Review: A Taste of Passion by Chloe Blake

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Synopsis

The exquisite night Maya North spends with a seductive stranger is the perfect prelude to her new life in Paris as co-owner of a French vineyard. Until she discovers that her mystery lover is her new business partner, Nicolas Rayo—and he’s trying to buy her out. That’s when the LA corporate consultant decides it’s war—even if her heart says Nic’s the one…

Review

Ooh la la..This was an unexpected sweet treat. This was my first book read by Chloe Blake and I can’t wait to read more. She had me so into this book where I just couldn’t stand it. From the first chapter, you just get hooked because the vibe was great and you can tell it’s going to go somewhere fun.

Let me introduce you Maya. She doesn’t seem to do well in the men department. Two in particular have put her in an awkward situation. Where she is in life, she didn’t a need a man but it would’ve definitely complemented her life. The first dud, she got unexpectedly blindsided because it affected her job. That’s fine because it led her to the second guy which was so awkward when she found out who he was but the anticipation reading what happened was just like watching a soap opera.

One day at work she got this package saying that she inherited part of the business left by her father. Her real father, left them years ago but later we learn what happened. Being this time sensitive, she had to make a decision but that would take having to go to Paris. When she gets to her hotel in Paris, the moon is right and the she spots Mr. Dreamy (Nic) and well, you know what happened. As a surprised to her. she finds out that this stranger is her new partner. Very awkward but delicious to read. Prior to him meeting her, his intentions were to buy her out but once he met her, he didn’t know that she is not one to back down from a challenge. Smart, beautiful and determined she has definitely met her match in more ways than one.

Overall, this was so much fun to read. It was a quick read but gives you everything you want. It’s got romance (little bit of steam, not too hot), drama, fun and storyline you can just escape into. I couldn’t put it down and from what I’ve seen online others are feeling the same. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming up for Chloe. So excited about this one. Make sure you add this to you tbr list!

Review: The Roommate Agreement by Emma Hart

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The Roommate Agreement was a short and sweet friends-to-lovers romance. It was well written and at times it was humorous.

The Roommate Agreement is about two best friends - Shelby & Jay. Due to circumstances, Jay must move in with Shelby. And unfortunately for Shelby, he isn't the cleanest individual. So Shelby creates a roommate agree. The unwritten rule of the agreement is to not fall for your best friend. 

This was a fun and entertaining ride. I really enjoyed the relationship between Jay and Shelby. You really got a sense that they had been friends for a very long time. I also liked that they had such value on their friendship l. They were very protective of it. 

Individually, Jay and Shelby were both great characters. I wish Jay had been a little bit more mature. For example, he was very messy and didn't know how to do laundry. But those factors didn't completely hinder the reading experience. 

I also wished there had been a little bit more background mentioned. I wanted to know how Jay and Shelby were younger and prior to living together. 

Final Analysis 

The Roommate Agreement is funny and entertaining story about two best friends who fall in love. 

Review: The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

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Summary:

A librarian’s discovery of a mysterious book sparks the journey of a lifetime in the delightful new novel from the international bestselling author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people—though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she’s invisible.

All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend—her grandmother Zelda—who died under mysterious circumstances years earlier. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda’s past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change her life forever.

Filled with Phaedra Patrick’s signature charm and vivid characters, The Library of Lost and Found is a heartwarming and poignant tale of how one woman must take control of her destiny to write her own happy ending.

Review

The premise of the book was definitely an intriguing one. The book had an uncertainty for me in the beginning but once Martha received the book inscribe to her, that’s when my curiosity piqued and the book took off. From there as the story unfolds, you can’t help but not want to root her.

Martha was definitely a likable character despite her story being a bit depressing at moments. I don’t mean that in a bad way but as you get to know her and where her life is in the present and I say as a result of her past, you want to see her have a happy ending. She was one of those people that gave all of herself because she was so kind but as a result, people just took advantage of that. One of my favorite moments from the book was the moment she said no. When she finally got the courage to stand up for herself, it was such a great moment.

The overall plot of the book from the dedication that Martha found of her grandmother to the shocking revelation that changed her life, really was heartfelt. The storyline surrounding her grandmother really makes you appreciate life in the moment. We get a chance to not only get the present perspective but we get taken back in the past which fills in the blanks and makes an interesting story. The supporting characters complemented the book and it came together good. I thought it was a nice read.

