Review: Hot Scot Summer by Beatrice Bradshaw

Title: Hot Scot Summer

Author: Beatrice Bradshaw
 
Buy Link: CLICK HERE

Publisher's Insight:
 

Sleeping with your enemy is one thing. Needing him to write is another.

Cleo Sullivan is broke, blocked, and one missed deadline away from tanking her writing career. Her plan: pet-sit in a remote Highland cottage, finish her novel, and get back to the US.

Scottish singer/ songwriter Lucas Kincaid hasn't written a tune in years. But if he doesn't finish an album in three months, his label is going to drop him. So he drives to his late gran's cottage for peace, quiet, and inspiration.

Hard fail.

Cleo is already there. She chases him with a toilet brush. He throws her in the loch. It's hell. But neither of them is willing to leave.

Crammed into the cottage for one summer, their aversion turns into reluctant attraction. Until a night by the bonfire leads to a hormonal error in judgment – and a weird creative breakthrough.

So they make sleeping together a professional arrangement. Just to save their careers. Strict boundaries. No feelings.

But as summer is ending, Cleo and Lucas have to decide: Is this love – or just the best work they've ever produced?

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Hot Scot Summer is a sizzling and laugh-out-loud spicy enemies-to-lovers romcom with a dual first person POV that's set in the Scottish Highlands. It's the first book in the Thistle Glen series and can be read as a standalone.

For fans of high-heat enemies-to-lovers romcoms, forced proximity that won't let you breathe, and rockstar heroes who fall first and hard.

Hot Scot Summer also has ADHD representation, a treehouse, grief that hits you when you're not looking, and a guaranteed HEA (the kitchen table will never recover.)

Review:

Oh my god, this book is absolutely hilarious and heartwarming and emotional. I can't come up with enough adjectives to describe this book. It impressed me how the author brought the characters to life in this, and I would love to see this book as an audiobook. I have a feeling that I would nearly pee my pants in some parts of this book. If you're looking for a great read with hilarious comedy and steam that will just melt the best chocolate, this is the book for you.

I would like to thank the author and Literary Inspired for the opportunity to read this book.

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 I received this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been swayed by this fact. I NEVER charge for a review.

Review: How to Serve Up Love by Dani Elias

Title: How to Serve Up Love        

Author: Dani Elias
 
Buy Link: CLICK HERE

Publisher's Insight:
 

BREAKING: ONE REVIEW. ONE TOMATO SAUCE. AND A SPARK NEITHER OF THEM EXPECTED.

Carlisle prides itself on being quietly respectable. Unfortunately for everyone involved, a food critic and a chef have just made that impossible.

Chloe
Speed dating has been a masterclass in lowered expectations, and my tolerance for nonsense is at an all-time low. So yes, my latest column was sharp. The tomato sauce deserved it. What I did not anticipate was the furious chef turning up at the Carlisle Gazette, review in hand, pride wounded, smelling like fresh herbs and righteous indignation. He’s intense, infuriating, and far too attractive for someone who insists this is just an argument.

Tom
That sauce is my grandmother’s recipe. It’s not a trend, not a shortcut, and not up for debate. When Chloe dismisses it in print, I go looking for accountability. What I find is a woman who’s clever, unapologetic, and entirely unimpressed by my temper. This is not flirting. This is a professional disagreement. A serious one. Except the arguments don’t stop. They deepen. They linger. And suddenly I’m thinking about her far too often for someone who insists this is purely about food.

Late nights turn heated. Boundaries blur. And when care creeps in where it doesn’t belong, it becomes uncomfortably clear that this isn’t just about a review anymore.

Because in a small city where reputations are fragile, careers are political, and women pay the price for being human, wanting each other might cost more than either of them is prepared to lose. And walking away might cost just as much.

Fair warning: there’s a cheeky dose of adult content inside. Set in England and written in British English.

Review:

Call in the fire brigade because Chloe and Tom are hot, hot, hot!

I've enjoyed watching Dani Elias grow as an author and this book shows how well she's come to know her characters and you can feel the love through the pages.

