Today is my stop on the Carols and Chaos blog tour! This book is so Christmassy and so, despite it being Halloween today, I just feel like curling up in front of the fire with a giant mug of hot chocolate.
Rating: 3.5 STARS
Genre: Historical/YA/Romance
Standalone/Series: Standalone How I got this book: ARC from Xpresso Book Tours
A lady's maid and a valet become entangled in a yuletide counterfeiting scheme in this romantic Christmas YA adventure.
1817. The happy chaos of the Yuletide season has descended upon the country estate of Shackleford Park in full force, but lady's maid Kate Darby barely has the time to notice. Between her household duties, caring for her ailing mother, and saving up money to someday own a dress shop, her hands are quite full. Matt Harlow is also rather busy. He's performing double-duty, acting as valet for both of the Steeple brothers, two of the estate's holiday guests. Falling in love would be a disaster for either of them. But staving off their feelings for each other becomes the least of their problems when a devious counterfeiting scheme reaches the gates of Shackleford Park, and Kate and Matt are unwittingly swept up in the intrigue.
Reading this book immediately took me back to all of those hours binge-watching Downton Abbey (gah, I loved that show), I love the upstairs/downstairs drama. At the same time, it reminded me of Pride and Prejudice, specifically the Austen-era, which I also love and so I quickly became engrossed in this sweet story.
The characters are varied and fantastic. Kate is strong-willed, determined and unperturbed by most of the things thrown her way and Matt is the epitome of a true English gentleman. Their fast-paced romance is full of fun and flirtation but entangled with elements of drama and danger that keep the plot intriguing and moving forward. Carols and Chaos is a sweet, lighthearted Christmas read that is perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Austen novels. As an aside: After reading this book I noticed that it's a spin-off from one of the author's other books, Suitors and Sabotage, but I didn't at any point feel as though I'd missed anything by not reading it, so I'm happy to say that this can be read as a standalone.
Click the cover photo above to add the book to your Goodreads TBR and enter below for your chance to win a signed copy of Carols and Chaos. The giveaway is open internationally and is hosted by Xpresso Book Tours.
Don't forget to click the banner at the top to follow the rest of the tour and feel free to leave your comments below :) Happy Halloween!! Rating: 4 STARS Genre: LGBT/YA Standalone/Series: Standalone How I got this book: ARC from Penguin Random House UK via NetGalley Meet Jack Rothman. He's seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys - sometimes all at the same time. His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, 'it could be worse'. He doesn't actually expect that to come true. But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he's been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack's secret admirer knows everything: where he's hanging out, who he's sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they'll force him. As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous... Warning: Some strong language below...
Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) is the unapologetically honest queer YA you never knew you needed. Let me start by saying that I know there are going to be a lot of people who don't like this book and that the book and the author will probably face a certain amount of backlash, whether it's because there's, 'too much sex for a YA novel', 'it's too open about sex', 'it's too crass', 'it promotes slutty behaviour', 'it victimises straight people'...yeah, you'll probably see all of those opinions at some point or another, I've already seen a few of them myself from other readers. Personally, I found the honesty and openness in this book refreshing. It's important to realise that teens are having sex (no, obviously not all of them, but some of them) and surely it's better to promote open discussions about sex whilst at the same time letting teens know that they're not alone and also strongly encouraging safe sex - all of which, this book does brilliantly. Don't get me wrong, I didn't like everything about this book. I found it difficult at times to relate to Jack and his friends who are rich, vain, rude and at times, not very good friends at all. The fact that they all eat cucumber sandwiches, drink champagne and smoke pot before attending the parties of their private school peers had me rolling my eyes and reminding me very much of a much more queer Gossip Girl. There were also times where I felt that the drama was made out to be more complicated than it actually was, like if Jack was completely honest about his stalker, the threats would have held no power and so things wouldn't have escalated the way that they did, but then I suppose, there would have been no story. Intermixed with the drama and suspense was a lot of humour, mostly from Jack who has a very sarcastic, dry and witty sense of humour, something that I really loved about him. "I'm not sure what constitutes a 'special blowjob.' Violins, maybe?" The darker subject matter, particularly how it completely destroys Jack’s sense of self, was extremely difficult to read. It was painful to witness Jack's building anxiety and the short and long-term effects that it has on him, but I think