RELEASE BLITZ REVIEW: Starlet by Cora Kenborn

Title: Starlet

Series: Sinister Fairy Tales Collection

Author: Cora Kenborn

Genre: Dark Romance

Release Date: June 25, 2020

From USA Today Bestselling Author Cora Kenborn comes a dark and twisted enemies to lovers retelling of Anastasia.

They call me America's Sweetheart.

Hollywood royalty. The last of an era.

Sole survivor of LA's most infamous crime.

I'm not any of those things.

He forced me into the spotlight.

The liar with a perfect smile and cold blue eyes.

But Alexandra Romanov's fate won't be mine.

I'll speak her lines. I'll hit the mark. I'll strike a pose.

And when the past and present collide, I'll become their worst nightmare.

They told me to preserve the legacy.

Be careful what you ask for. . .

You just might get it.

**Please be aware this book contains dark themes and sensitive subject matter essential to the storyline that may bother some readers.**

Cora Kenborn is a USA Today Bestselling author who writes in multiple genres from dark and gritty romantic suspense to laugh-out-loud romantic comedy. Known for her sharp banter and shocking blindsides, Cora pushes her characters and readers out of their comfort zones and onto an emotional roller coaster before delivering a twisted happily ever after.

Cora believes there’s nothing better than a feisty heroine who keeps her alpha on his toes, and she draws inspiration from the sassy country women who raised her. However, since the domestic Southern Belle gene seems to have skipped a generation, she spends any free time convincing her family that microwaving Hot Pockets counts as cooking dinner.

Oh, and autocorrect thinks she's obsessed with ducks.

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Sonja's Review

I’m not really into Hollywood-type romances, so I wasn’t super looking forward to reading this book, but one thing that did excite me was that it was a re-telling of Anastasia. I’ve always been a fan of the story because Anastasia was one of the few characters that looked like me when I was a kid and I just always loved watching the movie. I was bummed that the heroine didn’t have the classic red hair, blue eyes from the animated film, but honestly that was the least of my concerns when it came to Starlet. 

Starlet has multiple elements that I love for my books to have, so I should have loved it, but I didn’t. I really don’t know what the problem was because I love enemies to lovers and a diabolical mind as much as the next girl, they’re two of my favorite things and I just didn’t care for those dynamics when it came to our hero and heroine. Even now, I like the heroine okay, but I didn’t like the hero for much of the book and now I feel pretty blasé towards him.

I thought Starlet was going to be a three star read for me because I didn’t like most of this book. It frustrated me, it kept me on edge the whole time and there was very little of it I actually enjoyed. It was really that last 15 or less percent that was the saving grace of this re-telling. It truly grabbed me, it was exciting and I refused to pull myself away until I finished. The last bit of Starlet did redeem itself for me and made it worthy of a four star rating. I would be interested in checking out Cora Kenborn again because while this couple didn’t really resonate with me, I did like her writing style and I’m down to see if I can fall in love with another one of her other couples/books. 

~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

RELEASE DAY REVIEW: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Title: Take a Hint, Dani Brown
Author: Talia Hibbert
Series: The Brown Series, #2
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: June 23, 2020

Synopsis: 

Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.

When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?

Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his… um, thighs.

Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?

Buy Take a Hint, Dani Brown

Excerpt

Sonja's Review

I loved Get a Life, Chloe Brown so hard that I absolutely could not wait to read Take a Hint, Dani Brown! I had high expectations going into this book not only from loving the first one in the series so much, but I became even more hyped for it every time I saw a teaser or heard someone praise it. I had no doubts that it was going to be good and Ms. Hibbert so did not let me down. I just adored Take a Hint, Dani Brown, it was positively marvelous! 

I loved Dani’s story even more than I did Chloe’s, though I have to say that it mostly all due to Zafir. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dani too, she’s funny and we both think emotions are gross, so we totally clicked, but there’s just something about Zaf. I have been so excited to meet him because I love me a grumpy hero, like a lot and oh, Zafir was just perfect! He’s all gruff and scowly, but he’s just the swooniest, sweeetest, most lovely man ever — I loved and couldn’t get enough of him! Zaf is wonderful and brave and he completely and utterly stole my heart — I’m a total goner for him and I could gush about him forever! 

Get a Life, Chloe Brown made me fall in love with it while I was reading it and that happened with Take a Hint, Dani Brown too. It made me feel all giddy and warm and it made me melt. I laughed, I cried, there was no part of me that was disengaged with Zafir and Dani. They were just the most adorable couple ever and I wanted nothing more for them to get their happily-ever-after. Not only is Take a Hint, Dani Brown one of my favorite reads of the year, but I think Zafir is my favorite hero of the year — so read this book because it is AMAZING! 

