Review: Act Your Age, Eve Brown

I, like many rom com readers, discovered Talia Hibbert in late 2019 with Get a Life, Chloe Brown. I absolutely loved it and was all in on her Brown Sisters series. Take a Hint, Dani Brown absolutely blew me away and was a top book of 2020. Act Your Age, Eve Brown released this week and I was both very excited and very apprehensive about this final book in the trilogy. I don't know why I was worried. I loved it from start to finish.

Here's the book's description:

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It's time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she's not entirely sure how…
Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.
Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

Given how much I loved Chloe and then how much more I loved Dani, I wasn't sure if Eve could live up to her older sisters. Like I said, it was silly to worry because Hibbert is so freaking talented that I feel like an idiot for doubting her skills at writing characters I'd love. Eve seems to be quite different from her sisters. She's bubbly and louder and full of sunshine that she loves to spread to everyone she knows. I loved that Eve learned so much about herself in this book and why she is the way she is (and that why is a reason she's more similar to her sisters than she thought). She's a character you're going to absolutely adore and seeing her become more confident and sure of herself was magical.

The hijinks in this book seem so completely bananas but it works! Because of course Eve would randomly come across a job, hours away from home, that she'd be good at. And of course she'd hit the B&B owner with her car. And of course there would be a Duck Incident. But it all works and it works so well. I was laughing at the antics so often and I loved it because there was so much joy and good intentions throughout too. Sure, you kind of have to suspend your beliefs a little bit but this is a rom com. It's meant to be a bit out there and full of love and laughter.

I love a good trope and this book has a couple I really like. Something I'm just learning about myself is that I do enjoy enemies to lovers, when they're done well (I think I've read a lot of bad ones that lean too far into the alpha male/dominant personality and they've scarred me a bit) and this novel has a nice twist on that trope. To say Eve and Jacob were enemies indicates there's some sort of history there where, in reality, the pair meet and Eve immediately offends every sensibility Jacob has and they get off on the wrong foot. (Eve hitting him with car doesn't help, of course.) I loved loved loved reading as they learned about each other and opened up. There's also the forced proximity trope as Eve just sort of...moves into the B&B. Jacob's reaction when he finds out was too funny. I liked that the sort-of-not-really-but-actually living together resulted in sexy times that were so natural. And steamy. Hoo boy. *fans self* These sex scenes are not for the faint of heart and I loved them!

Hibbert is fantastic at writing amazing female characters and wonderful heroes who fall in love with them. Cinnamon bun heroes are drastically overlooked and I very much appreciate Hibbert giving me so many men to swoon over who are smart, attractive, and super sweet. They might not seem to be squishy, adorable guys at first glance but, oh my, are they ever. They're respectful of the Brown women and just can't help but fall head over heels in love with them. Naturally that means I can't help but fall head over heels in love with them. *swoons* Just the best.

I can't comment from a personal experience on the portrayal of characters on the autism spectrum, just like with the sisters being Black. BUT. I can appreciate it and be so thankful that publishers are figuring out that readers want to read characters from every background. There's so much more to be done but I'm glad authors like Hibbert are out there writing these stories for us.

To compare all three Brown sisters books is like comparing cupcakes. (Provided you like cupcakes. If you don't, please think of something you DO like that can come in different flavours but are all equally delicious. And also tell me how you can not like cupcakes. No judgment. Just much confusion.) They each have their own style and flavour but they're all completely wonderful. I cannot recommend this series enough. Act Your Age, Eve Brown was so wonderful to read and I enjoyed every second I spent with Eve and Jacob. I didn't want it to end! I cannot wait to devour more of Talia Hibbert's novels and am really looking forward to the spinoff Skybriar series. Read these books, friends!

Review of Get a Life, Chloe Brown 
Review of Take a Hint, Dani Brown

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Accidentally Engaged

Accidentally Engaged was my first Farah Heron novel. I admit I do own a copy of her debut, The Chai Factor, but, for some strange reason, haven't gotten around to reading it yet. After absolutely devouring her latest though? I'll be moving it up the queue.

Here's the book's description:

Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall--with hopes that Reena will marry him.
But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.
As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciated that Heron set this novel in Toronto. Too often us Canadian readers find that our authors are encouraged to set their stories somewhere in the US because it's more "relatable" or some such nonsense. I know a lot of American readers who don't care one way or the other so I'm hopeful that soon we'll see even more Canadian cities, and small towns, featured in books published in the US. 

