[Review] THE UNHONEYMOONERS by Christina Lauren

Source: Received an ARC from Indigo Books & Music
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Number of Pages: 400 (Paperback)

DESCRIPTION

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.

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REVIEW

First Impressions...

I loved Ethan and Olive, and the story and premise were light, fun and rom-com perfection, but I have to admit that I was a little underwhelmed. The chemistry between Ethan and Olive was phenomenal and I loved their hate-to-love dynamic, but the sexy parts of the story just didn’t deliver and it felt like they were totally brushed over. I also wish we’d gotten more of Ethan’s POV—super weird to read a CLo book without dual POV to be honest. I do think this story was super fun and I would recommend it, but it’s definitely not my fave CLo book.

This Book In 5 Words:

Summery. Funny. Light. Sweet. Dramatic.

What Did I Like: 

- Olive and Ethan! I absolutely loved both characters. Olive was ridiculously funny, and I loved Ethan's brooding, kind of cool demeanor...especially when we got to see him warm up and be all charming...and drunk, goofy Ethan was absolutely adorable. :D

- The hate-to-love/enemies-to-lovers dynamics. I thought they were fabulous and the chemistry between Olive and Ethan was super sexy...I just wished that the actual romance aspects of the story followed through with this.

- The writing, banter and characters. I love Christina Lauren's writing! It always pulls me in and The Unhoneymooners wasn't an exception. They also write fabulous banter and wonderful characters. While I felt like it wasn't their strongest book, it did still have me smiling, laughing, and swooning.

What Didn't I Like:

- Not sexy enough. I'm getting sick of fade-to-black scenes in self-described romance books by authors known for their sex scenes...so this book was super disappointing when it came to that. It's Christina Lauren's least steamy book by far and I've honestly just gotten really disappointed with how their books have handled steam in the last while...where has it gone?!

- Not enough Ethan---why wasn't this dual POV throughout? CLo ALWAYS writes dual POV stories, but for some reason we only got Ethan's POV in the epilogue and I was super disappointed with that. I loved Ethan, and I loved Olive, but I wanted more of Ethan's POV.

- My least favourite CLo book so far. I honestly just felt like this book needed more in general. More steam, more Ethan, and honestly a few more passes through edits to tighten it up. The beginning dragged too long and the ending was too rushed. *shrugs*

Star Rating:

★★★.5 to ★★★★

Read If You Like:

Light-hearted rom-coms, hilarious banter, and the hate-to-love trope.

Overall, I really loved the characters in THE UNHONEYMOONERS and I thought that it was a funny, light-hearted read. If you love lighter, less steamy rom-coms then I definitely recommend this one!

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What do you think?
Have you ever read one of Christina Lauren's books?
If so, which is your favourite?

Review: DATING YOU / HATING YOU by Christina Lauren

Source: Received an ARC from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: June 6, 2017
Number of Pages: 350 (Paperback)


Description:

All’s fair in love and work. The first standalone romance by New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Beautiful Bastard) is a sexy, compulsively readable romantic comedy that dives headlong into the thrill and doubt of modern love.

Despite the odds against them from an embarrassing meet-awkward at a mutual friend’s Halloween party, Carter and Evie immediately hit it off. Even the realization that they’re both high-powered agents at competing firms in Hollywood isn’t enough to squash the fire.

But when their two agencies merge—causing the pair to vie for the same position—all bets are off. What could have been a beautiful, blossoming romance turns into an all-out war of sabotage. Carter and Evie are both thirtysomething professionals—so why can’t they act like it?

Can Carter stop trying to please everyone and see how their mutual boss is really playing the game? Can Evie put aside her competitive nature long enough to figure out what she really wants in life? Can their actor clients just be something close to human? Whether these two Hollywood love/hatebirds get the storybook Hollywood ending or just a dramedy of epic proportions, you will get to enjoy Christina Lauren’s heartfelt, raucous, and hilarious romance style at its finest.

