Book Reviews

The Marriage Game

The Marriage Game

By: Sara Desai

Blurb:

A high stakes wager pits an aspiring entrepreneur against a ruthless CEO in this sexy romantic comedy.

After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…

As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he’s forced to share his space with the owner’s beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.

As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.

Review:

Yeah, no, I was not a fan of The Marriage Game. It had everything to do with the hero. He was a complete ass. He walked around with a perpetual erection because the heroine’s boobs were bouncing, or her ass was just too much for him to handle. He was rude and demeaning from the minute he met her. He was controlling and bossy. He came off hostile a lot of the time too. I like an alpha male as long as he’s not domineering, and this dude had plenty of moments. A big no from me.

The only issue I had with the heroine was every interaction with the hero. She would argue, he would say something borderline misogynistic, and she would back down. She was searching for a husband, and you’d think after he crashed the first meeting she wouldn’t let him anywhere near her, but she asked him to go on all of the dates.

Ugh, I honestly can’t get over how much I disliked the hero. I’m assuming I was supposed to overlook his behavior because of how devoted he was to his sister. The hero’s sister was in a wheelchair after her husband, a man the hero introduced her to, pushed her down some stairs. The hero’s mission is to get justice for his sister. That’s nice, good for him. Stop being such a giant dick.

Sorry, I don’t like writing low star reviews. When a book disappoints me or makes me angry, I often just don’t write a review at all. I know that the author was doing their best, and they probably liked what they wrote, and I don’t like bagging on someone’s work in a public area. I just really, really didn’t like this hero.

Full disclosure, I read half of this book, then skipped through the last half, and then read the last chapter. It was difficult for me to do even that. I really should have just bailed.

1/5

Love, Creekwood (Simonverse #3.5)

Love, Creekwood (Simonverse #3.5)

By: Becky Albertalli

Blurb:

It’s been more than a year since Simon and Blue turned their anonymous online flirtation into an IRL relationship, and just a few months since Abby and Leah’s unforgettable night at senior prom.

Now the Creekwood High crew are first years at different colleges, navigating friendship and romance the way their story began—on email.

Review:

Love, Creekwood is a novella that is a series of emails between the characters from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. You see them during their freshman year of college. It’s cute and angsty since Simon and Bram are going to different colleges. It’s a short read but the ending feels like a set up for the next book. There isn’t one listed on Goodreads, though, so not sure if one’s coming.

Unless you’re a fan of the previous books, I wouldn’t recommend reading this. It was definitely written for fans.

4/5

Wolf Under Fire (STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team #1)

Wolf Under Fire (STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team #1)

By: Paige Tyler

Blurb:

For the cases no one else can solve, they send in the Special Threat Assessment Team

Supernatural creatures are no longer keeping their existence secret from humans, causing panic around the globe. To investigate, monitor, and ― when necessary ― take down dangerous supernatural offenders, an international task force was established: The Special Threat Assessment Team.

STAT agent Jestina Ridley is in London with her team investigating a suspicious kidnapping. Over her radio, Jes hears her teammates being savagely attacked. She runs to help, but she’s too late. The only survivor, Jes calls for backup and gets former Navy SEAL and alpha werewolf Jake Huang and his new pack. Convinced that the creature who butchered her teammates was a werewolf, Jes doesn’t trust them. But if they’re going to uncover the facts and make it back home alive, she’ll need Jake’s help. And with everything on the line, Jes will have to accept Jake for who he is, or lose the partner she never expected to find.

Review:

Wolf Under Fire was a romantic action story. Since a woman wrote it, the romance was actually good. There were soulmates, instant attraction, and everyone was drawn to their significant others scents.

Jake was ex-military and an ex-cop. He’d just signed up to lead a team at the FBI that specialized in the supernatural. I got the distinct feeling I was missing out on parts of his history, so I believe he was talked about in another book, but it didn’t impact the story.

Jes was a seasoned agent for STAT and not the biggest fan of werewolves. When she meets Jake, there’s an instant attraction, but their first meeting isn’t the best. Things quickly escalate, though.

Most of this book was action. There were car chases, explosions, and lots of fighting. As I said, it was an action romance. This isn’t my usual genre, but I enjoyed it. I do wish there was more information about the supernatural, but Jake and Jes both seemed to be very ignorant about the world. I was also able to guess a couple of the twists pretty quickly. All in all, it was enjoyable, and I see myself reading more from Tyler.

3.5/5

Say No to the Duke (The Wildes of Lindow Castle #4)

Say No to the Duke (The Wildes of Lindow Castle #4)

By: Eloise James

Blurb:

One little wager will determine their fate—a daring escape or falling into temptation with a rakish lord.

Lady Betsy Wilde’s first season was triumphant by any measure, and a duke has proposed—but before marriage, she longs for one last adventure.

No gentleman would agree to her scandalous plan—but Lord Jeremy Roden is no gentleman. He offers a wager. If she wins a billiards game, he’ll provide the breeches.

If he wins…she is his, for one wild night.

But what happens when Jeremy realizes that one night will never be enough? In the most important battle of his life, he’ll have to convince Betsy to say no to the duke.

Review:

Betsy and Jeremy made a nice couple, and I liked that they didn’t fall into bed quickly. I’m not usually a fan of love triangles, but it was fairly obvious, from the beginning, that the duke never stood a chance.

Betsy has been haunted by the fact that her mother abandoned her children for a man she wasn’t married to. So Betsy set out to prove that she was as far from her mother as possible. She was the belle of the ton and turned down numerous proposals. She decided to either never wed to prove society wrong, that blood will not, in fact, tell, or marry someone and live a passionless existence. Thankfully, that gets worked out.

Jeremy is how from war and dealing with PTSD. He spends most of his days drinking in the billiards room, conveniently Betsy’s favorite place.

Say No to the Duke has lots of banter and great side characters. Betsy’s adventure is a bit disappointing but probably realistic. There was a surprise reveal at the end, which added some excitement. Overall, it was entertaining.

4/5

Something to Talk About

Something to talk about

Something to Talk About

By: Meryl Wilsner

Blurb:

A showrunner and her assistant give the world something to talk about when they accidentally fuel a ridiculous rumor in this debut romance.

Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn’t come at a worse time–threatening Emma’s promotion and Jo’s new movie.

As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a “source” is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is “no comment”.

With the launch of Jo’s film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all…but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames?

Review:

Something to Talk About was a slow burn romance. I wondered how Wilsner was going to handle the power imbalance, but they handled it well. It ended up being most of the plot of the story. I had expected something different because of the paparazzi element, and while that certainly played a role, it wasn’t their biggest hurdle.

Emma is a personal assistant that is very good at her job. She’s gotten to know her boss and is at a point where she can tell what kind of day it’s going to be by how Jo greets her in the morning.

Jo is rich and famous and very good at her powerful Hollywood job. She’s also a lesbian that isn’t technically out to the world. She’s focused on her career and excelled but isn’t the best in romantic relationships.

They were clearly going to become a couple, but they both agonized over it the entire book. They didn’t tell each other their feelings, because of the power imbalance, so it did get frustrating. The reader knew that didn’t come into play at all, so it felt like a lack of communication. I know that wasn’t the case, that there were good reasons they couldn’t talk out their emotions, but it’s still one of my least favorite tropes.

You didn’t get to see much of Jo and Emma as a romantic couple which I would have liked; they had moments like they’d been in a relationship for years, but there wasn’t much of the fun new couple stuff.  It was more of a boss and a really competent employee relationship. I would have liked more romance. More of them as a couple and less of them not being able to talk about their feelings.

3.5/5