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Love and Other Flight Delays by Denise Williams – a Review

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Love and Other Flight Delays by Denise Williams – a Review

 

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Description:
Love takes flight in a collection of sexy, fun novellas all set at the airport from the acclaimed author of The Fastest Way to Fall.

The Love Connection
An airport pet groomer meets her frequent-flier crush and finds herself in a fake-dating situation with a professional risk assessor who moonlights as a romance author.

The Missed Connection
Two strangers share a romantic night only to discover months later that they’re professional rivals about to embark on an extended business trip together in this grumpy-meets-sunshine romance.

The Sweetest Connection
Two best friends have one week to return a lost love letter found in a candy store at the airport–and work up the courage to confess the deep feelings between them–before one of them leaves the country.

 

Review:

Love and Other Flight Delays by Denise Williams is a collection of novellas, that I had previously read, that was set at airports.  All three novellas were cute fun romantic stories, with great couples.  Since I have already posted these novellas, below will be a condensed version.  I do suggest you read these novellas, as Denise Williams wrote them so well.

The Love Connection:
An airport pet groomer meets her frequent-flier crush and finds herself in a fake-dating situation with a professional risk assessor who moonlights as a romance author. Ollie Wright loves her job as a dog groomer, but isn’t interested in a romance, until she meets Bennett Baker. Bennett has a day job, but at night he writes romance novels, and is currently facing writer’s block. When he rescues a pup in the airport, he meets Ollie, who he immediately becomes enchanted with. The chemistry between them opens her heart and he becomes inspired to write again.

The Missed Connection:
Gia, our heroine, is at the airport, on her way home on New Year’s Eve; she is coming off of a break-up with her girlfriend.  She meets Felix at the bar, and they spent the evening talking, which ended with a kiss.  A few months later, she recognizes the man she met at the airport, who happens to be a rival academic who always criticized her work, and now he is her new coworker. Gia is very outgoing, fun, friendly, and Felix is the complete opposite; he doesn’t like associating with others, keeps to himself and comes across as very stuffy. The Missed Connection was a short story, that was very well written by Denise Williams.  I did enjoy the entire opposites attract romance, which was so very well done.

The Sweetest Connection:
We meet our heroine and hero at the start (Teagan & Silas), when they were freshmen paired up in an orientation event, which led to a wonderful strong friendship. The POV’s switched between past events and present time.  They had a wonderful history together as friends, as their bond was special. Teagan has a job in a candy shop, and Silas works as a problem solver in the airport. Silas knows he is very much in love with Teagan, but refrains from explaining his true feelings, as he is afraid to lose his best friend.  Of course, we know that Teagan also has feelings for Silas, with both hiding those feelings.  The Sweetest Connection was a cute, friends to lover’s short story.

If you have not read anything by Denise Williams, I suggest you need to read her fun romantic stories. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

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Doc Showmance by Zoe Forward – a Review

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Doc Showmance by Zoe Forward – a Review

 

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Description:
I would say Dr. Ian Todd is my archenemy. But that would require us acknowledging each other, which we haven’t done since we graduated veterinary school.

He’s famous. As in, he’s the world’s “Sexiest Veterinarian Alive” with his own wildlife TV show and a string of glamorous girlfriends.

I’m infamous as a reality TV emergency veterinarian with a snark mouth, take-no-crap attitude, and zero dating life.

When asked to fake a romance with him on TV to boost my ER show’s ratings, I want to say no-way, but the extra money will pay off my brother’s loan shark debt. Even though Ian broke my heart, playing his love interest shouldn’t be hard, especially if it means getting to watch him squirm.

Lines get blurred when the TV setups stop feeling fake. Can I chance this might be real love?

 

 

Review:

Doc Showmance by Zoe Forward is a wonderful fun romantic novel.  We meet Amber Hardin, one of the main Veterinarian Doctors at the San Diego Emergency Hospital, which is also a live TV show, that is very popular.  Amber is one of the best veterinarians there is, as well as being badass, always protecting the animals who come to the hospital.  In a short time, her popularity has grown, especially as she has no qualms about her snark comments that comes out of her mouth; the fans love her.    Amber is very good at her job.

Ian Todd, is an internet sensation, with his own wildlife TV Show, and he is a very hot hunk.  Management has forced Ian to join the San Diego Emergency Show, and both Amber and Ian are not happy about this. Both went to veterinary school, and totally disliked each other.  Despite their dislike of each other, management has increased the money for them to work together, and enact a fake romance on the air.

