**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**Operation Prom Date is a young adult contemporary romance by author Cindi Madsen. I have read some of Cindi's adult romances and I really enjoyed them. They were fun and flirty so I was really excited when I saw she was coming out with a young adult romance. And even more excited when it was called the Tactics in Flirting series. Operation Prom Date is the first book in the Tactics in Flirting series. And I have to tell you...I flippin' LOVED this book. It was so cute. I felt like my face was going to hurt after because I was smiling so much.

Operation Prom Date had so many elements in that I love. It had a plot to get a guy that involved using another guy, it had a great friends to more storyline, and it has tons of geeky fandom references! Kate and Cooper are the two main characters in this story, and Operation Prom Date is told in dual narrative between their points of views. What I appreciated most about this was the fact that this was a true friends to more story. Neither Kate nor Cooper had a crush on each other at the start of the story. It developed over time on both of their sides, which was very refreshing. And super cute to get to see their feelings grow in each of their chapters.

Cooper is very into astronomy and rowing (crew). I loved Cooper. He is such a great guy. And Kate is a numbers gal. A super math nerd (I envy the ease at which she can calculate odds and percentages!) but also a total romantic. I loved all her talk of OTP and the different shows she watches. She is always talking about who she ships and cannon couples. I just loved it. The fandom geek inside of me was totally geeking out!

It has been a long time since I have read a young adult contemporary that I loved as much as I loved Operation Prom Date. It is so freakin' cute. You will fall in love with Cooper and Kate. I promise. This book is perfect for fans of all things fandom. If you liked All the Feels by Danika Stone, you will enjoy this one. I loved it! One of my favorites of the year for sure. I totally ship Kate and Cooper. And Cooper has ton book boyfriend material written all over him!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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The Bad Boy Bargain is a young adult contemporary standalone romance by author Kendra C. Highley. This book is chock full of cuteness. That is the best way to describe it. It is like a smile in a box. I thoroughly enjoyed The Bad Boy Bargain. Lately I have been finding myself gravitating more towards New Adult for my contemporary romances, and young adult for my fantasies. Oftentimes I am finding young adult contemporaries just a bit too immature in the characters. But the big exception to this seems to be the Entangled Crush line. I really enjoy their YA romances for the most part. (And I don't think that just because a book is young adult that the characters get a free pass on being immature- not all young adults are immature, and I expect that to follow through in YA books too!)

The main characters in The Bad Boy Bargain were a breath of fresh air in this regard. And yes, even though the book had a "revenge" theme, I thought Faith and Kyle were great. I thought they were age appropriate and still mature. Kyle really won me over. I wish more book characters were like him. I found it hilarious how he was trying to hold on to his (completely fake) bad boy/player reputation so hard. It couldn't be further from the truth, and I have no idea how he fooled his friends for as long as he did. Faith's mom was the only one that seemed to see through his ridiculous act that didn't match any of his actions. He is a sweetheart and a big ole softie. Plus, when he would get awkward around Faith, it melted my heart. He is just too darn adorkable. Every time she danced in front of him, my mouth hurt because I was grinning so big. He is just too darn cute.

Faith and Kyle are so good together, and not because she is a good girl and he is a bad boy. No, these two are not opposites at all. They are both good, and I loved seeing the good guy get the good girl. It made this book feel super sweet and it gave me all kinds of warm fuzzies. Bottom line: if you are looking for a quick young adult romance that is super cute and has characters you will love (who are not at all annoying) check out The Bad Boy Bargain. I loved the mature, yet still age appropriate, characters featured in this extra cute romance.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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Swinging at Love is the second book in the young adult contemporary romance series, called the Suttonville Senitels by Kendra C. Highley. I was so excited when I found out about this book. Seriously. I read and LOVED The Bad Boy Bargain and I thought it was just going to be a standalone, so when I found out it was going to be a series centering around a baseball team. I thoroughly enjoyed Swinging at Love. Just as much as The Bad Boy Bargain. This series is a welcome smash hit for me! Lately I have been finding myself gravitating more towards New Adult for my contemporary romances, and young adult for my fantasies. Oftentimes I am finding young adult contemporaries just a bit too immature in the characters. But the big exception to this seems to be the Entangled Crush line. I really enjoy their YA romances for the most part. (And I don't think that just because a book is young adult that the characters get a free pass on being immature- not all young adults are immature, and I expect that to follow through in YA books too!)

