Folk Around And Find Out

de Penny Reid (2022)

Résumé : He needs to get her out of his system. Just once...

Hank Weller doesn’t help people. He leaves that do-gooder nonsense to his best friend, Beau Winston. Hank does what he wants, when he wants, with whomever he wants—and Hank does not want to hire Charlotte Mitchell to be an exotic dancer at his club, The Pink Pony. Sure, he can’t help noticing the dips and curves of her, how shrewd, smart, and funny she is, the fire in her hazel eyes. He's always noticed. She’d probably draw a crowd and entice the regulars. But after Charlotte's messy, public divorce made Hank’s club out to be the culprit—and made her the single mother of four kids—he doesn’t need or want any additional bad press courtesy of Charlotte Mitchell. Or the distraction. Unfortunately for him, the town’s prettiest charity case doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words nope, no, and never.

Charlotte Mitchell doesn’t much like Hank Weller. Once upon a time, she used to. Years ago, she liked him a whole heckofalot despite other folks in town labeling him as “eccentric” and “nonconformist,” which were polite southern alternatives to "filthy rich" and "self-centered douchebag." Her opinion of him changed dramatically after he volunteered to be her date to junior prom and then promptly stood her up. They haven't so much as acknowledged each other in over a decade. But a sudden family emergency means Charlotte needs access to Hank’s club ASAP. Unfortunately for her, the narcissistic fancy-pants doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words help, generosity, and compassion.

But he’s about to find himself schooled. Charlotte is going to teach Hank a lesson once and for all about basic human decency, whether he likes it or not.

Spoiler alert. . . he likes it. ;-)


Après avoir croisé Hank dans ses livres précédents, Penny Reid nous offre enfin son histoire, et quelle joie de voir enfin ce personnage à coeur ouvert. Hank et Charlotte ne peuvent pas être plus différent l'un de l'autre, et pourtant lorsqu'ils se trouvent c'est une évidence, mais tout n'est pas gagné d'avance.

C'est une urgence familiale qui pousse Charlotte à essayer de se faire embaucher au Pink Pony, sa cousine a disparu et elle aurait été danseuse là-bas. Ne voulant pas ébruité cette histoire, Charlotte ment donc Hank sur les vraies raisons pour lesquelles elle veut travailler chez lui. De son côté, Hank ne veut rien à voir avec Charlotte, toute la ville lui en veut comme s'il était personnellement responsable du divorce de Charlotte, de la fuite du mari et du fait qu'elle élève seule ses 4 enfants.

Malgrè qu'il soit un grognon, Hank ne peut pas la laisser sur le carreau et l'embauche comme comptable au Pink Pony (au grand soulagement de Charlotte qui ne voyait pas danser ^^) et c'est le début de de la fin, Hank essaie de résister à Charlotte, mais ça ne marche pas vraiment, ni pour Charlotte non plus.

Ensuite Hank rencontre les enfants de Charlotte et là il est complétement fichu. Lui qui préfère que son cercle social se limite à Beau (et quelques autres Winston de temps en temps), va se lier très fort avec 2 des enfants. Les discussions qu'il a avec eux et la façon dont il va tout de suite les accepter comme ils sont est vraiment choupi *_*

Enfin, je crois que ce qui m'a aussi pas mal touchée, c'est le lien d'amitié entre Beau et Hank, ils ont aussi tous les deux des scènes fortes en émotions ♥

****************************

After meeting Hank in her previous books, Penny Reid finally offers us his story, and what a joy to finally see this character and his open heart. Hank and Charlotte couldn't be more different from each other, and yet when they find each other it's obvious, but their story isn't a done deal.

It is a family emergency that pushes Charlotte to try to get hired at the Pink Pony, her cousin has disappeared and she might have been a dancer there. Not wanting to spread words about this story, Charlotte lies to Hank about the real reasons why she wants to work for him. For his part, Hank wants nothing to do with Charlotte, the whole town is angry with him as if he were personally responsible for Charlotte's divorce, the escape of the husband and the fact that she raises her 4 children alone.

