Genre/Tropes: Contemporary Romance/Office Romance/Fake Dating/Friend to Lovers
From USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling author comes a “fun and flirty!” fake dating situation between two coworkers that quickly straddles the line between friends and lovers.
WANTED: A SITUATION-SHIPI’m a single female that’s tired of relationships ruining my life. However, there are times when a date would be helpful. If you’re a single man, preferably mid-twenties to late-thirties, and are in a similar situation, we might be a match.Candidate must be handsome, charming, and willing to pretend to have feelings for me (on a sliding scale, as the event requires). Ability to discuss a wide variety of topics is a plus. Must have your own transportation and a (legal) job.This will be a symbiotic agreement. In exchange for your time, I will give you mine. Need someone to flirt with you at a football party? Go, team! Want a woman to make you look good in front of your boss? Let me find my heels. Would you love for someone to be obsessed with you in front of your ex? I’m applying my red lipstick now.If interested, please email me. Time is of the essence.
About the Author:
USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather's nice and there's always a piece of candy in her pocket.
I was provided an ARC via the author, all opinion are my own.
This is the long awaited story of best friends Alyssa and Maddox. If you haven't been keeping up with the Blairwood series so far, I think you can get away with reading this as as standalone. If you want to know more about the other couples mentioned in the book and Maddox and Aly's friends you will want to read those books as well but I don't really think they are necessary to get to the heart of this story. Anna gives you the information you need to connect with the characters without having their full backstories. I do recommend them though, they were all great reads!
Alyssa and Maddox have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Their parents are wealthy and their social circles are elite. Maddox has been in love with Aly since they were kids, but she is oblivious to his feelings. She is kind of oblivious in general. Like many college students approaching graduation, she has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up. Throw in an unexpected pregnancy with an absentee father and unsupportive parents, and she really has no idea what to do with herself. Fortunately, she has supportive friends who are willing to take her in and help her get on her feet during this crazy time in her life. We do see her character grow up quite a bit in this book.
I'm not a big fan of pregnancy tropes in general, but if you like them this is a good one to check out. I do like friends to lovers and I think that trope is really done well in this book. Maddox is a great friend. While this focuses on his relationship with Aly, he is a great friend to all of the characters in the book. He is the epitome of kindness and generosity. Aly and Maddox suffer from a lack of communication throughout the book. Lack of communication is always a trope I dislike a book, especially when dealing with more mature topics. Maddox and Aly don't want to jeopardize their friendship, but their unconventional living arrangement leads to growing feelings. This causes them to not talk to each other about their feelings or hide things from each other. I did have a hard time connecting with Aly and Maddox, but after some reflection I think that is a me problem not a problem with the book. I think I'm getting too old for new adult/college romances and YA. I am finding it harder and harder to enjoy younger characters. I do think Anna wrote them well, and their actions and conversations were realistic given where they were in college/life.
Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for.
The War of Two Queens, the stunning continuation in the Blood and Ash series from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!
War is only the beginning…
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book four in her Blood and Ash series.
From the desperation of golden crowns…
Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.
And born of mortal flesh…
Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace.
A great primal power rises…
Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But war is only the beginning. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. To end what the Blood Queen has begun, Poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most.
Casteel The click and drag of claws drew closer as the weak flame above the lone candle sputtered and then went out, pitching the cell into darkness. A thicker mass of shadows appeared in the open archway—a misshapen form on its hands and knees. It halted, sniffing as loudly as a godsdamn barrat, scenting blood. My blood. The smooth bands of shadowstone tightened around my throat and ankles as I shifted, bracing myself. The damn stone was unbreakable, but it did come in handy. A low-pitched wail came from the creature. “Mother—” The thing exploded out of the archway, scurrying forward, its keening moan becoming an ear-piercing screech. “—fucker.” I waited until its stench of decay reached me and then pressed my back against the wall, lifting my legs. The length of the chain between my ankles was only about half a foot, and the shackles wouldn’t give an inch, but it was enough. Planting my bare feet into the creature’s shoulders, I got a good, most unfortunate look at the thing as its foul breath blasted me in the face. Man, the Craven was not a fresh one. Patches of gray flesh clung to its hairless skull, and half of its nose was gone. One entire cheekbone was exposed, eyes burning like hot coals. Lips torn and mangled— The Craven twisted its head down, sinking its fangs into my calf. Its teeth tore through the breeches and into flesh and muscle. Air hissed between my gritted teeth as fiery pain burned its way up my leg. Worth it. The pain was more than worth it. I would spend an eternity taking these bites if that meant she was safe. That it wasn’t her in this cell. That she wasn’t the one in pain. Shaking the Craven free, I dragged the short chain over the thing’s neck as I crossed my feet. I twisted at the waist, pulling the dull bone chain tight across its throat, ending the Craven’s screams. The shackle clamped down on my throat as I kept turning, cutting off my air as the chain dug into the Craven’s neck. Its arms flailed on the floor as I jerked my legs in the opposite direction, snapping the creature’s spine. The spasming became more of