This was such a delight. A charming, funny, angsty, endearing, adorable delight. I adored th
The bane of his life and the balm to his soul.
This was such a delight. A charming, funny, angsty, endearing, adorable delight. I adored this so much and adored the leads Max and Effie even more. Two incredibly lonely souls finding acceptance and happiness in each other. For fans of Amanda Quick's Ravished I think you'll love this one. This had a very similar set up with a scarred "beast" recluse hero and a sweet eccentric bluestocking heroine who loves her archeology. Although I found this one much stronger with more depth and emotion on top of the humor. I loved Effie's combination of confidence in her intelligence yet vulnerability and insecurity of wanting a family and to be loved just as she is. Max was the perfect gruff, brooding, grouchy "beast" to her smiling personality and open heart. Max just dissolves into a big teddy bear around her and it was so great to see. Their meet cute happens when he finds her on his land digging up holes trying to extract an old ancient pot. He first mistakes her for a boy since she's covered in mud and wearing breeches and weird goggles. The hilarity and fun ensues from there. What I loved most about this was that while we got to see this couple slowly fall for each other we also got to see them become friends first. I found that very significant and so dear considering Effie never had a real friend before this. Her "big brain" and tendency to ramble out whatever comes to her mind and debate topics always scared people off and society labels her as odd. Her scholarly father died so that left her completely alone in the world with nothing but her and her passion for antiquity to distract her. I just found her so endearing and sweet. Both hero and heroine are recluses for different reasons but need distractions from the whirling questions and thoughts plaguing them in their loneliness. They both needed unconditional love and that's exactly what they found in each other.
"Can I ask you a question, Max?" "You can always ask me anything, Effie. In fact, I insist upon it. I find your honesty and your undisguised curiosity refreshing." "Then that is a first. Most people loathe it." "Then most people are daft. What’s the question?" "Are we friends now? I feel as though we are, but I am never entirely sure. And experience has taught me that if I assume, then I am doomed to be disappointed when my perceived friend starts to avoid me." She said it so matter of factly, but his heart wept for her. It was so ill deserved. Effie was a breath of fresh air, not an irritation. "I suppose we must be." Her delighted smile was like a balm to his soul. "That’s nice. And you don’t mind all the questions?" "I don’t want you to ever think you shouldn’t ask questions, Effie. You can always ask me anything..."
Ugh. Just so adorable. ❤️ This scene honestly made me want to cry I found it so touching and vulnerable. I loved how patient and kind Max was with Effie. Her intelligence and how quick her mind works fascinates him. And him going from grumbly put-out neighbor to intrigued assistant helping her dig up treasures and artifacts on his land was really cute and hilarious. Their banter is the greatest thing. I loved the endless nicknames he came up for her when he was angry or wanted to tease her. Miss Naive, Miss None-of-your-business, Miss Ninnyhammer, etc. ...more
Started off really strong. This was cute for what it was and reminded a little bit of Mila Finelli's mafia books. Just wish it had more depth like FinStarted off really strong. This was cute for what it was and reminded a little bit of Mila Finelli's mafia books. Just wish it had more depth like Finelli's work. The world building and character development could have been better. A Mafia Don going into an arranged marriage with a Bratva princess who has a disability and uses a wheelchair. So intriguing right?! I did like the disability representation. The heroine Sofiya has a condition called EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) which causes sensitive skin tissue, joint pain and dislocation frequently. She uses a rollator and wheelchair to move around. What started off great with a marriage of convenience disappointingly crumbled into repetitive cotton candy fluff by the halfway mark. I'm all for fluffy goodness but characters doing the same thing over and over again to fill up pages just starts to wear things down fast. I loved the sweet moments which were many but when nothing else happens in the story I start to mentally check out. The hero was a complete puppy for his "tesoro" wife which was cute. But a mafia don grabbing his wife at every opportunity to have her sit in his lap in every occasion including business dinners with all the mafia families felt a bit like fanfic for me. I love when couples have their own special "things" but when it's done all the time in every scene? Nope. There was also a looooot of giggling and lip biting happening from the heroine which kind of drove me insane.
The mafia action didn't kick in until the last 100 pages which stirred my interest again but parts were ridiculous given some of the questionable stupid stunts the heroine pulls. You want to get away from your husband fine, but why the fuck would you team up with a rival mafia to "rescue" you? ...more
Single dad-nanny books really do it for me. And a Hockey sports romance on top of all that? Yes please. This hit all the right buttons. Gru4.75 stars
Single dad-nanny books really do it for me. And a Hockey sports romance on top of all that? Yes please. This hit all the right buttons. Grumpy Goalie widower Will Perry and kindergarten teacher Chloe Knot were adorable. And his little girl Ava was cuteness overload. I loved that she wanted to play Hockey just like her Daddy. ...more
Perfect cozy holiday novella. Just what I was looking for and needed to end the year with. A grumpy Welsh man with a jaded heart and 3.74 stars
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Perfect cozy holiday novella. Just what I was looking for and needed to end the year with. A grumpy Welsh man with a jaded heart and a sunshiny sweet American curvy heroine who live in the same apartment building in Paris and hate each other but get stuck in their tiny elevator lift on Christmas Eve. Colin and Jules were cute. And the body positivity and praise kink in this was nicely done. That nod to Love Actually was sweet. I recommend this for those who love wanderlust romances!
