Mia has done it again!! Made me fall so hard for these characters. And I mean hello that cover??? Is gorgeous. We got a MOC on this here lovely cover Mia has done it again!! Made me fall so hard for these characters. And I mean hello that cover??? Is gorgeous. We got a MOC on this here lovely cover and look how cute it is!!
Julian and Ashley were so fun to read about! Loved their voice, I especially enjoyed being in Ashley's head. her thoughts lol. i could so relate to so many of them.
This book was just so happy making. So many fun scenes. Between Julian and Ash. Between Carter and Tori's families and i especially enjoyed whenever Ash, Tori and Tori's bestie, Eva were in a scene together. Having female friendships like this is always a plus for me in romance. I love the couple of course, but I'm always appreciative when he see them with their friends and families :)
The tropes in this book are so my jam: forced proximity, fake dating, crush on brother's best friend. yes to allll of it. Julian and Ashley truly brought out the best in each other. It was great to see that. Julian is so serious. He came off like that in book 1 and continued to be so partially in his book but then!! the banter with Ashley and his terrible attempts at making jokes. i love that guy seriously.
How Ashley is way more carefree but J makes her see she is her own person, not just Carter Stone's lil sis as everyone seems to just refer to her. Their relationships with Carter are so different but in the end they both realized their lives and hopes and creams didnt have to centre on him, even as they both loved him. That was so well done over the course of the book.
I am saying right the heck now that the end of chapter 20 almost killed me o mg. Julian walks in on Ash taking care of biznesssss and calling out his name and awkwaaaard but the end result. helloooo ;) Mia Sosa bring the sexy and steamy and I was so here for it. The damn build up, so much tension!! was worth the wait mmhmm.
I enjoy ensemble casts in books. We learn so much from the people the MCs surround themselves with. Ashley needs Julian to be her fake boyfriend to keep the family members she can't stand off her back and Julian goes along with the plan as it's come to light that the cousin who is always mean to Ash had a crush on Julian. Perfect set up for shenanigans! Like, "oh you two are dating you can totally sleep together in this room/on this bed no prbs right?" type shenanigans. My fave kind. LOL
But yes. Listen, Tori and Carter getting married was just so emotional to me, because if you've read book 1 you'll know why. Carter really did that ya'll!! :) And hello i adored Eva, and we meet her LI in this book and hellooo Anthony. They dont get along. this is gonna be awesome mwahahaha.
So while we have the budding romance going on between Ashley and Julian, there was also commentary on the whitewashing in Hollywood. So timely. and explored so well. Julian is the only MOC at his agency, and his boss keeps trying to get him to not be vocal on the whitewashing problem in their industry, as it could affect Carter's career. Which since J is also his friend is some cause for internal conflict but in the end, it played out really well.
I just really enjoyed this book. That ending!!
I highly rec this series :)
Merged review:
Mia has done it again!! Made me fall so hard for these characters. And I mean hello that cover??? Is gorgeous. We got a MOC on this here lovely cover and look how cute it is!!
Julian and Ashley were so fun to read about! Loved their voice, I especially enjoyed being in Ashley's head. her thoughts lol. i could so relate to so many of them.
This book was just so happy making. So many fun scenes. Between Julian and Ash. Between Carter and Tori's families and i especially enjoyed whenever Ash, Tori and Tori's bestie, Eva were in a scene together. Having female friendships like this is always a plus for me in romance. I love the couple of course, but I'm always appreciative when he see them with their friends and families :)
The tropes in this book are so my jam: forced proximity, fake dating, crush on brother's best friend. yes to allll of it. Julian and Ashley truly brought out the best in each other. It was great to see that. Julian is so serious. He came off like that in book 1 and continued to be so partially in his book but then!! the banter with Ashley and his terrible attempts at making jokes. i love that guy seriously.
How Ashley is way more carefree but J makes her see she is her own person, not just Carter Stone's lil sis as everyone seems to just refer to her. Their relationships with Carter are so different but in the end they both realized their lives and hopes and creams didnt have to centre on him, even as they both loved him. That was so well done over the course of the book.
I am saying right the heck now that the end of chapter 20 almost killed me o mg. Julian walks in on Ash taking care of biznesssss and calling out his name and awkwaaaard but the end result. helloooo ;) Mia Sosa bring the sexy and steamy and I was so here for it. The damn build up, so much tension!! was worth the wait mmhmm.
