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Hello sassy people! Today I’m going to tell you guys about all the books I read in November! It was the month of my first ARCs and some beautiful beautiful illustrated covers!
Real Fake Love
(Copper Valley Fireballs #2)
by Pippa Grant
If people have polar opposites, Luca Rossi is mine.
His butt is in the baseball hall of fame. Mine’s comfortably seated in the hall of lame.
When he’s not snagging fly balls out in center field, he’s modeling in shampoo commercials. I once jammed my own finger while stirring cookie dough, and sometimes I forget shampoo is a thing.
He’s a total cynic when it comes to love.
I make a living writing love stories.
But after my latest broken engagement (no, I don’t want to talk about how many times that’s happened), it’s clear he’s exactly the man I need.
If anyone can teach me to be the opposite of me, it’s him.
The first thing I want him to teach me?
How to not fall in love.
And as luck would have it, he’s in desperate need of a fake girlfriend to get a meddling grandmother off his back.
We couldn’t be more perfect together, because the last thing Luca Rossi will ever be is the next man to leave me at the altar.
Or will he?
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Bang Laugh Love Inc
Year: 2020
Nº of pages: 359
Goodreads rate: 4,40
Tropes: Baseball romance, Fake dating, Fake relationship, Grumpy and Sunshine, Rom-Com, Small Town Romance, Sports Romance, Writers in Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 4/5 (steamy)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): No content Warnings According to StoryGraph
Main characters: Henri and Luca
Main conflict: Luca needs a fake girlfriend to escape his grandma’s curse and Henri needs a new start and someone to teach her how to not fall in love. Obviously, they both fall in love with each other, but Henri doesn’t want that since she got engaged several times and Luca is traumatized by his parents’ divorce.
Pacing: Medium
Mood: Easy, Fun, Sweet
Hero: Sturn Brunch Daddy
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Deep
Read in: 2021
My Rate: 4/5
Feminist rate: 5/5 A respectful hero with deep trust issues, a heroine with a deep journey, both of them with traumas from the past, that they both need to overcome to be together
Adjectives and general thoughts: Funny, sweet, and cute
Recommend this to people who love a laugh out loud book with cute characters and some steam
The Off Limits Rule
(It Happened in Nashville #1)
by Sarah Adams
I have found rock bottom. It’s here, moving in with my older brother because I’m too broke to afford to live on my own. But that’s okay because we’ve always been close and I think I’m going to have fun living with him again.
That is until I meet Cooper…
Turns out, my brother has very strong opinions on the idea of me dating his best friend and is dead set against it. According to him, Cooper is everything I should stay away from: flirtatious, adventurous, non-committal, and freaking hot. (I added that last part because I feel like you need the whole picture.) My brother is right, though. I should stay away from Cooper James and his pretty blue eyes. He’s the opposite of what I need right now.
Nah—Who am I kidding? I’m going for him.
Genre: Romance
Year: 2021
Nº of pages: 291
Goodreads rate: 3,87
Tropes: Brother’s best friend, Single Parent
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 2/5 closed-door (kissing and sex is implied)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Body shaming, Cursing, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual Content, Toxic relationship, Vomit
Main characters: Cooper and Lucy
Main conflict: Brothers best friend + personal insecurities
Pacing: Medium
Mood: Deep, Fun, Sweet
Hero: Sturn Brunch Daddy
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Good
Read in: 2021
My Rate: 4/5
Feminist rate: 5/5 Single mom, trust issues and self-development, super strong woman
Adjectives and general thoughts: Super funny, loved it until the point where they got engaged and married after two weeks. It was almost perfect until this part.
Recommend this to people who enjoy books that are closed-door (don’t have sexual content), cute kids, and strong female main characters
The Temporary Roomie
(It Happened in Nashville #2)
by Sarah Adams
What happens when you have to play nice with your greatest enemy? Revenge.
Drew Marshall may have let me move into his spare bedroom while my house is being renovated, but don’t think for one second his kindness comes without strings. Big, ugly, fake relationship strings.
That’s okay, though, Dr. Andrew. I’ll agree to your terms, move into your house, and act like your girlfriend when the big day comes; but I also plan to make your life miserable—make you pay for what you did to me.
I may not be good at forgiving or forgetting, but I’m excellent at getting even.
