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Bad Bachelors, Book 2

From the publisher:

It’s true, I’m well-endowed.
But everything else is a huge misunderstanding…

My name is Wes Evans and saying I’m bad at love is a big understatement. I’m the son of Broadway royalty, and the only thing I’ve really ever wanted is to achieve something without having to ride on my family’s coattails. Unfortunately, being dubbed”The Anaconda” on the notorious Bad Bachelor app wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. Now, I’ve got a reputation I can’t seem to shake, and a smash Broadway show I need to produce without the help of my family.

Enter Remi Drysdale―a sexy ballet dancer and the woman who could solve all my problems. She is a dream to watch on stage and will be the next best thing in American ballet. If I don’t mess it all up by seducing her.

Remi is a ballerina from Australia who moved to New York City for a shot at joining a major ballet company. But it didn’t work out the way she planned, and she ends up teaching kids how to dance. When one of her students brings her uncle with her, he is forced to participate. Little does she know that he is ballet and Broadway royalty. When he walks in on her practicing on her own, he realizes he found the ballerina he was looking for to star in the off-Broadway show he is trying to produce without his family’s help.

There is strong attraction there but Remi has been burned by romance in a show before, and she isn’t going there. Until she can’t help herself. Wes understands her fears but he can’t help himself either. Of course, they try and keep it secret but once the cat’s out of the bag, all sorts of trouble follows.

This was a fast read set in the world of theater, which I loved. The characters are skillfully brought to life on the page, and while some of the drama seemed a bit over the top to me, it all works out in the end. I’m looking forward to the last book of this trilogy.

11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BAD REPUTATION by Stefanie London. Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 7, 2018). 978-1492655206. 384 pages.

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From the publisher:

Kennedy Martin is shocked when her ex calls days before his wedding, expressing serious second thoughts. Doesn’t he see his fiancée’s actually the glaze to his doughnut? Now she’s got no choice but to crash his wedding and convince the man he’s with the right woman.

Instead, she crashes into the absolute last man she ever wanted to see: Maverick Owens, her old college nemesis. Maverick is still as awful, infuriating, and just The Worst as ever―even if he looks way too sexy in his cowboy hat. And of course he’s convinced she’s actually at the seaside ranch to ruin the wedding.

Now the only way to get some face time with the groom and save this marriage is to participate in all sorts of pre-wedding events…with Maverick. Stuck on a canoe, making small-talk at cocktail hour, and even a hoedown with her worst enemy? This just might be the longest week of her life…

The popular enemies-to-lovers trope is in all its glory here as Kennedy and Maverick literally run into each other for the first time since college. Super competitive, both of them battled wits in their college careers. She went off to med school, and he was supposed to go to veterinary school. Instead, he’s home on his family’s ranch and needs to make sure that Kennedy doesn’t spoil things. The family ranch makes most of its money these days from hosting weddings, and Mav quickly learns that Kennedy is not an invited guest.

Kennedy and the groom used to date, but that turned into a true friendship instead. She is happy to hear he’s finally getting married, but the bride-to-be is a bit insecure about her fiance’s “friend” so she isn’t invited. But when he drunk dials Kennedy from his bachelor party and tells her he is having doubts, he also asks her to come so they can talk. Kennedy, along with her other best friend, jump in the car and head for the ranch.

Kennedy and Mav start spending time together; it helps with keeping her presence on the down low, and for some reason, he isn’t bothering her nearly as much as he did in college. He is also insanely good looking, which she is trying to ignore. As if.

Everyone finds their happily ever after in this sweet and sometimes sexy romance. This was a a lot of fun to read, and I found it pretty much unputdownable. Don’t miss it.

11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE WEDDING CRASHER AND THE COWBOY by Robin Bielman. Entangled: Amara (October 26, 2021). ISBN: 978-1649370945. 368 pages.

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Last Man Standing, Book 2

From the author:

So I may be in the Last Single Man Standing competition with my cousins, but five minutes around Kinsey was all it took to take myself out. Who cares about bragging rights when you’ve just found the woman you’re going to marry? Sure, she may work for my biggest competitor. Sure, she’s not dating right now. Sure, she’s my sister’s best friend and I’ve been sworn off her. But somehow she agrees to go on six fake dates to help me save face in this competition.

What does the guy who never uses his words have to say to convince the girl of his dreams that they’re perfect for each other?