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Well I had to take a pause while reading this one because of some blog tours, but I'm so glad that I was able to get back to DATING YOU / HATING YOU! I definitely didn't want to stop reading either times that I picked it up and it was constantly making me chuckle, gasp, grin, and smirk. While it wasn't my favourite Christina Lauren book, and I'd probably give it a 4.5 rather than a 5 (but I love this writing duo so I'm always going to round up for them :P), I did love Evie and Carter and their story was fantastic!

The things that held me back for this one honestly had to do with the fact that I've loved their Beautiful series and Wild Seasons series so much. This is the only place I'd take off that half a star. Both series have a wide cast and the further you get into the series, the more you love all of the characters and that's what I missed here. The characters were all fantastic and vibrant and I loved them, but I would've loved more of them! I wanted more of Steph, Michael and their daughter, Morgan. I wanted more Amelia and Daryl...and maybe to know more about Eric, too. I think I've just been spoiled by their other books that way or maybe they're so skilled at writing compelling side characters that I want all that I can get. Haha

As far as the romance goes, it wasn't quite what I expected actually. I was expecting a dynamic similar to Beautiful Bastard, but that's not even close. Evie and Carter had fantastic chemistry. They did great banter, had some adorkable flirtations going on, and were just downright amazing together. I was expecting them to have a hate-to-love type story but it was more new fledging lovers to reluctant rivals, which I actually really enjoyed. It made their dynamics really interesting and I loved seeing them get together. I loved the moments that we got of them together so much. Dating You/Hating You definitely isn't Christina Lauren's steamiest book, but the parts that are there are fantastic and they didn't disappoint! ;)

Overall, I absolutely adored this romance and while I could've done with more moments with the side characters and I wouldn't have minded a bit more steamy parts, I was extremely happy with Evie and Carter as a couple!!! I can't wait to read what Christina Lauren comes up with next!

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What do you think?
Are you a fan of Christina Lauren?
Does Dating You/Hating You sound like something you'd like to read?

Waiting on Wednesday (8): Sweet Filthy Boy!

 

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It gives us the chance to fangirl over all of the books that we can't wait to read!

SWEET FILTHY BOY (Wild Seasons #1) by Christina Lauren

Hitting the shelves on May 27, 2014 from Gallery Books

Book Description:

One-night stands are supposed to be with someone convenient, or wickedly persuasive, or regrettable. They aren’t supposed to be with someone like him.

But after a crazy Vegas weekend celebrating her college graduation—and terrified of the future path she knows is a cop-out—Mia Holland makes the wildest decision of her life: follow Ansel Guillaume—her sweet, filthy fling—to France for the summer and just…play.

When feelings begin to develop behind the provocative roles they take on, and their temporary masquerade adventures begin to feel real, Mia will have to decide if she belongs in the life she left because it was all wrong, or in the strange new one that seems worlds away.

MY THOUGHTS

I'm a huge fan of Lauren Billings and Christina Hobbs, the two authors who co-write under the pen name of Christina Lauren, so I absolutely cannot wait to read Sweet Filthy Boy! It sounds like it's going to be just as sexy, and hilarious as their Beautiful Bastard series! I also just think that the story sounds fantastic, and I'm sure that Sweet Filthy Boy is going to be yet another one of their books that I can't put down! :D

Have you read anything by Christina Lauren yet?

Is Sweet Filthy Boy on your to-read list?

And what are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Review: Beautiful Player (Beautiful Bastard #3) by Christina Lauren

 Source: Purchased a copy for my Kobo library.
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: Already Released
Number of Pages: 432 (Paperback)


Description from Goodreads:

A bombshell bookworm. A chronic Casanova. And a lesson in chemistry too scandalous for school.

When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she’s determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother’s gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?

Will takes risks for a living, but he’s skeptical about this challenge of Hanna’s…until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed- and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can’t forget. Now that Hanna’s discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it’s up to Will to prove he’s the only man she’ll ever need.

