Contemporary

Conventionally Yours (True Colors #1)

Conventionally Yours

Conventionally Yours (True Colors #1)

By: Annabeth Albert

Blurb:

When two “big name fans” go head-to-head at a convention, love isn’t the only thing at stake.

Charming, charismatic, and effortlessly popular, Conrad Stewart seems to have it all…but in reality, he’s scrambling to keep his life from tumbling out of control.

Brilliant, guarded, and endlessly driven, Alden Roth may as well be the poster boy for perfection…but even he can’t help but feel a little broken inside.

When these mortal enemies are stuck together on a cross-country road trip to the biggest fan convention of their lives, their infamous rivalry takes a backseat as an unexpected connection is forged. Yet each has a reason why they have to win the upcoming Odyssey gaming tournament and neither is willing to let emotion get in the way―even if it means giving up their one chance at something truly magical.

Review:

This book was right up my geeky alley. I’ve never gotten into a card-playing game, but mainly because I’ve never had the time or disposable income. Still, I had no problem following the story or understanding what was going on, which is good because the card game is a major part.

Conrad and Alden are part of an LGBTQ+ weekly card game that is uploaded to YouTube. They hate each other. Conrad trash talks Alden and Alden is borderline condescending. However, they both need a win in their lives, so they jump at the opportunity to go to the Con and win a huge cash prize.

Conrad’s year was rough. Everything that could go wrong did. It was pretty sad, but he never lost his optimism, and having the weekly game session helped with that. His self-confidence took a significant hit because of everything, though.

Alden had two moms that loved him, but at least one was super pushy. She wanted what she thought was best for him, but it was easy to see how stressful she was making his life. While he wasn’t going through the same issues Conrad was, they shared similar challenges. They just had to get over themselves to realize it.

The enemies to lovers trope can be hard to execute, but Albert did a great job. I also enjoyed the inclusion of the having to share a bed trope. Conrad and Alden made a cute couple. Watching them fall in love as they overcame all the pitfalls that come with a long road trip was fun—definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

4.5/5

Not That Kind of Guy

Not That Kind of Guy

Not That Kind of Guy

By: Andie J. Christopher

Blurb:

An office attraction becomes something more when they’re off the clock in this delightful romantic comedy by the USA Today bestselling author of Not the Girl You Marry.

State attorney Bridget Nolan is successful in all aspects of her life–except romance. After breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, she’s been slow to reenter the dating scene. To be honest, she has more important things to do like putting bad guys behind bars. But with her brother’s wedding right around the corner, she suddenly needs a date and fast. Lucky for Bridget, the legal intern is almost done with his program.

Matt Kido is dumbstruck by Bridget–total love at first sight–but there’s one problem. She’s totally off-limits while she’s his boss. But the moment he no longer reports to her, Matt asks her on a date. An impulsive decision takes them to Las Vegas where, as the saying goes, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Unless you put a ring on it.

Review:

The Proposal meets Newlyweds is the basic plot of this book. They’re tropes I like, so I was looking forward to Not That Kind of Guy.

Bridget was in a long term relationship that wasn’t good. Not abusive, but no spark. It was what people who aren’t keen on marriage imagine marriage to be. She cooked for him, she scheduled sex, and she was expected to put her career on the back burner. Until she realized fuck that noise. Only, instead of taking that to the logical conclusion that she was in a bad relationship, she decided to wash her hands of the whole thing.

Matt was a spoiled rich boy that hadn’t truly worked for anything in his life. He worked, but there was always that safety net under him, and there was never any question that he wouldn’t be given the best of everything. At least he recognized that and made up for it by being sweet. He was dedicated to Bridget, except when he wasn’t.

That’s where my issues with the story came into play. I make up my mind fairly quickly about certain things. Mainly because I overthink them, so when I’m ready, I’m ready. Bridget and Matt did not act that way. They were going to avoid each other. Then they weren’t. They were all in. Then they weren’t. Bridget was the one pulling back most of the time, and it was always explained away by her previous relationship, but I got a bit tired of it. I enjoyed the beginning and middle of the book, but the end was not to my liking for that reason.

This is not listed as being in a series on Goodreads, but the characters from Not the Girl You Marry are in this, and it’s about the sister of the male lead from that story. You don’t have to have read it to understand anything, but I thought I’d mention it.

