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    COVER REVEAL : The Third Best Thing

    Posted on Jan 17, 2020









    Title: The Third Best Thing

    Series: Fulton U #3
    Author: Maya Hughes
    Genre: Contemporary Romance

    Cover Design: Najla Qamber
    Release Date: January 30, 2020




    Blurb


    Dear Letter Girl, I need to see you. When can we meet?



    Her response never came. My secret pen pal with a dirty mind has ghosted me.
    I've roped Jules, my sweet as pie next door neighbor, to help me track her
    down.



    There's only one problem—I'm falling for her. The tortoise shell glasses, out
    of this world curves and delicious treats are making the search for The Letter
    Girl even harder.



    My notes were supposed to be a one time thing. A little too much wine and
    naughty thoughts on a winter's night. I never thought Berk would write back. I
    wanted to tell him it was me, but the fear of rejection kept my lips sealed.



    Now he’s enlisted my help to track down The Letter Girl and our search has him
    hot on my, ahem, her trail.



    She's the girl next door.



    He's my secret pen pal.



    Truth is on a collision course with their hearts and it’s only a matter of time
    before one of them gets wrecked...



    ADD TO GOODREADS





    Excerpt

    How can you lose someone you’ve never met? The
    Letter Girl     had careened into my life like a damn smash and grab pro
    and wormed her way into my heart before I knew what happened.
    She was everything I’d ever wanted in a girl. Hot as hell.
    Smart and caring. The slow slide of the notes from X-rated to something more
    caught me off guard, but she became someone I could talk to. Someone I could
    share parts of myself that I didn’t share with other people. Even if she didn’t
    know everything about my past, she knew more than most.
    No one wanted to be sexy pen pals with a former foster kid
    with almost no one in the whole world. Nah, that was for the college senior,
    soon to be pro athlete.
    Don’t ever let anyone see things bother you; I learned that
    in foster home number four. If everything’s a joke, there’s nothing they can do
    to hurt you, but losing TLG when I thought I’d finally found
    someone who knew me for me and actually gave a shit? That hurt. It was an
    unexpected squeeze on my heart every so often that made it hard to breathe.
    Jules slid her hand closer, herky-jerky like she was in a
    stop motion animation movie before it finally landed on top of mine with a
    gentle pat. “Is it really that important for you to find her?”
    I shrugged. “Maybe not. She probably got tired of trying to
    figure out my fucking chicken scratch.” I forced out a laugh through the
    tightness in my chest.
    “Once the season starts things will be crazy for you,
    right?”
    “You’re right. I guess I’m fixating because not much else is
    going on.” No, this would always be a question I needed answered. Who is TLG and
    did all the things we’d written about mean as much to her as they meant to me?








    Also Available


    AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

    Free in Kindle Unlimited



    AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

    Free in Kindle Unlimited






    Author Bio

    Maya
    Hughes, that's me!, can often be found sneaking in another chapter while hiding
    in the bathroom from her kids! :-) I'm a romance writer who loves taking
    inspiration from everyday life, namely my husband and biggest fan. Inspiration
    also strikes when I hear a song, meet someone new or daydream while at soccer
    practice.

    I love
    writing stories that capture the possibilities of the paths less travelled and
    enjoy experiencing life through my characters’ eyes.

    I'm the mom
    of three little ones, the wife to an amazing husband and also work full time.
    Some of my favorite things are cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, white wine, laughing
    until I can't breathe, traveling with my family and Jeff Goldblum. 

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    BLOG TOUR & REVIEW : The Punk and The Plaything

    Posted on Dec 10, 2019


    Title : The Punk and The Plaything (When Rivals Play #3)
    Author : B.B. Reid
    Release date : December 9th 2019
    Date Read : November 30th 2019
    Rating :     ★★★★.5


    “You’re the lyrics to my song, Bette. I don’t exist without you.”


    The Punk and The Plaything, the third romantic standalone in the When Rivals Play series by B.B. Reid.

    Never trust a nice ass and a smile. That girl is definitely poison.
    When I first came to Blackwood Keep, I was just looking for a thrill.
    Instead, I found a beautiful fraud—a tomboy my wildest dreams couldn’t conjure.
    Bee didn’t just run with boys; she ran the boys. It was only a matter of time before I gave chase.
    It took one summer for me to win her over and two to lose her forever.
    My summer love turned ice queen. Without heart or thought, she ruined me.
    Four years and an ocean between us, I still can’t forget that she chose my cousin…so I won’t.

    MY REVIEW :

    Where do I begin?

    I've been anticipating this book ever since I read this series this past may, as a sucker for second chance romance and angst, Jamie and Bee had captured my attention and later my heart pretty quickly!