I've been hooked on the Beautiful Bastard series since I read Beautiful Bastard! I loved the sequel, Beautiful Stranger...and surprise, surprise (but not really :P), I loved Beautiful Player, too! :D Actually, I didn't just love Beautiful Player...I abso-freaking-lutely LOVED it! I didn't want to stop reading it at all! I pretty much read nonstop as soon as my pre-order downloaded to my Kobo the day that it came out and was in a major reading bubble that whole day....so worth it! This book was wonderful and Hanna and Will were fantastic main characters! I loved every single moment of it! :D 

I've loved all three Beautiful Bastard books, but I have to admit that parts of this book make me want to say that this one was my favourite (shhh don't tell Beautiful Bastard and Beautiful Stranger :P)! I loved that Hanna was a bit dorky and nerdy...I could completely relate to her! I also really loved Will! He was a player, but he was so much more than that. He was really intelligent, hilarious, and seriously sexy...I also loved that pretty much as soon as he and Hanna started hanging out, even as friends, he stopped being a player. ;P

The romance in Beautiful Player was fantastic, and I really adored Will and Hanna together! They had amazing banter, and I loved that we got to see their friendship develop before their relationship became romantic. Not only was their friendship fantastic, but it was also such a big difference from both Chloe and Bennett's, and Max and Sarah's relationships, and when it comes to a series like this, where the narrators change, it's always nice to see contrast between the couples! :) I also love that we get to see the previous characters in each of these books! I never get sick of reading more about them all! :D

Overall, I loved Beautiful Player! It was funny, sexy, and Hanna and Will were amazing, both together and apart! I devoured this one in one day, and I definitely plan to read it again in the future! :D I'd recommend Beautiful Player and the Beautiful Bastard series to readers who love funny, sexy contemporary romances! 

I've actually been saving the novellas in the Beautiful Bastard series, so I'm thinking that soon I'm going to have to read them so that I can get my Christina Lauren fix until their newest release, Sweet Filthy Boy comes out! ;)

Does Beautiful Player sound like a book you'd like to read?
And have you started the Beautiful Bastard series yet?
Is anyone else a huge fan of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the cowriters who make up Christina Lauren?

Review: Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful Bastard #2) by Christina Lauren

Source: Received a copy of the book from Kobo to test out the new Kobo Aura HD!
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: Already Released
Number of Pages: 352 (Paperback)


Description from Goodreads:

A charming British Playboy. A girl determined to finally live. And a secret liaison revealed in all too vivid color. Book two in the NYT Bestselling series.

Escaping a cheating ex, finance whiz Sara Dillon's moved to New York City and is looking for excitement without a lot of strings attached. So meeting the irresistible, sexy Brit at a dance club should have meant nothing more than a night's fun. But the manner--and speed--with which he melts her inhibitions turns him from a one-time hookup and into her Beautiful Stranger.

The whole city knows Max Stella loves women, not that he's ever found one he particularly wants to keep around. Despite pulling in plenty with his Wall Street bad boy charm, it's not until Sara--and the wild photos she lets him take of her--that he starts wondering if there's someone for him outside of the bedroom.

Hooking up in places where anybody could catch them, the only thing scarier for Sara than getting caught in public is having Max get too close in private.

I absolutely loved Beautiful Bastard, so I wasn't at all surprised when I read Beautiful Stranger and loved it, too! :D I absolutely love Christina and Lauren's writing styles...they make a fantastic writing duo, and they just have a way of telling stories! They're funny, sexy, and heartwarming all at the same time! :D

While Beautiful Stranger is centered around a new couple, we did get to see how Bennett and Chloe are doing, and I personally love getting to see guest appearances of past main characters in series like this, but I also love getting to know the new characters, and Max and Sarah were both fantastic! They were funny, and they were seriously sexy together! Their relationship was super steamy...and wasn't exactly what you'd expect at first. ;D

When I first read Beautiful Stranger, I couldn't put it down, and stayed up until I flipped to the very last page! I read this one a while back, and it's still stuck with me, so you know it was a great one! I just absolutely adore this series, and am going to be jumping at the chance to read any books that these lovely ladies put out because they are seriously amazing authors! :D

Overall, I loved Beautiful Stranger! It may have different main characters than Beautiful Bastard, but I assure you that you will love them, too! I'd recommend this book, and this series to anyone who loves sexy, funny, and just all-around awesome books!

What do you think?
Have you started this series yet?
Does Beautiful Stranger, and this series sound like something you'd like to read?