L-L-L-Little Reviews #24: 6 Adult Romances & a Graphic Novel

Posted July 31, 2020 by Lisa Mandina in Review / 4 Comments

So I’m way behind on reviews this month! And not because I didn’t get books from last month reviewed, but because I actually read a lot of books this month! My audiobook listening is still down, but I’ve gotten through a bit more with getting to go in and work in my library some during July. It should go up even more in August as we start back to school. Even with our students going virtual for the first nine weeks, teachers have been told they can work from home or in their classrooms. And I intend to work from my library. It’ll mean getting up in the morning again, but that’s okay. Because now I can feel useful. But any way, let’s get on with the 7 reviews I’ve got to share!

Rebel Heart (Rush Duet #2) by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland:

L-L-L-Little Reviews #24:  6 Adult Romances & a Graphic NovelRebel Heart by Penelope Ward, Vi Keeland
Series: Rush Series Duet #2
Narrator: Sebastian York, Maxine Mitchell
Published by CreateSpace, DC Comics, Laurelin Paige on May 22, 2018
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance
Length: 6:53
Source: Purchased
Format: Audiobook
My Rating: five-stars
Goodreads
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Rush and Gia's story continues in the gripping conclusion to the New York Times bestseller, Rebel Heir...
How to screw up a great summer in the Hamptons:
Sleep with your boss. Check.
Blow all your money on a rental you can't afford. Check.
How to walk away from a man you fall in love with at the end of a summer:
...I'll let you know when I figure it out.

My Review:

I listened to the first one in this series, Rebel Heir, almost exactly one year ago. I’d gotten the download of it free from an author’s newsletter. Then I was so disappointed that this one wasn’t available from my library, or in Audible Escape at the time, because I wasn’t paying for the monthly credit from Audible at that time, only for the Escape package. So when I got another deal to sign up for a cheap few months on Audible, I joined that way again. I’d quit even the Escape package with not driving anywhere. And this was the first audiobook I bought, so I could find out what was next. I mean the cliffhanger was major in book 1! I was mad that she didn’t tell him right away like she should have. And while I get him being upset, I felt like he could have figured it out a little quicker with what his background had been like. But I was happy when he finally figured it out, and that the last part of the book had more to do with some other stuff and they knew they’d be good together. All in all a really good series, with lots of love and steam!

A Beardy Bonus: Bonus and deleted scenes from the Winston Brothers Series by Penny Reid:

L-L-L-Little Reviews #24:  6 Adult Romances & a Graphic NovelA Beardy Bonus: Bonus and deleted scenes from the Winston Brothers Series by Penny Reid
Series: Winston Brothers #8
on April 20, 2020
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance
Pages: 136
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
My Rating: five-stars
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Synopsis:

All the Winston Brothers bonus scenes and deleted excerpts all in one place! This collection includes:
Extra Scene: Billy and Scarlet
A Winston Christmas
Beauty and the Beard
Deleted Scene: Truth or Beard
Deleted Scene: Grin and Beard It
Deleted Scene: Beard in Mind
Duane’s Letter to Beau
Cletus’s Letter to Santa
Duane’s Letter to Jess
Billy’s Letter to Scarlet
Pie in the Beard
Beard in Waiting
A Very Beardy Christmas
Beard and Hen

My Review:

To be fair, I’d already listened to a few of these extras through the audios being sent out as part of the Patreon group for SmartyPants Romance. But the main thing to takeaway is just how much I love the Winston brothers, and Cletus talking about his meat especially!

Banking the Billionaire (Billionaire Bad Boys #2) by Max Monroe:

L-L-L-Little Reviews #24:  6 Adult Romances & a Graphic NovelBanking the Billionaire by Max Monroe
Series: Billionaire Bad Boys #2
Published by CreateSpace on July 26, 2016
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance
Pages: 416
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
My Rating: five-stars
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A secret duo of romance authors team up under the pseudonym Max Monroe to bring you more from their sexy, laugh-out-loud new series. Can you ever get enough Billionaire Bad Boys? Uninhibited. Sarcastic. Confident. Beautiful. With a thriving photography career that allows her to travel all over the world and capture the hottest of men behind her camera lens, Cassie Phillips is the woman who can't be tamed. Adrenaline-junkie. Jokester. Billionaire. Hot-as-sin. At six-foot-five, with muscles for days, and that perfect playful smile, Thatcher Kelly is the kind of man you don't want to deny. Wild for wild. Prank for prank. The two most unlikely of people may be the only ones to see that some personality traits only run skin deep. Uncensored. Hilarious. And too damn hot to put into words. Grab a fan and get ready for one hell of a ride because when the opposite of opposites attract, things are bound to get a little messy. Suggested Series Reading order: #1 Tapping the Billionaire #1.5 Tapping Her #2 Banking the Billionaire And coming soon... #2.5 Banking Her (Available September 2016) #3 Scoring the Billionaire (Available October 2016) #3.5 Scoring Her (Available November 2016)

