book – Book Dust Magic

This book make me crave for more historical romance: Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath @STMRomance #BookLovers #HistoricalRomance

Never Rescue a Rouge by Virginia Heath book cover US edition

GIFTED / Today I am happy to bring you my review for a book that awoke my love for historical romances. I always loved to read that genre but for some time I didn’t pick it up for a while, but this book reminded me why I love it. I really needed this in my life and now, thanks to Never Rescue a Rouge I can’t wait to read more. I crave for it.

Never Rescue a Rogue is a second book in The Merriwell Sisters series and it has 368 pages. It will be published on November 8th 2022 by St. Martin’s Griffin. I want to thank their publicist Sara for inviting me to read and review this book via Netgalley.

About the book:

Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair only tolerate one another for the sake of their nearest and dearest. Everyone believes that the two of them are meant to be together, but Diana and Giles know that their constant pithy barbs come from a shared disdain—not a hidden attraction. Diana loves the freedom of working at the newspaper too much to give it up for marriage, and Giles is happily married to his bachelor lifestyle. But they do have one thing in common—the secrets they can’t risk escaping.

When Giles’ father, the curmudgeonly Duke of Harpenden unexpectedly turns up his toes, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes crawling out of the woodwork who knows the true circumstances of his only son’s birth. As the threat of blackmail becomes real, Giles must uncover the truth of his parentage first, or else he and all those who depend upon him will be ruined—and dogged bloodhound Diana is his best hope at sniffing out the truth. As Giles and Diana dive into his family’s past, the attraction that the two of them insisted wasn’t there proves impossible to ignore. Soon, the future of the Sinclair estate isn’t the only thing on the line…

Review:

I wasn’t even aware how much I craved historical romance until I started reading this one. Never Rescue a Rogue reminded me how passionate and fun historical romances can be. For that, I am glad because now I crave even more.

This book was pure fun. It isn’t a comedy, don’t get me wrong. Still, Virginia Heath has the way of writing her words that everything, her descriptions, inner monologues and characters’ conversations are so entertaining.
I guess it isn’t a surprise that I flew through this book so fast.

I haven’t read the first book in the series (I would want to) but I didn’t feel like I was missing out. Never Rescue a Rogue can be read as a standalone.
However, all the characters Heath created were great to read about, so it would be a shame not to read their own books. Therefore, I will continue with the series.

My favourite character was Dalton who is the butler. It seems like every scene that had him in it made a book little bit better, brighter.
I also liked Vee who is Diana‘s (main character) younger sister. At times I hope the two of them would get together but I guess we won’t be seeing that movie since Vee is getting her own happily ever after in the next book, and Dalton isn’t the love interest.

As for our main characters in this book, Diana was the character one can look up to.
She loves her independence, her job and she is like a force that is not afraid of anything.
I have to admit I wasn’t head over hills for Giles at first, but I did enjoy seeing the chemistry between them and it was so obvious how Diana’s company does him good.

This is an example how enemies-to-lovers trope can be done, without unnecessarily drama, hate or going too far.
It was all tastsfully done.

4 stars from me and one big recommendation to you guys!

One sunny title: Sunkissed by Kasie West @PRHGlobal #partner #BookReview #Sunkissed

GIFTED / Today I bring you my review for a book that I have read twice already. Once before it was released, and second time recently (read: this summer). I enjoyed it both times which is not surprise since Kasie West is one of my all time favourite authors.

Sunkissed was published on May 4th 2021 by Delacorte Press and it has 304 pages. I want to say thank you to Penguin Random House Global for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Avery has always used music as an escape. But after her best friend betrays her, even her perfectly curated playlists can’t help her forget what happened. To make matters worse, her parents have dragged her and her social-media-obsessed sister to a remote family camp for two months of “fun.” Just when Avery is ready to give up on the summer altogether, she meets Brooks—mysterious, frustratingly charming Brooks—who just happens to be on staff—which means he’s off-limits.

