Series Review: Flawed Love (Lisa De Jong)

My friend Ari asked me if I had read any books by Lisa De Jong. I told her I had read and enjoyed her Ruin series. Ari said I had to read the Flawed Love series. I honestly think she just wanted to torture me. If you want to find out why I think that, check out my reviews below.

Lies Unspoken
Series: Flawed Love, #1
Author: Lisa De Jong
Publication Date: December 14, 2014
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

My thoughts:

I don’t even know how to explain my feelings about this book. The writing is exceptional, and De Jong hit me in all the feels — both good and bad. I loved Lila and liked Blake. Their relationship was a disaster in the making, but I still managed to fall for them as a couple.

Things weren’t that simple, though. This is kind of a love triangle towards the end. I’m not a fan, so that’s when things started to get iffy for me. Lies Unspoken went places I didn’t want to go. Blake and Lila both disappointed me. I wasn’t a fan of the third wheel, Pierce. I didn’t like the feelings I got from him. There was just this underlying thing that kept me from liking his character.

Then, there was that cliffhanger. It kept me reading. That’s all I will say about that.

Love Unspoken
Series: Flawed Love, #1
Author: Lisa De Jong
Publication Date: October 17, 2015
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

I hated this book. HATED. It took me places I didn’t want to go. It’s getting 3 stars for 3 reasons:

  1. Lisa De Jong is a talented writer. She wove a complicated tale.
  2. I understood Lila’s up and down feelings and why she made some of the dumb choices she did.
  3. The last couple of chapters and epilogue. They pretty much wiped away my anger.

So, what didn’t I like?

Pretty much everything else. The love triangle was in full swing. I was not a fan of Pierce. He was controlling, jealous, and manipulative. Pierce would have done anything to get what he wanted: Lila. It didn’t matter what he knew her true feelings to be. He was more worried about having her for himself. The way Lila played to his demands made me angry. I was so fed up with them both for most of the story.

I do have one complaint about the end, too. There was supposed to be a novella about Blake’s sister. I don’t know that it was released, and I really need it right now.

Overall thoughts on this series: If you like a good love triangle and aren’t scared off by OW/OM drama, this has some great angst and even better writing.

Mini Reviews: Love in Lingerie (Torre), Kat Fight (Silver), & Crash (Williams)

Today is all about the mini reviews. I finally finished off my ARCs, so these are all books I’ve had on my TBR for quite a while. It was nice to get them off the list. I even have a series review included.

Love in Lingerie
Series: Unzipped, #1
Author: Alessandra Torre
Publication Date: January 16, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

Oh, boy. I don’t even know where to start with this book. On one hand, I loved it. The chemistry between the characters was off the charts. There was such a sweetness between them and a real friendship developed. On the other, it drove me absolutely crazy with all the angst, OW, OM, and the slowest of slow burns brimming with sexual tension. It was worth every minute of that frustration for how it ended — with a giant smile on my face and happiness in my heart.

Kat Fight
Author: Dina Silver
Publication Date: June 1, 2012
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

Rating: DNF @ 16%

My thoughts:

I picked this book up at Book Bonanza 18 after talking with the author. She told me it was loosely related to how she met her husband and that it was a romantic comedy. That sold me on it, and I really wanted to love it because she was so lovely. I don’t know if it’s my mood or what, but I couldn’t get into the writing style. The MC drove me nuts. There was just something about the tone of her thoughts… I just didn’t feel like spending any more time with her, so I gave up at 16%.

Crash
Series: Crash, #1
Author: Nicole Williams
Publication Date: July 18, 2012
Genre: Mature Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

Crash was a mess of craziness that I somehow found myself addicted to. So much happened that wasn’t quite believable. I could see most of the twists coming, but that didn’t stop them from being impactful. Neither Lucy nor Jude was all that likable. Lucy drove me nuts with her inner dialog and the way she reacted to stuff. Jude was crazy controlling and made the worst decisions. So why did I give this book 4 stars? What made this such a great read for me was the relationship between the main characters. The way they were together made me root for them. They truly brought out the best parts of each other. For some reason, that was enough to make me enjoy this book.

