Samantha Chase: #Resort Crush

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250085911-resort-crush

Book Blurb:

He lives by schedules, spreadsheet and always knowing what’s next.
She lives for trails, takeoffs, and the thrill of what comes next.

Nora Wilder is always looking for her next thrill, so when she lands a job as an adventure guide at the Lakeview Harbor Resort, it finally feels like she’s found a place where she belongs. Except what seemed like a dream job quickly goes south after a series of run-ins with one of the resort’s owners threatens the future she’s building.

Investing in the resort where he met his closest friends made perfect sense to Milo Keene. But for someone who lives for spreadsheets, participating in any of the resort’s outdoor activities is more than a little outside his comfort zone. And that’s not even counting the resort’s newest adventure guide who seems determined to terrorize him.

Tropes:  

*Netgalley ALC  *Enemies --> more  *small town vibes  *wealthy MMC x not so wealthy FMC

*Opposites attract  *Tech MMC x out doors enthusiast FMC  *Resort/Camp 

*she saves him/he saves her *Insta Love *mentions of spice but not open door

*State Challenge (Washington & NY Both repeats)

Thoughts:

Nora Wilder (FMC) is an independent woman she has been a thrill seeking adventure guide for awhile and even has a pilots license allowing her to fly a small plane or helicoptor, recently she has been feeling that she would like to set some roots and feels that there is a great opportunity to do that at the Lakeview Harbor Resort it's a tranquil place where she can do what she loves and get paid for it... but one of the resort's owners isn't getting that memo...

Milo Keene (MMC) is a wealthy tech guru he has recently invested in a resort where he met his closest friends from childhood and has come to the resort to help set up the security system, things would be going well but he keeps running into this infuriating woman... Nora... what is her problem anyways?  She's like the popular mean girl at school... he is one of the owners maybe he can do something about this situation.

Nora has been told to play nice to Milo by her direct supervisor (one of the other owners) if she wants to keep her job... while he can stick up for her in a lot of ways to keep her there he can't do it for long if she has frequent open hostility towards Milo.

This was a situation where opposites clash (and frequently) until they don't.  The beginning is a bunch of miscommunication or no communication since they don't know each other well and the interactions they have had haven't been pleasant, after an incident happens where Nora has to come to Milo's rescue things take a different turn and they realize that maybe they have both been looking at things from the wrong angle.

A big focus from the middle on was on what would happen when their resort life bubble ended since Milo lived and worked in Washington and the Resort where Nora works is in New York and quite honestly this back and forth with these inner thoughts about long distance relationship and what would happen after Milo went home kind of took up too much of the book (in my opinion) yes it's an issue but they just met... just see what happens (?)  This made it all seem more on the insta love side to me.

Overall it was a cute, cozy quick read/listen, I never fully felt connected with either character as we only get to know them on a more surface level but they were both likeable and I did want them to have a happy ending (preferably together).  This was the 4th book in the series and several other couples from the previous books make appearances throughout but I didn't feel lost and it could be read as a stand alone.  If you are looking for something light this might be for you, 

I got this ALC from Netgalley.  The Narrator did a good job with the story but feel that it could have benefitted by having a 2nd narrator to help with different voices.  

Have you read this one?  What did you think?

Lucy Score: Story of my Life

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216233719-story-of-my-life

Book Blurb:

A Gilmore Girls meets Schitt’s Creek redemption romcom.

Hazel Hart was a successful romance novelist until a breakup drives her straight into writer’s block. Having failed (and failed some more) to deliver her new manuscript, she’s hiding from the world behind a wall of old takeout containers until her publisher lays down the law. If she misses her next deadline it’s The End.

Desperate for inspiration, Hazel impulse-buys a historic home online and flees Manhattan to tiny Story Lake, PA. Upon her dramatic arrival—involving an incident with a bald eagle—she discovers the charm of her new home may have been slightly exaggerated.