If you're looking for a hot romance between a critic and a chef... then ladies and gents, this book is for you.

I'd like to thank the author and Happily Booked PR for the opportunity to read this book.

************ I received this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been swayed by this fact. I NEVER charge for a review.

Review: Hawaii Can Suck It! by Melisa Ryun

Title: Hawaii Can Suck It

Author: Melisa Ryun
 
Buy Link: CLICK HERE

Publisher's Insight:
 

I’m supposed to film him. Not fall for him.

I’m Camila Morales—cargo pants-wearing, scrunchie-collecting, videographer to Reece Dare—a growly, tattooed YouTube daredevil. He’s hot, sure, when he’s not judging me for smiling (calls it a sign of weakness).

I thought rock bottom was editing thirst traps for my grumpy boss, but that was before he got jilted on livestream—and before we ended up sharing one bed at a sensually-charged romance resort.

ME: Two weeks from quitting this soul-sucking job to finally launch my own docu-series.
ALSO ME: Fake dating Reece.

The bonus check? Tempting.
The fake kisses? Dangerous.
The look he gives me when he thinks I’m not watching? Uh oh.

My latest stunt? Fake dating my employee. What could go wrong?

I’m Reece. Internet-famous with 150 million followers who just saw my runaway bride from hell leave mid-vows.

The honeymoon’s already booked, the fans want a fairytale, and so I’m stuck selling one with Camila—the sunniest, sassiest pain in my ass. She challenges me constantly, never backs down, and worst of all? She’s usually right.

I run a media empire with hundreds of employees counting on me, but it’s hard to stay professional at a couples-only resort fueled by massage oil, heavy breathing, and a host named Kai who winks too much.

She chasing a new career. I’m running damage control. But Hawaii might change everything.

Fans of Meghan Quinn will love this steamy, laugh-out-loud romcom featuring grumpy x sunshine chaos, fake dating, forced proximity, and one seriously spicy resort. Buckle up for a tropical mess of lust and laughter because sometimes, love needs a viral disaster to find its happily ever after.

Click now. Paradise, chaos, and fake love await.

Review:

Oh. My. Gawd! Y'all this book had me laughing so hard in spots that I didn't know what to do with myself. I woke up my husband, I annoyed my friends, and read snippets out loud to both. When you guys read this book, which I highly recommend you do, you need to read at least twice the section about the sex swing at the beginning of the book because I nearly peed my pants laughing the first time and the second time I just laughed even harder. So do yourselves a favor, pick up this book, make sure you read it, and read it to a friend, it'll make their day. But I'm also going to warn you that I cried like a baby during the third act breakup and so glad that my husband wasn't around because he tends to think that there's something wrong when I do that. But this book had me from one end of the spectrum emotionally to the other end and back. And I loved every red hot second of it.

Cam and Reece are a match made in heaven and the only ones who can see it are Reece's moms! The fickle public doesn't know a thing, and the two of them are so confused even they don't know it. But guess what...? They live happily ever after. And if you want to learn more, please read this phenomenal book.

I'd like to thank Happily Booked PR and the authors for the opportunity to read this delightful book.

************ I received this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been swayed by this fact. I NEVER charge for a review.

Review: Resilient Love by Giuliana Victoria

Resilient Love by Giuliana Victoria
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can you put two sports in one book!? Yes please! And bring it in hot because Giuliana sure did.

Putting Raf and Elise together? Pure magic and heat personified.

Never doubt what a man will do to please his coach, even if it's coaching his coach's daughter's football league. In order to get to the Olympics Elise must play on a team, but that team needs a coach to win. When Rafael comes on the scene she knows that life just got a little more difficult. And because of how the last coach was let go, things are a little — tense to say the least. But can what they feel for each other be worth breaking a few rules? To find out you'll have to read.

A great sports romance with heat that will knock your socks off! I mean read this: "Oh, and princess? There won’t be anything nice about how I plan to play with you." Are my panties melting over here?