    This book is amazing! It started out really strong on the angst, which I absolutely adored, and as I predicted, it also made me fall in love with Bee, who is now my favorite female character in the series!

    Bee is such a strong, fierce character. The thing she went and has to go through as a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her father had me wanting to murder the guy! I loved seeing her journey, going from someone who thinks she's helpless and all she can think about is running to someone who refuses to let her abuser get the last words and choses to fight instead! I loved her so incredibly much, I'm so happy she's found her happy ending!



    “You expect me to believe you’ll shoot yourself?” His gaze narrowed, seeing the truth in my own. “Why?”
    Lifting my chin, I curled my finger around the trigger. He needed to know that I was completely fucking serious. “Because if I can’t have me, no one will.”


    I also loved the romance so much, as I knew I would. Granted, I know for fact this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it was mine surprisingly. Jamie and Bee's relationship is so interesting and unique! They start out as somewhat enemies then go to being lovers then back to enemies to finally find each other for good in the end, but they never lose the love they have for each other, they just hate that it's still there. I loved that Bee was Jamie's first kiss, and I also loved how his heart was always on his sleeve when it came to her, while she tried her hardest to protect said heart from her because she just knew she couldn't give them what they both wanted. Honestly, I just loved it all.



    “I also want to know that in the next place you call home, you’re safe. I can’t promise that we’ll always get it right, but I want nothing less than my world revolving around you.”


    One of my absolute favorite things about this series remains the friendship between this group of friend. I love how no matter what, and whatever issues they have with each other, none of them ever hesitate to take the other's back when they needed it. The found family is one of the best thing in these books.


    “You fucked with one of us, you fucked with us all, and that was the way it would always be.”


    Now, onto things I didn't like.
    • Chapter 21 : What. was the reason?
    This chapter singlehandedly made my rating drop from the 5 stars this book obviously deserved. But that was just the weirdest, most unnecessary and most uncomfortable scene. It also was very OOC of Jamie and Four as I just know neither of them would be comfortable enough with Bee/Ever seeing each other like that! (the repeat performance a few chapters later did NOT help)
    which brings me to the second thing i didn't like that made me even more uncomfortable :
    • Four and Bee's relationship twist : I appreciate the fact that the author didn't use it as a fetish, but, if Four had been a guy, the whole thing Bee and her had would have been straight up cheating. no sugarcoating it. I get that Bee saw her old self in Four and yada yada, but just as the whole chapter 21 mess, this twist or whatever it was supposed to be was just unecessary. There are other ways of revealing a character is bisexual other than toying the line with cheating and self-discovery; assuming that that's what was happening here.

    All in all I loved this book an awful lot but I just wish the whole chapter 21 and FourBee stuff never happened.

    This book also made me more excited for Vaughn's book and even more convinced his love interest in none other than Tyra! I just know he didn't do what the epilogue said he did but just chose to make her believe so in order to protect her from his father, AND I JUST CAN'T WAIT FOR THEIR ANGST!!!


    Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

    Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/TPaTPBBReid

    Add The Punk and The Plaything to your TBR list on Goodreads


    Are the When Rivals Play books standalone?

    Each novel depicts a different and completely unique romance. However, the stories and their plots are connected. It’s recommended that you read them in order for the full reading experience. 

    It is strongly advised that you read The Peer and the Puppet and The Moth and the Flame before reading The Punk and the Plaything. Content suitable for ages 18+.

    Read The Peer and The Puppet today!

    Available FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited.

    Read The Moth and The Flame today!

    Available FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited.

    Read Evermore: A When Rivals Play novella
    Available FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited.


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    BLOG TOUR & REVIEW : Beard Necessities

    Posted on Dec 7, 2019




    Title : Beard Necessities (Winston Brothers #7)
    Author : Penny Reid
    Release date : November 4th 2019
    Date Read : November 2nd 2019
    Rating :     ★★★★★


    “You are the architect and artist of my own personal paradise. Now, when I close my eyes, I won’t need to imagine what heaven feels like. I’ll know.”


    Billy Winston’s family is going to see him happy and in love if it’s the last thing they do.


    Beard Necessities, the final standalone in the bestselling romantic comedy Winston Brothers series from New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Penny Reid, is available now!


