What I’ve read (or listened to) this year, so far…

This is still a bit weird for me, after being away for so long, so bear with me for a little while…

2021 has been a weird year. While 2020 started “normal” and then it all went to sh*t around March, 2021 started already in this weird state. In Portugal, we were in confinement, that went even stricter after the start of the year (a lot because we had a free-ish Christmas, which lead to a huge increase in number of cases).

At the end of 2020 I also moved and am now living by myself, which has been great, but also lead to a lot of movie/series watching on Netflix and Disney Plus. So I haven’t read a lot this year, I have, though, listened to a few audiobooks. I believe I mentioned this on the last post, but I’ve been listening to audios on my way to and from Lisbon, but because I’m lucky enough to still be working from home, I usually don’t wonder into the big city more than 1 or 2 times a week.

Single Dad Seeks Juliette (Max Monroe) was the first book of the year (and the only one I actually “read”). This was an extremely cute read, to be fair, Max Monroe rarely disappoints, and their books are always extremely fun and swoony.

I really enjoyed the 2 main characters. Jake especially, and it was great to see a single dad of a teenager not completely losing it :D. Holley was hilarious, but there were a couple of times where I wanted to share her.

Overall, super enjoyable, and I already have the follow up book lined up on my kindle.

Then, like most of the world, I watched Bridgerton on Netflix. Of course I liked it, of course, and as soon as I understood it was an adaptation from a series from Julia Quinn, I queued the audiobooks on Scribd and started the series. As much as I enjoyed the series, the books are a lot better. I scored them all between 4 and 5 (with the extended epilogues sometimes getting a 3 when I felt they didn’t add anything to the story). I’m super excited to see the series continue, as I’m super curious as to how they’re going to adapt Anthony and Kate’s story. I think book 3 (Benedict’s) and book 6 (Francesca’s) were my favourites, I especially liked Fracesca’s story, I think because it was a second chance romance… it just warmed my heart. Gregory’s final story was also super enjoyable and sweet :D.

When I was done with the Bridgertons, I started with the Rokesbys, a set of stories set a few decades before the Bridgertons’, and I liked this one even better than the first set of stories. Again, the rating of the books was all between 4 and 5, but the characters, especially the female ones, were AMAZEBALLS.

After all the historical romances, I was in a bit of a slump. So I decided to re-listen The Legal Briefs series by Emma Chase – FYI, this was my third read of the series. Sustained is and will be always one of my favourite books ever.

Best Friends Don’t Kiss by Max Monroe was actually a bit of a disappointment (up until now, it was my lowest rating of the year – a 3 stars). The story started out well, but soon I was getting frustrated by the lack of communication of these 2 supposed best friends. The end was super cute though…

Tamed by Emma Chase I couldn’t tell you why I didn’t read it back when I read all the other books of the series, but I enjoyed this one, super fun!

Beautiful Bastard I did a full post on, so yeah, read it, but warning: I did not like it.

Now, these 2… WOW. I had almost forgotten how much I love Jenn and Cletus, but also, everyone else in this town and on these series. Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries is a spin of Winston Brothers and these books are a perfect combination of fun, sweet and a great mystery. Now I severely need book 3 of the series, that will only be out next year 😦 . So… I’ll go into another re-read binge, and this time, I’m re-reading the Winston Brothers. Also, the narration on these books is AMAZING. It made it that more enjoyable for me. 5 stars for both of these!

So, these are the books I’ve mostly listened to this year. What did you think of them? Did you read them? Also, any suggestions (of books that I HAVE TO read?)? 🙂

Book Review: Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

Hey People!

It’s now been well over 2.5 years since I last wrote on this blog, and I have to say, I did not expect to return like this.

I now understand the power of dissatisfaction (I mean, it’s not like I don’t know what’s behind it… I’ve been working in customer service for 4 years now, and we humans, are always more keen to speak out when we’re unhappy, than when we are happy with something)… so to be clear, yeah, this book was not for me… =/

But hey, before I get into why Beautiful Bastard was not my favourite, I just want to say… I missed this! Is this even done nowadays? Or is everyone on TikTok? (I mean, is there anyone out there who hasn’t downloaded the app during lock down?). And how are YOU? It’s been a pretty intense 2020/2021, are you OK?

Now, back to the subject at hand. I’ve had this book on my TBR since I started to read romance books, and for some reason, that I never could quite put my finger on it, I just didn’t get to it. But I moved houses a few months ago, to a place slightly out of the city, so whenever I go into the city, I pop up an audiobook, and I’m able to get through books quite quickly like this (best subscription that I have right now if for sure Scribd). I finished a few of Emma Chase’s books (re-reads), and thought “no time like the present”. Fair warning, I might drop some spoilers here. You’ve been warned…

So there I was, just cruising on my way to Lisbon, and not even 10 minutes into the book, and I’m having second thoughts. Why? Hmmmm. For context, I love smut, big fan here, but I like my smut with character development, context, relationship development doesn’t hurt either.

