Posts Tagged With: Contemporary Romance

Book Review: Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington

Reviewed by Heather C

Title: Meet Me at Midnight
Author: Jessica Pennington
Hero/Heroine: Asher/Sidney
Genre: M/F Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: April 7, 2020
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: They have a love-hate relationship with summer.

Sidney and Asher should have clicked. Two star swimmers forced to spend their summers on a lake together sounds like the perfect match. But it’s the same every year–in between cookouts and boat rides and family-imposed bonfires, Sidney and Asher spend the dog days of summer finding the ultimate ways to prank each other. And now, after their senior year, they’re determined to make it the most epic summer yet.

But their plans are thrown in sudden jeopardy when their feud causes their families to be kicked out of their beloved lake houses. Once in their new accommodations, Sidney expects the prank war to continue as usual. But then she gets a note–Meet me at midnight. And Asher has a proposition for her: join forces for one last summer of epic pranks, against a shared enemy–the woman who kicked them out.

Their truce should make things simpler, but six years of tormenting one another isn’t so easy to ignore. Kind of like the undeniable attraction growing between them. Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, M/F, Published in 2020 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

Reviewed by Heather C

Title: Undercover Bromance
Author: Lyssa Kay Adams
Series: Bromance Book Club #2
Hero/Heroine: Braden Mack / Liv Papandreas
Genre: M/F Contemporary Romance 
Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: March 10, 2020
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Braden Mack thinks reading romance novels makes him an expert in love, but he’ll soon discover that real life is better than fiction.

Liv Papandreas has a dream job as a sous chef at Nashville’s hottest restaurant. Too bad the celebrity chef owner is less than charming behind kitchen doors. After she catches him harassing a young hostess, she confronts him and gets fired. Liv vows revenge, but she’ll need assistance to take on the powerful chef.

Unfortunately, that means turning to Braden Mack. When Liv’s blackballed from the restaurant scene, the charismatic nightclub entrepreneur offers to help expose her ex-boss, but she is suspicious of his motives. He’ll need to call in reinforcements: the Bromance Book Club.

Inspired by the romantic suspense novel they’re reading, the book club assists Liv in setting up a sting operation to take down the chef. But they’re just as eager to help Mack figure out the way to Liv’s heart. . .even though she’s determined to squelch the sparks between them before she gets burned.
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, M/F, Published in 2020 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

Reviewed by Heather C

Title: The Gravity of Us
Author: Phil Stamper
Heroes: Cal/Leon
Genre: M/M Young Adult Contemporary
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Release Date: February 4, 2020
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Cal wants to be a journalist, and he’s already well underway with almost half a million followers on his FlashFame app and an upcoming internship at Buzzfeed. But his plans are derailed when his pilot father is selected for a highly-publicized NASA mission to Mars. Within days, Cal and his parents leave Brooklyn for hot and humid Houston.

With the entire nation desperate for any new information about the astronauts, Cal finds himself thrust in the middle of a media circus. Suddenly his life is more like a reality TV show, with his constantly bickering parents struggling with their roles as the “perfect American family.”

And then Cal meets Leon, whose mother is another astronaut on the mission, and he finds himself falling head over heels–and fast. They become an oasis for each other amid the craziness of this whole experience. As their relationship grows, so does the frenzy surrounding the Mars mission, and when secrets are revealed about ulterior motives of the program, Cal must find a way to get to the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him. Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2020 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Fall Through Spring by Amy Lane

Reviewed by Sadonna

Title: Fall Through Spring
Author: Amy Lane
Series: Winter Ball #3
Heroes: Dane Hayes and Clay Carpenter
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Length: 225 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 3, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: As far as Clay Carpenter is concerned, his abusive relationship with food is the best thing he’s got going. When a good friend starts kicking his ass into gear, Clay is forced to reexamine everything he learned about food and love—and that’s right when he meets troubled graduate student, Dane Hayes.

Dane Hayes doesn’t do the whole monogamy thing, but the minute he meets Clay Carpenter, he’s doing the friend thing in spades. The snarky, scruffy bastard not only gets Dane’s wacky sense of humor, he also accepts the things Dane can’t control—like the bipolar disorder Dane has been trying to manage for the past six years.

Dane is hoping for more than friendship, and Clay is looking at him with longing that isn’t platonic. They’re both positive they’re bad at relationships, but with the help of forbidden desserts and new medication regimens, they prove outstanding at being with each other. But can they turn their friendship into the love neither of them has dared to hope for? Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Out on a Limb by A.J. Truman

Reviewed by Heather C

29731828Title: Out on a Limb
Author: A.J. Truman
Series: Browerton University #2
Heroes: Cameron Buckley/Walker Reed
Genre: MM Contemporary Romance
Length: 278 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 2016
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: No looking back.

That’s the motto of college senior Cameron Buckley, whether he’s kicking his latest hookup out of bed or plotting out his future as a hit screenwriter. With only a few weeks until graduation, he’s ready to put Browerton University in his rearview mirror and start the life he’s been dreaming of ever since he was a kid. But a chance meeting with a sexy stranger in a bar throws a wrench into his Hollywood plans.

For Walker Reed, no looking back is hard to do when you work minutes away from your alma mater and share child custody with your college sweetheart. Almost fifteen years after graduating from Browerton, he can’t stop wondering how he got here. He has an ex who can’t stand him, a five-year-old son he can’t connect with, and a dead-end job he can’t escape.

When Cameron and Walker first meet, they know the rules. They know their friendship has an expiration date, yet it begins changing them in ways they never expected. As graduation looms, they both know things can’t go anywhere, but they can’t keep denying the feelings pulling them closer, even as an offer from Hollywood threatens to tear them apart forever.

