Tag Archives: External Reviews

Reviews I wrote for other sites

Review: Straddling the Line by Jaci Burton

Straddling the Line (Play by Play, #8)Straddling the Line by Jaci Burton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

STRADDLING THE LINE is the eighth book in Jaci Burton’s popular Play By Play sports romance series, featuring a hero and heroine who briefly appeared as supporting characters in MELTING THE ICE, the story which takes place immediately before this one. Our hero, Trevor Shay, is a college buddy of other characters in the previous books. His heroine, Haven Briscoe, is the daughter of their beloved mentor who has recently died from liver cancer, leaving family and friends bereft.

When Trevor discovers that Haven is going to abandon her new job as a national sports broadcaster after the death of her father, he vows to do whatever it takes to stop her from making such a huge mistake. Haven is surprised to find herself chosen by Trevor as the first person allowed into his daily life to document how he succeeds at playing both professional baseball and football, not realizing his hidden agenda to keep her from throwing away her career before it’s begun. But when Haven’s college crush on Trevor flares into a shared passion, it’s only a matter of time before she gets too close to what he’s kept from nearly everyone in his life. As much as Trevor may need Haven, he needs to protect his secret more, even if it means pushing her away completely. And now it’s Haven who needs to save Trevor from himself and a future without love.

For me, STRADDLING THE LINE clearly established its own identity in the Play By Play series without straying from its established sports romance formula, We got to see how professional baseball differs from professional football beyond what’s already obvious, and how their competing interests were a constant issue for Trevor, even as he continued to excel in both fields. Keeping both teams happy would be an herculean effort for anyone, yet the added strain of Trevor’s big secret didn’t appear to be as much of a problem as I would have expected under the circumstances. For yes, I did figure out what he was hiding fairly quickly, but that’s only because I’ve read a few other romances recently with the same plot twist, including one featuring another baseball player hero. Once I’d guessed Trevor’s secret, all the signs were there like big red flags, and although I tried not to hold it against the book for making it so obvious by the time of Trevor’s big reveal, I did find it all too convenient that Haven was uniquely qualified to help him not only face his problem but also work to help others in a similar situation. But with such an otherwise appealing hero and heroine, and all the familiar characters from the previous books making an appearance to help this latest couple along toward their own HEA, how could I not enjoy how it turned out in the end? It was also great to meet the new family of sports heroes who will be featured in future Play By Play books. This is a series that continues to prove itself worthy with every new installment, and STRADDLING THE LINE is no exception.

Ratings:

Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 3

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Review: Stranded with a Billionaire by Jessica Clare

Stranded with a Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club, #1)Stranded with a Billionaire by Jessica Clare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

I’d read STRANDED WITH A BILLIONAIRE when it was first released back in April 2013, but was eager to revisit it for this new re-release, and happy to see that my original reaction to it had not changed. This first book in the Billionaire Boys Club series not only sets up its premise well for the books yet to come, but also provides us with a hero and heroine who are more than a match for each other despite significant differences that would keep a less determined couple apart.

After the death of his uncaring father and an ugly split with a gold-digging fiancée, billionaire Logan Hawkings was bitter about nearly everything except the deep ties he shared with his five best friends and fellow billionaires. At their most recent gathering, his friend Hunter shared news of an opportunity to invest in an island resort in the Bahamas, so Logan decided to visit the property himself to see if it was worth acquiring. He didn’t expect to be trapped in an elevator with a waitress from Kansas City just as a massive hurricane about to hit the island. And he certainly didn’t expect that woman to turn his outlook on life and love around completely once the storm that brought them together had passed.

Bronte Dawson was on the worst vacation ever, thanks to her so-called friend who dragged her to this crappy resort, only to abandon her when the storm was about to hit. Now all Bronte had standing between her and impending death was a bossy sort of fellow she assumed could only be the resort manager. Once the initial danger had passed, Bronte couldn’t help but notice how attractive this Logan guy could be when he wasn’t being rude. So why not take advantage of the situation to enjoy some hot sex with a good looking guy while they’re stuck here together? But when Logan’s friend Jonathan arrived to rescue them, inadvertently revealing Logan’s true identity, it was Bronte who wanted no part of a billionaire’s life, forcing Logan to earn her trust in him and his love for good.

