Tag: romance

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith [BOOK REVIEW] Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith [BOOK REVIEW]

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Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 288

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Afterglow Books / Mills & Boon

Format I read it in: Uncorrected Proof

Rating: ★★★


I enjoyed “Much Ado About Hating You”, but I found it very frustrating at the same time. It’s a lovely fast-paced office romance and what you see is what you get, but as soon as I dive a bit deeper into the details, I cannot help but find many flaws.

Aidan Scott is an English Professor, who also secretly writes steamy romances on a writing app. Micah Mila is a financial auditor that is tasked to review the local university’s English department and find ways to cut costs. She also enjoys reading steamy Shakespearean fanfic.

When Aidan and Micah meet, there is hostility. She’s there to cut costs, which in Aidan’s world means – she’s there to try and take away his job, which he very much loves. Both characters have huge egos, and what starts as bickering and general hostility, quickly turns into competition and them becoming sworn enemies for life.

But the twist is – their hate turns into tension. And their connection on the writing app is about to get deeper. As time goes on, they are starting to push the boundaries of what they should and shouldn’t be doing, and lust gets the better of them. 

As for the story, unfortunately, it didn’t connect with me.

I found the characters slightly childish and immature. Their office encounters are completely unprofessional, and their writing app conversations cringey and over the top. The only bit I did like was the suspense in the real world and the tension between them. And also maybe Aidan’s relationship with his father and how that progressed throughout the book. 

I have to be honest and say that the book had a lot of typos and grammatical errors, and what I believe to be one plot hole, that also diminished my reading experience. I think I noticed around 6 typos in the book, which I will flag to the publisher, so they can hopefully rectify in the next edition.

All in all, “Much Ado About Hating You” is a fast-paced romance that will appeal to some of the romance lovers. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but hopefully the synopsis will pique your curiosity. I really do hope you enjoy it more than I did. 

About the Author:

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith [BOOK REVIEW]

Sarah Echavarre Smith is a copywriter turned author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight and she discovered her auntie’s stash of romance novels. She’s been hooked ever since. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking, eating chocolate, and perfecting her lumpia recipe. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband and her adorable cat, Salem.

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The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent [BOOK REVIEW] The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent [BOOK REVIEW]

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The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 352

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher: Viking

Format I read it in: Uncorrected Proof

Rating: ★★★★


Have you ever imagined running away from your life?

Well Birdy Finch didn’t just imagine it. She did it. Which might’ve been an error. And the life she’s run into? Her best friend, Heather’s.

The only problem is, she hasn’t told Heather. Actually there are a few other problems…

Can Birdy carry off a summer at a luxury Scottish hotel pretending to be her best friend (who incidentally is a world-class wine expert)?

And can she stop herself from falling for the first man she’s ever actually liked (but who thinks she’s someone else)?

My Thoughts:

“The Summer Job” was such a wonderful read. It pleasantly surprised me. I am really hoping that someday it gets made into a movie!

Birdy decides to do something utterly reckless. She accepts a summer job at the highland Scottish hotel as a wine expert. The catch is – she is pretending to be her best friend, Heather. And although Heather made it perfectly clear she will not be accepting this job, so she can spend more time enjoying Europe with the man she just met, she has no clue Birdy is doing this.

Birdy is useless when it comes to wine knowledge, but she’s going with the “fake it ‘till you make it” attitude. What doesn’t help is that this hotel is actually at a loss and desperate for a good Sommelier to save their summer and their business. Basically, “Heather, the Sommelier” is their best hope, and instead, they get noobie Birdy. 

At first, I was astonished by the audacity of Birdy’s decision, even though I can understand why she did it. She needed a place to live and Heather was not going to accept it anyway, so what’s there to lose (apart from obviously, Heather’s reputation and her reputation and dignity). I was not okay with her pretending to be someone else, but she would never have been accepted otherwise. Once I judged Birdy for this for a small amount of time, I decided to move on and enjoy the story, as it promises to be quite interesting. 

As the time went by, I started to root for Birdy, and I felt her pain of carrying that secret with her.

Especially when she started catching feelings for the handsome chef, James. Without revealing anything else, I will just say this book is such a pleasurable read. It has a weird sense of nostalgia in it, to the summer days when we would do summer jobs and all the adventures and memories those summer sunsets would bring. If you’ve ever watched “High School Musical 2”, you might know what feelings I am talking about. The hotel staff felt like a large family and the way they cared about each other was heartwarming. A funny and feel-good romance story – one of those gems that are good for the soul. I warmly recommend it. 

