Romance Awareness Month Wrap-Up

August was Read a Romance and Romance Awareness Month, so I'm going to give you a quick rundown of all of the romance novels I read this month. I'm going to throw this out there: I love romance novels, making this an easy focus for the month.

Savor You by Kristen Proby

Rating: 2 Stars

This book was okay, but it didn't blow me out of the water. I enjoyed the story and the characters, and was glad that even though I haven't read any of the others in the series I could jump right in and not feel lost. I really enjoyed the emphasis Proby put on female friendship, and the relationships between the female characters. I liked reading about a body-positive hero, although that felt a little heavy handed at times. I also really appreciated that consent was represented and still sexy. In this day and age, showing that consent can be sexy is so important. What I did not love so much was the lack of conflict. Everything seemed to be resolved too quickly and much too easily. And while I enjoy stories where there is less drama, there was a number of conflicts introduced and then quickly resolved. I guess I just didn't feel emotionally invested in any part of the story. Overall it was a fun, easy read.

The Chase by Elle Kennedy Rating: 4 Stars I wrote a whole post about this book earlier this month, so I'm not going to completely rehash it. Just know that I loved this book and if you're interested in the New Adult genre, check out Elle Kennedy. She's one of the best writers of the genre, in my opinion.  Blush for Me by Kristen Proby Rating: 2 Stars This was a quick and easy read. I enjoy that Proby didn't use the usual formula that involves a fight and the main couple being broken up before coming back together. I do enjoy reading a romance where the conflict comes from something other than the couple breaking up. However, the conflict Proby did use was too quickly resolved and not very believable. This was a fine book, good for a Sunday at home. Hard Sell by Lauren Layne Rating: 4 Stars I also reviewed this on the blog earlier, so again, I won't repeat myself. This was a fun and easy read, with an enemies to lovers trope done really well. This one also went on sale today (September 4th) so be sure to get yourself a copy this one right away! The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare Rating: 3 Stars This was a quick and easy read. Having never read anything by Tessa Dare before, I have nothing to compare it to style-wise, but she does appear to have a certain style that may not be for everyone. It’s silly, which I enjoy once in a while, but may not be for everyone. The other thing that threw me off a bit was the modernization of the dialogue and thoughts of the characters. They spoke and thought like modern day people, which did occasionally take me out of the story, as I wouldn’t expect characters in a historical to speak like characters in a contemporary. But overall it was a fun story, so if you’re looking for an easy, sexy, sometimes silly romance to read at the beach, give this a try! Close to You by Kristen Proby Rating: 2 Stars This was a fast and easy read. I appreciate Proby’s books for their lack of relationship drama, but her writing style is a little lackluster for me. The dialogue in particular reads amateurish. (As you can probably tell, by this time I've about given up on Kristen Proby. We'll see if I try any more of hers). At the Stroke of Midnight by Tara Sivec Rating: 2 Stars This was a pretty easy read, although I thought it was a little slow at the beginning. It was fun and I really liked how sex-positive it was, as well as the focus on the female friendships and the relationship between Cindy and her daughter. However, I wish those relationships had been more fleshed out. There was too much going on in the story to really focus on that. Also, even knowing it was a Cinderella retelling, that aspect was a little heavy-handed for my taste.  Boy Toy by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby Rating: 3 Stars A fun and easy read, perfect for an afternoon at home. I enjoyed the characters and the story, although Sadie's insecurity got a little annoying at times. However, due to the nature of the book that was resolved pretty quickly. It was a low drama story as well, which I often enjoy. I like a good soap opera sometimes, but every once in a while it's nice to have a story that feels more realistic, with conflict, but not over-the-top conflict. This book has that. Sleepover by Serena Bell Rating: 3 Stars I just reviewed this one on the blog as well, and I enjoyed it. It was well-written, with well-rounded characters and a realistic take on real-life issues single parents who are dating often face. Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai Rating: 3 Stars I probably wouldn’t have picked this up by myself, but the Book World was all abuzz about it when it came out, so I thought I’d give it a try. I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting. It was dark in places, but not as dark as I expected, more intense. I enjoyed the characters and think Alisha Rai tackled some tough issues (like depression) really well. I also enjoyed that the couple was interracial, but that wasn’t a source of conflict. They were dynamic characters, each with their own flaws and issues to work through. I’ll definitely be picking up the next one in series.