ETA: Ok after reading the bonus epilogue I just have to say Ms. Anders is in need of an editor or a good one at least. The amount of typos in just 20 pages is hard to miss. I noticed this in the initial story too, for some reason she tends to skip over her words a lot and it's really obvious especially during intimate scenes and dialogue. Important words are missing or repeated at odd times so it reads like mistakes. Her writing is a bit hiccupy because of that....more
This started out with strong potential. I loved the concept of single pregnant heroine working for her boss who slowly falls for her and her2.75 stars
This started out with strong potential. I loved the concept of single pregnant heroine working for her boss who slowly falls for her and her baby. I was expecting an office romance with a pregnancy trope that's slow burn but this quickly morphed into insta-lust/love fanfic smut halfway in where the supposedly emotionally detached hero is suddenly pouring out endearments and moving her into his house and buying her a whole new wardrobe and giving her money and fixing all her problems at the drop of a hat. It just didn't work for me. It's a nice fantasy but it's just not interesting or exciting. Especially when it's so instant. Office romance power dynamics usually don't bother me and I normally love that trope but the heroine pretty much going 'okey dokey' and going along with everything just made the whole story collapse like a cheap suitcase. It just became so one dimensional and shallow. Where's the conflict? The tension? When there's no agency or conflict then you lose me. I love a care-taking hero but he gives her everything from the very start and she happily goes along with it. The minute he said "once I put my dick in you, you are mine" I knew where this was heading. The assistant falling for her boss and having sex in his office and nobody raises a brow over it? Really? And I can't tell you how much I hate the endearment "sweetheart". It's like nails on a chalkboard and makes my skin crawl. ...more
This is how it had been in California. One measly lunch had led to months of staring off into space trying to remember the exact sha
3.75 stars
This is how it had been in California. One measly lunch had led to months of staring off into space trying to remember the exact shade of her eyes.
Wavering on the rating. This was cute. I liked it for the most part but to be honest I was really hoping to love it. I was obsessed with Burgess from just a gruff "hello" in the last book so yeah my expectations for this were a little skewed and I'm being harsher. The meet cute set up and tropes at play really had me looking forward to this. But a lot of odd plot choices were made here that felt contrived/forced into the book. I don't know it just felt very sloppy and lackadaisical in places. Some details didn't make sense or explained clearly. And I have never seen a book take such drastic left pivot in the first 30 pages just to introduce a new character to set up the next book in this series. Like...why? That was so clumsy and so unnecessary. You're telling me Chloe couldn't be introduced another way? Chloe whose soon-to-be stepsibling is a teammate and friend of the hero's? Instead you had to have your heroine in the opening scene of the book suddenly get cold feet for her new Au Pair job (that has free boarding) just to randomly go apartment hunting and meeting her new "friend" Chloe to create a new friend circle and set up for the next book?...... M'kay. Felt like a waste of page time for me. Moving on....
“Could you kiss me? One time. I’ll never ask again—” He went into the kiss like a bear being handed a pot of honey after a winter in hibernation.
“Burgess,” she gasped, patting him on the shoulder with a shaky hand. “O-okay. Okay.” “Okay what, gorgeous?” he muttered thickly. She moaned as he licked up the side of her neck. “This is . . . we’re getting c-carried away.” “I’ll carry you anywhere you want to go.”
She wasn’t sure what compelled her to break into a jog, only that she wanted to be in those strong arms as quickly as possible—and he was already opening them for her. She ran, jumped, and was enfolded in the warmest, safest hug of all time. All she had to do was dangle there, surrounded in strength.
He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I guess I want to be important to you. Instead of the man you could . . . maybe fall for someday. When I take you to bed for the first time, I want you looking back at me like you might. Like you could, you know. Fall for me.” He cleared his throat extra hard.
Burgess and Tallulah were very cute and sexy, the sexual chemistry and steam was ...more
The hero's students were so conniving and awful. To use a teenage crush as the 3rd act conflict for your adult couple is a real.....choice. The hero's students were so conniving and awful. To use a teenage crush as the 3rd act conflict for your adult couple is a real.....choice. ...more
He stroked her hair and her back, kissed her temple and her cheek. "When you're gone, half of me is gone. Why do ye suppose the firs
3.75 stars
He stroked her hair and her back, kissed her temple and her cheek. "When you're gone, half of me is gone. Why do ye suppose the first thing I do is find ye?"
