Fave Five: Bi/Bi M/F Romances, Part II

For Part I, click here. You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi Check Your Work by Skye Kilaen A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone A Lot Like Adios by Alexis Daria Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur

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Read in 2023:

Jasmine tried not to take it personally, but taking things personally was one of her greatest skills.

YOU HAD ME AT HOLA by Alexis Daria ★★★★

Taylor Swift Book Recs

A Lot Like Adiós by Alexis Daria

One of the best romcoms I've read this year; Michelle and Gabe were best friends (who wrote fanfiction together!!) until the end of high school, when Gabe blindsided Michelle with his decision to move away cross-country. Now, he’s accidentally hired Michelle to work on a rebranding campaign for his gym and there's still hella beef between them, but circumstances force them to pretend they’re dating for their families’ sakes. The chemistry between Michelle and Gabe was electric right from the start despite being estranged for years, and it's enhanced by their easy camaraderie rather than hindered (a potential pitfall of friends-to-lovers romances). I enjoyed the sex scenes in this book; I like how Alexis made it this new and exciting part of their relationship that they're both eager to explore with each other; it's a necessary part of that friends-to-lovers transition that I think she nailed. Also, I loved all the nods to Gabe and Michelle's shared Nuyorican heritage, plus both of them are bi and choose to remain childfree which is still a rarity in romances and something I appreciated.

The Earl I Want for Christmas by Colleen Kelly

An EXCELLENT jaded rake/quietly sensual spinster romance— Gabo's literally been dumped by his fiancée 10 seconds ago and yet decides to give Lydia, then an 18 year old debutante her first kiss anyway and both of them remember it years later when she's a spinster who is being pressured into marriage, and decides to ask him for sex lessons. The seduction that follows is WILDLY hot, the dirty talk is excellent (and he makes say dirty stuff as well!), and while it's initially funny to see Gabo's underlying resentment towards the dull vicar who Lydia is supposed to marry, it was genuinely heartbreaking to read Lydia realize it will never be as good with him as it was with Gabo. And in case you were forgetting that this is set during the holiday season, there is a Christmas themed grovel.

Subscribe to Colleen Kelly's newsletter here to get this novella for free.

To Conquer A Bride by Naima Simone

I don’t usually go for futuristic fantasy romances, BUT I’m a huge fan of Naima Simone so I couldn’t resist trying this book, and I’m really glad I did. I loved how high-stakes the plot felt, starting with Niall being kidnapped straight from her own wedding by her fiancé’s estranged pirate brother. Zaid has a huge chip on his shoulder after what his family did to him and haaaaaates how into his brother’s fiancée he is right off the bat, but they become reluctant partners in their quest to find treasure. As per Naima's usual, every sex scene is top-notch in this book: it starts with a voyeurism moment during an orgy, and quickly turns into passionate romps on-board and on land culminating in ANOTHER orgy, this time fueled by a siren call while they're in Atlantis (yes, that Atlantis).

The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard

A Beauty and the Beast retelling done right; I'm glad I had the chance to reread this book because it's actually a banger. Thane, said Beast of Beswick, is biiiiig and scarred duke intent on isolating himself from the world until Astrid proposes a marriage of convenience between them to escape a forced marriage to someone else. I'd forgotten that Amalie Howard writes a HOT sex scene (my favorite was set in a dark garden during a masquerade ball) and there are a lot more of them in this book compared to some of her newer stuff. Thane is obsessed with Astrid right off the bat, literally, every part of her, and Astrid is is obsessed right back with his big, Frankenstein-esque bod (her words, not mine). I also like the way Amalie portrayed how hurt people don't necessarily heal in a straight upwards trajectory; despite their initial attraction, Thane continues to blow hot and cold and push Astrid away even after their marriage, and it takes a while for both of them to truly trust one another.

It Had to Be a Duke by Vivienne Lorret

This came out just a few days ago on 11/28, and I had a lot of fun reading it (here's my full review). Suffice to say, I'm VERY excited for future books in Vivienne Lorret's new Liar's Club series, which will hopefully include the (REJECTED) blond vicar who thinks nothing of stripping outdoors to bathe in a river, and possibly this heroine's sister who asked what vicars wear under their robes back in the day.

✨️✨️ June Wrap Up ✨️✨️

This month was almost *perfect* in terms of reading, four out of six were 5🌟

My new all time faves, in no particular order:

🎮 Role Play by Cathy Yardley

☕️ Brewbies by Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St Aubin

🎤 Stars Collide by Rachel Lacey

💃🏻 Take the Lead by Alexis Daria

“Jasmine tried not to take it personally, but taking things personally was one of her greatest skills.” ― Alexis Daria, You Had Me at Hola

Yes yes yes.

RECO OF THE WEEK!

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

Synopsis: 

“Leading Ladies do not end up on tabloid covers. After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez. Leading Ladies don’t need a man to be happy. After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he’ll need to generate smoking-hot on-screen chemistry with Jasmine. Easier said than done, especially when a disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had. Leading Ladies do not rebound with their new costars. With their careers on the line, Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. But rehearsal leads to kissing, and kissing leads to a behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. While their on-screen performance improves, the media spotlight on Jasmine soon threatens to destroy her new image and expose Ashton’s most closely guarded secret.”

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Check out my review here.

Add this book to your TBR on Goodreads here.

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Have you read this book? Would you recommend it?

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Happy reading!

Era tudo horrivelmente… maravilhoso. Ela queria se aproximar ainda mais, ficar colada nele, se deixar envolver por seu calor e sentir a pele dele na sua.

Você Me Ganhou No Olá | Alexis Daria

You Had Me at Hola — Alexis Daria

Genre: Romance Actual Rating: 5+ stars Spicy Meter: 5 fire emojis Content Warnings: None I can think of right now

This book follows Jasmine, a latinx actress, as she starts filming a series with her grandmother’s favorite telenovela star, Ashton.

You Had Me at Hola gave me LIFE. As I type up this review, I already have A Lot Like Adios waiting for me at home (although this sequel of sorts doesn't follow the same couple, sadly). The storyline was pretty straightforward; it was not really a slow-burn but it wasn’t instant-love either. It was just right. And oh, did this book bang.

With her honest narrative, Jasmine wins over your heart in the first few chapters. And Ashton is pretty much every celebrity-crazed teenager's dream. I wouldn't change a thing about this book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance books (and who isn’t afraid of a book getting real spicy, real quick).

If you click here, you'll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

it’s been a while since i’ve used this account yet alone posted, but here’s some of the reads i’ve managed to keep track of through the past few months ~ finished the acotar series and think i’m about to enter my dark romance era (will make shantel tessier posts as i read her books)

am deeply delighted at present by the hero in A Lot Like Adios by Alexis Daria who is stripping to Pony by Ginuwine

4 Audiobooks To Borrow From Hoopla

I have really been making use of my library card and getting the most out of my Hoopla credits. The following four audiobooks are books that I picked up from Hoopla. I have to say I really recommend borrowing these audiobooks as I found something enjoyable with each listen. Also, side bonus — I am whittling away at my Netgalley queue by listening to these books via Hoopla. Also, my wallet is…

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✨️🍒 Recent Favorites 🍒✨️

Just a few books that I've loved and been obsessed with recently.

And I've just come to realise that all are contemporary romances 🤔🤔🤔

It's time for me to start my ⚜️Historical Era ⚜️

– Alexis Daria, A Lot Like Adiós