Slowly, they begin to respect each other, which will change, as the chemistry between them sizzles.  When they are forced to attend Ian’s family Thanksgiving dinner,  Amber sees Ian in a different light, when she meets the family and sees how awful they all are.  The romance between Ian and Amber escalates, even if they both know the fake tv romance will end soon. I really loved the two of them together, as they made a great couple, once they got past vet school 7 years ago. Ian loved watching Amber’s success, always finding the right thing to save the animals.  When another Doctor tries to take over an operation, knowing it was Amber’s case, and she knew how to save the dog; all hell broke loose, and Ian stepped in to help fight off the crazy doctor. 

What follows was a wonderful hot romance, with a terrific Veterinarian background, with seeing how so many wonderful dogs are saved, a fantastic couple, and wonderful secondary characters. Doc Showmance was a fantastic, wonderful, fun story, that was so very well written by Zoe Forward.  I learned after I finished the book, that Forward is indeed a veterinarian in real life, which gave us such a wonderful view of animal hospitals.   I suggest you read this book, as I loved it.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review

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Pets of Park Avenue by Stefanie London – a Review

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Pets of Park Avenue by Stefanie London – a Review

 

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Description:
“One of the year’s most delightful rom-coms.”—New York Times bestselling author Julia London on The Dachshund Wears Prada

The perfect romcom for dog lovers! Pets of Park Avenue is the story of a self-confessed hot mess who learns that life is more fun when things don’t go according to plan.

What do you do when The One is also the one who broke your heart?

Self-proclaimed hot mess Scout Myers is determined to prove she’s finally got her act together. Raised by grandparents who saw her as her wayward mother’s wayward daughter, Scout’s used to being written off. So when the opportunity for a promotion arises at Paws in the City, the talent agency where she works, Scout is desperate to rise to the occasion. With shared custody of her little sister also on the line, Scout can’t afford a single mistake…like suddenly needing a canine stand-in for an important photoshoot. Luckily (or not) she knows the owner of the perfect pup replacement: the estranged husband she walked out on years ago.

On the surface, it appears Lane Halliday’s life has been blissfully drama free without Scout, but she suspects her handsome-as-ever not-quite-ex-husband doth protest too much. Working together even feels like old times—except for all that lingering, unresolved tension. But Scout’s not sure she’s ready to confront the reasons she left Lane, and when their plans to finalize the divorce become very real, Scout starts to wonder whether second chances might be worth a little hot mess.

Paws in the City Series:
Book 1 – The Dachshund Wears Prada
Book 2 – Pets of Park Avenue

 

 

Review:

Pets of Park Avenue by Stefanie London is the second book in her Paws in the City series. Scout needs to bag the big promotion, her reputation and her baby sister are relying are on her. She wants, no needs to prove to herself and everyone that she’s not a waste of space. She doesn’t want the same label her mother had….. She needs to do something and fast…..

Lane wants nothing to do with his estranged wife! She walked out and took her dramas with her. But his feelings never did really die out for his wife, can he really want to be drawn back into a life with drama, but also fun?  How she approaches Lane, will have you chuckling. She needs a doggy stand-in and she knows who has a look a like, but getting his approval is going to prove difficult!

We find out that after a whirlwind romance and a quick wedding in Vegas, things quickly deteriorate and Scout walked away never looking back. But neither started divorce proceedings, so you have to wonder if they hoped to reunite some day?

If you’ve read book one in the series, you would have already met Scout, but don’t worry if you didn’t, the book is a standalone story, (but after reading this book, you’ll probably go back to read the first one ?)

So how will she get him to agree to work together, when he really doesn’t want all that drama back in his life? Can she show him she’s changed? The more time they spend together, the more they remember the good times, the fun times. But with the divorce finally within reach, can Lane walk away?

It’s not necessary to read book one before reading this one. But there are a few characters from the previous book that make an appearance.It will have you smiling and crying throughout the book, the author knows how to bring out the best in a rom-com. I did love the four legged star Twinkle, she’s such a cute dog, and her antics had me shaking my head. ?

I highly recommend this book if you love second chance romance.

