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Hello, all!
A Very Merry Bromance- Lyssa Kay Adams: Country music playboy, Colton Wheeler, is used to getting his way when it comes to the ladies until he meets Gretchen Winthrop. The two shared an incredible night together but then Gretchen hightailed it out of there in the morning, and the two haven't spoken since. A year later, Colton and Gretchen find themselves in a bit of a rut. Colton's music career is on the line, and Gretchen, an immigration attorney, is desperately trying to fight for her clients while keeping her practice afloat. When her wealthy, estranged family comes to her with a proposition that'll allow her to better help the community, she's hard-pressed to say no. All she has to do is convince Colton to be the face of her family's whiskey line. To her surprise, Colton agrees to consider her offer, but there's a catch: she'll have to go out on a date with Colton. The more time the pair spend together, the more they can't deny the spark between them. But they both will have to confront their pasts if they hope to have a future together.
I have this habit of finding Christmas, or holiday books in general, a bit cheesy, but Adams had me eating my words. I thought this was so adorable. I loved Colton and Gretchen right from the start. You could tell they had such great chemistry, and I loved how Colton would tease Gretchen to get a rise out of her. He was playful but protective of her, and it was sweet watching how much he cared about her, especially when it came to standing up to her family (who were terrible.) Gretchen was a bit Scrooge-like at the start, but I admired how she let herself be vulnerable and open up. One of the highlights of this series for me is the friendship between all the boys, so I loved all the interactions between them here as well. If you're looking for a steamy read this holiday season, I highly recommend checking this one out.
A Reckless Match- Kate Bateman: Madeline Montgomery was raised to hate Gryff Davies for no other reason than their families have been at odds for centuries. Ever since the pair were children, they delighted in torturing the other with silly pranks. Despite it all, Maddie has harbored a secret affection for Gryff. But with her family close to ruin, Maddie can't afford to be hung up over a Davies. Gryff was planning to spend his time back from war enjoying some leisure time in London, but after an illegal duel sends him back to his country estate, he decides to take up annoying his beautiful neighbor Maddie again. When the pair stumbles upon a smuggling ring operating close to their shared lands, Maddie and Gryff strike a tenuous truce to stop the criminals. But with every darkened tunnel and secret cave they inspect, Maddie and Gryff realize the spark that's been burning between them all these years may not be hate after all.
My favorite thing about Bateman's writing is her characters. They're always so fun. Every time I pick up one of her books, I know I'm going to get top-notch banter and bickering. Maddie and Gryff continuously got under each other's skin with their childish antics, and I loved it. You could tell Gryff was always acting in that boyish way of terrorizing the girl he likes, and usually, I find that immature, but Bateman made it work so well here. I loved how Maddie never backed down from him and gave it straight back. I also love both of their families. They brought another layer of humor to this and made it even more entertaining. I did find the plot of the smugglers a bit bland, but I enjoyed this nonetheless. I can't wait to read more from Bateman, as she's quickly becoming one of my favorite historical romance authors.
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| Pub Date: 9-20-22 Adult - Historical Romance |
Something in the Heir- Suzanne Enoch: To keep the home she grew up in, Emmeline must follow two firm rules set by her grandfather: she must marry and produce an heir within the first few years of marriage. Emmeline completed the first task and only fibbed a bit on the second. Emmeline and Will Pershing have been married for eight years, and though they tried to have a child, it sadly wasn't in the cards for them. But that didn't stop Emmeline from conjuring up two fake children to appease her grandfather and keep her home. Now, as her grandfather's seventieth birthday approaches, Emmeline, Will, and their children are required to come to the festivities. That leaves the pair with only one choice: find two children willing to play out the ruse, or lose their home for good.
I feel a little duped by this one. I went in thinking it was going to be a fun historical rom-com, but what I got was more of a family drama set in a historical period. There was little to no romance in this at all. Sure, we get little bits between Emmie and Will as they learn that their marriage is more than the transaction they thought it was. Will has always loved Emmie, and Emmie grows to love him, and it was sweet watching them figure that all out, but it was more of an afterthought. The main plot revolves around polishing these two orphans to pass off as their children. There's no denying that George and Rose were precocious little miscreants, but all their pickpocketing and scheming did get repetitive quite quickly. Still, they had me chuckling and smiling with their antics. I did think Emmie and Will's plot was unnecessarily messy and didn't understand why they wouldn't just tell their tenants or those around them that they just adopted the children. I also couldn't stop myself from eye-rolling every time they swore they wouldn't be keeping the kids. You knew they weren't going to give them up and that they'd be a family by the end. I don't think this was a bad book necessarily, it just didn't end up being for me.
