diary of a wannabe writer

Not sure if it's Tik-Tok's fault or something else, but lately I've been reading a lot of romance books and a good portion of those are very steamy. Not all are good. Here are 5 that I've read recently (and not so recently) and loved. Royal Pickle by J.J. Knight One day he stumbles into the deli where she works, hiding from the paparazzi, next thing she knows he is asking her to marry him and become his princess. It's cute, funny & steamy. :) Reasons Why Not to Date Public Enemy CEO by Melanie Munton Steamy romance and one of the funniest books I've read this year. Sing for Me by Tam Derudder Jackson Is there anything sexier than a rockstar romance? He is always on road, with as many groupies as he wants, but nothing catches his attention as the girl next door gardening and not caring about his superstar status one bit. Tin by Candace Robinson & Amber R. Duell The steamy retelling of Wizard of Oz, with Fae. It's so good!  Lust by S. N. Hunt Lust is a

series The Lunar Chronicles #3 published February 4th 2014 by Feiwel & Friends number of pages 552 genre fairytale retelling, ya, romance, dystopia, sci-fi, fantasy rating ❤❤❤ ❤ ❤ cover ❤❤❤ ❤ ❤ Cress is a shell, imprisoned on the Lunar satellite. She is a tech wiz, who keeps Lunar ships out of Earth's radar, as well as Rampion. She has a huge crush on Thorn, even though she has never met him before. Underneath it all, she is very lonely. Except for a few times her mistress comes and brings supplies, she is totally alone, with just her NetScreen for company. She is beyond excited that the Rampion crew will be saving her, but it all goes very wrong. She and Thorn fell down to Earth in the middle of the desert, Scarlet is gone and the rest are not sure what to do next. It's always hardest to write about books I love the most. Out of all four books, I think I like Cress the most. Because of Cress and Throne, but also because the team has gotten larger and there are so many movi

published July 1st 2022 series At the Mall number of pages 100 genre romance, contemporary, adult, short story rating ❤❤❤ cover ❤❤❤ Goodreads || Amazon Summer owns a tan salon in the mall, where she meets Kamar. Kamar was hired as a singer for a fourth of July event over the weekend. He needs an outlet and asks Summer for help. They keep bumping into each other and sparks fly. It's a cute story but felt a bit flat. I wished there was more depth to it. happy reading, anie received from Hidden Gems Books, all thoughts and opinions are my own

published July 26th 2022 by Harlequin Presents Larger Print number of pages 256 genre romance, contemporary, adult rating ❤❤ cover ❤❤ ❤ Charlotte and Akeem meet in the Children's home 9 years ago.  Both from rough childhoods they found solace in each other, just when they should have run away together, it all went wrong. Akeem is not two weeks away from being crowned king and he is determined to show her what she gave up. He finds her after her father's funeral and takes her to his palace for one night only.  When her arrival threatens to become a scandal, he makes her his queen. It's a beautiful fairytale-esque storyline, full of love passion and tension. The backdrop to the story is breathtaking. I imagine Arabian Nights playing as I was reading it. :)  However,  there was way too much telling, rather than showing, and there was too much repetition, especially with dialogues. Goodreads || Amazon happy reading, anie thanks to Netgalley & Harlequin for the ARC, all thou

published December 6th 2022 by Alcove Press number of pages 336 genre romance, contemporary, adult rating ❤❤❤ ❤ ❤ cover ❤❤❤ ❤ ❤ Goodreads || Amazon Trixie stopped the car in the middle of the busy road to save a chicken. She works at a shelter and has the biggest heart for animals. However, she can't keep the chicken at her place and the shelter she works at is for pets. So she desperately needs a place.  There is an ad in classifieds that seems perfect.  Bear is a huge homebody. He spends most of his time at home and works in construction, which isn't his favourite thing to do. Lately, there have been fewer jobs and money is a bit tight. His sisters secretly put an ad for an extra room in order to help him get more money.  They start as roommates and quickly become friends. They both have issues in the past that they run from and the same things that bond them, keep them apart. It's the sweetest romance, with adorable chicken and a lot of family dynamics. It's a fast p

