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emily_gaynier's review
3.0
Okay so this book in my opinion was odd. I think it would've been better as a romcom with no spicy scenes because the spice wasn't very good. I actually really like the plot and most of the character, but every conversation sounded exactly the same. I almost wish I had read this a few months back because I might've liked it more then.
I'm putting most of my thoughts behind a spoiler warning because my mom follows me on this site along with other family.
Also the banter and flirting in this book gave everyone the same tone. It cooled down the sex scenes and made it sound like the gay men getting married were flirting with everyone and everyone was flirting back. I get that three of the characters have know each other since high school or before, but even if people talk similarly, the reader should be able to tell who is talking in any given scene.
I really did enjoy the plot. I kind of wish this had focused more on a woman getting away after ending her relationship and finding love during her long vacation. Something a lot more slow burn
I'm putting most of my thoughts behind a spoiler warning because my mom follows me on this site along with other family.
Spoiler
The sex scenes read like the author wanted to be kinky but also really laid back about everything. In the first spicy scene, the Hero basically is like it's not gonna suck itself and is really "commanding". I don't mind crudeness in my romance books, but it wasn't sexy. Also him telling Joey what to do in the bedroom wasn't any more intense then some average or basic spice scenes. I mean, I do about that level of commanding in the bedroom!Also the banter and flirting in this book gave everyone the same tone. It cooled down the sex scenes and made it sound like the gay men getting married were flirting with everyone and everyone was flirting back. I get that three of the characters have know each other since high school or before, but even if people talk similarly, the reader should be able to tell who is talking in any given scene.
I really did enjoy the plot. I kind of wish this had focused more on a woman getting away after ending her relationship and finding love during her long vacation. Something a lot more slow burn
sara11_reads's review
3.0
This was cute. I actually only read it because I was looking for a different Tiffany Reisz book that the library didn't have and picked this up to read because it was available. Bonus that there is an HB episode on it. Anyway, I enjoyed the banter and always appreciate characters who act like mature adults.
leasummer's review
3.0
Super quick read set near Mt Hood in the fall. The setting is wonderful. The story is friends to lovers, girl comes home to find her brother’s BFF is hot and had a crush on her in high school. Lots of sexy times. Not very Halloweeny.
darlingqod's review
4.0
that cover is so cheeky... looks like the kind of romance novels i'd find in a local bookstore and ignore completely because of the man in the photo and the italicized serif font and the reds and that particular amount of color-grading, but alas, i picked this up because of a recommendation from reddit and honestly, no regrets.
i'd given this a try in search for a nice, short, and fast-paced romance novel and i got what i came for.
the dialogue was ON POINT!! it felt kind of like riding those kiddy toy cars where you had to constantly turn the wheel left and right for you to pivot. there's a lot of segue and silly turns to take, but it helps you to move forward. it was funny, that's all i could say to sum it up.
the only issue i had really (besides the cover lmao) was the way the paragraphs were all chunky. i read this from my phone so there wasn't much space for text, but one paragraph literally filled a whole page. that was insane. could have done better with identifying which parts of a paragraph to hit the enter button on, but other than that, i had fun reading this.
i'd given this a try in search for a nice, short, and fast-paced romance novel and i got what i came for.
the dialogue was ON POINT!! it felt kind of like riding those kiddy toy cars where you had to constantly turn the wheel left and right for you to pivot. there's a lot of segue and silly turns to take, but it helps you to move forward. it was funny, that's all i could say to sum it up.
the only issue i had really (besides the cover lmao) was the way the paragraphs were all chunky. i read this from my phone so there wasn't much space for text, but one paragraph literally filled a whole page. that was insane. could have done better with identifying which parts of a paragraph to hit the enter button on, but other than that, i had fun reading this.
peytonm's review
3.0
A cute read. Joey finds out her boyfriend of 2 years is married and returns home for her brother's wedding. While there, she takes up with her brother's friend, Chris, as a rebound.
acesarrows's review
2.0
2.5ish stars.
This book had its moments, but they were few and far between. There was little character development for either character, but absolutely none for Chris. All these two had was amazing chemistry and lots and lots of sexy times. This would have been fine if this was marketed as erotica, but I expect slightly more story. The banter between Joey and Chris, and her brother, was fantastic though.
