#romance Archives – Page 3 of 4

Hallmark Movie Review: Raise a Glass to Love

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/raise-a-glass-to-love

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Oh man guys. Another meh movie. Nothing in this movie gave me butterflies or made me say “awww…” Here’s a quick re-cap and my full two cents.

Quick Re-Cap

Jenna fails her Master Sommelier exam and returns home for her parent’s party and to study for re-taking the exam. While at home, Jenna learns her parents have hired Marcelo to help make the wine. Ever since her grandma died, the winery hasn’t been doing as well. Jenna and Marcelo become friends, but will they become more?

My Two Cents

I loved Laura Osnes in One Royal Holiday!! I liked her in this movie too, but Juan Pablo Di Pace wasn’t my cup of tea. Which would have been okay, if the plot or chemistry would have floated the movie. Unfortunately, it didn’t and there weren’t any butterflies flying in my belly when these two looked at each other.

This movie really tried to be something special. There were even horses! How can I not LOVE a movie with horses? I don’t know folks, but it’s missing the infamous IT factor. 😞

There were several cute and funny moments I enjoyed. I liked the candle making and apple bobbing. I liked that Marcelo is from Olivia, which just happens to be Jenna’s Grandma’s middle name. That kind of kismet makes me smile every time.

It was the little things that made this movie more entertaining, but it wasn’t enough. I found myself watching the previews for next week’s movie (it’s a horse movie) and wondering why I can’t watch that today. This isn’t a good sign.

Anyhow, if you like wine movies. I highly recommend Paris, Wine & Romance instead. I don’t think I wrote a review for it, but I really liked this one. It has another of my favorite leads. Happy watching y’all!

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: Journey of My Heart

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/journey-of-my-heart/

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was able to watch a Hallmark movie and review it!! Yay!! I’m so glad to have my life somewhat back to normal. Having this new puppy in our house has been a bigger adventure than having two puppies last summer. But I’m sure you would rather to hear about the Hallmark movie instead of my own personal puppy drama 🙂

Journey of my heart captured my heart! From the adorable fresh faces of the two leads to the soul feeling vision question, I loved everything about this movie. I’ll do a quick re-cap, then cover my full two cents.

Quick Re-Cap

Abby is tasked with tracking down Alice Hughes for a news article about bald eagle populations. Alice and Abby make an agreement to work together to create an article that compares the counts from 50 years ago to today. Then Abby sets out to find Eagle’s Crest and Hidden Canyon for her portion of the article. Alice sets Abby up with Eric to help her find Eagle’s Crest/Hidden Canyon.

My Two Cents

I instantly liked Abby! She’s nice, down to earth, totally type A, and funny/geeky/cool. I loved when she was filling her backpack with food, then fell over from the weight. And when she yelled, “Hello world!” to the sky at Eagle’s Crest. 🤣 Computer geeks will find this extra funny/cute. But Abby’s willingness to try new things and ability to persevere really stole my heart.

Along with Abby, her dreams about eagles that led her down the path to the Eagle census also connected with my heart. I have always felt that paying attention to our dreams can help lead us down the path we were meant to follow. Abby did this and found her own vision quest to open her heart and soul, commune with the creator, and find her path. This was very deep for Hallmark, but I loved it.

I had Abby and the eagles. What else could make this movie better? It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Hallmark movie where I could feel actual chemistry between the leads. This movie changed that! The chemistry between Abby and Eric was palpable the whole movie. When they go fishing together, I seriously wanted Eric to just lean in and taste Abby’s neck. I didn’t know fishing could be so hot!

Please hang tight while I go take a cold bath…

Okay! Back! I grabbed the Fannie Mae s’mores mix on my way 🙂

Now that I’ve splashed some cold water on my face, I need to throw some cold water on this movie too. I know there are only so many plots out there, but Chasing Waterfalls wasn’t that long ago and Journey to My Heart shares the same climax 🙁 Even Jeff noticed it from the beginning. Oh Hallmark…you’re in a bad way when Jeff notices your patterns. LOL.

Despite the shared climax, I’m still giving this 5 stars. I loved everything else about this movie and it spoke to my heart. I hope you give this one a try. Happy movie watching y’all!

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Book Review: Work Me Good

Image via: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57672270-work-me-good

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Work Me Good by Ali Parker

Oh my WOW!

Have that relief handy, because this book has some super hot sex scenes! Lets do a quick re-cap, then I’ll give you more of my two cents.

Quick Re-cap:

Saige and Nash had a fling about 9 years ago, but Nash dumped her for a trophy wife. Nash divorced the trophy wife after amassing a large fortune.

Now, Nash has purchased the business Saige operates and he steps in to convert the business to his standard business model…cold, heartless, and quiet offices.