    No one deserves a happily-ever-after quite as much as the second oldest Winston brother and his lady love, Claire McClure (aka Scarlet St. Claire). Cruelty and circumstance tore them apart almost twenty years ago. Secrecy and bitterness kept them separated.
    But you know who's tired of their separation and stubbornness? Everyone. Especially Billy Winston’s family. And now they're going to do something about it.
    Well-meaning interference means the star-crossed lovers can’t stop tripping over each other in the hills of Tuscany, the catacombs of Rome, and the waterways of Venice. Billy and Claire find themselves thrown together and at the mercy of the Winston siblings’ shenanigans.
    But will their forced proximity bring them together? Or push them even further apart?
    This second-chance romance brings back the entire Winston gang, playing cupid in one last story of love, hi-jinks, and family collusion.


    MY REVIEW :

    Honestly, where do I start? i have no idea! but i'll wing it!

    If I could give this book infinite stars, I would.

    Everyone who knows me, knows three main things about me : how excited i was for this book, how much i love angst and how the second chance romance trope is my favorite trope ever. so it goes without saying that this book was THE book for me. Combine that with the mastermind that is Penny Reid and there was no way for me not to fall head-over heels, no point of return in love with this book. Which I did, and then some!

    I started this series at the beginning of the year, and I immediately was taken and intrigued by Billy and Claire, there was just something about them... something that made me KNOW, made me SURE, they would end up being my favorites, and they were. They are. As separate characters and as a couple.

    I fell for Scarlet in beard with me, and I knew then and there I was a goner. If I fell for her 14 year old self, there was no way for me to love her any less as an adult. And I was right. Scarlet is my absolute favorite female character in the entire series, and now one of my top 5 favorites ever. She is one of the strongest, funniest, releast characters I've had the pleasure to read about. She is always putting everyone first, and herself last. Giving everyone smiles left and right when she feels like anything but smiling, because she just wants everyone to be happy and doesn't wanna burden anyone. She hides her hurt behind jokes but never lets said hurt define her, or tries her heardest not to. I loved her development between Beard With Me and this book. How she realized she needed profesional helf and didn't recoil at the thought, how she was strong enough to realize so much of what she blamed herself for wasn't her fault. My love for her just grew to unbelievable and undescribable amounts in this final instalement in this series. And I truly believe it will stay with me for a very long time, because not only I loved her for who she was, is and will be, but she's also one of those characters you can't help but learn from. And Scarlet St Claire/Claire McClure/Scarlet Claire Winston teaches you a LOT!



    “And to beat myself up for the rest of my life about something I did, for decisions I made when I was running away from my abusive father, decisions made in fear, well, I’m not going to do that anymore.”



    Now, onto Billy. Oh Billy.
    I've had a soft spot for Billy pretty fast into the series, I didn't know much about him other than what we learned from other characters, but my love for him was immediate. He is, just like Scarlet, one of those people who doesn't mind sacrificing his own happiness for others, he gives and gives and never asks for anything back. He basically raised his brothers, and had a definite hand in what they became today. The fact that his story was last made so much sense to this series and to his characters, because there was no way Billy would've been able to accept happiness without being sure everyone he cared about found it first. He had to grow up pretty fast, had to shoulder so much responsability at a very young age and never resented any of his brothers for it. Billy is one of the most selfless, honorable characters ever. And I love him so much every time we get to see more into his character, and I know, just like I suspected at first, he is definitely one of my favorite characters ever.



    “I swore to God, I was so fucking tired of hearing about Ben McClure’s hurt when all he did from day one was take advantage of her being fourteen and homeless, scared, alone. As far as I was concerned, what he did to her made him a predator. Worst of all, he believed all his own bullshit, which made it easy for other folks to believe it too.”



    If goes without saying that my favorite thing about this book was Billy and Claire's relationship. Everyone who knows me knows they're my favorites, so to finally get to see them and understand their full story, was one of the highlights of this book, and Penny did them all the justice they deserved and then some.

    I loved every single thing in this book and I genuinely do feel like it had it all :

    Angst that left you at the edge of your seat? Check.
    Funny moments? Check.
    Shennanigans? Check.
    Heartwarming moments? Check.
    Answers to everything ever? Check.
    Family moments? Check.
    Incredible romance that just made you fall in love not only with the couple but with love as well? Check.
    Steaminess fest? Check check check!

    Honestly, this book HAD IT ALL!!!!

    I'm very particular with my angst, I don't quite enjoy it when it's overdone or just there for the sake of it, so it takes a really good one for me to enjoy it and even ask for more. And I knew if someone could deliver a perfect one, it was Penny. Especially after reading her Laws Of Physics series.

    Billy and Scarlet's relationship takes you away with them, you feel it all deep within. Their sadness, their happiness, their frustration, their years and years of yearning and how tired they are of fighting this thing they have... all of it. They love each other so fiercely and so intensely that every feeling is felt tenfold and like a punch in the stomach. And it hurts so bad but feels so good. Which is what I imagine their relationship all these years has been like and which makes their reunion and very much earned happy ending all the more authentic, powerful and gratifying.