From my understanding this book started as online fanfiction that was later published, and all the merit to the author, but it reads exactly like that:

• each chapter is its own world with instant gratification to the reader;
• no thought out plot for the whole book;
• so much sex… no, I’m serious, this was too much.

I wasn’t able to understand the characters and much less like them. Bennett was a bastard to Chloe from the start, and the whole relationship did not make sense to me. Mostly I think because they start their sexual relationship completely out of nowhere, one moment it’s “hey, I need to make a presentation“, and on the next “oops, are we banging on top of the table without a freaking condom on” (spoiler alert, yes they were!). But this was the first chapter. And from this point on there is no effort to develop either of them.

One thing that left me really really confused was Chloe’s decision towards the end to abandon her job of many many years, and her almost finished internship project, because she felt like she was at a disadvantage in their relationship, as she was his intern. This part, yes, she was, and yes, when it would turn to shit, she would be the one burned for sure. But what confuses me, is that this was not a concern when she was initializing some of their activities IN THE OFFICE. There’s one scene that I had so much trouble with, because until that point he was always the one initializing it in one way or another, but then she takes the reins (I mean, girl power and all), but then your attitude doesn’t match your words and thoughts… yeah…

But I want to address something that made me mad. I heard the audiobook as I mentioned before, and this was published by Simon Schuster Audio (not a small company). However, in a book told in dual POV and in the first person, they decided to have a single narrator for the whole thing.

Why would you do that?

There is nothing weirder than hearing a male masturbation scene narrated by a girl trying to sound a bit more masculine. Why didn’t you just get Sebastian York? The narration can make or break a book, and I have to say, the book was already a miss for me, but the narration make it that much worse.

But I did finish it… yeah, don’t really know how. However I will not be reading the remaining books in the series. I like big series, where I can just explore a group of friends, however, because there was no world or character building, I really just can’t.

In the end I rated this book:

Questions for you: have you read this book? what are your thoughts?

Book Review: Royally Yours by Emma Chase

ROYALLY YOURS
by Emma Chase
Series: Royally #4
Genres: Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Publication Date: October 30th 2018
Source: eARC received through Inkslinger pr in exchange of an honest review
Rating: ★★★★★

Princess Lenora Celeste Beatrice Arabella Pembrook had an unusual childhood. She was raised to be a Queen — the first Queen of Wessco.

It’s a big deal.

When she’s crowned at just nineteen, the beautiful young monarch is prepared to rule. She’s charming, clever, confident and cunning.

What she isn’t… is married.

It’s her advising council’s first priority. It’s what Parliament is demanding, and what her people want.

Lenora has no desire to tie herself to a man — particularly one who only wants her for her crown. But compromises must be made and royals must do their duty.

Even Queens. Especially them.

**
Years ago, Edward Langdon Richard Dorian Rourke, walked away from his title and country. Now he’s an adventurer — climbing mountains, exploring jungles, going wherever he wants, when he wants — until family devotion brings him home.

And a sacred promise keeps him there.

To Edward, the haughty, guarded little Queen is intriguing, infuriating…and utterly captivating. Wanting her just might drive him mad — or become his greatest adventure.

**
Within the cold, stone walls of the royal palace — mistrust threatens, wills clash, and an undeniable, passionate love will change the future of the monarchy forever.

Every dynasty has a beginning. Every legend starts with a story.

This is theirs.

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This is my favorite book of this series, hands down. Also, I realised right away that I failed to actually read the blurb for this book when I requested it, because for some reason I thought it was a book about the new generation, but then… no! It’s about Lenora, duh! Nicholas and Henry’s stories were great, but their grandma takes the cake 😀 .

Lenora was an amazing character, so strong and unique, and I loved everything about her. She was stern, but she was also innovative and open to new ideas, she was open to happiness too, but she was always very herself. I love her!

Edward was also so different. He was willing to always follow his Queen, but he challenged her in the best possible ways, and they were better when they were together. They complemented each other so so well.

The romance was quiet, but so strong. ❤

I loved everything about this book, and it made me cry a lot because it is so sad at times, and also because you know what’s gonna happen in the future, and not everything is good. But this one allows us to see a different side of the Queen, and she was even better than I expected, and I already loved her from the previous books. So, if you’ve been following this series, and even if you haven’t, pick Royally Yours now, and get ready to fall in love with it.

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About the Author:

Emma Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the hot and hilarious Tangled series and The Legal Briefs series. Emma lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children and two naughty (but really cute) dogs.

