Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren

Title: Dark Wild Night (Wild Seasons #3)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 358

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS. BUT WHAT DIDN’T HAPPEN IN VEGAS SEEMS TO FOLLOW THEM EVERYWHERE—Book Three in the sexy, fun New York Times bestselling Wild Seasons series that began with Sweet Filthy Boy (the Romantic Times Book of the Year) and Dirty Rowdy Thing.

Lola and Oliver like to congratulate themselves on having the good sense not to consummate their drunken Las Vegas marriage. If they’d doubled-down on that mistake, their Just Friends situation might not be half as great as it is now.

…Or so goes the official line.

In reality, Lola’s wanted Oliver since day one—and over time has only fallen harder for his sexy Aussie accent and easygoing ability to take her as she comes. More at home in her studio than in baring herself to people, Lola’s instinctive comfort around Oliver nearly seems too good to be true. So why ruin a good thing?

Even as geek girls fawn over him, Oliver can’t get his mind off what he didn’t do with Lola when he had the chance. He knows what he wants with her now…and it’s far outside the friend zone. When Lola’s graphic novel starts getting national acclaim—and is then fast-tracked for a major motion picture—Oliver steps up to be there for her whenever she needs him. After all, she’s not the kind of girl who likes all that attention, but maybe she’s the kind who’ll eventually like him.

Sometimes seeing what’s right in front of us takes a great leap of faith. And sometimes a dark wild night in Vegas isn’t just the end of a day, but the beginning of a bright new life…

We finally get to Oliver and Lola’s story and I ended up being a bit disappointed. I had loved Oliver from the first scenes with him in the first book. I wanted to see him get his great romantic story. I loved the first 60% of this book. I understand Lola’s hesitation and Oliver’s need for communication. The steamy scenes were super steamy and thoroughly enjoyable. But then Lola has her freakout and I was so incredibly disappointed in her behavior and actions. I wanted her to be better. By the end of the book, Oliver and Lola get back to together, but I really wanted to see more from their relationship. I even wanted to see more of Lola’s career scenes. It like this book was about 50 pages too short for me.

Wild Seasons

#1 Sweet Filthy Boy
#2 Dirty Rowdy Thing
#3 Dark Wild Night
#4 Wicked Sexy Liar

star-rating-remains-the-most-important-part-of-a-review-cad0047.cad0047.png

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren

Title: Dirty Rowdy Thing (Wild Seasons #2)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

Despite their rowdy hookups, Harlow and Finn don’t even like each other...which would explain why their marriage lasted only twelve hours. He needs to be in charge and takes whatever he wants. She lives by the Want-something-done? Do-it-yourself mantra. Maybe she’s too similar to the rugged fisherman—or just what he needs.

Okay better than the first book in the series. I really did love Harlow and Finn as individual people. I even enjoyed them together as a couple. My biggest issue with this book is the communication issue. I understand that the non-communication is the main conceit of this romance, but I don’t quite buy it and I definitely don’t love it. The steamy scenes were fairly steamy, but I would have liked more relationship scenes.

Wild Seasons

#1 Sweet Filthy Boy
#2 Dirty Rowdy Thing
#3 Dark Wild Night
#4 Wicked Sexy Liar

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren

Title: Sweet Filthy Boy (Wild Seasons #1)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 418

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

When three besties meet three hot guys in Vegas anything can—and does—happen. Book One of the New York Times bestselling Wild Seasons series from the author of the Beautiful Bastard series.

One-night stands are supposed to be with someone convenient, or wickedly persuasive, or regrettable. They aren’t supposed to be with someone like him.

But after a crazy Vegas weekend celebrating her college graduation—and terrified of the future path she knows is a cop-out—Mia Holland makes the wildest decision of her life: follow Ansel Guillaume—her sweet, filthy fling—to France for the summer and just...play.

When feelings begin to develop behind the provocative roles they take on, and their temporary masquerade adventures begin to feel real, Mia will have to decide if she belongs in the life she left because it was all wrong, or in the strange new one that seems worlds away.

I finally got around to starting the other early Christina Lauren series that I haven’t read yet. And my response is a resounding meh. I loved the setup of the surprise marriage in Vegas, but the book quickly went a bit downhill from there. I liked Ansel up until his secret was exposed. I could have dealt with his secrets and the fallout if we could have seen a good cathartic conversation. Instead, we get a quickie happy ending and I was annoyed. And then we turn to Mia and I just could not get behind her at all. Not a fan of her character at all. As a final note, I am going to say something very unexpected. I think this book might have had too many sex scenes… There I said it. Too many sex scenes in this contemporary romance.

Wild Seasons

#1 Sweet Filthy Boy
#2 Dirty Rowdy Thing
#3 Dark Wild Night
#4 Wicked Sexy Liar

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful (Beautiful #5)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 400

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

After walking in on her boyfriend shagging another girl in their place, Pippa Bay Cox ditches London for the States to go on a drunken road trip with Ruby Miller and some of her Beautiful friends.

Scaling the career ladder is the default way to deal with heartbreak—and to just deal—for Jensen Bergstrom. Absolutely buried by his drive and workload, he rarely takes time for himself. But when his sister Hanna convinces him to join the gang on a two-week wine tour, he has a rare moment of cutting loose. Of course, it’s only once he’s committed that he realizes the strange girl he met briefly on the plane is coming along, too. She might be too much for him…or he might realize his life has become too small and needs her to make it bigger, crazier.

With this circle of friends there’s always something going on: from Chloe and Sara’s unexpected personality swaps to Will’s new domestic side to Bennett’s text message barrage and George’s own happily-ever-after. In short, their adventures in love, friendship, and hilarity are nothing short of Beautiful.

The last book in this series and I must admit that Christina and Lauren disappointed me. This one was just not sexy at all. They seem to have completely lost all the steamy momentum from the other books. Pippa and Jensen were sweet but not sexy at all. I loved the appearances from some of the other characters in this series, but overall I kept waiting for the steamy scenes and there just weren’t that many and the ones that were there weren’t that good. Oh well. Not everything is going to be a winner.

Beautiful Bastard

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Boss by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Boss (Beautiful #4.5)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Pocket Star 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 115

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

One Player tamed. One nerd girl satisfied. And one more major life decision to make. When Will fell for Hanna, her quirky sense of humor and fierce dedication to her career were part of the attraction. (Not to mention her coy newbie attitude toward sex and her willingness to let him teach her everything.) But when the job offers start rolling in for her—and oh, they do—Hanna has trouble deciding what she wants, where they should live, and how much she should burden Will with the decision. Magic between the sheets is only one part of a relationship...getting on the same page is quite another altogether.

Meh. Will and Hannas are not my favorite couple, but at least they aren’t Chloe and Bennett. This is yet another story where Hanna just acts so incredibly young and I am annoyed by it I am not a fan of that dynamic. This story wrapped up some of their particular plot line. But I’m definitely ready to move on to the last book in the series.

Beautiful Bastard

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Secret (Beautiful #4)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 385

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

When Ruby Miller’s boss announces he’s sending her on an extended business trip to New York City, she’s shocked. As one of the best and brightest young engineers in London, she knows she’s professionally up to the task. The part that’s throwing her is where she’ll be spending a month up close and personal working alongside—and staying in a hotel with—Niall Stella, her firm’s top urban planning executive and The Hottest Man Alive. Despite her ongoing crush, Ruby is certain Niall barely knows she’s alive…until their flirty overnight flight makes him sit up and take notice.

Not one for letting loose and breaking rules, recently divorced Niall would describe himself as hopeless when it comes to women. But even he knows outgoing California-girl Ruby is a breath of fresh air. Once she makes it her mission to help the sexy Brit loosen his tie, there’s no turning back. Thousands of miles from London, it’s easy for the lovers to play pretend. But when the trip is over, will the relationship they’ve built up fall down?

And we get to know Max’s younger brother Niall in this romance romp. Overall I did really enjoy this book, but there were a few aspects that I wasn’t the biggest fan of. I enjoyed the general romance between Niall and Ruby. I liked their personal relationship as they navigate their feelings for each other. The steamy scenes were definitely steamy. I was very much into this story. But then, we get the big conflict and I was very annoyed. It seems like this entire series has a dynamic of a male character stepping back while a female character handles a terrible situation. Okay I’m very on board with this idea of men stepping back and allowing women to step up for themselves. Again, I am okay with this set-up. What I don’t like is that there is always some other male character acting terrible that suffers no consequences from their behavior. In this book we get a very sexual predator boss who forces Ruby to quit her internship or stop dating Niall (who is not her boss in any matter). And nothing absolutely happens. I am very enraged in these situations through the series. I’m still going to finish the series, but very annoyed by this small part.