This book had its moments, but they were few and far between. There was little character development for either character, but absolutely none for Chris. All these two had was amazing chemistry and lots and lots of sexy times. This would have been fine if this was marketed as erotica, but I expect slightly more story. The banter between Joey and Chris, and her brother, was fantastic though.
nedghie's review
2.0
Raunchy. Made me a little uncomfortable but it was the selection for our romance book club. If you find yourself thinking “there’s just not enough sex in my romance novels”, this is for you.
mandyreads's review
5.0
I’m warning you now, this review is basically going to be a mushy and possibly incoherent rambling love letter to Tiffany Reisz since she is currently the cause of the worst book hangover I’ve had in a while.This book has easily taken it’s rightful place as one of my all time favorite books that I can read over and over again without fail. It’s also on the list for my favorite books of 2016. As soon as I finished this book, I was ready to start it all over again because I’m not ready to leave this cozy world hidden behind Mount Hood in Oregon. I’m literally kicking myself for not reading her books sooner. Even though this is one of her shorter works coming in at 224 pages, I found myself putting off getting to the end of this book simply because I did not want to see it end.
From the beautiful Pacific Northwest setting, to the witty dialogue, and steamy intimate sex scenes, this book was just pure perfection. I’ve always wanted to visit the PNW, but from the way Ms. Reisz described the area, I’m ready to book a flight tomorrow!
“The scent- there was nothing like it. Clean, so clean- pure pine and fir and all so light and airy that if you didn’t stop to breathe in deeply enough you’d miss it. But if you did breathe in on a rainy, windy day you might just smell what the world smelled like right after it was born. The trees lay so thick on Mount Hood they looked like an oil painting with the paints piled in heavy layers of emerald and black.”
Ummmm, hello!? Are those not some of the most beautiful and magical words strung together in the English language? The way the scenery is so vividly and simply described just blows my mind. I immediately had a movie running through my head instead of the words on my iPad screen.
Every single character in this book was perfection and featured one of my favorite female friendships to date in Joey and Kira. The way they supported each other and kept each other laughing even when one of them was feeling down, is what the best friendships are made of. But Kira and her dirty mouth kept me laughing the most. I have so many fun passages highlighted between the two of them, but this one hands down has to be my favorite:
“You had mind-blowing sex with a hot handyman with a beard and you said, ‘Too bad it didn’t work’ after? Do you know there are over one million words in the English language? There are more words in English than there are in French and German combined. Any of those one million words would have been better than those words. You could have said, ‘I like bacon-powered ghost boat parades’, and it would have been a better sentence than that sentence you laid at the feet of that beautiful man and his majestic cock.”
“I didn’t say it was majestic. It’s a dick, not a bald eagle in flight. What I said was that his cock is ‘magnificent’. And…can I ask something? Did ‘bacon-powered ghost parades’ really come off the top of your head? Or are you on some sort of drug I need to know about?”
I swear, I sent a screen shot of this passage to every single one of my book girlfriends just so they could get a good snort cackle as well.
I also just absolutely loved the chemistry and connection between Joey and Chris. You could feel it instantly from their first interaction, but it never felt like insta-love. It felt pure, real, and genuine. Chris is the perfect mix of cocky alpha male, with a dose of side splitting sense of humor, and good looks. And did I mention his hands? Yes, he would have to be exceptionally good with his hands seeing as he is a handyman. But the thing I loved most about Chris was his soul and how ready he was to bear it to Joey, even when he knew it could end up hurting them both. *dreamy sigh*
“I’m loving you. Right now. This second. I love you. And I’m sorry it hurts you but guess what? It hurts me too.”
Gahhh shot straight to the heart!! Chris! *Heart eyes forever* Oh and don’t even get me started on the crazy hot sex scenes. Holy hell, does Tiffany Reisz know how to write them! I’ve always heard that she writes some of the best in the industry, but know I really know this to be true! I also really enjoyed the nod to the 80’s pop culture. Being a child of the 80’s who is completely obsessed with any and everything having to do with this magical and wonderful decade, I love all of the references. (Pretty sure I just aged myself, but oh well!)
So if I haven’t convinced you to pick up this book yet, what are you waiting for? I’m so ready to divert from my September TBR and read the next book in this series since I already have it in my possession. I just can’t wait to dive back into this lovely world. This was an amazing introduction to Tiffany Reisz for me and I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
From the beautiful Pacific Northwest setting, to the witty dialogue, and steamy intimate sex scenes, this book was just pure perfection. I’ve always wanted to visit the PNW, but from the way Ms. Reisz described the area, I’m ready to book a flight tomorrow!
“The scent- there was nothing like it. Clean, so clean- pure pine and fir and all so light and airy that if you didn’t stop to breathe in deeply enough you’d miss it. But if you did breathe in on a rainy, windy day you might just smell what the world smelled like right after it was born. The trees lay so thick on Mount Hood they looked like an oil painting with the paints piled in heavy layers of emerald and black.”
Ummmm, hello!? Are those not some of the most beautiful and magical words strung together in the English language? The way the scenery is so vividly and simply described just blows my mind. I immediately had a movie running through my head instead of the words on my iPad screen.
