Review: Roomies by Christina Lauren

Release date: December 5th 2017
Publisher: Gallery Books
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

From subway to Broadway to happily ever after. Modern love in all its thrill, hilarity, and uncertainty has never been so compulsively readable as in New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren’s (Beautiful Bastard, Dating You / Hating You) new romance.

Marriages of convenience are so…inconvenient. 

Rescued by Calvin McLoughlin from a would-be subway attacker, Holland Bakker pays the brilliant musician back by pulling some of her errand-girl strings and getting him an audition with a bigtime musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway—until he admits his student visa has expired and he’s in the country illegally.

Holland impulsively offers to wed the Irishman to keep him in New York, her growing infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves from awkward roommates to besotted lovers, Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway. In the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting, what will it take for Holland and Calvin to realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?

*Publisher approved request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I really liked this story. It was funny and cute in some areas and kind of real and sad in other aspects. I've never been into Broadway musicals, but I do love music and I find that including it and the arts in books make it more interesting for me. 

Holland is a girl I could relate to. For the most part, she just couldn't seem to figure out what she really wants and didn't have the confidence to express herself clearly. Her character is very genuine though, and truly cares about her uncles and doing what she can to support them the way they have supported her, which is why I can understand her decision to marry Calvin to help their Broadway project. 

Calvin, I honestly took a while to warm up to him, much less trust him, because he never seems to be all the way honest with Holland. And even though she wasn't totally truthful with him either, I feel like his reactions to certain things that happened throughout the story were unjustified and unfair. However, I do like how their feelings blossomed the more they spent time together, and I thought that Calvin's heart was in fact in the right place at the end of the day.

The immigration subject of the story was very real and a route that many people take to seek a better life in the country, or to stay with someone they deeply loved. Regardless, I like that the author wrote around this topic and delivered it in such a realistic and humorous way. This is my first time reading anything by Christina Lauren and I must admit I feel like I've been missing out. The writing was quick and fluid, and there's never a dull moment. Really nice story and I do recommend!

About the Author
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates/brain-twins Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced fourteen New York Times bestselling novels. Their books have been translated into 31+ languages. (Some of these books have kissing. Some of these books have A LOT of kissing.)

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Review: The 48-Hour Hookup by Sarah Ballance

Series: Chase Brothers #4

Release date: September 12th 2016

Publisher: Entangled Lovestruck

Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Who knew a sweaty photo would be good for business?

Now unwanted booty calls are coming in as fast as work orders, and Liam Chase needs to get away. Cue a job upstate. His new client is hot as hell, but he left NYC to escape attention, not to hook up with the city’s “Runaway Bride”.

With three disastrous relationships under her belt, it’s clear Claire Stevens’s judgment sucks. And what’s she’s feeling for America’s newest sex god? Obviously another hormone-fueled mistake.

But when she accidentally fells a tree on his truck, leaving them stranded in a winter storm with a chocolate-snatching raccoon, there’s something to be said for body heat.

Too bad neither can trust their explosive chemistry…

*Publisher approved request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was funny, flirty and fast-paced. The right mix if you're looking for something light to read. 

I liked the characters and the setting. That cold weather, small town, and cabin in the icy woods. It was just a very enjoyable story. The addition of that raccoon was a plus!

Loved that Liam and Claire had relatable circumstances. Both got unwanted publicity and were hoping to put that behind them, so it was understandable that they'd try to avoid starting a relationship. I mean, Claire was terribly unlucky in love and couldn't seem to find a genuine guy, and Liam was treated like a hot piece of meat and nothing more. But regardless of how they wanted to evade each other, Liam and Claire were just too appealing to the one another, so their intensity only grew. And I'm glad that Liam did what he did in the end and that things worked out for the best. 