I just adore this series so much. So much to sink your teeth into. Adventure, family, humor, lowkey magic, suspense, sexual tension, passion and yearning in spades. No one does yearning anymore like Elisa Braden does. While this wasn't my favorite installment, I still had trouble putting it down. Alexander MacPherson and Sabella Lockhart made quite the pair. I loved the whole forbidden/sworn enemy dynamic here with a bitter hollowed-out jaded angry hero pining over the sister of his family's sworn enemy. Kenneth Lockhart terrorized, tortured, falsely imprisoned and nearly killed Alexander's brother Broderick a year ago and nearly killed Alexander too. So the grudge is deep and for good reason. While the already established "I've wanted you for so long" feelings didn't work for me in Campbell's book it worked well here because we actually got to see it play out in real time in Book 2 when Alexander and Sabella meet and the fallout of him nearly getting killed. So that underlying tension has been simmering in the background for two books so it held weight. You feel that anticipation going into this book already. Was there insta-lust and tripping over things quickly to get to a marriage of convenience? Yes. But the sexual tension, pining and chemistry saved it for me. And yes there was a quite lot of tup, tup, tupping. These two are so insatiable and smitten with each other and while I wish some beats played out differently and paced out better, a fun time was had nonetheless. I just loved how obsessed Alexander was with her. He hates that he's wanted her and couldn't have her and thought he lost her to someone else. His desperation in wanting to keep her and fear of losing her was so great to see. There's just something about lovesick obsessed "I'll do anything to keep her" heroes even if they have to play a little dirty to do it. He starts off mean to her because of a misunderstanding but even underneath that bitterness you see how much he worships her. All bark and no bite is the best kind of brooding hero. I mean the switch mode from broodacious rawr! to losing his shit over her getting hurt? Ugh. INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS RIIIIGHT NOW.
“But first, I want to know why ye call me Duchess. Early on, I assumed ye intended to mock me, but I no longer think that’s true.” “Ye should be a duchess,” he answered. “But as ye’re mine, and I cannae offer lofty titles, I call ye what ye are to me—my wife, the mother of my bairns. A woman too fine for aught that’s ordinary.” He shrugged. “Ye’re my Duchess. That simple.”
The weakest points for me were two things. Their first time having sex I didn't really love. I mean it was hot but felt kind of anticlimactic; I didn't love the whole fucking her against a tree for their first time (after all that build up) and to continue to just go at it after finding out she's a virgin without pause was little WTF for me. Considering he thought she was mistress to a man he loathed for 1 whole year, yeah I wanted the coming together to be little more explosive or meaningful or at least freak the fuck out realizing how wrong he was. That moment just lost something for me and fell a little short. And second, the whole random villain conflict and resolution with the bad guy Cromartie in the end with her brother's mistress wasn't great. Considering Cecilia's role in my baby Broderick's downfall in Book 2 I really didn't care for a revisit of this character. I don't care what a sad tragic life she's had, she nearly got my man unalived and mutilated for it. ...more
This didn't work for me at all. The number of times I nearly DNF'd was too many. I probably should have but I've heard great things about this book anThis didn't work for me at all. The number of times I nearly DNF'd was too many. I probably should have but I've heard great things about this book and my goodreads friends love this so I kept going and dammit I'm trying to break this awful reading funk I've been in for 3 months now. ...more
This was adorable and charming all around and I get the fanfare over this series if4.5 Stars
"Sometimes the quietest love is the loudest."
This was adorable and charming all around and I get the fanfare over this series if this was anything to go by. Ryan Shay and Indy Ivers just melt your heart, two extreme opposites forced to live as roommates who slowly fall for each other was so sweet and satisfying to see. This definitely was one of those books that checks off all kinds of tropes and I personally didn't mind it because it felt like little surprises that popped up and didn't feel forced in.
What I loved: -Hero Ryan Shay is a NBA basketball player who looks like a cross between Stephen Curry & Michael Ealy (in my head at least). -Heroine Indy is the hero's twin sister's best friend who is coming off an awful break up when she caught her fiance cheating on her and now needs a new place to live. She's a flight attendant who is a caretaker by nature and wears her heart on her sleeve and the embodiment of sunshine and firecracker. She's hilarious and adorable in trying to fluster the uptight OCD hero. -Heroine's full name is Indigo so hero gives her the nickname Blue. (it's a recurring joke) -Hero builds heroine a bookcase to hold all her romance books. -Hero learns ASL to communicate with heroine's father who is deaf. -Hero makes sure to bring veggie food to a camping trip with his General Manager's family who didn't know she's vegetarian. -The praise kink. (The way these two hype each other up is really sweet too) -Care taking when heroine is sick. -Fake dating shenanigans including one bed scenario and a jealous hero. (I have never laughed so hard over a guy confusing the craft store Michael's for a real man ...more
I couldn’t help but feel that her lips would be just out of place against my own: a rose petal against a chainsaw.
Too stupid for words. Th
I couldn’t help but feel that her lips would be just out of place against my own: a rose petal against a chainsaw.
Too stupid for words. This supposedly takes place in Ireland and all the characters are supposedly Irish but they don't sound like it at all. The accents are barely present and come and go throughout the book. You wouldn't even realize the heroine Kayleigh is Irish with the way she talks, she talks like an American with the exception of the word "fecking" on and off (she sometimes says "fucking" and other times "fecking", which is it author?) and when she calls the hero an "eejit" near the end. It's like the author didn't even try to do her research and just plopped these characters into a setting she wanted. The forbidden love aspect of this (which is the main reason I picked this book up) ended up being so silly, so ridiculous and thinly drawn. The heroine Kayleigh is dating the hero's brother Eoin for a few days who is a complete stranger to her (she meets him on the street after saving his life in a near hit and run and he's instantly smitten and asks her to dinner) who she has no feelings for but not wanting to break it off with him because she feels bad and loves his family so much after spending 2 days with them and it's the holidays. ...more
Highly anticipated 2023 releases have been really disappointing for me overall and that makes me so sad. :(
This booNot really what I was hoping for.