STRANDED WITH A BILLIONAIRE is still one of my favorite books in the Billionaire Boys Club series, and the main reason is how light-hearted it manages to be even at the darkest moments in Logan and Bronte’s unlikely romance. When the tables are so quickly turned on Logan after Bronte discovers his lie of omission, it’s played for laughs as well as drama, and while Logan continues to do precisely the wrong things to get Bronte back in his life, it’s genuinely fun to see him get the attitude adjustment which he so richly deserves. After all, Bronte may just be a waitress at a Missouri sock hop diner, but she has a degree in Philosophy and a strong sense of self-worth that can’t and won’t be bought off by whatever obscene amounts of cash Logan is willing to throw around. Even when they face their darkest moment thanks to Logan’s misguided decision to test Bronte’s self-professed love, what follows isn’t entirely bleak, and the end result is a fully chastened and self-aware Logan who is truly worthy of Bronte and the happy ending they have earned together. In STRANDED WITH A BILLIONAIRE we also get to see more of the other 5 billionaires, including an intriguing setup for the next potential romance in the series. It’s a great start to the Billionaire Boys Club and one I wholeheartedly recommend.

Ratings:

Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 3

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Review: Vipers Run by Stephanie Tyler

Vipers Run: A Skulls Creek NovelVipers Run: A Skulls Creek Novel by Stephanie Tyler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

Thanks to the success of television shows like Sons of Anarchy, one of the big new trends in romance is the Motorcycle Club romantic suspense novel. In these books, the MC provides the structure and context for whatever sort of havoc may occur as the hero (usually a member of the club) and heroine (who may or may not be an innocent civilian) find true love. I’ve only read a few of these books so far, but unfortunately VIPERS RUN was only a so-so read for reasons almost entirely unrelated to this particular trope.

The book begins with an introduction to Calla, who has always felt split between two worlds without being a full member of either one. Her father is an extremely rich and powerful man, but her mother forced him to stay away, preferring the company of low-lifes who only brought pain. It was only after Calla had suffered her own victimization by a man she should not have trusted that her father entered her life, but now eight years later, Calla is still barely scraping by as receptionist to a slightly shady but kindly private investigator. When her boss leaves behind his cell phone one fateful morning, the call that comes in is one she’ll never forget. And when that call forces Calla’s journey to the doorstep of a man she’s never met, what happens next will change her life forever.

Cage is the voice on the phone and the man who will soon claim Calla as his own. He went rogue on the Vipers six months back and now that impulsive act has left him dying on the floor of a parking garage. But it’s Calla who keeps him talking on the phone when all he wants to do is curl up and die, and it’s Calla who will eventually redirect him away from suicidal revenge against the evil Heathens MC trying to destroy Skulls Creek. But can Calla and Cage really live happily ever after in the face of all that threatens them?

As you can see from what I’ve written here so far, there is a whole lot going on in VIPERS RUN even without the additional need to set up the world for this new series. What made reading this book difficult for me, in spite of a hero and heroine that I genuinely liked, were all the machinations required to get from the nearly implausible start to the somewhat improbable finish, not the least of which was how the romance part of the story begins. I tend to take a charitable view of “insta-lust” and “insta-love” in romances, but I simply could not wrap my head around the notion of two people falling in love from a single telephone call, albeit one as emotionally charged as theirs was. Another plot maneuver involved characters who had previously remained off-screen suddenly appearing in ways that were clearly meant to serve the predetermined outcome, if not its actual credibility. Then when the final two major conflicts played out within the last few pages of the story, each was resolved far too easily with actions that were told, rather than shown.

