Punk 57 - Penelope Douglas

Punk 57 - Penelope Douglas

*Sigh* I started writing this review as just another entry in my weekly romance wrap-up but I had more to say about it than I thought so it gets a whole dedicated post.  I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book and I know a lot of people love this book so here we go.

This book follows pen-pals Misha (guy) and Ryen (girl).  They go to neighboring schools and were assigned as pen-pals in 5th grade. The book takes place during their last 6 months of senior year in high school.  They've been pen-pals since 5th grade even after they were no longer required to write to each other.  They agreed to not meet in person or look each other up on social media but Misha finds out who Ryen is at a party one night but she doesn't know who he is.  Due to certain circumstances, Misha and Ryen end up running into each other a lot and Misha doesn't like who Ryen is out in the real world.  Due to plot reasons, Misha ends up using a fake name when he meets Ryen and since he's a jerk to her right away, Ryen ends up not liking Misha.  Eventually, of course, they form a sort of friendship and the two do have an undeniable chemistry between them.   

I will say off the bat that I really liked the last 60% of the book.  The premise is really interesting and it is a sort of friends to enemies to friends to lovers bully romance.  I think the book has a really great message and the underlying plot with Misha's secrets is really intriguing. The first 40%, however, almost had me put the book down because I just really don't like bully romances. The more I try to read the highly recommended or highly rated bully romances, the more I've just come to realize that this is a trope I just have such a hard time suspending my disbelief with (and I LOVE mafia romances, so that's saying something). And this is nothing against this particular book, in fact, Punk 57 is one of the best written and character-centric books I've read.  I understand that Misha was upset at how Ryen was acting and that she wasn't who he thought she was but he was just as bad (if not worse) to her and then they both end up falling in love with this other person who is super mean to them during their last few weeks of senior year of high school when at least Ryen knew she'd be going off to college in the fall. To their credit, once all the truth comes out, both characters acknowledge how awful they were so they at least have some semblance of self-reflection but the very quick forgiveness didn't match the amount of damage I felt was done by the bullying and lying.  And, obviously, as someone who doesn't really like or understand the bully romance trope, I didn't find the redemption arc of the characters super believable but at least there was one and I could suspend my disbelief just enough to make the ending work.

In her afterword, Douglas mentioned that a lot of times the heroine in a romance is flawed, but at the core is a very good person because they're often an author/reader stand in. However, in this case, Ryen was objectively not a nice person and that is something Douglas set out to write.  I found that a really interesting take on the traditional heroine and I liked that Ryen was so different but believable at the same time.  I think we all have shades of Ryen inside us, especially during those rough high school years.  I liked that the story hinged on the idea of who we are inside vs who we show to the outside world and the different masks that every person wears in different situations.  And from a critical point of view, I could absolutely see myself writing a paper in high school about the themes presented in this book.  I think these themes are really important, especially in a YA/NA romance that younger teens may be reading and see some of their own choices reflected in the characters.  I don't often like to talk about authorial intent because I believe that intent doesn't matter at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what the reader gets out of the book.  But since Douglas wrote her intent down specifically at the end of the book, I thought it was worth mentioning.

Anyway, back to the romance.  A big point that irked me was the fact that Misha and Ryen were just seniors in high school yet their sex scenes were out of this world hot (Penelope Douglas can write some good boning).  We know a little sexual history of the two characters and nothing would indicate that these two were out every weekend working on their sex skills so the confident and detailed sex scenes came as a bit of a shock.  I know that it is common in romance for the characters to have an amazing connection and every touch is electric but this felt way over the top for the characters in this story.  If these exact same sex scenes were put into a book about people in their early 30s who had more experience, they wouldn't feel out of place at all.  However, I couldn't get over the fact that these were two high schoolers with very limited experience doing the acts described with all the dirty talk that happens during the scenes.   I also just feel a little icky about reading such overt sex scenes from high school aged people in general.  I think sex scenes can work in YA books (because YA aged people do have sex so it should be included in books), but I think most of the time it is toned down a bit and isn't so explicit.  I was more upset by the lack of explanation as to why Misha especially was so good at throwing down the D than I was about the explicitness of it. 

I think the relationships with side characters really elevated this book for me.  I feel a lot of romance books obviously center around the main couple and maybe one or two best friends that show up occasionally.  But in this book, they both have their circle of friends at school, both have families, and there are more side characters that come in, and all these characters are unique and have different connections to the main characters.  These outside relationships really help characterize and flesh out the main characters to get a better sense of who they are.  Misha standing up for a kid being bullied in class, for example, gives the reader an action so when Misha is later talking about what a bully Ryen is, we have proof that Misha isn't just all talk and judgement.  When her friends start being jerks to her and Ryen starts to feel panic of being rejected again, the reader can then connect threads that come up later in the plot and we know Ryen isn't just making excuses for her behavior - she's deeply affected by the actions of her friends.  I would have liked to see more interactions between Misha and his friends.  We get some scenes toward the end of the book with Misha and his cousins and bandmates, but I wanted more earlier in the book.

Overall, once the first 40% of the book was out of the way (which is where the majority of the bullying between Ryan and Misha takes place), I really enjoyed the book.  I thought the characters were dynamic and unique.  I thought the topics of bullying, peer pressure, and pretending were all very well handled without being overly preachy.  I can absolutely see why this is a lot of people's favorite Penelope Douglas book or favorite bully romance entirely and it is certainly the best bully romance I've read thanks mainly to the overall character development.  I would say the characters are redeemed at the end and went on to be better people overall, which I always appreciate with bully romances.

343 pages

Friends to enemies to friends to lovers bully romance.  Great themes, if you like YA/NA bully romances then this would be one to check out for sure if you haven't already.

Romance Wrap-Up 9/17/20-9/23/20

Another good week of romance reads - a bit heavy on the Mafia romance, but the rom-coms balance them out.

Real Fake Love - Pippa Grant

This is the second book in the Copper Valley Fireballs series and follows baseball player Luca and romance author Henri.  They meet for the first time at Henri's wedding at which her fiance leaves her at the alter (which isn't the first time for Henri).  A while later, they find each other again when Henri and other romance authors are given a tour of the baseball field for their research.  Henri and Luca strike up a deal where he will help her learn to not fall in love and she'll help keep his grandmother happy while the team finishes the season.  However, as always, the two characters who have sworn off love as nothing more than trouble in their lives come together in ways neither expected.  I really loved how both characters were shown as being 'broken' by society's standards but both are learning to be happy in their own way.  Luca and Henri strike up a true friendship and are there for each other during their hardships in their other relationships and careers.  I really loved the ending, which is a happily ever after of course, but it wasn't the traditional way most romance books end.  It felt completely authentic to the characters even if it isn't what most people would consider the traditional conclusion to a romance book.

