Tag Archives: contemporary romance

The Backup Boyfriend, The Boyfriend Mandate, & Brad’s Bachelor Party by River Jaymes

book review March 9, 2015 Leave a comment

I found these contemporary romances through the magic of KindleUnlimited. The Backup Boyfriend and The Boyfriend Mandate are the first two books in the Boyfriend Series by River Jaymes which also includes Brad’s Bachelor Party (see way below) and the upcoming novel The Boyfriend Makeover.

The Backup Boyfriend

Opting against the more traditional tattoo or radical haircut, Alec responds to his break up with Tyler by going full-on midlife crisis and buying a vintage motorcycle. He’s done all of the research and none of the riding which is why he ends up pushing the bike into Dylan’s garage. A misunderstanding, and the lightning fast presence of a man in Tyler’s life, leads to a Boyfriend of Convenience plot with Dylan playing at being Alec’s new beau. Being a romance, the playing part soon takes on a different meaning, but the boyfriend part takes a bit longer as they move from fraud, to a one-night stand, to what is this we are doing exactly?, to a relationship.

The obstacles that Alec and Dylan face are their own baggage. Alec has been busy trying to be the perfect son and Dylan has a painful past and issues of sexual identity to struggle with. They find their way and resolve everything in time for Alec’s ex-boyfriend Tyler to have his chance at lasting love.

The Boyfriend Mandate

Tyler and Memphis (!) were roommates in university who had a two-year relationship before Memphis walked away without a backward glance. They both moved on with their lives, Tyler to a long-term but now over relationship with Alec, and Memphis to a marriage which has ended in divorce. Thrown back together by Maguffiny plot machinations, they work their way through their old hurts and toward finding a new life together.

Memphis (again, I say, “!”) is a stuntman/underwear model (that warrants another “!”) whose personal life (read: sexual identity) is under scrutiny in the press, a fact that amuses him until Tyler and his ex-wife are drawn into the fray. Finding ways to provoke Tyler into letting down his guard, and thus release his emotions, allows Memphis the same freedom to deal with their horrible breakup and how they can be together again now that they have both grown up.

These books are fairly standard romances with a heightened reality about financially secure, beautiful people finding love. In both novels, one of the partners addresses his identity as a bisexual and I would welcome an LGBT romance in which both characters are secure in this aspect of his or herself from the outset and with no wrangling involved and sticking to just two people falling in love.

Sidebar: The love scenes in the books, while they were incredibly

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I did not actually find them all that romantic, and because, as Paul Reiser once said on Mad About You, “I agree with both of them,”, I did wonder if I was fetishizing a M/M relationship in much the same way popular culture so often does with two women. It made me feel a little icky when I looked at it from that perspective, but it didn’t stop me from reading… even when it should have for general quality reasons which brings me to Brad’s Bachelor Party.

The title says most of it and the rest you can likely guess. Brad is getting married in Hawaii and the festivities are a chance for him to spend time with his closest friends, including Cole. While college roommates, Brad was attracted to Cole, but when he made a move Brad freaked out and the friendship was severed. Coming back together during a family emergency, their friendship was rekindled and nothing hinted at romance for them until too much time in close proximity tipped the scales.

Brad’s Bachelor Party was a middling romance novella. Everything about it was okay and nothing about it was special or interesting. Cole and Brad find their way to each other at just about the worst possible moment, but it works out well in the end. I did wonder about the poor jilted virtually invisible fiancee though. I hope she finds a nice man just like Brad did.

LGBT romance recommendations can be found here.

Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful.

Muscling Through by J.L. Merrow

book review February 18, 2015 Leave a comment

I was loaned J.L. Merrow’s contemporary romance Muscling Through by my friend Katie after reading her review of the book. She really liked the story and gave it a positive appraisal. Mine will be less so. It was a quick read, which is good, and I would be delighted to read a M/M romance novel well done, but Muscling Through is not that book.

