Short Take Reviews: The Flatshare, Getting Played, and Red, White & Royal Blue

THE FLATSHARE
Beth O'Leary
Publication date: May 28, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: Hardcover, 325 pgs
Source: Library Loan
3.5 STARS
GOODREADS 

After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.

Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He’ll only ever be there when she’s at the office. In fact, they’ll never even have to meet.

Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes – first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.

But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea…especially if you've never met.

What if your roommate is your soul mate? A joyful, quirky romantic comedy, Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare is a feel-good novel about finding love in the most unexpected of ways.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

My feelings for The Flatshare run the gamut. Some things really worked for me: Tiffy's quirky personality and willingness to put herself out there, the humor which was spot-on, and the dialogue that flowed like honey. Other things, not so much: Tiffy's memory issues regarding a relationship that just ended (yes, I understand gaslighting), and Leon's passiveness. While it took me two weeks to read The Flatshare (and it's not a lengthy book), I don't think it was the book. (It's not you, it's me. Really.) There was a lot to enjoy and I loved seeing Tiffy and Leon's relationship evolve from flatmates who communicated via post-it notes, to friends, and then tentatively moving towards more. I adored Richie, and his story, along with the search for Johnny White, converged with all the rest to make an enjoyable story with (mostly) sweet, funny, and lovable characters.

RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

Casey McQuiston

Publication date: May 14, 2019

Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, LGBT

Format: Trade Paperback, 421 pgs

Source: Purchased

4.25 STARS

GOODREADS

When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through?

M Y   T H O U G H T S

Red, White & Royal Blue had hype. I'm talking serious, over the moon, crazy-insane hype. And while this wasn't a 5-star read for me (gasp!) I still enjoyed it from start to finish. Mainly because there was just so much to love. Brilliant yet sometimes remarkably clueless Alex, oh so precious Henry, a heart stopping first kiss, text messages that were both hilarious and revealing, the most clever/snarky/witty banter ever, young women who were brilliant and ambitious, politics and campaigns, laugh out loud moments (killer turkeys!), angst, scandal, romantic declarations, epic speeches, and so much more. My main quibble is that it felt overly long and at 400+ pages the pacing did sometimes lag. Even so, RW&RB was incredibly smart and the perfect blend of serious issues and swoony rom-com. 

GETTING PLAYED
Emma Chase
Publication date: June 11, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: Audiobook, 6 hrs 57 min
Source: Purchased
4.25 STARS
GOODREADS 

Dean Walker is all about keeping life simple. He's effortlessly talented and intelligent - spending his summers playing drums in the local band and the rest of the year teaching high school in the same Jersey town where he grew up. He likes his love life simple too, enjoying the commitment-free hook-ups his good looks and sexy charm have always made oh so easy.

Then he meets Lainey Burrows. And his simple, easy life gets turned upside down.

One wild one-night stand was all it was ever supposed to be, so Lainey is shocked when she discovers that her sizzling summer fling is also her son's new math teacher. But that's nothing compared to the most unexpected twist of all - their hot hook-up left Lainey knocked up, and now they're about to become parents. Together.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

I tend to forget about Emma Chase when I think about my favorite go-to authors but then I read another one by her and I instantly think, "Oh yeah, this is why I love her books so much!" In Getting Played, Chase created two main characters that were so incredibly likable. Lainey and Dean were stable, intelligent adults who (shock!) acted like adults. When faced with an unplanned pregnancy, there was no big drama or hysterics - just two adults who actually talked and listened, were honest with each other, and worked together instead of running away. Imagine that! It was so easy to care for these two people and pull for them. Lainey's teenage son was sweet and I really enjoyed the interactions between him and Dean. I can see myself listening to this one again and again when I'm in the mood for a swoony/sexy/sweet feel-good romance.

HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS? 

