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!

My Romance Backlist TBR I'm Hoping To Tackle In 2018

Happy Tuesday, everyone! 

I hope you all are doing well. I'm back to school this week so boo! Plus, the weather over here has been dreadful. I have to wear like 50 layers of clothes if I leave my apartment. Anyways, let's shove the boring story aside! Today, I'll be sharing a list of books that have already been released that I'm looking forward to getting at some point this year. I'm hoping that actually listing these books out will be a way to help hold myself accountable. At the end of the year, I'll check back and see how well I did. These all sound so good though, so I need to read them for certain. 

Let's get to it!

THE BOOKS

 All for You by Laura Florand

I've read a couple of books in the Amour Et Chocolat series and loved them. Laura Florand's writing is really crack-worthy, so I want to try this series, especially. It's an unrequited/second-chance/brother's best friend romance and you all know what that combo does to me!

Trade Me by Courtney Milan

Friends, this will be the year I actually read and finish a Courtney Milan book. This one has gotten really good reviews. I'm in the mood for more NA style contemporary romances, so I'm totally going to give Trade Me a try.  

Strong Signal by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell

I love everything and anything Megan Erickson, and although I haven't read Santino Hassell yet, I'm super excited to read this series. It's gotten so many fantastic reviews, and is so well-loved, so I have to try it out and watch nerdy boys fall for each other.

Chasing Crazy by Kelly Siskind

I have read and loved everything that Kelly Siskind has written, so I really don't know why I haven't picked up her debut yet. I love books about traveling, so this is honestly right up my alley. Chasing Crazy is definitely at the top of my list!

Somebody Like You by Donna Alward

I bought this one because of Becky's review. It sounds like a really lovely and warm story. And I just adore how cozy that cover is. Plus, this is a second chance romance. I'm a sucker for those!

How To Tame A Beast In Seven Days by Kerrelyn Sparks

I've seen several readers rave about this one, but the review that really got me interested belongs to Renee's from Addicted to Romance. I'm down for some more paranormal romance this year, and this one sounds like a humorous one as well!

The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson

This one came onto my radar thanks to Sarah MacLean. When I found out that the hero was a chef, I was a goner. And it sounds like it's a hate/rivalry to love kind of romance, so you know I need to read this!

Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Charlotte Butterflied

Hannah was talking about this one on Twitter, and she described the hero as swoony, so I one-clicked. This sounds adorable, and there's a swoony brother involved, so I didn't need much convincing!

Moonlight Over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

Another book that I added because of blogger peer pressure! I believe Grace reviewed this one and she had wonderful things to say about it. It sounds freaking adorable, and there are pets involved! I'm bound to be entertained.

Insecure by Ainslie Paton

I'm actually planning on reading all of Ainslie Paton's backlist at some point, but this series is at the top of my list at the moment. This one has a romance between an IT nerd and his boss!

I Temporarily Do by Ellie Cahill

I've enjoyed Ellie Cahill's books in the past, and this one sounds just as adorable as her usual ones. It has a fake relationship trope which you all know I live for!

Dating You Hating You by Christina Lauren

I meant to get to this one last year, but somehow I forgot about it until Nereyda read and loved it. It sounds like a really fun romance, so I'm looking forward to reading it, especially after loving Roomies.

What are some romance books in your backlist TBRs? Have you read any of the books featured in this post? Let me know in the comments below!

Lisa's 2018 Bookish Goals

Hi, guys! How is your 2018 so far?

As for me, I’m already failing with my new year resolution to journal consistently. I missed four days now hahahaha trying to get in the habit is so hard, but I’m not giving up just yet.

Also, please welcome Nick back from her short hiatus! She reviewed Man Hands by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby in her Tuesday post (this book is hilarious so if you haven’t checked it out then this is your cue!) as well as Lauren Layne’s upcoming release.

I don’t have any reviews for today. Instead, I’m going to share with you 4 bookish goals or resolutions that I wish to accomplish this year.

TRACK MY BOOK PURCHASES

I’m so, so bad at managing my financials, honestly. Most of the time I get confused as to where all my money went (to books…to books, of course). Last year I bought less physicals; my purchases were usually YA books, and I read next to none in YA last year. But my e-book purchases? They were all over the place. The auto one-click setting is so dangerous, my friends. I plan to use Crini’s spreadsheet for this mission. Wish me luck!

DON’T SWEAT THE ARCS

My personal goal is not to focus too much on ARCs this year, but instead to read the hundreds of books I already have on my Kindle and Kobo apps. Yes, hundreds (okay maybe not hundreds, but still)—I love one-clicking free e-books and then forget all about them, and the number keeps piling up! It is going to be a challenge especially since book twitter always be hyping up the latest books, but I vow to be more zen with the ARC-requesting.

