Book review: WILDEST DREAMS, by L.J. Shen

Forbidden Love #2

Rhyland & Dylan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Only LJ Shen can take two characters who appear to be losers and made them winners.  When I started to read this story and saw Dylan Casablancas, little sister of famous chef Ambrose Casablancas, just arrived in New York broke, jobless, with a precious four-year-old little girl, and in a broken down car, then saw Rhyland Cortridge, ex-gigolo, about to go broke, all his hopes on a dating app and a Texas investor, I had no doubt LJ Shen was going to make these two succeed beyond expectations.  

Initially I saw a single mom with unattained dreams and bad decisions.  And as the story evolved, I saw a genius who sacrificed her future so her big brother could fly.  Rhyland’s most important relation is his best friend Row.  After helping him for several years, he used his physique and charm and became a ladies escort with a lot of success, lots of money, and crap money management.   He hired Dylan as his fake fiancees because his potential investor only invests in family people.  And he nearly went broke paying Dylan, not just for his dream, but in support of her dream.  

From apparently shallow people, LJ Shen slowly and surely revealed to us their hidden depths, the goody parts of their personas and made us fall in love with them.  

The author also manages to entertain and delight with the perfectly placed humorous touches, sexy banter, and yummy sexy times.  I loved, loved, Rhyland’s babysitting style.  He didn’t cater to a little girl, he called her little stinker, bribed and cajoled, read her stories with different voices, protected her and slowly and reluctantly, fell in love with the little stinker.  From a man who projected child revulsion, he certainly gave daddy vibes at the end.  I was certain of it, when he begged to enter Gravity’s room after she had gone to sleep, just to get a sniff of her hair. Truly wondrous!

It’s a wonderful love story, a saga as this couple overcome their issues, fall in love, reject being in love, fight with their feelings, get jealous, possessive, deny being jealous and finally accept their happiness depends on the other’s happiness.  It’s romantic with bite, heartwarming with angst, and wonderfully riveting.  

Purchase links

FREE in Kindle Unlimited

Ebook: https://amzn.to/3zW9Luc

Deluxe Paperback: https://amzn.to/4haIp3p

Barnes & Noble Exclusive: https://tinyurl.com/wddpbbn  

Add Wildest Dreams to Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/wdljgr  

 

About the author

L.J. Shen is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of contemporary, new adult, and young adult romance. Her books have been translated in over twenty different countries, and she hopes to visit all of them.

She lives in Florida with her husband, three rowdy sons, and even rowdier pets. She enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows, and reading to her heart’s content. 

Connect with L.J. Shen

Website  www.authorljshen.com 

Instagram (@authorljshen)

Facebook group at http://goo.gl/QZJ0NC. 

Sign up for her newsletter at https://bit.ly/3LhsIrb, and text SHEN to 313131 to get new release alerts (United States only).

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Website ➜ www.authorljshen.com

Book review: IF YOU NEED ME, by Helene Hunting

Toronto Terror #3

Dallas & Hemi

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wish I would have liked this book more, but I didn’t love Hemi and Dallas, at least not in the beginning.  I disliked the initial scene although I did see the intent to be humorous.  The fact that Dallas gets erections from anxiety is a little weird.  And Hemi’s treatment of Dallas in that initial part of the book felt like it bordered on abuse, as she constantly scolded and threatened Dallas with sending him to a clown assignment, knowing he detested clowns.

Once the book got going and the plot was developing, I got to know Hemi and Dallas closer and could see where they were coming from and I liked them so much more.  Hemi and Dallas knew each other from high school, and whereas Dallas has been in love with Hemi for a long, long time, Hemi always saw him as one of the popular boys of the school and part of the group who tortured her for being unapologetically different.  Hemi has always been driven and focused, unwilling to go along with the popular group.

Many in the Terror hockey organization feel that she’s too much, but Dallas adores her and always defends her.  As they are forced to fake a relation, they get close, their families get close and both are faced with a different version of the reality they thought they knew.

I actually loved seeing those two together, once they got over their initial attitudes and started to work as a couple.  Hemi’s increasing dependence on Dallas softened her and made her more approachable.  She was hard with Dallas but a wonderful friend to her girl brigade.  Once I understood Hemi, I started to like her.  Dallas is an impulsive goof but he’s kind and decent all through, I always liked him, and love how steadfast he was in his feelings for Hemi.

So, apart from that first scene, the book was a delight, it had some wonderful emotional moments, as well as the funny ones.  Dallas and Hemi were wonderful together, and I loved that Hemi found someone who understood her and accepted her as she is, strong and passionate and very much driven, but with an inner core of an insecure girl who needs acceptance.  Dallas provided that and more, and the love and sexy story was wonderful (except the initial scene!).

