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.
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