Not Fooling Anyone

d'Allie Winters (2022) - SmartyPants Romance

Résumé : The deal is simple—pretend to be Ethan’s girlfriend for a psych study and we each get a nice payday. Despite him being a dumb jock who willingly gets punched for fun at my dad’s boxing gym, I can handle it. I’ve mastered the art of keeping others at a distance. Especially after… Well, never mind that.

Except, I didn’t count on him not understanding the definition of boundaries. Suddenly, we’re having to fake being in love all over campus to keep up the ruse. And when he tries to slip under the barriers I’ve worked so hard to create? Yeah, that’s not happening. Even if it turns out he’s surprisingly understanding… and funny… and charming… and smarter than I ever would have given him credit for. Not to mention that muscled body from all that boxing…

No, that’s irrelevant. I may have misjudged him, but that doesn’t mean I’m interested. He has no idea what kind of baggage I’m carrying. A relationship is the last thing on my mind.

Even if I’m not fooling anyone.


Lexie n'a pas une vie facile, elle du mal à joindre les deux bouts, son job de barmaid ne paie pas assez... Sa relation avec son père est moyennement bien, alors quand il lui propose de venir bosser comme comptable au club de boxe où il travaille, elle se dit que c'est mieux que rien.

Dans la salle de sport, elle va croiser rapidement un jeune boxer, Ethan, qui essaie de flirter gentiment avec elle. Lexie n'a pas le temps ou la motivation pour lui. Manque de pot, Ethan assiste au même cours de psychologie qu'elle, il la reconnait et insiste pour lui parler. Lexie s'en serait bien passé, mais voilà que leur professeur cherche des volontaires pour une étude rémunérée, le hic c'est qu'il faut être en couple. Lexie a besoin de l'argent, alors sans même y réfléchir, elle recrute instantanément Ethan comme fake boyfriend.

Ethan est un garçon cool, posé, facile à vivre, Lexie a piqué son intérêt et il décide de jouer le jeu du faux couple. C'est important pour Lexie et il va pouvoir passer du temps avec elle et apprendre à mieux la connaitre.

Ce qu'aucun d'eux n'avait prévu, c'est que jouer au faux couple, ça rapproche. Et quand on se rapproche, ça devient compliqué. Lexie et Ethan ont chacun des soucis, des choses trop compliquées pour les partager de but en blanc avec l'autre. C'est toujours difficile de commencer à faire confiance à l'autre quand on on pas encore confiance en soi.

Heureusement, malgré les quiproquos et coup d'émotions, Allie Winters nous présente deux jeunes gens qui arrivent à communiquer et faire face à leurs difficultés. Lexie et Ethan sont tout mignons ♥

Lexie doesn't have an easy life, she's struggling to make ends meet, her job as a bartender doesn't pay enough... Her relationship with her father is not that good, so when he asks her to come and work as an accountant at the boxing gym where he works, she thinks it's better than nothing.

In the gym, she meets a young boxer, Ethan, who tries to flirt kindly with her. Lexie doesn't have the time or the motivation for him. Bad luck, Ethan attends the same psychology class as her, he recognizes her and insists on talking to her. Lexie would have prefered to avoid him, but now their teacher is looking for volunteers for a paid study, the catch is that you have to be in a relationship. Lexie needs the money, so without even thinking about it, she instantly recruits Ethan as her fake boyfriend.

Ethan is a cool, calm, easy-going boy, Lexie has piqued his interest and he decides to play the fake couple's game. This is important for Lexie and he will get to hang out with her and know her better.

What neither of them had expected is that playing the fake couple brings people together. And when you get closer, it gets complicated. Lexie and Ethan each have worries, things too complicated to share outright with the other. It's always difficult to start trusting others when you don't trust in yourself yet.

