Happy Release Day to Tara Sivec's "Just My Type"!

Just My Type by Tara Sivec

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hooray, it's release day for Tara Sivec's latest book, "Just My Type"!

 

Bottom line: Tara Sivec is a rom-com genius, and "Just My Type" is AMAZEBALLS! :-) Every time I think I have found my favorite Sivec book, she releases a new one, and it's even better than the one before.

In "Just My Type," we are re-introduced to Ember Hastings, best friend of Brooklyn Manning from "The Simple Life." When we last saw Ember, she was happily married to the town pharmacist and they had a young son. Ember loved her life in small-town White Timber, where she worked on her family's pumpkin farm and was able to spend lots of time with friends and family. Her happy life in White Timber screeches to a halt when her husband accepts a job offer in Chicago and moves Ember and their son to the big city. A few months later, her husband announces that their marriage isn't working and walks out on Ember, forcing her to rebuild her life in a place that she hates, far from her beloved White Timber and everything she knows and loves.

Luckily, Ember is a fighter, so she doesn't let a pesky thing like divorce keep her down for long. She manages to find a work-from-home job as a transcriptionist and a small house for her and her son. She hasn't had sex in over a year, and isn't planning to try dating anytime soon in spite of Brooklyn's nagging, but overall, Ember thinks she's doing pretty OK for herself. That is, until one day when the company Ember works for experiences a "technical glitch" and accidentally releases confidential information to its clients, including internal notes on projects in progress and direct email addresses for its employees working on those projects. Ember receives a snarky email from Baker Matthews about an interview she's transcribing for him, and even though her company has specifically instructed its employees not to reply directly to clients, she can't resist writing back anyway. After all, what's the worst that can happen? Apparently, love can happen, and watching Ember's relationship with Baker unfold is both hilarious and delightful.

I read this whole book with a smile on my face (when I wasn't giggling or full-on laughing out loud). I loved the banter between Ember and Baker. It seemed like Ember was hiding the delightfully snarky side of herself during her marriage, but she allowed it to come out when she was with Baker, and he gave back as good as he got. Ember and Baker's chemistry was also incredible, and when they were finally able to be together, I thought my Kindle was going to combust! Finally, I really enjoyed Baker's growing relationship with Ember's son, Lincoln. They seemed like they had so much fun together, and the scenes with Ron Jeremy (yes, really, just read the book) were hilarious.

"Just My Type" is absolutely one of my favorite books of 2019 so far. My advice: just stop whatever you're doing and go read it now. You won't be sorry!

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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 Read an Excerpt from "Just My Type"

“Well, I’m good and truly fucked.”

“If you can say the F-word all the time, I can say penis whenever I want,” Lincoln announces as I look up from my phone to find him standing in front of me with his backpack on and his teeth freshly brushed.

“Okay, fine.” I shrug, grabbing my keys from the counter and choosing to deal with this problem right now instead of the Shit Mouth one. “But since I’m the adult, I’ll test it out first, okay there, penis? Did you pack your penis in your backpack? Did you study for your penis test?”

“Moooom,” Lincoln whines as I usher him out the front door.

“What’s wrong, penis? I thought we were cool with penis,” I say as we get into my car and buckle up. “Turn on the penis and find a good song. I bet it will be a song about pe—”

“Okay!” Lincoln finally shouts with a laugh. “It’s not cool when you say it. It’s kind of gross. I won’t say it all the time anymore.”

Well, I’m not going to win Mother of the Year anytime soon, but that’s one problem solved.

We spend the rest of the car ride to school coming up with names for the dog I’m caving on more and more each day, none of which have anything to do with the male anatomy, thankfully. It’s not until I’ve dropped my car off at home and headed back out on foot for my Monday morning coffee ritual that I start worrying about problem number two.

“Jesus, just read the email, Ember. What’s the worst it could say?” I mutter to myself as I lock up my front door and walk down the porch to the sidewalk, my cell phone practically burning a hole in my back pocket with that unread email waiting for me.

I called the client Shit Mouth. I accused him of not having any balls. And steroid use, just because he owns a gym. He’s going to rip me a new asshole.

“It’s not like this was my fault. He never should have seen my notes. I did nothing wrong,” I mutter to myself again as I reach into my back pocket and pull my phone out when I get to the end of my front walkway and turn right.

You did so much wrong. He’s going to murder you. He has your email address now. He could hire himself a hacker and find out where you live. I really need to stop watching Dateline.

