Review: Head Over Heels by Jennifer Dawson

HEAD OVER HEELS
by Jennifer Dawson
Series: Something New #5
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Zebra
Publication Date: September 26th 2017
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: ★★★★
Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Country and city, strapping and petite—these new neighbors have literally nothing in common. Are the fireworks crackling between them pure irritation—or something a whole lot hotter?

With her professional reputation in tatters—and her boss in jail—Sophie Kincaid has no choice but to move to small-town Revival, Illinois, until the dust settles, where her best friends have arranged a job and a house for her. For six months, she’s pretty sure she can handle anything—even her new landlord and neighbor, Ryder Moore. A magnetic 6’4” deputy sheriff, Ryder’s good looks and habit of flirting with intent to seduce are an infuriating distraction—and, to Sophie’s alarm, an undeniable temptation. Ryder knows Sophie’s type—entitled city girl—and it’s not one of his favorites. Add in her snarky sass and her propensity for trouble and she’s not exactly his ideal tenant. But something about the curvy little blonde fires Ryder’s imagination, not to mention his desire. Soon enough their verbal sparring seems like a prelude to something much more physical—and far more pleasurable. Is love right around the corner—or just right next door?

Three Romances From Non-American Authors

Hello friends!

My summer vacation is over, and I'm now back in Philadelphia. I was super sad to leave my parents, and I'm currently very home-sick, and also battling with an annoying case of jet-lag that won't go away. :( Anyways, the last few days I was home, I read a bunch of romance novels because romance novels always cheer me up. 

Check out my thoughts for a couple of them below!

ACT LIKE IT by Lucy Parker [★★★★★] 

Act Like It is one of my all-time favorite romance books. I first read the book in 2016 and fell in love with every word of it. I've since re-read the book twice, both this year. If that's not a sign of how much I love a book then I don't know how to word the depth of my fondness for Lucy's writing. Fake relationship romances are always so charming for some reason. You as a reader know that the couple will get together, so watching them initially try hard to battle it out is just an inexplicable experience. Act Like It stands out for me because of the characters. I love them all so damn much. Lainie, with her heart of gold, is so endearing. Her kindness, her loyalty and her wit make her character that's very much likeable. Then, there's grumpy-ass Richard, who has got a bit of a reputation, but who somehow finds a way under your skin, and settles in your heart. I love that even as his and Lainie's relationship progresses, he remains the class-a grump that he is. His brutal honesty is very much refreshing, and I just love this character with all my heart. The progression of the romance between Richard and Lainie is done so beautifully. Lucy Parker takes her time to develop the relationship, and we get to experience every small moment that furthers this bond between the two. It's heartwarming, and pure, and so so lovely. I melt every time I think of this pair. What's even greater is that we see the connection the two form. Not only that, they make each other better. Can you ask anything more than that from a romance? Anyways, if you haven't read this book yet, please do it. Then pick up Pretty Face as well, because OTP!! 

Cover Reveal: Bountiful (True North #4) by Sarina Bowen

Hey, guys! I'm excited to share with you the cover of Bountiful, the 4th novel in Sarina Bowen's True North series. I hope it will make your Monday a little brighter! 

Bountiful (True North #4)
by Sarina Bowen

No last names. No life stories. Those were the rules.
Once upon a time a cocky, copper-haired tourist sauntered into Zara’s bar. And even though she knew better, Zara indulged in a cure for the small-town blues. It was supposed to be an uncomplicated fling—a few sizzling weeks before he went back to his life, and she moved on.
Until an accidental pregnancy changed her life.
Two years later, she’s made peace with the notion that Dave No-Last-Name will never be found. Until one summer day when he walks into her coffee shop, leveling her with the same hot smile that always renders her defenseless.
Dave Beringer has never forgotten the intense month he spent with prickly Zara. Their nights together were the first true intimacy he’d ever experienced. But the discovery of his child is the shock of a lifetime, and his ugly past puts relationships and family out of reach.
Or does it? Vermont’s countryside has a way of nurturing even tortured souls. The fields and the orchards—and hard won love—are Bountiful.