a twitching as I hauled it within reach of my bound hands. The chain between my wrists, connected to the shackle at my throat, was much shorter—but long enough. I grasped the Craven’s cold, clammy jowls and brought its head down hard, slamming it against the stone floor by my knees. Flesh gave way, spraying rotting blood over my stomach and chest. Bone split open with a wet-sounding crack. The Craven went limp. I knew it wouldn’t stay down, but it bought me some time. Lungs burning, I unwound the chain and kicked the creature away from me. It landed by the archway in a tangled mess of limbs as I relaxed my muscles. The band around my neck was slow to loosen, eventually allowing air into my burning lungs. I stared at the Craven’s body. At any other time, I would’ve kicked the bastard into the hall like usual, but I was weakening. I was losing too much blood. Already. Not a good sign. Breathing heavily, I looked down. Just below the shadowstone bands, shallow slices ran up the insides of my arms, past both elbows and over the veins. I counted them. Again. Just to be sure. Thirteen. Thirteen days had passed since the first time the Handmaidens swarmed this cell, dressed in black and as quiet as a tomb. They came once a day to cut into my flesh, siphoning my blood as if I were a damn barrel of fine wine. A tight, savage smile twisted my mouth. I’d managed to take out three of them in the beginning. Ripped their throats out when they got too close, which was why they’d shortened the chain between my wrists. Only one of them actually stayed dead, though. The damn throats of the other two had stitched themselves closed within minutes—impressive and also infuriating to witness. Learned something valuable, though. Not all of the Blood Queen’s Handmaidens were Revenants. I wasn’t sure how I could use that information yet, but I guessed they were using my blood to make brand-spanking-new Revs. Or using it as a dessert for the lucky. Tipping back my head against the wall, I tried not to breathe too deeply. If the stench of the downed Craven didn’t choke me, the damn shadowstone around my throat would. I closed my eyes. There had been more days before the Handmaidens showed the first time. How many? I wasn’t exactly sure. Two days? A week? Or—? I stopped myself there. Shut it the fuck down. I couldn’t go down that road. I wouldn’t. I’d done that the last time, trying to clock the days and weeks until there came a point when time simply ceased to move. Hours became days. Weeks became years. And my mind became as rotten as the blood seeping from the Craven’s ruined head. But things were different in the here and now. The cell was larger, with no barred entrance. Not that there needed to be one with the shadowstone and the chains. They were a mix of iron and deity bone, connected to a hook in the wall and then to a pulley system to lengthen or shorten them. I could sit up and move a little, but that was about it. However, the cell was windowless like before, and the dank, musty smell told me they once again held me underground. The freely roaming Craven were also a new addition. My eyes opened to thin slits. The fuck by the archway had to be the sixth or seventh one that had found its way into the cell, drawn by the scent of blood. Their appearance made me think there was one hell of a Craven problem aboveground. I’d heard of Craven attacks inside the Rise surrounding Carsodonia before. Something the Blood Crown blamed on Atlantia and angry gods. I’d always assumed it was due to an Ascended getting greedy and leaving mortals they’d fed on to turn. Now, I was beginning to think the Craven were possibly being kept down here. Wherever here was. And if that were the case, and they could get out and get aboveground, so could I. If only I could get these damn chains to loosen. I’d spent an ungodly amount of time pulling on the hook. In all those attempts, it may have slipped a half-inch from the wall—if that. But that wasn’t the only thing different about this time. Other than the Craven, I’d only seen the Handmaidens. I didn’t know what to think about that. I’d figured it’d be like the last time. Too-frequent visits from the Blood Crown and their cronies, where they spent their time taunting and inflicting pain, feeding, and doing whatever they wanted. Of course, my last go-around with this captivity bullshit hadn’t started that way. The Blood Queen had tried to open my eyes first, coax me to her side. Turn me against my family and my kingdom. When that hadn’t worked, the real fun had begun.
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About Jennifer L. Armentrout
#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.
War is only the beginning… From the desperation of golden crowns And born of mortal flesh A great primal power rises As the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.
The War of Two Queens, the highly anticipated fourth book in the Blood and Ash series from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!
War is only the beginning…
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book four in her Blood and Ash series.
From the desperation of golden crowns…
Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.
And born of mortal flesh…
Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace.
A great primal power rises…
Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But war is only the beginning. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. To end what the Blood Queen has begun, Poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most.
#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.
I received an ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this up until the halfway point. Then it kind of dragged until the end where it picked back up, then it just kind of ended without a resolution. I'm not a huge fan of books that are open ended, but that was clearly a choice the author made to leave things ambiguous and undone. I would have preferred things to be a bit more wrapped up. If you have read any of my other reviews, you know I also am not a big fan of alternating timelines, in this case the timeline alternates between Rob (the mother) then and now, and Callie (Rob's oldest daughter), as well as the story within the story that Rob was writing really took me out of the story and made the pace very slow for me. I think this book had some really interesting concepts but the execution was a bit flawed. Every time I started to get invested in the story, it would switch timelines and perspectives and throw me out of the story and I would have a hard time getting invested for several chapters.
