Review

How to Catch a Queen (Runaway Royals #1)

How to Catch a Queen (Runaway Royals #1)

By: Alyssa Cole

Blurb:

When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen finally comes true. But it’s nothing like she imagined. Shanti and her husband may share an immediate and powerful attraction, but her subjects see her as an outsider, and everything she was taught about being the perfect wife goes disastrously wrong.

A king must rule with an iron fist, and newly crowned King Sanyu was born perfectly fitted for the gauntlet, even if he wishes he weren’t. He agrees to take a wife as is required of him, though he doesn’t expect to actually fall in love. Even more vexing? His beguiling new queen seems to have the answers to his country’s problems—except no one will listen to her.

By day, they lead separate lives. By night, she wears the crown, and he bows to her demands in matters of politics and passion. When turmoil erupts in their kingdom and their marriage, Shanti goes on the run, and Sanyu must learn whether he has what it takes both to lead his people and to catch his queen.

Review:

 I have mentioned, many times, that I’m an Alyssa Cole fan. I love her Reluctant Royals series. I’ve re-read each book at least twice. How to Catch a Queen came out on December 1st, and I set aside my stack of library books so that I could read it, and I devoured it.

How to Catch a Queen is set in the same universe as the Reluctant Royals series, and we get to read several mentions of characters from those books as well as some texts. The heroine, Shanti, was actually in Princess in Theory.

Since the age of seven, Shanti’s life goal was to be a queen like her hero, the queen of Thesolo. Everything she’s done in her life is toward that goal. She’s driven and incredibly smart and has made herself the perfect queen. Unfortunately, she had issues finding her king. Until the kingdom of Njaza became in need of one.

Sanyu, the new king, does not want to be king. He doesn’t even want to be in his country. After a pretty harsh upbringing, he’s got some understandable anxiety. He’s also grieving for his recently deceased father. He’s a very sympathetic hero and never does anything genuinely horrible. He does have his chauvinistic tendencies, but Shanti doesn’t let him get away with anything.

The couple is married at the beginning of the book. The story is about them working together to help the country of Njaza and falling in love along the way. It’s an interesting backdrop for a romance, and I enjoyed it.

I am, of course, very excited for the future books in this series and world. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

5/5

Tools of Engagement (Hot and Hammered #3)

Tools of Engagement (Hot and Hammered #3)

By: Tessa Bailey

Blurb:

Hair, makeup, clothing, decor… everything in Bethany Castle’s world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family’s real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing not perfect? Her track record with men. She’s on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve their dreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.

When a television producer gets wind of the Castle sibling rivalry, they’re invited on Flip Off, a competition to see who can do the best renovation. Bethany wants bragging rights, but she needs a crew and the only member of her brother’s construction team willing to jump ship is Wes Daniels, the new guy in town. His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany’s skin on day one, but the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way.

As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block. It’s a labor of love, hate, and everything in between, and soon sparks are flying. But Bethany’s perfectly structured life is one kiss away from going up in smoke and she knows falling for a guy like Wes would be a flipping disaster.

Review:

I felt a lot of emotion while reading Tools of Engagement. I’m not a type-A personality, but I think just about everyone can relate to the anxieties and pressure that Bethany put on herself. Especially with the prevalence of social media, that desire to present a perfect façade is ever-present. It doesn’t bother me most of the time, but Tools of Engagement perfectly hit the feelings when it does.

As we’ve seen in the previous two books, Bethany always seems to have things together. Her appearance is perfect, her home is continuously ready for a photo shoot, and she knows exactly what she wants to do with her life. Only, it turns out she’s a constant ball of nerves and anxiety. Bethany over analyzes everything and second-guesses herself at every opportunity. It’s exhausting to read, let alone live.

Wes is a former bronco rider who has found himself in New Jersey taking care of his niece. He’s younger than Bethany, and it borders on the age difference I’m uncomfortable with, especially since he’s in his early twenties. His life has given him experience that others of his age don’t have, though. He doesn’t plan to stay, but it’s clear, even before he and Bethany get together, that he’s not going anywhere.