⭐ Amazon http://geni.us/BflAmazon 

⭐ iBooks http://geni.us/BFibooks 

⭐ Kobo http://geni.us/BFkobo 

What do you think? Personally the Bittersweet cover will always be my favourite because of the beard (heh) but this one's pretty good too (abs galore!).

Anyway, I still haven't read this series despite having all the books, so a reading marathon akin to what I did with Sarina's Brooklyn Bruisers is in my future. I can't wait for this one to come out!

Are you a fan of the True North series? How excited are you for Bountiful? Tell me in the comments!

Release Blitz: Hot in Hollywood duet by Katee Robert

Hi, guys! How are you doing?

In case you've missed it, Katee Robert just released two new romances: TIES THAT BIND and ANIMAL ATTRACTION. I've reviewed them in my blog post here.

As a part of the release week blitz, I have two exclusive excerpts for you as well as a chance to win $50 Amazon gift card plus one of three (3) eBook copies of Katee Robert's Prom Queen.

Check it out!

Download the Hot in Hollywood Duet!

TIES THAT BIND and ANIMAL ATTRACTION by NYT Bestselling Author Katee Robert are on Sale Now!  

“When I found out Katee was going to write novellas for Cora and Brooklyn I was so excited. I adored both of them when I read Prom Queen and I asked for exactly this, a spin-off featuring these two awesome friends. Ties That Bind was perfect in every way.” —Goodreads Review on TIES THAT BIND

“5 ANIMAL ATTRACTION STARS!! Wow, this is a fun cute sexy story that keeps you turning pages. I enjoyed the bantering between Levi and Brooklyn, these two were great together. If you are looking for a fantastic quick read, here you go.”— Goodreads Review on ANIMAL ATTRACTION

It's written in the (Hollywood) stars!

ACTING ON IMPULSE 

by Mia Sosa
Series: Love on Cue #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: September 19th 2017
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: ★★★★1/2
Amazon - Kobo

After a very public breakup with a media-hungry politician, fitness trainer Tori Alvarez escapes to Aruba for rest, relaxation, and copious amounts of sex on the beach—the cocktail, that is. She vows to keep her vacation a man-free zone but when a cute guy is seated next to her on the plane, Tori can’t resist a little harmless flirting.

Hollywood heartthrob Carter Stone underwent a dramatic physical transformation for his latest role and it’s clear his stunning seat mate doesn’t recognize the man beneath the shaggy beard and extra lean frame. Now Carter needs help rebuilding his buff physique and Tori is perfect for the job. It doesn’t hurt that she makes his pulse pound in more ways than one.

Sparks are flying, until a pesky paparazzo reveals Carter’s identity. Tori is hurt and pissed. She wants nothing to do with another man in the limelight, but she’s still got to whip him into shape. Can Carter convince Tori he’s worth the threat to her privacy that comes with dating a famous actor, or will Tori chisel him down to nothing before he even gets the chance?

Grab the popcorn...

I had so much fun reading this book! 

The story is fast paced, and yet the romance build-up is slow and steady. Tori and Carter both had my heart from the start. I love them as individual characters and together as a couple. They were so right for each other! There was so much chemistry between them that ending up together was inevitable. I love how easy their friendship, and then relationship, was. I also love how smitten Carter was with Tori—this dude saw Tori on the plane and be like, “Yep, that’s my future wife.” And he fell even harder for her as the story progressed and they got to know each other. Tori and Carter both had their own hang-ups, but they worked through their issues together. They also maintained honest communication with each other, which I appreciate that so much. I just hate when characters jumped to conclusions and did not talk to each other—I’m not about that drama.

“Still bad at blog post titles" –a sequel

No, listen, how do you people come up with catchy post titles because I have nada.

Anyway, hi everybody! How is your week so far? School officially reopens for me this week, and I’m starting the final semester of my Master’s degree! Honestly I feel so burned out right now, I can’t wait for everything to be over, get my degree, and go make money with it, LOL.

