Tempting Taste - Sara Whitney
This opposites attract romance is the first in the Cinnamon Roll Alphas series and follows Erik and Josie. After a chance encounter leads Erik to quit his job without a backup plan, he finds himself at the whims of Josie. Josie is ready for a challenge to prove her worth to herself, her employer, her mother, and anyone else who doubts her. So when Erik agrees to let Josie help him launch his dream bakery, she's ready to go full speed ahead. The two are total opposites, but the more time they spend together, the more they find they have in common. This was a fun romance and I loved Erik and Josie but I didn't love the pacing of their relationship. I felt like there was a lot of stop and starts that felt like they should have been bigger deals than they were. It was like there were 3 different 3rd act breakups sprinkled throughout the book. I did like how Erik and Josie both had their own issues to work through and I can see how each of these relationship speedbumps was a direct result of their own baggage/trauma. However, I never felt like I was able to settle into their relationship and them actually being together because they kept breaking apart. I did like the cast of side characters and I loved the world Whitney built.
Fangirl Down - Tessa Bailey
This golf romance is the first in the Big Shots series and follows pro-golfer Wells and his #1 fan Josephine. Wells used to be the hottest thing on the golf course, but his golden years are behind him. His grumpy manners have alienated him from just about everyone in his life, except for Josephine. When a hurricane comes through and floods her family's golf pro shop, Josephine is trying to figure out how she's going to put the pieces back together. When Wells offers her a position as his caddy as he's trying to re-find himself and his golf game. The two travel together and soon are finding sparks flying along side the golf balls. I've heard a bunch of skepticism about this when it was first coming out because it was being marketed as a 'bad boy golfer' but I think that perfectly encapsulates Wells's character. This was giving me a touch of Happy Gilmore vibes with Wells being a little bit of a younger outsider who is looked down upon by the older establishment golfers. I loved Josephine's bubbly personality and love of golf. She almost made me want to look more into golf (almost) because she loves the game so much. Bailey does a good job of working in the golf basics to the reader so we had context for the sports part of this sports romance. I did think the chemistry between Wells and Josephine was a little choppy at the beginning and I didn't understand why suddenly they had so much chemistry when just a few scenes earlier in the book they didn't really feel like they had that lusty chemistry. I was expecting them to be a bit more reserved at the beginning and then feelings grow as they spend more time together but instead it was like the burner was turned up to high immediately instead of a simmer. Overall, it was exactly what I was expecting based on my past history with Bailey as well as the marketing and I had a good time.
Give Me More - Sara Cate
This MMF romance is the third book in the Salacious Player's Club series and follows Hunter, Isabel, and Drake. Hunter and Drake have been friends since childhood and when Hunter met, and later married, Isabel the trio became inseparable. Now, they are on a business road trip together visiting other kink clubs. And when Hunter watches Drake and Isabel together in a bondage demonstration, he discovers he might want that to happen again, and maybe more. The trio don't want anything to harm their friendship, but all three have an undeniable connection and Hunter and Drake's decades long friendship might have a new layer developing that was maybe there all along. Sara Cate has solidified herself as a new favorite author. This was the first book I heard about in the Salacious Player's Club series - I've been excited to finally get to it and it certainly did not disappoint. While we've seen Drake a bit in the first 2 books in the series, Hunter and Isabel have been almost completely absent so I was excited to finally get to see them on page. I loved the dynamic between the friends as well as their history. At first, I thought maybe I was missing out on a prequel book or something, but Cate does weave their backstory into the current story. Cate does such a great job at quickly building up these characters so we really get a good sense of their relationship and dynamic. The spicy scenes were physically spicy but there was this underlying emotional tension that was absolutely spectacular. This read does a good job of exploring the 'why' behind certain kinks which was an interesting depth of character I wasn't necessarily expecting. We get all 3 character POVs in this read and there's a good balance between all the POVs. Having them checking out different kink clubs was a fun way to introduce new settings and putting these characters into new situations that were pushing buttons and forcing decisions to be made was a great way to move the plot forward. Overall, this was a fantastic MMF poly read that had a lot more emotional depth and character development than I was expecting.
Hot Mess - Misha Horne
This MM romance follows Erik and London. London just moved in next door to Erik and immediately starts crushing on his neighbor. Only problem is that Erik is very much put together and London is a bit of a mess. After moving around a bunch as an Army kid, London never learned how to put down roots. So after buying a house, he's really at a loss of where to start. Good thing Erik is right next door and loves to help direct London into unpacking his house and undressing for him. This was almost a DNF because I had such a hard time with London's voice and internal monologue. I found him pretty insufferable in the opening chapters, to be honest. However, I've heard so much good about this read that I pushed through and I was pleasantly surprised at how much more I enjoyed it when Erik came into London's life. We only get London's POV in this read, which was a bummer because I think Erik's calm and settled personality would have been nice to see. This was a bit of an insta-lust situation but it did have a happy for now ending which I liked because it felt more realistic than a full-on happily ever after ending. I had an issue with the pacing and there was a lull in the middle of the book after Erik and London's first night together where they have a long and in depth conversation about their pasts and kinks. I think all the information we get in this are important but it was such an info-dump session via dialogue that it took me completely out of the story. The kinky elements were ones I don't see a ton in the books that come across my feed so I was glad for the variety. Overall, this had some good elements but didn't quite come together for me.