She has a long-standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER | GOODREADS | READER FAN GROUP

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Review Blitz: It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (Kylie Scott)

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Review:

“Addictive like all Kylie Scott books, you’ll swoon, laugh, ache, put your life on hold, and compulsively read until the wee hours of the night—only to reread the whole thing the next morning. Perfection!” – Katy Evans, New York Times bestselling author

Returning home for her father’s wedding was never going to be easy for Adele. If being sent away at eighteen hadn’t been bad enough, the mess she left behind when she made a pass at her dad’s business partner sure was.

Fifteen years older than her, Pete had been her crush for as long as she could remember. But she’d misread the situation — confusing friendliness for undying love. Awkward. Add her father to the misunderstanding, and Pete was left with a broken nose and a business on the edge of ruin. The man had to be just as glad as everyone else when she left town.

Seven years later, things are different. Adele is no longer a kid, but a fully grown adult more than capable of getting through the wedding and being polite. But all it takes is seeing him again to bring back those old feelings.

Sometimes first loves are the truest.

AMAZON | AMAZON UK | AMAZON AU | iBooks | B&N | KOBO

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I was so excited for this book, because I wasn’t quite sure on whether or not I would like this troupe, but it’s something that I don’t have issues with, as long as it’s well achieved, so I was excited. Let me say, this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting, and it disappointed me a bit.

I really liked the writing, and I loved the main character Adele. She was beyond amazing! However, I really needed a dual POV on this book, because Pete was a mystery to me, and still is. I needed to know what his feelings and thoughts were. On whether or not he had ever felt that way for Adele before? If it was new? What was exactly what he felt? The fact that we only had Adele’s POV, didn’t allow me to fully enjoy this story. Moreover, it’s not like Adele and Pete had deep and long conversations after they finally got involved, and discussed their feelings, so again, I have no clue. If I’m being honest, I’m not entirely sure I even liked Pete, and that put a damp on my enjoyment of this story.

What I loved was Adele’s relationship with her dad and her new stepmom. That was gold.

There’s also something that happens toward the end of the book, that I was not a fan of. At all. I wished it had never happened. But oh well.

I really liked the setting of this book, and I adored Adele. She’s the reason I’m rating this book this high. I would be ok with the age difference and the story itself, but I had major issues with Pete, so I could never get fully onboard with the relationship.

But hey, try it, and then tell me your thoughts.

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Excerpt:

It was meant to be a soft kiss. A chaste one, even.

The minute my lips touched his, however, everything changed. Callused hands grabbed the sides of my face and my mouth opened on a gasp. His tongue swept inside, taking me over. Holy hell. Shoes and purse hit the floor, forgotten. Nothing about this kiss was slow or easy. The man devoured me. Every ounce of emotion poured into that kiss, all of the anger and frustration between us. His tongue was teasing and tasting, driving me wild. Then he drew back to suck and nip at my bottom lip. One hand slid around the back of my neck, the other over my hip to grab at my ass. His hold was firm, a little rough even. He treated my body like it belonged to him and I wasn’t gentle either.

Apparently experience mattered. Because all I could do was try and keep up.

I held on tight to his open shirt, straining against him, trying to get closer. I’d have crawled inside the man if I could. Turned out that under certain circumstances, the taste of scotch worked for me in a big way. Against my hip, his cock hardened, digging into me. And oh my God, I’d done that to him. Me. How amazing! Meanwhile, my body felt liquid, core aching and empty. I needed him inside of me and it seemed like I’d already been waiting forever.

“Pete. Please.”

“Fuck,” he muttered, breath hot against my ear.

I fumbled at the remaining buttons on his shirt. My damn fingers didn’t seem to be working. Easier to just push the whole thing upward. Luckily, the man decided to help, tearing the shirt off over his head. More skin was good. And he was so hot and smooth, a thrill to the touch. The solid flesh of his pecs and the flat plane of his stomach.

He tore at the zipper on the back of my dress, dragging fabric down over my shoulders. A growl came from the back of his throat, a noise of frustration, impatience. I’m reasonably certain I heard the silk rip. I didn’t care. His hands and mouth seemed to cover every bit of skin revealed, touching and tasting me everywhere. The dress got stuck on my hips. Out of the way enough for now.

He didn’t even bother undoing my bra, simply peeling down one of the lace cups to free my flesh. My breast filled his hot palm as it took the weight. Fingers plumped me, his thumb flicking over my hard nipple. The sting of pain followed by the heat of his kiss made my head spin and my body ache. There was no room for thought as he fed me deep, wet kisses. Slowly, he took us to the floor. No time for anything else. Just the urgent need to have him inside me.

The hardness of the polished wood was cool against my back. My legs were spread, his body between them. And with his broad chest above me, his weight taken on one arm, he was all I could see. I swear even the insides of my thighs were wet, I was so ready. It would have been embarrassing with anybody else. But this man, he had to know, he had to understand. It had always been him.