Al and Larry, bearers of the two least romance-novel-sounding names of all time, meet when Al helps a very drunk and nervous Larry home from a bar. Larry is soused enough, and Al big and intimidating enough, to think he is being threatened in some way. This is, of course, not the case which is why the story is a Meet Cute and not a Call Cops. The novella is told entirely from the perspective of Al, including Larry’s initial terrified reaction to him. He is a giant lug who works in Cambridge renting out boats for punting on the Cam. Larry is an art history professor at the university. J.L. Merrow took the opposites attract trope and stretched it like taffy to accommodate the story. Al may be a very nice, but the man is a different sort of hero.

“some comedy repeat on Dave. I like the repeats ’cause it’s easier to get the jokes the second time.”

“We started our honeymoon in Florence, which is this really pretty town in Italy. That’s in Europe.”

Let’s break the second quote down: Al explains that one of the most famous cities in the world is in Italy. Then, this man from the U.K., a part of the European Union, clarifies that Italy is in Europe in case that is new information for the reader and suggesting it might have been new information for him as well. That represents a lot issues and the whole novella is the same. Al misunderstands people, misreads or plain misses context clues, so that by telling the story exclusively from Al’s perspective, Merrow limits the novella as well.

I spent Muscling Through trying to figure out to what degree Al was not very bright or actually challenged. Then I wondered if I was a horrible person for thinking that Al’s limitations made the romance unrealistic. (Yes, I am.) Was Larry taking advantage of Al in some way? (Clearly not.) Who wouldn’t want to date a human teddy bear? Why couldn’t Larry find Al attractive beyond a physical relationship? How big of a monster am I? Am I going straight to Hell? Is there some way I can turn this around to make it all the fault of the author so as to avoid feeling guilty or like an insensitive cow?

Maybe Merrow was aiming for Joey Tribbiani territory – not so bright, but a sweet and lovely guy – and overshot, but it disrupted the entire reading experience for me. I suspect that falling in love in spite of challenges might be the point of Muscling Through; to show love through one person’s eyes as that is the way we see it in our own relationships, but I am just not enough of a mensch to get past Al’s limited viewpoint. My internal dialogue became a political debate about whether his intellectual limitations crossed some undefinable line into potential exploitation or diminished decision-making capacity. If the reader had been given Larry’s viewpoint, it might have made more sense, but I was left with only Al to go on and he was not a successful narrator, but a confused one.

LGBT romance recommendations can be found here.

Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful.

Courtney Milan’s Catalogue

book review February 4, 2015 Comments: 5

The Themes: Don’t let anyone tell you who you are, only you get to decide that. Fear is a waste of energy and

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HISTORICAL ROMANCES

The Carhart Series:
This Wicked Gift – wonderful, sweet
Proof by Seduction – for completists, you can see her potential
Trial by Desire – one of only two Milan books I don’t recommend

The Turner Brothers Series:
Unveiled – This is the romance novel hero I would marry, given that choice.
Unclaimed – She’s the rake in need of reformation.
Unraveled – great and a personal favourite
Unlocked – a bullied woman finds peace

The Brothers Sinister Series:
The Governess Affair – very good novella
The Duchess War – great
A Kiss for Midwinter (novella)– CLASSIC and an absolute favourite
The Heiress Effect – the secondary plot was lovely
The Countess Conspiracy – fantastic
The Suffragette Scandal – CLASSIC
Talk Sweetly to Me (novella) – good not great

The Worth Saga: Starting 2015
Once Upon a Marquess – nah
Her Every Wish novella – excellent
After the Wedding
The Devil Comes Courting
The Return of the Scoundrel
The Kissing Hour
A Tale of Two Viscounts
The Once and Future Earl

Independent Historical Novellas:
The Lady Always Wins – fair
What Happened at Midnight – fair
A Right Honorable Gentleman – short story, interesting
The Pursuit Of… – historical, LGBTQ, good

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES

The Cyclone Series:
Trade Me – very good
Hold Me – GREAT! Better on each re-read.
The Year of the Crocodile (novella) – quick, entertaining, placeholder story
Find Me
Keep Me
Show Me
What Lies Between Me and You

milan

Lisa Kleypas’s Catalogue

book review February 4, 2015 Leave a comment

Themes: Make your own life and your own luck. Hard work is rewarded. To find a true partner, you will need to leave your comfort zone. Also, find an incredibly hot  man who adores you.