The house is a wreck and the town is struggling after their biggest employer shut down. Also, since her raccoon-infested home came with a seat on the town council our introverted heroine is stuck with a front row seat to all the small-town shenanigans.

But Hazel isn’t worried. Not since all six-feet-three inches of grouchy contractor Campbell Bishop slapped a bandage on her forehead and unintentionally inspired the heck out of her. There’s only one thing to do: Hire Cam and his equally gorgeous brothers to renovate her new spider museum…er…house.

Okay two things. A fake date for “research purposes” will really put her work-in-progress on track. Before Hazel knows it, she’s writing a romance novel and living one. At least until the drywall dust settles, the town she’s falling in love with faces bankruptcy, and growly Cam remembers why he can’t live happily ever after.

Tropes:

*Small Town  *Grumpy/sunshine  *Author FMC x blue collar MMC  *Brooding MMC 

*Rom-Com  *fun animal side kicks  *close family  *Small town drama  *Drama with exes

*found family *banter *spice  *State Challenge Pennsylvania (Repeat) *over 500 pages

*cozy read  *Feel good *hallmark vibes *quirky small town neighbors 

*Teddy bear MMC for those he loves  *Situationship --> more *city girl moving to a small town

*quirky FMC

Thoughts:

While this was somewhere on my TBR (and probably has been for awhile... anyone reading this probably knows by now that I tend to have an arc/alc/ & TBR list a mile long) it wasn't at the top of my list but I joined a team reading challenge this month (for the first time) and occasionally we are thrown some extra challenges this week being a bingo board where the team we are going against picks books for us to read and we do the same for the other group... this was a blind pick and I at first was wary since this book is over 500 pages...

With all that being said I made a free spot for this book on my KU and used my audible credit for the month... I was not upset about any of that this book was a cozy feel good book that had me laughing out loud very early on.  Was a lot of the stuff that happened in this book far-fetched and on the ridiculous side --> absolutely and I loved it... sometimes it's good to realize early on that's the type of book it's going to be and see where it goes.   

First we have Hazel (FMC) who is a best selling romance author who many are saying is past her prime... including her publisher but she hasn't had inspiration since before her divorce and has been in a foggy funk since to the point where she's ignoring the majority of the outside world and sitting around wallowing in her pajamas... until she gets a wake up call in the form of her ex-husband's attorneys office saying that the deadline for vacating his apartment in NY is coming up... where is she even going to go?  On top of that her best friend tells her if she doesn't put out her next book soon her publisher is going to drop her.  

Hazel needing to do something...and quick finds an old news article reporting on a historic home in need of TLC being fixed up by a trio of hot brothers... now this is something she can work with she needs inspiration and a place to live... just so happens the very house is for sale in an online auction and she's just in time to start bidding.

Naturally she wins the bid goes to small town Pennsylvania and finds that it isn't as expected the place is in need of a lot of work, the mayor of the town is still in high school, and everyone including the local famous bird is out to get her... and worse still she dragged her best friend into this mess with her.

Having no where else to go she dives head first into small town living first things first she needs to get her place fixed up... and the very Brothers who drew her to the town in the first place are the men for the job... mainly because there are no others in the area to do it... but it works out just fine because what could be a better muse than 3 handsome men lifting heavy objects and fixing things around her new home.

Campbell (Cam) Bishop is grumpy, handsome, and 100% not interested in a relationship with anyone... especially not this clueless city girl who just came to town and will probably leave before they are even finished with renovations.  

Of course Cam and Hazel clash so often that the sparks fly... but that passion soon ignites and they find themselves in a situationship... no strings attached, if one of them is done with the other that's it no relationship... what could go wrong they both want the same thing... until more feelings get involved. 

This was a really cute feel good small town romance with a lot of quirky characters and heart who show up for each other when it really matters.  

So glad I picked the person I did for the bingo challenge and this was the suggestion I loved it and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series! 

