“How long do you last in bed?” Those were her first words to me, swiftly followed up with, “And how big would you say you are?”Persephone Alexander. Math genius. Lover of blazers. The only girl I know who can make Heidi braids look sexy as hell. And she’s on a mission. Lose her virginity by the end of the semester.

I walked in on her interview session for potential candidates (who even does that?) and saw straight through her brave front. She’s got a list of Firsts to accomplish like she’s only got months to live. I’ve decided to be her guide for all her firsts except one. Someone’s got to keep her out of trouble. I have one rule, no sex. We even shook on it.

I’ll help her find the right guy for the job. Someone like her doesn’t need someone like me and my massive...baggage for her first time.

Drinking at a bar. Check.

Partying all night. Double check.

Skinny dipping. Triple check.

She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. The walls I’d put up around my heart are slowly crumbling with each touch that sets fire to my soul.

I’m the first to bend the rules. One electrifying kiss changes everything and suddenly I don’t want to be her first, I want to be her only. But her plan was written before I came onto the scene and now I’m determined to get her to re-write her future with me.

Title: The Perfect First
Author: Maya Hughes
Series: Fulton U
Pages: tbc
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, New Adult
Hot Buttons: touches on domestic abuse <-- highlight to reveal (may contain spoilers)

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I’ve been just a tiny bit obsessed with Maya Hughes since I first read Ruthless King at the beginning of this year. I don’t often go out of my comfort zone - and new adult romance has never been my jam. So the fact that Ms Hughes managed to hook me, turn my head and convert me in the space of one book just shows what an amazing author she is. She just pulls you into the story, makes you care about her characters and leaves you unable to put down the book until you finish the story and get to that oh so satisfying happily ever after.

This book once again hits all the perfect notes and has popped Ms Hughes to the top of my auto-buy list.

Persephone - Seph - is different. She doesn’t mean to be. She doesn’t want to be. She just is. Your heart just clutches as Seph tries to find ways to fit in and to have the same experiences she sees all the other university students having. And if you’ve ever felt the same - slightly removed from everyone else, from the first, you will feel fiercely protective of Seph - even more by the fact that she never stops being herself. She’s awkward, honest, loyal and goes full throttle into everything she attempts. It was amazing to see her confidence grow throughout the course of the book and to see her become a more kick-ass version of herself by the end.

Reece. Ah, Reece. If only you knew what was coming to you. A cocky little bastard when we first meet him - he can’t understand why he’s intrigued by the quirky girl on campus who he accidentally meets at a coffee shop. (And if that scene isn’t the funniest thing I’ve read all year, I don’t know what is!) I do so love it when a man so sure of his place in the world meets someone who pulls the rug out from under him. But he met it with surprising ease - and his own development made me giddy. He even folds his clothes by the end of the book. That’s the perfect man right there, folks!

And I mentioned that Seph was always herself - well not once did Reece ever want her to be anything different. He liked her. Every part of her. It’s what attracted him to her in the first place. It’s a fist pump for the quirky girl getting the hot guy without changing for him or because of him.

The book also has a nice share of sexy shenanigans. Of course it does - the whole premise of the book is about Seph losing her v-card!

As well as all of the above, one of the things that Ms Hughes does so well is the banter and camaraderie of a tight group of friends. Aaargh - you just want to be them, be around them and wish like hell your own school experiences were like those at Fulton University. I know that Nix will get his own book shortly (The Second We Met) and I’ve got my fingers crossed for LJ (with Marissa?) and Berk’s stories very, very soon after that. I’m greedy for more of this gang.

I don’t know how she does it. Somehow, Maya Hughes has written the first book in a new series that it set to rival the amazing Rittenhouse Kings in feelings, banter and pure, unadulterated emotion. I could not put this book down and I feel slightly bereft now that I’m done - wishing I could have taken longer to read it so I could savour it for longer. I can hardly wait for the next in the series. 5 highly recommended stars from me.

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AUTHOR BIO!

Maya Hughes can often be found sneaking in another chapter while hiding in the bathroom from her kids! :-) I’m a romance writer who loves taking inspiration from everyday life, namely my husband and biggest fan. Inspiration also strikes when I hear a song, meet someone new or daydream while at soccer practice.