Accidental Rebel - Nicole Snow

This is the fifth book in the Marriage Mistake series and this one fell a bit flat for me, but I still enjoyed it.  It follows Miller, single dad on the run, and Gwen, paralegal to a shady lawyer.  The two are connected by Gwen's boss to get married so Miller can escape the people following him and get his two kids to safety.  However, trouble finds Miller faster than he expected so the original plan gets thrown out the window.  The plot was a bit crazy and over-dramatic but that is sort of the theme of these books and I love it.  All the books in the series have that summer blockbuster feel where they are just fun action books and it is really easy for me to suspend my disbelief while reading.  I wasn't completely sold on the chemistry between the two characters and that's where the book lost some points.  There were parts where the chemistry was super well developed, but then other parts where the two characters almost felt indifferent towards each other while they were flirting.  The chemistry wasn't consistent and it was giving me emotional whiplash.  But overall, I did like the book just fine but would recommend other books in the series over this one.

Obsessed with His Bride - B.B. Hamel

I've got a soft spot for Mafia romances and the plot of this one felt right up my alley but it fell short at the finish line.  It follows mafia boss Dante and Aida who is given to him by her father as payment for a mistake.  Dante is your typical ruthless mafia boss and Aida is the typical strong-headed girl who gets wrapped up in all this mafia business by chance.  The first 3/4 of the book, I was all in.  I liked how well developed the mafia story line was with the growing threat of war between the Italians and the Russians.  I liked how Dante and Aida's relationship was growing (despite some scenes with questionable consent).  I liked how complex both characters were with each bringing out something in the other.  And..... then the ending happened.  There were two main issues I had with the ending and I'll try to explain with no spoilers.  Firstly, Aida seemed to go through some sort of personality transplant at the 75% mark.  She spent the first 3/4 of the book being one way and then it felt like she woke up one morning and was a completely different person.  Looking back, I could pick out scenes where Hamel was obviously trying to put Aida in situations that would show her gradual character change, but I needed a whole lot more of those scenes or much more significance in those scenes before I could accept the change Aida went through.  Secondly, the ending of the mafia plot was a let down, to put it mildly.  Again, the first 3/4 of the book did a really fantastic job of ramping up the tension both between the rival families as well as internal strife.  But then, again, it feels like a switch was flipped and all of a sudden the threats didn't feel real and any tension that was in the plot just fizzled out.  

Off Limits - M.S. Parker 

This is the first book in the Scottish Billionaire series and follows Scottish Billionaire Alec and new teacher Lumen.  This is not a stand-alone and the story does continue into book 2 but I don't think I'll be continuing to read.  The two meet after a miscommunication at a massage parlor and then keep running into each other despite what a large city Seattle is.  This book was just super bland for me - the plot, the characters, the romance, just everything about this book was meh.  There were also some plot points that I was pretty sure wouldn't happen and they happened frequently enough that I was getting annoyed.  The one that happens right at the beginning is in the massage parlor where we learn Lumen is a certified massage therapist and she is doing this while finishing up her teaching degree.  My issue is that it take so long to get certified (hundreds of hours of training over months or years) that it really doesn't seem like something someone would normally do as a side job.  A receptionist at a massage parlor?  Yes.  An actual certified massage therapist?  No.  There were a handful of other incidents but they're all farther along in the plot and I don't want to spoil anything.  I also had a hard time believing the chemistry between the two main characters.  It got better toward the end of the book, but the first half I didn't understand what kept these two so obsessed with each other.  I did really like Lumen's side story with the foster home volunteer work and I would have liked more to happen with that (I'm assuming more will happen in the 2nd book).  Overall, this was a pretty below average read and I disliked enough about it that I don't feel like spending another afternoon reading the second book in the series to see where Alec and Lumen end up.

The Rancher's City Girl - Leslie North

This is the first book in the Wells Brothers series and follows single dad Cade and city girl Becca.  Cade is looking to sell his ranch so he can move his 10 year old daughter to the city to give her the life she deserves.  Becca visited a ranch down the street when she was younger and she's looking for a fresh start.  Becca may have big dreams, but she's not an idiot and makes a deal with Cade for her to work on the ranch with him for a month to decide if she's cut out for the realities of ranching and then if all goes well, she'll buy the ranch at the end of the month.  I did like the overall premise of the story, Cade's backstory was really interesting, and I thought there were a good number of cute scenes that got me smiling.  However, this book was simply too short to develop the plot lines that it was looking to develop.  My main issue with the pacing of the book was that there were so many times when something happened at the end of a chapter and then the beginning of the next chapter would be hours or days later.  For example, a person who is significant to one of the main characters shows up to the ranch at the end of one chapter and I'm fully expecting the next chapter to be them hashing out their history or inserting some sort of conflict into the main plot.  Nope.  Next chapter starts as if the visitor never came, and I was honestly wondering if that was an editing mistake, but the visitor does show back up in the story later.  This happened a number of times and I really think that had those scenes been included in the story, the characters would have been more fully developed and the overall story more engaging.  I did think Cade and Becca had pretty good chemistry but I wanted more backstory from Becca.  I didn't quite understand why the two characters got together so quickly and outside of the bedroom, I didn't have anything in the story to grab onto to show that they loved each other. 

**ARC provided by NetGalley**

The Executive - Winter Renshaw

 This is a stand alone romance that follows Reed and Joa.  A year ago, they were office frienemies with benefits until Reed took a promotion that Joa wanted and she transferred to a different branch halfway across the country to get away from him.  Now, Reed is the CFO of the company and coming to Joa's branch for an audit before Christmas and he requested that she be his helper for the few weeks he'll be in town. Reed has two missions for this trip - the audit, of course, and winning back Joa.  Joa, however, is still angry at Reed's betrayal and tensions are high whenever the two are interacting.  This book has extensive flashback chapters to when Reed and Joa were together and while I really liked those chapters, I was annoyed that the flashbacks weren't in chronological order.  The reader gets the big reveal on what Reed's secret is pretty early in the book and then the rest of the book feels like waiting around for him to finally tell Joa but by the time that happens, the tension is lost because I've been waiting for 200 pages and I'm over it.  I also think the chemistry between the characters would have been better developed if the flashbacks were in order because then we could see the relationship grow between them.  I think a lot of the current day narrative relied on the past chemistry but if the reader doesn't see that past chemistry building then the current day plot falls pretty flat. I thought the flashback scenes were all great, I just want them in a different order. I did love Joa's family and the scenes where Reed is with them were heartmeltingly adorable.  I also appreciated how mature both Joa and Reed were.  They obviously had a messy break-up situation but both put that aside and worked to be professionals at work and polite outside of work.  I was worried there'd be some sort of big blow out at the office or other workplace drama scene but there wasn't.