Short-Take Reviews: Unbroken (Jay Crownover) & Tangled (Emma Chase)

UNBROKEN
Jay Crownover
Publication date: May 14, 2019
Series: Loveless, Texas #0.5
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Format: eARC
Source: Forever Yours & Netgalley



GOODREADS  *  AMAZON

S Y N O P S I S

When rodeo star Crew Lawton loses everything in a bad bet, he has no choice but to take a new job to pay off his debts – even if it means becoming the face of an expensive male skincare line. Crew is used to getting sweaty and rustling in the dirt, not posing for photo shoots. And he’s certainly not used to being bossed around by a woman who doesn’t even know the difference between bulls and broncs. But Crew owes money to dangerous criminals, and he’ll do anything Della says in order to pay them back and keep them far away from his family in Loveless, Texas…

The launch of her new men’s line for her family’s company means everything to Della Deveaux, and she’s not willing to let some rugged, arrogant cowboy ruin her campaign. Crew Lawton is the last man she would have chosen to represent her chic, sophisticated brand. Unfortunately, her father already invested millions in Crew’s stupidly handsome face. Yet the more time they spend together, Della and Crew realize that opposites doattract. But when the time comes for Crew to face his past mistakes, will he be able to protect his family…and the woman he’s come to love? 

M Y   T H O U G H T S

Jay Crownover has kicked off her new Loveless, Texas series with an opposites attract tale that checks all the right boxes. A gambling problem has sent rodeo star Crew Lawton toppling from the top of his field. He reluctantly accepts a modeling gig, the face of a new high-end men’s line, as a means to an end. He’ll do anything to pay off his debts and be free of the bookie who is now threatening his family. Della didn’t want Crew for her ad campaign but once he’s dropped in her lap she can’t deny his good looks and charisma. It was great fun to watch as these two lowered their walls, dropped their prejudices, and found a connection they’d never experienced before. These total opposites brought out the best in one another. While I found the plot line with Della’s father a bit much to be believed, I was willing to roll with it because everything else was so on-point. With a sexy cowboy, a good girl ready to get a little bad, some sexytimes and a little danger thrown in, Unbroken is a great start to a new series and has me ready for more.

4/5 STARS

TANGLED

Emma Chase

Publication date: December 31, 2013 

Series: Tangled #1

Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Format: Audibook

Source: OverDrive

GOODREADS  *  AMAZON

S Y N O P S I S

Drew Evans makes multimillion-dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? He’ll tell you he has the flu, but we all know that’s not really true.

When Katherine Brooks is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

How can one woman turn a smooth-talking player into a broken, desperate man? By making the one thing he never wanted in life the only thing he can’t live without.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

I adored Emma Chase’s Royally series and was excited to read more. Tangled looked like the kind of rom-com that that would deliver all the feels. And while it was overall enjoyable there was also an aspect that left me wanting more. Drew is a total workaholic/manwhore and kind of a jerk, too. But he’s also pretty self-aware and didn’t try to pretend that he was Mr. Nice Guy. He meets his match in Kate – a new colleague who, according to his rules, is off-limits since they work together. A forced collaboration on a project has them spending time together and Drew discovers that he actually (gasp!) respects Kate. After that it’s the usual guy realizes he actually has feelings for the girl, guy screws up big time, girl books it, and guy tries to win girl back. My main issue is that I wasn’t totally convinced of Drew’s feelings and it sometimes felt he was just focused on winning. On the plus side, I liked that the story was totally from Drew’s POV (refreshing!), loved his relationship with his niece (and the swear jar he constantly donated to), and the humor than ran throughout the book. 

3.5/5 STARS


HAVE YOU READ EITHER OF THESE BOOKS? 

Short-Take Reviews: Getting Schooled and Gentleman Sinner

GETTING SCHOOLED
Emma Chase
Publication date: June 26, 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle
Source: OverDrive app

⭐⭐⭐⭐

GOODREADS  *  AMAZON

S Y N O P S I S

Garrett Daniels has this whole life thing figured out.
The cocky, charismatic former high school star quarterback is an idolized football coach and "cool" teacher in the hometown where he's not just a golden boy—he's platinum. He has good friends, a great house on the lake, and the best damn sidekick a man could ask for: Snoopy, the albino beagle.

Then...Callie Carpenter comes home.
And knocks him right on his tight end zone.

Callie has a pretty sweet life herself...on the other side of the country. But circumstances—that she'd prefer to never speak of again—have brought her back home, helping out her parents and substitute teaching at her old high school.

Now she's facing bickering, raging hormones, constant gossip, awkward weirdness, and drama galore...and that's just the teachers.