Despite being grumpy, Hank can't leave her stranded and hires her as an accountant for the Pink Pony (to the great relief of Charlotte who couldn't see dancing ^^) and it's the beginning of the end, Hank tries to resist Charlotte, but it doesn't really work, nor for Charlotte either.

Then Hank meets Charlotte's chilren and he is completely ruined. He who prefers his social circle to be limited to Beau (and a few other Winstons from time to time), will bond very strongly with 2 of the children. The discussions he has with them and the way he will immediately accept them as they are is really cool *_*

Finally, I think what also touched me a lot was the bond of friendship between Beau and Hank, they also both have strong emotional scenes ♥


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Well Acquainted

de Laney Hatcher - Smartypants Romance (2022)

Résumé : There are three things you need to know about Lady Eliza Morgan:
1. In addition to being a busy physician, she’s an accomplished seamstress.
2. She’s the victim of a broken heart.
3. The man who shattered it is the one man she can never have.

Some things are better left in the past, but Eliza has spent years running from hers. When the man who upended her life re-enters it in the most unexpected way, Eliza must decide if reacquainting herself with Nicolas is worth the heartache. He’s charming and irritating and makes her realize there is so much more than the life she’s been living. But first she must confront her painful past if she and Nicolas have any hope for a future.

Après Neanderthal Seeks Duchess, c'est au tour du tome 2 de Penny Reid, Friends Without Benefits d'avoir sa réécriture en historique.

Dans le tome précédent, Lady Eliza découvrait avec surprise le visage de Nicolas dans les journaux, dans un article sur une pièce de théâtre dont il a le premier rôle. Savoir qu'il est à Londres, si près, sans nouvelles depuis des années, fait ressortir tout un passé douloureux chez Eliza. D'autant que peu de temps après, Nico frappe à la porte de son cabinet médical avec un enfant malade. Malgré son trouble, Eliza reprend sa tâche et va tour faire pour aider la fillette.

Eliza et Nico se connaissent depuis leur enfance, ils auraient pu grandir et ne plus être que des amis, mais la vie en a décidé autrement. Un drame, de mauvaises décisions et des années de silence ont eu raison du coeur d'Eliza. Elle se sent coupable de ce qui s'est passé et se refuse à imaginer qu'un coeur brisé peut se réparer. Heureusement, Nico est bien déterminé à lui prouver le contraire.

Tout comme le premier tome, j'ai beaucoup apprécié celui-ci, la façon dont Laney Hatcher s'empare de l'histoire et la réarrange à sa sauce pour en faire quelque chose de différent, mais sans trop s'éloigner de l'âme du livre originel.

Et donc évidemment, ce tome 2, nous offre un teaser du 3, et évidement, je l'attendrais avec impatience !

After Neanderthal Seeks Duchess, it's the turn of Penny Reid's book #2, Friends Without Benefits to have its rewrite in history romance.

In the previous volume, Lady Eliza was surprised to discover Nicolas' face in the newspapers, in an article about a play in which he had the leading role. Knowing that he is in London, so close, without news for years, brings out a whole painful past in Eliza. Especially since shortly after, Nico knocks on her medical office's door with a sick child. Despite her confusion, Eliza resumes her task and goes out of her way to help the little girl.

Eliza and Nico have known each other since they were kids, they could have grown up and been more than friends, but life decided otherwise. Tragedy, bad decisions and years of silence have taken a toll on Eliza's heart. She feels guilty for what happened and refuses to imagine that a broken heart can be repaired. Fortunately, Nico is determined to prove her wrong.

Like the first book, I enjoyed this one a lot, the way Laney Hatcher takes the story and rearranges it in her own way to make it something different, but without straying too far from the soul of the original book.

And so obviously, this book offers us a teaser of the 3, and obviously, I would be waiting for it impatiently !


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Architecture and Artistry

de Nora Everly - Smartypants Romance (2022)

Résumé : Sadie Hill has a lot going on.

