Tag Archive | Politics

Bona Fide (Illusive duet, book 2) by Hazel Grace–Review

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I have read all of Hazel Grace’s books, starting with Arranged (Array Series 1) and have seen the progression of her writing increase with each book. This writing is completely at its best in the Illusive duet.

Catfish, book 1, knocked me off my seat onto my ‘bass’😉. I was sucked in from the word Prologue. Wade has been my man since that first paragraph (sorry Dee. You get him first, but I also lay claim to him😉😂). Catfish was one heck of a ride, that I was not ready for, but COMPLETELY loved!

So, Bona Fide comes out and I thought, ‘what is the cliffhanger queen going to do to us now’? Simple answer, a lot!! If you were looking for an easy wrap up with a cute little bow, go someplace else. You will not find that here. Now, it does not mean that there may/may not be a HEA involved, that is for you to find out. It just means in either scenario, HEA or no HEA, you will be taken on a ride.

Bona Fide continues with the ever-tumultuous Reagan and Wade. Reagan is spicy, hot, not a pushover, can take care of herself and confident. She is full of witty comebacks, which had me snickering throughout the book. This does not mean that there was not angst and drama going on. At times, I felt like I needed to cut through it with a knife.
Wade has a whole other journey going on, his political journey and how to not become just another politician. When you think of the word politician, what are some things you think of? Confident, charming, relatable, goal-oriented, uncomplicated, and fearless come to mind? What about negative characteristics or people’s perception of them? Corrupt, dishonest, unethical, greedy, selfish, and bad judgment, to name a few! I will not give away what Wade does or who he is, but I will say, you really begin to feel the amount of pressure that is on his shoulders and how he tries to maintain the man beneath the political shroud. There are many things going on with Wade, but overall, you can feel how incredible of a MC he is. It truly is hard not to fall in love with him.

Hazel Grace is blossoming into an incredible author. Catfish/Bona Fide is evidence of that. There are massive amounts of angst, boat loads of drama, sprinkled with some comedic laughs and bucket loads full of hot, sexy, and romantic times. I HIGHLY recommend this series!!

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Catfish by Hazel Grace–Review

Mar24

Hazel Grace is venturing into new and unchartered territory, Political Romance. I don’t get to read political romances (PR) often, but I will whole heartedly when I find one I like. Catfish is that type of book.

Our main characters are Wade and Reagan. Wade currently is the governor with aspirations of landing in the White House. As you can imagine for any guy in his 30’s, he has a great deal of pressure from everyone (parents, siblings, his constituents, other political members.) The only people who seem to truly have his back is his PA, Emmy, and best friend, Chase.

Raegan is another strong-willed character who knows that everything she does is for her family. She loves and adores her mother and brother immensely, but sometimes she gets overwhelmed and that pressure gets to her. She is feisty, sharp witted, and knows how to handle wayward politicians. She is a great character and counterpoint to Wade.

Wade and Reagan met through an online dating service and they soon find themselves desperate and longing for the next text message. Wade and Reagan are just cute perfection together! I loved this happy little couple until Hazel Grace decided to shake up everyone’s world and pull the rug out from underneath me with that cliffhanger! So, I didn’t expect to see that one. After picking my jaw off the floor and a slight outbreak of ‘you didn’t, no way, and what are you doing?’ could be heard throughout my house, I regained my senses and am now counting down the days to book 2. I HAVE to know where this story goes from here.

Cheeky Prince/Cheeky Royal by Nana Malone–Review

Apr2

4 ‘Cheeky’ stars

There is a small prequel to Cheeky Royal named Cheeky Prince. It gives the reader a slight insight into Sebastian and Penny’s backgrounds.

The real story begins in Cheeky Royal where Prince Sebastian has left his island and has been gone for about six months. As a special request from the king, Penny is tasked to try and find Sebastian and bring him home. Hilarity and adventure ensues.

I enjoyed the main characters. Penny is a ‘Calamity Jane’ type girl, where what can go wrong, usually will. Then there is Prince Sebastian. He is a beast unto himself. As progression to the throne goes, he is the next in line, but his real passion lies elsewhere. Unfortunately, he has been told by his father (the King) that when he takes the throne, it would be impossible to continue to pursue his true passion of photography. This is unacceptable to Sebastian and has his own plan in the making to get out of being king.

