Twenty years ago, Michael Tully fell hard and fast at summer camp. Now his soon-to-be ex-wife has quit her job and invested every last penny into re-inventing Camp Firefly Falls. It’s a crazy, ridiculous plan–which he ignores, right up until he’s served with divorce papers.

Title: Winning Back His Wife
Author: Gwen Hayes and Zoe York
Series: Camp Firefly Falls
Pages: 106
Genre(s): Contemporary, US
Hot Buttons: Divorce

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This story ticked so many boxes for me. It’s the story of a husband and wife who have found themselves drifting apart despite still being madly in love with each other. It’s almost a second chance romance despite the pair never really being apart.
It’s a simple enough story - and I was pleased to see it was written in a very linear fashion. Yes there are flashbacks to the couple’s time at camp and into their young adult years, but it starts with the divorce papers and ends up with a satisfying ending. It keeps things simple to focus on Michael and Heather, their feelings and their future plans.

It’s easy to like both Michael and Heather - and to see where they went wrong. I liked the way that both took ownership of their mistakes and their problems, but not without getting grumpy about it, first. It’s the way normal people would behave in situations and that made the pair seem real to me.

I was surprised to find a little bit of spice in this book. I had just assumed that this would be fairly tame on the sex front so I was pleasantly surprised when a little bit of heat appeared. Oh, it’s not melt your pants, bring steam out your ears kind of heat - but something a little bit unexpected and nicely spicy to add to the storyline.

Not being American, I only have second hand knowledge of summer camps but the authors did a great job of bringing them to life and making us understand why they were so special to Michael, Heather and so many others. I’m still not so sure I would have been comfortable going to one as a child but I definitely want to go to the adult Camp Firefly Falls now.


There are other books in this series, some by these authors and some by others. They all stand alone, as does this book. I’m going to look for other books in the series as I really enjoyed the setting and the feel of this romance - and want to read more.

Overall a fun, well-written book that flows well. It’s not too angsty and deals well with what could be a heavy subject with humour, romance and positivity. A recommended read and at only 108 pages it can easily be read in an afternoon. 4 stars.

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He definitely wasn't supposed to get that email...  

Subject: My Boss.  

Have I already told you that I hate my boss today?  

Sexy as hell or not, this pompous, arrogant, ASSHOLE asked me to pick up his dry cleaning the second I walked through the door. Then he told me that I needed to take his Jaguar to a car wash that was ten miles outside of the city, but only after I needed to stand in a never-ending line to buy some type of limited, hundred-dollar watch.

I honestly can't wait to see the look on his face two months from now when I tell him that I'm quitting his company and that he can kiss my ass. KISS. MY. ASS.

All those former fantasies about him kissing me with his "mouth of perfection" or bending me over my desk and filling me with his cock are long over. OVER.

Your bestie,
Mya

PS--Please tell me your day is going better than mine...

 
Subject: Re: My Boss.

No, you haven't already told me that you hate your boss today, but seeing as though you've sent me this email directly, I know now...

Yes, I did ask you to pick up my dry cleaning the second you arrived to work to day. (Where is it?) And I did tell you to take my Jaguar to the car wash and pick up my thousand-dollar watch. (Thank you for taking five hours to do something that could be accomplished in two.)

You don't have to wait two months from now to see the look on my face when you tell me you're quitting. I'm standing outside your office at this very moment. ( Open the door. )

No comment on your "fantasies," although I highly doubt they're "long over."

Your boss,
Michael

PS--Yes. My day is definitely going far better than yours...

Title: Naughty Boss
Author: Whitney G
Series: Steamy Coffee Reads Collection
Pages: 127
Genre(s): Contemporary, US
Hot Buttons: /

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I do love a little office based romance every now and then and this one really caught my eye as it looked sexy as hell.

The story is told in first person viewpoint alternating between Michael and Mya. The story is also interspersed with email conversations between Mya and her best friend, and Mya and Michael. I loved this and felt it really added something fresh and unique to the story. It also gives a different insight into what the character’s are thinking, feeling and how they’re genuinely interacting with each other.

Michael was definitely an arrogant pain in the rear and while he learned his lesson in the end, I liked that his personality didn’t take a dramatic 180 when he gets together with Mya. He was alpha from beginning to end. Gives me a little shiver with all that sexy dominance!

