Swoon Thursday (#40): The Princess in the Opal Mask Mask by Jenny Lundquist

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from The Princess in the Opal Mask by Jenny Lundquist!

My thoughts are tangled, and suddenly, his face is moving toward mine - until his nose bumps against my mask. He laughs and tilts his head and finally, his lips land on my own.

The kiss is soft and gentle, and my arms wind around his shoulders. I let myself by taken away by it, and when he draws back he says, "Will you take off your mask for me? I would love to see your face." 

- Page 312

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Read my review HERE.

Ahh, fantasy novels. This one was awesome! I know this passage was on the sweeter side (versus steamy), but trust me when I say that this is a pivotal moment in the book.

(Dun dun DUN!) 

Waiting on Wednesday (#44): The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski 

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publication Date: March 4, 2014

Summary (from Goodreads):

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love 

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

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I love fantasy! And historical fiction! And that cover :D Please, FSG, please...

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: The Princess in the Opal Mask by Jenny Lundquist

The Princess in the Opal Mask by Jenny Lundquist

Book One of The Princess in the Opal Mask series

Publisher: Running Press Kids

Publication Date: October 22, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Source: Review copy sent by the publisher

Official Summary:

One Legend Determines the Fate of Two Lives

In the faraway village of Tulan, sixteen-year-old Elara has spent her entire life as a servant, trying to track down her real name. The name she was given before being orphaned. Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Galandria, Princess Wilhamina does not know why her father, the king, makes her wear a mask. Or why she is forbidden to ever show her face.

When a new peace treaty between Galandria and Kyrenica is threatened, Elara and Wilha are brought face to face. Told in alternating perspectives, this intricate fairytale pulls both girls toward secrets that have been locked away behind castle doors, while the fate of two opposing kingdoms rests squarely on their untrained shoulders.

What I Liked:

Oh, how I enjoyed this book! I hoped I would, because I like "high"/"epic" fantasy novels - it's one of my favorite genres. My expectations for this book weren't particularly high, but it was still really nice to be surprised. I'm so glad I got the chance to read this book! And to be on the tour.

This book is written in split point of views. Elara is the first of the two girls to be introduced, and then Wilha. Elara is a poor girl who lives on the mercy of a cruel woman and her family. The woman's husband is a drunk and a pushover - he lets his wife walk all over him. The woman is rude and disgusting and horrible to Elara, and only lets her live with them because of the money that the orphanage gives them, to take care of Elara. 

The daughter, Serena, is the worst, in my opinion. She is snobby and selfish, and while she acts like she cares about Elara's welfare, she totally doesn't. Not to mention that she spirited away Elara's one best friend (Cordon), and the two of them (Cordon and Serena) decide to get married, when Cordon promised to marry Elara.

Yes, it might have been when they were children, but a promise is a promise, no matter what. In my culture, if you say you're going to do something, you had better do it, no excuses.

But anyway. The beginning was slow, because it was all about introducing Elara's life, and then introducing Wilha's life. Wilha is a bit spoiled, even though she suffers because she constantly has to wear a mask. Everyone thinks that she is cursed. But Wilha is such a puppet. She does whatever her family wants her to do, and doesn't fight back. She doesn't use her power, or fight for what she wants. Yet she is selfish, because she wouldn't have it any other way.

So, that's part one, and how I feel about part one. Part two deals with the two girls going to the land of Wilha's future husband. I'm not going to say more specifically, but I think you can guess the relationship between Wilha and Elara, and why they are both going to the kingdom. I knew right from reading the synopsis, who they were to each other.

The plot is AWESOME. It's very unique, considering most "high"/"epic" fantasy plots. It's focused around the mystery of the mask, of the two girls, and an impending war. In most fantasy novels, a war is a huge part of the overall plot of the series. I think we'll see more of that in book two.

Elara is my favorite of the two girls. She is assertive and controlled, deceptive yet soft. She and her new love interest (take that, Cordon) are the CUTEST. I really hope everything works out for the two of them, because I LOVE the two of them together.