this made the overall message even more powerful. So no, in terms of plot, I can’t say this book was perfect for me personally, but in terms of the messages contained within it, the message that we all have the right to be happy and to be who we are (as long as we're not hurting anyone) without owing anyone an explanation, was much needed, the message that teenagers are having sex and so better to have open discussions about it whilst promoting safe sex, hell yeah and then there’s highlighting the harsh reality that no matter what you do or how you live your life there’s always going to be someone who has a problem with it and who’s going to try to make your life difficult. But, in the words of Jack himself, "I get to be me. And if you don't like that, fuck off." Jack's book is so resonant, especially in the LGBT community because as someone who doesn’t define as straight/hetero, there still (even today) seems to be so much drama/expectation surrounding your life choices. Like you have to justify who you are and what/who you like when actually, how you choose to live your life is no one's business but your own. "It's not about making myself less amazing so I blend in - it's about making sure everyone around me sparkles with their own shade of glitter, that they feel as amazing as I do." Overall, I like Jack, I think his story is extremely important for all teens (and some adults too), no matter their sexual orientation. This is a book that should exist, and I have no doubt that it will start conversations both good and bad, but at least we'll be talking about it, and talking about the important messages that the author is trying to convey. Trigger Warnings: homophobia, anxiety, suicidal thoughts Rating: 5 STARS!! Genre: Romance/LGBT Standalone/Series: Standalone How I got this book: ARC from the author In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It's not. Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears. Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her. You're going to have to forgive me if this review turns out to be incoherent because sometimes there just aren't words to describe how amazing a book is, but I'll do my best!
I want to start by saying that the only other book I've read by TJ Klune so far is The Lightning Struck Heart which is a hilarious, outrageous m/m fantasy romance that I adored. This book is NOTHING LIKE THAT BOOK - but that's in no way a bad thing! From the synopsis, I expected a romantic suspense novel and so I was not prepared for all of the awesome shit that goes down in this book. Fear not, you know this is a spoiler-free review site, so I'm going to give you my reactions, without giving anything away because honestly, this book is one of the best books I've ever read and I want you all to read it without knowing what to expect! The plot is fantastic, I absolutely love the authors writing style and was instantly swept up into the story and into Nate's head, seeing this story through his eyes was perfect! I love Nate, and Alex and Art, three completely individual characters who's pain, suffering and love was so vivid that I felt connected to them, desperate for things to work out. "...somehow we're all made of dust and stars." Nate is sweet, kind and haunted by his past, Alex appears tough and strong but has a much deeper core, and Art...well, I'll let you discover how amazing Art is by yourself. I love everything about The Bones Beneath My Skin, the way it makes me smile and laugh, the way it warms my heart, the way it sends my heart racing or just stops it dead, the way it has me holding my breath and even the way it has me on the verge of tears, afraid to keep reading but unable to stop. The pacing, the writing, the realistic dialogue, the genuine, evolving connections be they romantic, sexual, friendly or familial, were all perfectly portrayed. The enemies-to-lovers style romance itself is such a fantastic, realistic portrayal of an m/m romance, focusing less on the sex and mostly on the chemistry, tension and bond between these two complex characters. To try and sum this up simply, I couldn't get enough of this book, I read and read for hours, never wanting to put it down and whether you like romance, action, or adventure, I urge you to read this incredible story about oppression, standing up for what matters, appreciating the smaller things in life, and dreaming of an impossible future. "You can fear what you don't understand, but in the end, you can still be brave. You can still stand up for what's right." It's a story of laughter, love, caring, anger, pain, suffering, denial, belief, and a whole shed load of bacon. "Are we going on an adventure?" Trigger Warnings: There are some dark topics that are explored in this book including; suicide, mental illness, grief and homophobia. Rating: 4 STARS Genre: Contemporary YA/LGBT Standalone/Series: Standalone How I got this book: Won in a Twitter competition! Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it. Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things. But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them? Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated. Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited. But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third? What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough? What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play? But what if it is? Trigger Warnings: homophobia, panic attacks, mental health and cheating.
