bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

not a b book. I read this for library journal and skimmed a whole lot. would make a good read if you enjoyed Mimi Matthews but you wanted the door open instead of fading to black. Lots of characters, dense prose, jobs jobs jobs.

The scene and character work with Maria and Peter was simply exceptional. I laughed, I swooned, I loved how sexual and open and comfortable Maria was and how much Peter pined and patiently waited to express his interest and love for Maria. The scenes of them filming in the stark conditions and Peter standing up for Maria and Maria refusing to allow the producers to starve them to lose weight for the TV show were excellent.

The overall plot and what was keeping Peter and Maria from their HEA didn't quite work out for me, and having their romance take place in the timeline of the other two books in this series also took me out of it a little bit as well.

Overall, a solid story and LOVED the characters so much.

Thank you to Avon for the advance review copy.

Clover Greene is definitely not excited to host her judgmental family for Thanksgiving, the family who make her feel less than, despite her success as a business owner, her happiness with her career. So, when her seventeen-year-old employee Ruthie offers up her hot dad as a fake boyfriend buffer, Clover is just desperate enough to consider it, kind of.

Obviously she won't do that though right? Erick Fields is super hot, a contractor who can build cedar desks and roofs and makes Clover smile, especially with his endearing and hilarious relationship with his prickly daughter. Asking him for such a ridiculous favor is just something Clover can't bring herself to do.

But when Erick shows up at Clover's nursery because Ruthie "forget her cell phone" they both know Ruthie is attempting to set them up. And it totally works (good job Ruthie). And some fun banter turns into immediate sexual chemistry as they both confirm their mutual crushes. Erick agrees to be her fake boyfriend, but with real benefits.

So, starting off with a bang (woo) Clover and Erick enjoy their new real sexual relationshp as they quickly realize their fake one should really be something more.

Such a fun, low angst romance that is awesomely well-rounded for being not super long. I loved Ruthie's character (not just a plot moppet teen), Erick's relationship with her, and how supportive and sexy Erick is as Clover figures out how to deal with her shitty family. I liked how Reisz dealt with the concept of "virginity" and how Erick uses the feminist lessons his daughter taught him to be a great guy.

Super fun!

oof this had so much potential, and i loved the heist aspect and the two top tier thieves battling with each other and foiling each others training and secret rooms. what took a turn for me was realizing Jade (Crystal/Emerald) was just only 18 and is the memory of the young 'girl' jacob slept with at the sex club / brothel and has been lusting over ever since. i can read age-gap, but this took a turn for me about how he remembered her/described her at that time. And, this was trying to maybe be a 'dark' romance but it didn't succeed in that.

The comp to Rebekah Weatherspoon's Cowboys of California series had me hoping this would have on-page steam (and I've not ever read this author), but this one fades to black. There is some great sexy flirting and heat between the love interests, but no more than heavy kissing on page.

That said, no problem for me, but the addition of a surprise cancer reveal for Gabe's father made me sad. That is a particular touchy topic for me, so if not a deal breaker for you, give this one a go.

I will also say Second Chance also had a lot of world building and exposition to introduce the series, the Ortega family, and the vast cast of characters I'm assuming who will get their own stories in subsequent books. This meant Nora and Gabe weren't as together on page as I would have hoped.

Solid story, amazing world, not a perfect read for me. I will say this gives me echoes of Bend Towards the Sun by Jen Devon in a great way.

Content notes: Both Nora and Gabe are latine, Gabe is an Army Veteran home recovering from PTSD and injuries that ended his career. Nora is a botanist/gardener for the Ortega farm. PTSD, therapy, and emotional distant parents (in the past) are mentioned. Cancer, father of hero, on page surprise disclosure. Father is alive at the end of the book but I assume the cancer story arc will continue throughout the series.

thank you to forever for the advance copy.

i slowly devoured this one over many weeks. it is a warm hug and smoldering romance, and I'm so excited to see more from this author. mermen! witches! delightful small town feelings and gorgeous settings.

thanks to the publisher for an advance copy; i also purchased a paperback with my own funds.

it was fine, the romance was cute, i love the cat, and this audio was better than the first book, but still lacking in the accent department.

thank you to HarperAudio for the ALC. I also checked out a physical copy from the library.

so, this by far is the most enjoyable Zapata I've read. I wish I had had an eBook version (but I refused to buy it so listened on Hoopla) because so much of the first 1/2 of this is skimmable. There is so much repetitive phrasing and scads of exposition that I, as a reader, just find distracting and not necessary. Listening to this is great if you have a million free hours or are on a long, uninterrupted road trip and need a long listen. BUT I could take a red pen and cut at least 1/3 of this and the story would not change.

That said, I did enjoy the romance between Aidan (The Wall/Big Guy) and Vanessa (Van/Vannie). The are definitely two idiots but I do enjoy a taciturn, exasperated man so getting the glimpses of Aidan as he marries and lives with Vanessa was a lot of fun. The puppy was really sweet, but lord jesus I could have used a few more horny moments. Something. Anything.

This is heavier in content too - Vanessa has a ton of childhood trauma, and her family is awful and still harming her emotionally and physically. Her best friend is also going through domestic abuse. YET Vanessa thinks it is hilarious when a fan grabs Aidan's ass during a selfie; gal, that's assault. Just the balance of all this felt a bit off to me. Also, for a green card marriage, this is akin to CLo's [b:Roomies|34466910|Roomies|Christina Lauren|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492478146l/34466910._SY75_.jpg|55586991] where a lot of white privilege is on display (Aidan is white, from Canada, and playing football).

All that said this story did sweep me away while I was commuting, it kept me on my toes a bit, i just don't find this book super romance-y in the way i like to read romance usually. glad i gave it a try, looking forward to discussing with my book club.

i have written a review but will not share until Harper Collins comes to work with the union currently on strike for fair wages and DEI initiatives.

i picked this up based on a rec from author Felicia Davin (and also had it on my waaaaay back list) and I'm so glad I finally read this marriage in trouble turns into a happily-poly-ever-after.

Jessica and Brent Doran are divorcing; they were high school sweethearts and married quick and young. Their marriage was not working. Now Jessica wants to make Brent jealous so enlists the help of new to town wine connoisseur and vineyard owner Evan West. Evan is older, sophisticated, and Jessica assumes he's gay. Evan in fact is bi, and also gets hit on by Jessica's ex-husband at the gala bar. Uh oh.

While this sounds SO SO SO messy, instead the author crafts a completely sexy and delightful warm hug of a romance that shows how Jessica and Brent needed to find out what went wrong the first time, heal, and realize they both have fallen in love with Evan, as both a couple and as themselves. As for Evan, who doesn't believe in HEAs, seeing him find his future with these two was also just so tender and satisfying.

York doesn't shy away from some of the tough conversations about how their relationship will be seen in the town and I'm delighted to report all is well for our lovers.

Super hot, super fun. loved it.