When a post does not have a theme, but here are two great romantic suspense novels and two "meh" contemporaries

Hey folks! 

I hope everyone is having a good Wednesday, and your week is going well! Hopefully, you all are reading some good book!

I'm here to share some of my thoughts on some recent romance books that I've read. There's not a particularly over-arching theme in this post. It's going to be a post featuring varying genres, but they all contain some kind of romance! I have two romantic suspense reviews for you - spoiler alert, I loved those two! I also have two contemporaries, one about a nanny and a famous DJ and another about lawyers.

Take a look at what I thought about them!

EXTREME EXPOSURE by Pamela Clare [★★★1/2]

I picked Extreme Exposure up thanks to Lisa's reviews for books 2-4. I love romances with suspense themes in them, but unfortunately have not read many either. This was a good start to the series, and I enjoyed it a whole lot. What was unique here for me was that the book features an investigative reporter and a senator- I don't think I've read a romance that was so heavily entrenched in politics. It was an experience, and a good one! The characters in Extreme Exposure were a well-developed cast, and Pamela Clare took her time to flesh them out into realistic individuals. Kara and I formed an instant connection. I liked how independent, ruthless and hardworking she was. As a single mother, things tended to be hard for her in many ways, and I especially liked how Clare explores the balance between work and family life here. But Kara does her best for her daughter, and you can just tell that her whole revolves around her kid and her job. Speaking of her job, she's an investigative journalistic like I mentioned above, and a damn good one at that. Her career was so interesting to me. I don't think I quite realized just how dangerous the life of a reporter can actually get. Reece was a fantastic hero too. He's an alpha, but he also has a very sensitive side to him. All throughout Extreme Exposure, he is patient, gentle and loving towards Kara. Their romance was just lovely and I enjoyed watching the progression of their relationship. The plot in Extreme Exposure which involved corrupt companies, unethical politicians, and pollution, was fantastic and held my attention all throughout. I was on the edge of my seat all throughout the book! If you're looking for a romantic suspense novel that's different from most of what's out there, Extreme Exposure is a book for you!

Of dukes, a magistrate, and happily ever afters.

Hello, everyone! How is your reading this week?

Honestly, I’m having a blah week. Academic-wise, I need to submit the complete draft of my Master’s thesis to my supervisor in a week, and wrapping up my writing is the single, most hardest thing to do right now.

Boring stuff aside, I finally created a shelf for single parents on my Goodreads, and because I love multiple shelves, I decided to split them into separate shelves for single mothers and single fathers. I’m also reorganizing books in my age gap shelf. For some reason, I’ve been shelving books with minimum age difference of five years and above into that shelf, and I now realized that it didn’t really make sense; five years aren’t that big of a gap, right?

On a bookish-related note, the first book in one of my all-time favourite series, the All Souls trilogy, is getting a TV adaptation! I thought I was over books with vampires in them, but then I got hooked on A Discovery of Witches and proved myself wrong. The author, Deborah Harkness, announced on Monday that the main characters Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont will be played by Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode. 

Granted, they aren’t how I pictured Diana and Matthew, but I’m excited nonetheless. Now onwards for some mini reviews!

When Will The Toxic Hero Trope Die?

DISORDERLY CONDUCT
by Tessa Bailey
Series: The Academy #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Erotica
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: August 29th 2017
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: ★
Amazon - Barnes & Noble

You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone…

Police academy cadet Charlie Burns can’t believe his luck when the gorgeous blonde he meets in a bar murmurs those magic words: “Nothing serious, ’kay?” Mind-blowing, no-strings sex with Ever Carmichael—it’s the holy grail of hookups for a guy who’s too busy following in his law enforcement family’s footsteps to think about getting serious. Charlie’s all about casual…that is, until Ever calls it quits and his world tilts on its axis.

Ever knows that when you control the relationship game, you can’t get played. But for the first time, she wants more than short-term satisfaction. Step one: end her fling with commitment-phobic Charlie. Step two: sacrifice herself to the ruthless NYC dating scene. Yet everywhere she turns, there’s Charlie, being his ridiculously charming self. No online match or blind date compares to the criminally hot cop-in-training, but they’re over. Aren’t they?

If love is a four-letter-word, why does the idea of Ever seeing someone else tie Charlie up in knots? Now he’s desperate to win her back…and a little date sabotage never hurt anyone, right?

Blog Tour Stop: Beard in Mind by Penny Reid

BEARD IN MIND 
by Penny Reid
Series: Winston Brothers #4
Genres: Contemporary
Publisher: Penny Reid
Publication Date: August 1st 2017

All is fair in love and auto maintenance.

Beau Winston is the nicest, most accommodating guy in the world. Usually. Handsome as the devil and twice as charismatic, Beau lives a charmed life as everyone’s favorite Winston Brother. But since his twin decided to leave town, and his other brother hired a stunning human-porcupine hybrid as a replacement mechanic for their auto shop, Beau Winston’s charmed life has gone to hell in a handbasket. Shelly Sullivan is not nice and is never accommodating. Ever. She mumbles to herself, but won’t respond when asked a question. She glares at everyone, especially babies. She won’t shake hands with or touch another person, but has no problems cuddling with a dog. And her damn parrot speaks only in curse words. Beau wants her gone. He wants her out of his auto shop, out of Tennessee, and out of his life. The only problem is, learning why this porcupine wears her coat of spikes opens a Pandora’s box of complexity—exquisite, tempting, heartbreaking complexity—and Beau Winston soon discovers being nice and accommodating might mean losing what matters most.

