📖Romance Books: reviews and recommendations📖 - Page 19

Title: Last on the List (Wait with me # 5)

Author: Amy Daws

Year Published: 2022

Genre: Contemporary M/F Romance

Trope/s: Single dad, Boss-employee (sort of), Grumpy-Sunshine (sort of), Age-gap, Plus size FMC

Narrative type: Linear, First person alternating PoVs

Maturity rating: Adult +++

Personal rating: 3.75/5

Synopsis:

CEO millionaire, Max Fletcher is a single dad in desperate need of a nanny.

Cozy Barlow is in the middle of her self-appointed “gap year” and doing everything she can to detach from her past.

But when her sister begs her to interview for the nanny position of a high maintenance client, she doesn’t have a good enough reason to say no.

And when Max locks eyes on the twenty-something in a tie-dye sweatsuit who pitches the idea of daydreaming all summer—he prepares to give this bad nanny the boot.

One problem: Max’s little girl thinks this plus-sized in body and spirit nanny might be her new bestie, so she hires her on the spot.

Now Max is stuck with this bizarre woman who hates everything he represents—corporate greed, money, status, power.

But one stormy night when the power goes out, he discovers Cozy doesn’t hate him. In fact, he’s the leading role in her fantasies.

Fantasies, he would very much like to make a reality.

Review: I liked this book. I really did. The writing was funny and sexy, the characters were quirky, the situations were fun but but...I just could not warm up to the characters- neither Max nor Cozy. Idk why. Cozy is really cute. She signs up as nanny for Max's 11 year old Everly for the summer since Max's ex wife is unable to have her. And therein begins their tale.

It was a little sordid that they were boinking right there with Everly present and all but hey, this is a romance and I get it- it's supposed to be forbidden and all. Anyways, I really love the dynamic between Max and his brothers and MAx and his ex. Cozy is so likeable on paper but in the end I can't remember a single nice thing about her. Oh yeah, she's had a past experience that comes up and causes major drama in their love life. That is the main conflict. And Everly plays Cupid (a bit). There are some parts that are very rom-commy and fun. Oh and steamy! ☺️ But I wish the characters were better etched out. Overall, this was good though I don't know if I'll go back and read the other books in this series. We do meet all the other couples - they are Max's friends. But I'm more interested in reading a spin-off series on Max's brothers - that would be really fun because Wyatt, Luke and Calder were super hilarious and sexy.

Placeholder for review of Doctor Heartless by J. Saman

Originally posted by: EuphoricDamsel

I have to ask this!

Is anyone here a Rina Kent fan???

She is SO POPULAR and her Royal Elite series is so popular I want to try anything of hers!

But am confused where to start.

Her Deception Trilogy is by far the best work of hers. You can try there then after finishing it, start Deviant King

Originally posted by: LizzieBennet

Apparently it is. There are 11 Books in the Sign of Love series but none of them have anything to do with the others so they can all be read as stand-alones.

I really liked Archer's Voice. Not sure how Mia Sheridan's other works are and not sure I want to try them right now. 😳 Perhaps you can read this one and let me know how it is? 😳

Don't rely on me. I'll probably read these books in my next janam.🤣 This life is too short to complete all the books in my TBR🤣

Originally posted by: FingerFetish

Her Deception Trilogy is by far the best work of hers. You can try there then after finishing it, start Deviant King

Do you have any more book suggestions?

Originally posted by: EuphoricDamsel

I have to ask this!

Is anyone here a Rina Kent fan???

She is SO POPULAR and her Royal Elite series is so popular I want to try anything of hers!

But am confused where to start.

Hello, jaaneman! (Late reply because catching up on notifications here.)

I personally wouldn't recommend it because I read some scenes of the Aiden-Elsa couple, and honest to God, I would have killed the guy. It felt like hatred-fuelled bullying to me. I genuinely can't understand this new trend of romanticising stalking, bullying and abuse.

Book Title: The Roommate

Author: Rosie Danan

Genre: Contemporary M/F Romance

Year Published: 2020

Narrative type: Third person Alternating PoVs; linear timeline

Trope/s: Opposites Attract/ forced proximity/ slow burn (sorta)/ Forbidden love (again sorta)/ different worlds

Triggers: Sexual exploitation

Maturity Rating: Adult

Personal Rating: 3.75 / 5

Synopsis (Book blurb):

House Rules:

Do your own dishes.
Knock before entering the bathroom.
Never look up your roommate online.

The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She’s the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara’s childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too much to resist. Unfortunately, it’s also too good to be true.

After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger. Josh might be a bit too perceptive—not to mention handsome—for comfort, but there’s a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn’t looked him up on the Internet...

Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton’s most scandalous story yet. His professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they’re lucky, they’ll help everyone else get lucky too.

