Review: The Fine Print by Lauren Asher (Dreamland billionaires #1)

The Fine Print by Lauren Asher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my first Lauren Asher book. The Fine Print and dreamland billionaire series is set in a pseudo like setting of a disneyworld empire in Orlando. I don’t want to give the plot away but the stakes are high in terms of whose gonna manage the dreamland name and parks. But much more than that you have a story centered around two broken characters that have to fight past trauma, a guarded heart and the pursuit of love over money.

The main characters are Rowan and Zahra in the 1st series of the dreamland billionaires. First off, I think it’s great that the author chose a interracial couple and gave each character a rich and in depth background. While Zahra is the more empathetic, kind and humanitarian type of heroine… Rowan is the more stoic handsome rich boy who struggles with identity and self acceptance. And boy do they complement each other well because they are opposites.

The winning factor in this book is that the protagonists, while seemingly broken, help each other out to balance what’s lacking in each other in order to achieve fulfillment and self realization. So, ultimately, this is a story of healing, with many steamy scenes in the mix. Also, if you like the sunshine and grumpy trope, with a shorter girl and very tall sexy male lead trope, this is the book for you. The story is also told in both of their point of views and the writing is very fluid and easy to get into. 5 out of 5 rating for me.



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Review: Hard Trigger by S.L. Hannah

Hard Trigger: A Rogue Romance by S L Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First of all, I have to say that this book was such a surprise and completely explosive. There is an underlying raw energy throughout the story that refuses to be ignored.

The writing! I seriously don't understand how Hannah does it, but her writing just sucks you in. It is so easy to get lost in her stories. There isn't any rereading of the first paragraph, due to awkwardness. You are automatically pulled in from the first sentence with effortless writing that is straight to the point, but sophisticated. I also love that this book is not lengthy at all but manages to take on a lot of complex themes, from revenge to corrupt business practices, to murder plots and the most difficult, yet universal sentiment of all, which is love. To be specific, romantic love.

Now moving on to the characters. Victoria, the female lead, and Diego, the male lead in this story, are incredibly strong and unapologetic characters. Victoria is like a young female James Bond who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She had a mysterious air to her. I like that she was interested in aviation and that she was a woman who did not deny herself any romantic passion. She had a layered background in terms of her nationality and family life. And Diego, Victoria's love interest, just oozed power and intelligence and had an insatiable passion for Victoria, making them the perfect match.

What makes this book special is that Victoria, the main character in this book, is not the typical heroine with a heart of gold. She does things that are shocking and that to some might even seem unforgivable, but still manages to make the reader root for her success. And despite some of the untraditional things she does compared to most female leads, she doesn't wallow in self pity or remorse or waits to be rescued. She goes for what she wants with an unwavering determination.

Besides the characters, I love the international settings that this book takes place in. The reader literally feels like they are on a risky ride around the world that has constant action and danger lurking around the corner. Victoria is originally from South Africa, while Diego, her love interest, came from a prominent family in Mexico. Together they make a very fiery and complicated and passionate couple. And if you add a certain underlying rivalry between their families, you have a really strong and intricate dynamic between them.

Any reader of Hannah can tell you, that as an author she doesn't shy away from taboo or strong topics. This book is intense from start to finish and the romance is fire! The energy is raw and sensous and insatiable between Victoria and Diego. So, I feel like this book is for anyone who likes an intense and untraditional romance.

The background and subplots in this book were like a mix of the series, Queen of the South/Reina del Sur and James Bond with a mix of Mr and Mrs Smith energy. I honestly felt like I could imagine everything I was reading as a film in my head.

Huge Kudos to Hannah, who really did her research in terms of the countries and nationalities that were mentioned. The hint of Spanish phrases in the book was a really nice touch. And as a Latina myself, I felt an authenticity to the characters and places and situations I was reading.

If you are not faint of heart and want to dive into a little danger and a passionate story, this book is perfect for you. I'd recommend it to people who like action films, strong female characters, and intense and complex romances like that of J.A. Redmerski's 'In the Company of Killers' to name an example.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.



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Review: Roomies by Christina Lauren

Roomies by Christina Lauren
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Roomies is an incredibly easy book to get into. The writing is good, it's engaging and very modern. You almost feel like this book is an on going conversation you are having with a friend about events in your life. It is relatable and realistic.

The main character, Holland, is a struggling writer who develops a crush on a busker. She grows a lot within the book, it takes her a lot to realize what she needs to do in life and whom she loves but she slowly gets there. The male lead in this book, Calvin, is a busker/musician, struggling to hit it big in NYC despite having immense talent.

This book is basically a story of a marriage of convenience where the main characters go from strangers, to friends, to lovers. There's a lot of highs and lows in their journey but they manage to fall in love.

The aspects of this book that I loved the most is that it was an NA contemporary romance where the female lead had a strong presence of family in her life. She wasn't isolated and figuring things out alone, her uncle and his husband were strong and supportive figures in her life with a lot of dimension to them.

I also liked that there wasn't Insta love in this book where the main characters just had this irresistible pull to each other out of the blue. Because Insta love is a cheap way to write a romance and a bit unrealistic.

I felt that this book ran on the theme of having to learn to be brutally honest with yourself in order to find your happiness. Also to not let anyone put you second place in your life and to be the protagonist of your own life journey and not let others influence you.

And last but not least, I liked that this book touched on having toxic friendships. Where you think the person is nice, but you realize that they're not, that they're envious and not truly as supportiveas they should be. And the need to cut that off.

The only reason this book doesn't get a perfect rating is that there were times where instead of being endeared to Holland's struggle to find her identity, you get annoyed because shes pushing it in the naiveté department. Also, at times where the language between both characters should have been more romantic, they chose to make it more crass for the sake of making the book realistic and modern.