I enjoy ensemble casts in books. We learn so much from the people the MCs surround themselves with. Ashley needs Julian to be her fake boyfriend to keep the family members she can't stand off her back and Julian goes along with the plan as it's come to light that the cousin who is always mean to Ash had a crush on Julian. Perfect set up for shenanigans! Like, "oh you two are dating you can totally sleep together in this room/on this bed no prbs right?" type shenanigans. My fave kind. LOL
But yes. Listen, Tori and Carter getting married was just so emotional to me, because if you've read book 1 you'll know why. Carter really did that ya'll!! :) And hello i adored Eva, and we meet her LI in this book and hellooo Anthony. They dont get along. this is gonna be awesome mwahahaha.
So while we have the budding romance going on between Ashley and Julian, there was also commentary on the whitewashing in Hollywood. So timely. and explored so well. Julian is the only MOC at his agency, and his boss keeps trying to get him to not be vocal on the whitewashing problem in their industry, as it could affect Carter's career. Which since J is also his friend is some cause for internal conflict but in the end, it played out really well.
The banter in this book is on another level and the way I cackled. The scene with August and Chase had me loling soooo hard. January and Chase togetheThe banter in this book is on another level and the way I cackled. The scene with August and Chase had me loling soooo hard. January and Chase together were sweet and oh so funny every time something just went wrong.
Also please give grandma G her own novella or something because she is wiiiild!
Merged review:
The banter in this book is on another level and the way I cackled. The scene with August and Chase had me loling soooo hard. January and Chase together were sweet and oh so funny every time something just went wrong.
Also please give grandma G her own novella or something because she is wiiiild!...more
I'm not generally a poetry reader, but the author is a trini like me so I wanted to check out his work. Not going to lie I was confused byARC review.
I'm not generally a poetry reader, but the author is a trini like me so I wanted to check out his work. Not going to lie I was confused by some of these but that's a me thing, poetry is hard for me but I have my faves from this collection! Ones that resonated or stood out to me:
Because who she is matters more than her words: I liked this one, think it was one of the easier ones for me to read and understand
The lagahoo speaks for itself: Another one that I enjoyed. Anything to do with our folklore characters intrigues me
The metaphysics of a wine, in theory and practice: This one was just genius! The brilliance of its construction! The way wining is described differently here but each one was so relatable and true having given many wines and being a recipient of a good few
Merged review:
ARC review.
I'm not generally a poetry reader, but the author is a trini like me so I wanted to check out his work. Not going to lie I was confused by some of these but that's a me thing, poetry is hard for me but I have my faves from this collection! Ones that resonated or stood out to me:
Because who she is matters more than her words: I liked this one, think it was one of the easier ones for me to read and understand
The lagahoo speaks for itself: Another one that I enjoyed. Anything to do with our folklore characters intrigues me
The metaphysics of a wine, in theory and practice: This one was just genius! The brilliance of its construction! The way wining is described differently here but each one was so relatable and true having given many wines and being a recipient of a good few...more
Like Dijah I'm not really into sports like that but i do enjoy reading about the different games. I found it really interesting that Dijah went into tLike Dijah I'm not really into sports like that but i do enjoy reading about the different games. I found it really interesting that Dijah went into that field while not being a big into sports in general but I liked that about her. Was a different spin on it.
And Dijah and Shae's romance captured me throughout! Dijah's got rules and Shae is more spontaneous so of course they clash on some things but that chemistry cannot be deniiiied. These cashes did make me wanna shake both of them at different times and just tell them to get it together. But at least they eventually talk it out.
Now we got some steaaam going on in here so get your water bottles ready ;)
I also loved that we got to see the ladies' support systems. (even though Dijah's sister did something in the beginning that was a biig no no for me) we still see her close relationship with her family. As well as for Shae, she has her family, the ladies on the Cannon team etc.
Another great thing about this was they both have families who didn't bat an eye that they dated women. It just was a part of who they were.
So Im gonna need everyone to get this when it's out and get into the shenanigans. Now I'm waiting on what's next for this series ...more
I liked the concept of this book but damn the hero was being such an asshole and there needed to be more groveling! or any groveling for that matter. I liked the concept of this book but damn the hero was being such an asshole and there needed to be more groveling! or any groveling for that matter. Yeahh he said sorry or whatever but after the first part where they were in Aruba and in the little vacay bubble, the asshole side came out of Devon. And meh I don't think he ever redeemed himself for me.
Liiike ok you got issues surrounding dance/dancers cuz your ex wife was one and neglected you during the marriage but shouting at your daughter when you realize she wants to dance too? No man. Also the way he was being with Lyric after that "what are we?" discussion?? I actually wanted her to just leave an never come back TBH.
There were some things throughout that was also a bit too repetitive. I don't need to keep knowing her eyes are almond-shaped and other things were said over and overrr.