What starts as a disaster turns into . . . something else. As the outside world falls away, Avery embarks on a journey of self-discovery. And when Brooks offers her the chance of a lifetime, she must figure out how far is she willing to go to find out what she wants and who she wants to be.

Review:

Kasie West is my go to author when it comes to ya contemporaries. For years she’s been my favourite and by now I know with her books I can’t go wrong.

Sunkissed was entertaining, fun, fluffy at times and perfect pick to spend a relaxing day with.
I read it twice and enjoyed it both times.

The book was written in first person which made it so easy to flew through. Avery was a good narrator to follow and I have to say, she has good sense of humour.
You know who has even better sense of humour? Her sister. I enjoyed conversations between them and liked their relationship even more than Avery’s and Brooks (who is the love interest).

If you like music and happen to like music making, this story could be the one for you because it features the band and all the things that go along with it: writing, rehearsals, member fights, live gigs…

I wish we got to see more of family camp Avery visited with her family, and if the author decided to include at least one or two camp visitors as well, but overall it was a good book that I would recommend to ya contemporary summer reads.

Book Review: Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey @PRHGlobal #partner #romance

Not like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey book cover US edition

GIFTED / Today I bring you my review for a book that I have read some time ago. It is part of the series and my suggestion is to read Waiting for Tom Hanks first. I enjoyed reading Not LIke the Movies so I hope my review will give it some spotlight so more people would give it a chance.

Not Like the Movies was published on July 7th 2020 by Berkley and it has 320 pages. I want to say thank you to Penguin Random House Global for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Chloe Sanderson is an optimist, and not because her life is easy. As the sole caregiver for her father, who has early onset Alzheimer’s, she’s pretty much responsible for everything. She has no time—or interest—in getting swept up in some dazzling romance. Not like her best friend Annie, who literally wrote a rom-com that’s about to premiere in theaters across America…and happens to be inspired by Chloe and Nick Velez, Chloe’s cute but no-nonsense boss.

As the buzz for the movie grows, Chloe reads one too many listicles about why Nick is the perfect man, and now she can’t see him as anything but Reason #2: The Scruffy-Bearded Hunk Who’s Always There When You Need Him. But unlike the romance Annie has written for them, Chloe isn’t so sure her own story will end in a Happily Ever After.

Review:

I got into Not Like the Movie without knowing it was a part of the series. How foolish of me for not doing my research.
When it comes to romance genre, with every book following different main characters, they can usually all be read as standalones.
This one can also be considered as easy to understand on it’s own, to some point, but since main characters from the first book appear more then few times, and it is constantly mentioned what happened in that story, bringing and creating problems for characters in this, second novel, I would suggest to read the first book first.
I felt like I was missing out and it kind of ruined my reading experience.

The story follows a woman who has hots for her boss. And while I usually like that trope (or the idea of it because I haven’t read many books following it) in this novel Chloe acted too unprofessional to me with her constant comments but then when Nick would try something she would be all like “Oh no, we can’t. Bla bla bla, but you still have cute but and strong muscles and also, you smell like an old hot grampa”. Yes, I know.
I guess this is also age gap romance because Chloe had some comments about Nick being old, but it was never stated how old was he.

I didn’t like all the drama and characters finding excuses not to be with each other just so we can rute for them to finally get together.

Chloe’s relationahip with her bestie was also strange and it didn’t sound too healthy.

I could relate to Chloe who took care of her dementing father and having to deal with her absent brother. Their relationship with their mother was so complicated and I totally understand how it would scar them both.

The writing style was solid and the book reads quikly.

I would recommend Not Like the Movie but I would also advice to start with Waiting on Tom Hanks first.

Witchy and relaxing: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (Book Review) @PRHGlobal #partner #Halloween #Witches

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna book cover US edition

GIFTED / Today I am so, so, so happy to bring you my review for a book I read and enjoyed so much. I am so grateful books like this exist and am happy to spread my word about it in hope it will reach as many readers as possible.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was published on August 23rd by Berkley and it has 336 pages. I want to say thank you to Penguin Random House Global for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules…with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for….