Clash
Series: Crash, #2
Author: Nicole Williams
Publication Date: September 1, 2012
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

Clash wasn’t as crazy as Crash, but it had its moments. There are 3 things that had me giving this one 4 stars:

  1. Reformed Jude is a lovable Jude.
  2. There was one of the best cat fights in a book I have read yet.
  3. Lucy frustrated the heck out of me with the immature choices she made, but at least she knew she was the problem.

Crush
Series: Crash, #3
Author: Nicole Williams
Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

Oh, boy. Lucy took her brand of crazy to another level here. To be honest, it was SO HARD to read this book because of her insecurities and immaturity. It was hard to believe four years had passed since the last book for her. Which was sad because Jude had matured beautifully for the most part. The only reason this book was worth reading was for the HEA Jude and Lucy finally got. That was super cute.

Review: Varsity Heartbreaker (Ginger Scott)

Varsity Heartbreaker
Series: Varsity, #1
Author: Ginger Scott
Publication Date: May 28, 2020
Genre: Mature Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC from WordSmith Publicity and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Lucas Fuller is a lot of things.
He’s the boy next door.
He’s the first crush I ever had.
He was my first kiss.
He’s also the only person who has ever broken my heart.

For two years, I’ve wondered what happened to the us I used to know.
We were best friends, and then suddenly…we weren’t.
I tried to run away from it. I even changed schools just to make the hurt disappear.
But no matter how hard I tried to not think about Lucas, I just couldn’t stay away from the high school quarterback with perfect blue eyes and so many secrets.

I’m back. We’re seniors now. We’ve grown—all of us. And Lucas Fuller might be different, but I’m different too. This is my time to take risks, to experience life and to fall in love for real.

I want Lucas Fuller to be a part of my story, but I know for that to happen, I need to know the truth about our past.


One of the things I have always loved about Ginger Scott’s writing is that she evolves with each book. It’s like she’s five different writers in one body. To me, that proves how talented a writer she is. I feel like each new release has gotten edgier and spotlighted something different but just as important as the last. While I love that, I have to admit that I have missed her mature YA/NA contemporary sports romances. There’s just something so pure and fun about them. Needless to say, I was SUPER excited when I learned she was returning to that type of romance novel with Varsity Heartbreaker.

Varsity Heartbreaker was exactly what I needed during this crazy time. It got me out of a major book funk. I loved the whole vibe it had going on. It was slightly angsty, but not overly so. June dreads going back to her old high school where her ex childhood best friend and next door neighbor, Lucas, reigns. Her new best friend Abby pushes her to broaden her horizons, which puts her in the same orbit as Lucas. The plot was messy in the best way with a slight mysterious feel wrapped around what went down to make Lucas abandon his friendship with June.

I loved June. Her teenage embarrassment, frustration, and crush were spot on. I usually like my romance novels to have dual points of view, but this one was perfect with just her. I loved being in her mind and experiencing her figuring things out.

Lucas was frustrating to say the least. For much of the book I just wanted to shout at him to give it up and admit to what was going on with him. I’m not complaining about that, though. The secrecy around his character was fabulous for the storyline and June.

With everything going on with June and her feelings toward Lucas, I was surprised that there was actually something (I dare say) even better than their romance going on in this book. I think I might have loved the friendships even more. June and Abby’s was fun. Lucas and Tory’s seemed like a great bromance. The one that really got me, though, was June and Tory’s friendship. That one made me smile so hard and laugh quite a bit. If I was SUPER excited about Varsity Heartbreaker, I don’t even know how to describe how excited I am for Tory’s book. Thank goodness it’s coming up next!

As you can tell, I loved Varsity Heartbreaker. I would bet on the fact that it’s going to be a hit with fans of Wild Reckless, Waiting on the Sidelines, and This is Falling. Or with anyone who loves a mature YA sports romance. It was a great read, one I didn’t want to be over. If I was a cheerleader, I would do some sort of cheer here for Ginger Scott and what a winner she and this book are.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Great Opening Lines

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is:

10 Great Opening Lines

Here are some fun opening lines.

1. The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater

“Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she’d been told that she would kill her true love.”

2. Ugly Love
Author: Colleen Hoover

“Somebody stabbed you in the neck, young lady.”

3. Bad Penny
Author: Staci Hart

This one is inappropriate, so if you’re curious you can go to Amazon and use their First Look to see the first sentence. It caught me so off guard that laughed.

