Isn't It Romantic?

Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Talia Hibbert
Series: The Brown Sisters
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Avon
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Talia Hibbert, one of contemporary romance’s brightest new stars, delivers 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 glamourous 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…

After a brush with death, or well, a car, Chloe decided that she needed to get a life. What she didn't expect was for her extremely attractive building superintendent to be on board with helping her tick the items off her list. And, she definitely didn't expect for him to worm his way into her heart.

I am a steadfast romance reader. I have read many, many, MANY romance books, and I have to say, I am welcoming Hibbert onto my list of must-read authors, because she delighted me to no end with this book, and I had so much fun tagging along as Chloe and Red attempted to check those items off her list.

I absolutely adored everything about Chloe. Her affection for sparkly pens, her nerdy nature, her wit, her love for Smudge -- all these things endeared her to me, which was why I was so happy that she was able to connect with someone, who cared enough about her to try and understand her needs.

Chloe declared that she had to "get a life", because she had watched so many of her so-called friends abandon her, as she dealt with her fibromyalgia. But, not Red. Red took the time to understand her signs and symptoms. He understood, when she was not physically up to something, and he was ok with the fact that some days would be better than others. That's friendship. That's love. And, I am a big fan of seeing more of the "invisible" illnesses getting some attention in books, because it's a good reminder to those out there, who are lucky enough to not have to deal with such health issues.

Let's talk about Red. He owned my heart from our very first interaction. When he pretended to like his elderly tenant's veggie casserole to protect her feelings, I knew he had a heart of gold. He kept showing this lovely side of himself as well, but he grappled with his unresolved hurt from a previous abusive relationship. When he shared some of the things that woman did to him, I wanted to hunt her down like the dog she was, and give her what for. Because, Red was wonderful, and he deserved better, and you know what? Chloe was better.

I found they formed quite a beautiful union, with each giving so much to the other. Oh, and they were also fire together. Yep. There was not denying the attraction they harbored for each other, and yeah, I think there were some flames jumping off that page.

I thought the best part about this book was Red and Chloe, but it may also be that this was book one in a series. I am beyond happy, that we will be getting more of the Brown family, because this book hit all the right notes for me, and I just want to sit in this world a little longer.

Not the Girl You Marry
Andie J. Christopher
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: out of 5 stars
Goodreads

How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days gets a millennial makeover in this romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Andie J. Christopher.

Jack Nolan is a gentleman, a journalist, and unlucky in love. His viral success has pigeon-holed him as the how-to guy for a buzzy, internet media company instead of covering hard-hitting politics. Fed up with his fluffy articles and the app-based dating scene as well, he strikes a deal with his boss to write a final piece de resistance: How to Lose a Girl. Easier said than done when the girl he meets is Hannah Mayfield, and he's not sure he wants her to dump him.

Hannah is an extremely successful event planner who's focused on climbing the career ladder. Her firm is one of the most prestigious in the city, and she's determined to secure her next promotion. But Hannah has a bit of an image problem. She needs to show her boss that she has range, including planning dreaded, romantic weddings. Enter Jack. He’s the perfect man to date for a couple weeks to prove to her boss that she’s not scared of feelings.

Before Jack and Hannah know it, their fake relationship starts to feel all too real—and neither of them can stand to lose each other.

What lengths will people go through for a promotion? He needed to lose a girl. She needed to keep a guy. In this game of mutual "using", they developed real feelings, but would their relationship survive once the truth came out?

This year has been a year of many rom-coms, and I have welcomed them with open arms. I love romance and I love to laugh, so rom-coms fulfill so many of my basic needs as a reader. It didn't take long for me to clearly see the influence of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. But, that's not a bad thing, because I loved that film, and sure enough, I had a great time reading this book.

First and foremost, Christopher gave us a fantastic heroine and fabulous hero. I adored both Jack and Hannah so much. They seemed so put together on the outside, but they were both dealing with some issues and insecurities underneath it all.

Hannah was a pistol. She was a go-getter, and I loved her fire. Her apathy towards love was due to some dismal relationships, and her pain was compounded by her struggle with her personal identity. Every time she brought up an ex-boyfriend, my heart broke for her, because she was wonderful and worthy of so much more. My heart soared, when she started "dating" Jack, because he was one wonderful unicorn of a man.

Jack was handsome and affable. He enjoyed a certain level of professional success, and was known for bending over backwards to please the women in his life, yet these same women had no problem walking away from him, time and time again. Jack talked about his past relationships with a smile on his face, but there was definitely a undercurrent of pain there beneath the smile.

I think I was rooting for these two, because they seemed to connect via their painful pasts, and they just had this ease with each other. They could simply be themselves, and that was ok. They had fire and sparks and banter galore. They were a fantastic match, and I really enjoyed watching real feelings develop between the two.

I was also a big fan of the amazing female friendship Hannah had with her bestie, Sasha. These two were really there for each other, and I loved their dynamic. I was especially excited about the path Christopher set them on towards the end of the book, because it was fun and perfect for them.

But, Jack had a fun bunch of fab friends too. Their interactions were usually quite humorous, but he enjoyed some really deep talks with his friend, who was also a priest. Not only were his friends great, his family was also beyond wonderful. The first time he brought Hannah home put a huge smile on his face. Though this story takes place in Chicago, the men in Jack's family would fit in well with my NYC relatives, and I think catching glimpses of my family members in them simply endeared them to me even more.

I feel like I got what I came here for. I was promised a rom-com a la How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and I got that with a bit of spin and a modern twist.

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

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