Meet Your Matcha

de Nanxi Wen (2023) SmartyPants Romance

Résumé : Pippa Fleming is a woman who always has a plan… until she finally secures a coveted promotion and her dream job suddenly feels worse than getting caught under the sun as a redhead with no sunscreen. Exhausted and confused, Pippa seeks an escape by signing up for a reality dating show. Everyone is allowed one identity crisis, right? And where better to recharge than on a beach sipping cocktails with little umbrellas?

As long as she remembers she’s only here to have fun, not lose her heart…

“She was a walking red flag, so far out of my league that I couldn’t even see what league she was in.”

August Weather is laid back and content with his quiet life. But when his sister nominates him for a reality dating show, he sees it as a chance to experience the world outside of his small town. What he didn’t expect was to fall for someone like Pippa. She’s his complete opposite – prickly, vivacious, full of adventure and big dreams… and despises him on sight.

Except, he can’t stop thinking about her and finding out what lies beneath her guarded surface…

When the whirlwind of the show throws them together, Pippa and August discover how wrong first impressions can be. But, can their newfound connection survive the real world? Or will their differences sweep their love match out to sea?


Note : 3/5 ♥♥♥

Malheureusement je n'ai pas autant accroché à cette romance qu'avec les précédentes, ça arrive parfois que ni les personnages, ni leur histoire, ni le thème nous attire... Et ce fut le cas pour celui-là, j'ai mis plus de 2 semaines à le finir, alors qu'en quelques jours ça peut être plié quand je suis happée par une lecture, si ça c'est pas un signe ?

Première raison évidente du non-intérêt pour moi : les deux héros sont inscrits malgré eux à une télé-réalité pour trouver l'amour sur une île paradisiaque, un pitch super cliché. J'ai eu un peu de mal à rentrer dedans, on ne sait pas vraiment ce que font les participants dans cette émission, on est beaucoup dans la tête des héros, leur rencontre et comment ils vont chacun s'intéresser à l'autre alors ça partait un peu mal vue leur vie diamétralement opposée et leurs préjugés. Bon, et au moment où je prend goût à lire leur aventure, le tournage s'arrête et on passe sur la 2e partie du roman, l'après dans la vie réelle.

Ici, 2eme raison : August propose à Pippa de se fréquenter en dehors du contexte de l'émission pour voir si leur attraction mutuelle vaut la peine de s'investir dans une relation. Je vais pas vous mentir, à peine cette partie commencée, j'ai posé le livre pendant 4 jours avant de le reprendre pour lui donner sa chance jusqu'à la fin. Mais bon, je suis pas arrivée à couiner sur ce couple, ils sont mignon, mais ils manquaient tous les deux un petit truc en plus : surtout pour August, trop lisse, Pippa était plus ancré dans un contexte familiale particulier.

Cette romance n'est pas mal écrite, ce n'est pas parce qu'elle n'a pas fonctionné avec moi que ce sera forcément le cas avec d'autres. J'ai quand même aimé certains aspects du livre : la confrontation de Pippa avec ses parents, tout n'est pas parfait mais on comprend son caractère et la fin laisse envisager pour elle une évolution dans le bon sens ; j'ai aimé la soeur d'August et si elle était pas déjà en couple avec enfants, j'aurais aimé avoir un livre avec elle ^^ .

Unfortunately I didn't liked this romance as much as the others, sometimes it happens that neither the characters, nor their story, nor the theme attracts us... And that was the case for this book, I took more than 2 weeks to finish it, whereas I can finish a boook in a few days when I get caught up in it, is that not a sign ?

First obvious reason for my lack of interest : the two heroes are unwillingly enrolled in a reality TV show to find love on a paradise island, a super cliché story. I had a little trouble getting into it, we don't really know what the participants are doing in this show, we just follow the heroes, their meeting and how they will be interested in each other even though they have a bad start considering their diametrically opposed lives and their prejudices. Well, and the moment I enjoyed reading their adventure, the filming stops and we move on to the 2nd part of the novel, the aftermath in real life.

Here, 2nd reason : August suggests that he and Pippa meet outside of the show to see if their mutual attraction is worth investing in a relationship. I'm not going to lie to you, as soon as I started this part, I put the book down for 4 days before picking it up again to give it a chance until the end. But hey, I couldn't swoon for this couple, they're cute, but they were both missing a little something : especially August, who was too bland, Pippa was more anchored in a particular family context.

This romance isn't poorly written, just because it didn't work with me doesn't mean it won't necessarily work with others. I still liked certain aspects of the book : Pippa's confrontation with her parents, everything is not perfect but we understand her character and the ending suggests that her situation is evolving in the right direction; I liked August's sister and if she wasn't already in a relationship with kids, I would have liked to have a book with her ^^.

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Ewe Complete Me

de Susannah Nix - SmartyPants Romance (2023)

Résumé : Chloe and Brandon have nothing in common. She’s a spontaneous, people-loving fiber artist; he’s an uptight, introverted law student. The only thing they agree on during their blind date is that they hope to never see each other again.

Except they do have something in common—Brandon’s mother Dawn, who happens to be Chloe’s boss and dear friend. Which is how they end up stuck with each other for a six-hour road trip to Dawn’s destination wedding.

But as they get to know each other better, their mutual irritation morphs into an inescapable connection. Maybe these two opposites aren't so mismatched after all. Could Brandon be the yin to Chloe’s yang? The peanut butter to her jelly? The rock to her roll?