I feel like Wilha was a terrible character - I just didn't like her. I could totally see things from her perspective, but that doesn't mean that I have to like her. See more about Wilha and her character development in the next section.

Love triangles... not really. I could see there being one in the future for Wilha, but I could care less. I really hope that Elara and her love interest stay together. KEEP THEM TOGETHER, MS. LUNDQUIST!

I liked this book.

What I Did Not Like:

I thought that the first part of the book was a bit slow. I'm good with slow - I can deal with it - but it still bothers me, when I'm trying to figure out what exactly is going on, and what should be happening. We're introduced to Elara's life first, and then Wilha's life. 

In all honesty, the way the author constructed the story - with Elara being introduced first, and Elara being the poor girl, I sort of disliked Wilha. She is definitely too spoiled and puppet-like, beginning and end. In my opinion, her character development is extremely. Even at the end, she is selfish. She tries to tell herself that her entire life, she hasn't been selfish, but, um, she totally has been selfish. 

I just don't like her. Elara and I are much more compatible - she's got more verve and spunk and a tiny bit of a temper, I suppose. But it's okay - I can live with Wilha in the story.

Would I Recommend It:

I most certainly would! I haven't read too many fantasy novels this year - "high"/"epic" fantasy - but this one is a great read! I was totally drawn in by the interesting situation with the masks, the two girls situation, and so on. I didn't think I would like this one as much as I did, but, I did!

Rating:

4 stars. An excellent Young Adult fantasy read! I'm so glad I got a chance to read it. Even if you aren't a fan of fantasy, DEFINITELY check out this book! It's a refreshing and intriguing start to a spellbinding series!

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Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

About the Author:

Jenny Lundquist was born and raised in Huntington Beach, CA. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Intercultural Studies with a minor in TESOL at Biola University. Lundquist has published two middle-grade books, Seeing Cinderella and Plastic Polly. She lives in Rancho Cordova, California with her husband and two sons. Visit her online at jennylundquist.com and Twitter @Jenny_Lundquist.

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The Giveaway:

Jenny is giving away 15 copies of The Princess in the Opal Mask! Enter to win by entering the Rafflecopter below.

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Release Day Blitz and Giveaway: Somebody to Love by Addison Moore

Welcome to the release day blitz for Someone To Love by Addison Moore! I hope you enjoy this post, and enter the giveaway! Good luck!

Someone to Love by Addison Moore

Book One of the Someone to Love series

Publisher: Skyscape

Publication Date: October 29, 2013

Official Summary:

“If you don’t give your heart away, you can’t get it broken.” 

When twenty-year-old Kendall Jordan transfers across the country to Garrison University, the last thing she’s looking for is a one-night stand. Unfortunately that’s exactly what gorgeous Cruise Elton offers. Kendall has long since come to realize that love is an illusion, and Cruise couldn’t agree more—but something deep inside her wants him all for herself. So Kendall devises a plan to “play the player” and proposes that Cruise tutor her in becoming a female version of himself—Garrison University’s own playboy. But as real feelings emerge, the game gets complicated, and Kendall and Cruise will find themselves questioning everything they thought they knew about love.

This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

About the Author:

 Addison Moore is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who writes contemporary and paranormal romance. Previously she worked as a therapist on a locked psychiatric unit for nearly a decade. She resides on the West Coast with her husband, four wonderful children, and two dogs where she eats too much chocolate and stays up way too late. When she's not writing, she's reading.

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The Giveaway:

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Release Day Launch and Giveaway: Greed by Fisher Amelie

Welcome to the release day launch for Greed by Fisher Amelie! Check out this New Adult contemporary romance novel, and enter to win!

Greed by Fisher Amelie

Book Two of the Seven Deadly series

Publication Date: October 29, 2013

Official Summary:

Gather ‘round, love, because I want you. I want what you have, I want what you don’t have, I want more of what I already have. I want. But if you so much as ask for something in return, go ahead and walk away. Know if you want to play in my world, it’s every man for themselves and the weak become mine. Leeches will be obliterated because I make it my job to destroy them. I protect what’s mine and I take what’s yours...because that’s what I do. I want.