I enjoyed this book but I put together some negatives from the comments so you can decide if it will be for you or not:

*Characters are too quirky/overly exaggerated/obnoxious

*book is too long

*boring

*She took Cam back way too quickly after the break up/he didn't grovel enough

*they are too old for a friends with benefits situation  (I laughed at these types of comments they are in their 30's not 100) 

*they are too old to not realize their "big feelings" /acted younger than intended ages

Reese Wilder: Our Little Ruin

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/253041683-our-little-ruin

Book Blurb:

ROWAN

My life hasn’t been the easiest. I’ve got a past. Everyone does.

I just prefer to bury my face in my books and disappear into another world.

Then someone breaks into my house and leaves behind a black feather.

After that, the feeling of being watched follows me everywhere.

Declan is the police officer on my case. Quiet. Broody. Protective. The kind of man who makes me feel safe.

But he isn’t the only one watching me.

One stalker hides in the shadows, leaving black feathers behind like warnings.

The other wears a mask and threatens anyone who gets too close.

And somewhere between fear and obsession, I stop knowing whether I should run from them…

or let them ruin me.

DECLAN

Rowan thinks I’m here to protect her.

That’s the lie I let her believe.

She looks at me like I’m safe, like I’m the man standing between her and the monsters hunting her.

But I was never the hero in this story.

I watch her sleep.

I follow her home.

I know the sounds she makes when she comes undone.

The closer the black-feathered stalker gets to her. The closer I get to losing control.

She thinks the masked man wants to scare her.

He doesn’t.

I want her to run straight into my arms.

Black-feathered stalker

I saw her first.

Long before the cop started circling her like a starving dog.

Rowan was always going to be mine. She just didn’t know it yet.

The problem is Declan thinks he can claim her before I do.

But obsession makes monsters out of men.

And I’ve never been afraid of becoming one.

Tropes:      

*Indie Author  *ARC 2026  * Masked Stalker  *Morally Gray MMCs *He falls first 

*Posessive MMCs  *Touch her and 💀  *Police officer MMC *Therapist FMC *why choose

*Dark Romance  *Found family  *Unhinged characters *Dark family secrets  *Danger

*Trigger warnings-->  lots check your triggers prior to reading  *Why Choose  *Suspense

Thoughts:

I'm going to be honest... I'm newer to Dark Romance reads and they are not usually my go to but I have been branching out and trying new things especially when I know it's from an Indie Author.  Since this isn't my usual read I wasn't sure what to expect, if you are newer to this genre (like me) please first check your trigger warnings there are a lot of darker elements in this book.

This is my first read from this author but it won't be my last.  To start with we have Rowan (FMC) she is a therapist and deals with a lot of personalities in her line of work, she works hard and when she gets home she loves nothing better than getting cozy and reading a book... her favorites happen to be dark romance and even though she doesn't realize it right away she's about to be in her a dark romance all of her own since she has not just one stalker... but two.

Rowan is strong and brave... when she realizes she's being watched and her stalker breaks into her house, how did he get in without setting off the alarm??  instead of being scared she feels safe with him, maybe she's just as unhinged as he is?

Where Rowan's first stalker makes her feel safe, the second leaves mysterious gifts in the way of Black feathers... what does this even mean?  It's creepy! 

Even though this isn't my usual type of book the book flows well from one event to the next and had me wondering what would happen when Rowan found out who was watching her.

Declan (MMC #1) has two sides one side he is protective, strong, caring and hot (all the things) and he is a police officer (💓).  Declan's other side is still all of these things he's just a little (or a lot) obsessive, morally gray and isn't afraid to take what he wants... and he wants Rowan all of her even to the point of setting up scenarios her dark romance loving heart would love like being chased in the woods. 

This story had me hooked, I had to find out what would happen next and there were a lot of twists that kept me second guessing things that I thought might happen.  

Our Black Feathered MMC helps to keep the tension going throughout the book.

