Champagne Kisses by MJ Duncan

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The author says this is a trope filled book —14, as per her. But this book is all the tropes done beautifully right. This book is pure romantic escapism in the best possible way — the kind of story that sweeps you up from the very first page and draws you in further with every page.

Aubrey Gill rolls into Whistler for her cousin's New Year's Eve wedding. She's not particularly looking forward to it since she's had a recent break up (but isn't particularly heartbroken) and single. She's not told anyone, so she'd pretty much dreading questions around her single status. 

Enter Beau Demers, Aubrey literally runs into Beau and there's a classic coffee drop moment. (Not a trope, but could probably be counted as one... since it's such a favourite amongst romance writers. Maybe coffee-shop and coffee-spill should be counted as tropes).

Beau Demers is charming; a burst of sunshine with irresistible warmth and sincerity. 

There's instant connection and somehow, Beau becomes Aubrey's fake date for the wedding. 

Through the pre-wedding shenanigans, Beau proceeds to capture everyone's hearts. 

I particularly loved Sam's dialogue about Beau... the one where she says, "It's a good ting you don't have Beau's game..."

The chemistry between Aubrey is crackling and ever present. Loved that. 

There is no angst but excellent pace. 

Aubrey Gill and Beau Demers are superb individually and irresistible together. 

This is a total romantic's romance. *chef's kiss*

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The Billionaire's Fake Fiancée: A Lesbian Romance by Clara Reese

⭐⭐☆

A fluffy book about a fake engagement, but not entirely a fake romance, between a rich-girl-poor-girl.

Leah Davis is a hugely successful IT professional, CEO of her own company and out and proud. Her life is fodder for the gossip mill and her real and made-up affairs are constantly being written about. 

Jenny Mason is a songwriter and singer, singing at a open mic on the regular to a disinterested audience of a handful of people, dreaming big dreams. One small step upwards is when she's approached to provide the entertainment at the bash of some big company.

The newest rumour about Leah is that all her public affairs are a cover-up for her real involvement with a married woman -- that too a woman married to a member on the advisory board of Leah's company. After having hooked up with Jenny, the entertainer during the company meeting, Leah asks Jenny to be her fake fiancée till the storm blows over.

Jenny agrees with three conditions, one of them being, no feelings to be developed by either of them. Which turns out to be easier said than done for both. 

This one is a pocket packet – a book that has most elements of a full-fledged novel, but rather than get into depth of characterisation or relationship-building and relationship development, it skims along surface providing just about a glimpse of everything. Pocket packets are undemanding quick reads that don’t particularly stay with you for any length of time (of course, there are some exceptions – shorties that stay). This one is rather heavy on explicit scenes, some with light BDSM, this is a romantic erotica pocket packet.

Leah and Jenny are both pretty okay. They have a fairly good equation particularly since they mostly talk and don't create unnecessary hurdles and angst. There is a little bit of dithering before they confess their feelings but not to a point where they behave badly with the other. There is a little tension created by an antagonist -- one of Leah's exes, Madeline. However, Madeline ends up being rather tragic because she had real feelings that were dismissed and she was unfairly diminished.

The are instances of the wrong MC name being used which creates confusion. Beta readers are absolutely essential for indie authors to avoid such regrettable important errors.

Within its niche, this is pretty okay.

⭐⭐☆

Pretend You're Mine by Laura Conway

⭐⭐

Simmering attraction held in for a year comes pouring out in this fauxmance.

Jackie Bowman used to be a corporate lawyer but got off the treadmill of stress and started a coffee shop, Full of Beans. At forty four, she is personally in a better place, even if missing the adrenaline of her past job a little. To get her fix of doing more she's joined an improv group and feels fairly well-balanced. Lauren Myers is just shy of thirty and her life has kind of gotten away from her. She'd moved to New York to be a journalist but couldn't cope with the pressure. So she now works part time at a gay bar, freelances a bit and is trying to make her dream of being an author a reality.

In order to keep happy appearances with her parents, Lauren has told them that her job is going really well, that she is living in a lovely house in Brooklyn and the to avoid going back home (for which she couldn't afford the flight ticket) she invented a make believe girlfriend. Now her parents are about to fly out for her birthday and she's tangled in a web of her own making.

