Without further ado, here are my mini book reviews!
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Series? Companion novel to The Wedding Date
Pages: 327
Publication Date: October 30, 2018
Publisher: Berkley Books
Source: I listened to the audiobook via Scribd.
The author of The Wedding Date serves up a novel about what happens when a public proposal doesn't turn into a happy ending, thanks to a woman who knows exactly how to make one on her own...
When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn't come as a surprise--or happen in front of 45,000 people.
When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn't the hard part--they've only been dating for five months, and he can't even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans...
At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik's rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He's even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik's social media blows up--in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can't be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes...
Goodreads
Last year I read Guilllory's debut, The Wedding Date. Even though I liked The Wedding Date, I did have some issues with it. The love interest from the first book got angry and kicked or threw things when angry. I thought this was pretty intimidating and unhealthy. In this companion novel, things are much less problematic. The novel opens with Nikole on a date with her boyfriend at the Dodgers stadium when, to her horror, she is being proposed to! Her boyfriend can't even spell her name correctly, so she rejects him in front of everyone. The stadium is outraged, and Carlos and his sister help save Nikole from public scrutiny. The opening of The Proposal was hilarious and really got me hooked on listening. There was a still something missing for me, though. The "x-factor" wasn't there for me; I wasn't too worried when reading the romance and felt a bit disconnected from it. Despite my issues, the book was an engaging read and I listened to it very quickly. For me, The Proposal is a vast improvement from The Wedding Date for me. I'm definitely going to be reading Guillory's upcoming book, which is set in the same world as well.
With that, I give The Proposal four out of five flowers!
With that, I give The Proposal four out of five flowers!
Author: Julie James
Series? A part of a companion series.
Pages: 373
Publication Date: April 18, 2017
Publisher: Berkley Books
Source: I checked out the paperback edition through my local library.
Two undercover FBI agents can hide who they are from everyone but each other in the latest novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Suddenly One Summer.
FBI agents Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd have a past. The former lawyer and cocky Army ranger clashed during their training at Quantico, gladly going their separate ways after graduating from the Academy. Six years later, the last thing either of them expects is to run into each other again–assigned to work as partners in a high-profile undercover sting.
For both of them, being paired with a former rival couldn’t come at a worse time. Recently divorced from a Hollywood producer and looking for a fresh start, Jessica is eager to prove herself at her new field office. And John is just one case away from his dream assignment to the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team. In order to nail a corrupt Florida politician, they’ll have to find a way to work as a team–a task that becomes even trickier when they’re forced to hole up at a romantic, beachfront resort as part of the investigation. Suddenly, the heat behind their nonstop sparring threatens to make the job a whole lot more complicated. . .
I've heard good things about The Thing About Love for years and when I saw it at my local library, I immediately picked it up. Maybe it was the good reviews I've read for years, but this was just a solid romance novel. Maybe it's because "hate to lovers" isn't a trope I enjoy that much, but The Thing About Love wasn't bad or amazing for me. Julie James writes chemistry really well, though. The sexual interactions between Jessica and John were hot, consensual, and made me wary about my facial reactions when I was reading the book around my family. However, I thought the ending was a little predictable. Julie James foreshadowed John's decision a bit too much for me, and I anticipated the ending even before the two characters got together. After reading this, I'm pretty interested in reading more from Julie James. I know that this is actually the seventh in a companion series, so I might just start from the beginning and see if I like any of those more.
With that, I give The Proposal four out of five flowers!
With that, I give The Proposal four out of five flowers!
Have you read either of these books? What did you think of them?
Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!
Happy Reading!
Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!
The Proposal sounds pretty interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzanne! This post was accidentally published before I finalized everything, so I apologize if it didn't look polished. It was fun though, and I do recommend it despite my lack of connection. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI'm happy you enjoyed The Proposal. The chemistry didn't work for me, but I can't wait to read the next book!
ReplyDeleteThanks Amber! Jasmine Guillory is a bit of a hit or miss for me. Let's hope her third book works for both of us!
DeleteThis made me miss Julie James. It seems like forever since she put out something new. --sigh-- I agree, the beginning of The Proposal was fabulous. My issue was that I wanted more Carlos. I felt like the focus was more on Nik, and the whole reason I wanted to read the book was for Carlos. Still excited about the next book though.
ReplyDeleteI just checked her goodreads and this was the latest thing she published! Here's hoping she is working on something new. I agree with you Sam! I liked Nik alright, but Carlos interested me a lot more. Me too! Thanks for stopping by. :)
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