Publishing Date: February 19, 2019
Publisher: Harpercollins
Pages: 384
My Review: I haven't reviewed any of the other previous Ravenel books, but Lisa Kleypas is definitely one of my favorite historical romance authors ever. We were first introduced to Weston Ravenel in the first book of the series, Cold-Hearted Rake, as the brother of Devon. I immediately liked him then, and he pops up in the books that come after. He's definitely someone who has a dark past and indulged in a lot, but he starts working as the estate manager for his brother and he comes to just find a purpose in working the lands with the tenants. I loved seeing him grow over the course of the previous four books, so when it was announced that he was going to get his own HEA, I was so excited. Interestingly enough, the female lead is Phoebe, the daughter of Sebastian (who is a fan-favorite for Kleypas' male leads), and West, as a child, unfortunately bullied, Phoebe's late husband, Henry. When they first meet, Phoebe is determined to not like West because of how he was with her late husband as kids (they were kids, Phoebe!!), but despite that, she finds herself drawn to him. West is also immediately enticed by Phoebe, and I loved seeing them get to know one another. Both surprising the other and exceeding the other's expectations. I can't say enough good things about this book. It was just PERFECT. I actually found myself reading it super slowly because I wanted to savor it. I didn't want it to end. West IS my favorite historical romance hero and I just loved everything about the book. Phoebe also has two kids, so seeing him interact with them was definitely swoony. Phoebe is also a really good lead because she definitely refuses to be pigeon-holed into a role that is assigned to her. She does everything with her children in mind, and I loved how much she wanted to make sure she was learning as much as she could about her estate for her children's sake. You can definitely read this without having read the others and love it... BUT I'd recommend reading the others in the series first. You get to see some familiar faces and it's such a nice treat to see how far West has come as a character. I also am ashamed to admit that I haven't read the Wallflowers series, but upon finishing this, I immediately placed an order for all four of them. Also, I'm already dying for some down time so I can reread Devil's Daughter again! Absolute perfection!! <3 Please read it! You won't regret it!
Available for purchase:
Indigo/Chapters - Kobo - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Publishing Date: May 28, 2019
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 288
My Review: Lauren Layne's 21 Wall Street series is one of my favorite romance series. I love how she is able to incorporate a sweet and sexy romance, and also have the friend group component as a big part of the book. I was so excited to learn that she was coming out with a new series called the Central Park Pact. The three ladies (who will each get their own book) meet unexpectedly in Central Park one day because they all happened to be with the same guy, and avoiding his funeral LOL. The first book follows Naomi Powell, who has made a name for herself as the owner of a jewelry start-up. She was the daughter of a housekeeper, and she grew up on Park Avenue, but simply as the daughter of 'the help'. When her mother worked there, unfortunately, her mother had an affair with her boss/owner of the house, and their life was changed forever when they were thrown on the streets, and her mom had to make ends meet going from job to job. Naomi has worked incredibly hard to make a new name for herself (literally) and to move on from her past. But when she one day gets an application to live in the same building where everything went badly, she can't help but try and get some closure. She ends up being neighbors with Oliver, who was the boy who teased her when she was younger, and the son of the man who her mother cheated with. To say she has some resentment against Oliver is putting it lightly. They have an instant spark, and despite wanting to not like one another, they actually find themselves enjoying each other's company. Also add to the mix is the fact that Oliver's father is dealing with dementia which definitely makes things interesting. I don't want to spoil the book, so I'll try and keep it short. I loved Oliver and Naomi's story. I genuinely believe that they brought out the best in each other. I just adored Oliver as a boyfriend because he was incredibly attentive, sweet, and also the sacrifices he makes for his family were just above and beyond. I will say, I wish Naomi didn't conceal her identity for as long as she did, and I wish this book was sexier! The title does say passion, and it is unlike her other series because it felt really fade to black for the sex scenes. To conclude, I did really love the book and I look forward to reading the other two in the series, and seeing the other two females in the central park pact get their happy ending.
Available for purchase:
Indigo/Chapters - Kobo - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Publishing Date: February 19, 2019
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Pages: 258
My Review: This was my first book ever by Kendall Ryan, and one of the #supersexybookclub reads. When I read the premise, I was definitely interested in it since it follows a male lead who works in an escort service. I was thinking that it may be more along the lines of Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient. You can see immediately how it will be a series because Nic works at an agency with a few friends. He initially got into this business just to make money, but he finds himself wanting to give it up when he is hired to be a wedding date for Elle. Elle has no clue that her friend and future-sister in law had hired someone, and despite it being a job, Nic finds himself falling for her. I do like Kendall Ryan's writing and I found the book to be incredibly readable. I also found the romance done quite well, and I will say, the will they or won't they kiss moments had me just grinding my teeth in anticipation haha. I think my biggest complaint with the book was the fact that Elle went on for so long without knowing the truth from Nic and her friend. I just wished they were upfront about it longer because although, both didn't mean any intentional harm, the longer it went on definitely led to problems. I'm glad to see Nic and Elle get their HEA and I'll definitely check out the other book in the series to see Case get his HEA. My fellow #supersexybookclub members also love other books by Kendall Ryan so I'm definitely going to check out her backlist and read some titles they have loved!
Available for purchase:
Indigo/Chapters - Kobo - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Publishing Date: June 11, 2019
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 384
My Review: Do you ever have the moment when you read an arc of a book, and just know immediately that you will be buying a physical copy to cherish on your bookshelves forever? I definitely had that moment with this book and only at a few chapters in. When I got an email from Forever about this book, the premise sounded really interesting with a slow-burn romance, and a female lead who had to deal with fertility issues and make a decision that could alter her life forever. The story follows Kristen and Josh, who happen to meet because they are the MoH and Best man for their best friends who are getting married (Sloan and Brandon - whose story isn't even the main one, but their story had me crying on the subway.. completely ripped my heart out and stomped on it). Josh is a firefighter and Kristen runs a small business for dog accessories and stairs. Kristen is also dating someone who is on deployment when they first meet, and Josh ends up helping her with her business to build the mini stairs. Also side note, I loved that Kristen's dog Stuntman Mike knew right away what kind of person Josh was. Kristen kept going on about how the dog didn't like her boyfriend at the time, and I'm like yes! dogs definitely can tell what kind of person a person is ;) Anyways, back to the review, they both find themselves hanging out with one another and just bonding over time. There's a clear attraction between the two, but they both don't act on it because Kristen isn't single. Along with all of this, Kristen has been having really bad periods her whole life, and she learns that her chances of having children are basically non-existent. She is faced with having to make a big decision about her future and what that can mean for her future relationships. I loved the rapport between Josh and Kristen. She has such a laid-back and straight-forward attitude that I just loved. She just says what she means, and Josh, he is just an all-around nice guy. I was rooting so hard for these two, and I just love stories that are built on friendship first. I don't want to say too much and give the book away, but I absolutely loved this book. It's one of those books that I wish I could go back and read for the first time again because that feeling of falling in love with a book is indescribable. This book is Abby's debut and I honestly cannot wait to see what else she writes. I am eagerly awaiting Sloan's story! Definitely going down as one of my favorite reads of 2019!! It's smart, funny, sexy, and absolutely heartbreaking, but soooo worth it. Please pick it up if you have a chance!
Available for purchase:
Indigo/Chapters - Kobo - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Disclaimer: I received a digital advanced reader's copy from Forever Grand Central Publishing / Hachette Book Group in exchange for consideration/review. All opinions are my own.
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