I’ve got quite a backlog of reviews that I want to share on my blog but with the number I’ve got going, it’ll take me forever to get many of them up so today I’m sharing mini-reviews for three romances that I’ve read in the last month! If you’re interested in reading any of these, all of them are available on Kindle Unlimited (at least for Amazon UK) if you have a subscription. 😊

Kiss and Don’t Tell by Meghan Quinn

Goodreads: Kiss and Don’t Tell (The Vancouver Agitators #1)
Publication Date: 21 September 2021
Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

Five hockey players, a cabin in the woods . . . and little old me, Winnie Berlin.

Sounds like the start of a fantasy, right? But it’s not. It’s my reality.
It all started when I got lost in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. A wicked thunderstorm sent my car mud sliding into a ditch and for a girl whose survival skills involve finding the nearest Starbucks, I was in deep trouble.
Forced to abandon my car in search of help, I stumbled upon a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Soaking wet, irritated, and in desperate need of a hot shower, I knocked on the door for help only to be greeted by five boisterous, burly, and insanely attractive men.

Not just men.
Professional hockey players.
I hit the motherload of fantasies, right? Wrong.
Because as it turns out, one of them is my ex-boyfriend’s half-brother. And when I end up crashing in their spare bedroom for the night, things take a very unexpected turn. I’m not sure any amount of survival skills can protect my heart from Vancouver Agitators star goalie, Pacey Lawes. But as long as we kiss and don’t tell, maybe everything will be okay . . .

Why did it take me so long to pick this one up? Why did I ever think that I wouldn’t enjoy it? Who knows! But what I do know is this was the most fun I’ve had with a Meghan Quinn book since her Port Snow series and that’s my favourite by her. Despite being over 400 pages long I blew through this in one sitting and I absolutely loved it! There were slight “instalove” vibes but there’s also a strong focus on building the friendship between Pacey and Winnie which balanced that out well. Plus, all the swoony moments! The things Pacey would say and do for Winnie throughout the book swept me off my feet—he was a simp for her and I was here for it! Standard fare for Quinn’s books is fantastic chemistry and banter and this was no different. There were great laugh-out-loud moments (the trophy scene though!) that felt like they were taken straight out of a cheesy budget rom-com and I mean that in the best way!

Finally, the best part of this book next to the romance is the hockey crew. Holy fork, this crew had me laughing so hard that my mum came barging into my room to ask me if I was okay because I was cackling so loudly. I *adored* Holmes, Posey, Hornsby and Potato—I mean, Taters (eventually)! They had such a great connection and there was an easy openness to their friendship group that had me giggling a time or two. I can’t wait for all their stories. 😍 I can already feel that Holmes and Posey are gonna be my faves of the lot!

The Last Eligible Billionaire by Pippa Grant

Goodreads: The Last Eligible Billionaire
Publication Date: 03 March 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

Emotionally unavailable doesn’t even begin to describe my new fake boyfriend. He’s cold. He’s distant. He has more defenses than a nuclear missile silo. And he’s the ultimate catch of the century. At least, according to his bank statement.

My job’s simple: Keep Hayes Rutherford’s matchmaking relatives and all interested ladies away from the cranky, grumpy, walled-off heir to my favorite movie empire, and in return, he won’t ruin my life over a teensy, tiny little misunderstanding.

But the more I sneak past Hayes’s walls and fences, the more I realize that while we might be from different worlds, we have more in common than either of us expected. The man under all the glitz, glamour, and dollar signs could be the real love of my life.

But you know what they say about fake dating a billionaire—it’s all fun and games until the scandals start.

This was my first Pippa Grant book and this fake-dating a billionaire romance was lots of fun! Things start off on the very wrong foot for Hayes and Begonia, mostly thanks to misunderstandings and Marshmallow, who was literally THE BEST GOOD BOY IN THE WHOLE WORLD. Marshmallow brought me so much joy while reading this story! 😂 There were some great meddling family/friend moments between all the romance and I ended up really liking both their families. They couldn’t come from worlds more different, as not only is he super grumpy while she’s pure sunshine, he’s the last eligible billionaire who comes from Hollywood royalty and she’s a suburban high-school art teacher. Despite all that, Hayes and Begonia were a really cute couple and I loved their dynamic and chemistry.

One of my favourite parts of the grumpy/sunshine trope is when the H feels his world turn right side up again when he hears the h laugh and he finds comfort and safety in her presence, which is exactly what happened here. These two had those butterflies working overtime! I absolutely loved watching Hayes be completely baffled by Begonia and Marshmallow and it was so great to see them worm their way into his heart without him even realising it. They both needed someone to accept them for who they are—gazillion quirks, riches and all— and it was sweet to see them find that in each other, even if it was a tiny bit instalove!

A Deal with the Devil by Elizabeth O’Roark

Goodreads: A Deal with the Devil (Devil #1)
Publication Date: 10 August 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

He might not be the devil, but working under him for six weeks is my idea of hell.

Hayes Flynn is an arrogant jerk known best for his scotch habit and the way he spreads his British “charm” all over Hollywood, never with the same woman twice.

He’s the last person I want to work for, except he has a face I can’t look away from, and the longer we’re together, the harder he is to hate. Because under that smug exterior is a heart he doesn’t want to show—one that was badly broken a decade earlier.

A part of me wants to fix it for him before I leave…but can I do it without breaking my own in the process? 

I saw Nick reading this on Twitter and the minute she mentioned the Canterbary banter vibes, I was there! While I’m sad that I didn’t love it as much as I hoped to, I’m still glad I read it and would happily try more by O’Roark—after all, I started off on the wrong foot with Canterbary as well and I now adore her romances. It took me a little bit to warm up to the characters but once I did, I thought their banter and chemistry were fabulous! Their exchanges were snappy and sarcastic and I loved it. I also loved the subtle ways that Hayes changed throughout the read from being this overbearing player man to becoming a lovesick fool for Tali. The sexually charged tension that kept growing between them was so hot! 🥵

I really wish that this was dual pov instead of just Tali’s pov as it would’ve made Hayes a little less two-dimensional not to mention it would’ve been so great to know what he was thinking/feeling. The pacing was a little up/down and the middle dragged on for longer than I would’ve liked as I wanted to see them talk through and resolve their issues and how it happened now felt a bit simplistic and rushed. I was also intrigued by some of the side characters we meet, one of whom is the MC in the next book of this series, so I’m excited to learn more about her and the outcome of her romance!

Have you read any of these romances or books by these authors? Did you enjoy them? Any favourites or recommendations?

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