Tag: contemporary romance

This Chick Read: Kissing Galileo (Dear Professor #2) by Penny Reid

Synopsis: What do you do when your freakishly smart and wickedly sarcastic Research Methods professor sees you mostly naked? You befriend him, of course.

I did read the first novel in the series, Kissing Tolstoy, but if I hadn’t would the above synopsis sound like something I’d want to read? Not really. However, I love this author and I thought Kissing Tolstoy was pretty good so I gave Kissing Galileo a try. However, when does it become wrong to normalize the teacher/student relationship? This is in college, so everyone is legal, but…..

Emily is a lingerie model. It’s a club of sorts, no not that kind of club, but you have to be a member to view the models in their lingerie, and the pay is really good. Good enough to pay for her tuition and her mother’s therapy. What happens when one of your professor’s views you in a bra and panties? Victor Hanover, when he finds out she’s a student, immediately does the right thing and notifies the dean, who then gets someone else to handle her grades and tests. That Emily accepts this situation means that it has made her “feel” things for her professor. Either turned on or off, from what I understand. However, neither of them makes a move until Emily shows up at his office.

Victor is kind of socially awkward. Until the previous year he had been grossly overweight but after losing 150 lbs, he now finds himself uncomfortably attractive. He hates how he had been ignored, but now people want to know him and it pisses him off. He finds himself with feelings for Emily that he doesn’t know how to act on, so they become friends… just friends.

This is a story of a friendship that should become more, but one person doesn’t know how to move it forward, and the other person is judging the situation in normal male/female standards. Talk about awkward! It’s an unusual take on a friends to lovers theme and was quite cute and alleviated any kind of uncomfortableness very early on. This was obviously a guy that had rules, morals, and value’s so the fact he had a crush on his student was kind of minimized and forgotten.

Kissing Galileo was a very quick read. It was awkwardly cute but not my favorite of Penny Reid’s stories, but it easily filled a void until the next great Penny Reid book was released. You can easily read this novel as a stand alone, but Emily’s best friend is from Kissing Tolstoy so if you want, you can start with that novel first. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“This is one of those rare moments where I didn’t really enjoy a Penny Reid book but considering I adore the vast amount, I won’t worry. There are many fans of this book, just not me.” A Take From Two Cities

Click this link to purchase!* Kissing Galileo (Dear Professor)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I will receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you Reading? (5/11/2020)

Happy Monday everyone! I have the day off of work and am planning to enjoy the day with a good book.

This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion about what books I am reading.

JUST FINISHED

I am really enjoying this series. I like Kylie Scott’s style and her characters always have more depth than they initially appear. This is a rock star romance and it was fun to escape from reality for a little while.

Click this link to purchase!* Lead: A Stage Dive Novel (Stage Dive Series Book 3)

JUST STARTED

I started three books before I decided to revisit one I remembered enjoying, hoping it would help me get my reading mojo jump started. Sure enough, I didn’t have any trouble getting back into this old favorite!

Click this link to purchase!* Kaleidoscope (Colorado Mountain) by Ashley, Kristen (2014) Mass Market Paperback

I’d love to hear what books you picked up this weekend! Let me know in the comments!

Deb

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This Chicks Audio Review: Play (Stage Dive #2) by Kylie Scott

Alright folks, it’s been awhile since I’ve read a rock star romance and I had this audiobook in my files. I remembered I really enjoyed the first novel also narrated by Andi Arndt and wanted to give this second one a try. Play is the story of drummer Mal Ericson who meets Anne Rollins at a party and decides to convince her to become his pretend girlfriend. In actuality it doesn’t take much convincing since Anne has had a longtime crush on Mal and pretty much finds him irresistible. Is there a reason for his wanting to convince everyone that he’s happy? Of course.

I really enjoyed this novel and thought Andi Arndt did a great job narrating all of the characters. Mal was kind of a crazy character and Anne gave him a kind of calm he needed to survive what was going on in his life. I felt like the balance of those two characters also gave the narration a kind of sanity. It could have easily gone down the crazy guy road and Andi Arndt made them real instead of caricatures.

Ok, who doesn’t love the fantasy of having a rock star fall in love with an average woman? That’s why we read these right? Mal, to me, was easy to like but hard to love. He was just so over the top! He felt kind of like he was manic depression and honestly, I thought that’s where this novel was heading. No spoilers here, but that wasn’t it at all. Thankfully the conflict had heart and emotion, something I really needed from Mal in order to round his character and make him feel more attainable.

