Q: have you ever named your car? Ok. This book is adorable. Carter Ramsey’s an injured MLB player who’s about to be named Man of the Year. When he succumbs to peer pressure from his twin & travels to his hometown of Haven for their high school reunion, he never imagines that the first person he’ll run into at his temporary lodgings will be his former lab partner, Olive Dunn. Everyone loves Olive. She’s capable, confident, & never met a problem she didn’t cut off at the knees. She’s also a whirlwind of energy & when she sweeps into Carter’s life—literally repeatedly barging into his home or imposing on his plans—he’s not prepared to like her. A lot. Feelings happen, but Carter’s got a secret he’s only confided in Olive. He’s also home to *possibly* reunite with the other half of his golden high school coupledom (don’t worry about a real love triangle here!) Yours to Keep is a consistently funny (I know, I know, does that even mean anything in reviews anymore?!), steamy read with a lot of heart. Both leads are genuinely nice people & I always love that when happens. Especially when one nice person is really drawn to another nice person & then they kiss. Layne offers a friends to lovers story that I think will appeal to a lot of people—a pro baseball player + a high school biology teacher who seems confident in most ways, insecure in others—& she writes the ending of the book (the chapter before the epilogue) in a way that feels hopeful for their relationship but that doesn’t make either one of them entirely sacrifice their personal aspirations. & the Epilogue is 🏻. There are some aspects of the romance that I think could have been expanded on throughout the book—like the storyline with his former high school girlfriend, which feels a little flimsy for me. Also the ending, which doesn’t seem to have as much introspection or reflection as I’d like. But I definitely recommend Lauren Layne’s Yours to Keep for a lighthearted small town romance that kept me smiling. 4⭐️. Yours to Keep is available now. Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.
0 Comments
Happy release day to Mira Lyn Kelly's Dirty Hookup! This is a kinda sorta enemies to lovers sports romance written by a contemporary romance author I always enjoy. Read on for my review and more deets.
Blurb
One look and I know… this chick hates me.
I should walk away, find some puck bunny to gleefully sit on my lap and tell me what a big, hot, hockey stud I am--totally true, BTW. But there’s just something about this feisty redhead I can’t let go. She’s got an edge to her that’s sexy as hell and a smart mouth that’s been tying me up since the night I met her. She tells me to forget it, we’re not happening. But this isn’t the kind of woman a guy ever forgets. Especially when the air starts to sizzle and pop every time we get within ten feet of each other. She’s in my head and under my skin, and all I can think about is the way she looked at me that one time. Like she already knew how it could be between us. I’m not the kind of guy a girl like her takes home… But maybe I want to be. My Review
I picked up Mira Lyn Kelly’s Dirty Hookup with an internal sigh of pleasure this weekend. Mira’s books are just so easy to read, to tumble into and smile over.
So much of Dirty Hookup is charismatic. Pro hockey player and perennial playboy Quinn O’Brian pretty much falls for bike repair store manager George Bowen the first time he sees her. The problem is that this isn’t the first time he’s seen her. They actually met 6 years ago when they had a blistering day and night together and he made sweet promises that dissolved soon after. George hasn’t gotten over the experience but apparently Quinn has, because he doesn’t indicate that he’s ever met her before. And yet, in this present moment, he’s assertive about being attracted to her and wanting to get to know her better. Is Quinn a liar? Or is there a possibility that he doesn’t remember and he really is that into her? As you can see, the plot’s pretty twisty. But I was there for most of it because Mira Lyn Kelly writes mesmerizing character dynamics and big guys who fall hard. Quinn’s kind of annoyingly persistent at times—he admits to himself that his methods aren’t the best—but he’s also absolutely infatuated and it’s cute seeing the big guy with stars in his eyes. And to compound the swoony feeling Mira frequently includes characters from other books so this one seems filled with love. (S/out to Vaughn and Natalie!) But despite how much this book sparkles, how much I love George’s independent nature and Quinn’s vulnerability with her, there are a couple of things about Dirty Hook-Up that I didn’t embrace. During their first hook-up George is honest about her intention but not her motivation, and some readers might not be cool with how close it comes to a kind of revenge. Second, this romance seems to get oddly patriarchal in its conclusion and that confused and bothered me. George is a force throughout the book and then suddenly, it’s all about her male relatives. After a really great beginning and middle—and all the crazy sexual tension, the incredible stoking of internal drama within both leads—the ending’s kinda disappointing to me. This ended up being a 4⭐️ read. I can’t wait to catch up with the characters—and find a new couple to crush on—in the next book. Thanks to the author for a complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Where to Get Your Copy
US: https://amzn.to/2QEwcdu
UK: https://amzn.to/3dqW1r5 CA: https://amzn.to/3bhGvvV AU: https://amzn.to/2UsZQne B&N: https://bit.ly/33FeqvN Kobo: https://bit.ly/3dnUZfD Apple Books: https://apple.co/2wmtpyP ADD IT TO GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48459380-dirty-hookup About the Author
Hard core romantic, stress baker, and housekeeper non-extraordinaire. Mira Lyn Kelly is the USA TODAY bestselling author of more than a dozen sizzly love stories with over a million readers worldwide. Growing up in the Chicago area, she earned her degree in Fine Arts from Loyola University and met the love of her life while studying abroad in Rome, Italy… only to discover he’d been living right around the corner from her back home. Having spent her twenties working and playing in the Windy City, she’s now settled with her husband in Minnesota, where their four amazing children and two ridiculous dogs provide an excess of action and entertainment.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiraLynKelly.Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miralynkelly Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/miralynkelly Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/miralynkelly Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mira-lyn-kelly
Thanks to the author for the complimentary ARC and Give Me Books for the promotional materials. All opinions included are my own.
|
About me.Give me that HEA, please.
Join my mailing list.Want to receive a weekly email with links to my latest blog posts? Sign up below!
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|