Neanderthal Seeks Duchess

de Laney Hatcher (2022) SmartyPants Romance

Résumé : There are three things you need to know about Lady Jane Morrison:
1. She frequently finds herself the talk of the ton and for all the wrong reasons.
2. A dashingly mysterious gentleman has caught her attention and even more dangerous...she has caught his.
3. She’s rubbish at embroidery.

After scandalous events during the London season, Lady Jane is attracting the wrong kind of attention. Her reputation is at risk as well as all her carefully laid plans for the future. And for better or worse, a chance encounter with a mysterious lord sets forth a series of events that will change their lives forever.


Qui aurait cru un jour qu'on aurait dans nos mains, la version romance historique de "Neanderthal Seeks Human" le tout premier roman ce Penny Reid ? Cette idée saugrenue s'est enfin réalisé avec Laney Hatcher, la tâche n'était pas simple : transposer une intrigue contemporaine dans une autre époque, et pourtant ça fonctionne très bien. Si bien que j'avais envie de relire le livre de Penny Reid juste après, et j'ai tellement hâte de livre les tomes suivants (oui parce qu'il va y en avoir d'autres !!). Laney Hatcher est aussi arrivée à s'approprier l'histoire originale pour en faire la sienne, tout comme les personnages, tout n'est évidemment pas pareil, mais on soupçonne ça et là des références et indices sur les histoires à venir ^^

Lady Jane menait une vie plutôt indépendante : un discret travail de comptable auprès qu'autres ladies pour les aider à gérer leur maisonnée, un fiancé... Tout bascule quand elle le trouve dans les bras d'une autre, met fin aux fiançailles et refuse de pardonner le poltron. Scandale ! Ses clientes l'abandonne l'une après l'autre, sa situation serait devenue critique si un bel et ténébreux inconnu ne l'avait pas aidé à s'extirper d'une soirée avant d'en être la risée. Mais qui est donc ce "Lord Dashing" ? Les spéculations vont bons train lorsqu'elle raconte son aventures à son groupe de broderie.

Jane le recroise à nouveau à une soirée masquée, l'attirance est bien présente entre les deux, mais Lord Dashing refuse de révélé qui il est tout de suite, une simple initiale suffira pour le moment : Q. Quelques péripéties plus tard, Jane se retrouve à travailler pour Q, pour l'aider à faire sens de plusieurs livres de comptes cryptés du club qu'il a racheté. Au fur et à mesure que Jane en apprend plus sur Q, une mystérieuse menace apparait. S'il veut protéger Jane, Q va devoir faire des révélations, si possible avant que Jane ne les apprennent pas quelqu'un d'autre...

Pas besoin de connaitre les Penny Reid pour apprécier la romance historique, l'intrigue est bien menée, avec des rebondissements. Là où cela devient plus fun c'est de voir comment sont toutes les copines de la bandes en version régence, on a tout petit riquiqui aperçu de comment seront Nico et Alex, mais j'en dis pas plus ^^ évidemment on croise Dan avec Q. et comme toujours, on ne peut que couiner sur Dan.
J'ai beaucoup plus apprécié Q version historique que Quinn version contemporain, même s'ils ont tous les deux leur côté grognon taciturne, Q tend plus vers le nounours cro meugnon ♥.

Who would have thought that we would have one day in our hands, the historical romance version of "Neanderthal Seeks Human" the very first novel this Penny Reid ? This crazy idea finally came true with Laney Hatcher, the task was not easy : transposing a contemporary plot into previous historical era, and yet it works very well. So much so that I wanted to reread Penny Reid's book right after, and I can't wait to read the following books (yes because there will be others !!). Laney Hatcher also managed to claim the original story to herselft and make it her own story, just like the characters, everything is obviously not the same, but we can find here and there references and clues to future stories ^^

Lady Jane led a rather independent life : a discreet job as an accountant for other ladies to help them manage their household, a fiancé... Everything changes when she finds him in the arms of another woman, ends the engagement and refuses to forgive the coward. Scandal ! Her clients abandon her one after another, her situation would have become critical if a beautiful and dark stranger had not helped her to escape from an party before being the laughing stock. But who is this "Lord Dashing" ? Speculation is rife when she recounts her adventures to her embroidery group.

Jane meets him again at a masked ball, the attraction is very present between the two, but Lord Dashing refuses to reveal who he is right away, a simple initial will suffice for the moment : Q. A few adventures later, Jane finds himself working for Q, to help him make sense of several encrypted ledgers from a club he bought out. As Jane learns more about Q, a mysterious threat appears. If he wants to protect Jane, Q is going to have to come clean, if possible before Jane finds out from someone else...

No need to know the Penny Reids books to appreciate the historical romance, the plot is well done, with twists and turns. Where it becomes more fun is to see how all the friends of the knitting group are in regency version, we have a very small glimpse of how Nico and Alex will be, but I won't say more ^^ obviously we meet Dan with Q. and as always, we can only swoon about Dan.
I appreciated Q historical version much more than Quinn contemporary version, even if they both have their taciturn grumpy side, Q tends more towards the cute teddy bear ♥.

