Monday, May 20, 2019

Melinda's Mini Reviews for May

Melinda has a few mini review for you today, from DNF to 4 Stars.



Fumbled by Alexa Martin
Publisher: Berkley (April 23, 2019)
Series: Playbook, 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance


A second chance doesn't guarantee a touchdown in this new contemporary romance from the author of Intercepted.

Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was sixteen and pregnant to find a new normal. After years of hard work, she's built a life she loves. It may include a job at a nightclub, weekend soccer games, and more stretch marks than she anticipated, but it's all hers, and nobody can take that away. Well, except for one person.

TK Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL. His world is football, parties, and women. Maybe at one point he thought his future would play out with his high school sweetheart by his side, but Poppy is long gone and he's moved on.

When Poppy and TK cross paths in the most unlikely of places, emotions they've suppressed for years come rushing back. But with all the secrets they never told each other lying between them, they'll need more than a dating playbook to help them navigate their relationship. 


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Melinda's Review:



Fumbled by Alexa Martin was a disappointment to me as I really loved Intercepted but it did have an uphill climb for me because it was a secret baby trope and those don’t work the greatest for me so YMMV. Full disclosure – I DNFed this around 15% so things easily could have improved but it just wasn’t for me. Story opens with the heroine working in a strip club, but as a waitress – which wasn’t clear right away and that left me wondering if the readers were supposed to assume she was a stripper at first?



But my big problem with this was that the secret baby had been a secret for 9 years and it was clearly based on a misunderstanding that I could spot and identify the MOMENT it was introduced. I could understand that they were in High School when this happened…but it had been 9 years, the heroine was on her own and desperately needed money. There’s a bit more to it, but I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief with that.



DNF @ 15%







Writing Her In by Holley Trent
Publisher: Carina Press (March 11, 2019)
Series: Plot Twist, 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance -- Menage (FFM)


There’s room in a heart for more than one kind of love.

Dara and Adrien Valliere are soul mates and best friends…but they’re not lovers. Their marriage may be unconventional, but it’s satisfying and loving, and they’ve never needed anything or anyone else.

Until they met writer Stacia Leonard.

Stacia built a career on maintaining close ties with her fictional characters while keeping everyone else at arm’s length. She avoids intimacy, apart from a few one-night stands when the loneliness and need become too much. But when Adrien Valliere, her cover model and long-distance friend, invites her for drinks, she’s too fascinated to refuse.

Dara recognizes the physical attraction between her husband and Stacia and sees it for what it is: an opportunity to help Adrien get what he needs. Dara can breathe easy knowing that both she and her husband are happy.

Before long, though, it’s clear that Stacia’s connection isn’t just with Adrien… She and Dara have something special, and it’s something neither of them can—or want to—deny.



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Melinda's Review:


Writing Her In by Holley Trent was a book I was so excited for because it’s a contemporary from an author I love. This is a polyam romance and I generally really enjoy those and I wasn’t disappointed in this one! What I loved about this book is that it circles around a married couple but really centers around Dara and her journey. Dara has never had any interest in sex, she has a deep love for Adrien, but their sex life has gone pretty much nowhere. They are committed to stay together because of their love.



But again, what I love was Dara. Everything was centered on her which was just exactly what was needed here, in my opinion. Adrien was supportive and encouraging of her figuring out what she needed and I loved that he was in the background. Stacia is the 3rd to their pair and they are respectful of her, her desires, her fears, all while pursuing her. I loved that Trent really focused so much on the women of this story because I feel like I’ve seen a version of this story from the male POV in a not-so-great way multiple times.



4 STARS! 







Fly With Me by Hudson Lin
Publisher: Hudson Lin (February 28th, 2019)
Genre: Contemporary Romance


She set out to explore the world and found love along the way.

Vivian Ng is as experienced as flight attendants come. Taking charge and getting stuff done has always been her MO. When her father pushes her to give up her Asian routes in favor of flights to Europe, she’s nervous about the change, but her skills have never failed her before.

Flight attendant Marco Chang is charming and he knows it. Growing up as an immigrant with absentee parents, he learned how to win people over with a smile and a sexy accent. But being popular never meant his heart was available.

When Vivian and Marco find themselves working the same flight to Rome, Marco is immediately smitten. Vivian is smart, competent, kicks ass and takes names. Vivian’s not as impressed. Marco’s cute, sure, but he’s helpful to a fault and she doesn’t need some guy telling her how to do her job.

As they hop back and forth across the Atlantic, the romance of European cities works its magic. But if there’s any hope of their budding attraction taking off, she’ll need to let go and he’ll need to let her in.

Content Warning: This book contains a scene of sexual harassment.


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Melinda's Review:


Fly With Me by Hudson Lin is a really cute novella about flight attendants falling for each while on international flights and I really loved the setting so much. While I liked both Marco and Viv both, Viv starts out the book with an anger that I never felt was fully explained. I’m a heroine-centric reader and adore messy, complicated, and yes, even angry heroines, but I couldn’t quite get a grasp on her character motivation at the beginning.



Happily, that slowly changes and Viv and Marco develop a friendship that quickly starts to deepen. I really enjoyed the open and casual depiction of Marco’s bisexuality. I did love Viv’s relationship with her father – she’s extremely close to him and that’s apparent throughout, and that Marco becomes a part of that is my favorite thing about this one.



3 STARS! 







Thanks for the reviews, Melinda! 



Enjoy!



Until Next Time,











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