My Review:

I ended up buying several books from this new-to-me author at Book Bonanza last year, 2019. It is two women who write together and they were on one of the panels I sat in on, and they were cracking me up so much I knew I had to give their books a try. And I can say for sure I was not disappointed. Now even though I obviously started with the second in this series, I’d asked when I bought it if it mattered to do that. And this one just grabbed me more than the first one’s synopsis did. But now I’ll probably want to go back and read that one because I loved the characters so much. I was smiling so much as I read it, and laughing out loud in bed because I only read this one before bed. And dayum the bedroom scenes were so hot! Plus, Cassie kept slapping him in a certain spot and it just cracked me up every time. Definitely a new author that I’ll be reading more of in the future, and now that I have read, I’m looking for to hopefully really getting to meet and gush over the books at Book Bonanza 2021.

That Secret Crush (Getting Lucky #3) by Meghan Quinn:

L-L-L-Little Reviews #24:  6 Adult Romances & a Graphic NovelThat Secret Crush by Meghan Quinn
Series: Getting Lucky #3
on February 11, 2020
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance
Pages: 350
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
My Rating: five-stars
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USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn brings more humor and heart with the third novel of her Getting Lucky series: a story about breaking curses and laying your heart on the line.

What happens when your secret crush isn’t so secret anymore?
I’ve had feelings for Eve Roberts for as long as I can remember, but because she also happens to be the twin sister of my best friend, Eric, I’ve never acted on my feelings and long ago resigned myself to keeping my crush under wraps.
But after a terrible falling-out with Eric involving a failed restaurant venture and plenty of blame on both sides, I’m back in Port Snow without my best friend and without any direction. But can you guess who’s here? Eve. And my attraction to her is as strong as ever.
As old feelings rush back, Eve and I find ourselves pulled together, whether we like it or not. Lines are crossed, secrets are kept, and we soon discover that the difference between love and friendship may not be so black and white, after all.
Everyone wants that secret crush to love them back…but will I be ready when she does?

My Review:

So this was one of my Quarantine purchases. Partly because I hadn’t had the chance to read it early because I think it came out in the midst of the second wave of the SmartyPants Romance book launches. But I knew I had to read it, and I needed to read it before the next book comes out in case I got the chance to read that early. I loved Reid. I really want a funny guy like him, or like Jason in Quinn’s baseball series. She writes the best funny guys. But he got a little irritating when he kept holding out. Now, I think that Eve was a little overboard in how she reacted to why he tried to stop to save his friendship, but then again, isn’t that what the drama in a romance is always about? In the end I loved this as much as all the others in the series. And the text conversations between all the family members is some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever read. Also, I can’t wait for Brig’s book even more after this. Oh yeah, and that baked beans sandwich, well except for the apple part, sounded DELICIOUS! Who will make me one?

Hard Pass (Trophy Boyfriends #1) by Sara Ney:

L-L-L-Little Reviews #24:  6 Adult Romances & a Graphic NovelHard Pass by Sara Ney
Series: Trophy Boyfriends #1
on June 16, 2020
Genres: Adult Sports Romance
Pages: 227
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
My Rating: five-stars
Goodreads
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“Hard pass.”That’s what the last girl I slept with said when she got her first sober glimpse of me. She laughed, walked out of my penthouse—and I never saw her again. It doesn’t matter that I’m a rich, professional athlete; what mattered was my face. Beauty might only be skin deep for some—but I know better.
“Pay up.” That’s what the last girl I spoke to said over the phone when I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Desperate to sell a set of rare baseball cards, she’s clever and entertaining. I’m instantly smitten, but nowhere ready to reveal myself. Thank god she has no idea who I am—or what I look like.I’m a professional athlete--how hard can playing the love game be?

My Review:

This was another purchase during the whole Quarantine thing. Somehow I missed out on an early read on this one as well. In fact I never even saw a sign up! Believe me, I hopefully have made sure to be keeping up with all possible future books, and am signed up to review the second one in this series when it comes out. But in order to do that, I wanted to read this one first. And I’m glad I did. One thing I love about Sara Ney’s leading men is that sometimes they aren’t the perfect model image guys that you expect. So often we have the leading lady who is a bit chubby or doesn’t have the best self-esteem, and that is me, so I get that. But to have a guy who often people might describe as a “hard pass”, well that is not always the way things are, and I’m okay with it the way Ney does it. In a way I wondered if this was going to be a bit of a Cyrano de Bergerac story, but it didn’t quite go that way. But there was so much realistic stuff in this one that I sped through it as well. For instance, is it so much to just want to have a conversation with someone on a dating app or texting, and not feel like you’re pulling teeth? To me that shows there is no connection. If there was, I feel like the conversation would flow. In the end I loved how the story went, and now, I am soooooooo excited for Buzz’s story. He cracked me up, and as I mentioned on another review in this post, I love the funny guys!

