Friday, February 01, 2019

Romance Mini Reviews #3: The good, the not-bad and the bad

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Once Ghosted, Twice Shy
Alyssa Cole

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Alyssa Cole returns with a fun, sexy romance novella in the Reluctant Royals series!

While her boss the prince was busy wooing his betrothed, Likotsi had her own love affair after swiping right on a dating app. But her romance had ended in heartbreak, and now, back in NYC again, she’s determined to rediscover her joy—so of course she runs into the woman who broke her heart.

When Likotsi and Fabiola meet again on a stalled subway train months later, Fab asks for just one cup of tea. Likotsi, hoping to know why she was unceremoniously dumped, agrees. Tea and food soon leads to them exploring the city together, and their past, with Fab slowly revealing why she let Likotsi go, and both of them wondering if they can turn this second chance into a happily ever after.

Reluctant Royals might just be my favorite on-going romance series and I am so glad Litkoski finally got her HEA. Fabiola and Litkoski had a short lived fling months ago that ended in heart break for both of them. When they meet on the subway, it feels like fate. They go on a date, reconnect and sparks fly. I MEAN, YES, THERE IS AN HEA but honestly I loved how easy they were  with each other. Fabiola ghosted Litkoski and has a lot of making up to do but they both took the time to communicate feelings with each other. Litkoski didn’t dance around her hurt. They are both wonderfully written and I am so glad Alyssa Cole shared their story with us. I JUST WISH THERE WAS MORE.

 

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The Good Luck Charm
Helena Hunting

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Experience the hilarity and heartache of first love and second chances in a sexy new romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Pucked series.

Lilah isn’t sure what hurt worse: the day Ethan left her to focus on his hockey career or the day he came back eight years later. He might think they can pick up just where they left off, but she’s no longer that same girl and never wants to be again. 

Ethan wants his glory days back. And that includes having Lilah by his side. With her, he was magic. They were magic. All he has to do is make her see that. 

Just when Lilah might finally be ready to let Ethan in, though, she finds out their reunion might have nothing to do with love and everything to do with improving his game. But Ethan’s already lost her once, and even if it costs him his career, he’ll do anything to keep from losing her again.

I am quite easily drawn in by a pretty cover but I am drawn like a moth to a flame by any romance novel that promises me a second-chance romance. The Good Luck Charm has both a pretty cover and promised me a second-chance romance. Frankly, the book was not everything I wanted. THERE WAS NO GROVELING, for example. The characters also had no relationships with anyone??? Lilah has spent almost a decade emo over the boy who broke her heart and has no friends besides her sister. Ethan is occasionally a whiny, self-absorbed dick. BUT (yes there is a but), Hunting did write a good romance. I love the drama that comes with a second-chance romance but I think Hunting still pulled this off very skillfully because their reasons for breaking up years ago made sense. They apologized and were attentive to each other. They made mistakes even as they got back together but they learned from them and learned to reprioritize their goals. The Good Luck Charm wasn’t everything I wanted but it certainly delivered a well-written romance.

3 Hot Espressos

 

38532225The Royal Runaway
Lindsay Emory

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For fans of The Princess Diaries and The Royal We comes a fun and daring novel about a modern-day princess who teams up with a spy to find out what happened to the fiancé who left her at the altar—and who just might get her own fairytale in the process.

Princess Theodora Isabella Victoria of Drieden of the Royal House Laurent is so over this princess thing.

After her fiancé jilted her on their wedding day, she’s finally back home after spending four months in exile—aka it’s back to press conferences, public appearances, and putting on a show for the Driedish nation as the perfect princess they expect her to be. But Thea’s sick of duty. After all, that’s what got her into this mess in the first place.

So when she sneaks out of the palace and meets a sexy Scot named Nick in a local bar, she relishes the chance to be a normal woman for a change. But just as she thinks she’s found her Prince Charming for the night, he reveals his intentions are less than honorable: he’s the brother of her former fiancé, a British spy, and he’s not above blackmail. As Thea reluctantly joins forces with Nick to find out what happened the day her fiancé disappeared, together they discover a secret that could destroy a centuries-old monarchy and change life as they know it.

Funny, fast-paced, and full of more twists and turns than the castle Thea lives in, The Royal Runaway is a fresh romantic comedy that will leave you cheering for the modern-day royal who chucks the rulebook aside to create her own happily-ever-after. 

Quite honestly speaking, The Royal Runaway was probably one of my most disappointing reads of 2018. In theory it should be the kind of book that works for me. We have a princess breaking the rules, a sexy scot, a mystery, A LOT OF things that would draw me in. In actuality, The Royal Runaway ended up completely disappointing me. The characters were blander than actual cardboard. The plot fell flat, and even though there was a strong mystery element, it just didn’t work or get my blood pumping. I wasn’t invested in any of the outcomes. The only good thing I can possibly say for this book is that I finished it. It wasn’t so painfully boring that I had to DNF. I expected and hoped for more but alas, sometimes you just read shitty books.

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Rashika has been tired since 2013. There are very few things that spark joy for her besides a nice cup of tea, warm, baked goods, good books and good TV shows. She is here to pile onto your giant TBRs and to-watch lists. Offer her a cookie and she might be nice to you.

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