Reviewed by Julie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca – a Review

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Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca – a Review

 

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Description:
A high-powered attorney from a success-oriented family, Louisa “Lulu” Malone lives to work, and everything seems to be going right, until the day she realizes it’s all wrong. Lulu’s cousin Mitch introduced her to the world of Renaissance Faires, and when she spies one at a time just when she needs an escape, she leaps into the welcoming environment of turkey legs, taverns, and tarot readers. The only drawback? Dex MacLean: a guitarist with a killer smile, the Casanova of the Faire… and her traveling companion for the summer.

Dex has never had to work for much in his life, and why should he? Touring with his brothers as The Dueling Kilts is going great, and he always finds a woman at every Faire. But when Lulu proves indifferent to his many plaid charms and a shake-up threatens the fate of the band, Dex must confront something he never has before: his future.

Forced to spend days and nights together on the road, Lulu’s interest in the kilted bad boy grows as he shows her a side of himself no one else has seen. The stresses of her old lifestyle fade away as she learns to trust her intuition and follow her heart instead of her head. But when her time on the road is over, will Lulu go with her gut, or are she and Dex destined for separate paths?

 

 

Review:

Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca is the 4th book in her Well Met series.  We meet our heroine, Louisa (Lulu) Malone from the start, as she is sent by her law firm to North Carolina to fix a client issue. Louisa is upset, as year after year, she keeps waiting to be promoted to partner; and sending her to North Carolina could have been handled by an intern.  When she is yelled at by her boss, Louisa realizes that she will never achieve partner status, knowing the firm was mostly white male; in her anger, she throws her phone into the lake. 

Louisa notices across the way that a Renaissance Faire is open, and buys herself a ticket.  Louisa has attended a faire at Willow Creek (previous books), and to her surprise, she runs into Stacey (second book heroine), who is working at the Renaissance Faire, since her boyfriend Daniel is part of the Dueling Kilts band.  Stacey talks to Mitch, Louisa’s cousin, and together between them they convince Louisa to take a break and join the faire.  Louisa agrees, and becomes famous, as the lady who threw her phone into the lake. 

Lulu (her new nickname) finds herself enjoying the fun, helping with food, going after hours to taverns, and enjoying the company of members of the Dueling Kilts. She begins to spend more time with the lead singer, Dex, whose reputation as a lady’s man follows him at all Faire events. Lulu slowly gets closer to the handsome hot hunk, with the killer smile; even though Stacey tries to warn her that Dex is bad news.  Later Lulu will also work with the tarot readers, in bringing in more organization and business; Lulu will also learn more about the reading of tarot cards.  I did enjoy this part, as it was fun and interesting.

It was fun to watch them both falling for each other, as they made a great couple, and I really liked them together, especially their awesome chemistry.  What follows is a fun, sweet romance between Dex and Lulu, rooting hard for them to find a way to stay together.

Well Matched was a fun, enjoyable, sweet and sexy story, and an amazing couple in Dex and Lulu. I really loved the secondary characters, in this story, as well as seeing some of our old favorites closer to the end. I also loved the ending.  Jen Deluca did a wonderful job writing this wonderful romantic comedy that that had a lot of humor and charm. I suggest you read Well Traveled, as it was a fun enjoyable read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams – Review & Giveaway

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A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams – Review & Giveaway

 

 

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Description:
Country music’s golden boy Colton Wheeler felt the most perfect harmony when he was with Gretchen Winthrop. But for her, it was a love him and leave him situation. A year later, Colton is struggling to push his music forward in a new direction. If it weren’t about to be the most magical time of year and the support of the Bromance Book Club, he’d be wallowing in self-pity.

It’s hard for immigration attorney Gretchen not to feel a little Scrooge-ish about the excess of Christmas when her clients are scrambling to afford their rent. So when her estranged, wealthy family reaches out with an offer that will allow her to better serve the community, she’s unable to say no. She just needs to convince Colton to be the new face of her family’s whiskey brand. No big deal…

Colton agrees to consider Gretchen’s offer in exchange for three dates before Christmas. With the help of the Bromance Book Club, Colton throws himself into the task of proving to her there’s a spark between them. But Gretchen and Colton will both need to overcome the ghosts of Christmas past to build a future together.

 

 

Review:

A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams is the 5th book in her wonderful Bromance Book Club series.  Having enjoyed the first four books in this series, I looked forward to reading A Very Merry Bromance,   and happy to say I thought it was the best one yet. This is a fun romantic series that centers around a male book club group, most being athletes, and how they read and discuss romance novels to help teach each other how to handle their women with care and love.