Every single character in this book was perfection and featured one of my favorite female friendships to date in Joey and Kira. The way they supported each other and kept each other laughing even when one of them was feeling down, is what the best friendships are made of. But Kira and her dirty mouth kept me laughing the most. I have so many fun passages highlighted between the two of them, but this one hands down has to be my favorite:
“You had mind-blowing sex with a hot handyman with a beard and you said, ‘Too bad it didn’t work’ after? Do you know there are over one million words in the English language? There are more words in English than there are in French and German combined. Any of those one million words would have been better than those words. You could have said, ‘I like bacon-powered ghost boat parades’, and it would have been a better sentence than that sentence you laid at the feet of that beautiful man and his majestic cock.”
“I didn’t say it was majestic. It’s a dick, not a bald eagle in flight. What I said was that his cock is ‘magnificent’. And…can I ask something? Did ‘bacon-powered ghost parades’ really come off the top of your head? Or are you on some sort of drug I need to know about?”
I swear, I sent a screen shot of this passage to every single one of my book girlfriends just so they could get a good snort cackle as well.
I also just absolutely loved the chemistry and connection between Joey and Chris. You could feel it instantly from their first interaction, but it never felt like insta-love. It felt pure, real, and genuine. Chris is the perfect mix of cocky alpha male, with a dose of side splitting sense of humor, and good looks. And did I mention his hands? Yes, he would have to be exceptionally good with his hands seeing as he is a handyman. But the thing I loved most about Chris was his soul and how ready he was to bear it to Joey, even when he knew it could end up hurting them both. *dreamy sigh*
“I’m loving you. Right now. This second. I love you. And I’m sorry it hurts you but guess what? It hurts me too.”
Gahhh shot straight to the heart!! Chris! *Heart eyes forever* Oh and don’t even get me started on the crazy hot sex scenes. Holy hell, does Tiffany Reisz know how to write them! I’ve always heard that she writes some of the best in the industry, but know I really know this to be true! I also really enjoyed the nod to the 80’s pop culture. Being a child of the 80’s who is completely obsessed with any and everything having to do with this magical and wonderful decade, I love all of the references. (Pretty sure I just aged myself, but oh well!)
So if I haven’t convinced you to pick up this book yet, what are you waiting for? I’m so ready to divert from my September TBR and read the next book in this series since I already have it in my possession. I just can’t wait to dive back into this lovely world. This was an amazing introduction to Tiffany Reisz for me and I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
paulabrandon's review
3.0
Joey Silvia discovers her boyfriend of two years was married the whole time, while on her way to her older brother's wedding. Heartbroken and embarrassed, she arrives at her family's run down cabin - only to discover it has been completely renovated, and it's the work of Chris Steffensen, her brother's best friend. Chris was a stoner back when Joey knew him in high school, but now he's Mr Hunky Handyman (and I certainly didn't mind picturing him as the spunkmuffin on the cover), and he's had a crush on Joey ever since they were teenagers. Joey thinks rebound sex is a good way to get over her ex, whereas Chris is still in love with Joey and wants to convince her to stay.
I actually read quite a few Blaze books back when it was launched, as it had been primed to replace the Temptation books, which I was quite a fan of. It wasn't the same, and my interest faded as I turned to crime (books, that is!) The Blaze books of today are certainly much raunchier and smuttier than the Blaze books of 15 or so years ago, but this one was an easy, enjoyable read. It's actually hard to believe that they've closed the Blaze line to replace it with an even more explicit line, because this book was certainly plenty explicit! I'm no prude, though, so I wasn't terribly bothered! It had a good story with a believable conflict to go along with all the sex. However, I wasn't convinced that Joey was over her ex enough to believe she'd find HEA with Chris, and Chris was a little too good to be true. I'd certainly like a Halloween treat like the hottie on the cover, but don't tell my other half that!
The close of the Blaze line feels a bit like the end of an era. Since I enjoyed this book, I might try out a few others.
I actually read quite a few Blaze books back when it was launched, as it had been primed to replace the Temptation books, which I was quite a fan of. It wasn't the same, and my interest faded as I turned to crime (books, that is!) The Blaze books of today are certainly much raunchier and smuttier than the Blaze books of 15 or so years ago, but this one was an easy, enjoyable read. It's actually hard to believe that they've closed the Blaze line to replace it with an even more explicit line, because this book was certainly plenty explicit! I'm no prude, though, so I wasn't terribly bothered! It had a good story with a believable conflict to go along with all the sex. However, I wasn't convinced that Joey was over her ex enough to believe she'd find HEA with Chris, and Chris was a little too good to be true. I'd certainly like a Halloween treat like the hottie on the cover, but don't tell my other half that!
The close of the Blaze line feels a bit like the end of an era. Since I enjoyed this book, I might try out a few others.