I had such high expectations for this book, something that doesn't usually happen, but was probably caused by the enormous amount of hype surrounding this collaboration and the fact that I absolutely loved Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, and They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. Sadly, for me, the hype and expectations fell just a little short of the reality. Don't get me wrong, in no way was the book bad, it just didn't quite meet those expectations and I was left with some pretty mixed feelings once I put the book down. I loved the writing style of this book, I was initially a little worried about how Adam and Becky's styles would fit together since they're both so different, but the collaboration works really well and I quickly fell into the story. Personally, I feel that What If It's Us is very much a Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda meets They Both Die at the End crossover. You can see that in the writing style and I love that you can immediately tell which author 'wrote' each character and that they pretty much wrote fictional versions of themselves, which is kind of adorable. "Box boy dates guys. I'M A GUY." Arthur is very cute, and very naive, and he reminds me so much of Simon, but I do feel that he has a few character flaws, particularly his jealousy and overreaction to certain things about Ben's past, that, considering they only just met, make me feel that he has no real justification to act the way he does. The actual relationship was pretty realistic (for the most part) although I felt as though maybe one too many cliche's were thrown into the mix and there were a LOT of pop culture references that may go over the heads of people who aren't musical theatre/Harry Potter lovers. "I mean, I don't want to read too much into things, but wow: I meet a cute boy, and five seconds later, I'm in the middle of a flash mob marriage proposal? Could this message from the universe be any clearer?" I liked the secondary characters, Dylan being my favourite character of the whole book, I just loved his openness. He's really adorable. It might be an unpopular opinion, but I don't really feel that there's a huge amount of chemistry between Arthur and Ben, especially from Ben, who I never really feel is 100% invested in making things work and who treats Arthur kind of badly. I actually think he displays more chemistry with his ex than with Arthur. That being said, this book does an important job in terms of the representation, it manages to address both homophobia and racism, whilst showing some cultural differences between the two characters, Ben who is Puerto Rican and Arthur who's Jewish, and who also has ADHD. It was also really nice to see the strong familial bonds in this book, and to see supportive, accepting parents. What If It's Us started off as a very cute gay fairytale and it really was, for the most part, but Adam's more tragic/sad style took the story in a direction that I hadn't expected, giving a very non-typical, in some ways 'unhappy' ending that leaves a lot open for the reader to think about. Happy endings are kind of my thing, so I'm not going to lie, the unconventional ending isn't my favourite thing about this book but it still works. "I guess that's any relationship. You start with nothing and maybe end with everything." Overall though, this is a very sweet YA romance, packed to the brim with important messages about sexuality, love, racism, friendship, privilege and much more. Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: YA/Fantasy Standalone/Series: Spellslinger #4 How I got this book: ARC from Bonnier Zaffre and Hot Key Books via NetGalley The fourth book in the page-turning SPELLSLINGER fantasy series. Perfect for fans of The Dark Tower, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher. (Not much of a synopsis on Goodreads, but, if you haven't read the first three books in the Spellslinger series yet, you can find them here!) I discovered the first book in the Spellslinger series in December 2017, and after reading the following two books in the series earlier this year, it's become a huge favourite.
So, I was more than excited to see Soulbinder pop up in NetGalley as I was desperate to find out what happened after the events of Charmcaster. I'm going to do my very best here to keep any spoilers out of this review, but if you haven't read the first three books of this series, you might want to look away now. You can find my reviews of book two (Shadowblack) and book three (Charmcaster) by clicking on the respective links. This series goes from strength to strength with each new instalment that I read, and Soulbinder is no exception. It felt much more action-packed than the other books in the series, which really sped up the pace. I have noticed a few recurring trends in these books, often with how they start (in the form of the trouble that Kellen is usually in), something bad happening to my favourite character, and the endings which lead Kellen on a new path and show how much he's grown, but each time it's something a little different that keeps things fresh and moving forward, and whilst each individual book has a sub-plot, the overall plot is continuously fuelled and driven forwards. One of the best things about this book is the new characters, in particular, Butelios who is the absolute sweetest person, and the source of many, many smiles during his interactions with Kellen. "...wearing an idiots smile so bright it made you want to kiss him. Even if you weren't into boys." (Shame, because I'd totally ship these two!) Kellen has developed beautifully throughout this series, discovering new strengths, facing his weaknesses, learning new truths and just becoming a better person. He truly rules this book (as does my little fur baby Reichis, of course) and his agony was so painful to witness, even though at the same time you can visibly see just how much he's grown and learned from Ferius and Reichis, becoming the hero (I personally believe) he was destined to be all along. This book is the most heart-wrenching of the entire series, and I was so close to sobbing at one point that I almost didn't want to continue, so brace yourself for ALL THE FEELS! "Life ought to be more than just losing the things you love one after another until you have nothing left." As always, the politics between the various regions, clans, peoples etc. in this series, made the book extremely interesting, as did seeing the cast of new characters clashing with the old. Look out for some pretty awesome new displays of magic!! The book itself is absolutely stunning, so far we've had beautifully illustrated covers in red, blue, orange and now green...I think the next one is purple and it's going to look stunning! The illustrations inside are also beautiful and work extremely well alongside the funny and poignant quotes at the start of each paragraph. "Cages have bars and everyone knows you're supposed to escape a cage, but houses have walls and people lock themselves inside to feel safe. You ask me, it's a lot easier to break out of a cage than a house. - What passes for Squirrel Cat Wisdom." After reading Soulbinder, I can't wait to find out where Kellen's journey takes him next, to discover new enemies, reface old ones, to reconnect with past characters, to be introduced to new ones, and above all, to see what kind of man he becomes. "...I won't know for sure until I meet the man you're going to be once you finally get tired of being the boy you once were." If fantasy and magic is your thing and you're looking for a story featuring an unlikely non-typical hero, a ferocious, bloodthirsty squirrel cat, beautiful friendships, brutal enemies and uncertainty at every turn, I highly recommend that you read this series! Feel free to chat with me about it in the comments whilst I twiddle my thumbs waiting for book 5! Rating: 5 STARS Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance Standalone/Series: Signs of Love #4 How I got this book: Bought It’s a time for searching, and a time for finding, Pisces: keep casting your line and you will hook what you’re looking for. Zane has it all planned out: land the perfect Meet Cute, fall in love, and live happily ever after. Should be simple enough if he put his mind to it. A little creativity and some thinking outside of the box, and voila, he’d be married to the woman of his dreams. It would be perfect. And it would be before his visa ran out. But why are his feelings running wild now that the pressure’s on? Why is his picture-perfect plan turning into a muddled mess of morphed metaphors he can’t make sense of anymore? Just as well he’s met an English professor to help. And even though their first meet is anything but cute, this down-to-earth teacher may just be the realist Zane needs to ground him and give him a shot at love after all. Don’t cast your line too wide, Pisces. Your perfect catch may already have bitten. Okay, so you might already know that Anyta Sunday is one of my absolute favourite romance authors, and her Signs of Love series is just AMAZING!!
When I saw her new release, I just had to one-click and I couldn't be happier, if a little sleep deprived (I bought this book at around 10pm last night and I didn't finish reading until 4 this morning!!) It's THAT GOOD, not to mention crazy adorable! My favourite thing about Anyta's writing is definitely the slow-burn. These are easily my favourites, the tension she builds is so perfect that it's practically fizzing off the page and I LITERALLY cannot stop myself from reading. The 'Signs of Love' series is all about bringing together two people who are pretty opposite in terms of their star signs and their personalities. Pisces Hooks Taurus is no exception and it's so much fun to see these two characters who seem at first to have almost nothing in common, grow so close. As a word lover, I found this book particularly enjoyable as one of the characters is an English professor, whilst the other is intrigued by intelligence and so there's lots of cute and very fun wordplay and book appreciation to be found in Pisces Hooks Taurus. Both Beckett and Zane are complex characters with unique personalities, challenges and character development arcs. They each have their own goals and obstacles to overcome and the two of them together provide plenty of laughs, especially when aided by a meddling, goodhearted elderly neighbour. This story had me grinning from ear to ear, my toes curled in all the right places and the whole thing was just perfection, made even more so by the quotes from romance novels (mostly by Austen) separating each chapter. "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." I'm a mood reader, and when I picked up this book I wanted something that would cheer me up, and make me feel, this book swept me off my feet and I'm already contemplating re-reading the whole series. Prepare yourself to meet Beckett and Zane, and brace your heart for an agonising slow-burn romance that will melt your heart. 'Beckett cast his gaze upward and muttered toward the stars, "Slow burn."' Note: This book can be read as a standalone but honestly, this entire series is too good to be missed!
Welcome to my stop on the Hush blog tour!!
As always, big thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to join in with the tour, I love doing review tours as it's a great way to discover new books and authors! This week's book is Hush by A.M. Salinger, which is book 8 of the authors' Nights series, although it can be read as a standalone.