Saige doesn’t like Nashs’ business model and they clash immediately, but it’s not all hate between these two! They must find a way to work together to make it through tax season and create a thriving business.

My two cents (spoiler alert):

Sadly, I didn’t actually like Nash or Saige.

Saige annoyed me, because we know she has an 8 year old son and he is probably Nashs’. Plus, the book is written in first person, so I expected at least some inner dialogue worrying about Nash realizing the kid is his, but we don’t get any dialogue like that until almost the end of the book. Why hide it for that long?? Why wasn’t she even a little remorseful for keeping Nash from his son?

Then there’s Nash. He has the emotional intelligence of a rock. He’s a jerk to everyone throughout almost the whole book. He kind of changes towards the end, but I doubt he would have actually changed as quickly as he did.

Plus, he’s suppose to be this super smart business guy, but he fails to notice that Saige’s son looks and acts like he did as a child, and is the right age to be his kid? I’m not buying it.

So, I didn’t really love either of the main characters, BUT I LOVED the sex scenes. Oh my hotness!! Have that relief handy (pun intended)! There were enough scenes to enjoy without you saying, “they’re having sex again?!” I would read this book again for these scenes alone!

PS: rug burns are a real issue with floor sex and I’m glad the author pointed out the perils on non-bed sex! LOL.

Overall, this book is okay. It’s fairly predictable and I know I read a very similar book within the past year or two, but the sex scenes definitely made it worth the read. Give it a shot if hate sex and hot sex scenes are your jam. Happy reading y’all!!

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Book Review: Falling for Your Fake Fiancé

Image via: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56976228-falling-for-your-fake-fianc

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Falling for Your Fake Fiancé by Emma St. Clair

Exactly as expected

This book can literally be summed by the title. Throw in a former pageant winning southern belle and a hot lawyer and you have the whole book. Let’s do a very quick re-cap, then I’ll give you my two cents 😉

Quick re-cap:

Delilah finds herself fired from a doggy daycare business, but hired as a personal dog sitter for Thayden. At the same time, Thayden discovers he needs to marry within 3 months if he wants to inherit his family law firm. Let the fun begin!

My two cents:

If I could give half stars, this would be a 3.5, but I can’t, so I round up. I was a little underwhelmed with this book.

I felt the book was lacking excitement and there were several opportunities to make it more exciting, but they were all glossed over. The lobster climax scene was good, but it could have been better. What happened to Verity after the lobster incident?? I wanted closure!

Plus, Delilah should have stood up for herself. Instead, she ran. She never seems to stand up for herself except to Thayden. I wanted to see her to be stronger.

Sex would have also made this book more interesting. There’s a few kisses, but that’s it. 3.5 star plots need 5 star sex scenes!

I’ve read a few of these books accidentally and I think I’ve felt the same about everyone. I wish Kindle would warn me! I would not reread this book, so I’m not recommending it. There are plenty of better books out there. Happy reading y’all!!

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Book Review: A Lie for a Lie

Image via: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44776456-a-lie-for-a-lie

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh so sweet!

This is a really sweet romance. If you’re looking for happily ever after and sweetness, then this is your book!

Quick Re-cap:

Lainey falls into RJ’s lap on a flight out to Kodiak, Alaska. She’s afraid of flying and winds up using him as her emotional support person on the flight.

They have an instant attraction and wind up having cabins near each other. They have a fling for a few weeks, but then RJ is suddenly called to go help his brother and they fail to exchange numbers.

As fate would have it, they run into each other again about a year after they separated and the truths are revealed about what happened after they separated.

My two cents:

The title of this book is a bit misleading. I was hoping the lie would be bigger and it would have more action, but the lies were really pretty small and trivial.

Plus, the book was quite predictable. To some degree romances are predictable, but you can guess 90% of the book within the first chapter or two. You can guess the full 100% after they leave Kodiak.

There were some chances to make the book a little more exciting, but the author chose to skip those options 🙁

Lainey and RJ were adorable though. I really sympathized a lot with Lainey due to her anxiety and a lot of the post Kodiak activities she dealt with. She’s a strong woman, which made me really like her. And RJ is the type of guy every girl should be lucky enough to find.

There are some okay sex scenes. I’m glad the author didn’t go into detail every time they had sex, because these two are rabbits!!

Overall, this book is okay. I won’t read the others in the series purposefully, because I like more action and clear climaxes in my books. Give it a try if you want. Happy reading y’all!!

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Book Review: My Big Fat Fake Honeymoon

My Big Fat Fake Honeymoon by Lauren Landish
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lorenzo to the Rescue

The youngest Andrews, Abi, gets herself in the craziest messes! This time, she tells a childhood nemesis she’s on her honeymoon with Lorenzo, a chef she only met once at her sister’s wedding.