Mya was a fantastically well-written heroine. She was an executive assistant and Michael took huge advantage of her, but she never came across as a weak or subservient girl. She was feisty, strong and had morals but wasn’t 100% innocent - she was a real woman and someone you could believe in and want to know. I really enjoyed reading about her.

Enemies/hate to love has always been one of my favourite types of romance and it works well here. I like the subtle ways that the author lets us know the characters don’t hate each other as much as they pretend to. It’s funny, cute and builds up quite some anticipation until the culminating moment.

And that’s where the novel fell from 5 stars to 4 for me. The sex scenes were hot and spicy but I wanted more. I wanted more heat, more depth (no pun intended) and more sexiness all round. I was expecting something more, well, enthusiastic so I admit to being slightly disappointed by this element of the book. Just slightly disappointed but disappointed none the less.


To address some other reviewer’s concerns, yes the book does finish at approximately 70% but it’s obvious the story is wrapping up at that point and what e-book doesn’t have extras or previews at the end? It doesn’t detract from or reflect on the story. Honestly - some people!

This was a well-written, exciting and enjoyable way to pass a few hours. The ending is adorable (and no cliffhanger, yay!) and I will definitely be looking out for other books by Whitney G. in the future. 4 stars and recommended.

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After being jilted at the altar by her fiancé, Virginia Montgomery quit her job and moved a thousand miles away to manage Hotel Amore on Little West Cay, hoping she’d never see that no-good coward Thomas Bennett again. But Fate and Mother Nature conspire and whip up a little Valentine’s Day magic to bring Virginia and Thomas back together.

You know what they say; Fate doesn’t take no for an answer, and it isn’t nice to mess with Mother Nature.

Title: Valentine Bride
Author: Ava Bradley
Series: /
Pages: 22
Genre(s): Contemporary, US
Hot Buttons: /

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This is a very short story coming in at just 22 pages - that’s about 15 minutes from the start of the story to the very end. Perfect for a short and sweet quickie romance for the morning, afternoon or evening!
Being so short, you obviously don’t get masses of character development but that’s okay because Virginia and Thomas have known each other a long time so we’re not seeing their story from the very beginning. It’s just the best, and more important bit, when they realise that they can’t live without each other.

Good writing, a sweetly romantic story and surprisingly believable character motivations make this a winner of a short story. If you need a shot of romance in your day then I would recommend this to you. 4 stars.

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An Overnight Billionaire… 
When Carson Frost inherits a confectionary that rakes in billions but is too cash-strapped to last another sixty days, he agrees to take a loan from his late father’s rival. There are two catches: Carson has to sign over a permanent stake in the company and marry the man’s daughter.

Concocts a Fake Bride…
Two weeks before the wedding, he gets cold feet and claims he’s in love with someone else. The investor says he’ll still hand over the cash if Carson takes a stroll down the aisle—with the woman who owns his heart. Since he isn’t even dating anyone, Carson panics. Where is he going to find a bride willing to jilt him at the altar on such short notice?

And Whips Up a Little Love.
Ella Hope is an actress happy for any paying gig, but jilting a hottie in public isn’t what she had in mind. Still, she needs rent, and he’s in a bind. How hard can it be? While playing at matrimony, suddenly their intimacy isn’t so fake. Ella can’t help but fantasize that Carson is her groom and they will live happily ever after. But once his company is safe, will he want her anymore?

Title: Misadventures of a Backup Bride
Author: Shayla Black
Series: Misadventures
Pages: 280
Genre(s): Contemporary, US
Hot Buttons: /

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Oh, I really, really wanted to love this book. It’s just my cup of tea - a cute premise forcing our couple together - who realise just at the right moment that this fake relationship has turned into the real thing. It’s a tried and tested story trope but it’s one that I can happily read again and again.
The story started off well. I’m not familiar with Shayla Black’s previous work but in this book I found her writing to be refreshing, fun and its flow made for an easy and light read. Both Carson and Ella were interesting characters - I liked both of them, believed in their chemistry and enjoyed reading about their lives.

But…I just couldn’t believe in the pair’s love. I can suspend reality with the best of them - witches, superheroes and even some ridiculous coincidences - I’m game for it! In this case Ella met Carson once for 10 minutes, met him again, went for a quick dinner, fell into bed with him, spent a weekend in bed with him and she’s suddenly declaring her love for him and trying to figure out how to rearrange her whole life to be with him. And Carson is exactly the same. I mean pardon me what now? Calm down, folks!

Because of this ridiculously premature declaration, it really put the story on a different path for me. I felt it turned quite juvenile at that point and took the shine off the sex scenes. Yes, there was sex. Yes, it was sexy - but it lost the newness and excitement of a new, somewhat forbidden relationship, as soon as they both said ‘I love you’.  If Carson and Ella had just pretended to be engaged and then realised at the end that they had fallen in love with each other, it might have been more obvious, but it would have made for, in my opinion, a more believable and well-rounded story.

Everything came together in the end - quite conveniently in some cases - but I did feel that if the characters were already in love by page 10 (slight exaggeration), any happily ever after would be just a little bit dubious.

It’s such a shame because I had such high hopes for this story. Hopefully this was just a weird quirk of mine and others will love the story. If you’re reading through the Misadventures series, this is still worth a shot as the writing was good and the storyline was cute and fun. Only 3 stars from me but I still want folk to try it and hopefully love it as much as I wanted to.

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

Misadventures Series:

Misadventures is a romantic series of spicy standalone novels, each written or co-written by some of the best names in romance. The stories are scandalous, refreshing, and, of course, incredibly sexy. They’re the perfect bedside read, a ‘quick blush’ for the reader who loves a page-turning romance.

 

Click to see other books by Shayla Black

Working the night shift at a five-star hotel in downtown Los Angeles, I get my fair share of weirdos. But none of them prepared me for the night I met Bolt. He saved my life.

Now, he’s my super hero—the hunk I’m yearning to thank in more creative ways than a damn kiss on the cheek. Too bad he’s actually Reece Richards, my full-on nerd of a real-life boss.

He’s got some commitment issues thanks to his evil ex and global empire—and from having to save the city from a maniac out to destroy everything he loves.

But there’s something that just may interfere with all those plans. My heart.

Title: Misadventures with a Super Hero
Author: Angel Payne
Series: Misadventures
Pages: 280
Genre(s): Contemporary, US
Hot Buttons: Supernatural

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This is the seventh instalment in the Misadventures series of books - standalone stories that are sexy, spicy and a lot of fun. And in my opinion, this is by far the best of all the misadventures so far.

Emma and Reece are just perfect for each other. Sure, she’s the small town girl and he’s the worldly, wounded billionaire - but there’s more to both of them and at times, you see their roles reversed which was fun to see. The banter between the pair hit all my happy buttons - especially the nicknames. Sigh. Despite the fantasy element, I felt the characters were real and believable especially their mannerisms and reactions. Yes, Reece was an alpha male but he was insecure, too. And and times, as Emma pointed out to him, he was a bit of a dork! I just loved this pair together. All round loved them.

The sex is sexy and hot but is always part of the storyline of the pair getting to know each other and working each other - and their own stuff - out. And thank God that this story doesn’t have any anal sex - I’m bored of books that feel they have to tack that on to be edgy and cool.

The writing style is, at times, a little frenetic and so lively it can be hard to keep up with. I can completely understand that this style may not be everyone’s cup of tea but personally, and for this story, I think it worked well. One thing you can say with certainty about Ms Payne’s writing style is that her voice is unique and her passion for her stories is clear in her words. The story is written in the first person, alternating between Emma and Reece’s viewpoints.

By the end of the book you’re left wanting to read more - not because the story is unfinished - but because you want to find out about this world of Emma, Reece - oh, and Bolt, too! This is like the satisfying end to season 1 - now I want season 2.

You’ve got a superhero element to this story but in truth, it’s quite a simple story about a guy and a girl who like each other and try to figure everything out while going through a lot of problems and emotions. And maybe I’m a bit mean but it was fun to watch Reece’s descent into love - oh how the mighty fall!

If you’re enjoying the Misadventures series then this will be a welcome addition. Or if you’re looking for a fun, light, sassy and sexy read with a super hero element - I would recommend this story to you. 5 stars and I’ll be watching out for other books by Ms Payne.

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Buy this book now:

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

Misadventures Series:

Misadventures is a romantic series of spicy standalone novels, each written or co-written by some of the best names in romance. The stories are scandalous, refreshing, and, of course, incredibly sexy. They’re the perfect bedside read, a ‘quick blush’ for the reader who loves a page-turning romance.

 

Click to see other books by Angel Payne