Marauder - Bella Di Corte

This is the second book in the Gangsters of New York series and follows up and coming mob boss Cash and bombshell archer Keely.  Keely is the best friend of Mari, the heroine from the first book in the series, and the plot of Marauder follows the same general timeline as the first book, Machiavellian.  You don't need to read the first book, but I would recommend it because it will give you some extra context and background to a few of the events in this book.  I loved this book.  Since it is a mafia romance, it is a little dark and gritty.  The characters are all well developed, especially Cash.  He's a troubled alpha hero who is working on reclaiming his father's territory in NYC and will stop at nothing to complete his goal.  Cash and Keely only get together because Keely's boyfriend at the beginning of the book is Cash's enemy and he wants to steal everything he has.  This set up allows the two characters to be completely honest with one another which is a big win for me.  Cash and Keely have major chemistry and they love as hard as they fight.  I loved how these two characters grow together and each seems to bring out the best in the other.  Some of the mafia business scenes were a little hard to follow and I had to re-read some just because I can't keep the 18 million henchmen who are all talking straight but other than that, this was a really fun read.  I highly recommend both books in this series so far and book 3 comes out later this year and I can't wait to pick it up too!

Liar Liar - Donna Alam

100% pure swoon! This book follows Rose and Remy.  She's a waitress at a strip club and he's a billionaire in town visiting.  They meet late one night when he shows up at her apartment after being in an accident.  She goes with him to the hospital and lets the doctors assume she's his girlfriend.  The doctors tells her he only speaks French and she is tasked with the girlfriendly duty of keeping him under observation for his head trauma.  Back at her apartment, both are speaking freely because they think the other can't understand them - Rose in English and Remy in French.  They spend one hot night together and he disappears in the morning before she wakes.  Months later, Rose gets a job at a prestigious hotel in Monaco and the boss of the company - Remy.  They pick up where they left off, but lies unearthed along the way threaten their relationship and their lives.  I absolutely loved this book.  Remy and Rose are perfect together and their personalities really complemented each other.  I loved how Rose refused to be given handouts or special treatment from Remy.  She is fiercely independent and proud of being able to take care of herself.  Remy grew up in the world of the wealthy but also doesn't think that world is perfect.  He isn't the typical rich hero who throws his money around, he knows what he values in life and when he finds something that is important to him - Rose - he'll do anything to keep her with him.  Lies are the main conflict in the story and they were mostly lies of omission which I thought was an interesting choice.  I appreciated how serious the conversations about lies and honesty were between Rose and Remy.  This book is long (over 500 pages) but the only time I felt it drag was a few times when Rose and her friends were sitting around talking and just making idle chit chat for pages at a time.  It only happened 2-3 times but other than those few scenes, I thought this book was wonderfully paced and engaging the whole way through. 

Keenan - Jane Henry

This is the first book in the Dangerous Doms series and is a dark Irish mafia romance.  The book follows Keenan - heir to his clan's throne - and Caitlin - a mysterious sheltered girl with ties to the mafia of her own.  The plot is pretty standard - secrets, mafia, rivalry, contract hits, ect - but what else do you want from a mafia romance.  The content in the book is on the dark side with Keenan punishing Caitlin for misbehaving or disobeying his orders but I felt like most of these scenes we got from Caitlin's point of view so the reader knows that while she doesn't exactly like being punished, she does get turned on by it.  There are also kinky elements to the story, just as an FYI.  I loved Keenan's character and his connection with Caitlin.  I thought the whole clan family were interesting characters and I'm excited to read the rest of the series, with each main brother getting his own book. I liked Caitlin as a character and her discovering the 'real world' after being sheltered for so long was really interesting to see.  I didn't love how Keenan almost fetishized Caitlin's innocence but his reactions varied from wanting to protect her from the evil in the world to wanting to show her everything she's been missing (like french fries) to wanting to show her what she's been missing in the bedroom (yes, she is a virgin). 

No Perfect Hero - Nicole Snow

This is the first book in the Heroes of Heart's Edge series and follows Warren and Haley, both new arrivals to the town of Heart's Edge.  Warren grew up in the town, but doesn't visit often.  Haley is driving through with her niece after finding her fiance and best friend sleeping together but her car breaks down so they're forced to stay in town for now.  Warren is the grumpiest hero I've ever read and he has good reason to be.  Haley is strong willed and is on a mission for a better life after breaking off her engagement.  The two end up being next door neighbors at the local inn and for better or worse, keep getting entangled in the other's business.  Warren is on a mission and doesn't need Haley or her little niece getting him off track and Haley isn't interested in men right now, especially not the growling hunk of muscle next door but the two strike up an unusual relationship since both have expiration dates on their stays in Heart's Edge.  I love me a good grumpy hero and Warren is maximum grump with maximum secrets.  I really liked Haley as a character also, she's trying her best in a bad situation and is making sure her trip with her niece is still great despite being stranded in a little town in the middle of no where.  I really liked how Haley and Warren's relationship grew and the little concessions they each make for the other person.  One thing I think I've mentioned in every Nicole Snow book I've read so far is that the main conflict of the story is always outside the relationship.  The main characters do have arguments and their own relationship conflicts, but it isn't ever the main conflict of the story.  This allows the two characters to work to solve the conflict together in some way or at least be a united front against this outside force.

Romance Wrap-Up 9/10/20 - 9/16/20

 Only managed to read a few books this past week - had to finish up a big project so spent quite a few long days working on that.