Reena was an absolutely delightful character. She was funny and smart and I constantly found myself wishing we could get together for a beer. (Mmm some of the beer she and Nadim had sounded sooo good.) She by no means had her life figured out and I could definitely identify with that. I was rooting for her the entire way through and hoped she'd find her Happily Ever After for herself (but also, of course, with Nadim because they were just too cute). 

The storyline with the cooking show Reena and Nadim enter was too fun. Food was a big part of this story and will leave you craving bread and delicious meals while you're reading. Me included even though sourdough isn't my favourite kind of bread and a lot of the spices Reena used aren't ones I like. But there we have it! Back to the show. I think it was also more enjoyable for me because I love wholesome cooking shows. Great British (or Canadian) Baking Show? (As it's called over here...Great British Bake Off is the title back in England.) I adore them and they've been a balm during the last year. It was really nice to escape into that kind of cooking competition world, at least a little, in Heron's novel.

Even though this is, technically, a rom com, Heron packs a lot into the story that isn't as lighthearted as a romance may suggest. And I am HERE for it. Reena not only has to deal with overbearing parents but she also has job loss and a spotty relationship track record. Plus, she and her sister have a very complicated relationship and both women have mental health issues that are in various stages of being addressed. Heron has her characters being quite open about most things - even for a story that is full of (sometimes ridiculous) secrets - and I appreciated that. I like my rom coms with a heavy dose of real life and am glad to see more of those being written.

Accidentally Engaged was a delight from start to finish and I definitely recommend contemporary readers check this one out. Farah Heron has given us a smart and entertaining novel that will get under everyone's skin, in the best possible way, and also have everyone craving bread!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HBG Canada/Forever, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: First Comes Like

First Comes Like was my first read from Alisha Rai, even though it's technically third in her Modern Love series. I've seen the others but just never managed to cram them into my reading schedule. I made sure to make the time for Jia's story, though, and I'm really glad I did. I had SO much fun reading it!

Here's the book's description:

Beauty expert and influencer Jia Ahmed has her eye on the prize: conquering the internet today, the entire makeup industry tomorrow, and finally, finally proving herself to her big opinionated family. She has little time for love, and even less time for the men in her private messages—until the day a certain international superstar slides into her DMs, and she falls hard and fast.
There’s just one wrinkle: he has no idea who she is.
The son of a powerful Bollywood family, soap opera star Dev Dixit is used to drama, but a strange woman who accuses him of wooing her online, well, that’s a new one. As much as he’d like to focus on his Hollywood fresh start, he can’t get Jia out of his head. Especially once he starts to suspect who might have used his famous name to catfish her…
When paparazzi blast their private business into the public eye, Dev is happy to engage in some friendly fake dating to calm the gossips and to dazzle her family. But as the whole world swoons over their relationship, Jia can’t help but wonder: Can an online romance-turned-offline-fauxmance ever become love in real life?

One weird thing that drove me bananas was that Jia mentioned several times at the start of the novel (when she's trying to figure out what happened with Dev and why he doesn't know her) that she was very ill recently and still kind of recovering. Her sister, who lives on the other side of the country, was ill with the same thing and still needs to use oxygen. The problem? I have absolutely no idea what illness it was. And it seemed to be such a big part of the reason why the story even had a story (she got back to talking with "Dev" when she was sick) that it was bizarre that it was mentioned so much and then just...left alone. Was it mentioned in the previous stories and that's why I was missing information? Was it supposed to be COVID? If it was, can we please fast forward to the world they're in where everyone can hang out together and fake date? Because it didn't seem like anyone else in the entire world had gotten sick and her illness wasn't that long ago. 

I also wondered if Jia had ever mentioned to her roommates (who are the heroines in the first two novels) that she had been messaging with Dev. That part of the story was...convoluted. And heartbreaking and also infuriating. I kind of found myself waiting for the pair to get past that situation so I could enjoy the rest of the story. 