My story will not endear me to you and, frankly, I could care less if it does because I’m in this for the money and nothing else. There’s nothing redeeming about me. I’m a corrupt, money hungry, immoral asshole from Los Angeles. I’m every man’s worst nightmare and every girl’s fantasy.

I’m Spencer Blackwell...And this is the story about how I went from the world’s most coveted guy to the guy no one wanted around and why I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

About the Author:

Fisher Amelie is the author of The Leaving Series, Callum & Harper and Thomas & January. She began her writing career as a copywriter for an internet marketing company wherein one of their client's said, 'Hey! You're funny. You should write books'. Which in turn she said, 'Hey, get out of here! This is the lady's restroom.' While washing her hands and the embarrassment from her face, she thought they may have had a valid point. So, she took the thousands of hours of writing stories growing up, tucked them into her pocket and began writing and writing and writing.

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The Excerpt:

Prologue

Greed is a strange, strange sin.

All you want to do is acquire. Acquire money, acquire material, acquire time, acquire energy, acquire attention. The running mantra is “I want, I want, I want” but that quickly turns to “I need, I need, I need.”
Suddenly there just isn’t enough time for friends, for family, for anyone. Your goal is to acquire and to make sure what you acquire stays acquired. Your life depends on it. You don’t see truth because the truth is shadowed by enormous homes, incredibly fast cars, in lavish spending. Your life no longer belongs to you, but you are blind to it all because those around you are seeking the same.

So you shuffle along at an impossible rate, and you pass the real world around you.

But what you’ll come to realize, altogether too late, is that it’s never enough. It’s simply never enough.

Chapter One

“It’s confirmed. Peter Knight of Evergreen won’t approve the acquisition. You know what to do,” my snake of a father told me, not two steps into his front door.

“I just got off a seven-hour flight. You can’t let me settle in? Possibly say hello?”

He stood, watching me, a slight tick in his square jaw. He tucked his hands into his Italian silk pants. His six-foot frame followed the steps up to the foyer and stopped a few inches away from my own. We were face to face. Although I fell an inch shorter, he no longer intimidated me. I knew if I had to, I could kick his ass.

“Hello, Spencer,” he said, a serpent’s smile spread wide across his mouth before falling flat. “Get to work. I don’t pay you to sit around. I don’t care if it is your Christmas break.”


We stayed where we were, each waiting on the other to back down. The tension was palpable. In the end, his face relaxed and he began to chuckle, stepping aside and making way for me. I picked up my bags and headed for my room, giving myself plenty of space to pass him without touching him.
When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I changed my mind and threw my bags on the second to last step, intending to pick them up later. I stretched my muscles, loving the feel of my back popping, and started for the kitchen.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked, still standing in the foyer, watching my every move.

“If I don’t say hi to Mom and Bridge, they’ll think something’s up,” I told him and continued on.

He didn’t respond, but I felt his stare burning into the back of my head.

Check out the new covers of the Seven Deadly series!

The Giveaway:

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Review: The Highlander's Dangerous Temptation by Terri Brisbin

The Highlander's Dangerous Temptation by Terri Brisbin

Book Seven of the MacLeries series

Publisher: Harlequin

Publication Date: October 22, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from NetGalley

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

Summary (from Goodreads):

Cursed by past tragedies, notorious Highlander Laird Athdar MacCallum has devoted himself to leading his people - and has vowed never to marry again. Until he is utterly disarmed by the innocent beauty in the eyes of Isobel Ruriksdottir….

Isobel is drawn to the vulnerability she senses behind the fearsome facade of the clan chief. But with his formidable reputation, he is strictly forbidden. Being together can only lead them into danger, yet the temptation to risk all for their perilous passion is impossible to ignore.

What I Liked:

Two adult romance reads in a row! Go me, right? I'm on a roll with these adult books. Not that the Young Adult books are getting boring - they so are NOT - but it's refreshing to read something different, something... undiluted. No twisted romance plots or love triangles or anything like that.

This story is no exception - in fact, it was quite different from what I was expecting. The romance did not follow the usual timeline that I have mapped out in my head, when reading historical romance novels (and romance novels in general). But that turned out to be a good thing!