HISTORICAL ROMANCES

Standalone Novels/Early Series:
Surrender – don’t, dated
Stranger in My Arms – don’t
Suddenly You – pretty good, reasonably racy
Somewhere I’ll Find You – don’t
Because You’re Mine – don’t
I Will – nope
Where Dreams Begin – personal favourite, I LOVE THIS BOOK
Again the Magic – main plot has sturm and drang, secondary plot is great and has a marvelous hero

Gamblers Series:
Then Came You  – good, a lot of readers really like it
Dreaming of You – CLASSIC, one of romance’s ultimate heroes, I have read it many times
Where’s My Hero – novella follow up to Dreaming of You – for completists

Bow Street Runners Series:
Someone to Watch Over Me – a bit dated, one great moment
Lady Sophia’s Lover  – SMOKING hot hero, pretty good overall, dated
Worth Any Price – don’t, unless you want a lot of sex and no emotion, then do

The Wallflowers Series:
Secrets of a Summer Night – personal favourite, delicious hero
It Happened One Autumn – good not great, pompous hero, the heroine is a bit of a pill
The Devil in Winter – CLASSIC with the ultimate Rake/Wallflower combination
Scandal in the Spring – sweet ending to the series
A Wallflower Christmas – for completists only

The Hathaways Series:
Mine till Midnight – great, has my all time favourite heroine
Seduce Me at Sunrise – too much agita for me
Tempt Me at Twilight – personal favourite
Married by Morning – a near miss, but still good
Love in the Afternoon – excellent, sweet and grows on me with each re-read

The Ravenels:
Cold-Hearted Rake – lays groundwork for the new series, could be stronger
Marrying Winterbourne – middling, hero manhandles the heroine
Devil in Spring – best of the series, but not up to Kleypas’s standard
Hello Stranger – strangely dated; hero born and raised in England has an Irish accent
Devil’s Daughter – best of the series, charming hero

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES

The Travis Series:
Sugar Daddy – didn’t really like the hero
Blue-Eyed Devil – good, not great
Smooth Talking Stranger – Great, but can a hero be too perfect?
Brown Eyed Girl – Based on reviews, I didn’t bother.

Crystal Cove Series: Not my cup of tea, did not read.

Laura Florand’s Catalogue

book review February 4, 2015 Leave a comment

Themes: Sincere love gives you the courage and freedom to embrace your true self and someone else’s.

EXCLUSIVELY CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES

L’Amour et Chocolat Series:
All’s Fair in Love and Chocolate – prequel novella, great steam, quick, fun read
The Chocolate Thief – Pretty good, it took me from 99 cents on Kindle to the complete series.
The Chocolate Kiss – A great fairy tale that made me forgive the metaphor.
The Chocolate Rose – Excellent passion, needed just a hint more love story. Very good.
The Chocolate Touch – One of my top 5 of all time, really sweet and intense. LOVE IT.
The Chocolate Heart – The weakest of the group.
The Chocolate Temptation – Steamy, not quite as great, but still enjoyable.
Shadowed Heart – novella follow-up to The Chocolate Heart, meh, but features visits with EVERYONE

Snow-Kissed – Somber novella of a couple finding their way back to each other after loss
Sun Kissed – novella – Main characters in their 50s, which is nice, but I read it for visits with everyone else.

