Romance Wrap-up 2/16/22 to 2/28/22

 Written in the Stars - Alexandria Bellefleur

This is the first book in the Written in the Stars series and follows Darcy and Elle.  They're set up on a blind date by Darcy's brother (and Elle's business partner) but what starts out as drinks and dinner quickly devolves into the worst first date either of the women have had.  They part ways, both planning on never seeing the other again.  But when Darcy tells her brother that she and Elle hit it off, she convinces Elle to go along with the fake dating scheme.  Of course, as they spend more time together, it becomes increasingly clear that these opposites have more in common than they initially thought. I really enjoyed this romance and loved how complex Darcy and Elle's characters were. I really liked how they were opposites, but not in a caricature type of way. I loved how they each brought their own expectations and past histories into this new relationship in very different ways and how well they complimented each other.  The slow burn of the physical part of their romance was perfection so when they finally take that next step, I was cheering them on.  The side characters were well developed and I'm so excited that we get Darcy's brother's story next in the series.  I do wish we got a little more of the 'opposites' part of the opposites attract before Darcy and Elle got together.

The Suite Spot - Trish Doller

This is the second book in the Beck Sisters series and follows single mom Rachel as she takes a new job at Mason's budding brewery hotel.  When she arrives with her 3 year old daughter, she is shocked to find that the hotel hasn't been built yet.  She considers leaving, but Mason gives her the choice to stay and help him build the hotel from the ground up.  In need of a fresh start and new surroundings, Rachel accepts and the two start planning blueprints and picking out curtains. Mason and Rachel's relationship starts off a little tense as Rachel reminds him of everything he lost, but soon they both come out of the fogs of their pasts and come together to build something brand new. I really enjoyed this read and how Rachel and Mason's relationship developed. They were so deliberate with getting the timing right that once they gave in, they were both 100% in which I loved.  Rachel and Mason worked incredibly well together and really felt like two halves meeting.  I'm not the biggest fan of kids in books but I thought Rachel's daughter was written well.  There were also some cute small town moments as well which are always a win in my book. My one gripe would be that there were multiple time jumps of about a month each time and I really missed the character and plot development during those times. 

TW/CW: death of a child, sexual assault, suicide

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC

Expected publication date is March 8, 2022

 

Funny Business - Kayley Loring

This is the first book in the Brodie Brothers series and follows stand-up comics Owen and Frankie.  Single dad Owen is going on a month-long tour and needs someone to watch his eight year old son.  Frankie is a struggling comic and writer who just lost another job.  Her uncle is Owen's manager and gives her the chance to be Owen's nanny.  Owen and Frankie don't really get along but Owen's son Sam loves her so the three of them embark on a cross country tour together.  At the beginning, Owen thinks it will be easy to not sleep with the nanny but, as he and Frankie let their guards down, that promise becomes harder to keep.  Frankie and Owen are a perfect match for each other as evidenced by their fantastic banter!  I love how both of them use their comedy to keep a wall, of sorts, up but the perfect person to knock down those walls is another comic. Owen's son is a fantastic straight-man to Owen and Frankie's more outlandish style and I really think the kid stole the show a few times. I love stand-up comedy so getting a workplace-ish romance in that space was really exciting.  While the banter was great, I do think the written stand-up jokes in the story didn't really work for me.  I just personally think stand-up is such a visual and spoken medium that reading it doesn't really do it justice. 

On The Honey Side - Staci Hart

This is the second book in the Blum's Bees series and follows eldest daughter Daisy and brooding construction manager Keaton.  Daisy and Keaton are both attracted to each other, but due to past losses in their lives they've both resigned to not be in a relationship and admire each other from afar.  However, when their small town finds itself in need of a housing solution to the multiple homeless people who have moved into town, Daisy and Keaton end up working side by side.  Meddling family members on both sides push the two reluctant love birds together in what just may be a better match than anyone was expecting.  I really enjoyed this read and it made me go back through my TBR and move up other Staci Hart books.  This was a great small-town romance and I loved how much of the quirky town we got on page. I did enjoy the slightly sinister small town aspects we got as well which I think took this book out of the cutesy small town vibe that I think some readers don't like. I also loved all the familial meddling that was going on.  I do wish that Daisy and Keaton actually talked to each other more, especially once they got into the relationship.  It felt like they were talking with their families about the relationship more than with each other. I think their chemistry was great and I completely believed them as a couple, but I wanted some more heart to heart talks between them.

TW/CW: death of a loved one (both MCs), homelessness