Anne was totally the girl next door. She could be you, me or the girl who bags my groceries. She was calm and hid her inner feelings really well. Of course the narration was from her point of view so we heard those inner feelings and knew she was screaming like a girl who just saw her every dream realized. I liked Anne and was able to root for her right from the get go.

All in all, this was a fun novel with a couple of hidden surprises that helped me enjoy it even more. If you’re looking for your next rock star, you may want to start with the first novel, Play, but I think this whole band is going to rock your world. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“I do recommend this book to lovers of the genre of contemporary romance, though I am going to try and hold myself back a bit before going on to #4, I will definitely be going there sooner rather than later.” Omnivorous Reader Book Review

Click this link to purchase!* Play (A Stage Dive Novel)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs Alaska, Pt. 1) by Sarah Morgenthaler

Zoey Caldwell has been saving her money for-e-ver to take a bucket list trip to Alaska. A friend of hers is letting her tag along to sleep on the couch in a ritzy resort room, and Zoey is dying to do all things Alaska. On her first night there they head to a local dive restaurant called the Tourist Trap, owned by the grumpy but extremely good looking Graham Barnett. Graham is against all tourists in his neck of the woods, but for some reason he’s drawn to Zoey and her quirky personality.

The Tourist Attraction was my favorite kind of rom-com. Great setting, quirky characters, and charming main characters. From the first page, I literally couldn’t stop thinking about when I could find another 15 minutes to read another chapter. Zoey, one of my favorite rom-com heroine names, was cute and innocently odd. She was so excited to be in Alaska that she wanted to do all of the usual tourist trips; a whale-sighting trip, spotting a moose, and hiking on a glacier. Stuff a local would never deign to do. Despite his unwillingness, Graham seeks her out and finds himself by her side.

There were plenty of great side characters in The Tourist Attraction and we got to know a few pretty well. I can’t wait to see who gets the next hook-up. Will it be the super tall and bearded Easton? His pink-haired twin sister Ash? Or Zoey’s sultry well to do friend Lana? I really don’t have a preference, they were all really interesting and had some great storylines that I look forward to any one of them!

If you are still quarantining at home, this is the perfect book to help you pass the time. It’s fun, has a little action, and kooky characters that will charm the antlers off a reindeer dog!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase!* The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (5/4/2020)

I had just finished a book when a big storm came through knocking out our power. Needless to say, that cut down on my reading as it was just getting dark. We had enough juice in a laptop to get on Netflix and start streaming The Crown. Very Good! It was kind of a nice way to end the weekend, truthfully. We put the devices down and just enjoyed each others company. Despite that, I did read a wonderful book this weekend and have plans to start a next novel.

This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion about what books I am reading.

JUST FINISHED

This book took me totally by surprise! The set up was totally unique, the characters completely charming, and the emotions? Yeah, they were all there. Loved it.

JUST STARTED

I haven’t started it yet, and may change my mind, but My library loan is just about to run out. It’s going to come down to whether I think I can finish it in time!

Now you know what I may be reading. What’s first on your TBR?

Deb

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This Chick Read: Jagged (Colorado Mountain Series #5) by Kristen Ashley

The Colorado Mountain series is probably my third or fourth favorite KA series, with the Rock Chick and Burg series leading the pack. Jagged was released in 2013 and falls into what I call the pre erotica period of Kristen Ashley books. Her style is always very sexy, but her more recent books are more sex than plot and Jagged, thank goodness has a bit of both.

Our hero and heroine Zara and Ham have a bit of history. Ham, as a traveling bartender, had previous lived and worked in town with Zara and they had struck up a pretty casual relationship. At least on his side. Not wanting to be tied down to either one town or one woman Ham has always kept things light. Zara was a woman that remained under his skin. After surviving a serial killer (previous novels plot), Ham decides that life is short and after Zara reaches out to make sure he’s ok he shows up on her doorstep and decides now is the right time. Except it isn’t that time for Zara. Until he digs in and proves to Zara that this time he will stick around.