It's all about the puck (or is it?)

Hi, guys! How is your week so far? Did you notice that I managed to post on Thursday this time? :p

So I confess: I have a problem when it comes to Sarina Bowen. Namely, I keep buying her books and then…not read them, LOL. I fell in love with her writing when I first read The Shameless Hour. Come to think of it, I never finished that series, hmm... I bought the True North series because most of my friends raved about them (I'm hopeless with peer pressure; I cave so very easily), and I also bought the Brooklyn Bruisers series because I love sports romance. 

Long story short, after I reread Kate Meader’s Irresistible You (my review here, ICYMI!), I was in a mood for more hockey, so I started Rookie Move. I ended up finishing all three books in one night, had one hour of sleep before I had to start my day, and completely crashed by 3 pm. 

Best. Decision. Ever. #noragrets

Anyway, onwards!

Review: Irresistible You by Kate Meader

IRRESISTIBLE YOU
by Kate Meader
Series: Chicago Rebels #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Pocket Star
Publication Date: August 14th 2017
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: ★★★★
Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Harper Chase has just become the most powerful woman in the NHL after the death of her father Clifford Chase, maverick owner of the Chicago Rebels. But the team is a hot mess—underfunded, overweight, and close to tapping out of the league. Hell-bent on turning the luckless franchise around, Harper won’t let anything stand in her way. Not her gender, not her sisters, and especially not a veteran player with an attitude problem, a chip on his shoulder, and a smoldering gaze designed to melt her ice-compacted defenses.

Veteran center Remy “Jinx” DuPre is on the downside of a career that’s seen him win big sponsorships, fans’ hearts, and more than a few notches on his stick. Only one goal has eluded him: the Stanley Cup. Sure, he’s been labeled as the unluckiest guy in the league, but with his recent streak of good play, he knows this is his year. So why the hell is he being shunted off to a failing hockey franchise run by a ball-buster in heels? And is she seriously expecting him to lead her band of misfit losers to a coveted spot in the playoffs?

He’d have a better chance of leading Harper on a merry skate to his bed…

Upcoming Romance Books That Sound So Amazing They Make Me Weepy

Hi everyone! 

I hope your Tuesday is off to a good start! I'm here today to share with you all some romance novels I'm super excited to read, that will be releasing soon-ish. Hopefully, you guys are just as excited as I am about some of these books and maybe you'll find a book or two to add to your TBRs as well! 

So let's get started!

Re-Release Announcement: Hot & Bothered - Out of Uniform by Elle Kennedy

Hey folks!

I'm just here today with an announcement for a re-release of three sexy novellas in one bundle from Elle Kennedy! Check out the steamy new cover and read what the 3 stories are all about below!

Mmhmm, men in uniform!

Hey, guys! 

Remember how I said I’ll be posting on Thursdays? Yeah well turns out I’m not so good at following up with my own plans, LOL. This week has been a pretty busy one for me, and I totally forgot how time-consuming it is to work on a blog post. I definitely have to start drafting earlier next week! *crosses fingers*

I’ve been on a rereading streak this week and the books I read gave me an idea on what to write. Previously I mentioned about having a thing for the age gap trope in romance, so today I’m going to talk about another favourite trope of mine—men in uniforms. When I started reading romance, I devoured a whole lot of books featuring cops, military men (my fav), firefighters, paramedics, federal agents…you get my drift. And I still do, obviously. I usually gravitate towards alpha heroes; the bossier the better, LOL.

Anyway, onwards!

Is It Hot In Here Or What?

LOCKED BOX
by Eve Dangerfield
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Erotica
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Publication Date: March 7th 2017
Source: Purchased
Rating: ★★★1/2
Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Julia Bennett isn’t having a great day. Funding for her video game is low, her day job is sucking her dry, and to cap it all off she’s locked in a police station with the very handsome, extremely married guy she’s been avoiding at all costs.

Max Connor isn’t having a great year. He’s getting divorced, his best friend is squatting in his house, and his inappropriate crush on the IT girl is getting way out of hand. And that was before he locked the two of them in an evidence room.

Surrounded by three decades’ worth of drugs, guns, and floppy disks, Max and Julia are forced to confront the heat that lies between them with dangerous, funny, and occasionally toe-curlingly sexy results.

“Why am I so bad at titles?” –a blog post

Hi, everyone!

How is August treating you so far? I’m currently in the first stage of writing my thesis—I’m going to finish my Master’s degree on time even if it kills me. Boring stuff aside, let me just express how truly excited I am that Nick, Eri, and I are now co-blogging together. If all goes well, I hope to be posting something new every Thursday (and yes I know it’s Saturday today; baby steps and whatnot), mostly updates on my reading and/or mini-reviews. I’ve always planned to blog consistently; fingers crossed I’ll be able to do that on our spanking new blog. 

When I picked the books to talk about in this week’s post, I noticed that they had one thing in common: they all have the ‘older heroine, younger hero’ trope, or what you call “cougar romance”. I have a thing for big age difference in romance, but I admit I don’t read many books that featured older heroines. It’s definitely something I’m planning to rectify.

Anyway, onwards!

Review: Until It Fades by K.A Tucker

UNTIL IT FADES
by K.A Tucker
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: June 27th 2017
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: ★★★★
Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania: population two thousand outside of tourist season.

And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.

For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?

Launching Romances Ever After & A Giveaway