Machiavellian - Bella Di Corte

I love a good mafia romance and this one is the best one I've read so far.  This is the first book in the Gangsters of New York series and it follows Capo Macchiavello, a mafia boss, and Mariposa Flores (Mari), a girl down on her luck trying to survive.  At first, the two are as opposite as they could be but when Capo offers Mari the deal of a literal lifetime - to be his wife - she agrees.  What starts out as a business transaction slowly evolves into more and the two find out they have more in common than they originally knew.  Capo knows Mari's secrets but as she finds out his, their relationship is threatened.  I loved the mafia revenge plot so much and I loved how, as is the same with most mafia romance, it is the characters fighting together against the outside threat.  I know mafia romances rely a bit too heavily on the whole 'I'm an alpha male and I take what I want' trope, and that is true here as well, but not as overly done as it can be a lot of the time.  Capo has obviously earned the respect of the people he works with and he is calm and calculating - not some sort of alpha rage monster - in order to get what he wants.  When they go visit his family in Italy, there are scenes where the mafia boss shell is stripped away and we can see Capo just as a man in love.  I found Mari a little less engaging, but I loved her spunk and seeing her adjust from her life living on the street to being rich all of a sudden was super realistic.

Protecting What's Mine - Lucy Score

Hot hot hot!  This book follows fire chief Lincoln (Linc) and EMT/family doctor Mackenzie (Mack).  Mack is new to the small town and is on a mission to get her head on straight.  She has a 6 month job placement at the local family practice in town and is content to just work on herself with no men interruptions.  Linc, however, has other ideas. The two meet on the scene of a bad pileup on the highway as Linc is handing off a patient to her in the medevac helicopter.  Later, at the hospital, witty banter and flirting ensue and the two become unlikely friends, especially after finding out they are next door neighbors.   Linc has a reputation for being a fun time for the single ladies of the town but Mack isn't interested in getting tangled up in the sheets anytime soon.   As their relationship grows, Mack starts letting Linc in on her past and she finds herself falling for him even though she told herself staying in this town was only temporary.  I loved the portrayal of the small town in this book.  When Mack arrives, she's so used to having to triage emergency patients that her bedside manner is lacking.  She at first thinks that her coworkers are a little too involved in the patient's personal lives but they remind her that the town is like a big family and taking time to talk to patients about their personal lives can help with the medical side as well.  Also, the way that news gets around whenever some big event happens was great.  I loved how the two characters are so right for each other and the conflicts in the story only bring them closer together.  I'd say this book falls into rom-com territory for me because it is light on the angst but there are some emotional scenes that had me tearing up as well.

The Guy on the Right - Kate Stewart

This is the first book in The Underdogs series and follows Theo and Laney. The two meet outside of a party at their college and they share a brutally honest talk about their relationships (or lack thereof) and their past.  They decide to not trade information and let fate decide if they are meant to be friends.  They, of course, run into each other again and strike up a friendship.  Both characters outright admit to the reader that the other isn't their usual type and both are a bit trigger shy on relationships so they're okay just being friends.  Their friendship is one of the best friendships I've read in a long time.  They are there to support each other, call each other on their shit, they have fun, and they start breaking down their walls a bit.  I loved Laney and she felt very realistic to me.  Her friendship with Devin was also fantastic.  The two have been friends since childhood and there's a scene where Theo and Chase (Devin's husband) are watching the girls bicker and Devin says they'll argue at each other all day but if anyone else goes after one of them, they'll draw blood.  If that isn't the most accurate description of female friendship then I don't know what is.  From what I've seen in my online circles, Theo is #BookBoyfriendGoals but to be honest, I didn't love him. He has a huge chip on his shoulder from his ex girlfriend and his playboy roommate.  And I know everyone has baggage or scars or whatever, but my goodness when he breaks up with Laney because of a misunderstanding on his part and he pulls the "nice guys finish last" BS I almost DNF'd the book at 90%.  

Rough Edge - Lauren Landish

This is the second book in the Tannen Boys series and follows oldest brother Brody and spit-fire mechanic Erica (Rix).  I liked the first book in the series just fine, but this one was perfection!  Brody and Rix meet by chance when Brody's work truck breaks down outside her shop.  A close call with a wrench and some heated banter and both are hooked.  But, of course, neither will admit it.  Eventually, they get together and they start to break down walls and let each other in - something that neither is used to doing.  I loved everything about this book.  Seriously.  Our two characters are two peas in a pod and their similarities are played against each other wonderfully.  Both are heavily invested in their work, both have secrets they're keeping from their family, both keep a surprising amount of emotional distance between them and everyone else, and both have good family systems that care for them (sometimes to an obnoxious degree as only families can).  I loved that the plot was pretty simple and down to Earth.  It was just about these two loners finding their person in a world where they feel left out and misunderstood with a little bit of outside danger thrown in.  I really appreciated that the main conflicts in the story were done in such a way that it brought the two characters closer together and they worked through it as a couple.  I've really started to dislike heavy drama in romance books so this one where there was a slight overreaction but both characters apologized and explained their actions the next day to each other so there was no love lost.  In other words, these adults didn't go off and pout for weeks like broody teenagers, they talked through their fight like adults and came out stronger on the other side.

America's Geekheart - Pippa Grant

 This is the second book in the Bro Code series and follows Beck and Sarah. Beck is boy band member turned underwear model/fashion mogul and Sarah is a small environmentalist who is just living her life when Beck accidentally tweets a rude comment to her instead of messaging his sister.  Sarah happens to be the next door neighbor to Beck's sister and when Beck comes over to apologize in person, he is intrigued at Sarah's immunity to his charms.  In order to repair Beck's image, Sarah agrees to be his fake-girlfriend for a few weeks.  Of course, during those few weeks feelings develop on both sides, secrets come out, and the rumor mill keeps pumping out new stories. I loved both Beck and Sarah separately which just made it all the more fun to root for them to get together. I loved Beck was just a fun, goofy, happy guy as opposed to a lot of the broody, grumpy, alpha males that are the heroes of a lot of books.  I love a good grumpy alpha now and then, but Beck was so refreshing to read. I loved Sarah too.  She was so down to earth and secure in her interests.  She is into the environment, saving endangered animals, geeky TV shows (the Firefly TV show is the main geeky media), and the local baseball team via her best friend Mackenzie. I really appreciated how there was a lot of talk about the 'dark side' of fame/Hollywood/modeling and how detrimental those industries and careers can be to people's mental health.   

Romance Wrap-Up 9/3/20-9/9/20

 More romance reads!  After reading more books in a bunch of series, I tried to focus more on stand-alones toward the end of the week. 

