Review: Lusting for the Broken Earl

Lusting for the Broken Earl by Olivia Bennet
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Unfortunately, "Lusting for the Broken Earl" was not one of Olivia Bennet's better books. I think the only good thing I can say about it is that it was an improvement on her previous book, but only because I was actually able to finish it. I wouldn't say that it was particularly well-written or memorable, but at least the plot (mostly) made sense and the main characters didn't consistently come across as TSTL.

My biggest complaint about this book is that the vast majority of it was filler that had nothing to do with advancing the plot, mainly in the form of needless description and exposition. Examples include multiple lengthy descriptions of the characters' homes, their clothing, and getting dressed for various social events. The characters also seemed to have variations on the exact same conversations over and over again, which was very repetitious. All of this combined to make the story drag, and frankly the first half of the book was pretty boring as a result.

Also, the central relationship between main characters Allan and Esther was not developed well at all IMO, which made this book very disappointing as a romance. Personally, I do not find it to be very romantic when the "hero" hasn't even settled on which woman he wants to court by the time the book is halfway over, and that is exactly what happened here as Allan was still agonizing between Esther and another woman from his past. Further, there was basically zero relationship development between Allan and Esther. It seemed like one minute Esther was refusing to even consider Allan as a potential husband because he might be "damaged" from the war, but then the next minute she was telling her sisters that she was head over heels in love with him. I could not figure out how she could possibly have fallen in love with him so quickly, especially when they had only met on three or four occasions and shared about 15 minutes of conversation in total.

In addition, it may be a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things, but I was incredibly bothered by all of the times servants announced people as they walked into rooms. Yes, there would have been some announcing during that time period, but I would think it was more of a convention when one first arrived at a social event like a ball or dinner party, not just upon entering a room at home or visiting family. However, at one point in this book, Allan's cousin Edward walks out of the drawing room in his own home and literally says that he'll be right back. When he returns about two minutes later, the footman announces him to the other family members who had remained behind. Why on earth would that have been necessary? It all seemed so ridiculous and excessive to me. Perhaps it was just another example of the filler I noted earlier in my review.

Overall, there was so much unnecessary filler and repetition in this story that it could have been shortened into a novella and still told the exact same story. It still may have been kind of boring with such a lackluster "romance" at the center of it, but at least it would have been a lot less frustrating to read.

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

View all my reviews

Review: The Aussie Next Door

The Aussie Next Door by Stefanie London
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"The Aussie Next Door" by Stefanie London was a true pleasure to read. I adored the main characters, Jace and Angie, and wanted nothing more than for them to find a way to be happy together. They each had more than their fair share of struggles in life, and as a result their HEA, when it finally came, felt incredibly well-deserved.

It would have been easy to pity Angie after everything she went through as a child, but she had such a positive attitude that it was impossible for me not to admire her strength and resilience. Angie's determination to make a difference in her adopted community of Patterson's Bluff was inspiring too. I found Jace to be an inspiration as well because of his constant awareness of how his autism might impact the people he loved, and even though he thought he couldn't change, he certainly seemed willing to try because he had such a big heart. These qualities made Angie and Jace a fantastic couple, and it was easy to root for them both individually and together.

In addition to Angie and Jace and the story of their relationship, I very much enjoyed getting to know Jace's family in this book. They were great fun as secondary characters and I hope that they will be featured in future books. Angie's friend Chloe, the yoga instructor, was a lot of fun too. Patterson's Bluff seems like a really cute little town with a wealth of future story possibilities.

"The Aussie Next Door" is the first book I've read by Ms. London, but it certainly won't be the last. I look forward to the next book in this series!

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

View all my reviews

Review: Handle With Care

Handle With Care by Helena Hunting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have heard a lot of good things about Helena Hunting's writing and wanted to pick up one of her books for a while now, so I was pleased to be chosen to read and review an ARC of her latest, "Handle with Care." Obviously, it might have been better to start with the first book in a series rather than the fifth, but fortunately this book is a complete standalone and I didn't feel lost at all. There were some previous characters and situations mentioned over the course of the story, but I found them all to be very intriguing, and they made me want to go back and read the earlier books in this series ASAP.

