Monthly Romance Reviews: July 2019
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So July was a month filled with romance. I had two weddings in July and I also attended the Romance Writer’s of America conference in New York (more on that later). That being said, I also had a crazy busy month and didn’t get as much reading done as normal, and honestly, a lot of my reads in July were meh. But I’m still going to share them with you because that’s what I do!
Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey: Tessa is a new to me author, and I picked this one up because (surprise, surprise) it has a super cute cartoon cover. Luckily, this one fit the mood of the cover. It’s about a girl who is the youngest daughter in her family and who is also a clown-professionally, that’s her job. She wants her family to take her more seriously so she starts fake dating her brother’s best friend, a former professional athlete. We all know what happens from there. Despite the clowns (creepy AF), I liked this one a lot. The characters were great, the dirty talk was diiiirrrrttty, and there were a lot of funny moments. Overall, I gave it 4 stars.
See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson: Continuing on my quest to read more of the romance back catalog, I picked this one up at a used bookstore. And surprise, surprise, it had some problematic moments for me. It’s about a female reporter who is assigned to her local hockey team’s beat, which means she has to travel with the team. She falls for the cocky goalie who actually has a heart of gold. Yadda yadda yadda. It didn’t do much for me. It ended up being 3.5 stars.
Catch a Mate by Gena Showalter: Another “oldie” (so more than ten years old) with problems. I liked the concept of this one: a woman who works for an agency that sets up dudes to see if they’re cheating and the man who comes in to run the company. Their chemistry was good, but these ick moments just take me right out of the story and I can’t enjoy them. It gets 3.5 stars.
Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey: First off, this cover is to die for. Second, go into this one expecting a delicious snack, and you will be satisfied. This is not a super complex story with several dark moments and angst. It’s relatively short (about 250 pages) and it’s just a cute, sweet, fun story. Kinda like the rom-coms of old. It’s about a small town girl who gets the chance to work on a film set when a major movie comes to film in her neighborhood. She has repeated run ins with the hot star of the movie, and before you know it, they’re in love. I wouldn’t have said no to more sex and more drama, but if you take it for what it is, it’s a delightful read. I gave it 4 stars.
Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh: Okay, this one I looooved. It’s a historical about a woman who runs her own tabloid type newspaper, and many of their stories feature a certain dashing Earl. Said Earl invites the heroine to accompany him on some of his outings, giving her an inside look at his scandalous world. Which he only does to provide a distraction while he hunts for his missing best friend. I love Eva’s characters, her females have such agency and are so independent and kick ass, I can’t get enough of her. This one gets 4.5 stars.
Getting Hot with the Scot by Melonie Johnson: This book was just plain old fun.The heroine bumps into what looks like a straight out of Outlander hottie in a kilt while exploring a castle in Scotland. They have a steamy make out sesh, until she realizes how she knows the guy: he’s a host of an internet prank show. He needs her to sign the release form so he can publish the video and land a cable TV show, she refuses to be made a fool of since she is trying to get a promotion. The whole thing is fun and adorable, I am definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I gave it 4.5 stars.
Make Me Yours by Katee Robert: This is a novella that was given to us at check in for RWA, and it proved to be the perfect little break for me when I came home from day three of the conference completely tapped (and peopled) out. It was HOT and made me want to read more from her, even though the novella has a pregnancy plot which is not my fave. I am dying to get my hands on Katee’s Disney based series. that might be my next book purchase. As a novella, I gave it 4 stars.
Can’t Escape Love by Alyssa Cole: You probably know by now that Alyssa Cole can do no wrong in my book (pun intended). This novella is about Portia’s twin sister (from Duke by Default) who runs the website Girls with Glasses. So right there, I’m all in. She falls for a guy she meets online and the two become close as she helps him create an escape room based on her favorite anime. Honestly, the only fault with this book is that I wanted it to be full length. Alyssa is such an inspiration (and also one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen IRL). This one gets 4.5 stars.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams: Guuuuuyyss this book is so freakin’ cute. This one is a little different as the main couple is already married, but going through a separation when the book opens. Gavin is a professional baseball player who has been seriously neglecting his wife Thea, both in and out of the bedroom (but mostly in). When he tells his friends they are having trouble, his friends invite him to their book club. The guys get together to read romance novels to help them figure out their issues with their women. The concept of this book is amazing and the execution is just as great. I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series! (Note: this book doesn’t come out until November, but do yourself a favor and pre-order it now!). I gave it 4.5 stars.
Okay, so not a terrible month of reading after all! There were some gems in July, but honestly, August is going to knock your socks off so come back next month! Happy reading!
