June Reads

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

June was not a good reading month for me. Every time I would open a new book, I would quickly lose interest. I think there is just so much going on in the world right now, that I find it hard to focus. I’m sure a lot of us feel the same way so I’m trying not to beat myself up over that. I’m hoping that July will be a better reading month!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (ARC Released June 23, 2020)

Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren

The Roommate by Rosie Danan (ARC Releases September 15, 2020)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting (ARC Releases August 11, 2020)

If You Never Come Back by Sarah Smith (ARC Released June 9, 2020)

Dear Future Self by Lisa Becker 🎧 (ALC)

Rafe A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon 🎧

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Romeantically Challenged by Marina Adair (ARC Releases July 28, 2020)

Rating: 2 out of 5.

The Dare by Elle Kennedy (ARC Released June 16, 2020)

Must Read Steamy Romances

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

It’s no secret that I love romance, but I also love my romances to be steamy🔥 . There’s a lot of different terminology for stating how you like your romance books – sweet, sexy, open door, closed door. Whether you prefer a closed door romance (the sex scenes happen behind closed doors) or an open door romance (the sex scenes happen on the page), there are so many great romances out there! I’ve read and enjoyed both, but gravitate towards those that have a fair amount of steam.

I’ve listed a few of my favorite must read steamy romances!

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

  • Super sweet cover with a very sexy romance!
  • Best friends little sister trope
  • Georgie and Travis have so much chemistry and literally steam up the pages

Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren

  • A couple who got married in Vegas while they were drunk, divorced and now can’t keep their hands off of each other – what’s not to love about that premise
  • Finn and Harlow smoke up the pages of this book
  • Entire series is steamy with a lot of heart

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

  • New age college romance
  • Hockey romance where the hockey star is failing his ethics class
  • They make a deal – Hannah will tutor Garrett and Garrett will help Hannah score the hot football quarterback. Lots of sexy shenanigans ensue!

Hooking Up by Helena Hunting

  • When Amalie finds her husband cheating on her on her wedding day she decides to take her honeymoon alone.
  • Amalie ends up on the island with Lexington – her soon to be ex-husband’s cousin
  • Lexington and Amalie engage in a fling that is scorching hot! But can they leave it at that?

The Roommate by Rosie Danan

  • A romance centered around two roommates and one of them happens to be a pleasure professional
  • Forced proximity with lots of heat
  • Perfect amounts of sweet and sexy romance

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

  • Chloe Brown is chronically ill with fibromyalgia is ready to start living her life a bit dangerously
  • Literally an item on her list: Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
  • Enter Red – the superintendent of the building she is renting – and sexy sparks fly!

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

  • Stella hires an escort, Michael to help her with her dating life
  • Sweet, sensual and sexy relationship between Michael and Stella
  • Lots of heat, but also a very sweet romance that tugged on my heartstrings.

Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

  • Dangerous sexy Irishman who falls in love with one of the first few female physicians.
  • Great banter between Ethan and Garret
  • Ethan will have you swooning – he’s so sweet & sexy!

Man Cuffed by Tanya Eby/Sarina Bowen

  • Equal parts humor and sexiness
  • Meg meets Mac at a club and thinks he’s the “entertainment” aka male stripper, but he’s actually a cop. They unknowingly become next door neighbors
  • Lots of sexual tension oozing off the pages of Man Cuffed

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean

  • So. Much. Angst
  • Devil (yes, that’s his name) and Felicity are both outcasts who can relate to one another
  • Super sweet, sexy and angsty – gave me all the feels

Rafe: A Male Buff Nanny Review

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Loose Ends #1

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥

So many friends recommended Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon to me and I am so glad that I finally picked this book up! It was HOT and sweet and everything that I was looking for. I ended up listening to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration.

Rafe Whitcomb is a male nanny and has decided to look into doing something else career-wise since the family he currently takes care of is moving. Dr Sloan Copeland is having a hard time finding a nanny. Her current nanny up and left while Sloan was still at work. She’s a single mom and needs a nanny desperately. When Rafe is highly recommended Sloan doesn’t hesitate to meet with him.

