REVIEW: "So That Got Weird" by Amelia Kingston (New Adult, Romance)

SO, THAT GOT WEIRD by Amelia Kingston
	Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance Publication Date: December 24th 2019 Series: So Far, So Good, #1 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Sex Lessons, Introverted Female, Borrowed Time, Finding Yourself, Heavy Subjects (Family), Virgin & Player
Other Books by Amelia Kingston
So Far, So Good, #2 So Far, So Good, #3
Description from Publisher:
A painfully awkward love story. Incomprehensibly awkward Elizabeth Wilde is desperate for love. Connection. Intimacy. After a lifetime of romantic failures, the twenty-one-year-old gamer realizes she needs help. Professional help. She needs… A sex tutor. The devastatingly hot jock Austin Jacobs is just the man for the job. As the reigning campus sex god, he has the playboy act down pat. But underneath those six-pack abs beats a broken heart. He doesn’t trust people and he sure as hell doesn’t believe in love. The odd couple strike a deal. Four weeks of ‘tutoring’ for five thousand dollars. When Austin coaxes Elizabeth out from behind her computer screen, the attraction they feel is undeniable. They’re both a little broken, but somehow their jagged edges fit. And when their world comes tumbling down on top of them, they each have to decide if this weird thing called love is worth fighting for. Reader advisory: This book includes references to inadequate parenting, parental death, a parent with addiction. There are also scenes including the use of performance drugs.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
This gripped me. Like, read it all in one sitting and stayed up all night, gripped me. I immediately liked Elizabeth, with all of her naive awkwardness. She was the perfect "duckling" to become a swan. Her transformation over the course of this was really a pleasure. Austin was another strong character, and I adored him from his first smirk. His humor, vulnerability, and how much he CARED made him a really wonderful character. Suffice it to say, these two together were an amazing push and pull, tear apart and build up and up and up that had me laughing, crying, and cheering. And that's not even acknowledging their chemistry!! They were intense and light, and I loved them together. The best way I have heard love described was "You make each other better," and that felt true for this couple. There was a lot to unpack here, much more than just Elizabeth being a virgin and Austin a stud. Imperfect blood relatives were a heavy theme, blended with "the family you choose" beautifully. Supporting characters were present without taking any of the focus off of Austin or Elizabeth. I really loved how this wasn't a step-by-step "lessons" book, as the virgin student trope often is. The fact that their relationship naturally progressed, as though Elizabeth wasn't awkward or inexperienced, felt much more like a genuine situation, and sold her transformation and their sincere interest in one-another that much more.
My Source: I bought this to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Amelia Kingston
Amelia Kingston is many things, the most interesting of which are probably California girl, writer, traveler, and dog mom. She survives on chocolate, coffee, wine, and sarcasm. Not necessarily in that order. BR> She’s been blessed with a patient husband who’s embraced her nomad ways and traveled with her to over 30 countries across 5 continents (I’m coming for you next, Antarctica!). She’s also been cursed with an impatient (although admittedly adorable) terrier who pouts when her dinner is 5 minutes late. She writes about strong, stubborn, flawed women and the men who can't help but love them. Her irreverent books aim to be silly and fun with the occasional storm cloud to remind us to appreciate the sunny days. As a hopeless romantic, her favorite stories are the ones that remind us all that while love is rarely perfect, it’s always worth chasing.

REVIEW: "Legally Charming" by Lauren Smith (Contemporary Romance)

