It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lee Lerner
Goodreads blurb: Joan Davis is a movie star, and a damned good actor, too. Unfortunately, Hollywood only seems to care when she stars alongside Dash Howard, Tinseltown’s favorite leading man and a perpetual thorn in Joan’s side. She’s sick of his hotshot attitude, his never-ending attempts to get a rise out of her―especially after the night he sold her out to the press on a studio-arranged date. She’ll turn her career around without him. She’s engaged to Hollywood’s next rising star, after all, and preparing to make the film that could finally get her taken seriously. Then, a bombshell drops: thanks to one of his on-set pranks gone wrong, Dash and Joan are legally married. Reputation on the line, Joan agrees to star alongside Dash one last time and move production to Reno, where divorce is legal after a six-week residency. But between on-set shenanigans, fishing competitions at Lake Tahoe, and intimate moments leaked to the press, Joan begins to see another side to the man she thought she had all figured out, and it becomes harder and harder to convince the public―and herself―that her marriage to Dash is the joke it started out as.
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
my take: 3.5 out of 5. This was a very cute vintage Hollywood romance. I did the audiobook and it was great, narrated by Patti Murin who is wonderful. Some wonderful backstage drama, great Hollywood references and a love story that is adorable. It makes you want to go and watch some old black and white MGM classics.
The Plus One by Mazey Eddings
Goodreads blurb: Some facts are indisputable. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west. Gravity exits. Indira doesn’t like Jude. Jude doesn’t like Indira. But what happens when these childhood enemies find the only thing they can rely on is each other?On paper, Indira has everything together. An amazing job, a boyfriend, and a car. What more could a late twenty-something ask for? But when she walks in on her boyfriend in an amorous embrace with a stranger, that perfect on paper image goes up in flames.Jude has nothing together. A doctor that’s spent the last three years traveling the world to treat emergencies and humanitarian crises, a quick trip home for his best friend’s wedding has him struggling to readjust.Thrust into an elaborate (and ridiculously drawn out) wedding event that’s stressing Jude beyond belief and has Indira seeing her ex and his new girlfriend far more frequently than any human should endure, the duo strike a bargain to be each other’s fake dates to this wedding from hell. The only problem is, their forced proximity and fake displays of affection are starting to feel a bit… real, and both are left grappling with the idea that a situation that couldn’t be worse, is made a little better with the other around.
What starts out as a fake wedding date turns into something these childhood enemies never expected in the next sparkling romantic comedy by Mazey Eddings
my take: 3.5 out of 5. This was a great culmination of the brush with love trilogy, it might be my favorite of the three books (the others are A Brush with Love and Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake). The buildup of the relationship was super cute even though you never for a second thought they were enemies (you could tell their animosity was pure attraction) I was all in for the development of their relationship, even if you do have to suspend your disbelief for a bit in believing the close proximity trope. The handling of the PTSD and all the mental issues I felt was beautifully done.
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Goodreads blurb: Wanted: One (fake) boyfriend Practically perfect in every way.Luc O’Donnell is tangentially–and reluctantly–famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he’s never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad’s making a comeback, Luc’s back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything. To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship…and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He’s a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he’s never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that’s when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don’t ever want to let them go.
my take: 3.75 out of 5. This book has had such good buzz for a long time, I finally caved and read it. It is a good book, it just did not meet my expectations. I was expecting a new Red, White and Royal Blue (Which btw go see the movie in Prime) and this is a poor mans version. Do not get me wrong I still liked it and it is a solid romance but it did not catapult to the top of my favorites. I actually thought Oliver was adorable, Luc I needed way more pages to warm up to.
The Dance Deception by Becky Ward
Goodreads blurb: here’s about to be fire on – and off – the dance floor… Kate Wareing is astonished when she secures a place in a televised dance competition. Especially as it means she’ll be paired with a professional dancer to compete for a life-changing cash prize. When she’s matched with gorgeous French dancer Merle it quickly becomes clear that he’s just as keen to work on their chemistry as their routine. But when the competition is rocked by a scandal, Kate’s forced to switch to a new partner, Aleksis , who is just as devastatingly attractive as Merle – but seems to hate her. Despite the odds stacked against them, Kate is determined to win, convincing Aleksis to embark on a showmance to try and win over the public. But what happens when Kate’s feelings for her fake boyfriend become all too real? And how far will Merle go to sabotage her chances – both in the competition and in love? Funny, feel-good and oh-so-steamy, this is the perfect read for the Strictly-obsessed and anyone who loved The Spanish Love Deception and The Love Hypothesis
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
my take 2.5 out of 5. This wasn’t a great book for me. It had some solid things going for it. First, I’m obsessed with dancing and dancing shows so that behind the scenes part and all the dance rehearsals was very much up my alley. Also its a quick read and has a cute ending. However what did not gel for me was that the relationships felt so fake and so forced. The quickness of the original Kate and Merle fling felt fake and even uncomfortable. I was cringing through all the beginning scenes, and their attraction was not well written. Although Aleksis’ storyline I liked much more, It also felt forced, like are we really getting two Show relationships with moving in and marriage breakups all in less than 4 weeks? It had potential but the timelines and the chemistry just didn’t work for me.
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