    “But in this moment, more than anything, more than taking my next breath or seeing another sunrise, I wanted to dance with Scarlet. Just once. I wanted to hold her while she moved, I wanted my hands on her body and her beaming smile in my face and her joyful eyes on mine. I wanted her to teach me how to dance.”


    Another thing I adored about this book is how the Ben situation was handled. I loved seeing Scarlet slowly but surely realize that Saint Ben was NOT a good guy. I loved seing her realize that her guilt and her misplaced gratitude for him was very much what he was counting on to keep her next to him and manipulate her. And I loved seeing her realize how better she was without him, how stronger she was after her therapy and how most of her relationship with him and everything she ever felt with was just due to what her childhood trauma led her to believe about love.

    This book is truly a masterpiece. I feel like this book is peak Winston culture. I loved seeing everyone meddle to get Billy and Scarlet back together, especially Cletus. But if I get into details about that, I fear I am never going to shup up and this review is already long enough and getting out of my hands.

    Saying goodbye is always bittersweet, especially when you fall for characters you never wanna say goodbye to. But saying goodbye is also very inevitable, and I do feel like this was the perfect conclusion to this masterpiece of a series, so eventhough saying goodbye is hard, I am glad I had something I loved as much that makes saying goodbye unbearable.

    Honestly, no one does it like Penny Reid. Absolutely no one. Her writing, her characters, the relationships she creates between them... she is truly one of a kind. And she's now officially my favorite romance author ever.


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    COVER REVEAL : The Punk and The Plaything by B.B. Reid

    Posted on Nov 20, 2019

    Punk - CR banner.jpg


    Announcing the cover of this highly anticipated installment following the devastating whirlwind romance between star-crossed lovers.
    The Punk & The Plaything, the third romantic standalone in the When Rivals Play series by B.B. Reid, is coming December 9, 2019!




    PunkFinal.jpg


    Never trust a nice ass and a smile. That girl is definitely poison.
    When I first came to Blackwood Keep, I was just looking for a thrill.
    Instead, I found a beautiful fraud—a tomboy my wildest dreams couldn’t conjure.
    Bee didn’t just run with boys; she ran the boys. It was only a matter of time before I gave chase.
    It took one summer for me to win her over and two to lose her forever.
    My summer love turned ice queen. Without heart or thought, she ruined me.
    Four years and an ocean between us, I still can’t forget that she chose my cousin…so I won’t.
    When the clock strikes twelve, you’re mine, Cinderella.
    It’s too late to turn back time.



    Are the When Rivals Play books standalone?
    Each novel depicts a different and completely unique romance. However, the stories and their plots are connected. It’s recommended that you read them in order for the full reading experience beginning with The Peer and the Puppet then The Moth and The Flame.
    Content suitable for ages 18+.
    CoverGraphic-grey.jpg



    Read The Peer and the Puppet today!
    Available FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited.
    Read The Moth and The Flame today!
    Available FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited.
    Read Evermore: A When Rivals Play novella
    Available FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited.

    Add The Punk and The Plaything to your TBR list on Goodreads

    Cover Designer: Humble Creations


    About B.B. Reid:

    B.B. Reid is a bestselling author of new adult romance. She grew up the only daughter and middle child in a small town in North Carolina. After graduating with a Bachelors in Finance, she started her career at an investment research firm while continuing to serve in the National Guard. She currently resides in Charlotte with her moody cat and enjoys collecting Chuck Taylors and binge-eating chocolate.

    Please visit her website for more information: www.bbreid.com

    Connect with B.B. Reid:




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    BLOG TOUR & REVIEW : Stud Muffin

    Posted on Nov 5, 2019



    Title : Stud Muffin (Donner Bakery #2)
    Author : Jiffy Kate
    Release date : October 29th 2019
    Date Read : October 29th 2019
    Rating :     ★★★★


    “On paper, we probably don’t make sense… this big, badass cage fighter and me, a cardigan-wearing muffin maker.” I laugh, wiping away a tear that slips out, but it’s not entirely due to sadness. For the first time in a long time, I can see my life clearly. “But we’re good together.”


    Stud Muffin, an all-new friends-to-lovers standalone romance from Jiffy Kate, is available now!


