The Proposal (A Perfect Match Series) by Lily Zante

Nadine is hosting her sister’s bachelorette party at her home.  When the male strippers show up, she sneaks into the living room to see what is going on.  But when the men take their clothes off and the oil comes out, she heads back into the kitchen.  When Ethan heads into the kitchen to cool off a bit, him and Nadine chat while she invites him to have a snack.  

Shortly after, Nadine finds out that there is a work retreat coming up and she needs to bring a significant other with her.  But the problem is, she doesn’t have one.  But with a potential promotion on the line, she needs to find someone.  While she has a guy she normally brings to these types of events, she knows that he will not work in this occasion.  She calls the agency that she hired Ethan through to see if she can hire him for the weekend.

Before the retreat, Ethan and Nadine get together to work out all the details.  But when they actually arrive at the hotel, and realize that they need to act like they are in love, and that they have to share a hotel room, they are not sure if this will really work.  Can they make Nadine’s coworkers believe that they are truly a couple and in love?  Will Nadine end up with the promotion she wants?

My opinion:

I enjoyed this book and the concept.  It’s interesting to see how Ethan and Nadine interact and how she brings forward her conceptions of what she thinks Ethan’s job truly means.

Purchase “The Proposal” by Lily Zante

Book: Jack Who? (Silver Strings G Series) by Lisa Gillis

Marissa has just broken up with her fiancé, after catching him in bed with another girl.  Olivia feels that the best way to get over a man is to get under a new one so they head out to a rock festival.    While Olivia is able to get a backstage pass for herself, she cannot get one for Marissa, but that is no problem as she is able to get the both in with a sexy look at one of the roadies.    

Olivia quickly decides to stay with the roadie and hopefully meet some actual performers as promised.  But Marissa decides this scene is not for her.  As she heads to leave, she finds a lost puppy who obviously belongs to someone.  Finding a couple guys to ask about the puppy, they direct her to the bus that holds the dog’s owner inside.  Marissa quickly heads over there to return the puppy before she heads home.

After a quick misunderstanding about how Marissa has gotten there and her motives, Jack realizes that she is not there for any ulterior purpose.  The two seems to have a connection which causes them to make some decisions which will change their lives forever.  Can they both be happy with these decisions or will they be miserable after?

My opinion:

The book was a little confusing, I think the author may have gotten a bit ahead of herself in a few spots as I had to go back and re-read as I felt I had missed something.

I wonder about Marissa and how believable she is as even though her and Jack don’t have a relationship for a long time.  With his popularity and fame, she does not seem to have spent any time trying to find out anything about him through the Internet.

Note:  First book in a series;  there are no real sex scenes in this book.

Buy:  Jack Who?

Book: Her First Billionaire (Book 1) by Julia Kent

Laura is a twenty six year old looking for love but who is not really sure that she will be able to find what she wants.  She decides to sign up for Internet dating to see what she can find but is not very hopeful.  But then, she gets a reply from Dylan, who is a hunky firefighter, and she wonders if she is just imaging things. When she does an internet search for him, she finds out that he is really real and agrees to meet him.    But she wonders how he can afford to take her to the ritzy restaurant she is taking him to as she knows that he should not be able to afford it on a firefighter’s salary.  

Dylan is looking for a new woman in his life.  But, since Jill passed away, a lot has changed in his life and he is looking for someone who truly likes him for him instead of the money he has inherited.   As a result, he turns to Internet dating and finds Laura.  He is taken by her and asks her out.

But, is there more to this story than meets the eye?  Who was Jill and what was she to Dylan?  How will her story affect Laura and Dylan?

My opinion:

I liked the concept of this book.  The first book in the series covers the meeting between Laura and Dylan.  We also see some what happens after their date and Mike is introduced which leads into book two.

In the first book, we learn about the connection between Dylan and Mike and how they were both affected by Jill and her death.  The two of them are roommates who have both becoming billionaires due to Jill’s death but are still trying to figure out how to make that lifestyle work for them.

Book Review: His Every Whim (BBW Billionaire Erotic Romance Novella) by Liliana Rhodes

Ashley is down on her luck and needs a job and money.  Her roommate sets her up with a job helping at a catering gig and warns her of the mysterious man who has scared off many people.  Ashley decides to take her chances and approaches him with some champagne but quickly runs off when the catering manager shows up.  The mystery man follows her and they have a steamy encounter in the backroom which has them both wanting more but still not knowing who the other is.  He leaves Ashley to recover while he runs to interference to prevent others from bothering her.  

Trying to clear her thoughts, Ashley looks at the job board at her job and sees that there is an advertisement for a house manager.  While she does not know exactly what the job entails, she is up for it as she needs a different place to live.  She calls and goes for an interview and is given the job if she wants it.  The master of the house comes up just as she is getting ready to leave and collect her belongings.  It turns out that he is the mystery man.

While Zander had wanted to find the girl, this is not how he expected to find her but he is happy and wants to see what will happen.  He advises Ashley that he expects her to also perform some administrative duties for him.  She agrees to this and wonders exactly what he means and if she is up to the challenge.