The main characters of this book, Lincoln and Wren, were both incredibly likeable and well-developed. I found them to be delightfully snarky, which made their banter amusing and a lot of fun. Wren was also very confident and independent, and I loved the way she always stood up for herself and didn't put up with nonsense from anyone, even Lincoln or his jerk of a brother, Armstrong.

I loved Lincoln too because he always tried so hard to do the right thing, and he genuinely seemed to want to help people through his charity endeavors in developing countries. I also appreciated that Lincoln was so different from the rich, jaded, womanizing "hero" that is so often featured in contemporary romance. Far from being a womanizer, Lincoln hadn't done much dating in quite some time, but when he met Wren, he fell hard for her and wasn't afraid to admit it.

The mysteries related to both Wren's and Lincoln's families were very engaging and kept me guessing right up until the truth was revealed. I had several thoughts on what the secrets might be, but none of them were exactly correct. I love when an author can keep me fooled for so long. It's no fun when a story is completely predictable, and this one definitely was not!

Overall, I adored this book and highly recommend it for both new and existing readers of Hunting's work. I would not hesitate to read more books by this author in the future.

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

View all my reviews

Review: One S'more Summer

One S'more Summer by Beth Merlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"One S'more Summer" by Beth Merlin was a cute, sweet, and enjoyable summer read. Gigi, the main character, was well-developed and likeable, and I could certainly sympathize with her desire to escape a difficult situation in New York by taking a job at her childhood summer camp while she figured out what to do next with her life. While at Camp Chinooka, her interactions with the campers and her fellow counselors were a lot of fun, particularly the ones with Perry, her eventual love interest. Gigi and Perry's relationship had a great enemies-to-lovers vibe that was very entertaining, and I really liked them as a couple. They seemed to bring out the best in each other as they each helped the other work through their past relationship baggage.

The one (minor) thing that bothered me about this book was that I could not figure out what Gigi ever saw in Joshua, or in Alicia for that matter. Alicia seemed very self-absorbed and more interested in her career than in any romantic relationship or friendship. As for Joshua, he just seemed like a jerk who used Gigi when it was convenient for him, but never really took her feelings into account. It seems to me like Gigi might be better off without both of them in her life.

At any rate, I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

*Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

View all my reviews

Review: The Duchess in His Bed

The Duchess in His Bed by Lorraine Heath
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lorraine Heath's "The Duchess in His Bed" was an enjoyable read with an interesting and relatively unusual setup. I found both of the main characters, Selena and Aiden, to be likeable and well-developed, and the secondary characters, particularly Selena and Aiden's siblings, added a lot of interest to the story as well. I hadn't read any of the earlier books in this series prior to starting this one, but I liked getting to know the couples from those books as they interacted with Aiden and Selena here, so I will plan to go back and read their stories at some point in the future.

Despite the likeable characters and interesting setup for this book, I have to admit that I found the first half of the story kind of slow-moving and had a hard time getting into it. It didn't seem to me like very much was happening at first. Selena visited Aiden's club every night, and they started to get to know each other, but all that seemed to be between them was insta-lust, not anything deeper. However, Aiden was immediately possessive of Selena, and even though he didn't know her at all and couldn't explain his feelings, somehow he "just knew" that what he felt for her was "different" than anything he'd previously felt for any other woman. Those feelings might have been more believable if they had developed later in the book, after Aiden and Selena had more time to get to know each other, but coming so early in the story, they just seemed off to me.

I found the second half of the book to be much more engaging than the first half, and it was easier for me to see the romantic feelings between Selena and Aiden begin to develop. The one (small) thing that annoyed me in the second half was how long Aiden took to make his decision about whether or not to help Selena with her plan. His reasons for hesitating were certainly understandable given his own childhood experiences as a bastard, but even so, his indecision was mildly frustrating and seemed somewhat out of character for a man who was so decisive in other aspects of his life.

Overall, while this wasn't my favorite among the Lorraine Heath books I've read to date, it was still an entertaining and enjoyable story, and I would recommend it. The likeable characters and engaging second half of the book mostly made up for the various things that frustrated me.

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

View all my reviews

Review: Tiny House, Big Love

Tiny House, Big Love by Olivia Dade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Tiny House, Big Love" by Olivia Dade was such a great book! I found it to be sweet and laugh-out-loud funny with incredibly likeable main characters in Lucy and Sebastian. I especially loved watching Lucy rebuild her self-confidence after the pummeling it took from her jerk of an ex-boyfriend, Jarrod. As for Sebastian, I appreciated how supportive he was of Lucy, and while it was clear from the beginning how much he cared about her as a friend, I have to admit there were a couple of times I wanted to shake him into finally admitting his romantic feelings for her. I completely understood why it was difficult for Sebastian to be vulnerable even with someone he trusted as much as Lucy, however, so when he finally did come clean, I wanted to cheer. Sebastian and Lucy really make a great couple, and their transition from friends to lovers seemed completely realistic and believable to me.

I also really enjoyed the descriptions of the tiny houses Lucy and Sebastian toured. I felt like I was right there beside them because the imagery was so vivid. It's a shame they weren't being filmed for a real TV show, because I would love to see these places for myself! Finally, Irene and Cowan, the HATV interns, were hilarious. I could totally see those two getting together in a future story.

I only discovered Olivia Dade's books recently, but she is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. I can't wait to read whatever she publishes next!

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

View all my reviews

Review: Playing House

Playing House by Ruby Lang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"Playing House" by Ruby Lang was a cute, sweet, quick read. There was a surprising amount of character development for such a short story, but even so, I wish more had been said about what happened with Oliver's father. Oliver was so worried about being "feckless" like his father was, but it's unclear exactly why he and the rest of his family thought his father was that way. The only time I remember his father's behavior being directly mentioned is when Oliver's mother tells him that he is "too nice" like his father, who apparently used to help others before he helped his own family because he was afraid of letting other people down. When he could no longer do that, he left. What exactly does that mean, and how is it relevant to Oliver's situation? Oliver's worries seem to center on the fact that he doesn't have a full-time job but has instead been freelancing since his former company closed down. Is it just that he's worried about letting his family down because he's not making a huge salary like his brother and sister? I'm not sure who else Oliver is expected to (or would want to) help besides his family, except possibly Fay.

Also, I was expecting the fake relationship between Oliver and Fay to be a bigger part of the story, but it ended up barely being a factor. Truthfully, it was kind of disappointing to me because that's usually a fun trope, and I was looking forward to seeing what kind of mischief "Olly and Darling" managed to create.

Overall, while this was a cute story and I enjoyed it, I think it had the potential to be so much more if it had been expanded into a full-length novel rather than a novella. It seems like there's a lot more that could have been explored here.

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

View all my reviews

Review: Things You Save in a Fire

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Katherine Center's "Things You Save in a Fire" was a quick, engaging read, and I read most of it in a single sitting. Cassie was a very likeable main character who clearly experienced a lot of trauma in her short life, but still managed to turn into a kind, caring, if somewhat emotionally reserved young adult. I enjoyed observing Cassie's growth over the course of the story as she learned to forgive her mother for leaving her as a teenager, and also as she fell in love with her fellow firefighter, Owen (aka "the Rookie").

This story featured nice messages about love and forgiveness which really resonated with me, though I did find it a bit hard to believe that Cassie was able to not only forgive some of the other characters, but actually become friends (or at least friendly) with them in the end. The author herself noted at one point that not everyone gets a happy ending, and unfortunately I would have to agree with that. It's possible to forgive someone without welcoming him or her back into one's life, and that seems like it would have been a more realistic outcome here based on the way some of the characters behaved and how they treated Cassie.

In any event, I did enjoy this story very much, and would absolutely read other books by this author in the future.

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

View all my reviews

Review: The Wallflower Wager

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored Tessa Dare's "The Wallflower Wager." This book featured smart, lovable, well-developed main characters in Gabe and Penny, and the secondary characters were also delightful. I especially enjoyed Gabe's "witch" of a housekeeper and her interactions with the architect hired to renovate Gabe's house. The "bromance" that developed between Gabe, Ash, and Chase was pretty great too. I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud while reading this story, though it certainly had its share of serious moments as well.

Overall, this book was very sweet and a whole lot of fun, and I really can't recommend it highly enough. I can't wait to see what Ms. Dare writes next!

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

View all my reviews

Review: Training the Home Run King

Training the Home Run King by Asa Torrance
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"Training the Home Run King" by Asa Torrance was a pleasant, fast-paced read. The main characters, Jenna and Kai, were mostly likeable, though I didn't feel like I got to know either one of them very well, and it would have been nice if they had been better developed. For example, I would have liked to know more about Jenna's background, such as where she was from, her family, and why she decided to study sports medicine.

The story itself also raised a few questions for me. Mainly, I was confused as to why Kai wouldn't have had to enter the MLB draft and seemed to be planning on signing directly with whatever team he chose. (Also, wouldn't the team representatives who came to see Kai play be called "scouts" instead of "recruiters"?) In addition, shouldn't there have been a professor or certified senior trainer supervising Jenna and the other student trainers when they were working with the players? There are professional certifications required to be an athletic trainer, so it seems really strange to me that students would be able to prescribe entire courses of treatment and work directly with athletes without any kind of supervision. Besides that, how would Jenna and the others earn grades for their work if no one knew what they were doing?

Overall, while the characters and some of the plot points could have been better developed, the writing itself wasn't bad for a debut novel, and I would probably read another one of this author's books in the future.

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

View all my reviews

Review: Rescued by a Wicked Baron

Rescued by a Wicked Baron by Scarlett Osborne
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Against my better judgment, I chose to read and review Scarlett Osborne's "Rescued by a Wicked Baron" even though I did not like the author's first book, which I found to be historically inaccurate with a fairly ridiculous plot. Unfortunately, the same problems that were present in that first book are once again present in this one. I found this book to be riddled with historical inaccuracies, as well as an outlandish plot and unintelligent, unlikable characters.

As I noted in my review of the author's previous book, details are incredibly important in a historical novel, and the author seems to get a lot of details about early 19th century England mixed up. For example, hotels and hotel bars didn't exist in the early 19th century as she seems to have been envisioning them. There were lodging houses and coaching inns, but not hotels, as such, prior to the mid-19th century. Patrick and his friends would likely have gone to a gentleman's club like Brooks or White's to play cards and drink, not to a hotel bar.

Second, and perhaps even more importantly, is that the author doesn't seem to have done adequate research on England's early 19th century justice system or how criminal law would have applied to members of the peerage. The exact year when this story is supposed to be taking place is unclear, but if it is prior to 1841 (which seems probable) and it was Robert's first offense, he likely could have claimed "privilege of peerage" to escape punishment for his crimes since he wasn't being accused of murder or treason. There still would have been a scandal, I'm sure, but he wouldn't have gone to jail and his creditors couldn't have taken his lands as repayment for his debts.

In addition, when Catherine, her aunt, and her cousin Edmund attended a ball, the author repeatedly made reference to their "table," as if they had assigned seating and stayed there for the duration of the evening. That would not have been the case since the main purpose of such a social event was for debutantes on the "Marriage Mart" to mingle with eligible gentlemen in order to make a match. They would have been in the ballroom and dancing for most of the evening, socializing with different people, not sitting at a table with the same group of acquaintances the whole time. They only would have sat at a table during supper, which was a relatively brief part of the overall event. Finding a partner for the supper dance and the meal to follow was a big deal for debutantes because it allowed them to spend extra time with a prospective suitor.

Aside from these (and other) historical inaccuracies, I had a number of problems with the plot and characters of this book. First, the "heroine," Catherine, must have been really pretty, or something, to have not one but two gentlemen so interested in her, because not only is her family embroiled in scandal, she has no dowry and zero personality to go along with it. All Catherine ever seems to do is hide in her room and mope. Occasionally she embroiders, and she "diarizes," which apparently involves writing about her daily activities and feelings. I can't imagine that anything she writes about would be very interesting since she doesn't really do anything interesting!

As for our "hero," Patrick, Lord Ramshay, the author herself described him several times as a "buffoon" and I would have to agree. For example, on a couple of occasions he attempts to confront his blackmailers, by himself, armed only with a one-shot pistol. For some reason he seems to think that they will back down based solely on his waving a pistol around and making some empty threats. Even if he had managed to shoot one of his blackmailers, the others could have overpowered him easily before he could even attempt to reload his pistol. Also, if these blackmailers were really as dangerous as described, what would a few threats from Patrick mean to them?

Regarding the story itself, there were so many things that didn't make sense to me, but I will just note a few of them here.
*Where does Lord Ramshay keep getting the money to pay those extravagant bribes for information as he's trying to track down who is behind the plot against him? He himself said that paying the most recent blackmail demand was going to wipe out his supply of cash, and he wouldn't even be able to pay his servants until the next rents came in.
*Why wouldn't Edmund and Catherine hire Bow Street to look for Patrick, or at least take a couple of nice, strong footmen along with them on their little escapade? It's frankly a miracle that the two of them didn't get both themselves and Patrick seriously hurt or killed. For heaven's sake, they took a hammer and knocked down a wall to get into a warehouse at the docks! How did no one see or hear them or question what they were doing?
*The "evidence" that Catherine and Edmund followed to find Patrick was circumstantial, at best, and never should have actually led them to him. For example, they found a pile of ropes in a warehouse and somehow "just knew" that meant that Patrick had been held hostage there. REALLY? Because there was rope in a building at the docks where rope might reasonably be stored for use aboard a ship?

Finally, in general this was not a particularly well-written book. The author has a very repetitious writing style that became incredibly annoying to me by the end of the book. There were also a lot of typos and words misused, among other problems.

Based on all of the above, I cannot recommend this book.

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

View all my reviews

Review: Arrogant Boss

Arrogant Boss by Olivia Hayle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Overall, Olivia Hayle's "Arrogant Boss" was a cute, sweet, and fun story. I found it to be a light, enjoyable read, perfect for summertime at the beach or pool.

I'm generally a fan of office romances, but based on previous books I've read, it seems that when the hero is also the heroine's boss, it can sometimes be difficult not to cross the line from romantic behavior into what seems to me like a form of sexual harassment. Fortunately, Ms. Hayle successfully avoids that here, and Julian's pursuit of Emily did not come across to me as aggressive or threatening in any way. I liked that Julian was respectful of Emily's wish to keep their relationship private (even though it did frustrate him at times), and that he continually made it clear that her job was not in any danger if she chose not to go out with him.

Julian and Emily were both likeable main characters, but I thought they could have been better developed. I would have liked to know more about Emily, in particular. Obviously there was more to the story with her parents' deaths, which really weren't discussed at all other than in passing mentions here and there. For example, why did Emily become Turner's guardian at such a young age, especially when their grandparents were still alive? Also, Julian's relationship with his late father and stepmother wasn't really fleshed out, and I think if it had been, it would have provided a lot of context for his current interactions with his younger brother, Ryan.

Finally, I have to note that this book could really use another review by a good editor. There are a lot of typos (especially missing punctuation), words are out of order or missing entirely, verb tenses are mismatched (present and past used interchangeably in the same sentence/paragraph), as well as other problems present that could be fixed relatively easily by the right editor. Despite that, I'd recommend this book and would be willing to read others by Ms. Hayle in the future. The typos and other errors were certainly annoying, but not so bad that I wasn't able to enjoy the story.

*Free review copy provided by the author via BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.

View all my reviews

Review: Discretion

Discretion by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored Karina Halle's "Discretion." The love story between Sadie and Olivier was romantic, sweet, and oh-so-sexy, and there was plenty of intrigue and family drama to keep me turning the pages quickly. I hated to put the book down when real life intruded!

