Release Day Review: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: September 4th 2018
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Most men can’t handle Hazel. With the energy of a toddler and the mouth of a sailor, they’re often too timid to recognize her heart of gold. New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Roomies, Beautiful Bastard) tells the story of two people who are definitely not dating, no matter how often they end up in bed together.

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them…right?

Christina Lauren is easily in my top 10 most beloved authors. This author duo knows how to write romance, and write it well. Each new release of theirs brings something unique and fresh to the genre, and Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is no different. Josh and Hazel stole my heart in their hilarious, adorable friends-to-lovers romance. If you love entertaining books with well-written characters that are utterly relatable, you definitely need this book in your life!

I love quirky heroines, and you don’t get any more quirky than Hazel. She looks at the world a little differently than other people, and Josh understands her in a way few others do and adores her all the more for it. Josh is her perfect match, the steady stability to Hazel’s wild ways. They’ve known each other for a decade since college, but after reuniting, their friendship grows even stronger. You can absolutely feel the strength in the foundation of their friendship, and I love how that friendship slowly grows into an epic love.

As much as I love alpha heroes, it’s the quiet, dependable heroes that always get to me. Josh’s support and adoration for Hazel is one of the best parts about this novel. In addition to that, Christina Lauren did a fantastic job at authentically writing about Josh’s life as a Korean-American. As an Asian-American myself, I couldn’t help but appreciate how seamlessly the authors wove Korean culture, from the language to the food, into the story.

If you’re a fan of rom-coms and friends-to-lovers, I can’t recommend this book enough. Josh and Hazel’s story is fresh, genuine, and romantic. Christina Lauren left me with a smile on my face by the end of the book, but that’s no surprise for me. They’ve been knocking their 2018 releases out of the park, and I already can’t wait for more from them!

lacey

Also by Christina Lauren:

Standalones:

Dating You / Hating You: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Autoboyography: Ebook • Hardcover • Audible • Goodreads
Roomies: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Love and Other Words: My Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Reading Order: Beautiful Bastard series

#1 ~ Beautiful Bastard: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Beautiful Bitch: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Beautiful Stranger: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Beautiful Bombshell: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Beautiful Player: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.5 ~ Beautiful Beginning: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.6 ~ Beautiful Beloved: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Beautiful Secret: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Beautiful Boss: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Beautiful: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Reading Order: Wild Seasons series

#1 ~ Sweet Filthy Boy: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Dirty Rowdy Thing: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Dark Wild Night: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Wicked Sexy Liar: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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9Aug2018

Early Review: Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill
Series: Heirs of Chicagoland #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 14th 2018
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

In the first thrilling installment of Chloe Neill’s spinoff to the New York Times bestselling Chicagoland Vampires series, a new vampire will find out just how deep blood ties run.

As the only vampire child ever born, some believed Elisa Sullivan had all the luck. But the magic that helped bring her into the world left her with a dark secret. Shifter Connor Keene, the only son of North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, is the only one she trusts with it. But she’s a vampire and the daughter of a Master and a Sentinel, and he’s prince of the Pack and its future king.

When the assassination of a diplomat brings old feuds to the fore again, Elisa and Connor must choose between love and family, between honor and obligation, before Chicago disappears forever.

I have been a big fan of Chloe Neill’s since I discovered her Chicagoland Vampires series years ago. The first few books are still some of my favorite paranormal/urban fantasy reads. I did however put the series on hold around book 10, but when I heard the author would be releasing a new spinoff series, I knew I had to catch up on the CV series. Fast forward to me racing through the last few books and figuring out just how Merit and Ethan ended up with a baby, and I finally get to Wild Hunger. I honestly wasn’t sure how this spinoff series about their child would turn out, but I have to say that I was not disappointed! I had so much fun returning to the world Chloe Neill created and fell in love with Elisa Sullivan.

Elisa is the only known born vampire to exist. Born to the powerhouse vampire couple of Chicago, she is the princess of Cadogan House, though that doesn’t mean she’s spoiled. She’s smart, headstrong, and responsible – she wants to be treated like any other vampire and goes training in Paris to get that equal treatment. But when she returns home to Chicago for peace treaty talks, tension is brewing between the vampires, werewolves, and fae. All hell breaks loose when one of her friends is framed for murder, with Elisa caught right in the middle.

