Bookish Bluebird: humor

Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Review: ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID by Cindi Madsen

Title: Always a Bridesmaid

Author: Cindi Madsen

Violet Abrams may have have been a bridesmaid no less than seven times, but her wedding day was near—she could feel it. Until her longtime boyfriend left her for someone else. That's just fine—she has her photography and a new project redesigning her sister's bakery to keep her happy and fulfilled. Fast-forward to the day of his wedding, though, when Violet might have accidentally, totally not on purpose, started a fire. Worst day ever.

Firefighter Ford Maguire thought he'd seen it all. Until he's called out because someone tried to set the local bakery on fire... with a wedding magazine? The little arsonist might be the cutest woman he's ever seen, but he's too career-focused to consider something serious. Still, Violet seems like a great person to help him navigate his upcoming "man of honor" duties in his best friend's wedding.

Pretty soon, not only is Violet giving him lessons on all things weddings, she's helping him train his latest rescue-dog recruit puppies and weaving her way seamlessly into his lone-wold lifestyle. But forever is the last thin on Ford's mind, and if there's one thing a perpetual bridesmaid knows, it's the importance of a happily ever after.

"Life's too short. The longer you take to start living it,

the more regrets you'll end up with."

Always a Bridesmaid was my first Cindi Madsen book and I am now a BIG fan! This novel brought on all the feels and reignited my love for small town romances. In short, I absolutely loved this fun and heart-warming read. This book skyrocketed up to the top of my favorite reads of 2020. I have the paperback on order and there is a reread in the very near future for me. I need to sticky note all my favorite scenes after all, and there were many. Always a Bridesmaid was sweet. It was adorable, and it was sexy. My heart fluttered and ached as Violet and Ford's relationship grew.

Review: BLURRED LINES by Lauren Layne

Title: Blurred Lines

Author: Lauren Layne
Love Unexpectedly #1
Publisher: Loveswept

Publication Date: August 25, 2015

When Parker Blanton meets Ben Olsen during her freshman year of college, the connection is immediate—and platonic. Six years later, they're still best friends, sharing an apartment in Portland's trendy Northwest District as they happily settle into adult life. But when Parker's boyfriend dumps her out of the blue, she starts to wonder about Ben's no-strings-attached approach to dating. The trouble is, even with Ben as her wingman, Parker can't seem to get the hang of casual sex—until she tries it with him.

The arrangement works perfectly . . . at first. The sex is mind-blowing, and their friendship remains as solid as ever, without any of the usual messy romantic entanglements. But when Parker's ex decides he wants her back, Ben is shocked by a fierce stab of possessiveness. And when Ben starts seeing a girl from work, Parker finds herself plagued by unfamiliar jealousy. With their friendship on the rocks for the first time, Parker and Ben face an alarming truth: Maybe they can't go back. And maybe, deep down, they never want to.

"Guys and girls can't be just friends. Or not best friends, anyway. Shit gets too complicated."

I love friends to lovers books and this one by Lauren Layne was so good! I loved Parker. I loved Ben. Their dynamic was stellar. I loved that even though Ben enjoys going out and meeting women, he'll cancel all plans to be there for his best friend when he thought she needed him. They had me laughing at their silliness. I cried. When you know how perfect two characters are together, the feels are overwhelming

Review: BUTTERFLY DREAMS by A. Meredith Walters

Title: Butterfly Dreams

Author: A. Meredith Walters
Standalone
Publisher: Loveswept

Publication Date: November 24, 2015

She's waiting to die... Corin Thompson is paralyzed by her obsession with mortality. Having lost both of her parents, she is terrified by the idea that she too will die young, and she loses control at any sign of illness. But when Corin connects with someone who has survived a very real brush with death, she begins to see the world in a whole new way.

He's learning to live... As Corin struggles under the weight of her neuroses, Beckett Kingsley is attempting to rebuild a life that feels all too temporary. With the ever-present threat of heart failure never far from his mind, he just wants to make the most of whatever time he has left. And that means pursuing the girl he never expected to find.

Together, Corin and Beckett finally learn to let go of their fears and take solace in everyday pleasures. Who knows what the future holds? After all, nothing lasts forever—the only promise they have is right now.

"Stop thinking about your life in increments. Seconds. Minutes. Days.