“Pete, I need—”

“I know,” he said, voice harsh and low.

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About the Author:

Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://www.kylie-scott.com/

 

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Blog Tour: Two Wedding Crashers (Meghan Quinn)

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Review:

I don’t know what love is anymore.

Well, that’s not entirely true, but I’m going to tell you a little secret: I’ve lost the spark.

You know the kind of spark I’m talking about?

Where butterflies take flight in your stomach from two hands innocently colliding. Or catching your breath when you first meet someone attractive. Yeah, that spark.

Except I haven’t felt that feeling in forever; there is nothing left inside of me.

Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem — but I’m a writer on a serious deadline, and my editor is breathing down my neck for a romantic, Nicholas Sparks type love story. No pressure, right?

That’s how I find myself flying across the country to crash a wedding in the name of research, dress and heels stuffed into my small suitcase.

It should be the easiest book research ever. Drinking some free champagne, basking in the love of two strangers, and tapping into my romantic side. That will be a breeze. I’m a pro. I can handle this.

Until I mistakenly end up in the wrong hotel room, naked as the day I was born, with the sexiest human I have ever met staring me down, wondering what I’m doing taking a shower in his bathroom. I don’t think calling it research will get me out of this pickle.

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | AMAZON CA | AMAZON AU

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One thing is guaranteed when picking up a Meghan Quinn book: we’re in for a good and funny time. Her writing just has something to it, that makes be belly laugh in each and every book. This one wasn’t an exception. To be honest, I liked this one better than the first book on the series, Three Blind Dates.

I never expected to like Beck as much as I did in this book. He was the only one from the first book that I wasn’t that sure about, and I can’t believe that Meghan Quinn completely changed my mind about him. His story didn’t quite surprise me, and that’s a good thing, but his way of thinking, feeling and the way he lived his life, stole my heart.

Rylee was so messed up, but I loved this girl. She was scared, but she goes through such a character growth within the book, and I loved to read about it. She’s fierce, and I loved how her mind worked, and all her dirty thoughts…

The chemistry between Beck and Rylee was off the charts, and I was surprised it took them so long to actually act on it, but I loved the slow burn, even if the implied chemistry, connection and romance was there from the start.

The plot was amazing, I loved the involvement of the family and friends too. I could definitely read more about them, and the life they created together. It was that good.

So, people, if you haven’t started this series yet, do, now. If you haven’t read anything by Meghan Quinn, what are you doing with your life?!

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Excerpt:

Chills scream their way down my arms and legs, my nipples pucker, and just like that, with one word, all humor vanishes from our little conversation and awareness of this all-consuming man wrapped around me hits me hard.

Gathering myself, I say, “Tell me something Chris and Justine know about you.”

“Hmm.” His thumbs hook under the waistband of my shorts, playing with the lower part of my hipbones. His touch spurs on my pelvis, needing to rock, begging for him to go lower. My toes curl in my sandals and my back slightly arches, reaching for more. “Something they know about me.”

His mouth doesn’t stray from its position against my ear, and his hips start to slowly move underneath me, his legs tangling with mine. Involuntarily, one of my hands hooks the back of his neck as I hold on tightly to him, feeling like I need support from the onslaught of sensation I’m feeling.

I hear him say something, but it doesn’t register in my brain, which has turned to mush as his thumbs stray from my hipbones to right above my pubic bone.

There is no denying how turned on I am, how wet I am from his mere touch, how much — despite my reservations — I want this man.

With each stroke, my head turns farther and farther to the side until our noses are touching, Beck’s head bends forward to meet me halfway. My eyes flutter shut for a brief moment before I open them and am captured by those flecks of green and gold.

The air stills around us, our breath mixing, swirling between us, our lips so close.

One swipe of this thumb.

Another one.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t focus.

Another swipe, my head leans even closer, my tongue wetting my lips.

One more swipe . . .

My heart hammers in my chest, my skin prickling with awareness.

Beck brings his mouth even closer, only a whisper away now, and he waits.

Holding still.

His breathing feeling erratic beneath me.

One.

More.

Swipe.

And I’m gone.

I bring my mouth to his, slowly parting my lips ever so slightly, just enough to maneuver my mouth across his.

A low, provocative moan escapes Beck as one of his hands snags the back of my head and holds me in place, almost as if he lets go, I’ll disappear.

Needing more, I shift on his lap so I’m straddling him once again, my hands on his bare chest, feeling the powerful sinew that holds him together.

Our lips press and mold, mingling, taking, begging . . .

Desperate.