Review:

Ok, this book surprised me. It went slow in the beginning and slumped in the middle but the end and some bits in-between made it all worthwhile. Plus I really really loved Josh. It surprised me that he was only 26. He seemed so much more mature. Clara moves in with him chasing after her childhood crush and soon discovers her room-mate has some undeniable prowess in an area she is woefully under-experienced in. Yup, he's an adult film star and a very well-known name in the p**n industry. He is currently cooling his heels a bit while figuring out his next move, while trying hard not to succumb to a big-time leech who's trying to lure him into hardcore stuff. Performer though he maybe, he still has ethics. But he still has to pay bills. He’s almost going to accept when Clara offers him a way forward and suggests making aesthetic and educational videos that teaches people about ermm..pleasure. Josh is of course an expert at that and he ropes in his ex (with whom he shared an explosive on-screen chemistry) into this venture.

Josh tries very hard to resist Clara but ultimately gives in (of course he does). Some things he does for her are so sweet - letting her drive his Corvette just so she can get over her PTSD, and then when she bangs up his car (that she didn't even take his permission to use) he brings her flowers! Flowers, people! Lord, he's boyfriend goals for sure! I hated the way Clara treats him like a dirty secret and when she denies knowing him in front of a bigwig politician, my heart broke so damn much. My boy deserved better! That's why I'm glad the grand gesture came from Clara. Redeemed her somewhat in my eyes.

Though the book is about the sex industry and the ML works in it, there is surprisingly not that much spice. But the scenes that are there are beautifully written.

This book remains a mixed bag, though I still came out liking it for the most part (mostly because of the ML)

Hey Lizzzz, I started It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey. Does this series only have 2 books?

Originally posted by: la_Reine

Hey Lizzzz, I started It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey. Does this series only have 2 books?

Title: The Takeover (The Miles High Club #2)

Author: T.L. Swan

Year published: 2020

Narrative style: First person, dual PoV, linear

Maturity rating: Strictly Adult (Spice level: 4.0)

Personal Rating: 3.5

Tropes: Single mom, Younger MMC, Enemies-to-lovers (I guess, but they don't stay enemies for very long), opposites attract (sorta?)

Triggers: Death/ Grief

Book blurb:

I first met Tristan Miles at a meeting where he was trying to take over my late husband’s company.

He was powerful, arrogant, and infuriatingly gorgeous, and I hated him with every cell in my body. In the shock of the century, he called me three days later and asked me on a date.

I would rather die than date a man like him—though I do have to admit it was good for the ego. Turning him down was the highlight of my year.

Six months later, he was the guest speaker at a conference I attended in France.

Still arrogant and infuriating—but this time, surprisingly charming and witty.

When he looked at me, I got butterflies.

But I can’t go there.

He’s just a player in a hot suit, and I’m just a widow with three unruly sons.

I just need this conference to be over.

Because everybody knows that Tristan Miles always gets what he wants…and what he wants is me.

Review:

I began with Book #2 in this series because I'd heard so much about it. So many people in the FB group I'm in recommended it highly and all I can say is that I get why so many are staking claim to Tristan Miles as their book boyfriend.

That said, I had so many problems with this book but almost all of them can be summarized as: I can see why the FMC (& her kids) fell in love with Tristan but I cannot, for the life of me, figure why Tris fell for Claire (or her kids).

Claire is such a clueless mom. For all her possessiveness about her kids, she has no effing clue what's going on with them! It took Tris to figure out Harry's school problems and one meeting with his teacher was all it needed.

This man just gives, gives, gives and gets zilch in return. That third act sh*t that Claire pulled in regard to Tris & her kids was so WTF I cannot even! And then there was no resolution for it! The groveling scene (Claire is groveling, of course!) was written but it had no meaning. In the end, the grand gesture came from two of her kids and not Claire herself. And Tris just effing gave up everything for her! What even??

I mean I get why this book is so loved- the author writes it like a kind of wish fulfillment for older women with kids being desired by a younger, hotter man. But when one half of the couple is doing everything for the relationship and all you get from her is her constant thoughts on how 'beautiful' he is, I'm seriously pissed.

The writing also left much to be desired. The author has an easy, breezy style of writing that I'll admit makes it easy to read (I devoured this book in a matter of a few hours), her writing style was seriously ugh in places. Didn't she have a proof-reader? And also Claire behaves like a teenager at times (she's 38 and the mother of a teen and two younger boys! WTF!) Tris does too and that was annoying. Neither of the leads seemed to have any maturity. Their characters seem to have been butchered for the sake of a few laughs.

There are some LOL moments and some awww moments, (a couple made me tear up too) but overall all I'll say is Tris deserved better. The 3.5 stars are all for him. He's awesome. I loved him. The whole reason why i shook myself out of my inertia to write this review is because of how outraged i feel for him. Sorry, Tris. Your creator let you down .

I have Elliot's book downloaded (I didn't quite like Jameson in this one so idk if I'll read his book), but I'm conflicted on if I'll read it.

Overall, I thought this author (& this book) was overhyped.