July Romance Wrap-up

 

 The Next Best Fling - Gabriella Gamez

This romance follows Marcela and Theo - their long time crushes are both marrying other people and they are both having a difficult time with that.  When Marcela saves Theo from professing his love for the bride-to-be, a fake dating scheme falls into their laps. Soon, that fake dating turns into something more but with messy feelings and messier family dynamics, a real relationship might be doomed from the start.  This was a fun read and I loved both our MCs.  It was a little weird at first to be rooting for Marcela and Theo to be together knowing they both had feelings for other people.  However, I thought Gamez does a great job at really teasing apart their feelings and showing the reader over and over again that these two are choosing each other.  I did feel like the third act break up was a little forced and I felt like all the relationship building they had been doing could have easily overpowered the little friction between them.  This was a debut romance and I would 100% read more from Gamez in the future. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever publishing for the ARC. Publication date was July 9, 2024

Mad Man - Onley James

This MM romance is the fifth book in the Necessary Evils series and follows Avi and Felix.  By day, Avi is the owner of a fashion label but by night, he is a psychopath who murders criminals.  Felix is no stranger to either world - being a very fashionable justice killer himself.  The two constantly butt heads, but when they go away together to help bring down a crime ring, they grow closer until they just might like each other ... or more.  This was another fun entry in the series.  I liked how we branched off from the main group of characters and got to see more of the less-mentioned characters.  Avi and Felix are the epitome of opposites attract and I really enjoyed both of them opening up and learning to let the other in.  The events of this book run more or less parallel to the events of the 4th book so there were some fun call back moments as well. I did find the pacing and investigation portion of this to be not as full-fleshed as previous books.  

Highest Bidder - Sara Cate

This age-gap romance follows Ronan and Daisy.  Ronan is a frequent patron of the Salacious Player's Club and Daisy is a new server there who ends up in the auction one night.  Ronan wins the auction and tells himeself that he'll just take her out for a nice time.  He's significantly (35 years) older than her and is convinced she'd never be interested in him like that.  But Daisy finds herself attracted to Ronan, especially when she pushes his buttons.  But there's more than a few secrets and years between the two that they'll have to overcome before their happily ever after.  As much as I've loved the previous books in the series - this was a miss for me.  I think this had a lot of 'not for me' moments that maybe other readers would love.  I don't mind a large age gap on paper, but when there is a large maturity gap between the characters I find it almost impossible to get over.  It felt like Daisy had "parent problem trauma" stamped on her forehead and the care giving scenes between the two of them felt a little to parental for my liking.  Also, this one had a lot of drama/angst than the previous books and that is not for me (but I know a lot of readers love the angst).  I did think it was interesting that we got to see the club from a different point of view than the previous books and I'll be continuing on in the series in the hopes I like the next book better.

At First Spite - Olivia Dade

This opposites attract romance is the first in the Harlot's Bay series and follows Athena and Matthew.  Athena was engaged to Matthew's brother, but when the wedding is called off, she has no choice but to move into the Spite House which just so happens to have both brothers as neighbors.  Athena and Matthew are complete opposites but the two find that they like spending time together (even when verbally sparring). As Athena figures out her new direction in life, Matthew ends up being increasingly helpful and insightful - which makes it harder and harder to keep him at arm's length away.  Olivia Dade has done it again - this was an incredible romance.  I loved how both Athena and Matthew had their own mental health issues they were working through and came together to support each other.  This was a great slow burn and I could really feel the tension as both of them started to realize how much they cared about the other.  I did keep forgetting about the ex-fiance/brother, although he is a constant mention in the book and plays a big role in both their character development and the relationship development.  

Try Me - Neve Wilder

This MM, rivals to lovers romance is the second book in the Extracurricular Activities series and follows Mark and Chet.  They were childhood friends who drifted apart due to family pressure.  Now, they are both in college and in the same law firm internship. Now, their rivalry is bringing new things to light - like their intense chemistry and how they are drawn to each other. I'm not a huge reader of college/new adult romances but this series is really hitting for me.  Wilder does a great job of capturing all the different aspects of college so I always felt grounded in the setting and world.  While I liked that Mark and Chet had some past history from their childhood, I felt like the family history/drama to be just a little too much plot to fit into this story.  The journey from pure rivals to lovers was *chef's kiss* perfection with just the right amount of angst.

Show Me - Neve Wilder

This MM romance is the third book in the Extracurricular Activities series and follows Jesse and Sam.  They are roommates who seemingly have nothing in common.  But when Jesse discovers Sam's NSFW side hustle, Sam asks for his help.  As they grow closer and Jesse becomes a more integral part of Sam's videos, the two need to figure out if they want to move beyond this friends with benefits arrangement.  In comparison to the first two books in this series, this was low-angst, super steamy fun time.  Jesse and Sam both had some internal hiccups when it came to figuring out their relationship, but their connection and chemistry were off the charts. I loved the positivity around Sam's video career and Jesse embracing it when he finds out. We get to see more of the previous couples in the series as well, which I always like.  

The Boys Next Door - Miranda Silver

This MFM taboo romance is the first book in the Next Door series and follows Brendan, Diana, and Ian.  Brendan and Ian are twins and live next door to Diana.  They are home from college while Diana is finishing up her senior year of high school.  The three used to be close, but drifted apart years ago.  Diana comes over to catch up with the twins one night, it turns into a night the three of them can't forget or ignore. 

This read falls squarely into the 'meh, not for me' category but I could see me loving this with just a few tweaks. Silver does a lot of set up for the reader to believe how our three characters could immediately jump into the activities they do.  For me, that set up didn't quite work and I had a hard time suspending my disbelief.  I've said it in reviews of other NA romances, but I have a hard time reading about high schoolers being so extremely sexually competent, it really takes me out of the story.  The book may start as MFM, but it does end with a single MF couple.  There were times where it felt like I had missed something significant like this was book 2 in a series and I missed book 1. 

No Damaged Goods - Nicole Snow

This romantic suspense is book 4 in the Heroes of Heart's Edge series and follows Blake and Peace.  Peace is a massage therapist traveling the country when her van breaks down outside Heart's Edge.  When Blake, the grumpy fire chief, comes to her aid, she can't help but be intrigued by him as well as his limp.  But Blake tells himself he isn't interested in having her hands all over him, in any context.  When it seems like Peace's life is in danger, Blake invites her to live with him and his teenage daughter to keep her safe.  Now that they're under one roof, the spark between them catches into a fire that neither of them expected. This was another great entry in the series.  Snow does a fantastic job of balancing the romance and the suspense in these reads.  Blake has shown up in the previous books as super charismatic so it was nice to see behind his facade for this read.  I also thought his strained relationship with his teen daughter was realistic and not overly sappy.  I did find Blake and Peace's chemistry to be a little hot/cold which I wasn't a huge fan of.  They had a lot of moments where they would get close, only for one of them to push the other away for one reason or another.  I know some readers like it, but find that sort of push/pull dynamic to get tired really quickly.