Seems like a fun series and I'd love to pick up the previous 3 books and learn more about the Chase Brothers

About the Author

Sarah Ballance is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, historical, and supernatural romance and romantic suspense. She's been married to her own romantic hero for what he calls a "long, long time" (and no, he'll never hear the end of saying that). Together they have six children ... and clearly too much time on their hands.

www.sarahballance.com

facebook.com/sarah.ballance.author.news

Review: Missed Connections by Tamara Mataya

Series: Summer Love #1
Release date: June 7th 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Missed Connection: I saw you standing there, and I was struck by your eyes. Gorgeous, but not as gorgeous as your smile.

Thanks to her job at a crazy New Age spa, what should have been a sizzling NYC summer is being hijacked by demanding hippie bosses. To unwind, Sarah spends her nights cruising Missed Connections, dreaming of finding an uber-romantic entry all about her. Of course, the moment she finds that Missed Connection, real life comes crashing down around her in a night of unbridled passion with someone completely different: totally off-limits Jack.

Best. Hookup. Ever.

Gorgeous and wealthy, hot as sin, Jack can give Sarah everything she needs-except an emotional connection. That she gets from her Missed Connection, the romantic stranger who never fails to make her swoon. But there's only so much of Sarah to go around. Torn between the bad boy she can't keep and the sensitive stranger who bares his soul online, her heart and body are soon in two very different relationships...or are they?

*Published approved request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Initially, I was a little iffy about the story and how it was going, but Missed Connections turned out to be an entertaining read for me. Sarah's character may not rub some people the right way, but I like that she was imperfect and messy.

I got her desire to be with someone who was willing to commit and had a stable life. And I got why she was hesitant to start anything substantial with Jack because of his lifestyle, or what she deemed his life to be about: clubbing and a lot of girls. She also believed he couldn't open up to her and she wanted more than just physical. So her reasons for not wanting to establish anything serious with Jack was understandable. 

Like many people, Sarah went online in hopes of finding someone she could connect with. I've never even glimpsed the Missed Connections section of Craigslist so I was curious as to how it worked. It seemed pretty interesting though. The fact that someone saw you and immediately felt intrigued, but didn't get the chance to talk to you or were afraid to try in that moment. So they posted about it online, using descriptions, in hopes that you'd see it. Sarah kept checking the posts, hoping that someone may have seen her and wanted to connect. She continued to do so until one day it happens and she begins talking to this guy. At first, Sarah has no idea who it is, but then she thought about someone she met at work and believed it to be him. 

Speaking of work. Aside from the issue with her lovelife and wanting to connect on a deeper level with someone, Sarah was dealing with a lot of nonsense at her new job. First of all, not many people would put up with such crap and would probably quit in their first week. But not Sarah, she needed the money to pay for her expenses while seeking another job. And I understood why she'd stay with those weirdos, no matter how cult-like they seemed. Desperation will make you stay in jobs that make you unhappy, but you don't really have a choice but to stay with it. I found Sarah to be rather strong for staying with New Age Spa for as long as she did. I mean, she even considered trying to understand their ways and being more open-minded about things. But that retreat was the last straw and I knew she just couldn't stay with them any longer. It became too much. 

Thankfully, she had Jack to call on, and I wish that she would've realized that from the beginning that he was always there for her, in spite of what she thought. Sure Jack had trouble opening up to people, but he was trying, and Sarah never really gave him the chance to do that until later on. He was still wrong for doing what he did, but in the end, I understood his intentions and still liked him anyway. The guy was just too hot. 

Like I said, Missed Connections was an entertaining read with some hot moments here and there. You'll either laugh along to the madness or cringe and turn away at how much Sarah put up with the hippies. Whatever the case, it was a quick and interesting story with crazy characters and I liked it all. 

About the Author

Tamara Mataya is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a librarian, and a musician with synesthesia. Armed with a name tag and a thin veneer of credibility, she takes great delight in recommending books and shushing people. She puts the 'she' in TWSS and the B in LGBTQIA+. She’s the co-creator of Pitchmas, a bi-annual pitch contest for writers, and as a freelance editor, has worked with NYT Bestselling authors.