Or will their differences tear them apart when they return to their normal lives at the end of the wedding weekend?

Note : 4/5 ♥♥♥♥

J'ai beaucoup aimé cette romance sur une proximité forcée, certes Chloe et Bran tombent tous les deux amoureux très rapidement, mais ils discutent beaucoup et nombreuses sont les scènes de dialogues qui reflètent leur alchimie.

Tout commence avec une blind date qui tourne mal, les premières impressions de chacun ne sont pas les meilleures, ils sont l'opposé de l'autre dans tout. Cependant, l'univers est bien fait car Chloe travaille pour Dawn, qui est la mère de Bran. Dawn va bientôt se marier, la fête se situe à plusieurs heures de route, et Bran se propose de covoiturer Chloe, lorsqu'ils découvrent chacun qui ils sont.

Au fur et à mesure des heures qui passent, Chloe et Bran vont s'apprivoiser, se livrer un peu de plus en plus, sur leur vie, leurs projets, leurs difficultés... Et les premières impressions négatives s'envolent pour laisser place à 2 personnalités, toujours très différentes, mais qui se comprennent. Quoi de mieux qu'une fête de mariage pour tenter le rapprochement des corps ?

On peut qualifier Chloe et Bran de couple rempli de choupitude. Un très bon moment de lecture.

I really liked this romance about forced proximity, certainly Chloe and Bran both fall in love very quickly, but they talk a lot and there are many dialogue scenes that reflect their chemistry.

It all starts with a blind date gone wrong, their first impressions aren't the best, they are the opposite of each other in everything. However, the universe is great because Chloe works for Dawn, who is Bran's mother. Dawn is getting married soon, the party is several hours away, and Bran offers to carpool with Chloe when they each discover who they are.

As the hours pass, Chloe and Bran become more familiar with each other, opening up a little more about their lives, their projects, their difficulties... And the first negative impressions disappear to make way to 2 personalities, always very different, but who understand each other. What's better than a wedding party to try to bring their body together ?

We can say that Chloe and Bran are a couple full of cuteness. We spend a very good time reading this book.


Find Susannah Nix online
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Peaches and Dreams

De Juliette Cross - SmartyPants Romance (2023)

Résumé : Marly Rivers is not crazy. No matter what everyone says. They may think her dream is foolish, but she plans to prove them all wrong—one jar of moonshine at a time.

Single dad Wade Kelley is just fine. No matter what his best friend Jed says. He doesn’t need a woman in his life. But when his son Jake breaks a jar of moonshine, he sets something in motion that neither Wade nor Marly are prepared for.

A friendly favor turns into late nights, long dinners, and a romp in the woods. And in a deer stand too. By the time Wade realizes he’s fallen hard and deep for Mad Marly, it may be too late to tell her. When she falls into real and sudden danger with poachers, he may not even be able to save her.

Note : 4/5 ♥♥♥♥


Marly et Wade vivent dans 2 mondes différents : Marly est imprévisible, spontanée et a ce petit grain de folie qui surprend la plupart des gens, on l'appelle d'ailleurs Mad Marly. Marly a un rêve, gagner le 1er prix du concours de moonshine de Green Valley et ouvrir ensuite sa propre distillerie. Cependant, Marly souffre de voir son père dénigrer ses projets car elle ne rentre pas dans la case qu'il souhaiterait...
Wade est un nounours grognon toujours préparé à toutes les éventualités, il élève seul son fils de 7 ans et leur vie est faite de routine. Malgré cela, Wade se sent parfois dépassé et ne sait pas s'il est le père idéal.

Ces deux-là n'auraient pas vraiment pu se croiser, mais l'univers fait bien les choses, la meilleure amie de Marly est la copine du meilleur pote de Wade. Et quand Marly apprend que le grand-père de Wade possède un cabanon/distillerie artisanale dans la montagne, elle n'hésite pas à demander à s'en servir pour le concours et Wade ne peut que l'aider à s'installer correctement.

Plus ils sont en contact et plus leur attirance prend de l'ampleur, jusqu'à ce qu'ils cèdent tous deux à leurs sentiments. Marly fait sortir Wade de sa zone de confort et Wade apporte une stabilité à Marly, leurs différences les complètent. Il devient évident qu'ils sont fait l'un pour l'autre ♥

Marly and Wade live in 2 different worlds : Marly is unpredictable, spontaneous and has this little whim that surprises most people, they called her Mad Marly. Marly has a dream, it's to win 1st prize in the Green Valley moonshine competition and then open her own distillery. However, Marly suffers from seeing her father denigrate her projects because she doesn't fit into his idea what she needs to be...
Wade is a grumpy teddy bear always prepared for all eventualities, he raises his 7 year old son alone and their life is all routine. Despite this, Wade sometimes feels overwhelmed and unsure if he is the ideal father.

These two couldn't really have crossed paths, but the universe has its plan, Marly's best friend is Wade's best friend's girlfriend. And when Marly learns that Wade's grandfather owns a cabin/artisanal distillery in the mountain, she doesn't hesitate to ask to use it for the competition and Wade can only help her set up properly.

The more they are in contact, the more their attraction grows, until they both give in to their feelings. Marly takes Wade out of his comfort zone and Wade brings stability to Marly, their differences complement them. It becomes clear that they are made for each other ♥


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