Review: Their Second Chance - Katee Robert

When Noemi Huxley was forced to choose between love and duty…she chose duty. Two years later, the last thing she expects when she accepts the invite to attend the Thalanian royal wedding is to come face to face with her ex—or to find out he’s assigned as her security detail for the event.

Isaac Kozlov let the love of his life get away once before, and he’ll be damned before he does it a second time. He’s got three days to bring Noemi around to his way of thinking, and Isaac’s pulling out all the stops to make it happen. He’ll play dirty to convince Noemi that happily ever after doesn’t just belong in fairy tales.

THIS BOOK IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN AUDIO ON THE READ ME ROMANCE PODCAST.

Listen for FREE here:
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Website - www.readmeromance.com

Thalanian Dynasty:
Theirs for the Night (Novella)
Forever Theirs
Theirs Ever After
Their Second Chance (Free audiobook novella available via the Read Me Romance Podcast)

Visit Katee Robert's website for more information.

Review:
You can listen to this audiobook for free via the Read Me Romance Podcast or purchase the ebook from Amazon. Some of the ebooks will have extra content like an extended epilogue but I'm not sure if that's the case with this one since I've only listened to the audio version.

The only reason I actually subscribed to the Read Me Romance podcast is that I'm a big fan of Katee Robert's writing and I wanted to listen to Their Second Chance. To be honest the podcast audiobooks have been pretty hit and miss for me so I'm not sure if I'll listen to any of the others after this one but I'm glad I at least made it this far.

Noemi and Isaac were both likeable side characters in the Thalanian Dynasty trilogy so I was really pleased when I found out they were going to get their own story. It was obvious that they had chemistry but we never really saw much of their relationship in the earlier books so it was interesting to find out more about them in this story. Noemi has always put her family first so it wasn't a surprise to find out that she felt she couldn't marry a bodyguard but I'm glad she chose to ignore tradition and fight for what she really wanted in the end.

While I enjoyed Their Second Chance I have to admit I was left a little disappointed. I think these two deserved a longer story and it would have been so much more enjoyable if we'd been able to spend more time with them. We still saw very little of their past relationship, they've not been talking for 2 years and yet within hours of jumping back in bed together they're both talking marriage and happily ever afters. It didn't feel believable to me that things would move so quickly and sadly that ruined the story. As a free audiobook I suppose I can't complain too much but I definitely have no interest in reading this story again.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Fake Love - Claire Contreras

In the twenty-five years I’ve known Cory York, the only thing I didn’t fake with him were my orgasms.

In seventh grade, I faked a stomach flu to stay home and keep him company while he was sick. I ended up with a virus that kept me out of school for an entire week.

In twelfth grade I faked an injury to avoid going to prom by myself. He took pity on me, dumped his original date and escorted me to the dance where the spurned girl dumped an entire pitcher of red punch over my head.

In college, I faked being in a relationship with him to get him out of a bind with a classmate. Most recently, I faked a proposal, an engagement, and wedding date.

Between the ring on my finger and the home cooked meals every night, I fell for him. So I left, because Cory York is a good friend, but a terrible boyfriend. I had to leave before he broke my heart.

We went from best friends to silent strangers. Now that I’m back in town, he wants me to be his plus one for his cousin’s wedding. This time I’ll have to fake not loving him.

THIS BOOK IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN AUDIO ON THE READ ME ROMANCE PODCAST. Listen for FREE here:

iTunes - http://geni.us/A888vRA
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Website - www.readmeromance.com

Visit Claire Contreras' website for more information.

Review:
You can listen to this audiobook for free via the Read Me Romance Podcast or purchase the ebook from Amazon. Some of the ebooks will have extra content like an extended epilogue but I'm not sure if that's the case with this one since I've only listened to the audio version.

I have to be honest and say that the stories I've listened to in the Read Me Romance podcast have been a bit hit and miss so far so I was a bit wary going into Fake Love, especially since I've not read anything by Claire Contreras before. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised and this was my favourite of the stories I've listened to so far.