The other thing that I didn't like were some dream sequences that were awkwardly written in to add steam to the story but actually felt like they were happening and like the tension between the characters was broken into before it needed to be broken into. not a fan.

but overall, this is a good book. I liked it.

I give it a 3.5/5 rating.





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Review: The Gamble (Colorado Mountain #1) by Kristen Ashley

The Gamble by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How do I even start this review? I don't know. This book swept me off my feet. Several people had recommended Kristen Ashley to me so I decided to take a gamble on one of her books and I lucked out because THE GAMBLE was amazing.

It's no joke when people call Kristen Ashley one of the queens of romance because 'The Gamble' had it all. An outstanding heroine in search of herself. A tough mountain man with a mouth on him and sex appeal by the bucket loads. A full cast of charming characters with it's hidden villains in the mix. And the best part of this book is that the characters are incredibly layered and there was suspense and not a boring moment. So even though 'The Gamble' is a long read, it doesn't ever worn you out because there is never a dull moment.

My favorite aspect of this book is that both Nina and Max, the main characters in this story, kinda thought they had seen the best to offer in life without realizing that the best was yet to come when they met each other. Their relationship went from being rocky, to funny, to sweet and then to intense, it seems like in no time. They went through all the phases that a couple could face until they realized that they had to be together or else life wouldn't be the same.

I think what makes this book special is how drastically different Nina and Max are from each other yet how their differences balance them out and create magic. Nina comes from England to a small town in Colorado to get away and get her thoughts sorted out. She is sophisticated, classy, strong willed and thoughtful and then meets Max. Max, is a alpha macho mountain man in Colorado who is a full out guys guy who likes beer, cussing, his land, and secretly was the biggest softie ever. I don't think Max ever thought he could fall for someone like Nina but he does and it was great to read about.

Not only is Nina hiding a lot of vulnerability, but as tough as mountain man Max is, he too, has been through so much, and takes a huge gamble on Nina when he falls for her. But what's awesome is that there are moments that Nina tries to walk away from him because of the newness and fear of this relationship with Max, but he never lets her get away. He knows what he wants and he makes her see it too and face the reality of what they have.

Max and Nina now take a place in my reading heart as one of my all time fave couples. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series and read about the rest of Kristen Ashley's famous alpha men. Ladies who told me to read this book, you were right, they are the best!


My rating: 5/5


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Review: Point of No Return by Olivia Luck

Point of No Return by Olivia Luck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Favorite quote from this book:
"That's what falling in love is, I guess. Hurling yourself at the unknown, unsure if a safety net will catch your fall. The thing is, if you don't fall, you're souring. The chance to soar with Violet is way worth the risk of the unknown."

Let me start this review by saying that this is my first book that I have read set in the hockey world and I was not disappointed. On the surface, this book looks like the classic, player type of guy who finds a really sweet girl to finally make him a 'one woman' type of man. And it is that in a sense, but it also is so much more. This book is about finding your voice in the world, finding meaning and overcoming grief.


The character development in this book is amazing. The two main characters, Violet and Cam, go through SO much growth. Violet has the challenge of overcoming the death of her husband and her strict religious upbringing. Cam, the male lead, has the challenge of learning to overcome his 'love and leave them' type of attitude with women to become the type of man who is devoted to one type of woman, in this case, Violet. The fact that Cameron is a famous hockey player who looks like a male model, doesn't help him in his quest so much because women are always flocking to him because of his fame and athletic status.


My favorite aspect of this book is that there is no insta love here. Cam does spot out Violet early on but at the time she is with someone else and goes through this whole ordeal with her husband who passes away. Because of that Violet has, like, a wall up, it takes her a long time to open herself up to the thought of love. Widow's guilt is what she suffers through and I have never read a book about a young woman becoming a widow and the grieving process and this book did it well. I could feel Violet's trepidation to say yes to Cameron. And though Cameron is an alpha male, he becomes the most patient, caring and sweetest guy with Violet. He respects her SO much and that was great to read about. A man that has pure admiration for a woman who is trying her best to survive the tragedies of life.


I loved that this book had great secondary characters. From Violet's straightforward gay best friend, Felix, to her other bestie, Stella, they were all such well developed characters in their own right. I loved Ben, who was the cousin of Violet's deceased husband, who had down syndrome but was such a fully fleshed out character rather than a caricature of someone with disability. Even down to the characters who were not the greatest of people, this book had great characterization.


My favorite character in this book was Cameron. Totally new book boyfriend material. So protective, so sexy, so everything. Seeing his process of growth was awesome. He really learned with Violet that he could find Miss Right. I also thought it was so funny how he had to fight his sexual thoughts with Violet. This poor man, suffered. He was SO into her in always, but because she was a widow, trying to find her own place in the world, he had to be patient. But when they finally do hook up, HELLO. Cam drops the sweet side and becomes the purest of Alpha males and let's his inner desires flow to the surface. He definitely became the type of man who take the wheel.

Lastly, a really great aspect of this book is that it shows the reader that they must have patience in life and that even when they do fall in love, they can't forget to pursue their dreams and goals. Because YES Violet and Cameron develop feelings for one another and had a rocky journey to find their way back to eachother, but they don't get lost in that. Violet pursues her goals as an event planner, while Cameron stays focused on his career as a goalie on a hockey team.


Overall, this was a really great read. I think there will be a book about Violet's sister, who also has the challenge of overcoming her strict upbringing and facing love, sexuality and life in the big city of Chicago.


My rating: 4.5/5

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