The chemistry between Rafe and Sloan was smoking from the first moment they met each other. I really liked the open communication between the two of them. Of course it has to be a given because Rafe is Sloan’s nanny. But I also really enjoyed how they communicated their feelings with one another. Both of them were so mature and that is so refreshing in romances.

Audiobook

Story: 4
Narration: 4.5
Overall: 4

I listened to Rafe without reading along and I feel like Lacy Laurel did a wonderful job narrating. I do wish that there was a male narrator, but understand that it’s not necessarily needed as the book is told in third person. I had no problem discerning the different characters that Lacy was trying to portray and honestly LOVED it when she narrated Xeni! Those were some of my favorite scenes and I cannot wait to read Xeni next.

If you’re looking for a romance between two mature adults that’s low on the drama and high on the steam, pick up Rafe!

Kiss My Cupcake ARC Review

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Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥

Release Date: August 11, 2020

I am a huge Helena Hunting fan and love her brand of humor! When I heard about the premise of Kiss My Cupcake I couldn’t wait to read it. I’m a sucker for enemies-to-lovers romances and Blaire and Ronan were so great together!

Blaire has been on the cupcake scene for a while. First she had her own cupcake truck and slowly made her way to a brick and mortar. Buttercream and Booze is her baby and she is determined to make it work. The Knight Cap – a bar with axe throwing is opening up right next door and Blaire is NOT a fan of the owner Ronan Knight. He’s rude and arrogant and is starting his renovations when Blaire is in the middle of opening up her shop. When a YouTuber wants to highlight unique bars in the PNW the battle between the two bars starts! Each is determined to make it #1 on the list!

I love Helena Hunting’s writing style and enjoyed the banter between Ronan and Blaire! I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance and Blaire and Ronan had such great chemistry. The way these two would razz each other was so much fun to read! Eventually what starts as a rivalry starts to heat up and I found myself swooning over these two.

Blaire’s family was a bit quirky and over the top and I didn’t necessarily enjoy them – but I think that was the point. I loved Ronan’s grandfather and the history behind The Knight Cap.

The food descriptions alone had me craving cupcakes from the moment I started to read Kiss My Cupcake. I only wish these two shops were actually real and local so I could visit!

If you’re looking for a funny, sweet and sexy enemies-to-lovers romance grab Kiss My Cupcake when it releases August 11, 2020.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

What makes a binge-worthy series?

~ Tej ~ 6 Comments

What makes a series binge-worthy for you? Is it the style the author writes? The characters that you love being connected to? Or is it a combination of both?

My favorite books to read are series. I love connecting with the characters and seeing how they evolve throughout the series. I don’t always love every book in a series equally and I think that’s okay. Sometimes book #1 takes a bit more word building and introductions to secondary characters. Other times it’s the first book that we fall in love with and don’t necessarily like the other secondary character’s stories.

Here I’m listing a few of my favorite binge-worthy series. Some are older and others are fairly new. Some I’ve only read a few books in the series but can’t wait to read the rest. What are your favorite binge-worthy series?

Helena Hunting Pucked

This series is so much fun – definitely had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. The series is super steamy, but also has a lot of heart. I feel like the deeper you get into the series, the more you end up caring for these wonderful characters!

Nora Roberts Chesapeake Bay Saga

One of my favorite series by Nora Roberts that’s a bit old school (published in the late 90’s). I love when a family centered series is done well and Nora Roberts had me caring for all of the characters in this series. And feisty heroines who are independent – yes please!

Sarina Bowen Brooklyn/Brooklyn Bruisers

I started off with reading the Brooklyn Brusiers and then went on to read the Brooklyn series. These are some of my favorite Sarina Bowen books! Brooklynaire is up there as one of my favorite books.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips Chicago Stars

This series is quite simply amazing. It may seem a bit outdated now as these books came out in the mid 1990’s (yes, I had to go look that up!), but the banter is amazing and I LOVE the chemistry between all of the characters.

Lauren Layne Sex, Love and Stiletto/Oxford

This is the series of books that got me hooked on Lauren Layne books! I love a series centered around friendship and the friendship between the 4 women was so much fun!

Julie James FBI/US Attorney

Julie James writes amazing suspenseful romances filled with plenty of heat. This series was amazing and I have re-read these books too many times to count!

Lisa Kleypas The Ravenels

This series has it all – intrigue, suspense and wonderful romance. I love a great historical romance series and Lisa Kleypas knows how to write great series!

The Roommate ARC Review

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The Roommate by Rosie Danan

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: September 15, 2020

From the first moment that I heard about the premise of The Roommate it’s been high on my list of romances to read this year. A story about two roommates and one of them who happens to be a pleasure professional?? YES please! Sign me up for all the romances with all the heat! The Roommate certainly delivered in that department and I cannot wait to read the next book that Rosie Danan writes. If you are a fan of steamy romances – you will LOVE this romance that has equal parts heat and heart.

Clara Wheaton moved all the way to LA to room with her crush from childhood. What better way than convincing him that they should be together than being roommates first?

Her plan backfires as soon as she gets to California. Turns out Everett, her childhood crush is in a band and they’re leaving – like right away. Her roommate now is someone she doesn’t even know and she’s not sure how to feel about it. Clara eventually finds out that her new roommate Josh is a pleasure professional and she’s not entirely sure how to feel about that initially.

Enter Josh – oh Josh. Josh has got to be one of the best book boyfriend there is. He’s so sweet and caring and really tries to get to know Clara better. I love that there was such a deep emotional connection between the two of them. They knew each others hopes and dreams and didn’t mock them, instead tried to elevate each other.

This book was HOT HOT HOT. The sex scenes had my kindle steaming! I don’t want to give the plot away too much – but I absolutely love the way the sex was portrayed in The Roommate. Sex isn’t something that should be ashamed of or made to feel “dirty,” and I love the way Rosie Danan is able to portray that in The Roommate.

The Roommate had everything that I love to read in a romance. It had the perfect amount of sexual tension mixed with scenes that had me laughing. At the same time I also have so many scenes highlighted that had my heart completely in my throat. I felt giddiness, excitement, angst, happiness and longing from this wonderful book. I cannot wait to re-read it again!

Do yourself a favor and pre-order The Roommate so you can fall in love with Clara and Josh. The Roommate releases September 15, 2020

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Dear Future Self Audiobook Review

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Dear Future Self (Starfish #1.5)

Dear Future Self by Lisa Becker

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Starfish 1.5 (novella)

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥

I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook from the author.

Dear Future Self was such a cute novella! I ended up listening to this book fairly quickly and enjoyed the second chance romance between Jason and Cami. I liked the premise of having Jason enter Cami’s life again and how they reconnected. Their romance was so sweet even though it had a bit of insta-love, but that is to be expected when reading a novella because the story line moves so fast!

Audiobook

Story: 3.5
Narration: 4.5
Overall: 4

I enjoyed the narration by Tim Paige & Kelsey Navarro. I don’t think I’ve listened to another audiobook with Tim Paige and he vocalized Jason perfectly. I could easily differentiate the different voices that he was trying to narrate and I thought overall he did a great job! The chapter by Kelsey Navarro was narrated perfectly and I’m glad we got to see a glimpse of the story through Cami’s point of view.

Dear Future Self was a quick listen and I enjoyed this sweet friends to lovers/second chance romance!

Daring and the Duke ARC Review

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Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Genre: Historical Romance

Series: Bareknuckle Bastards #3

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: June 30, 2020

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Do you have a favorite historical romance author? I’ve been reading Sarah MacLean for about a year now and I LOVE her romances! She’s such a great author and always writes such great angst. My first book by Sarah MacLean was Wicked and the Wallflower and I have loved her writing since then!

Throughout the Bareknuckle Bastards series we have slowly become acquainted with “The Mad Duke Marwick” as well as his relationship with Grace. We knew that Grace, Whit, Devil and Ewan spent some years together and that the three brothers battled it out over which one was to become Duke. Grace although rightfully the heir to the dukedom was never considered because of her gender.

Well now Grace and Ewan are finally face to face and Grace has had enough of Ewan and his antics. She’s made her own in Covent Garden and is considered a queen in her own right. Ewan can take his dukedom and leave for all she cares.

I love a second chance and Sarah MacLean definitely delivered in Daring and the Duke. I love the backstory of Grace and Ewan and how they grew up together. The Bareknuckle Bastards were inseparable and grew up together, so what happened? What made them split apart and why did Ewan hate Grace, Whit and Devil so much?

This story had the perfect combination of intrigue intertwined with the past and current love stories. I absolutely LOVED Ewan and I can’t believe I just wrote that because I had the opposite feelings in the previous books in the series. His love for Grace was just so damn sweet!

Grace was absolutely amazing! I loved her character as soon as I met her in Wicked and the Wallflower, but she was just so amazing in Daring and The Duke. I love her independence and her relationship with her girl gang. She is so strong even when it’s so hard to be strong and I absolutely love that about her.

This was a great conclusion to the series! And I hope this isn’t the last time we get to visit with The Bareknuckle Bastards

The Dare ARC Review

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The Dare by Elle Kennedy

Rating: ⭐⭐💫

Genre: Sports Romance

Series: Briar U #4

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥

Release Date: June 16, 2020

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.

I will admit that I haven’t read all the books in the Briar U series, but did really enjoy The Risk I was excited to read another book set at Briar U, but sadly I wasn’t as blown away by The Dare as I had hoped to be.

Taylor is a sorority sister, but she doesn’t always love it on Greek Row. Not only is she not interested in the parties, but she’s also not super-model skinny and is a bit insecure about her curves. Her sorority president is a bit of a mean girl and it seems like she’s always out to get Taylor.

Hockey player Connor can have his pick of any women he wants, but he’s tired of the revolving door of women in his life. He hasn’t had a meaningful relationship that’s lasted and he’s a bit over it.

When Taylor accepts a dare to seduce Connor, something special happens. The two end up talking all night and truly end up really liking one another. This is the perfect opportunity to fake date, to make everyone think that they’re truly a couple.

Connor and Taylor are both trying to come into their own while in college and are having a bit of difficulty trying to “fit in.” I really enjoyed how sweet Connor was with Taylor and how reassuring he was about her insecurities regarding her weight. But I really had a hard time finding the chemistry between Connor and Taylor.

The second half of The Dare dragged for me and I wasn’t as interested in the story line twist as I wanted to be. The main conflict resolved itself pretty quickly, but I expected to feel more angst than I did.

I did enjoy the camaraderie between Connor and his friends. Those scenes were some of my favorites. I just wish I was more invested in the romance between Connor and Taylor.

Overall I would give The Dare 2.5 stars.

Not My Romeo ARC Review

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Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Sports Romance

Series: The Game Changers #1

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: August 18, 2020

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Do you like to read sports romances? I love a sports romances, so when I read the synopsis for Not My Romeo – I knew it was a book I had to pick up right away!

Elena doesn’t have the best of luck with men. They usually love her and leave her and she’s had enough. But when her best friend sets her up on a blind date – she agrees. Turns out her date is a hottie and they end up having a one night stand. But her one night stand isn’t who he said he was and turns out to be football quarterback Jack Hawke.

I absolutely LOVED Not My Romeo. I read it over the course of one day and could not put this book down. With Jack and Elena’s respective histories, you would think that these two wouldn’t be so willing to be together. But Elena and Jack had so much great chemistry and I loved the way they let their guard down with one another. Their little inside jokes and hanging out (watching K-dramas) were my favorite.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters in Not My Romeo as well and that is really hard to do. A lot of times secondary characters are added in, but don’t really help with the plot of the book. Definitely not the case with this book and I loved everyone from Elena’s mom to Timmy – the little boy who idolizes Jack.

Not My Romeo was my first book my Ilsa Madden-Mills, but will most definitely NOT be my last! I can not wait for the next book in the series (maybe Devon or Aiden?).