Book Review:  Strictly the Worst (The Salinger Brothers #5) by Carrie Elks  @CarrieElks

Strictly the Worst
(The Salinger Brothers #5)
by Carrie Elks

 

 

Amazon / B&N  / BB

Linc Salinger and I have nothing in common. He’s a smooth PR executive; I’m his disciplined office rival.

And he’s just stolen the project I’ve been working on for months.

After tough negotiation I manage to bargain my way back on, but there’s a catch. We have to travel to a tropical island and present to the client together.

Sharing a beach cottage with only one bed, we plan to stay professional. But the island’s magic starts to thaw our animosity, sparking unexpected chemistry. Every laugh and touch intensifies our connection.

It’s obvious there’s no future between us.

He’s a confirmed player. And I’m a single mom with a teenage daughter and a home that’s falling down around us.

So I make a bargain with myself. A few nights of pleasure in paradise and then we’ll head back to New York and pretend this never happened.

We can go back to being at each other’s throats the way we always have.

The only problem is, Linc doesn’t seem to get the office memo…

Enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity collide in this sizzling romantic comedy set on a lush tropical island.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I feel like I’m at a crossroads, having to choose between the dull, straight road ahead of me, and the twisty one that winds into a forest and gets lost in the hills. I can’t see where it ends up but it looks so much more enticing.

I glance over at Angela, who seems very interested in her nails. She’s turning her hand this way and that, staring at it like she might find all the answers to the meaning of life in her cuticles.

His standards aren’t just double, they’re cubed.

I love parties. Or I used to. But it all felt… less… without you. Like somebody had turned the color down on life.

 

My Review:

 

Carrie Elks’s writing is so smooth and enticing that I fell right into this one and didn’t want to come back out as I was enjoying these characters and their snappy banter all too much. The storylines were interesting and the characters who inhabited them were likable and alluring. Each book in this series has been top-shelf and cleverly amusing.

 

Carrie Elks writes contemporary romance with a sizzling edge. Her first book, Fix You, has been translated into eight languages and made a surprise appearance on Big Brother in Brazil. Luckily for her, it wasn’t voted out. Carrie lives with her husband, two lovely children, and a larger-than-life black pug called Plato. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found baking, drinking an occasional (!) glass of wine, or chatting on social media.

 

Book Review: Package Makes Perfect (Green Valley Heroes #6) by Lauren Connolly    @laurenconnollyromance  @smartypantsromance


Package Makes Perfect
(Green Valley Heroes #6)
by Lauren Connolly

 

When a man cheats, don’t go postal. Date a postman.

Robin Dunn is used to dealing with egotistical men. After years in the military and working in the male-dominated field of aviation mechanics, Robin thought she could tell the good guys from the bad. She even moved to the small town of Green Valley for a man she planned to build a life with. So why is that guy butt-naked on their couch with another woman, fondling her chest like he found himself a set of stress balls?

Not one to run away, Robin decides to stake a claim on her new home and dole out some much-needed revenge. In a twist of luck, she convinces Arthur Kraut, her loser ex’s cousin, and the town’s grumpy mail carrier, to agree to her fake relationship scheme. Probably because she offers to help the guy with his lady troubles through copious amounts of PDA.

After a lifetime of disappointments, Robin can’t help noticing how Arthur always delivers when she needs him. Too bad she’s done with needing men. Doesn’t matter that kissing Arthur has her thinking other, dirtier thoughts. All she wants is to get revenge on her ex, fix airplanes, and not fall for a man who has his heart set on someone else…

‘Package Makes Perfect’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #6 in the Green Valley Heroes series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

pain machine… That’s what this grinding mess in my chest feels like. A bunch of rusty gears and parts turning and twisting and spitting out noxious fumes of loathing and anger and despair.

At some point, I’m going to sit him down and ask what stupid ghost possessed his body to make him think this was a good idea.

I’m trying to keep from making assholery a family trait.

She’s not a put on a sweet voice and bless your heart kind of woman.

I promise not to bring up menstruation around your family. I know how scary tampons are to you big, tough men.

No time with you is a waste. When I’m with you, I’m living.

