A Whole Galore of Romance

Hello beautiful humans!

I hope you've had a good week. How is it already mid-January though? I DO NOT COMPUTE. I'm back to school, so my reading has gone back to the way it normally is, which *sad face*. I've read loads of great romances though since I last checked in with you guys, so I can't wait to share all the good stuff with you. Let's get started!

MAN CARD by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby [★★★] 

I've come to realize that this series and I are not really meant to me. For the most part, I enjoyed Man Hands, but thought the humor wasn't exactly for me. Still, I was curious about Man Card, especially after all that hate-chemistry we saw between Ash and Braht in the first book. Unfortunately, I didn't entirely click with Man Card, so my experience reading this one wasn't that great.

Let me talk about the positives first. I'll say that I liked the secondary characters quite a bit. I especially liked the friendship between Ash and her girlfriends. They are a hoot, and I love how genuinely supportive they are of each other. They have the kind of female friendship I wish I could find: open, trustworthy and with plenty of laughs between them. I was low-key envious of these girls.

I also liked Ash a lot. She's a pretty chill character, very hard-working and passionate about her real-estate job. Braht, personally, was a bit too flamboyant for me. He was very effeminate, and while there's absolutely nothing wrong with effeminate men, I thought the authors were trying too hard to make him come across as someone who understands women. I thought he came across as more of a caricature, tbh. Sure, he made me laugh a couple of times, but most of the time I also thought I was reading through the mind of a cross between a teen boy and a hormonal woman, which honestly doesn't make me swoon all that.

There's plenty of chemistry between Braht and Ash, and I liked that they pushed each other's buttons. I also liked how devoted Braht was to Ash. He knew she was the girl for him and was very resolute about that. It was super cute. Overall though, I felt like something was missing for me, and I found my attention wavering while reading.

I think if you're new to Sarina Bowen's books, there are far better ones out there for you to try. But if you're ok with over-the-top humor, I still recommend reading these books.

MOST LIKELY TO SCORE by Lauren Blakely [★★★★] 

Oh I so enjoyed reading this book! It was fun, sexy, and quick - pretty much the exact book I needed at the time that I read this. I got this one because Deanna mentioned in her review that the heroine was a Chinese American character - she was adopted as a baby from China. I love seeing diversity in romance these days, so I had to read it. I'm so glad I did! Here are a few reasons I loved reading this book:

1. THE HERO
OMG. The hero is so precious. I'm always nervous about the sports player type in romance novels. They tend to be cocky and irritating, but Jones totally stole my heart. He's a huge animal lover - seriously, there are so many great scenes of him with pups and kitties! - but he's also a genuinely decent guy. I loved how kind and giving he was, and I loved even more how much he loved his family. There's just something about a guy who loves and supports his family!

2. THE HEROINE
Loved loved loved Jillian. She's smart, down-to-earth, and a sweetheart. I loved how savvy and unafraid she was when it came to her career. The girl knew how to go after what she wanted, and that's always such an admirable quality in a woman. I also liked the small ways in which she kept in touch with her Chinese culture, even though she had grown up American.

3. THE ROMANCE
Whenever I think of this romance, my brain just goes awwwwwww! Because these two! <3 They have plenty of witty banter between them and they could be seriously so cute together. They have some obstacles in the beginning given that Jillian is the PR person for Jones' team, but they find themselves in an unlikely friendship that develops into attraction. I liked that the romance didn't have any over the top drama either. It was just the way I like my romances. Plus, the sexy scenes were smoking hot!!!

4. FAMILY
I love love reading about family dynamics in books, and this was no different. I loved the bond between Jillian and her dad. They made me so happy with their love and support for each other. I loved even more that Jillian's dad was a bigger shipper of Jones-Jillian than I was. I thought that was so adorable!

So yeah, this book is a lot of fun and you must read it. It's also reminded me that I need to do a better job and pick up more books by Lauren Blakely already!

MORE BOOKS, BECAUSE WHY NOT?

I read this book guys, and legit cried my eyes out. I'm not very much of a crier when I read books but this one destroyed me. I loved everything about it and it's easily a 5-star read for me. It takes place in Cuba, has dual narrative and dual timelines, and has two incredibly achy romance. It made me feel all the feels. I was a mess when I was done. I'll be writing a full review for this one, so keep an eye out for it!

I also read One and Only by Jenny Holiday, and thought it was super cute. I especially loved how the romance between the pair developed. Also, A+ female friendships!

**I received all books in this post as ARCs for review purposes. This does not affect my rating and review.**

RECENT ADDITIONS TO MY TBR

  

I mostly want It Takes Two because of the Asian main character! But also, I just love that cover and ship the couple so hard already.
Don't Call Me Cupcake sounds so interesting too - it has cupcakes, wishes and a rivalry romance. I'm here for it.

One Match Fire is a second chance romance set in a summer camp. I don't think I've ever read an adult romance set in a summer camp. I love the idea though!

 Tell me all about your latest romance reads in the comments below!