Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Garvis-Graves
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an unexpected gem! Tracey Garvis-Graves puts a refreshing spin on this “beauty meets brains” love story.

I first fell in love with Tracey’s writing with her book “On the Island”. (If you haven’t had the pleasure be sure to check it out!) Admittedly the cover art for the book was a tad misleading and reminiscent of “Dealthless & Divided” which is a mobster romance by Bethany-Kris. Having recently finished a fore mentioned story I had a bundle of expectations going into this story. But, what did I discover once I cracked the cover? I never thought you’d ask!

Kate Watts (the “beauty” in our beauty & brains combo) has a heart of gold. After saying goodbye to her law career she operates a struggling food pantry. Insert the “brains” of our story…Ian (no last name) comes to her rescue in the form of semi-annoymous donations that manage to keep the food pantry in operation and the needy from going hungry.

What should you expect?
*Witty banter from our “geek chic” hero Ian (no last name)
*No less than 1 billion references to Victoria’s Secret (minor exaggeration but I did wonder if they had a hand in advertising or if the author was hoping for some freebies???)
*What I’ve lovingly refer to as “vanilla” sex scenes that actually might be categorized as sweet. Don’t get me wrong. You still wouldn’t want to read these scenes in front of your parents but they shouldn’t make you blush if you’re a grown adult that’s been in a consenting relationship before.
*A lighthearted, quick read. Perhaps bring this book to enjoy on your next beach vacation?

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When You’re Ready by J.L. Berg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where are my over 30, chocolate loving book ladies at?!? This is the book for you! Although our leading lady is actually in her late 20’s the topics and emotions in this book speak to a slightly older audience.

Biggest selling point of this book? Just take a gander at the description of the male love interest… “Yes, I’ll admit, he’s goddamn gorgeous. He’s like the Ian Somerhalder of doctors.” SWOON!!!! What a panty-dropping combination…the steamy good looks of Ian Somerhalder (if you don’t know who he is do a brief google search and be prepared for your sex organs to immediately burst in flames) mixed with a toned doctor in scrubs?!? Ummm… I think it will be a solid week until my libido is back at regular levels just thinking about this character. 😉

But…enough about me! You’re wondering what this book is all about! Allow me to give you a brief overview. Clare is a gorgeous, curly red-headed widow with an amazing body thanks to yoga who has an obsession for all things sweet and chocolatey. Her daughter Maddie is adorable, obsessed with all things ballerina and displays all the endearing, unrealistic traits of a 4 year old with none of the hair-pulling out realities that actual parents have to contend with. (Cliche adorable kid who makes all the other characters fall in love with them. Am I the ONLY parent who would appreciate a more realistic young child character?!?) Logan Matthews is the walking sex beast, doctor extraordinaire with a billionaire father (major daddy issues) and commitment/love issues.

This book was a pleasant read, a few parts caused my eyes to water but the subject matter wasn’t too heavy or depressing. Pretty predictable (ok, really, really, really predictable) but it’s standard for this type of chick-lit romance. Recipe for a chick-lit, over 30 romance= attractive male with minor issues that are easily overcome + damaged female with lots of love to give + adorable kid + mention sweets & chocolates repeatedly + “vanilla” sex scenes with at least 1 mention of “making love” + happy ending

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Jake Undone by Penelope Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Confession- I read “my skylar” prior to this book so I already had a good idea where the story (and characters) were heading as I dived in. This was another fun story by Penelope Ward and very in-line with her other novels. Equal parts sexy, angst, romance and cheeky characters. My feelings for Penelope’s writing can best be en-likened to the popular phrase from the movie Field of Dreams “if you build it they will come”. If Penelope Ward writes it I WILL read it.

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My Skylar by Penelope Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Are you planning to give him your first kiss?”
“Probably”
The jealousy that nearly made me insane earlier returned in full force.
“You can’t do that.”
“Why?”
My heart pounding in anticipation of what I was about to do. “Because I’m stealing it.”

All hail Penelope Ward! This book gave me an “angst-gasm”! (Yes, I just invented that term but once you read this book you’ll agree it was completely necessary and appropriate to use in this review.) I’m on the way to the airport so I’m unable to fully craft the review this book deserves. Rest assured this story will take you on a sexy roller coaster of emotions and you’ll love every minute of it.

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RoomHate by Penelope Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

RoomHate- Ding, Ding, Ding! This book wins the award for most inaccurate title. Potential Spoiler Alert…Approx 10% of the way into the book the roomates no longer hate each other. Further in the novel they actually state that they never hated each other. So…hmmm. Yep, one could accurately conclude that the title is misleading.

Now that I’ve gotten my grievances regarding the book title off my chest let me sing this story’s praises.
First up, I’d also like to applaud Penelope Ward for creating a “rival” love interest (Jade) who is gorgeous, sexy and skinny and still NICE! Yep, no girl-on-girl cut downs or the clique skinny girl MUST be a bitch. How refreshing!
Secondly, sex scenes (while few and far between) were hot without pushing the envelope for shock value.
Thirdly, Another potential spoiler alert…Penelope did a great job of describing life with a newborn and no help. As a new mom myself I can attest to the lack of sleep and showers being something of distant memory, etc.

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