Before I can give myself any more time to freak out, I quickly open the email as I walk and hold my breath, wondering if he’ll just call me a bitch, or go right for the kill and whip out the old C U Next Tuesday. Honestly, for a guy who owns a gym and “looks like he works out,” he better bring the big guns, or I will have lost all faith in ’roid rage.

Dammit, Ember! That’s what got you into this mess in the first place.

My breath leaves me in a whoosh, and I come to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk when I read the email. And read it again. And one more time, just to make sure I’m not seeing things.

To: Ember Hastings
From: baker83@gmail.com
Subject: Shit Mouth Transcription

She twirls her hair around her finger every fucking time she laughs.

I said purple, clear as day. Get the shit out your ear.

My balls are where they always are. Slung over my shoulder, because they’re too big to carry. (GIGGLES)

I have never, nor will I ever, use steroids. Drugs are bad. Needles are scary. Shut up. Big, manly men can have fears too, GOD.

She is definitely not a professional interviewer. Does Dan Rather drop his pen every fifteen minutes so he can bend over and show people his cleavage? More importantly, does Dan Rather have cleavage?

But seriously, DO I sound like I have shit in my mouth? I feel like you’re lying. 

Not Necessarily Shit Mouth, a.k.a. Baker

Review: Never a Bride

Never a Bride by Megan Frampton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read previous books by Megan Frampton, but none in the Duke's Daughters series, so I was a bit worried that I would feel lost by starting with book #4. However, "Never a Bride" stands very well on its own and I didn't feel like I had missed anything at all. I loved the relationship between the main characters, Lady Della Howlett and Captain Griffith Davies, Lord Stanbury, especially their banter and amusing nicknames for each other. Their chemistry was apparent from the first time they met, and watching them get to know each other and fall in love was delightful.

Both Della and Griffith were wonderful characters, individually and as a couple. I particularly loved Griffith's cocky attitude and how he was so sure of his own irresistibility. I also appreciated how much he cared for others and tried to look out for Della, his cousin Frederick, and the members of his crew. As for Della, I admired her independence and tenacity, as well as how much she valued her relationships with Sarah and her sisters.

One thing I would have liked to see more of in this story is Griffith's relationship with Della's daughter, Nora. Della herself only interacted with Nora a few times over the course of the book, though a lot of the actions she took were out of love for her daughter, and to protect her from Society's ridicule. I can't think of a single time Griffith even met Nora in passing, much less had a meaningful interaction with her. However, as Della's prospective husband Griffith was Nora's future stepfather, so establishing a relationship with her should have been just as important as the one he was establishing with Della. I'm sure Griffith will grow to love Nora over time, but I would have liked to see the beginnings of that relationship on the page.

Overall, "Never a Bride" was a very enjoyable book. I plan to go back and read the earlier books in the series and look forward to reading future books by Ms. Frampton as well.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Anything But a Duke

Anything But a Duke by Christy Carlyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed Christy Carlyle's "Anything but a Duke," but not as much as I did the first book in the series. There was just something magical about Nick and Mina's story that I felt was missing here. Part of the problem was that I had a hard time warming up to Diana, the heroine of book #2. She was very focused on finding success with her inventions and didn't seem to have many interests or much of a personality outside of that. It was difficult for me to figure out exactly what Aidan, the hero, saw in her, besides the beauty he commented on several times over the course of the story.

I was also a bit confused about Diana because she was supposed to be a very intelligent young woman, but she didn't always seem to make smart decisions. For example, why would she turn down Aidan's marriage proposal, knowing that her mother would force her to seek a husband elsewhere who would probably not let her continue to work on her inventions? Not only did Aidan love Diana, he appreciated her cleverness and was willing to support her work. There's no way she would have gotten a better marriage offer from anyone else. I guess we were supposed to admire Diana for loving Aidan enough to give him up, but the sacrifice was completely unnecessary given that Aidan would never have proposed to another lady because of his feelings for Diana.

Diana's hot and cold attitude towards Aidan was a further irritant. Why on Earth would she go over to his house and throw herself at him one night, just to try and set him up with one of her friends the very next day? It also drove me crazy that she wouldn't talk to Aidan about her fears regarding their possible marriage. Aidan seemed pretty clear on what he wanted, so if she had just been honest and expressed her concerns to him, they never would have run into the awkward situation with Diana's friend Grace at the end of the book. It was entirely unnecessary, and frankly kind of cruel, for Diana to drag her friend into Diana and Aidan's drama, especially knowing how desperate Grace was to marry so that she could escape her father's house. Diana had to have known that there was no way Aidan would actually propose to Grace, so why get Grace's hopes up?

