Romance Roundup: June

Welcome to “Romance Roundup” where I share mini-reviews of 3 to 4 romance novels I’ve recently read. This month’s edition includes a story about a cruise ship romance, an upcoming baseball star, and an anthology of cute love stories.

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For Vacation Only by Mila Nicks (2021)

When wealthy Blake Mulligan gets jilted at the altar, he breaks free of his ‘predictable’ reputation by going on the honeymoon cruise anyway—without his snobby, socialite fiancée. For the next fourteen days he hopes to escape reality and pretend he hasn’t suffered the humiliation of a lifetime. The last thing he expects is to meet beautiful songstress Jubilee Collazo with her honey-sweet voice.

Jubilee is talented and passionate and doesn’t just march to the beat of her own drum—she dances to it. While she longs to do more than croon cover songs from a cruise ship stage, she enjoys seeing the world. Her love of travel makes her the perfect person to show Blake around each exotic stop of the Mediterranean cruise.

What starts out as a simple tour guide arrangement, quickly grows into something more. Despite their different backgrounds, Blake and Jubilee discover an incredible connection they never imagined possible. But as their final destination approaches, so does reality. Like points on a compass, their lives seem to be charted in opposite directions—his to the Hamptons and high-society, and hers back out across the rolling seas. Can anything short of a perfect storm keep these two lovebirds together?

Review: If you are looking for the quintessential beach read then For Vacation Only fits that category. It’s cute, fun, and romance-filled as it whisks readers on an idyllic vacation cruise to far off place. From the various locations of Barcelona and Greece to relaxing on the deck of the cruise ship, this novel was so entertaining. It’s a comfort read that offers a little bit of escape from the daily grind.

I enjoyed watching Julibee’s and Blake’s relationship progress over the course of the story. They come from two different worlds but somehow the magic of the cruise brings them together. The detailed settings were highly immersive and gives readers a lavish vacation!

Final Verdict:

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The Changeup by Nicole Falls (2019)

For the entirety of her life Geffri Robinson has known that being a girl who plays baseball was a novelty. At some point, however, the novelty wore off and she stepped away from playing the sport until a chance exhibition places her at the center of attention once again. With the spotlight shining brightly upon her, Geffri finds herself with an amazing opportunity within her grasp that’s she’s eager to take.

But with all great success comes the trolls—enter Noah Fence, a sports blogger who’s a little too opinionated about how excellent Geffri really is and challenges her to a competition to prove his superiority. Between Noah’s challenge and the opportunity placed before her, Geffri’s calm summer escalates into a whirlwind season of dreams fulfilled.

Review: I usually don’t read Sports Romances but this book caught my eye with the cove and synopsis. A blend of contemporary fiction and romance, the story follows Geffri who is a baseball player trying to get back into the game. When presented with a new opportunity she grabs at the chance and ends up butting heads with a charming Sports blogger and sparks instantly fly. This novel was short and very spicy (romance-wise). Most of the story bounces back and forth between her Summer on and off the field.

I loved seeing Geffri and her representation as a Black female baseball player. It was so rewarding to see in this novel. I thought the quick banter between the leads and supporting characters was entertaining. Seeing the special bond between her and her dad was very endearing. I did feel the pacing was a bit off and sometimes the story feel flat. Not sure I’ll continue with the rest of the series but I’d like to read more from this author.

Final Verdict:

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You Could Be the One by Ana Tejano (2017)

Experience the spark of discovering something new with someone familiar in You Could Be the One, a collection of stories about friends, lovers, and friends becoming lovers. Complications abound when the line between platonic and romantic gets blurred, but they did say that friendship is the foundation of a great love story. Will you take the risk for a relationship upgrade?

Review: I’ve had this book forever in my Kindle TBR and thoroughly enjoyed this cute anthology of stories. All stories follow a friends-to-lovers theme and each story leaves an open ending since the characters are features in Tejano’s other books. This is great if you want to read more of the stories universe. I think my favorite story in this collection is Bottleneck which is a story about two college friends and one of them having a long-time crush. It was adorable and the story really stood out to me.

If you like anthologies, this romance collection will appeal to you. It’s very lighthearted and the romance as a whole is sweet and swoon-worthy. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Final Verdict:

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What romance novels have you read lately? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. If you have any recommendations feel free to share those as well.