La Vie en Roses Series:
Turning Up the Heat (Daniel/Lea) – prequel novella
A Rose in Winter (Raoul/Allegra) – prequel novella –  Florand can and has done better
The Chocolate Rose (Gabriel/Jolie) – prequel novel I *really* like
Once Upon a Rose (Matt/Layla)  – fun, great light escapism
A Wish Upon Jasmine (Damien/Jess) – not her strongest, it had a lot of promise
A Crown of Bitter Orange (Tristan/Malorie) – not memorable, he’s charming, see above
A Kiss in Lavender (Lucien/Elena) – good, recommended

Paris Nights Series:
All for You (Joss/Celie) – Florand in fine form PLUS Dom and Jaime appear
Chase Me (Chase/Violette) – enjoyable, fantastic banter
Trust Me (Jake/Lina) – Good, not great

La Vie en Roses Series: Once Upon a Rose by Laura Florand

book review February 4, 2015 1 Comment

Welcome to my autobuy list, Laura Florand. With her newest contemporary romance, she has guaranteed that I will be making ready and willing contributions to her income for the foreseeable future, pages and reviews unseen. In the first novel in her new series, La Vie en Roses, Florand has again mixed lovely escapism with sincere romance and, for the first time, a wonderful dose of humour. Her books were not previously morose, but this one has a conviviality that just adds to the fun, Once Upon a Rose is a delightful and charming read.

Matt Rosiers is one of 5 cousins who are the owners and caretakers of the family business (more potential heroes, yay!) Growing roses for oil extraction into perfume, you can just imagine how lovely the setting must be. Matt’s valley in Provence, he is very definite about it being his, has been in the family for 400 years, so he is a more than a little taken aback when his elderly aunt gives a house and a small piece of the family land to Layla, some kind of distant family connection he was hitherto unaware of. Big, growly, vulnerable Matt gets wrapped around Layla’s little finger, and she his, in very short order. It’s what Florand does best, or I like best, one of those two, maybe both, she writes fantastic protectors is the heart of the matter, and Matt is no exception.

Layla, sweet and open-hearted, is a singer-songwriter transitioning from the success of her first CD to the pressures of matching the accomplishment with her second. Emotionally spent, she has decided to check out the house that has been left to her for reasons she can’t understand, but things go awry when her car breaks down in the hills of Provence. Stranded, she wanders through rose fields to the nearest house to find Matt’s thirtieth birthday party in full swing. Far from sober, Matt decides Layla must be his girlfriend and enthusiastically welcomes her to the fete. Despite this inauspicious beginning, and an embarrassing one for Matt, he and Layla follow the pattern of all of Florand’s protagonists, falling hard and fast with plenty of romance and smolder to keep readers happy.

Once Upon a Rose lived up to the fairy tale enchantment of the title and Florand’s allusive characters, but is not treacly or precious, and a fun way to avoid reality for several hours. She is a very deft writer and I am always amazed by authors who have so clearly found their groove, especially when it fits so neatly in to my reading niche. The settings are so romantic, they are real places, but with an unreality that takes the reader away from its own practicalities (Matt is running a farm after all, no matter how glamourous its harvest) and lets readers be a tourist in a North American’s idealized version of France without annoying the locals.

The Vie en Roses series already includes a book and a novella, the former of which crosses over with Florand’s L’Amour et Chocolat series. A complete summary of Laura Florand’s catalogue, with recommendations, can be found here.

Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful which includes the aforementioned observations.

L’Amour et Chocolat Series: Shadowed Heart by Laura Florand

book review February 1, 2015 Leave a comment

Shadowed Heart is a follow up to Laura Florand’s The Chocolate Heart which is in itself the fifth book in the L’Amour et Chocolate contemporary romance series set in France. You could read this as a standalone novella, but I don’t really see the point as the purpose of this book is to check in on characters and have visits with the protagonists of the other books in the series. Without everyone’s backgrounds, not a lot is going to make sense.

Luc Leroi and Summer Corey have been married for a short time and they realise they have rushed in where angels fear to tread. Quickly espoused, they decide to have a child despite a. knowing each other less than a year, b. each having personal issues that seriously hinder communication and c. having recently moved to an entirely new location so that Luc can immerse himself in starting a new restaurant. Luc is frantically trying to use what he sees all he has to offer – his skill as a patissier – to secure his future with Summer and she, in turn, is desperately trying to mask her loneliness and isolation. They still need to do a lot of work on themselves and their relationship, and this book reinforced that notion.

