Luanne Oleas

[b:Summers at the Saint 195790574 Summers at the Saint Mary Kay Andrews https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1697249850l/195790574.SY75.jpg 197724423], a hefty story (448 pages) by [a:Mary Kay Andrews 21387 Mary Kay Andrews https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1616599433p2/21387.jpg], earned every page. I thought initially it seemed like a big book [b:Summers at the Saint 195790574 Summers at the Saint Mary Kay Andrews https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1697249850l/195790574.SY75.jpg 197724423] because I was reading the “large print” edition (696 pages), but I'm glad I was. By the time I got halfway through the book, I didn't want to put it down and the large print edition let me read well into the night. . . long after my eyeballs normally would have given out. The book is somewhat a cast of 1000s, but, oddly, I didn't have trouble keeping track of them all. The author does a good job of reminding you who is who, especially if a character hasn't been mentioned in a while. This is a technique that usually goes unnoticed when done well, which it was. I wasn't flipping back through what I'd already read to figure out who someone was.I liked that the main character (Traci Eddings) was a little more mature while many of the other players were younger. We could see the story through a more thoughtful, mature viewpoint while the craziness of youth played out. I liked the setting as well, a resort on the coast in Georgia. A little southern charm never hurts. Traci ran the resort while the younger characters were working there, something Traci herself had done when she was younger before marrying into the resort-owning family. The Eddings were both good and bad—but when they were bad, they were awful! But, the same went for the young employees. Some fine, upstanding people, some cold heartless jerks. Of course, the sexy love interest for Traci, named Whelan, didn't hurt either.The action was non-stop. The conniving, the secrets, the danger just kept coming. It's the kind of book you almost break your arm patting yourself on the back for having found and read. Now I have to check out more [a:Mary Kay Andrews 21387 Mary Kay Andrews https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1616599433p2/21387.jpg] books. I hope they are all as good as [b:Summers at the Saint 195790574 Summers at the Saint Mary Kay Andrews https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1697249850l/195790574.SY75.jpg 197724423].

This barely made the cut for my “Summer of Smut” reading. . . NOT because it was a bad story (it was terrific) but because it was low on the smut scale.... and HIGH on the plot and characterization scales.I adored [b:Just for the Summer 195820807 Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3) Abby Jimenez https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1692118145l/195820807.SY75.jpg 197775193]!! I kept hearing about this book and Jimenez's writing while perusing literary agents who represent what I write. So many asked for writing “like Abby Jimenez,” so I thought I should check her out.I love the concept of this book. Two people who seem to be the person dated just BEFORE the soulmate comes along. Emma read Justin's description of “the curse” on reddit. He explained how every girlfriend who broke up with him went on the marry the next guy she met while he remained unattached. Emma realized this was happening to her as well, so she commented on his post. In the end, they schemed that if they dated one another, and then broke up, they would both go on to find their soulmates. So started the summer of their discontent. Unfortunately, instead of just having the month or six week long affair, with the required 4 dates and one kiss, they ended up starting to like each other which wasn't the plan. . . but who didn't know that would happen?What does happen is both character have obstacles placed in their lives that do two things: - Help them learn what each is really made of - Discover that they really can't be together. . . wrong place/wrong time/wrong lifeWhat happens next is a fascinating story of self-discovery (and the tiniest bit of smut) that leads them both on a new path. And because it's essentially a romance, you might guess that the HEA will happen, you just won't guess how.If you want to read about how family dynamics can totally mess with your love life, read this book. You'll find the storytelling a grade above most romances. In fact, the romance is really secondary to a fascinating tale.

Normally, I can storm right through Hazelwood's books, but this one took me a minute (read: days) to get into. I'm glad I persisted.

I think because I was a) not feeling well and b) wasn't used to the world building that this story required. I understand her world-building when it comes to STEM, but Vampyres (with a “y”) and Weres (for Werewolves) threw me for a loop.

However, I like Misery, the main female character, and her snarky approach to everything, her brother, her life, kids, you name it. It's what kept her sane through all the shuttling around in her childhood, where she was sent to live with humans by the Vampyre Council, headed by her father. She was a token known as Collateral in exchange to keeping the peace. It's how she met her best friend, Selena Paris, and the rift between Human, Weres, and Vampyres mostly controlled her adulthood too.

She was donated to be a bride to the head/alpha Werewolves, again as a token of peace between cultures. It wasn't a smooth transition for either Misery or Lowe, the alpha Were and her new husband.

By the time I understood all of this culture swapping, and some of the quirks involved in each, I wholly bought into the story and it went much quicker.

I'm not the vampire/werewolf type when it comes to reading so it surprised me that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. In the end, some of the animosity between cultures reflects what we see in the real world today. However, I think the sex is better in the book than in my real world.

A+. Read it.

What I love most about this book—and I do love it—is that it didn't seem contrived in the way most romances do. I believed the subplots that bolstered the main one about Eli and Rue's relationship.

It seemed real that a corporate takeover or slimy executive could cause mistrust in one's personal life, enough mistrust to derail a relationship.

Rue was naturally hesitant in her most normal interactions with other human, male or female, with the exception of sex. That was just a clinical necessity to her that could be handled matter-of-factly. The more dispassionately (here's my list of preferences and deal-breakers, take ‘em or leave ‘em.) Really there was always someone willing to play the sex game for one night because she didn't believe in second meetups. That was for people who wanted more than she could offer.

Eli thought he could be equally dispassionate, but he was fooling himself. His whole life had been one passionate act after another. Life had pushed him hard and he was managed, like a genius and skilled ice skater, to stay upright. And moral.

The fact that the two of them struggled to connect, Rue especially, wasn't helped by the jobs they had. His: corporate takeovers. Hers: the corporation being taken. It was a scientist (her) and a numbers guy, both finally making the money they needed. Really needed. Their desired outcomes, business-wise, were polar opposites. Of course they couldn't have a connection. Nothing permanent. She was willing to settle for less. He was willing to settle for anything, but that didn't seem like it would work.

BTW, the sex is hot, hot, hot.

Ali Hazelwood hits it outta the park with this one. Give it a read.

What a great premise! You end up living with your fiance's best friend's ex-fiancé when they dump both of you to be with each other. Yes, Peter dumped Daphne the night before their wedding to be with his long-time best friend Petra. This left Daphne unhoused when Peter kicked her out and “thoughtfully” arranged for her to move in with Miles, who was Petra's former fiancé. The back stories of all the characters played heavily into this situation devolving into an unbelievable mess that seemed to work to everyone's advantage. The depth in which [a:Emily Henry 13905555 Emily Henry https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573928938p2/13905555.jpg] built her characters, especially Miles and Daphne, makes this story work flawlessly. In addition, you never feel an “info dump” of that backstory. It evolves almost without the reader knowing until odd relatives begin showing up in Miles and Daphne's already cramped apartment.The dialog of each character is outstanding, conveying the story and making you laugh at the same time. It makes you believe there is someone out there who is quirky enough to work as your best friend, soulmate, or worst enemy.The surprise ending hit me like a ton of bricks that meant I was reading, falling asleep for 20 minutes, then reading more to know the ending. Trust me, the ending is worth whatever amount of sleep you lose to get to it.