Beck’s tongue runs against my bottom lip, eliciting a moan from deep within me, lighting a fire so hot, so wild, my hands start to travel up his neck to his cheeks where I grip him, positioning his head so when I open my mouth, I can expertly dive my tongue onto his.

He groans, his lap shifting against mine now, his hard-on pressing against my wet and throbbing center. I match his rocking, using my position on his lap to take advantage of his length I can feel through his board shorts.

This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen, but God, am I happy it has. Maybe I really should live in the moment, maybe I should take advantage of the opportunity, maybe I should…

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About the Author:

Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if “It’s Raining Men” starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.

Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing… enter her first novel, Caught Looking.

Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!

Facebook | Follow on Goodreads | Website | Amazon Author Page | Instagram | Follow on BookBub

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Blog Tour: The Hook-Up Experiment (Emma Hart)

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REVIEW:

1.Hate-screw my high school nemesis.
2.Remember to hate him.
3.Prove my brother wrong.
It should be easy.
It isn’t.

As the owner of Pick-A-Dick, New Orleans’ premier hook-up website, my job is simple. Connect two people for a no-strings, no-expectations hook-up. The plus for my clients is that I’m the one who gets to sift through the dick pics — except this time, they’re required.

My problem? My brother, co-owner of Pick-A-Dick’s sister dating site, doesn’t believe it’s possible to hook up with someone three times and not fall in love.

I disagree. I know it’s possible.

And my disagreement is exactly how I end up reconnected with my high school nemesis, Elliott Sloane. The guy who asked me to junior prom and then stood me up. Who egged my car when I rejected him, and convinced my senior homecoming date to ghost me.

It should be easy to hate-screw him. If only he was still that person, instead of a hot-as-hell single dad, working as a builder to make ends’ meet, fighting for custody of his daughter.

Not to mention packing in the pants department…

Three hook-ups.
One outcome.
Right?

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | FIND OUT MORE HERE

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Yes yes yes. Another great and hilarious romance from Emma Hart. 😀

I have to say, Emma Hart is a hit or miss for me, I either LOVE the book, or it’s meh, so I’m happy to say, I absolutely loved this one.

The book is told in dual POV, and the writing is so funny and engaging. Hart wrote an hilarious book. But there’s one thing that makes this book even better (because I have issues, apparently): Elliott is a single dad… of a 3yo little girl. And Emma Hart writes the most amazing single dads… (see Miss Fix-It)..

This is a second chance romance and a bit of enemy to lovers, with a bet in the mix, and 2 characters who are so incredibly stubborn, especially Peyton, she’s the queen of being stubborn. It’s hilarious. I loved the chemistry between Peyton and Elliott, and I adored the plot and their journey to finding each other.

It was such a fun read, and I just wanted more of these characters and their crazy schemes, their banter and their overall relationship. So much fun. And Bri? So so cute! I love books with little humans.

Also, I want the second book ASAP, because I want to know who egged Peyton’s car, and I want to see Dom and Chloe finally getting together.

So, guys, read this one as soon as you can, because it’s so worth it.

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Excerpt:

“Is she okay with that juice?” Peyton watched her go.

I selected the Blu-ray from the cupboard and shot a smirk her way. “Sorry to break it to you, but you’re getting a juice box.”

“I can live with that.”

I turned away and hit the eject button on the player. “You didn’t have to say yes to her, you know.”

“Of course, I had to. Have you seen those eyes? How do you say no to her, ever?”

“I think of all the times she screams and swings her arms like a tiny terrorist, and it’s pretty easy.” I put the disk in and turned around.

Peyton had one eyebrow raised. “See, now, I’d think that’s reason to say no.”

“It depends on the day. Sometimes it results in her being put to bed to calm down, which means she ends up taking a rare afternoon nap, and I get some peace and quiet.”

“That’s a thing around her? She was talking to me for thirty minutes flat about what I did and didn’t like.”

“Only thirty minutes? Lucky you. She has about three hours of material of that.” I took a seat on the sofa, making sure to leave space between us for Bri. “Did she get started on hedgehogs yet?”

Peyton looked a little confused. “Hedgehogs?”

“YouTube is the devil.”

“That…was quite the jump in subject.”

I laughed as the main menu music hit on the TV. “I’m going to preface this by saying kids are weird.”

“Some get that from their parents.”

I blinked at her for a second. She wasn’t wrong if half these people who had a mini-career opening fucking toys on YouTube were parents.

“There are a bunch of stupid videos on YouTube, and apparently, watching people open toys is thrilling.”

Now, she looked really confused.

“And on one of those she watched, the person had a pet hedgehog who wasn’t having the nonsense of her opening a Hatchimal on camera, so it stole the egg.”

She blinked several times in quick succession. “I have no idea what you just said, and if I’m honest… Please don’t explain it.”

I laughed and hit play on the TV.