Highly anticipated 2023 releases have been really disappointing for me overall and that makes me so sad. :(
This book frustrated me and underwhelmed me in so many regards.
-Breeding Kink. How are you gonna promote/market a book having breeding kink and not actually show it? I mean we got…some. Just barely. I didn't even realize until I read this book that breeding kink is the thought of impregnating that's the kink and turn on, not the actual act per say. But even so, that barely had much airtime in this either. I’m so confused by the choices Finelli made here. You have an arranged marriage between two people who are from rival mafia families who need to get pregnant in 3 months time or their loved ones will die. What’s more higher stakes and dramatic than that?! But nothing happens. Barely any sex (compared to the other books). No pregnancy in the end, nothing. So much page time was wasted instead on the hero and heroine delaying consummating their marriage, the heroine trying to get out of it and go back to Toronto or the hero pushing her away. The constant flip flopping also confused me and frustrated me.
-Emotional connection. I had the same problem in Mafia Madman and same problem persisted here. There was barely any time or effort shown in letting the characters actually connect and fall in love. It just seems to happen over night and come out of thin air after they have sex. The words are given and they are nice but I didn’t really believe it because of that. You literally have your heroine say at the 70% mark she doesn’t even know anything about her husband. So you just fall in love with someone you barely know? *crickets* How does that even make sense? :/ I mean we finally do get some of the sweet moments we are waiting for but it felt like a blip compared to everything else that happens there. It felt like these 2 barely spent any time together here, the pacing was very odd. I wanted much more than what was given.
-The sister. I’m gonna sound like an epic b*tch saying this but it’s fiction so who cares. But having your hero have a more visceral/urgent reaction and drop everything to run after his runaway 26 year old sister Vivian instead of fighting for his wife who he supposedly loves was a.....choice. It just left a bad aftertaste in my mouth and so underwhelming. Your wife is curled up in a ball sobbing and you just leave her there and tell her to go back home? Seriously?? THAT'S IT? Giacamo coddling his adult sister and his obsession of hiding her got tiring the more it went on. I wanted the heroine Emma to meet Vivian and become friends. Instead we got this nonsense. One conversation with Emma over the phone and that's it.
-Emma. I liked her...sometimes. She's exactly the type of heroine I usually love. Smart, quiet, sweet, selfless, minds her business. I liked her levelheadedness and good heart. That's very easy to like. But this girl really got on my nerves at times. One with the goody two shoes “the dangers of misogyny!” act. For someone so smart studying to become a doctor she would say stuff that would make my eyes roll so hard they almost fell out of their sockets.
Yes, I was a virgin. I knew it was silly. But it wasn’t like I was waiting for marriage. That perpetuated an arcane patriarchal view of a woman’s body and her rights.
“That was fast. Too bad for your wife, eh, Don Buscetta?” A stamina joke. Awesome. I guess we were checking all of the clichéd misogynist boxes today.
“You have no right to yell at me, because I did nothing wrong. I will not perpetuate a backwards society where I’m supposed to be lesser than you just because I’m a woman.”
She pushed a strand of long brown hair behind her ear. “Sex isn’t just vaginal penetration. That’s a very misogynistic way of looking at—”
This was ok but it lost my interest in the last leg of it. The last 100 pages really draaaaaaged for reasons that didn't really make sense. 2.75 stars
This was ok but it lost my interest in the last leg of it. The last 100 pages really draaaaaaged for reasons that didn't really make sense. The conflict felt really silly and forced and dragged on for too long. Being a professional caddie to your boyfriend or running your family's golf shop? Oh. the. suspense. What will she do! ...more
Now Marigold understood she and women like her were birds that flew into a window, believing the mirrored reflection they were shown,
3.5 stars
Now Marigold understood she and women like her were birds that flew into a window, believing the mirrored reflection they were shown, blind to the very real barrier until it knocked them flat.
This easily would have been a 4 star or even higher for me if the constant misunderstandings in questioning the heroine's integrity and the 3rd act nonsense didn't get in the way. Dani Collins is such a great writer. Honestly that impressed me the most. Her attention to detail in atmosphere, world building and just characterizations overall was fantastic and so fun. I could picture everything so clearly down to every crumb and wrinkle. The humor is also hilariously good and quick, if a bit crude in some parts. It just feels so fresh, honest and smart. The hero and heroine snarking at each other was a highlight. Quite a few moments that had me rolling. If Dani Collins writes more I will definitely read it. She has a fan in me if this was anything to go by.