 

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Smart Mouth

d'Emma Lee Jayne (2022) - SmartyPants Romance

Résumé : The rockstar.
There are lots of assumptions people make about rockstars. Shallow. Player. Addict. The truth? I’m none of those.
The even bigger truth…the only opinion I care about is her’s and she hates me. Her as in Gwen Matthews, my twin brother’s best friend, the unrequited love of my life. She thinks I’m a liar and a jerk which is why I pretend to be my brother when she needs help one night.
Except Gwen is a genius. Literally. So it doesn’t take her long to figure out it’s me and not my brother, but maybe, just maybe, she’s willing to give me a second chance. Because maybe when she looks at me, she only sees a rockstar with her best friend’s face, but when I look at her, I see my other half. She centers me in a way that no rhythm or line of lyric ever could.


The scientist.
I have three priorities in life at the moment: finish my research, defend my dissertation, and get my Ph.D., so that I can actually figure out what I’m supposed to do with my life. Tom Mendoza won’t help me achieve any of those things. Yet I can’t help the sudden feeling that I’ve been completely wrong about him all this time.
The day we first met when we were both teenagers, I saw a glimpse of a sweet, funny boy that felt very much like a kindred spirit; awkward and full of energy and dreams. But that guy seemed to disappear and in his place was this stereotypical stupidly hot rock star that did not make sense in my world.
Being a scientist means being willing to admit when you’re wrong and reevaluating everything. I might not understand much about human behavior, but I can clearly see the tender underbelly that Tom protects. The subtle rituals he uses to stave off his anxiety. Yes, he’s ridiculously hot, but his soul just might be more beautiful than his face and I’m not sure what to do with that.

Especially when I find out that he’s in love with me.


Gwen et Tom se connaissent depuis leur adolescence, ils s'entendaient bien et auraient pu devenir les meilleurs amis du monde (voir plus) mais voilà, les circonstances les ont séparé et ils ont fait leur vie chacun de leur côté. Jusqu'à ce que l'univers les mettent à nouveau sur le même chemin.

Complètement dépitée après un rencard horrible, Gwen appelle James à l'aide. James c'est le frère jumeau de Tom, celui avec qui elle s'entend toujours bien. Sauf que c'est Tom qui intercepte le message et qui va venir l'aider. Tom, lui a toujours eu un faible pour Gwen, mais il n'a jamais compris pourquoi elle le déteste autant. Ce soir là, Tom pensait qu'il aurait juste à ramener Gwen chez elle, et elle n'aurait jamais su qu'il n'était pas le bon frère, évidemment rien ne se passe comme prévu : ils se sont embrassé, ils ont a priori bien kiffé, mais Gwen a réalisé qui il était. Et là c'est le drame...

Gwen est toute chamboulée car pourquoi la rockstar s'intéresserait à elle, il n'a jamais voulu être son ami. Vous vous en doutez, ces deux-là vont avoir plein de mise-au-point à faire, des quiproquos qui ont été nourris en partie par James (l'autre frère). Gwen va découvrir que derrière le talent et la gloire se cache un jeune homme qui n'a jamais rêvé d'être une star, qui souffre d'anxiété, mais quelqu'un qui s'intéresse à elle et qui n'hésite pas à se battre pour elle, même quand elle n'en a plus la force.

Le seul bémol serait sur le rythme un peu rapide de l'histoire, qui aurait pu prendre un peu plus de temps, le roman est un peu court et ça n'aurait pas fait de mal d'avoir 100 pages de plus afin de donner plus de place à la partie séduction, ré-apprivoisement des deux héros.

Gwen and Tom have known each other since they were teenagers, they got along well and could have become the best friends in the world (and more) but then, circumstances separated them and they went their own way. Until the universe puts them on the same path again.

Completely upset after a horrible date, Gwen calls James for help. James is Tom's twin brother, the one she always gets along with. Except that Tom intercepts the message and it's him who will come to help. Tom has always had a soft spot for Gwen, but he never understood why she hates him so much. That night, Tom thought he would just have to take Gwen home, and she would never have known he wasn't the right brother, of course nothing goes as planned : they kissed, they liked it, but Gwen realized who he was. And here comes the drama...

Gwen is shaken because why would the rockstar be interested in her, he never wanted to be her friend. As you can imagine, these two are going to have a lot of clarifications to do, misunderstandings that were partly fueled by James (the other brother). Gwen will discover that behind the talent and the fame hides a young man who never dreamed of being a star, who suffers from anxiety, but someone who is interested in her and who doesn't hesitate to fight for her, even when she no longer has the strength.

The only downside would be the rather fast pace of the story, which could have taken a little longer, the novel is a bit short and it wouldn't have hurt to have 100 more pages in order to give more room for the seduction part, re-taming of the two heroes.

