Sweet Little Lies (Heartbreaker Bay #1) by Jill Shalvis [Review]

Choose the one guy you can’t have . . .

As captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru can handle rough seas—the hard part is life on dry land. Pru loves her new apartment and her neighbors; problem is, she’s in danger of stumbling into love with Mr. Right for Anybody But Her.

Fall for him—hard . . .

Pub owner Finn O’Riley is six-foot-plus of hard-working hottie who always makes time for his friends. When Pru becomes one of them, she discovers how amazing it feels to be on the receiving end of that deep green gaze. But when a freak accident involving darts (don’t ask) leads to shirtless first aid, things rush way past the friend zone. Fast.

The Bachelor Prince by Debbie Macomber [Audio Review]

Prince Stefano is a man most girls could only dream of meeting. And now the very handsome—and very eligible—bachelor is in America searching for the girl he will someday make his bride.

Hope Jordan's prince has finally come—but there's no happy ending in sight. Her royal suitor needs a wealthy wife to save his country from ruin, but Hope has nothing to offer Stefano. Except her love…

For the Longest Time (Harvest Cove, #1) by Kendra Leigh Castle

For the Longest Time by Kendra Leigh Castle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 Second Chance Stars

For the Longest Time is about second chances. You may be that nerdy girl in high school that got picked on, but that doesn’t mean that’s still you years later. Maybe you can get that jock after all.

I like the idea and concept of For the Longest Time. Who doesn’t like the nerdy girl turned swan (sort of). I wouldn’t say Samantha is a knock out, but she isn’t awkward anymore and she’s very sure of herself. Years ago, she’s had the biggest crush on Jake, the popular jock in school.

Jake was popular and with being popular comes with popular and mean friends. Friends that tease and tormented Sam throughout high school, leaving slight emotional scars on Sam’s part.

Now, Jake is the local vet and notices Sam back in town.

It’s a cute plot and there are some elements that I enjoyed very much. I liked Sam. At times she did annoy me because she was so sure on Jake being a jerk, she never really gave him a chance, even after the guy begged for a date. I like a chase and then I like there to be some nice banter, but I felt Sam was just too hung up from past issues to get to know him.

Jake is adorable. I like a Hero who is a pet lover, especially to cats. I wasn’t very fond of Jake’s friends because he kept the same ones from high school and they kind of never changed. I understand kids can be mean, but as an adult, you would think some would grow out of it. I guess it adds some nice dynamic.

My main issue steams from the flow of the read. I felt like the pace was a bit slow and it took about 50% of the book before Jake and Sam even got to their first date. Also, the interaction between Sam and Jake was very limited. There was a lot of dialogue between friends and family verse the book about the main couple.

I would consider this a very light chick-lit book with mild romance. It’s a cute book with a cute plot and if you don’t like too much romance, then this one is for you.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review

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The Red Bikini by Lauren Christopher

The Red Bikini by Lauren Christopher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 Surf and Sea Stars

Giselle is a single mother. Her husband has left her for a younger woman. It’s the summer and Giselle plans to find herself. She moves to the beach to recharge her batteries.

Fin is a pro surfer, but doesn’t have the best reputation. He’s taking time off and he needs to get a better image. Maybe dating a sophisticated older woman will help him.

Giselle

I liked Giselle. Her story is sad. She’s in her mid-thirties, has a daughter and doesn’t have a job. She doesn’t feel young or desirable. I have a soft spot for single mothers and although I’m not too fond of the older woman and younger guy story line, the age gap wasn’t too much.

Fin

Fin is a character and he has a lot of issues. He single and doesn’t want to settle down. He’s never been in love and doesn’t plan on to. He asks Giselle to go with him to impress some sponsors. Giselle said she would if he would go with her to a funeral where her ex will be there. Both know they are using each other and both agree to keep their relationship at a friendship level.

Review

Of course it’s difficult to keep a friendship relationship, when one starts to have more feelings for the other. The Red Bikini’s pace is a bit slow and very descriptive. I’m not fond of descriptive reads, but I do find the beach setting perfect for the current season.

The relationship between Fin and Giselle forms slowly and there’s definitely chemistry. I wouldn’t call The Red Bikini too steamy, but very light and cute.

An Arc was provided in exchange for an honest review

AMAZON

A Lot Like Love (FBI / US Attorney, #2) by Julie James

A Lot like Love by Julie James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 (A Lot Like Cuteness) Stars

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a chick-lit book. It reminds me the time when I started reading and it was the genre I started out with. Julie James’ books are very sweet, a no fuss, happy-go-lucky kind of read with a touch of mild suspense.

Summary

Jordan is the daughter of a rich billionaire. She’s independent and wants to make it on her own. She’s a wine enthusiast and has a wine shop. Nick McCall is an undercover agent. He’s a man’s man meaning he doesn’t care about fashion or what fancy wine taste like, all he cares about is getting his job done. Nick’s needs Jordan for his next assignment, but both are finding it difficult to draw between the lines of pretending for the operation and showing their true feelings.

Review

The beginning was a bit slow and there was a lot of story build-up. You basically get to know Jordan and Nick’s character. Jordan may be super rich, but that’s her dad’s money and she’s determined to be a well-rounded gal. I like her character, even though I’m not fond of rich gals, but she’s down to earth and was never annoying. Nick is from Brooklyn and comes from a big Italian family. He’s been working as an agent for over six years and hasn’t taken a vacation.

I enjoyed how different Jordan and Nick’s characters are. Jordan kind of teaches Nick about wine and Nick starts to reevaluate his first opinions of Jordan. The banter was very cute and I liked the dialogue and if you weren’t a wine fan prior to reading, you will want a drink when you are done.

There are a lot of wine references, so watch out.

Nick needs Jordan to get close to his target, the person he wants to take down, because of Jordan’s knowledge of wine. I love the whole fake-pretend-to-be-in-a-relationship storyline. It’s just makes for a great plot.

A lot like love didn’t have any angst or action, but a few suspenseful moments and a lot of cuteness.


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