Each book in the Last Man Standing series is STANDALONE:
* Mama’s Boy
* Neanderthal
* Mansplainer

I took the author at her word that each book is a standalone as this was first read in this series. And I think she’s right; I didn’t feel like I missed anything although I realized there was a first book, if that makes sense. A lot of romance series are connected by characters who know one another, and I think this is the case here. No matter; this was a fun read.

Griff is the “Neanderthal” of the title, and it’s pretty fitting. He is known to his friends and family as someone who rarely speaks. In fact, he grunts a lot. But he is brilliant and rich and good looking, in what would be a lethal combination if not for his lack of communication skills. His sister’s best friend, Kinsey, has recently moved to the west coast as she landed her dream job at a competitor of theirs. Unfortunately, her dream job doesn’t pay enough to cover the rent in such a pricy area, so she jumps at the chance to move in with her bestie.

Kinsey visits the gym where Griff is working out and overhears some crazy conversations. She steps in, explains the correct answers, and shuts everyone up. And Griff falls in love, before he even sees her. Brains are his downfall, and Kinsey may be the smartest person he’s ever heard. Then he sees her and realizes his life as he knew it is now over. He is in love.

Griff and two of his cousins have a bet going on – the last man standing, i.e. not in love, wins the Christmas present their grandmother left behind. No one knows what it is or really cares, they just know they want it. But Griff realizes he is out of the running now and doesn’t care.

There are a couple of problems though – for one thing, Kinsey is wearing an engagement ring, or as she explains it, a pre-engagement ring. Except she bought it in a thrift shop and wears it to keep men from hitting on her. Kinsey is a knockout, a southern belle with blonde hair, big boobs, and an even bigger brain, but no one waits around to find out about her brain. By taking herself off the market, she gets taken a little more seriously at work.

But something amazing happens. As Griff’s cousins set him on date after date with Kinsey, he finds himself talking to her. In fact, he never wants to stop talking to her. Unless they are in bed, which is where they end up once she confesses to the fake pre-engagement. Griff may lose the bet but he wins the girl and the happy ending. This is a very sexy romance with a lot of witty dialogue, some laugh out loud moments, and terrific characters who grow and change. I am looking for the first book in the series while I impatiently wait for the next.

NEANDERTHAL by Avery Flynn. Entangled: Amara (October 25, 2021). ASIN: B091NPW9HK. 288 pages.

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Biggest Little Love Story, Book 3

From the publisher:

Billionaire casino magnate Rafael “Rafa” Salord is forced to exchange caviar for cowboy boots when he’s sent to “grow up” and run his father’s newly acquired casino in the middle of nowhere downtown Reno. When he crosses paths with feisty Destiny Morson, he starts to wonder if that nonsense about love-at-first-sight might actually be true. Maybe it’s time to trade in his playboy status and bet on something more.

Social worker Destiny Morson has always had good reason for keeping romance at arm’s length. After finding out that her business partner ran off with the community-raised funds from their non-profit, she’s ready to swear off people completely. So when the sexy casino executive seems interested in helping her with her woes, she can’t help but mistrust his motives, no matter how he makes her burn…

From a night out throwing axes to supporting Destiny’s charity, Rafa stops at nothing to win over the gunshy woman he can’t get out of his head. He’s determined to break through her tough exterior, and Destiny slowly lets her guard down. But after a night of passion in his penthouse suite, things at the casino go sideways for both of them, forcing them to decide if the past is enough to prevent them from a future together.

Destiny is an interesting character, a young woman who has a lot of responsibility, first as a social worker, then as a partner in a charity that helps people with drug problems. She is also responsible for her aunt, so she moves into an apartment in the same complex so she can keep an eye on her. They live just outside of Reno, and her aunt really likes the slots and manages to lose her social security check at the casino on a regular basis.

Rafa is visiting their company’s latest acquisition at the behest of his father. They have bumped heads quite a bit, especially when his father believed him to have fathered a child. He pays off the woman, but unbeknownst to his father, Rafa keeps in touch with the mother and helps her out financially. When he arrives at the Reno property, he is not impressed with the manager, to say the least. He has been working in the hotel/casino business for years and trusts his instincts. His instincts say something is off with this guy, even if he is a friend of his father.

