lollylovesbooks's reviews
702 reviews

Sapphic celebrity and bodyguard fake dating romance!

Natalie is a successful Hollywood actor with a glamourous lifestyle. But she also struggles with PTSD following an extreme issue with a stalker years before. Meanwhile Taylor is trying to get back to life as a bodyguard following injury... she's just not quite as far down the road to recovery as everyone else thinks. To help ease her security fears, while giving positive publicity, Natalie hires Taylor to be her fake-girlfriend bodyguard.

Ok so we have a fair few tropes going on here: celebrity, bodyguard, fake dating, forced proximity. But for me this book goes far beyond those tick boxes. It's all the little moments that make this book so magical. The times that Natalie lets her guard down, particularly when she's accidentally honest, are so sweet.

Natalie's PTSD and anxiety play a big part in her life and therefore this story, but I thought these were handled really well. And I was so impressed with how the stalker plotline was handled too. 

The sexual tension in this book is off-the-charts. It builds and builds and builds for so long. And the pay off is absolutely worth it. Super spicy, and very fitting to the characters.

And shout out to the side characters with their adorable contributions: Taylor's parents, Natalie's colleagues, and (of course) the pets!

Honestly, I feel like I can't do this book enough justice. I was grinning throughout reading, and can't help but smile now every time that I think about it. Highly recommend to any contemporary romance fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free review copy. All thoughts are my own.

Smutty ski holiday fun!

This book is one of those that feels like it has ALL THE TROPES but actually manages to do it really well. Nick arrives for an annual holiday with his family and his best friend's family. Two slight issues. The best friend Chance isn't there, but Chance's annoying little sister Charlie is. For once, though, she wants to put differences aside and team up to stop both their mothers' horrible matchmaking plans.

So, yes, we have brother's best friend, enemies to lovers (she pranked him basically their whole childhood), fake dating (to avoid matchmaking), forced proximity (made to share a room) and only one bed (because of course there would be).

The sexual tension between them was off the charts. The dual POV worked really well here, as it gave chance to experience bits of the interactions from each side. I loved how Nick went all in with 'proving' to both families that he was serious about Charlie. And once the tension broke, the steam factor was HIGH. Shout out to Charlie's shameless attitude to her toy collection.... and Nick's enjoyment of it too.

Content warning that Charlie has a very bad relationship with her parents, and her mother in particular treats her cruelly. I thought this was handled really well, and was obsessed with Nick's reaction whenever someone was mean to Charlie, but please take care if this is a trigger for you.

This was my first book by this author and I'm excited to read more. Definitely one to try if you want a steamy winter read.

Thank you to the author for the free review copy. All thoughts are my own.

Geeky second chance romance!

Pearl works for a non-profit organisation that connects code-geek teenagers with mentors from the tech industry. Her boss is involved in a scandal, so she has to step up to lead. And as if that wasn't enough pressure, there's a new board member in the form of Cord - her old boss and sort-of-ex.

There is a lot of time jumping in the story, going back to what happened at various stages in the past, and this took me a while to get used to - particularly early on while I was still trying to get into the story. But once I did get into it I was absolutely hooked.

I loved Pearl's friend and family group. Those women are so supportive of each other (while being willing to call each other out). Pearl's sister's teenager features heavily in the book - as Pearl's houseguest and Cord's mentee - and they add a fantastic dynamic, particularly with the not-at-all subtle texts!

My geek heart was so happy throughout this. I'm a huge believer in highlighting the need for diversity in tech companies.

I can't skip mentioning the steam factor in this book. I had no idea what spice level to expect, but this was HOT! That study session has not left my thoughts since reading it.

This was my first Denise Williams book but certainly won't be my last. I'd recommend this to any lovers of second-chance contemporary romance.

Thank you Piatkus and Netgalley for the free review copy. All thoughts are my own.

Water-based sapphic paranormal romance.

The story starts with very distinct thread. Marina is a TV chef who's struggling with bad dreams and severe anxiety being around water. Which is a slight problem when water is her element and very necessary for her survival as a water-based shifter. Meanwhile Lucia is juggling the pressures of running a bar, seeing ghosts (and dealing with their drama) and realising that something is very seriously up in a nearby lake.

When the two meet things escalate very quickly. There was a hurt/comfort situation going on, which quickly turned into a only one bed situation, which went even further.

There's a mystery thread running throughout. My main annoyance with this was Marina's family-friend repeatedly revealing things that had been hidden 'until Marina was ready'. That woman weirded me out, if I'm honest!

Overall I'm happy that I read this book, but it didn't quite click for me as much as I'd hoped.

Thank you to BookSirens for the free review copy. All thoughts are my own.

Sapphic Cinderella retelling!

I love fairy-tale retellings that add their own twist while keeping close to well known versions, and this book did just that.

Cynthia is forced to do all the housework for her step-family, having to put her step-sisters' needs before her own. One day a Prince comes into town on a search for a wife, which has her step-sisters all excited with opportunity. Cynthia isn't so sure there's anything to be excited about... until she locks eyes with the Prince's sister.

The storyline has a LOT of elements from the Disney film of Cinderella, and I thought the references worked really well.

While there is a definite element of insta-lust, I really appreciated that the two women grew to like each other more for their personality. I still very much enjoyed the steamy scenes - the tension with the bath tub!

I would have loved this book to be longer, to give more time to explore the relationship. But still very much enjoyed it as it was.

Definitely check this out if you like queer retellings of classic fairy-tales.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free digital review copy. All thoughts are my own.

With how popular Legends & Lattes was, this prequel was highly anticipated by a lot of people.

Once again we're following Viv in a cosy fantasy setting as she renovates a building and tries to fit into a community. This time it's a bookshop, while she's temporarily off-duty due to injury.

I always like seeing sapphic romance in books, but this one felt a little awkward the whole way through. Maybe that's just because I'm used to reading romance, rather than having a temporary romance as part of a fantasy book.

The plot pacing felt a bit off. Or possibly there just wasn't enough of it. Honestly, my favourite chapter of the whole book was the epilogue. By a long way.

I don't know. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood to read a cosy fantasy. It was fine, but not one I'd be looking to go back to or recommend to others.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free digital review copy. All thoughts are my own.