An upcoming and coming interior designer loses her business partner then impulsively kisses a sexy stranger at her best friend's New Years Eve engagement party, leading to a hot hotel one night stand. Or so she thought.
Erik Jordan is astonished the beautiful woman he had in his bed all New Years Eve night left him high and dry with only a sassy mirror message. He's the one who leaves in the morning! But as Erik is forced to take the helm of his family's makeup company due to his father's misdeeds, Erik finds out the company hired to redo the business's interior is none other than the woman he can't stop thinking about.
Between pride and duty, Sylvia and Erik find themselves unable to fight their attraction while also struggling to make sure both of their careers don't implode.

This was really soapy with tons of family drama and hot red lips. I personally wanted more about Erik's career as a makeup chemist and a bit less of the drama, but overall a fun read.

CW cheating (not by main characters), alcohol use,

Erik finds out his assistant, who has a crush on him and makes a pass at him, is his sister. Oh my.

Oh my goodness. I read some of this during my lunch break at work and while I'm rarely embarrassed, I was definitely blushing for this book.

Be forewarned, there is an epic cliffhanger and I'm just glad I have the next book sitting firmly on my nightstand at home.

Annie coming in to her sexuality after being emotionally and physically abused her whole life was utterly engrossing to read about, and I really enjoyed the phone calls between her and Dylan being the method through which she felt safe to do so. And holy wow hotness. And the voyeuristic scene in the strip club. Phew.

Cannot wait to read more!

CW for domestic abuse, on page and discussed, violence, cheating (a technicality for me, but thought I'd note).

CW: Rough sex, rape fantasies (all consensual), depression, suicide (off page, past event).

Laurel meets a rough and tumble Boston underground boxer who sparks dark desires she's never explored. But will their play turn in to more?

I really enjoyed my first Cara McKenna (by this pen name). Really great exploration of consensual non-consent, boundaries, and voyeurism. I really loved Flynn's character, the way he could verbalize his needs and desires and how he made sure he was taking care of his partners. I wanted a bit more about Laurel, her struggle with depression, and her life outside of her growing relationship with Flynn.

The arc structure was a bit usual too, in the sense there was never a big break moment. There was a little misunderstanding and then boom, HEA. I was cool with that.

Lady Pearl is the daughter and sister no one ever notices, which means she gets left behind in her family's London home after a large shopping trip. With no servants and no food in the house, she appeals to her grumpy neighbor, the Earl of Llanover for assistance. He's alone in London with only his Corgi Mr. Shorty for company, in order to recover from a leg injury he sustained on his Welsh sheep farm. While trying to maintain propriety, the two share the holiday season and fall in love while getting to know one another and getting snowed in.

Really cute and steamy novella, a fun read for the season. I think if the characters had known each other even a little bit before the novella begins it would have helped strengthen their truly whirlwind romance.

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review.

Unbound is one of those books I'm glad I experienced but I don't think I'll ever be able to read it again.

CW: Fatphobia throughout, alcoholism, parental death (off page)

Merry is on a long hiking trip in Scotland to celebrate the fact she's lost over 100 pounds and to discover the homeland of her mother, who recently passed away. On the hike she contracts a GI virus and ends up whacking her head when she passes out from the pain and fever. She makes it to a small cabin inhabited by a man who's been hiding from the world and who isn't too keen on having a visitor. He takes her in to help her out, soon discovering he's found someone who is willing to explore the fetish he blames his alcoholism on.

This story is super emotional and I loved how McKenna explored these difficult topics. I just wish the fatphobia parts were left out. Rob's fetish, with the rope, wanting to be humiliated and used, and being made to feel shame is also not something I'm personally in to, but the emotional journey of the characters made it a compelling listen nonetheless. I wouldn't recommend this to just anyone, but worth it if you can handle the content.

