Review: Treyjon

Treyjon by Ruby Lionsdrake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This picks up where the first book left off. In book one, aliens have found (accidentally from the sound of it) Earth (Gaia). Bad thing is, these aliens were slavers who kidnapped humans, aliens and sell them. There is an alien race called the Zi'i that love the taste of human flesh, and these slavers assist them with procuring their preference of meat. Enter the Star Guardians. They are the intergalactic police force. They rescue and arrest the kidnappers. The first book was Orion (a bounty hunter working with the SG) and Juanita (one of the women).
This book is Angela (she worked at an animal shelter with dreams of becoming a dog trainer & had an unconventional upbringing) and Treyjon's (a SG whose speciality of training svenkars; think dog-like, but bigger and more lethal) story. The storyline progresses. There is an issue with returning to Earth. Some in the coalition do not want to make their presence known. There is also worry of other groups taking advantage of Earth's resources (in this case, the people).
Doesn't end in a cliffhanger per say, but does set up the next book which will be Tala (a doctor, turned animal volunteer) Sagitta (Sage) the Star Guardian captain.

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Review: Here for the Right Reasons: A swoonworthy friends-to-lovers rom-com

Here for the Right Reasons: A swoonworthy friends-to-lovers rom-com by Jodi McAlister
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cece is a criminology student. She and her friends (and roommates), Ayo and Flick, enjoy watching a reality show called "Marry Me, Juliet." (Just like the Bachelor). Drunk one night, the three of them apply to be on the show. Cece then loses her part-time job due to the pandemic. So when the show calls to ask if she is interested in being on it, she says yes, because it pays.
Cece has a tragic back story. She is an orphan and she spent her childhood in foster home after foster home, group home after group home. She has Ayo and Flick and that's her support system. She doesn't like to stand out or be the center of attention. She's full of insecurities.
Dylan is the Romeo for the season and he is also full of insecurities. He is on the show to gain attention for his charity (Ties Out) which focuses on men's mental health, he's an Olympic Gold Medalist in Sailing, and he happens to be the first non-white Romeo (he is 1/2 Sri Lankan).
Cece gets eliminated the first night. Her first night was eventful; she gets pushed into the pool, she has and panic attack, and faints. However, the fainting gets the attention of Dylan and lets them have time for a real conversation. Both having confessed their reasons for being on the show, they agree to help each other out and a friendship develops. Since this was also during the lockdowns during the pandemic, they were able to develop a real friendship since they (and her fellow "Juliets" and the crew) were all stuck in the Bubble.
This was so fun to read. I liked the twists and the insight into reality shows. There were moments where I wondered how this would lead to a HEA or HFN. I thought this had some strong secondary characters too; Amanda and Dylan G (aka "super hero nurse") were a handful of people who were nice to Cece. Lilly (Fireball) also stands out as the villain (which was done on purpose). And Murray, one of the producers.
RBSB: Olympics Paris 2024

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Review: The Idea of You

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Okay this is shelved as romance. It is NOT a romance. I would call this WOMEN'S FICTION. A romance has a HEA (happily ever after) OR a HFN (happy for now). This has neither of those. So, again, not a romance!
Is this a bad book? No. Was I disappointed? Yes. See the above. My expectations would have been different and the rating a bit higher had I known going into this that this was women's fiction. Since I wanted to watch the movie, I got the book to check out first. The movie is BETTER and the why is at the end of this review.
Anyway, an age gap romance (where the woman is the older one) is (almost) always one I want to check out. Solene is in her 30s (39 to be exact) and has a 12 year old daughter (Isabelle). Daughter is a HUGE fan of August Moon (a boy band) and has a HUGE crush on the lead singer, Hayes. Hayes is 20. Solene and Hayes meet when she takes her daughter & friends to meet the band at a meet and greet. After some flirtation, Hayes invites Solene to drinks.
I did like that Hayes pursued Solene and he didn't care about the age gap. I liked Solene owned her sexuality. I wasn't crazy about Isabelle huge crush on Hayes and how Solene handled it. I hated the ending.
What the book got wrong, the movie got right. They aged Isabelle to 16 (if memory serves) and made her a FORMER huge fan of the band. And they changed the ending.
RBSB- art galley

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Review: Text for You

Text for You by Sofie Cramer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Clara and her fiance have an argument.  Before they can make up, he dies.   Grief stricken, she texts his phone number as a way to "talk" to him.  Unbeknownst to her, his number now belongs to someone else, Sven.  Sven is captivated by her messages and eventually wants and sets out to meet her.

I picked this up from my library while browsing.  It sounded interesting.  In reality, not so much.  Clara and Sven do NOT meet (I repeat do NOT meet) until well past the 1/2 point of the book (it's actually closer to 75%).  And then their relationship is way too fast.  Just no.  I didn't 1* this since I actually did finish it.

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Review: Hope Flames

Hope Flames by Jaci Burton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emma has returned home at 32 to set up her own veterinary practice.  She hasn't dated in years.  She has an abusive ex-boyfriend in her past.  Luke is a police officer and has a canine partner.  He doesn't date either, having no use for women after his ex-wife (well, except for sex and he is a fan of the one night stand- sounds like a gem, right?  And the ex had different goals and wants, so she's a bitch- because of course she is!).  

Anyway, typical small town romance.  Everyone knows everyone's business, gossip is strong.  And if one isn't into the "small town atmosphere" and wants more, well, they are a horrible person or are hiding something!  Well, the women are anyway (Luke's ex Becca, Emma's sister Molly).  No such shade is thrown in Reid's direction (the younger brother of Luke and Logan who left to pursue school and his career).  Emma and Luke are decent enough, if a bit vanilla, bland.  They do have decent chemistry.  The secondary characters (those we "meet"- Logan, Carter, and those we don't- Reid, Molly) didn't jump out at me and I don't have any burning curiosity to read further.  

Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo- Cover has an animal on it

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Review: Take a Hint, Dani Brown

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dani does NOT do relationships. One night stands, friends with benefits, short term with an expiration date? Yes! Dani has been friendly with one of her college's security guards. They have good banter and interact well together (and they seem to have fun while doing it). Zaf has a crush on her. He is a retired rugby player and has his charity work; he runs a non-profit that teaches mental health and rugby to children. Dani teaches and is working on her PhD with a long-term goal of getting tenure. They both go viral when Zaf recuses Dani during a fire drill (she is in an elevator when the drill starts and gets stuck). She thinks Zaf is hot and wants him in her bed and decides to fake a relationship to help his charity.
Both characters compliment each other well. I loved Zaf's love of romance novels and that he was the romantic one in this partnership. I enjoyed Dani's self-confidence and her goals that she set for herself. Of course Feelings develop and Dani learns that isn't a bad thing. I liked the focus on mental health and normalizing that this is something that some people deal with.
I liked the epilogue, it showed growth. I did miss her sisters in this one; Chloe and Eve do have some page time, but not a lot when compared to page time that Dani and Eve had in Chloe's book.

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Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hadley is flying to London for her father's wedding. She's never met his intended. And she misses her flight. While waiting for the next one, she meets Oliver. He is flying home to London. They spend time together and happen to sit together on the flight. After landing, they lose track of each other.
A lot happens in 24 hours. Hadley does manage to reconcile with her father. Things happen. It's like they are supposed to happen. Very sweet, no insta-love. Pleasantly surprised.

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