This was my first historical that takes place during the Gold Rush trail in America. The widowed hero Virgil Gardner is a Prospector who runs a mining company in Qual's Creek where him and his employees mine for gold and he's looking for a wife to keep house and be a mother to his 3 kids Levi, Nettie and little Harley. He's a hard working man who is blunt, doesn't suffer fools and has the temperament of a bear. He puts an ad out for a wife and is expecting a young bride named Pearl Martin after corresponding through letters with her. Instead her older sister Marigold Davis shows up offering herself up as a replacement. She has no place to go and running away from the fallout of an ugly divorce scandal that sullied her reputation very publicly. She was branded an adulterer by her awful ex-husband who cheated on her and managed to take her house too. Because of this Virgil hires her on as a nanny for his kids instead. I just adored the heroine so much. She keeps getting a bad hand dealt to her but tries her best and is so resilient and emotionally intelligent. She's smart, sassy, funny, witty and quick on her feet and has a big heart. She's honest but speaks her mind and just wants a home of her own and security. The hero doesn't trust her from the start because she's a divorcee who was labeled a cheater (even though she's innocent) so it doesn't sit well with him. I gave him some leeway at first since his dead wife cheated on him and had a baby with another man while Virgil was out in California working to send money home, a biracial baby he's now raising as his own. Honestly if this character didn't frustrate me so much in how he behaved towards the heroine his bond with little Harley and how protective he is of that baby melts your heart. But that mistrust keeps rearing its ugly head through the whole book and I just wanted to throttle him and sock him in the balls. It made no sense the longer it continued because she's literally taking care of his kids and taking care of his home. I mean come on dude. I loved that all the men rallied around her and kept giving her gifts and helping her along. That was adorable. Seeing a jealous hero watch other men trying to court her didn't hurt either. She really makes that place her home and it was great to see.
The lifestyle in Kansas territory is rough and brutal with very very humble living conditions. All the men live in tents except for Virgil's family where the five of them literally live in a hovel shack that's not even finished completely which our dear hero wasn't very honest about in those letters of his. Just want to point that out since he was so high and mighty about *honesty*. Hmmph. Marigold toughs it out and makes the best of things with zero complaints and even comes up with clever ways to create dolls for the kids and clothes and bedding so yes I felt super protective of this character. (view spoiler)[ That whole drama over Virgil's missing lucky golden nugget and thinking she stole it was so stupid and offensive if the end result wasn't so hilarious and deserving. It involved a toddler, poop and a chamber pot getting thrown at the idiot hero. But if that wasn't enough silliness, to make matters worse as the final act of conflict the "pretty" younger sister Pearl shows up in the end thinking Virgil's offer for marriage to her through letters still stands and throws a tantrum when she finds out he was about to marry Marigold. I hated this selfish twat of a character so much. We literally have a switcheroo Wife Swap moment where Marigold gives her sister a chance to play house with Virgil and the kids since Pearl technically had "first dibs" on him and Marigold "owes" her and no I'm not kidding. She gives up her happiness with the man and kids she loves so her sister can take her place and the hero lets her walk away after she lies to him about not loving him. At this point I nearly threw my kindle out the window. I love angst but not this kind near the end of the damn book and at the expense of the heroine's own happiness she worked so hard for. I have no idea why the author thought this was a great idea in the last 20 pages of her story but it just killed things for me. To be fair, I normally love high angsty situations like this but if it plays out earlier and if the hero wasn't acting like a distrusting jerk for so long. Those poor kids bonded and loved Marigold like a mother and their reaction to finding out they were finally going to have a mother in Marigold was so heartwarming and sweet so it was so hard to see her sister try to take her place and the hero trying to go along with it. WHERE IS YOUR AGENCY SIR? His own insecurities of feeling unwanted since he himself is an illegitimate child from rape is a big part of his distrust and feeling unworthy but even so.....I needed him to step up. This wife swap misery only lasts 3 days but it just was too much, too far and so ridiculous. It made it hard for me to believe the hero loved the heroine given how he continuously didn't believe her and distrusted her. (hide spoiler)] This was a good book in the sense that the writing is fantastic and the overall characters are engaging and so endearing, Levi, Nettie and little Harley were adorable and a hoot. But the hero Virgil is a fucking idiot and the heroine is an angel who deserved better if you ask me.
“Take the shortest road to Hades, sir. And take that nugget with you.”
Adorable. My ovaries went boom, boom, kaboom. Theo tap danced all over my ovaries and I wasn't expecting th4.75 stars
“Te vivo, baby girl.”
Adorable. My ovaries went boom, boom, kaboom. Theo tap danced all over my ovaries and I wasn't expecting that. Theo Silva is a dreamboat hero and has come for Cade Eaton's throne as hottest baby daddy. Plot twist. lol This book turned ONS/secret baby trope on its head. Which is hard to do. I'm not a fan of one night stand stories, in fact I generally hate this trope and avoid it like the plague. But Elsie Silver made some smart choices here that worked for me. For one, the actual sex scene from the one night stand is fade to black. Our hero Theo Silva and heroine Winter Hamilton hook up the night they meet in the beginning of the book but we don't see them have sex which I thought was a very smart move on the author's part. Because while technically there is insta-lust this is also a slow burn book. Which I'm a big fan of. I'm never a fan of insta-anything in my reads, I don't like instant gratification. I want work put in before our couple take the next step or give into feelings or else I can't buy it. While these two scratch that itch after a tequila-induced night of fun, the tension, the circling, the push and pull is very much present through the rest of the book which saved it for me. Something that was completely missing in Powerless. As for the secret-baby, again another interesting choice made here that took me by surprise and I think Elsie did a good job in how it was delivered. (view spoiler)[The book jumps 18 months ahead after their ONS, where we see the heroine had a baby girl Vivienne and believes the hero wants nothing to do with them. But we quickly realize a big misunderstanding played a hand into why. Before the time jump Winter tried to contact Theo when she found out she was pregnant but the message was never delivered and got in the wrong hands while Theo was on the road competing as a professional bull rider. So now 18 months later we have the hero moving in next door to the heroine to train to get back on the circuit completely unaware he fathered a child and a hurt confused heroine thinking he walked away from them. (hide spoiler)] Call me sick in the head but this is the kind of misunderstanding equation that I love if a misunderstanding situation has to happen in a book. The angst it brought to the table, the tension it creates, the unspoken feelings on both sides, the yearning, thinking the other doesn't want them? *chief's kiss* And the misunderstanding thankfully doesn't last long which I can't stress enough how relieved I was on that part. Once it's revealed we get cute as hell domestic scenes of Theo and little Vivi bonding and family moments between the three. Theo's reaction when he finds out he fathered a child? *clutches heart* Broke my heart. I just adored him. He's a total cinnamon roll hero.
