You Should Smile More by Anastasia Ryan book review

I was totally hooked by the title of this book. What woman hasn’t heard this line? I was all in without even having read the book blurb. Then, when I did, it got even better. I can totally sympathize with the main character Vanessa Blair. She graduated college with a degree in Latin and did not have a ton of career options. I love how the author sprinkled some Latin into the book. Vanessa got a job as a telemarketer and didn’t really like her job. Her boss was also a total weirdo. One day, Vanessa got fired for having a resting bitch face. 

Vanessa lets her friends know what happened and also her mom. Everyone starts plotting revenge and one of Vanessa’s friends, Trisha, employs the Art of War on Sun Tsu against Xavier Adams, the boss. Vanessa’s mom also goes into action with the Bridge Brigade. Hilarity ensues. Vanessa gets an unemployment case manager. Who turns out to be nice, fun, hot and interesting. He unwittingly gets pulled into the plot. There is not too much romance in this book, but a smidge. However, the strength in this book lies with Vanessa staying true to herself and making the best out of a bad situation. It’s a feel good book with a lot of humor. I really enjoyed it.

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe book review

I did not do a very good job with reading the description of this book. First, I jumped into book FOUR in a series (which I never do). Second, I did not read that it was a Gilded Age romance. I am more of a Regency England fan. BUT, it was a really good book. It can be read as a stand alone and I was ok leaving England for the shores of the east coast. The two main characters were great! I thought Nellie Young was an amazing heiress. I think because she was in the US, she got to be more bold and daring. She was a big naughty in terms of kissing men and just having a good time flirting. In walks the uptight British aristocrat. Handsome but poor, so he is in New York looking for a wealthy bride to bring back to his estate. He is most definitely trying to avoid any sort of scandal, which is why running into Nellie was not conducive to his plan. Nellie is a strong feminist, she is bold, she has lots of money and doesn’t need a husband. She also believes in social change for women. (I learned a lot about the Comstock Act.) However, the author stays true to the time period and life is not easy for most women. 

Nellie and Lockwood have a secret affair and it is HOT. They were not expecting the physical attraction to each other and as they got to know each other for real, they found that they were a pretty good match ;) They have a lot of choices they have to make. Both have relationships that are changing in their lives and they have to decide if they want to support each other through what life is bringing them. I’m glad I picked up this book. It was fun to read a time period and setting that is different from what I normally pick up. I love Joanna Shupe’s writing and am a big fan of her other books. This one did not disappoint.  Oh, and the cover is beautiful!  I appreciate a cover that sucks you in.

Some Dukes Have All the Luck by Christina Britton book review

I LOVED this book! I had to read it twice. I will also say that I am a much faster reader than I am at writing book reviews. Yikes. I did not realize it had been so long. 

 Ash Hawkins is the Duke of Buckley. He is not interested in marriage, but he does have 3 “wards” to raise and these girls are giving him a hard time. They run away from home and Ash has to go to the Isle of Synne to find them and convince them to come back with him. On his journey, he begins to realize that having a wife would be a lot easier in helping him raise the children. Bronwyn Pickering has always been more interested in bugs than marriage. Her parents are beside themselves and are trying all sorts of horrible tactics to force her to find a husband. They want to isolate her from her friend group, The Oddments, because they think her friends are a bad influence on her. They take her lab equipment and journals. With both Ash and Bronwyn in difficult situations, they realize that a marriage of convenience would make life a lot easier for both of them. With fun twists and laugh out loud dialogue, these two set out on negotiating a marriage contract. However, this marriage of convenience starts to turn into something more… 

 I really loved both of these characters. They were fun, passionate and perfect for each other. Both had to deal with some trauma from their pasts, but they had each other to help them overcome their issues. Nothing better than seeing a duke get in touch with their feelings with a woman. The sex was steamy and romantic. Their chemistry was hot and you could totally see that turning into real love between husband and wife. Swoon. I enjoyed returning to the Isle of Synne, which by the way is the perfect name for this place in the series. I love the acceptance that happens among a lot of the main and secondary characters. I also love how the close group of friends is so supportive of each other. I know this book came out in November, but this is still a perfect time to get this book and read it. It’s a must read for romance lovers.