A little compilation of some Romantic books I read this month:
Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales
Goodreads blurb: When their now famous ex-boyfriend asks them to participate in a teen reality show, two eighteen year old girls—one bent on revenge, the other open to rekindling romance—get tangled up in an unexpected twist when they fall for each other instead in Never Ever Getting Back Together by nationally and internationally-bestselling and Indie Next Pick author Sophie Gonzales. It’s been two years since Maya’s ex-boyfriend cheated on her, and she still can’t escape him: his sister married the crown prince of a minor European country and he captured hearts as her charming younger brother. If the world only knew the real Jordy, the manipulative liar who broke Maya’s heart. Skye Kaplan was always cautious with her heart until Jordy said all the right things and earned her trust. Now his face is all over the media and Skye is still wondering why he stopped calling. When Maya and Skye are invited to star on the reality dating show Second-Chance Romance, they’re whisked away to a beautiful mansion—along with four more of Jordy’s exes— to compete for his affections while the whole world watches. Skye wonders if she and Jordy can recapture the spark she knows they had, but Maya has other plans: exposing Jordy and getting revenge. As they navigate the competition, Skye and Maya discover that their real happily ever after is nothing they could have scripted
My take: 3.75 out of 5. Ok so the premise of this story is amazing. I loved the concept, I loved the fact that its the two contestants falling in love, I really loved all the premise of it. What was my big issue with this book? it really did not play well as an almost YA book. Its kind of weird that a 20 year old is going to revisit all of his past loves to find the one – he really hasn’t lived, his one is probably in the future. Also the fat that skye and Maya were almost 18 made it a tad awkward. This story with 30 year old’s would be amazing and less disturbing for me. But that’s what I did, I pretended they were 30 and loved it 😉
a Takes Manhattan by Lissette Decos
Goodreads blurb: Ana Karina loves her job—though she isn’t quite where she thought she’d be by now. As reality tv producer, she orchestrates extravagant marriage proposals that always (read: mostly) go as planned. If they don’t, she’s not afraid to cut and paste scenes to perfection afterward. Even if her arrogant film editor isn’t a fan. But what does he know about romance anyway? If only Ana’s love life was as simple as fixing botched engagements. She’s sick and tired of guys who give her the ick. Open‑toed sandals? Gross. Mr. Casual. No, thanks. Barcode tattoo? Cut! Ana’s got a mile‑long list of all the cringey things to steer clear of. And Ana loves lists. Her to‑dos for her best friend’s wedding, show ideas to pitch, and even her list of what she does want in Mr. Right. With only four requirements, why is it taking so long to find him? She refuses to put her life on hold waiting. She’ll just date four men who each embody one quality. Never mind them lacking in other departments. Yet as she finds the Prince Charming in every frog, she also gets closer to facing who she’s avoided for years. Herself.
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher. The book comes out Feb 28th.
my take:4 out of 5. I had absolutely no expectations going into this book and I was so happily surprised by the end of it. Loved the build up, the fact that who she was going to end up wasn’t completely obvious, and the behind the scenes of the show are fabulous. I enjoyed the character of Ana, how determined she was and how nothing in her happily ever after in this book meant compromising her standards or her path.
In the Weeds by B.K. Borison
Goodreads blurb: Evelyn St. James isn’t the kind of woman you forget.
Beckett Porter certainly hasn’t. One incredible weekend in Maine, and he’s officially a man distracted. He’s not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings. He knows how it goes. But Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He can’t stop thinking about her laugh. Her hand pressed flat against his chest. Her smiling mouth at his neck.
Also, her eyes. And her legs.
So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he is … confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon: social media influencer Evelyn St. James. When she disappears again, Beckett resolves to finally forget her and move on.
But Evelyn St. James has a problem.
Feeling disconnected from her work and increasingly unhappy, she’s trying to find her way back to something real. She returns to the last place she was happy, Lovelight Farms and the tiny town of Inglewild.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two incredible nights with.
Nothing at all.
In The Weeds is a sweet and steamy second-chance romance about finding your happiness. It features a grumpy farmer, a no-nonsense social media influencer, a small town of busybodies, and four very cute kittens. In The Weeds is a standalone romance and is part of the Lovelight series.
This is an audiobook ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
My take: 3 out of 5. This follows Lovelight farms, in this trilogy, and there in lies the problem, a lot of the action for the book happens in love light farms. The meet cute, the re meet up, so by the time we get to this book, there are a lot of pages for what could actually happen in half the space. It is cute story, but it felt to extended. I love the concept of find my happy, but really there was a lot wrong in the end framing where finding her love was with a man – they missed a great opportunity of given more weight to other factors. Her new job could have contributed to her happy, but in the end her happy still seemed way to attached to Beckett. I did have a personal pet peeve in the audio, The use of Honey for their pet names. Be forewarned, this is very steamy (way more than I expected)
Maggie finds her Muse by Dee Ernst
Goodreads blurb: All Maggie Bliss needs to do is write. Forty-eight years old and newly single (again!), she ventures to Paris in a last-ditch effort to finish her manuscript. With a marvelous apartment at her fingertips and an elegant housekeeper to meet her every need, a finished book—and her dream of finally taking her career over the top—is surely within her grasp. After all, how could she find anything except inspiration in Paris, with its sophistication, food, and romance in the air?
But the clock is running out, and between her charming ex-husband arriving in France for vacation and a handsome Frenchman appearing one morning in her bathtub, Maggie’s previously undisturbed peace goes by the wayside. Charming and heartfelt, Dee Ernst’s Maggie Finds Her Muse is a delightful and feel-good novel about finding love, confidence, and inspiration in all the best places
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
My take: 3 out of 5. This was a cute quick romance read. However, Maggie was a little bit too ditzy American stereotype for me in this book. I understand that was part of the story but by the middle I just really did not care if she found her muse or not, because I did not care about her or her books (for which the premise sounded not that great). The surrounding cast of characters is great though. Max, Solange, her daughter and her gay friends are fun and I could still hang out with them in Paris for a while. And really France is never a bad idea. This felt like the cringe moments in Emily Loves Paris.
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