Genre: Romance
Year: 2021
Nº of pages: 286
Goodreads rate: 3,84
Tropes: Doctor, Pregnant, Roommates, Single Parent
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 2/5 closed-door (kissing and sex is implied)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Abandonment, Medical content, Pregnancy
Main characters: Drew and Jessie
Main conflict: The main character is pregnant and in need of a roof on her head, both of them hate each other, they go on a pranking war, and learn how to trust each other
Pacing: Medium
Mood: Deep, Fun, Sweet
Hero: Sturn Brunch Daddy
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Good
Read in: 2021
My Rate: 4/5
Feminist rate: 5/5 Strong and independent mom, works through her trust issues
Adjectives and general thoughts: Cute but with some “don’t do that!” screaming moments
Recommend this to people who enjoy books that are closed-door (don’t have sexual content), pregnancy books, and cute, caring heroes
The Cheat Sheet
by Sarah Adams
Is it ever too late to leave the friend-zone?
Hi, my name is Bree Camden, and I’m hopelessly in love with my best friend and star quarterback Nathan Donelson (so is half of America, judging by the tabloids and how much the guy dates). The first step is admitting, right? Except, I can never admit it to him because he clearly doesn’t see me that way, and the last thing I want is for things to get weird between us.
Nothing but good old-fashioned, no-touching-the-sexiest-man-alive, platonic friendship for us! Everything is exactly how I like it! Yes. Good. (I’m not crying, I’m just peeling an onion.)
Our friendship is going swimmingly until I accidentally spill my beans to a reporter over too much tequila, and now the world seems to think me and Nathan belong together. Oh, and did I mention we have to date publicly for three weeks until after the Super Bowl because we signed a contract with…oops, forgot I can’t tell anyone about that!
Bottom line is, now my best friend is smudging all the lines and acting very un-platonic, and I’m just trying to keep my body from bursting into flames every time he touches me.
How am I going to make it through three weeks of fake dating Nathan without anything changing between us? Especially when it almost-sort-a-kinda seems like he’s fighting for a completely different outcome?
Send help.
XO Bree
Genre: Romance
Year: 2021
Nº of pages: 306
Goodreads rate: 3,80
Tropes: Ballerina, Friends to Lovers, Mental Health, Sports Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 2/5 closed-door (kissing and sex is implied)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Alcohol, Car accident, Child Abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Medical Trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking
Main characters: Bree and Nathan
Main conflict: They are best friends, don’t want to ruin the friendship
Pacing: Medium
Mood: Easy, Fun, Sweet
Hero: Simp
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Good
Read in: 2021
My Rate: 4/5
Feminist rate: 5/5 I’ve never seen consent more explicit and I LOVE IT!
Adjectives and general thoughts: Cute with lots of amazing opportunities for some steam (which frustrated me, but I already knew the mood of the book so it’s all fine). Cute, but also a bit unrealistic at times, in my opinion, this hero is too much, or maybe I just don’t enjoy this type of hero.
Recommend this to people who like a clean and very sweet story
Grading Curve: Curvy Soulmates
(Curvy Soulmates)
by Emily Bunney
When a feisty, curvy school principal moves to a sleepy coastal town for a fresh start, she has no idea she’ll find love in an unexpected way.
Jess
After years in an unhappy marriage, Jess leaves everything behind for a new town and a new job. The only thing missing is a new relationship. Her best friend decides she needs to jump feet first into the dating pool and sets her up a profile on Curve Connection – a dating app for men seeking curvy women. At first she’s sceptical and some of the messages she receives don’t help. But then she matches with NerdGuy – a sweet sensitive younger man who just gets her. Could this be the new relationship she’s been looking for?
Tate
Starting a tech company with his twin brother was always Tate’s dream, but when times got tough, they took a job refitting the tech in a small Elementary school. He arrives expecting to meet a middle aged, matronly principal. However, the woman who crashes into him is a curvy, sexy, sassy pain in his ass. As they begin to work together, she fights him at every turn, but he just loves butting heads with her. Tate knows starting a relationship with Principal Jess Vega is not an option, not while they work together. So instead he turns to Curve Connection to see if he can match with another curvy woman to try and take his mind off Jess’s peachy round ass.
Can these two find love online or will it land unexpectantly on their doorstep?
Searching for your soulmate? Welcome to Curve Connection, a brand-new dating app developed by curvy women for curvy women and the men who love them. Whether you’re into executives, sports stars, blue collar workers, rockstars, or billionaires, we deliver guaranteed happily-ever-afters. Swipe left or right to start searching for your soulmate today.
Curvy Soulmates is a collection of steamy short romances brought to you by 12 of your favorite instalove authors.
Genre: Romance, ARC
Year: 2021
Nº of pages: 73
Goodreads rate: 4,31
Tropes: Curvy heroine, Divorced, Female age gap, Latinx character, Neighbor, School principal, Tattooed hero, Twins in Romance, Victim of a past abusive relationship
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 4/5 (steamy)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): This book is not added to Story Graphs
Main characters: Jessica and Tate
Main conflict: There’s not much conflict, they are simply working together for some time and need some personal growth.
