Pass Interference (Game On #3) by Desiree Holt

{I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.}

Review and Character Study Playlist

Release: April 12, 2016

Type: Erotica, Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance

Series: Game On #3

Over and over and over again people have told me I should pick up a Desiree Holt book. I’m sure friends always recommend her work since I enjoy reading erotica, but people also seem to comment on her ability to write likeable characters. I, therefore, had pretty high expectations when I picked up Pass Interference. Pass Interference also interested me due to it being a sports romance. See, I’m on an athletes kick lately...a really long and involved athletes kick. This book was a chance for me to not only read more of what I was currently loving but also branch out away from the hockey boys that had been dominating my life, and move onto a different kind of athlete. 

The Good

• The character Tony added a thoughtful element to the book. It’s not often that we get to see acquaintances of the heroine that are significantly older and friends of a parental figure play a role in the romance or in character development. It was interesting to see Tony speak not only to Rafe’s attraction to Tyler but also get his perspective on Tyler’s father after her mother died.

The Bad

• I’ve read the general idea of this book before...the heroine felt ignored by her parent(s) who were successful members of a sports community, so she acts out and then has some sort of “come to Jesus” moment where her life changes and she’s decide to now take on a relationship with the man she’s always wanted. Yep, I’ve read this general idea before.
• Although this book can be read as a stand-alone I felt like I was missing pieces of the puzzle. I’m going to take a guess in saying that Rafe’s friends at the gala were the heros of the previous Game On books, but without knowing anything about Rafe (where is he from, does he have a family, etc.) I’m just not sure how his friends fit in. It’s almost like he doesn’t have a life outside his football career and his ex-coach, Tyler’s father. All this leads to Rafe feeling pretty one-dimensional.

The Unique

• I’d categorize this book as a contemporary romance, however, it certainly had suspenseful elements woven in. Without the stalker element Tyler and Rafe may have never lived together and Tyler and her Father may not have begun to reconcile, so from a plot perspective the suspenseful element makes total sense. What the stalker storyline also showcased was Holt’s talent for writing in different genres and blending them together seamlessly. Pass Interference also had strong erotic elements, sports elements and protector elements...it covered a whole lot of romance tropes all in one read. The good thing about Holt’s ability to blend writing genres and tropes was that I didn’t notice distinct sections of the book or plot as having different voices or a different tone. Only after I read the book (in one sitting) and reflecting on it did I realize how many genres were really working in tandem.

The Playlist

• This playlist is a little of this and a little of that. The songs I chose were based on plot elements and what I imagine the characters were feeling. “Crash” by Dave Matthews Band was added for the stalker elements of the plot (you can read about the song here). “Need You Now” is based around Tyler reaching out to Rafe for help. “Bubbly” represents Tyler’s growing feelings for Rafe. “Wonderful Tonight” is how I imagine Rafe was feeling when Tyler and he attended the fundraiser. To represent Tyler and Rafe’s tumultuous relationship throughout the book I added in “Stay A Little Longer”. Finally, “When You Say Nothing At All” is symbolic of Rafe and Tyler’s HEA.

I rate this book:

What did you think of Pass Interference?
Are there any songs that remind you of Rafe, Tyler and their HEA?

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The Billionaire's Defiant Acquisition by Sharon Kendrick

{I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.}

Review and Character Study Playlist

I’m going to preface this review with a few notes. 1) I’ve never, ever read a category romance before. 2) Billionaire romances aren’t my thing.

Now you may be asking yourself, why would I read a book that clearly involves a billionaire when I know that type of hero doesn’t do it for me? Well, that’s a darn good question actually. I occasionally read books to “stretch” my comfort level or to see if my reading preferences are changing. As well, I try to have an overall sense of what is happening in the larger romance genre and that sometimes means reading books that I know won’t be a 5 star book in my mind.

That being said, I didn’t dislike everything about this billionaire book (even though that was completely my expectation). I found the book to be witty and entertaining.