Colton Wheeler, our hero, is a country music star, who is attending one of his friends (bromance book club members), wedding, and ends the evening with an amazing one-night stand with Gretchen Winthrop (she used to date Mack).   But she walks out in the morning claiming she needed to get back to her life, which did not include Colton.

Gretchen is an immigration attorney, who is an heiress of Winthrop family: one of Tennessee’s richest and most influential families.  But Gretchen is not close to her family, but when her brother asks her to help obtain Colton as a brand ambassador for the family-owned whiskey line, Carraig Aonair Whiskey, she agrees.  Gretchen forces herself to visit Colton, making an offer to be the face of the famous Carraig Aonair Whiskey.  Still unable to forget their glorious night together, Colton makes a counter offer; go on some dates with him.

Colton and Gretchen’s relationship becomes steamy, though she was a hard case to love.  Gretchen comes from a wealthy family, but the family did not treat her good; especially her bad brother, Evan. We totally understood how her family was unbearable; and why she was closed off.  I loved how Colton would push Gretchen to begin to enjoy Christmas, as well as meet all of his friends, making her know what a true family was like.

What follows is a fun sexy holiday story, that had many tender moments, as well as being emotional.  I enjoyed meeting Colton’s family, did not like the Winthrops, and loved seeing the wonderful members of the Bromance Book Club.  The guys were so much fun, and the women also joined in. 

A Very Merry Romance was another humorous fun story line, with a couple that won us over later in the book, and the fantastic group of alpha men/females that had me laughing throughout.  Lyssa Kay Adams did a wonderful job writing this fun story, which you need to read.  I know I will be waiting for the next book in this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Berkley Romance is graciously offering a paper copy of A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Follow LYSSSA KAY ADAMS on Facebook.

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

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8. Giveaway is open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from November 1 – 5, 2022

 

 

 

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Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood – a Review

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Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood – a Review

 

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Description:
Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project—a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia—Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school—archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it’s her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas…devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?

 

 

Review:

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood is another one of her cute fun and sexy rom-com novels. We meet our heroine, Bee Konigswasser, who is a neuroscientist; who follows the life of Marie Curie (the mother of modern physics). Bee is considered a brilliant scientist, and is offered a job to co-lead a neuro engineering project, BLINK for NASA. BLINK deals with transcranial magnetic stimulations to work on for astronaut helmets! As excited as she is, Bee is not thrilled to be working with her old nemesis, who is the co-leader, but Bee knows she needs to put aside their past to be able to work together.

Levi Ward, our hero, is very cold when he sees Bee, as they were not friends at grade school; Bee always thought he hated her.  During Bee’s first day, she accidentally falls, and it is Levi who saves her; but now her equipment is not available, the people working for Levi are ignoring her. What is going on?  After a short period, Bee will learn from Levi that their overall boss did not want her be part of their project, as they wanted their success to be their own.  But with help from Levi, they do convince the boss, that they need Bee’s amazing neuroscientist’s ability. 

A slow burn enemy to lover’s romance begins, as Bee learns that Levi never hated her back in the past; as his feelings were quite the opposite.  With each passing day, Bee sees Levi becoming an ally, backing her up, seconding her ideas to management; and the chemistry between them heats up. I really loved Bee and Levi together, as they made a great couple, with so much sizzling chemistry between them. 

Love on the Brain was an interesting plot, with engineering and science working together; even though I did not understand a lot of what they were doing.  Which did not matter, as this a fun, cute romance, not to mention wonderful banter between our couple.  Some of the secondary characters were very good, and even at the end there were some surprising developments. 

What follows is a fun, sexy and entertaining rom-com, with a fabulous couple, excellent secondary characters, great banter, as well as sexy.  Love on the Brain was so very well written by Ali Hazelwood. I wholly suggest you read Love on the Brain.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

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A Line in the Sand by Teri Wilson – a Review

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A Line in the Sand by Teri Wilson – a Review

 

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Description:
The perfect summertime rom com with a bright, sparkling love story.

Sparks fly when Molly Prince’s puppy digs up the beachfront where marine biologist Max Miller is studying sea turtles. Max and Molly are instantly attracted to each other, but Molly thinks Max is a jerk andMax refuses to take Molly seriously in her job as the local aquarium’s mermaid. But when the puppy turns out to have the unique ability to sniff out sea turtle nests, she might bring Max and Molly close enough to help save the turtles, revive business at the struggling aquarium, and maybe even fall in love.