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Behind the Pages #27: Alice Clayton: From the Cosmetics Industry to Queen of Humor & Heat!

I don't know if there's anyone who isn't a fan of Alice Clayton's Redhead or Cocktail series. When you're looking for something entertaining and steamy, this is the author you should check out. With the upcoming release of the second book in her new Hudson Valley series, Alice still found some time for an interview and I'm excited to share her answers with you guys, along with an international giveaway for the chance to win Cream of the Crop. Isn't Ms. Clayton fantastic? Of course she is, that's why she's the next in IFB's Behind the Pages feature :)

Where are you from? 

St. Louis MO.

You worked in the cosmetics industry before becoming an author. What inspired you to start writing and how challenging was it to make the transition? 

I was inspired to start writing when I stumbled into the world of Twilight Fan Fiction. I’d read Twilight and the entire series and was itching for more and when I found the fan fiction world, that was all she wrote. I started writing and one thing led to another and I was lucky enough to have THE UNIDENTIFIED REDHEAD published in February 2010. And it’s been crazy ever since!

Does your experience in that industry impact your stories? 

I think I got to know women really well, beyond just the normal girlfriend interaction. I was seeing women at their most vulnerable. Think about it. You’re sitting with this woman in the middle of the mall in front of everyone else that’s shopping, and you hand her a wet wipe and ask her to take off her makeup. In public. And you, as the artist, can make that experience awful or awesome for her. I chose awesome. I learned that women are terrible at taking a compliment (something I mention in WALLBANGER when Caroline remembers something her grandmother told her once) and I learned that women just want to be listened to. I’d have women come and sit in my chair and talk for thirty minutes about anything and everything. Any hair stylist or esthetician knows what I’m talking about. Some of these women you can tell, no one in their lives is listening to them, really listening. I like to make sure the women in my novels are HEARD.

Tell us a bit about your debut, The Unidentified Redhead. What brought about Grace and Jack’s story? 

The story of Jack and Grace was 100% inspired by an interview I saw where Robert Pattinson said he thought Tina Fey was “like the sexiest woman on the planet.” And this was right before Twilight came out, or right after, when everyone was literally foaming at the mouth to find out more about this guy, and specifically who he was dating. And I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting if the guy who could literally have almost any woman he wanted, actually was spending his nights up in the hills of Hollywood watching the Golden Girls with a woman 11 years older than he was. And how would life change for that woman, once she started dating such a famous guy. BAM. The Redhead Series was born.

Is that really it for the Redhead series or will there be another book someday? 

I’ve said for years their story was over…but there’s something about those two that make me want to write them again. Who knows what I might be doing next… ;)

The Cocktail series was as well-received as your previous. Did you ever anticipate the success of your books? Do you feel pressured to keep that going? 

WALLBANGER was an almost instant success, and it changed my life in a thousand ways. I make my living telling stories now, and it’s all because of WALLBANGER. We threw our dream wedding last year, and I should have printed THIS WEDDING WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY WALLBANGER on the back of the invitations. 

I’m immensely grateful for WALLBANGER. However, I would be lying if I said it didn’t create a kind of pressure to maintain that level of success that’s just simply not possible. For me anyway. So yeah, it’s a struggle sometime to keep the voices at bay in my head and just write the kind of books I want to write.

How does your latest series, Hudson Valley differ from the last? What can readers expect? 

CREAM OF THE CROP means a lot to me, because I finally got to write someone that I thought was so very needed in this world, and that’s a plus size heroine. Not a curvy girl who loses a bunch of weight, but an honest to god curvy girl who gets the guy not in spite of her curves, but just because she’s fucking awesome.

From Wallbanger to Cream of the Crop, how did you pick these titles? 

I have the best time coming up with titles. I usually come up with the title before the concept, isn’t that funny?