While I found Diana to be somewhat irritating at times, I liked Aidan a lot. He was a completely self-made man and worked hard to earn his fortune. I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding his search for his birth mother, though the outcome of that subplot was somewhat predictable. Still, Aidan was an easy hero to root for, and I was glad that he found someone who made him happy because he certainly deserved some happiness in his life.

One final thing that bothered me about this book was the constant focus on Diana's family connections, or lack thereof. Even though Diana may not have been a "noblewoman" like Aidan originally thought he wanted for his bride, she seemed to have some pretty good connections in society thanks to her finishing school friends. It's not like Diana's family were complete outcasts from the ton. Her uncle was a baronet, so the Ashbys were certainly respectable, and I can't see how they would have been a major impediment to Aidan's achieving his goals. He may not have been able to reach the highest levels of society if he married Diana instead of the daughter of a duke or earl, but it's not as if he was contemplating marrying a housemaid!

Overall, "Anything but a Duke" was a pleasant read in spite of these relatively minor annoyances, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, which will hopefully feature the Marquess of Huntley. He seems like an interesting character and I have a feeling his book will be quite the adventure.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The View from Alameda Island

The View from Alameda Island by Robyn Carr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Despite dealing with the weighty topics of spousal abuse and divorce, as well as tricky family dynamics, Robyn Carr's "The View from Alameda Island" turned out to be a sweet and enjoyable read. Both Lauren and Beau were incredibly likeable characters, and I liked the slow build of their romance as they each recovered from the trauma of their previous relationships and learned to trust not only themselves, but the fact that they could fall in love again. Their struggles with their children, first in accepting the divorces and later in accepting that their parents were moving on with their lives and starting a new romance, seemed real and very relatable. The children themselves were excellent secondary characters, and I wouldn't mind reading sequels focusing on them down the road.

Overall, this was another excellent story by Robyn Carr, and I highly recommend it.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: A Ravishing Night with the Mysterious Earl: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel

A Ravishing Night with the Mysterious Earl: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel by Olivia Bennet
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed "A Ravishing Night with the Mysterious Earl." In fact, I think it was my favorite Olivia Bennet book yet! This high-seas adventure was packed with drama and suspense, and the main characters were both well-developed and incredibly likeable. Watching their relationship unfold was truly a pleasure.

Lady Jemima Livington is a spirited young lady who takes matters into her own hands in order to escape her betrothal to the odious Lord Peter Sheton, Marquess of Beaurgant, when her parents refuse to listen to her concerns about the match and threaten to force her down the aisle. The hero, Lord Simon Fitzwalles, Earl of Burhill, was considered unusual and a bit scandalous by the rest of high society because he chose to go into trade upon the death of his father, leaving his estate in the hands of a capable steward and sailing aboard one of his merchant vessels to explore the world. Jemima, who also wished to see other parts of the world, disguises herself as a young man and manages to gain employment aboard Simon's ship. As the voyage progresses, Jemima and Simon grow closer, and Simon finds himself uncomfortably attracted to the young "man." He is very relieved when he finally discovers Jemima's true identity, though that discovery brings with it another set of problems.

Meanwhile, back in England, Lord Beaurgant is searching for his wayward bride and pursuing schemes of his own. I particularly enjoyed getting a glimpse inside his head as Jemima and Simon's story was unfolding since it added a nice bit of context and insight into what was going on. By getting to know Lord Beaurgant, we learn that Jemima's concerns about him were justified as well as his motivations for pursuing Jemima in the first place. He was a very interesting and, in the end, almost sympathetic villain. His perspective certainly added an extra layer of richness to the story that really resonated with me.

Overall, I highly recommend "A Ravishing Night with the Mysterious Earl" and look forward to reading Ms. Bennet's next book!

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Blog Tour: Celebrating Karina Halle's New Release, "My Life in Shambles"

I'm a relatively new reader of Karina Halle's books, but she's quickly become one of my favorite authors, so I'm thrilled to be participating in the blog tour celebrating the release of her latest novel, "My Life in Shambles." This book had me hooked from page 1 and I willingly sacrificed precious sleep to keep reading Valerie and Padraig's story.  I can't recommend this book highly enough! 