You saw their reaction to each other in the previous book, and it was obvious that they were attracted to each other, even as they traded verbal barbs. When Bethany finally gains the courage to strike out on her own, away from her brother’s company, Wes joins her immediately. There’s a lot of chemistry here, and they brought out the best in each other.

Tools of Engagement, like the other books in the Hot and Hammered series, was very emotional. The main characters were fleshed out and well written. There weren’t many supporting characters, so I’m not sure if there’s going to be a book after this one, and if that’s the case, this is a high note to end a series on.

4/5

Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club #3)

Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club #3)

By: Lyssa Kay Adams

Blurb:

Alexis Carlisle and her cat café, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chef’s sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim they’re sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trusts—her best friend, Noah Logan.
 
Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noah’s got a secret: He’s madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush. 
 
Noah’s pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved “manuals” to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship he’s ever had.

Review:

Alexis is a survivor of sexual assault. You met her in a previous book when she came forward to accuse her celebrity boss of the assault. This is about a year or so later, and she’s come a long way. During this time, she’s made a best friend in Noah. They were able to bond over their geeky hobbies and the fact that they both lost a parent young.

Pretty much since the beginning of their relationship, Noah has had a crush on Alexis, but he doesn’t want to destroy the relationship they already have to pursue something more. She is the best friend he’s ever had. They’re almost codependent, and it feels like they’re already in a romantic relationship without the sex.

In the beginning, he’s not a member of the Bromance Book Club, but he’s friends with several of the members and always hanging out with them. They spend most of their time with him trying to get him to join so he can get out of the friend zone. There were several good moments with the book club that I enjoyed. Listening to them explain toxic masculinity and push to form healthier relationships with each other were some of the book’s best parts. By far, my favorite scene was when they were at the spa. I laughed soooooooo hard.

The big conflict in the book was Alexis’ family drama.

BEWARE SPOILERS AHEAD

Alexis was raised by a single mom and never knew her dad. She didn’t feel like she needed to know him, even though there was a part of her that wanted a family. One day a woman comes into her café and tells Alexis that she’s her sister. Then the real bombshell, their father is dying, and he needs a kidney. I knew as soon as this happened, Alexis was going to give him the kidney. The man did not deserve it. He’d known about her for three years and hadn’t attempted to reach out. He’d sent flowers when Alexis’ mom had died, but that was it. Now he was asking for a kidney. The rest of the family wasn’t any better. The sister was weird, and the brother was a dick. That plotline was the worst part of the book, and I’m taking away a whole star because of it.

I could never be a romance heroine because there is no way I’m giving a long lost relative a vital organ. Other people in my life have first dibs on that shit. Alexis was nice and was supposed to learn to stand up for herself, and she kind of did, but not in something as huge as organ donation. It was disappointing, but I’m petty. If you aren’t, you might not care.

Alexis and Noah were a cute couple, but there was a lot of angst since there was no getting to know you period. I liked seeing the other members of the book club, but there were a few things that I didn’t like about Crazy Stupid Bromance. However, the spa scene alone is worth reading the book for.

3.75

Side note: The geeky references were clearly written by someone who knew some of nerd culture, but not enough to make the type of references that were made. There was always something just a bit off, not in a way that can be pawned off on a creative license. There weren’t many of them, so it didn’t hurt the book’s quality. It was just something I noticed.

A Rogue of One’s Own (A League of Extraordinary Women #2)

A Rogue of One’s Own (A League of Extraordinary Women #2)

By: Evie Dunmore

Blurb:

Lady Lucie is fuming. She and her band of Oxford suffragists have finally scraped together enough capital to control one of London’s major publishing houses, with one purpose: to use it in a coup against Parliament. But who could have predicted that the one person standing between her and success is her old nemesis, Lord Ballentine? Or that he would be willing to hand over the reins for an outrageous price—a night in her bed.