Rating: 3 STARS
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Standalone/Series: Nights Series #8 - (Can be read as a standalone) How I got this book: ARC from Xpresso Book Tours
Tom Sutherland is an arrogant prick. There, I said it. Okay, so he’s also my assistant and I couldn’t survive without him, but that doesn’t make him less of an irritating bastard — Lana
Lana Keele is a witch. A beautiful, frustrating witch placed on this earth to torment me. Yeah, she’s my boss, but she’s still the most maddening creature I’ve ever had the misfortune to cross paths with — Tom When Lana Keele, president of Keele Industries and only surviving heir to business tycoon Oliver Keele, wakes up in her devil-of-an-assistant’s bed after a drunken night out, she fears the worst. That is, until prissy Mr. Perfect Tom Sutherland declares that she’s the last woman he’d ever want to sleep with. After surviving four years in the company of the infuriating woman he’d lusted after since his teens, Tom has had just about enough of the unholy siren that is Lana, especially when she turns up inebriated on his doorstep one night and demands sex. Convinced that Lana will never return his affections, Tom decides that it’s high time to get over his unrequited love. Except Lana doesn’t quite seem to agree with this plan. Not after she sees him with another woman. Not after she confronts him about it. And most definitely not after he succumbs to temptation and kisses her. As they finally ignite the fire that has burned so long between them, Tom cannot help but be certain that for Lana, this is just about sex. Will he be satisfied with only having the body of the woman he loves and not possess her heart? Or will Lana convince Tom that she truly means to give him her everything?
Hush is the first book that I've read by this author and since I'm always looking to discover new romance authors I jumped at the chance to review it. The synopsis struck me as an enemies to lovers style trope (which I love) and I read the book in just a couple of hours.
It's also the first novella I've read in quite a while and I found myself flying through it. As it's a novella, the story kicks off straight away with Lana waking up in her assistant's bed with a blazing hangover and no idea what happened the night before. Tom and Lana's relationship quickly heats up, with the tension between them building rapidly. The chemistry between the two characters sizzles off the page and the love scenes are SUPER descriptive, if a little cringe-worthy at times, but that's just my opinion. Some of the characters in this book are clearly from the other books in the series but I never really felt as though there was something I'd missed because the author gives a quick overview to introduce each character. Although this book is categorised as a contemporary romance on Goodreads, I'd personally class it as erotic romance as it seems that the sex is at the forefront of the novella with the plot taking a bit of a backseat. I did like that the secondary characters in the book were diverse in terms of their sexuality but I was massively confused by the fact that this book is supposed to be set in Shanghai but I think every single character is white. It would have been nice to have some cultural representation going on here, otherwise why choose Shanghai as a setting at all? Unless I'm missing something here.... The writing style was fun and fast-paced and after looking at the synopsis and reviews of some of the other books in this series, I'm definitely interested in finding out what more A.M. Salinger has to offer. Overall, this was a fast paced, hot read with a simple, fairly drama-free plot and a guaranteed HEA.
Click the cover photo above to add the book to your Goodreads TBR and enter below for your chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card + 2 signed paperback copies of Hush (Open Internationally - giveaway hosted by Xpresso Book Tours).
Finally, you can click the banner at the top to follow the rest of the tour and feel free to leave your comments below :) Blogging sometimes makes me feel like a bit of a grandma. A lot of the bloggers that I talk to or know of are a lot younger than me i.e. they're mid-teens to early-twenties and when they start dropping abbreviations like OTP and TSTL into their posts, I feel like I should be over here putting rollers in my hair before bed and soaking my dentures on the nightstand.
So, if like me, you sometimes find yourself confused by some of the book lingo used in the book community, fear not dearies because the Elder Millennial's Guide to Book Blogging Lingo is here to help you! Terms used when reading/reviewing:
That's it! That's all of the terms I can think of or that I've struggled with myself. If you come across any more terms or abbreviations that boggle your mind, drop me a comment below and I'll do my best to help, even if I do have to call on a young whippersnapper to help explain it to me first!! Now it's time to soak my feet and catch up on my soaps. Goodnight dears... Welcome back for another Romance Author Spotlight! Feel free to check out last month's spotlighted author and find out why I decided to start my monthly romance author spotlight posts.