 

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Checking You Out

d'Ann Whynot (2022) - SmartyPants Romance

Résumé : Lois Washington is at the end of her rope. Struggling as a single mother in an apartment the size of a closet is not the New York City adventure she dreamed of in her starry-eyed youth. When her job goes on the chopping block, she is ready for a major life change. Joining her best friend in Tennessee to become the newest employee at the Green Valley Public Library isn't exactly where she thought life would take her, but she feels up for the challenge. Only this relocation comes with more than she bargained for.

Norman Grant has had a string of online dating disasters back in Florida. Dealing with chronic pain, he's concluded that finding a woman who is understanding about his war wounds just isn't in the cards. That is, until he becomes quite taken with the single mother who's also a new arrival in Green Valley. The catch? Things are not quite what they seem.

When the past and present collide, Norman and Lois must face painful reminders from their youth. Now, at twenty-seven, Norman's about to find out just how deeply the wounds he left behind cut.


De tous les livres du lot de cette année, je crois que c'est celui qui m'a le moins emballé et que j'ai trouvé un poil ennuyeux et convenu -_- (Désolée Ann !). Aussi, je comprend pas trop pourquoi ce livre et le précédent font partie d'une série intitulé "Green Valley Librairy", alors certes le job des héroïnes est à la bibliothèque, mais bon à part, y'a pas vraiment de place spéciale réservée à cette bibliothèque. Ces deux livres auraient pu constituer une série unique autour du point commun entre tous les personnages : le jeu de MMRPG Magecraft où ils se sont tous rencontrés et qui tient une place de choix dans l'intrigue... bref.

Cette romance a zéro suspense : on part quand même sur une intrigue qui aurait pu durer un peu plus longtemps, à savoir que Lois et Norman se connaissent virtuellement depuis leur adolescence, ils avaient prévu de se voir après le lycée et commencer leurs études supérieur ensemble mais Norman a brisé le coeur de Lois au dernier moment en ne venant pas, ils se retrouvent 10 ans plus tard dans la vraie vie cette fois, Lois le reconnait, mais Norman non (faut dire qu'elle a bien changé de look depuis ses 16 ans). On aurait pu avoir une espèce de tension autour de Norman découvrant la vérité, mais ce détail est balayé dès les premiers chapitres, bon bah ça, c'est fait xD

L'intrigue est donc autour d'une seconde chance pour Norman de gagner le coeur de Lois (spoiler alert : ça sera pas super difficile), et pour Lois d'avoir confiance que Norman ne l'abandonnera pas une 2e fois, surtout qu'elle n'est plus toute seule dans cette affaire : elle a une fille de 6 ans nommé Elsa.

J'ai eu l'impression que l'auteur, sachant son histoire un peu moyenne, nous a rajouté un problème de garde d'enfant avec le père biologique d'Elsa, problème résolu aussi vite qu'il est apparut, et la catastrophe de la fin était-elle vraiment nécessaire ? Pas sûre.

Il y a quand même de jolies choses dans ce livre : revoir Max et Jonathan, le premier couple de gamer, j'avais beaucoup aimé leur histoire ♥ ; la complicité des jeunes avec Rose (la maman de Max qui héberge Lois et Elsa) et ce petit groupe devenant une famille qui se choisi ; le traitement du handicap de Norman (une grave blessure pendant son service militaire qui lui donne des douleurs et le contraint à marcher avec une canne), la façon dont il se perçoit et dont les autres le perçoivent.

Voilà, ce livre était bien mais sans plus, trop prévisible et trop guimauve peut-être.

Of all the books in this year's bundle, I think this was the one that I was least excited about and found a bit boring and conventional -_- (Sorry Ann!). Also, I don't really understand why this book and the previous one are part of a series called "Green Valley Library", yes the heroines' job is in the library, but apart from that, there's not really a special place reserved for this library. These two books could have been a unique series around the common point between all the characters : the MMRPG game Magecraft where they all met and which holds a place of choice in the plot... Anyway.

This romance has zero suspense : we have a plot that could have lasted a little longer, namely that Lois and Norman have known each other virtually since their teen years, they had planned to see each other after high school and start college together but Norman broke Lois' heart at the last moment by not coming, they meet again 10 years later in real life this time, Lois recognizes him, but Norman doesn't (I must say that her look has changed a lot since). We could have had some kind of tension about Norman discovering the truth, but this detail is swept away in the first chapters, well you got it xD

The plot is therefore around a second chance for Norman to win Lois' heart (spoiler alert : it won't be too difficult), and for Lois to trust that Norman won't abandon her a second time, especially since she is no longer alone : she has a 6-year-old daughter named Elsa.

I had the impression that the author, knowing her story was somewhat average, added a child custody problem with Elsa's biological father, a problem solved as quickly as it appeared, and was the disaster of the end really necessary? Not sure.

There are still some nice things in this book : seeing Max and Jonathan again, the first gamer couple, I really liked their story ♥ ; the complicity of the young people with Rose (Max's mother who accomodate Lois and Elsa) and this small group becoming a family that chooses itself ; the treatment of Norman's disability (a serious injury during his military service which gives him pain and forces him to walk with a cane), the way he perceives himself and how others perceive him.

Here, this book was good but nothing more, too predictable and too sappy perhaps.

 

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