Em and M Books: 5 Stars

Showing posts with label 5 Stars. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Review - An Unexpected Distraction by Catherine Bybee

An Unexpected Distraction

by Catherine Bybee

Series: Richter, #3

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: November 30, 2021

Review - Boyfriend by Sarina Bowen

Boyfriend

by Sarina Bowen

Series: Moo U

Genre: Contemporary New Adult Romance

Release Date: October 12, 2021

The hottest player on the Moo U hockey team hangs a flyer on the bulletin board, and I am spellbound:

Rent a boyfriend for the holiday. For $25, I will be your Thanksgiving date. I will talk hockey with your dad. I will bring your mother flowers. I will be polite, and wear a nicely ironed shirt…

Now everyone knows it’s a bad idea to introduce your long-time crush to your messed-up family. But I really do need a date for Thanksgiving, even if I’m not willing to say why. So I tear his phone number off of that flyer… and accidentally entangle our star defenseman in a ruse that neither of us can easily unwind.

Because Weston's family is even nuttier than mine. He needs a date, too, for the most uncomfortable holiday engagement party ever thrown.

There will be hors d'oeuvre. There will be faked PDA. And there will be pro-level awkwardness…

Boyfriend is a full-length stand-alone romance for Weston and Abbi!

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Apple ~ Kobo ~ Google

Audio

Another wonderful story from Sarina Bowen! I loved the entire premise of this book, watching the fake relationship turn into a slow-burn romance that kept the drama to a minimum but produced so many sigh-worthy moments!

I loved watching Weston and Abbi interact with each other’s families as they have their fake dates and develop a friendship that was real and solid, which was something that neither expected. There was such an attraction between these two from the start and when they finally give in to it the heat just poured off the pages. What I loved most what how these two just instinctively knew what the other needed, especially as it came to navigating some very interesting family dynamics. Watching Abbie tell Weston’s father some truths he needed to hear was one of my favorite scenes in the book. And I just fell in love with Weston a little harder as he was always there to protect Abbi, no matter the situation.

Once again, I can’t say enough about Sarina Bowen’s writing style, her dialogue, and her characters. Even though this is a college romance, the characters were written with a realistic maturity that made them likeable but not acting too out of their age range. Sarina Bowen brings lots of swoon-worthy moments, the right amount of heat, and keeps the drama to a minimum, which all adds up to another 5 star read! Definitely one that anyone should enjoy!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Review - Secrets of a One Night Stand by Naima Simone

Secrets of a One Night Stand

by Naima Simone

Series: Billionaires of Boston, #2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 24, 2021

Review - Waylaid by Sarina Bowen

Waylaid

by Sarina Bowen

Series: True North, #8

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 20, 2021

Review - Witches Get Stitches by Juliette Cross

Witches Get Stitches

by Juliette Cross

Series: Stay a Spell, #3

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: July 20, 2021

A Thin Disguise by Catherine Bybee - New Release and Review

A Thin Disguise

by Catherine Bybee

Series: Richter, #2

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: July 6, 2021

Review - The Road to Rose Bend by Naima Simone

The Road to Rose Bend

by Naima Simone

Series: Rose Bend, #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: HQN Books

Release Date: April 27, 2021

Review - Bombshells by Sarina Bowen

Bombshells

by Sarina Bowen

Series: Brooklyn Bruisers, #8

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 13, 2021

The women's league is in the house! And Brooklyn will never be the same again for Anton Bayer and the team…

This is my last chance to ditch my playboy reputation and finally fulfill my potential. So I’ve made three rules for our biggest season yet: no boozing, no women, and no scandals.

Especially that last thing.

So who do I befriend on the very first day back at the rink? An amazing female hockey player. I want Sylvie in a way that’s more than just friendly. I crave her. But I have a championship to win, and so does she.

Then she gets her heart broken by my teammate, and I make the foolish mistake of comforting her in the best way I know how. Our night together sets off a string of sins.

Nobody can know about our affair, especially my overprotective teammate. I can’t let anyone see into my greedy little heart. Not even her.

The things I want from her, and the things we’ve already done? If anyone knew, there’d be bombshells.

Contains: a defenseman with dreamy blue eyes, a female goalie with bad ideas, a major battle of the sexes and a swimming pool scene...

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Apple ~ Kobo ~ Google

Audio

Another great book from Sarina Bowen! I just loved everything about this one think Anton and Sylvie may be my new favorite couple!

On top of the obvious chemistry that sizzled between these two, I loved the genuine friendship that Anton and Sylvie had, and was glad that this didn’t turn into a love triangle trope since Sylvie has history and what she thinks may even be a future with one of Anton’s teammates that needed to be addressed before these two could explore anything more than a friendship. These two had some great banter, and even though Anton thinks he isn’t long-term material, you’d never guess that with his actions and words. Sylvie was just awesome – a bit frustrating at times since she really had blinders on when it came to her relationship with Bryce, but understanding her past and then watching her grow both personally and professionally, it was so easy to fall in love with her.

I loved the blending of the two hockey teams into the story and loved how the Bombshells were incorporated into the Bruisers world. I also appreciated the realness of the challenges surrounding the women’s hockey league that was woven into the story and loved how some of those equity issues were addressed – even men need high-end shampoo and conditioner in their locker room showers! I always love the camaraderie, friendship and banter of the men in this series, and was happy to get the same from the women.

Bombshells was a wonderful story and like every other Sarina Bowen book I have read, is a book I would highly recommend to anyone!

I received an advance reader copy from the author which I voluntarily reviewed.