Neutral Zone

Here’s a little #MessyMonday stack of the Carolina Comets by Teagan Hunter

I love this series! It’s just exactly what I want in sports romance. The friendships and joking between teammates, hot romances, excellent banter, and just a little bit of the actual sport.

Neutral Zone is book seven in the series, between Fitz and Rosie. They know each other in real life, but unbeknownst to Rosie, she also talks to Fitz online where he follows her cam girl account.

I love that Fitz was kind of a shy, awkward character. Normally professional athletes tend to be shown as more confident but I loved that he didn’t think he was good enough for the girl who serves him his coffee. Rosie was the bolder character, recently discovering her sexy side after being put down for her curves previously.

Together they were adorable, but also yowza this one was sizzling hot. To be fair, every book in this series is spicy, but this one was a little kinkier than the rest so felt extra spicy.

If you are looking for a funny and sexy sports romance series, I can’t recommend the Carolina Comets enough, out now in KU. It’s probably complete (for now), but a spin off series is coming soon!

20 Travel Romance Recommendations

I love a romance set in a great travel destination, especially when one or both of the characters are there on vacation. It’s the perfect getaway when you can’t actually get away, no passport required. I have read and enjoyed all twenty of these!

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. Destination: Maui
One Hot Italian Summer by Karina Halle. Destination: Tuscany, Italy
The Simple Wild by KA Tucker. Destination: Alaska
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Elizabeth O’Roark. Destination: Hawaii
Frenched by Melanie Harlow. Destination: Paris
Wild Highway by Devney Perry. Destination: Montana
My Life in Shambles by Karina Halle. Destination: Ireland
Truth or Dare by Danielle Allen. Destination: Punta Cana
The Romantic Pact by Meghan Quinn. Destination: Germany
Broken French by Tasha Boyd. Destination: French Riviera
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morganthaler. Destination: Alaska
Shipped by Angie Hockman. Destination: Galapagos Islands
Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle. Destination: New Zealand
Love Lessons by Sarina Bowen. Destination: Lake Como, Italy
Perfect Strangers by JT Geissinger. Destination: Paris
Starting Back by Stephanie Rose. Destination: Florida Keys
Much Ado About You by Samantha Young. Destination: England
A Place In the Sun by RS Grey. Destination: Cinque Terre
My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey. Destination: Cape Cod
Bright Midnight by Karina Halle. Destination: Norway

Tempting the Neighbor

Tempting The Neighbor is book two in the Mount Macon series by Ashley Munoz. You could read it as a standalone if you wanted, but the couple from the first book are in this one quite a bit.

Similar to the first book in the series, it’s a little messy but very entertaining. It’s also spicy and dramatic (especially the 3rd act conflict 🙄)

Nora and Colson are next door neighbors who don’t get along very well to begin with when a fallen tree during a winter storm pushes them both past the edge. Nora has a big huge crush on Colson, who happens to be her father’s right hand man at his construction company. Colson has been warned to stay away from Nora, but eventually finds the temptation of his next door neighbor too much to resist.

When I say it’s spicy, I mean it’s SPICY (at least by my standards.) There’s also some excellent caretaking, some forbidden romance vibes, family dramatics, and laugh out loud banter.

I didn’t really like either of the main characters here much at all (she was bratty and he was a weenie), so I can’t say this was a new favorite but I still enjoyed the book overall and look forward to the next book in the series which is set up really well in this one!

The Marriage Solution

The Marriage Solution released last week in Kindle Unlimited! Thank you the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a marriage of convenience romance between two long time best friends who marry when the heroine is in need of healthcare after losing her job (yay America!). Julie has recently been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and her old friend Landon will do anything to make sure she’s safe and healthy and able to afford the treatment she needs.

When a quick trip down the aisle in Vegas ends with a spectacular kiss, the two friends start to realize maybe there have been feelings there all along. Add in a bit of forced proximity, and the two soon can’t fight those feelings anymore.

I enjoyed this! The characters are in their late 30s so due to their maturity there is not a lot of extra drama. It’s a sweet low angst story (with some spice of course). The two have to readjust their lives once they realize their feelings have shifted, and I enjoyed watching how it all played out.

It’s own-voices chronic illness rep and I appreciated the insight into what that is like. There’s a great supporting cast, good steam, and I love when the hero falls first.

Also there’s a “Get your hands off my wife!” moment 😏

Unfortunately Yours

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey is out today! Thank you Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this enemies to lovers marriage of convenience romcom. I will admit I didn’t exactly love Secretly Yours so I was a little nervous, but this had all the humor and heart and dirty talking fans of Tessa Bailey would expect. We met both Natalie and August in Secretly Yours, but I think you’d be okay reading this one as a standalone.