Look at the bigger picture and embrace whatever time you have."

Let's start with the cover because, you know I'm a sucker for the pretty ones. I love the blue and purple (my fave colors!), and that gorgeous font. The cover has a kind of hazy, dream-like feel to it that I find reflects the story well. I really, really enjoyed this book! Butterfly Dreams left me wanting to run outside to soak in the sun—happy to just be. It's inspiring and heart-warming. I wasn't the biggest fan of Corin but man, oh man, did I fall head over heels for Beckett.

Review: UPSIDE DOWN by Lia Riley

Title: Upside Down

Author: Lia Riley

Publication Date: August 5, 2014

Off The Map #1

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying good-bye to the past-and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she'll act like a carefree exchange student, not a girl sinking under the weight of painful memories. Everything is going according to plan until she meets a brooding surfer with hypnotic green eyes and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he moved back home to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He's never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once in a lifetime . . . or if they were meant to live a world apart.

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"Leaving is the only way to move forward. If I never get lost, I'll never be found."

Witty and heart-warming. Talia and Bran pulled at my heart strings. From the moment they met, I had an inkling that they'd have me grinning and giggling (which they did). It was instant chemistry between the two. I really enjoyed how their relationship grew. But there were many times where I wanted to shake either characters, I must admit. Both Talia and Bran are flawed, but it's how they owned up to their mistakes that made me root for them even harder.

Review: SCORING WILDER by R.S. Grey

Title: Scoring Wilder

Author: R.S. Grey

Standalone
Publication Date: June 15, 2014
| +Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes&Noble |

What started out as a joke—seduce Coach Wilder—soon became a goal she had to score.

With Olympic tryouts on the horizon, the last thing nineteen-year-old Kinsley Bryant needs to add to her plate is Liam wilder. He's a professional soccer player, America's favorite bad-boy, and has all the qualities of a skilled panty-dropper.

A face that makes girls week - check.
Abs that can shred Parmesan cheese (the expensive kind) - check.
Enough confidence to shift the earth's gravitational pull - double check.

Not to mention Liam is strictly off limits. Forbidden. Her coaches have made that perfectly clear. (i.e. "Score with Coach Wilder anywhere other than the field and you'll be cut from the team faster than you can count his tattoos.") But that just makes him all the more enticing...Besides, Kinsley's already counted the visible ones, and she is not one to leave a project unfinished.

Kinsley tries to play the game her way as they navigate through forbidden territory, but Liam is determined to teach her a whole new definition for the term "team bonding."

A fun & sexy New Adult Romance (age 17+)

| Goodreads | Facebook | Pinterest |

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"She believed she could, so she did."

Scoring Wilder was an amusing and fun read. There just wasn't as much depth to the story and characters as I would've liked. It was incredibly cute though. And I did think that R.S. Grey did a wonderful job writing realistic first-year university students with how they speak and act. Most times, I imagine these stories are set in some alternate universe but for Scoring Wilder, I could definitely see myself bumping into these characters on the street, like they were written as part of my world. It was probably due to all the movie and celebrity references, which I absolutely loved (that Harry Potter themed hazing was very creative lol)!

Kinsley's dream is to play in the Olympics. A rising soccer-star, she enrolled into her first year of university where she plays first-string for the ULA women's soccer team. She quickly becomes best friends with two of her teammates, Becca and Emily. They made for some hilarious dialogue (especially Becca)! Kinsley was sarcastic and driven. Her inner monologues had me giggling. After having been cheated on by two boyfriends, she wants nothing more than to focus on improving her soccer skills. That is, until Liam Wilder steps in as the assistant coach.

I wasn't a fan of Kinsley's but I was cheering and swooning over Liam like a mad woman (I have a weakness for soccer players). It was instant attraction between the two but both are hesitant to start any sort of relationship besides coach and player. Plus, there's a no fraternizing rule that the head coach made. Liam was charming and funny. And his gigantic sweet tooth was endearing. It didn't take long for them to give in to their attraction though.

"Kinsley: What if there are photographers?
Liam: I'll make sure there aren't any.
Kinsley: Did you just make me an accomplice in their murders?
Liam: My bad. Delete this text."

