Happy Monday!
You may have noticed that there were NO posts last week. That wasn't intentional. Not at all. I had hit a reading slump, and a writing slump. Therefore it was difficult to do anything book related. It's bad enough when one hits, but when they both hit at the same time it's some how worse. Thankfully my minor reading slump has passed. I credit the Salacious Players Club for that. More about that later though.
Tomorrow I am going to share the books I read the week of April 3rd. I thought about combining it all here, but I really want them to be separate. I'm weird I know, and I'm perfectly okay with that. It's only 3 books, but doesn't matter.
Let's talk about the books I read last week though. I started off by starting Beautiful Lies by Paula Dombrowiak. Yet I was struggling to get invested in the story. My reading slump had started around April 6, so every book I was picking up just didn't sound good. I seriously tried 4 books, and was about to call it a lot cause. Yet I knew that I would love Beautiful Lies so I chose to put it aside and try something else. I knew that "something else" couldn't be already on my kindle. I had to find something new, maybe something popular. Prime Reading suggested Give Me More by Sara Cate, and I figured why not. Give Me More was just what I needed to snap out of the slump.
Tell me about the books you read last week! Do you have any suggestions for books similar to the Salacious Players Club? What is your solution to snapping out of a reading slump? Now let's jump into my reviews for the books I read last week.
Happy Reading,
Laura
Happy Reading,
Laura
Beautiful Lies by Paula Dombrowiak
Paula's writing always pulls me in. From the very first book to this one, I am just invested in the stories. The characters are almost always likable, or at least they grow on you. (I'm looking at you Jack.) Beautiful Lies was no different. Lake and Adrian pulled me in, and although it was a slow start I did find myself wondering how this was going to work. I see bits and pieces of myself in Lake, so she was relatable. That whole keeping things close to your chest, and not opening up. Oh, and the independence. Yeah. Adrian was good for her. Yes it was younger. It didn't bother him though. He just wanted to be in her life, and he knew he'd have to wait on her to realize things. I want to call this a slow burn, but considering it starts with a one night stand, can I really say that? This book does have a bit slower of a pace. It felt right though. For everything Lake was having to go through the pace was just right. So if you struggle at the beginning, just keep pushing on. You will get invested, and find yourself wanting to know how their happily ever after occurs.
Salacious Players Club by Sara Cate
Ratings: 4, 4.5, 4.5, 4, 3.5
Yes I'm lumping these all together. Should I do that? Eh, probably not. These books all take place at the same place though, and considering I binged the series it just feels right. Now I didn't read these in order. I started with Give Me More, which is book 3. The books can, thankfully, be read as standalones, so I wasn't overly concerned about reading out of order.
Give Me More features Isabel, Hunter, and Drake. Hunter and Drake are best friends, while Hunter and Isabel are married. They are on a road trip checking out other clubs, and Hunter comes to a realization. He's inviting his best friend into the relationship. That is if he wants to. I could not get enough of Give Me More, or the characters. Their story was good, the steam was intense, and I was rooting for them.
Praise was my next read (well after reading Beautiful Lies by Paula Dombrowiak), and I could not put this book down. That was actually the case with all the books in the series. I regret nothing. Praise is an age gap relationship where Charlotte falls for Emerson. The thing is Emerson happens to be the dad of Charlotte's ex boyfriend. Emerson and Charlotte captivated me. From the way their relationship started, to how it built, to Charlotte's relationship with her sister, to how they finally arrived at their happily ever after. It was such a good story. The steam was amazing as well.
Eyes On Me might be my favorite. I feel like I shouldn't have been as intrigued by this book as I was. That goes with the forbidden aspect though. Not only is this book a forbidden romance, but it's age gap as well. Mia and Garrett have some steamy times together, but it is more than that. Garrett is finally opening up about his struggles, his desires, his wants and needs, and he's finding that Mia is the person most important to him. There is so much I want to say, but spoilers and all that.
When I started reading Mercy I wasn't certain what to expect. I knew it was Maggie's story, but I didn't know what her preferences were, or who her love interest was going to be. Well when Beau appeared I was shocked, but then I could see how those two would fit together. Even more so after they had both taken that quiz. I really liked Maggie, and you could see that she was struggling with things from her past that were still affecting her today. Or at least in regards to the business that she runs, and the lifestyle it promotes. Yet when her results were revealed, I wasn't surprised at all. I was a bit more surprised by Beau's, or at least pieces of it. I liked watching these two grow individually, and as a couple. The scene when they were leaving Salacious, OH MY WORD. I was not expecting that. Not at all. My jaw dropped, and my heart broke a bit. Trope wise, this book is reverse age gap, friend's son, and proximity. It is so good, and so steamy. That seems to be the theme for this entire series. Also, I really wish that Maggie had been on the cover instead of Beau. It would have fit more with the owners of the company being on the cover.
Highest Bidder is book 5, and it's all about Ronan. Well Ronan and Daisy. This, large, age gap romance has history to it. Daisy doesn't know the full history, she just knows she found paperwork with Ronan's name on it, and wanted to investigate. Falling for him was not in the plans, but it's what happened. Ronan is still struggling a bit with the tragedy that happened 28 years ago, and so he guards himself a bit. Yet there was something about Daisy that pulled him in, and he just had to pursue this relationship. Now I'll be honest, this one wasn't my favorite. The storyline was still decent, and I enjoyed pieces of it, but there was room for improvement. My biggest struggle with this book was Daisy. Not her age, or the "secret" she was keeping, but just her as a character in general. I didn't feel that connection to her. Ronan was far more intriguing and captivating. Ronan just pulls you into his orbit. My other issue, no that's not the right word- but anyway, was not having the previous characters involved in this story as much. It seemed like they would pop up in the previous books, offer advice or humor, and just have that familiarity.
Thank you Paula Dombrowiak for providing me with an advanced copy of Beautiful Lies.
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