Natalie has returned home to Napa after losing her high powered career and fiance all with one bad business decision. She needs her trust fund in order to start a new company, but the terms of the trust say she must be married in order to inherit. August Cates is a former marine, new to the winemaking industry, but has sunk all his money into a vineyard that keeps producing terrible wine. The two strike an agreement, they’ll marry in order for her to receive her trust fund and him to make the connections needed in Napa to secure a business loan.

August is one of my favorite Tessa heroes, just totally dumbstruck by his feelings and attraction for Natalie. He’s one part golden retriever, one part Marine veteran dedicating his life to fulfilling his fallen brother’s dream. He’s large and strong with a totally soft and gooey middle and I just love when the guy falls first.

Natalie was also a great character, everyone underestimates her and still thinks of her as the wild child teen she once was and I loved how she proved herself capable.

Natalie and August constantly butt heads, leading to some truly excellent banter and the forced proximity leads to a lot of sexual tension (though, technically, this is sort of a slow burn).

I really had a great time reading this! This was exactly the book I want from the author. If you are a Tessa Bailey fan don’t hesitate to pick this one up despite your feelings about Secretly Yours.

Melanie Harlow

Good As Gold

Good as Gold by Sarina Bowen is out today! I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review and loved it so much I ordered the paperback immediately.

Man it’s good to be back in Vermont! Returning to this world felt like a warm hug. It doesn’t hurt that Matteo Rossi is one of my favorite heroes the author has ever written!

Matteo is the slightly mysterious brother who was missing from his sibling’s books, and he has returned home for a family wedding and to make amends for all the time he’s missed. Coincidentally, the girl he loved as a teen has recently divorced his former best friend and is looking to make a baby. What better dad than her old friend Matteo?

I actually loved this premise, I know a lot of people hate accidental pregnancy trope but this was the exact opposite of that. Leila was taking control of her life and trying to get what she’s always wanted. Matteo was willing to do anything to make Leila happy, even before things turned romantic between them. These characters were slightly older than what we often see (they were around my age, I’m not calling them old) and I appreciated the maturity that came along with that.

Matteo and Leila were friends first, romantic second, and I really enjoyed their easy going respectful relationship. I liked how they progressed from friend to lovers and while I am not always a fan of flashbacks, they were used well here to explain the past relationship.

It was great to be back in Vermont and see some old favorites, and I’m excited for more! Nash’s story already has me intrigued.

Resisting the Grump

This one has been on my TBR since I saw this gorgeous cover last year! I finally made time to read it and I’m glad I did.

It’s a small town, age gap romance between Rae, who returns home after college to help at her parent’s business, and Davis, the town recluse who Rae had a huge crush on as a teen but who barely knew she existed then.

It’s a little messy and a little angsty. They both make a lot of mistakes and they’re both kind of mean to each other at times, and I was here for that!

For my steam loving friends, I would say this book is pretty darn spicy and had me blushing at times..

I saw a lot of mixed reviews for reasons that I can’t explain without spoilers but I enjoyed it and apparently don’t have the same set of standards as those people. I’ve been slumpy recently and I was still able to read this all in one sitting because I wanted to know how it would play out.

If you are looking for a spicy, dramatic, small town romance this one is in KU!

Irresistible- Melanie Harlow

Frannie and Mack live very different lives. Frannie is a young, sheltered woman helping out at the inn her parents run. Mack is a decade older, single father of three precocious girls who works as CFO at the same inn/winery. Their paths bring them together, and soon they can’t resist each other.

This is a straightforward pure love story. There is minimal angst or drama, just the sweet story of two people falling in love. There is plenty of passion between Frannie and Mack though, don’t be concerned by my “sweet” designation. If you just want to read about people falling in love and their path to get there (and I do!), this is a fun quick read. 4/5 stars

The Consequence of Falling- Claire Contreras

Presley and Nathaniel have hated each other for years. He’s a knowitall mentored by her father. She is a spoiled princess who doesn’t appreciate it when her father takes Nathaniel on as a new owner/investor to the family business. They have to learn to work together, without driving each other crazy, while also negotiating Presley’s divorce, her father’s illness, and all the stresses of running a successful business.

I enjoyed the banter between the two as the relationship moved from hate to love. The chemistry between them was evident, and I enjoyed the plot and secondary characters. My main issue with this book is that I just could not stand Presley. She went from a rich family to marrying a rich man to be handed a great job at her dad’s company, and didn’t appreciate any of it. She was a spoiled princess throughout as Nathaniel correctly pointed out. I still liked the book, Nathaniel especially, I just couldn’t get over my dislike of her. If that sort of thing doesn’t bother you, then I definitely recommend the book because aside from her attitude, I enjoyed everything else about it. 3/5 stars

Release Date: 1/12/2019

Kindle Unlimited: Yes

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