Your stories are mainly filled with humor and heat. Have you ever considered writing in another genre? Like Suspense or YA contemporary? 

I’d like to write something more like true women’s fiction, whatever that means. Maybe a little sex. But then I come up with an idea for a sex scene and then…

From your debut until now, how have you evolved as an author? 

I think my writing is a bit cleaner than it used to be, more focused. I’m also more aware of specific things, like not putting in information that’s too dated, like a current song or movie that in a few years people might not remember.

What’s next for you? 

I’m working on the third book in the Hudson Valley Series right now!

Alice, thank you so much for taking the time. Please leave any tips for aspiring writers. 

I always say the same thing, I’m so boring! But it’s something really simple, although it can be hard to do. Trust your voice. No one can tell your story as well as you can.

~~~

More About the Author

Alice Clayton is a NY Times & USA Today Bestselling author of comedic erotica. She worked in the cosmetics industry for over a decade before picking up a pen (read laptop).

Alice enjoys gardening but not weeding, baking but not cleaning up, and finally convinced her long-time boyfriend to marry her. 

www.aliceclayton.com | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

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Review: Wrong Number, Right Guy by Elle Casey

Series: Bourbon Street Boys #1
Release date: September 22nd 2015
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

When a mysterious text message summons May Wexler to a biker bar in downtown New Orleans, she knows something is very wrong. Her sister has sent out an SOS, but when May gets there, she’s nowhere to be found and May is the one in trouble—she’s wearing pink espadrilles, she’s got a Chihuahua in her purse, and she’s in the middle of a shootout.

After tall, muscular Ozzie comes to her rescue, May has no choice but to follow him to safety. At the headquarters of his private security firm, the Bourbon Street Boys, she finds a refuge for the night—and the offer of a job. But it’s not long before a gun-toting stalker isn’t the only complication in May’s life: the more time she spends with Ozzie, the less she can deny that they’ve got some serious chemistry. A wrong number got her into this mess…Will it also get her the right guy?

*Publisher approved request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been meaning to check out Elle Casey's books for some time now, and after finding Wrong Number Right Guy on netgalley, I just had to give it a go based on that reason, and I liked the title. I didn't read the blurb; I went into the story blind but hoping to be entertained. And I got that from the start. 

The main characters' first encounter was just hilarious if not super weird. Receiving text messages accidentally happens to most of us, but not once have I ever gotten up and gone to a place because of those texts though. No matter who I believed they were from. In May's case, she was utterly convinced that the texts were from her older sister in need of her support. No matter how obviously intense the spot was, and the fact that May knows her sister would never go to such a place, much less bring her kids there, she still continued to browse around the bar looking for them. This chick stood out like a sore thumb in this tough bar, and that's when all hell broke loose for her and Ozzie had to save her from getting killed. Not once, but a few more times after that because May was somewhat oblivious to the situation even after Ozzie explained it to her. That's one of the things that frustrated me about May, and I didn't really connect with her, but like I said, the story was entertaining and I liked her thoughts about Ozzie and how hard it was for her to control her attraction. 

The whole security team thing was an interesting part of the story. I liked what Ozzie and his friends did and I would love to learn more about each character, in particular Toni, as well as dive deeper in regards to them carrying out missions and getting in more suspenseful situations. Aside from that, I felt like the story was more about May tapping into her inner strength, finding something she could be passionate about, feeling like she was part of a good team, as well as learning to trust a guy for once. The angst between May and Ozzie was certainly enjoyable, and I liked how throughout there were humorous moments to help keep things interesting and not too dry.

Overall, it was a good read. I wouldn't say I was completely in love with the story or characters, but I was entertained for the most part. If you're looking for a quick and light read with some intense scenes here and there, give this one a read.

About the Author

Elle Casey is a prolific, NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling American writer who lives in Southern France with her husband, three kids, and several furry friends. She writes in several genres and publishes an average of one full-length novel per month.

www.ellecasey.com 

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