Captivated - Tessa Bailey and Eve Dangerfield
This romance follows Autumn and Blake. After Autumn catches her boyfriend cheating on her, she kicks him out of their NYC apartment and is deciding if she will return to her home in Australia. In the midst of a pity party complete with drawing sexy comics staring her landlord, her landlord himself, Blake, knocks on the door. When he sees the comics, the two agree to three dates and to explore Autumn's kinky desires. This has been on my TBR for a few years and I very much enjoy both Bailey and Dangerfield so them together was a no-brainer. I loved how Autumn and Blake were the perfect example of opposites attract and they were so fun to follow. The set up was a little fast and felt a little clunky with the comic but we quickly got into the meat of the story and from there I had a great time. I loved their chemistry and how easily they just got along with each other. We have a great cast of characters and a good amount of character development outside of the romantic relationship. Autumn has a prisoner/captive kink so there are quite a few CNC scenes but I appreciated the use of a different nickname during these scenes to easily and quickly indicate to the reader the type of scene.
Barely Even Friends - Mae Bennett
This Beauty and the Beast retelling follows Bellamy and Oliver. After years of working/studying under her father, Bellamy is finally ready to lead her first restoration job. Only one problem: the Killington Estate comes with a surly resident - the heir to the Killington empire. Oliver is less than pleased to find Bellamy in the house but the two soon come to a tense working relationship. But the father along in the restoration Bellamy gets, the more she learns about Oliver and the two grow closer. But when it is time to unveil her restoration, they both must figure out their next steps and whether or not their future is together. This is Mae Bennett's debut and as with many debuts, this was a bit of a hit-and-miss situation. I loved the first 30% which included the set up to the characters but also a lot of Beauty and the Beast references which were incredibly creative. However, after that point it felt like the book was playing tug-of-war between being a retelling and a HGTV-esque reno story. I really wanted it to stay more in the the retelling lane but felt like that magic from the first 30% was sort of lost in the rest of the book. I did absolutely adore all the characters, especially the staff who work at the Estate. I think the chemistry between Bellamy and Oliver was good, but I think it could have been a little bit more developed and I found some of the secondary plot points got in the way of the romance. All in all, I enjoyed this and I would read more from Bennett in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC. Publication date was June 4, 2024.
Iris Kelly Doesn't Date - Ashley Herring Blake
This FF romance is the third in the Bright Falls series and follows Iris and Stevie. Iris is perfectly happy being single - it is everyone around her who seems to be obsessed with her getting into a relationship. Stevie just got out of a relationship with her best friend and her ex started dating another friend - and everyone around her thinks Stevie needs some help coping. When Iris and Stevie meet at a bar, and then later run into each other at Stevie's ex's play, Iris agrees to be Stevie's fake girlfriend. This way, they both can get their friends off their backs. Only when fake dating turns into sex lessons which turn into real feelings, the two might be doing the most unexpected thing ever - falling in love. This is the final book in the Bright Falls series and is probably my favorite in the series. The chemistry between Iris and Stevie was absolutely sizzling from the very beginning and carried through the whole read. We get to see the couples from the first two books a few times as well, which is always fun. The fake dating aspect was incredibly believable and I loved that both characters had very good reasons to agree to the fake dating. The side plots were also very intriguing and tied in nicely with the romance plot. And when they added in the sex lessons, the already hot chemistry escalated to absolute lava-levels of hot. The characterization and development was fantastic and this read solidified Ashley Herring Blake as an insta-read author for me.
Paladin - Onley James
This MM romance is the first book in the Jericho's Boys series and follows Arsen and Ever. The two meet when Arsen rescues Ever from being captive and a life of servitude. The two have an instant bond and chemistry but Arsen insists on taking it slow to be mindful of Ever's certain trauma. Only Ever isn't interested in taking it slow. But as soon as the two come together, the danger following Ever makes an appearance and there are more people to rescue. It was great to be back in the Necessary Evils universe and this gave me everything I loved about that series so I have absolutely no complaints. It was interesting to not lean so heavily on the psychopath elements and instead we explore more of the trauma/found family type of dynamic. We know from the Necessary Evils series that Jericho's Boys do kill bad people, but it is more out of necessity and most of them do have feelings about the killings. Arsen and Ever were such an interesting pairing and I loved how they connected instantly but still had to spend some time teasing apart their feelings from the potential trauma bond given how Ever was found. I did want more build up from the romantic suspense element as that did feel like it came in at the last minute. Otherwise, I'm excited to have another series in this universe.
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