Dirty Filthy Rich Boys (Dirty Duet #0.5) by Laurelin Paige:

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

L-L-L-Little Reviews #24:  6 Adult Romances & a Graphic NovelDirty Filthy Rich Boys by Laurelin Paige
Series: Dirty Duet #0.5
Published by Laurelin Paige on September 16, 2018
Genres: NA Contemporary Romance
Pages: 72
Source: the author
Format: Paperback
My Rating: five-stars
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When I met Donovan Kincaid, I knew he was rich. I didn’t know he was filthy. Truth be told, I was only trying to get his best friend to notice me.
I knew poor scholarship girls like me didn't stand a chance against guys like Weston King and Donovan Kincaid, but I was in love with his world, their world, of parties and sex and power. I knew what I wanted—I knew who I wanted—until one night, their world tried to bite me back and Donovan saved me. He saved me, and then Weston finally noticed me, and I finally learned what it was to be in their world.
Because when dirty, filthy, rich boys play, they play for keeps.
From NYT Bestselling author Laurelin Paige, discover a whole new world filled with sex, love, power, romance and dirty, filthy rich men.

My Review:

So I’m not exactly sure where I got this. I think that it was a giveaway, a freebie in one of the goodie bags I got at some convention. I think it was the Kinky in Kansas City convention a few years ago, but it is possible it came from either Apollycon or Book Bonanza. Anyway, I have been worried that I’m so far behind on my reading goal that I thought I’d throw in a couple shorter books from my shelf and I grabbed this one. Well let me tell you, I devoured it! Now I need to read the book that it is a prequel to. If you’re interested in this one, the Kindle version is free, so you can download and check it out. It is very steamy, sexy, and kinda dark.

The Flash, Volume 1: Move Forward by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato:

L-L-L-Little Reviews #24:  6 Adult Romances & a Graphic NovelThe Flash, Volume 1: Move Forward by Francis Manapul, Brian Buccellato
Published by DC Comics on August 20, 2013
Genres: Superhero graphic novel
Pages: 168
Source: the library
Format: Paperback
My Rating: three-half-stars
Goodreads
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Struck by a bolt of lightning and doused in chemicals, Central City Police scientist Barry Allen was transformed into the fastest man alive. Tapping into the energy field called The Speed Force, he applies a tenacious sense of justice to protect an serve the world as The Flash!The Fastest Man Alive returns to his own monthly series as part of the DC Comics—The New 52 event with the writer/artist team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato. The Flash knows he can't be everywhere at once, but he has seemingly met his match when he faces DC Comic' hottest new Super Villain, Mob Rule, who really can be everywhere at once!As Mob Rule wages a campaign of crime across Central City, including an electromagnetic blast that plunges the city into darkness, The Flash learns the the only way he can capture Mob Rule and save Central City is to learn how to make his brain function even faster than before—but as much as it helps him, it also comes with a steep price.
Collecting: The Flash 1-8

My Review:

I’ve finally gotten around to finishing the little challenge one of the teachers at my school gave me to compare two actual comics of DC and Marvel instead of just the movies. And I think I get what he was saying. I let him pick the two to compare. I definitely liked this one better than the Captain America comic I read a year and a half ago. The story was much easier to follow, and actually kept my interest. While I’ll never be a big fan of comics, I don’t like the way the images jump around because sometimes they go one page to the next, and sometimes they are spread across both pages and you have to read top to bottom of both together. I get it, that’s something they do. Just isn’t the way my brain is used to reading and understanding. But I will say DC comic beat the Marvel one for me.

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4 responses to “L-L-L-Little Reviews #24: 6 Adult Romances & a Graphic Novel

  1. I have been seeing a lot of love for the Getting Lucky series. I really need to check it out. I love companion series, especially ones that center on a family.

    • Lisa Mandina

      I love it, of course pretty much anything Meghan Quinn writes I know I will adore. Thanks for stopping by!

  2. Great reviews. I loved Hard Pass as well. I thought it was fabulous. The rest of these I have heard of in passing, but haven’t actually read yet. I’m glad you liked the majority of these books. Do you also watch The Flash tv show? If so, how did it compare for you?

    Sharrice @Reese’s Reviews

    • Lisa Mandina

      I have not watched the tv show for The Flash. I probably should, just haven’t ever gotten into it. Thanks for visiting!

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