In a bookish-related news, have you seen the cover for Lisa Kleypas’ Hello Stranger? Nick tweeted it to me when I was about to sleep last night. Personally I’m not a big fan of the dress; the black and white assemble looks weird, but I love the pink colours. Nick made a point last night in the GC about how it would be much more awesome if the model was wearing some sort of doctor attire, since the protagonist is a doctor. Talking about missed opportunities!

Also, Alisha Rai recently revealed the cover for Hurts to Love You, and it’s just as sexy as the first two covers in the Forbidden Hearts series.  I still haven’t started Hate to Want You, but I’m planning to read it as soon as I finish my current reads.

More reading updates? Onwards!

Blog Tour Stop: Second Chances - A Romance Writers of America Collection

SECOND CHANCES: A ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA COLLECTION
by J.Kenner, Christina Lauren, Alyssa Day, Lilianna Hart & More
Genres: Contemporary
Publisher: Romance Writers of America
Publication Date: September 12th 2017
Amazon - Barnes & Noble

All is fair in love and auto maintenance.

Do you believe in second chances?

Romance Writers of America® brings together seventeen of today's hottest authors in an anthology of never-before-published tales that reveal true love always deserves a happy ending.

Follow New York Times best-selling authors J. Kenner and Christina Lauren back to reader-favorite worlds.

New York Times bestseller Alyssa Day sprinkles djinn magic in her humorous paranormal romance, while Rachel Hauck brings the enchantment of the holidays in her New Year’s Eve contemporary love story.

And Liliana Hart delivers thrills and adventure in her hero and heroine's search for the impossible.

With characters who find love through tough situations, in elegant 1800s ballrooms, with an old friend who shows up when least expected, at a tender age when cliques and homework get in the way of relationships, or after a random encounter in an unlikely setting, Second Chances delivers romance to strike every reader’s fancy.

Do you need more romance books in your TBR piles? Of course, you do!

Hello friends!

I'm still in more of a mystery/suspense/phase at the moment, so that's what I have mostly been reading. But like always I was able to sneak in some romance novels that I'm happy to share with you all. I have to say, I haven't been overly impressed by any romance novel in particular lately. The ones I've read have been fun to read, but most also weren't memorable. I want something to completely sweep me off my feet! So if you have any recommendations, feel free to let me know in the comments below!

I'm also sharing with you all 6 books I've recently added to my TBR at the bottom of this post. Hope you guys find something to add to your TBRs too! :)

Let's take a look at the books I read since last week!

HEAD OVER HEELS by Jennifer Dawson [★★★]

Received for review purposes. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

I have had ups and downs with the Something New series, but for the most part it's been an enjoyable series. I had no idea the author was continuing on with the books, but I was eager to learn of Head Over Heels' existence. To be honest I couldn't remember the two main characters here from the previous books. Even after I was done reading Head Over Heels I couldn't remember them! I know I have a very poor book memory but usually I'll remember as I read the book. Anyways, back to talking about the book. This is the story of Sophie and Ryder. Sophie is caught in the middle of a scandal that she had nothing to do with, but that ultimately leaves her jobless and her reputation in Chicago destroyed. She accepts a temporary short-term job in Revival, a small town, where a couple of her best friends live. Sophie is a smart woman who possesses a lot of drive and determination. She puts all her efforts into whatever task she is responsible for, and that's a quality I admired and loved about her. After being burned by love, she is also a little reserved emotionally, and is afraid to risk her heart. Enter her landlord Ryder, a handsome bad boy who also happens to be a sheriff in town. On their first meeting, Sophie decides that even though she's wildly attracted to Ryder, she dislikes him for some unknown unexplained reason. This dislike she has for him really confused me, and actually bothered me. It felt like it was done to sort of manufacture a hate-to-love romance, and it didn't work all that well for me. So even though there were qualities I liked about Sophie, her reaction to Ryder left me annoyed. I wasn't entirely keen on Ryder either. I mean he's a typical alpha her, with not a lot of anything else going on for him. The other male characters in this series have had more defining qualities to them, so I found Ryder to be very underwhelming. The romance between the two certainly had a lot of sexual chemistry. There's no doubt that Jennifer Dawson knows her way around tension between her couples. I can't exactly pinpoint why though, but even though Sophie and Ryder had a ton of chemistry together, I wasn't feeling them 100%. Maybe it's because a lot of time is spent on the actual physical aspects of the relationship over building an emotional connection? After a while, I got real tired of hearing about their sexy shenanigans, and wanted to see them connect on a more intimate level. What I loved in Head Over Heels though was seeing all the previous couples. They are all so cute, and I loved the glimpses into their lives. Head Over Heels is a very readable book because Jennifer Dawson has such a great addicting writing style, but I'm not overly impressed by Head Over Heels.