About "My Life in Shambles"

When Valerie Stephens made the resolution to say yes to new adventures, she never thought she’d end up in the tiny town of Shambles, fake engaged to one of Ireland’s top rugby players. But there’s a first time for everything.

They say bad things happen in threes.
After my boyfriend broke off our engagement, and I lost my apartment, and was laid off from my job, I can more than attest to that.
They also say life happens when you say yes to new adventures.
So when my two sisters invited me to ring in the new year in Ireland, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and go for it. I was going to let “saying yes” be my new resolution.
Little did I know I’d spend New Year’s Eve having a hot and dirty one-night stand with Padraig McCarthy, one hell of a sexy Irishman. I also didn’t know that the brooding and intense sex god was one of Ireland’s top rugby players.
A rugby player with a proposition for me:
Come with him to his tiny hometown of Shambles and pretend to be his fiancé for a few days, just so that his ailing father can have some peace of mind.
It sounded simple enough.
It was anything but.
Not when a town gets up in your business, not when the media hunts you down, not when your past comes back in the picture, not when there are real hearts and feelings at stake.
Not when there are secrets that could break you.
They say life is what happens when you say yes to new adventures.
This is my life in Shambles.

Read an Excerpt from "My Life in Shambles"

The rest of the evening starts to pass by in a bit of a blur.

The food comes, and suddenly I’ve never been so hungry in my life. I don’t even pull any of that dainty eating nonsense, you know the type you do on a first date with someone, all tiny nibbles and delicate wiping of the mouth with a napkin. No, I fill my damn mouth with food, dumplings and spicy meats and rice. I eat with abandon, like there’s no tomorrow.

Padraig does the same. It’s freeing. It’s funny. I keep making orgasm noises over it all and he keeps laughing, and we eat and eat, even feeding each other won tons at one point with shaky chopstick skills. Honestly, there’s never been anything sexier.

When we’re finally finished, we’re both full, more drunk than before, and a little greasy. I try to pay the bill but he insists (although I don’t even think they charged him for anything), and then as we leave the restaurant he grabs my hand.

I’m not a small-boned girl, but with his hand over mine, I feel like I’ve been reverted back to the hapless woman being led by an alpha caveman and I don’t mind one bit. The fact that his palm is warm in this snowy weather with the skin-to-skin contact sends consistent shivers down my back.

We stroll down the streets and I almost slip a few times, my bad balance combined with the snow making for a dicey situation. But each time Padraig grabs me and keeps me upright, and I have to admit, it’s kind of fun to be constantly falling into him. It’s like having a wall of bricks for support, if that wall of bricks was shaped like a rugby god.

I have no idea where we’re going. All I know is that it’s not even midnight yet.

He takes me to a bar and then a club, both of which are packed to the doors and have crazy long lines, both of which we bypass with ease because he’s Padraig McCarthy.

I’m not one for dancing and Padraig doesn’t strike me as the type either, but there’s something about the deep bass beats in this place, and the free-flowing champagne, courtesy of the club, that has us falling into a rhythm together.

At first we’re dancing apart but it’s not long before the inches between us close. The heat from his body and mine brews, and the electricity is flowing in sparks and jumps, moving to the erotic pulse of the music, mixed with the hope and hedonism of the crowd on this once-a-year night.

His hips bridge the gap, his strong palms running down the sides of my waist, my hips slowly swaying then grinding against him. I feel his erection burning through his jeans, the width and length taking my breath again, making me blush in such a way that I’m glad the lights are dim.

I’m both a young girl, naïve and inexperienced and shy as the very touch and proximity to him hurls me toward a sexual awakening, and at the same time I’m an old soul who has found her equal in another, whose body wants to know this stranger intimately, who isn’t scared at what’s transpiring, but is hungry instead.

Both of these sides are at war inside me, dancing around each other like a caduceus, until I’m dizzy with my feelings for him. This want, this yearning, this need for something new, something exciting and terrifying, it claws through me until I can’t ignore it anymore.

I glance up at Padraig and see only his eyes. Those deep, dark haunting eyes that glimmer with the pulsating lights and yet radiate with something as wanting and wicked as the feelings inside of me.

His hands go to the back of my neck and the small of my back. My chin tips up. The rest of the world fades away and I know when it comes back into focus, everything will be different.

Everything will change.

It takes a moment to change someone.

Sometimes it just takes a kiss.

My Review

I adored "My Life in Shambles."  Valerie and Padraig were both incredibly realistic, well-developed characters, and my heart broke for them so many times over the course of the story.  I particularly admired Valerie's strength and courage in tackling the many challenges that came her and Padraig's way.  If I lost my job, fiance, and apartment all in the span of a few days, I don't think I would be able to get out of bed, much less take off on a trip to Ireland and contemplate saying yes to new adventures, but Valerie did that and so much more.  She had such a big heart, and in spite of the problems she knew were waiting for her back in New York, she completely dedicated herself to taking care of Padraig and his family. 

Padraig was a pretty amazing person too.  Despite his reputation as a playboy who was only interested in casual relationships, there was something really sweet and kind about him that came across in the way he was always looking out for Valerie and his family, such as by taking care of his father's birds when his father could no longer do so.  It was easy to see why Valerie fell in love with Padraig so quickly.  (I'm sure their amazing chemistry in the bedroom didn't hurt, either.) 

Their path to happiness wasn't easy, but Valerie and Padraig's HEA certainly was well-deserved.  Overall, "My Life in Shambles" was one of my favorite books so far this year, and as I said earlier in this post, I can't recommend it highly enough!

*ARC provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: A Duke in Disguise

A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is only the second book I've read by Cat Sebastian, but I've already become a fan of her writing. I loved "A Duke in Disguise," a refreshingly different take on historical romance. Verity and Ash were such likeable, well-developed characters and I really appreciated the fact that they managed to stay true to themselves despite the many changes that took place over the course of the story. Not only that, both Ash and Verity were clear on what they wanted and were willing to accept in terms of a relationship, and they actually communicated those desires and expectations to each other. One of my pet peeves in a romance is when the main characters fail to communicate honestly with their partner, and it was truly delightful to read about a couple who, despite the many challenges they faced, managed to avoid that trap and work together to build a relationship that allowed them both to be happy.

I also enjoyed this book's unique setting away from the typical ballrooms and other trappings of upper class Regency society. It was interesting to get a sense of what life might have been like for families like Verity's, who weren't wealthy and actually had to worry about things like how to make four mutton chops feed eight people when there were unexpected dinner guests or how to stretch a stew so it would last for two meals instead of one. The courtroom scenes were also interesting and different, though the timeline for Ash's court case was probably unrealistic (which, to be fair, is acknowledged and explained in the Author's Note).

Finally, it was good to catch up with Mrs. Allenby and her daughter Amelia, who appeared as secondary characters in the first book of this series as well. I really hope there are plans for Amelia to get her own book in the future!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: When a Duchess Says I Do

When a Duchess Says I Do by Grace Burrowes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Grace Burrowes just keeps getting better and better! I didn't think I could love any of her characters as much as I love the Windhams, but then she created the Wentworth family and I fell in love all over again. "When a Duchess Says I Do," the second book of the Rogues to Riches series, features Duncan Wentworth, cousin of book #1's hero Quinn Wentworth, the Duke of Walden, and Matilda Wakefield, a mysterious woman Duncan encounters in the woods of the estate Quinn has tasked him with returning to profitability within a year. It's clear to Duncan that Matilda is on the run from something and needs his help, so after she helps him to escape trouble with poachers in the woods, he invites her back to his home for luncheon and persuades her to stay on to help him prepare notes from his travels on the Continent for publication. As the two work together and get to know each other, their relationship deepens and feelings for each other grow. Eventually, Matilda begins to trust Duncan and tells him the truth about why she is in hiding, despite her fears that he will come to harm as a result of her secrets. When Matilda is discovered and she is forced to return to London as a virtual prisoner, Duncan must turn to his cousins for help in rescuing his lady love.

"When a Duchess Says I Do" featured an entertaining and engaging plot that hooked me from page one in addition to well-developed and very likeable characters. Duncan and Matilda made a terrific couple and it was easy to root for them to find happiness, both individually and together. I also enjoyed catching up with Jane and Quinn, the lead characters from book #1 of this series, and getting to know Stephen Wentworth, Quinn's younger brother, a bit better. I hope there are plans for Stephen to get his own book down the road, although the next book featuring the Duke of Elsmore and Mrs. Hatfield, the auditor of Quinn's bank, looks like it will be interesting as well.

I look forward to reading and enjoying whatever Ms. Burrowes plans to write next!

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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