Beautiful Bastard

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Beginning (Beautiful #3.6)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher:

Genre: Romance

Pages: 119

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

In Beautiful Stranger, finance whiz Sara Dillon met the irresistibly sexy Brit, Max Stella, at a New York City club. Through the series we’ve watched them learn to balance commitment with their less than private brand of playfulness. In Beautiful Beloved, Max and Sara take it to the next step. But the question is: Will they be able to find a balance between the wild sexcapades they aren’t ready to retire, and the demands of parenthood that come along with their new Beautiful bundle of joy? Parenthood: it’s not for the weak of heart.

Another short novella from the series, but this one features my favorite couple Max and Sara. Don’t be fooled by the cover, this one is actually set four months after Sara gives birth to baby Anna. This slim story focuses on Max and Sara attempting to find their new normal after the fog of the newborn days has lifted. We get to see their misadventures on the way to date night. Thankfully Max and Sara are still a great couple with a deep love for each other. And we get some very steamy sex scenes toward the end. Can’t wait to see what happens next with them.

Beautiful Bastard

#1 Beautiful Bastard
#1.5 Beautiful Bitch
#2 Beautiful Stranger
#2.5 Beautiful Bombshell
#3 Beautiful Player
#3.5 Beautiful Beginning
#3.6 Beautiful Beloved
#4 Beautiful Secret
#4.5 Beautiful Boss
#5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Beginning by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Beginning (Beautiful #3.5)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 209

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

One beautiful bastard of a groom. The most beautiful bitch of a bride. A panty-ripping office hook-up turned true love everlasting.

Wedding bells can’t chime soon enough for Chloe Mills and Bennett Ryan. Chloe, exasperated and stressed by all the last-minute to-dos, is on the verge of saying “I do” to eloping. For his part, Bennett’s so worried about being distracted by Chloe’s body that he makes a no-sex-until-the-wedding-night rule that only seems to be making things worse by continually backfiring on him. As their crazy families descend for the big day- only a few of them actually trying to be helpful- the fiery lovers are about to test whether the couple that argues together can keep it together long enough to exchange rings, and not just heated words.

Slim novella detailing the run up to Bennett and Chloe’s wedding. They are really not my favorite couple in this series and it shows in my reading. I just wanted to skip through their chapters to get to ones that featured the other characters. That’s not a great sign. Fundamentally, I do not enjoy how they treat each other. There’s too much perceived anger and combativeness for me to get behind this couple. Thankfully this one was a short novella that I could get through quickly.

Beautiful Bastard

#1 Beautiful Bastard
#1.5 Beautiful Bitch
#2 Beautiful Stranger
#2.5 Beautiful Bombshell
#3 Beautiful Player
#3.5 Beautiful Beginning
#3.6 Beautiful Beloved
#4 Beautiful Secret
#4.5 Beautiful Boss
#5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Player (Beautiful #3)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 465

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she’s determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother’s gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?

Will takes risks for a living, but he’s skeptical about this challenge of Hanna’s…until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed- and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can’t forget. Now that Hanna’s discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it’s up to Will to prove he’s the only man she’ll ever need.

Hanna and Will were a great couple and I ended up enjoying their book. I’m still hung up on Max and Sara, but this volume does a decent job as getting me invested in these two characters. Hanna can be a bit naive at times and I was a bit annoyed by the whole “woman knows nothing when it comes to sex” trope, but Will was entertaining and a fun guy to be around. I flew through this one in just a few days. It had the right amount of steamy scenes and talky scenes. Plus we get some great cameos from our other characters and one big reveal at the end. I’m definitely going to keep reading the series as my fun light-hearted reads in between more serious fare.

