Tag: Friends to Lovers

Getaway Girl and Runaway Girl Reviews

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

Getaway Girl & Runaway Girl by Tessa Bailey

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Series: Girl #1 & Girl #2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥

I’ve been in a reading slump these last few months. I haven’t had too many books where I pick them up and can’t stop reading them – even if the book ended up being a 5⭐️ book for me. I was doing a bookstagram stack challenge and had pulled out Getaway Girl by Tessa Bailey and decided to pick it up. Why I didn’t pick up this book sooner I don’t know!!!! I started it one evening and read 75% in one sitting and the rest of the book the next day. And then of course I had to read the next book in the series and binged that one just as fast! If you’re looking for a smoking hot series with the sweetest alpha/cinnamon rolls and strong fierce heroines then pick up this series!

GETAWAY GIRL

Addison is back in Charleston. She left a few years ago and hasn’t been back. Her cousin is getting married though and Addison is bold enough to drop by the wedding – just to see the reaction from her estranged relatives.

Elijah is set to be the future mayor of Charleston. His father occupied the seat and now he is a natural shoo in. He’s planned the perfect wedding with his perfect fiancee. Only his fiancee stands him up at the alter. When he gets a chance to getaway from his failed nuptials Addison is in the car waiting to go.

What starts off as two people who hardly know each other turns in to so much more. I loved the easiness that Elijah and Addison have one another. They give each other shit, but also look out for one another. That kind of easy chemistry was evident from the moment these two met each other.

In typical Tessa Bailey fashion – she brought the heat and had the pages sizzling! The intimacy between Elijah and Addison was so real. I felt every push and pull of their relationship. They weren’t always perfect and didn’t always see eye to eye, but the love between them was so evident. Bailey sure does know how to write the sweetest heroes who are part alpha and part cinnamon roll and Elijah was all of those thing. I loved the sweet nicknames Elijah had for Addison and Addison’s obsession with Elijah’s butt was hilarious.

RUNAWAY GIRL

On the day of her wedding – literally minutes before she’s due to walk down the aisle – Naomi Clemons calls of her wedding. Her future husband – the mayor of Charleston – is the perfect man and on paper Naomi and Elijah are the perfect couple. But he doesn’t even know what kind of wine she likes to drink and they’re lacking that spark that Naomi craves. Naomi doesn’t want to go through the motions for the rest of her life and so she gets in her car and runs away.

Jason Bristow is on leave from the Special Forces. Circumstances have it that his sister Birdie who is a senior in high school is now in his care. Birdie and Jason have become distant over the years and they’re both grieving in their own ways over the loss of their sibling. An ad for a pageant coach leads Naomi to their door and immediately sparks fly between Jason and Naomi.

Grumpy meets sunshine is maybe one of my favorite tropes and Tessa Bailey does such a wonderful job with Jason and Naomi! I love how grumpy Jason is but equally how fierce and brave Naomi is. Naomi needs to prove to herself that she’s not just a former beauty queen and that she can stand on her own two feet without her parents money or help. Jason isn’t quite sure what to do with this gorgeous lady who is so far out of his league, but he decides to take a chance on her if she can help his sister with her quest to compete in a beauty pageant.

I loved the slow burn relationship between Jason and Naomi. Jason knows exactly when to back off and let Naomi make her own decisions. He never rushes her and is as patient with her as he can be. But being away with the Special Forces has built up a need in him to protect those close to him and Naomi is now in that inner circle. Their relationship was sweet, fun and so so sexy!

After reading Getaway Girl, I absolutely had to read more about Naomi and I’m so glad that I picked up Runaway Girl. Although this book can potentially be read a standalone I would recommend reading Getaway Girl first and then picking up Runaway Girl. I absolutely love this series so much and am so glad I read it!

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Paradise Cove ARC Review

~ Tej ~ Leave a comment

Paradise Cove by Jenny Holiday

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Series: Matchmaker Bay #2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: July 28, 2020

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

Jake is content in Moonflower Bay. He is surrounded by a wonderful community – and if they meddle sometimes he’s gotten used to it by now. A lot of the townsfolk don’t really consider him a big talker and he’s used to being solo. If you’ve read Mermaid Inn then you know that Jake’s past involves a lot of heartache, but is a bit of a mystery.

Doctor Nora Walsh needs a fresh start and Moonflower Bay seems like the perfect place. She has just ended a long term relationship and likes the vibe she gets from the quaint and charming small town. Nora and Jake’s paths soon cross and they develop a sweet friendship.

If you love a friends to lovers, slow burn then this is the perfect book for you! I loved how Nora and Jake’s friendship was always center to their relationship. They opened up to one another in ways that they hadn’t been able to do with other people in their life. They talked openly about grief, past relationships and life in general. And although grief was a big part of this book, so was healing. I felt so much for both Jake and Nora and their respective struggles with grief and how to overcome it. The way Jake and Nora always seemed to be there for one another was so sweet and I loved their relationship even more for that. But don’t let the sweet cover fool you! Once Nora and Jake move past the friendship stage they definitely know how to burn up the pages.

Moonflower Bay is so charming with it’s meddling old folks. I absolutely love the relationships that are formed in this small town community. The people here may come off as intrusive, but they sure do really care about one another.

If you’re looking for a sexy friends to lovers/slow burn romance then grab yourself a copy of Paradise Cove! I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading it and can’t wait to return to Moonflower Bay.

Heartland ARC Review

~ Tej ~ 1 Comment

Heartland by Sarina Bowen

Genre: Contemporary Romance/New Adult Romance

Series: True North #7

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥

I received a complimentary advance title of this book from the author.

Chastity is still learning the ways of the outside world. She was raised in a compound as part of a cult and didn’t really know much about the outside world until she decided to escape. She ran away from Wyoming to her cousins place in Vermont and that’s where she met her best friend Dylan Shipley. Dylan and Chastity are now going to the same college where Chastity secretly pines for Dylan.

Dylan needs the break away from his family and specifically big brother Griffin. He goes to school Monday through Friday but still heads home every weekend to help his family with their farm. Sometimes life is a bit hectic, so why can’t he enjoy college life with hook-ups, frat parties and occasionally smoking some pot?

I loved this sweet friends-to-lovers story between Dylan and Chastity. I feel like this trope can be tricky sometimes, but immediately you can sense the bond between Dylan and Chastity. Dylan was the sweetest with Chastity, even though at times that’s not what Chastity wanted. I loved how she eventually came out of her shell after being sheltered for so many years. The chemistry between these two was sizzling hot even though they tried to deny it at first.

One of my favorite parts of the whole True North series is the focus on family and friendships. I love the Shipley family and it’s meddling ways, but in Heartland I truly enjoyed the relationships that Dylan had with Rickie and Chastity’s relationship with Ellie. These were such great characters and the parts of the book with banter between the friends was always so fun (and funny!)

A lot of this story resonates with me personally. Growing up in a small rural farming town, it was expected that if you went to college you to still had to come back on (most) weekends and help the family. So I completely understand how Dylan has these obligations and what a burden that can be sometimes even if he truly loves his farm and everyone on it. Those scenes really got to me and I feel like Sarina Bowen does such a wonderful job with that.

Heartland has it all – there’s cute goats, some pretty fun caramel making and a sweet and sexy love story between two best friends. I really really enjoyed Heartland and cannot wait to read more of these characters that I have grown to love so much (who’s story could be next? Rickie? Daphne? I can’t wait!)

Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne ARC Review

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Central Park Pact #3

Heat Level: 🔥

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received a complimentary copy of this book from TastyBookPR

Do you have a favorite author? Or one who you always auto-buy? Prior to learning about ARC’s I would scrounge author’s websites to see what book was coming up soon and then one-click on Amazon 😊. Lauren Layne has been an auto-buy author for a few years now 💕

After reading Passion on Park Avenue and Love on Lexington Avenue I couldn’t wait to read Clarke and Audrey’s story. Lauren Layne did not disappoint in bringing us the perfect book to end this series. What started off as three women meeting under the most unusual circumstance – at a funeral for the man that they were all very intimate with (wife, mistress and girlfriend) – turned in to three friends who eventually found the right man for them.

Throughout Passion on Park Avenue and Love on Lexingon Avenue, you saw snippets of Clarke and Audrey and how close they were. I loved their friendship so much and was just waiting until these two realized they had feelings for one another 💏

Audrey is having a hard time moving on from the death of her supposed boyfriend. She’s heartbroken for what she could have had and also doubts herself in choosing the right person. Marriage is completely off the table…that is until Clarke tells his mom Audrey and him are engaged 💍

I love a fake relationship trope so much and LL did such a good job with not only a fake relationship but friends to lovers as well. Clarke and Audrey are under the assumption that they’ll stay friends while being fake engaged, but as lines start to blur it is becoming harder to maintain a distance and not truly act as an engaged couple.

I loved this book so much and I think that Marriage on Madison Avenue was the perfect book to end this wonderful series ❤️