“How to regain blogging mojo?” –a Google search

Hey, guys!

Boy, blogging is hard once you break the momentum. I had to skip posting last week because I had too much on my plate re: school, and BAM! Suddenly writing a post this week feels so damn hard. Reading wise, I can feel myself slowly descending into The Reading Rut again. I finished a few books last weekend and while some of them were great, they weren’t exactly jumping-on-the-couch amazing, you get me? 

Bookish-related news: last weekend I found out that I got approved for a few ARCs on Edelweiss (which literally never happened to me) and suddenly I have a lot of galleys to read! Exciting stuff. I’m listing them down (plus some ARC mini reviews!) under the cut. 

Now, onwards!

Kilts, Cooking & Annoying Heroines

Hi everyone! 

How are your weeks going? Mine is going okay. I haven't been feeling some of the romance books I've been reading sadly, so I've been getting back into murder mysteries and crime thrillers instead. I found my old collection of Tess Gerritsen books, and some I actually never got around to reading, so now I'm reading her Rizzoli & Isles books from the beginning.

Before I got into the murder mystery phase, I did get a chance to read some romance books, and I thought I'd share some quick thoughts with you all today. First, I'm sharing my review for the lastest book in Mary Wine's highlander series, Highland Weddings. Though I enjoyed the book, it wasn't as enjoyable as some of the other books in the series. I also review a diverse foodie romance with East in Paradise, which was a sweet book, but I also struggled with the heroine quite a bit.

Take a deeper look at what I thought about them!

HIGHLAND FLAME by Mary Wine [★★★]

Received for review purposes. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

Some of you may have followed my reviews for the previous books in this series by Mary Wine on the other blog. If you don't know, I'm totally in love with this series. It's my first highlander series and Mary Wine has done nothing but impress me with the way she weaves together romance and politics. I'm always eager to read the next book in the series, so I jumped on Highland Flame with a lot of excitement. 

Right away though I could tell that Highland Flame wouldn't be as good for me as the previous books in the series. It's not a terrible book, but compared to the others, it falls behind a little bit. In Highland Flame, we're given Jane's story. She's a feisty, brave and sometimes reckless Englishwoman determined to return back home after her Scottish husband's passing. Jane is a great character, who shows a lot of strength and resilience throughout Highland Flame. Her scoundrel of her husband was even ready to prostitute her to settle his gambling credit, but she knows she's worth more than that and vehemently refuses. She remains true to herself throughout the book, and always bounces back whatever the obstacle she faces. 

She totally deserved a sweetheart like Diocail. I initially wasn't quite sure what to make of Diocail. He's just become the leader of his clan and desperately needs a wife to fix things around in their decrepit castle. I couldn't quite get a handle on his personality at first, but as the story progressed, we got to see the caring man underneath all that gruff exterior. He wants to do good for his clan, and his kindness and patience towards Jane were nothing short of swoony. Though I loved these two characters individually, I felt like a certain spark was missing in their relationship. I don't quite know exactly why that was, but I only know that I never felt as strongly for them as I did the previous couple. They enter into a marriage with Jane still hell-bent on going back to her home in England, but throughout the Highland Flame, they become familiar with each other and grow a bond. I'm just not convinced by their bond though. As always, Mary Wine writes excellent steamy scenes. Another aspect I liked here was the deeper exploration of what it's like to belong to a clan led by Highlanders. 

All in all, Highland Flame was certainly readable, and if you're a fan of this series, I definitely recommend checking it out.