What I love the most about Karina Halle's books is the emotion that is present on every single page. The characters are so real and relatable, and I can go from laughing with them one minute to crying with them the next. That was particularly true of this book and its main characters, Olivier and Sadie. I found both of them to be well-developed and incredibly likeable, and I couldn't help but root for them to find a way to outsmart Olivier's uncle and end up together.

You wouldn't expect Olivier, with his wealthy, privileged background, to be such a genuinely good, nice guy, but he is, and he's exactly what Sadie needs after what she went through with her mom in her childhood and later with the terrible way her ex-boyfriend Tom treated her. But Olivier needs Sadie too. She's like a breath of fresh air for someone in his position, because he is used to being surrounded by models and socialites who just want to use him for his money and position. Sadie doesn't want any of the trappings of Olivier's wealth; she just wants HIM.

Sadie and Olivier certainly faced their share of challenges in this book, but I appreciated that they never doubted each other or their love. They just kept moving forward, adjusting to things as they happened, until they finally found a way to make their relationship work.

I am very much looking forward to the second book in this series to see what happens next with the Dumont family. Surely this can't be how things end with Olivier's uncle and cousin Pascal! Somebody really needs to bring those guys down...

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

View all my reviews

Review: The Right Swipe

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved Alisha Rai's "The Right Swipe." This book took me by surprise in the best way. I was expecting a light, fun read, and there were certainly some light and fun elements to it, but there were also several very serious subjects explored, including sexual harassment/abuse in the workplace and the consequences of repeated head injuries in pro football, among others. The author clearly did her homework on these topics, and her passion for bringing much needed attention to them was clear.

That said, IMO the romance between the main characters, Samson and Rhiannon, was still the core of the book. There was a tremendous amount of emotional depth to these characters and the overall story, and I couldn't help but empathize with Samson and Rhiannon. I found them both to be well-developed and incredibly likeable. It was maybe a bit difficult for me to warm up to Rhi at first, but as I continued to read and got to understand her better, I liked her more and more. Learning about her background and past experiences explained so much about her actions and personality traits in the present. She was tough, but she had her reasons for that. Fortunately, Samson was able to make a case for Rhi to break her own rule against giving people second chances, because the two of them made a really great couple.

I guess my one complaint about this book - if you can really call it a complaint - is that there was no epilogue. It would have been nice to see Rhi and Samson a few months or years down the line, after they've settled into their relationship and worked together on overcoming some of their remaining issues. Hopefully we will get updates on them in future books in the series.

Speaking of future books, I am very much looking forward to reading Rhi's best friend Katrina's story in book two. She was an incredibly likeable secondary character here, and I can't wait to learn more about her!

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

View all my reviews

Review: A Highlander Walks into a Bar

A Highlander Walks into a Bar by Laura Trentham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading "A Highlander Walks into a Bar" by Laura Trentham because it sounded like exactly the type of book I would love. I did end up liking it, but maybe not quite as much as I expected. I struggled through the first 20% or so, mainly because the first chapter felt like a massive information dump, and I would have preferred to learn about the characters through their actions along the way instead of being told so much up front. It also seemed to me that some of the thoughts and feelings the characters expressed early in the story were premature and unrealistic, especially on Alasdair's side. There didn't seem to be enough of a basis established yet for either his romantic relationship with Izzy or his judgment of the town. For example, at one point Alasdair thinks to himself that the Highland festival organized by Izzy and her mother has the "same sense of community" as the town of Highland. How could Alasdair possibly know anything about either the festival or the town when he had been there for less than 24 hours and only visited a single coffee shop for about five minutes? He spent a bit of time with Izzy and Rose at Stonehaven that day, but it's impossible to form an accurate opinion of an entire town based on a few hours spent with only two of its residents.

