Noely, so my thoughts tripped over it as I read, which did pull me out of the story at times.  Overall though, it was a fun read, hard to put down, and only made me more intrigued to read more books by this author.

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

"Good Morning Malibu, it’s another beautiful day on the west coast! I'm Noely Clark, your host: and I'm in the market for love…”

When the publicity team of the new local restaurant, Going in Blind, began their search for a hot, local celebrity to promote the wildly popular eatery, they couldn’t have found a better person than me. 

Outgoing? Check.
Single? Check.
Open to finding love? Check. 

I signed up immediately. 

A hopeless romantic with an exceedingly demanding schedule, I've found it impossible to find the man of my dreams—so Going in Blind seems too good to be true! That’s until they start setting me up on dates—three very different, very attractive, very distinct blind dates—and only one thing is for certain . . .

I’m in big trouble. 

Good Morning Malibu,
I'm Noely Clark, and I have a choice to make.
The question is who will I choose; the suit, the rebel, or the jock.


Sweet Ache (Driven series #6) by K. Bromberg:
Published:  June 1st, 2015
Source:  Downloaded digital audio from library
My Rating:  5 stars

I remember not liking, then liking Colton's sister Quinlan when we first met her in the earlier books in this series.  But I really got to like her in this one.  And then there was Hawkin Play.  A rock star, and I do love a good rock star romance.  Hawkin had some baggage he was pulling along, but something about Quinlan kept him interested and fighting for a chance.  I loved his sweet tooth, and how it played into the story.  I have to say that at times I felt Quinlan might have given in sooner than I would have, but yeah, that's probably why I'm still single.  So many sexy parts in this one, parts that I was listening to before I had to go into work, and other times I didn't want to get out of the car to stop listening because of how things were going.  Once again another great story from this author.  I was lucky enough to get selected to be in the author's audio review group, and so I have the next book in the series to listen to after my next two audiobooks that I'm required to listen to and review for tours.  But I can't wait!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The New York Times bestselling author of Slow Burn turns up the heat when a sexy bet turns into so much more…

Hawkin Play, the bad boy rock star with a good guy heart, has lived a lifetime of cleaning up after his twin brother’s mistakes. Hunter’s most recent screw-up could land Hawke in jail and risk the band’s future. Hawke agrees to guest lecture at a local college to stay in the judge’s good graces—and a bet with his bandmate to seduce his sexy teaching assistant is icing on the cake.

Quinlan Westin is harder to bed than Hawke imagined. She knows his type and is determined to avoid the rocker at all costs—even if their attraction runs deeper than simple lust.

Just as Hawke might finally be winning over the girl, his brother has other plans. When Hunter realizes his twin finally has a weakness, he’ll stop at nothing to take advantage…