Pacing: Fast
Mood: Easy
Hero: Alpha Hero
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Good
Diverse Cast: Latinx
Read in: 2021
My Rate: 3/5
Feminist rate: 5/5 Older heroine (10 years older)!!!! And there is a power unbalance, and it’s on the female side. She is the boss (in the office and also in bed) and I LOVE that. And she also plays very lightly with the school principal kink. Also, I see a lot of body positivity, not only because she is a curvy heroine, but she is a heroine that has (and I quote) brown nipples and she is not completely shaved, so I see Emily breaking a lot of the toxic patterns I see in society and a lot of other romance books and I love that.
Adjectives and general thoughts: Light, funny, and positive in all the ways possible. Exaggerated sexual reactions by the mention of a name or while seeing a picture.
Recommend this to people who love easy stories with insta love and a sweet HEA (happily ever after)
Complete review link: https://anaennoir.com/2021/11/22/grading-curve-curvy-soulmates-by-emily-bunney-review/
The Hating Game
by Sally Thorne
Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman
Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual.
Trapped in a shared office together 40 (OK, 50 or 60) hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. There’s the Staring Game. The Mirror Game. The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything—especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking.
If Lucy wins this game, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. So why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about Joshua, and dressing for work like she’s got a hot date? After a perfectly innocent elevator ride ends with an earth-shattering kiss, Lucy starts to wonder whether she’s got Joshua Templeman all wrong.
Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.
Genre: Romance
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Year: 2016
Nº of pages: 387
Goodreads rate: 4,07
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Grumpy and Sunshine, Office Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 3/5 (sex on the page)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Fatphobia, Sexual Content, Toxic relationship, Vomit
Main characters: Josh and Lucy
Main conflict: Co-workers, hate each other, competing over a promotion
Pacing: Medium, Slow
Mood: Fun, Sweet
Hero: Sturn Brunch Daddy
Plot or character-driven: Mix
P.O.V.: Single P.O.V.
Character development: Deep
Read in: 2021
My Rate: 5/5 (Amazing writing)
Feminist rate: 4/5 (Consent lines were a bit blurry sometimes, and Josh’s crush was a bit creepy at times too, a bit (or a lot, hopefully) not realistic, but still sweet in the context of a romance book.)
Adjectives and general thoughts: Fun and sweet, beautifully written. Loved it, the writing was chef’s kiss. I can’t believe this was her debut.
Recommend this to people who love a good banter, enemies to lovers, sweet as pie hero, and an amazingly written book
Escaping Christmas
by Marie Landry
Joss’s no-strings-attached holiday is about to become more tangled than a string of Christmas lights.
What happens when the so-called Queen of Christmas feels more like Scrooge? In actress Josslyn Hazelwood’s case, she decides to escape it all: the heartache and mess of her very public divorce, the press, and, most of all, the holidays and everything that comes with them. Spending a few weeks in the small town of Honeywell Hollow as “just Joss” is exactly what she needs.
Liam Doherty is happy to help Joss test her BFF’s theory that the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. Her no-strings-attached holiday fling soon becomes more entangled than a string of Christmas lights, and she finds herself not only caught up in a whirlwind romance with Liam, but also getting sucked into the festive fun of Honeywell.
Joss knows she’s falling for both Liam and Honeywell, but the ghost of Christmas Past is determined to visit this Scrooge after all. No matter how much she tries to escape her past and Christmas, she’s forced to confront them both before she can appreciate the gifts of Christmas Present.
Genre: Romance
Year: 2021
Goodreads rate: 4,26
Tropes: Celebrity Romance, Cheating Ex, Christmas Romance, Divorced, Handyman, Movie Star/Actress-Actor Romance, Small Town Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 3/5 (sex on the page)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): No content Warnings According to StoryGraph
Main characters: Joss and Liam
Main conflict: Recently divorced, past traumas, lives and works in another city. Joss is only on vacation in Honeywell Hollow
Pacing: Slow
Mood: Deep, Sweet
Hero: Cinnamon Roll Hero
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Single P.O.V.
Character development: Deep
Read in: 2021
My Rate: 4/5 Great development on secondary characters, I want to read about all those people, the problem? They don’t have books out yet (this is a stand-alone, you can read it by itself and be fine, but I love a series and if I could, every single one of these characters would get a book). Also (SPOILER) I’ll be pissed if Murph dies in the next book, even though it sounds very likely 😭
Feminist rate: 4/5 (I loved the process Joss went through in this book, recovering from her divorce and other traumas and being strong and finding love again, not only romantic love but family love, something she missed most of her life. But I didn’t see major “feminist romance” vibes, but that is okay.)