I loved this exciting, new, fresh take on the vampire world Chloe Neill created. Elisa makes a fantastic heroine and investigator, a role previously held by her mother. I am so happy with her love interest as well: Connor Keene, the future king of the shifter Pack. They’ve known each other their whole lives, most of which they spent annoying each other, but Elisa’s years away from Chicago makes them see each other in a new light. I see so much potential for the two of them and they are definitely what I’m most excited about for the rest of the series! I loved seeing old faces, but Chloe Neill writes them in a way that doesn’t overshadow this new generation. Wild Hunger is a great start to this spinoff series, with plenty of action, political intrigue, chemistry between the main characters, and I already can’t wait for more.

lacey

Wild Hunger is the first book in the spinoff series of the Chicagoland Vampires series. Though it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the CV series as well.

Reading Order: Chicagoland Vampires series

#1 ~ Some Girls Bite: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Friday Night Bites: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Twice Bitten: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Hard Bitten: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Drink Deep: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Biting Cold: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#7 ~ House Rules: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#8 ~ Biting Bad: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#8.5 ~ Howling for You: Ebook • Goodreads
#9 ~ Wild Things: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#10 ~ Blood Games: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#10.5 ~ Lucky Break: Ebook • Goodreads
#11 ~ Dark Debt: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#12 ~ Midnight Marked: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#12.5 ~ Phantom Kiss: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#13 ~ Blade Bound: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#13.5 ~ Slaying It: Ebook • Goodreads

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2Aug2018

ARC Review: Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid
Series: Winston Brothers #5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 30th 2018
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Hunches, horse races, and heartbreak

Ten years after Simone Payton broke his heart, all Roscoe Winston wants is a doughnut. He’d also like to forget her entirely, but that’s never going to happen. Roscoe Winston remembers everything—every look, every word, every single unrequited second—and the last thing he needs is another memory of Simone.

Unfortunately, after one chance encounter, Simone keeps popping up everywhere he happens to be . . .

Ten years after Roscoe Winston dropped out of her life, all Simone Payton wants is to exploit him. She’d also like some answers from her former best friend about why he ghosted her, but if she never gets those answers, that’s a-okay. Simone let go of the past a long time ago. Seriously, she has. She totally, totally has. She is definitely not still thinking about Roscoe. Nope. She’s more than happy to forget he exists.

But first, she needs just one teeny-tiny favor . . .

With each new Winston Brother book, I fall more in love with this fascinating cast of characters Penny Reid has created. This latest installment is about the youngest of the Winston boys, Roscoe. He’s a vet, basically has photographic memory (he can remember memories/events word for word), and… has always been in unrequited love with his childhood friend. But Dr. Strange Beard is so much more than childhood friends reconnecting – it also features racial issues that are so prevalent in today’s world. Though this isn’t my favorite Winston Brother novel, I loved Roscoe and Simone, and highly recommend their story if you want to read something different.

There is no one.
There’s never been anyone.
There’s only been you.

Ten years after Roscoe cut all ties and communication with his best friend Simone, she’s back in town, and as much as he tries to avoid her, he can’t. Simone makes it her mission to get close to Roscoe again, but not for the reason you’d think. She’s never stopped wondering why Roscoe dropped her a decade before and is determined to find out. But as she learns how kind-hearted, protective, sensitive, and not to mention gorgeous he is, she can’t help but fall for him.

Loving Roscoe wasn’t a hunch, or a hypothesis, or a theory.
I loved Roscoe, and that was a law.

Roscoe and Simone were a breath of fresh air for me. We have a sensitive hero who loves the heroine with all his heart and a headstrong heroine who thinks that love is not for her. I loved how these two learn to be vulnerable with each other. They learn to tackle issues together, lean on each other, and grow in a beautiful way that wasn’t possible when they were apart. And I am so impressed with the way the author chose to portray racism and Simone’s struggles throughout the book. It was honest and real, and having sensitivity readers for this aspect of the book certainly helped.

“You are in my heart. You have shaped my soul. Nothing–nothing–will change that for me.”