Just like with the Bad Boy Bargain, this book is chock full of cuteness. That is the best way to describe it. It is like a smile in a box. I really liked Tristan and Alyssa. I still think Faith and Kyle were my favorite couple but I adored them so much that it is hard to come close. But Tristan and Alyssa did come close, and if it were for some lying and some miscommunication that irked me, they might have passed Kyle. But they are a close second and I can't wait to see what the next story in the series is going to be about. I really enjoyed Tristan and Alyssa's story. It has all the signature cuteness I have come to associate with Kendra's books. It is my favorite thing about them.

Tristan is a star on the baseball team but he has lost his swing. And Alyssa's family business is in trouble. Each of them are doing their best to save their respective thing and their paths cross and cris cross in the most adorable ways. If they only could have been a bit more honest with each other and with their friends I think this book would have been perfect. But live and learn. They are still young. I really liked their story.

Bottom line: if you are looking for a quick young adult romance that is super cute and has characters you will love (who are not at all annoying) check out Swinging at Love and the Suttonville Sentinels series. I loved the mature, yet still age appropriate, characters featured in this extra cute romance.


This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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The Room Mate was originally slated as being a standalone contemporary romance by Kendall Ryan, but now she is going to make it into a series. I am so excited that this is now the first book in the new adult romance series, called Roommates. I loved The Room Mate, and it really shouldn't be any surprise why. First, Kendall Ryan writes kick ass romances. Second, I love the whole brother/sister's best friend trope. And third, I think the whole roommate trope is my favorite ever. So when you combine all three, well, you have a match made in new adult heaven for me. And now I get to see more and more rommmate stories from Kendall. YES PLEASE!! There is just something about forced proximity in the roommates trope that adds a whole other layer to a romance. A layer that I can't get enough of.

The Room Mate is the story of Cannon and Paige. I loved Paige, but I loved Cannon. I mean, what is not to love. He is a doctor in training, he is a great guy and he is a big nerd at heart! Sign me up. Right now. The whole him being 'cursed' thing totally cracked me up. And Paige totally cracked me up. I loved everything about their dynamic in the story. I know Paige is four years older than Cannon, because he is her best friends little brother, but it really didn't bother me. And honestly Kendall Ryan writes such a fun and sexy and engaging romance that I forgot about the age difference after a while. Cannon is smart and mature so it wasn't an issue for me at all.

Cannon is a cutie patootie, and I was all about him in this book. He is so book boyfriend worthy. I loved him and Paige together Kendall Ryan just knows how to write romance gold. I always know that I am going to love her books. She has become an auto buy author for me. She is a genius as combining humor, sass, URST and romance, which are my favorite things in a contemporary romance. The Room Mate is an awesome start to series I am really excited about. This is another home run for Kendall. Now I need book 2, ASAP.



This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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Garden of Thorns is a young adult fantasy by Amber Mitchell. I love the concept behind this book. The Garden is a captivity like setting where girls are taken and forced to join a burlesque type troop and perform. The main character Rose escapes and immediately tangled with a group of rebels. They take off on an adventure with differing end goals. I really liked the concept of Garden of Thorns, but the book ended up being just ok. Plus, I do have to point out how beautiful the cover is! I seriously love it!

Rayce and Rose are the two main characters in this story, and while I liked them both well enough, something was missing for me. I'm not really sure what it is, and that is the frustrating part. I guess I was just wishing for more on all fronts. I wanted more description for sure. I was very unclear on a lot of aspects of the garden. Where did they get the girls from. Was it illegal? was it legal? At the start of the story, I thought they were actually flowers. Like the talking flowers from wonderland. It wasn't until the performance scene that I knew any differently.

And then with the whole adventure, it was good. I did like the story more as it went on, but there was something holding me back from loving it. I found it to be a little predictable and a little easy. There wasn't anything compelling or gripping about the characters or the romance or really their situation. There isn't too much romance in the story, but the romance that there was felt very natural. It didn't feel rushed or forced, which I appreciated.

