Mini-reviews of New Adult and Romance novels that I enjoyed
[Publisher: Metal Blonde Books | Pub. Date: 2/16/2015 | Genre: Romantic Suspense]Dirty Angels is a spin-off of Halle's The Artist Trilogy series and each book can technically be a standalone. The first focused on Javier Bernal, a domineering drug crime lord who has done a lot of horrible things. He's a fascinating character but did I necessarily root for him? Not so much. In Dirty Deeds, we get to learn about one of his former mercenaries, Derek Conway. Last time we saw him, he was helping out who I considered to be the "good guys" and I was excited to hear his story. He's an ex-soldier, totally ripped, definitely an alpha male and protects what he cares about. Or rather, who. In this case, it's Alana Bernal (yes, sister of Javier!). Except it was never his plan to fall for her. She's a feisty, free spirit who's also carrying a lot of baggage from her messed-up family and mostly looking for fun and maybe a little bit of love too. When they cross paths, they have a hot weekend together but neither wants it to become more, especially as their secret pasts (and someone who's trying to kill them both) threaten to destroy what's between them. If you're in the mood for steamy romance, thrown in with suspense and action, this is for you.
Another sequel I thought was better than the first! Again, these can be read as standalones but in this case, I do recommend reading them in order. The leading man here is Alessandro Moretti (who was a part of the love triangle in the previous book) and he's facing his past. He had a rough childhood. He was in the system, living in a group home with other teenagers like himself. Then suddenly relatives came, giving him a much-needed opportunity to turn his life around and he did. But the path he was on, while it was good, wasn't right for him. Because first he needed to find Hilary McIntyre, the girl he left behind, and make amends. Hilary was in the system with him and like him, she was going down a road filled with bad decisions but that's behind her now. Then Alessandro appears and it stirs up old feelings, good and bad, for them both. To be honest, I was surprised by how much I liked the story. There was something different about it to me. I just wish some of the runaround with the drama had been cut out to tighten up the book overall because it did get repetitive. Still, despite my doubts about the first book, after reading this one I immediately bought the third. Which is a good sign!
This might surprise some people but I am a huge fan of Tessa Bailey's romance novels. They're short, sexy and perfect for a it's late and I'm tired but not ready to sleep yet kind of night. Chase Me was lighter than I'm used to from her but still very, very enjoyable. The main characters, Roxy Cumberland and Louis McNally, meet in the most unforgettable way. She's a college dropout trying to pursue acting in NYC but she needs money fast. So she signs up to perform singing telegrams and her first job leads her to Louis' front door. Did I mention she's wearing a pink bunny suit and singing an ode to his private parts? Yup, this is how they meet. It's funny and awkward and still bursting with chemistry. And that pretty much sets the tone for the book. It's got a romantic-comedy feel but with all the sexy times of a typical New Adult. It's just a fun read!
I think I start every review for each book in this series with: Cam and Avery are still my favorite! And they truly are. But if I had to choose a second favorite book in this series, it would be Fall With Me. Of the heroines, Roxy is probably the one I could relate to the most. She's devoted to her friends, quirky and has a great sense of humor (as evident by the funny t-shirts she wears). She's had feelings for Reece Anders since she was fifteen years old but ever since they kind of had a one night stand, things have been awkward between them. In other words, she's been avoiding and he's been ready to move forward.. with her. Not what she was expecting. But he is one hot, persistent man and move forward they do. There's drama but it wasn't overwrought or dragged out. It allowed us to just enjoy the romance and back and forth between Roxy and Reece. Who they were years ago and what led them to become the people they are now and most importantly, how they felt and continue to feel for one another. Like Armentrout's previous books in this series, there's still a "suspenseful" element which I typically don't care for but here, I thought it worked. It didn't overwhelm the romantic (and character) development between Roxy and Reece and I felt like that allowed me to enjoy the romance completely.
Did you read and enjoy these books as much as I did?
Or do you have any NA or romance recs for me?
Let me know in the comments!
This is great. I've wanted to read or continue with all of these series but I just haven't yet. I didn't realize that THIS KHalle series is a spinoff to the Artists Trilogy, but that's because I haven't paid much attention to the summaries. I think I have all of her books on my kindle but I haven't read them yet, SHAME ON ME. I keep meaning to start them. I've read A Little Too Far but I haven't gone any further!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite romance/NA series is the Country Roads Series by Shannon Richard - the first book is Undone. I LOVE the first book and they get progressively better from there.