Some of the things that happened in this book were a bit on the too dark for me side but over all this was an enjoyable read I liked seeing how the lead characters developed a beautiful relationship (which was surprising to me considering how it all started) and I'm looking forward to reading more books from this author! 

I think that if you enjoy dark romance with morrally gray men, smart female leads, secrets revealed, twists and a lot of chaos you would enjoy picking up this one!  

Have you read anything by this author?  What would you recommend next?  

 

Lynnea Lee: A Redemption for Ulrek

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200772851-a-redemption-for-ulrek

Book Blurb:

Refuge in the Arms of a Monster This job on board the New Horizon is supposed to be my fresh start, a fail proof plan to escape my poor excuse for a husband and his dangerous friends. But my white horse quickly turns into a nightmare when I discover that my new boss is none other than Ulrek the Horrible, my sworn enemy. There’s no way I’ll work for the ruthless captain responsible for stealing me from Earth. So contract be damned, I quit! But there are dangers out there worse than a reformed Dominion captain, and with nowhere left to turn, I find myself back on his ship…and in his arms. There’s no denying the treacherous passion that burns between us. And now, the very monster who once captured my body threatens to capture my heart. 

This enemies-to-lovers alien romance features the villain from a previous book, and while he has switched sides, he is still morally gray. If this upsets you, please skip this book. As always, lots of action and steamy scenes ahead. HEA guaranteed!

*Dark Star Romance ALC  *Alien Romance  *Enemies --> More  *close proximity

*Drama/action *spice  *fated mates  *ex- drama  *Touch her and 💀 *💀

*Opposites attract  *Human FMC x Alien MMC  *morally gray MMC

Thoughts:

This is the 8th book in this series but can be read as a stand alone, I received this ALC from Dark Star Romance and I want to thank them and the author for this ALC.  This is the first book that I've read in the series and I didn't know how it would go since a lot of times dropping into the middle of the series can be confusing... but this truly is a stand alone there are characters from previous books but this was easy to follow along with even without knowing the previous story lines.

To start with we have Delaney (FMC) she is originally from earth but has been living on an alien planet after being abducted years ago, at the time being scared and finding out that the Tallean males would not mess with her if she was already with another male she quickly formed a marriage of convenience with another abducted human male... only to find out that it was the wrong thing to do he became controlling and often verbally and physically abusive towards her... finally building the courage to leave after finding out he had been cheating on her she finds the best way to get out of this situation is by taking a job on a space ship set to leave the planet... that should be far enough away from this tool.  She leaves him a dear John letter and files for divorce and heads out for her new job.

Only when Delaney gets on the ship she finds the captain of the ship is none other than Ulrek... the very Tallean that took her from her home years ago... this won't do at all she can't possibly work with this guy he is a horrible villain and even though this was supposed to be her fresh start there has to be another way...

Ulrek has done a lot of bad things in the past all for his homeland... turns out he was just a puppet doing whatever they wanted and also getting the reputation that went along with it... even though he switched sides and has been doing a lot to prove he's not that guy anymore... the one that willingly went a long with whatever the leaders wanted he swapped sides and has been on the run for a long time.  There is a bounty on his head and he has to keep his identity hidden most places he goes... but he trusts the members on his ship he has been with them for a long time... so when their greenhouse on the ship goes haywire and plants start to die he needs help asap... and he's willing to do whatever he needs to do to try to get Delaney (his only option for the job since other larger ships that don't need to hide have snagged all of the other eligible candidates in the area) to come work for him.

Ulrek and Delaney very quickly find that they are attracted to one another the chemistry is off the charts and even while Delaney doesn't want anything to do with him she keeps finding herself in his arms... and in his bed... that doesn't mean she is forgiving him though.

Delaney finds herself in danger when her soon to be ex-husband keeps coming back into the picture to cause trouble and who is there for her but Ulrek, it's hard to dislike him so much when he's been so protective and caring towards her and his crew love him... so that should mean something right?