New job, twin boys, deadbeat ex, and a mother from hell. Her life is chaos and no matter how hard she holds on, every plan she makes flies straight out of her grasp. The last thing she needs is for her devastatingly hot co-worker to become her new neighbor. A distraction like Barrett does not fit into her precarious plans for the future.

Barrett Monroe has got it going on.

His wicked ex-wife is nothing but a memory, his daughter is back home where she belongs, and he loves his job. His control-freak ways have paid off and he can finally relax into his perfectly scheduled life—alone, just how he wants it. The last thing he needs is an irresistible single mom and her adorable kids to move in next door. Sadie was hard enough to stay away from when she was just his co-worker.

But one night spent stranded in a snowstorm together finds these two sneaking around, sharing stolen kisses, and losing their hearts. Will they give into the flying sparks between them? Or drive each other crazy fighting their feelings instead?


Enfin le tome de Barrett ! Après l'avoir aperçu en personnage secondaire des tomes de ses frères, on savait bien que l'ainé de la fratrie avait beaucoup de potentiel. Et Nora Everly ne nous a pas déçu *-*

Barrett est enfin à un moment de sa vie où tout semble calme : son ex-femme n'est plus qu'un lointain souvenir, sa fille est revenue vivre chez lui, son travail lui plait. Malheureusement pour lui, il n'arrête pas de penser à Sadie depuis qu'elle a emménagé à côté de chez lui. Il pouvait gérer quand il la voyait juste au travail, mais maintenant qu'il la côtoie dans la sphère privée, il ne peut s'empêcher de craquer encore plus pour elle et ses jumeaux terribles.

Sadie, de son côté, peut enfin commencer une vie normale : son divorce est enfin prononcé, et après avoir galéré elle peut enfin offrir une stabilité à ses enfants dans une maison dans sa ville natale, Green Valley. Emménagé avec sa soeur est aussi un avantage pour elle. On me mentionnera pas que Barrett est désormais son voisin, si elle peut éviter de sortir de chez elle en pyjama et les cheveux en bataille ça serait pas mal...

Sadie et Barrett se plaisent depuis longtemps, et maintenant qu'ils sont tous les deux divorcés, qu'est-ce qui les empêcheraient de tenter quelque chose ? Il leur en faut pas beaucoup pour finalement se sauter dessus, parcontre là où il va y avoir des difficultés vont être leurs enfants : les jumeaux sont jeunes et encore traumatisés pas l'abandon de leur père, la fille de 19 ans de Barrett est en pleine crise amoureuse elle aussi. A cela s'ajoute, le retour en ville de l'ex-mari de Sadie qui cherche les embrouilles.

Ce tome propose aussi une belle conclusion pour le clan Monroe avec plusieurs apparitions des 3 autres frères.

Finally Barrett's Book ! After having seen him as a secondary character in his brothers' books, we knew that the elder of the siblings had a lot of potential. And Nora Everly did not disappoint us *-*

Barrett is finally at a point in his life where everything seems calm : his ex-wife is just a distant memory, his daughter has returned to live with him, he likes his job. Unfortunately for him, he can't stop thinking about Sadie since she moved in next door. He could handle it when he just saw her at work, but now that he's around her in their private life, he can't help but fall for her and her terrible twins even more.

Sadie, for her part, can finally start a normal life: her divorce is done, and after struggling she can finally offer stability to her children in a house in her hometown, Green Valley. Moving in with her sister is also an advantage for her. No one will mention that Barrett is now her neighbor, if she can avoid leaving her house in her pajamas and her hair in disarray that would be great...

Sadie and Barrett have been attracted to each other for a long time, and now that they're both divorced, what's to stop them from trying something? It doesn't take much time for them to finally jump each other, but where there will be difficulties will be their children: the twins are young and still traumatized by the abandonment of their father, Barrett's 19-year-old daughter is in full love crisis too. Added to this is the return to town of Sadie's ex-husband who is looking for trouble.

This volume also offers a nice conclusion for the Monroe clan with several appearances of the 3 other brothers.


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