Romance Wrap-up 10/16/21 to 11/15/21

 Xeni - Rebekah Weatherspoon

 

This is the second book in the Loose Ends series and follows Xeni and Mason after Xeni's aunt passes away.  She leaves almost everything to Xeni - on one condition: Xeni and Mason get married.  But Xeni has a life back in LA teaching kindergarten and Mason has some emotional baggage he left back in Scotland that he'll have to deal with.  I really enjoyed this read that I've heard so much about.  I loved how both our main characters are bisexual and how well they meshed almost instantly.  There is some grief from losing her aunt and some family drama on both sides, but as far as the relationship between Xeni and Mason, this was an almost zero angst read which I always appreciate.  This did feel a little insta-lovey to me and I would have liked more tension and build up as they got to know each other first but with the time constraints in the book (Xeni has to fly back to LA soon) I understand why this wasn't as slow of a burn as I would have liked.  I really enjoyed the side characters we got to see and how supportive just about everyone was to Xeni and Mason.

Teach Me - Olivia Dade 

This is the first book in the There's Something About Marysburg series and follows high school history teachers Rose and Martin.  Martin is new in town and has been assigned to take over some of Rose's classes as well as share her classroom.  Rose is upset but remains professional - determined to show that this new structure doesn't bother her.  The two grow closer as they spend more time together, overlapping during class periods and walking out to their cars together in the evening.  But as the school year draws to a close, can they both move past their own hangups about relationships and finally be happy together?  I really enjoyed this book and loved how adorable Rose and Martin are together.  They're both high school history teacher nerds who have a very dry and witty sense of humor (their banter is fantastic!).  They also are both in their 40s and divorced, which was a type of main character I don't see very often in romance books.  I loved how they both used their previous marriages and subsequent divorces to solidify for themselves what they want in a life partner and what they're not willing to compromise for.  Martin and Rose were really cute together and I liked how their relationship developed over the course of the year.  This really felt like a friends to lovers story and I thought it was so cute. 

2 in the Pink - Tabatha Kiss

This MFM romance follows Phoebe, Max, and Thad starting at their 10 year high school reunion. Phoebe was the voucher kid at the elite LA private school and was pretty ostracized throughout her years there.  She gets talked into going by her friend and now that she's grown her confidence over the years, she thinks she's ready to face everyone.  Until Max, the guy she's had a crush on for years, comes over and talks to her ... then brings her home with him ... and his best friend, Thad.  What starts as a one-night stand threesome soon becomes more as Phoebe starts dating both friends. She knows she should choose one but she can't decide.  And, when they find out about each other, she might not need to choose after all. I really liked this story.  I loved Phoebe, Max, and Thad and how easily they seem to get along.  I really appreciated how Phoebe was the 'ugly duckling' at school but instead of changing everything about herself, she just grew to accept herself.  She's a plus sized woman in LA and outside of a few self-deprecating jokes (that the men quickly squash), her size is never a problem.  I really liked how different Max and Thad are but also how solid their friendship is and how well they get along with each other.  My main complaint is that this felt a little insta-love to me and I would have liked to have seen more dates and getting to know you parts between Phoebe and both men.  I also personally prefer my poly-couples to be MMF instead of MFM but I really adored the relationship dynamic explored in this book.  I really liked the fact that Max and Thad were best friends so they did have their own relationship even if there wasn't a sexual component to it (it is explicitly stated that they are not boyfriends, they just happened to be dating the same girl but not each other).  I also loved how this was pretty low angst and the relationship dynamic isn't the main source of conflict. 

Pretend You're Mine - Lucy Score

This is the first book in the Benevolence series and follows Luke and Harper.  Harper is running to her best friend after finding her boss/boyfriend cheating on her but her car runs out of gas in the small town of Benevolence.  She witnesses and intervenes in a domestic abuse situation in the parking lot of the local bar which wins her a black eye and a place to stay for the night - Luke's house.  The two have an instant connection but he's going off to his 4th deployment to the Middle East in a month and she's trying to find herself again after being uprooted from her life.  She needs a job and a roof over his head, he needs someone to keep his meddling family off his back.  Sounds like the perfect fake-dating situation.  Only it doesn't stay fake for long and when Luke is away for a long 6 months, both of their pasts are waiting for them when he returns.  Lucy Score is an insta-read author for me and I'm working my way through her backlist after discovering her last year.  This is the heaviest book of hers that I've read and I wasn't necessarily expecting it.  That being said, this was still filled with a cute small town full with caring (if a little nosy) people, adorable pets, and steam levels that will knock your socks off.  I absolutely loved Luke and Harper together and how well they balance the other person - this was a great grumpy/sunshine book.

TW/CW: child abuse, domestic abuse, death of a spouse, death of a parent

Loathe Thy Neighbor - Teagan Hunter

This enemies to lovers story is the first in the Roommate Romps series and follows Dean and River.  They've lived in apartments next door to each other for about a year but when a small kitchen fire renders Dean's apartment unlivable, River surprisingly offers him an air mattress in her apartment. In close quarters their bickering fights reach new levels, but so does the undeniable chemistry between them and they agree on a no labels, no strings attached deal to burn off some of that chemistry.  Only problem is, when Dean's apartment is ready and he's moving out, they'll both have to figure out their feelings and admit that they might not hate each other after all. I'll admit, enemies to lovers isn't my preferred trope but I did like how these two weren't really enemies.  It really seemed more like Dean likes pushing River's buttons and River is just wound a little too tight to find that funny but neither of them really have reason to actually dislike the other one.  That being said, I did want a little more development when it came to them actually turning around and liking the other person.  The physical attraction was very obvious and there were times when they would find out or notice something about the other person that would re-frame their view a bit, but I didn't get that big change that you get in a lot of these enemies to lovers stories. This was a bit on the shorter side of what I normally read (260 pages) so this might just be a personal preference but if we got that additional 40 pages of development, then I think I would have liked this better.  I also had a hard time keeping all the side characters straight in my mind and a lot of them blended together for me which I didn't love. That being said, the next book in the series is friends to lovers which is much more up my alley so I think I'll be continuing on.