Most romance novels start in the same way. A male and female either meet each other, or already have met, and there is some immediate chemistry between the two of them. In this story, Athdar and Isobel know each other - or at least, they have met before, and their families know each other. Athdar is quite a few years older than Isobel, but Brisbin has a way of weaving the story so that it doesn't seem so strange. Remember, men and women did that all the time in history. Older men married young women. 

Anyway, as it turns out, both of them are totally attracted to each other. And one character, Athdar's sister, seizes an opportunity to throw Athdar and Isobel together. Athdar's sister (Jocelyn), Isobel, and Isobel's mother travel to Athdar's keep, to get some herbs from the healer at Athdar's keep. More importantly, Jocelyn wants Isobel and Athdar to become better acquainted.

Well, one thing leads to another, and suddenly, Athdar and Isobel are married. WOAH, right? That's at only 50% of the story! I couldn't believe it! Usually, in historical romance novels, the two protagonists don't get married until the end of the book, or close to the end. Well, halfway throughout this story, Athdar and Isobel get married. 

The first part of the story deals with Isobel and Athdar falling in loves. Brisbin does a beautiful job of putting these two together, of making them fall in love, in a progressive but timely manner. Like, the relationship grows steadily, but as readers, we know time passes. That's nice.

Then they get married. Then they adjust to being married - which is a tad bit funny, because both of them feel awkward, for one reason or the other. The final "big" part of the story deals with a condition that Athdar has. He blacks out at times, and doesn't remember this one event in his childhood - one event that changed everything, and affects his immediate future.

Thus, we come to the climax. An interesting climax, especially when the two major plot lines merge. Isobel's father arrives, and Athdar's past catches up to him. Fret not, because the ending is still a great ending. But this book has an actual climax, with danger directed towards the male protagonist AND the female protagonist. Another interesting thing.

I really enjoyed this story, you all. Not just because of its interesting differences, but because it was a genuinely great story! I love historical fiction, and ESPECIALLY medieval fiction, and I think that Brisbin did an excellent job with bringing across the medieval aspect of this story, without drowning readers in historical information or linguistics. All in all, a pretty awesome story!

What I Did Not Like:

The only thing that bothered me (and it really didn't bother me *too* much) was how Brisbin brought about Athdar's condition. I could see that she was trying to slip it in progressively, but I feel like the majority of the information about the condition was thrown at readers. Like, subtle hints were made throughout the story, but the condition itself was brought about quickly, sort of rushed, towards the end.

The beginning is all about the chase, the challenge, the chemistry. But the remaining 35% (ish) dealt with Athdar's condition. To me, it could have been more spread out. It would have made the summary more believable - because the entire time, I was trying to figure out what the conflict would be, besides Isobel's father Rurik going crazy about his daughter staying alone at Athdar's keep.

Would I Recommend It:

I think yes! Yes, I would. If you're a fan of historical romance novels, then I definitely think you want to read this one! Don't miss it. And even if you're a fan of contemporary romance, this book is easy on the history and information dump. It's not bad, especially for people who don't like history or think that history is boring. This is a good read, for any romance fan!

Rating:

4 stars. An enjoyable historical romance read! I really liked this book, and its unique plot, and fresh perspective on Highlanders. I really should go back and read the previous books in this series!

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Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Release Day Launch and Giveaway: Game For Trouble by Karen Erickson

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

Welcome to the release day launch for Game For Trouble by Karen Erickson! Read an excerpt, and enter to win this book!

Game For Trouble by Karen Erickson

Book Two of the Game For It series

Publisher: Brazen

Publication Date: October 28, 2013

Official Summary:

He’ll play dirty to get what he wants…

Willow Cavanaugh would be happy if she never saw cocky football star Nick Hamilton again. Sure, their fling was the hottest she’d had, but he’s way too much of a playboy to settle down with one woman. Plus, she’s got her heart set on a piece of real estate for her catering business—and Nick owns that property.