series Burned, Inc. #1 published July 5th 2022 by Montlake number of pages 253 genre romance, contemporary, adult, fake to real rating ❤❤❤ ❤ cover ❤❤❤ follow the tour here giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway Goodreads  ||  Amazon synopsis From  USA Today  bestselling author Naima Simone comes  Heated , a sizzling novel about a breakup professional who embarks on a fake relationship with a client’s ex—the one person she wasn’t supposed to fall for. Zora I’m Denver’s unmatchmaker. Every city needs one. Why? Because people break up—and sometimes they should. But when I learn that entertainment attorney Cyrus Hart is someone else’s mistake, I can’t believe it. He’s smart, successful, and sexy as hell. When a chance encounter with Cyrus turns into something more, I can’t help but fall for him. Our chemistry is undeniable. But his ex used my company to send him that letter—and that’s a problem. Especially since he doesn’t know I own the company. How can this possibly work? I know from experienc

published May 26th 2022 number of pages 348 genre romance, contemporary, adult rating ❤❤❤ ❤ ❤ cover ❤❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ Jules is CEO of GoodGuides, the startup company she started with her best friend Alan. They have just moved into the new space of subsides office space, along with another tech company. She hears their CEO talk bad about her company on the first day and she isn't the one to stay quiet. So it starts the months-long antagonism between Tom and Jules. But Jules is not all that mad about it. Something about Tom brings out her fighting spirit and she desperately needs one right now. Jules is sick and she is only getting worse with each week. She needs a new liver, but can't find a match and her family is no help. And totally horrible. She needs to keep on fighting and have hope. She dislikes Tom very much and thinks of him as nothing more than just a regular work-obsessed tech bro who hates women. He thinks she is a hippie and not serious about her company or work. And then he

My favourite part of the Summer is the early morning when the sun is rising over the horizon. The colours are crisp, the air is cool and there is a light breeze in the air. It's the time before all of the excitement starts before birds start chipping and before there is anyone is awake.  It's my favourite time to read. There is just me, a book in one hand and coffee in another. A perfect little slice of peace in the day. I've been reading a lot lately and these books I think are perfect for summer reading, if it's early in the morning, or late at night, or somewhere tropical. :) Unlikely Match by Laura Bradbury Two CEO of start-ups that just moved companies to subsidized office space, dislike each other from the start and antagonise each other all the time. He brings out the fighter in her and she really likes that. Lately, her days have been getting harder. She has a failing liver and without a donor, she doesn't have much time left. The Songs You've Never Hear

series The Lunar Chronicles #2 published February 5th 2013 by Feiwel & Friends number of pages 454 genre fairytale retelling, ya, romance, dystopia, sci-fi, fantasy rating ❤❤❤ ❤ ❤ cover ❤❤❤ ❤ ❤ Cinder is in prison. Her situation seems pretty hopeless until she gets a special visitor. The doctor brings her a new arm and new leg with cool accessories. On the way out she meets Thorne, who claims to have a ship, so she reluctantly takes him with her.  On the other side of the world, Scarlet gets a notification that the police will no longer search for her missing grandmother. She is frustrated beyond reason and would do anything to find her. She meets Wolf, who might have some information, and she jumps on the chance to find her. But grandma kept many secrets and so does Wolf. But that's not enough to stop Scarlet. The perspective switch between what is happening to Scarlet and what is CInder doing and I love that, it amps up the tension and made this book totally un-put-down-able

published June 24th 2022 by One More Chapter number of pages 326 genre romance, contemporary, adult rating ❤❤❤ ❤ cover ❤❤❤ ❤ ❤ So cute! One of her boyfriend's latest "jobs" is buying abandoned storage lockers and selling content on eBay. When she helps him clear out she finds an old boy with letters. Curious she can't let them go and reaches out to the author. Jenna use to be OK with just happy for now in life, but then she sees that there could be more, that a happy ending, like the ones she read about, is possible. It's just the sweetest story and I loved reading it! Goodreads || Amazon happy reading, anie received from Netgalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own

published July 26th 2022 by Harlequin Historical number of pages 288 genre romance, historical, adult rating ❤❤❤ cover ❤❤❤ Paulina's life can appear to be great, but the reality is that most of her life is controlled by her brother. Then she is forced into marriage. Sebastian and Paulina don't mind the married life all that much, but the threat of her brother is not going away anytime soon. I love the historical aspect of it and found it very interesting, especially the setting. And while I liked the storyline and characters, I had a hard time getting into the story.  Goodreads || Amazon happy reading, anie received from Netgalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own

