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The Kinloch Series, Book 5

From the publisher:

Enjoy this steamy Scottish romcom series by award-winning romantic comedy author Evie Alexander…

Say “I do” to Scotland’s wedding of the year!

Wedding bells are finally ringing for Rory and Zoe! But setting a date and saying yes to the dress is a lot more complicated when their mothers are mortal enemies and Rory’s stepfather is a Hollywood star with a death wish.

And if their families weren’t complicated enough, their friends are determined to make the bachelor and bachelorette parties ones they will remember forever – or desperately try to forget…

A castle, a cast of thousands, a superstar who’s lost the plot, and an unlikely stripper. Can Rory and Zoe unravel the tangles in time to tie the knot, or is eloping the only answer?

Get your glad rags on and hold onto your hats as it’s time to unleash matrimonial madness!

Wedding Games is a steamy, laugh-out-loud, grumpy sunshine, steamy, small town romantic comedy novella, with all your favorite characters from the Kinloch series and a guaranteed happily-ever-after! It can be read as a standalone but is best enjoyed after the other books in the Kinloch series.

https://amzn.to/40Gr3DB

This is one of the rare series that I’ve actually read in order, since the beginning. That’s mostly due to Evie Alexander being so proactive in getting her books reviewed. Other authors should take note!

This is obviously the last book of the series, and while it certainly can be enjoyed as a standalone, it is more meaningful when read in order. There is not a whole lot of plot here; it’s basically the days leading up to the last wedding in this series.

Rory and Zoe have been dancing around their romance almost since the beginning of the series – from what I can remember! The big day is fast approaching and they are both just over the moon happy. Until the small wedding Rory wanted balloons into the society wedding his mother – and his station as the Earl of Kinloch – demands. There is the requisite bachelor party, the hen do (bachelorette party,) and of course, the rehearsal dinner. Whatever can go awry does, but it is all over-the-top funny and everything I’ve come to expect in this series.

If you haven’t read any of the books in this series, then this probably isn’t the book for you. But if you’ve read at least one of the earlier books, go for it! But only if you want something with all the good feels – sweet, sexy, romantic. and hilarious. I’m sad to see this series end, but there is a novella, One Night in Foxbrooke, coming out next week that introduces a new series, so I’m happy. Watch for the review soon!

4/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WEDDING GAMES by Evie Alexander. Emlin Press (March 25, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-1914473197. 156p.

Kindle

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.

Kindle

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.

Kindle

Audible

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