Review: Getting Off, by Abby Green

Part of a series? No.

Category/Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Cosmo Red Hot Reads from Harlequin

Pages: 76

Blurb:

Caitlin Ryan has never had an orgasm and she wants one! So does she

(1) Date lots of Mr. Nice-but-Wrongs and keep faking and hoping?

(2) Do a little DIY with a battery-operated friend and a lot of imagination?

(3) Go to NYC and have a wild night with a totally hot stranger?

When (1) and (2) don’t work, Caitlin goes for (3). But even with motorbike-riding sex god Liam, old habits die hard, and yet again she has to fake it. Only he notices and is not happy! Could things get any worse? Well, yes, when Liam becomes her new boss. But when Caitlin reveals that she’s never climaxed, Liam rises to the challenge, offering a weekend of hot sex with the only goal her pleasure. Will letting him take control work? Caitlin can’t resist finding out….

ADD IT TO GOODREADS

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REVIEW:

I received this book via Netgalley for an honest review.

This is a standalone novella, my first read by this author and a fun read when you don’t have a lot of time and need something light and openly sexy. In fact, I’m surprised I enjoyed reading this book so much. 🙂

Sometimes you don’t expect much when reading a book. You pick it up because you’re in the mood for something light that is going to fulfill your need for some mindless reading and make you smile a time or two and that’s all. But then, something unexpected happen…

You actually truly have fun reading said book.

Here, it’s exactly what happened to me. I wasn’t in the mood to read something long and I knew I needed to just find a story to chill. I thought I’d get easily bored and annoyed with the female character because in this type of books I usually end up rolling my eyes every few pages when the voice is over the top girly and chick-lit like, but here it’s not like that.

The author has a fresh voice, something that makes the female main character likable without doing much. Caitlin is the kind of character you can easily picture yourself in her shoes and it’s all the more easy to delve in the story and just enjoy an hour or two of reading.

The male character’s POV is maybe less thrilling to read, but it’s always nice to get an inkling of what’s going through his mind. Also, it truly helps his characterization so we don’t mistake him for an insensitive ass. 😉

The story itself is fast paced, the plot is rather light and sexy, but hey! It’s obvious from the blurb that it’s not supposed to be anything else. Obviously it’s a very quick read because it’s a very thin novella, but considering the theme and the way this story is built I don’t think it needs to be longer.

The thing that bothers me a little bit is the short time jump (two weeks) at one point in the book. I would have enjoyed to read a scene or two during that time period and if you read this novella you’ll know what I mean.

That being said and even though it’s a nice story, it’s not one I’ll remember in a few weeks and it’s not revolutionary or original. Of course, the ending is fluffy and easy. Actually, everything is rather easy and there’s no real conflict, but still, it’s a fun read.

(I checked the price for this story on amazon and considering the length of this book I think it’s too expensive).

RATING:

3.5 to 

Review: Forbidden, by Lauren Smith

Part of a series? Yes.

Cliffhanger? Yes.

Category/Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Forever Yours

Pages: 167

Blurb:

Kat has always been a good girl. She studies hard and never stays out too late. But when sitting in a pub on her birthday, she realizes she’s a nineteen-year-old virgin who’s never really lived. And she wants tonight to be the night that changes.

Then she sees him walk in. He’s tall, dark, handsome, and straight out of her deepest fantasies. His voice makes her knees feel weak, and when he smiles, she imagines him doing wicked things to her in bed. From the look in his eyes, she knows he’s imagining it too. So when he asks if he can walk her home, she hears herself whisper yes . . .

ADD IT TO GOODREADS

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REVIEW:

I received this book via Netgalley for an honest review.

Forbidden is the first installment in Her British Stepbrother series/serial. This is a short first installment, mainly focusing on the introduction of the main characters Kat and Tristan. This story is written in third person with heavy inner musings thrown in.

So… Am I in love with this story? Not necessarily, but I did spend a good enough time reading this book. It’s a quick read, a bit too sweet at times and also a bit childish regarding Kat’s reactions, but overall it’s nice.

