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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It Takes a Woman

de Piper Sheldon (2022) - SmartyPants Romance

Résumé : Just because she’s getting married doesn’t mean she’ll fall in love.

Unapologetic bombshell Gretchen LaRoe is happy to play matchmaker to everyone else content in knowing she once had true love. When the best friends of the Scorned Women’s Society take it upon themselves to interfere in Gretchen’s love life, they shouldn't be shocked to learn Gretchen already has a plan of her own. A jaw-dropping plan.

Part-time Green Valley resident and work-a-holic Vincent Debono has been living in a fog since the loss of his wife. With the birth of his great-niece he can’t shake the feeling that he’s ready for change. After a secret kiss with the unforgettable redhead who already plagued his thoughts, Vincent decides to leap into a new adventure.

These two have made a commitment to each other but won’t let their hearts get involved. How hard can it be?


4e et dernier tome de la série des Scorned Women Society, nous avons enfin une histoire pour Gretchen ! Depuis 3 livres, elle est le coeur qui unit le groupe de copines, celle qui est toujours là et qui veille à ce que chacun trouve l'amour (même si parfois ça clash). Gretchen est enthousiaste, exubérante, originale, sans filtre... Mais voilà, la solitude commence à se faire sentir, les copines sont en couple, l'un va se marier, l'autre va avoir un bébé. Les nouveaux chemins de vie se font et il lui manque quelqu'un avec qui partager sa vie.

Gretchen étant Gretchen, elle se doute bien que ses copines veulent la coacher comme elle l'a fait pour elles. Pour leur couper l'herbe sous le pieds, Gretchen a une idée lumineuse : trouver un homme avec qui se marier et fonder une famille, en évitant tout le mélodrame de la "période de séduction" et les quiproquos inutiles. Il lui faudrait quelqu'un ayant la même philosophie qu'elle, avec les mêmes objectifs. Et ce quelqu'un c'est Vincent.

Gretchen et Vincent partagent une même douleur : celle d'avoir été marié(e) et d'avoir survécu au décès de leur âme-soeur. Convaincus tous les deux qu'ils ne pourront pas aimer à nouveau comme ils ont déjà aimer leur conjoint(e), ils ne souhaitent cependant pas finir seul(e). L'arrangement qu'ils décident est parfait, en plus ils éprouvent chacun une forte attirance pour l'autre. Ca devrait donc bien se passé.

Ils sont tous les deux très lucides sur les freins que leur passé met sur la possibilité de retomber amoureux. Mais, parfois les choses arrivent sans que ce soit prévu et forcément ça chamboule un peu les préconceptions. Je trouve que Piper Sheldon a traité avec douceur le fait de pouvoir aimer quelqu'un à nouveau, après un deuil, sans l'autre soit oublié. Il y a autant de formes d'amour que de personne, Gretchen et Vincent auront donc à prendre conscience que leur sentiments l'un pour l'autre, très différent de ce qu'ils avaient avant, ne seront pas forcément une mauvaise chose ♥

4th and final book in the Scorned Women Society series, we finally have Gretchen's book ! For 3 books, she has been the heart that unites the friends, the one who is always there and who ensures that everyone finds love (even if sometimes it clashes). Gretchen is enthusiastic, exuberant, original, without filter... But now, she feels more and more lonely, the girls are in a relationship, one is going to get married, the other is going to have a baby. New life paths are being made and she misses having someone to share her life with.

Gretchen being Gretchen, she suspects that her friends want to coach her as she did for them. To stop them before they even start, Gretchen has a genius idea : find a man to marry and start a family with, avoiding all the seduction and dates melodrama and unnecessary misunderstandings. She would need someone with the same philosophy as her, with the same goals. And that someone is Vincent.

Gretchen and Vincent share the same pain : having been married and having survived the death of their soul mate. Both are convinced that they will not love again as they have already loved their spouse, however they do not wish to end up alone. The arrangement they decide is perfect, in addition they each feel a strong attraction for the other. So it should go well.

They are both very lucid about the brakes that their past places on the possibility of falling in love again. But, sometimes things happen without it being planned and inevitably it upsets the preconceptions a little. I find that Piper Sheldon treated gently the fact of being able to love someone again, after a loss, without the other being forgotten. There are as many forms of love as there are people, Gretchen and Vincent will have to be aware that their feelings for each other, very different from what they had before, will not necessarily be a bad thing ♥

 

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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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