I'd like to thank the author for the opportunity to read this book!

View all my reviews

Audiobook Review: The Code for Love by Anne Marsh

Title: The Code for Love

Author: Anne Marsh
 
Buy Link: CLICK HERE

Publisher's Insight:
 
A software engineer convinced that algorithms and romance don’t mix takes a work road trip with her surfer-boy nemesis in this swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers romance.

Her perfect plan has a gorgeous glitch…

Software engineer Pandora Fyffe is known for being prickly. The same can’t be said for world-famous surfer Ozzy Wylde, Pandora’s neighbor, a social media star beloved for his relaxed charm. The eight-pack abs and angelic face don’t hurt, either. Everyone likes Ozzy, while Pandora’s boss can barely remember her name.

But Pandora’s aiming to change all that with a new app that predicts a user’s ideal travel partner. Sure, there are bugs—the demo identified Ozzy as her perfect match! Now her boss wants them to take a romantic Mexican road trip filled with fake-dating posts to build their brand. At the end of it, one of them will win Pandora’s dream job.

Soon they’re rumbling through the beaches, deserts and fishing villages of Baja, letting their guards down, confessing fears, falling deeper. Nothing prepared her for sharing close quarters with the force of nature that is Ozzy—or for what will happen to her heart when the journey ends…

Review:

Pandora got fired for kissing surf god Ozzy and the face of the new campaign at work. Not a good day.

Fast forward, and Pandora sees someone climbing up the wall to the condo she lives in, and she rightfully calls the cops. But you'll never guess who was climbing the wall... Ozzy, of course.

When Pandora is in a pickle at work because of the ongoing prank war going on between her and Ozzy, he comes to her rescue and matches with her on the app she is building to find road trip buddies. Will they be able to live in a small camper van in Mexico while they try to enjoy their trip? Only time will tell.

I had a very hard time getting into this book, though I really wanted to. There was something about it that just seemed to drag on and on. And while there is an enemies to lovers trope, this seemed like an impossible gap to bridge. I give the book 3.5 stars, but have rounded up.

Mooreghan Martin read this book, and I think that's what saved the book for me. I could listen to her read just about anything.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

************ I received this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been swayed by this fact. I NEVER charge for a review.

Audiobook Review: Not So Fast by Karen Booth

Title: Not So Fast    

Author: Karen Booth
 
Buy Link: CLICK HERE

Publisher's Insight:
 
“Of the recent crop of Formula 1 romances, this one’s way out in front.”  -- Publishers Weekly Starred Review

When the curves are this dangerous, only a race car driver will do… A sizzling, high-octane Formula One rom-com you can read in one sitting!

Mia Neal is a champion overthinker. Find something, fixate on it and spiral down. Fortunately, she puts that energy to good use: in a podcast about Formula One, her favorite sport in the world. There’s nothing about racing Mia doesn’t adore. The speed. The drivers. The fierce competition. The single-minded ambition. Ironic for a woman who’s changed careers more times than she can count.

Only now, her salty takes on gorgeous Brit driver Xander Bishop have gone viral, and the podcast feels more and more like what she’s meant to do… Then Xander’s teammate invites her to the Miami Grand Prix to see F1 up close—and get in Xander’s head. He’s not exactly delighted at the shade she’s been throwing his way.

It should be all-out war. Instead, Mia and Xander are stunned by the sudden crackle of…something sexual arcing between them. It’s irresistible, unbelievably hot—and Mia’s warning flags are waving. Because this reckless attraction is coming at Mia all too fast…

Review:

While sports romances have not always been at the top of my TBR pile (unless it's hockey), this book has put Formula One books on my radar. (Or perhaps just books by Karen Booth?) So, for all of you who have the need for speed, it's time to pick up Not So Fast. Karen shows us that she's quite capable of crossing the finish line!

My only problem with the book was the multiple POV switches in the same chapter (but it didn't bother me enough for me to lower the rating on the book). While this may be denoted by scene/POV change graphics in the paperback/ebook, there is no such thing in the audiobook.

