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Mile High Firefighters, Book 1

From the publisher:

My life has always been pretty predictable. Run into burning buildings, save those in distress, be a hero. Shoot the shit with my fireman buddies, come home, and do it all again tomorrow. Little did I know that a random SOS call from a woman stuck in a plaster cast with nothing underneath (I swear I only caught a flash of skin) would throw me for a complete loop.

Until I see the flighty artist again. At my mom’s engagement party. To her dad.

Suddenly the unpredictable woman I couldn’t stop thinking about is my soon-to-be-stepsister. Yeah, the same one I mortified when I accidentally saw her a tiny bit naked. This should make family gatherings way more interesting.

Except when your mom’s as loaded as mine is, you can never fully let your guard down when a guy comes sniffing around. So I can’t help but be suspicious, even though his daughter’s the perfect blend of beautiful and wild. As we spend more time together, prepping for our parents’ wedding, we both agree that maybe there’s nothing wrong with having a little bit of fun in the meantime. But if she knew I was investigating her dad on the side, she would never forgive me…

https://amzn.to/3yUBoQ4

Somehow, I missed this book but read the next two in the series. I liked those so much I hunted this one down, and I’m so glad I did.

This is a really fun read. Tamsen is a young artist who is waitressing to make a living and interning in an art gallery, plus doing her own artwork. She is one busy young woman, so it’s easy to understand how she forgot to oil her skin before covering her torso with plaster to make a mold for her latest piece. But as the plaster dries, she quickly realizes she is in trouble. She calls 911 and three super hot firemen come to her rescue.

Parker loves being a firefighter, and helping out a damsel in distress is all in a day’s work to him. But this damsel really appeals to him. Hitting on someone you’re helping doesn’t feel ethical to him, so he puts off that idea. Until they meet up again – turns out Tamsen’s dad is now engaged to Parker’s mom.

Tamsen lost her mother when she was just a toddler and grew up watching her father struggle on his own. He was a wonderful father, but devastated by losing his wife. Tamsen is really happy he has found someone else to love.

Parker’s father took off when he was a teenager, and was rarely heard from since. His mother is very wealthy and in fact, her first marriage was a society one. She’s come close to marrying again, but both times Parker hired a private investigator to look into those men, and they were bad news. So he hires the same P.I. to investigate her new fiance.

Parker and Tamsen are shocked to find they are going to become step-siblings, and their parents ask them to plan a wedding shower for them. Their attraction to one another is so strong that they can’t put it aside, and Tamsen comes up with the idea of just getting it out of their system – keep it fast and fun and end it. Neither one of them is interested in a relationship but you know that it’s only a matter of time.

This book was a bit uneven for me, and I liked the two that followed more. Nonetheless, I’m glad I went back and read this one. The books all stand alone, but I enjoyed reading them all.

2/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE WEDDING DILEMMA by Mariah Ankenman. Entangled: Amara  (May 17, 2021). ISBN:‎ 979-8504056166. 280p.

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Mr. Wrong Number, Book 2

From the publisher:

Two people make a wager on who can find love first, not realizing what they should be betting on is each other, in this new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Wrong Number.

Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs onto the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she snuck out of. 

After agreeing they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie realize they’re each other’s perfect wing-person in their searches for The One. They text each other about their dates, often scheduling them at the same restaurant so that if things don’t go well, the two of them can get tacos afterward. 

Spoiler: they get a lot of tacos together. 

Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off. As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they both struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with.

“Painter follows up Mr. Wrong Number with an equally cute friends to lovers romance…Their equally filthy sense of humor makes their connection feel real and their game of constant one-upmanship is a lot of fun. Painter’s fans won’t be disappointed.”—Publishers Weekly

“A fun, flirty, and timely read from Painter (Mr. Wrong Number), with likable characters to boot.”—Library Journal

https://amzn.to/3n1OEzS

I loved Mr. Wrong Number, so I was thrilled to get this new book, and it did not disappoint. This was laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, a bit sexy, and totally unputdownable. This book is the second book in the series; the first book revolved around Olivia, and this book is about her brother, Jack. That said, this book stands alone easily, and I didn’t even realize it was a sequel until I saw the series title on Goodreads.

