The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (The Kiss Quotient #2) #bookreview

The Bride Test

(The Kiss Quotient #2)

by

Helen Hoang (Goodreads Author)

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.

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Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Penguin via NetGalley & Edelweiss+

Genre: Adult Romance

Part 2 yet standalone

My The Bride Test Review . . .

This is a follow up yet a standalone to The Kiss Quotient, and it was fantastic.  I LOVED Khai and Esme.  They were perfect for one another.  


If you've read The Kiss Quotient than you've already briefly met Khai before.  However, if this is your first time in this world than you're in for a treat, because Khai is so beautiful.   Khai is autistic and has learned to survive and live a certain way and for him he's happy, or he thinks he is.  He loves routine and structure.  

His mom wants more for Khai so, she searches for the perfect bride for her Khai.  When she goes to Vietenam, she was expecting a certain person but that wasn't panning out, until she meets the cleaner at the hotel, and knows she's found Khai's match.  

Everyone deserved to love and be loved back.  Everyone.  Even her. 

  As Khai's mom convinces Esme to come to America to convince Khai to marry her. It starts a journey for Esme whom has been fighting for everything since she was born.  With this potential opportunity she leaps at the chance even though she left her heart at home.  

"You're not heavy.  You're a tiny human."

  With language and culture being an issue she doesn't realize that Khai is different like everyone else.  She just likes Khai, which is what they both need.  Khai is stunted to matters of the heart, but this is such a beautiful journey to find his way to happiness. 

"It's not your fault when I hurt people," Khai said.  "It's not yours, either."

  I Loved The Kiss Quotient but I think I like the Bride Test even more.  There was something so beautiful about Khai and Esme and the evolution of both of them.  

" . . . My heart works in a different way, but it's yours.  You're my one."

I hope we get Quan's story.  I don't know if its a possibility but he's such a huge part of both books and so compassionate and kind, that I would love to see his HEA.  

I highly recommend this author and this book.

4.5 Beautiful Thumbs up!

  . 5

Lauren

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Fumbled by Alexa Martin (Playbook #2) #bookreview

Fumbled

(Playbook #2)

by

Alexa Martin (Goodreads Author)

A second chance doesn't guarantee a touchdown in this new contemporary romance from the author of Intercepted.

Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was sixteen and pregnant to find a new normal. After years of hard work, she's built a life she loves. It may include a job at a nightclub, weekend soccer games, and more stretch marks than she anticipated, but it's all hers, and nobody can take that away. Well, except for one person.

TK Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL. His world is football, parties, and women. Maybe at one point he thought his future would play out with his high school sweetheart by his side, but Poppy is long gone and he's moved on.

When Poppy and TK cross paths in the most unlikely of places, emotions they've suppressed for years come rushing back. But with all the secrets they never told each other lying between them, they'll need more than a dating playbook to help them navigate their relationship.

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Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Penguin via NetGalley

Genre: Adult Sports Romance

Part 2

My Fumbled Review . . .

After reading Intercepted I was pumped to read this book.  And again it did not disappoint.  This time around the story focuses on Poppy, her son Ace and also TK.

We briefly meet TK Intercepted.  And this is the first time we meet Poppy.  Poppy hasn't seen TK in years so when her past and present collide, her choices also come out.

However, her perception of events didn't match to the actual reality and now she has to learn to trust that all is not what it seems.

With Poppy comes her best friend Sadie and I love her.  She adds so much to the story.

"I know you just met her, but Sadie is very dramatic.  Always keep that in mind when listening to on of her stories."
"I do have a certain flair for the dramatics,"  Sadie agrees

As the story evolves Poppy lands into Brynn's world colliding more into the posse of Intercepted. We briefly get to see Marlee and Gavin again as well.

Now I can't wait to get Brynn and Maxwell's story and fingers crossed Sadie gets a story or at least we get to see her more in the series.


4 Fumbled Thumbs up

Lauren

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Intercepted by Alexa Martin (Playbook #1) #bookreview

Intercepted

(Playbook #1)

by

Alexa Martin (Goodreads Author)

Marlee thought she scored the man of her dreams only to be scorched by a bad breakup. But there's a new player on the horizon, and he's in a league of his own...

Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She's definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There's just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights.

Gavin fights to show Marlee he's nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. The team's wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with Marlee's return. They have only one thing on their minds: taking her down. But when the gossip makes Marlee public enemy number one, she worries about more than just her reputation.

Between their own fumbles and the wicked wives, it will take a Hail Mary for Marlee and Gavin's relationship to survive the season.

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Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Penguin via NetGalley

Genre: Adult Sports Romance

Part 1 of a new series

My Intercepted Review . . .

I'm a huge fan of sports romance and this one did not disappoint from the debut author.  I'm sure Alexa being an ex-NFL wife helped a ton with the nuances of that world.  I loved it!

My favorite things in romance novels is a super strong kickass female heroine and Marlee fit the bill.

Things I loved:  Marlee, Gavin, the banter between characters, the start of a girl posse, the bitchiness of the NFL wives and the actual story line. 

Thing I didn't love was I'm not a huge hashtag girl, so all the hashtags got to be a bit too much for me but for the others who love hashtags then this will right up their alley.

Such a great story from a debut author. I can not wait to read more from this author and this series.


4 Kickass Thumbs!

Lauren

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