I did love the Gems and that Lyric had this amazing support system. Didn't really see that for Devon though, with any males friends shown, just his sister so I wished he had that too. Would have been great to see the juxtaposition between their friend groups. ...more
Yooooo this book??? beautiful. stunning, heartbreaking.
From beginning to end i was locked in. Because how was this second chance of love for this divYooooo this book??? beautiful. stunning, heartbreaking.
From beginning to end i was locked in. Because how was this second chance of love for this divorced couple who has so much grief, trauma, animosity and tension between them gonna work?? But hellooo Kennedy Ryan did it!
Yas and Josiah's struggles felt so raw and real. I was going through a whole roller coaster of emotions with them. Everytime Yas has to deal with her daughter's snarkiness towards her, or her and Josiah getting into it over something or when he started dating someone else and Yas realizing...this was all so well done.
And the chemistry and tension between Josiah, whew! That build up was worth it when they finally finally just give in.
Another thing I enjoyed was the supportive friend groups that Yas and Josiah have. Loved that Yas has her girls to bounce things off because that is so needed. And Josiah had Preach who kept giving him a hard time which made for funny yet poignant scenes.
The way we see both character's ideas about therapy was really interesting and the entire discussion around that was handles well. Josiah was NOT about that therapy life but he grew to appreciate it after he decided to have his own sessions so his son could see it's not bad thing. Hurrayyy for character growth. We do get to see some of Yas' session with her therapist as well which was so revealing for her character, I think.
I can go on and onnn about this book truly, I savoured every bit of it...luckily I got book 2 on the TBR and ready to gooo...more
CW: on page Fatphobia from family members and others
okkkkkk i am doooone and this was good!! Chapter one drew me in immediately cuz it was sexy as helCW: on page Fatphobia from family members and others
okkkkkk i am doooone and this was good!! Chapter one drew me in immediately cuz it was sexy as hell. Then we got Ahmad and Aaliyah meeting and whew, their vibe was so fun from the first time they were on page together. Their back and forth joking banter had me cackling multiple times.
The dates Aaliyah goes on are such a messs my word, and every time Ahmad made a quip about Aaliyah's outfit (but all in good fun) i was goooone because he was too funny.
This felt like THE slowest of burns and I kept shouting at these two to please see the light and just give iiiin to the tensiooooon but I promise it was worth it for the 1st kiss cuz WHEW. The chemistry, the vibes, the sexy times and the emotions were all on point.
Apart from the romance, both Ahmad and Aaliyah have their own internal conflicts going on which they do deal with. I was so glad when Aaliyah had a heart to heart with her parents and called her uncle out because i wanted to fight him from the beginning of the book!
This is my first Danielle Allen (i been meaning to read Sweatpants Season for years nowww i'm sorryyy i didn't get to it before but i will!) and it didn't disappoint at all. Loved it.
This was a really cute book! Loved the entire premise of the doggy day care and Thad just not being a dog lover juxtaposed with Ashanti beinARC review
This was a really cute book! Loved the entire premise of the doggy day care and Thad just not being a dog lover juxtaposed with Ashanti being an absolute dog lover, perfection! He's a bit of a grump and of course she just gets her way into his heart...poor guy didn't stand a chance.
While I liked how we got to see them grow on each other and Thad interactions with Puddin, who he did not like, began to slowly change, I did feel like the book suffered a bit from way too much going on at a time. Ashanti had so much to deal with: her exploding success, issues with her dad's sister, then Thad had his own thing going on with getting his place ready for opening. Toss in some family secrets in there plus one of Ashanti's twin sisters dealing with her own problems and whew...I think it was a bit much and at times overwhelmed the romance happening.
But, I still did think this was a funny, at time, cute, read with some sexy times thrown in between Thad and Shanti ;)
I alsooo hope Von and Rid get a book cuz hello? *eye emoji*...more
This was an interesting read. I don't think I've ever read fake dating in a historical romance before. I enjoyed Georgina and Mark's interaARC review.
This was an interesting read. I don't think I've ever read fake dating in a historical romance before. I enjoyed Georgina and Mark's interactions, and how they had to navigate discussions of race in these times. Georgina never backs down from speaking her mind with Mark who as a white man doesn't understand what the Wilcox sisters have to deal with and how they navigate society.
The Duke was also quite an interesting character as a Black Russian however I will say that his and Katherine's story did sort of overshadow Georgina and Mark's in the beginning. To the point where I was confused as to who the real MCs were. As we also got POVs for the duke as well. It did feel like we were thrown into the middle of their story and Mark and Georgie were sort of along for the ride.