published July 11th 2022 by Entangled: Amara number of pages 372 genre romance, adult, contemporary rating ❤❤❤❤ cover ❤❤❤❤❤ Hallie celebrated her 30th birthday with her best friend and a lot of alcohol. The next day she woke up with a massive hangover and news that her best friend put her on the mayoral ballot. Now she is in the running for the mayor against the current mayor Fitz Montgomery. Montgomerys are considered like royalty in the town and he is under a lot of pressure from his family to uphold the family name. He wants a fair fight and genuinely likes to help her. They couldn't be more different, but spending time together, makes the sparks fly. But his parents don't like it and will do all they can to turn the favour in their's son's direction. I read it in one sitting and had so much fun while reading it. :) Goodreads || Amazon happy reading, anie received the ARC from NetGalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own

published June 15th 2022 number of pages 340 genre romance, second chance romance, contemporary, adult rating ❤❤❤❤❤ cover ❤❤❤❤ ❤ Jenna's life was never easy. She ran away from home, escaping abuse and spend the new few years working in barns and for cowboys. There she meets Wade. They spend a year together, but he was vain, full of himself and their relationship was never going to last. After the argument she ran again, not stopping until it felt right. She found her home in Sirensong Falls. She has a beautiful home, runs a business and has her life together. On one rainy night, she spots someone in trouble on the road, no other than Wade. He inherited a farm from his aunt and is her new neighbour. He is a very different guy from what she remembers and has changed very much. He is determined to prove to her that he is there for her, now and forever. But the past has a way of coming out in the worst moments. It's a lovely romance story, but it touched on so many deeper subjects,

published July 15th 2022 by HarperCollins number of pages 337 genre romance, contemporary, adult rating ❤❤❤❤❤ cover ❤❤❤❤❤ She is the Love Doctor, solving everyone's romantic problem on a podcast, while also working as a therapist. She doesn't date or do relationships, just one-night stands. He is desperate to save her sister from a bad relationship, but the direct approach is not working. So he makes a bet with her that he will stop searching for Mrs right for the next six months. So when they meet and have this insane chemistry, she has to stay away cause she is starting to feel too much and he has to stay away to keep his bet. But love has a funny way of breaking all of its rules. :) It's a lovely story and had a lot of fun reading it, but her roommate Kevin definitely steals the show. :) Goodreads || Amazon happy reading, anie received from Netgalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own

It's been one hell of a reading month for me. I read 20 books in the month of June. I'm very proud and a little bit surprised, I didn't have a feeling that I'd read more than usual. BUT, to be totally honest, I've read quite a lot of romance. I don't know what is it about romance books, but I can read them so much faster than any other genre. :) And to make an overview of the month, I'll do something different. I thought of listing the books by how much I liked them, but I kind of want to see what genres I've read the most (I kind of know it's romance, I've been very very much into romance lately and thrillers-first you love them, then you kill them, haha) Let's see how much was love and how much was murder. :) ROMANCE Mall American Girl by Sarah Robinson It Was You: Lily's Story by Nora Edington A Very Mountain Man Valentine's Day by Shaw Hart Hottie on Her Shelf by Christi Barth Royal Pickle by J. J. Knight The Love Experiment by K

series The Lunar Chronicles #1 published 2012 by Feiwel & Friends number of pages 400 genre ya, fairytale retelling, fantasy, romance rating ❤❤❤❤❤ cover ❤❤❤❤ ❤ It's been almost two years since I've read The Lunar Chronicles and it's about time for a re-read. It's one of my all-time favourite series and by far the favourite fairytale retelling. Each time I read it I find something new to love and obsess over. :) Cinder is a cyborg. When she was eleven she was in an unfortunate hover accident, that left much of her body broken and was switched with mechanical parts. She was taken in by a family, but her adoptive father died soon of the plague ravaging the earth and her stepmother didn't hide her dislike. Cinder is a gifted mechanic, it also helps that she has NetScreen in her head. :) She works, and supports her stepmother and two stepsisters, but is still not considered a full-fledged human. Her sidekick is an android with a faulty personality chip, which makes h