The Good

• I liked that both Conall and Amber had hidden talents that created some character depth. Conall had a passion for modern art and Amber had linguistic talents along with her unique artistic style. Most of the billionaire romances I’ve read in the past simply show the billionaire as a man who is good at making money. Honestly, the shallow billionaire hero doesn’t interest me. Although Conall is certainly wealthy, he’s made a good portion of his fortune dealing in the modern art he loves and cherishes; this facet of Conall’s persona kept me interested in him and the outcome of the story.
• A very satisfying epilogue. Getting a glimpse of the characters a few months or years into their HEA is the perfect ending to a book for me. The epilogue in The Billionaire’s Defiant Acquisition tied up the last few loose ends and allowed me to relax a bit seeing that the hero and heroine truly did commit to one another.

The Bad

• Amber’s party-girl beginning was just bad, bad, bad. I almost stopped reading this book since I found everything about Amber to be so annoying for a decent part of the novel.
• I felt like there was a lot going on in this book. Billionaire, party-girl turned good-girl, virgin, fake marriage, friend’s sibling, heroine having to prove herself, hero working for heroine’s father...and on and on. There were certainly a lot of romance tropes represented here, almost too many for the storyline to handle!

The Unique

• In a lot of ways this book reminded me of the romances of yesteryear. It felt like a throwback to some “bodice rippers” I’ve read in the way the plot progressed, in the way the hero clearly had the upper hand in the situation and in the way the heroine’s virginity was presented.

The Playlist

• The playlist I’ve created for The Billionaire’s Defiant Acquisition has two songs for Amber, two for Conall and two for the HEA. Amber’s songs are “American Sweetheart” by Elle King and “human” by Christina Perri. Conall’s additions are “Perfect Storm” by Braid Paisley and “Sparks” by Coldplay. Note: I DO NOT think Conall would be country music guy, but the lyrics for “Perfect Storm” were just too close of a match for Conall to pass up. “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith and “I Love You More Than You Think” by Rizzle Kicks represent Amber and Conall’s HEA.

I rate this book:

What did you think of The Billionaire’s Defiant Acquisition? Are there any songs that remind you of Conall, Amber and their HEA?

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Unlucky in Love (The Lucky Series #1) by Jill Sanders

{I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.}

Review and Curated Soundtrack

Unlucky in Love was a super quick read. In some regards, I’m not surprised since the book takes place over the course of a short amount of time and the characters have similar jobs/locations so there isn’t a lot of “ground” to cover. However, the plot of the book also involves a lot of events or “general roadblocks” and not a lot of character development. The lack of character connection seems to be the reason why the length of the book is a bit lacking rather than the general plot timeframe.

Things that happened to Kristen: boyfriend steals stuff, dates a married man, car gets stolen, locked out of office in the cold, elevator stuck, visited super hot boyfriend’s father’s bedside, stayed overnight in swanky hotel room, boyfriend attacked by a poisonous spider...I mean, A LOT of stuff happened for a short book. Even with all the “events” it didn't seem like the dramatic moments bring Aiden and Kristen closer emotionally (physically though, sure). It almost felt like an overview of their relationship, like I was skimming the surface throughout the entire 22 chapters.

Also, short rant, the people on the cover of this book don't seem indicative of how the author describes Kristen and Aiden!

The character study playlist for Unlucky in Love includes two songs for Kristen ("I Knew You Were Trouble" and "Beautiful Disaster"), two for Aiden ("Baby Come Back" and "Mirrors") and two for their HEA ("Let’s Never Stop Falling in Love" and "Middle of My Mind"). The songs I picked for Kristen revolved around the fact that Kristen is just not looking for a relationship when she meets Aiden. Aiden's songs were chosen for their brief fight/breakup towards the end of the book.

I rate this book:

What did you think of Unlucky in Love? Are there any songs that remind you of Aiden, Kristen and their HEA?

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