“Here’s your dooce-box,” Briony said, handing Peyton two. “And das mine. I can’t do the straws.”

“Oh. Right. Okay.” Peyton looked at the two juices that had been thrust at her.

Smiling, I took one from her. I pulled the straw off the back, out of the tiny plastic slip, and poked it through the foiled hole in the top. “There you go,” I said to Briony. “What do you want for dinner?”

She put the straw in her mouth and pursed her lips as she sucked the juice up. Peyton watched her, lips twitching, as she put her straw in place.

“Pizza!” Briony announced.

Oh no. I’d eaten too much pizza lately.

Was there such a thing as too much pizza?

Maybe if the toppings were changed up…

“Peydon, do you want pizza?” Bri asked, leaning right into her.

“I like pizza,” she replied, smiling sweetly down at her. “What’s your favorite?”

“I like spots and cheese.”

“Spots?”

I coughed on my water. “Pepperoni,” I explained. “They look like spots on the pizza.”

Peyton’s eyes met mine for a minute. Silent laughter shone back at me. That really was toddler logic at its finest.

“You know,” she said, looking down at Peyton. “Spots are my favorite, too!”

Once again, Briony gasped. “Reawy?”

“Really, really. I love spots.”

Oh, Jesus.

It might have been a mistake introducing these two. Not only was my daughter becoming increasingly obsessed with someone who seemed to be a brunette, adult version of her…

No, that was the problem. Peyton was the brunette, adult version of Briony, attitude and all — and if there was anything my daughter didn’t need, it was someone who could teach her a thing or ten about sarcasm.

“I’ll order pizza,” I said, going to stand.

“Oh, you got it last time. I’ll go call them.” Peyton put her juice on the side table and tried to move, but Briony stopped her.

“No. Mimi told me that only gentlemen buy dinner. Princesses sit and look priddy.”

Peyton looked down at her. “Sit and look pretty? I like to buy my own pizza sometimes, and that’s okay.”

Without missing a beat, Briony said, “Princesses sit and look priddy so the mens buying dinner don’t know dat we can kick dere butts.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies — usually wine — and writes books.

Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.

She likes to be busy — unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.

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Lucas (Jay McLean)

In a sprint, every millisecond counts.
When you’re waiting for love, those milliseconds can feel like eons.

High school senior Lucas Preston has it all: star of the track team, a scholarship waiting for him, an apartment to himself and a revolving door of girlfriends. He also has an older sister, five younger brothers and a father who relies on him to make sure those brothers don’t kill each other.

His saving grace? Lois “Laney” Sanders, a girl he started to fall in like with when he was just eleven.

A girl who became his best friend, his confidant, his courage.

It took only sixteen clicks and eight seconds for Lucas to realize that his like for Laney had turned into love.
Eight life-changing seconds.
It’s also the exact length of time it took to lose her.

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Oh boy, I’m so glad I saw this giveaway/read and review on goodreads, and I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of this book. This was a book that I didn’t even knew existed, and now it’s within some of my faves and I need more of the writing, of the family, of the story. I need more. So yeah. I’m happy!

This was my first Jay McLean book, and I’m IN LOVE. The writing is fun and emotional at the same time. It’s the perfect blend and I loved loved loved it. The book is told in dual POV, between the present and the past, and tells us the story throughout the years about Lucas and Lois “Laney” relationship. I thought this was of storytelling was perfect, and the prologue just hooked me up right from the start.

I honestly loved Lucas and Laney, even if they frustrated me to no end at times. They both had a lot of growing up to do, and the character development was stellar. They both go through some awful stuff, together and apart, but they learn, and they become better people, and better for each other too.

My favorite theme of this book was FAMILY. All the Preston boys (and girl) have my heart, but this book also had two of the most amazing dad’s I ever read about: Brian and Tom are just great, and they guided and helped their children, spent time with them, provided the best way they could. They were so supportive. They both made me cry throughout the book, and I just love them both.

Overall, I loved this BFFs to lovers romance, it was beautiful and heartbreaking, and it made me sob like a baby at 3 am in the morning. So I highly recommend it. Amazing book. And I’ll for sure pick up the second book, and the first series too.

Go read it, if you haven’t already. It’s so worth it.

Blog Tour: Miss Mechanic (Emma Hart)

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Review:

Two mechanics. One rivalry.
She’ll prove she’s as good as she says she is.
He’ll prove her place isn’t under the hood.
It’s over it.

“Don’t let the bastards get you down.”

For twenty-six years, I lived by my daddy’s motto. Which is why “Mechanic Wanted” is all it takes for me to apply for the job at the garage we once owned.

And I meet the biggest bastard of them all.

Dexter Ryne. Hotter than Hell in July and a firm believer that my place is on reception, taking phone calls and looking pretty. Not getting dirty under the hood of a car.