3/5

The Boyfriend Project (The Boyfriend Project #1)

The Boyfriend Project

The Boyfriend Project (The Boyfriend Project #1)

By: Farrah Rochon

Blurb:

Samiah Brooks never thought she would be “that” girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date just revealed the painful truth: she’s been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend. Suddenly Samiah-along with his two other “girlfriends,” London and Taylor-have gone viral online. Now the three new besties are making a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. No men, no dating, and no worrying about their relationship status . . .

For once Samiah is putting herself first, and that includes finally developing the app she’s always dreamed of creating. Which is the exact moment she meets the deliciously sexy, honey-eyed Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as a coincidence. But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?

Review:

This is the second book I’ve read that involved going viral on Twitter, and I’m finding the whole idea interesting. It’s not anything I’ve ever thought about, but once I did, I could see why it would not be a good thing. Why it would cause someone a lot of stress. I’ve never wanted to become Twitter famous, and The Boyfriend Project didn’t have people going crazy, but the invasion of privacy seems awful.

Anyway, Samiah (really love her name) is a super-smart programmer. She’s worked her butt off to succeed in her career and let other things fall to the wayside. After being conned by someone clearly beneath her, she ends up making two new friends. The three women bond and push each other to resist trying to conform to society’s expectations. Their friendship was great. Even though it wasn’t the main focus of the book, it was still something I loved.

Daniel is a man that loves his country and is doing what he can to make it a better place. While I can appreciate that, it’s not the positive it used to be. However, I tried to set that aside. Daniel was the perfect modern man. He made his interest known without being pushy. Consent was important to him, and that went to everything, not just sex. Meaning he wasn’t going around touching people’s arms or offering hugs unless he asked permission first. That may seem like too much, but considering the book was set in a tech company, I thought it was an excellent addition. It certainly set him apart from other people in the industry, even though the company in the book was more progressive than most.

I thought that Rochon did a good job mentioning the issues faced by women, especially women of color, in tech. It’s an industry I’m familiar with, even though I hadn’t worked directly in it for some years. I appreciated that the issues weren’t glossed over or ignored.

Due to the nature of Daniel’s job, his and Samiah’s relationship seems doomed, but I liked how things were worked out. There weren’t big egos that had to be worked with, so that helped. They were both confident in their abilities while still struggling with other issues. The Boyfriend Project was a fun read that I really enjoyed.

4/5

The Proposal (The Wedding Date #2)

The Proposal

The Proposal (The Wedding Date #2)

By: Jasmine Guillory

Blurb:

When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn’t come as a surprise—or happen in front of 45,000 people.

When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part—they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans…

At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He’s even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik’s social media blows up—in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can’t be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes…

Review:

I think I mentioned in my review of Party of Two I thought the romance was too much like her first book, and I was concerned about the other books in the series. After reading The Proposal, I’m no longer concerned. There are, of course, similarities, the women are all strong, the men are supportive, and they’re both professionals that love their jobs. Those are all things that I’m okay with reading over and over. (It would be nice to see someone more working class, but I understand there’s a theme with this series)

After the horrific experience of being proposed to on a jumbo Tron, Nik is just looking for a rebound. For whatever reason, Carlos only wanted something that wasn’t serious too. I was truly surprised by that considering how important family was to him. There was an explanation, which I understood, but what got him to that point didn’t seem plausible. Carlos forced Drew, in The Wedding Date, to face his emotions, it was hypocritical of him to do that after what you learn in The Proposal.

Lots of food is eaten. There are heartfelt discussions on deep topics. You see their relationship develop, but because of suppressed emotions, they don’t make things easy on themselves.

It was a good book. I enjoyed it much better than Party for Two and I didn’t dislike Party for Two. I’ll definitely finish out the series.

4/5

Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2)

Take a Hint Dani Brown

Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2)

By: Talia Hibbert

Blurb:

Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.

When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?

Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his… um, thighs.

Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?

Review:

Dani knows what she wants. She has career goals and fuck buddy goals. Having a real relationship is not something she’s remotely interested in. She’s incredibly confident, except when she isn’t, it was very relatable.

Zaf is a cinnamon roll. He’s a big, burly man, with incredible thighs, who has suffered a tragic loss in his past. I love how surly he is and how much he loves his family. Holy shit, his anxiety is soooo relatable. The way his brain reacts when something as simple as his call isn’t picked up when calling a family member is exactly how mine works. Seeing how he thinks was like looking into my brain.

I loved Dani and Zaf on their own, but together they were a whole other level of adorable. Their conversations were the best part of Take a Hint, Dani Brown. The banter back and forth, getting to see their insecurities while that was happening, it was perfect.

4.5/5