    After Tempest Cassidy walks in on her husband banging her high school nemesis, her whole world gets turned upside down. She goes from being known as the Duchess of Muffins to the town crazy. Her new MO: revenge. Eventually, Tempest grows weary being arrested. Yet what choice does she have? If she’s not angry, then she’s simply . . . sad.
    Just as she decides to get her life back on track, in walks Cage Erickson, the new bouncer at the local strip club. He’s scary-handsome and the polar opposite of her ex. She’s attracted to him, but she’s not looking for a rebound. He’s attracted to her, but he’s not looking for a serious relationship. So, they agree to be friends.
    But when lines get blurred in the friend zone, will they both get burned? Or will it be a TKO?
    'Stud Muffin' is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book#2 in the Donner Bakery series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.


    Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
    Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/StudMuffin
    Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2khZoKt
    Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2m25z5P




    MY REVIEW :


    Stud Muffin is my fourth Smartypants Romance read, and although it and I started on rocky grounds, I can safely say it has ended up being one of my favorites.

    As mentioned, at first, I didn’t very much like how this started, this having nothing to do with the book itself or the romance in it but mostly on the cliché of “woman goes crazy because of a man”. I do not like it, at all. So I was a bit put off at first but I decided to push through still because I don’t like judging a book before the 25% mark. And I’m glad I did.

    Once we get past the cliché, we get to learn more and get to know Tempest better. Tempest is one of the most endearing characters and I loved how her story unfolded. I loved seeing her realize she has an anger management issue and accept help, even though she was a bit against it at first. I loved seeing her find herself outside of her ex, which was mostly how she defined herself her whole life, so it was really amazing seeing her realize that she is more than her failed marriage, more than her anger, more than what anyone thinks about her, more than the “crazy muffin lady”.. just, more.



    “It's not a sign of weakness to ask for help.”




    I also loved Cage. He was an interesting character and I adored how non-judgmental he was. Every character that would rather get to know the person rather than just listen to gossip and follow everyone’s opinion on said person is an immediate “yes ma’am” for me. He is also a very caring character with a big heart. I still feel as though we still didn’t get to see much of his life pre-Green Valley in the sense that he is still kind of a question mark in some way, but I still very much enjoyed the bits we got.

    You take these two characters, a woman who thinks she’s damaged goods with an anger management issue and a man who has lost everything after an injury but still wants to help people with what he know and these two just click. Tempest and Cage just make sense. He helps her through managing her anger through kickboxing and all that, while she helps him realize his life is not over just because he lost his career. Their friendship is very pure, very real, and even though all through it they have these feelings for each other they can’t seem to push away, they never make their friendship any less real or genuine. Cage is so willing to be there for Tempest no matter what, so willing to help her at any moment, no questions asked and with no expectations of anything in return that you can’t help but love them.

    Another thing I enjoyed were the side characters (or at least SOME), especially Anna and Cole. I loved them, separately, so much, I would absolutely not mind having a book about them. I always enjoy it when the main character has a healthy support system, and Anna and Cole were definitely that, even though Anna still was rooting for her to get back to her ex at first, you could tell she was thinking that’s what was best and only really wanted Tempest’s happiness, but as soon as she realized that wasn’t it, she let that notion go just as fast.

    Speaking of support systems, I did not like how inexistent that was in her parents, her mother more than her father. I did not like her. I felt like she was more on Asher’s side eventhough not only did he cheat on her daughter but ended up marrying the person he cheated with, yet, somehow, to her, Tempest was the unreasonable one for not fighting for him. It’s a no from me. And I’m not even going to mention the Asher mess because I don’t like wasting my breath on garbage but I will say : I do love it when Karma takes matters into her own hands and the asshole comes back crawling only to be sent back with his tail between his legs : ah Karma, you are always good to me.

    All in all, I ended up really enjoying this book and it is definitely one I would recommend.


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    BLOG TOUR & REVIEW : Code Of Conduct

    Posted on Oct 23, 2019



    Title : Code Of Conduct (Cipher Security #1)
    Author : April White
    Release date : October 22nd 2019
    Date Read : September 26th 2019
    Rating :     ★★★★.75


    “His heart beat a tattoo against mine, and the bare skin of our stomachs felt as though it had fused together.
    “I taste you in my dreams,” he murmured against my mouth. “I think about kissing you ten, fifty, a hundred times a day.”


    Code of Conduct, the first in the romantic suspense Cipher Security series of standalones, from April White is available now!


    There are three things you need to know about Shane P.I.
    1) P.I. is not her last name, it's her job title,
    2) Her specialty is catching cheaters, and
    3) She's a superhuman - kind of.
    Gabriel is a security expert for Cipher Security, and a former UN Peacekeeper with a fierce protective streak that finds its focus on the beautiful P.I.
    Their attraction is like an elephant in a room full of breakable things, and figuring out how to trust each other with their hearts, and maybe their lives, is the most fragile thing of all.

