Waiting on Wednesday (5) : Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne

Christmas In October: Her Festive Flirtation by Therese Beharrie & Tinsel In A Tangle by Ainslie Paton

HER FESTIVE FLIRTATION

by Therese Beharrie
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Adult
Publisher: Harlequin Romance
Publication Date: November 1st 2018
Source: ARC received for review
Star Quotient: ★★★★
Kiss Factor: ✷✷✷✷
Amazon - The Book Depository

I had been seeing a few of Therese Beharrie's books around and my co-blogger, Lisa, also enjoyed a book by her. I was also weirdly in the mood for a holiday romance in August so I couldn't resist downloading Her Festive Flirtation from NetGalley. This book gave me all the warm and fuzzy romantic feelings! The characters in this book were charming and adorable. A year after being jilted, Ava is still reeling. Only it's a lot worse because her brother is getting married. I liked Ava a lot. She was a sweet girl with just the perfect balance of sass and vulnerability. She was the sort of character that I wanted to root for from the very beginning. Noah, her secret crush and her brother's best friend, was just as great. He was a genuine and soft guy who totally gave me the butterflies. He helped Ava come out of her shell in Her Festive Flirtation and helped her see just what a wonderful and loving person she was. The romance in the book was everything! It's the sort of romance that left me smiling at every interaction between the couple. Ava and Noah also had some history between them that they needed to resolve and that only served to add to the romantic tension between them. The Christmas-time setting also made the whole book seem so magical (even though it was a hot Christmas since the book is set in South Africa) and gave me very happy feelings. Her Festive Flirtation is definitely a book I recommend for the holidays or just if you're looking for a lovely romantic read to make you happy!

Just The Book I Was Looking For: The Darkest Star by Jennifer L Armentrout

THE DARKEST STAR

by Jennifer L Armentrout
Series: Origin #1
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, YA
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: October 30th 2018
Source: ARC received for review
Star Quotient: ★★★1/2
Kiss Factor: ✷✷✷
Amazon - The Book Depository

Full disclosure but I never completed JLA's Lux series. However, I was craving a paranormal YA book and thought that The Darkest Star might give me that fix that I wanted so badly. I was right. The Darkest Star was not by any means a life-changing read, but it was entertaining and had a cast that I liked.

The Weekly Recap (20): Adjusting, Wawa & Movie Night

A Book That Did Not Live Up To The Series: Hot Winter Nights by Jill Shalvis

HOT WINTER NIGHTS

by Jill Shalvis
Series: Heartbreaker Bay #6
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Adult
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: September 25th 2018
Source: ARC received for review
Star Quotient: ★★★
Kiss Factor: ✷✷1/2
Amazon - The Book Depository

Jill Shalvis' Heartbreaker Bay series has been a warm and comforting presence in my reading life since I read the first book. It's only seemed to have gotten better with every release. I was excited to read Hot Winter Nights and I had no doubt that the book would deliver. After having read the book though, I'm mildly disappointed. I didn't feel like Hot Winter Nights was up to par with the rest of the series. That being said, this is still a charming series and I will still recommend these books in a heartbeat!