 

My Review:

 

I relished every well-chosen and artfully arranged word within this amusing and insightfully written tale. Lauren Connolly is a recent discovery for me through the Smartypants brand and I am deeply grateful she took this project on. I am enamored with her clever observations and endearing and realistically damaged characters. I smirked and giggled-snorted my way through this one and am looking forward to her next contribution.

 

Lauren Connolly is an award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance stories. She’s lived among mountains, next to lakes, and in imaginary worlds. Lauren can never seem to stay in one place for too long, but trust that wherever she’s residing there is a dog who thinks he’s a troll, twin cats hiding in the couch, and bookshelves bursting with stories written by the authors she loves.

 

Book Review: It Started with a Book by Camilla Isley @camillaisley @theboldbookclub @boldwoodbooksnl

It Started with a Book
by Camilla Isley

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / BB

When she’s ghosted by yet another Tinder match, Leighton swears off dating for life. Who needs apps and blind dates when she has the perfect-in-every-way (apart from being fictional) heroes of her beloved romance novels?

That night Leigh finds a second-hand book on her TBR pile, which transports her to the small-town of Lakeville Hills, where the heroines wear shorty-shorts and the men drink bourbon. And as Leigh drifts off to sleep, she dreams of billionaire cowboy Killian St Clair, who could win a gold medal for smoldering and bicep flexing.

For a while, Leigh finds it easier to stomach misogynistic supervisors, newly coupled friends, and extravagant bridesmaid duties knowing she can return to Lakeville Hills each evening. Until one day, she wakes up to find she’s brought a bit of Lakeville Hills back with the impossible sexy and entirely implausible Killian St Clair is in her apartment.

Now Leigh must help Killian navigate the real world. But as she gets to know the man behind the trope, can she keep her heart safe, or does she risk falling in love with her book boyfriend in real life?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Any respectable romance heroine has to be a hot mess for her grand meet-cute. Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong. I should’ve come here un-showered and wearing granny underwear. Nice clothes equal no Mr. Right.

“What’s a cinnamon roll hero?” “A golden retriever kind of sweet guy in a romance novel. Ideally, he’d be a veterinarian, a middle-grade teacher, or a single dad. The cinnamon roll is goofily hot, possibly even a hot nerd. He has some heartbreak in his past but has never stopped being open to love. And he’s spectacular in bed, of course.”

Spotty looks as threatening as an overcooked noodle.

And I know we all love it when men growl possessively in romance novels, but trust me, in real life, it’s beyond ridiculous. “Stop it,” I tell him firmly. “You sound like a lawnmower with indigestion.”

I’m sure an ECG would show a severe case of arrhythmia because that poor organ is hammering against my ribs like it’s trying to break free.

My Review:

 

I have to give proper kudos to an author who can cleverly make fun of overworked romance tropes while deftly employing every single one of them. I fell into this one head first and didn’t want to come back out. Camilla Isley has honed and perfected her craft so well, her unique arrangements of words produced a smooth scrolling of sharp visuals across my gray matter as I perused her latest missive. I adore her wit and covet her skills.

 

Camilla is an engineer who left science behind to enter the whimsical realm of romantic fiction.

She writes contemporary rom-coms. Her characters have big hearts, might be a little stubborn at times, and love to banter with each other. Every story she pens has a guaranteed HEA that will make your heart beat faster. Unless you’re a vampire, of course.

Camilla is a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveler, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.

Book Review: Murder at Sea Oats Beach by Karen C. Whalen @karen_c_whalen_author

Murder at Sea Oats Beach
by Karen C. Whalen

Breanna Hart is volunteering at the animal shelter and living her best life in a North Carolina beach town, but that changes when the police chief is found dead under mysterious circumstances inside the cage of her favorite dog. Everyone has the dog tagged as the murderer, even the handsome police officer in charge of the investigation, and the pooch is put on the euthanasia list. In spite of being new in town and dealing with both a social phobia and a secret, will Breanna be able to solve the crime and prove the dog’s innocence? Will she be able to find his forever home so she can embrace the salty seaside life and find a forever home for herself?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Don’t be ugly, y’all.

 

My Review:

 

This was an entertaining, quick, and humorous read with an endearing main character who was socially awkward to a painful degree. Breanna was trying to put herself forward and work on her social phobias while also attempting to save a shelter dog from euthanasia. To save the dog, Breanna needed to solve a murder while hitting roadblock after roadblock within the small beach town community.