Fortunately, despite the misunderstandings and sudden emotions, Allie Winters introduces us to two young people who manage to communicate and face their difficulties. Lexie and Ethan are so cute ♥

 

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Book Smart

d'Amanda C. Pennington (2022) - SmartyPants Romance

Résumé : Melanie Hirsch is tired of watching life pass her by…
I’ve spent the last few years watching my dreams of a writing career and true love fade away, settling for a dead-end job and denying my feelings for my best friend - until I find a list of dating advice for single women to “find a husband” in the 1950s. I decide to experiment: try out the 1950s advice on my 21st-century dating pool and write about the results. If love is timeless, some of the dating advice still holds value. Maybe my experiment will launch my writing career. Maybe I’ll get over my best friend and meet someone new. Either way, I’m done watching from the sidelines.

Cameron Whitacre can’t wait forever…
I’ve spent the last few years in love with my best friend, hoping she’ll notice my friendly overtures have more than friendly intentions - but before I realize what’s happening, she declares me her wingman for a dating experiment. This idea could launch her writing career, so I’m trying to be supportive. But her experiment turns my life into a desperation-fueled dumpster fire. I need to show her how I feel without jeopardizing our friendship, all before she falls for someone else.


Ce livre m'a beaucoup frustrée, je l'ai bien aimé, mais je suis aussi mitigée sur les choix de l'auteur.

Le principal élément qui m'a légèrement irritée peut être vu comme un spoiler, mais je vais quand même tout déballer xD, c'est le fait que les héros ne se mettent ensemble qu'à la fin. La romance se termine littéralement quand ils s'avouent enfin qu'ils s'aiment. On a un petit épilogue qui nous fait jeter un coup d'oeil juste l'après... Mais moi, je préfère les romances où l'après Happy Ending fait partie de l'histoire au lieu d'être en bonus à la fin ^^

Cela dit, l'idée de départ, que Mélanie teste de vieux conseils des années 50 pour se trouver un mari, est plutôt sympa, surtout qu'elle embarque Cameron, son meilleur ami, pour l'aider. Cameron, lui étant amoureux d'elle depuis le début, il souffre le martyr de la voir se lancer dans des pseudos situations sensées favorisées les rencontres. Certaines scènes sont assez rigolotes (le débat sur Superman ou le fou du volant), surtout quand il s'agit de moderniser des recommandations vieillottes.

Niveau intrigue romantique, on est ici avec deux meilleurs amis, qui n'ont jamais osé faire de premiers pas ne voulant pas que cela change leur amitié si jamais ça ne marchait pas. Ca fait 5 ans qu'ils se tournent autour quand même !

Donc voilà, une lecture pas trop mal, mais passer tout le livre sur un "j'y vais j'y vais pas", pas mon style préféré...

I was a bit frustrated with this book, I liked it, but I also have mixed feelings about the author's choices.

The main thing that irritated me slightly can be seen as a spoiler, but I'm going to unpack everything anyway xD, it's the fact that the heroes only get together at the end. The romance literally ends when they finally confess their love to each other. We have a little epilogue that gives us a look to what happen next... But I prefer romances where the relationship after is part of the story and not just a bonus at the end ^^

That said, the initial idea, that Mélanie tries old advices from the 50s to find a husband, is quite nice, especially since she asks Cameron, her best friend, to help her. Cameron, being in love with her from the beginning, he suffers the martyrdom of seeing her throw herself into dates, and some scenes are quite funny (the Superman debate or the crazy driver), especially when she has to put those dated advices in the now.

In terms of romantic intrigue, we have two best friends, who have never dared to take the first steps, not wanting it to change their friendship if it ever doesn't work out. It's been 5 years that they circle each other really !

So a nice reading, but having all the story around a "will they, won't they" is not my favroite.

 

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Parks and Provocations

de Juliette Cross (2022) - SmartyPants Romance

Résumé : Lola Landry stares through the window of her locked car with the keys in the ignition and the radio blaring Beck’s “Loser.” While standing there and sweltering in the soupy Tennessee humidity, she wonders how her orderly life had crashed and burned so badly. Then her high school nemesis saunters up in all of his tall, strapping, fireman-to-the-rescue glory, slapping her with the humiliating proof that it can always get worse.

When the uber-confident Jedediah Lawson requests a date in return for popping her lock, a lightbulb goes off. Revenge is sweet. He would make the perfect victim—guest, that is—for her next podcast episode on Kiss and Tell. What shocks her is the casual way he not only agrees to the post-date interview on air, but ends up hijacking her audience and wooing them with his swoony, southern charm. Not even a low score on the date-o-meter can dissuade the man or keep her fans from demanding more of the charismatic Jed.

What’s worse, she secretly wants a second date with this man who is so different from his teenage self. His unwavering patience and dimpled smile erodes her will, until she breaks the Kiss and Tell rules by agreeing to a second…and a third date. It’s a disaster. Not the date. They’re wonderful. The disaster is that she is falling for a man she once dubbed Jockstrap Jed.


Si vous ne voulez pas vous prendre la tête sur une intrigue compliquée et que vous voulez couiner à chaque apparition du héros, cette romance slow burn est faites pour vous !

Lola et Jed se connaissent du lycée, au début ils avaient rien l'un contre l'autre, et puis un jour c'est devenu un champs de bataille. Dès que Lola a pu partir de Green Valley, elle l'a fait, pour l'université et un boulot, mais voilà quelques années plus tard, elle obligée de revenir. En attendant qu'une meilleur opportunité arrive, elle partage son temps entre un job de serveuse et l'animation de son podcast "Kiss'n Tell" avec sa meilleure amie. Le sujet du podcast ? Débriefer les premiers rencarts qu'elle a, en faisant participer aussi les messieurs.

Jed quant à lui a dû arrêter ses études pour s'occuper de son père et est devenu pompier professionnel. Il est habitué à voir tout et n'importe quoi à Green Valley, alors quand sa soeur lui demande si il peut aller secourir quelqu'un qui a verrouillé sa voiture avec les clés dedans, il y va sans sourciller. Quelle surprise quand il découvre que le quelqu'un n'est autre que Lola, son grand crush d'ado, que dis-je ? C'est son grand amour, celle qui lui a échappé... Cette rencontre fortuite, c'est l'occasion rêvé, il invite Lola à diner. Et Lola va accepter, seulement pour elle ce sera un cobaye pour son podcast, de quoi se venger des misères que Jed lui faisait au lycée...

Seulement un rendez-vous c'est pas assez, Jed insiste pour qu'ils se revoient, une 2e, puis une 3e fois. Pour Lola c'est dans l'intérêt du podcast ? Quoi que... plus elle passe du temps avec Jed, plus elle oublis son émission.

Ce slow burn fait très bien son travail, Jed séduit petit à petit Lola, qui essaie de résister, mais au final à quoi bon hein... surtout après une certaine scène à la caserne avec tous les pompiers, comment résister. Evidemment le happy ending n'arrive pas comme ça, il fallait bien un petit challenge à traverser pour Lola.

If you don't want a complicated plot and want to squeal every time the hero appears, this slow burn romance is for you !

Lola and Jed know each other from high school, at first they liked each other, and then one day it became a battlefield. As soon as Lola could leave Green Valley, she did, for college and a job, but a few years later she had to come back. While waiting for a better opportunity, she divides her time between a waitress's job and the animation of her podcast "Kiss'n Tell" with her best friend. The topic of the podcast ? Talk about the first dates she has, involving the gentlemen too.

Jed meanwhile had to stop his studies to take care of his father and became a professional firefighter. He's used to seeing anything and everything in Green Valley, so when his sister asks if he can go rescue someone who's locked their car with the keys in it, he goes without batting an eyelid. What a surprise when he discovers that the someone is none other than Lola, his big teenage crush, what am I saying ? She is his great love, the one that got away... This fortuitous meeting is the perfect opportunity, he asks Lola to dinner. And Lola accept, only for her it will be a test subject for her podcast, enough to take revenge for the miseries that Jed caused her in high school...

Only one date is not enough, Jed insists that they meet again, a 2nd, then a 3rd time. For Lola is it all in the interests of the podcast ? Well... the more time she spends with Jed, the more she forgets about her show.

This slow burn does its job very well, Jed gradually seduces Lola, who tries to resist, but in the end what's the point... especially after a certain scene at the barracks with all the firefighters, how to resist. Obviously the happy ending doesn't happen like that, there had to be a little challenge for Lola to go through.

 

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