Abi is crazy and fun and everything you want in a bestie. She lives her life doing what she wants and has created a flower business from the ground up, because she loves making flower arrangements.

Lorenzo is a bastard chef who flits from kitchen to kitchen around the world. Originally from Italy, he makes amazing fettuccini that a famous bride to be must have at her wedding, which sends him to Aruba to work on the same wedding as Abi.

Lorenzo is the biker, tatted up, Italian speaking bad boy that women dream about having in bed. He may be this “bastard” chef on the surface, but he’s actually an awesome guy. He’s the sweetest to Abi and he has you saying, “awwww...” practically every time he opens his mouth.

Read this book! You’ll enjoy everything about it. From the vibrator grabbing sex scenes to Jane’s cut a bitch craziness this book is great! Happy reading y’all!!

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Book Review: How to Wife Your Nanny

How To Wife Your Nanny by Melinda Minx
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute fast read

If you’re looking for a sweet and fast read, choose this book!

Noah and Lacey kind of have a history together. Noah’s company is the publisher for Lacey’s books, but his company hasn’t been very fair to her. When his daughter starts reading and enjoying the books, he sets out to meet Lacey and convince her to write more books. But it’s not as easy as just asking and soon Noah needs a nanny too. So, Noah convinces Lacey to be his daughter’s Nanny and write more books for $1 million dollars.

This book is cute and sweet, so don’t expect an action packed adventure. There are a few funny parts to enjoy and a small climax where the characters need to prove their relationship. I really liked the Chance Charter rip off of Harry Potter parts.

There were a few small sex scenes that were solid. They weren’t so great that you’ll need relief, but they were well done.

Give this book a try. It’s a good romance that’ll have you saying awwww. Happy reading y’all!

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Book Review: Hate the Player

Hate the Player by Max Monroe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love the player!!

This book had me from the moment it started! Max Monroe delivers another solid RomCom book. I laughed, I cried, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Birdie Harris is a country singer who lands a role in a movie with lead actor Andrew Watson. Andrew is Hollywood’s biggest player while Birdie seems to be something of America’s sweetheart. They begin a hate turned love romance that will hit you in all the feels. We even get to see Billie and Luca return in this book with a pregnant Billie!!

Solid sex scenes and sweet romance complete an already great book.

This book is part of a series, but could definitely be read as a stand alone. Whatever you do, make sure you read it! Happy reading y’all!

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Book Review: Faking it with the Frenemy

Faking It with the Frenemy by Nadia Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The evil queen tries to destroy everyone’s happiness

Ok, so maybe I’ve been watching too much Once Upon a time, but it just came to Disney+, so who can blame me?? And really, there is an Evil Queen trying to destroy Kim and Wyatt’s romance since it started.

Kim and Wyatt were together when they were younger and Wyatt was Kim’s first. Unfortunately they broke up and hated each other every day after.

Then Kim’s boss made a bet that forced Kim to work with Wyatt. Their attraction is stronger than ever and they can only resist each other for so long. They need to overcome their past in order to succeed in the future.

I liked the general plot and characters. As a mom, I felt really bad for Vi and wanted to run Geneva over with my car. I wasn’t alone in that sentiment. I have a feeling there is a line of people who want to do that and Yuna will probably beat them all.

Kim isn’t my favorite type of character. I like stronger women and while she is strong(ish), there’s something about her that’s very fragile feeling. She’s still pretty insecure for an almost thirty year old.

Overall this book is okay. There are some really funny lines and it’s worth the read. I might come across some of the other books in this series and I’ll probably enjoy them similarly, but I’m not rushing to go read them all. Give this a shot though, it’s a good book. Happy reading y’all!!

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Book Review: The Rock Star’s Fake Fiancée

The Rock Star's Fake Fiancée (A Second Chance at Love Romantic Comedy) (Fake It Till You Make It Book 3)

The Rock Star's Fake Fiancée (A Second Chance at Love Romantic Comedy) by Kenzie Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rockin rockin burnin love

It’s great returning to Swampy bottom and meeting the man Careful/Cautious Callie falls in love with! We also get to revisit our favorite characters from the previous books and see how they’re doing today.

This book could definitely be read alone or with the series. It’s a great read. I love Gramma Mae and the trouble she gets up to. Plus, we meet a new troublemaker, Fiona.

The sex scenes are fine, but they aren’t the type that have you running for a vibrator or desperately reaching for your significant other.

This is a solid read and I hope there will be more in the series. I love these characters and this small down. Everyone could use a town like Bitters End. Give this book a try. Happy reading y’all!!

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Book Review: The Takeover (The Miles High Club #2)

The Takeover by T.L. Swan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Take me over Tristan!

Such a great book! I laughed, cried and thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the Miles High Club series.