Review:

I simply loved this book. It was perfect read for the fall, and would be excellent one to pick up during October/spooky season.
Although The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is not a spooky book, it is still perfect to read for Halloween, as it’s protagonists are witches (and with witches comes magic).

I am actually glad books like this exist, because they do provide that Halloween mood to readers who aren’t into horrors and gory.

This book was just adorable. It was relaxing, witchy story that talked about family, friends and love, and what is the most important, the relationship one has with themselves.

The story follows Mika who takes a job to teach magic to three little children. There, in the Nowhere House, she finally learns how it feels to belong somewhere and what it’s like to have a family.

The story is written in third person following Mika’s POV, but there were also some parts that followed Jamie, the librarian.
As you can assume, Jamie is the love interest and when it comes to romance, this one include grumpy-sunshine trope.

I think the author pictured small circle (of people) vibes so well. It was so easy to get attached to all of the characters, main and the side ones. Holiday scenes in the story were like a warm hug from the author and her characters to us readers, that I appreciate the most.

I highly recommend it to everyone who’s looking for a warm, relaxing, witchy story.

The First book I read in 2022: It Will End Like This by Kyra Leigh @PRHGlobal #partner #BookReview

It will end like this by Kyra Leigh book cover US edition, delacorte press

GIFTED / Today I decided to post my first book review, and I think it is fair to talk about the very first book I have finished this year. Since I didn’t have much time to read and only managed to finish 4 books in January, I think there are chances I’ll cross/post on Book Dust Magic every review I write this year.

It Will End Like This was okay book to pass time, and I will leave you to decide whether you should pick it or not, based on my, and also on other people’s reviews.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

For fans of The Cheerleaders and Sadie comes a psychological thriller that reminds us that in real life, endings are rarely as neat as happily ever after. A contemporay take on the Lizzie Borden story that explores how grief can cut deep.

Charlotte lost her mother six months ago, and still no one will tell her exactly what happened the day she mysteriously died. They say her heart stopped, but Charlotte knows deep down that there’s more to the story.

The only person who gets it is Charlotte’s sister, Maddi. Maddi agrees—people’s hearts don’t just stop. There are too many questions left unanswered for the girls to move on.

But their father is moving on. With their mother’s personal assistant. And both girls are sure that she’s determined to take everything that’s theirs away for herself.

Now the only way to get their lives back is for Charlotte and Maddi to decide how this story ends, themselves.

Review:

It Will End Like This is the first book I finished in 2022, but also the one I ended 2021 with.
I know, totally not important information, but still I look at it as fun fact (feel free to call me a loser if you want).

The book started good, with a tone that was so easy and also intriguing to follow.
Short chapters have the ability to make book seem like it reads faster, and the first person pulls the reader in characters’ heads immediately.

To make things clear, I was thrilled with the way the book started, and the atmosphere the author described through monologues and happenings reminded me of a brilliant novel called We Have Always Lived in a Castle.

However, the more I read, the more I despised Charlie’s inner thoughts, and since we are what we think, I liked her less and less, until I found her just… not my cup of tea.

Still, I could understand how all the things that happened could spin her head and awoke the anger and even madness inside her.

Her sister Maddie seemed like the stronger one, but on the other hand the author decided to focus mostly on Charlie, and explore her character and her inner self more, even if the book follows two POVs.

In the end, I just want to state that I hated not only one, but three side characters: the father, his new girlfriend and the new friend.
Books usually have one or two characters readers like to hate, so kudos to Kyra Leigh for creating not one, not two, but three of them, and if we include Charlie among them, we have a band of unlikeable personas.