I always enjoy a good friends to lovers romance and as much as I would have liked this to have been a longer book I still liked Evelyn and Cory's story. Evelyn has known she's in love with Cory for years, they've been best friends forever but even though they faked being in a relationship to get an ex girlfriend off his back she knows Cory doesn't feel the same way about her. Moving away to school has put a lot of distance between them both physically and emotionally, especially since they had a big falling out before she left. When she comes home to visit they're thrown together at a mutual friend's wedding and Evelyn finally realises that Cory might not be so emotionally uninvolved after all.

This was quite a cute story that was very quick and easy to read. I liked both of the main characters and thought it had enough depth for a short novella, obviously there could have been more character development if it had been a full length book but for a freebie introduction to the author it did a great job and I'll definitely consider reading more of Claire Contreras' books in the future.

Source: I listened to this audiobook for free via the Read Me Romance podcast.

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Review: Renaissance Man - Tessa Bailey

A standalone novella from New York Times Bestselling Author Tessa Bailey...

The last place ex-Special forces soldier, Kyle Musgrave, expected to find himself was in a joust at a renaissance fair. There's a prize for winning, however--her name is Cameron and she's just as horrified by her medieval circumstances as Kyle. She needs his help badly to escape her would-be suitors. For Kyle, that means donning uncomfortable armor, galloping to victory on a stubborn steed and claiming a reward he never expected. If she'll have him.

THIS BOOK IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN AUDIO ON THE READ ME ROMANCE PODCAST. Listen for FREE here:

iTunes - http://geni.us/A888vRA
Google Play - http://geni.us/7lB4UBK
Website - www.readmeromance.com

Visit Tessa Bailey's website for more information.

Review:
You can listen to this audiobook for free via the Read Me Romance Podcast or purchase the ebook from Amazon which I believe comes with an extended epilogue not available via the podcast.

When Cameron agreed to spend time at the renaissance fair to get to know her stepfather she didn't realise she was agreeing to be the prize offered up for the winner of the jousting contest. That wasn't what she had in mind at all but she can't figure out a way to back out without upsetting her mother. Kyle is dragged along to the fair by his friends and isn't at all sure why he agreed to be there but when he meets Cameron and realises she's in need of rescuing he finds himself signing up to take part in the jousting contest.

The first meeting between Cameron and Kyle was great, and the start of a quite sweet romance. It's obvious that they're both attracted to each other but with this being a novella everything happens in the course of an afternoon so we're not looking at the next great love story here but they made a cute couple and I was totally on board with that.

My main issue with this story was the whole jousting contest though. If I'm reading fantasy you can throw anything at me and if your world makes sense I'll happily go along with it but when I'm reading a contemporary romance it has to feel believable. Could I get on board with Cameron and Kyle's instant attraction? Yes, easily. It's not like they were spouting words of love straight after meeting, they were attracted to each other and agreed to go on a date, something people do all the time.

What I had and issue with was the fact that Kyle, who has never been to a renaissance fair before, walked in, signed up for a jousting contest and was just instantly allowed to take part. They didn't even ask if he'd ridden a horse before, let alone whether he had experience jousting (which he didn't!). Are you seriously telling me that anyone can walk into one of these fairs and they'll let you jump on one of their horses with a big pointy stick and tell you to get on with it? Have you any idea how dangerous jousting can be? A quick internet search will tell you about broken bones, punctured lungs, even death! Can you imagine the cost of the insurance for these events if they just let anyone walk in and take part completely untrained?

I know I'm making a big deal out of something that won't bother most people but I just hate it when a contemporary story doesn't feel realistic. If he'd been an amateur jouster who was already taking part in the contest before they met then I could have sat back and enjoyed the ride but that ruined the whole experience for me because I kept waiting for him to lose an eyeball to a wooden splinter! It just felt like sloppy writing in my opinion but your mileage may vary.

Source: I listened to this audiobook for free via the Read Me Romance podcast.

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