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My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren – a Review

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My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren – a Review

 

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Description:
Millie Morris has always been one of the guys. A UC Santa Barbara professor, she’s a female-serial-killer expert who’s quick with a deflection joke and terrible at getting personal. And she, just like her four best guy friends and fellow professors, is perma-single.

So when a routine university function turns into a black tie gala, Mille and her circle make a pact that they’ll join an online dating service to find plus-ones for the event. There’s only one hitch: after making the pact, Millie and one of the guys, Reid Campbell, secretly spend the sexiest half-night of their lives together, but mutually decide the friendship would be better off strictly platonic.

But online dating isn’t for the faint of heart. While the guys are inundated with quality matches and potential dates, Millie’s first profile attempt garners nothing but dick pics and creepers. Enter “Catherine”—Millie’s fictional profile persona, in whose make-believe shoes she can be more vulnerable than she’s ever been in person. Soon “Catherine” and Reid strike up a digital pen-pal-ship…but Millie can’t resist temptation in real life, either. Soon, Millie will have to face her worst fear—intimacy—or risk losing her best friend, forever.

 

 

 

Review:

My Favorite Half-Night Stand is my third exploration into the amazing duo that is Christina Lauren. Millie and Reid are best friends who partake in a bit of liquid courage and cross the line, at least for the half-night, into lovers. While thrilling, even better than they imagined, it was an itch to scratch, and the friendship just isn’t worth jeopardizing. Riiiight…that’s hardly a solid foundation…said no one ever, ?.

What ensues is a warped amalgamation of miscues, half-truths, and boundless joy to twist and churn as true love dictates. Right from the start, Millie’s frenetic energy was comparable to Hazel’s from a book ago (as was Reid’s equanimity in comparison to Josh’s). That similarity wasn’t a criticism. Chemistry was firing on all cylinders for Millie and Reid. Only this book was a much slower-paced story with occasional meandering scenes. Millie is stunted this way, I suppose. She stops and goes, giving off conflicting vibes.

This is how Reid was caught so unawares. But back to the story… Millie and Reid are surreptitiously savoring their night that shall not be mentioned, but both are forging ahead with their circle of friends on joining a dating app to find plus-ones for a departmental soiree. When the guys meet with relative success, but Millie is being propositioned by shallow suitors, Millie thinks outside the box, and sets up a second, anonymous profile. Here, she reveals deeper truths and puts herself out there like never before. Guess who turns out to be a match, like “98% compatible”? Duh…Reid. Only Reid believes her name is Cat. Millie’s great, their night was great, Reid could maybe want more of those nights, but Cat…she’s open and stimulating. Their messaging compulsive. Oh! What a tangled web we weave… Fear of rejection or admitting real feelings propelled Millie into creating the nom de plume. But making Cat so appealing, genuinely catching Reid ‘s interest, is now Millie’s cross to bear. “I mean, let’s not forget I basically catfished my best friend.” Now Millie has to reconcile those subsequent emotions, fallout?, and only herself to blame for the original deceit.

What a mess. Her heart might have been more ready than her head. Reid and Millie are extraordinarily compatible. Their shared sensibilities and hopes aren’t carefully crafted, they’re innately driven. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the ending and that HEA will be achieved — Christina Lauren are goddesses of romance. But it’s pulling off that threat, the very real danger to your forever ever after, that is significant to a reader. Millie’s vulnerability is a feat in and of itself; tremendous and pivotal to the success of earning trust. Does she possess the strength to go for what she wants or will she sit back and lick her wounds?

 I enjoyed My Favorite Half-Night Stand. Falling in love is as exciting as it is nerve wracking and Christina Lauren know their way around its pitfalls and swoons. You are treated to hilarious moments and painful introspection on the road to fresh perspective. I did feel like certain plotlines lingered too long while some could’ve used more passion to pack a punch, but it’s a satisfying read. These ladies deliver and I hope it’s not too long before the next journey of love arrives.