When things happen to make it so Delaney doesn't have a choice and needs the job to get off the planet... and quickly Ulrek makes the most of this close proximity and quickly they find that they can't keep their hands off of each other Ulrek is coming to realize that Delaney means more to him than he originally realized she is his mate... and her leaving might really be the end of him.  Naturally there are more enemies out to get them so they are not out of the woods yet and find themselves in more danger that they need to navigate together. 

Delaney finds that even with outside enemies after them the scariest thing may be that she doesn't hate Ulrek as much as she thought... in fact could she be falling in love with him?  Ulrek doesn't want to scare Delaney off with the truth that she is vital to his existence so keeps that to himself for awhile as he shows her that he isn't as bad as she originally thought him to be. 

I really enjoyed this book it had a great plot to spice ratio and the storyline had me hooked on needing to find out what happened next.  I loved watching Ulrek show Delaney time and time again he could be the strong, supportive, caring guy she needed after coming out of a bad relationship and that Delaney was just the fiery woman with a big heart that Ulrek needed after his past history.

Thank you to the author and Dark Star romance for this ALC!  I can't wait to read more of this series.  The Narrator did a great job bringing these characters to life!  

Joanna St Amour: Girl with the Gifts

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249223833-girl-with-the-gifts

Book Blurb:

Transformation has a cost, and the price is everything she loves.

Aviana “Avi”, a perfume chemist, is about to earn the promotion she’s dreamed of. But when Pacific Perfume’s prized lavender oil is sabotaged, Avi becomes the convenient scapegoat.

Determined to clear her name, Avi plunges into a hidden world, forging unlikely alliances and drawing the attention of an enemy whose reach is ruthless and resolve relentless.

When her plan goes horribly wrong, she’s forced to partner with the last man she wants in her her ex-fiancé, Fritz.

Fritz can no longer keep his secret locked he isn’t human. She isn’t human.

They’re Grounders. And with each passing day, Avi’s dormant power, Slyfen, tests the limits of her control.

Fritz vies to stand by her side, but Avi must rise alone to become who she was never meant to be, for some truths burn hotter than fire.

*High Gravity Audio books ALC *Romantic Fantasy  *Slow Burn  *Elemental Abilities

*found family  *Family drama  *love triangle (kind of)  *mystery  *just kisses *action

*Ending  *secrets revealed

Thoughts:

I think to start with I was kind of thrown off by this book because the blurb had me thinking this was going to be a story about Aviana a perfume chemist finding out that someone is sabotaging her at work with maybe some romance on the side... I think I'll start by saying this was just a very small portion of this story like it's in the beginning of this book then sporadically thrown in throughout the rest of the book to maybe just remind us as the reader that this is still being thought of... the remainder of the story this plot line is on the back burner on another stove in another galaxy far far away.

It took me a bit to get into this story but I kind of had to throw out this blurb entirely and just go with the flow for this one.  So I'll talk about what this book really turned into being:

Aviana has thrown herself into work as a perfume chemist to keep her mind off of her broken relationship with her ex Fritz... she just doesn't understand what happened he proposed to her then very shortly after just decided things were off and left on a secret mission for work which he wouldn't talk about.  While at work Avi discovers that there is something wrong with the ingredients in the perfume formulas it feels like sabotage and while she knows she didn't do anything to the perfume she is determined to find out who is responsible since this could have a negative effect on the company.

There is another plot line where a larger number of people with genetic "defects" are going missing (being abducted) and while coming out of work one evening someone attempts to take her but she is saved when a handsome stranger helps protect her against the attackers... he happens to be a private investigator.

I listened to this book and I felt the narrators did a good job but I'm not sure if this handsome strangers name is Raidan? (maybe... that's what I'm going to call him).  Avi enlists Raidan to help with finding out who is sabotaging things at work.  He agrees to help but basically tells her that she has to be ok with how he accesses the information.  From this point on the story very rarely goes back to her work life... I'm not sure how much time has passed at any given time and the work mystery only comes back into play a few times.