If you could call your loved ones: You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao #BookReview @WednesdayBooks

you've reached sam by Dustin Thao book cover

GIFTED / Today I am bringing you my review for a book I read several weeks ago. I was happy to see it was READ NOW on Netgalley.

You’ve reached Sam comes out tomorrow, on November 2nd and it has 304 pages. Thank you Wednesday Books for giving me an opportunity to read and review it.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.

Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail.

And Sam picks up the phone.

In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.

Review:

When I picked You’ve Reached Sam I was ready to be emotionally wracked. Just reading the premise I expected to be at least touched with the story, if not literally crying (because I don’t do that often).
Instead, most of the time, this book made me feel… confused.

It had original part: the phone calls between late boyfriend and alive girlfriend, and I do appreciate it’s uniqueness, but if I am being completely honest, after a while I just didn’t see the point.
I blame the execution for that part. The idea was good.

I also blame the main character who seriously lacked manners and empathy.

I also didn’t understand how she, and people around her, acted as if everyone should move on so quickly. She getting rid of all of her stuff, her mother advising her and people in school in general. One would say it’s been 6 months since Sam’s accident, not a week.

The book was written in first person, following Julie’s POV.
The author’s voice was good and I believe with time it will improve with time.

In my opinion this was a solid ya book with magical elements that made it unique, and it was good for entertainment purpose.

Another delicious romance: Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau @PRHGlobal #partner #BookLovers #romance

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lou book cover US edition

GIFTED / Today I am so, so, so happy to bring you my review for a book I read and enjoyed so much, and now days after I finished it I can say I appreciate it even more than I did right after I finished it. It is like… thinking about this story provoke good feelings in me… I don’t know how else to explain it.

Donut Fall in Love will be published on October 26th by Berkley and it has 368 pages. I want to say thank you to Penguin Random House Global for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

A baker provides the sweetest escape for an actor in this charming romantic comedy.

Actor Ryan Kwok is back in Toronto after the promotional tour for his latest film, a rom-com that is getting less-than-stellar reviews. After the sudden death of his mother and years of constant work, Ryan is taking some much-needed time off. But as he tries to be supportive to his family, he struggles with his loss and doesn’t know how to talk to his dad—who now trolls him on Twitter instead of meeting him for dim sum.

Innovative baker Lindsay McLeod meets Ryan when he knocks over two dozen specialty donuts at her bakery. Their relationship is off to a messy start, but there’s no denying their immediate attraction. When Ryan signs up for a celebrity episode of Baking Fail, he asks Lindsay to teach him how to bake and she agrees.

As Lindsay and Ryan spend time together, bonding over grief and bubble tea, it starts to feel like they’re cooking up something sweeter than cupcakes in the kitchen.

Review:

First of all, let’s take a moment to appreciate this amazing title that can be interpreted in three different ways (you got it: DONUT like sweets two main characters were making, then DO NOT fall in love, and DO NUT fall in love, like do crazy fall in love)!

Second, let’s also appreciate that the story is set in Canada.
Maybe that is not a big thing for some of you guys, but I rarely read books that take place in that country, so it means a thing to me.

Now let’s talk about the book…

I guess I have a thing about romance with cakes/baking, as this was the third novel in that subgenre I read in a row, and I liked it.
Also, two main characters are Asian, just like in previous books I read too, and I loved that (huge) aspect of the story.

The novel was enjoyable in general. It was well written with easy to connect with characters.
It was written in third person following two different POVs: Ryan’s and Lindsay’s.

This book touches the topic of losing a parent, so keep that in mind, as it could be triggering.

To me, Ryan’s relationship with his father was too familiar as it reminded me of the one I ha(d)ve with my mother.

This book is pitched as gender reversed Notting Hill and I can see why.
It is also one of romances where the couple gets together pretty early in the story (I think it was before 50% mark) so the conflict that was necessary to keep the story going felt forced.
Other than that, the book was really good.

So if you are looking for an easy read to relax with, Donut Fall in Love is the perfect choice, and I hope you will do NUT fall in love with it.