Combat boots tugged carelessly over the top. Laces not tied. I remember thinking once that the very last thing I needed in my life was a man who didn’t tie his laces. It makes me laugh now, a light little chuckle that bubbles up from somewhere near my heart. How wrong I was. I feel like he rolled up and loosened my laces when I didn’t realize I was tied up far too tight.
As for the heroine Winter, I liked her. Which was another pleasant surprise considering she's not my favorite type of heroine. She's prickly, stubborn, closed off, blunt, the grump to the hero's sunshine sweet disposition. But her emotional vulnerability and insecurities is what saved this character from becoming a one-note archetype who magically is just "nice" all the sudden cause she's getting a book. She's the underdog and you want to root for her. I absolutely live for greyish anti-characters because they want to prove to others and most importantly themselves they are better and deserve happiness and love. I just loved how honest she was about herself and what her limits were and just yearns for love. I loved that she wanted to include Theo in everything from the start when it came to Vivi, misunderstanding aside. This book is about two adults who are trying to make the best of something unplanned, no immature nonsense. Winter is complex, layered and very misunderstood and I think Elsie Silver did a nice job of showing this character's arc and emotional growth. I was not a fan of this character in Book 1 Flawless for good reason. She played the part of the mean cold stepsister to Summer and here we get a better understanding of why. I think her character growth was very successful. Yes her insecurities do get the better of her time to time and have her dragging her feet in places but I felt for her and understood the why of it. Her whole life she had to fend for herself in a toxic home environment and nobody showing up for her and everyone always believing the worst of her. She finally finds that faith, security and unwavering support in a sweet man like Theo and she's as wary and scared as a wounded animal who is given a lifeline. I understood her fear so much. That contrast and dynamic between the two was fun to see. Her dream was to become a mom and after fertility struggles with her awful prick of a ex-husband, seeing her become a mom and flourish here was also great to see. I just absolutely adored the little family moments. Is there anything sexier than a man being a hands on doting father to his little girl? When I tell you it revved my engine whenever this man called his Vivi "baby girl". Oof. ❤️
A smiling Vivi is strapped to his chest in the floral-patterned Tula baby carrier I bought. He’s singing to our daughter. And dancing. And cleaning. One hand rubs the back of her head like she’s some sort of crystal ball, while the other wipes at the white cabinets in the cottage-style kitchen.
This had typical trademark dirty talk that Elsie Silver is known for. I'll be honest and I hesitate to even say this and the only reason I'm even pointing this out is because it had me going into this book expecting something totally different given the strong reactions I've seen on BookTube. To be frank I was expecting more in the steam department simply going off of the outrage. And it honestly confuses me? because this was pretty tame compared to the previous books as far as actual spice content. (view spoiler)[ He calls her a "slut" in the bedroom a total of 3 times. Did I love it? No. It's not my thing at all. But as far being out of character, it didn't feel out of character for a playboy like Theo. And I'm letting it slide here because 1. it wasn't prominently used, 2. Winter liked it and thought it hilarious and it became a recurring joke between the two of them. He uses it to tease her and excite her. And the sex scenes themselves were pretty standard. Book 1 and 2 were waaaaaay raunchier than this in the steam department. (hide spoiler)] I personally thought the style of dirty talking was out of character for heroes like Cade and Jasper, Cade especially but I know I'm in the minority on that one. To each their own but I'm not sure what in this book would be labeled as "over the line" or "disgusting" especially if you loved the first 2 books in particular. I'm just saying. ...more
Without a word or even a prior glance this time, Matthias took Pet’s hand. When his fingers closed around hers, yet another bit of he
3.5 stars
Without a word or even a prior glance this time, Matthias took Pet’s hand. When his fingers closed around hers, yet another bit of her heart chipped off and fell into his curled palm.