    'Code of Conduct' is a full-length romantic suspense novel, can be read as a standalone, and is book#1 in the Cipher Security series, Knitting in the City World, Penny Reid Universe.


    Download your copy today!
    Google Play: http://bit.ly/2m0Tjm3
    Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2lZklKt



    MY REVIEW :

    This was my second Smartypants romance read, and so far, my favorite.

    I adored so many things about this book, it was not at all what I expected; in a good way.

    Usually, I gravitate more towards female characters as my favorites in books, mostly because I learn from them or they inspire me, it is very rare when I like the man best, most times, I like them equally. This, was a rare case scenario.

    Gabriel is easily my favorite character in this book, I just adored him. I don’t even think I have enough words to express how much I did. He is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful characters I have read about. I simply adored him, I don’t even think listing all the reasons why would even do him justice.



    “Where are you, Darling?” He sounded different. Concerned, maybe.
    “You shouldn’t call me that,” I said, as the catch lifted and the screen came loose.
    “Until I know your true name, it’s who you are to me.”




    Now, saying Gabriel was my favorite doesn’t by any means negate the fact that I loved Shane as well. She is absolutely one of the strongest characters I know, she’s been through so much, and although it did somehow affect her self-esteem, she never let it affect her and fought to not let it define her. I loved her development within the book, from doubting she is worthy of love because her entire life she’d been led to think that she isn’t, to realizing that what people think or say about her isn’t what defines if she is worthy or not, but rather, what SHE thinks of herself is what does.



    “You can be afraid and still strong, still fearless and indomitable. You can be afraid, and you can trust, and then when you’re ready, you can let go of the fear. Fear muffles you. Let it go, and then you can live out loud again like you’re meant to.”




    Loving both characters goes a long way when it’s a romance. It’s often hard to fall for a relationship if you don’t at least like one of the characters. Which is to say, I very much enjoyed this one. Gabriel fought tooth and nail past Shane’s walls without pushing her, he tore them down and proved to her that she can trust him without forcing her to. It was a slow burn for sure, which I prefer to rushed romances in all honesty, it makes it more worth it if it doesn’t come easy.



    “You’re my discovery. It just took me a while to believe that what I found could be mine.”




    I did, however, feel like the romance was overshadowed by the events of the book, it felt more like a detective thing than a romance book sometimes. That bothered me in a way because it just left me wanting more scenes.

    One of the reasons I ended up loving this book the most so far in all the smartypants romance books I want is the side characters. As someone who hasn’t read the Knitting in the city series yet, this book made me all the more excited to start it and fall in love with the characters, especially Alex and Sandra as well as Fiona and Greg. I just cannot wait to learn more about them in their books.

    All in all, this was a really good read for me and it is definitely something I would recommend.



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    BLOG TOUR & REVIEW : Baking Me Crazy

    Posted on Oct 12, 2019



    Title : Baking Me Crazy (Donner Bakery #1)
    Author : Karla Sorensen
    Release date : October 8th 2019
    Date Read : September 15th 2019
    Rating :     ★★★★.25


    “What matters is that it's you and me. It always has been. Five days, five weeks, five months or years, the time doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you love me"—she paused, pulling back so that I could see her eyes—"and that I'm just as in love with you.”


    Baking Me Crazy, the first in the romantic comedy Donner Bakery Series of standalones, from Karla Sorensen is available now!


    I'm Levi Buchanan, and until five years ago, I thought the legend of my family's curse was a load of crazy, Southern nonsense.
    No curse can make you fall in love at first sight. No curse can force a true, deep, passionate, all-consuming love that will haunt you all the days of your life.
    Then I met Jocelyn Abernathy and I realized how completely wrong I was.
    The problem is, Jocelyn guards her feelings like well-armed soldier. She's the most beautiful, stubborn, infuriating woman I've ever met. Every time she talks, I want to kiss the living daylights out of her. But I can't.
    Because when we met, she didn't need true love. She needed a best friend. And that's what I've been to her... for five years.
    But when Jocelyn meets a handsome stranger her first day working at Donner Bakery and she lets him buy her a dill pickle cupcake, I realize with ominous regret that I may have missed my window with my best friend.
    If I can't get her to see past our friendship, my new curse may be to watch the love of my life move on with someone else.




    MY REVIEW :

    When I found out about Smartypants, I jumped at the chance to read them asap, because what is better than more books in Penny’s universe? I’ll tell you : nothing. Nothing is better.

    I’m not really into insta-love, it’s one of the tropes I don’t usually lean towards, but this book was so wonderfully written that I didn’t mind it at all, I even loved it. The characters are so well written, as is their relationship, that you can’t help but feel it too. I do believe that the fact that it started as an unrequited kind of love did help quite a bit.