Nick may be at the top of his game, but all he wants is a second chance with Willow. When he offers to sell her his commercial space if she agrees to a series of dates with him, their chemistry is so scintillating that jumping back into bed seems like an inevitability. But Willow’s decided all’s fair in sex and blackmail. Little does she know, Nick’s playing to win…and she’s the prize.

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About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson writes what she loves to read - sexy contemporary romance. Digitally published since 2006, she's a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite with her husband and three children.

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The Excerpt:

“Come in here.” She grabbed hold of his hand and yanked him inside, shutting the door behind her and twisting the lock into place. “Let’s stay in tonight. It’s cold out there.”

“But...wherever you wanna go, darlin’, I’m game. My treat. You could order fifty lobsters for dinner, and I won’t protest.”

She grimaced. “I hate lobster.”

“You do not,” he said, frowning. “You grew up here. You can pluck a lobster straight out of the ocean from your dad’s deck.”

“Just because I grew up here doesn't mean I have to love seafood.” She scrunched her nose. How she hated explaining this. No one ever got it. “I've never been a big fan. Lobster’s sorta freaky. Crab is too much work, not enough reward. I don’t mind shrimp, though. You can just pop them in your mouth and eat them.”

“I’ll take you out for all you can eat shrimp, then. You can stuff your face until you wanna burst,” he suggested eagerly.

Laughing, she shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’d rather stay in tonight with you.” She sobered up quick. The more they stayed in the better. This so- called relationship needed to stay quiet. One mention of it to the media, local or bigger, and all hell was going to break loose. As in, her father would have an epic freak out.

“We always do that, though. Stay in.” He scowled. “Aren't you getting bored?”

Oh, no. “Are you?” God, he was already tired of her. Really, she shouldn't care. She should be glad. The faster she got rid of him, the better.

Right?

“No. Hell, no. Anytime I’m with you is good, Will.”

He reached for her, settling those big hands on her hips. Dipping his head, he bent his knees a little so he could peer directly into her eyes. “Are you getting sick of me yet?”

She pressed her lips together to keep from saying what she really wanted. I could never get sick of you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

“No. Well. Your constant sweet talk is getting sort of old.” She rolled her eyes, putting on an act. Nothing Nick did when they were together was getting old.

His mouth curved upward. “What are you talking about?”

“All the darlin’s and the sugars and the princess remarks. I think you say that sort of thing so you never have to worry about the name of the girl you’re with,” she teased.

His face turned frightfully solemn. “You really think that?”

Uh oh. She shrugged. “I've wondered.”

“Really.” His fingers bit into her flesh, he held her so tight.

“Maybe?” He had her doubting herself. How did he do that?

Dope. He constantly keeps you on edge.

“Trust me, I always know who I’m with when I’m with you.” He kissed her—the softest, sweetest kiss ever. So soft, so sweet, she immediately wanted to weep when he pulled away to murmur against her lips, “Willow.”

He never called her Willow. Ever.

The Giveaway:

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Blog Tour Promo and Giveaway: Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Welcome to the Sentinel blog tour! Today, I'm spotlighting Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout, the prequel novella to the Covenant series. Enjoy!

Follow the entire tour HERE.

Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book 0.5 of the Covenant series

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Publication Date: May 10, 2011

Official Summary:

"Love in my world usually ended up with someone hearing 'I smite thee ' as she was cursed to be some lame flower for the rest of her life." For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals--pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she'd been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she's pretty much accepted that she's a freak by mortal standards... and that she'll never be prepared for that duty. According to her mother, that's a good thing.But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return-the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death... because she's being hunted by the very creatures she'd once trained to kill. The daimons have found her.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks

***Spencer Hill Press offers this book for FREE on their site. Click HERE***

About the Author:

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia. 

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true. 

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen. 

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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The Giveaway:

Spencer Hill Press is giving away a $200 gift card to Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository or any indie bookstore of the winner's choice to not only stock up on amazing books, but to perhaps buy a Nook HD or Kindle Fire.