I went down the rabbit hole of Goodreads reviews because I needed to see how Muslim readers felt about the story. From what I can gather, Rai is not Muslim herself and a lot of readers were worried about how Jia's faith would be portrayed (as they should be). Some readers took issue with it seeming like this was just a check off the Diverse Rom Com List: girl wears hijab - check! girl prays - check! girl does not drink or have premarital sex - check and check! Other readers appreciated those mentions. I'm not going to comment one way or the other but I do think I'll try to find some more reviews from Muslim readers (while understanding that it's not a monolith and one person's experience does not speak for everyone of that faith).

Jia is such an interesting character. She is so warm and engaging but also kind of an introvert, I think. She's wicked smart and so funny. Some of the conversations with Dev and her roommates were too hilarious - I was giggling out loud when she and Dev went to an art show together as they poked fun at the abstract art. She's also such a kind person. You can see that when she interacts with, well, just about anyone, but especially her roommates. There's a really enviable bond there and made me miss my friends and former university roommates. 

First Comes Like isn't a story that lends itself to a picked apart review, to be completely honest. It's not a perfect story but it was perfect for me at the time I was reading it. I loved Jia and had a lot of fun reading her story and hoping for a Happily Ever After for her. It was fun and smart and I look forward to reading Alisha Rai's backlist and whatever she writes next.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Avon, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Get a Life, Chloe Brown

You might have been seeing Get a Life, Chloe Brown everywhere late last year. It was a romcom that a lot of people were loving because Chloe Brown wasn't your typical romcom heroine and everyone, myself included, was here for it. Talia Hibbert created a character who was so much fun to read about and who you couldn't help rooting for.

Here's the synopsis:

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…

Chloe is an absolute delight. She's smart and sassy and so incredibly strong. She's also built up a lot of emotional walls because it's easier to do that than really let anyone, other than her family, into her life. Red really sees her and sees through her defense mechanisms and it was so wonderful to read as they start to trust each other and learn more about who the other really is, deep down.

While I called this book a romcom off the top, it deals with a lot of heavy issues that sometimes make it far more dramatic than comedic. Hibbert balances things beautifully and keeps the story from becoming too heavy without making light of some serious issues. The romance part though? Very much present and the steam factor is off the charts.

Good news for those who like the sounds of Hibbert's writing, she's turned this into a series where each book will focus on a different Brown sister. Next up will be Take a Hint, Dani Brown which is set to be published in June.

And this cover! I am a fan of the illustration covers that are really big right now and this one just makes me so happy.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown is one of those books that's really hard to describe why it's good or why I liked it so much. It just is and I did. It's uplifting but real. It's funny and sexy. It's sweet and dramatic. It ticks all the boxes so I definitely think you should pick up a copy of Talia Hibbert's novel. And then maybe preorder the next book in the series.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Wedding Party

Like most rom-com lovers, I fell in love with Jasmine Guillory's characters in The Wedding Date. I was slightly less in love with The Proposal but I still found that novel to be a hell of a lot of fun to read. Cue: The Wedding Party. I was so excited to read it because I knew I'd get a thoroughly enjoyable novel from a voice that I'm so glad is being heard. This book - just published today! - lived up to my expectations and I loved it.

Here's the synopsis:

Maddie and Theo have two things in common:
1. Alexa is their best friend
2. They hate each other
After an "oops, we made a mistake" night together, neither one can stop thinking about the other. With Alexa's wedding rapidly approaching, Maddie and Theo both share bridal party responsibilities that require more interaction with each other than they're comfortable with. Underneath the sharp barbs they toss at each other is a simmering attraction that won't fade. It builds until they find themselves sneaking off together to release some tension when Alexa isn't looking.
But as with any engagement with a nemesis, there are unspoken rules that must be abided by. First and foremost, don't fall in love.

I like that all three of Guillory's novels (so far) are ever so slightly intertwined. The couple we met in her first book, The Wedding Date (OK one thing I don't like is that one is Date and one is Party and it's very hard to talk about them without confusing yourself), Alexa and Drew, feature in the new book. Maddie and Theo are Alexa's best friends and we get some overlap with the first story but told from Maddie and Theo's perspectives. With me so far? Carlos and Nik from The Proposal also pop up, since Carlos is best friends with Drew but since they're in a different city, they're not around as much. Each novel is able to be read as a standalone (though you might find the time jumps in this one odd if you don't know Alexa and Drew's story) but it's so much more fun when you've read all of them and fully understand the histories of the characters.

