A long overdue set of mini reviews and reading recap. Work has been too intense over the past few months and I have fallen behind both on my reading and blogging.

A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres

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Tikka Chance on Me by Suleikha Snyder

One and Only by Jenny Holiday 

This is a fun romcom set around a wedding. My first by this author and I enjoyed it a lot. I was not a big fan of all the wedding stuff because our traditions a different and it all seemed so over the top for me but ignoring that, it's was a great read. An opposites attract romance between the groom's stepbrother and one of the bridesmaids. Most of conflict was along the lines of him thinking he is not good enough for her, all the while his bad boy was just a misrepresentation, a false image hiding his true self. 

I had one main issue with the book and that was a PTSD episode the hero had, and while I'm not an expert, it felt wrong to me and gave me pause. I loved the female friendship so much, liked the family dynamics as well, and the complexity of the characters which made them feel like real people. The story has the most epic grovel scene (absolutely necessary) and the loveliest ending. 

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Unfit to Print by KJ Charles

This is a m/m novella where one MC is Indian and the other is half-Black. One is a respected lawyer, the other sells book, including ones with pornographic content. It's a second chance romance of childhood friends/teenager lovers reunited later in life. There is an interesting  suspense plot that brought them together. It was a lovely story in the usual masterful and engaging writing style of KJ Charles. Still, it was too short and a rather intriguing start, I felt the last quarter was rushed and underdeveloped. Both romance arc and the suspense plot got resolved too quickly and too neatly and I was left wanting more.

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Currently reading: The Wolf at the Door by Charlie Adhara, m/m romantic suspense with werewolves. I'm almost finishing and it's such an intriguing murder mystery that I cannot put it down. I would love the see more of the romance though. 

Thrown Off Track by Tamsen Parker - a longish novella, boy band m/m romance with an interesting demi rep which I liked though it was completely different from my personal experience. This is a low-heat friend-to-lovers story where two best friends and band mates become a couple. I loved the romance arc which had some virgin feel because it was the first time for Teague to feel sexual attraction and desire. I loved how they were comfortable with each other and freely discussed their feelings, their sex lives, including a lot of explicitly stated consent. I appreciate  how considered of his giant statue Teague was, but having this said again and again every couple of pages became repetitive. He did act immature at times, jumping to conclusions but given the general turmoil of his life at the moment, I guess this was understandable.

The romance between Teague and Christian blossomed at the time when the band had to move on and each member had to start thinking about/working on a solo career. This highlighted some interesting perspectives on the life after the boy band bringing forth discussions of  popularity and making money vs making the music you love. All the characters read like real people, unique, with their own characters and quirks, no generic stereotypes of the bad boy rock star.

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I loved both hero and heroine and their romance arc was fabulous. He was caring but restrained, trying to keep things between them professional, never losing sight of the business and at the same helping her/protecting her. She was totally infatuated with him while also trying to stand on her own, to prove to herself (and in a way the world that has rejected her one too many times) that she is not a failure, a quitter who gives up at first obstacle. 

I feel I got to know him and his motivations a bit better and he was definitely my favourite. Despite the lies and deliberate omissions. I loved how she came back to him on her own, after making her mind, fully aware of who he was and he was trying to do. 

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Bad Reputation by Stephanie London (out on Aug 4) is the second book in the series and while I loved the first, I found this one a bit messy. The story is still very much focused on the abuse and potential harm of online tools but some other conflict was thrown in the mix - employer/employee (director - ballerina) relationship, her dramatic past, a jealous co-worker. 

I liked the characters on their own and both had interesting back stories - she is an Aussie  who tried to make it in the ballet world of NY after leaving Sidney due to a professional/personal scandal. She was having a fun, uncomplicated life but never quite gave up on her dreams. He was trying to prove his worth outside his family who were a superstar power couple in the ballet world. 

I enjoyed the story and found the MCs likable but felt there were too many things going on, too many small obstacles and conflicts happening, too many subplots, all this left the main conflict underdeveloped. 3 stars

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Currently reading - To Have and to Harley by Regina Cole (out on Aug 7) - a m/f biker romance where the bad boy bikers find themselves running a wedding planning business. There were nice touches but way too much stereotyping and cardboard secondary characters, plus the heroine is getting progressively more naive and helpless, so I'm putting it on hold at 65%. 

I've decided to start doing weekly posts with mini reviews and reading recap. There is a long story behind this decision but the short version is that it will be easier and less time-consuming for me and I hope taht people will find my reviews more useful when I present them in this way. I'm still figuring out how exactly to go about this but here is my first try. 

The Chateau by Tiffany Reisz 

I kind of read this one by mistake. It's a prequel to the Sinners series which I haven't read but this was not indicated on NG at the time I got the review copy, so I had no idea when I started it. I was probably around the middle when I realised that the name Kingsley sounded familiar, so there it is. 

This story works as a standalone and it's a undownputable erotic romantic thriller. It's all about kink and mind-games and it's captivating but it did push my boundaries to the extreme and I don't think I will be reading more of the stories in this world. Some bits around pregnancy, kids and families did not make me happy. I don't feel in a position to recommend this book or not, all I can say that reading it has been an interesting experience for me. 

3.5 stars

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Hooked on You by Kate Meader 

I have a love-and-hate relationship with this series, I loved the first book, hated the Russian rep in the second, haven't read the third and was super excited about the fourth. I was looking forward to this one because the hero is divorced hockey player battling alcohol addiction who is given a second chance at his professional career and at love. The heroine is breast cancer survivor, half-Puerto Rican  I loved the chemistry them and though both were complex and interesting characters. I was not really happy about nanny-employer situation (she is part-owner of the team, he is team captain) - the professional dynamics between them seemed too contrived. I also hated the evil ex trope which was in full bloom here. Overall, it was a nice romance with some bits of depth and tenderness but in al honesty, I expected more of it. 

3.5 stars

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Thirsty by Mia Hopkins  

I loved, loved loved everything about this romance, a gangster battling anxiety tries to rebuilt his life after leaving prison. A single mom tries to rebuild her life after losing the father of her child (also a gangster). Story of redemption and second chances. It's told in first person POV of the hero which worked surprisingly well for me. It gave me an insight into his mind and created a sense of intimacy  which I appreciate a lot. There are great side characters, among them the kick-ass grandma of the heroine really stands out. I loved how this story showed the complex relationships and dynamics withing a gang, how difficult it is to leave it all behind and start anew. CW: violence, arson

5 stars

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