Continuation of a tasty series: The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee #bookreview @STMRomance #BookLovers #Romance

The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee book cover US edition

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about the series I fell in love with. This is only the second book in it that I have read, and I don’t know if there will be more and how more if yes, but I feel like I want to shout and shout how much I like it, in hope that will make you want to pick it up too.

The Dating Dare came out this year on August 3rd and it has 320 pages. I want to say thank you to Sara from St. Martin’s Griffin for inviting me to read and review this book via Netgalley.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Tara Park doesn’t do serious relationships. Neither does she hop into bed with virtual strangers. Especially when that particular stranger is her best friend’s new brother-in-law. It isn’t an easy decision, though. Seth Kim is temptation personified. His unreasonably handsome looks and charming personality makes him easy on the eyes and good for her ego.

When a friendly game of Truth or Dare leads to an uncomplicated four-date arrangement with Seth, Tara can’t say she minds. But their dates, while sweet and sexy, have a tendency to hit roadblocks. Thankfully, their non-dates and chance meetings get frequent and heated.

Seth is leaving for a new job in Paris in a month and a no-strings attached fling seemed like a nice little distraction for both… But soon Seth realizes that Tara Park doesn’t come in a “nice & little” package–she’s funny and bold, sweet and sexy, and everything he ever wanted and never expected to find. Neither of them are ready for something serious and both have past relationship baggage they’ve been ignoring, but with a shot at forever on the line will they follow their hearts and take a chance on happily-ever-after?

Review:

Recently I read A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee and because I enjoyed it so much, I decided to dive immediately into it’s sequel called A Dating Dare.
Guess what? I loved it even more.

As I stated in my review for the first book, I started the series with low expectations, and I ended up appreciating it so much that I hope the author will continue giving us new books featuring characters we already got to know (for example, Tara has brothers who would make awesome MCs or that girl who works in bakery).

The writing style was very good, easy to follow and it felt kind of… comfortable.

The characters I liked even better then our first MCs, from A Sweet Mess.
Being honest is one of great sides of Tara‘s personality and I found her so relatable.
It was also a blast to read about her siblings and their brothers-sister relationship.

Seth is a brother of Landon who we already met in the prequel, so we were kind of familiar with his background.
Once again, honest and that up front approach is what got me to like him.

The book is written in first person, following our MCs POVs.
Both of views sound similar, which can sometimes be a miss, but here I didn’t mind it.

As for the plot itself, it was good, although at some point it felt like Seth and Tara only hung out with each other, even though their whole dating dare started with an aim to have only 3 dates.

This is another love story where couple get together early in the book and then conflicts happen and they have to figure out how to be together for real.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, I do recommend it, and I hope the series will grow.

The one that wasn’t for me: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix @PRHGlobal #partner #horror #books

The Final Girl Support Group book cover US edition

GIFTED / Hi guys, today I want to talk about a book I read recently, that is pretty hyped up. Horror genre is still pretty new to me when it comes to books (movies I wantch all my life and it’s my favourite genre) so I don’t know what works good for me and what not, so I am prepared for failure when I chose the book, until I get to know my taste better.

The Final Girl Support Group was the book I hoped I would love, but unfortunately, that didn’t happened.

The novel was published on July 13th and it has 352 pages. I want to thank Penguin Global and Berkley books for inviting me to read and review this title.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

A fast-paced, thrilling horror novel that follows a group of heroines to die for, from the brilliant New York Times bestselling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.

In horror movies, the final girl is the one who’s left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?

Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre twenty-two years ago, and it has defined every day of her life since. And she’s not alone. For more than a decade she’s been meeting with five other actual final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, putting their lives back together, piece by piece. That is until one of the women misses a meeting and Lynnette’s worst fears are realized–someone knows about the group and is determined to take their lives apart again, piece by piece.

But the thing about these final girls is that they have each other now, and no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.

