Tag Archives: review

Review: Bombshell by Sarah MacLean

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Bombshell by Sarah MacLean
Series: Hell’s Belles #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 24th 2021
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean returns with a blazingly sexy, unapologetically feminist new series, Hell’s Belles, beginning with a bold, bombshell of a heroine, able to dispose of a scoundrel—or seduce one—in a single night.

After years of living as London’s brightest scandal, Lady Sesily Talbot has embraced the reputation and the freedom that comes with the title. No one looks twice when she lures a gentleman into the dark gardens beyond a Mayfair ballroom…and no one realizes those trysts are not what they seem.

No one, that is, but Caleb Calhoun, who has spent years trying not to notice his best friend’s beautiful, brash, brilliant sister. If you ask him, he’s been a saint about it, considering the way she looks at him…and the way she talks to him…and the way she’d felt in his arms during their one ill-advised kiss.

Except someone has to keep Sesily from tumbling into trouble during her dangerous late-night escapades, and maybe close proximity is exactly what Caleb needs to get this infuriating, outrageous woman out of his system. But now Caleb is the one in trouble, because he’s fast realizing that Sesily isn’t for forgetting…she’s forever. And forever isn’t something he can risk.

I have been waiting for this book – for Sesily and Caleb – for SO long! I fell in love with them years ago when The Day of the Duchess released and now their book is finally here. Bombshell is the first in a brand new series all about Hell’s Belles: four badass women who’ve taken it upon themselves to save the ladies of London. Sesily is the first Belle to get her story, and I enjoyed it for the most part. I will say I expected a bit more because of how much I loved the book these main characters first showed up in, but I still had fun reading Bombshell.

If you’re looking for a classic regency historical romance, this isn’t it. It’s got a very modern feel to it and it reminded me a lot of Daring and the Duke. If you loved that book from Sarah MacLean, you’ll most likely enjoy Bombshell too. But we don’t have a shy wallflower here – Sesily is the complete opposite. She’s embraced her ruined reputation and is doing things that would make the people of the ton faint.

Sesily and her group of friends were the highlight of this story for me. I enjoyed them all and am so looking forward to the rest of their books. The romance though, was a bit of a letdown. I was so excited to read about a best friend’s sister romance but all of their history wasn’t fleshed out enough for me. I wanted more of them and their romance.

Overall, Bombshell is a good start to this new Sarah MacLean series. It’s not a new favorite of mine, but I’m still looking forward to reading more.


lacey

Reading Order: Hell’s Belles series

#1 ~ Bombshell: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Heartbreaker: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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Review: The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn

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The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: August 24th 2021
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

In this steamy tale by USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn, an American searching for her purpose escapes to a Scottish town but finds more questions than answers when she meets a brooding yet handsome handyman.

Freshly fired from her third job in a row, Bonnie St. James has lost her way. So when she and her best friend stumble upon a “help wanted” post to run a coffee shop in the Scottish Highlands, they apply on a whim. Who knows? Maybe traveling to a new place is just what she needs to figure out her next move.

When the friends arrive in the tiny idyllic town of Corsekelly, they instantly fall for the gorgeous Highland landscape and friendly townspeople. But Bonnie finds a less-than-warm welcome in Rowan MacGregor, the rugged local handyman. Busy wrestling his own demons, Rowan’s in no mood to deal with the quirky American—even if she is a bonny lass.

As Bonnie and Rowan’s paths inevitably cross, insults—and sparks—fly. Can the pair build on their similarities to help each other find purpose and direction…and maybe romance too? Or will their passionate tempers fling them apart?

I enjoyed Meghan Quinn’s The Wedding Game so much earlier this year so when I saw she had a new release coming out, I knew I had to read it! I always have fun with her rom-coms – they’re quirky, cute, and sweet. I had a lot of expectations for The Highland Fling, mainly because of the setting of Scotland and the hero being a Scottish grump, and while I enjoyed it, I sadly can’t say it’s my new favorite Meghan Quinn book.

I love Highlander historical romances so I had no doubt I would enjoy a modern day Highlander romance. Bonnie and her best friend are traveling in Scotland when they stumble upon the Highlands an a coffee shop that’s in dire need of help – and an owner. Bonnie, with no plans for her future, decides to take this coffee shop on. She loves the town and its people except for one person: Rowan, the grumpy local handyman. They don’t get along, mainly because he’s too grumpy and she’s too sunshine-y but there are definitely some sparks flying between them.

I really liked the setup of this book. I love Scotland and always enjoy when a book is set there. Bonnie and Rowan were interesting characters and I thought their romance was fun. The only thing that’s holding me back from a full 4 stars read though is the ending of the book, which I wasn’t the biggest fan of. I got mad at Rowan and the way her acted just took me out of the story, unfortunately.

Still, if you’re normally a fan of Meghan Quinn, this is another book with her signature ridiculousness and humor. I still say give it a try, especially if you love Scottish heroes!


lacey

Other Books by Meghan Quinn

The Wedding Game: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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Review: The Casanova by T.L. Swan

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The Casanova by T.L. Swan
Series: Miles High Club #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 26th 2021
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

In T L Swan’s steamy third installment of the Miles High Club, Kate’s hot new pen pal is a welcome distraction from her horrible boss. But nobody is as distracting as Elliot Miles…and he knows it.

My favorite hobby is infuriating Elliot Miles. Just the sight of my boss’s handsome face triggers my sarcasm. God knows how he earns his Casanova reputation—if a million women want him with his personality, what the heck am I doing wrong?

Disgusted with my love life, I join a dating app under a fake name. I start chatting to a man named Edgar. He’s not my type and lives on the other side of the world, but we hit off a friendship, laugh and confide in each other.

But lately things are getting weird at work. Elliot’s being…attentive. His eyes linger a little longer than they should, and there’s a heat behind them that I haven’t felt before. And then, in the shock of all shocks, he tells me that my vulnerability is appealing. But when was I vulnerable?

Horror dawns…Has my boss been reading my emails to Edgar?

Damn it, why did I use my work email?

Oh no, does he know what I really think of him? I’d rather die than ever admit it.

Or, even worse: is it possible that the man I loathe in real life is the man I’m falling for online?

The Casanova is book 3 in the Miles High Club series, about the third Miles brother! We’ve seen Elliot around in the previous two books and he and Kate get an enemies to lovers office romance. Two of my favorite tropes, so what could go wrong?

I sadly had an issue with the blurb promising something that… I didn’t get? It seemed like the whole dating app thing would feature heavily in the romance. I was hoping for something like an epistolary romance, but the dating app isn’t actually what sparks the romance at all and we only see Elliot and Kate using it a handful of times. It doesn’t really have an effect on the romance building between them.

The enemies to lovers part was okay. It’s starts off with some HEAVY hate and I’m still not sure why he hated her so much because she seemed to be really good at her job. Kate gets a makeover courtesy of her new fashionista roommate and of course, that’s when Elliot starts to notice her and get horny all over her. It happens pretty early on in the book so we don’t get too much of the enemies before they become lovers. And Kate fell for him wayyy too quickly, especially after that messed up shit he said about her dressing provocatively in order to get him to touch her so she can file a harassment complaint against him. WHAT?

That being said… I liked this one a bit more than the first two books! Lol. I didn’t hate the ending, when Elliot decides to go pursue another woman, because I could definitely feel he was into Kate and anytime he thought about another woman, he believed her to be an 80 year old and only cared about her art (he’s art obsessed). The grovel was nice though, not gonna lie.

I’m so sad about this one. It could have been SO GOOD!


lacey

Reading Order: Miles High Club series

 

#1 ~ The Stopover: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Takeover: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Casanova: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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Review: The Viscount Made Me Do It by Diana Quincy

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The Viscount Made Me Do It by Diana Quincy
Series: Clandestine Affairs #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 27th 2021
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Diana Quincy returns with the second novel in her Clandestine Affairs series featuring a steamy romance between a working class London bonesetter who is dangerously attracted to her mysterious noble client.

A seduction that could ruin everything . . .

Hanna Zaydan has fought to become London’s finest bonesetter, but her appealing new patient threatens to destroy everything she’s worked so hard for. With each appointment, the daughter of foreign merchants is slowly seduced by the mysterious former soldier. She’s smart enough to know Griff is after more than he’ll reveal, but whatever it is, the bonesetter’s growing desire for the man just might tempt her to give it to him.