Jackie steps in with an offer to play Lauren's girlfriend for the duration of Lauren's parents visit and asks Lauren to do the same at the wedding of two of Jackie's exes getting married to each other.

The premise is not new but usually enjoyable. Not in this one. Somehow the writing is very sophomoric and despite all right words and situations, there is no chemistry between the MCs and it never felt that they truly connected at any point. The age gap is unnecessarily made much of. Both the MCs are okay, if rather tepid. 

This book is so bland that we can't summon the emotion to dislike it but there is absolutely nothing to like about it.

PS: We really wish that authors learn the difference between 'discrete' and 'discreet' in a hurry.

⭐⭐

Before You Say I Do by Clare Lydon

⭐⭐⭐⭐

If in Imagine Me and You the leads had met before the wedding instead of during the ceremony, the result would’ve been this lovely romcom.

Jordan is a professional bridesmaid (seemingly that’s a real thing). She excels at being the brides best friend during the run-up to the wedding with a magic touch for soothing everyone and mad organisational skills that ensure everything goes per plan. Her newest client is Abby Porter who has less-than-stellar interactions with her future mother-in-law. Abby’s fiancé, Marcus Montgomery wants the whole process to be as stress-free as possible for Abby and reaches out to Jordan. Abby has her own reservations about the whole scheme. First she baulks at the concept of a professional bridesmaid and then she is not completely thrilled at the idea that Marcus did this without talking to her. But she turns up to meet Jordan nevertheless and tentatively gets on-board. While Jordan spins her magic unexpectedly, Abby falls under her spell in quite a different way.

Jordan and Abby are fabulous MCs (though we like Abby a quite bit more). The simmering attraction is captured with élan and the energy and chemistry between the two ladies is awesome. A lot of focus is on Abby’s struggle with her attraction and we felt a little more about Jordan’s growing feelings for Abby would have balanced it all nicely. Guess that was sacrificed for word count. The humour is on-point and the emotions well developed.

This is a light and breezy romance which is thoroughly enjoyable.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

The Wrong McElroy by K.L. Hughes

⭐⭐⭐

Fiona Ng is an out-and-proud lesbian. However, when her best friend Michael McElroy needs an arm candy to take home for Christmas so that his family gets off his back about his love life, Fiona somehow finds herself roped in as the ‘girlfriend’. Christmas at the McElroy’s is a family affair – except that the family huge. There are the parents, at least two sets of twins, a grandmother, two single sisters, some nieces and nephews and we are sure we’re forgetting some more. Once there, Fiona finds an unexpected issue – she is attracted to the wrong McElroy, Michael’s younger sister, Lizzie. Singleton Lizzie, confusingly seems to return Fiona’s attraction.

This book’s premise is exactly the same as Erica Lee’s Anyone but Her including similar plot points like:

• BFFs of opposite genders
• Big family shindig in the guy BFF’s near future
• Lesbian BFF becomes fake girlfriend for the duration of the family reunion to get family off the guy’s back
• Guy’s sister is closeted and family has no clue about said sister’s sexuality
• Attraction between sister and brother's fake girlfriend
• Sister vehemently defends brother's fake girlfriend during an early family interaction
• Guy BFF also has alternative sexuality (gay in Erica Lee’s book and possibly asexual in this one)
• Fake girlfriend-sister caught in a compromising position leading to the denouement which involves the whole family

Despite all the similarities, this is a hugely entertaining book because it is brilliantly funny. Fiona and the almost gothic baby sister of the family, Jessie are adorable. This is a romcom that aims to be more ‘com’ than ‘rom’ and succeeds. Interestingly, there is no real end or conclusion to the romance between the two MCs. Also, the whole sex scene between them was plain forced into the narrative. At the point it came, it was completely unnecessary and didn’t flow in the timeline at all in addition to being very, very poorly timed.

This is a good choice for something that gives you the giggles.

PS: All the stars here for the hugely entertaining writing.

⭐⭐⭐