Beautiful Bastard

#1 Beautiful Bastard
#1.5 Beautiful Bitch
#2 Beautiful Stranger
#2.5 Beautiful Bombshell
#3 Beautiful Player
#3.5 Beautiful Beginning
#3.6 Beautiful Beloved
#4 Beautiful Secret
#4.5 Beautiful Boss
#5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Bombshell by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Bombshell (Beautiful #2.5)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 127

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

A beautiful bastard of a groom-to-be. A bachelor-party-crashing bride. And one unforgettable night on the Vegas strip.

When Bennett’s friends steal him away from Chloe for a weekend of shenanigans and strippers in Vegas, their first stop doesn’t exactly go as planned. Their scheme for a guys’ weekend completely derailed, Bennett and Max take every chance they get to rendezvous secretly with the women they love. But when the persistently single Will Sumner catches on, the pair realizes they need to team up with him instead of butting heads if they’re to escape for more sexy Vegas hookups.

Beautiful Bastard’s Chloe Mills and Bennett Ryan are back for one last blazing prewedding hurrah- but if what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, they might not ever want to leave!

Short story featuring Chloe and Bennett and Max and Sara (plus Henry and Will). I am still not the biggest fan of Chloe and Bennett. Something about their relationship and banter turns me off. But this story redeemed itself with the chapters focusing on Max and Sara. I love them so much. Be forewarned, this is very open door.

Beautiful Bastard

#1 Beautiful Bastard
#1.5 Beautiful Bitch
#2 Beautiful Stranger
#2.5 Beautiful Bombshell
#3 Beautiful Player
#3.5 Beautiful Beginning
#3.6 Beautiful Beloved
#4 Beautiful Secret
#4.5 Beautiful Boss
#5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful #2)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 356

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Escaping a cheating ex, finance whiz Sara Dillon's moved to New York City and is looking for excitement without a lot of strings attached. So meeting the irresistible, sexy Brit at a dance club should have meant nothing more than a night's fun. But the manner--and speed--with which he melts her inhibitions turns him from a one-time hookup and into her Beautiful Stranger.

The whole city knows Max Stella loves women, not that he's ever found one he particularly wants to keep around. Despite pulling in plenty with his Wall Street bad boy charm, it's not until Sara--and the wild photos she lets him take of her--that he starts wondering if there's someone for him outside of the bedroom.

Hooking up in places where anybody could catch them, the only thing scarier for Sara than getting caught in public is having Max get too close in private.

Ah this is better! I realized that part of why I gave the first two books in this series 3 stars was because I didn’t absolutely love the main characters. Their constant sniping at each other wasn’t really my thing. The banter between Max and Sara is much more enjoyable and gave this book another star! I would have totally fallen for someone like Max. Once again, we start with a bang, get it, bang? and push ahead full steam for the rest of the book. Very open door, and I loved it. Such fun! Now back to my regularly scheduled holiday romances.

Beautiful Bastard

#1 Beautiful Bastard
#1.5 Beautiful Bitch
#2 Beautiful Stranger
#2.5 Beautiful Bombshell
#3 Beautiful Player
#3.5 Beautiful Beginning
#3.6 Beautiful Beloved
#4 Beautiful Secret
#4.5 Beautiful Boss
#5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Bitch by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Bitch (Beautiful #2)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 161

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Just when Chloe’s career starts to take off, Bennett wishes it would all slow down long enough to spend a wild night alone with his intern-cum-girlfriend. Preferably one in which he can show her he’s still the boss.

After her continued refusals to take time off with him, Bennett can finally no longer take no for an answer. And so the couple find themselves with two plane tickets, one French villa, and a surprising conversation that, predictably, leaves them wrestling under the covers.

Decent little novella and continuation of Chloe and Bennett’s story. I like the story, but didn’t love the construction. We jump back and forth through their timeline following the events of Beautiful Bastard. I would have liked a bit more of a linear progression. And the different fonts for each point of view were unnecessary. We could have had chapters just title “Chloe” or “Bennett” to designate. For some strange reason, I am still into this series (despite the lower rating) and will be continuing.

Beautiful Bastard

#1 Beautiful Bastard
#1.5 Beautiful Bitch
#2 Beautiful Stranger
#2.5 Beautiful Bombshell
#3 Beautiful Player
#3.5 Beautiful Beginning
#3.6 Beautiful Beloved
#4 Beautiful Secret
#4.5 Beautiful Boss
#5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful #1)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 321

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate--and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative--completely infuriating--creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules--or outright smash them--if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.

