Jeff Jarvis
This book was just not for me. The characters are very superficial and stereotypical. The teacher is beyond stupid and allowed herself to be bullied into having sex by one of her students, a Russian student. Just not my cup of tea. Stories like this allow guys to see women as nothing more than objects that they can do with as they please.
I recently joined Nikki's Patreon and it has been great. One of the fun things she started was the FMK game where subscribers got to vote on 3 people a day to FMK. Nikki then took the characters from those and incorporated them into a larger story. This is the first book from that Patreon exclusive story. If you have enjoyed Nikki's work in the past, it is worth checking out her Patreon page for exclusives like this.
I enjoyed this book, although both of the characters are very flawed. All the way to the end there seemed to be communication issues that were never resolved. Each would draw conclusions on what the other was thinking rather than just talking and finding out what their partner actually thought. To me, that spells trouble for the long-term if it isn't addressed.
The second novel in the Make It Marriage series is even better than the first. I loved Troy and Venus and how their relationship developed. It was a slow build with lots of sexual tension that was very satisfying. The secondary story was an interesting twist that added some mystery to the novel. Definitely one of my new favorites.
I can't say enough positive about this latest book from Jae. After such a crappy year, this is a fantastic book to read at the end of it because it is so positive and so hopeful. Unlike other WLW romances, there really isn't any of the angst between the main characters. It is two women who build an attraction through texting and getting to know each other before moving into their relationship. Jae always has a way of building the sexual tension between characters until you are so worked up that you can't wait for them to get together. This was such an enjoyable read, is now in my favorites list, and is my favorite book of 2020.
Get it, read it, love it.
I wanted to rate this book higher, but there were a few things that prevented me from doing so. First with the good points of the book. I loved the story itself, how much at the Christmas holiday it was, how much family love was shown. The story built well and I enjoyed the characters and the overall storyline. So those are all things that make the story worth reading.
The negatives I saw had more to do with some of the language used in the story and the narration of the audiobook. If you are thinking of getting this on audiobook, just don't. The narration is really bad and it takes the listener away from the story...because...of...how...staccato...the...author...reads...things. OMG, it is bad. I plan on getting a copy of the book and reading it instead of listening to it to see if it gives me a better feeling of it. I believe it will.
The author also uses some language in the sex scenes that I typically don't see with a lesbian author. There is nothing wrong with the language, it was just unusual. Instead of “breasts”, the author uses “boobs”, which is more what I have read from a male author in MF romances. She also uses the phrase “my junk” a few times. I'm not sure I've ever heard a woman call their sexual organs “junk” before. Just a bit jarring when you are used to reading WLW romances that are much more sensual and descriptive.
I will give the print book another chance just to see if it sits better with me than the audio did.
This holiday book is one that I will be revisiting every Christmas season for years to come. Elle has taken the spirit of Hallmark Channel movies and incorporated that into a wonderful WLW novel. All of the characters we developed so well, including the main characters, Holly and Meredith. I absolutely loved the humorous nature of Holly and her wit with others around her. She is an adorable character that I grew to love very quickly. Meredith is more of the professional, hard to read type of character. I could see where the angst point was going to come from, but I kept hoping Meredith wasn't going to be involved with it. Unfortunately, she was, but as good HEA stories go, she was able to redeem herself by the end.
I really enjoyed this novel and I think anyone looking for a fun holiday read will enjoy it as well.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
If I could give half points, this would be a 3.5. It is above average, but not quite as high as some other lesfic novels I've read. The characters are well developed and the relationship between the two main characters is a nice slow burn, which I enjoy very much.
There were a few things that left things a little flat for me. The ending seemed very abrupt, like there should have been an additional chapter or an epilogue somewhere. There were extraneous tangents in the story, like the building owner getting an inspection of the building. The idea was put out there that he may be selling the diner that Lauren worked at and the apartment she lived in, but nothing ever came of it. So there were pages of information that went nowhere. This happened in a couple of places and it left me wondering what those were put into the story to accomplish.