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher

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Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren – Review & Blog Tour

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Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren – Review & Blog Tour

 

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Description:
Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them…right?

 

 

Review:

Hazel declares four personality traits on page 1. They’re both enviable and quirky, bold to be sure, but to be all of those at once?! Powerhouse or powder keg? Josh has gleaned these qualities from afar, their interactions few and far between, but he intuitively steers away from Hazel’s chaos. This assessment was also college-induced. Years later, careers established, unexpected interpersonal connection, Josh and Hazel embark on the friendship of a lifetime. I just discovered Christina Lauren two months ago, Love and Other Words literally rearranged and found a lovely place in my Top 10 reads. Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating was infectious, full of life, and totally enchanting!

Hazel is an island unto herself. She’s exciting and engaging, honest and immensely thoughtful, a teacher who revels in expanding horizons and broadening meanings. It doesn’t necessarily make her endearing, several men find it exhilarating yet exhausting, and ask her to “turn it down”. But it’s this reappraisal that’s come with a price; a blow to her self-esteem. As a result, Hazel will not engage in reinventing herself to appease others. She is unapologetically unique.
 
“This is the perfect setup for boy-girl bestship: I’ve already been unbearable near you, which makes it impossible to scare you away.”
 
While Hazel might have come across as haphazardly zany once upon a time, Josh recognizes her innate goodness, and perhaps his own shortsightedness. Hazel’s insight breathes fresh air into his orderly life and perspective upon Josh’s long-suffering relationship. The dawning attracted the generally inhibited Josh to roam and explore outside the box.
 
I could go on and on about the growth and development of our MCs, the details, and even finer, more glorious details, of their ever-evolving feelings, but interestingly enough: they don’t want to date each other. Kismet, as its wont to be, decides to intensify their awareness AFTER they decide to be each others’ wing men. Bad dates turned out uneventful for both, hmmm… and “good” dates left them equally uneasy. Big mood. This symbiosis, though hardly surprising to the swooning reader, complicated matters and allowed for speculation of an all-encompassing love and future. Truly, their hearts were so engulfed by the other, they were adorably clueless. Christina Lauren nurtured the friendship to dazzling depths and it only served to deepen their devotion. There’s a fearless beauty in such resolve to appreciate, and wait, for their moment.

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating reminded me of Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller’s characters from the movie, Along Came Polly. Two opposites collide and crash, disrupting each other’s comfort zones, only to transform into a life-affirming force. I loved this book and can assure you will undoubtedly feel its impact as well.

 P.S. Christina Lauren, there IS something special about an ice cold PBR! Wish that I could share one with you! 😉

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher

 


Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. They are New York Times, USA Today, and #1 international bestselling authors of the Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Sublime, The House, Dating You/Hating You and the critically acclaimed Autoboyography. Roomies (released December 2017), has been optioned for film by Jenna Dewan’s company Everheart Productions, with Christina and Lauren set to write the screenplay.  

FIND THEM ONLINE:

Website:  www.christinalaurenbooks.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ChristinaLaurenBooks

Twitter: @ChristinaLauren

Instagram: @ChristinaLauren

 

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Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren – a Review

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Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren – a Review

 

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Description:
Book Two of the brand-new Wild Seasons series that started with Sweet Filthy Boy—a story of friends, love, and lust.

Despite their rowdy hookups, Harlow and Finn don’t even like each other…which would explain why their marriage lasted only twelve hours. He needs to be in charge and takes whatever he wants. She lives by the Want-something-done? Do-it-yourself mantra. Maybe she’s too similar to the rugged fisherman—or just what he needs.


Review:

Dirty Rowdy Thing is book two in the Wild Seasons Series by author duo Christina Lauren.

Harlow Vegas made one mistake. She married a man she had just met in Vegas and had an earth shattering night of marital bliss.  Only to realize she made a horrible mistake. This book takes you on the journey of what has happened since the divorce.

