Sweeten the Deal by Katie Shephard
Stacey Irving • March 2, 2024
Super Cute
I just finished Sweeten the Deal by Katie Shephard and here are my musings.
Caroline has very little control in her life and when her grandmother opens all the doors to a future she can map for herself, she decides she wants to immerse herself in culture but she needs someone to guide her. Being 22 and ready to do something for herself for once.
Adrian was at the top of his game with his art, a beautiful man creating beautiful paintings. His whole life is now in tatters and he is sleeping on his friends couch. A 33 year old failure but he needs money. He needs to get his work back in a gallery to help pay rent.
When his roommate suggests a sugar baby arrangement, he is horrified by the idea but when Tom adds his profile to the site and Caroline arranges a meet up, he wonders if he can really do this. Complete opposites and she is so young but somehow, Caroline awakens something in Adrian and the more time they spend together, the more they realize that maybe, what they want and what they need are very different things.
This book was so good! I knew from the synopsis that this was a book I needed in my life and it didn’t disappoint me one bit!!
The writing was so brilliant and the author had an incredible way of bringing these characters to life that I was smiling all the way through the book. Caroline is my kind of girl. She knows what she wants and she isn’t afraid to make mistakes to get to her end goal. Adrian is that handsome grump that no woman can help not falling in love with. I know I did.
The plot was genius! The verse sugar baby concept was really very clever. I loved the grumpy sunshine vibes and the way Caroline dresses herself is epic! I wish I had her courage. She did what was right for herself even when it meant making her family angry at her. That’s a hard thing to do and that just made me love her more. I am a huge art fan so having the book based around artist endeavors made this book an even bigger winner for me.
This age gap romance checked every box for me and it is out NOW so go grab a dozen copies and hand them out to your friends!
5 stars! Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for my gifted copy
#sweetenthedeal #katieshephard #berkleyromance #bookblogger #bookreview #booksta #bookcommunity #readersofig
Book Review - Fiction - ARC - Small town - Rom Com - Forced Proximity I just finished It Seemed Like a Good Idea by Lauren Blakely and here are my musings. When Banks finds a beautiful woman in a bar.. He never imagines she will be his next job.. So we start with the meet-cute. Banks meets Riley. He saves her from a douche. They have drinks and decide to….. you know… He’s supposed to meet her in her room but a call and an email has him ghosting.. They tell you right here why. I would have liked that it was a mystery. To find out the why when Riley does and that was a major bummer for me. Whenever I read the word sweetheart.. I automatically go to the hunger games and Haymitch and it does not work for Me haha I hate miscommunication and he didn’t even miscommunicate, he literally didn’t even bother to talk face to face so it was hard to forgive him. I loved the lavender farm and I do have a bit of a soft spot for bodyguards… I did like the banter and the tension was tensioning. All in all it was a solid book 4 stars Thank you @netgalley for my gifted copy #bookalorian #bookpodcaster #bookcommunity #readersofig #bookinfluencer #bookblogger #bookbusiness #bookishpodcast
Book Review - E-book - Kindle - Paranormal romance - Cozy Fantasy - Small Town I just finished Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell and here are my musings. Rhea likes her life… It’s small and mundane but it is hers. Things change when a grandmother she never met passes away and leaves everything in her will… But it’s not just buildings… It’s a magical legacy. A place her mother begged her not to go back to. Renovating the old video store into a book store, she needs help from the hunky handyman but their families… are enemies and his grandmother has a beef with her dearly departed granny! Can she figure out what happened to the town’s magic and fix the balance in her new home before it is too late? I loved this book! I am a sucker for a small town cozy book and this one had everything I wanted in spades!! A magical legacy Rhea knew nothing about… EPIC! I loved the themes and Hunter was DREAMY!! The writing was so cute and it was exactly what I needed and the fact this is the start of a series… I’M IN LOVE!!! I felt the characters were really well defined and I was totally charmed by this book. 4 stars If you love small town with enemies to lovers… Grab this one! Thank you @netgalley for my gifted copy Qotd if you found you had a magical legacy.. would you embrace it or run? #bookishreels #bookcommunity #bookalorian #readingabook #bookinfluencing #bookblog #lionessofliteracy #bookpodcast #bookishpodcast #booklover #bookinfliencer