    Before I talk about the relationship, let me say something about the characters.

    Levi is one of the sweetest characters I’ve read about. He is so inherently good, you can’t help but love him. He is also very selfless and makes it a mission to always put the people he loves first, Joss being at the top of that list.

    Which brings me to our other main character : Jocelyn. If there was one word I’d use to describe Joss, it would be “Strong”. That is not to say she is never vulnerable or inhumanly tough, quite the opposite, she is one of the most humane characters I know. She’s been through so much, but she never lets it define her, she has her moments of vulnerability, but she never gives up. A genuine fighter. I also adored her dark sense of humor.

    These two, in my honest opinion, make the perfect pair. They’ve been best friends since they met, they share everything together, are always there for each other. They’re a very funny and heartwarming pair. Levi has been in love with Joss since the day they met, and the years have not changed that, if anything, they’ve only reinforced it. But Josslyn is none the wiser..


    “Whatever my own soul was comprised of, that intangible thing residing in my body that made me me met its match the day I met Jocelyn. And trying to make someone else fit was one massive exercise in frustration.”


    I loved how their relationship moved gradually from an unrequited type of love to a reciprocated one. Unlike most of the books with this trope, Joss doesn’t wake up one day and realize she’s in love with her best friend and has been for all these years, but rather, she slowly but surely falls for him during the events of this book. Which was a very refreshing and new take. The shift, to be quite honest, felt very natural and organic to me, and I adored how Levi felt the change in their relationship as soon as joss started realizing that she was, in fact, falling for her best friend.

    Aside from the main characters and the relationship, I also very much enjoyed the little apparitions of Cletus and Jenn Winston, it brought a big smile to my face and made me miss them all the more.

    This book also deals with Jocelyn’s disability, which, for me, was such an important topic and made me enjoy this book infinitely more. As we hardly ever see a romance book where the main character is in a wheelchair. And I loved how the author tackled it without making it seem or making the reader feel like Joss was any less an incredible character because of it.

    I also very much enjoyed the scenes with Levi’s family, especially between Connor and Sylvia, I absolutely wouldn’t mind a book about them.

    All in all, this was such a cute and enjoyable read for me. And if this is how the Smartypants books start, then I absolutely cannot wait for what the rest has to offer. 



    Download your copy today!
    Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/BakingMeCrazy
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    In ARC Blog tour Reviews

    BLOG TOUR & REVIEW : Beard With Me

    Posted on Oct 4, 2019


    Title : Beard With Me (Winston Brothers #6)
    Author : Penny Reid
    Release date : September 16th 2019
    Date Read : September 3rd 2019
    Rating :     ★★★★★


    “You want me to do the knee thing? I’ll do the knee thing.”
    She laughed, a little breathless, still staring at the ring. “I was being crushed under the weight of my desire to be with her always, a desire that sought to overturn my honorable instincts. I was suffocating with it.”


    Beard With Me, an epic and breathtaking story from New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Penny Reid, is available now!


    No one is better at surviving than Scarlet St. Claire and making the best out of circumstances beyond her control is Scarlet’s specialty. In an apocalyptic situation, she’d be the last person on earth, hermitting like a pro, singing along to her CD Walkman, and dancing like no one is watching.
    Scarlet is clever, Scarlet is careful, and Scarlet is smart . . . except when it comes to Billy Winston.
    No one is better at fighting than Billy Winston and raging against his circumstances—because nothing is beyond his control—is Billy’s specialty. In an apocalyptic situation, he’d be the first person on earth to lead others to safety, overcome catastrophe, or die trying.
    Billy is fearless, Billy is disciplined, and Billy is honorable . . . except when it comes to Scarlet St. Claire.



    MY REVIEW :

    It is no secret, for anyone who knows me, that this book has been at the top of my most anticipated list, because throughout the Winston brother series, I found myself getting intrigued with Claire and Billy's background with each book and at some point, they've become my favorites. Granted, we did not know much about them, but sometimes you don't need to know much to have this feeling that lets you know you're going to care about someone or something a lot. That was my case with Billy and Claire.

    Going into this book I was expecting a lot of things, I had a lot of ideas of what might have happened, I had a lot of thoughts, I was ready. I THOUGHT I was ready.

    Boooy was I wrong.

    Because everything we come to know in this book is nothing I was expecting. That is not to say it was bad or that I hated it, because, oh my god, that is the exact opposite. This book was so surprising to me because everything I was expecting to happen did NOT happen, and everything I wouldn't have guessed at all, happened.