Since I read both book 1 and 2 back to back, I wish they would have been one story. Everything I Left Unsaid was super compelling, I enjoyed the tension of Annie and Dylan's phone relationship, and gah that cliffhanger. This book felt more repetitive, with lots of little breaks between Dylan and Annie as they try to navigate being in an actual relationship and a lot of stuff with the motorcycle club that I didn't really care about.

I'm really intrigued to read more about Annie's neighbor in her book. Cannot wait.

What a delightfully sweet story. A prince who loves to wear dresses and masquerade as "Lady Crystallia" and the seamstress who has to secretly create his gowns discover that being true to oneself is more important than making others happy. A gently romantic and inspiring tale perfect for tweens and teens who march to the beat of their own drum.

I really love Wang's illustrations and the color palette is a deliciously muted pastel confection with pops of bright colors, especially Sebastian's red wig. The panels are not overwhelmed with text and Wang really allows the reader to sit and absorb every detail, every sparkle, every emotion. Also, it looks like everyone is constantly blushing and it is so adorable. Just pinch those cheeks!

Highly recommend!

So sweet, and cannot wait to read with my Book to Art Club in September 2019.

Aspiring artist and college student Magdalena "Lena" Martel takes a job as a housekeeper for a mysterious man in a mansion hidden away in the wilds of Montana. She needs the work because her step-mother stole her identity, threatening her dream of finishing school by landing her in loads of debt on top of her student loans.
Patrick Halloran is angry at himself, angry for being on top of the world with his dancing, his modeling, and his new movie career and losing it all in one terrible car accident caused by his selfish choices. Now badly scarred and afraid of having nothing without his looks, Patrick is stuck, not only mentally, but also physically in his house. He's angry that his best friend and romance novelist Scarlett has hired a stranger to be in his home, but acknowledges he needs the help. And as he gets to know Lena, observing her from his window and through text messages that turn into phone calls, he realizes that maybe he needs to see himself differently.
I love all the messages of this novel, about looks, family, and working hard. The audiobook narrators were AMAZING, so I highly recommend reading via that method if you can. There are some issues of power that gave me pause, namely Lena being friends with the people who are paying her as their employee, but overall thought it was handled appropriately.

The sex scene with the paint and the canvas is fire. Pow.

Great end to the series, but you don't have to have read the others. PLUS I've heard the author is working on a Ricky novella, which after you've read this you'll understand why I'm the most excited.

A country mouse author rescues a devilish owner of a casino with her purse pistol while out researching her next novel. She convinces his people to allow her access to the club and eventually figures out the staid country life and boring fiancee she left back at home are not for her, but Derek Craven, Cockney bastard, is.

For Derek, Sara is not like any other woman he's been with, especially different from his latest former conquest who is now on a jealous rage intent on harming him when he put her aside. As Derek slowly realizes Sara is the only one for him, he can't help but fear that when he loses his heart he could also lose Sara.

Controversial opinion, but I found Derek Craven to be kind of a big man baby. He has some troubling behaviors, he's very controlling (chooses her clothes, won't let her cut her hair, is extremely jealous), and also seems to be just a little too much of a loose cannon to actually have achieved what he has achieved. I guess I don't get the allure, but this was a fairly fun, if bananas read.

Also, I just wasn't into the psycho-ex plotline. I felt kind of horrible for that woman, who was forced to marry an old ogre and is acting out because she can. The solution to the problem of this murderous ex was also troubling...

Kleypas is so hit or miss for me.

Re-Read for the Fated Mates podcast:

I'm still dubious of Derek Craven. He has his moments and I appreciate him from a literary standpoint. Would I want to bop him? Eh probably not. If Sarah Fielding loves him and wants him, she can have whatever she darn well pleases because she's my favorite. I really did love the juxtaposition of Sarah and Derek, yet how alike they were in the ways that counted. I also appreciated unpacking some of the problematic elements along with the podcast.

The Trouble with Christmas by Amy Andrews has:

☃️Fake Dating