LEGALLY CHARMING by Lauren Smith
	Genre: Contemporary Romance Publication Date: March 13th 2017 Series: Ever After, #1 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Virgin and Player, Laws of Attraction
Description from Publisher:
THE RIGHT DRESS CAN CATCH THE EYE OF PRINCE CHARMING… Felicity Hart has one goal: Completing her masters in art. Falling in love isn’t part of the plan. She reluctantly agrees to attend a Halloween party with her best friend. After sneaking away from the party and falling asleep in an unoccupied room, she wakes to the sexiest pair of eyes she’s ever seen. Eyes that belong to the one man who could turn her well organized world upside down. When he flashes that wicked, panty-melting smile at her the vow to not fall in love seems impossible… EVERY PRINCE IS LOOKING FOR HIS SLEEPING BEAUTY TO KISS… Jared Redmond used to be the ultimate bad boy. But now his legal career is taking off and the partners of his firm are trusting him with high-dollar real estate transactions. Jared’s king-size bed is empty. But when he arrives home on Halloween to find a princess sleeping in his bed – his all work and no play attitude goes out the window. There’s nothing he wants more than to explore the hidden desires of this mysterious beauty and show her just how much of a bad boy he really is by fulfilling her every fantasy. WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES AND COACHES TURN TO PUMPKINS… Underneath the glitter of this fairy tale romance, Felicity and Jared might have found true love. But the mounting pressure of their real lives takes hold again and Jared and Felicity are pulled further and further apart. Can they find their fairy tale ending or will they be left with the dying embers of what could have been?
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
This is the book you read when you are looking for a romance that is an easy read and a happy ending. There were tropes gallore in this, from "virgin and player" to "insecure heroine who doesn't know she's attractive." There is a bit of an unbelievable meet cute, where Felicity, our heroine, is sleeping in her friend's boyfriend's brother's bed because they thought he wouldn't be home and - surprise! - he comes home and is exhausted from his long hours as a Chicago lawyer and just wants to sleep. So he gives her some of his clothes and crawls into bed with her... in a platonic way, of course. Immediately, these two start lusting after one another. But, of course, Felicity doesn't believe that anyone with six-pack abs who looks like Jared could be attracted to someone like her who is a size 12 (this is apparently a very important aspect of who she is, as her dress size - whether explicitly or more vaguely - is mentioned often by both Felicity and Jared. Make no mistake that Felicity has curves women with smaller dress sizes could never have). Felicity is a grad student studying art history and aspires to work at LACMA (which is nowhere near Chicago), while Jared is the hard-working & driven lawyer who got a leg up by having an on-again/off-again relationship with the daughter of his firm's senior partner (and that partner expects something to come from that relationship). Overall, this is definitely fitting of its series - Ever After - in that it definitely has elements of a fairytale.
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About the Author: Lauren Smith
Lauren Smith is an Oklahoma attorney by day, author by night who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She knew she was destined to be a romance writer when she attempted to re-write the entire Titanic movie just to save Jack from drowning. Connecting with readers by writing emotionally moving, realistic and sexy romances no matter what time period is her passion. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including: New England Reader’s Choice Awards, Greater Detroit BookSeller’s Best Awards, Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award. To connect with Lauren, visit her at www.laurensmithbooks.com
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REVIEW: "Royally Matched" by Emma Chase (Contemporary Romance)

ROYALLY MATCHED by Emma Chase
	Publisher: Emma Chase Genre: Contemporary Romance Publication Date: February 21st 2017 Series: Royally, #2 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Royalty, Introverted heroine, Virgin heroine
Other Books in the Series
Royally #1 Royally #3
Trailer:
Description from Publisher:
Some men are born responsible, some men have responsibility thrust upon them. Henry John Edgar Thomas Pembrook, Prince of Wessco, just got the motherlode of all responsibility dumped in his regal lap. He’s not handling it well. Hoping to help her grandson to rise to the occasion, Queen Lenora agrees to give him "space"—but while the Queen’s away, the Prince will play. After a chance meeting with an American television producer, Henry finally makes a decision all on his own: Welcome to Matched: Royal Edition. A reality TV dating game show featuring twenty of the world's most beautiful blue bloods gathered in the same castle. Only one will win the diamond tiara, only one will capture the handsome prince’s heart. While Henry revels in the sexy, raunchy antics of the contestants as they fight, literally, for his affection, it’s the quiet, bespectacled girl in the corner—with the voice of an angel and a body that would tempt a saint—who catches his eye. The more Henry gets to know Sarah Mirabelle Zinnia Von Titebottum, the more enamored he becomes of her simple beauty, her strength, her kind spirit... and her naughty sense of humor. But Rome wasn’t built in a day—and irresponsible royals aren’t reformed overnight. As he endeavors to right his wrongs, old words take on whole new meanings for the dashing Prince. Words like, Duty, Honor and most of all—Love.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
My Musings:
I really loved this! It had a few surprises, a lot of laughs, smiles, chuckles, and even a few tears. The whole thing was fantastic! Henry's older brother, Nicholas, abdicated the throne, leaving him unexpectedly in line to be King. He is a playboy who has always lived in his brother's shadow and very few, including himself, believe he is capable. He finds himself temporarily exiled to a castle away from everything and needing a distraction. So he agrees to a Bachelor-esque show, Royal edition. Unable to sleep with cameras in his room, he finds his way to Sarah's room (who isn't a contender, so has no cameras). They butt heads, but then start bonding during their nightly platonic sleepovers. Henry was seriously the shining star here for me. He was charming and funny and vulnerable... and mischievously rogue-like (my favorite!). Sarah, bibliophile librarian that se is, was a nice match for him, and I think all of us saucy introverts can relate well to her. Both Henry and Sarah have some excellent character growth from start to finish, finally being confident and brave enough to be show everyone the real version of themselves, which was fun to watch. This story includes a reality show but that isn't really heavily featured, nor are most of the other girls. which was definitely for the best (Not much petty reality TV drama, especially since Sarah isn't technically part of the show!). I did enjoy some of the girls, especially Laura Benningson, and the little outings definitely kept the pace steady, but I appreciated how they didn't distract from the romance. Overall, I found this to be a sexy, sweet romance with characters who had fantastic chemistry!
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Emma Chase
Emma Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the hot and hilarious Tangled series and The Legal Briefs series. Emma lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children and two naughty (but really cute) dogs. She has a long-standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.