Tag: Pilots

Review: Best Friends Don’t Kiss (Max Monroe)

Best Friends Don’t Kiss
Author: Max Monroe
Publication Date: November 28, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Goal: Find a boyfriend, get married, buy a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, and pop out 2.5 kids.

Deadline: Sixty days.

That’s possible, right?

HAHAHA. *Faints*

I’m kidding. Well, kind of. I mean, I’m not going to attempt a shotgun wedding or try to get knocked up by some guy I met on the internet, but there is no doubt that, this year, home for the holidays takes on a whole new, terrifying meaning.

I have to travel from New York City—my home and safe haven for the last fifteen years—to my tiny hometown in Vermont for Christmas, my baby sister’s wedding, and my high school reunion.

Talk about a trifecta of single-doom.

Throw in Callie Camden—aka my high school class’s version of Regina George—and it’s a recipe for certified disaster.

Especially since my mouth ran away from me when she asked me if I’d be bringing someone to our reunion, and I told her to put me down for two.
Gah. Now I can’t go alone.

But the online dating world is a cesspool of bad manners, speedy hookups, and outright weirdos.

Handsome, single, successful—that’s what I’m looking for.
And it just so happens that my best friend Luke London fits all of the criteria.

The only problem is best friends don’t kiss…

But maybe it doesn’t count if it’s pretend? 

Banking the Billionaire will probably always be my favorite Max Monroe book, but Best Friends Don’t Kiss comes close. Best Friends Don’t Kiss was one of those magical romance novels that I couldn’t help fall in love with. Everything about it was so swoony! Not only was it a best friends to more/fake dating romance, but it was also a holiday romance filled with charming Christmas moments.

Ava and Luke Ava and Luke were just so dang cute together. Everyone (and I do mean everyone) knew they should be together, and it was easy to understand why. Those two had chemistry galore. Their friendship made it even stronger. I couldn’t get enough of how cute they were together. I loved how supportive they were of each other — Luke especially. The things that guy did to show Ava he was on her team was pretty cool. THEY WERE JUST SO FREAKING ADORABLE TOGETHER.

I absolutely loved all the characters that came out to support Ava and Luke. Ava’s family was so much fun. The relationship she had with her dad was so sweet. Her mom and aunts had me cracking up. The character who tried to steal the show was Thatch. That guy never goes away, and I can’t say I’m mad about that. I loved what he and his billionaire buddies brought to this story. It was all so entertaining.

Best Friends Don’t Kiss was yet another stellar release from Max Monroe. It made the 2020 holiday season even brighter. I had so much fun reading it that I was sad when it was over. If you’re looking for a holiday romance that’s going to make you laugh as much as swoon, you’re going to want to read this book.

Review: Turbulence (Whitney G.)

Turbulence
Author: Whitney G.
Publication Date: August 29, 2016
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

He and I met under a cloud of clichés:
Boy meets girl. Boy charms girl. Boy screws girl.
Our story was supposed to end right after the orgasms, right after we went our separate ways.

But then we saw each other again…

And neither of us could walk away.

Our rules were simple.
Our passion was scandalous.
Our hearts were supposed to be safe…

But when you find something so all-consuming–something so intoxicating and inescapable, you’ll risk everything you’ve ever had, even if you’re destined to crash and burn.

This is us.
This is our messed up love.
This is turbulence.

Over a year ago, I was sad to learn Whitney G. was postponing the release of her upcoming novel Turbulence.  I absolutely love her writing and was sad to have to wait for this book’s release. I was super excited when I saw that I was finally going to get to read it. 🙂 I don’t want to spoil the surprises of the book for anyone, so this review might seem a little sparse.

Turbulence is the story of Gillian, a woman who is on the hunt for a one-night stand. She meets the perfect man for the job. Jake’s a pilot who’s all about sex without strings. Neither of them plans on seeing each other after that night, but the sex is just too good to pass up. Soon they’re hooking up as much as they can with the rule that their relationship never goes beyond sex.

This was such a fun story to read! Whitney G.’s writing was as addicting as always. Her characters were complex, and I loved how their backstories were revealed little by little. There were so many surprises and twists throughout the story that I didn’t see coming. Parts of it that I found weird or confusing at first tied in perfectly at the end. I absolutely loved the experience of reading this book. Readers who love a sexy story that has twists and turns that unravel slowly throughout a book will love Turbulence.

Review: The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah)

The Nightingale
Author: Kristin Hannah
Publication Date: February 3, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

To be honest, I avoided reading The Nightingale. I wanted to read it, but I didn’t want to read it. I love Kristin Hannah’s books, but I heard it was a little slow and a lot sad. I checked it out twice from the library. The first time, I had to return the hardback before I had a chance to read it. Really, I just wasn’t in the mood. The second time, I checked out an electronic copy. I only read 18 pages before it magically returned itself. Then, my friend let me borrow her copy. It sat on my counter for two weeks before I picked it up. I’m really sad I waited so long to read it. It was really, really good.

I feel like no matter what I write about The Nightingale, it won’t adequately reflect my feelings about this book. It was heart breaking. It was beautiful. It was captivating. I couldn’t put it down.

I can tell The Nightingale is going to be a book that sticks with me long after I have finished reading it. Kristin Hannah did a wonderful job weaving the French history of World War II into her story. The Nightingale may have been fiction, but I could easily imagine it being real. It’s a devastating thought because the history of World War II is so devastating. It happened and a lot of people died. There’s no avoiding the truth of it all.

The Nightingale is a book I would recommend to readers who enjoyed Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I would also recommend it to those reader who like historical fiction or just a really amazing book.

Review: All I Want (Jill Shalvis)

All I Want
Series: Animal Magnetism, #7
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publication Date: October 6, 2015
Publisher: Berkley 
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Synopsis:

From the “awesomely, incredibly talented”* New York Times bestselling author of Still the One, comes a sexy new Animal Magnetism novel set in Sunshine, Idaho, where the sky is the limit when it comes to love.

Pilot-for-hire Zoe Stone is happy to call Sunshine, Idaho, her home base. But her quiet life is thrown for a loop when her brother’s friend Parker comes to stay with her for a week. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife special agent is a handsome flirt with a gift for getting under her skin. And the situation only escalates when Parker hires her to fly him around the area while he collects evidence on a suspected smuggler.

Now she has to live and work with the guy. But when they’re in the air, she sees another side of him. He’s driven, focused, and sharp. And while he enjoys giving commentary on her blind dates, she quickly realizes with a shock that it’s Parker who gets her engines going…

Okay, I’m going to complain about this beautiful cover. It’s beautiful and I love it but there is no beach in the book. It takes place in Idaho. That kind of drives me a little nuts.

As for the actual story, it started off really great. It had Jill Shalvis’ trademark humor from the start. Zoe and Parker’s chemistry was hot. The way they were trying not to fall for each other was cute. My favorite part of their non-relationship was their banter. It made me smile so much.

Then, the story kind of lost me for a bit. Parker’s job took over. His job didn’t interest me as much as his relationship with Zoe did. I know those parts were necessary for the build up, but they took a little something away from the book for me. I wanted a humorous romance. I got that, but I felt like I also got a little romantic suspense. I guess I just wanted more Zoe – Parker banter.

I did like the ending, though. It revolved around Parker’s side story, but it included Zoe and I think that made the difference.

Overall, I truly did enjoy All I Want. It was a good addition to a fun series. I’m looking forward to seeing which character is going to get their own story next!

If you’re looking for a great contemporary romance series, I would highly suggest the Animal Magnetism series. The books can be read in order or as a standalone.