I liked Zara a lot. She is one of the more real heroines Kristen Ashley has written. She is a real woman with real problems and manages life in a way that her readers can identify with, there are ups and downs. Ham I had a harder time with. First, there was the name Ham. Yes, I know, it was a nickname and Zara was the only one that called him that, but to me it didn’t read cute. It read weird. He was definitely Alpha, like KA’s normal hero’s, and I do really like that aspect of her novels but something felt a little off in their love story. It may have been because he’s had a relationship with February Owens the heroine from the first novel in the Burg series who I absolutely loved. There was always a little bit of a comparison in my mind and although I liked Zara, I think that comparison was a little unfair. Feb had the whole serial killer stalker thing going on and Zara? She was a normal woman. I liked her, but there wasn’t a need for Ham to be a savior. Ms. Ashley does excel at those action plots and Jagged seemed a little tame.

I’m not saying I didn’t like this novel because I did! The sex hadn’t yet gotten over the top as the later KA novels have, and their relationship was nice. I guess that was it. They were nice but it just lacked that little bit of excitement.

If you like KA novels this is a solid effort and worth your 6-7 hours of reading time if for no other reason than to remind her readers how much they liked the Burg series. Hmm, maybe I will re-visit ‘For You’ and read Feb and Colton’s story again.

❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!* Jagged (Colorado Mountain (5))

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Ogle

Naomi Westfield meets and falls in love with her now fiancé Nicholas Rose pretty quickly. They’re so in love, never fighting and agreeing on everything. When they move in together Naomi feels as if something has shifted. They never do anything together anymore and barely speak when they’re home together. They’re getting married in three months and her future MIL has planned and paid for everything and it’s no longer the wedding that Naomi wanted. Actually, she kind of doesn’t want to get married anymore and sets out to make her fiancé call the wedding off. After all, if he cancels it, he’ll have to pay for all of those bills. However, she quickly realizes that he’s not that happy either, and soon they are one upping each other in trying to get the other to leave. A weird thing happens, they start to have fun.

You Deserve Each Other is being compared to the much admired, and one of my favorite enemies to lovers stories, The Hating Game. Did I think it deserved that comparison? Kind of? There were definitely similar elements. Naomi and Nicholas did seem to hate each other, once the gloves came off their snark was spectacular, and when they took off the blinders their love for each other was glorious. For me there was just a small difference; Lucy and Joshua’s attraction for each other gave their bickering an underlying heat that was fun and made you eager to turn every page. Naomi and Nicholas strived for that same heat, but during their hate period it was more War of the Roses than The Hating Game. I just didn’t feel that connected. At least until closer to the end.

Naomi and Nicholas made such an unlikely pair. He was a successful dentist, handsome, and smart. She was pretty but wasn’t book smart and only held small time jobs. There was an unbalance that was really hard for me to get past. It made their snark a little uncomfortable. How do you laugh at someone who doesn’t have a college education and is a little sad in life? Nicholas was obviously not a bad guy, so how do you buy Naomi’s hatred? It wasn’t until Naomi finally opened her eyes and allowed herself to open up to hurt that this book really took a turn for the better. That moment gave these characters heart and allowed the reader to see what motivated them to act the way they were acting towards each other. It allowed us to move on, and again, fall in love with them.

If you are looking for the next The Hating Game, I don’t think you’ll find it in You Deserve Each Other. I also think you shouldn’t be comparing one book to another because it doesn’t give You Deserve Each Other a chance. This was a very good book that could stand on it’s own. Naomi and Nicholas were NOT Lucy and Joshua, they were their own brand of insecurities and snarkiness. In the end I liked them for their own story and invested myself in their HEA. What more can you ask for?

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this ARC through NetGalley for my honest review and it is honest!

Click this link to purchase!* You Deserve Each Other

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Kind of Famous (Flirting with Fame #3) by Mary Ann Marlowe

Layla Beckett has a big secret. One that might conflict with her new job running the social media for The Rock Paper, a music magazine. On her first day she meets Jo, the wife of an on the rise rock star, and through her she meets Jo’s friends, including drummer Shane Morgan. As she and Shane get closer, it quickly becomes apparent that her secret of running the top fan sight in the country may stand between their happiness.

I’ve read both of the other novels in this series and was really looking forward to this new installment. This is a rock star series, and yes, there’s plenty of eye candy and sizzling action between our heroes and heroines, but what I like the most is that each story has an underlining plot that brings a more serious tone to what would normally be a light hearted subject. In Kind of Famous, Layla’s secret is part of the main story and it definitely added a huge conflict, even if most of it was inner conflict for the majority of the book. As the book developed I realized there was an additional conflict in their relationship and that was Shane’s insecurity. How can a hot drummer in a rock band be insecure? Good question, and Kind of Famous does a great job of delivering the answer.

