lauren asher – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 592 pages
Author: Lauren Asher
Publisher: Bloom Books
Release Date: January 31st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Callahan
I’m the Kane brother everyone gossips about behind closed doors.
Trust fund brat. Washed-up athlete. High-functioning alcoholic.
No one knows the real me but her.
Lana Castillo—my childhood best friend and the only woman I ever loved.
When I broke her heart six years ago, I promised to never return to Lake Wisteria.
I kept my word until my grandfather’s will changed everything.
To receive my inheritance, I was tasked with spending a summer at the family lake house before selling it.
The request was simple in theory until my entire plan blew up on the very first day.
Turns out Lana doesn’t just live at the house, but she claims to own it, too.

Alana
Falling in love with Callahan Kane was a mistake.
He told me so before destroying my heart and our friendship six summers ago.
When he promised never to come back, I foolishly believed him.
But then Cal showed up again, intending to sell his grandfather’s lake house.
The biggest flaw in his plan?
My name is on the deed.

FAVORITE OF THE BUNCH.

This book had me in a chokehold for the two days it took me to read it. GOOD HEAVENS Y’ALL. I aaaabsolutely loved Cal and Alana’s story so dang much. All of the heartache and strength and emotions it took to get to this ending.

I really liked the way Cal’s alcohol issues were handled. I was curious how the third act would be used with it and am very much pleased with the way Asher approached the story. There was a lot of two steps forward, one step back and that very much felt real and raw as Cal worked towards finding his why.

Alana was such a force and was full of deep compassion and love while also creating boundaries and a safe space for her family. I loved this balance and the support she provided Cal without enabling.

This was full of plenty of swoony quotes and moments. I love soft scenes and what they provide to connecting with the relationship. With Cami as well, it was all just SWEET. I couldn’t put this book down. I know billionaire romances come with their own kind of dramatics but that is also the best part of this too. I love the way Asher crafts these romances and cant wait for whatever is next.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: strong
Romance: 3-5 open; high explicit
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: alcoholism, mentions of substance abuse, loss of a parent

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Book Review: Terms and Conditions (Dreamland Billionaires #2) by Lauren Asher

February 27, 2023April 28, 2022 GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 496 pages
Author: Lauren Asher
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: February 24th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Declan
I’m destined to become the next CEO of my family’s media empire.
The only problem? My grandfather’s inheritance clause.
Fulfilling his dying wish of getting married and having an heir seemed impossible until my assistant volunteers for the job.
Our marriage was supposed to be the perfect solution to my biggest problem.
But the more we act in love for the public, the more unsure I feel about our contract.
Caring about Iris was never part of the deal.
Especially not when breaking her heart is inevitable.

Iris
My plan to marry Declan was simple in theory.
Move in together. Throw a wedding. Have a baby.
We set rules to prevent any kind of issues.
Ones that were never meant to be broken, no matter how much Declan tempts me.
But what happens when our fake relationship bleeds into our real one?
Falling in love was never an option.
At least not for me.

BETTER THAN THE FIRST.

Marriage of convenience owns me. Another book with this trope that I adored. And it was even better than the first one that left me wanting more in certain aspects.

I LOVED these two together. Declan is such a grumpy recluse but getting his POV you can slowly see those walls come down only for Iris (my favorite). I love a guy falling first, and falling hard scenario. It is the bees freaking knees. I love that his moves were much more subtle and focused on specific things Iris mentioned. Declan showed a willing heart that brought me to a puddle by the last grand gesture.

Iris putting Declan in his place over and over? The best. Strong female characters are kryptonite. I liked that she realized what her worth was and how to untie it from the pieces that were starting to pull her apart. There’s so many good moments here between the Kane brothers, Iris and her Mom and more.

I doooooo think this was a bit long. I started to notice in the second half how some of it was dragging. There were times that scenes carried on too long, or just didn’t seem necessary. A bit on condensing would have made this book ultimate gold.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: three open door
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: physical altercations, parental abuse, asthma, anxiety attacks

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Book Review

Book Review: The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires #1) by Lauren Asher

January 30, 2023April 12, 2022 GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Lauren Asher
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: July 8th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Rowan
I’m in the business of creating fairy tales.
Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels.
Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland.
My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her.
Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias.
By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late.
People like me don’t get happy endings.
Not when we’re destined to ruin them.

Zahra
After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland’s most expensive ride, I should have been fired.
Instead, Rowan Kane offered me a dream job.
The catch? I had to work for the most difficult boss I’d ever met.
Rowan was rude and completely off-limits, but my heart didn’t care.
At least not until I discovered his secret.
It was time to teach the billionaire that money couldn’t fix everything.
Especially not us.

THOUGHTS.

In all honesty I would probably give this book three stars, but it was compulsively readable and that to me, deserves the extra star. For a big contemporary, I flew through it. Felt invested enough and at least it had a good ending.

I thought a lot of the innuendo was poorly done. It felt randomly placed and unnecessary? That might be a me thing, but I like it all to flow and this felt like some sentences were added for “spice” and that’s a big nope from me. It’s steamier overall than I usually go for. It is easily skippable and isn’t until the second half.

The grump and sunshine trope was on point though. I loved the juxtaposition between these two and the continual collisions that brought them together. I thought Rowan exhibited a ton of growth through his thick skull as this story progressed. Wanted to shake him a few times, but it’s all part of the process. Zahra was fantastic. A heroine I could easily get behind. I liked that she always stood up for herself and had a great sense of optimism.

Plot wise, I found it fun to be whisked away into a billionaire’s world. All of the things Rowan could do at the drop of a hat that I couldn’t fathom. Oh the fun of reading! Things weren’t always realistic and I like that necessary suspension for a romance. A good read, I think I’ll try the next book and see how I feel there.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: strong
Romance: three explicit open door + innuendo
Trigger/Content Warnings: suicidal ideation recounted, death of a parent recounted