Harlow has gone on with her life. She is a strong willed, career minded woman who likes to have her share of fun.   She is an intern at NBC and is slowly working her way to her dreams, or at least she believes she is. That is until she sees the one man she has dreaded seeing, Finn Roberts. After a quickie mistake marriage in Vegas and an unexpected trip to Canada to see if the marital bliss was as good as she remembered, Harlow isn’t expecting to see Finn standing in line behind her at Starbucks. Yet, there he is – this sets off an undeniable, angst ridden relationship.

Harlow doesn’t want to find Finn as attractive as she does. She curses the universe for making him as tasty as he is. But soon there will be no denying the way she feels.

Finn is rugged, strong and strikingly handsome. He is running his families fishing business and although he is trying his hardest to keep it afloat – the boats just don’t seem to be cooperating. 

When they meet up again they are both struggling with secrets and issues. Each of them need someone stable to hold onto. Some one to anchor them to where they need to be. What starts out as a sex only friendship slowly develops into something more. But will the secrets be too much for each of them to handle? Will it push them farther apart then they truly want to be.

I absolutely loved Harlow Vega in this story, she is quick witted, sarcastic and hilariously funny. I found myself laughing out loud. Finn is quiet, pensive and reserved. Yet when he gets around  Harlow she seems to bring out the best in him. Their witty banter and sarcastic dialect led to some very interesting conversations.   And let me just say that Finn Roberts does not disappoint in the dirty talk realm. Lord have mercy he is a force to be reckoned with. I found all of the sub-characters just as intriguing and fascinating as the main ones.   Their stories leave you wanting to know more.

The relationship that Finn and Harlow come to have is one of undeniable love and true friendship. I must admit I read this book without reading book one in the series but it seemed to fill in all of the answers and didn’t leave me wondering what was going on. But I will now purchase book one and read it as I found the writing and story line absolutely wonderful.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a sweet romance with a side of dirty!

Reviewed by Erin

Copy provided by Publisher

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Beautiful Bastard Series by Christina Lauren-A Series Review

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Beautiful Bastard Series by Christina Lauren- A Series Review

Beautiful Bastard Series

4.5 out of 5 for this reader folks!

This is a great series. This is an aggravating series. This is a hot series. This is a series that made my toes curl one minute, and then want to throw my e-reader against the wall the next. This is a must read series if you are into a group of young men and young women finding their BEAUTIFUL OTHER, and the twists and turns, at times stupidity, and perfect moments of self discovery that assist them to finding each other. This series is an oxymoron … and the title BEAUTIFUL BASTARD … is perfectly proper!

The Beautiful Bastard series by Christina Lauren falls into the contemporary erotica genre. It consists of 6 books total, 3 full novels and 3 novellas in between. While it has some similar markers as the whole billionaire tortured man and his innocent sweet woman formula, it strays away just enough to make it it’s own. We have powerful men, and powerful ladies, great friendships that are laced with pranks, humour and absolute honesty, and some mind blowing sex that borders on complete obsession. What I loved the most was that you got to see this group grow up as a whole and after reading the last novella, I felt sad and content. Sad to say good bye, but content that their lives are in the right direction.

Keep in mind that the further the reviews go into this series, I have no choice but to reveal a few spoilers. Hate that I have to do that. I am going to try and keep each review short and sweet though, so please keep in mind that there is always so much more to the story than what I am giving you here. This is just a small taste to a BIG flavour! 😉

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Beautiful BastardBook 1 – Beautiful Bastard

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DESCRIPTION-February 12, 2013

An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling.

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate–and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative–completely infuriating–creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules–or outright smash them–if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other.

Originally only available online as The Office by tby789–and garnering over 2 million reads on fanfiction sites–Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.