Jack meets Hallie at his sister’s wedding, and they have such amazing chemistry that they end up drunk and in bed together. Hallie is not usually a one-night-stand sort of girl, so when she wakes up to find herself in bed with Jack, she decides to sneak out of the room and try and forget about it.

Jack’s sister signs him up on a dating app and when Hallie joins the app, he is the first one she sees. They start messaging in the app, then off the app, and decide to be each other’s wingman. They also make a wager to see who finds love, the “one”, first. They set up dates with their app matches, but at the same place and time so they can bail each other out and go get tacos if things aren’t going well. That leads to a lot of tacos until Hallie meets Alex.

Alex is a good looking man and the first one that Hallie feels comfortable with. She likes him, he seems kind, and they have fun together, which is driving Jack nuts. Hallie and Jack have become best friends – or is it more? When Hallie needs a last minute date for a family wedding, Jack happily steps in and agrees to be the perfect boyfriend/wedding date, reminiscent of one of my favorite romcoms with Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney, The Wedding Date. Jack and Hallie have fallen in love, but neither wants to pull the plug on their friendship for a shot of romance – until they just can’t help themselves.

This is a terrific romcom with a bit of heat and a lot of laughs, and Painter is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. If you are looking for a really fun read, you’ve found your book. Don’t miss it!

3/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE LOVE WAGER by Lynn Painter. Berkley (March 14, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-0593437285. 320p.

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Mile High Firefighters, Book 3

From the publisher:

Firefighter Stephanie Díaz won’t let anyone stop her from becoming the youngest female fire chief in Denver. Not the jerks who’d like to see an ambitious Latine woman admit defeat. Not the ultra-bro firefighters she has to work with. And definitely not her ridiculously hot and often infuriating, fellow firefighter Eli Ward. Now Stephanie has the chance to prove to everyone that she’s got what it takes…but there’s one helluva catch.

The Battle of the First Responders is a live, balls-out competition in the secluded Rockies and Stephanie has been selected—along with Ward as her partner. On the line are their reputations, a whole lot of cash…and the promotion they’ve been fighting for. Teaming up is the perfect chance to finally settle their never ending one-upmanship, but it also exposes the smoldering attraction they’ve held at bay.

Now their days are fueled by a high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled competition. Their nights are filled with sizzling deep kisses that steal her breath away. But this sexy little fling is about to set off a five-alarm blaze she can’t control…

https://amzn.to/420yW88

I read the second book in this series, The Dating Dilemma by Mariah Ankenman, and really enjoyed it so I’m not sure why I didn’t read the first book, The Wedding Dilemma – maybe my library didn’t have it? I’m going to do a deeper dive and try and find it. I feel confident in saying that these books stand alone because while I was reading this new one, I didn’t even realize it was part of a series. Well done, Ms. Ankenman!

This is a really fun read. Stephanie is a career firefighter who is looking to move up. Eli is a legacy; his father and grandfather were both chiefs in the fire department. Before his father passed away, Eli promised him he’d follow in his footsteps, so he is determined to move up and eventually become chief. Stephanie and Eli work really well together, but that’s only because Eli is holding back his feelings for her.

Stephanie had a really bad experience in her previous job when she dated another firefighter. Things went south and it all landed on her, prompting her to move halfway across the country to Colorado, and she swore she’d never date a co-worker again. Eli is well aware of her rule, so keeps his feelings to himself. Until their chief picks them to enter a new online reality show pitting first responders against one another.

Eli and Stephanie are both supercompetitive, and the chief has made it clear that whoever ends up on top in the competition will get a promotion, so there is a lot at stake here for both of them. Things get more complicated when they find out their living arrangements for the two weeks of filming – they’ll be sharing a small cabin. Yes, it has two bedrooms, but they still will be together 24/7, and Eli isn’t sure how he’s going to hold back.

What he doesn’t know is that Stephanie also has feelings for him, but she is tamping them down hard. As the competition heats up, so does their relationship. It is obvious to everyone there that there is something happening between them, but they are both in deep denial until they finally give in.

There are some hurdles along the way, but Stephanie & Eli find their happily ever after. This was a fun, forced-proximity type romance with some heat and a lot of laughs…and the hot firemen are just a bonus!