All of that said, I'm glad I stuck with the book because it did get better. I really liked Alasdair and Izzy as a couple, and Gareth and Rose were pretty cute together too. Really, my only complaint is that Alasdair seemed to resolve the situation involving his company and Stonehaven a little bit too easily. His co-worker, George, didn't seem like the type of guy to give up entirely just because his first plan was thwarted. It's entirely possible that Alasdair's boss told George to back off, though, so maybe I'm overthinking it.

At any rate, I will definitely plan to pick up the next book in the series, which, based on the events of this book's epilogue, will likely feature Izzy's friend Anna and Alasdair's friend Iain. Anna was a likeable secondary character here, and the brief introduction we received to Iain in the epilogue was intriguing. Hopefully they will make for an interesting pairing!

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

View all my reviews

Review: The Rogue to Ruin

The Rogue to Ruin by Vivienne Lorret
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Vivienne Lorret's "The Rogue to Ruin" was a great enemies to lovers story, and I adored it. The banter between the main characters, Ainsley and Reed, was delightful and very funny. They really kept each other on their toes! I also laughed out loud a number of times while reading about the antics of Reed's cat and Ainsley's servants, as well as when Ainsley [pantsed Nigel during his fistfight with Reed at the end of the book (hide spoiler)]"intervened" in the fistfight between Nigel and Reed at the end of the book. It was wonderful that Ainsley was able to get her own revenge on Nigel and not just stand back and watch Reed do all of the fighting for her. While Reed's decision to fight to defend Ainsley's honor was a lovely gesture on his part and allowed him to show how much he loved her, Ainsley's actions demonstrated that Nigel no longer held any power over her, and that she didn't need Reed or any man to fight battles on her behalf.

While I found the book to be very funny overall, it also had a number of touching moments, particularly as Reed and Ainsley started to grow closer. I thought that their relationship was very well developed, and the gradual transition from enemies to lovers was completely believable. When Ainsley finally let go of her animosity towards Reed and realized that she loved him, it almost brought me to (happy) tears. Her relationship with Reed made Ainsley stronger and also helped her to realize that love is worth fighting for.

This is the first book I have ever read by Ms. Lorret, but I am already looking forward to reading more of her work! I plan to go back and read the first two books in this series soon and also look forward to checking out whatever she plans to publish next.

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

View all my reviews

Review: The Duke Is But a Dream

The Duke Is But a Dream by Anna Bennett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed Anna Bennett's "The Duke Is But a Dream," but not as much as the first book in the Debutante Diaries series. The main characters of this book, Nash and Lily, were both well-developed and likeable, and it was sweet to watch Lily gradually bring Nash out of his shell and help him realize that he is capable of love. That said, I didn't care for the insta-lust aspect of their relationship. I am not a fan of insta-lust under any circumstances, but I found it to be particularly bothersome here because of Lily's amnesia. There was absolutely no way for either of them to know if Lily was already involved with, or even married to, someone else, so them jumping into bed together almost immediately after meeting easily could have been a recipe for disaster rather than true love.

Nash's pursuit of Lily also seemed pretty hypocritical to me because he was so overprotective of his younger sister, Delilah, that he wouldn't even allow her to attend social events to meet prospective suitors, but yet didn't seem to have a problem seducing Lily without having any plans to marry her. It also seems strange that, as overprotective of Delilah as he was, Nash would bring a complete stranger with amnesia into his home and introduce her to his sister. Not only that, Nash let them pal around unchaperoned most of the time, even after he had essentially made Lily his mistress. This behavior seems way outside the bounds of propriety for any gentleman of the ton, much less a duke. How could Nash be sure that Lily did not pose some kind of threat to his sister or her reputation?

Despite the problems I had with her interacting with Lily, I'm glad that Delilah ended up being such an important part of the story because she turned out to be very sweet and a lot of fun as a secondary character. I wouldn't mind seeing her get a story of her own in the future.

Overall, I would rate this book 3.5 stars if half stars were possible on Goodreads, but since they're not, I rounded down to 3 stars because of the insta-lust and other aspects of the story that bothered me. However, I look forward to reading the next book in this series, which will presumably feature Fiona and Lily's friend, Sophie.

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

View all my reviews