REVIEW

Ah the power couple that starts it all off. Chloe Mills is one smart cookie, hard working and not afraid of any challenge. She shoots from the hip and can deflect an insult with class and sass. She is also working as an intern for Bennett Ryan. Bennett is a also a hard worker and demands perfection from his staff. Well when these two strong willed personalities clash it sets off some serious fireworks and smokin’ panty ripping. Bennett cannot stop this aggravating attraction he has for Chloe and her smart mouth. When they act upon it, suddenly they find themselves opening a can of worms they are not ready to deal with. Chloe can’t believe the nerve of this beautiful bastard, and will not be bullied into submission. Bennett can’t believe he has met a woman who doesn’t take his crap or bow down. Both take as well as they give. At first a game played like chess between these two, soon turns into a game of their hearts. Can they stop fighting each other long enough to reveal their stripped away true selves and feelings??

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Beautiful BitchBOOK 1.5 – Beautiful Bitch (Novella)

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DESCRIPTION-July 9, 2013

Picking up where Beautiful Bastard left off, Chloe Mills and Bennett Ryan continue their steamy, combative relationship.

Just when Chloe’s career starts to take off, Bennett wishes it would all slow down long enough to spend a wild night alone with his girlfriend. But after he refuses to take no for an answer, Chloe and Bennett find themselves with two plane tickets, one French Villa, and a surprising conversation that, predictably, leaves them wrestling under the covers.

REVIEW

Willing to make a go of their relationship, Bennett and Chloe carry on with their busy lives. Somehow, quickies in the office and late night trysts just are not cutting it. Bennett wants some one on one romantic time alone with his girlfriend. Seeing no other way, he high handedly (yup typical Bennett) decides to whisk Chloe away across the ocean for some one on one. He may have a surprise or two up his sleeve as well. When things do not go his way however, Bennett is forced to spend some time reflecting and questioning all with regards to his beautiful bitch. Can this time alone be more harmful than good to their relationship or will they finally face a question that both have been avoiding?

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BEautiful StrangerBOOK 2 – Beautiful Stranger

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DESCRIPTION-April 16, 2013

Escaping a cheating ex, finance whiz Sara Dillon’s moved to New York City and is looking for excitement and passion without a lot of strings attached. So meeting the irresistible, sexy Brit at a dance club should have meant nothing more than a night’s fun. But the manner—and speed—with which he melts her inhibitions turns him from a one-time hookup and into her Beautiful Stranger.

The whole city knows that Max Stella loves women, not that he’s ever found one he particularly wants to keep around. Despite pulling in plenty with his Wall Street bad boy charm, it’s not until Sara—and the wild photos she lets him take of her—that he starts wondering if there’s someone for him outside of the bedroom.

Hooking up in places where anybody could catch them, the only thing scarier for Sara than getting caught in public is having Max get too close in private.

REVIEW

Sara Dillon is Chloe’s best friend. She also has finally broken up with her jerkface boyfriend and made a big move to New York to start her life over. She is sweet and kind and breaking free from a shell that has suffocated her for years. When she comes across Max Stella, the sexy Brit in a dance club, she thinks … “Why not?”. Max is one of Bennett’s best friends, and he is a first class lady’s man. When he meets this sweet girl named Sara who seductively dances for him and agrees to a rock his world, he is completely gobsmacked. As the two agree to some naughty future encounters (that may just include a camera .. lol) they find they are revealing their vulnerable sides. With vulnerability comes truth however, and suddenly this relationship develops into more than a friend with benefits. Turmoil is ahead however that will define where their path travels, but can these two get out of their own way to realize they have a great thing??

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Beautiful BombshellBOOK 2.5 – Beautiful Bombshell (Novella)

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DESCRIPTION-September 3, 2013

The gentlemen from Beautiful Bastard, Beautiful Stranger, and Beautiful Player are out for a wild night on The Strip.