Bottom line: Garden of Thorns is a decent read with a very interesting concept. I wanted to love it more than I did. Don't get me wrong, I liked this book. It was a good read with good writing, and good characters. But I didn't love it. It was just kind of ehh. However; a ton of people have loved Garden of Thorns. (I will link to a couple of other reviews down below) However; if you are a concept driven reader, you will likely enjoy this very unique fantasy setup. Let me know what you think!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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1.5/5 stars

There's Something About Nik by Sara Hantz is a young adult contemporary romance. It's about an undercover prince and I have had such great success with the Entangled crush line that I so wanted to love this one. I really really did. But it just didn't work for me. I'm not really sure why. Sara Hantz did a fine job with the writing, and I wouldn't be opposed to reading another one of her books, but this plot wasn't for me. And that is ok. If you think you would love a book about a mysterious guy who is really a prince, you should check out some of the reviews I have linked below. Lot's of people really enjoyed this book.

There's Something about Nik is the story of Nik and Amber. Nik comes to an american boarding school and he is so clearly hiding a secret. And honestly, I liked Nik for the most part. I hated how everyone treated him. I mean they were all huge jerks and brats. Making fun of him for his accent, etc. I just couldn't stand the whole lot of students at the school to be honest. Which made it hard for me to get into the story. And the romance just felt off to me. It fell flat.

The whole story was ok, but if I am being totally honest with myself, I had to force my way through it. And that is never a good sign with the book. I think it was just a bit too immature for my tastes, and I couldn't really connect with the characters, which is normally a kiss of death for me. But if you are looking for a surface level quick, cute read, this one just might hit the spot. Just because There's Something About Nik didn't work for me, doesn't mean you won't love it. Check out these reviews from people who loved the book and see if it is something you might enjoy. This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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Seven Days of You  by Cecilia Vinesse is a young adult contemporary romance that takes place in Tokyo, Japan. I loved the setting of this book. I bet Tokyo is such a vibrant and alive city. I thought it made the perfect place for a week of crazy adventures for these friends.

I loved the way the book was set up. Sofia, or Sofa to her friends (I hated her nickname!) lives in Tokyo and goes to an American academy there while her mom is teaching at a university. But the book starts out when she only has seven days left until she leaves, and the chapters start off with countdowns until her departure. It kind of reminded me of The Night we Said Yes  by Lauren Gibaldi. I really liked the flow of the book. It is about a group of friends that all have secrets and crushes and their own drama, but the romance was actually super cute. There were some light family issues thrown in to keep things interesting and plenty of teenage group of friends drama, but overall this was a light and quick read.

It made me want to visit Tokyo. That is for sure. I have one major holdup with Seven Days of You. It is the reason I didn't rate this one higher, but it is a major spoiler. So read on at your own risk. 

I was so bummed at the ending! I feel like this is going to be a standalone book, and there were so many issues that Sofia and Jamie worked through and just when they were all cute and together she left. And they totally ended on a bummer. They don't even know if they are going to see each other again...at all. They decided not to long distance. And I get that it is the realistic ending but it was just not what I wanted to happen at all. I really liked Jamie. He is such a great guy and I was so happy that Sofia finallyt came around to him and then poof...nothing. No epilogue or later visit in their lives and certainly no HEA. I was so bummed when I finished reading.

I believe Seven Days of You is a standalone contemporary novel, but I am really really hoping that there is another book in the works because this one felt unfinished to me. I want to see more.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a realistic contemporary book in a really cool setting, you should pick up Seven Days of You. I enjoyed this one.



This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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Sugar on the Edge is my first attempt with a Sawyer Bennett book, and I was so pleased with the characters and romance! Sugar on the Edge can be read as a standalone but it is also the third book in the contemporary romance Last Call series. Gavin a dark and tortured soul throughout most of the book. I loved that he was an author and his books were his outlet for his dark feelings. I know this sounds weird because I am nothing like him, but I felt like I really got him from the first time I met him. And it was then that I knew this was going to be a fantastic read for me. If you like your romance extra hot with a side of wonderful characters, then Sugar on the edge is the book for you.

Gavin goes to a secluded house in North Carolina to finish his lastest novel. He seems like the biggest of big authors because the money that the publishing companies were paying him was unreal! He basically wants to hole himself up in his house and write all the time. So he gets a maid and gets to work. I think we all know who his maid is going to be...Savannah comes into Gavin's life and shakes everything up. I can't even tell you how much I loved that fact that Gavin made a character about her right from the star. It was so cute, even if she was a meek anti-heroine that would get killed. She was determined to prove him wrong and he was determined to prove himself right. It was a cute back and forth they had going.