When Garrett offers to show his former high school sweetheart the secrets of his winning teacher ways, Callie jumps at the chance—and then has to stop herself from jumping him.

Good friends are all they can ever be.
Or...these teachers just might end up getting schooled—hard—by love.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

Sometimes I want a romance without all the drama and all the angst. And that’s what Emma Chase delivers.  Garrett and Callie were the real deal in high school – young but very much in love. Circumstances had them parting ways while attending college across the country from one another, but when Callie returned home to help care for her parents it was obvious from the start that all the old feelings were still there. I loved so many aspects of this story: Callie and Garrett were incredibly likable, the humor was so on point that I was literally laughing out loud, the second-chance romance aspect was spot-on, and I loved the way both Garrett and Callie were so committed to their teaching careers and their students. There were a few unexpected emotional moments that were woven into the story perfectly but for the most part this was 100% feel-good romance.

4/5 STARS

GENTLEMAN SINNER

Jodi Ellen Malpas

Publication date: February 5, 2019 

Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Source: Library Loan

⭐⭐⭐

GOODREADS  *  AMAZON

S Y N O P S I S

Izzy White knows of the darkness in this world. After all, she escaped it long ago. Determined not to let her past beat her, Izzy has a secure, stable life with a job she loves in nursing. But one act of kindness will completely upend everything she's so carefully built-putting her right back in the crosshairs of danger she's been so desperate to avoid.

When Theo Kane shows up like a knight in shining armor, Izzy can't help thinking she's been saved from one threat and exposed to another. His imposing physique, the harsh lines of his face, and the wariness of everyone who comes close are just a few clues to Theo Kane's notorious reputation. The man is positively terrifying. But with Izzy, he's tender and a complete gentleman, and her fascination with the mysterious beast of a man becomes too powerful for her to walk away.

As Theo's demons come to light, running becomes even more impossible. And yet staying together could doom them both.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

This was one of those okay reads that was entertaining enough while I was reading it but ultimately not anything particularly new or memorable. Theo saves Izzy from an attack and then proceeds to hardcore pursue her. An intense relationship develops but Izzy has a past she won’t reveal and Theo has secrets he won’t discuss. Oooh, drama! Then there are all the Fifty Shades similarities. Theo is a damaged anti-hero that cannot stand to be touched, he’s uber-rich and has a driver/bodyguard, he’s all stalkery and even showed up at Izzy’s girls getaway (from London to Las Vegas) to keep tabs on her after only knowing her for a matter of days, the relationship got intense quickly, etcetera, etcetera. Even so, the over the top drama kept the story moving and the craziness was entertaining. All in all, it felt like a story that’s been told many times before so I’m not sure I’ll be picking up more from Malpas. 

3/5 STARS


HAVE YOU READ EITHER OF THESE BOOKS? 

New Release! The Royally Series Collection by Emma Chase!

Okay y'all, I've been pretty vocal about my love for this series. I feel like I talk about it All. The. Time. And with good reason! These books are the absolute perfect blend of romance, and humor, and sexytimes, and emotion. When I picked up the first book it was on a whim and I expected something fluffy to pass the time. And I got so much more than I bargained for! I knew immediately I wanted to grab the next book... and then the third. And any day now I'll be diving into the short story that takes place 20 years after the end of the second book. (I keep putting it off because I don't want it to be over!) I listened to all three books on audio and it was an amazing listening experience, but now I'm buying the series collection so I can relive it all again. If you haven't read the Royally series yet, what are you waiting for?! 

Prepare to be swept off your feet by The Royally Series Collection – three sexy, swoony, modern royal romances that will capture your heart, and satisfy your desire for a breathtaking happily ever after.

Royally Screwed – By order of the Queen, Crown Prince Nicholas Pembrook has five months to choose a suitable bride. Then one snowy night, in New York City, he meets spirited and beautiful waitress, Olivia Hammond. Their whirlwind romance makes Nicholas question everything--who he is and who he wants to be--a King...or the man who gets to love Olivia forever.