An attraction that cannot be denied . . .

Rumors that he killed his own parents have followed Thomas Ellis, Viscount Griffin, practically since he was a boy. More than a decade after the tragedy, Griff receives a tip about his parents’ killer . . . one that takes him straight to a beautiful bonesetter. Griff is convinced Hanna is a fraud, but she stirs genuine feelings in him that he thought had perished along with his family.

Hanna has a gift for fixing fractured people, but can she also mend a broken heart? More importantly, will Griff let her?

I became a big fan of Diana Quincy’s after reading the first book in the Clandestine Affairs series. I was looking forward to reading this sequel because I was intrigued by Griff’s character in book one, but the heroine ended up being my favorite thing about The Viscount Made Me Do It! I sadly didn’t love this sequel quite as much as the first book, but if you’re looking for a diverse historical romance with a slight mystery plot, this would be one to try.

Hanna is our bonesetter heroine whose Arabic background makes it hard for her business, but she does her best and doesn’t let any kind of discrimination stop her from helping those in physical pain. Her newest client is Griff, a Viscount with a war injury who has ulterior motives. He’s searching for his parents’ murderer and a clue has led him to Hanna. He never expects to fall for the intelligent, strong, capable woman after she helps heal his injuries.

I loved the beginning and setup of this book. I thought it was SO cool that Hanna is a bonesetter, which I’ve never read before. The romance started in a sweet way and had me invested… up to a point. Sadly, even though I liked Griff in book one, he didn’t really do much for me in his own book. His plot surrounding his parents’ murder was dragged out until the end when everything gets figured out and wrapped up too neatly in a bow. I was also disappointed when Griff decides to be honorable and offers to marry his childhood friend, who is NOT the heroine. Griff is “engaged” until almost the end of the book even as he’s falling in love with Hanna and it just left a sour taste while I was reading.

As much as I wanted to love this, I did have some hangups about the story. I still enjoyed the writing though and am definitely looking forward to more from Diana Quincy.


lacey

Reading Order: Clandestine Affairs series

#1 ~ Her Night with the Duke: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Viscount Made Me Do It: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Marquess Makes His Move: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads (March 29, 2022)

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Review: The Mixtape by Brittainy Cherry

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The Mixtape by Brittainy Cherry
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: July 1st 2021
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Since the death of his twin brother, Oliver’s caught between pleasing his fans and finding himself. Emery finds him first.

Emery has never felt more alone. Raising her daughter is both her pleasure and her pain as she struggles to hold on to her job as a bartender and keep a roof over their heads. With no one to help them—no support system—any unexpected expense or late bill could turn their whole world upside down.

Reeling from the death of his twin brother and bandmate, rock star Oliver Smith is trying to drink his problems away. Apparently he isn’t very good at it; they follow him wherever he goes. Also in hot pursuit are the paparazzi, who catch Oliver at his lowest low.

He could have walked into any bar in California, but he walked into hers. Emery helps Oliver lose the crowd, and they find themselves alone: two people whose paths are marked with loss and pain. However, they hold an unshakable hope for healing. They find solace together, but can their love withstand the world?

The Mixtape is a down-to-earth rock star romance between a single mother and one of her rock star idols. It’s emotional and heartbreaking, as with most Brittainy C. Cherry books. I’ve been enjoying her books a lot lately and this one was fantastic in audio. If you’re a fan of rock star romances and books with a ton of feels, you need to read this book!

Oliver is a part of a rock star duo with his twin brother, and when twin dies in an accident, Oliver is left reeling and devastated. Being in the public eye doesn’t help matters either. Everyone and their mother seems to have a negative opinion on Oliver and he can’t deal with his grief and public scrutiny on top of it. He finds himself drunk in the middle of a bar when he meets Emery, a single mom who helps him during this painful time. They form a connection over their trauma and loss and they help each other heal all while falling for each other.

Oliver and Emery’s stories are heart-wrenching. I hurt for both of them, from the loss of the most important person in Oliver’s life to Emery’s hurtful and toxic family. Their romance is sweet and all about healing two broken people. I adored Emery’s daughter Reese, who adds a brightness to the story that’s much needed. The Mixtape took me on an emotional journey and I enjoyed it so much.


lacey

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