I was so sucked into this story. It's one of those ones that you can dive into in the morning and have finished by the evening. Just make sure you eat and hydrate throughout! (I drank much wine while reading this one...) It has a fast pace - for the most part, I think the beginning was a bit slower as the story got set up but it wasn't a negative - and smart, interesting characters. I like that Guillory makes sure the characters' jobs are just as important to the story as the romance. Maddie is hustling to make her own styling business work while Theo is working hard handling PR for the city's mayor. They're in their 30s (another plus) and their careers mean everything to them but I appreciated that was never an issue with their relationship. They were open to a relationship and a career (just maybe not a relationship with each other because they were dense and didn't realize they were in love with each other). I also really like that there's always a really strong family element - this time with the bond between Maddie and her mom. (Psst. Have you heard of this book yet?)

As fun as this was, I had a hard time believing that Maddie and Theo actually still thought they hated each other, while jumping each other every time they had the chance. I guess I can understand that hate and lust are both very strong emotions and might get all mixed up but I just can't wrap my head around sleeping with someone that I hated. (But maybe that's the long-term relationship talking.) I also have to remind myself that it's so easy to fix other people's problems by telling them what to do (TALK TO EACH OTHER, YOU FOOLS) but when you're in the mess you created? And not sure you want to believe what your heart is telling you? Yeah, that's tough. I did like that Maddie basically said how stupid it is that she was all, "Just tell Drew how you feel, Alexa!" like it was so easy. She then says she wants to punch Past Maddie in the head so she gets it. Points to Guillory for some tongue-in-cheek humour.

And how much fun is that cover? I had an ARC to read but I'm really kind of hoping the cover features real sparkles, at least for the title. I'm a sucker for brightly coloured covers, what can I say?

The Wedding Party is another excellent addition to this new wave of contemporary romances (THAT I AM LOVING). Jasmine Guillory has created characters and a world that I love getting to know and understand. No book is perfect but this one was such a delight to read over a summer weekend.

*An ARC of this novel was sent by the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Matchmaker's List

I am loving the resurgence of the rom-com. I adore these types of novels and am thrilled that they're making a comeback in such an amazing way. Gone are the stereotypical white girls trying to make it in the big city, wearing the best fashion (though I loved those books too). Now we're getting diverse characters and authors and stories that are so much more realistic and so, so necessary. The Matchmaker's List by Sonya Lalli has some issues but, in the end, I'm so happy it's published and available for women everywhere to read.

Here's the synopsis:

One devoted modern girl + a meddlesome, traditional grandmother = a heartwarming multicultural romantic comedy about finding love where you least expect it. 
Raina Anand may have finally given in to family pressure and agreed to let her grandmother play matchmaker, but that doesn't mean she has to like it--or that she has to play by the rules. Nani always took Raina's side when she tried to push past the traditional expectations of their tight-knit Indian-immigrant community, but now she's ambushing Raina with a list of suitable bachelors. Is it too much to ask for a little space? Besides, what Nani doesn't know won't hurt her...
As Raina's life spirals into a parade of Nani-approved bachelors and disastrous blind dates, she must find a way out of this modern-day arranged-marriage trap without shattering her beloved grandmother's dreams.

One of my favourite things about this novel was that it's set in Canada and doesn't hide it. Canadian authors too often set their novels in the US or purposefully ambiguous locations - not usually because they want to but because it's harder to market a Canadian set book to American readers (insert major eye roll here). I think it's a bunch of baloney so when I find a book that's proudly Canadian, I cheer.

The biggest thing I didn't like about this book was so big it really affected the way I viewed the story as a whole. I could have liked the novel SO much more had this plot point not occurred. This is going to be a bit of a spoiler but I think it needs to be discussed because I'm not OK with this part of the story and think others should be aware of it. Raina was so fed up with being pushed onto male suitors that she pretends to be gay. AND a character had come out to her in confidence and she ends up outing them later on. Not to mention seriously pissing them off and offending them. I just cannot understand why Lalli thought it would be a good idea to have Raina pretend to be gay for protection from an arranged marriage. Just...no.