The author spends a lot, and I mean a lot, of time sharing Kat’s (and a bit of Tristan’s) inner musings. Usually I enjoy it when it helps me understand the characters and see their evolution, but here I’m afraid it turns out to be a bit too repetitive to keep me riveted from start to finish. I would have probably enjoyed it more if there were more dialogues. But you know what, it’s only my opinion. We all often feel differently when it comes to this.

The plot itself is easy. Is it too easy? Well, I think the purpose of this installment is mainly to introduce the characters, the conflicts coming in the second installment and how Kat and Tristan get closer, so much so that we have to root for them later on when actual conflicts happen. Doing a fairly in depth intro is fine, but I would have loved to see more real conflicts in this installment instead of giving off the very obvious hints as to what to expect in the next installment. Here, I think that the few things happening (mainly Kat acting a bit too ‘childish’) are mostly to bring some type of issues to the story so Kat and Tristan don’t get close too quickly. But these issues are truly non-issues and I can’t help but think that the plot in this first installment misses a little something to tie me over and make me want to crave the second book in the series.

Kat and Tristan are quite likable even if, as I already said, Kat is a bit too childish for me. She’s not a child and she does have depth beyond her years, but on the other hand she tends to act as you’d expect a teenager sometimes. I understand where she comes from, so it’s funny but she didn’t annoy me as I expected she would. It just bugged me a bit. Tristan is your usual play boy, but with a softer side that we see quite fast. There are a few things I’d like to see regarding his family dynamic and I’m sad that it’s not more used here in this first installment.

Overall, it’s a rather nice introduction to this story. The tropes used here are fairly common and that’s probably why I’m not necessarily overeager to read the next book, but I will read it. I think the author can surprise.

RATING:

 to 3.5

Review: A Fighting Chance, by Shannon Stacey

Part of a series? No.

Category/Genre: Contemporary Romance.

Publisher: Carina Press

Pages: ? (This is a novella.)

Blurb:

All work and no play makes Adeline Kendrick a dull girl, so when she heads to a casino resort for a friend’s bachelorette weekend, she’s ready to have a good time. Until she runs into Brendan Quinn, professional fighter and the one who got away—the one her family drove away—and things take a turn for the interesting.

Running into his ex won’t shake Brendan. Even if it brings up the old pain of loving her when she was only slumming. Even if she looks really good. In fact, what better way to get over the past than to take advantage of the still-sizzling chemistry running hot between them? He’s there to win an MMA fight, but he won’t say no to a little physical relief of a different kind.

But when the weekend is over, Adeline isn’t ready to give up her second chance that easily. Brendan is still the one for her, no matter what her family thinks. Now, if only she can convince him of that…

ADD IT TO GOODREADS

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REVIEW:

I received this book via Netgalley for an honest review.

This is my first book written by this author and while I can imagine that other books could appeal to me, this novella is a disappointment, as much for the writing as for the characters and plot.

I don’t want to be harsh or anything, but while this isn’t a bad novella I don’t think it’s a good one either. Honestly, there’s no compelling voice here, no thrilling plot and the writing itself is rather dull/bland with some words used too much for my liking on the same page. Considering I wasn’t overly invested in the story I was able to focus a lot more on the writing itself. That being said, I have an ARC so I’m sure editors worked their magic with the author before A Fighting Chance was published.

The story itself is very, very straightforward. I can’t say it’s a surprise because this is a novella, not a novel so it’s without saying that the plot has to be less thick. But still, I think it would have been good to at least get ONE conflict or anything to threaten Brendan and Adeline’s relationship. Instead, I honestly didn’t feel once that it’s a second chance romance. It’s way too easy and the chemistry isn’t all there in my opinion. Speaking of… The sex scenes are like reading a grocery list to me. It’s surprising. It doesn’t enhance the chemistry between the main characters, doesn’t spice things up either. I don’t know, I guess I could have gone without…

The characters, Adeline and Brendan, are cute. They don’t have a real trait that stands out. They’re nice, but I think the author didn’t develop them. And now that I’m finished with this novella, I still don’t understand Brendan’s decision six years ago or how come Adeline could forgive and forget so easily when she’s supposed to still be hurt over it. Once again, I think it’s too easy.

