Romance

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

Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5)

Emerald Blaze

Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5)

Release Date: August 25, 2020

By: Ilona Andrews

Blurb:

As Prime magic users, Catalina Baylor and her sisters have extraordinary powers—powers their ruthless grandmother would love to control. Catalina can earn her family some protection working as deputy to the Warden of Texas, overseeing breaches of magic law in the state, but that has risks as well. When House Baylor is under attack and monsters haunt her every step, Catalina is forced to rely on handsome, dangerous Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who crushed her heart.

The nightmare that Alessandro has fought since childhood has come roaring back to life, but now Catalina is under threat. Not even his lifelong quest for revenge will stop him from keeping her safe, even if every battle could be his last. Because Catalina won’t rest until she stops the use of the illicit, power-granting serum that’s tearing their world apart.

Review:

When I got the email saying I’d won an ARC of Emerald Blaze, I screamed. I then proceeded to be so swamped with library books that I had to set it aside. Three, or so, weeks later, I was finally able to read, and it was definitely worth the wait.

At this point, it should be clear Ilona Andrews is my favorite author.

Catalina is very different from Nevada, her older sister and the star of the first three books. They’re both smart, but Catalina is more analytical. She’s also an overachiever. If a teacher mentions a book in passing, she is the type of student who would go out and read the book, then probably the author’s entire catalog. She is thorough.

She has the weight of taking care of her entire House on her shoulders, and Catalina does everything she can to protect them. It’s a trait that she shares with the rest of her family. She keeps things closer to her chest than Nevada did and plans years in advance like a chess player. She’s a woman after my own heart.

Alessandro is not as cocky as he was in the previous book. Things have happened to him that has made him reassess his life and goals. He’s still a badass, he’s still gorgeous, and he’s still into Catalina. But he’s matured, and it looks great on him.

The story in Emerald Blaze might be the biggest in the series in terms of threat. However, since the family is so overpowered, you never doubt that they’ll succeed. I like that in my books, but I can see why others wouldn’t. The entertaining part is discovering how they’re going to save the day, not in wondering if they will.

There is a decent amount of development with the entire Baylor family in Emerald Blaze. Unlike the last book Nevada and Catalina talk in this one several times. It was nice to see Nevada again. Everyone in the family has their moment, and all the characters I liked from previous books were here as well. That’s one of the difficult things with later books, the cast of characters is larger. It never felt like people were being forced into the story, though.

If you haven’t read the previous books, you would be able to follow the story, but you’d miss out on so much that I wouldn’t recommend jumping in here. Emerald Blaze was a great addition to the series and more than lives up to what I’ve come to expect from Ilona Andrews. I’m incredibly excited to see what happens next.

5/5

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