★★★★
“...when I'm with him, I forget everything and everyone. The present is enough.”
I can't believe the Journey to the Heart series has finally come to an end. *SOBS* This series sparked my love for foodie romances and now has me craving for more of these types of romances. This was such a bittersweet read for me because on one hand I was excited to get to know more about Victoria and Joel, but on the other I was sad because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to these characters just yet.
In this final installment, we follow Victoria Acquino and Joel Silva who end up having a night of fun in Sin City. What neither of them realize is that they are both in Vegas trying out to be the host for a new feature that involves exploring the BBQ festivals along the California coast. When Victoria ends up landing the part, they both agree to keep things professional and have no hard feelings. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?
West Coast Love had me hooked once I realized that this story involved a road trip! I love road trips, especially in romances because it gives a character a chance to explore who they are and get a new perspective on life. Road trips bring about great character growth and I felt like this journey was just what Joel and Victoria needed. Then we had the food! Just like with the two previous books, West Coast Love involved a lot of food talk. For this book in particular it was BBQ and y'all, I'm a vegetarian but dammit this book made me so hungry.
I loved getting to know Victoria better in this book. She's the baby of the family and everyone is always worried about her so it was great seeing her be off on her own and figuring out which direction she wanted to go when it came to blogging and her career. Joel is a little bit of a grouch but I adore him! I loved Joel's relationship with his nephew and how caring he was. He too does a bit of soul searching in this book and realizes that if he wants move forward in his career, he might need to make sacrifices in order to get there. The romance is a slow burn as these two have been hurt in the past so they don't want to risk going through that again. But the wait is so worth it! West Coast Love was a great ending to one of my series for this year and I can't wait to see what Tif Marcelo has in stores for her readers next. With any hope, her next romance will be as delicious as this one.
In this final installment, we follow Victoria Acquino and Joel Silva who end up having a night of fun in Sin City. What neither of them realize is that they are both in Vegas trying out to be the host for a new feature that involves exploring the BBQ festivals along the California coast. When Victoria ends up landing the part, they both agree to keep things professional and have no hard feelings. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?
West Coast Love had me hooked once I realized that this story involved a road trip! I love road trips, especially in romances because it gives a character a chance to explore who they are and get a new perspective on life. Road trips bring about great character growth and I felt like this journey was just what Joel and Victoria needed. Then we had the food! Just like with the two previous books, West Coast Love involved a lot of food talk. For this book in particular it was BBQ and y'all, I'm a vegetarian but dammit this book made me so hungry.
I loved getting to know Victoria better in this book. She's the baby of the family and everyone is always worried about her so it was great seeing her be off on her own and figuring out which direction she wanted to go when it came to blogging and her career. Joel is a little bit of a grouch but I adore him! I loved Joel's relationship with his nephew and how caring he was. He too does a bit of soul searching in this book and realizes that if he wants move forward in his career, he might need to make sacrifices in order to get there. The romance is a slow burn as these two have been hurt in the past so they don't want to risk going through that again. But the wait is so worth it! West Coast Love was a great ending to one of my series for this year and I can't wait to see what Tif Marcelo has in stores for her readers next. With any hope, her next romance will be as delicious as this one.
MAN CANDY by JESSICA LEMMON
★★★
“Sometimes you have to wander far away to know that the right thing was always close to home.”
Reading the Real Love series has been an interesting experience. I absolutely hated Eye Candy but completely adored Arm Candy, so it's a bit fitting that Man Candy kind of fell in the in-between for me. I actually debated about whether or not to read this one, but my curiosity to know more about McGreevy's bar owner won out in the end.
Becca Stone has yet to find her calling and spends her days checking in and checking out visitors at the Grand Lark Retreat. Dax Vaugh needs a place to get away, so he books a cabin at the Grand Lark Retreat. Becca and Dax end up meeting on Dax's first night. The two end up hooking up and it's not long until this one time fling turns into something more.
Man Candy started off slow. A big storm takes place at the beginning of the book and the character don't really do much until about 40% of the book. I wasn't particularly a fan of the romance itself. Because these two chose to keep things simple and not get personal, I felt like the romance just lacked in the feels department. I just wanted more of pretty much everything: more emotion, more passion, more of these two communicating better.
Dax's character fell a little flat for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, Dax is very sweet but I just couldn't connect with him at all. Becca is a bit all over the place, but I related to her a lot. She's trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life and I'm kind in a similar place at the moment. Although I didn't love the romance, I felt like Dax and Becca were just right for each other because he encouraged her to make moves even though she was hesitant to take them. The ending was rather cute and a little bit of a surprise because I didn't expect things to play out that way, but it ended up working out. The Real Love series was an okay read and maybe one day I'll check out Lemmon's other series to see how they fair.