I didn’t really care about seeing Luc and Summer again. Their story, The Chocolate Heart, was the weakest and my least favourite of the series. They are both damaged – which is fine – but I didn’t particularly like either one of them. She is profoundly vulnerable and he is a control freak. I bought Shadowed Heart for the visits with everyone else from the stories and it did not disappoint. I must tell you though that the most exciting part of the book was the excerpt of Florand’s upcoming book, Once a Hero, which promises more time with my favourite couple, Dom and Jaime of The Chocolate Touch.

A complete summary of Laura Florand’s catalogue, with recommendations, can be found here.

Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful which includes the aforementioned observations.

Trade Me by Courtney Milan

book review January 26, 2015 Leave a comment

I have already reread it.

 

In historical romance’s greatest writer (and increasingly open iconoclast) Courtney Milan’s latest novel, Trade Me, her work steps sideways into the New Adult genre. In their early twenties, the main characters are young enough to be my children, but instead of putting me off, it created a similar kind of narrative distance to the historical elements in the romances I generally prefer. So much has changed since I was that age that this really is a different world for me. Milan brings themes of identity and the roles we are given in life, as well as family politics, into this alternate setting and builds a story around them with her usual skill, style, and charmingly memorable romantic moments.

Tina Chen is the twenty-one-year-old daughter of Chinese refugees. Her single focus in life is creating the financial security her family requires and this means she looked down the list of secure, well-paying professions and her finger landed on doctor. Tina has bills to pay and aspirations to fulfill. She works all the time on her university courses and at her job, she has no time to play.

Tina’s classes bring her into contact with Blake Reynolds. The only child of a Tech billionaire, twenty-three-year-old Blake has taken time off from working for his father to complete a university degree. His relentless but loving father sees it as self-indulgent folderol. After an in-class confrontation, Blake suggests to Tina that they switch lives for the remainder of the semester. She is leery of the trust fund baby, but cannot resist the financial incentive that living his life would provide. She and her roommate move into his house. He moves into the not-so-very converted garage they live in.

Blake would seem to be indulging in poverty tourism, but he has excellent reasons for wanting to lift himself out of his daily existence and hopes to make the most of this escape. Tina’s pressures are visible and more tangible. Blake’s are internalized and haven’t been acknowledged or even noticed by the people around him. His responsibilities to his father’s company and Tina’s assumption of them require that they spend a lot of time together working/trying not to fall in love. Just Tina really. Blake is ready, willing, and able to fall in love with as soon as Tina gives the word, and before that really.

Trade Me flew by in the best possible way. The story was so well-constructed and written that I just floated through the book absorbing the characters and enjoying the ride. Tina and Blake were both interesting and sympathetic, which is not surprising for her given her challenges, but quite an author’s feat for him as he is  good-looking, successful, and filthy rich. The rich man’s son has problems of his own, most stemming from his relationship with his father, and he is young enough that his dad could participate in helping to fix them if only Blake could bring himself to voice his feelings.

The last portion of the book did suffer from Too Much syndrome. There was a whole lot of family drama and the kind of public denouement that is almost impossible to get away with. Milan nearly pulled it off and it certainly made for an exciting finish. Trade Me was a great, engrossing book which I would recommend warmly to readers. I look forward to the rest of the series.  If Milan has been bolder in character choices in her last books, the next one in this Cyclone series, Hold Me, promises to be a game changer.

New Adult romance recommendations can be found here.

A complete summary of Courtney Milan’s catalogue, with recommendations, can be found here.

Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful which includes the aforementioned observations.

 

The Complete Reading List by Author

book review January 1, 2015 Comments: 35

Short Version: Recommended books are in bold, reviewed books are linked, these are ruthlessly streamlined recommendations lists –

So You Want to Read a (Historical) Romance…
Ten Great Romance Novellas to Get You Started
Plus just for funsies: The Worst Romance Novels I Have Ever Read

I have more content based lists over there on the right  –>

Annual Reading Tallies & Author Commentary 2012 – 2017
On reading romance: Emotional Version and Pseudo-Intellectual Version.