I can never get enough of Penny Reid’s characters. Each one is so utterly unique and amazing in his/her own way, and Simone and Roscoe were no different! If you like Penny’s books, this one’s a must read. Now I’m eagerly awaiting the next and final Winston Brothers book, which I feel will end up being my favorite (BILLY!!!).

lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Winston Brothers series

#1 ~ Truth or Beard: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Grin and Beard It: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Beard Science: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Beard in Mind: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Dr. Strange Beard: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Beard With Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#7 ~ Beard Necessities: Ebook • Goodreads (Nov. 4, 2019)

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30Jul2018

Blog Tour + Review & Excerpt: Playboy by Katy Evans

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Playboy by Katy Evans!

Playboy by Katy Evans
Series: Manwhore #5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 29th 2018

It started as a game.
We flirted. We played. Most importantly—we won.
Then I discovered who he was: Gambler. Famous playboy. Silver-eyed player who never plays to lose.
…And my best friend’s soon-to-be brother in law, Cullen Carmichael.
He needed a good luck charm, I needed a distraction.
So we made a gamble and set off for Vegas—but pretty soon—I was in too deep.
My heart, soul, and body weren’t supposed to be part of the deal.
But somewhere between big wins and long nights, my house of cards started to tumble.
What was this devil with those piercing eyes doing to me?
I’d given up on love, but the wicked, all-in Cullen Carmichael was upping the ante and wouldn’t stop until he’d won it all.

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • iTunes • Kobo • Audible

When I first started the Manwhore series, meeting Wynn as Rachel’s friend, I was hoping she would get back together with her chef boyfriend, Emmett, and it seemed like they would by the end of Womanizer. But now that I’ve read Playboy, I’m so glad Katy Evans decided on Cullen for Wynn. He is alpha, sexy and sweet all at once, wanting to give everything to the girl who deserves it all. I adored both of these characters and their love story. If there’s an author who can make the love and romance between her characters feel real, it’s Katy Evans.

“I won’t fit in my lucky black dress tomorrow,” I worry in a whisper out loud.
Cullen eyes me and partly smiles, lifting his hand to stroke his thumb along the underside of my cheek. “Not a problem. You’re my lucky charm, not that dress of yours.”

After breaking it off with the man she imagined her happily ever after with, Wynn is ready to get back in the game and find a partner who’ll cherish her this time. Unfortunately, it’s not the guy she’s on a date with, who’s taken her to a poker game. But that’s where she meets Cullen Carmichael, the gorgeous man her date is playing against. There’s instant attraction and want on both ends – and once Cullen makes a bet with Wynn, they’re off to Vegas, where the stakes (and emotions) are higher.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Whoever you do in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
My Cullen.
Ugh.
We had a silly wager.
That’s all it was.
But I’m hooked on him, not because of what he is or how much he can spoil me.
It’s because of who he is. Who I am when I’m with him. Who we are together.

Despite the label of “Playboy,” Cullen is very much into Wynn and only Wynn. He shows her the glamorous side of being with a successful professional poker player, treating her like a queen, but once they leave Vegas, will the charm rub off? Wynn and Cullen have fallen head over heels for each other, but with that love last outside of Vegas?

“That’s what I am to you,” I remind him “We’re playing a game.”
“You’re playing a game.” He shakes his head somberly, his poker face gone, his eyes livid with heat. “I’m playing for keeps.”

Wynn and Cullen are perfect together. I love the way Cullen dotes on her the way Wynn deserves, and the way Wynn softens the hard edges Cullen has. The chemistry between them is off the charts – Katy Evans knows how to turn up the heat in her books, and the way Cullen can focus all of his desire, dominance, and need onto Wynn has me all heart-eyed and fanning myself. And besides these two lovely characters, I’m happy we get to see all the previous characters in this book. If this is the last Manwhore book, which I’m praying it’s not, because I could read about all of these characters for ages, it ended the series perfectly!

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Now here’s an excerpt from Playboy! ❤

“So you just kissed me because you wanted to.” I speak on a breath.

“Very good. You’re perceptive. Intuitive.”

I realize he’s teasing me in that low, terribly rumbly voice and I wish he would smile at me.

He takes my hand and fingers my palm with his thumb as he leads me to our suite.

I’m sizzling where he touches me, nervously prying my hand free when he leads me into the biggest, most spectacular two-bedroom penthouse suite I’ve ever seen. Not that I’d seen one before in person, only movies.

There’s a kitchen area, and windows from floor to ceiling. A living room, a pool table, gold brass chandeliers, a brown-and-beige-patterned carpet, dark woods, Italian leathers. Gorgeous! I could move in here.

Now I see the appeal but won’t admit as much.