4. How to Walk Away
Author: Katherine Center

“The biggest irony about that night is that I was always scared to fly.”

5. Ilsa and the Happily Ever After
Author: Stephanie Perkins

“It’s midnight, it’s sweltering, and I might be high on Vicodin, but that guy—that guy right over there—that’s him. The him.”

6. The Lace Reader
Author: Brunonia Barry

“My name is Towner Whitney. No. That’s not exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time”

7. Landon & Shay: Part 1
Author: Brittainy C. Cherry

“I never meant to be a monster, but sometimes I wondered if certain people were born that way, born with a darkness that oozed into their bloodstreams and infected their souls.”

8. Delicate Monsters
Author: Stephanie Kuehn

“A ropes course was a shitty place for self-discovery.”

9. Dr. Strange Beard
Author: Penny Reid

“Most people have approximately eleven or twelve stories, and that’s it.”

10. God-Shaped Hole
Author: Tiffanie DeBartolo

“When I was twelve, a fortune-teller told me that my one true love would die young and leave me all alone.”

Review: The F List (Alessandra Torre)

The F List
Author: Alessandra Torre
Publication Date: April 29, 2020
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

There was a lot I did to get to this point, to get 42 million followers. Some of it I was proud of, most of it I wasn’t.

There was a group of us, all internet celebrities, and everyone wanted in, which is how six of us ended up living in this mansion, a camera always on, the public always watching. Two months and nine carefully scripted TV episodes that would get us more of the three F’s we were desperately chasing.

Fame. Fortune. Followers.

I knew my role. I was Emma, the unlikeable one. The dark villain with the devious smile. The package of dynamite that would blow up any chance of peaceful living and harmony.

Cash knew his role. He was the good guy. The lovable one. The one that everyone, even the darkest cast member of them all, would fall in love with.

They were supposed to just be roles.
None of it was supposed to be real.

My heart didn’t get that memo.


If you’re looking for a fun book to take your mind off things, look no further. You’ve found it. The F List is a uniquely written take on two celebrity influencers who hate each other. They end up on a reality show together, and it was non-stop entertainment.

I loved the way this book was written. It gave us both Emma and Cash’s thoughts. They told us what it took to get where they are.  It gave us quotes from people around them. All of this made for a dramatic (but not too dramatic) look at everything that went down. It was all sorts of crazy fun.

Emma and her whole back story drew me in. I didn’t necessarily like her all the time, but somehow, she managed to win me over anyways. Cash was instantaneously likable. His situation was very different from hers. Every moment between them would have been true camera gold — if they were real people. It was real book gold as it was. I could totally see this book being made into a TV series or movie. It would be perfect for that.

So, like I said, if you’re looking for a fun way to escape, read this book. If you like reality TV, read this book. If you’re big into Instagram influencers, read this book. I would just recommend reading this book. It’s so entertaining.

Review: Dirty Charmer (Emma Chase)

Dirty Charmer
Author: Emma Chase
Publication Date: May 19, 2020
Publisher: Emma Chase LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Abigail Haddock is stunning, sensible, and some would say…stuffy. But it’s not really her fault. She was raised in one of Wessco’s oldest, most affluent, aristocratic families—“stuffy” is their middle name. So is successful. Abby’s working overtime to distinguish herself as a top-notch physician, just as her family legacy demands.

She doesn’t have time for nonsense.

Tommy Sullivan’s all about nonsense.

Sure, he’s an elite bodyguard with lethal skills and co-owner of the renowned, S&S Securities Firm—protector of the wealthy and titled. But he’s also rowdy, fun and thoroughly irresistible.

Tommy knows how to have a good time, and he’s never seen someone more in need of a good time than Abby. The lass needs long, wet, filthy kisses—STAT—and he’s just the man for the job.

It doesn’t take long for a wildly sexy, sinfully satisfying, no-strings attached arrangement to turn into something more. Something sweet and addictive and real. But Tommy and Abby are too royally stubborn to admit it.

Opposites attract, everyone knows that. But can they last—can they love…for forever?