Royally Matched – Responsibility has never been Prince Henry Pembrook's strong suit. So when an unexpected heap of it is dropped in his regal lap, he reacts accordingly--by secretly signing up for a reality TV dating show. Henry plans on partying his worries away. What he doesn't plan on...is Lady Sarah Von Titebottum...the quiet, stunning, shy, librarian hiding behind a book. As Henry and Sarah grow closer, old words take on new meanings for the irresponsible royal. Words like Duty, Honor and most of all--Love.

Royally Endowed – For years, broody royal bodyguard Logan St. James has watched over--and wanted--perfect, perky, beautiful Ellie Hammond, the younger sister of Princess Olivia. But he's bound by loyalty to the crown and, of course, the golden bodyguard rule: Never lose focus, never let them out of your sight, and never, ever fall in love. But Logan and Ellie are about to learn that when it comes to passion and pleasure, rules were definitely made to be broken.

Royally Raised - This sweetest of short stories focuses on Henry and Sarah, 20 years after the conclusion of Royally Matched.  

AVAILABLE NOW

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

 iBooks | Nook | Kobo

     

About the Author

Emma Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the hot and hilarious Tangled series and The Legal Briefs series. Emma lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children and two naughty (but really cute) dogs. She has a long-standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER | GOODREADS | READER FAN GROUP    

Top Five Books I've Read This Quarter | Jan/Feb/Mar 2018

I love books.

I love lists.

And combing the two? 

Well, my nerdy little heart can barely stand it.

I was just perusing my GoodReads shelf, looking over the books I've read this year, and there have been some real stand-outs. And I thought to myself, "Self? Seeing as how we just wrapped up the first quarter of the year, why not share your favorites? What a perfect excuse to make a list!" And then I congratulated myself mightily on having such a stellar idea. (I'm all about boosting the ol' ego, don't you know.) I'm not sure if I'll continue this with other Top Five lists (sounds fun now but who needs the commitment, amiright?) so for now let's just start with this.

top five books I read this quarter

January-February-March 2018

the cruel prince by holly black

read in january

It's rare that I feel led to pick up a fantasy novel, but the synopsis of The Cruel Prince caught my eye. I got the book from my library and when it was slow to start I thought I'd made mistake and was ready to run back to my stack of contemporary romance. But I decided to switch to the audio version and *bam* - that did the trick. The story came to life and the plot was off and running. I was hooked from that point on and completely caught up in the political intrigue and the realm of the Fae. And the twist at the end left me with total grabby hands for book two.

royally matched by emma chase
read in january
I feel like I talk about this series *a lot* but there's a reason for that: it's just that good. What I thought would be a light-hearted romance series full of laughs turned out to be so much more. And Royally Matched was no exception. It's hard to choose a favorite from the series but this one might just be it. I loved Henry and Sarah's story. Their opposites-attract relationship developed slowly and started as a friendship. Their banter was utterly priceless but was balanced perfectly with more serious issues. There was real growth in both characters and some turns at the end that added such depth and emotion. Yeah, I'll admit it... I shed a few tears.

autoboyography by christina lauren
read in february
Prepare for much gushing because seriously... this book is just everything. I'm reading less and less YA these days but this one is such a stand-out. There were so many elements that I loved: realistic characters that felt 100% genuine, great dialogue that felt true to life (never clunky or stilted), a wonderful, supportive family, friendships, romance, and above all, two main characters that were totally precious. I am ridiculously stingy with five star ratings but this one easily got those five stars and became an instant favorite of my heart.

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid
read in february
I read my first book by TJR last year and was so moved and impressed that I was immediately determined to read everything she has written. But for some reason, when The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was released I wasn't exactly jumping on the bandwagon. I wasn't sure I wanted to read the story of a Hollywood starlet-turned-legend. Then I saw the audio version available on Overdrive, started listening, and was hooked. Evelyn is an unforgettable character and I was totally wrapped up in the story of her life. 

love and other words by christina lauren
read in march
Love and Other Words is another one that I feel like I've been talking about a lot lately - with good reason. It's no coincidence that two books on this list are from writing duo Christina Lauren. These ladies know how to create characters that feel like walking-talking human beings - ones that I can imagine out there in the world living their lives. Their motivations, their actions, their dialogue - all of it feels so realistic and it lends a believability factor that makes for an amazing reading experience. I totally fell for Macy and Elliot and their story - both past and present - captured my heart.

What book have you read so far this year that stands out above all the others?