Runaway Bride and Prejudice

Runaway Bride and Prejudice (Appies, #5) by Emma St. Clair Website | Twitter | Instagram Publication Date: August 28, 2024 Publisher: Indie Pages: 418 ISBN: 9798989027651 Genre: Romance | Contemporary Source: ARC Add to Goodreads

Synopsis: Van and Amelia have instant chemistry when they meet in a bar. But when Van finds out Amelia is his coach’s daughter, he hightails it out of there and spends the next several months trying to forget she exists until he receives an invitation to the wedding. On the day of the wedding Van ends up finding the groom with his pants down and the maid of honor blushing. Van may be the mouthy bad boy but he doesn’t tolerate cheating and demands the groom come clean to Amelia before the ceremony. The day doesn’t turn out quite as he expected because he finds himself driving the getaway car with the bride as his passenger princess.

Review: I have been a huge fan of the Apples since book one in the Sweater Weather series. Van has been a favorite character of mine because I loved his bad boy image and sassy mouth. When I found out Emma was writing Van’s story and I was finally going to dive into Van’s world, I was beyond ecstatic.

Emma did not disappoint with this book! It had everything I want in a romance; witty banter, swoon-worthy moments, and amazing chemistry between the characters. I laughed-out-loud at many moments and had tears in my eyes during others. The sweet moments and vulnerability makes this book an absolute joy to read.

The storyline kept me hooked from beginning to end and is a must-read for anyone who loves the bad boy x good girl trope.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Actually Yours

Actually Yours (All Yours, #1) by Belinda Mary Website | Twitter | Instagram Publication Date: June 28, 2024 Publisher: H&J Publishing Pages: 261 ISBN: 9780645694291 Genre: Romance | Contemporary Source: ARC Add to Goodreads

Synopsis: Amelia Anderson is tired of being the only single girl in her friend group. Unfortunately, Amelia has never had good luck when it comes to dating but her friends have a plan for that, they’re going to set her up on a bunch of dates so she can find Mr Right. Each date seems more disastrous than before and Amelia finds Jake coming to her rescue every time.

Jake Johnson has been interested in Amelia since the very first day he met her. Unfortunately, Amelia only had eyes for his brother. But now Amelia is single again and back in his life stirring up all those feelings from before. She should be off-limits but he can’t help jumping to her rescue when she needs him.

Review: This story is a total delight! I found the writing fun, engaging, and full of heartwarming moments that hit just right. Amelia’s journey is super relatable, and you can’t help but cheer for her! The side characters are awesome, adding lots of color and fun to the story. The romance is sweet and just the right amount of swoon-worthy.

Jake is charming, and kind, and has a way of making Amelia (and readers!) swoon. Their chemistry is electric, and watching their relationship grow is a true highlight.

Belinda’s storytelling is a joy, capturing the magic of love and friendship perfectly. This is a must-read if you want a feel-good book that’s also full of life lessons.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Not Safe for Work

Not Safe for Work (California Love, #2) by Lindsey Lanza Website | Twitter | Instagram Publication Date: June 18, 2024 Publisher: Indie Pages: 354 ISBN: 9798218370442 Genre: Romance | Contemporary Source: ARC Add to Goodreads

Synopsis: Olivia Diamond may be the heiress to a wine vineyard but her life working on the sales team of a tech startup could not be duller. She’s the only female on her team and the promotion she has been working so hard for may not come unless she agrees to date a client to close a deal.

Gavin Scott has had his eyes on Olivia since he first interviewed her for the position. He’s kept his feelings under wraps but when he finds out Olivia’s client keeps asking her out, he steps up to be her fake boyfriend so the client will back down.

Review: Lindsey became an auto-buy author for me after I read her first book, Speechless. This is her third book and it did not disappoint! It was engaging from start to finish. The chemistry between the characters was absolute perfection. There are some really sweet scenes and some deliciously spicy moments. I really enjoyed all of the humor and banter.

This is my very first women-in-tech read but I loved Lindsey’s depiction of female struggles in male-dominated workplaces/industries. The boys-club culture was really toxic but necessary for the storyline. Olivia is such a strong character, I really enjoyed seeing how she navigated the work culture and never gave up.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Over the Limit

Over the Limit Full Throttle, #3 by K. Bromberg Website | Twitter | Instagram Publication Date: June 13, 2024 Publisher: JKB Publishing, LLC Pages: 328 ISBN: 9781942832768 Genre: Romance | Contemporary Source: ARC Add to Goodreads

Synopsis: Lachlan Evans is an Australian F1 racer (total honey badger vibes - iykyk) who has spent his career with one ideology, the team comes first. This is a huge year for Lachlan as his contract is up for renewal and Apex Racing has not had a great start to the season. He needs to put his head down and focus if he hopes to have a seat next season. Normally focusing wouldn’t be a problem but tensions are high within the team and with his teammate. It also doesn’t help that he has his eyes on the beautiful curvy Blair Carmichael. There’s only one problem, Blair is his teammate’s ex and also the event coordinator for Apex Racing, and being together could ruin both of their careers.

Review: Oh gosh, I love this series so much! I have read a couple of other F1 romances but K. Bromberg writes the best ones! This book is perfect for both F1 fans and those who have never watched it. A Majority of the book is focused off-track so you don’t have to be a racing fan to enjoy the storyline.

Lachlan and Blair are extremely lovable - you want to root for them right from the beginning. I loved Lachlan’s soft vulnerable side, it was refreshing because typically F1 drivers have alpha personalities. My favorite thing was witnessing Blair’s growth throughout the story.

There are some really sweet scenes, some laugh-out-loud moments (golf cart racing!), and some deliciously spicy moments. This is the third book in the Full Throttle series but can be read as a stand-alone.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Riding the Sugar High

Riding the Sugar High (Love & Other Recipes, #3) by Letizia Lorini Website | Twitter | Instagram Publication Date: May 24, 2024 Publisher: Indie Pages: 484 ISBN: 9789198853315 Genre: Romance | Contemporary Source: ARC Add to Goodreads

 

Synopsis: Primrose Bellevue is a vegan candy influencer known as Sugar High. She is curvy, confident, and loves all things pink. Struggling with a very public break-up, Prim decides to confront her ex but ends up accidentally setting his yard on fire. Terrified of going to jail or being known as a stalker, she takes off into the woods and ends up stumbling into a mysterious man she met earlier in the day. 

Logan Coleman may be a known bad boy and criminal but the last thing he wants is to get caught stealing his neighbor's piglets. There’s no way he will be able to talk himself out of this one and stay out of jail. But when a real-life Barbie comes running into his life, he starts to hatch a plan that may just save both of them.

Review: This book perfectly captures the magic of opposites attracting. The story follows the eternally cheerful Prim who brightens the world around her, and Logan—a grumpy but lovable character who can’t help but be charmed by Prim’s personality.

The chemistry between the characters is electric, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and touching scenes that tug at your heartstrings. The witty banter and sweet moments of vulnerability make this book an absolute joy to read.

The storyline kept me hooked from beginning to end and is a must-read for anyone who loves the grumpy sunshine trope. The spicy romance will have you fanning yourself and eagerly turning the pages. This story perfectly balances steamy scenes with emotional depth and I enjoyed seeing the character development throughout the series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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On the Edge

On the Edge Full Throttle, #2 by K. Bromberg Website | Twitter | Instagram Publication Date: January 18, 2024 Publisher: JKB Publishing, LLC Pages: 320 ISBN: 9781942832751 Genre: Romance | Contemporary Source: ARC Add to Goodreads

Synopsis: Cruz Navarro is a famous F1 driver who is also known as being a bit of a playboy. Terrified of commitment, Cruz has never been serious about any relationship and is just here to have a good time. But when a huge sponsor considers walking away, Cruz will do anything to close the deal, even if that means securing a fake girlfriend and putting his partying days behind him.

Maddix is trying to seek approval from her boss with big dreams of working for an advertising firm in the city. When she begs her supervisor to let her sit in on a huge meeting, the last thing she expects is for the famous F1 driver to choose her as his new fake girlfriend.

Review: F1 and fake dating? Heck yeah! This was the absolute perfect book to read in the off-season. The characters are very lovable and well-developed, they both show tremendous growth over the storyline.

There are some really sweet scenes, some laugh-out-loud moments (lawnmower racing!), and some deliciously spicy moments. This is the second book in the Full Throttle series but can absolutely be read as a stand-alone.

This book is perfect for both F1 fans and those who have never watched it. I've read other books with F1 and the author made up tracks, put races in January, and had very little accuracy. Thankfully, this book is not like that! The author does a great job of explaining the basics without it being overwhelming but for those who love the sport, it was refreshing to read something that was accurately written.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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