Romance Wrap-up 1/16/22 to 1/31/22

 Desperate Measures - Katee Robert

This is the first book in the Wicked Villains series and follows Jasmine and Jafar in this mafia romance retelling.  Jasmine's father has just sold her hand in marriage in a business deal but Jafar has other plans for the woman he's been infatuated with since he first started working for her father.  After executing his coup successfully, Jafar gives Jasmine the choice that she can either leave with nothing, or stay and try to get her money and power back.  She chooses to stay and their relationship evolves as Jafar shows her the world outside her father's house where she's been cooped up for the last 25 years. This had a lot of the same elements that Robert's Neon Gods has but in a much more condensed package.  I did feel like the story - which is a very typical mafia romance arc - was really rushed since the book was only 230 pages.  That being said, this isn't really marketed as a 'mafia romance' so maybe I'm just being picky.  It is low on the angst/drama and high on the spicy scenes (I think this has the first FFM scene I've read) which I always appreciate.  I really enjoyed Jafar and Jasmine's relationship growth and how they slowly negotiated their boundaries as they opened up to each other.  Both characters mentioned their attraction to each other while Jafar was working for Jasmine's father but they could never follow through and I would have loved to see one of those scenes in the opening before the coup.  We get introduced to a lot of characters who will be the protagonists in later books in the series which was really great.  I absolutely loved how the ending subverts expectations of how a typical mafia romance would end and I think it was the perfect way to end the story.

TW/CW: CNC, BDSM, public sex

Better Than People - Roan Parrish 

This is the first book in the Garnet Run series and follows Jack and Simon when they meet on a pet-care app.  Jack has recently broken his leg and needs to find someone to walk his 4 dogs and cat twice a day.  Simon loves animals but can't have any of his own now so Jack's pack of rescues is a great fit.  Both men are a bit cut off from others - Jack because of a friend betrayal and Simon because of his social anxiety - but as they slowly spend more time together and open up to each other, they both find something they've been missing.  I really enjoyed this slow-ish burn romance and I loved Jack and Simon together. I appreciated how both men were isolated in their own ways but the particular circumstances in the book allowed them to have a long time to get warmed up to each other and become friendly before taking things further. I loved how the pets were an integral part to the story.  Since Jack is more or less stuck at home due to his broken leg, this book also had a cozy snowed-in feel to it even though it was not winter. This was pretty low-angst and I really loved how both characters were overall very straightforward with their feelings - especially Jack in regards to Simon's anxiety. Jack and Simon really felt like they fit together perfectly and did a great job alternating leaning on each other when they needed a little extra support.  I also loved the side characters and I'm interested to see how book 2 in the series - which follows Jack's brother - comes together.

Ignite - Melanie Harlow

This is the 6th book in the Cloverleigh Farms series and follows the next generation from the main couples from the original series. In this book, we follow Winnie (Mack's daughter from Irresistible) who is a self described love addict - she falls in love easy, hard, and fast.  She made a bet with her best friend that she can make it to Christmas without falling in love and it is already September so only a few months left - easy!  Until the hot, grumpy, single dad (Dex) and his two adorable daughters move into the condo next door. He's 12 years older than her and insists it won't work because he's too old and has already been married and divorced.  They agree to a casual neighbors-with-benefits situation as both of them are dead-set against falling in love. But as they spend more time together, the sparks between them just might catch into something bigger.  This is everything I loved about the Cloverleigh farm series - small town Michigan, super loving and supportive cast of characters, a third act rough patch that really tugs the heartstrings, and a big love declaration at the end.  I really enjoyed how much their families and friends meant to both Winnie and Dex and how often we saw these side characters in the book. The relationship really started out as a physical attraction, but both characters realized how much they enjoyed spending time with the other person and how easy it was to be together.

TW/CW: alcoholic parent, absent parent

A Brit on the Side - Brenda St John Brown

This is the first book in the Castle Calder series and follows Bea and Jasper.  Bea is staying and working at her best friend Scarlett family's castle-turned-hotel in the English countryside after ending her engagement.  Jasper is Scarlett's brother and he and Bea had a steamy weekend together two years ago when he came to visit his sister in Atlanta.  He and Bea never kept in touch and now that they're in the same location for the whole summer the tension is palpable.  Bea isn't ready for another long term relationship after just ending her engagement but Jasper doesn't think he can do a casual summer fling and then let Bea walk out of his life again.  The two of them start fresh and quickly find themselves - and their feelings - entangled.  I overall liked this book but the tone felt very new-adult which kept throwing me off remembering that the characters weren't 19 and on summer break from undergrad.  Bea is a high school algebra teacher and Jasper is working on his PhD so they are both in their mid 20's which, for me, wouldn't really fit the new adult age or lifestyle bracket.  I thought Bea and Jasper had really great chemistry together but felt the conflict between Bea and Scarlett felt really forced. This book is told only from Bea's POV so Jasper does come across as very hot/cold in the beginning third of the story and we don't get an immediate explanation until later.  I did appreciate Bea's struggle with her relationship with food and how the other characters around her support her. That being said, it didn't feel as integrated into the story as I would have liked and felt more like an afterthought. I also thought the ending felt very 'happy for now' instead of 'happy ever after' because they have a very we'll figure it out no matter what attitude to their future (which is fine, but again it made it feel very new-adult) I loved the whole cast of characters we see in the book and I'd love to continue in the series.

TW/CW: calorie counting/disordered eating