 

Review:

A Line in the Sand begins with Molly Prince and her dog, Ursula, at the dog beach.  She is visiting with Opal, Mavis and Ethel who are locals and reside at the Turtle Beach Senior Center.  While visiting, they see a stranger who is heading out into the water with the problem being swimming isn’t allowed past a certain point.  Molly heads down to the shore to warn the guy, who by now, has gotten in over his head…. literally.  Molly dives in and safely pulls the stranger to shore.

Max was fine one minute and the next thing he knew he was on his back on the beach looking up at a mermaid.  Still confused, he looks around to see a whole lot of things that don’t make sense: elderly women on walkers, a dog named Ursula, poodles……  He knew that Turtle Beach was always quirky, but this takes the cake.  Eventually, Molly (who works at the local aquarium as a mermaid) introduces herself and tells him not to swim in that particular area of the beach again.  

Max, a marine biologist, eventually heads over to see the senior center’s newest resident, his Uncle Henry.  Max came to the island after quitting his job in the city’s National Aquarium.  He had put his heart and soul into that place and was up for a promotion……. that went to someone else.  Having had enough, and with his Uncle Henry not able to run the Turtle Beach Aquarium any longer, Max came “home”.  Trying to get information out of his Uncle Henry was like trying to herd cats, so Max sets out to do the best he can with the aquarium.

Once Max and Molly figure out whom the other is, misunderstandings abound (who wouldn’t want an adorable doggo named Ursala at work??) and Molly gets fired.  However, once the town finds out what happened, Max has no choice but to hire Molly back.  Come to find out, she more than ran the place, she was it’s very soul.  And, if he were being honest with himself, she was becoming a part of him as well.  If only he could stop stepping in it………

A Line in the Sand is a wonderfully written quirky story!  Molly is lovable and loyal.  Max was a bit of a work in progress, but you pull for him right from the beginning.  The chemistry between the two of them may not be scorching, but it is there simmering.   The secondary characters are amazing!  The residents of the senior center are LOL funny and full of surprises.  There are dogs everywhere, which is very endearing and just wait until Ursala saves the day!  I had no idea this was a series and look forward to going back and reading the first book and can’t wait for the next installment.  If you’re looking for a fun, sweet and quirky read, this one is for you!  Well done, Teri Wilson!  Very well done!

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood – a Review

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Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood – a Review

 

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Description:
It will take the frosty terrain of the Arctic to show these rival scientists that their chemistry burns hot.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn…

Hannah’s got a bad feeling about this. Not only has the NASA aerospace engineer found herself injured and stranded at a remote Arctic research station—but the one person willing to undertake the hazardous rescue mission is her longtime rival.

Ian has been many things to Hannah: the villain who tried to veto her expedition and ruin her career, the man who stars in her most deliciously lurid dreams…but he’s never played the hero. So why is he risking everything to be here? And why does his presence seem just as dangerous to her heart as the coming snowstorm?

 

 

Review:

Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood is the 3rd book in her The STEMinist Novellas series. Mara, Sadie and Hannah were best friends, with each being scientists in different fields; in Below Zero, Hannah is the lead. In the first two books, Hannah was sweet, but I did find her somewhat annoying early on in the book.

Hannah is an aerospace engineer for NASA, and she loves her job.  She met Ian, early on, discovering how hot he was; but all she wanted was sex, no dating, and Ian just stepped away; since he was interested in dating and getting to know Hannah.  Over the years, she runs into Ian a couple of times, and in her sexy dreams: but when she learns that he denied her major project, she is angrier than ever, meeting up with him to tell him off.  But her boss managed to get people to support her project, despite Ian’s claim that it was too dangerous.

There is no question that Ian was attracted to Hannah, but she wasn’t really nice to him, and because of that I did not feel the chemistry between them; at least until closer to the end.  When Hannah starts her project, she becomes injured during a storm at her remote station, unable to get out.  To her shock, the person who will come to rescue her is Ian; Hannah doesn’t understand why he would put his own life in danger for her.

What follows is a quick story line, that was a bit funny, somewhat zany, and at times fun.  I have enjoyed Ali Hazelwood’s previous full novels, but thus far I am not a fan of these novellas. Love on the Brain is the next full-length novel. If you like novellas, that are zany and fun, you should read Ali Hazelwood.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

 

 

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