Ache For You - J.T. Geissinger 

This is the third book in the Slow Burn series and it was honestly my least favorite book of the series.  The plot, on paper, seemed fantastic - our heroine trying to rebuild her father's failing fashion boutique in Italy and a tall, dark, handsome stranger wants to buy it and she fights to keep the business and her feelings to herself.   In reality, I didn't feel any emotional chemistry between the characters at all.  Obviously they were both super attractive, but our heroine just got stood up at the alter and the hero has always been super focused on his work so the two just didn't come across as emotionally open enough to be with each other.  There is an added layer of family drama on top of all this that made the whole book feel very much like a soap opera.  I did like the love declaration at the end, but I almost DNF'd this book a handful of times so the journey to that love declaration didn't hold up in my opinion.  I loved book 2 in this series but books 1 and 3 were mediocre at best.

Interpreter - Kristy Marie

This is book 4 in the Commander in Briefs series and follows Tim, a marine who just lost the last of his hearing, and Milah, an ASL teacher who needs to go back home to Costa Rica thanks to budget cuts at the school.  Tim has been losing his hearing slowly for years and once it is gone for good, his therapist suggests he get a job to get out into the community and start building a life for himself.  He gets a job as Milah's assistant in her classroom and starts to open up to her and Oliver, a 6 year old student who is also losing his hearing.  This really felt more like a story about Tim re-finding himself after years of anger and resentment more so than a romance between Tim and Milah although Milah is the one he starts to open up to the most and accept things that he's been pushing away for years.  I loved Tim and Milah's banter back and forth and how they both really seemed to care about one another.  I think this book did a good job at building the caring and emotionally vulnerable side of the relationship before jumping into the sexy side.  I do wish Tim's journey to self acceptance was shown a bit more, it felt a bit like the 'love solves everything' trope.  There was more depth to it than that, but I wanted like 50 more pages of Tim's POV trying to figure himself out.

Unbreakable - Melanie Harlow

This is book 4 in the Cloverleigh Farms series and follows oldest sister Sylvia and vintner Henry.  After a very public divorce from her cheating husband, Sylvia and her two kids leave California and move back home to Cloverleigh Farms.  Sylvia's goal is to rebuild her confidence and focus on her children.  However, after talking to the also recently divorced vintner of Cloverleigh, Henry, the two have an undeniable connection.  Their relationship is complicated by their recent divorces, Sylvia's kids, and Henry working for Sylvia's parents but none of that can stop love.  I really loved the second-chance romance of this story and the fact that both characters were in their upper 30s and had significant past relationships.  I found the characters to be very realistic in both their flaws and their desires.  I had a hard time at first believing the romance was anything more than just a rebound and the fact that Henry made Sylvia feel pretty for the first time in years but between the two POVs, it is really clear that the two have a special connection.  

Accidental Knight - Nicole Snow

This is book 4 in the Marriage Mistake series and so far I've really liked every book of the series.  This book follows Bella and Drake.  Bella's grandfather has died and left Bella everything with the stipulation that she marries Drake in order to protect the ranch and oil company from the impending dangers.  All the books in this series I think do a really good job at building the relationships between the characters and this book is no exception.  Bella and Drake are obviously trying to figure out their new relationship at the beginning and learn about the other person.  Bella is obviously grieving and trying to figure out her new role as sole heir to her grandfather's empire while dealing with her money-hungry parents.  Drake is there as her protector and support system based on her grandfather's wishes.  There's a good bit of family drama which I wasn't the biggest fan of.  I would have preferred if Bella's family drama was toned down and replaced with more of Drake's suspected serial killer plot. I enjoyed how, as in many of the books in this series, the main threat to the relationship was external.  I just really enjoy the hero and heroine coming together to defeat a threat.  Also, there's an adorable horse, Edison, who is the real hero of the story. Maybe there was a little bit of 'deus horse machina' but I was so invested in the story by that point that I couldn't care less if it was all a little over the top. 

Rough Love - Lauren Landish

This is the first book in the Tannen Boys series and follows Bruce 'Brutal' Tannen as he reconnects with his first love Allyson when she returns to town.  Allyson is a single mother now and her son is on the pee wee football team Bruce is helping coach.  The two have a history of deep love and even deeper wounds but the chemistry is undeniable.  However, after 10 years apart, the two need time to figure out who they are and if they can be together again.  Allyson is recovering from her past trauma and trying to move on and be the best mom for her son but some wounds take longer to heal than others.  I really liked how mature Allyson and Bruce are at the beginning when they're trying to hash out their history for the sake of the football team. I find a lot of times, when characters have a history that they need to get over, it can take forever for them to just say how they feel and give their side of what happened.  However, in this case, the two characters get together pretty quickly in order to clear the air and move on.  I also liked how there was a big separation between Allyson's past relationship with her ex-husband and her reconnecting with Bruce.  It was also mentioned several times that she went to therapy to work on herself in order to be the best mom she could and work through her past baggage.  I really liked how this book avoided the whole 'love solves all trauma' trope. One part I didn't like was how many side characters there were and how each of them seemed to need to have an opinion on Allyson and Bruce's relationship.  Too many side characters just made them all seem very similar and honestly hard to keep separate in my mind.

**Trigger warning: discussion about gas lighting and physical abuse toward the end of the book**

The Wrong Game - Kandi Steiner

I loved this book.  Our heroine, Gemma, is trying to get back into the game after her cheating husband dies of cancer.  An avid Bears fan, she has a pair of season tickets and her best friend talks her into taking a new guy to each game.  Understandably, Gemma is a bit unnerved by this idea until the cute bartender, Zach, volunteers to be her first date.  However, one date isn't enough and Zach doesn't want to let Gemma go.  Gemma is a very anxious person and is having trouble when her perfect plan gets overturned by Zach.  I loved the chemistry between these two characters and the fact that both of them have some relationship baggage that they need to work through together makes the relationship even better.  I loved how Zach, when he finds out about Gemma's anxiety, accepts her and supports her when she starts to spiral.  Zach is also not your typical alpha-male hero and while he is tall with muscles, he is a big softy at heart and wears his heart on his sleeve.  I also loved the side characters of Gemma's best friend and Zach's family.  They all supported the main couple while at the same time called them on their BS when needed.  