First let me just say I adore Pet and Matthius. They were dear, sweet and adorable as expected. But it felt like we barely got any time with them which bummed me out. This still had some sweet and swoony moments LP is known for but they felt brief and fleeting in an otherwise crowded book that felt aimless in plot. We get brief conversations between hero and heroine while working at the Palace together with a bunch of wacky mishaps that fill pages and just didn't feel organic or convincing. The most time Pet and Matthius spend together is when they ham it up for the press as a fake couple to clear Pet's name in the tabloids which was great but I wanted more of that and less 'look after Johnny' shenanigans. The hero Matthius is bodyguard to Johnny Marchmont, husband to Princess Rosie. The heroine Pet is Johnny's PA, who is the human equivalent of a walking hazard sign who seems to not be able to sit down without breaking something or causing bodily harm to himself or someone else which the British tabloids eat up. I just have to ask was this character really necessary? I didn't really care for Johnny in Book 1 and here was much the same if not worse with the redundant outlandish disasters of setting things on fire, throwing his PA--the poor heroine--bodily across a lawn full of people (how is this even humanly possible Lucy Parker?) getting accidentally high at a science fair, stealing a whole ass parrot, falling off a chair while seated and knocking over the 6 foot-something groom, etc. Like I said a lot of OTT mishaps happen here for laughs and quirkiness and it just didn't feel cute or funny or remotely believable the more it happened. It just was so obnoxious. This man is so accident prone and clumsy in every situation that it just was insufferable instead of endearing like the author painstankingly tries to portray him as. I'm sorry a fan of "sweet" Johnny I was not. I don't care if he is a nice guy with angelic blond curls and has the personality of a golden retriever, I just wanted this poor imitation of Mr. Bean to just go away. :/
He was patently furious, but when he released one of her hands to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear, his touch was conversely light, almost cradling. “I’m sorry, Button.”
If this book was filled more with the content we got in the last 30 or so pages, this could have easily been a 4 or 5 star for me. The emotions, chemistry and sweetness is there but Parker barely utilizes it which really frustrated me. She's high on slow burn and sexual tension and low on steam, angst and spice and that's fine but you gotta give me something in between to work with.
I found Matthius made for a very compelling hero and a total cinnamon-roll. He's such a teddy bear. There were a few stones left unturned with this character but nevertheless I loved what we got of him. There's just something about traditionally not-handsome "regular Joe" heroes that I find so dear and refreshing and real. Matthius is a giant in size with his height and huge muscles and next to Pet's petite stature they make quite an image (yes he has to bend down to kiss her *swooning activated*). We do get some Beauty and the Beast references since the hero is deemed "ugly" by many much to the heroine's annoyance. Matthius is ex-military with a busted face and a shaved head and a beard. He knows he's not handsome but doesn't mope about it and just accepts it in a rather quiet heartbreaking way. I just adore when heroines get absolutely rabid over others despiraging their hero's looks. Pet is quite the protective bulldog when people make snide jokes about Matthius's face and huge lumbering size. It's fucking adorable. Can more romance authors do this more please? Make it a trope. I love it so much. Let's also make not-handsome imperfect heroes a thing please.
His flush had spread to the tips of his lovely, generous ears. She’d never not be enamored with how all his features were so substantial, like his physicality was a direct reflection of his inner self and integrity, vast from his feet to his heart.
This could have been a favorite 2023 read for me if the pacing wasn't so incredibly slow-moving and stagnant. The writing was just so wordy. To be honest the last 3 Lucy Parker books I've read I slogged through in parts and I couldn't exactly put my finger on why. Not sure if this was always the case and I'm starting to notice it now or what. But her recent offerings I've come to realize her prose is just way too wordy and long winded. It's a mouthful of fluffy metaphors and navel-gazing expositions and internal monologues that go on for pages. And here was probably the worst example of it because characters keep interrupting themselves with aimless mind-wandering. Like for example when your couple are finally about to kiss and you are reading through the scene thinking they are kissing only to realize they actually haven't kissed yet and the hero is still holding the heroine's chin and leaning in for....5 pages. ...more
No chemistry. No excitement. No spark. The only thing that pushed me to keep going was the fact that the hero was a vet and the heroine has chickens. No chemistry. No excitement. No spark. The only thing that pushed me to keep going was the fact that the hero was a vet and the heroine has chickens. That’s it. This had potential to be really cute but it didn't really go where it needed to. Everything was very surface level. I didn't really care for the hero. The hero Will was a real wet napkin and a debbie downer who just sits on his laurels instead of actually doing something to try and save his crumbling vet practice. I found him so frustrating. His refusal to ask for any help was also very tiring. Your business is in trouble and going under but you’re not willing to tell anyone cause you are too proud and embarrassed to ask for help while knowing you have employees who depend on you? Buck up sweetie and grab the life rafts when you can. The community wants to do a carwash to help his practice buy a new X-Ray machine but the way he was carrying on and so embarrassed about it you would think you were asking a 5 year old if he needs help tying his shoes. It wasn't attractive at all. I just couldn’t empathize with or like someone so whiny, mopey and prideful who feels sorry for himself all the time and waiting for his livelihood to literally implode. He was much too resigned to his fate. I need my heroes to be more proactive instead of reactive. His depression over being "a failure" as he keeps saying and letting people down is relatable but felt so heavy and tiring with how much he harped on it and how he handled everything. [image] And I have to say for a fluffy rom com with a shirtless guy on the cover this was pretty morose and dark in message regarding business struggles during Covid, the failing economy and market, mental health, etc. Had a very doom and gloom tone overall that felt a bit too much at times. All the hero does is keep comparing himself to his younger brother who moved to the city who keeps bullying him about his career choice as the town vet. The fact that the heroine had to be the one to dress down the snobby brother and give the hero motivation to finally stand up for himself to his younger brother was also kind of sad instead of sweet. The dynamics of his whole family I found weird, as if the author was trying very hard to make them dysfunctional.