I feel a little duped by this one. I went in thinking it was going to be a fun historical rom-com, but what I got was more of a family drama set in a historical period. There was little to no romance in this at all. Sure, we get little bits between Emmie and Will as they learn that their marriage is more than the transaction they thought it was. Will has always loved Emmie, and Emmie grows to love him, and it was sweet watching them figure that all out, but it was more of an afterthought. The main plot revolves around polishing these two orphans to pass off as their children. There's no denying that George and Rose were precocious little miscreants, but all their pickpocketing and scheming did get repetitive quite quickly. Still, they had me chuckling and smiling with their antics. I did think Emmie and Will's plot was unnecessarily messy and didn't understand why they wouldn't just tell their tenants or those around them that they just adopted the children. I also couldn't stop myself from eye-rolling every time they swore they wouldn't be keeping the kids. You knew they weren't going to give them up and that they'd be a family by the end. I don't think this was a bad book necessarily, it just didn't end up being for me.
Rating: 2/5
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| Pub Date: 11-1-22 Adult - Contemporary |
A Very Merry Bromance- Lyssa Kay Adams: Country music playboy, Colton Wheeler, is used to getting his way when it comes to the ladies until he meets Gretchen Winthrop. The two shared an incredible night together but then Gretchen hightailed it out of there in the morning, and the two haven't spoken since. A year later, Colton and Gretchen find themselves in a bit of a rut. Colton's music career is on the line, and Gretchen, an immigration attorney, is desperately trying to fight for her clients while keeping her practice afloat. When her wealthy, estranged family comes to her with a proposition that'll allow her to better help the community, she's hard-pressed to say no. All she has to do is convince Colton to be the face of her family's whiskey line. To her surprise, Colton agrees to consider her offer, but there's a catch: she'll have to go out on a date with Colton. The more time the pair spend together, the more they can't deny the spark between them. But they both will have to confront their pasts if they hope to have a future together.
I have this habit of finding Christmas, or holiday books in general, a bit cheesy, but Adams had me eating my words. I thought this was so adorable. I loved Colton and Gretchen right from the start. You could tell they had such great chemistry, and I loved how Colton would tease Gretchen to get a rise out of her. He was playful but protective of her, and it was sweet watching how much he cared about her, especially when it came to standing up to her family (who were terrible.) Gretchen was a bit Scrooge-like at the start, but I admired how she let herself be vulnerable and open up. One of the highlights of this series for me is the friendship between all the boys, so I loved all the interactions between them here as well. If you're looking for a steamy read this holiday season, I highly recommend checking this one out.
Rating: 5/5
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| Pub Date: 9-28-21 Adult - Historical Romance |
A Reckless Match- Kate Bateman: Madeline Montgomery was raised to hate Gryff Davies for no other reason than their families have been at odds for centuries. Ever since the pair were children, they delighted in torturing the other with silly pranks. Despite it all, Maddie has harbored a secret affection for Gryff. But with her family close to ruin, Maddie can't afford to be hung up over a Davies. Gryff was planning to spend his time back from war enjoying some leisure time in London, but after an illegal duel sends him back to his country estate, he decides to take up annoying his beautiful neighbor Maddie again. When the pair stumbles upon a smuggling ring operating close to their shared lands, Maddie and Gryff strike a tenuous truce to stop the criminals. But with every darkened tunnel and secret cave they inspect, Maddie and Gryff realize the spark that's been burning between them all these years may not be hate after all.
My favorite thing about Bateman's writing is her characters. They're always so fun. Every time I pick up one of her books, I know I'm going to get top-notch banter and bickering. Maddie and Gryff continuously got under each other's skin with their childish antics, and I loved it. You could tell Gryff was always acting in that boyish way of terrorizing the girl he likes, and usually, I find that immature, but Bateman made it work so well here. I loved how Maddie never backed down from him and gave it straight back. I also love both of their families. They brought another layer of humor to this and made it even more entertaining. I did find the plot of the smugglers a bit bland, but I enjoyed this nonetheless. I can't wait to read more from Bateman, as she's quickly becoming one of my favorite historical romance authors.
Rating: 4/5
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