Only Work, No Play by Cora Reilly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


First and foremost…let it be known that Cora Reilly is a goddess and should be treated as such.

Now that’s been established we can move on to the book review portion of my comments…

HOLY FOXING HECK! I am 100% in love with Xavier. The story was fantastic, the plot moved at the right pace…blah, blah, blah. Let me tell you ladies you NEED to read this book just to get yourself a piece of Xavier. MAN.FUCKING.CANDY!!!! Close your eyes and imagine a perfectly chiseled rugby player WITH AN AUSTRALIAN ACCENT, who is an absolute sweetheart that respects women and children. I love this book but am devastated that this character doesn’t exist in real life.

Moving on, I should mention Evie- assistant to Xavier and love interest in the story. She’s got self worth issues stemming from her rather curvy physique. Truth time…I’ve never struggled with obesity so perhaps her obsession with her weight is something I can’t wrap my head around. For me, her constant mention of her weight was annoying. SHE was the person that continually brought it up in conversation… not anyone else. Xavier worshiped her and she still hid behind blankets and made a fuss. Celebrate your body, girlfriend! You have a sexy rugby player…flaunt yourself and have fun!

Lastly, I wouldn’t feel like this was an honest review unless I admitted that on 2 separate occasions I exited the book to confirm who was the author. I did this because the writing style and themes were eerily reminiscent of Claire Contreras’ work. For example this reminded me of The Player and also Mariana Zapata‘s The Wall of Winnipeg and Me. I loved both of those books (and the authors) so this isn’t an insult.



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The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A la la la-lala!!!!! I’m doing a happy dance! This is one of my favorite series and I could not wait to get another glimpse into these athletes (and their ladies) lives!

Finn Mannus is quite simply perfection! Book boyfriend fantasy material for a lifetime! W-O-W! Athletic, strong, handsome, compassionate, family-oriented, funny and thoughtful. Hells-to-the-bells… YES! The author did a great job of allowing the reader to follow along as he evolves from sex panther (yes, please!) to a more mature mindset towards relationships and even friendship.

Chess is a talented photographer gaining notoriety until *something* happens to her apartment/studio and she has to move in with Finn. Side note: if I had a chance to move in with someone like Finn you have immediate permission to burn everything I own to the ground. And don’t bother replacing any of my articles of clothing. I won’t need it 😉 Getting back on track… after Chess loses her apartment I would have liked to read more of her ongoing struggle to handle her photography business without a studio. That was a huge impact to her career and I would have been interested if the book included at least one scene where she accommodated a previously booked client in a new space/location.

Loved this book, love the author and can not wait for her next literary gem!

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Room for You by Beth Ehemann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has a hiiiiiigh rating and I buckled to peer pressure and gave it 4 stars. If I wasn’t worried about being chased by angry villagers wielding pitchforks I would have given it a 3 star rating.

Kacie is 24 years old and the mother of 5 year old twin girls. As a reader you’re supposed to grasp the absolute devastation and shredded heart she carries from the absence of her children’s father, Zach. I didn’t buy a single drop of her tears. When she and her family describe her relationship it sounds like him leaving was the best thing that could have happened to her! He was a world class jerk and their relationship was borderline abusive. He left her and her children in dangerous situations with no money. Kacie herself says she was committed to their relationship because she wanted a traditional nuclear family- never once mentioning and true feeling for him. So- what she experienced is DISAPPOINTMENT not a broken heart.

Further, when Brody first begins to texts her she’s disrespectful and rude. PASS! I just couldn’t enjoy the book because of Kacie’s character. Boo! Brody was a handsome champion shouldering all of Kacie’s crap.

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