There were other things I really liked about this story. I loved that there was an actual list of suitors that was added to and amended as the novel went on. Raina and her Nani's relationship is complicated, like all family relationships are, but the love between them runs so deep. Respect of the other is a bit lacking but they truly do love each other. Raina's friendship with Shaylee is perfection and Shay is the kind of girlfriend every woman should hope to have (and be). I appreciated that Raina is figuring herself out and is a big work in progress, even by the end of the novel. I liked that each date she has to go on is a separate chapter and that there are other chapters from past birthdays interspersed throughout as well.

Overall, Sonya Lalli's novel is a lot of fun. Is it the best rom-com I've ever read? No, but I am absolutely OK with that (less OK with that big issues I mentioned). I enjoyed the time I spent reading The Matchmaker's List and think it's an incredibly important addition to the contemporary fiction space. I look forward to what Lalli writes next!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: All Inclusive

I had no idea how I was going to feel about Farzana Doctor's latest novel, All Inclusive, when I was asked by Dundurn Press to be a part of their blog tour. The synopsis sounded interesting enough but would I really like it? Spoiler alert: yes, yes I really would.

Here's the synopsis:

Whether it's about work and play or life and death, sometimes there's no avoiding bumpy encounters.
What's it like when everyone's dream vacation is your job? Ameera works at a Mexican all-inclusive resort, where every day is paradise — if “paradise” means endless paperwork, quotas to meet, and entitled tourists to deal with. But it's not all bad: Ameera's pastime of choice is the swingers' scene, and the resort is the perfect place to hook up with like-minded couples without all the hassle of ever having to see them again.
Despite Ameera's best efforts to keep her sideline a secret, someone is spreading scandalous rumours about her around the resort, and her job might be at stake. Meanwhile, she's being plagued by her other secret, the big unknown of her existence: the identity of her father and the reason he abandoned her. Unbeknownst to Ameera, her father, Azeez, is looking for her. The fact that he's dead is just a minor detail.
A moving new work from award-winning author Farzana Doctor, All Inclusive blurs the lines between the real world and paradise, and life and the afterlife, that shows how love can conquer any obstacle. 

I loved that this book was so different than most books I've read. It's a contemporary story but there's a hint of fantasy (though that's not exactly the right word). Azeez, Ameera's father, is dead. We learn that fairly early on (talk about a gut punch moment when I realized what had happened to him and again when Ameera learned about it) so the majority of Azeez's chapters are told by his spirit. I liked the dual perspectives, and the use of an actual event (the Air India bombing), because it gave the novel so much more depth.

I also loved that Ameera isn't your run of the mill protagonist. I'll be the first to admit that I don't read very diversely so I don't happen upon non-white, non-heterosexual characters very often. So, yes, Ameera's background and sexual preferences were refreshing for me. I'd be interested to see what others, who do read diversely, may think of how Ameera was written. I appreciated that all of the scenes featuring the swingers and polyamorous couples felt authentic. Doctor acknowledges there are people who will judge Ameera (the anonymous complaints against her are proof of that) but the reader should not judge Ameera based on how Doctor wrote her. Any judgment or negative feelings a reader would have would come from (and I'm going to get a tad controversial here) their own closed mindedness.

An entertaining thing, to me, when reading this book is the fact that my sister works in a role similar to Ameera's. Right now she's on her second contract on a cruise ship where she works on the sports staff (running the rock walls, zip lines, surf simulators, and the like). I know she's had a few comments from guests who think it's just the best that she gets to see all of these great places while she's working. Now, she knows she's lucky and has been able to see so much more than she would have otherwise but...she's still working. So I completely understood how Ameera wasn't feeling as one would expect in "paradise".

Finally, I just love that this book is by a Canadian, has Canadian characters, and features some scenes set in Canada (Hamilton, Ontario to be specific). I liked that the few scenes in Canada happened just a little ways down the highway from where I'm living now. Plus, I think there are some opportunities for Project Bookmark Canada, too! Regular blog readers will know I don't read nearly enough Canadian fiction, which is a shame. I don't because most books that I have read aren't like All Inclusive. I wish they were. This novel will definitely be in my top five CanLit list at the end of the year.

I don't think I've ever read a book like All Inclusive before and I think that is one of my favourite things about it. Farzana Doctor has written an intriguing novel that will keep you turning the pages until the end. And that won't take you very long since this book is on the shorter side at just over 290 pages. So what are you waiting for? Pick up a copy today and let me know what you think of it!

*An ARC was provided by the publisher, Dundurn Press, in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*