Avi feels that something was off with the people who were trying to abduct her... she at first feels maybe she was just seeing things since she was scared... but it turns out that there are "Grounders" (essentially aliens from a different planet living on earth... their planet is low on resources and some now live on earth).  Grounders have special elemental abilities that are very vast and kind of hard to keep track of... if you watch anime consider this like all the different abilities/quirks from My Hero Academia or Hunter x Hunter (etc...).  

Avi shortly after learns that everything she thought she knew of her life is a lie, she was a foster child and doesn't remember her parents only that she was abandoned when she was younger.  From there she finds that her ex Fritz is a grounder from this other planet and she is too.  Avi is color blind and quick to develop stress rashes... but it turns out that Avi has special elemental abilities but when she was sent to earth someone on her home planet had a binder implanted so that if she tries to use her abilities she can't (or she gets the rash), most of the other people closest to her are Grounders and were sent to guard her while she's on earth... and all of them were also sworn to secrecy in that they were not allowed to tell her any of this and have taken the decision away from her to know her past and about their lives on this other world naturally she gets upset that her life has been decided for her (Naturally they have mind wiping capabilities... think men in black type stuff).

Avi starts to fight her growing feelings towards Raidan (?) and her old feelings of being near Fritz again as they both help her navigate her new normal of learning more about the culture of her home planet, her lineage, her family drama, and her abilities... if she is ever able to use them.  

Avi also finds out more about why Fritz left and why his mom seems to harbor some harsh feelings towards her.  She struggles throughout with wondering who she can actually trust since she has been lied to by everyone close to her for ages and the new guy in her life Raidan can she trust him?  Time will tell.  

She decides to learn how to defend herself (her friends help) which comes in handy as the Grounder Hunters are still after her and take her a few more times throughout the book where she needs to be resourceful sometimes she gets away and a few times she is captured.

A few times after this it will be randomly dropped that she went to work for a day or they found more information about the sabotager... but it felt kind of thrown in to keep that plot line going not that it really was fitting the story line at the time.

Avi learns that the binder that's implanted has an expiration date and it's coming to the end of it if it isn't removed by then there will be severe complications (death)... but they need a special doctor from their home planet to remove it... and the one that knows how to do it and is in the area is a mad man who likes to do unhinged experiments... oh no... she needs this guy though maybe they can come to an agreement??  If they can find him.

There is also another plot line where there is a missing tiara that binds with the wearer and releases some kind of evil entity but only Grounders with certain abilities can even attempt to wear it... naturally Avi is one of the ones with an ability that can bind with the tiara.  There are several people after the missing Tiara and While Raidan has been tasked by his employer to find and return the tiara... Fritz has been tasked to find the tiara to destroy it by his employer...drama!!

Overall once I got into this story I enjoyed it wasn't what I was expecting and it ended without finishing out the full story but I would like to check out the next in the series to find out where it goes next. 

The narrators did a good job with this story and kept me wanting to know what would happen next. 

Thank you to the author and High Gravity Audio for this ALC copy!   

L. Steele: The Unwilling Bride

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244691615-the-unwilling-bride

Book Blurb:

He’s my best friend’s brother. My billionaire boss. And now… my fake husband

I walked into his restaurant needing a paycheck.
Now I’m his fake wife.
And if I’m not careful, I might just fall for the man I hate.

James Hamilton is grumpy. Emotionally unavailable. Impossible to reach.
He’s also my best friend’s brother.
The man who broke my heart without even trying.
Now he’s a world-famous chef. Well known for his brilliance.

Working for him is my chance at the career of my dreams.
But when he calls me out in front of his entire staff.
I decide to leave.
But James stops me with an offer I never saw coming.
A marriage of convenience to secure the future of his culinary empire.

In return, he will pay off my debts and help my family.
I should refuse.
Instead, I say yes.

His rules are simple.
This is a contract.
There will be no feelings.
No expectations.
No future.