2/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE FIREFIGHTERS DILEMMA by Mariah Ankenman. Entangled: Amara (February 27, 2023). ISBN:‎ 979-8378520558. 290p.

Kindle

From the publisher:

A second try at love becomes more than one woman bargained for in this “timeless, enchanting” rom-com from the author of The Rehearsals (Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author).

Can one little lie lead to a big second chance?

Layla’s chaotic life transformed when she met Ian Barnett. Ambitious, committed, and thoughtful, Ian has been everything she’d dreamed of, and she knows he’d say the same of her. So when he breaks up with her out of the blue, Layla is stunned. What went wrong?

But then, Layla gets a call from the local hospital. Ian’s had a biking accident. He’s okay, but he needs someone—his someone—to get him home safely. As it becomes clear Ian doesn’t remember he ended things, it also becomes clear that the accident has given him a new outlook on life . . . and Layla a second chance to get things right. 

That is, until Ian’s younger brother comes to town. Matt is restless, unpredictable, and threatens to upset the careful balance Layla and Ian have rebuilt. As things get more complicated both at home and at work, Layla realizes she might lose her chance at real love—and real happiness—if she doesn’t come clean about the stories she’s been telling: to Ian, to Matt, to her family, and most importantly, to herself.

“Second chances take center stage in this cute contemporary . . . Christie does a good job fleshing out Layla’s backstory so that readers will sympathize with her despite her deception. This is a charmer.”―Publishers Weekly

“A clever take on While You Were Sleeping . . . Christie deftly upends romantic comedy tropes. Her characters are complex and realistic, even in heightened situations. A unique love story that will keep readers guessing.”―Kirkus Reviews

https://amzn.to/3ytAZ7e

When I saw the comparison to While You Were Sleeping, one of my favorite movies, I was all in. This book lacks the sweetness of that movie and it has a lot more crazy going on, but it is an apt comparison and an enjoyable read – once I got a handle on the main character, Layla.

Let me backtrack a tiny bit and say I just loved that Layla and her siblings were all named after 1970’s songs; Jude, Rhiannon, and so forth. Layla is a complex character and reveals herself bit by tantalizing bit. I don’t want to give anything away because that’s half the fun of this book. We quickly learn that she works for a small local theater as an administrative assistant, has a bad relationship in her past, is the youngest of a big family, all of whom are coupled up, and she generally feels like a failure in a myriad of ways. She is also a huge fan of the Rat Pack, Audrey Hepburn, and is a total romantic at heart.

We also learn that Layla was dumped two weeks previously by Ian, because they weren’t spending enough time together. They both have busy work lives, but that explanation just haunts Layla and she can’t understand it. So when she receives a phone call from the hospital saying that she is the emergency contact for Ian, she rushed over there to find he was in bicycle accident and has a concussion – and doesn’t remember breaking up with her. As far as Ian’s concerned, they are still happily dating. Layla shakes off her misery over the breakup and grabs this second chance with both hands. But can you build a lasting relationship on a lie?

The accident has changed Ian in other ways. He is no longer entirely work-driven, and he wants to make amends with his younger brother Matt, a wastrel that has spent years wandering around the country and couch surfing. Or so he thinks. He invites Matt to come stay with him and is surprised when he accepts. But Matt is quite withdrawn and surly with Ian, and he drives Layla nuts.

Turns out Matt had written a blog about his wanderings that was turned into a streaming TV show. Unfortunately he was fired after the first season leading Ian to think he is a failure. But when Layla’s theater has to drop their upcoming “emerging playwright” due to a scandal. they are desperate to find another writer. With only a month until the show is supposed to open, they leap at the chance Layla is offering – Matt. Of course she has to talk him into it and who knows if he can even write a play.

Ian and Layla continue dating, Layla spends more time with Matt to eventually realize that she can be completely herself with him, while she continues to hide things from Ian. If you’ve seen While You Were Sleeping, you know how it ends, and if not. enjoy the surprise! I must admit it took me a while to get through it; it slogs a bit through the middle but all in all, it was a fun read and I recommend it.

2/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

FOR TWICE IN MY LIFE by Annette Christie. Little, Brown and Company (February 7, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-0316451031. 320p.

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