Tara Sivec is one of my absolute favourite authors. She's written a staggering 31 books and a short story as part of an anthology collection. Tara writes books in several different genres including; romantic comedy, rom-com/mystery, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, new adult drama, and YA thriller. She both self-publishes and publishes traditionally, she's a USA Today Bestseller, and I've read all but 2 of her books. I actually discovered Seduction and Snacks (book 1 of the Chocolate Lovers romantic comedy series) after I'd read Perfection by R.L. Mathewson, it was a 'readers who like this, also like...' recommendation on Amazon/Goodreads. It's funny, I remember the exact moment I started to read the book back in September 2016. I'd chosen to read it whilst using my exercise bike and I burst into laughter from the very first page. I honestly think I burned more calories from all the laughing than I did from the workout. Suffice it to say, I couldn't put the book down, I've since then re-read it at least once and have gone on to read almost all of Tara's other books. It's hard to explain why I love Tara's books so much because it's everything really; her writing style, her stories, her characters, her outrageous humour - ALL OF IT! After Seduction and Snacks, my next favourite book by Tara Sivec is Jed Had To Die. It's a hilarious mystery rom-com featuring three strong women, a very handsome sheriff, a lot of wine and a very suspect pie. This book is my go-to for a laugh and I'm definitely in need of a re-read soon. Here are some more of her books that I just have to mention: Bury Me - This is Tara's only YA novel. It's a thriller that completely messed with my head. I absolutely loved the book but I was honestly terrified and on edge throughout the whole thing. Below Deck - If you've seen the reality TV show with the same name, you'll love Below Deck. It's a contemporary romance with plenty of humour, set on a Mediterranean cruise, making it the perfect summer read. The Story of Us series - This is a heart-breaking romantic drama series with beautiful, compelling characters and truly heart-wrenching stories. Fisher's Light - Another contemporary romance drama, like with The Story of Us, this story features a strong military PTSD story line which makes the story even more powerful. If you're looking for a book that's almost guaranteed to make you cry, this is the one. Playing With Fire series and Ignite series - These series are bad-ass! I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next and always fearing the worst. What I really love about these series and pretty much all of Tara's books, is that the heroines are strong, powerful women. These books are packed full of action, suspense and plenty of heat. Naughty Princess Club series - Tara's latest series is a hilarious collection of fairytale re-tellings with a modern twist. Meet Cinderella, Belle and Ariel as you've never known them before. The Simple Life - Her latest release is a sweet contemporary romance that's perfect for autumn. Set on a pumpkin farm and with a guaranteed feelgood HEA this is the book for you. There are still a few books I haven't mentioned (only because there are so many) but you can find them all on Tara's Goodreads page. I honestly believe there is something for everyone in Tara's books. Books to make you laugh uncontrollably, books to make you cry, books to make you question everything and books that will have you on the edge of your seat with bated breath. Have you read any of Tara Sivec's books? I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments below. Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: Romantic Comedy Standalone/Series: Awkward Love #6 (Can be read as a standalone) How I got this book: Bought I’m the girl who likes ‘the cock in the back hole.’ At least, that’s what the dating profile my so-called friends set up for me claims. I’m also into BDSM, Furries and ‘I’ll try anything twice.’ I have no idea the profile exists until the replies start rolling in. They range from funny, to downright creepy and everything in between. Just as I’m shutting down my email account for good, a new message pops up. He’s funny and he's the only one to suspect the profile is a joke, so I think what the hell? I reply. When he suggests that we meet, I say yes. When I walk into that bar, he's sitting at a table, facing the other way. He turns his head just enough for me to be able to make out his face… Fuck. It’s Cameron Hunter, one of the rudest, most arrogant assholes I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. He's also the son of one of the state's most influential judges. The same judge who's about to become my step-father... OMG! This book was hilarious!
I started reading this at about 11:30pm and didn't put it down until 2am when I'd finished, it was THAT addictive! I could not stop giggling, snorting and swooning throughout the whole of this book. It's my first Missy Johnson book and I will definitely be reading more by this hilarious author. The characters in this book were ridiculous, immature and sassy but it worked really well. I loved the clashing personalities, the unexpected comebacks and the pranks. The romance in this book is off the charts. It's very hot and heavy when it gets going. The pacing is fantastic, the writing is easy going and had me unable to put the book down once I'd started. I can honestly say that I don't regret the lack of sleep because Darcy, Cameron, Mack and the whole gang were too good to miss! If you're a fan of outrageous enemies-to-lovers rom-com's like The Hating Game and authors like Tara Sivec, you're going to love Payback's a Bitch! P.S. This book is part of a series but I happily read it as a standalone without feeling as though I'd missed anything. |
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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