Talon David did a great job with the voices and narration in this book.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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I received this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been swayed by this fact. I NEVER charge for a review.

Review: Why Not Forever by Sarah Neeson

Title: Why Not Forever

Author: Sarah Neeson
 
Buy Link: CLICK HERE

Publisher's Insight:
 
Vic Sterling
People have called me uptight, a control freak, and an ice queen for most of my life. As co-owner and CEO of Blue Vista Events, I orchestrate other people's happily-ever-afters while keeping my own heart safely frozen.

Until Tanner Marcus strolls back into my life with an outrageous proposal. We’d been friends once—and almost more—until he took the job at my father’s company that should have been mine. My father's latest power play offers Tanner ownership of the company, but only if he puts a ring on my finger.

His counter-offer is tempting: half the business in exchange for a temporary marriage. But while I might trust him in the boardroom, I won't trust him with my heart—because even ice can break.

Tanner Marcus
Taking the job at Sterling Properties cost me Vic’s trust once. I’m not going to let it happen a second time. Not when I have another chance with the one woman who has never left my thoughts. She may present a polished, frigid facade to the world, but I remember the fire beneath the frost.

Living together is breaking down our carefully constructed walls. Behind closed doors, Vic lets her guard down and even dances with me. She’s helping me learn that loving my family doesn’t mean I have to solve all their problems, and I'm teaching her she doesn’t need to be in control all the time.

We agreed to divorce after twelve months, but I've been harbouring a decade of unspoken feelings. As our pretense starts to feel real, I'm ready to renegotiate terms. Instead of a year, why not forever?

Review:

I am absolutely floored by Why Not Forever by Sarah Neeson! It’s about time we got to Vic's story and how she falls in love. And boy does she fights it tooth and nail. Will everything that she’s fought so hard to get come to her? Or will she be forced to be set aside by the one person who should have been there for her from the day she was born?

Tanner was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he never assumed that him getting a job would ruin the trust of the person he was growing to love. But when he is approached by Vic’s father, he has two choices:

One: be manipulative, like Vic's father

Or

Two: fess up to what is really happening and see where it’ll lead

Will this marriage of convenience work out? Only time will tell and only if you read the book! :-)

Sarah Neeson did an exceptional job on Vic’s story and brought Tanner in to be everything she could possibly need and more!

I'd like to thank the author for the opportunity to review this book.

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I received this book for free in exchange for an honest opinion. All opinions are my own and have not been swayed by this fact. I NEVER charge for a review.

Audiobook Review: Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith

Title: Much Ado About Hating You

Author: Sarah Echavarre Smith
 
Buy Link: CLICK HERE

Publisher's Insight:
 
Enemies by day. Spicy fanfic author and devoted reader by night.

Things are about to get downright Shakespearean.

All’s fair in love. And war. And fandom.

Financial auditor Micah Mila is used to being the bearer of bad news, and her latest assignment in the local university’s English department has been especially taxing—no thanks to a literature professor who clashes with her at every turn. Thankfully, she has an after-hours escape: reading spicy Shakespearean fanfic.

Professor Aidan Scott is damn good at his job. But Micah has been a thorn in his side since the moment he laid eyes on her—eyes that really like what they see. Yet, with his job on the line, there’s no room for distractions. At least, not beyond the sexy fanfic he secretly writes.

When Micah discovers the man getting under her skin is the writer heating her up, their enemy vibe turns steamy. But with Micah’s audit due and Aidan’s career at risk, separating fantasy from reality becomes more than a little complicated…  

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith

Shakespeare, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, secret romance, hot professor, “good girl,” dirty talk, hot nerd hero, black cat girlie, working together, praise kink, she comes first, high heat level, “I hate you but I love f&*$ing you”

Review:

What do you do when your job essentially puts other people on the unemployment line? You suck it up and do what you're paid to do, no matter how much people put you down and question your morals. But what happens when the person who is the most vocal decides that you're a feast? (You'll have to read to find out!) Those are the problems faced by our FMC, Micah. Poor thing.

