Hi everyone, I hope you are all well and having an amazing day. Today I will be doing the next in a series on my blog called Recent Reads. As I’ve been reading 20+ books each month, it would be really hard for me to incorporate that into a standard wrap up format. Doing a list of my recent reads that I want to do mini-reviews on is the best way for me to keep track of everything I’ve been reading!
The AI Who Loved Me
Trinity Jordan leads a quiet, normal life: working from home for the Hive, a multifunctional government research center, and recovering from the incident that sent her into a tailspin. But the life she’s trying to rebuild is plagued by mishaps when Li Wei, her neighbor’s super sexy and super strange nephew, moves in and turns things upside down. Li Wei’s behavior is downright odd—and the attraction building between them is even more so. When an emergency pulls his aunt away from the apartment complex, Trinity decides to keep an eye on him…and slowly discovers that nothing is what it seems. For one thing, Li Wei isn’t just the hot guy next door—he’s the hot A.I. next door. In fact, he’s so advanced that he blurs the line between man and machine. It’s up to Trinity to help him achieve his objective of learning to be human, but danger is mounting as they figure out whether he’s capable of the most illogical human behavior of all…falling in love
Okay guys, I had just finished WandaVision, which I am sure explains the reason why I picked up a romance with an AI. This book was just so much fun! It was such a unique and interesting concept, and honestly if you don’t expect much going into it, I think you’d really enjoy it. I loved having both POVs in this book as I don’t think I’ve ever read from a robot’s POV before (??) but it was super refreshing and unique. The plot itself I didn’t expect at all and there were plenty of mysteries, twists and turns to keep me interested. The reveal at the end of the book shook me to my core and I absolutely loved it, and looking back on it now it made me love the book much more.
Fight or Flight
The universe is conspiring against Ava Breevort. As if flying back to Phoenix to bury a childhood friend wasn’t hell enough, a cloud of volcanic ash traveling from overseas delayed her flight back home to Boston. Her last ditch attempt to salvage the trip was thwarted by an arrogant Scotsman, Caleb Scott, who steals a first class seat out from under her. Then over the course of their journey home, their antagonism somehow lands them in bed for the steamiest layover Ava’s ever had. And that’s all it was–until Caleb shows up on her doorstep.
When pure chance pulls Ava back into Caleb’s orbit, he proposes they enjoy their physical connection while he’s stranded in Boston. Ava agrees, knowing her heart’s in no danger since a) she barely likes Caleb and b) his existence in her life is temporary. Not long thereafter Ava realizes she’s made a terrible error because as it turns out Caleb Scott isn’t quite so unlikeable after all. When his stay in Boston becomes permanent, Ava must decide whether to fight her feelings for him or give into them. But even if she does decide to risk her heart on Caleb, there is no guarantee her stubborn Scot will want to risk his heart on her….
I had a … strange reading experience with this book to say the least. I got about 50% in and decided to DNF. But then I was so bored I carried on and I actually ended up quite enjoying it. I couldn’t give it more than a 3.5 because I was so close to DNFing, but I ended up really enjoying it once the characters got a bit deeper. I also liked the side characters in this book too, which is always a bonus for me! I thought the enemies section at the beginning of the book and I liked how it slowly changed to friends with benefits and then to lovers. There were some scenes that I absolutely loved, and like I said when the characters started to get real with each other and have serious conversations it made me feel more connected to them.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown
Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It’s time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she’s not entirely sure how…
Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.
Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.
I have absolutely adored the other two books in the Brown Sisters series, and although Eve has very much been in the background previously, she was always my favourite out of all three girls. I absolutely loved this book! It was definitely my favorite out of all three. It was just the cutest thing EVER. I loved the setting of the quaint B&B in the Lake District, I loved Eve’s personal journey when she comes to realise that just because she seems different and what she wants (and is good at) is different, it doesn’t mean that she’s lesser – she’s entirely deserving of anything she wants just as anyone else is. I absolutely loved the meet cute between Eve and Jacob (if you can even call it that), and I loved being in Jacob’s POV as he became closer with Eve. I love that they still had that banter throughout the entire book, even as their relationship develops. They were so well suited for each other and I love how they reinforced each other’s feelings that they are perfect just the way they are. I am going to miss these girls so much and I really hope they pop up in Talia’s future books – I will definitely be rereading them too!
The Devil Wears Black
Maddie Goldbloom stitched up a plan to ensure everything in her life was perfect—from a career in fashion to a chic NYC apartment to a pediatrician boyfriend.
When her ex, Chase Black, storms back into her life with an outrageous request, her immediate reaction is to refuse him. But he only wants to fulfill his father’s last wish. So even though he’s the man who broke her heart, playing his fiancée shouldn’t be hard, especially if it means she gets to watch the arrogant devil squirm a bit.
What ensues is a chain of events that detonates Maddie’s life—and when Chase’s walls come down, they both are forced to face reality.
They say keep your enemies close. But what if your enemy is also the man you love?
This is a new release from L J Shen and as soon as saw the synopsis I knew I had to check it out. I tend to be a bit dubious of Shen’s books, mostly because I don’t always get along well with her writing style. Other than a couple of cringey moments that I didn’t like in this book, I overall had a good time with it. I liked both of our characters and was surprised at the emotive pull I felt towards them, especially in the more intense moments. I felt like it was quite a slow burn, which I enjoyed, and I also really liked the ending – I thought it was super cute and romantic, if a little predictable.
Grin and Beard It
Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.
But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the backroads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston.
Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.
Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heart-throbs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart?
After having mixed feelings on the first book in this series, and considering I wasn’t that interested in Jethro in the first book, I really really enjoyed this! It was so funny – both of our characters had a really amazing sense of humour and I burst out laughing so many times throughout this book. It’s made me so much more invested in the other Winston Brothers’ books and I am so, so excited to see them all coupled up in their own individual stories. I especially can’t wait for Cletus and Jennifer’s book (which is next!) and Claire and Billy’s which we have been getting so much foreshadowing for. I also really appreciated the third act in this book – sometimes with romances the classic ‘third act breakup’ can just be so unnecessary and it’s only thrown in to make some more drama. I really like that this book didn’t go down the predictable, traditional route though. It made so much sense for both characters to act the way they did, taking into consideration their personalities. I loved Sienna as a main character, I thought she was really unique and confident and I have never read a character like her before. Jethro, who I didn’t really pay much attention to in the first book, I fell head over heels with – his chapters were amazing and I loved finding out more about his past and trying to overcome his personal barriers. The chemistry and dynamic between the two of them was absolutely brilliant – they complimented each other really well and matched the pacing of the book perfectly!
Have you read any of these books? Any on your TBR? Let’s chat in the comments below!
Happy reading,
Lucy
Sunstar Books 