OUT ON A LIMB is a gay new adult romance filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. It’s the second full-length book in the Browerton University series, but can be read as a standalone. The book is intended for readers 18+.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Early Book Review: A Taste of Sugar by Marina Adair

Guest Reviewed by Ami

23732445Title: A Taste of Sugar
Author: Marina Adair
Series: Sugar, Georgia #3
Heroine/Hero: Charlotte Holden/Jace McGraw
Genre: MF Contemporary Romance
Length: 400 Pages
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: August 25, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  A blast from her past…

Charlotte Holden, Sugar’s favorite pediatrician, knows better than anyone that love only leads to heartbreak. Instead, she’s focused on creating the Grow Clinic, an outpatient center for children. All she has to do now is to host the best Founder’s Day Parade in the history of Sugar, Georgia, to win over a big-city donor. Easy as peach pie. Then sexy Jace McGraw blows back into town and utters those three words every woman dreads: we’re still married.

…leads to tantalizing trouble

Jace McGraw was making an offer on his dream business in Atlanta when he was told that his wife had some credit issues. Wait, his wife? The annulment went through years ago—or so he thought. He’d walked away only to keep his troublemaker reputation from ruining her dreams. But now that they have a second chance, Jace offers Charlotte a deal: he’ll grant a discreet divorce in exchange for 30 days and nights of marriage. Because this time he isn’t going to let her go without a fight.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Sweet Surprise by Candis Terry

Guest Reviewed by Ami

1Title: Sweet Surprise
Author: Candis Terry
Series:  Sweet, Texas #4
Heroine/Hero: Fiona Wilder/Mike Halsey
Genre: MF Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 Pages
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: January 27, 2015
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Playing naughty or nice…

Fiona Wilder knows all about falling in lust. Love? That’s another story. Determined not to repeat past mistakes, the single mom and cupcake shop owner is focused on walking the straight and narrow. But trouble has a way of finding her. And this time it comes in the form of a smoking hot firefighter who knows all the delicious ways to ignite her bad-girl fuse.

Can lead to heartbreak…

Firefighter Mike Halsey learned long ago that playing with fire just gets you burned. He’s put his demons behind him, and if there’s one line he won’t cross, it’s getting involved with his best friend’s ex. But when fate throws him in the path of the beautiful, strong, and off-limits Fiona, will he be able to fight their attraction? Or will he willingly go down in flames?

Or a sweet surprise!

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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Bringing Home the Bad Boy by Jessica Lemmon

Guest Reviewed by Ami

1Title: Bringing Home the Bad Boy
Author: Jessica Lemmon
Series: Second Chance #1
Heroine/Hero: Charlotte Harris/Evan Downey
Genre: MF Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 Pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing/Forever
Release Date: January 27, 2015
Available at:  Grand Central Publishing/Forever, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  The Bad Boy Is Back
Evan Downey needs a new beginning. Since the death of his wife five years ago, the brilliant tattoo artist has shut himself away in a prison of grief that not even his work can break him out of-and what’s worse, Evan knows his son Lyon is bearing the brunt of his seclusion. Moving back to the lake town of Evergreen Cove where he spent his childhood summers is his last chance for a fresh start.

Charlotte Harris knows she owes it to her best friend’s memory to help Evan and his son find their way again, but she can’t stop her traitorous heart from skipping a beat every time she looks into Evan’s mesmerizing eyes. Charlotte is determined to stay strictly in the Friend Zone-until a mind-blowing night knocks that plan by the wayside. Now, if they’re brave enough to let it, Charlotte and Evan might just find a love capable of healing their broken hearts . . .
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Just the Way You Are by Beverly Barton

Guest Reviewed by Ami

1Title: Just the Way You Are
Author: Beverly Barton
Heroine/Hero: Mary Beth Caine/Parr Weston
Genre: M/F Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 Pages
Publisher: Zebra/Kensington Books
Release Date: January 27, 2015
Available at: Zebra/Kensington Books, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Mary Beth Caine has always been the good girl in her small Mississippi town. But when a big, protective, shamelessly sexy stranger offers to console her on the night of her disastrous engagement party, Mary Beth lets him—only to discover that Parr Weston also happens to be the older brother of her fiancé, Bobby Joe.

Parr left Mississippi after years spent holding his family together. Now that he’s back, he can’t steal Bobby Joe’s woman, and he sure can’t offer Mary Beth the tidy happily-ever-after she deserves. But everything about the petite beauty—from her flame-gold hair to her artless sensuality—makes him crave her more. Love or lust, right or wrong, all he knows is that nothing has ever felt like this before, and walking away will be the hardest thing he’s ever had to do.
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Categories: Book Review, Did Not Finish, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Silver Thaw by Catherine Anderson

Guest Reviewed by Ami

1Title: Silver Thaw
Author: Catherine Anderson
Series: Mystic Creek #1
Heroine/Hero: Amanda Banning/Jeb Sterling
Genre: M/F Contemporary Romance
Length: 432 Pages
Publisher: Penguin/Berkley
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Available at: Berkley/Penguin, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: After years of living in fear of her husband, Amanda Banning has left him and moved to Mystic Creek, Oregon, for a fresh start. But she’s having a tough time providing for herself and her six-year-old daughter. Writing her secret yearnings on slips of paper and sending them into the wind helps her cling to the hope that things will get better…and that she can find happiness again.

Jeb Sterling has no idea that the handwritten messages he finds scattered across his land are the first hints that his life is about to change. Nor does he understand why he feels so compelled to help Amanda Banning and her daughter when a cold snap leaves them temporarily homeless. Maybe he’s inspired by Amanda’s courage or perhaps by her beautiful brown eyes. Either way, the man who once renounced love suddenly finds himself willing to do anything for the pair. Amanda seems to have given up on her dreams, but Jeb refuses to quit until he makes her every wish come true…
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment