My only problem with this darn book was it was just a bit too short for me! I want more Nikolas and Aria!

When recently retired due to an injury and rich as all get out international football star Nikolas sees Aria for the first time, he instantly falls into love. Aria, skeptical of the suddenly smitten footballer, shrugs him off until he convinces her to be his fake girlfriend during a hedonistic trip to Spain. He needs her "protection" from all of the people who want to sleep with him.

Aria agrees, for a price, and packs up her "sox" (I'll let you figure out what that is haha) and heads off to Spain. She is swept up in Nik's glamorous life, but finds he's utterly charming. Which is scary. She can't fall in love with this guy!

What commences is a sexy, erotic, and fun love story sure to please even the most jaded of hearts.

Scientist Hope Jahren intersperses her fascinating career with equally fascinating botany facts. A highly readable and illuminating memoir.

I especially enjoyed reading Jahren's experiences with her fraternal life-partner, her non-biological brother Bill. What a treat.

Also enjoyed discussing the book with my Book to Art Club. We created faux-cacti planters!

A laugh out loud, perverted, and accurate take on the Egyptian pantheon. If you are looking for something to further Little Jimmy's interest in Egyptian mythology, be warned there are a lot of penises, nudity, incest, and murder, which while true to the myths, is just a little extra when graphically and comically illustrated. I loved it.

Hard-working, dedicated journalist Celina decides to check out the Motorcycle Club that her best friend is now a member of, and finds herself swept up into a new relationship with sexy club member "Knuckles" despite her misgivings. When she gets caught between her job, her moral code, and her new lover, Celina needs to decide what love is worth and whether she is ready to take on a life with the father of two.

What follows is a roller coaster of drama with just a few too many plot points and a heroine who I respected until some of her later decisions. I especially took issue with the fact Knuckle's "job" with the Motorcycle Club was never really discussed. Maybe it was in the first book, but as a new reader to this series I had some serious questions, especially when it seems the Club is definitely dabbling in illegal activities.

Massive spoilers ahead:

ALSO, the whole accidental baby sub-plot!? Knuckles apparently had a cut-rate vasectomy which didn't take, and which no doctor told him to get his sperm checked out before having unprotected sex. Gross. So, Celina ends up pregnant and basically decides to become a kept woman from Knuckles's apparent financial security with his motorcycle club "job" which is not explained. She does keep her free-lance journalism going, but I just felt it was a bit out of character. Also, the fact Knuckle's never asked nor inquired about whether she would use her "insider" info to write about the Club seemed, at worst stupid, and at best just lazy.

When Oliver Preston catches his sister's best friend at the premier BDSM club he frequents, he decides he'll be the one to tutor the novice in the culture.

Eliza has always wanted Oliver, so she agrees to his three lesson plan. She has no idea he's also always wanted her, and he can't believe her desires match his own.

What follows is a sensual, erotic tale of discovery. This is a great HEA.

Vaughan De Matteo, recently returned from an yet another overseas deployment, finds out he fathered a child four years ago with his one true love, the woman he left behind at home in order to give her a better life, in order for her to get out of their crumbling small town.

River Purcell never left Hook, New Jersey. She had her heart crushed by the love of her life and became pregnant all in the same day. She's raised her daughter by working hard, juggling two jobs, and she isn't ready to have Vaughn swoop in to "save the day." She doesn't need a man.

What River doesn't know is the real reason Vaughan left her crying in that cheap hotel room, and he has some hard work cut out convincing her he's back for good and has always loved her.

This is a very angsty romance with a wonderfully strong heroine. I disliked some of Vaughan's reasons for leaving her and his resistance in spilling the beans, especially since the external factor keeping them apart is easily solved by a conversation.

That said, this is super sexy. Vaughan refused to have sex with River until she turned 18, and there is some quite steamy scenes revolving around those flashbacks.

One of my most anticipated reads of 2018 and I just. Wow. I was only mad I had silly life/work to interrupt one of the best slow burn and STEAMY romances I've read in recent times. I actually finished days ago and I've not been able to really formulate a coherent review, except you will definitely want The Kiss Quotient as soon as you can get your hands on a copy.

Helen Hoang is amazing, fresh new voice that I cannot wait to get more from. Her characters pop off the page and are trope defying. Stella's autism, while an important part of the story and the reason why she hires a sex worker, is presented honestly and lovingly.

Berkeley Romance is hitting it out of the park with their recent offerings (if you haven't read The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory yet, what are you waiting for).

Listened to the audio book and holy wow, the narrator did an amazing job of lighting fire to my face while driving to work! She was great switching between Stella and Michael's voices, along with the rest of the cast of characters.

Michael can be my boyfriend forever. Please and thank you. This sex scenes are especially sexy because of Michael's verbal requests for consent. Delicious.

I was lucky to secure an ARC from Bookish First. Thank you!

**Free copy received in exchange for a fair review**

Portia Hobbs, NYC socialite, is determined to end her reputation as a hot mess. Taking the apprenticeship at a sword smith in Edinburgh is just the first step to #NewPortia. Proving to her friends and family that she has what it takes to focus on a project is the next.

Tavish McKenzie, eternal grump, is flabbergasted by his brother's chosen apprentice. Tavish's sword making business is struggling as he tries to keep the business afloat, the local children fed, and his crumbling inherited building in his possession. Tavish doesn't need the social media obsessed Portia with her newfangled ideas "helping." He also doesn't need to be feeling any feelings for his "intern" because that is just wrong.

But, Portia's persistence and obvious excellence at the job start to win over not only Tavish's family and his neighbors, but also him. As Portia's apprenticeship draws to an end, the only problem with her persistence is that she may have inadvertently discovered a secret about Tavish's heritage that could threaten life as he knows it.

A slow-burn romance to die for and including all of my most favorite tropes turned on their head in the best way, this is a perfect continuation to the Reluctant Royals series.

The characters also have diverse backgrounds that give them exceptional depth. Tavish's mother was refuge from South America, Portia is working with a recent diagnosis of ADHD.

I arguably love this second book more than A Princess in Theory! Hard to believe but it is true.

I devoured Heather Demetrios' latest in one session. This book is really on the cusp between YA and New Adult for me, but without the high angst emotional horror ride that is usually the hallmark of New Adult. Instead this a splendid tale of a summer of growing up, healing, and discovery between two tough cookie characters that I adored.

Skylar is recently graduated, counting the minutes before she can leave for art school in San Francisco. She has one more summer working at the quirky Paradise Motel and she is outta there. But rough circumstances for her mother (alcoholism, crappy new boyfriend, loss of her Taco Bell job) make Skylar doubt she'll ever really escape after all.

Josh is back, sans a leg, from his tour of duty in Afghanistan. He lost a lot more than his leg - many of his squad mates, his job as a Marine, and any hope he had of leaving Creek View. He returns to his job as maintenance man at the Paradise, and realizes his former coworker Skylar may be the hope he is looking for, even if she once made out with his brother.


I know, sounds pretty standard, but I cheered Skylar and Josh on at every step. This was not a story who's drama rested on lies between the characters (so often in NA) but instead focused on real word problems that a lot of teens and young adults face. Josh and Skylar are both hard working and willing to accept consequences for their actions. Their attraction to each other felt real, un-rushed (no insta-love here), and when it went through crisis it was handled amazingly. Skylar wasn't presented as an innocent angel, but instead as a real young lady who has had some experience with the physical and knows what she is and isn't looking for.

There were also great sub-characters who felt as fleshed out as the mains.

Anyway, I loved this, and I'll recommending this to many friends.

Seeing as I devoured this book in one session and am currently up at 3am, I'd say yeah, I loved it.
Realistic, mature, and fantastic. A better review to come.

Astrid Magnusson has always loved her boot-leggin' brother's right hand man Bo Yeung. She knows he's attracted to her as well, but so many things hold them apart. Her age, his place in her family, and the fact he is a Chinese. They had a huge spark, but she left for college. Both made many mistakes, and both still yearn for the other.

When Astrid returns home after a disastrous affair with a professor, she and Bo land in each others sights again, and get swept up in a supernatural mystery.

Of the three in this series,I enjoyed this one the best because it was so different from other historicals I've read, and I loved the tension in the story revolved around real issues, and the supernatural was just a little treat. Also, so hot. Yow.