Review: California Girls by Susan Mallery

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The California sunshine’s not quite so bright for three sisters who get dumped in the same week…

Finola, a popular LA morning show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she’s just fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.

Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.

Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancé sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.

But side by side by side, these sisters will start over and rebuild their lives with all the affection, charm and laugh-out-loud humor that is classic Susan Mallery.

Review

Let me first say how much I adore Susan Mallery. There is something so special about her characters in her books that are just so charming to read. California Girls was no exception. It was fun, makes you want to grab some kleenex at times and makes you so jealous not to be one of their sisters.

The summary gives a great foundation of what to look forward to in the book. It was really that and some. The one thing I absolutely loved was the sisterhood. What I loved was these ladies were in different places and phases of life but when it came down to family, that was most important. Mom was a bit over the top sometimes, especially considering she favorite one over the other but she added some spice to the mix.

I loved the balance of each character being able to experience their own journey and came through on the other side on their own time. Each person and their story was equally important no matter what they went through. I couldn’t put this one down. This was so much fun to read and you get to dabble into The Summer of Sunshine & Margot!

Overall, awesome characters, up and downs that make you feel like one of the gals, and a great takeway of the importance of being there for one another and at the end of the day, the most important thing in life is family. I’m recommending adding this one to your reading pile.

Review: Tell Me A Lie by Bianca Sloane

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Biance Sloane sure knows how to make a page turn. Tell Me a Lie, is the sequel to Live to Tell. My only regret is that I hadn’t read the previous one before this because I would’ve love to get the other side of the situation. This can definitely be read as a standalone, but for true entertainment, I’d recommend reading the first one to get your reading experience fulfilled.

Meet Jillian Morgan. This woman was just another level of crazy. Well, let me rephrase that. I’m sure many women who get put in this situation are driven to this point of madness but I’m going to say she had a little kray in her before. I’m not sure if I loved her or hated her but she sure made the book interesting. You know that old cliche, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”, her picture is definitely under that description.

That tag lie perfectly sums up the plot of the book. How far would you go to protect your secrets.The book opens up with her husband being shot but as the plot unravels itself, it becomes a question of was it an accident or just murder. The secrets involved in what led up to and why find themselves coming back to haunt her. There are some curveballs that get thrown in the mix of this saga that of course Biance does so well to keep you guessing and makes you not want to put the book down. If you have read her books yet, jump in with this series to get a taste of how fun her suspense books are. Like I said this would be ok to read as a standalone but I think it would be more exciting grabbing book one first to get the overall impact of the plot twist.

Review: Prince Charming (Royals #1) by Rachel Hawkins

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Prince Charming has a solid premise, however, it fails to capture the charm and excitement of what could have been. What I mean is, the “ifs” are much more entertaining than the actual plot that is presented in the story.

The story centers on Daisy Winters, who is an average girl working at a small grocery store. Well she was, until her sister got engaged into the Crown Prince of Scotland. Now, she is switching through the annoying tabloids and trying to stay out of the royal drama. With a little help from Miles, a family friend of the royals, she’ll learn the ropes of being regal.

It is a very straightforward story that unfortunately does not have much character development or plot. It was extremely unrealistic and exaggerated. I wanted a lot more out of it. Throughout the book, I was wondering when something big was going to happen. That “something” never happened and the book seemed to drag on. In some instances, when this happens, the characters are the saving grace. However, this was not the case for this book.

Characters

I felt completely detached from the characters. I had no real sense of who they were nor what their character motives were. One character has a reveal at the end, and it felt lackluster and only added unwelcomed drama.

The characters felt a little detached from each other as well. For example, Daisy and her family. Their relationship did not feel authentic. I wanted a sense of their family bond that we’re told that they have. Also, I wanted a special moment between Daisy and her sister, Ellie. In the whole book, Daisy is told that she “must” do so many things for her sister. But yet, there was barely a moment when Ellie realized that Daisy was sacrificing so much for her.

The romance between Miles and Daisy was lacking real development. There was a little chemistry present. But not enough to thrust these two characters together without any real development.

Final Analysis

Prince Charming had potential, but it was lost and replaced with what could have been.