This crafty author has obviously been keenly observant of this type of condition and knows it’s easier to be bold for someone else than for oneself. The characters were authentically quirky and amusing and the small-town tactics and scenarios were realistically framed while prodding my curiosity for the motives behind the troublesome behaviors. I am looking forward to watching Bree’s progress in future installments.

 

 

About the Author

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Karen C. Whalen is the author of two mystery series for The Wild Rose Press: the Dinner Club Mysteries featuring Jane Marsh, an empty nester who hosts a gourmet dinner club, and the Tow Truck Mysteries starring Delaney Moran, a super feminine shoe-a-holic who drives a tow truck. Both are about strong friendships and family ties set in Colorado. She worked for many years as a paralegal at a law firm in Denver and had been a columnist and regular contributor to The National Paralegal Reporter magazine. She loves to host dinner clubs, entertain friends, ride bicycles, hike in the mountains, and read cozy murder mysteries.

Book Review: Murder at an English Pub (Sarah Vane Mysteries Book 1) by Alice Castle    @alice_castle__ @bookouture

Murder at an English Pub
(Sarah Vane Mysteries Book 1)
by Alice Castle

Amazon  / B&N  / BB

When retired doctor Sarah Vane moves to Merstairs, she has no idea that the quaint seaside town isn’t quite as friendly it seems, and something sinister is bubbling under the picturesque surface…

Recently widowed and looking for a fresh start away from city life, Sarah Vane moves into a lovely little cottage by the sea. The rustic charm is everything she hoped it would be, but her new home doesn’t quite have enough space for her things. Her old friend Daphne offers to store Sarah’s boxes in her messy beach hut, but while clearing it out, they are shocked to find a heavy trunk… containing a dead body.

They immediately recognise the poor man as pub landlord Gus Trubshaw. Sarah concludes that he was suffocated, but who could have wanted jolly Gus dead? Unimpressed by the police’s lack of interest, Sarah realises she will have to solve the case herself.

Soon, Sarah discovers that not everyone loved Gus as much as she’d thought. Could the killer be scoutmaster Bill, who was recently banned from the pub? Or perhaps it was antique store owner, Charles, who owned the beach hut before Daphne? Or was it brewery director Mr. Grimes, who was livid with Gus for squeezing him on the purchase price of his delicious ale?

Just when the clues are starting to fall into place, the prime suspect is found strangled on the beach. And when Sarah discovers a deadly secret that links the two murders, she’s certain that a dangerous killer is roaming the streets of Merstairs. With the town in a panic, time is ticking for Sarah. Will she solve the mystery before it’s last orders for another victim?

Set off for the breezy English seaside and join Sarah on her adventures in quirky Merstairs, where nothing is quite as it seems! Fans of Agatha Christie, Betty Rowlands and Katie Gaylewill be instantly hooked by this deliciously gripping cozy mystery.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘The trouble is that the coroner is swamped. Merstairs does have quite a large elderly population, you know,’ she said, in a way that made it clear she was not part of that group. ‘Old dears dropping off their perches keep them very busy.’

It was a threatening beginning, accompanied as it was by a fierce look from Francesca’s bitter brown eyes. Sarah had always previously associated that shade with lovely, sweet, gently warming things, like chocolate and treacle, but Francesca’s stare was the colour of the hardest toffee going– the sort that would yank out your fillings in a trice, and probably crack a molar or two for good measure.

Her resentment is the perfect renewable energy. If only we could use it to power Merstairs. None of us would ever need to pay a penny in electricity bills again.

My Review:

 

I adore a wry wit and the delightful scribe known as Alice Castle has an exceptionally clever one as well as a smooth and engaging style that never fails to tickle my fancy. Her tales charm and entertain with snort-worthy humor that keeps a smirk on my face during perusal while also poking and prodding my curiosity to work out the “who done it.” But I do miss her beloved character of the pixie boot wearing Beth, maybe she could drop in Sarah for a visit.

Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times, and The Daily Telegraph. Alice is an avid reader of crime fiction, her favorite stories are cozy crimes with a strong sense of place. When she couldn’t find a series about her beloved south London, she decided to write her own – and single mum amateur sleuth Beth Haldane was born. Alice also writes twisty psychological thrillers for HQ Digital under the name A.M. Castle. The Perfect Widow was a top-selling audiobook in 2019 and The Invitation hit the top 50 on Amazon UK in 2021. Alice lives with her two children and two cats and, if she isn’t writing or reading a whodunit, she’ll be watching one on telly.

Book Review: Murder in Mayfair (Lady Eleanor Swift #18) by Verity Bright    @BrightVerity  @Bookouture

Murder in Mayfair
(Lady Eleanor Swift #18)
by Verity Bright

 

Tea and cake at The Ritz, a stolen pearl necklace and a missing dead body… Lady Swift is back on the case!

Lady Eleanor Swift has been eagerly awaiting her trip in a hot air balloon to take in London’s amazing sights. But what she witnesses instead is a murder! From way up high she sees a man in a dark coat shoot another man dead, but by the time she arrives back on the ground, Eleanor can find no trace of the body. Just the broken piece of a pearl necklace clasp, trodden into the dirt.

Back at The Ritz hotel, over afternoon tea, Eleanor’s old friend Lady Philomena Chadwick confides in her about a scandalous theft. Lady Chadwick is certain someone on her staff has stolen her priceless pink pearl necklace. Eleanor is immediately suspicious when the description matches the jewellery she spotted at the crime scene.

Much to her butler Clifford’s amusement, Eleanor goes undercover as a governess in the Chadwick’s sparkling Mayfair mansion. As she sets about questioning the disgruntled staff, she uncovers a treasure trove of gossip. But how do a secret love affair, a flirty footman with a fondness for spying, and a housemaid hiding a nightly visitor connect to the murder?

And when Eleanor’s beau, Detective Hugh Seldon, is brought in to investigate a string of further robberies in Park Lane, Eleanor is certain that Chadwick House is hiding the unlikeliest gang of jewel thieves below stairs…

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but will this necklace get Eleanor killed before she uncovers the hidden gem she needs to crack the case?

Murder in Mayfair is a totally gripping and twisty Golden Age whodunnit set in London, perfect for fans of T.E. Kinsey, Agatha Christie and Catherine Coles!

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I know how things usually pan out when I try and do the romantic thing. I’d probably more likely than not crack your head on a door frame on the way out and then discover my noble steed was a wretched donkey.

My pyjamas are calling me!

I don’t want to hear that level of honesty.

But it might help if you understand I was at the very end of the line when patience was given out.

My Review:

 

This series has been such fun, I remain totally enamored with Lady Swift and her ever-prepared butler, Clifford, who is usually two steps ahead of her. Team Verity Bright continues to hit their mark with a writing style that is polished, easy to follow, delightfully entertaining, humorous, and witty. This installment was particularly heartwarming as they continue to collect vulnerable people to care about and care for, and made a significant difference in their lives.

 

About the Author

.
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humor, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

Book Review: Death By Betrayal (Josiah Reynolds Mystery #20) by Abigail Keam @AbigailKeam

Death By Betrayal
(Josiah Reynolds Mystery #20)
by Abigail Keam

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

Josiah is looking forward to the county fair coming up soon. She comes across a battered tin box with a bunch of yellowed 3×5 note cards with her mother’s old recipes. Nobody could make apple walnut cake like her mother. By golly, Josiah decides to make her mother’s cake and enter it in this year’s fair. It’s sure to be a winner.

She makes a sample, asking Hunter and his new farm assistant, Palley, to try a slice. When the farm helper hears it’s for the fair, the young man tells Josiah about the demolition derby each year. Ever since Palley received his license, he has been waiting to be old enough to compete in the derby. The only problem is he needs an old beater of a car to get running and enter in the derby.

Josiah tells Palley he is welcome to use an old jalopy that’s been gathering dust in an unused shed on her property. Everyone’s excited about going to the fair to see if the old beater car comes out a winner—until the trunk pops open to reveal—you guessed it—a body. Whose body is it? How did it get there? Josiah’s on the trail of murder again.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I intend to live forever or die trying…

Hunter had come to resemble my house slippers— a little worn around the heels but comfortable and warm.

Matt is a fantasy for deep in the night when sleep is hard to come by. He is a fleeting dream that is nothing more than gossamer strands of floating golden threads— hard to grasp by a mere mortal.