Lucie tempts Tristan like no other woman, burning him up with her fierceness and determination every time they clash. But as their battle of wills and words fans the flames of long-smouldering devotion, the silver-tongued seducer runs the risk of becoming caught in his own snare.

As Lucie tries to out-manoeuvre Tristan in the boardroom and the bedchamber, she soon discovers there’s truth in what the poets say: all is fair in love and war…

Review:

I was two-thirds of the way through this book before I started liking it. It was well written, and I enjoyed parts, but it didn’t live up to the previous book.

Lucie, the heroine, was not very likable. She was dedicated to the Cause to the detriment of everything else. She was furious, and rightfully so, but several times she lashed out at people who didn’t deserve it. She also wasn’t as smart as she was described.

Lucie maneuvered things so that her people were in an incredible position to change things, but instead, she wanted to burn it all to the ground in one move. It wasn’t until I was two hundred pages into the book that she finally realized the position she was in. I want to say she wasn’t thinking long term, but she was, so it was frustrating that she didn’t in this one area.

Maybe I’m too critical of her. I wanted to like her, but her stubbornness, and often time’s meanness, pushed me away. She was resistant to anything that wasn’t her way.

Tristan was your usual rogue rake. He was ridiculously handsome, tortured, and had hidden depths. He was also very privileged, and it took him several moments of that being blatantly pointed out before he realized just how much. His own life was difficult, so it was hard for him to see how much better it was than others.

There were several things I thought A Rogue of One’s Own did very well, specifically, Tristan’s moments of realization. It also seemed very well researched when it came to the suffragette movement. I liked how the book ended, as well. It allowed the couple to be together without Lucie abandoning her convictions. They were a nice couple, in the end, and I intend to read the next book in the series. I’m less excited about it than I was previously, though.

3/5

Mistletoe and Mr. Right (Moose Springs, Alaska #2)

Mistletoe and Mr. Right (Moose Springs, Alaska #2)

By: Sarah Morgenthaler

Blurb:

Lana Montgomery is everything the quirky small town of Moose Springs, Alaska can’t stand: a rich socialite with dreams of changing things for the better. But Lana’s determined to prove that she belongs…even if it means trading her stilettos for snow boots and tracking one of the town’s hairiest Christmas mysteries: the Santa Moose, an antlered Grinch hell-bent on destroying every bit of holiday cheer (and tinsel) it can sink its teeth into.

And really…how hard could it be?

The last few years have been tough on Rick Harding, and it’s not getting any easier now that his dream girl’s back in town. When Lana accidentally tranquilizes him instead of the Santa Moose, it’s clear she needs help, fast…and this could be his chance to finally catch her eye. It’s an all-out Christmas war, but if they can nab that darn moose before it destroys the town, Rick and Lana might finally find a place where they both belong…together.

Review:

I don’t put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. I don’t watch Christmas movies until then either. That rule does not apply to books. I really love Christmas books and movies, but I’m not able to stop myself when it comes to books.

Mistletoe and Mr. Right was just as cute as the previous book in the series. Lana is in control of herself in a way that I will never be. She’s gorgeous and driven. She’s a huge success in her business life, but she is incredibly lonely.

Rick’s ex-wife has left him scared to get into another relationship. It’s taken him three years to be ready to date again. He gets completely tongue-tied around Lana and has been harboring a crush for her for years. It’s adorable.

They decide on a holiday romance, but you know it’s never going to last. They are everything the other has always wanted. Their second date is freaking hilarious and the best date I’ve read all year.

The book did end up being a sweet romance, so there was nothing graphic. I would also not recommend reading this unless you’ve read the first. All the previous characters are there and play a pretty significant role, as well as the town. You’d have a lot of catching up to do if you started here.

The next book in the series comes out in January, and I’ve already pre-ordered it. I did that with this book too. If Morgenthaler had written anything else, I’d be binging it all. It’s a few days early, but I’m definitely in the holiday spirit.

5/5