A Charming & Fiercely Feminist Story: Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner

CHAOTIC GOOD

by Whitney Gardner
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, YA
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: March 13th 2018
Source: Bought
Star Quotient: ★★★★
Kiss Factor: ✷✷✷1/2
Amazon - The Book Depository

OK, I'm going to need Whitney Gardner to write YA contemporaries forever and ever! I loved her debut book and Chaotic Good was equally amazing for me. It's a story of family, identity, love and fandom and what a glorious combination.

Cameron was a delightful human being who I wanted to protect at all costs. She's ridiculously talented at sewing and creating these amaze-balls costumes based off of comics. There was so much to adore about her. I particularly loved just how passionate she was about everything she got into. She is ambitious and devoted and has so many goals. You can't help but want to cheer her for her sheer determination. She's also a girl who repeatedly makes mistakes and that made her even more lovable in my book. Before her family moved her, she and her friends win a costume event at a con - only at the con, Cameron reveals to the audience that she's not a hardcore fan of the character the costume is based on. This garners the attention of horrible online fuckboys who probably live in their mom's basements. She is relentlessly bullied and the poor girl takes it all in on her own. It was hard to watch her stomach all the callous uncalled-for insults that the internet kept throwing her way, but throughout the book, Cameron finds a way to channel them in a positive way.

A Little Bit Of Magic & A Whole Lot Of Romance: Don't Call Me Cupcake by Tara Sheets

DON'T CALL ME CUPCAKE

by Tara Sheets
Series: The Holloway Girls #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Paranormal, Adult
Publisher: Zebra Shout
Publication Date: April 24th 2018
Source: ARC received for review
Star Quotient: ★★★★1/2
Kiss Factor: ✷✷✷✷
Amazon - The Book Depository

Well wasn't that the most charming book I've read in a long time! I've been in a bit of a slump lately in that I have no motivation to read, but Don't Call Me Cupcake entirely enamored me from start to finish. You're going to want to add this one to your TBRs, friends!

The entire concept of Don't Call Me Cupcake was so unique. It was refreshing to read something different in the romance genre and Tara Sheets certainly knew how to deliver. The Holloway girls are known on Pine Cove Island for their gifts. The heroine, Emma Holloway, can bake charmed cupcakes. Her bakery has a cupcake for everything ranging from a luck-bringer to a hangover-cure! I love how important Emma's gift was to her. It was a tie to her grandmother and she was proud of her abilities. Emma was a great heroine. She was the kind of heroine I actually want so badly to be real so I can befriend her. She has got a heart of gold and she was always willing to help the people around her. She was also incredibly devoted and hardworking. Even when life wasn't entirely rosy for her, she made the best of what she can. At the start of Don't Call Me Cupcake, she was battling with financial issues as her jerk of a fiance had run away with all of her savings. Despite her shabby situation, she was willing to do everything she could to save her family's home and legacy.

Everything I Love In A Romance: Luck of the Draw by Kate Clayborn

LUCK OF THE DRAW

by Kate Clayborn
Series: Chance of a Lifetime #2
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Adult
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Publication Date: April  24th 2018
Source: ARC received for review
Star Quotient: ★★★★★
Kiss Factor: ✷✷✷✷✷
Amazon - The Book Depository

I have no idea how I'm even going to put into words my feelings towards this book. The moment I read the first line, I knew I was going to be immersed in this lovely story. To say that I loved Luck of the Draw would be an understatement of epic proportions. This was a book that I just devoured and it found a way to hold my heart hostage - yes, it was THAT bloody good.

I loved the characters in Beginner's Luck, but here? I just fell head over heels in love with them. Zoe just stole my heart. After winning the lottery with her friends, she quits her job as a corporate lawyer. At the beginning of the book, she is very much lost and trying to find her way. At the same time, she is being plagued by the way she treated people in the past, so she sets out on a path to seek their forgiveness. This brings her in the path of Aiden O'Leary, whose family was ill-treated by her firm after Aiden's twin died of a drug overdose. Zoe may have made mistakes in the past, but she was a girl with a heart of gold. Her struggles with her conscience really spoke to me and I rooted for her as she tried to make amends for them. Zoe was what I would call a soft heroine with layers upon layers to her personality. The more I got to know her and the person she was deep inside, the more I cherished her.

The Weekly Recap (4) : Miss Grumpy

A Delightful Fake-Dating Romance: Pretending He's Mine by Mia Sosa

PRETENDING HE'S MINE

by Mia Sosa
Series: Love on Cue #2
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Avon Romance
Publication Date: April 10th 2018
Source: ARC received for review
Star Quotient: ★★★★
Kiss Factor: ✷✷✷✷
Amazon - The Book Depository

The first book in the Love on Cue, Acting on Impulse, was an underrated gem. It had everything I enjoy in a romance and easily made me a Mia Sosa fan. I couldn't wait to read Pretending He's Mine for several reasons, but the main one being that the book has the fake-dating trope. This book left me grinning and with a warm feeling in my heart - you know that's a sign of a good romance!

Pretending He's Mine tells the story of a flight attendant, Ashley, and Hollywood agent, Julian. Julian also happens to be Ashley's famous brother's best friend and agent. Talk about complicated dynamics! Both Ashley and Julian were endearing characters. They were both flawed, messy and so very real to me. I adored Ashley and how headstrong she was, but I also admired how Mia Sosa explored her vulnerabilities, especially her self-doubt, throughout the book. I think a lot of readers will connect with Ashley's character and see a fraction of themselves in her. She was a little lost in life and was figuring out where she fit in. I enjoyed her journey a lot! I also loved Julian, who also had his fair share of vulnerabilities and self-doubt. Seeing his passion for his job and for diversity in the movie industry was one of the highlights of Pretending He's Mine.