Reviews: Brazen Edition! (#3)

Sweet Victory by Gina L. Maxwell

Book Four of the Fighting For Love series
Publisher: Entangled Brazen
Publication Date: February 27, 2017

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from NetGalley

***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***

Summary (from Goodreads):

Confident but distrustful Sophie Caldwell needs help if she's going to save her family business. Her grandma left one rule for Sophie to maintain ownership from her uncle before she's thirty: get married. But how does she get her uncle off her ass when she's only twenty-seven and hasn't had a boyfriend in years?

Lean, cut, British-born MMA fighter Xander James has never lost a fight, and he's not about to start now. On the brink of a comeback to be a UFC champion, his landlord wants to take away his last chance by shutting down his gym. No. Hell no. Fortunately, his landlord's niece has a problem of her own. Time for a proposal she can't refuse.

What I Liked:

Years ago, I read Seducing Cinderella and absolutely LOVED the book. To this date, that book is one of my favorite Brazen novels. I must say, Brazen doesn't make 'em like they used to. Seducing Cinderella and a slew of other "older" publications were among their very best. Sweet Victory is the fourth book in the Fighting for Love series (Seducing Cinderella was book one). The series closes with Sophie and Xander, a feisty baker and a sexy British MMA fighter.

Sophie's bakery and Xander's gym are across the street from each other, and under the same property ownership. The property owner, who happens to be Sophie's uncle, decides to sell the property. But Sophie is set to inherit the bakery from her grandmother, either when she turns thirty, or when she gets married. So what does she do when Xander suggests they get married? She accepts, to save the bakery, and his gym. So they get married. But what happens when both of them don't want the marriage to have an expiration date?

I liked this book, which is great because I read the synopsis and immediately thought that I would enjoy. I mean, which woman wouldn't like a romance novel with a British male protagonist? And an MMA fighter, no less. This is only the second book I've read by Maxwell, but she has not disappointed me yet.

Xander is every bit as sexy and swoony as the synopsis - and cover - make him out to be. He's a flirt when it comes to Sophie, but he's also a good man and a dedicated fighter. He trains incredibly hard and is so driven. But he also has a hero complex and a heart of gold. When he hears Sophie's uncle belittling her, he swoops in and defends her. Not in a I-am-man-let-me-fix-everything-for-you type of way, but in a selfless, incredible way. Xander had me hooked from the start. He seems like a ladies' man and an incorrigible flirt, but he's so sweet and so good. 

Sophie loves her bakery, and she is determined to protect it. Marrying Xander seemed absurd but she doesn't realize just how much she likes him, before they get married. Sophie is a feisty, tough lady. She likes things her way but she also balances her way and Xander's way - I like how she compromised to him too (it wasn't all Xander and his selflessness). 

The two of them together are dynamite and firecrackers! They have serious chemistry from the start, and it practically boils and sizzles between them. I do like how they knew each other from before the start of the story - with their respective places of work being across the street from each other, they see a lot of each other. Xander comes by the bakery to flirt with her before his run. I like how they had chemistry before the story started, and it got more intense after they got married. Because holy guacamole, did they have some intense chemistry. The two of them in close quarters was hot! 

The whole rushed marriage thing was handled well, and not totally cheesy and inauthentic. They had six months to play married and then they could file for divorce and go about their merry ways. But of course both of them fall for each other during that time... I like how it wasn't an insta-love type of romance. Lust, yes, but the progression of feelings was well-written. 

You know in the climax of romance novels (especially Brazen romance novels) when the hero breaks up with the heroine or the heroine breaks up with the hero? And then one of them (usually the man) has to grovel, whether it's his fault or not? I LOVE how that whole thing is handled, in this book. Sophie is the one who jumps to some dumb conclusions and leaves him, BUT she is also the one who owns up and chases him back. I was really really pleased to see that Sophie went after her man (and not the other way around), especially since she hurt him by leaving him. 

I enjoyed this story and the characters, the fun banter and the sexy romance. The swoony, hot British guy really made the story, but I also loved the feisty by vulnerable heroine, and beautiful love story presented. This was definitely a great end to the series!

What I Did Not Like:

The drama towards the end of the book was fairly minimal, but it was there. Don't we all hate watching a woman jump 45435345 miles to some dumb conclusion? At least Sophie woman-ed up and ran after him.

Would I Recommend It:

If you're looking for a quite, steamy, swoony read, then give this one a shot. It's only the second Maxwell book I've read but I liked it a lot. I highly recommend the first book, Seducing Cinderella - Reid and Lucie are fiery together. This book is great too! I'm sure the series in general is amazing.

Rating:

4 stars. Perhaps I'll read the second and third book in the future, but for now I'm content with having read books one and four. They were excellent! I'll definitely be looking for more Brazen novels by Maxwell in the future.

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Delicious Satisfaction by Sabrina Sol

Book Three of the Delicious Desires series
Publisher: Entangled Brazen

Publication Date: February 27, 2017

Rating: 2 stars

Source: eARC from NetGalley

***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***

Summary (from Goodreads):

As LA’s hottest up-and-coming chef, Alexa Montoya is known for her ruby red lipstick, award-winning arroz con pollo and a penchant for falling for the wrong kind of men. And when a confrontation with a loser ex-boyfriend lands her in some legal trouble, she’s forced to call her long-time friend, Dante Perez, to bail her out. Only this time, Dante seems different, somehow. More gorgeous, more sexy, more…mouthwateringly irresistible. Suddenly she’s tempted to give the lawyer much more than a simple thank you…

Dante is tired of seeing Alexa with guys who only know how to steal her money and break her heart. He’s watched--and waited for--her long enough. Helping with her legal situation will finally give him a chance to win her over for good. His plan? He’ll seduce her into finally believing that there’s something deliciously right between them…

Despite their chemistry, Alexa can’t trust that Dante won’t leave. But Dante knows how to win a case. And he’ll do whatever it takes to convince Alexa that she’ll always leave him hungry for more…

What I Liked:

Uuuugggghhhhhh, the melodrama (and straight-up drama) hurt this book. I was partly enjoying the story, partly raising a skeptical eyebrow, and partly rolling my eyes. Alexa got on my nerves, and that was that.

Restaurant owner and chef Alexa and her friends decide to go to her ex's new restaurant... and when they get there, Alexa realizes that Nick (the ex) has copied all of her ideas for her dream restaurant. Confronting him in the back, she loses her temper and dumps oil all over him, and when she's leaving, she accidentally breaks a ton of hanging wine bottles. Oops? Good thing Dante Perez, her and her brother's long-time friend and lawyer, is around to clean up her messes. Dante is tired of seeing Alexa date idiot after idiot. How can he prove to her that he's the one for her, and he has been in love with her for years? Alexa has dated a lot of terrible idiots in the past, and Dante is a sweet guy, but how does she know he won't leave her?

The good things about this book: it was short, it was steamy, it was diverse, there was a HEA. I'll start with the length. Usually you want romance novels to be longer, with more steamy scenes and tension and chemistry and tender moments. But the length of this book, as abbreviated as it was, was good. It was a quick read, and it didn't feel rushed.

It was steamy. The author definitely wrote some hot scenes in the book. There could have been more, but I think she got the proportion of steamy scenes just right, for such a short book. Alexa and Dante have known each other for a long time, and both have cared about the other for a long time. They also have a lot of chemistry between them, which led to some pretty steamy encounters.

It was diverse. Both characters have Hispanic background. If I remember correctly, Dante's background is Mexican and Alexa's is Puerto Rican. Alexa and her brother's restaurant serves a variety of Hispanic foods. You could clearly see some touches of Puerto Rican culture, and Hispanic culture in general. Props to the author for that!

A happily-ever-after ending is a given, in romance novels. But I'll state it as a "like" because I don't have a ton of things I liked about the book. The ending was a HEA, which was good and not disappointing.

What I Did Not Like:

Drama drama drama. I honestly cannot stand drama in romance novels (or any novels?). There is enough of it in real life! Don't riddle a romance novel with so much drama. A little drama won't set me off in a rage but when the entire book is full of drama? No thank you.

To begin with, the whole premise of this book is how Alexa lost her temper at her ex-boyfriend's restaurant, and he is suing her and her restaurant for damages and such. NO, Alexa does not have feelings for Nick (the ex) - they broke up a long time ago. But it really bothers me how quickly Alexa lost her temper - and proceeded to dump a bottle of cooking oil on his head? Like a 5-year old? Are we in elementary school? Alexa is so temperamental and impulsive but that... you don't DO that. 

Did I mention that Alexa is temperamental and impulsive? Honestly this girl has to be one of the stupidest heroines I've encountered in romance novels, in a long time. I couldn't stand her. Sure, she had her moments here and there (in which I didn't mind her), but for the most part, I really didn't like her. Let's see... she falls for the most idiotic of men - and then cries a river when they cheat on her or dump her or whatever. She has ridiculous trust issues BECAUSE of the dumba**es she dated, which makes her relationship with Dante difficult. 

I could not stand how Alexa treated Dante. So hot and cold, push and pull. She kept expecting him to leave her or break her heart or start picking up with every girl on the block. Girl, like you're any better? His past bothers you - what about YOURS? Alexa has dated sooooo many losers, and yet she gets to judge Dante about his (NOT-drama-filled) past relationships? HER relationships cost money and drama (believe me, it's insane, the type of guy she picks over and over). And yet here is Dante, a sweet, selfless, sexy guy who loves her, and she decides to be a little wuss when it comes him? Do you detect my disdain? I couldn't stand Alexa.

The icing on the cake was the end of the book. You know in the climax of romance novels (especially Brazen romance novels) when the hero breaks up with the heroine or the heroine breaks up with the hero? And then one of them (usually the man) has to grovel, whether it's his fault or not? Yeah, that's a thing in this book. ALEXA dumps Dante, but it's Dante that has to make the effort to patch things up with her. Alexa isn't the first to break, isn't the one to fight for her man. But she's the one that broke up with him, hurt him, and ruined the relationship. Um, do we not see the problem her?

That was the last straw and pretty much ensured that this book wouldn't get a positive rating. If that part of the ending had been different, I would have given this book three stars.

Would I Recommend It:

I do not recommend this book to anyone. Trust me when I saw that there are better romance novels, even with Entangled Brazen, that are steamy, sweet, quick, and well-written, that won't piss you off or make you want to strangle the heroine. 

Rating:

1.5 stars -> rounded up to 2 stars. And thus ends my foray into Sabrina Sol's romance novels. 

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

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