Blog Tour Review: Weights of Wrath (Cipher Office #4) by M.E. Carter

Item: Weights of Wrath
Rating: 5
Author: Lisa Mandina

Posted March 26, 2021 by Lisa Mandina in Blog Tour, Review / 4 Comments

Weights of Wrath, an all-new surprise pregnancy romantic comedy from M.E. Carter, is now available in Kindle Unlimited!

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

Blog Tour Review: Weights of Wrath (Cipher Office #4) by M.E. Carter

Weights of Wrath by M.E. Carter
Series: Cipher Office #4
Published by Smartypants Romance on March 9, 2021
Genres: Adult Romantic Comedy
Pages: 316
Source: the publisher
Format: E-galley
My Rating: five-stars

Goodreads

Synopsis:

Rosalind Palmer was blessed with the perfect stage name. Or so she’s been told. There are just a few problems with it:

1) Her family doesn’t know she’s a stripper

2) She’d like to keep it that way

3) She got over the nickname somewhere around seventh grade.

Unfortunately—because she likes her job and she really likes her independence—her unexpected pregnancy means Rosalind’s days on a pole are numbered. Even so, she’s determined to make this co-parenting thing work.

Joey Marshall never thought much about having kids until he got the text announcing his impending fatherhood. Now it’s all he can think about. But there are a few concerns:

1) He doesn’t know anything about babies.

2) Adulting usually leads to disaster.

3) It’s his best friend’s cousin he knocked up.

First things first, making sure his baby’s mama is in this for the long haul. Because now he’s got baby on the brain, he can’t wait to make this co-parenting thing into so much more.

Now all he has to do is convince Rosalind, which shouldn’t be too hard . . . right?

Join us at Weight Expectations. You never know what to expect.

‘Weights of Wrath’ is a full-length contemporary romance, and can be read as a standalone. Book #4 in the Cipher Office series, Seduction in the City World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

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Audiobook: Coming later this year!

Excerpt:

My door opens quietly, and I immediately sit up, knowing there’s only one person it could be.

“Rosalind? Are you okay?”

Seeing me awake, she quickly slips in and shuts the door behind her. Her long legs are bare, ass barely hidden by an oversized t-shirt that’s sliding off one shoulder. Her hair is pulled up so I can see the gracefulness of her neck. She looks beautiful in the moonlight and I can’t help wondering if this is a good time to finally kiss her again.

But no. We need to build a solid relationship. I don’t want to pressure her into anything she’s not ready for.

Gliding up to my bed, she pulls the covers back. “Move over.”

“What?” Okay, I don’t think she’s ready for anything sexual, but now I’m not so sure.

She sighs sounding as exhausted as my body feels. “My bed is uncomfortable. And my room has shitty ventilation. I am the baby mama. Move over.”

“Isn’t it the same bed you’ve been sleeping on for years? Suddenly, it’s uncomfortable?” I poke playfully. Really I don’t mind her being in here. I just can’t resist the chance to see the fire in her eyes.

“I don’t make my body hurt,” she retorts as she slides under the sheets. “I just try to accommodate whatever it wants right now.”

Admittedly, she’s not wrong. I got a preview of her mattress when I flopped down on it after moving it up two flights of stairs. It is pretty shitty. “Okay.” I move out of the middle and onto the far side of the bed as she moans her appreciation for a quality pillowtop. I may not be domestic at all, but a man knows the benefit of a good night’s sleep after a hard day at the gym. Still, I’m not positive of her intentions, and she’s been staring in my dreams for weeks now, so I need to clear something up.

“Does this mean we get to have sex now?”

Rosalind snorts a laugh and punches the pillow as she settles in. “No.”

“What? You’re moving into my bed, and I don’t get any of the benefits?” I joke back.

“You get the benefit of my presence and knowing your baby and I are both getting a good night’s rest.”

She’s got me there. At this point, their safety and well-being are my biggest priorities. I suddenly understand why Abel is such a worry wart when I babysit.

Don’t give her too much sugar, Joey.

Don’t let her stay up too late, Joey.

Don’t burn the house down trying to cook spaghetti, Joey.

One time. It was one time that I blew up the spaghetti pot.

I make a quick mental note never to make spaghetti around my child.

“Hey, Rosalind?” I clasp my hands behind my head, staring up at the ceiling again.

“Hmm.”

“Are you nervous?”

She takes a deep breath, and I get the feeling she’s been up all night, wrestling with her thoughts, too. “About which part?”

“I think… maybe, all of it?”

Rosalind rolls over, putting her hands under her cheek as she stares me dead in the eye. “I’m terrified. What if I’m not cut out for this, Joey?”

“What do you mean? I saw you with Mabel and Ainsley at Thanksgiving. They love you. You’re a natural with kids.”

“Mabel and Ainsley are easy,” she retorts. “I smile and laugh and talk to them like real people. I don’t have to keep them alive. I don’t know how to keep a baby alive.”

Shit. She’s right. “Neither do I.”

We lie there some more, lost in our own thoughts again. I’m so excited to become a dad and I’m equally as terrified, which is such a weird feeling. There is so much that can go wrong. So much I don’t know how to do yet. So much to expect that I haven’t even thought of. Babysitting Mabel and Ainsley is easy. Pop in a Wii game and let them go nuts. But a baby? That’s a whole different thing I’ve never done before.

My Review:

I’ve really enjoyed the other two books I’ve read in this series, Weight Expectations and Cutie and the Beast. And this one totally blew the other two away for me! And they were really good! But this one is all about Joey. And I adore Joey. He is so funny. But so positive! He reminds me a lot of three of my other favorite book boyfriends who make me laugh, Mal Ericson from Play by Kylie Scott, Jason Orson from The Lineup by Meghan Quinn, and Buzz Wallace from Hard Fall by Sara Ney. He was just perfect! How we was so happy and excited as soon as her heard that he was going to be a dad. He totally paired up perfectly with Rosalind who was kind of a grump. Which reminded me of myself a bit.

It wasn’t even just how funny and sweet and positive that Joey was. It also was when Rosalind would have flashbacks or memories of their one-night stand and how he supposedly dropped her on her head. Even though she didn’t remember that he was the best in that department, he definitely made sure that she enjoyed it and got to have her pleasure fulfilled before he took care of himself. I love how realistic that is compared to all the perfect guys when they have these romance stories.

The family was fun too. As well as getting to spend some time with characters from the other books as well. And as usual I love the fun twist on this title like those for the other books in the series. Reading the part by the author at the end of the book made me think about how great this book was after the year and how hard she felt it was to try to write during the pandemic. And I love how she came up with her pen name! I really need to read more by this author!

About the Author:

My name is M.E. Carter and I have no idea how I ended up writing books. I’m more of a story teller (the more exaggerated the better) and I happen to know people who helped me get those stories on paper. I love reading (read almost 200 books last year), hate working out (but I do it anyway because my trainer makes me), love food (but hate what it does to my butt) and love traveling to non-touristy places most people never see. I live in Houston with my four kids, Mary, Elizabeth, Carter and Bug, who was just a twinkle in my eye when I came up with my pen name. Yeah, I’ll probably have to pay for his therapy someday for being left out.