This book was a story about Tristan and Claire. I didn’t love Claire, but I did love how she loves Tristan. I haven’t lost a husband, so it’s hard to completely understand some of Claire’s decisions.

There were some parts of this book that were so funny that I worried I would wake my husband sleeping next to me. There were other parts that were so touching that I cried like a baby. And there were other parts that were so hot that you need relief from them.

My only critique was that the book seemed to end rather suddenly. I would have liked more time with the characters or an epilogue that was about 5-10 years in the future. I know there’s a fine line between finishing too soon and dragging on, but it felt a little unfinished. Read it and see what you think!

Overall, this is a really good book. I highly suggest you give this series a try. Happy reading y’all!!

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Book Review: Resisting the Lawyer

Resisting the Lawyer (Dirty Hot Resistance #3)

Resisting the Lawyer by Emelia Blair
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You won’t object to this book

This sweet romance stars Lucas and Elise and adorable little Sophie. Lucas needs to convince Elise that he’s interested in her and her daughter as more than just friends. Meanwhile, Sophie’s sperm donor keeps making Elise’s life hell.

Overall, this third book in the series is good. I didn’t connect with Elise and Lucas as much as I did with some of the other characters, but I did like how Elise was a strong mamma bear when needed.

The sex was just okay in this book. That could have been because I wasn’t that into Elise and Lucas. Or maybe it was because it took so long for it to happen. Either way,it left me unsatisfied.

I still suggest reading this book and hope to come back to this series and readJace’s story. Happy reading y’all!!

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Book Review: Resisting the Brit

Resisting the Brit (Dirty Hot Resistance, #1)

Resisting the Brit by Emelia Blair
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

She couldn’t resist him long!

Lana and Oliver meet at the office when Oliver comes in as CEO to cut dead weight. After trying to resist him for a while, she gives in and sleeps with the beautiful Brit. There’s a little family drama that keeps the story interesting and rounds out this romance.

I wouldn’t really call this an enemies to lovers romance, but there is some tension in the beginning...sexual tension!!

There are solid sex scenes in the beginning of this book, but none in the end. I would have appreciated on final scene at the end.

This book was a 3.5 and I round up for the author’s benefit. There are tons of grammar issues, but the writing is pretty good. Give this one a shot! Happy reading y’all!!

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Book Review: Resisting the CEO

Resisting the CEO (Dirty Hot Resistance #2)

Resisting the CEO by Emelia Blair
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

0 resistance to love

Caleb has secrets from his past. The biggest secret is the girl, Kendall, who he lost, but finds many years later and hires as his assistant. She doesn’t recognize him right away, but starts having suspicions that Caleb isn’t who he says he is.

In this book we find out how much heart Caleb really has. He is so sweet on Kendall. I think every woman wants a Caleb in their life who just wants them to be happy no matter what. I know I do!

Kendall is a spunky girl with a tragic and dangerous past. It’s easy to connect with her and want her to find her happily ever after with Caleb.

This book has fewer editing/grammar issues than the first book in the series, which makes it easier to read. Yay!!

I liked how the author showed a little of Lana and Oliver and the budding romance between Lucas and Elise. I’m excited to read the next book and see what happens with them!

Are you wondering about the sex? Well, there are a few sex scenes. One big one and maybe another smaller one or two. That seems to be the typical MO of this author. I feel like there could have been another scene at the end of the book.

This book is a quick and sweet story. I think y’all should give it a try! Happy reading y’all!!

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Book Review: The Fallen World

The Fallen World (The Fallen World, #1-3)

The Fallen World by Laura Thalassa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The world fell, but love won

First, you should know, I don’t normally care for war romance. I actually downloaded this series without reading the blurb and thought it was going to be about fallen angels. I love reading those books, but to my surprise, I loved this series!!

I fell in love with Serenity almost immediately. Her strength and courage know no bounds. She fights for everything that’s right in the world and doesn’t take no for an answer.

This story takes place in a world not so different from ours. It’s eerie how this could actually be our future. Serenity grows up to be an emissary and is goes to meet with the King to try and forge a peace treaty. She doesn’t know that she was setup to be the gift given to the King in exchange for peace. She becomes the King’s wife and slowly starts to love him.

Unfortunately, peace didn’t come from their union and instead more war breaks out. It becomes Serenity’s mission in life (or death) to bring peace to the world and restore it to how it was when she was a kid, before war broke everything that was good in life.

If I were to grade each book, books 1 and 2 were my favorites. I thought the third book dragged a little in the beginning, but I'm glad I kept going. The ending was worth it. I will say that it did get annoying that people kept taking Serenity and the King kept getting her back.

If you read this, you too will fall in love with these characters. I’m sad letting them go and moving on, but we all have to say goodbye sometimes. Happy reading y’all!!

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