Mr. Fixer Upper - Lucy Score

This one is for all you HGTV watchers.  It follows Gannon King, co-host of hit home renovation show, and Paige St. James, field producer of that show.  Gannon and Paige start off as sort of enemy/co-workers where they both think they know the other person.  Gannon thinks Paige is just a network shill just trying to get good shots so their ratings stay high and Paige thinks Gannon is just a typical reality show star loving the spot light.  However, over the course of filming the new season, Gannon and Paige get to know the truth about each other's goals and why they're both working on this show.  Sparks fly, walls come down, and when the dust settles there is the most romantic love confession/proposal I've ever read.  I loved how honest the characters, but especially Gannon, were about their feelings and motivations.  There wasn't any sneaking around or hoping one wouldn't find out about a secret or anything like that.  Of course, sometimes the full truth is still hard to tell and that's where the main conflict in the book comes from.  Sexism in the film/TV industry is a big part of this book and while the conversations absolutely need to be  had, some of the times the topic comes up in this book feel a little preachy and a little 'after school special' - not all the times, but enough that it was getting on my nerves by the end. 

Loner - Harloe Rae

This book follows single mom Keegan, her 7 year old daughter Millie, and grumpy motorcycle mechanic Ford.  Keegan and Millie move into the small Wyoming town of Silo Springs to start over with Keegan's goal to focus solely on Millie after a string of bad relationships.  She doesn't want to be dependent on a man for anything and after getting her heart broken enough times, she's ready to give dating a break.  Ford is equally as put off about relationships due to his emotionally and verbally abusive father and has been living as more or less a hermit away from town.  However, after rescuing Keegan and Millie from a flat tire, the trio seem to keep running into each other.  After what should have been a one night fling, Keegan and Ford start facing their feelings for each other (spurred on by the ever romantic and insightful Millie).  I thought the budding romance between the two characters was adorable and I loved how both were upfront about their own scars and why relationships weren't ideal.  Keegan was very straightforward about always putting Millie first and Ford put Millie first as well.  I think overall, this book needed another 100 pages of side plot development to really hit home.  Ford's father only shows up one other time before the big conflict scene and we don't get that much back story so I didn't really understand Ford's reaction.  Also, I wish we would have gotten more Keegan/Ford scenes without Millie to really solidify their connection.  For example, Keegan is a graphic designer and when Ford learns that from a friend, he thinks about his own hobby of drawing and remarks how him and Keegan have more in common than he first thought.  This was fine, but I would have loved an actual scene were Keegan and Ford talk about design/art/drawing and use that as a connection. 

Faking it with the Frenemy - Nadia Lee

This book follows Wyatt and Kim's second chance romance.  The two have history from high school and run into each other years later by chance.  Kim is a highly successful executive assistant and when her boss loses a bet, she finds out she is getting traded to work for Wyatt to find him a date to his ex-wife's wedding. Wyatt has a 10 year old daughter and he's trying to do his best by her in a new city.  The book was heavy on the cheese but overall pretty cute.  I thought the relationship between Kim and Wyatt's daughter was really sweet and I always appreciate a kid in a book who comes across as realistic.  I did find Kim a little plain.  I know that she's good at her job and has a close group of friends, but I didn't really find her engaging or memorable as a heroine. I also felt like the main conflict was introduced late and the resolution was rushed and a bit unrealistic, in my opinion.  However, I really liked the two characters together.  I appreciated how they talked through their past issues pretty quickly and once they were together, there wasn't a big dramatic break up or anything.  They worked together on their problems which is something I always like to see.  This was a pretty cute and fun read, but nothing special. 

Trillion - Winter Renshaw

This book follows trillionaire Trey and payroll employee Sophie.  In order to complete a business deal, Trey needs to settle down with a wife and have a kid sooner rather than later.  A chance encounter outside the break room at the office leads to Trey offering Sophie millions to fill that role.  Sophie declines, as she has a past history with rich men trying to buy their way into - and out of - her life.  I loved how honest these characters were with each other.  Trey tells Sophie right at the beginning that everything will be in the contract, nothing will be a surprise, and he will be completely honest with her.  They do tell each other just about everything before it would become the stereotypical problem in a romance book.  For example, Sophie has a secret about her past and she tells Trey one day and gives him an out that if he doesn't want to marry her anymore then he can take back his offer.  In a more cliche book, I think that same secret would have been revealed at the wedding in a way that Trey would question Sophie's true intentions.  They're also promise each other to say something if they start to have real feelings and they actually keep to that promise!  It was honestly a refreshing take on honesty in romance plots.  I also really liked the past vs present plot where we see Sophie in her past relationship and see how it all unfolds.  The only part I was a little meh about was the stereotypical "rich dude never found a girl to settle down with until he happened to run into a random girl and it just so happens that she's perfect for him" plot.  I really liked the book overall, but I think I just have a little too hard of a time suspending my disbelief for most of these billionaire plots to fully love them.

Hate the Player - Max Monroe

I've never seen the movie A Star is Born, but this book reminded me right away of that movie.  Budding country music star Birdie is cast alongside Hollywood heartthrob Andrew in a movie about a music producer finding the next star in a small bar in Memphis. Andrew has a reputation for loving (and then leaving) women and Birdie is convinced to not be his next conquest.  Their first meetings get off to a rough start but after a party one night, they start to actually get along.  I'd say the plot was an enemies to friends to lovers which I like way better than the standard enemies to lovers.  I really thought the way Birdie and Andrew's friendship grew was really well developed. I wasn't the biggest fan of the scenes where they are acting. For some reason they just read as really cringe and were used as a way to get the characters to say the things they are thinking but through their movie counterparts.  I mostly skimmed those, but I loved the scenes of Birdie and Andrew just hanging out on set waiting for the next scene to be ready.  I also found Birdie's sister super annoying, especially at the end when she was trying to force them to talk out their issues.  It is one thing for her to call out Birdie for being too stubborn to see what is right in front of her, but she crossed that line and almost got aggressive in her frustration that Birdie and Andrew hadn't made up yet. 

The Forger's Daughter - Bradford Morrow

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.  Publication date is September 8, 2020.

On paper, this book is right up my alley.  Will, a retired forger, is forced back into crime after 20 years of living peacefully with his wife Meghan and their daughters Nicole and Maisie.  Maisie is confronted one night by Will's nemesis, Slader, and shows up back home with a copy of the rarest book in American literature - Edgar Allen Poe's Tamerlane.  Under threat of secrets from the past coming to the surface, Will agrees to work with his nemesis and forge a copy of Tamerlane. Sounds like an episode of White Collar (a show which I love) with some The Da Vinci Code / Catch Me if You Can thrown in.  However, I found this book to be the furthest thing from the thrilling forgery tale I was expecting.