The Giveaway:

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Review: Everything You Need To Know by Helenkay Dimon

Everything You Need To Know by Helenkay Dimon

Publisher: Cosmo Red Hot Reads (from Harlequin)

Publication Date: October 15, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from NetGalley

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

Summary (from Goodreads):

Welcome to Need to Know—Because a Woman Can’t Be Too Informed

Dating in D.C. is like navigating an apocalyptic wasteland populated by men in expensive suits with zero mating potential. Need to Know provides all the information a savvy single woman like you needs to avoid dating disasters.

By night, Jordan McAdam is the proprietor of a popular website that rates D.C.’s hottest bachelors—everything from how quick they are email you back to their skills in the sack. She’s been burned once too often to accept any man at face value. By day, her job as an office temp puts her in the perfect position to do a little fact checking on her rich and powerful subjects. When her latest assignment brings her face to face with the sexy but mysterious Forest Redder, Jordan decides to do a little “hands on” research of her own. To Jordan, he seems like the perfect man – but she knows there is no such thing. Moreover, there’s a big problem: Forest knows Jordan’s the woman behind the scandalous site—and Jordan knows he knows. Will he expose her secret—or find his own posted on Need to Know?

What I Liked:

Well, it's been quite some time since I picked up a romance read! My last review posted on my site - of Spinning Gold by Vivi Andrews - was written months ago, as I read the book months ago. I've been reading a lot of Young Adult novels recently - and quite a few of them have been sequels, which is nice. But it was refreshing to pick a romance read, for a change! I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed them. 

This book is a novella, so it wasn't a full-length story between Jordan and Forest, but it was a great story nonetheless. Jordan with her Need To Know business, and Forest with his millionaire self - lovely combination. The "CEO" and "secretary" angle is a little overused in romance novels, but I don't read too many contemporary romance stories - and certainly not recently - so I was okay with that.

The plot was pretty straightforward. We have the almost immediate chemistry between Jordan and Forest - upon sight, it seemed - and then we have Forest's business with Ryan Peterson, a former employer of Jordan (technically, he wasn't her employer, but whatever). Jordan is thrown into the mix because she owns Need To Know, a site where women post things about men that they have previously dated, or ask questions about men they want to date. Jordan put Ryan Peterson on the site, even though they didn't date.

This is a big deal, because Forest recently backed out of a business deal with Ryan, right around the same time that Jordan stopped working as a temp for Ryan, and also, when she put information about him on Need To Know. I think we all know where this is heading - Jordan gets hired to work for Forest, Forest has no idea she runs Need To Know... exactly.

This story is really cute, in my opinion. I loved watching Forest and Jordan fall (stumble?) in love. The chemistry between them is fiery hot, but sweet, at the same time. Jordan is so bold, but not in an aggressive way. Forest is definitely bold as well, but in an alpha male, manly, controlling way. Despite him being controlling, I really like how Dimon brings him across to readers. He's a genuinely good man, and of course, very yummy. But seriously - he's a good guy. Almost too good.

The ending is as we expect most romance novels - it wraps up nicely, and perfectly, especially for the two protagonists. I'm not complaining - I expect this from romance novels. And I like the ending of this book. This book was worth the read!

What I Did Not Like:

There wasn't anything that really stuck out to me, that I didn't like. This story is condensed to a novella, so it is very short. A lot needs to happen in a novella, to build the world, the plot, the characters, and so on. I kind of wanted more from this story - more of a build-up of intensity between Forest and Jordan. I'm not saying that their relationship was rushed - it really wasn't - but as a reader, I would have loved to see/read more interactions between Jordan and Forest.

Also, at times, Forest seemed a little *too* perfect. And the whole thing with him being a black sheep? Meh. It didn't really make me believe that he was a "bad boy" - the stereotypical alpha male with a tragic past. But that's okay. I liked him anyway.

Would I Recommend It:

If you're looking for a quick romance read, then I definitely would. It's really short, but a lot happens, and nothing felt rushed or instant. Fans of adult contemporary romance novels may enjoy this book - I know that I did! But then, I don't read too many adult contemporary romance novels though. But I still enjoyed this one!

Rating:

4 stars. I think it's my adult-reads drought that I've recently experienced, but I really enjoyed this book! I'm happy I had the chance to read it, and that took that chance.

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