About the Author:

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent [BOOK REVIEW]

Lizzy Dent (miss)spent her early twenties working in Scotland in hospitality, in a hotel not unlike the one in this novel. She somehow ended up in a glamourous job travelling the world creating content for various TV companies, including MTV, Channel 4, Cartoon Network, the BBC and ITV. After publishing three young adult novels, she decided to write a novel that reflected the real women she knew, who don’t always know where they’re going in life, but who always have fun doing it. The Summer Job is that novel.

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Things We Do For Love by Miranda Dickinson [BOOK REVIEW] Things We Do For Love by Miranda Dickinson [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

Things We Do For Love by Miranda Dickinson [BOOK REVIEW]

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Things We Do For Love by Miranda Dickinson [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Things We Do For Love by Miranda Dickinson [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 480

Genre: Romance, Fiction

Publisher: HQ Stories

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★


Could romance be waiting in the wings…?

Lucie Hart is a fledgling actress, her confidence having been shattered by her manipulative ex. Making ends meet by performing Shakespearean monologues full of romance she doesn’t believe in, she can see her dreams getting further out of reach.

Theo Larkin has already taken Hollywood by storm and his next conquests are Shakespeare’s greatest works – and his incensed leading lady.

Always short of money, Lucie can’t afford to waste the opportunity to bring crowds to her shows. And when a well-publicised bust-up leaves Theo’s reputation hanging by a thread, he is desperate to prove his worth by taking on the most challenging performance of his life.

As they put aside their differences to save their careers, can our star-crossed lovers take their relationship to the next stage, and find themselves along the way?

My Thoughts:

“Things We Do For Love” was a good romance book and people that love Shakespeare’s work will greatly enjoy it. We have an aspiring actor and actress, both about to meet because of Shakespeare’s works. Although they don’t initially like each other, they will need to get along, and act together on the stage. 

“I was a walking cliché – doubly so, considering I’m striding through a rainstorm carrying the woman of my dreams. But who needs originality when clichés feel this good?”

As time goes on, they will be Miranda and Prospero from “The Tempest”, Petruchio and Katherine from “The Taming of the Shrew” and of course, Romeo and Juliet. During the summer, they will get close to each other and their feelings will continue to grow. As with every romance, there is a big upset and potentially a happy ending. In that respect, the book was very predictable and because of that, slightly disappointing. 

Theo’s character in the end disappointed me specifically, and his behaviour with Amy was the only unexpected bit, but enough to taint my opinion. I couldn’t recover from that. I still warmly recommend it to all romance fans, but expect a bit of predictability, with a Shakespeare flavour added to it. (note – no one will die, don’t worry about that).

“I could find a quote from Shakespeare to explain everything my heart feels right now. I could compare Lucie to a summer’s day, or repeat Hamlet’s declaration that my love for her should never be doubted. But I reckon even the Bard knew that sometimes the best way to describe something is just to experience it:

[they kiss]”

About The Author:

Things We Do For Love by Miranda Dickinson [BOOK REVIEW]

Miranda Dickinson has always had a head full of stories. Coming from a creative family where stories and songs were always present, it was perhaps inevitable that she would end up adoring words.

Miranda began writing in earnest four years ago with her first novel, Coffee at Kowalski’s – a romantic comedy set in New York’s Upper West Side. She has also written several short stories, scripts and novel excerpts.

Website

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A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan [BOOK REVIEW] A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan [BOOK REVIEW]

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A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan [BOOK REVIEW]

I devoured “A Fire in the Sky” in a day. I loved everything about it, and I would give anything to be able to read it for the first time again.

About The Book:

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 336

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Fantasy

Publisher: HQ

Format I read it in: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★★★

Get your copy HERE

Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

But human lust for power is immortal.

Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it’s her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard…though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride…but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead…it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

My Thoughts:

Tamsyn and Fell have their own points of view, which I really liked. It gave me a chance to understand how they are both feeling and get to know their story.

Tamsyn is such a strong female character. As a whipping girl, she is used to taking punishment, but she will never be ashamed of who she is.

“I would take the long march to the chapel on my own, through the deepening day. I understood this. There were some walks you must go alone in life. This would be one of them.”