Also the hero Will is described as a grumpy "Viking" but I didn’t find him all that brooding or complex. His annoyance and dislike of chickens I didn’t get either. I’m sorry but I always find it suspect that a person who makes a living as a vet and wanting to help animals is annoyed by animals. But that’s my personal bias showing (I'm a bird mom). I also feel like “grumpy” has become synonymous to heroes with no personality outside of scowling. I need authors to understand that slapping a scowl on your heroes does not make them grumpy. They aren't gingerbread men y'all. lol I need more depth than that. I love me some grumpy heroes and I get this character trait has become all the rage now. But I need something more beyond your heroine telling us that the hero is a grump. I also thought this would be an enemies to lovers situation considering the set up, the grumpy town vet vs YouTube star "Chicken Lady" next door neighbor but the rivalry lasted 1 day at most with the insta-lust completely cutting through the tension like a hacksaw, making the story deflate in on itself in the process. I've said it a hundred times and I'll say it again this is why I hate insta-lust.
I actually liked the heroine Nicole, her sense of humor was great and her love for her rambunctious hoard of chickens was what gave this book it’s starting potential but the whole social media influencer drama with her awful ex and her moping over losing her best friend from the fallout was not it. Which speaking of, let me go off on a rant for a second. What kind of best friend of 20 years sides with your manipulative opportunistic gaslighting ex-boyfriend over you? And your best friend believing you tried to “seduce” her husband? O_o Girl whaaaat? That’s a trash friend and pretty huge hurdle to overcome. So yes I was superbly annoyed when said trash friend comes crawling back with her tail tucked between her legs in the very end and is forgiven because Nic's crazy ass ex-boyfriend scammed the friend's husband out of money. [image] It took your husband losing money for you to realize your best friend was innocent all along and not a homewrecking slut???? When your own pocket got hurt is when you finally believed her? I.....No. BYE. The fact that her BFF was easily forgiven simply because Nic's ex was a manipulative charmer who "tricked everyone" didn't sit right with me because it completely overshadowed the fact that Nic's own character was sullied and slandered very publicly in the process until money was involved. ...more
“And you see me as a butterfly?” “Aye.” He nuzzled her temple, savoring the warmth of her. “I never knew how dark and cold it could be in3.75 stars
“And you see me as a butterfly?” “Aye.” He nuzzled her temple, savoring the warmth of her. “I never knew how dark and cold it could be in the mud until a wee, bright butterfly landed upon me and refused to depart.”
Not a favorite of mine from Braden. Still good solid writing. But it almost read like a novella. The pacing was a little off and felt extremely rushed in places. This could technically be considered a slow burn but it didn't really feel like a slow burn with how she zooms through things which isn't Braden's usual style. She normally takes her time. It could also be because this read very similar to The Taming of a Highlander in characterizations and tropes go and that was much stronger than this one. That book was my favorite read of this year so far so it was hard not to draw comparisons and this fell short. There's the usual marriage of convenience trope that you get in a EB book and a huge towering gruff Scottish hero who falls for his dainty wife. His befuddled confusion over why someone so pretty, classy and sweet like Viola could want him was endearing. The scenes of him awkwardly trying to woo her and floundering was cute. And also shoutout to heroes who are not handsome. Heroes like James who are described as not classically handsome with blunt craggy features are so rare so it's a nice change. Viola finding his face so dear and perfect was sweet. Anyways, I didn't really love the trap him into marriage trope here only because it highlighted the heroine Viola's desperation in bagging the hero James Kilbrenner who she's been aggressively chasing after for months while the hero dodges her at every turn. Add to that the reason behind why James refuses to marry and doesn't want kids felt over reaching. (view spoiler)[ Finding out your teenage sweetheart who you planned to marry ditched you and married another man and hid her pregnancy and your son's death from you is very sad. But blaming yourself for the death of a child you didn't even know existed when the mother of said child made zero attempt at telling you feels a bit contrived as far as internal character guilt goes. It just didn't jive for me. James is a giant teddy bear seeing him blame himself for something that was completely out of his control and kept from him felt a bit extreme as to why he refuses to have kids. I was glad Viola reminded him at one point that Allison took his choice away too. I mean someone finally said it. She kept a whole ass child from him and tried to foist it off on another man. Are we supposed to feel sorry for her now cause she's a widow? No sir. And trying to kiss a married man cause of "shared grief"? Hmmph. Lady, bye. (hide spoiler)] James is a good egg and a decent man with a serious savior complex but he did have his idiot moments in here. And I felt the issue of him refusing to spill inside the heroine during sex took too long to confront till the very end. I honestly thought we were gonna get a The Duke and I situation given how single minded and determined Viola is. Thankfully we didn't. Just wish the subject of why he refuses to have kids and his secret "shame" was revealed to the heroine a little sooner. Like I said the pacing of this one was odd. It took a bit to get to the MOC marriage part and then stuff is just rushed through after that. James realizing he has feelings for her and actually loves her also felt a beat too late. I think this is the first HR I've read where the heroine knows from the very start of the book she's in love with the hero and doggedly pursues him.
On a side note, loved seeing Charlotte in this. The timeline of this book overlaps with Book 4 so seeing glimpses of Charlotte falling in love with Chatham in real time was adorable. <3 I really love this series. The overall theme in a Elisa Braden book is longing and it's everything....more
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