Determined to prove each other wrong, we make a deal.

I have three weeks to prove my worth as a mechanic. If I don’t, I’m on telephone duty.

If I do, he’ll accept defeat and make my job permanent.

Now, all I have to do is fight my attraction to the cocky little… beep.

Problem is, an engine isn’t the only thing he knows how to make purr…

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Nook | iBooks | Kobo

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After reading Miss Fix-It, of course I had to request this book, because I was hoping that another gem was going to fall into my lap. And although this one was still highly entertaining, it wasn’t as good as Miss Fix-It.

The writing was super fun and snort-worthy, and this book was told in dual POV, which was good. And it has to be said, Emma Hart writes amazing BANTER. So so good!

With this said, I loved loved loved the female main character, Jamie. She was such a strong and independent woman, and snarky, with an amazing sense of humour. I wasn’t as easily convinced by Dex. I liked him, and he was hilarious at times, but I wasn’t a fan of his treatment of Jamie most of the time. It bugs me that he wouldn’t have tried to keep it professional, at least for a bit longer, and I also didn’t like how dismissive he was of her in the beginning.

But I’ll admit that these 2 together were dynamite. The banter was fantastic, and all they’re scenes together were great. And throughout those interactions, I softened a bit in regards to Dex, and I saw what Jamie saw. They were a great match, and the chemistry was fantastic.

I also really liked the involvement of family, they were so important and so fundamental to the storyline.

 

If there’s one thing I felt it was a missed opportunity was how this book wasn’t even remotely related to Miss Fix-It. I wish they had been set in the same small town, because it would have been fantastic to have that connection.

Either way, super fun read, and I do recommend it. Jamie’s voice, and her banter with Dex are to die for.

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EXCERPT:

“Can I help you?” I asked.

He blinked and met my eyes.

“What the hell are you doing over there?” I pushed to stand up straight.

“Right now?” He capped his water bottle. “Well, honestly… I’m just thinking you’d look better over the hood of that car than under it.”

I unhooked the hood and slammed it down, spinning on the balls of my feet.

Our eyes met properly. I didn’t like what I saw in his — desire, attraction, need. Which was obviously why a shiver ran down my spine.

I cocked a hip, putting my hand on it. “The only time you will ever get me over a hood of a car is if a wiper blade needs changing. So, unless you’re a wiper blade…”

Dex pulled his phone from his pocket and started tapping the screen.

I blinked. “What are you doing?”

He peered up at me through his unfairly thick eyelashes. “Seeing if I can get a wiper blade costume for Halloween.”

“I don’t even know how to respond to that.”

“You can buy wiper blade glasses.”

“What?”

He raised his eyebrows. “And a lady here on eBay will hand-make any costume. There’s my Halloween sorted.”

I stared at him. “You’re not getting me over anything, Dex. Definitely not a car hood. No matter what you think.”

He clutched his chest dramatically. “You wound me.”

“Unfortunately not fatally,” I muttered.

“You also underestimate me.”

“There’s a lot of that going around in this garage.” I put the bottle of coolant away.

“Touché.”

“Thank you.”

“Can I ask you something?”

I sighed and turned to face him again. “What?”

Earnestly, he asked, “Can you stop wearing those tiny shorts? Or yoga pants that make me want to touch your ass every five minutes?”

I looked down at the ripped shorts of my dungarees. “Can you keep your thoughts to yourself? Control yourself, maybe? Not look at me and see someone worth screwing?”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies — usually wine — and writes books.

Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.

She likes to be busy—unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.

SIGN UP FOR ALL NEW RELEASE INFO!

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

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When In Rome…Find Yourself (Lena Mae Hill)

Rory Hartnett has sworn off love, so boys will not be a distraction on her six-week study abroad trip to Rome. She has her plate full dealing with her anxiety in a foreign country, making new friends to explore the city with, taking classes, and applying for an internship at a travel e-zine.

But when she meets the cute artist sharing her eccentric host mother’s lodging, all bets are off.

Fall in love with the first in a brand new series about four girls finding themselves — and maybe love — in the city of fountains. If you loved Anna and the French Kiss or Love & Gelato, you won’t want to miss this sweet New Adult series from new romance author Lena Mae Hill.

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This was yet another book that I’ve had for ages, and that for some reason I kept putting it off… now I’m thinking that I would rather have skipped it. But alas, I read it. It was bad.

I will say that the whole book was a miss for me, and I couldn’t find any redeeming qualities on this book. But I’m gonna tell you guys what I hated the most, ok?