And Fell is quite a strong character as well. A leader and a fighter, spreading fear wherever he goes. And yet Tamsyn is slowly getting under his skin and he starts to get a soft spot for her. But he’ll never admit it.

“She was a peculiar thing. A puzzle I could not quite piece together. A non-princess. I didn’t care what they called her. No royal took a beating with a smile and called it duty.”

Their attraction for each other is instantly evident, even though they are both trying to hide it and fight it. The whole tension made this book such an enjoyable read. They go through an incredibly hard journey together, a journey that will change their lives forever.

I won’t reveal anything else, as I don’t want to spoil anything, but I gasped at the big twist. Thinking about it now, I have no idea how I didn’t see that coming. I did, however, anticipate the twist at the end. It turns out, the story doesn’t end here and I can’t wait to come back for more! I loved this book with all my heart. Every single thing about it.

“She had not looked for it. Had not wanted it. And yet it had found her… And when love found a dragon, it could not be denied. Before she knew it, they were bonded. There was no severing them. For as long as she lived, there would be no other for her. Like a seed to the pod, they were a set, a duo, a pair.”

About The Author:

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan [BOOK REVIEW]

Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.

A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature – teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.

In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller’s List.

Author Website

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My Rules by T L Swan (Kingston Lane #2) [BOOK REVIEW] My Rules by T L Swan (Kingston Lane #2) [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

My Rules by T L Swan (Kingston Lane #2) [BOOK REVIEW]

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My Rules by T L Swan (Kingston Lane #2) [BOOK REVIEW]

I knew “My Rules” would be filled with spiciness and red flags and boy, oh, boy, it still surprised me!

About The Book:

My Rules by T L Swan (Kingston Lane #2) [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 465

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction

Publisher: Montlake (Amazon Publishing)

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

It started with a list.

Tired of meeting nightmares, I decided to study the dos and don’ts of dating.

And who better to help me with my master list than the king of red flags himself?

Blake Grayson—neighbor, friend, mischief maker, and player extraordinaire.

He knows how to spot a playboy from a mile away. He is the prime example, after all.

So when he offers to help me avoid Mr. Wrong by sharing what to look for, I have no choice but to take him up on it.

We start a game.

He will become my wingman, and I’ll become his.

He coaches me through my singledom, while I go on his journey of play.

We double-date, eat ice cream at midnight, and laugh.

Boy, do we laugh…

But while I watch every woman he meets fall madly in love with him, I stumble across a major problem: I know exactly why they fall.

Because I can feel it too.

His charm is intoxicating, and damn it, the man is addictive as drugs.

But it’s not happening. I won’t let it.

I’m not that gullible young girl anymore.

Blake will never settle down, and I know in my heart he’s not the man for me.

I have one go at this second chance of happiness, and I am not going to mess it up.

This time, I play by my rules.

Even if he won’t.

My Thoughts:

I was reading “My Rules” as part of a book loop with the team at Tandem and a number of other bookstagrammers. The aim was to read the book over 14 days and annotate whilst reading. I failed both. In truth, I binged the book and finished it in two sittings. I am also too afraid to write inside a book, so I didn’t permanently ink it. I did, however, leave a lot of sticky tabs and pencil annotations so I feel like I did artistically contribute to the cause.

The story is spicy and toxic and at times very unbelievable, but I didn’t really care. I was invested in Rebecca and Blake’s story. I was consuming the words, chapter after chapter, desperate to know how their story ends.

One park I really loved was the neighbourhood. On the street they live on (Kingston Lane), everyone is friends and gets on well with each other. This also meant a good support network when things went south. We meet a lot of the characters that live on Kingston Lane, and it turns out that this book is part of a series, but can be also read as a standalone. Each book in the series focuses on one character from the street, so everyone you meet, you are likely to meet again if you continue with the books. 

“My Rules” ended with a hint that the next book will feature Antony’s story, and I am very much looking forward to that.

If you love smutty romance books, you’ll very much enjoy this one. It does exactly what it says on the tin! A tin full of spice, may I cheekily add.

About The Author:

My Rules by T L Swan (Kingston Lane #2) [BOOK REVIEW]

T L Swan is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 Amazon Best Selling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty languages and have hit #1 on Amazon in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany. Tee resides in Sydney, Australia with her husband and their three children where she is living her own happy ever after with her first true love.

Author Website

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