My AUTOBUY List (Links Will Take You to a Summary of the Author’s Catalogue)
Tessa Dare (on probation right now actually)
Laura Florand Though she stopped publishing.
Talia Hibbert
Lisa Kleypas   The Queen for a very long time. Her back catalog is very deep and strong.
Julie Anne Long  Historicals only
Courtney Milan  The. Very. Best.
Lucy Parker Delightful. witty contemporaries
Sally Thorne Because her debut was just that good!

-A-
Albert, Annabeth Waiting for Clark (Bryce/Clark)
Albert, Annabeth Save the Date (Randall/Hunter)
Alexander, R.G. Ravenous novella (Declan/Trick/Jennifer)
Alexander, Victoria Love with the Proper Husband (Marcus/Gwen)
Alexander, Victoria Lady Amelia’s Secret Lover novella (Robert/Amelia)
Alexander, Victoria The Prince’s Bride (Rand/Jocelyn)
Alexander, Victoria The Importance of Being Wicked (Winfield/Miranda)
Alexander, Victoria Lord Stillwell’s Excellent Engagements novella (Winfield/ Felicia&Lucy&Caroline)
Alvarez, Tracey In Too Deep (West/Piper)
Andre, Bella The Way You Look Tonight (Rafe/Brooke)
Ann, Jewel E. When Life Happened (Gus/Parker)
Ashe, Katharine In the Arms of a Marquess (Ben)
Ashley, Jennifer The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie (Ian, not surprisingly/Beth) – GENRE OUTLINE
Continue reading →

Author Commentary & Tallies Shameful

book reviews January 1, 2015 Comments: 3

Shortcuts:    

I have more lists over there on the right—>

My AUTOBUY List (Links Will Take You to a Summary of the Author’s Catalogue)
Tessa Dare (on probation right now, so not an autobuy, but still an autoread)
Laura Florand – She’s been on hiatus since 2017. I miss her SO MUCH!
Lisa Kleypas
Julie Anne Long – historicals
Courtney Milan – The. Very. Best.

2020 READING LISTS:

Recommended books are in bold.

The (Shamefree) Tally 2020

  1. Costello, Lauren Braun & Russell Reich Notes on Cooking: A Short Guide to an Essential Craft
  2. DiAngelo, Robin White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
  3. Fashionary Fashionpedia: The Visual Dictionary of Fashion Design
  4. Feldman, Deborah Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots
  5. Fisher, Carrie Wishful Drinking
  6. Stone, Victoria Helen Problem Child (A Jane Doe Thriller)
  7. Whedon, Joss & Georges Jenty Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home