I really enjoyed their scenes together but I would have loved it had I known why they were so into each other. Yes, they both play soccer. And yes, they both kick-ass at it. But what else? When their relationship was at risk, Kinsley pretty much ran away. To be honest, I wanted her to grovel some more before Liam took her back. Once they were officially together, the sweetness and cheesiness was great and I was back to loving them.

Oh, I musn't forget about Tara, ULA women's soccer team captain. She's the villain of this story. I actually thought she felt threatened by Kinsley in terms of her soccer skills. Tara was always focusing her bullying on Kinsley and her friends. It only got worse when Liam took an interest in Kinsley. Turns out Tara had a thing for Liam but he turned her down. She frustrated and annoyed me to no end.

Overall, if you're just looking for a book that's light with some steam and tons of laugh out loud moments, I'd give this one a shot.

"I'd say I like you more than regular M&Ms, but you're going to have to really step it up
if you want to beat out peanut M&Ms."

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Becca

She was a fantastic secondary character!

I actually liked her much more than Kinsley.

Funny, loud and outgoing.

I especially loved that you got to read about her blooming romance with Penn.

Drive-in movie

"I hate not being able to take you on real dates, so I wanted to make it special,"

he admitted, then followed with, "I also just really like candy."

I need a Liam Wilder in my life, period.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Review: HOW TO KILL YOUR BOSS by Krissy Daniels

Title: How to Kill Your Boss - An Erotic Love Story

Author: Krissy Daniels

When Tatum's daydreams of murder become reality, all fingers point to her.

In Tatum Wood's opinion, murdering her boss on a daily basis within the safety of her thoughts is better than therapy. Until he takes a swan dive off a building and all evidence points to her. Thank goodness she has Franklin Reed. Her mysterious, overprotective and drop-dead gorgeous coworker is all too eager to play hero. With two attacks in her building and her stalker with a penchant for roses, Franklin's injection into her life couldn't have come at a better time.

As Tatum and Franklin scramble to discover who's behind the murder, secrets are unearthed that question his motives...as well as his identity.

**A complimentary copy was kindly provided by author Krissy Daniels via The Book Nuts in exchange for an honest review**

“I protect what's mine. At any cost.”

How To Kill Your Boss was humorous, suspenseful and HOT! The heroine, Tatum, works at a PI investigations firm that was once owned by her father but eventually given to Wallace Cruse, the star of her fantasies. Not her sexual fantasies mind you, she dreams about killing him. When Mr. Cruse winds up dead, all evidence points to her.

The story was told solely in Tate's pov. I loved Tate! She had sass and a backbone. She often said whatever was on her mind without filter and she didn't take crap from anyone, not even our hero Franklin when he calls her 'baby'. I enjoyed reading the fantasy murder schemes, though I found them amusing at the beginning it started feeling redundant after the first four.

“I want you consumed, mind, body, and spirit with want for me, for us.”

Franklin Reed (isn't that an awesome name?) I liked him. He was the new guy at work that Tate got along with and instantly became friends. They had major chemistry. I had suspicions early on about who he really was, though there were times I actually thought he was the bad guy haha. He's incredibly protective of Tate, bordering on extreme even. Why he is the way he is though becomes clear as the novel progresses and my heart melted during that scene.

“Love me, hate me. I don't fucking care. Just be with me.”

I thought the relationship developed a tad too quickly but it may have just felt that way because of the two month time leap after their first introduction. I wouldn't have mind the story being a little longer just so I could see how they started off and connected!

The mystery and intrigue aspect was wonderful and kept me guessing the who and why. I was glad that, for an erotic story, a lot of the novel was plot development rather than constant mindless sex scenes. But let me tell you, those sex scenes were incredibly steamy! *fans self* Overall, a fantastic and unique read!

“You’ll never be alone. Even when you can’t see or touch me. I’ll be there, keeping you safe.”

Extras: Character Casting

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Review: ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID by Cindi Madsen

Friday, May 19, 2017

Review: BLURRED LINES by Lauren Layne

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Review: BUTTERFLY DREAMS by A. Meredith Walters

Friday, October 30, 2015

Review: UPSIDE DOWN by Lia Riley

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Review: SCORING WILDER by R.S. Grey

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Review: HOW TO KILL YOUR BOSS by Krissy Daniels