When Layla and Shane meet there’s this instant connection and energy. He’s surrounded by these god-like characters in his band but he stand out because of his adorkableness (yes, this is now a word!). He’s cute, has a rockin’ bod, but he’s totally shy. Layla, too, is kind of awkward. She has this online life that allows her to be bold, but in person she’s quiet and let’s face it, pretty stunned to be standing in the same space as people she’s idolized. Her awestruck scenes were totally believable and also added some conflict to she and Shane’s developing romance. I really liked them together and loved the obstacles I could clearly see ahead of them.

When you read a series it’s always great fun to see where the characters in previous books lives are now. Eden, Adam,Micah, and Jo are all integral characters in Layla and Shane’s story and I like how they were true to my memories of them and liked even more that I was given a glimpse into their futures. Next up in this series has to be Noah as he was given a rather sinister light and there is definitely more to his story than we’ve been told so far. Kind of Famous did a good job of moving all of their characters forward in my mind, as well as letting me fall in love with Layla and Shane all on their own. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I wish this author wrote a little faster and hopefully (?) we may have another Flirting with Fame story by the end of the year. From these words to Mary Ann Marlowe’s ears… keep those fingers typing!

I received an ARC of this book from the author for my honest review and it was honest!

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“Deeper than it seems on the surface, Kind of Famous explores the treacherous natures of fandom, friendship, and love–and the explosions that can result when those three things collide. Author Mary Ann Marlowe‘s book is a sweet coda of a love song to the rocker universe she created in Some Kind of Magic and developed further in A Crazy Kind of Love. If you loved those books, you’ll cherish this one as well.” Dreaming in Character

Click this link to purchase!* Kind of Famous (Flirting with Fame)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (3/30/2020)

This week a new month begins and we can only hope it brings more positive news than negative regarding the Covid-19 outbreak. If you’re tired of all the bad news, you may be escaping into a good book. If you’re looking for one, maybe you’d like to read one of these.

This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion.

JUST FINISHED

I am a huge fan of this author’s and love this series! Kind of Famous is the third in the Flirting With Fame series. If you like rock star romances, you’ll love this book!

JUST STARTED

I love this historical mystery series and can’t wait to see what kind of trouble Veronica Speedwell and Stoker get into!

These are the perfect escape! What books are you escaping into this Monday?

Deb

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This Chick Read: Fumbled (The Playbook #2) by Alexa Martin

Poppy Patterson left her hometown at sixteen. Kicked out because of her pregnancy, she found a new home with her aunt in Denver. Now in her 20’s, Poppy is raising her son alone and working as a waitress in a nightclub when Wide Receiver, T. K. Moore is seated at her table. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem except that T. K. is the father of her son… and he doesn’t know it.

This second chance love story had everything the first novel had, and I ate it up. Two great lead characters, wonderful female friendships, and a renewal of a love story that should never have ended. I like that they were an interracial couple and whereas this is a fictional novel I felt like some of the problems they’d see in real life as an interracial couple also played out in this book. However, the biggest conflict in this book was portraying the consequences of head injuries in the NFL. I really liked how real that made Poppy and T. K.’s relationship and how she struggled with helping him see how much his personality had changed since high school. I thought that topic was really relevant. Especially after reading the author’s bio and knowing that her own husband played in the NFL. It may be a real topic in her own household (?).

Once again Alexa Martin hits a home run. Poppy was a female protagonist that a reader loves. She fell on hard times but never gave up, worked hard, and put herself in a place she can be proud of. T. K. was a little more stereotypical but I really liked him once he got past the shock of being a father. This story was a little more serious than the first but once Poppy was introduced to her WAGS group those friendships brought out the fun and funny.

Again, if you haven’t read this series and you are a fan of contemporary romances, you must pick them up! I do think the first couple of books could be read as stand alone’s. After all, I read the third novel first. There’s a tiny bit of backstory with a couple of other characters but I think you can catch on pretty quickly and enjoy the story on it’s own. However, if you’ve got the time to read them in order go for it! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“I really enjoyed reading the book, both times. It made me happy. It’s a good book. Right after I finished it the first time, I read book 1 of this series called Intercepted, which was also really nice.” The Wordy Habitat

“I thought the book was kinda rushed but I didn’t get bored and I’m definitely looking forward to the final book of the trilogy.” My World of Books

Click this link to purchase!* Fumbled (Playbook, The)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I will receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads1 Comment