[Review] IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER (Bellinger Sisters, #1) by Tessa Bailey

 

Source: Received an egalley through Netgalley
and purchased a finished paperback.
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: July 13, 2021
Number of Pages: 397 (Paperback)

DESCRIPTION

Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar... in Washington.

Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.

Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart. 

Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl” who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong.

G E T   Y O U R   C O P Y   N O W !
Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Indigo | B&N

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REVIEW

Wow…I went into IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER expecting to enjoy it because I loved the premise, love Schitt’s Creek, and already enjoy Tessa Bailey’s writing style, but this book blew me away! I loved it even more than I expected and seriously cannot wait for its sequel, HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER!

Brendan and Piper were absolutely amazing characters and I loved their dynamics, especially since I am a huge sucker for the grumpy and sunshine pairing…their chemistry was also undeniable and I loved the little inside jokes that they had throughout the book that would make me laugh even harder when they came up again. It was such a fun, laugh out loud, and also steamy read, and I already want to read it again. It also reminded me just how much I love a beefy, strong hero and a capable man is always attractive! Haha

Overall, I loved IT HAPPENED ON SUMMER! It was steamy, sweet, funny, and also seriously uplifting and heartwarming—the perfect rom-com to pick you up and make you laugh! I’d recommend it to fans of rom-coms that like their romances steamy, and if you also love the sunshine and grumpy pairing, hunky and strong heroes, and heroines with a lot of heart and perseverance than I think you’ll love this one, too!

Star Rating: ★★★★★

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What do you think?
Does IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER sound like a book you'd like?

If you've read it, too, what did you think?

[Review] SHIMMY BANG SPARKLE by Nicola Rendell

Source: Received a sample copy through work/the Canadian distributor, Thomas Allen & Son.
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Release Date: August 21, 2018
Number of Pages: 320 (Paperback)

DESCRIPTION

To catch a thief…or fall for one?
 
All Nick Norton wants is to stay on the straight and narrow…and never get caught stealing again. Then he lays eyes on her: Stella Peretti—100 percent sexy and absolutely irresistible. Especially when he sees her smooth moves lifting a two-karat diamond. Nick realizes he’s found the sparkling woman of his dreams—one so perfect for him it’s almost criminal.

The Shimmy Shimmy Bangs are master jewel thieves who are planning the heist of the century. And Shimmy leader, Stella, isn’t about to let anyone—even if he is a hunky, tatted-up studmuffin—get in her way. But when two of her girls are put out of commission, Stella realizes that Nick isn’t just a red-hot distraction. He might be the answer to her pilfering prayers.

Now, Nick and Stella are putting everything on the line for one last job. But when two thieves have this much chemistry, it’s only a matter of time before somebody’s heart gets stolen.

G E T   Y O U R   C O P Y   N O W !
Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Indigo

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REVIEW

😍😍😍

This was my first time reading one of Nicola Rendell’s books, but you can bet it definitely won’t be my last! In her bio, she says she writes “naughty romantic comedies” and that is sooooo accurate and it’s the perfect way to describe this book!

SHIMMY BANG SPARKLE was deliciously sexy and naughty, but soooooo funny and sweet, too! Stella and Nick were amazing and their chemistry was on fire...a few chapters in and these two had me swooning and giggling. I loved both of them apart, but I really loved what they brought out in each other! Special mention goes to the adorable dog Queen, Priscilla! I absolutely loved all of the parts where Priscilla was with Stella and Nick, they were too cute! It made me remember just how much I love dogs in books.

Along with the wonderful romance aspect of SHIMMY BANG SPARKLE, the story itself was amazing! I loved the idea of a jewel heist and I loved that Stella belonged to gang of female jewel thieves. The dynamics between her and her besties, Ruth and Roxie, fellow members of the Shimmy Shimmy Bangs were fantastic!

And the heist...wooowwweee! I’m not going to tell you about it because I think you need to read about it yourself, but I loved seeing the plans come together and how detailed everything was. Mostly I just loved seeing Nick and Stella fall further and further in love during it. *dreamy sigh*

Overall, I loved SHIMMY BANG SPARKLE! If you’re a fan of steamy romances where the characters have amazing banter and chemistry, or if you just straight-up love romantic comedies and sexy books, I definitely recommend this one! And if you’re a fan of romances and heist films separately, definitely check this one out! I don’t mind heist films, but I feel like this sexy romance aspect is the part that would make me go from liking them to loving them. I always love what a good ol’ romance brings to a story. 😉

Highly recommend this one!

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What do you think?
Does SHIMMY BANG SPARKLE sound like something you'd like to read?