~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

Book One

Synopsis: 

A witty, hilarious romantic comedy about a woman who’s tired of being “boring” and recruits her mysterious, sexy neighbor to help her experience new things—perfect for fans of Sally Thorne, Jasmine Guillory, and Helen Hoang!

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?

Enjoy a drunken night out.

Ride a motorcycle.

Go camping.

Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.

Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.

And... do something bad. 

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job. 

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit. 

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

Buy Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Sonja’s Review

Get a Life, Chloe Brown is utterly delightful! I’ve had this book on my kindle for months and I’m kicking myself that I just now finally read it because it was so amazing and oh man, was I missing out! I completely understand why everyone is absolutely bonkers about Talia Hibbert and as well they should be because she is a writing rock star and she is definitely one of my authors from now on. She really nailed it out of the park with Get a Life, Chloe Brown and I know it’s only February, but it’s my favorite read of the year so far and I have no doubts that it will be on my favorites of the year list by the time 2020 comes to an end. 

Get a Life, Chloe Brown was heartwarming, beyond entertaining, so funny, and I enjoyed absolutely every minute of it. I really identified with Chloe, especially her grumpy, sarcastic side. I positively loved her and I loved Red just as much. He’s just the sweetest guy ever and I swooned so hard over him. Chloe and Red were wonderful characters and they go together perfectly. 

Get a Life, Chloe Brown was one of those books where I fell in love with it as I was reading. It enchanted me, captivated me, and I never wanted it to end. I could have spent forever with Chloe and Red. I’m so excited for Dani and Eve’s stories though it’s hard to imagine them topping Chloe and Red, but I have faith Talia Hibbert can do it! 

~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

About the Author: 

Talia Hibbert is a Black British author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate. She writes sexy, diverse romance because she believes that people of marginalised identities need honest and positive representation. Her interests include beauty, junk food, and unnecessary sarcasm.

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.taliahibbert.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTaliaHibbert/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaliaHibbert

Instagram: https://instagram.com/taliahibbert

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Talia-Hibbert/e/B074PWF27Q

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17088554.Talia_Hibbert

Newsletter: https://www.taliahibbert.com/viplist/

RELEASE BLITZ REVIEW: Faked by Karla Sorensen

Title: Faked

Author: Karla Sorensen

Genre: Sports Romance

Release Date: June 16, 2020

Every action has a consequence, and Claire Ward knows it. And yet, even knowing that her decision to swap places with her identical twin sister, Lia, for a night could be disastrous, she still does it.

Why? 

Because it will give her an evening with the man she’s been crushing on for years, Lia’s best friend, Finn. 

Miss Straight A Student has thought through all the angles, and knows the risk is worth it. And everything would have been fine, if Finn had been the one to show up at her door. 

But it wasn’t. 

Bauer Davis— Finn’s half brother and his exact opposite in just about every definable category is the one waiting for her instead. A professional snowboarder, Bauer is covered in ink, full of attitude, and has a chip on his shoulder the size of Mt. Olympus. The kind of bad boy that Claire has never been attracted to before. 

Now the good girl is with the wrong brother for a night, and when the consequence is that they have to pretend to be together for an event, it’s nothing she could have predicted. But maybe, just maybe, what makes Bauer so bad, is exactly what Claire needs.

Well, let’s see ... I’m a wife and a mother. If the things that I write bring a smile to someone's face, then I've done my job. I am obsessed with Outlander (both the books and the show). I’m almost exclusively a romance reader, which means some people will never consider me a literary snob. If I could meet one historical figure, it would be Jane Austen. I received my Bachelors in Public Relations and worked in health care marketing before I had my babies. I hate Twitter. I do it, but I hate it. Also, if you want to get on my good side, bring me wine and I'll love you forever.

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Lia's Review

I’ve loved getting to know the Ward family and have been waiting on pins and needles for each of the sisters' books. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a good twin swap trope. So I couldn’t wait to dive into this one. 

Let me just say, Bauer is smoking hot, and sweet, and sensitive. He checks all my boxes. Claire was just the right amount of tough and insecure. However the relationship seemed uber rushed. The conflict was a tad superficial. I did like this story, I would’ve just liked some more build to their relationship. Five days is too insta-lovey for me. 

There was a good sneak peek for Lia’s book at the end of Faked, so I’m super stoked for that. I just wanted a bit more development in this story, but I liked it. 

~ 3.5 Stars