There were a few other continuing issues I had with VIPERS RUN as I struggled to get to its end. Although Calla and Cage move quickly to a sexual relationship, there is never any reference, not even in passing, to their use of any protection against unintended pregnancy or STDs. This notable absence grated on me even more when Cage made a point of sneering at the other evil MC for heedlessly “breeding” their women. There was also an excessive amount of switching between Calla’s first person POV, Cage’s third person POV, and a late addition of yet another character’s third person POV. All that head-hopping, including an occasional slip from third to first person in mid-paragraph, often made it difficult to keep track of who was telling the story and where.

So if I had all these problems with VIPERS RUN, then why am I giving it 3 stars? Because as I mentioned before, the hero and heroine were a couple I really did like, in spite of how they’d found each other. Calla never veered into Too Stupid To Live territory, and Cage was able to balance his need to claim her with the reality of how his chosen life would impact hers. And what I got to see of the Vipers’ world, I found interesting and convincing. But in the end, VIPERS RUN was simply not the right book for me, and I’ll likely pass on the rest of the Skulls Creek series.

Ratings:

Overall: 3
Sensuality level: 3.5

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Review: Over Exposed by Stephanie Julian

Over Exposed (Salon Games, #3)Over Exposed by Stephanie Julian

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

OVER EXPOSED is the third book in Stephanie Julian’s excellent Salon Games series, with a hero and heroine who were both supporting characters in the previous book, NO RESERVATIONS. Greg Hicks is the best friend of Tyler Golden, co-owner of Haven, and the man chosen to join him and his beloved Kate in that hotel’s infamous Salon for their own private sexual games. Sabrina Rodriquez is both friend and employee of Tyler and Kate, using her brains and will to succeed, vowing never to blindly trust any man in the same way her mother always had . When our hero and heroine first met each other in NO RESERVATIONS, the sexual chemistry was instant and obvious to all. But it wasn’t until Greg retreated to Haven for some quiet time to finish his latest screenplay that Tyler and Kate were able to put Sabrina back in his path, with the not-so-subtle expectation that something more would come of it. Yet even as Greg and Sabrina succumb to their shared desire, neither one is certain that what they have found can survive once the storm that’s trapped them together has ended.

What I love about Stephanie Julian’s books is how she can keep me on the edge of my seat without resorting to easy ploys like evil ex-girlfriends or a madman on the loose. Greg and Sabrina already have enough obstacles to overcome after they finally act upon their sexual attraction that any additional fabrications for the sake of drama would be annoying. As the two of them move closer toward their HEA, there are multiple conflicts, both large and small, that they need to confront, not the least of which is Greg’s inevitable departure back to Hollywood and his all-consuming career there. But with each instance, they learn to trust each other more, so that by the time Sabrina and Greg enjoy their own Salon encounter, their romantic journey has reached its natural completion. Their realistic give and take as they become more adept at each other’s wants and desires are the best part of OVER EXPOSED and why it’s yet another solid entry in the Salon Games series.

Ratings:

Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 4

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Review: Scandalize Me by Caitlin Crews

Scandalise MeScandalise Me by Caitlin Crews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance

SCANDALIZE ME is the second full-length book in the Fifth Avenue series, where each story takes place in a continuing timeline of how those who lost their friend Sarah Michaels to suicide ten years earlier are now working together to avenge her death by bringing down the man who caused it. You could try to read this book as a standalone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Hunter had once loved Sarah, once intended to marry her, but they had split up just before she’d jumped off the roof of a NYC skyscraper on Christmas Eve. Now it’s ten years later, and Hunter is doing his best imitation of a man punishing himself for a death he couldn’t prevent. Zoe was a victim of the same man who had pushed Sarah to suicide, but she has managed to survive by focusing on her plan for revenge. Hunter will be the perfect tool for her retribution, but what will they do when their shared need to settle the score conflicts with their growing need for each other?

I was quite impressed by AVENGE ME, the first book in this series by Maisey Yates, and am happy to say that Caitlin Crews has continued that perfect mix of romance and suspense in SCANDALIZE ME. As terrible as it was to find out what had happened to Sarah, it was even more so when Zoe became the face of all the victims still alive and suffering from what had been done to them by a man still beloved by the public. But Hunter has been a victim in his own way as well, and it’s only when Zoe makes him an accessory to her devious plans that he, too, can begin to find some peace from his past and take positive steps toward a happier future for them both, if only she’ll have him.