I think it’s safe to say that Tommy Sullivan is probably Emma Chase’s most popular side character. We have all been waiting for his book for what seems like forever. Well, I’m here to tell you that Ms. Chase did not let us down with Tommy’s book. It was everything I could have hoped for.

Tommy was just as delightful as expected. He is hilariously cocky and puts himself out there just like I expected him to. His story started out in the cutest, funniest way. I loved how loyal he was. I also loved how sweet he was underneath all his self-confidence.

Abby was the perfect love interest for Tommy. Where he was all go with the flow, she was all buttoned up. She definitely needed his lightness more than he needed her strictness, but they somehow balanced each other out perfectly. I really loved them together.

So much happened with the plot in this book. I loved the ups and downs. It was somehow both funny and serious. That’s a compliment to Emma Chase’s writing. Reading Dirty Charmer reminded me how much I love her books. I know I just finished this one, but I can’t wait to find out what’s next!

Oh! I can’t forget. If you’re a fan of her Royally series, you’re going to love some of the cameos in this book. Plus, there’s Tommy’s whole family to meet. There’s just so much goodness to enjoy.

Review: Tools of Engagement (Tessa Bailey)

Tools of Engagement
Series: Hot & Hammered, #3
Author: Tessa Bailey
Publication Date: September 22, 2020
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis:

In Tessa Bailey’s latest rom-com, two enemies team up to flip a house… and the sparks between them might burn the place down or ignite a passion that neither can ignore!

Hair, makeup, clothing, decor… everything in Bethany Castle’s world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family’s real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing not perfect? Her track record with men. She’s on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve their dreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.

When a television producer gets wind of the Castle sibling rivalry, they’re invited on Flip Off, a competition to see who can do the best renovation. Bethany wants bragging rights, but she needs a crew and the only member of her brother’s construction team willing to jump ship is Wes Daniels, the new guy in town. His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany’s skin on day one, but the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way.

As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block. It’s a labor of love, hate, and everything in between, and soon sparks are flying. But Bethany’s perfectly structured life is one kiss away from going up in smoke and she knows falling for a guy like Wes would be a flipping disaster.


I have been waiting for Tools of Engagement since the moment I finished Love Her or Lose Her. I got a glimpse of the dynamic between Wes and Bethany and was so excited for their story. It didn’t let me down. Tools of Engagement was my favorite in the Hot & Hammered series.

What made Hot & Hammered so good? Quite a few things. First, I LOVED the banter. There was a whole “I’m going to be mean to you because I actually like you” thing going on. It was childish, but totally worked. It made the banter super fun because I could appreciate how ridiculous Wes and Bethany were being. Bethany especially. The banter made their swoon worthy relationship that much more fun.

The next thing that stood out to me was Bethany’s character. I don’t have much in common with her, but I could see a lot of women in her. She strove for perfection to the point where she couldn’t let loose or be herself. She had everything the way she thought it should have been but was missing the big picture. I loved how she figured out the perfection was required.

Then, there was Wes. He would definitely make my list of favorite male characters. He might have only been 23, but he came across much older and more mature. I loved how he antagonized Bethany. It wasn’t done to be mean, but to light a fire under her. I also loved how he was with his niece, Laura. That relationship showed what a good person he was.

I can’t leave out the group of women and how they come together to support each other. That’s been one of the coolest aspects of this series. It wasn’t quite as heavily featured in this book, but it was there to support Bethany when she needed it.

Finally, there was the whole competition between Bethany and her brother Stephen. I liked not only what it did for Bethany’s relationship with Wes, but with Stephen as well.

Tools of Engagement was truly a fun romantic read filled great banter, humor, the sweetest of romances. If you’re a fan of this series, you won’t want to miss out on it.

Review: Hot Mess (Emma Hart)

Hot Mess
Author: Emma Hart
Publication Date: May 19, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

What do you do when the whole world has seen you getting down and dirty in a broom closet?

I, Elle Evans, am on the run.
Not from the fuzz—although that would be more exciting.
No, I’m on the run from the four-year-old private tape that, thanks to my vengeful ex, has probably already ruined my vlogging career.
There’s nothing like the entire world knowing what you look like mid-O.
Creek Keys, Florida, is a million miles away from NYC and the perfect place for me to hide for the rest of summer until I can figure out what I’m going to do.
Something that’s easier said than done since my new landlord’s daughter thinks you’re God’s greatest gift. Even better? Their beach house is right next to the one I’m renting, so there’s no getting away from her—or her hot, British dad.
Who most definitely does not think I’m role model material.
He might be right.
The problem is that neither of us can say no to her.
Or each other.


