Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong book review

As a fan of Kelley Armstrong’s YA books, I was looking forward to this one. I really enjoyed the author’s note in explaining that it was her first rom com and how it was inspired. It made me like the book even more. The main female character is Daphne McFadden. She is an architect who just built her off-grid dream home in the Yukon. She is dealing with multiple losses. She was inspired to write the book, but an agent would not pick it up. Daphne decides to submit the book with a male pen name and all of a sudden she is on the bestseller list! Daphne and her lawyer friend, Nia, concoct a plan to invent a man to fit her pen name. Enter Chris Stanton, a hot accountant, smart, sexy and a bit nerdy. He takes on the Chris Ainsworth persona as his stage/actor personality to play Zane Remington, the male author Daphne invented. These twists and turns add some humor to the story. As Daphne’s book keeps climbing the bestseller list, she now finds that “Zane” has book festivals, interviews, speeches, signings and a book tour. All this turns into a forced proximity, slow burn romance as Chris and Daphne travel together. Things definitely get complicated. There are secrets, coverups and even a bit of blackmail. Things get pretty spicy as they admit their feelings for each other and figure out what the future holds for them. 

I’ll admit that as I was reading this, I wondered how much of the publishing industry insight was true. How many women use male pen names to get published? I think the author had some fun with what might happen if that pen name situation spiraled out of control. I think both characters were well developed and the chemistry grew as they got to know each other. But the spark was there with physical attraction from the beginning. I like that the chapters alternated between Daphne and Chris narrating. The setting is fun, the hookups are steamy and the HEA makes me happy. All the things I want in a contemporary romance. This book comes out June 25, 2024. It’s a great addition to your TBR pile and a great weekend escape. Oh, and I LOVE the punny title! 

 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Earl’s Trip by Jenny Holiday book review

As you can tell by the title, this story follows three best friends on their annual September holiday to the country. Archibald Fielding-Burton, Archie to his friends, and also the Earl of Harcourt is very much looking forward to this year’s trip. He has a lot to talk about to his friends and is ready to blow off some steam. Simon and Effie are the two other men on this trip. They get interrupted by Clementine and Olive’s father, who is worried about his daughters. The Morgan sisters end up on this men’s trip and hilarity ensues. Clementine Morgan has been Archie’s friend since they were little. They have not seen each other in a while. Clementine is a bit of a wild child and is currently opposed to marriage. Olive was about to be married off, but she was realizing too late that he was not the right man for her. This is definitely a great friends to lovers romance. I love that Clementine and Archie were so competitive in different things. I also really like that Clementine loved her sister and Archie really loved his friends. The fact they have an annual trip planned is really sweet. An interesting twist in the story was that Clementine was a vegetarian, which usually does not show up in historical romances and it was nicely woven into the story. This was just such a fun story. There were some sad aspects to what the individual characters were personally dealing with, but it just added to the depth of the story. I loved all the characters. This book is definitely worth reading. Perfect weeknight or weekend escape.

The Trouble with Inventing a Viscount by Vivienne Lorret book review

 

This is the second book in the Liars’ Club and the story of Honoria Hartley and Oscar Flint. Honoria is an expert makeup artist, which comes in handy in her thespian family who is always putting performances on their family stage. Honoria was somewhat betrothed by her grandmother in a letter to Viscount Vandemere, who has been missing for years and presumed dead. However, Honoria uses it as an excuse to avoid other marriage proposals and pursue her path to freedom as a single woman. Unfortunately, her penchant for gambling gets her into some trouble in Paris as she wins the money Oscar needs to pay off his debts. He hears about her Vandemere scheme and shows up at her doorstep as the long lost Viscount Vandemere. She knows he’s lying and is a con artist, but they both play along because he needs the money and she needs her secrets kept. He does move into “his” house that is filled with Vandemere relatives sponging off the estate. They are pretty sure he is lying, but there are some family secrets and no one can be totally sure. Oscar is in his own way an honest thief. He steals money out of necessity and only from the wealthy that have wronged others. There are lots of funny scenes. Honoria and Oscar are always trying to one-up each other and from that their attraction starts to grow. This is definitely a zany, quirky book that is just a lot of fun to read. There are a lot of laugh out loud moments. I really like that Honoria has a huge family that is all up in her business and Oscar has been on his own for a while now. This book is a bit of a slow burn, but there are sparks and when they finally act on their feelings it gets steamy. Honoria has met her match and it makes for a delightful read. Put this book on your TBR and get ready for its release on September 24, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.