My opinion:

I enjoyed this book.  Zander is your typical billionaire, at least how they are portrayed in fiction, as he is in control and command, and knows what he wants.  Maybe someday I will meet a true billionaire to find out if this is the true way of their actions!

This book is also very size positive as you can imagine just from the genre it is.  Ashley is a size 16 and while she has body issues, Zander loves her body and her curves.  He hires a personal shopper to help Ashley with her wardrobe, and when the shopper complains about Ashley’s size, he immediately sets to work making sure that the woman will not work again.

Buy:  His Every Whim

Book Review: Unlocked (Forbidden Fruit) by Evelyn Adams

Jack was unhappy in his marriage.  While he still loved his life, he missed the sex life that they used to have.  Many of the young women around his office were attracted to him and it was no secret that they would be willing to be with him but he couldn’t do that to his wife.    Then, one day when there was a snowstorm, Olivia approached him to drive her home as she didn’t trust her vehicle in the snow.  Jack knew that if he went along with this, he was doomed to be unfaithful to his wife.

As he was driving Olivia home, a vehicle came out of nowhere and slid in front of the SUV.  Thankfully, jack was able to stop but his life flashed before his eyes.  He couldn’t cheat on his wife; in fact, he realized that he had been neglecting her.  He knew that if he had gone home with Olivia he would have made sure she was satisfied, but he realized that he had not been doing the same with his wife, Christine.

Meanwhile, Christine is home and realizing that things are not going as well as they should be with Jack.  While she knows she has not been the wife that he deserves, she has not been able to figure out how to be wife, mom and lover.

Jack arrives home and gives his wife a huge hug and drags her into the laundry room where he proceeds to claim her body for himself.  But will it be enough for them to get the heat back into their relationship?

My opinion:

I enjoyed this book as I think it took a look at reality – a man who works and has temptation around him daily and a woman who is a stay at home and loses her confidence in herself.  But they show that it is possible to get that spark back and bring the relationship back to life.

Note:  There is nipple and clit jewellry involved in this story.

Buy:  Unlocked (Forbidden Fruit)

Book Review: Mine for Tonight (The Billionaires Obsession) by J.S. Scott

Simon has been watching Kara for a while.  He isn’t sure how to approach her or what to do about it, but when he sees her coming home one evening, in clothing that isn’t her usual and almost passes out on the street, he doesn’t think any further.  He takes her into his home and has a doctor look at her.  Turns out she has worn herself ragged from working while   attending nursing school and trying to keep her head above water.  She thought she had gotten over the flu but it turns out it was just a temporary respite.  The doctor orders bed rest and time off work to recover, which Kara cannot afford.  But she is not given a choice as Simon has already called in for her (it turns out Kara works for his mom) and   he demands that she stay in bed.

He sends his assistant over to Kara’s house to retrieve what she will need for a few days but it turns out that she has been evicted.  Her roommate was taking her money but not paying the rent and had been in the proceedings of eviction for a while.  Nothing of hers was left except for a few items.  How would she be able to stay in school?  The thought of having to quit while she saved up money to return was a heavy weight on her.

Simon offers to assist her by allowing her to stay with him in his spare room.  He has a lot of room and he wants to see her rested and able to focus solely on her school work.  One condition of his is that she is not allowed to work, just focus on her school work.  While Kara does not want to accept his offer, she agrees to it.  But it turns out Simon has one more condition, one night with her.  She can pick the night.

Will Simon be able to control his wanting for Kara until she asks for the night?  Will Kara ever ask for that night?

My opinion:

I like the premise of this book but I wonder how realistic it is.  Granted, most people do not read stories like this for reality, they read them as a way to escape from reality.

Note:  Book 1 of a Series

Buy:  Mine for Tonight

Book: Sex and the Social Network by Victoria Lexington

This story is about four married women who have met up with men through Facebook.  Two of them are re-connecting with a prior love, one meets a man through a friend and the other ends up hooking up with a work colleague.  All these women are not happy with their current lives – they are married, with children, but life is not what they expect it to be.  When these men express an interest in them, they think that maybe this is what they are missing and continue to pursue the relationship to see where it goes.  

All the women have a common connection, Liz, who is one of the characters in the book.  We follow Maria who is her best friend, Gabby who is a coworker and Julia who is another friend of Liz’s.  Liz knows of the women and the men that they are chatting with but does not feel that she can do more than to warn her friends to be careful.

My opinion:

Interesting concept for a book, as I can imagine this situation is something that has likely happened to many people.  It makes you think about the consequences of your actions as each woman has a different experience.  Is the grass always greener on the other side?  Or does it just look that way?  And are you willing to give up the grass on this side to check it out?

I think there are a few aspects that could have been explored a bit more in regards to how the woman coped.  We see some of Gabby’s history to explain her behavior but there is not a lot to help explain how she dealt with it.   While that is not needed for her character to progress and develop, it may be helpful for readers who have dealt with the same issues.

Purchase:  Sex and the Social Network