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Book Review - Fiction - ARC - Ebook- Dark comedy - Cozy Mystery - Anti hero I just finished I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig and here are my musings. Carol is so glad to be leaving her tiny prison cell and take her place in a retirement home. Her serial killer life is in her rearview mirror…. What she doesn’t expect is for the place to be full of ex cops…. And when a police commissioner drops dead and people realize who she is… things get even more awkward… She knows she didn’t do it and now she has to prove she didn’t do it… without killing anyone. I just read the Thursday murder club so this book is right up my alley! I love the older sleuths and the fact that Carol is actually a criminal… Just really set this book into a new league. It was such a clever book! The pacing was slower and I think that’s ok for a book like this. It was well written and I was rooting for Carol the whole time. I enjoyed the dark comedy aspects of the book too. I really was charmed by the book and I highly recommend it if you like fun seniors who like to be arm chair detectives!! 4 stars Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for my gifted copy QOTD do you think it would be fun to live in a retirement home? #bookish #booklover #bookinfluencer #booktok #readingallday #lionessofliteracy #bookishblog
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Book review - Fiction - ALC Audiobook - Dark comedy thriller - unreliable narrator A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M.K. Oliver ⭐ Star Rating: 4 This book felt like…fast paced, unhinged drama filled ride I was hooked… after a few chapters. The book took a little to get going but my oh my it launched! Did I care about the characters ? I was invested for sure. Laila went from likeable to unlikeable a lot and it was fun. She made a lot of decisions that don’t make sense to normal people but to sociopaths.. oh yes haha Tropes included: unreliable narrator, sociopath in suburbia, stepford wives, blackmail, incompetent husband, morally grey Narration star rating and feelings.. 4 stars well narrated! The story had a couple of laggy moments but honestly the pacing was on the slower side but it worked for the comedy. It was really well written. This book made me feel: 100% unhinged! Honestly I loved every second of Lalla’s journey. This book might make you lose sleep! Perfect for readers who love… Dexter, Finlay Donovan.. 🚫 Not for readers who dislike… books with no romance 😈 Petty Complaint… I would have liked a bit more carnage haha All in all superb! Thank you to @netgalley for my gifted copy. Qotd what do you need from a book review to keep checking that reviewers other reviews? #booktok #bookcontent #bookcommunity #happyreader #bookalorian 4d
Book review - Fiction - paperback, ebook and ALC Audiobook - Dark Fantasy - Horror - Hidden Magic Only Spell Deep by Ava Morgyn ⭐ Star Rating: 5 This book felt like… a dark monstrous nightmare! It felt like a cold wind wrapping around you.. the smell of the ocean has never felt so dangerous I was hooked… page 1. I couldn’t put the book down. It really started out strong and didn’t let up. Did I care about the characters? Oh yes! I Judeth is incredible. She didn’t want to continue the insanity of her family after they all died and she walked about from the money.. I have mad respect for that. I was so concerned for her. Tropes included: generation trauma, reclaiming power, enigmatic mentor, ancient being, hidden magic, hidden identity, feminine rage These tropes delivered!!! yes they did. The book didn’t just touch on them, they dug deep and delivered a power whammy!!! Narration star rating and feelings.. I read the book and listened. The narration on the audio was a 5. Pacing? It was moderately paced but it didn’t lag at any point. The story kept going! It really built the tension. Honestly it was so well done This book made me feel: terrified! There was something trapped and it wanted to get out so badly it was taking control of people with powers.. once unleashed… ughhhh!! It really was a solid gothic read. This book WILL make you lose sleep! From needing the lights on to being utterly binge able! Perfect for readers who love… Rebecca.. the craft.. anything dark and witchy! 🚫 Not for readers who dislike… being scared. There is nothing warm or fluffy here. I loved it! Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress for my gifted copies. #readertok #booklovers #bookinfluencer #reading #welovebooks #bookcommunity #readingblog #bookreviewer
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Book Review - ALC Audiobook - Sapphic Romantic Comedy - Forbidden romance Greta Gets the Girl by Melissa Marr When Greta and Lee have a one night stand in a hotel room… They never expect to see each other again but they keep in touch and can’t help meeting again.. Something is blooming here.. That is, until Kaelee walks into a meeting to meet her new editor and finds Greta sitting in the editor chair.. Things go even further awry when Kaelee’s family want her book shelved for being Sapphic leaving Greta to decide what is more important.. Her heart or her career… TOO DANG CUTE!!! I love this author's writing style so I definitely will grab more from her! The book has some pretty heavy topics and they were covered so well and I felt like even with the tone… The book still had a lovely message. I do feel the first half of the book was better than the conclusion. It felt rushed and crammed in. I like it wasn’t a total HEA though because they will have things to face moving forward but I enjoyed how it all turned out. I liked the characters and how they progressed as the book went on and the narration was solid! 4.25 stars Thank you to @netgalley #netgalley #alc #audiobookreader #cutereads #romancebook #bookblog #bookinfluencer