Overall it was an enjoyable story that could use a little polishing here and there to make it more well rounded, in my opinion.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I was interested in the premise of this book of a resort having a “lesbian week” where singles would come in and get matched up with dates through the week to try to find love. I was excited to begin the story and for the most part, I wasn't disappointed. The story was pretty straight forward and predictable, although I very much enjoyed the build between the main characters, Katie and Rhys. Katie is there because her family paid for her to be there. She doesn't really believe in love anymore but is willing to give things a shot. She meets Rhys on the first day and an instant friendship forms. Rhys falls for Katie pretty much immediately, but the ground rules were laid down from the start the Katie only had so much she was willing to give. The rest of the story is the zigs and zags of their relationship, seeing each other with other women, jealousy, desire, being scared to communicate, doing stupid things, etc.
For the most part, I enjoyed the book until close to the end. I felt like the last couple of chapters drug on a bit. It felt like the near HEA was close a couple of chapters before the end and things could have been wrapped up in a neater bow quicker. That's not to say the ending was bad. Based on other lesfic novels, I was expecting something quicker and more fulfilling.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I was not familiar with Erinne Bates' work until I came across the audiobook on Audiobooks Unleashed. The premise sounded interesting so I gave it a try. I loved the story was told through Calli's perspective throughout, providing the listener with a view of her awakening to other women and her relationship with Justine. The part I enjoyed most is that it does not take a standard romance path with these two characters. There were times I kept expecting certain outcomes based on reading other romance books, but this one continued to go in different directions, which I found very refreshing.
The narration by Lucy Emerson was fantastic, providing different accents to the various characters, which kept the story interesting and enjoyable to listen to.
I don't want to go into a lot of detail so as not to spoil the book for others. I found it to be a story that I couldn't stop listening to and I think many others will as well. If you are stuck in a rut when it comes to romance novels, give this one a try. It will leave you breathless at times as well as heartbroken at others. It was a fun listen and is one I'll be listening to again.
I received a copy of this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
For me, this ranks up with some of the best work Georgia Beers has put out. There tends to be a predictable pattern in FF romance novels when two women find each other and are immediately attracted to each other. There is typically an angsty moment where the couple argues and breaks up for a period of time. As I was reading this, I kept waiting for that moment and I really didn't want it to happen. Teddi and Leah immediately hit it off and they took things so slowly before finally coming together (pun somewhat intended). I saw the signs of where the possible breakup would happen and it made my heart hurt to think of them apart. When the moment came, it did hurt, but in a different way from most books. There was sadness with this, hurt, anguish. There were more tears than yelling. And when they were together again it was a magical moment to read.
Hopefully you can tell that Beers did a fantastic job of making me care about the characters, which is always a number 1 thing for me. If I don't care about the characters, the story is going to fall flat for me. That was not the case in this book. From the very beginning I was sucked into their world and could picture what was happening based on old romcoms. Leah wants that kind of story for her, despite being a divorce attorney. She wants that love everlasting, that fairy tale romance. Teddi has been burned from a first marriage and hasn't given love a chance again since, at least for herself. As a wedding planner, she makes other women's big day a reality. But she never expects it for herself.
This is such a good love story that pulled me in and would not let go. This book is a must read for anyone that believes in a happily ever after and cheering for a couple to build that relationship. Hopeless Romantic was amazing and I highly recommend it.
I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I'm a fan off Melissa Brayden and have found you can never go wrong with her novels. She is great with developing characters and making you want to care about them. She continues her good work with Entangled. I could actually picture the author as the character Becca in the story, the blonde beauty who is so nice and grounded, who doesn't take the town's criticism of where she works as a knock against her personally.
I had a hard time liking Joey at all. Through the story you learn of all of the hardships she has gone through, but when she doesn't get the contract with the Jace, she pushes Becca away, the one good thing she had in her life. I didn't feel like she ever apologized fully for this or explained why she did it. Becca was a real saint in forgiving her so easily.
The story was so enjoyable and I hope this setting will include more stories with other characters. I highly recommend this one.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.