Thinking of our bet, I pay attention to the art on the walls. It’s expensive. I can tell by the numbered print and the signature. Painters with indecipherable and artistic signatures are often the artists to watch. It’s like they know from the moment they paint their first work that they’re on to something big, something that will distinguish their work from all others.

I wish Cullen loved art as much as I do. Maybe I could drag him away from the tables to a local gallery.

“Wow. I could just live he—” I spin around and bump into his big warm body, and he bends his head and kisses my words right out of me.

Kisses me stupid. Kisses my toes curled. Kisses my brain blank. Kisses my heart crazy.

Reading Order: Manwhore series

#1 ~ Manwhore: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Manwhore +1: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Ms. Manwhore: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Ladies Man: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Womanizer: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Playboy: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Katy Evans is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her debut REAL shot to the top of the bestselling lists in 2013 and since then 9 of her titles have been New York Times bestsellers. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages across the world.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Katy Evans

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11Jun2018

Review: The Varlet and the Voyeur by L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Varlet and the Voyeur by L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid
Series: Rugby #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: June 11th 2018
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the authors in exchange for an honest review

He kept his salacious secret for years. But soon, everyone is going to be reading about it in their morning paper…

THE VARLET (and the VOYEUR)
William Moore is a long way from home. A farm boy from Oklahoma, he’s now the most well-respected member of the Irish rugby team. But appearances are often deceptive, and Will isn’t the clean-cut, all-American good-guy everyone imagines him to be. He’s got a secret, one that will tarnish his reputation forever.

THE VOYEUR (and the VARLET)
Josey Kavanagh is a self-proclaimed mess, but she’s finally get her shi…uh, act together. She’s set her sights on becoming a veterinarian, but there’s one teeny tiny road bump. Her living arrangements are coming to an abrupt end, leaving Josey homeless and in need of a job to pay her way through college.

THE PLAN
What he needs is a companion to keep him on the right path.
What she needs is an apartment with free rent.
Will is convinced Josey will make the perfect companion, since she’s brutally honest and basically ‘just one of the guys.’ Josey is convinced she can ensure Will doesn’t succumb to his voyeuristic proclivities by keeping a scrupulous eye on him.
Except, what happens when the varlet is tempted by the voyeur, and vice-versa?!
Perchance something very, very volatile. And vexing.

L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid individually are phenomenal writers. Each of their romances are smart, unique, and utterly enjoyable. But when you put these two fantastic authors together, you get something explosive and unputdownable, which is exactly what The Varlet and the Voyeur was. It’s a sports romance, yes, but it was also so much more than that. These two authors are always able to take a romance to the next level, and if you’re looking for a story and characters who are unlike anything you’ve read before, I highly recommend this Rugby book!

Rugby player William Moore is a voyeur – but he’s trying not to be anymore. After the media exposes his kink for watching couples have sex, his career and reputation takes a hit. Now, he needs someone who can keep an eye on him and prevent him from falling into the dark hole that is voyeurism for him. Enter Josey Kavanagh – an awkward, rambly, adorable mess who is in need of housing. Their arrangement works perfectly for them: Josey will babysit Will in exchange for free rent. How could anything get complicated from that?

Will and Josey couldn’t be more different. This book is definitely falls into the opposites-attract trope. Will is a GOOD guy, despite the mess he’s in. He’s an all-American boy from Oklahoma, quiet, respectful. Josey is the kind of awkward who won’t stop talking and blurting out random facts. It’s endearing, and luckily Will thinks so too. As they become roommates and get to know each other, the attraction between them grows, but they try to keep feelings out of the equation… I’ll admit, it gets frustrating how they won’t admit their newfound love, and I just wanted them to confess their feelings. One thing that surprised me though was how SEXY this book was. Awkward Josey is a total horndog for Will, and I loved it. The steam was hot as hell, but I loved how different Josey was in bed than out of it.

I can’t recommend this book (and series) enough. I adore the writing, the characters, and the stories. I’m incredibly sad that Will and Josey will be the end of the Rugby series, but I have a little hope for some secondary characters… Honestly, I’ll be happy as long as Penny Reid and L.H. Cosway continue to write together.

lacey

Reading Order: Rugby series

#1 ~ The Hooker and the Hermit: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Player and the Pixie: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Cad and the Co-ed: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ The Varlet and the Voyeur: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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