The (Shameful) Tally 2020

  1. Bowen, Sarina and Elle Kennedy Epic (Wes/Jamie)
  2. Clayborn, Kate Beginner’s Luck (Ben/Ekaterina “Kit”)
  3. Hall, Alexis Boyfriend Material (Lucien/Oliver)
  4. Hibbert, Talia Bad for the Boss (Theo/Jennifer)
  5. Hibbert, Talia Undone by the Ex-Con (Isaac/Lizzie)
  6. Hibbert, Talia Sweet on the Greek (Nikolas/Aria)
  7. Hibbert, Talia Work for It (Olu/Griffin)
  8. Hibbert, Talia Untouchable (Evan/Ruth)
  9. Hibbert, Talia A Girl Like Her (Nathaniel/Hannah)
  10. Hibbert, Talia That Kind of Guy (Zach/Rae)
  11. Hibbert, Talia Damaged Goods (Samir/Laura)
  12. Hibbert, Talia Get a Life, Chloe Brown (Red/Chloe) 
  13. Hibbert, Talia Take a Hint Dani, Brown (Zafir/Danika)
  14. Holt, Leah When It Rains, He Pours (Liam/Glory)
  15. Kelly, Carla Regency Royal Navy Christmas (Micah/Asenathe) (Andrew/Lorna)
  16. Kleypas, Lisa Chasing Cassandra (Tom/Cassandra)
  17. Knight, JJ Big Pickle (Jace/Nova)
  18. Lauren, Christina Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating (Josh/Hazel)
  19. McQuiston, Casey Red, White, and Royal Blue (Alex/Henry) FANTASTIC!
  20. Parker, Lucy Headliners (Nick/Sabrina)
  21. Quinlan, Bria The Last Single Girl (John/Sarah)
  22. Reid, Rachel Tough Guy (Ryan/Fabian)
  23. Roberts, Nora Vision in White (Carter/Mackenzie)
  24. Rochon, Farrah The Boyfriend Project (Daniel/Samiah)
  25. Snyder, Suleikha Tikka Chance on Me (Tyson/Pinky)
  26. Sosa, Mia Crashing into Her (Love on Cue (Anthony/Eva)
  27. Vincy, Mia A Wicked Kind of Husband (Joshua/Cassandra)
  28. Vincy, Mia A Beastly Kind of Earl (Rafe/Thea)
  29. Weatherspoon, Rebekah Wrapped: A FIT Adjacent Christmas Novella (Aiden/Shae)
  30. Weatherspoon, Rebekah Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny (Rafe/Sloan)

2019 READING LISTS:

Recommended books are in bold.

The (Shamefree) Tally 2019

  1. Shrimpton, Jayne Victorian Fashion

The (Shameful) Tally 2019

  1. Balogh, Mary Someone to Trust (Colin/Elizabeth)
  2. Balogh, Mary Someone to Honor (Gil/Abigail)
  3. Balogh, Mary Someone to Remember (Charles/Matilda)
  4. Blakeman, Aviva Stacked (Mags/Imogene)
  5. Blakeman, Aviva Say My Name (John/Zelda)
  6. Bowen, Sarina Brooklynaire (Nate/Rebecca) DNF
  7. Bowen, Sarina novella Studly Period (Pepe/Josephine)
  8. Bowen, Sarina novella Yesterday (Graham/Rikker)
  9. Bowen, Sarina, Speakeasy (Alec/Mae)
  10. Bowen, Sarina Fireworks (Benito/Skye)
  11. Dare, Tessa The Wallflower Wager (Gabriel/Penny)
  12. Dare, Tessa novella His Bride for the Taking (Sebastian/Mary)
  13. Kelly, Carla The Unlikely Master Genius (Able/Meridee)
  14. Kelly, Elizabeth Christmas Rescue (Elias/Ivy)
  15. Kennedy, Elle The Risk (Jake/Brenna)
  16. Kleypas, Lisa Devil’s Daughter (West/Phoebe)
  17. Lang Ruby Acute Reactions (Ian/Petra)
  18. Lang, Ruby Hard Knocks (Adam/Helen)
  19. Long, Julie Anne Lady Derring Takes a Lover (Tristan/Delilah)
  20. Long, Julie Anne Angel in a Devil’s Arms (Lucien/Angelique)
  21. Milan, Courtney Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure (Violetta/Bertrice)
  22. Morton, Lily Rule Breaker (Dylan/Gabe)
  23. Parker, Lucy The Austen Playbook (Griff/Freddy) – FANTASTIC
  24. Reid, Penny A Marriage of Inconvenience (Dan/Kat)
  25. Reid, Rachel Game Changer (Scott/Kip)
  26. Reid, Rachel Heated Rivalry (Ilya/Shane) – GREAT
  27. Thorne, Sally 99 Percent Mine (Tom/Darcy)
  28. Walker, N.R. novella Red Dirt Heart Imago (Charlie/Travis & Lawson/Jack)
  29. Walker, N.R. Switched (Israel/Sam)
  30. Walsh, Brighton Our Love Unhinged (Cade/Winter)
  31. Walsh, Brighton Second Chance Charmer (Cade/Winter)

2018 READING LISTS:

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