I’m not saying I always need angst in books, but I do need some conflict to help the plot along, to develop the characters and actually feel something while reading. Here, it’s a nice story, but I don’t see the point. I’m really sorry.

RATING:

2.5 to 

Review: Playing Pretend, by Tamsyn Bester

Part of a series? No.

Category/Genre: Contemporary Romance.

Self-published.

Pages: 293

Blurb:

Kadence Kavanagh has spent the last two years trying to rebuild her life. When a job opportunity presents itself, she can’t say no, even if it’s with the man who’s life was ruined by her father’s indiscretion. It’s been years since she last saw Caleb Callahan, and she’s not even sure he remembers her, but she’s determined to give herself a clean slate no matter who she has to work for.

In the unlikeliest of circumstances, Caleb becomes her savior – if somewhat reluctantly – and she discovers that the man she’s read about in the gossip columns is nothing more than a smoke screen. Kadence knows that keeping her distance is for the best, no matter how difficult, but when Caleb proposes the unthinkable, she finds herself caught between what’s real, and what she wishes was real.

Caleb and Kadence lose themselves in a lie, and when reality comes knocking, they realize that all they were doing was playing pretend…

ADD IT TO GOODREADS

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REVIEW:

I received this book via Netgalley for an honest review.

This standalone novel, mostly written from Kadence’s POV, is a not unheard of, but it still works even though sometimes my interest dwindled.

I don’t know what’s going on this year, but I often find myself bored with books and think about taking a break (meaning that I want to stop reading and put the book aside and never pick it up again). It’s very unusual for me. Here, twice I had to convince myself to keep reading and I’m glad I did because while it’s not my favorite book, it’s still a nice story.

Playing Pretend doesn’t miss the mark for me, but somehow it’s not a book I fully enjoyed and the main reason is simple; I don’t like Kadence Kavanagh.

Reading her POV is interesting even though sometimes I think the author does a bit too much and the character’s inner turmoil takes precedence to the plot and rhythm of the story. So, her POV isn’t the real issue because the author manages rather well to conveys her main character’s thoughts and traits. My issue is that Kadence doesn’t show much of a backbone.

I can understand a character’s weakness, I can understand if the female main character has a really hard time resisting the male interest even when he’s being downright awful and doesn’t show much of any redeeming quality, but here it’s too much for me to actually sympathize to Kadence and all she has to go through.

Yes, she truly is a nice girl and has a big heart, but you see at some point I want her to actually do something for herself. Basically, Caleb has to invade her personal space and she’s a goner, even when she knows he’s about to hurt her. AGAIN. I think I wouldn’t have minded that if only I could have seen an evolution in her, if only I felt more of the chemistry between Caleb and her and if only I actually liked Caleb earlier in the novel.

Even now that I’m finished with this novel I’m still annoyed with Kadence. Maybe it’s me because somehow I can’t truly put myself in her shoes and understand all her choices, or the choices she should have made but didn’t.

The plot itself stands on its own rather well even though I think sometimes in the book nothing noticeable happens for a few chapters and then many things happen at once and not much is fully explored. For example, we don’t really see much of anything of Nathalia, we don’t know much about that bomb Kadence’s mother drops, I don’t get what is the purpose of the very, very brief encounter between Kadence and Katrina. I can’t explain these examples or else it’d spoil your reading, but I feel like there’s something missing here to fully complete this story. (But there are no lose ends, don’t worry).

The writing is flowing well enough that I easily got into the story, but then I got a bit ‘bored’ when it becomes obvious that nothing worth noticing happens for a long while. It’s my opinion, so…

You see, I don’t really know how I truly feel after reading this book. Without a doubt, it’s a good book with a rather solid story. Many romance readers will probably fall for this story and these characters, but I’m afraid my personal taste makes it harder for me to completely fall for Kadence and Caleb and their story.

RATING:

 to 3.5