Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Review: The Real Thing by Melissa Foster

Title: The Real Thing
Author: Melissa Foster
Series: Sugar Lake #1
Available: Now
Genre: Contemporary Romance


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Or Read for FREE using Kindle Unlimited








Synopsis via Goodreads:

This sassy, spirited baker is fine with heat—but is her fake fiancĂ© too hot to handle?

Bakery owner Willow Dalton’s friendship with Zane Walker has always been a bit complicated. Now a scrumptiously hot A-list actor, Zane’s always had a reputation as player. He’s arrogant, and he’s definitely not boyfriend material. Sure, he did Willow a favor by agreeing to take her virginity before college, but is that reason enough to go along with a fake engagement a decade later—even if it comes with a real diamond ring?

Zane should have known better. Nothing involving Willow has ever been easy. Still, he knows her better than anyone, and becoming America’s hottest new leading man means cleaning up his reputation. An “engagement” to curvy, sass-mouthed Willow is the perfect PR move . . . provided no one gets hurt.

Now Zane and Willow’s little white lie has turned into an irresistible recipe for sweet temptation. And soon no one will be able to tell the difference between their fake engagement or the real thing—including them.
 


My two cents:

My first experience with Melissa Foster was via one of her books that was a freebie for Kindle. I easily became hooked on her writing style and how flawlessly she crafted contemporary romance (with little cheese factor like so many other contemp romances) after reading it. When I saw she had a new series, with a foodie MC, I jumped at a chance to read a copy. 

I was worried when I started reading and discovered the male love interest was an actor. I found myself thinking "Please don't be a douche. Please, please, please!". I usually steer clear of Hollywood themed books, but seeing that this is a Melissa Foster book **see above where I admit to an addiction** I had to give it a try. Thankfully, Zane was a perfect love interest even if he went about things a bit wrong in the beginning.

I loved the whole secret fiancé/first love reunited trope. I don't think I'll ever tire of either. Willow is absolutely adorable and the chemistry between her and Zane was off the charts. Add in her huge, and hilarious, family plus a charming small town setting, and you have a recipe for a seriously addictive series. I can't wait to read more about Sugar Lake.


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*My copy was received from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review
**Post contains affiliate links
Monday, March 5, 2018

Review - The Hating Game by Sally Thorne


Title: The Hating Game
Author: Sally Thorne
Series: Nope, but I wish!
Available: Now
Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis via Goodreads:

Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.





My two cents:



& The Hating Game is just that. Perfection! I'm so in love with this book and Lucy and Josh ♥ Oh lovely misunderstood Josh ♥ I really hope this author has more books on the horizon because her writing is everything I want and crave.

"The art of holding hands is underrated and it’s embarrassing how much this simple act has me nearly breathless."

I've beat my record of Kindle highlights with this book topping out at 50. Honestly, I could have highlighted the whole damn book because I'm ridiculously smitten with almost every word Ms. Thorne wrote. 

"I am getting dangerously high off his smiles. This is my third one now? I’m stuffing them in my pockets. I’m cramming them into my mouth."

If you haven't read this...you really should. Like as soon as you can. I don't care if you have to buy, borrow, steal. Ok....don't steal, but seriously! If this is on your TBR pile. Bump it to the top. It is the perfect combination of humor, romance, and heartrending moments(along with plenty of heartwarming ones too!).

"I step in closer, and put my face into his throat, and breathe him in. I close my eyes and beg myself to remember this. Please, remember this when you’re a hundred years old."

Ms. Thorne has me like


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Sunday, March 4, 2018

Mailbox Monday - March 5th


Hosted by Mailbox Monday

Super excited about my new reads!

Kindle First:

Digging In by Loretta Nyhan
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Purchase from Amazon

Paige Moresco found her true love in eighth grade—and lost him two years ago. Since his death, she’s been sleepwalking through life, barely holding on for the sake of her teenage son. Her house is a wreck, the grass is overrun with weeds, and she’s at risk of losing her job. As Paige stares at her neglected lawn, she knows she’s hit rock bottom. So she does something entirely unexpected: she begins to dig.
As the hole gets bigger, Paige decides to turn her entire yard into a vegetable garden. The neighbors in her tidy gated community are more than a little alarmed. Paige knows nothing about gardening, and she’s boldly flouting neighborhood-association bylaws. But with the help of new friends, a charming local cop, and the transformative power of the soil, Paige starts to see potential in the chaos of her life. Something big is beginning to take root—both in her garden and in herself.


Kindle Purchases:

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
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Purchase from Amazon
Kindle version is just $2.99 at the time this was posted!

Three friends, two love stories, one convention: this fun, feminist love letter to geek culture is all about fandom, friendship, and finding the courage to be yourself.

Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, is an empowering novel fo
r anyone who has ever felt that fandom is family.


Audible:

The Dirt on Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones
Charley Davidson #9
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No synopsis to avoid series spoilers ;)







NetGalley Haul:

A Duke Like No Other by Valerie Bowman
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Pre-Order from Amazon

General Mark Grimaldi is devoted to his service for the Crown, risking his life and giving up everything for his career. The political promotion he's always wanted is now within his reach, but he needs to convince his estranged wife to return to England and play the role of happy bride in order for him to get the position.

Nicole Huntington Grimaldi has spent the past ten years in France, not having seen her husband since she left England. But now he's on her doorstep, asking her to return with him, and Nicole sees the opportunity to get something out of this deal. So she agrees, on one condition: she wants a baby.

A Duke Like No Other is a Regency spy caper with Valerie Bowman at her best as husband and wife match wits and may just fall in love in the process.



The Luck of the Bride by Janna MacGregor
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Pre-Order from Amazon

Family secrets, mistaken identities…love and money make people do crazy things in The Luck of the Bride, the third Cavensham Heiresses novel.

March Lawson has never had much luck, and in a desperate move to save her family, she's been posing as the Marquess of McCalpin. But when she's summoned to a meeting with the Marquess himself, March expects jail time…not to be bewitched by dark hair and sapphire eyes.

Michael Cavensham, the Marquess of McCalpin and heir to the Duke of Langham, finds himself drawn to March despite the judgments from his peers. He isn't sure he can trust March, especially since Michael has a secret that could ruin him and his family.

But society conspires to keep March and Michael apart, and when March is accused of not being who she says she is, will Michael toss her aside or fight for the woman he's come to love?
 


Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks
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Pre-order from Amazon

From the brilliant imagination of Kerrelyn Sparks comes a bold new fantasy romance series in which passion and magic collide. Behold the Embraced…

Gwennore has a talent. An Elf able to track down the cause of an illness and heal it, she’s a valuable asset to her people. But when the kidnapping of a young girl thrusts Gwennore into the very heart of the realm of the dragons, she discovers not only a place of power and magic, but also a haunted land, plagued by an ancient curse that all but ensures extinction to the royal family. But when she meets the smoldering General Silas Dravenko, they strike a bargain—save the country from its cursed illness, and he will return the kidnapped girl. She’s been raised never to trust a dragon, but never did making a deal with the devil feel so good…

Silas has no way of curing the family he’s loyally served for years. But when a beautiful elf, long considered the enemy of the dragons, comes bursting into his world, Silas is awakened to passion and desire in a way he’s never felt before. But can he trust a sworn enemy to save the very existence he holds dear? And can their love survive those that threaten to tear them apart?

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What was in your mailbox? Leave a link so I can check out your book goodies :)



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