I’m the mom of three little ones, the wife to an amazing husband and also work full time. Some of my favorite things are cinnamon rolls, white wine, laughing until I can’t breathe and traveling with my family.

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The man I hate might be the first one to pluck my petals…

Confession: I, Dandelion “Dani” Wright, am twenty-six years old and have yet to be deflowered. No man has hosed my hyacinth. Fondled my freesia. Diddled my daffodil.

You get the point.

My excuse? I was too busy running my family’s flower shop and winning floral design competitions.

Suddenly that whole pesky virginity thing becomes a big deal when Jacob West walks back into my life. The boy I once loved. The same boy who humiliated me when he stood me up for prom.

This Jacob is no boy, though: he’s all man now—confident, charming, and so sexy my metaphorical blossoms are getting scorched. I can almost forget I’m supposed to hate him forever. Almost.

To make things worse, he’s my main competition now, since he took over his parents’ flower shop. If I give into this sizzling attraction between us, it could jeopardize everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve.

But if I’m not careful, he might not just be the first man to pluck my petals—he might also be the only man to capture my heart.

Title: Petal Plucker
Author: Iris Morland
Series: The Flower Shop Sisters Book 1 (Standalone)
Pages: 206
Genre(s): Contemporary, US
Hot Buttons: mentions of a parent's ailing health / stroke <-- highlight to reveal (may contain spoilers)

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Pluck me, this is good!

This is the first book I’ve read by Iris Morland and I thought I knew what to expect when I picked it up - a sort-of friends to lovers, sort-of enemies to lovers romantic comedy with a virgin heroine.

And while you do get all that - that’s really selling it short. For me, this is the story of Dani as she comes to realise that what she has, and who she is, is more than enough to fall in love and have someone fall in love with her in return. And not just any someone - no! The gorgeous, slightly grumpy, dirty talking Jacob who she’s equally loved and hated her whole life. They are the Romeo and Juliet of the dangerous world of florists, after all!

And that whole virgin thing? It’s hardly part of the story at all, really. She’s a virgin. She has brown hair. She likes flowers. Pffft. It is what it is and while it’s another facet of who Dani is - it’s really not made a big deal of in the grand scheme of the story. Or at least it’s not the whole point of the story.

This story is told by Dani and so you only ever get her point of view. And boy was that frustrating - but in the best possible way. I think I bonded with her more because I too was getting a bit angry. What is Jacob thinking? Does he like her? Why is he being such a douche-canoe? I wanted to know, dammit! It really helped keep me obsessed by this book and getting it finished as soon as I could.

This book had me running though all of the emotions. All. Of. Them. I came up for air only to realise I was clutching at my neckline like I was clutching my pearls - in dismay of poor Dani and how she felt. And about twice every page I found myself snorting indelicately in laughter. An actual audible sound. A real LOL. This book was funny. Witty-funny. It got me right in the funnies.

And, surprisingly - this book was also very saucy. There was lots of the dirty language and cursing that I like. Dani even swore in front of her parents - and didn’t get into trouble! That’s the dream, man! The dirty words were backed up by some fabulous dirty deeds. I got those jumpy butterflies in my tummy. Love that feeling.

By the end I also found myself a little teary eyed. It was so gosh-darned cute and satisfying. If it wasn’t for the swearing and the sex - I would say that we should give this book to every young woman to help her realise it’s okay to be yourself. And to love yourself! I’m not sure if I wanted to be Dani, be best friends with Dani, or to set my sights on being friends with the author!

The last line in the epilogue (yay, there’s an epilogue!) is a teaser for the next book in the Flower Shop Sister series and oooh boy, it’s a good tease. I. Cannot. Wait!

This book really brightened up my day. It’s just so adorably endearing and deliciously funny - with the kind of characters you can enjoy and envy in equal measure. One of my favourite books of this year! 5 stars.

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AUTHOR BIO!

 

A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland is the author of over a dozen sexy, small-town romances and romantic comedies. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.

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Samantha Matthews turned her back on her wealthy family to focus on social work. Those who know her think she’s the heart of kindness. Those who know her really well know she’s in a never-ending battle to make up for the harm her family’s companies inflict on the world. Which is how she finds herself at a charity bachelor auction of all places.

But oops, she was supposed to bid on her bff’s brother as a favor and accidentally bid on the wrong guy. Sue her for not being able to tell one stick-in-the-mud CEO from another.

Backstage, she goes to tell him not to worry about having to go through with a date or anything, but the oafish billionaire cuts her off dismissively. Looks her up and down, hands her a card with his assistant’s contact details, and reminds her that sex is definitely off the table.

Oh, she’ll call the assistant all right and have her make sure he wears jeans and comfortable shoes and to pick her up at seven a.m. The only “hammering” this guy is going to be doing is at Habitat for Humanity.

Too bad he turns out to be nothing like she expected.

Title: An Accidental Date with a Billionaire
Author: Diane Alberts
Series: /
Pages: 180
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, Billionaire
Hot Buttons: /

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The premise of this book sounded like the perfect romance novel concept - girl bids on wrong billionaire at bachelor auction and confusion and irritation soon turns to love and romance. Every part of me swooned.

So we have our heroine - Sam - and she bids on our hero - Taylor - as promised and we’re off to a great start. And then he’s slightly rude to her. And I mean slightly. There’s no arrogant, alpha billionaire thing going on here. He’s just a bit rude. Not saying it’s right - but he didn’t run over her puppy or anything.

And so Sam spends the first 1/3 of the book being an absolute cow to him. She’s judging him for his minor rudeness, her preconceived feelings about him because he’s rich and little else. Oh, and because of his job of doing the same thing Richard Gere did in Pretty Woman. And because she - somehow (I didn’t really care to try and figure it out) is in the opposing side of his business. Yet Taylor is such a sweetheart to her. He’s quiet, kind and seemingly desperate for her to like him for some inexplicable reason.

So at this stage I’m not very fond of Sam and Taylor is hardly ringing my sexy, take-charge, arrogant, billionaire alpha bells. Hmmmm.

The pair go on their date that they manage to keep extending as she doesn’t do second dates and he doesn’t do relationships. Sigh. But the concept of ‘the date only ends when I take you home’ - so I’m not taking you home - was adorable. If someone said that to me I’d be putty in their hands.

The story meandered along nicely. The writing was good and I was engrossed in the book and never left it sitting for long. Yet, there were so many, I don’t want to say ‘clichés’ (probably because I love a good cliché), but plot points that were used with a distinct lack of subtly. We had the moment our couple were in a restaurant and the heroine decides to anonymously buy a hard-up family dessert just so our hero could marvel at her caring side. And then when he ordered a background report on the heroine and then decided not to read it. Can you guess at what happened next? More sighs. And when Taylor decides to reject the practices that made him a billionaire - and instead comes around to Sam’s way of thinking by going into business with the failing company. And of course this allowed Sam to see he really was a good guy. There were just too many of these instances for my liking - too many tried and tested things just stuck into the story that ended up sticking out like a sore thumb and making me grumpy!

Overall I feel like I’ve been a little too harsh on a story that was ultimately quite readable and very non-offensive. It’s unlikely to set your world - or anything else - on fire, but it’s a decent enough read to while away a few hours. Just 3 stars from me.

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* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

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Cleopatra Paige hates one thing in this world -- just one -- and his name is Zachariah Prince.

In grade school, he pulled at her pigtails. In middle school, he spread false rumors about her. And in high school, he ruined her prom.

She hates that his smirks are unfairly sexy. And she definitely loathes that his dark eyes seem to follow her everywhere. Sometimes, even in her dreams.

It doesn’t matter that he’s rich and popular or that he lives in a freaking mansion full of butlers and maids. He’s rude and arrogant, and she wants to stay as far away from him as possible.

But unfortunately for Cleo, she lives in the same freaking mansion as Zach.

Only he’s the prince and she’s the lowly maid who serves him.

Title: Bad Boy Blues
Author: Saffron A. Kent
Series: /
Pages: tbc
Genre(s): Contemporary, New Adult, US
Hot Buttons: tbc

Release Date: 11th April, 2019

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AUTHOR BIO!

 

Writer of bad romances. Aspiring Lana del Rey of the book world. 



Saffron A. Kent is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Contemporary and New Adult romance. More often than not, her love stories are edgy, forbidden and passionate. Her work has been featured in Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, New York Daily News and USA Today's Happy Ever After.




She has an MFA in Creative Writing and she lives in New York City with her nerdy and supportive husband. Along with a million and one books. 




She is represented by Meire Dias of Bookcase Agency.

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