I agree to keep things strictly professional.
But the longer I share his home and answer to the title of his wife, the harder it is to pretend this is just business.

And when he lets me see the man behind the reputation,
I start to wonder if this fake marriage is the most real thing I have ever known...

*Hambright PR ARC/ALC  *Best friends brother  *hate to love *Boss x employee

*Grumpy/Sunshine  *Former Military MMC *Curvy FMC *"My Wife" *Marriage of convenience

*Billionaire MMC *Wounded hero *PTSD *OCD *Found family *close proximity 

*Kitchen boss *emotionally guarded MMC *Virgin FMC *spice  *Slow burn *mutual pining

*MMC is a bit unhinged and obsessive *Check trigger warnings

Thoughts:

Harper (FMC) is down on her luck and out of work looking for a job for a lengthy period of time she's thrilled to have an interview at a very popular restaurant in the city (London) and it couldn't come at a better time she needs to pay her bills and she is also helping her sister and neice as they live together... what's not great about the job is the owner/head chef of the restaurant is James Hamilton.

Harper and James had a brief encounter 5 years before but it left a lasting impression on both of them, James was still in the military at the time and emotionally unavailable... he is also her best friend's older brother but that didn't stop her from having a magical night with him that she's carried with her all these years later.

Only in the kitchen he is a grumpy, ice cold chef who doesn't cut her any slack just because they had a night to remember... in fact he pushes her harder than any of the other staff in her position.  While he's harsh he is also fair he understands the value of keeping hard working staff but if anyone steps a toe out of line he is quick to show them the door...  

Harper needs a job but she has just about had enough of dealing with the Grump in the kitchen and she's going to give him a piece of her mind... only the staff member that shares to social media decides to film and post it... worst part is it's going viral and James gets a call from his investors saying that unless he can turn this around they are going to pull the money out of his restaurant... that can't happen this is his life he has an easy solution... it was a lover's quarrel and they are engaged to be married soon... this will also fufil his grandmother's ultimatum of not giving him his inheritance unless he can get married in the next 6 months... now to just get the girl to agree.  

Harper at first is against the idea but she needs a job and he promises to help her family financially, which would make things a lot easier... it will be a real marriage, even though he's a bosshole she can't help but still have feelings for him after their night years ago she felt something real and she thought he did too... the hardest part will be not falling in love with her make believe husband, and no one can no about their arrangement.

This is my first book by this author and I got a chance to read the ARC and listen to the ALC so I was swapping back and forth but I feel that I enjoyed it so much more listening to it... while both narrators did a great job, the male narrator could read me the phone book and I would applaud him at the end and ask if he could read it to me again!  I need more audio books by Shane East immediately 💓 

This was a sweet journey of a man who felt broken down by life events learning to let others in, he felt the need to control everything so he wouldn't feel out of control even to the point where he free dives for fun... but pushes Harper away because he is so drawn to her to the point of feeling out of control so it unsettles him.

Harper is a ray of sunshine and puts up with way more than most would from this brooding man.  James is hot and cold with our girl but we can see from his side how he has been slowly falling in love with her but not admitting it to even himself... and taking her hair ties that she keeps losing.  Our couple balanced each other well and were able to be there for each other in smaller and larger moments.

If you enjoy slow burn to the extreme, marriage of convenience, Best Friend's brother, Grumpy/sunshine, boss x employee, and guarded hearts you might enjoy picking this one up.  

The ending set things up for the next story and I have added it to my TBR list.  

Negatives for me --> 

This is where the ALC was really helpful, while I didn't dislike the story I felt a lot of parts were repetitive and drawn out about 200 pages could have probably been cut and it could have made the story that much better.  

The Slow burn was sloooooow. 

 I was at times rooting for Harper to tell James off sooner... or again... he really was a big bully (think like Gordon Ramsay level). 

The internal repetitive monologue shows that both of our leads are falling in love with the other one but due to the pre-nup clause of no feelings involved they have about 450 pages of will one of them finally tell them they love the other one so we can move forward with this story! 