Also, less requesting means less rejection hahahahahahahah I’m still bitter about the Netgalley thing. I know it’s not Netgalley’s fault but still.

BLOG MORE

This year, I’m planning all my blog posts early so I will always be on time with my Thursday schedule posting. I realize I’m already a day late with this post but since I only just wrote this down today, this post doesn’t count (heh). I also planned to work on and finish all the half-written blog posts in my draft (I have so many ideas but uh, little motivation).

While we’re at it, I also plan to read more blogs this year as well as comment on the posts I read. I’ve always been more of a silent reader, but I plan to be more interactive this time around.

READ MORE DIVERSELY

I feel like I still haven’t reached a level I’m proud of when it comes to reading diversely, so this year I want to do better. Since my preference in romance is M/F pairing, I plan to be more inclusive with the books I read: more books with interracial relationships or those with people of colour, and more works by author of colour. I have quite a pile of books by AoCs already so time to make a dent on it.

Well, 4 goals won’t be as hard to achieve, I feel? Here’s to 2018!

What are your 2018 goals?

 Let me know in the comments!

Nick Is Back With A Romantic Comedy!

Hi everyone!

Happy New Year! I took an unexpected break from this blog, but I'm back to my weekly posting routine. So what have I been up to since my last post? Reading, of course, taking exams, visiting Colorado, bingeing TV, you know the usual! ;) I read some fantastic books that I'm excited to share with everyone. I only have 1 review for today, and that's Man Hands by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Enby, but I'll share some quick thoughts on some other brilliant reads I came across last month.

MAN HANDS by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby [★★★1/2] 

I am very determined to read everything and anything by Sarina Bowen, so when she announced this new surprise collaboration with Tanya Enby, I was very excited. Man Hands is definitely different from the usual Sarina Bowen book, and though it could be absolutely ridiculous at times, I had fun reading the book.

Man Hands is more of a romantic comedy, and I'll admit that there were quite a few moments when I found myself laughing out loud. I love a good romantic comedy, and the humor was definitely on point here. The one thing I could have done here without would be the talking penis. Yes you read that right! The hero's penis is a "talker", and he even ends with a chapter dedicated to him! I found that to be a bit too ridiculous for my tastes, and I'll admit it took away from some of my enjoyment of the story. So yes, even though this book as funny as hell, be warned that it's also quite ridiculous at times! 

I liked both of the main characters here. Tom and Brynn are pretty fun characters to be around. They are both coming off some serious relationships and are looking to get back in the scene. Their "meet-cute" was absolutely ridiculous and unrealistic, but it had me cracking up like everything else in the book. The chemistry between the two is steamy, and prevalent ALL THROUGHOUT the book. The banter is wonderful, and I loved how easy-going their relationship was for the most part. I liked Tom and Brynn a lot like a couple, as you can tell, but I also hoped to see more of the emotional stuff that Sarina Bowen is so good at! The other thing I really enjoyed about Man Hands is the friendship element. Brynn has some hilarious girlfriends, and honestly, they made this book for me. They were a blast to be around.

All in all, Man Hands was a funny book and had a lot going on for it, and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something over-the-top, swoony and with a lot of humor.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY BOOKS I READ

So, I read some other fun books last month. I especially really enjoyed reading Do Over by Serena Bell. This was my first book by the author, but it certainly will not be my last. It was such a good second-chance romance between a couple who have a child together, and I can't wait to share my full-review with you guys, but let me just leave you with this: if you enjoy second chance romances, well-written male POVs, super sexy and swoony heroes, and heroines who do not let people walk over them, then Do Over absolutely needs to be in your list.

[★★★★]

Another book I surprisingly really enjoyed reading in December was Runaway Groom by Lauren Layne. I didn't like the first book in the series, so I was just a bit wary, but I still wanted to give it a try and I'm so happy I did, because it was wonderful. It has a The Bachelor setting, and the Bachelor here, Gage, really doesn't want to be on the show. Same with the heroine, Ellie. The only reason she agrees to be on the show is to promote her t-shirt company, so she has absolutely no plans of attracting Gage's attention, but we all know what happens. The plot was fun, the chemistry was delicious, and as always, Lauren Layne writes really fun banter and swoons between her couples. Runaway Groom definitely needs to be on your radar!

[★★★★]

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

Read any books featured in this post? Tell me all about your latest romance reads in the comments below!