I want to mention first that this book is, unbeknownst to me, a sequel to The Forgers.  Nowhere in the Goodreads page or NetGalley does it list this book as being a sequel.  If it was maybe only tangentially related to the first book, that wouldn't be so bad.  But from the plot synopsis of The Forgers, it seems like The Forger's Daughter is a direct continuation of the relationships and threats built in the first book.  The Forger's Daughter does a good job of recaping the history between Will and Slader and what potential threats Will's family may be facing now.  The first 20% or so of the book is this backstory of how Will knows Slader and what Will has been doing these past 20 years.  As someone who didn't read the first book, I didn't feel like I was missing out on any details, but I felt a lot of the personality conflicts and character backstory of the characters was lacking and maybe if I had read the first book, I would have had a better idea of who these characters were. I did appreciate not being left in the dark on any of the more pertinent details even if the recapping was a bit slow at times and I just wanted to get back to present day where this mysterious package was just dropped off.

My favorite thing about this book was the amount of detail that went into the history of these various famous books.  Unless Morrow is an avid bibliophile, a whole lot of research went into this book and it paid off.  I loved how easily the facts and stories of different authors and their works flowed out of Will and how convincing the writing was that Will loves these books and documents.  The writing in these sections was absolutely wonderful and reminded me of The Da Vinci Code when Robert Langdon would similarly go into these long explanation of the history and backstory of the different works he encounters. There's a real reverence that comes through in Will's character that really enhances the overall tone of the book and I can't emphasize how much I loved it.

My first, and probably largest complaint, is the character development (or lack thereof) of Meghan.  The book is split between alternating chapters of her and Will's POV.  While I got a really good sense of Will's character, his motivations, and his thought process for his decisions, I could not tell you one of those same aspects about Meghan.  About halfway through the book, there's an event that happens that is related to Slader.  Now Meghan knows who Will is, who Slader is, she knows the general story of their past and relationship, and she knows about the current forgery project.  So I have no idea why she didn't tell Will about the event she witnessed.  She does eventually tell Will and the reason she hid it gets hand-waved away in the last few pages of the book.  In my opinion, she had no real point of being in the book other than to have a different character to be doing stuff while Will was working on the forgery in the other room.  And that 'doing stuff' was running errands or picking vegetables out of the garden.  If all of her chapters were deleted, the book would be half as long and twice as good.  

Another major complaint I had was the general lack of agency that Will seemed to have.  Based on the summary, I expected Will would have to go out and find the materials in order to forge this document.  However, Slader gives him everything he needs and gives him a somewhat shorter time table than he would like but the document gets finished on time just fine.  Then, in the third act, Will gets surprised with how the document gets back in his hands, but he seems to just shrug it off and go with the flow.  It felt like there were 2 Wills in the book.  The first was the knowledgeable forger who has a love for old manuscripts and the second was just a cog in the forging machine and didn't have much personality.  I had such a hard time seeing these two as the same person.  In the forging process, I was much more interested in Will's daughter Nicole.  Afterall, with a title like The Forger's Daughter, I expected her character to be a bit more developed than it was.  But she also took some agency away from Will by just telling him that she was coming with him a few different times when he went out to various meetings.  And although Will does protest a tiny bit, he generally just shrugs it off again and takes her with him. 

Finally, the ending to this book is fantastic but comes a little out of left field.  The last 5% or so of the book has 10 times the suspense and action that the rest of the book does.  The ending also does a lot of heavy lifting in regards to characterization.  I really think if the climax of the ending was maybe moved to the first third of the book and the rest of the book would be characters dealing with the fall out of that decision, the overall story would be so much more engaging.  

288 pages 

Interesting premise with some good characters and a solid ending, but overall an underwhelming read.

Thanks again to NetGalley

Romance Wrap-Up 8/27/20 - 9/2/20

 My romance reads of the past week.  A lot of continuing series this week and most were super wins. 

 

Irresistible - Melanie Harlow

This is the first book in the Cloverleigh Farms Series.  I read book 2 a few weeks ago and I loved both books.  Irresistible is the story of Frannie and Mack.  Mack in the CFO for Cloverleigh Farms, which is owned by Frannie's parents.  Frannie works part time at Cloverleigh and part time as a nanny to Mack's 3 young daughters.  A messy divorce left Mack a single dad to 3 young girls and he's trying his best to cope.  The chemistry between the two characters was an instant hit - super cute and flirty.  There is a 10 year age gap between them - Frannie is 27, Mack is 37 - but since they are already adults and both have had past relationships, it isn't taboo or a point of contention in the book.  I loved how both characters had goals and aspirations outside of being together.  Frannie wants to open a bakery and Mack wants to be the best dad to his girls.  I felt the conflict in the story was completely realistic and handled well and the resolution was pure swoon.  And thank goodness for children characters who actually sound like children!  The whole book was super cute and romantic (and the bedroom scenes were steamy as f**k) - highly recommend!

Commander - Kristy Marie

This is the first book in the Commander in Briefs series and I will be reading more of the books ASAP.  This book is a friends to lovers story revolving around Theo - a pro baseball player - and Anniston - he's childhood friend and personal doctor.  After years of being attached at the hip, Anniston decides to branch out on her own a bit and find herself and her calling outside of Theo.  When she finds a homeless marine veteran, Cade, in a ditch on the brink of freezing to death, she brings him home and makes her new mission helping homeless veterans integrate back into society.  Anniston and Cade strike up an interesting friendship.  He hopes it can be more, but Theo and Anniston are head over heals for each other as anyone can see (especially since they fool around in the open pretty often) so I wouldn't necessarily call it a love triangle.  Cade backs off pretty quickly and is okay just being friends and helping Anniston with the other veterans they've taken in.  The one part that didn't land for me was the main threat plot line.  It seemed way too serious and high stakes for what felt like a pretty rom-com type of book.  It wasn't fleshed out enough to hold my attention and there were like 3 other plot lines with the various cast of characters that I cared about way more.

Smitten - Lauren Rowe

This story was adorable from start to finish.  A little overly cute-sy for my liking at times, but had me grinning pretty much from start to finish.  Our hero and heroine meet at a party - he's a member of a famous rock band, she's a music student - and they click instantly but she has to return home to Boston in a day and he's staying in LA to work on a new album with his band.  There's no denying the chemistry both physically and mentally between these two and they'll find a way to be together.  I loved the conversations between the two characters.  They really came across as understanding each other on an almost spiritual level.  It did get a little too cute and awk-dorable for me at times but it didn't stay like that for too long.  Since both characters are into music, the story revolves heavily around musicians,  record labels, writing lyrics, shooting music videos, etc. I'm not that into music so I found those side plots pretty boring, but I know that is just a me thing.  Overall, the romance was super cute and I can honestly say these two characters felt like the most 'meant to be' couple of all the romance books I've read so far.

Accidental Protector - Nicole Snow

This is book 2 of the Marriage Mistake series.  This book follows Mindy and Noah after waking up married in Reno and neither remembering anything other than flashes.  Noah is special ops turned bounty hunter and Mindy just left her cheating fiance a few months before the wedding.  The chemistry is unmistakable and the two bicker like an old married couple at times.  But Noah's wrapped up in a pretty shady situation and now Mindy is also.  I loved the chemistry and relationship between our hero and heroine.  They are both strong headed people who find themselves tied together for now.  The plot of what Noah is doing in Reno and his mission is a little boring, I didn't feel like the villain was really well fleshed out and the conclusion was way over the top for my liking.  I would have loved more with Noah's service buddies as well.  But overall, the romance was super hot, the threat was a little lame, and the happy ending was perfect.

 The Chase - Elle Kennedy

This is the first book in the Briar U series which is related to the Off Campus series.  This book follows Summer and Fitz.  He's a hockey player for Briar U where Summer just transferred and he's friends with Summer's older brother.  She needs a place to stay and he and his other 2 hockey player roommates need a 4th person.  She's had a crush on him since they first met but after a bad New Years Eve party, she ends up kissing one of the other roommates and the angst begins!  I loved how both of the characters somewhat broke the usual trope of new adult romance. Yes, they were both super attractive and popular as is the case with most new adult romances.  However, she struggles with her ADHD, saying whatever is on her mind, and being feminist as f*ck.  He's an introvert, artist, video game nerd who has trouble sharing his feelings not because "men don't talk about feelings" because of past trauma. They both somewhat misjudge the other when they first meet, but soon the walls come down and it is a true opposites attract sort of story.  I didn't appreciate the love triangle with the other roommate and there wasn't any real resolution to that story line in this book (but I believe book 3 in the series is his story, so he'll get his happy ending eventually).  There's also a creepy professor story line that I didn't really feel was well developed and it felt thrown in at the end to amp up the stakes a bit but it fell flat for me.

Accidental Romeo - Nicole Snow

This is book 3 in the Marriage Mistake series and this is my new favorite series because the books are just so fun.  This book follows baker extraordinaire Wendy and broody single dad Hunter.  After a chance encounter one day, Wendy's mom makes a deal with Hunter to be Wendy's date to her sister's upcoming wedding.  He happily agrees, she begrudgingly agrees. The sparks are undeniable, but she has a hard time letting go and realizing that someone like Hunter could fall for her.  He's a big typical alpha hero but for once, the hero isn't the one who is super closed off.  She keeps trying to let him off the hook, but he keeps insisting and showing her how much he cares about her.  Our heroine is a bit of the wallflower of the family, at least as far as relationships go.  No one can believe that she would ever be able to catch the eye of someone like Hunter.  He, to his credit, is appalled at this and goes out of his way to express to her how amazing she is in front of her family.  He isn't playing games or playing his feelings up, he's just expressing his feelings.  The hero's backstory with the tragic death of his brother was more believable than the other action subplots of the first 2 books which I appreciated as well.

   Gorgeous - Kristy Marie

This is the second book in the Commander in Briefs series and I loved it.  I cried, twice, and grinned a lot while reading.  This book was pretty much perfect in my opinion.  It follows Cade, the marine Anniston saved in the first book, and Brecklyn the girl who makes pies and jams at the local orchard.  As Anniston and Theo leave for their honeymoon, Anniston arranges for Brecklyn to stay with Cade and the other 4 veterans at the house to teach them cooking skills.  Brecklyn came to town over a year ago in search of Cade, the two of them tied together by their history.  Cade doesn't know who Brecklyn is, but she might be the only one who can break through his wall of grief and guilt and be happy with his life.  I got everything I loved about the first book - the hot guys, the witty banter, the brooding - with no overly dramatic B plot line.  The story was simply about Cade and Brecklyn opening up to each other and to other people in their lives and learning to forgive the past.  Cade does deal with some pretty severe PTSD and I liked how he had to actively choose to work on that part of himself.  Love doesn't automatically fix everything and he made the choice for himself.

Insatiable - Melanie Harlow

This is the third book in the Cloverleigh Farms series.  It is a friends to lovers story of Meg and Noah.  Meg lives in Washington DC and is home for her sister's wedding.  Noah is the sheriffs deputy in their small hometown.  Both have been through some bad breakups and decide to just give into their feelings and have fun for the week until Meg returns to DC after the wedding.  Everything is going well, really well (hello handcuffs!) until Meg starts considering moving back home. My favorite part of this book was the relationship between the 5 sisters.  Out of all the books so far, this one is for sure the most sister-oriented which makes sense because they're all in town for the wedding.  For the first 2 books, 2/5 have been away so this book fills in a lot of the gaps in their relationship. The relationship between Noah and his siblings is also really well developed and complex.  Noah and Meg's relationship, however, I thought wasn't as developed.  I wish we would have gotten more flashbacks or something to show how they grew up together like with did in book 2 with Chloe and Oliver.  I also wasn't entirely convinced at how quickly they both got over their past relationship traumas.  Overall, I believed them as a couple but I wasn't convinced at how smoothly their ending worked out.

Banking the Billionaire- Max Monroe

This is the second book in the Billionaire Bad Boys series and follows Thatch and Cassie, the best friends of Kline and Georgia from the first book in the series.  Thatch and Cassie are two peas in a pod - they are both free spirits, passionate, and love pranks and one-upping each other.  After a chance night together, they both start pretending to be in a relationship with each other in order to freak the other out.  Both also have some personal issues with relationships for different reasons so the 'fake' relationship is a good mechanic for them to actually work through their feelings without freaking out.  I loved these two together and they were perfect for each other.  However, all the one-upping and challenges they kept giving each other was stressing me out.  They didn't do anything super bad, but I just felt really uncomfortable with how neither of them could just say how they felt and they kept having to hide behind their pranks.  I did appreciate the slow burn sort of realization that both of them have separately that they are good together and make a good couple.  The conflict in the story was very real and made me tear up and I really liked how the heroine was the one who needed to apologize instead of the hero like in most books.  I will say the book ended with one of my least favorite tropes so that put a bit of a bummer on the whole book for me, but I fully realize that the specific trope at the end is beloved by most readers so I get it.