When Max, Henry, and Will steal Bennett away for a weekend of shenanigans and strippers in Vegas, the first stop of the night doesn’t go at all as planned. With their scheme for a Guys Weekend completely derailed anyway, Max and Bennett begin to play a wild game of stealth and secrecy in order to have their bombshells all over Sin City

REVIEW

Oh man .. what do you get when you take hot men to Vegas for a bachelor party? You wouldn’t think, brooding men who want their ladies. LOL Well that is what happens. Determined to see their buddy have a good time before getting hitched the boys have it all planned out. Little does Bennett realize though, that Chloe has something up her own sleeve with the help of his friends. Not intending to ruin their party, Chloe comes in for a quick prank and then carries on with her own girl weekend in Vegas away from the men. Max knows his Sara is in Vegas, and if he has to steal a car or two between bathroom breaks to see his girl, well so be it. Will, thinks his friends are ridiculous, and after a chance encounter with a drag queen decides … GAME ON!

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Beautiful PlayerBOOK 3 – Beautiful Player

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DESCRIPTION-October 29, 2013

A bombshell bookworm. A chronic Casanova. And a lesson in chemistry too scandalous for school.

When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she’s determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother’s gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?

Will takes risks for a living, but he’s skeptical about this challenge of Hanna’s…until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed- and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can’t forget. Now that Hanna’s discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it’s up to Will to prove he’s the only man she’ll ever need.

REVIEW

THIS WAS MY FAVE! Will .. you had it coming buddy! LOL Will Sumner is the ultimate playboy. He has regular hook ups (with no strings attached of course) planned certain days of the week. He works hard and he plays hard. Determined never to fall under a female grasp they way his best pals have, he sticks to his own set of rules. When he receives a call from his college best friend’s sister, he agrees to help her break out of her workaholic tendancies. Hanna is sweet and super smart, spending all her time in lab. Deciding she needs to get a life, she recruits Will to help make her over. Well suddenly Hanna is no longer the kid sister, and Will is a playboy no matter how wrong it is to hook up with your buddies sister. Hanna through her innocent and naturally curious mind throws Will off his game. A thrown Will is a confused and taken back Will. Sexy confident Hanna is not going to wait for Will to make up his mind however, and while she is living her life, Will is questioning his own! Will these two finally get on the same page or will they be doomed to remain family friends … without benefits?

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Beautiful BeginningBOOK 3.5 – Beautiful Beginning (Novella)

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DESCRIPTION-November 19, 2013

Back when not being able to stand each other also meant not being able to keep their hands off each other in Beautiful Bastard, neither Bennett nor Chloe could have seen this day coming.

An exasperated bride who just wants to elope. A determined groom whose only focus is getting to the wedding night. And—of course—a whole lot of name calling.

REVIEW

This is the book that ties it all together. It’s called Beautiful Beginning, but to me it’s Beautiful Goodbye. Chloe and Bennett are getting married. Bennett however has decided to place a “no sex until the wedding night” rule on their relationship. Chloe is not having any of that, and goes about trying to seduce her man with action, naughty words and shock value. Bennett is at his wits end trying to fight off Chloe and making sure she gets her dream wedding. Chloe is done with folding invites and all the wedding crap .. she wants to run away and just get married so she can have her man proper. After Bennett
convinces Chloe that they will have their traditional wedding, he begins to wish he hadn’t. Disaster after disaster, prank after prank, loud mouth family members and sexual frustration begin to wear on their nerves causing their typical Chloe and Bennett blow ups. With the help of Max, Sara, Will, Hanna, cougar aunts, mom’s and dad’s etc .. these two wrap up this entire series in the best way possible. I do, with a side of naughty! 😉

An incredible rowdy bunch that provided pages of entertainment. The writing style was easy and flowed naturally. If you are looking for a new group of friends to make you laugh, get you hot under the collar, aggravate the crap out of you and still manage to give you warm and fuzzies, the you have to check out this series!

Reviews by Rachel T.

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