This book has alot of trigger warnings, so from that perspective horror fans and psychological thriller fans may really enjoy it. Other readers will want to stay far away from this book. This book has animal experimentation, domestic violence, emotional abuse, drug use, miscarriage, and child abuse.
Thrillers are always hard to review because you don't want to give anything away without spoiling the book. They are also very personal when it comes to what a person enjoys or doesn't. I prefer much faster paced, plot driven thrillers, so the pacing of this obviously didn't work well for me. This is mostly told from Rob's perspective both then and now, but I was more interested in her daughter Callie. I found Callie's chapters to be the most gripping and I kept reading as I wanted to get back to her story. I didn't find Rob to be all that likable, but again I think that was a deliberate choice by the author and her personality starts to come together and make as we find out more about her backstory and upbringing. As we learn more about Rob, Callie also starts to make more sense. It just takes a long time to get there. I like what the author did with the relationship dynamics between Rob and her sister Jack as well as Rob's daughters Callie and Annie. What you think is happening on the surface is not what it seems, and those interactions and reveals made for and interesting read. I thought the twist was clever and unexpected, but it was overshadowed by what felt like and unfinished ending.
Overall, this was pretty good, I think a lot of people are going to love this. This type of thriller doesn't meet all of my personal preferences, but I think the writing was good. The setting was well described, and the characters were well despite being unlikable. Based on the trigger warnings I gave above I'd stay away from this book if any of those things are deal breakers for you.
I was provided an ARC via the author, all opinions are my own.
This is the 3rd book in this series. I do feel you can read each of them as standalones. The other 2 books in the series are just as good and you'll get to know Gabi and Addy better. You will also get additional insight into the British aristocratic society. I've really enjoyed getting to learn about the aristocracy and how all of that functions through this series.
Eva is an aspiring artist and Matthew is an Earl. Neither one of them is interested in marriage or having a family, but if Matthew wants to keep the earldom he has to get married and attempt to have a male heir. While not fond of the archaic way things work, it is how his title works and he would like to keep his estate in his immediate family. He and Eva have been seeing each other casually for some time and he proposes a marriage of convenience. Eva is well versed in the aristocratic circles as her uncle is a Duke and her mother also has a title. While Eva isn't immediately thrilled by the idea of getting married and having kids, she likes Matthew and he offers to invest in her parents slowly failing hotel.
I really enjoyed this. It is a really sweet slow burn romance. Matthew and Eva have great banter throughout, and while their marriage of convenience starts out as a sort of friends with benefits relationship you always knew it was going to develop into something more. I really enjoyed watching them fall for each other. It was kind of refreshing that there wasn't some big angsty moment in this. I thought the author did a great job taking is on a tour of the island and the places local to Matthew's estate. I haven't done my research yet, but I hope these are real places you can visit. They sound wonderful and I'd love to go there someday. It is no wonder Eva always wanted to paint and sketch. I'd love one of her postcards, I'd totally order a set. I really enjoyed how kind and patient Matthew and Eva was with Eva as she settled in to her new home and new situation. I also loved his mother and grandmother. One of the things I always look forward to in Hart's books is a hilarious grandparent character, and Matthew's grandmother brought some comic relief to this book. I loved her!
This is the 6th book in the Landry Family Series, but you can read it as a standalone. I started reading Adriana's books with The Relationship Pact, which I do recommend reading if you want to get to know Paige's older brother Hollis, but it isn't necessary to read this book. It will help to put some of their discussions into perspective. I was hooked on her books after reading that and I am slowly making my way through her backlist. Many of us have been waiting for this book for quite some time as the author has taunted us with Paige's whereabouts for quite some time. It was well worth the wait.
Nate owns the bar Paige works at, so despite the fact that the flirt nonstop and they are insanely attracted to one another, he has decided she is off limits. Nate is a single dad, and has decided that he needs to keep his heart and the heart of his son Ryder protected. Paige didn't have a great start in life, and while it all worked out for her in the end, she is still haunted by her trauma. She is a great person but she's still figuring out her life and what she wants. On paper she is everything Nate doesn't want in a relationship, yet they are drawn to each other. When Paige finds herself in need of a place to stay when she gets suddenly evicted from her apartment, she asks if she can stay with Nate until she finds a new place. He reluctantly accepts, and Paige easily slides into his and Ryder's daily routine.
Can I say how much I loved Hollis and Ryder in this! There is a scene, I won't spoil it, where Ryder puts his dad in his place toward the end of the book that brought me to tears. Hollis, ever the protector, will do anything for his sister and loves her fiercely. They were excellent side characters! As for our main characters, they fit so well together! Nate is so patient with Paige, and doesn't pressure her into anything she doesn't want, but when she asks for something he gives it to her. Pun intended. There are some excellent steamy scenes in this book. Paige is such a dynamic character, she is full of sass but she is also terrified of being being happy. The banter between Nate and Paige was excellent, and they had great chemistry. This was well worth the wait!
I am very much looking forward to getting to know Paige's family in the upcoming Carmichael Series. I was sad to see the Mason series come to an end, but I'm really excited that there is a new family for us to read about. They sound equally entertaining from the brief introduction we've gotten!
I was provided an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.