Review:

Unfortunately, this just wasn’t for me. And I am sure this is really “it’s not you, it’s me” case.

In all honesty, the reason I picked up The Final Girl Support Group was the hype it was getting even before it’s release, due to the author’s popularity.
I usually love horror movies, slashers and gory are my jam, but here in this book… although I do appreciate the action… most of the time I felt lost.

From the very beginning something felt off. It was probably the writing style I just couldn’t get into to save my life and the narrator and her craziness/paranoia didn’t click with me either.
I am aware that anyone in her place would lose their sanity too.

There were also so many characters, so many final girls obviously based on already created final girls in cult horror movies we all seen or at least heard of, that it took me way much time to acknowledge them.

There was an aha-moment that surprised me in a good way, but that was it.

If I am being honest I just didn’t care. I didn’t care about the plot, I didn’t care about the characters, I didn’t care about the end, and I feel sorry I wasn’t more invested.

It was clear to me around 15% that this book wasn’t for me, but I wanted to finish it as I had an ARC.

After I finally pushed through it I couldn’t believe it had only 352 pages. It felt like it was long as an eternity.

So my conclusion is, once again, that this book just wasn’t for me and I don’t think I will read more of Grady Hendrix’ work.

Sweet, fun and foody: A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee (book review) @STMRomance #BookLovers #Romance

a sweet mess by jayci lee book cover us edition

GIFTED / Today I am so happy to bring you my review for the first book in the series I fell in love with. A Sweet Mess came out long ago (actually, it was last year, but when you are a reviewer who should review books prior their release, a year is like a decade), and although I do feel sorry for being late when it comes to reviewing it, I am also glad I waited (even though I can’t call it a choice) because I could read the sequel right away.

A Sweet Mess came out on July 14th 2020 and it has 306 pages. I want to thank St. Martin Griffin and Netgalley for my copy.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Bake a chance on love.

Aubrey Choi loves living in her small town nestled in the foothills of California, running her highly successful bakery away from the watch of her strict Korean parents. When a cake mix-up and a harsh review threaten all of her hard work and her livelihood, she never thought the jaded food critic would turn out to be her one-night stand. And she sure as hell never thought she’d see her gorgeous Korean unicorn again. But when Landon Kim waltzes into her bakery trying to clean up the mess he had a huge hand in making, Aubrey is torn between throwing and hearing him out.

When she hears his plan to help save her business, Aubrey knows that spending three weeks in California wine country working with Landon is a sure recipe for disaster. Her head is telling her to take the chance to save her bakery while her heart—and her hormones—are at war on whether to give him a second chance. And it just so happens that Landon’s meddling friends want them to spend those three weeks as close as possible…by sharing a villa.

When things start heating up, both in and out of the kitchen, Aubrey will have to make a choice—to stick it out or risk her heart.

Review:

I think it’s a good thing to go into books with low expectations, because then you might end up really liking it.

Let me tell you a story about my reading experience with A Sweet Mess.
Months and months ago, I saw it on Netgalley as READ NOW. Then life got in a way and blablabla, and I picked it up a year after it’s release (feel free to judge me, I don’t mind) when the reviews were already out there, and many of them weren’t so generous.
I picked up the book with low expectations, thinking I would be bored most of the time, and boom, I was having an awesome time, fell in love with the writing style (especially with dialogues between characters which I found meaningful and deep at times, but more often just entertaining) and I got attached to characters whom stories made me understand where they came from.

This is a romance in which characters get together and then separate because if conflicts and miss communication (or lack of it to be fair) so I do understand why it wouldn’t be appealing to a part of romance audience. To me, it was done right and I enjoyed following their journey to each other.

There were some smut scenes but they weren’t too explicit. However, I wouldn’t recommend this to minors.

Right after finishing A Sweet Mess I went into The Dating Dare, and guess what: I loved that one even more!
I guess Jayci Lee should find her spot on my list of authors who’s work I am eagerly anticipating.