The ability of these two characters to find love in the middle of all the sadness and horror is remarkable, and the way Caitlin Crews balances romance with tragedy is pitch perfect. SCANDALIZE ME shows how choosing to live in the face of such monstrosity is still better than the alternative, and how that decision can lead you to a love more powerful than evil. It’s heartbreaking and uplifting all at the same time, and sets up what should be a fantastic conclusion of the overall story in EXPOSE ME, the final book in the Fifth Avenue series.

Favorite Quote:

“Be my equal, the woman who knows that if she’s damaged, then Jesus Christ, so am I. Be worth feeling all of this crap, Zoe.” He could taste the ferocity on his own lips, copper like blood. “I want you, not whatever this is, that you can hide behind when it gets tough. You’re not a martyr and I’m not a hero. Let’s be who we are.”

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Review: Naughty Bits Part III: Bound to Please by Joey W. Hill

Naughty Bits Part III Bound to PleaseNaughty Bits Part III Bound to Please by Joey W. Hill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

So much happened in this penultimate installment of NAUGHTY BITS that it’s hard to know what to cover in this review. Madison has become more comfortable working in the shop and being around Logan, yet there’s still the nagging feeling that she’s not quite ready to submit completely to either one. Now that the reality that her sister Alice isn’t ever coming back has finally sunk in, Madison is ready to move past all her previous failed relationships toward a new life where she embraces the submissive self she’s denied for all these years. But first, she needs to try just one last thing, one more variation that will require the full cooperation of Troy, Mistress Slade, and Logan himself. Because how can Madison be entirely sure she should be Logan’s submissive if she hasn’t tried being a Domme first?

Logan must be the most patient man that ever lived, for he never hesitates to do everything Madison needs to give her the confidence to choose him as he has already chosen her, as she was already chosen for him by Alice. That’s really what BOUND TO PLEASE is all about: showing the reader the value of choice and full consent, both by demonstrating it in its full flower, and also by proving its innate value when we see another relationship entirely absent of consent. It’s an essential lesson for both Madison and the reader, and provides the sense of security required for both Madison and Logan to take another step closer to the happy ending waiting for them in the final installment. Their HEA may be inevitable, but it won’t be a sure thing until it finally arrives. And after these first three fantastic chapters of NAUGHTY BITS, Part IV is sure to be just as amazing.

Ratings:

Overall: 5
Sensuality level: 4

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Review: The Payment Series (Prized, Possessed, Purgatory) by Cassandra Carr

The Payment Series (Prized, Possessed, Purgatory)The Payment Series by Cassandra Carr

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the author for an honest review at Night Owl Reviews, where you can find the full text.

Review excerpt:

Just because Payment was a rough read for me doesn’t mean it couldn’t be enjoyable for others. But please heed the disclaimers and be aware that this is not BDSM-lite by any stretch of the imagination. There are hundreds of graphic sexual acts forced upon its heroine, including grossly unsanitary ones that you might not otherwise expect. They work within the context of the story, but they may not work for all readers. Be sure you know what you can handle before you decide.

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Review: Flying by Megan Hart

FlyingFlying by Megan Hart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

Megan Hart was one of the very first writers I found when I started looking for quality contemporary erotic romance books in the past few years, and she’s still one of the best. To be fair, what she writes is more erotic women’s fiction than romance specifically, since there is absolutely no guarantee that any of her books will have a true Happy Ever After for her main characters, but enough of her books have qualified that she’s one of my favorites in the genre. However, and I’ll acknowledge this is on me more than her, her last few books haven’t been as enjoyable for me as her earlier works, and I was becoming concerned that I might have to stop reviewing her books, as we just didn’t seem to mesh well anymore.