 

Purchase links

Amazon → https://geni.us/IfYouNeedMeEbook

Website →  https://helenahunting.com/books/iynm/

Add to Goodreads → https://geni.us/IfYouNeedMeGR

About the author

NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She started her writing career with new adult angsty romance and branched out in sports romance and romantic comedies that will make you laugh and swoon. But sometimes she likes to serve up a little heartache on the way to the happily ever after.

 

Connect with Helena Hunting

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NVxqwe

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Book review: THE PLAYER + THE PACT = I DO, by Louise Bay

New York Billionaires #2

Leo Hart & Jules

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Leo Hart, playboy extraordinaire, is about to confront a heartache from his past, back when he was eighteen and full of hopes and dreams. He was a baker’s son, distributing bread through the city, when he met the Hammond heiress.  They had a summer full of love but she broke his heart.  Ever since then, he has a problem opening his heart to love.

Jules grew up in the atmosphere of The Mayfair, working there since she was sixteen, with her mother who worked there.  She wants to be the manager, especially since the actual manager is doing a crappy job, and the hotel is not doing as well as it should.  She sent many resumes, asked for interviews, with no success.  So in the end, she decided to apply for the assistant position to  Leo Hart, hoping to get close and convince him.  Instead, she ends up in a fake marriage to the guy!

Leo got an award that requires going to a dinner where his teenage heartbreak will be going with her husband.  Although he’s over her, the pang of being rejected still lives within his little dejected heart, so he needs the reinforcement of a wife.  What he never expected was to find this firecracker who will not bow down and will sass him back.  

The book was fun and I loved Jules! She was so sure of herself and what she wanted, and she didn’t hesitate to tell Leo off.  Leo, accustomed to all those “yes” women, stood up at attention.  I saw him first as a flirt, not much substance, always affable and nice.  He did improve and grew up along the story.  His fixation on his teenage girlfriend did not look good on him, and I loved how his friends told him off about it.  

I liked the first book in this series much more than this one, but this one has Jules and she made it all the worth reading it.  Loved her!

Purchase links

Amazon - https://geni.us/TPTPID

PB - https://geni.us/TPTPIDPB

US Audio - https://geni.us/TPTPIDaudio

UK Audio - https://geni.us/TPTPIDUKaudio

About the author

International, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes contemporary romance novels that make you laugh - the kind she likes to read.

Ruined by the bonk-busters of the eighties, Louise was inspired by Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins, but wants to be Emily Henry when she grows up.

Louise loves the rain, RHOBH, London, days when she doesn't have to wear make-up, hanging out with her kid, elephants and champagne (not necessarily in that order).

She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

 

Keep up with Louise Bay and subscribe to her newsletter: https://louisebay.com/newsletter/

 

To learn more about Louise Bay& her books, visit here!

 

Connect with Louise Bay:

https://louisebay.com/contact/

DR. FAKE FIANCÉ, by Louise Bay

Doctor series #4

Beau & Vivian

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I normally like all Louise Bay’s books, but this one is just perfect, it flowed.  I was reading and enjoying and all of a sudden, I’m finishing!  It was such a joy to read, such lovely characters that gave me such pleasure as I read them.

One of the reasons why this book flows is that Beau lives life with joy. He has a belief that life is to be enjoyed at the fullest, which is why he works as a GP half the year and the other half is for adventures and to fully live life. It shows in his happy and easygoing personality, which is what captivated Vivian when she met him. That is, after she spilled hot coffee over him.

Vivian comes from a horrendous and public break up, which left her suspicious and doubtful of anyone who approaches. But who can resist Beau? When she needed a fake boyfriend to deviate the public’s attention from her past breakup and towards the future, Beau was perfect and irresistible.  And once she met his parents? Gone!

I loved the way the romance developed because Beau was just what Vivian needed, someone happy and genuine, so she can start trusting again. Beau was enamored but holding tight to his plans for adventure. I loved how his family could read him so right and one by one, shared their opinions. You know you have a caring family when they all butt into your business, sisters-in-law included. It would not be a romance by Louise Bay if there were no wonderful family members, a few hot men, their strong women, and a lovely couple with very yummy steamy scenes. And as previously stated, I devoured it in one day!

Purchase links

 https://geni.us/LdABv4

About the author

International, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes contemporary romance novels that make you laugh - the kind she likes to read.

 

Ruined by the bonk-busters of the eighties, Louise was inspired by Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins, but wants to be Emily Henry when she grows up.

 

Louise loves the rain, RHOBH, London, days when she doesn't have to wear make-up, hanging out with her kid, elephants and champagne (not necessarily in that order).

 

She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

 

Keep up with Louise Bay and subscribe to her newsletter: https://louisebay.com/newsletter/

 

To learn more about Louise Bay& her books, visit here!

 

Connect with Louise Bay:

https://louisebay.com/contact/