Savannah was a cute character and I loved how she challenged Gavin. She made him realize that she was different and she demanded that she be seen as different. It was interesting to see her do that in her sometimes shy way. Savannah was much more my type of character in real life, but the beauty of Sawyer's writing is that it doesn't matter how alike or unlike a character you are, you can connect with everyone in the story.

Gavin and Savannah both made some poor choices in the story. Savannah is stubborn to a fault and Gavin had his boneheaded moments, but for the most part Gavin and Savannah were so patient and wonderful with each other. Their relationship was a unqiue one, but I adored them. I loved their nicknames for each other, and I loved seeing the way they reacted to one another. I was not seeing the big twist towards the end coming, and while I didn't love it, it completely worked for the story. The last call series is perfect for people that love their romance hot and sexy. I can't wait to read the rest of the books.

 This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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Weddings, Crushes, and Other Dramas is the sixth book in the Creative HeArts series, and the second book in the Finn and Willa trilogy by Emily McKay. I have still not read the fourth or fifth book in the series, but I have read books 1-3. I have said it before and I will say it again, I freakin love the way this series is done. Let me try and break it down for you, because it can be kind of confusing. The Creative HeArts series is all set at the same performing arts high school in Texas. There will be 12 books in the series, and it will center around 4 different couples (at this time anyway). Each of the couples will get their own trilogy, and each trilogy is written by a different author. But the books in the overall Creative HeArts series will rotate through each one of the three couples, so no two sequential books will be about the same two main characters. Get it? I promise it is less confusing once you start reading the books. I really love that they are all set in the same universe and I love that none of their stories are neatly wrapped up at the end of book one. (If you are still confused, check out the goodreads series page HERE which does a good job at explaining it.)

Finn and Willa are my favorite couple in the series so far. I adored How Willa Got Her Groove Back, which was the first book in the Willa and Finn trilogy and I couldn't wait to read Weddings, Crushes, and Other Dramas. It picks up right where How Willa Got Her Groove Back left off, so you do need to read that one first. (You don't necessarily have to read all the other books in the series, but reading them all helps you get a better idea of the world. I need to go back and read books 4 and 5 ASAP. I has the best of intentions to read them in order, but when I saw the second Willa and Finn book, I got a little over excited and jumped the gum. Whoops.)

Weddings, Crushes, and Other Dramas was just as cute and angsty as I was hoping it would be. I loved watching Finn and Willa struggle and deny their feelings for one another, and try and play the part of a good family as they helped their parents get read for their wedding. The only things I didn't like about this book were that Willa was still dating that jerk face and Finn had to witness it for the whole story. And I was also a little sad that the romance between my beloved Willa and Finn took so long to actually come into fruition. There was a how lot of resisting the whole story, which don't get me wrong, I loved, but I wanted to see more of the romance because I love these two together. Alas, I think I will have to wait for their final book before I get what I want. But this was an excellent installment in their story. I want book 3 right now!

Bottom line: Weddings, Crushes, and Other Dramas is a great book for lovers of young adult contemporaries. And if you have not checked out the Creative HeArts series yet, I think you should. Fans of young adult contemporaries will really dig its unique concept and structure. I have been really loving it, and I hope to see more series like it in the future.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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Con Man is a contemporary romance by T. Torrest. Guys, it is no secret that I love love love makeover stories. There is just something about the character growth and the confidence they get, and even better if the romance is between the makeover guru and the client. I just eat it up. All the time. And Con Man is no different. I loved Con Man. It was such a fun read! Plus, we don't only get to see one of his makeover students...we get to see 3!

Con Man is the story of Ainsley and Lucas and Mia. The twist on the class makeover story is that Lucas used to be a geek and he used to know Ainsley. Yes, yes, yes. yes too all of it. I couldn't read this book quick enough. I just kept getting more and more excited as it went on. And then there is Mia. Mia is another client of his that he has a great friendship with. I loved that this book didn't take the obvious path from the summary. It was really great that we got to see all three of Lucas' clients. (there was also a male client) because it was like having multiple storylines in one.

Bottom line: If you like books like Matchmakers, Inc and other makeover type stories you may really enjoy Con Man (Not Con like a trick, but Con like Confidence) I liked that I was surprised with this story. The summary was a bit misleading, but overall it turned out to be a really fun read. I can totally see this turning into a romantic comedy.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs