Romance Reviews: THE LOVE CON & THE ONE NIGHT
Happy Monday all! Just a few more days until Christmas and I’m thrilled to finally be able to say that I have made through the last big work deadline of the year and can now relax and enjoy myself until January. And of course, read more books. 🙂 Later in the week, if I have time, I’ll probably be posting some quick reactions to the holiday novels that I’ve read so far this season, and then next week I plan to do a quick wrap up of the books from my own shelves that I’ve managed to read this year since that has been such a big goal of mine. Today though, I’m sharing my thoughts on my last two December review books, both of which I enjoyed immensely.
The Love Con Goodreads Author: Seressia Glass
Publication Date: December 14, 2021
Publisher: Berkley Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The Love Con by Seressia Glass is a delightful new rom-com that follows Kenya Davenport, a young woman whose passion is creating intricate cosplay costumes. While it’s just a hobby now, Kenya is determined to win the reality contest, Cosplay or No Way, and turn her hobby into a career.
When the book opens, the contest is well under way and Kenya has just been named as a finalist. She thinks she has the contest in the bag until the final challenge is announced and she learns that she is supposed to work in tandem with her significant other to create costumes for an iconic duo. There’s just one problem – Kenya is single and so has no significant other. When asked for the name of who she’ll be working with, Kenya panics and blurts out the first name that comes to mind, Cameron Lassiter (Cam), her roommate and longtime best friend.
Kenya and Cam were of course my favorite part of The Love Con. I loved Kenya’s strength, her determination, and her passion. She’s also funny and sassy, and just a joy to follow as she follows her dreams. I also loved Cam from the moment we meet him. He’s such a sweetheart and I adored how supportive he was of Kenya and how protective he was of her. Even though Kenya was beloved by most of the TV audience, for example, she still had her share of online trolls who didn’t seem to like that she was a strong, independent black woman and they frequently made disparaging comments about everything from her appearance to her personality. Cam gets so upset by this that he creates an anonymous account so that he could defend her honor. Not that she couldn’t defend herself if she felt the need to, but I just thought it was sweet that he cared so much.
I also enjoyed watching the two of them work together throughout the last round of the contest. Even though they were supposed to be pretending to be a couple, they hardly had to pretend at all because they had such amazing chemistry. What we learn early on though is that some of Cam’s chemistry with Kenya is because he has secretly been in love with her for ages and he’s hoping that this whole fake dating scenario can finally help him make the move with Kenya from friends to lovers. The author did a lovely job of not only showing us how Cam and Kenya’s relationship changes as they work in close quarters for the contest, but also giving us some really cute glimpses into how they first became friends in high school.
The actual contest was entertaining to read about as well. I don’t know much about cosplaying or costume design so it was pretty fascinating to see just how much work goes into designing and constructing a costume.
If reality TV contests, fake dating, and friends-to-lovers romances are your catnip like they are mine, The Love Con is a book you’re going to want to add to your reading list. 4 STARS.
The One Night Goodreads
Author: Meghan Quinn
Publication Date: December 14, 2021
Publisher: Montlake
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The One Night by Meghan Quinn is a fun holiday-themed novella that centers on the lead-up to a one night stand between a recently divorced man and his ex-wife’s best friend. And while it might just be a novella, it’s still packed full of what I love most about Meghan Quinn’s novels, namely laugh out loud humor and steamy romantic scenes.
The story follows Cooper Chance (Coop), a recently divorced man, whose parents are so determined to get him to move on and find a new love, that they dress up in their most festive Christmas attire and take their son barhopping. Their philosophy is that if their son won’t go looking for love, then they’ll act as his wingmen and bring love to him. Coop’s parents are hilarious, steal every scene they’re in, and I just adored them.
The bar they end up in brings Coop face-to-face with someone he wasn’t expecting to see, Nora McHale, the best friend of Coop’s ex-wife. Nora has come to the bar, not looking for love, but rather to just have a drink and relax alone after an exhausting day of work. But not even Nora can resist the charms of Coop’s parents and soon she finds herself chatting with Coop and enjoying it way more than she expected to. Neither Nora nor Coop can believe how well matched they seem to be, but both wonder if they would be crossing a line they shouldn’t if they act on their attraction.
I loved the chemistry between Nora and Coop. Their flirty banter was so cute and I really enjoyed watching them each see the other in a whole new light. I also thought Quinn did a wonderful job of combining their increasingly steamy attraction to one another with very realistic internal monologues of doubt about whether or not they’re doing the right thing, if a relationship between them could even feasibly be possible.
The one thing I didn’t like about The One Night is that it actually ends on a cliffhanger. I practically screamed when I got to the end because I wanted so much more of Nora and Coop. Thankfully I soon learned that The One Night is also a prequel to Quinn’s upcoming novel, The Reunion, which focuses on Coop’s parents and their fiftieth wedding anniversary party. So not only will I get to see what’s going on with Nora and Coop, but I’ll get to see more of Coop’s adorable parents. Win, win!
If you’re in the mood for a fun, flirty holiday-themed rom-com and don’t mind a little cliffhanger at the end, I highly recommend The One Night. 4 STARS.
Thriller Thursday Reviews: A Slow Fire Burning & Where I Left Her
Happy Thriller Thursday! Sharon here. I hope everyone is having a great week and getting ready for the holidays. And what better way to say Happy Holidays than some thriller reviews LOL. This week I am happy to share my thoughts on Paula Hawkins’ new book; A Slow Fire Burning and Amber Garza’s new book; Where I Left Her.
A Slow Fire Burning Goodreads Author: Paula Hawkins
Publication Date: August 31, 2021
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Paula Hawkins’ new book A Slow Fire Burning is a very accurate title, as this book was a slow burn.
Daniel Sutherland is found murdered on his houseboat. Three women are at the center of the investigation and they each have a complicated connection to Daniel. Laura is a troubled young woman who had a one-night stand. Carla is Daniel’s aunt, and she has a very complicated relationship with him dating back to when he was a child. And then we have Miriam, she lives in a houseboat next to Daniel. Each one of these women have had their lives turned upside down in the past, but are they capable of murder? And if they are, why murder Daniel?
My favorite character was Laura. She was in an accident when she was ten and it left her with both physical and emotional issues. The accident also left her with some damage to her brain, which causes her to lash out when she is pushed, as well as memory issues and pretty much doing or saying anything. The filter to determine right from wrong is not always there. The accident also left one of her legs badly damaged, so she has a very distinct limp. Add to this the fact that she has parents who are not supportive of her at all. Her mother is off traveling with her boyfriend and never has time to talk to Laura and her father has a new wife who does not like Laura at all and keeps her father away from her as much as possible. The more I learned about Laura, the more I just wanted to hug her and keep her safe. I was so hoping that it was not Laura who murdered Daniel.
Miriam was a hard character to connect to. I did have sympathy for her due to the fact that she was the survivor of a kidnapping attack in which her best friend was killed when they were teenagers. Miriam also has a grudge against Daniel’s uncle. She gave him a manuscript to read that she had written, and he ended up publishing it as his own. Is Daniel’s murder part of a revenge plot?
Carla is the sister of Daniel’s mother, Angela. Angela died six months ago after falling down a flight of stairs in her home. Angela died and now Daniel is dead, so right there flags went up for me. Especially after I learned that Carla’s son died in a tragic accident when he was a toddler and Angela was babysitting him. I did have a lot of sympathy for Carla, once I learned of the death of her son and how it affected her life and also her relationship with her sister and nephew.
We really don’t get a lot of backstory on Daniel as an adult, so to me he was just a dead guy. LOL
The actual police investigation took more of a backseat in my opinion. The beginning of this book was a bit slow, but by the second half it picked up as a few twists were thrown in. All in all I did not see the outcome coming and was pleased with how it all wrapped up. 3 ½ stars
Where I Left Her Goodreads Author: Amber Garza
Publication Date: August 24, 2021
Publisher: Mira Books
Where I left Her by Amber Garza is an addicting thriller about every parents’ worst nightmare, the disappearance of their teenage daughter.
Whitney and her 16-year-old daughter Amelia have always had a close relationship, that is until recently. Whitney is an overprotective mother and Amelia has started to push away and assert her independence. Whitney reluctantly lets Amelia go to a sleep over at her new friend Lauren’s house. When she drops her off out front, she sees Lauren answer the door and the two girls go in the house. But when she goes to pick her up the next morning, Amelia and Lauren are not there. In fact, the older couple that answer the door say they do not know who Amelia and Lauren are. As Whitney starts her search for Amelia, she uncovers a trail of lies her daughter has told her. She soon realizes that she did not know her daughter as well as she thought. But Amelia is not the only one keeping secrets; Whitney has a closet full of them. But are they the reason Amelia is missing?
I thought Garza did a great job on writing the mother/daughter dynamic. Everything that Whitney and Amelia were doing and saying just felt so realistic. There comes a time in every girl’s life when she pushes her mother away a bit and becomes more independent. Just thinking back on my teenage years, I could totally relate to Amelia. And while I do not have children myself, I could also feel the sadness Whitney felt from Amelia’s actions.
The story is told using a dual timeline, alternating between “after drop off” and “before drop off”. I love dual timelines. I love getting a look at what is going on now, and then learning of events that happened and trying to piece them all together. We also get some chapters from when Whitney was a teenager, and we see the similarities between Whitney and her best friend and Amelia and Lauren. From Whitney’s teenage years we also learn what secrets she is holding. I don’t want to say too much about that because I don’t want to spoil anything.
Where I left Her was a very even paced book and while not filled with edge of my seat tension, I was still glued to the pages because I had to know what happened to Amelia. And boy, I so did not have that figured out. From Whitney’s chapters I thought I knew where things may be going but I was way off base. And then once all was revealed, along comes a plot twist that leaves the book sort of open ended. Makes me wonder if there will be a sequel to come. I would not be opposed to that. LOL 3 ½ stars
Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Winter To-Read List
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Books on My Winter 2022 To-Read List. After a year and a half of mostly rom-coms, I’m starting to branch back out a bit with the review books I’ve been requesting for 2022. I still have plenty of romance books even though I only shared four here, but I’m also getting back to reading historical fiction, thrillers, and I even have a sci fi book coming up this winter.
Books on My Winter 2022 To-Read List
1. HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER by Tessa Bailey “King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time–in bed and out–and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is…In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey delivers another deliciously fun rom-com about a former player who accidentally falls for his best friend while trying to help her land a different man.
2. THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET by Diane Chamberlain – “When Kayla Carter’s husband dies in an accident while building their dream house, she knows she has to stay strong for their four-year-old daughter. But the trophy home in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in sleepy Round Hill, North Carolina, will always hold tragic memories. But when she is confronted by an odd, older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees. It’s clear this woman has some kind of connection to the area…and a connection to Kayla herself. Kayla’s elderly new neighbor, Ellie Hockley, is more welcoming, but it’s clear she, too, has secrets that stretch back almost fifty years. Is Ellie on a quest to right the wrongs of the past? And does the house at the end of the street hold the key? Told in dual time periods, The Last House on the Street is a novel of shocking prejudice and violence, forbidden love, the search for justice, and the tangled vines of two families.”
3. MADE IN MANHATTAN by Lauren Layne – “From the New York Times bestselling author of the Central Park Pact comes a reverse My Fair Lady for the modern era about a pampered and privileged Manhattan socialite who must teach an unpolished and denim-loving nobody from the Louisiana Bayou how to fit in with the upper crust of New York City. Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne.”
4. THE MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis – “Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue, returns with a tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one of New York City’s most impressive Gilded Age mansions.”
5. THE MAID by Nita Prose – “Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late? A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.”
6. RECKLESS GIRLS by Rachel Hawkins – “When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape…When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.”
7. THE BOOK OF COLD CASES by Simone St. James – “A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel.”
8. WEATHER GIRL by Rachel Lynn Solomon – “A TV meteorologist and a sports reporter scheme to reunite their divorced bosses with unforecasted results in this charming romantic comedy from the author of The Ex Talk.”
9. MR. WRONG NUMBER by Lynn Painter – “Things get textual when a steamy message from a random wrong number turns into a thrilling anonymous relationship in this hilarious rom-com by Lynn Painter.”
10. CURFEW by Jayne Cowie – “Think The Handmaid’s Tale but with the women in charge, set in a world where all men are electronically tagged and placed under strict curfew, and the murder investigation threatening to undo it all.”
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