Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Anti-Romance (Anti-Romance #1) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
This was a freebie I downloaded about four years ago and I've put it off for a while because of it's rather bad rating on Goodreads of 3.64. I feel I should point out that most books I read have a rating of between 3.9 and 4.5 stars, so I was wary that I wouldn't like it.
We follow Laney, who writes a blog about her exploits with different men and it's very anti-romance/romance is dead - hence the name of the book. She's currently seeing someone in politics but he gives her an STI and it turns out he is married so she's ready to write her post about him. Then she meets her neighbour Kade, a hot musician who really likes her. And then there's her best friend of years, George, who's been in love with her for years.
I had nothing against Laney spreading the love, really, but I generally prefer to focus on one guy and she was changing between Kade and George rather quickly and easily.
And then the book ended at 49%, mid chapter, mid crisis. It felt too abrupt. Just cut off without some sort of proper ending. I'm understanding it's low rating.
I feel I should also point out that this book is no longer available on Amazon unless you want it as an audiobook and the second part Pro-Love isn't anywhere I can see so I will never know how this story ends. I have to say I was pro Kade since I like the kind of bad boy he seemed to be.
P.S. The best bit for me was probably the four pictures that had hidden penises in them.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Hunter (Boston Belles, #1) in Books
Jan 8, 2021
I picked this up for 99p back in July since I do enjoy me an L.J. Shen book now and then.
This starts with Hunter waking up to find he's starred in his own porn film after having an orgy with some girls and a random guy ended up filming it when he joined in. Hunter is now in deep sh*t with his family after a scandal too many and he is forced to move in with a room mate of his dad's choosing - Sailor Brennan. Sailor is an Olympic archery hopeful who has done nothing but train to make the team for years up to the point of neglecting everything else. Tasked with setting Hunter on the straight and narrow they lock horns for a long time before one night changes everything between them.
I don't know with this one. I liked a lot about it - the romance and how it blossomed from something a little unwanted (but super hot) to all hearts and flowers and public declarations. Hunter's progression from manwhore extraordinaire to a one woman man was cute reading. It was the other half of it, Hunter's family and all that drama, that just seemed unnecessary and way OTT. I do - in a way -understand why they did what they did but it was odd to say the least. They are a strange family apart from Hunter and Aisling.
I feel I have to mention Cillian. He is an enigma. One minute he's being a complete d*ck, the next he's being a rather decent guy. I'm intrigued to see inside his head and I'm assuming his romance with a certain Boston Belle - Emmabelle - may be the next book in the series since he couldn't seem to stop staring at her/talking crap about her.
The Escort (Nights Series #2)
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He is everything I’ve ever wanted in a man. And I will do anything to get him. Even if I have to...
M_M Contemporary Romance
Come from Behind: An Age Gap Gay Romance (Suite Dreams)
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Is it possible that Tavish’s fender-bender on a snowy day will lead to him getting romantically...
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Kiss Quotient in Books
Dec 25, 2018
So The Kiss Quotient is basically a gender-swapped Pretty Woman, as Hoang mentions in the Author's Note. Our heroine, Stella Lane, books an escort to teach her about sex. Stella is thirty years old, has only had sex a couple of times, never enjoyed it, and is worried about not being good at it and therefore not being able to get or keep a boyfriend. She's an incredibly successful econometrician, or someone who uses data and statistics to model and predict economic trends, in her case predicting what people will want to buy from clients. (She's the kind of person responsible for those "Amazon started marketing baby products to me before I even knew I was pregnant!" incidents.) So she has more money than she knows what to do with, and offers Michael, an escort, $50,000 a month to teach her about sex and relationships.
Because this is a romance, we know what's going to happen here. They fall in love with each other, but are sure that for the other one it's just a business arrangement.
I was NOT expecting this book to be as explicit as it is! I think because it is a Book of the Month, I wasn't expecting the standard trope of romance book with hot sex scenes. But that's what I got! I can't say I'm unhappy with that - god knows I like my guilty pleasure romance smut - but it was definitely unexpected. I'm not sure why it surprised me. The book's premise is all about Stella wanting to learn about sex; if that wasn't conducted on screen we'd lose a third of the book!
A sequel has already been announced, and it's about the other autistic character in the book, the hero's best friend's little brother, Khai, who we only see in one scene. Who I'd also like to know more about is the best friend, Quan! So I'm holding out hope for a third book.
One last thing that I found important - in the Author's Note, Hoang mentions her daughter was diagnosed with AS, and in reading about Autism, she realized she is also on the spectrum. This is something I've seen in three different books now. It's so common for women, especially, to go undiagnosed. They might be better at modelling allistic (non-autistic) behavior, or their special interests might be more "acceptable" to allistics, or sometimes they just get looked at as introverts when they're young instead of getting the help they might need. This is starting to change, as researchers and doctors are realizing Autism presents differently in women. But it seems autistic adult women are often discovering they're autistic through a diagnosis of their children. I found that interesting.
I did really enjoy this book. I think it's a great debut novel, and a great romance. I really like the recent trend of more diversity in lead characters in romance novels. Bring on the people of color! More disabled main characters! There's got to be a romance somewhere with a deaf heroine, right? More alternative sexualities and relationship structures! Everyone, everywhere, wants to be loved, and I want to read about it. The thing is, I'm sure these books exist, but they don't get the kind of publicity they need for people to know about them. We have to actually go looking for them. I feel like I've been better about that recently, but it's definitely a place where the publication industry could improve.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
The Proposition (Nights Series #6)
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They call me the Charmer. My best friend Wade tells me it’s because I’m suave and mysterious....
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Stripped Bare in Books
Jun 21, 2019
Thank you to Frankie Love and C.M. Seabrook for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I picked this book up at night before I went to bed. I thought I would read just a couple of chapters since I was exhausted and had a big day the next day. When I saw that it would only take me 45 minutes to read, I decided to just go for it. I think even if the book was 2 hours to read, I may have stayed up to read it.
This is a fast paced novel that goes from strangers to naked very quickly. If you're looking for a quick romance that will leave you hot and bothered, pick up this book right away.
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