S. Usher Evans: The Curse of the Wretched

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245063491-the-curse-of-the-wretched

Book Blurb:

Five hundred years ago, the Legendary Balfour vanquished the evil witch Ophesia, saving Genad Kingdom from her heinous curse. So when that same witch crashes his father's coronation and revives the curse, Prince Thom is charged with finishing what Balfour started.

Thom is more diplomat than warrior, and if a throne room of soldiers can't kill the shadow wielding menace, he has little hope of success. Armed with Balfour's ancient journals, Thom hopes to convince Ophesia to free his people with charm instead of steel. But his plan goes sideways when the beautiful and mysterious woman imprisons him, vowing he'll never leave her magical castle hidden in the mountains.

Thom's new prison is much friendlier than he'd expected, with a quartet of enchanted housewares at his beck and call. As Thom learns more about his mysterious captor, he discovers Ophesia's not just an evil witch, but a woman who sacrificed everything for the man she loved once upon a time. And saving his kingdom might just mean mending her broken heart first.

The Curse of the Wretched is the first book in the Wretched Curse series.

*High Gravity ALC  *Romantasy *Beauty & The Beast retelling (Gender swapped)

*reverse Age Gap *reverse grumpy/sunshine *Shadow magic *Mirror magic *Slow Burn

*Curses  *Family drama  *Cliffhanger *Cinnamon Roll MMC  *enemies to lovers 

*enchanted friends 

Thoughts:

Beauty and the Beast but reverse the genders and make it spicy --> sold 

Thom (MMC) is the crowned prince he is different from his father and younger brother who just want power and don't care about the people of their land, ever since Thom lost his grandfather things have gone down hill... and quickly.  Thom is caring and thoughtful he actually listens to the people and wants to do what is right for everyone... not just what is best for himself.  

Apparently 500 years ago Thom's ancestor Balfour, that is highly celebrated as a legendary hero for defeating an evil witch (Ophesia the one that cast a curse over the lands)... but maybe his greatness is a bit (or a lot) embelleshed since Ophesia wasn't vanquished... in fact she's very much alive and while on his death bed Thom's grandfather told his father to be careful and not have a public coronation it needed to be private he urged everyone to be on guard as he knows that Ophesia is still alive and she is coming down from the mountain to cast judgement on the newly appointed king... as she does for every new king.

Naturally Thom's father who is arrogant and selfish doesn't listen and holds public celebrations which draws the Evil witch to him where she makes sure the curse over the land during his rule holds fast... or did she? 

Thom's father who always felt Thom was too much like his own father and would rather have his youngest son as his heir decides to send Thom on the impossible mission to rid the land of the evil witch once and for all... this is doable he just needs to go up the mountain take care of the witch (who apparently no one has defeated) and come back down... yea that's going to happen.

Thom with the help of his trusted friend (who is also his secretary), his friend's fiance and his great great great great (you get the idea) Grandpa Balfour's journal's finds the entrance to the witches mountain home... only once he gets there things are not as they seem.

Thom knows that he can't defeat the witch as is but maybe he can talk her into lifting the curse on the lands once and for all, she can be reasonable right? 

Now trapped with the evil witch Thom being the guy he is decides to make the most of it and get to know (or try to) his captor better... she is stand offish and short tempered at first but over the course of their time together more of her story comes out and we learn she has reasons for keeping her distance... along with reasons for everything that she does.  

The pacing was a bit slow at times with the action picking up towards the end.  This is a slow burn and our couple getting to know each other throughout the book feels natural the spark between the two is there... one of them just needs to make the first move!

I really enjoyed this gender reversed Beauty and the Beast it had enough of the original elements which we all love (including the enchanted items) but with enough twists to make it an enchanting tale all on it's own.  That ending... I need the next book now!! 

I got this ALC copy from High Gravity ALC and I think the narrators did a great job with this story I stayed up way too late wanting to know what happened next.