So it was with some trepidation that I started reading FLYING, although the blurb made it sound like something I would absolutely love. I’m so happy to say FLYING is Megan Hart back to where I love her – ripping my heart out for a heroine who could just have easily been me, in a situation that only she could make me understand and want to see end in a better place than where it began.

Stella is hanging on to her sanity by her fingertips, and it’s only by spending weekends away from home with strangers she picks up on airplanes and airports that she can temporarily forget all the loss in her life. Matthew starts out as yet another sexual escape for Stella, but ends up being someone who could make her break all her rules, including the one about never letting another man into her heart.

I had a tremendous amount of sympathy for Stella and refused to judge her for how she had chosen to cope with what had happened to her family. So when she found herself falling for Matthew, I was more worried about how she could possibly survive another loss than about any repercussions in her real life. But as damaged as Stella might be, Matthew is even more, and although I loved them together, I was so proud of how she finally called him out for not valuing her as much as she had him, and how she forced him to take the next step toward a genuine relationship with her if that’s what he really wanted. So when she went on to finally deal with all the dangling ends in her real life after the events which had blown it apart, I was cheering and happy even before the surprise happy ending, because I knew that she was going to be okay with or without Matthew.

The only problem I had with FLYING was what kept me from giving it a full 5 star review, and that’s the deliberate use of the third person present voice for all the scenes where Stella is living through one of her “flying” sequences. I realize that was done to help set those off from her “real” life, and it definitely works in that respect. But that type of writing is extremely difficult for me to read, and when the entire first chapter of the book was in that style, it took me several days to finish, resisting my impulse to DNF the whole book at that point. Once the second chapter began in third person past voice, I was able to read and enjoy the rest of the book without issue. It’s likely most other readers won’t have this problem reading third person present, but if you do, just hang in there and finish that first chapter, because FLYING is definitely worth every effort.

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Review: Arrest by June Gray

ArrestArrest by June Gray

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

This review may contain spoilers for DISARM, the first book in this series. You should not try to read ARREST as a standalone, as it assumes you are already familiar with events of the previous book that are not always fully explained in this one.

I enjoyed reading June Gray’s DISARM romance novelettes after they were released as a full length book back in 2013, so when that book was acquired by a major publisher, I was happy that there would be two more books in the series. ARREST picks up where DISARM left off, with Henry and Elsie newly married and embarking on the rest of their Happily Ever After together. But just because they got past all their previous obstacles doesn’t mean that there aren’t new ones now that they are finally married. The primary source of their problems now is Henry’s new career as a law enforcement officer. It was bad enough when he was still in the US military and being sent into a war zone for months on end. Now Elsie has to worry about him every day and night, forever dreading a future where he doesn’t come home safely at the end of his scheduled shift. Their shared adjustment to this new reality, combined with his reaction to Elsie’s independent career as a web designer and the usual dips and bumps that happen in a marriage, constantly threaten their happiness even as they both know that they could never survive away from each other. The story of ARREST is how each crisis in Henry and Elsie’s marriage ultimately makes them stronger together, and better able to deal with whatever life throws at them next. But the journey isn’t easy and when Henry begins to rely on his old destructive coping mechanisms, it will take both of them working as hard as they can to get to the true happy ending they’d thought they already had on their wedding day.

As much as I enjoyed the previous book, the way Henry was always retreating from Elsie when he was upset did get to be tiring after a while, so I was worried that I might not be as sympathetic to him when all the new bad things started happening to them both in ARREST. However, I was quite happy to be proven wrong in my concern, as it appeared that Henry has indeed grown emotionally since then. The love he and Elsie have for each other is never questioned, and it never wavers. But as they and we already learned before, love isn’t enough to keep them together if they can’t communicate and compromise, and in ARREST, Henry and Elsie must both relearn those painful lessons if they’re going to stay married and happy together.