However, it got less confusing as the story went along and I did enjoy Mark and Georgie's interactions. I did want a smiiiidge bit more tension between them since the whole reason they have to pretend to be engaged was because they were caught kissing in the garden (scandalous!) but I did enjoy this all the same.
I'm looking forward to see how the duke and Katherine's story wraps up though because they have so much history! ...more
I really enjoyed this creepy read inspired by our folklore. Let me tell you I was like i am nooot reading this at night but lo and behold I just finisI really enjoyed this creepy read inspired by our folklore. Let me tell you I was like i am nooot reading this at night but lo and behold I just finished it...at night lol. The author really captured the eerie anxiety ridden feeling that the MC felt with each new strange thing that happened to her. And yup, I was there engaged to the very last word cuz I didn't figure out where this was going at all so nice twist!
Also...having grown up on a lot of these folklore stories I was really engrossed and enjoyed how the author weaved these very familiar, to me, tales in here in this sort of murder mystery type way.
Seline was also quite an interesting and multifaceted character. Flawed. Making not the best choices but that felt really authentic to me.
So if you're looking for a spooky Caribbean-esque read this is iiiit!
Rating: 3.5. I love a good heist book and when I heard about this one I was thrilled to get an ARC of it! Charish takes us through a fun ride with CelRating: 3.5. I love a good heist book and when I heard about this one I was thrilled to get an ARC of it! Charish takes us through a fun ride with Celeste, Mags and their crew being reunited. We also have a second chance at love for Celeste and Mags who left their last mission not on the best terms.
I enjoyed how their first meeting went down when he caught Celeste in the midst of pulling off her own heist oops! These two had their shared history as a big ole rock in between them, while they had to deal with their own internal issues. But even with there snarking and bickering that pull between them couldn't be denied.
It was intriguing watching them get sucked back into that attraction that clearly didn't wane over the years and we got MCs who are in their 40's ayeeee.
Th secondary characters were interesting and fun although I wanted to learn more about them, the way the book ended makes me think we haven't seen the last of this crew hopefully!
WHEW THIS WAS SO GOOD!! ok lemme calm down cuz the ending????? had me screamiiiing???
first off AJ is a fellow trini author so I'm soo glad I read and WHEW THIS WAS SO GOOD!! ok lemme calm down cuz the ending????? had me screamiiiing???
first off AJ is a fellow trini author so I'm soo glad I read and loved this cuz I'm always looking for more Caribbean authors, especially Trinis, like myself.
This as so intriguing and engaging and sexy from the first page. The author truly created such and interesting fantasy world here. Nova, Luc and Keo are so hot together, when I say this is spicy I mean scorpion pepper level spicyyyyyy, like the bar Noval works at got orgies going on and she gets up to some sexy fun with her sexy guys too ;)
Yes friends I said guys, plural, cuz she's tangling with an incubus and a vampire ;) I loved learning about the different Fiend types and this story truly felt different and fresh.
This was a fun roller coaster ride and I'm gonna need book 2 because....that ending?? ...more
amazing! fantastic! love iiiiit! i of course adore baking related books with stoic heroes and the chaotic heroines who throw their lives into chaos (hamazing! fantastic! love iiiiit! i of course adore baking related books with stoic heroes and the chaotic heroines who throw their lives into chaos (hello i wrote one lol) and Jada and Donovan did not disappoint!
From their first meeting I was hooked and ready for everything that as about to unfold. Fake dating is a fave of mine too so awww yes this one was all set and primed for me to have a good time and i sure did! Their personalities clashed and yet worked so well together and hello their budding romance was just really sweet, but tension filled and I was screaming for when we would get a kiss, and when it got to it, yup worth the wait. Donovan having Jada's back even though all these whirlwind things kept happening was so cute. He was down baaaad. Poor guy, ever really stood a chance.
Jada is dealing with alot, from the fall out from her reality show, to feeling like she's kinda floundering with who she is and where she wants to be in life, plus her parents who aren't exactly happy about her supposed aimlessness. She and Donovan truly felt like multifaceted characters with real flaws. I was side eyeing her at the end there but it all came together as it should.
I also really loved Donovan's best friends, Nicholas and August, those guys were a riot every time the three of them interacted. I think my only niggle was I wanted to see some more of Jada's bestie Olivia, cuz she's her support system and we see her like twice. Definitely would have loved more of their dynamic a much as we got the guys'.
I cannot wait for the next book which is August's cuz helloooo it seems we're getting the best friend's sister trope ayeeee. ...more
Chencia has done it agaiiiiiiiin!! I as really grateful to get an ARC of this and it DID NOT MISS!!
Jucee and Cyn aka Poppa were so fun to read from tChencia has done it agaiiiiiiiin!! I as really grateful to get an ARC of this and it DID NOT MISS!!
Jucee and Cyn aka Poppa were so fun to read from the start. Loved their friendship and when the feelings started to do their thing??? Yes hello! I love me some friends to lovers cuz I have been there. So I truly got their fears and insecurities when they both started seeing each other in a different sexy light.
Jucee is fine as heck and Cyn is sexy and suave. The two together hot hot hot. Many times I wanted to shake Cyn because she was just doing some nonsense (side eyes the whole Jackie thing) but the author does a really great job of highlighting these characters' flaws and even though at times they shied away from really communication how they felt they had their support systems to get them together!
Here we saw Jucee had a healthy relationship with Samir her ex and baby daddy as well as the girls she danced with. We also get to see Cyn with her dad, brother, close friends and other family members too. Cyn's dad had be rolling with each muttered "mmm" and the look we knowww black parents just all seem to have on the ready >.>
Anyhoo this was entertaining, steamy and had me all in my emotions too! So get it, read it, shout about iiiit
I enjoyed the banter here a lot. Between Maggie and her friends, and her and Garrett. I'm always a sucker for good banter and supportive friend groupsI enjoyed the banter here a lot. Between Maggie and her friends, and her and Garrett. I'm always a sucker for good banter and supportive friend groups. Maggie and her girlfriends and a fun and hilarious bunch! Now I must say the entire love triangle premise was interesting as I don’t think I’ve read one quite like this in adult rom. BUT, I wanted and needed to see more of this chemistry we’ve been told Garrett and Maggie has. Yes he’s sweet to her, knows her fave foods etc etc but I didn’t feel any tension or anything between them? Especially since we only get Maggie’s pov. I wish we could’ve gotten in G’s head a bit but given the love triangle situation I got why we couldn’t so I wanted her to maybe observe some things, question his actions at the very least so we have her going hmmn what’s up with that lil gesture does he maybe like like me?, but she never does.
She only considered that G has feelings for her after her friends tell her that. Now I can be pretty clueless when someone likes me if they not obvious and actually coming out and saying it to my face lol but yeah I needed some more showing here.
Also as much as I loved all the yummy food everybody be eating in this book I have to admit at times some of the descriptions of clothes etc was a bit excessive. And distracted from the story itself.
ALSO Maggie giiirl all this hemming and hawing about what to do, who to choose made no sense to me come to the end. Cuz how you still tryna decide after Blake tries to pressure you to let him in your apartment (no means noo), he grabs our wrist annnnd punches Garrett??? Like there should have not still be anything to decide at that point. >.> That man shoulda been goooone!! I don’t give a damn if he apologized. And her getting mad at G for being at her apt when Blake drops her off ummm you told G he could come to get the USB hence why he was there??? So I really didn't get her reaction there at all. *face palm*
Sorry not sorry to Blake but it was a no from meeee. Team Garrett for the win!!
In spite of Maggie frustrating the heck out of me several times I did find the ending at the wedding location really sweet. (I just craved all the juicy tension between two friends who have known each other so loong and there's the potential for more)....more
ARC review. ok yessssssss, I loved everything about this one. I didn't read the 1st book yet and after this I may have to now go back and read Toni andARC review. ok yessssssss, I loved everything about this one. I didn't read the 1st book yet and after this I may have to now go back and read Toni and Seb's story but hiii yesss helloooo a new book boyfriend is born. Of course i loved Kayla, drummer extraordinaire who has her own family baggage going on but Ty mi amor!! Our hero is a pan black man who is a bookworm and wears a kilt and has his ears and nose pierced mmhmm. These two together were so sweet and cute.
I loved how their relationship grew and they just talked things out? Their openness with each other was really refreshing. I love how much they're both enamored with each other in different ways, and they just pay attention. For eg: Ty giving Kayla his straw because he knows she needs something to tap with and she doesn't have her drum sticks. small gestures like this maaaan, so cuuute in romance.
Their romance was a good balance with the rise of the Lillys! I loved getting to each know each member of the band and at no time did I feel like the romance was overshadowed.
Whew, Kayla's issues with her mom come to a head which was much needed and so does the stuff Ty had to deal with, with his past and fears about his grandfather's health etc.
The author did a great job with showcasing the music industry I think. (she's a recording artiste herself so!) Even though some of the descriptions of things did go over my head lol it wasn't too jargon heavy or anything like that to the point of bogging down the flow of the story.
Loved Kayla and Ty, loved all the other characters as well (except Candi she can kick rocks meh!) and I can' wait to see whose book is next. I'm really intrigued by whatever's going on with Tiff so *eye emoji* ...more
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