Romance Roundup: April Edition
Welcome to a new segment on my blog called “Romance Roundup”! I love romance novels so much so I thought it would be fun to incorporate this segment into my blog. In this segment I will roundup and review 3-4 romance novels that I’ve read recently.This segment will be monthly/bi-monthly depending on my reading schedule, but I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Love On My Mind
Synopsis: Successful PR executive Chelsea Grant is one assignment away from making partner at her firm and nothing will stand in her way. Her big break? Turn a reclusive computer genius into a media darling in time for his new product launch. He may have been dubbed the “sexiest geek alive” but he has no patience for the press—and it shows. Piece of cake, right? Only problem is… his company doesn’t want him to know they hired her.
After a disastrous product launch two years ago, tech CEO Adam Bennett knows the success of his new device depends on the media’s support. When a twist of fate brings the beautiful PR specialist to his door, Adam hires Chelsea to help turn his image around. Their attraction is undeniable and the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep things professional.
But when Adam discovers Chelsea’s deception, will she risk everything for her career or is love the real thing on her mind? (description from Goodreads)
Review: Love on My Mind is such cute and well written interracial contemporary romance! The story follows PR Executive, Chelsea and a CEO of computer company, Adam that team up in order to prepare him for the media promotion of his new product launch. Through the process of working through the product launch they learn about more each other and help each other to work through their past problems. And as with all romance novels, what starts out as an initial attraction turns into full-blown love.
Livesay’s writing flows so well and keeps the reader engrossed in the story. The male lead has Asperger’s, based off the author’s experience with her son’s asperger’s, and I really appreciated this since I haven’t read too many characters such as this in romance (and other genres). The story is character based and romance is sweet and steamy at the same time. The story is predictable at a couple of points in the story but I love “happily ever after” romance novels where the characters and story feel flushed out
Final Verdict:
I will definitely read more of Livesay’s books.
Finding Fraser
Synopsis: Sometimes searching for true love can be a little…Outlandish.
I met Jamie Fraser when I was nineteen years old. He was tall, red-headed, and at our first meeting at least, a virgin. I fell in love hard, fast and completely. He knew how to ride a horse, wield a sword and stitch a wound. He was, in fact, the perfect man.
That he was fictional hardly entered into it.
At 29, Emma Sheridan’s life is a disaster and she’s tired of waiting for the perfect boyfriend to step from the pages of her favorite book. There’s only one place to look, and it means selling everything and leaving her world behind. With an unexpected collection of allies along the way, can Emma face down a naked fishmonger, a randy gnome, a perfidious thief, and even her own abdominal muscles on the journey to find her Fraser? (description from Goodreads)
Review: Finding Fraser was a book I was really excited about (I’m a huge fan of Outlander), but ultimately I was let down in the end. The main protagonist, Emma, sets off on a journey to Scotland to find her “Jamie Fraser” only to have an adventure full of unfortunate events. Emma does some pretty stupid stuff throughout the book and lacks basic travel safety and common sense, She runs out of money, ends up stranded in Scotland, and even gets pickpocketed; all events that could have been avoided. Her sister (my least favorite) is a constant rainbow crusher even though she’s giving Emma practical advice. Instead of being supportive when Emma loses all of her money she still continues to berate her and tell her how un-accomplished she is.
The plot redeems itself in the second half, but the plot ends up being too predictable. The writing was so choppy in the first half that I almost DNF’d the book a quarter way into the book because plot moves so slow in the beginning. I did, however like the half-blog/half-narrative style, but the lack of character development is what the novel suffered from.
Final Verdict:
As an Outlander fan I was so disappointed by this book. I’d skip it!
Unwanted Girl
Synopsis: Recovering addict Nick Dorsey finds solace in his regimented life. That is until he meets Shyla Metha. Something about the shy Indian beauty who delivers take-out to his Greenwich Village loft inspires the reclusive writer. And when Shyla reveals her desire to write a book of her own, he agrees to help her. The tale of a young Indian girl growing up against a landscape of brutal choices isn’t Nick’s usual territory, but something about the story, and the beautiful storyteller, draws him in deep.
Shyla is drawn to Nick, but she never imagines falling for him. Like Nick, Shyla hails from a village, too…a rural village in India. They have nothing in common, yet he makes her feel alive for the first time in her life. She is not ready for their journey to end, but the plans she’s made cannot be broken…not even by him. Can they find a way to rewrite the next chapter? (description from Goodreads)
Review: Unwanted Girl has a book written within a book. Every other chapter alternates between Shayla’s (one of the main characters) story and the other chapters take place in our world. The story follows two people, Nick and Shayla, who come from different backgrounds and they team up to write a novel together.
The story is steeped in Indian culture, an exposed me to cultural customs that I wasn’t aware before I read this book. While this is a romance novel I liked that it touched on serious issues such as race and gendercide (trigger warnings!). It’s nice to see books that don’t romanticize serious issues, but manages to open up a discussion for its readers.
I felt the overall plot progression was very smooth and I like how the two leads developed over the course of the plot. Nick a recovering addict/ loner becomes more open to love and people (in general). Working on Shayla’s novel and through his past with Shayla also helps him to sort out his issues and get rid of his writer’s block. Shayla is a charitable, kind, and hardworking woman becomes more confident in her writing skills and herself, while falling in love. And a added bonus was the plot twist that was thrown in during the latter half of the book.
Final Verdict:
A well written book with characters I really enjoyed.
What romance novels have you read lately? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. If you have any recommendations feel free (particularly #ownvoices novels)to share those as well. 🙂
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links!
If you like romance, you need to read Julie James’s books! They are so awesome. She’s one of the very few contemporary romance authors I like.
Thanks for the rec Carolyn! I haven’t read any of her books, so I’ll have to check them out!
Ooh, I love this new feature! I’ll definitely be adding Livesay to my romance novel list, and I’m looking forward to more installments!
Thank you! 🙂