You would think that me giving this 3 stars is a terrible rating, but it’s really not. I liked reading this book, but I did have a few issues. First the positives. I loved the more open door nature of this book. The more recent Christina Lauren books are much more closed door. This one was definitely not. I really enjoyed Chloe and her entire character. She’s a great character. And the side characters are great additions to the book. Unfortunately, I had a big issue with the pacing of the novel. The pacing felt more like a porn than a romantic book. As soon as the main characters got into an interesting conversation, they paused to have sex. Ok great, but sometimes, I would have liked a bit more conversation. Despite my lower rating, I’m probably going to keep reading this series.

Beautiful Bastard

#1 Beautiful Bastard
#1.5 Beautiful Bitch
#2 Beautiful Stranger
#2.5 Beautiful Bombshell
#3 Beautiful Player
#3.5 Beautiful Beginning
#3.6 Beautiful Beloved
#4 Beautiful Secret
#4.5 Beautiful Boss
#5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Title: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 318

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

I went back and forth about what to rate this book. I wanted to give it four stars all the way until the last 25 pages. Then, I wanted to give it 3 stars. But… after more consideration, I decided to bump it back up to 4 stars. I do love the progression of Hazel and Josh’s relationship throughout the book. They are a great non-couple and then sorta-couple. We get some fun will they, won’t they moments throughout. I do love that Hazel was unwilling to compromise her entire identity for a man and that Josh was very much accepting of her. My issue came with the ending. It included a trope that I am really not a fan of and then was very rushed. I wanted to spend more time with Josh and Hazel as a couple. I wanted to see them worked through the big event at the end instead of just rushing through to the epilogue. Le sigh.

Next up on the TBR pile:

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Title: In a Holidaze

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

A lovely fun romance set at Christmas. I know that I’m a bit early for holiday reads, but I got on a contemporary romance kick and decided to read it now. I really did enjoy this novel. It was fairly light and breezy with some fun moments and a sweet romance. I love Maelyn’s chaotic energy throughout her various Groundhog Day days. I really loved many of the side characters and the focus on Maelyn’s found family. I wasn’t completely in love with Andrew myself and kept waiting for some big twist, but it didn’t come. I can’t quite place why I didn’t love Andrew; maybe we didn’t get of his personality? I wasn’t totally there for their romance, but it was a decently fun romance book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

Title: Twice in a Blue Moon

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 366

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first: Her first love. Her first everything. Including her first heartbreak.

During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other in only the way that first loves do: sharing all of their hopes, dreams, and deepest secrets along the way. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate—the long-lost daughter of one of the world’s biggest film stars—ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.

Fourteen years later, Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, only thinks about her first love every once in a blue moon. When she steps onto the set of her first big break, he’s the last person she expects to see. Yet here Sam is, the same charming, confident man she knew, but even more alluring than she remembered. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, Tate must ask herself if it’s possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason… and whether “once in a lifetime” can come around twice.

I was so incredibly excited for this book after reading and loving The Unhoneymooners last year. And this one just fell completely flat for me. I wasn’t a fan of the pacing of the novel. Splitting the book in half slowed the entire story. I wanted less of Tate and Sam in London and much much more of them as adults. Related to pacing, I was not a fan of the inclusion of parts of the screen play. It really dragged me down. Beyond the pacing, I wasn’t a fan of Tate as a character. She didn’t seem to flushed out enough to be a main character. I couldn’t get beyond it. Overall I just did not enjoy this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Title: The Unhoneymooners

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 416

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Women Authors; Romance

Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion . . . she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas.

Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there’s a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo.

Agreeing to a temporary truce, the pair head for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is worth having to assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the weird thing is . . . Olive doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, the more she pretends to be the luckiest woman alive, the more it feels like she might be.

Oh my goodness, I seriously loved this book so much. It was everything I needed in a romantic comedy. I immediately fell for the main characters. Olive and Ethan have amazing chemistry. I loved their banter throughout the first half of the book. And then we get to the romance portion of the book and I really fell for them. I sped through this book so quickly. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I was completely along for the ride and so thankful for the conclusion. So great!

Next up on the TBR pile: