Category Archives: 4 hearts

Release Day Review: The Deal Dilemma by Meagan Brandy

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The Deal Dilemma by Meagan Brandy
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: September 23rd 2022
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review

Ever wonder what would happen if you bribed your brother’s ex-best friend to pop your cherry?

Yeah, me either, but I did it anyway. Now the moody man is madder than ever, but I came prepared to strike a deal …

One he can’t refuse.

Crew Taylor is the picture of perfection, if gruff, grumpy, and prone to throw a punch is your type. Clearly, it’s mine or I wouldn’t be begging him to bite the bullet and claim my virginity as his own.

Sure, he’s a bit of a caveman, broody and bossy and oh so naughty, but that’s sort of the point.
He’s experienced, his heated hazel eyes promising sinful skills in seduction, and I want him to teach me all he knows.

Lesson by lesson.
Night after night.

The problem?

He says he won’t allow me in his bed … but I wonder what it would take to get him to play in mine a bit?

If you love a good brother’s best friend romance, The Deal Dilemma is for you! This is a new adult standalone about a college girl who wants to finally lose her virginity, and she knows the perfect man to do the job: her brother’s ex-best friend.

The Deal Dilemma is so fun and flirty, and I adored the main characters. Davis is a gorgeous nerd who wants her brother’s ex-bestie Crew, who she grew up around, to help her get rid of her v-card, even though they haven’t spoken in years since Crew and Memphis’ falling out. Crew thinks Davis is insane for this (especially when she whips out a whole essay on the reasons why he should agree) but he doesn’t seem to want her to lose her virginity to anyone else. There’s lots of good jealousy on his part, and the way Davis drives Crew crazy is hilarious! Their banter and chemistry was great, and I loved seeing their friendship slowly grow into something more.

Besides the romance, I loved Crew’s brother/best friend crew! They are all so funny but so protective of Crew, who was taken advantage by someone who should’ve been there for him. We get to learn more about his past and his former relationship with Memphis, which might not have been the best. All of this added some great depth to the story and made for a great read.

Even though on the surface, The Deal Dilemma sounds like your typical new adult, brother’s best friend romance with a bad boy/good girl dynamic, it’s a lot more than that too!


lacey

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Review: Ruthless Rival by L.J. Shen

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Ruthless Rival by L.J. Shen
Series: Cruel Castaways #1
Publication Date: May 3rd 2022
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

From Wall Street Journal bestselling author L.J. Shen comes an enemies-to-lovers romance about the fine line between seeking revenge and finding love.

When she was young, Arya Roth became best friends with her housekeeper’s son. Soon, friendship turned to young love, and when Arya dared him to kiss her, a chain reaction of disastrous events led to the boy being sent away and out of Arya’s life.

Now, two decades later, Arya is an on-the-rise publicist with her beloved father as one of her biggest clients. So when her father is sued by a former employee, Arya sets out to prove that her father is not the monster he is accused of being. The only problem is the attorney who is determined to destroy her father’s good name. Christian Miller is charming, ambitious, and devilishly good looking, and Arya has no idea he is that same boy who kissed her all those years ago.

Past and present collide as Arya falls hard for Christian. But when she finds out who he really is and about his obsession with getting revenge on her father, can she choose love over family?

There’s no one who does enemies to lovers quite like L.J. Shen.

I’ve been dying to read Ruthless Rivals since I first heard about it and read the blurb! It’s got childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance, and of course, enemies to lovers. Arya was the rich girl from a powerful family, Christian was the poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks who was sent away and built a new life for himself. Now they reunite – her an on-the-rise publicist whose father is being sued, him a ruthless lawyer set on destroying her father – but she has no idea who he used to be to her.

As soon as Christian and Arya meet as adults, there are fireworks between them. The romance has L.J. Shen’s iconic banter, especially from the hero’s dirty mouth. If you’ve read and enjoyed the author before, you’ll pretty much know what to expect, because she doesn’t hold back from the chemistry or steam.

Ruthless Rivals will have you on the edge of your seat. It’s not necessarily suspenseful, but there’s so much good tension between the main characters, from all of Christian’s lies and his quest for revenge against Arya’s father. Everything gets twisted and addicting and I really enjoyed how everything played out!


lacey

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Review: Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills

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Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills
Series: Strangers in Love #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 29th 2022
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

An NFL quarterback turned small-town coach gets sacked by a Texas beauty queen in this swoony, passionate romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills.

Gorgeous, talented, and brilliant, NFL quarterback Ronan Smith has the world in his hands. But after losing his career and his fiancée in a car accident, he falls into a pit of grief and bad choices. When a mysterious girl shows up to his party, he feels drawn to her and makes her his…for one night.

Former beauty queen Nova Morgan is on a mission. Scantily clad as a princess from a galaxy far, far away, she sneaks into a high-profile party to capture the attention of her favorite quarterback. But her hopes crash after an awful one-night stand.

Fast-forward two years. Broke and desperate, Nova returns home to Blue Belle, Texas, where, by a cosmic twist of fate, her broody neighbor is none other than Ronan, the shiny new football coach everyone adores. But he has no idea who she is.

The booster club keeps shoving women at Ronan to keep him in town. His solution? He proposes fake dating to Nova. But things heat up for real under these Friday-night lights when he realizes she’s the one who slipped away.

Has this jaded beauty found her forever baller, or will his past keep them apart?

This was freaking adorable! I’ve enjoyed Ilsa Madden-Mills’ sports romances in the past, but this might be my favorite one yet. It was fun and and so cute, with plenty of great banter and chemistry!

Nova and Ronan meet at a party one night and hook up, but they don’t see each other again for 2.5 years, when they suddenly become neighbors. Ronan is retired from the NFL and has moved from NYC to Texas to coach a high school team and Nova is in Texas to be her niece’s guardian. The feelings that started back all those years ago pretty much come back to life now that they’re in each others’ lives again.

If you love the fake dating trope, you’ll love Beauty and the Baller! Nova and Ronan fake date in their small town to get some people off their back, and they were simply adorable together. Because of the forced proximity and fake dating, they slowly become friends until that beautiful moment when they realize that maybe the “fake” part of their relationship isn’t so fake after all.

This book was a wonderful combination of small town, second chances, and fake dating. Throw in a former football player and you have a fantastic romance!


lacey

Reading Order: Strangers in Love series

#1 ~ Beauty and the Baller: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Princess and the Player: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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Review: After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long

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After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long
Series: The Palace of Rogues #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: November 30th 2021
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Sparks fly when a daring diva clashes with an ice-cold war hero in the newest thrilling romance in USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long’s Palace of Rogues series.

She arrives in the dead of night, a mob out for blood at her heels: Mariana Wylde, the “Harlot of Haywood Street,” an opera diva brought low by a duel fought for her favors. But the ladies of the Grand Palace on the Thames think they can make a silk purse from scandal: They’ll restore her reputation and share in her triumph…provided they can keep her apart from that other guest.

Coldly brilliant, fiercely honorable, General James Duncan Blackmore, the Duke of Valkirk, is revered, feared, desired…but nobody truly knows him. Until a clash with a fiery, vulnerable beauty who stands for everything he scorns lays him bare. It’s too clear the only cure for consuming desire is conquest, but their only chance at happiness could lead to their destruction.

The legendary duke never dreamed love would be his last battleground. Valkirk would lay down his life for Mariana, but his choice is stark: risk losing her forever, or do the one thing he vowed he never would…surrender.

After Dark with the Duke was fabulous! I haven’t read too many Julie Anne Long books but this is easily my favorite one so far. I’m a sucker for a stoic, older hero!

Mariana Wylde is an opera singer known as the “Harlot of Haywood Street.” She needs some help in restoring her reputation, and the ladies at the Grand Palace on the Thames are determined to do just that. There’s just one little chink in this plan, and that takes place in the form of General James Duncan Blackmore. He’s 18 years older than her and very straight-laced. He doesn’t approve of Mariana because of her supposed reputation. There’s wit, banter, and plenty of chemistry between them. I loved the push and pull and the way the romance slowly developed.

If you love opposites attract and forced proximity in your historical romances, I highly recommend this book. Even though they get off on the wrong foot in the beginning, James and Mariana have this fantastic connection that draws them in. They’re both hiding at the Grand Palace in their own ways and manage to find love and solace with each other. It was just a very swoony romance and I really want to read more JAL books now!


lacey

Reading Order: The Palace of Rogues series

#1 ~ Lady Derring Takes a Lover: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Angel in a Devil’s Arms: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ I’m Only Wicked with You: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ After Dark with the Duke: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ You Were Made to Be Mine: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads (June 28, 2022)

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Review: Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

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Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Series: Written in the Stars #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 1st 2022
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Following Written in the Stars and Hang the Moon, Lambda Literary Award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur pens another steamy queer rom-com about former best friends who might be each other’s second chance at love…

Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much. But now her entire crew has found “the one” and she’s beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant—her childhood friend, her first love, her first… well, everything. It’s been ten years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.

Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married… and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.

When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person. Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love?

Count Your Lucky Stars is the third standalone in the Written in the Stars series and I’ve been looking forward to it! The series has been great so far and I ended up enjoying it so much. In this third book, we’ve got an F/F romance between former childhood best friends who were in love and now they get their second chance 10 years later.

Olivia Grant is divorced and has just gotten a new job in Seattle working as a wedding planner. Her new client’s best woman is none other than her old best friend Margot Cooper, who she had a falling out with a decade ago when they were young and in love. When Olivia needs a place to stay, the two end up becoming roommates, which means the two are forced to reconcile over what went wrong all those years ago and see if it’s possible to have a second chance at love.

I love second chance romances! Add in the roommates trope, and I’m even happier. There’s a lot of good forced proximity here, but even without that, there are still a lot of sparks between Margot and Olivia because of their unfinished business. The romance is sweet and emotional and I loved seeing the characters from the previous books here too. The whole series has such a great friend group! I thought it was adorable how Brendon turned into such a matchmaker. Count Your Lucky Stars is a bit slower paced than the first two books and there’s a lot of back and forth between the main characters, but I did really like the story and second chance.


Reading Order: Written in the Stars series

#1 ~ Written in the Stars: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Hang the Moon: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Count Your Lucky Stars: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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