Besides Sebastian and Penny, there are few secondary characters that also bring this story to light. Penny’s best friend, Ariel, brings a lot of fun to the storyline, while pushing Penny out of her comfort zone. Sebastian’s cousin though, is an a-hole and not a good brooding a-hole that we love to read about. I loved some of the tension between the security team that works with Sebastian and Ariel. Do I see fireworks on the horizon for the best friend?

Cheeky Royal is a sweet, fun and easy read with no major plot twists, but there are episodes of mystery and intrigue. This does end on a cliffhanger to be continued in Cheeky King. Now hold your horses before you think, ‘a cliffhanger, aww man.’ Cheeky King is expected to be released the end of April, so we don’t have long to wait.

Mr. All Wrong by R.C. Stephens–Review

Dec7

Mr All Wrong Mr. All Wrong is completely Mr. All Right!! R.C. Stephens is a fairly new to me author, but I am loving her and her writing style. (I read, Halo by her as well and that was a truly phenomenal read).

This story is about Colton and Evie who come from different socio-economic status, familial backgrounds and academic/professional backgrounds. Despite these factors, they could recognize some very common similarities as well.

Colton is a super sexy, powerful and appears to be a confident man. However, he is a flawed man. He is the Governor of Illinois with considerations to make a run at POTUS. This is something that he is questioning if it’s more for his personal well-being or something his father wants and is living vicariously through Colton. Colt also has major trust issues, especially when it comes to women. I won’t say why, but they are a result from his mother and secondarily because of his father.

‘I was a fucking grown man who was scared. Yes, I can use that word in my head only. I was scared to stand up to my old man. Fuck that was a difficult internal confession to swallow.’

Evie is a simple, yet beautiful, women that is more than happy to blend into the background. She is a single mother who is a teacher at a local deaf school that is fiercely independent. Through she has secrets of her own, they are more of a maternal protective nature. She meets the notorious panty dropping playboy after she throws a cream pie at his face during a rally. Colton is immediately enamored with her, even if he only sees her as a blur of red hair while running from the police.

‘When I spotted the female with the shouty voice, she had a cream pie flying at me faster than I could think. It slammed me in the face. The cool feel of whipped cream practically blinding.’…’The red-haired vixen got away’.

Mr. All Wrong is a perfect combination of steam, drama, soul-searching and hilarity that abounds. There were many touching moments from Colton as he expressed his love, faithfulness and trust towards Evie. The interaction between Colton and Carter (Evie’s 10-year-old son) was beautiful and ovary shaking. Colton’s willingness to adapt to Evie’s surroundings was just perfection.

Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad. As mentioned earlier, Colton’s issues include his runaway mom, domineering and threatening father, manwhore best friend and trust issues. Soon, Evie gets swept up in this family drama and things don’t appear to end well for Ms. Evie. She, unfortunately, has to make a choice that will cost her the only man she ever loved or her own personal sanity and safety.

Besides the h and H, we have the secondary characters, who are just as poignant as the main ones. They each brought their own pizazz to the story. R.C. Stephens wrote an incredibly well rounded romantic comedy/drama with a list of characters that felt like a whole family. The story and plot line flowed well with in depth histories of each character. Mr. All Wrong was a complete page turner keeping me intrigued from beginning to end.

Colton and Evie are such a great, steamy and heartwarming couple together. They have many twists and turns, revelations and hills that they need to counter both individually and as a couple. There was no question that they loved each other, but the question remains…Will they make it?

As usual, I’m an epilogue whore. I love that you get one little more peek into these characters lives, before you officially announce, ‘the end’. This epilogue did not disappoint! Thank you, Ms. Stephens for writing such a well-rounded, all-encompassing book with ‘all the feels’ and ‘oh no’s’!!

‘She was more than lovely, she was beautiful, the way her blue eyes danced with mischief as she ran away from the police was now ingrained in my brain maybe forever. She was a free spirit and her smile breathed sunshine.’