And our MMC, Aidan, is suffering from wondering how much longer he's going to have a job since Micah is consulting for the University to find out where the fat could be cut in his department. Will he be next on the chopping block? And who else should be blamed but poor Micah?

If you enjoy a good spicy, enemies to lovers book, then this book is definitely one you should pick up. Sarah did a great job with the tension in this book and of making the characters both likeable and loveable.

And Cindy Kay and J. F. Harding gave the book the extra pizzaz it needed to bring it to the next level. Kudos you two, kudos! Stand up and take a bow!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

************ I received this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been swayed by this fact. I NEVER charge for a review.

Audiobook Review: Not Safe For Work by Nisha J. Tuli

Title: Not Safe For Work

Author: Nisha J. Tuli
 
Buy Link: CLICK HERE

Publisher's Insight:
 

Two workplace enemies find themselves in close proximity on a tropical company retreat that challenges their assumptions—and just might make them to fall for each other—in this romcom by a by a beloved TikTok author.

Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. Teetering on the edge of burnout, Tris is stunned when she’s picked to attend WMC's corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. It’s a chance to revive her stalled career and compete for a coveted spot in an executive training program—plus, three weeks in paradise! The only downside? Rafe is her co-attendee.

Tris plans to avoid Rafe entirely, but when she arrives in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. Sure, it’s not all torture. Rafe is a smoldering ten—okay fine, an eleven—but after years of competition, they can barely stand being in the same time zone. As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along?

Review:

Tris works in a white male dominated industry. She's working to push through the glass ceiling of her job and make it in her field. But when her boss' son gets the job she's been working hard to get she nearly loses it. But soon she finds out that she's been picked for a leadership retreat (along with Rafe - her boss' son) and that gives her a little hope. But when they get there, guess what ladies and gentlemen... there's only one bed. (What a great trope!) But Rafe's not half the monster she thinks he is.

This enemies to lovers, workplace romance, with only one bed and forced proximity is a really fun listen. Soneela Nankani (our wonderful narrator) made the book fun, and she brought all the characters to life in such a great way. Kudos.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

************ I received this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been swayed by this fact. I NEVER charge for a review.

Review: Prescription for Love by Mia Denson

Title: Prescription for Love

Author: Mia Denson
 
Buy Link: CLICK HERE

Publisher's Insight:
 

On a frigid Christmas Eve, med student Meera faces her worst nightmare: carpooling back to Toronto with her arrogant, know-it-all rival, Owen. After a grueling month-long internship at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, the last thing she needs is him mansplaining from the driver’s seat. But when a fierce blizzard forces them off the road and into a quirky bed and breakfast, the only available room is the violently pink attic – complete with one bed and just enough space for Owen’s oversized ego.

Snowed in, missing their families, and constantly at each other’s throats, Meera and Owen are ready to snap – until the B&B’s quirky charm and a few dangerously strong cocktails begin to thaw the ice between them. As sparks fly and tension gives way to undeniable chemistry, Meera must confront her feelings for the one person she thought she despised. Can their unexpected connection survive the return to their cutthroat med school life?

In this heartfelt holiday rom-com, two sworn enemies discover there’s a fine line between rivalry and romance – and that sometimes love is just one snowstorm away.

Review:

Meera and Owen are not what you would call friends. Med school is tough enough, but when you have arch nemeses, there is just not enough energy left in the day to deal with it. What happens then when you're stuck in the car with them car pooling home for Christmas? In order to find out, you'll have to read the book. Sneaky aren't I? I'll be honest, if it were me in this instance, I think I'd be all about shooting him in the foot (with a rock or something) for stealing my car snacks.

In this enemies to lovers book, you'll find out how just giving a little of yourself can be the best reward of them all.

I laughed out loud and rooted for the characters in this book from about the 15% mark in the book. (It took me that long to get over the car snack ordeal!)



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I'd like to thank the author for the opportunity to review this book. I was given a book in exchange for an honest review, hope you enjoy it.