I’ll be honest, the main character on this book, Rory, suffers from severe anxiety, and while my understanding of the mental disease is limited, and I can see how debilitating it can be, the representation of anxiety in this book was poorly done in my opinion. When it’s well written, you can empathise and understand a disease, even if you never suffered from it. Here, the only thing I really wanted was to club Rory in the head and make her shut up, because her fears were way way too irrational. And it was written in a way that we were living inside her head, in the irrational land, for over 90% of the book.

With that said, I hated Rory. I wanted to feel for this girl, but I just couldn’t. She worried about everything, and while I understand that it might be a true representation, it was way too much. Are they thinking I’m ugly? Will the taxi driver have a bomb? How will I pay the groceries? I’m the 5th wheel… would they even notice if I was gone? It was exhausting to be in her mind. But the real kicker is that she reads like a 15 year old, while she was supposed to be 21. I couldn’t get my mind around that fact. She was so insecure, and she was willing to do whatever it took to please people who she hardly knew and she thought would never look at her as a friend. Still, one of them wanted to cut off her favorite skirt, and what did she say? “Sure“, while really thinking “NOOOO!!!“. I can’t… I just can’t… I mean, this girl runs and hides in her room each time Ned looks at her a little bit longer. What was that? She was so immature!!!!

The rest of the characters weren’t that much better either. I wanted to like Ned, the love interest, but I just couldn’t for some reason. I appreciated how he took his life, doing what he wanted and taking advantage of opportunities, but I think the book focused way too much on weed and how he was always smoking pot and so on, and it just made me like him less and less.

The group of friends mostly just annoyed me, because I felt like they should have tried to make Rory feel included, especially since they all saw how hard it was for her. They do try from a point on, even if she resists it, but I still felt like something was severely missing there.

The romance didn’t make any sense for me, there was no chemistry at all there. Much like Rory’s previous romance didn’t make sense to me either, but hey, what do I know…

While there is a slight character development towards the end, when Rory actually affirms herself for a couple of pages, it was still too little too late. This book could have been loads better if she actually grew, if she used the fact that she was alone in a foreign country to actually take life by its horns. She didn’t. She needed push after push after push, and she only slightly stands up for herself towards the very end, and very feebly at that.

This book definitly wasn’t for me, it was a pain to actually finish, and I’ll definitly stay away from the sequels.

Guys, have you read this book? What are your thoughts on it?

Bountiful (Sarina Bowen)

No last names. No life stories. Those were the rules.

Once upon a time a cocky, copper-haired tourist sauntered into Zara’s bar. And even though she knew better, Zara indulged in a cure for the small-town blues. It was supposed to be an uncomplicated fling — a few sizzling weeks before he went back to his life, and she moved on.

Until an accidental pregnancy changed her life.

Two years later, she’s made peace with the notion that Dave No-Last-Name will never be found. Until one summer day when he walks into her coffee shop, leveling her with the same hot smile that always renders her defenseless.

Dave Beringer has never forgotten the intense month he spent with prickly Zara. Their nights together were the first true intimacy he’d ever experienced. But the discovery of his child is the shock of a lifetime, and his ugly past puts relationships and family out of reach.

Or does it? Vermont’s countryside has a way of nurturing even tortured souls. The fields and the orchards — and hard won love — are Bountiful.

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Guys, guys! Sarina Bowen did it again!!! 😀 I was beyond happy when I got an ARC for Bountiful, because this is one of my favorite series. And once again, this new installment of the True North series didn’t disappoint, and left me happy and smiling and swooning. I loved it.

And learning that this book is in fact a mash up of True North and Brooklyn Bruisers, another AMAZING series?! PERFECTION! 

I already loved Zara since book 1, I always loved her roughness, and how strong she was, because she was in such a tough position. The fact that she became friends with Audrey was amazing, and I always respected her even more because of it. But Zara grew up so much after she got pregnant and she understood she couldn’t do it all by herself, and she became a little less rough, but still so very HER. I love Zara.

Dave… it took me a little bit more to fall for Dave, mostly because the guy was so lost there for a bit, but I liked his development, how he realized that his past didn’t define him, and how he became a father to Nicole. I loved his scenes with his baby daughter.

It was great to see all the people from the 2 series too, especially Audrey and Griff, and Leo. And Castro, he needs a book ASAP.

While I really loved the plot, and I loved seeing Zara, Dave and baby Nicole become a real family, I needed some more development on the romance department. The relationship between Zara and Dave just happened way too easily, especially after they had been apart for 2 years and so much had changed in the meantime. I thought the their story needed more talk, more discussion, more time spent together. I do understand that having Nicole was already a huge bond, but there was something missing.

But baby Nicole is the most adorable baby ever. And I loved every little scene she was in, she was a scene stealer!

Like I said, another amazing book by Sarina Bowen. I can’t wait to see what else the True North and Brooklyn Bruisers bring. I need books about a lot of characters in these 2 series, and I need those books fast!