When Rafa and Destiny meet, there is a strong attraction but she is too busy getting her new charity off the ground for romance. But he is persistent, and they go out a few times and she gets to know his friends. Once they spend the night together, Destiny realizes she is in trouble – she likes Rafa way more than she should, especially since he is only in town temporarily. But this is a romance, so they find their happy ending.

This is a quick read and the character development was surprisingly good for such a short book. There was enough drama and laughs to keep the pages turning, but it felt like it was missing something. That could be due to the fact that this is the third book of a series, and I haven’t read the first two. Despite that, it was an enjoyable read.

NO PLAYER REQUIRED by JoAnn Sky. Entangled: Indulgence (October 18, 2021). ASIN: B09H5JGLS2. 197 pages.

Paperback

The Captivity Alaska Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

Ambitious L.A. lawyer Isabelle Marcano would rather run a mile in her Manolos than fly off to rustic Captivity, Alaska. But close the client’s sale successfully and her firm will find room on the letterhead for one more name. Still, taking a career detour to a place that doesn’t even have a Starbucks sounds like the seventh level of hell.

Then her best friend points out the town has something stronger on tap than caffeine. Testosterone. With two single men to every single woman, this assignment might just be the best thing to happen to her sex life since the invention of the waterproof Rabbit.

Until her sexy client introduces her as his fiancée to hide what she’s doing in town, and all her aspirations of hot Lumberjack Sex fly out the airplane window.

Though…fiancés do have sex, right? Those who don’t want to answer to small-town busybodies better look like they do, epically, even when the mere prospect plays havoc with her professional responsibilities. And her hormones.

Her firm’s getting antsy to finalize the merger. But the more she learns about Trace, about why he’s selling, the more conflicted she becomes about the deal. Failure to close means losing the partnership she’s always wanted, but the bigger failure might just be kissing Trace goodbye…

Trace suffered a terrible loss when his younger brother died in a plane crash, and he still hasn’t recovered. He’s decided to sell the family business, running the airport and the planes in Captivity, Alaska, and his good friend has sent a bright young attorney to help him get everything in order. Captivity is a small town, and he doesn’t want anyone to know he is thinking about selling, but the offer he has in hand may be too good to pass up. His parents are retired and traveling the world, and his younger sister has half ownership in the airline, but she isn’t vested until she turns 30 so he still has some time.

Izzy is thrilled to have this assignment – her boss is dangling a partnership if it all goes through. She has worked her butt off for years to get to this point, and is determined to reach her goal. But when she arrives in Alaska, Trace takes one look at the big city lawyer and realizes he is in trouble. No one will believe she is a tourist here to climb a mountain, not with those heels and those clothes. When they finally arrive in Captivity, a couple of his employees/friends are there to meet them. In a panic, Trace blurts out that Izzy is here because he’s trying to convince her to marry him.

Stunned, she isn’t sure what to say but realizes he is the client and she better go along with it. The whole town gets involved as they want to see Trace happy, and if this is the woman he wants, they are all in. So while they work on getting his business in order to sell, they also have to date – and that presents a tiny problem. Izzy has been so busy working she hasn’t had a relationship or even a date in over a year. She figures the odds are pretty good she can have some casual sex while in Captivity, but not after Trace announces his intentions.

As they work together and spend time together, Trace realizes he has some strong feelings for Izzy, but she is fighting it. It is unethical for her to get involved with a client, but Trace eventually wears her down and the sex is blazing hot. Izzy gets to know his sister and his friends, and everyone is trying their best to convince her to stay, but she has other plans. Except when she finally leaves to go back home, she is miserable.

There is another character in this book that I just loved, a giant Husky/Malamute mixed dog named K’eyush, or Key for short. The dog is brilliant and talks – he somehow says his favorite peoples’ names. Anyone who has spent any time poking around my website knows that I am a cat person, but I also love dogs. My husband has gotten me a tiny bit obsessed with this dog: K’eyush the Stunt Dog and couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the dog in the book and the dog in the video. So I reached out to the author, who confirmed she is also a K’eyush fan and was inspired to use a dog with similar traits in the book. I love when my worlds collide like that!

I love anything set in Alaska so this really worked for me. There were a few surprises along the way before Trace and Izzy reached their happily ever after. There is a lot of humor and heat in this terrific romance and first book of a series. I can’t wait for the next one!

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WILD IN CAPTIVITY by Samanthe Beck. Entangled: Amara (October 18, 2021). ASIN: B09H5J7S5W. 325 pages.

Paperback