Barbara Rachel's Reviews

Love and Other Risky Business by Sarah Brenton My rating: 4 of 5 stars A stunt man and seamstress consider taking their friendship to the next level in this romantic comedy. The male MC is bisexual, and does represent that clearly, not as a work in which I feel I am seeing over done in contemporary romcoms lately. In addition to friends to lovers, we have forced proximity. This story was interesting as disaster strikes fairly early in the plot and I was wondering where we would go from there but it kept a great pace and storyline throughout. I was not wild about the MC best friend. He was kind of annoying. But that's okay, I don't have to like everyone. I loved the mother of the male MC -- she was by far my favorite character and the only one that felt truly ship-worthy. But overall, really enjoyed it, it took some original plot twists and turns. This was steamy, so if explicit intimacy is not your thing -- not for you. Thank you so mu...

Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey My rating: 5 of 5 stars Loved. View all my reviews Loved. Like a spicy Taming of the Shrew. Tessa Bailey has my attention, that is for sure.

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey My rating: 4 of 5 stars A second grade teacher takes a vacation at the beach with her brother and there is a dead body in their rental. Enter a bounty hunter who is ex-police and some fairly primal chemistry between teacher and hunter and a mystery to be solved in the background… I really enjoyed this. Read it in a day and a half. It was funny, very very spicy - as expected from Tessa Bailey.  Okay so this book seems to have Bailey’s fans divided. I was actually surprised by some of the negative reviews. To me it was just a Tessa Bailey with some Ali Hazelwood elements thrown in - without the STEM. Some people found the age gap and class difference “cringe.” Whatever - it was fun to read a romcom mystery. I enjoyed it. So I guess if you don’t want your goodie-two-shoes teacher attracted to danger and you want your male lead clean cut and not 9 years older than your female lead - don’t read this book. Or be prepared to ...

Midnight Mayhem by Savannah Lee My rating: 4 of 5 stars My favorite part of  this book (and the series) — hands down —  is the lead character. And what I enjoyed most about Rowan was her sass — she has spirit and a never say die attitude —even when it is not the smartest move to be that way. Her loyalty, wit and fierce love for her friends and her mate were among the best parts of this series to me.  The relationship between her and her mate, was something that developed throughout the series that I thought was really well written. Rowan is rough around the edges and needs this (sometimes) grounding and opposing force that she finds in her mate.  More so than in the first 2 books I felt that some of the dialogue between the characters was rather clipped. But other than that I loved the book and the series. It will be missed. Extra star for world building and creativity. It was an awesome journey. Note, I did receive this ARC...

  Olivia Taylor returns home to the Hamptons to sell off her family home and take stock of her life after finding out her husband was having an affair. And of course the one that got away is front and center in her home town . This was book was delightful! Embarrassing side note - I was 60% in when I realized this was a Persuassion retelling. It was so richly developed and stretched the formula so much I was not convinced how it would work out for our heroine until the end, even knowing Persuassion well. Summer After Summer was incredibly satisfying: engrossing plot lines, very spicy romance and characters with depth and layers. I absolutely enjoyed this book and could not put it down. I look forward to see what the author produces next. Please note, I did receive this ARC for free; I am writing this honest review voluntarily ⏰ I read it in a week 🌶️🌶️🌶️ The intimacy scenes are very spicy. Nothing over the top, by my standards, but I will not be recommendinnng this to my young ...

Beach Read by Emily Henry My rating: 5 of 5 stars So I had to give this one 5 stars. Emily Henry, once again, wrote a book that blew me away.  I love a romance, and I love a hard won romance at that: whether it is that the characters have to overcome obstacles around them or those within, I am drawn to tales of angst - love that is not easy.  So this book has the forced proximity and opposites attract tropes, but it is so much more than that. Devastated by events beyond their control, the main characters are forced, as we all are, to look the truth about trusting another person head on - that it is fraught with uncertainty - and either take the leap, or not. Speaking for myself, I am one of those that would rather have a sure thing, but have enough in my past, like our male MC, that makes me wary of having faith in anyone. Ever.  So this book was a complete rollercoaster for me and I was here for every second of it. If I could su...