Let’s face it, honey— I’m not getting any younger. You know you’re ancient when the candles cost more than the cake.

My Review:

 

I continue to enjoy Ms. Keam’s wry wit and smooth writing style while indulging my need for a rash of cozy mystery reading. This series keeps getting better with each installment. Her well-plotted murders keep me guessing while her quirky main character Josiah tries her best to reign in her temper and terrible luck. So, of course, I adore her beyond reason.

 

About the Author

One thing Miss Abigail loves to do as an author is to write real people and events into her stories. “I am a student of history and love to insert historical information into my mysteries. My goal is to entertain my readers, but if they learn a little something along the way—well, then we are both happy. I certainly learn a lot from my research, and I hope my readers come away with a new appreciation of beekeeping from my Josiah Reynolds Mysteries.”

Book Review: Young Buck (Green Valley Heroes #5) by Kilby Blades    @KilbyBlades @SmartyPantsRom

Young Buck
Green Valley Heroes #5
by Kilby Blades

 

 

 
When her husband died in bed with a 19-year-old college student, Loretta Boggs swore off men. Now she moonlights as Green Valley’s finest infidelity investigator. When she’s not staking out scumbags, sidelining sugar babies, and catching cheating bastards, she’s the fearless leader of Cheated On-onymous, a secret support group for betrayed women that meets in the basement of Green Valley Library.

Fire Lieutenant Buck Rogers is Green Valley Fire Department’s newest recruit. He’s also renting the house next door to Lorettas. When a mysterious family secret compels him to seek the talents of a private investigator, he calls in a friendly favor.

But keeping things neighborly isn’t easy. Not with Loretta spying on Buck’s chin-up routine through his open bedroom window. Not with Buck’s shameless flirting and beguiling blue eyes. Buck may be testing her resolve, but Loretta is testing his mettle. Can she get over the fact that he’s just so young? ‘Young Buck’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #5 in the Green Valley Heroes series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“We were helping one of our members celebrate a personal life event.” Buck nodded. “I got that from the big pink bunting that said Happy Divorce and the balloons that said The End of an Error.”

I just don’t think I can hold out for Mr. Right. My biological clock isn’t just ticking. It’s sending up flares.

Cougars are fortysomething women who date twentysomething men. Fiftysomethings are sabertooths. You’re a thirtysomething, which makes you a puma.

 

My Review:

 

I adored this amusing and wily tale, it sparkled with clever wit. The characters were smartly etched yet authentic and endearing, I wouldn’t mind spending more time with them and hope to see them again on a return trip to this quirky community. Each story thread was entertaining, well-developed, and flowed with ease. Ms. Blade is a smooth storyteller and held my attention from beginning to end.

 
 
 

About the Author

Amazon
 
 

Kilby Blades is a USA Today Bestselling author of Romance and Women’s Fiction. Her debut novel, Snapdragon, was a HOLT Medallion finalist, a Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize Semi-Finalist, and an IPPY Award medalist. Kilby was honored with an RSJ Emma Award for Best Debut Author in 2018 and has been lauded by critics for “easing feminism and equality into her novels” (IndieReader) and “writing characters who complement each other like a fine wine does a good meal” (Publisher’s Weekly).

During her career as a digital marketing executive, she moonlighted as a journalist, freelanced as a food, wine, and travel writer, and lived it up as an entertainment columnist. She has lived in five countries, visited more than twenty-five, and spends part of her year in her happy place in the Andes Mountains. Kilby is a feminist, an oenophile, a cinephile, a social-justice fighter, and above all else, a glutton for a good story. Follow her everywhere @kilbyblades.

 

 

Book Review: Muffin But Trouble (Donner Bakery #4) by Talia Hunter  @talia.hunter  @smartypantsromance

Muffin But Trouble
(Donner Bakery #4)
by Talia Hunter  

 

Amazon  / B&N /  BB

New Yorker, Magdalena Solis, is a city cynic to her core. But when she’s threatened by a thug who demands she pay her absent boyfriend’s debts, she flees to Green Valley, Tennessee. Bewildered by her rural surroundings, and harboring a serious aversion to beards and flannel, Mags is horrified when the first local she encounters is the scruffiest brute she’s ever seen.

Cy Baxter has a tortured past, a bad reputation, and facial hair like tumbleweed in a dust storm.

With troubles of his own, Cy vows to keep clear of the rude stranger who does nothing but insult him. But he has a heart as big as the wide-open countryside, and when an adorable stray dog brings the two together, sparks fly in the most unexpected ways.

Desperate to pay off her pursuer, Mags starts work at the Donner Bakery. And as Cy becomes a regular customer, his sweet tooth turns into a longing for something spicier.

But with the relentless thug hot on Mags’ trail, can these city-meets-country misfits find common ground? Or will their love story be as impossible as square dancing in stilettos?

‘Muffin But Trouble’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #4 in the Donner Bakery series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I was so far from fine, I’d lost sight of it completely.

Noah’s Southern drawl made it sound like he was speaking at half-speed. If time was money, everything he said would cost about twice as much as it should.

That woman’s cheese has slipped right off her cracker.

You can go inside and carry on with your regular business. Sharpen your fangs, or cook up some small children for your dinner. Don’t worry about me.

If gossip were gravy, that woman’s biscuits would never be dry.

Bonnie Linton likes to sweeten her tea with scandal.

If the devil likes to barbecue, he has my daddy on his fork.

 

My Review:

 

This was a total delight to read. I gleefully hummed and giggle-snorted my way through this cleverly penned and sassy tale. The characters were well-textured, quick-witted, and highly endearing while also complex and more than a bit damaged. I always enjoy my visits to the quirky community of Green Valley.

 

 

Talia Hunter likes to include her three favorite things in her novels: toe-curling romance, snort-laughs, and heart-warming friendships. She recently moved to Australia’s beautiful Gold Coast, where she’s constantly amazed and not at all freaked out by the weird and wonderful critters. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her with a glass of wine, a good book, at least one of her three cats, and a jumbo-sized can of bug spray.

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Book Review: Show Off (Juniper Ridge, #6) by Tawna Fenske @tawnafenskebooks

Show Off
(Juniper Ridge, #6)
by Tawna Fenske 

 

Amazon / B&N / GP/ Apple / BB

I wish I didn’t know how one heartbreak can smash your world to bits.

And really I wish I didn’t suspect it’s why there’s an edge to Lana’s sunshine smile. Hell, I wish I didn’t think of Lana at all.I’m busy busting ass to be the best—and yeah, grumpiest—chef around. There’s a reason I keep people at a distance. My evenings blur with butter and basil and helping my brother. Trying to forget how he wound up in a wheelchair. We’ve got our routine, and there’s no room for sweet smiles or blue eyes or… why is it so damn hot in here? The thing is, Lana spins stories as a PR goddess. I’m all for icing cookies, but sugarcoating the truth? Never. Directness is best, even if it means awkward dessert dates that are definitely not dates, and embarrassing chats with my dog. But one truth I’m terrified to face? I’m nuts for Lana. And the fallout could blow up our lives like a mug cake microwaved in a tin cup.

Lighthearted, grumpy-soft-for-sunshine steamy romance about a surly chef and the sunshiny little sister of a big, messy, loving family.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Cassidy looks from Dal to me. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I just got a contact high from the pheromones.”

I know I’m supposed to respect her as my co- parent and Soph’s stepmom, but sometimes I want to grab that woman by the hair and just drag her around like a ragdoll and then punch her in the face and spit on her crotch as I tell her she’s nothing but a cheap, trashy excuse for a— what?

My Review:

 

This was a delight to read from start to finish. I adored these characters, as I have all the previous couples featured in this quirky community. Lana and Dal are well-matched in every way. She has a passion for food, and potatoes in particular, and he is a creative chef primed to indulge her like no other can. Both are well-crafted with authentic foibles and idiosyncrasies. Tawna Fenske just gets better and better with each new tale.

About the Author 

Website 
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When Tawna Fenske finished her English lit degree at 22, she celebrated by filling a giant trash bag full of romance novels and dragging it everywhere until she’d read them all. Now she’s a RITA-nominated, USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Publishers Weekly has praised Tawna’s offbeat romances with multiple starred reviews and noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”

Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, stepkids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year. To find out more about Tawna and her books, visit www.tawnafenske.com.