    It's true that this book has a lot of angst, but it also has a lot of funny moments,, and a lot of heartwarming moments which could be translated into a lot of Billy and Scarlet moments.

    Which leads me to my first point : Scarlet St. Claire.

    Out of most of the characters in the series, Scarlet/Claire is one of the most mysterious ones. Because although we see her in the other books, and we see how these characters feel about her and how much they love her, we don't get to know the person. And this book shows you exactly who Scarlet St. Claire is, and that is one of the strongest characters ever. Scarlet has had the worst childhood, growing up with an abusive father, in a very abusive environment, is not an easy feat at all. But Scarlet doesn't let it kill her spirit, she keeps her positivity, her love for the simple things in life. She tries to do the best with the bad hand she was delt. She tells jokes, sings, dances. It is impossible not to fall head over heels in love with her, which, Billy, absolutely did.


    “But then, that was Scarlet. Brave, beautiful, strong, sweet, funny, stubborn Scarlet.”



    Now, Billy Winston. Oh Billy, my Billy.

    Billy has been my favorite man in the series ever since that scene in Dr. Strange Beard. I mean, don't get me wrong I loved him before obviously, that scene just cemented it. And this book just gave me even more reason to know I chose right. Billy Winston is quite simply the best man in literatture, someone who is willing to sacrifice anything and everything for the people he loves. Someone who goes above and beyond for his family, putting their happiness and safety well above his own. He hasn't had the best childhood, either. With an abusive father he had to chase out of the house by any means necessary, 5 siblings and a mother to take care of, he puts a lot of responsability and shoulders a lot more than any 16 year old should and he never complains. I could not love him even more if I tried.

    “Billy Winston, you’re one of the good ones. You take my breath away. You’ve stolen my heart.”


    These two have had to grow up sooner than any other teenager, they know a lot more about life than some adults and they sure have went through a lot more than most adults ever, and the only confort they can find is with each other.

    Billy and Scarlet's story is at the same time heartwarming and heartbreaking. They bring out the best in each other, they teach each other a lot, and take care of each other the way non one has taken of them before. Billy teaches Scarlet to dream, or at least, to allow herself to. Scarlet teaches Billy to let go, to just BE for a while, because with her he doesn't have to always be on his guards, he can just.... BE. And most importantly they show each other how to love. Freely. Irrevocably. Incondionally. FULLY.

    Their story is beautiful, raw, powerful but also sad. None of them was expecting the other, but before they could realize it, there was just no coming back for either of them, it was a fall head and heart first, think later kind of thing. And, eventhough, as a reader, you know this part of the story does not have a happy ending, you can't help picturing it. Because, what if they didn't have shitty fathers? What if they could be together freely without being afraid that if someone finds out one of them will get hurt? What if the universe is NOT against them? What if... what if.. what if. You get so lost in the what ifs and the hopes that when you get reminded that they DO have shitty fathers, that they are NOT safe to be together, that the universe IS against them, you are simply just not ready for it. But somehow, the magnitude of the heartbreak only makes you feel their love, root for them and love them as a couple even more.

    And that, in my opinion, is a big testament of Penny's writing. She just tranports you into the page with her words, that you can't help but forget yourself or where you are.



    “This was the best sound. Singing with Billy Winston and his guitar while fighting laughter. Never in my life had I been so happy. Never in my life had I imagined or dreamed such happiness was possible. And nothing existed beyond right now, this moment, and Billy’s smile.”



    Another thing I adored about this book were the Winston siblings moments. It feels so weird to see these people as kids when we met as adults. Penny managed to make every single one of them different, but not less easy to love (maybe not Jethro though.. but that was to be expected)

    I love how this book had the perfect balance between tragedy and humor. It didn't go overboard on either, and that, again, is the perfect testament to Penny's writing.

    I did, however, feel a lot uncomfortable with Ben's character. I had no idea what to expect from him, because all we know was from what other characters said about him in other books, and I was under the impression he was a saint. I was disabused of this impression in this installement. Because eventhough the entire town thinks he's God's gift to Green Valley, I could not like one thing about him. His fascination with Scarlet, who is 14 in this book, when he's 19, rubbed me off the wrong way. I just did not like him and couldn't feel anything other than strong dislike and being uncomfortable whenever he showed up on page.

    That being said, this book has got to be one of my favorites in this series, right up there with Beard Science. It only served to make me fall even more with all these characters and with this universe and I never want it to end. I am absolutely in love and I cannot wait for Billy and Claire's happy ending, God knows how much they deserve it.

    I can officially, and without a doubt say : Billy and Claire are my favorite Penny couple and on the top 3 of my favorites ever.


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