ARREST also has the advantage of hanging together better as an complete story from the start, as opposed to the previous title. We are shown once again how their past continues to affect their present, but also how they are aware of how easily they could fall back into a vicious cycle of hurting each other, however inadvertently. Being able to see Henry and Elsie take real steps toward a fully reciprocal relationship made reading through all their pain and sadness worth it for the true happy ending awaiting them both. ARREST is an excellent example of how the “marriage in trouble” trope can be realistic without being too depressing. But I’m relieved that the next story in the series will be about someone else, so I can be content in the knowledge that Elsie and Henry have finally earned their HEA and won’t have to suffer any longer.

Ratings:

Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 3.5

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Review: The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving by Jessica Clare

The Virgin's Guide to Misbehaving (A Bluebonnet Novel)The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving by Jessica Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

Although this isn’t my first Jessica Clare book, it is the first one I’ve read in her Bluebonnet series, where different couples find love in a tiny but interesting fictional Texas town. I didn’t have any problem diving into the story of a hero and heroine from vastly different worlds who found themselves more compatible than anyone could have predicted. Elise and Rome’s romance is both sweet and hot, and it kept me interested even as another character in the book did her best to try to make me stop reading altogether.

Elise is quiet and shy because she spent her formative years suffering from a self-image severely damaged by a large facial birthmark and scoliosis. The birthmark was mostly removed by lasers, the scoliosis mostly fixed by years in a body brace and major surgery, but some external and internal scars remain. So when Elise finds herself irresistibly drawn to a handsome stranger covered in piercings and tattoos, she’s as surprised as anyone at her decision to pursue what would be the first real romantic relationship of her life. But will he give her a chance?

Rome has learned to trust no one after the multiple betrayals of his family resulted years spent in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. His checkered past and intimidating appearance have kept everyone at arm’s length, until pretty little Elise sneaks past his defenses and convinces him to embark on a passionate affair. But when Elise’s over-protective brother discovers the truth, what will it take to keep the lovers together when it seems like everyone else is working to keep them apart?

For me, reading THE VIRGIN’S GUIDE TO MISBEHAVING was a constant battle between the parts of the story I loved and the parts that made me want to throw my ereader against the wall in frustration. Rome and Elise really are a beautifully matched couple. Each has been taught not to trust other people, albeit for entirely different reasons, and even as they realize they want to be together, they each still take turns bracing for what they believe will be an inevitable betrayal by the other. It was wonderful to see how Rome proved he wouldn’t take advantage of Elise’s naivete, and how Elise in turn showed him how he was worthy of her love and the respect of others. Their intimate scenes exquisitely raised the sexual tension and deepened their emotional attachment each time they came together, and by the end of the book, we could see that they’ll continue to grow in their affection and trust as a united team against anyone who would dare threaten their happiness. But Rome and Elise weren’t the problem for me.

The reason I found this book to be as annoying as it was entertaining can be summed up in one word: Brenna. Brenna is the fiancee of Elise’s brother, Grant, and she is as wild and crazy as he is buttoned down and straitlaced. She may be a good person, but she is not a good friend to Elise. Brenna is the reason why Rome thought Elise didn’t like him. Brenna is the reason why Grant finds out about Rome and Elise before they are ready to go public, even after Elise specifically asked her not to tell anyone. And then to top it all off, when Rome leaves town in a misguided attempt to protect Elise from her brother’s wrath, Brenna is the reason why Elise uses a truly reprehensible trick to force Rome into coming back.

I’ll admit it’s possible that if I’d read Brenna’s book before this one, I might have a more rounded picture of who she is and why she behaves as she does here. But as a new reader to the series, I found Brenna to be such an incredible distraction that every time she appeared to mess things up, I wished I could tell her off and make her go away for good. If Brenna is in all the other Bluebonnet books, then frankly, I’m not interested in reading them. Thanks to her, I was only just able to finish THE VIRGIN’S GUIDE TO MISBEHAVING so I could enjoy Rome and Elise’s lovely HEA, including a satisfying epilogue that emphasized just how good they would always be for one another. But if you can stomach a relentlessly wacky secondary character like Brenna, you might like this book even better.

Ratings:

Overall: 3
Sensuality level: 3

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