Adjectives and general thoughts: Sweet, deep, adorable, and positive. Beautifully written.
Recommend this to People who love a sweet but deep book, that deals with mental health, past traumas, and cute small towns.
Complete review link: https://anaennoir.com/2021/11/27/escaping-christmas-by-marie-landry-review/
The Match
(It Happened in Charleston #1)
by Sarah Adams
Having worked for Southern Service Paws for a few years now, I like to think I’m prepared for just about any client meeting under the sun. I am dead wrong.
The day I meet with single dad, Jacob Broaden, about potentially matching his daughter with one of our service dogs, I learn a few valuable lessons.
1) Always set my alarm clock.
2) Single dads are way hotter than I previously thought.
3) It is possible to go from fantasizing about kissing someone to wishing they would be run over by a truck in a matter of two minutes.
Unfortunately, I don’t hold that opinion of him for very long. Not when he shows me a different side of himself—one that’s sweet as maple syrup and hot as apple pie fresh out of the oven.
Too bad this guy is so far out of my league that I shouldn’t even be allowed to enter the game. Jake doesn’t seem to get that memo though. And after a few days of working closely with him and his daughter, he starts looking at me with fire in his eyes, making me dream of something I probably shouldn’t…
A family.
Genre: Romance
Year: 2020
Nº of pages: 291
Goodreads rate: 4,11
Tropes: Age Gap Romance, Disabled character, Divorced, Grumpy and Sunshine, Single Parent
Smut factor: 🔥 1/5 (clean, kissing only)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Abandonment, Ableism, Chronic Illness, Emotional Abuse, Infertility, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment
Main characters: Evie and Jake
Pacing: Medium
Mood: Sweet
Hero: Alpha Hero
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Deep
Diverse Cast: Disabled characters
Read in: 2021
My Rate: 4/5
Feminist rate: 5/5 Because it’s a very inclusive book, that introduces a different reality to us readers, and that is my favorite type of book.
Recommend this to people who enjoy a very cute and inclusive book with cute kids and cute dogs
The Enemy
(It Happened in Charleston #2)
by Sarah Adams
It’s been twelve years since I’ve seen him. Twelve years since he won our war of wits by outsmarting me with a tactic I didn’t even know was allowed. But tonight…I resurrect the battle.
Ryan Henderson is back in town for our best friends’ wedding, and I plan on showing him exactly how much I don’t care about him—or the almost kiss he ruthlessly dangled over me after graduation.
A lot has changed since our feuding days. I’m a successful bakery owner now, and I plan to rub every delicious detail of my life in his ugly face.
Just one problem: his face is gorgeous.
He wasn’t supposed to look like this or pursue me like a sexy guided missile. I must stay strong until the wedding is over and Ryan scurries back into whatever alternate universe he escaped from.
His interest in me is nothing but a continuation of the games we played in high school…right?
But the longer he stays, the more I wonder if I’m wrong and his tender smile and heated attentions are genuine. Maybe it’s not a game.
Ha! Who am I kidding? This is Ryan we’re talking about. Of course it’s a game. A game called war. And this time, I will win.
Genre: Romance
Year: 2020
Nº of pages: 258
Goodreads rate: 4,01
Tropes: Baker Romance, Chef Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Foodie Romance, Second chance romance
Smut factor: 🔥 1/5 (clean, kissing only)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Body shaming, Cursing, Death of a parent, Emotional Abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy
Main characters: June and Ryan
Main conflict: Trust issues. June was cheated by her ex, they both “hated” each other in high school, so they don’t trust each other. And Ryan lost his mom and dad, I don’t know how it affected him, but I know it did because Sarah Adams is a good writer
Pacing: Medium
Mood: Fun, Sweet
Hero: Sturn Brunch Daddy
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Deep
Read in: 2021
My Rate: 4/5
Feminist rate: 4/5 Strong woman and cute hero but I honestly don’t remember anything remarkable in the feminist category
Recommend this to people who love cute and clean books with strong women and sweet heroes, with a lot of delicious food
These were all the books I read in November! Have you read any of them? Did you like them? Do you agree with me? If not you can tell me so too!
Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy these books if you decide to read them. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time!
Bye sassy people!
- I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories.
- I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing, and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content.
Find Me In
Meet Me
Brazilian architecture student and book lover
One of my goals in analysing my readings was to talk about important topics, like feminist and consent, because literature, art and culture influence us, and I believe we should always encorage authors who talk about this topics.
Come check out my Goodreads Reading Challenge!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2020
I read 148 books in 2020, come see them!