Hot Mess was a fun romantic comedy. It was pretty much everything I’ve come to enjoy about Emma Hart’s writing.

What I loved:

  • What Elle learned from the situation she was in and how it changed her.
  • What Elle taught Ari about online personas.
  • Elle and Theo’s relationship was sweet.
  • Theo and Ari’s relationship.
  • All of the people from the town.

Dislikes:

  • Nothing really. I do have to say it was missing some sort of spark for me that I normally get from Hart’s romances. Not sure what it was.

Overall, Hot Mess was a great romance to escape into.

Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons Why I Love Reading Romance

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is:

Reasons Why I Love Reading Romance
1. Romances are usually fast paced to read, even when it’s a slow burn romance.

2. Romances can be funny, sappy, sweet, sad at times, angst-filled, and on and on. There’s no limit to what the genre can make you feel.

3. There are so many different romance tropes that can be written so many different ways. It rarely feels like you are reading a book you have already read.

4. I can choose how sexy of a romance I want to read. There’s everything from Young Adult romances to erotic romances.

5. There are so many great series in romance. I can fall in love with a couple and then get to read about their friends or family falling in love in the next book.

6. Romances feel more realistic to me than some other genres, and yet feel more like an escape.

7. I love reading about people falling in love.

8. Reading a romance novel is like watching a 90’s romantic comedy or the Hallmark Channel at Christmas time.

9. I love a guaranteed happy ending.

10. I am impressed with how so many romance authors give back to the community, and so I like supporting them by reading their books.

Review: Game Changer (Kelly Jamieson)

Game Changer
Series: Wynn Hockey, #5
Author: Kelly Jamieson
Publication Date: June 9, 2020
Publisher: Kelly Jamieson
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Jackson Wynn
I don’t want anything to do with my crazy family’s drama, which I’ve been watching unfold from a distance over the last year, but now my grandfather has Alzheimer’s and I feel I need to at least make a quick visit to see him. My hockey season’s over, all I have to do is get through my teammate Steve’s wedding, and then I’m on a plane to Los Angeles to do my family duty. After that, I’ll head home to Manitoba for some summer R&R at the family lake cottage.

Molly Flynn
Nobody’s expecting what happens at my wedding, which becomes pandemonium. I need to get out of there. Fast. Who do I turn to? Jackson Wynn, one my fiancé’s teammates. He’s been a friend to me since I met Steve. For one night, we hide out in his condo, but he’s leaving in the morning for California. I want to go with him.

Jackson
I can’t take Steve’s fiancée with me to California. He’s going to flip shit over this. But the lying cheating bastard kind of deserves it, and I’ve always had a soft spot for Molly. Or maybe not so soft…because she’s not only sweet and kind, she’s hot as hell. This is a bad idea for so many reasons, and I sure as hell don’t need more drama in my life, but I can’t say no to her.

On this nutso trip, neither of us expect Molly to bond with my bonkers family…especially my poor, confused grandpa. And neither of us expect to bond with each other.


Game Changer was hands down my favorite book in the Wynn Hockey series yet. It was Kelly Jamieson’s writing at its best. What did I love about it? Well, everything.

To be more specific, I adored the entire scenario. The way Molly’s wedding went down, to her hitching herself to Jax’s vacation, to the way they fell in love. It was all so fun and cute. I think what really made it my favorite, though, was the bond between Molly and Jax. They were already trivia buddies, and it was easy to see that they had always had a special connection and friendship. That connection made for some humorous situations as well as some sexy ones.

I also loved that there wasn’t as much Wynn family drama in this book. It was simpler in that area, and it made it easier to spend more time on the actual relationship in the book. I hope if there are more books to come in this series, that they follow this trend.

I think the thing I loved about this book most was the epilogue. I don’t think I’ve read one quite as perfect as that one in a while. It was utterly fabulous.

I guess if I had to complain about one thing it would be the cover. That guy doesn’t scream Jax to me.