Becca Stone has yet to find her calling and spends her days checking in and checking out visitors at the Grand Lark Retreat. Dax Vaugh needs a place to get away, so he books a cabin at the Grand Lark Retreat. Becca and Dax end up meeting on Dax's first night. The two end up hooking up and it's not long until this one time fling turns into something more.
Man Candy started off slow. A big storm takes place at the beginning of the book and the character don't really do much until about 40% of the book. I wasn't particularly a fan of the romance itself. Because these two chose to keep things simple and not get personal, I felt like the romance just lacked in the feels department. I just wanted more of pretty much everything: more emotion, more passion, more of these two communicating better.
Dax's character fell a little flat for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, Dax is very sweet but I just couldn't connect with him at all. Becca is a bit all over the place, but I related to her a lot. She's trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life and I'm kind in a similar place at the moment. Although I didn't love the romance, I felt like Dax and Becca were just right for each other because he encouraged her to make moves even though she was hesitant to take them. The ending was rather cute and a little bit of a surprise because I didn't expect things to play out that way, but it ended up working out. The Real Love series was an okay read and maybe one day I'll check out Lemmon's other series to see how they fair.
MAN HANDS by SARINA BOWEN & TANYA EBY
★★★½
“Somewhere between the boathouse and your fondness for appetizers, I fell for you.”
Sarina Bowen has been pumping out new releases left and right this year so when I saw that she was teaming up with a new-to-me author to write a rom-com duet, I was all ears. I was very curious to see Bowen's take on romantic comedies and to see if I would enjoy this book as much as I do with her contemporaries. I ended up buddy-reading this book with Nick and we had a lot of fun reading it.
Man Hands is the first book in this rom-com duet and follows the story of an aspiring foodie blogger and a home renovation TV host. Brynn is a new divorcee who's trying to get back on the horse and start dating again while Tom tries to pick of the pieces after his public breakup with his co-host. Brynn and Tom run into each other at an event, literally, and end up having a night of passion and fun. But when Brynn disappears, Tom sets out on finding the woman who changed his life all in one night.
Man Hands had me cackling from the very start. If you want a book that's going to have you laughing up a storm until the very last page, then this book is perfect for you! Brynn and Tom are two individuals who are trying to figure out their next steps after having their hearts broken and they kind of figure that out together, while also falling in love. While the chemistry between these two is definitely explosive, I do wish that there were more moments with just these two together just talking and getting to know each other better. I absolutely adored the secondary characters, especially Ashley and Braht. Those two are a riot and I'm dying to know what the hell is going on between them!
What didn't work for me was the whole "talking dick" scenario. Tom's dick had some internal dialogues and personally for me, I'm not a fan of this in romance books. It may come off as cute to some, but it reminds me too much of Fifty Shades and Christian's 'inner god'. I also felt like "maleness" and "femaleness" were overused adjectives. I get it, Tom's a manly man, but I don't need to be constantly reminded of that. Despite my minor issues, I still enjoyed Man Hands overall and I can't wait to read Man Card so I can get the tea on why Ashley and Braht hate each other so much!
Man Hands is the first book in this rom-com duet and follows the story of an aspiring foodie blogger and a home renovation TV host. Brynn is a new divorcee who's trying to get back on the horse and start dating again while Tom tries to pick of the pieces after his public breakup with his co-host. Brynn and Tom run into each other at an event, literally, and end up having a night of passion and fun. But when Brynn disappears, Tom sets out on finding the woman who changed his life all in one night.
Man Hands had me cackling from the very start. If you want a book that's going to have you laughing up a storm until the very last page, then this book is perfect for you! Brynn and Tom are two individuals who are trying to figure out their next steps after having their hearts broken and they kind of figure that out together, while also falling in love. While the chemistry between these two is definitely explosive, I do wish that there were more moments with just these two together just talking and getting to know each other better. I absolutely adored the secondary characters, especially Ashley and Braht. Those two are a riot and I'm dying to know what the hell is going on between them!
What didn't work for me was the whole "talking dick" scenario. Tom's dick had some internal dialogues and personally for me, I'm not a fan of this in romance books. It may come off as cute to some, but it reminds me too much of Fifty Shades and Christian's 'inner god'. I also felt like "maleness" and "femaleness" were overused adjectives. I get it, Tom's a manly man, but I don't need to be constantly reminded of that. Despite my minor issues, I still enjoyed Man Hands overall and I can't wait to read Man Card so I can get the tea on why Ashley and Braht hate each other so much!
** I received a copy of each book from the author/publisher in exchange for honest reviews. **
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