{12 in 12 Review} Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

12 in 12 is me committing to read 12 books in 12 months. These 12 books will be old books that I've had on my TBR since the dawn of time and have been pushed aside for all the SHINY. 

Check out my 12 in 12 intro post to learn more! For February, I decided to read Audrey, Wait! and once again, I LOVED IT! For January I read Sloppy Firsts and it was also a hit so I'm really happy with the direction this project is going.

Aaaaand BONUS! Sharon is totally crashing this review with her thoughts, too! Because after Racquel's glowing recommendation and a super awesome review she cannot seem to find again due to failing massively at life, she joined the I-read-Audrey-Wait-and-loved-it club!

Title: Audrey, Wait!
Author: Robin Benway
Published April 10th, 2008 by Razorbill

Genre: Contemporary YA
Rating: A

Goodreads summary:

California high school student Audrey Cuttler dumps self-involved Evan, the lead singer of a little band called The Do-Gooders. Evan writes, “Audrey, Wait!” a break-up song that’s so good it rockets up the billboard charts. And Audrey is suddenly famous!

Now rabid fans are invading her school. People is running articles about her arm-warmers. The lead singer of the Lolitas wants her as his muse. (And the Internet is documenting her every move!) Audrey can't hang out with her best friend or get with her new crush without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi.

Take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, has outrageous amounts of fun, confronts her ex on MTV, and gets the chance to show the world who she really is.

This is such a Racquel (and Sharon!), book it's not even funny!!

R: It was craaaaazy but Robin sold it. Usually with outrageously crazy books you have to suspend belief but this book was so real (regarding teen life) and the voice was spot on that I just believed every second of what happened to Audrey. Especially since it *could* happen if you think about it. In an entertainment industry where overnight sensations always happen, the plot of Audrey, Wait! is not that far fetched. 

S: I am in total agreement. It's one of those plots that is far-fetched but totally possible in our society. And I enjoyed every moment of it! The writing style totally worked for me, and Audrey was a great MC. Plus, MUSIC! Always a bonus.

R: This book was FUNNY. Like legit LOL funny. As in I actually had to stop reading and put it down for the night because I was laughing too much and my jaw started aching. I have TMJ and excessive laughing/chewing/biting/yawing/any-sort-of-jaw-movement makes my already screwed up and out of place jaw worse so I had to stop for the night.

S: Seriously. You don't even know unless you've read it. I saved almost two single-spaced size 12 Times New Roman pages worth of quotes from this book, an equal amount of hilarious one-liners and fantastic exchanges. It was actually this particular giggle-inducing quote in the mystery review (seriously, if I commented on your review of this book a month or two ago, let me know! I am your eternal servant) that 100% convinced me that I had to read it because this book was my kind of funny.

“Did you just say ‘frolic’?”
“Is it not a word?”
“Who the hell says ‘frolic’?”
I spun the lock on my locker and waited for it to stick like it always did on 33. “I say frolic,” I told her. “And more people should.”
“They should say frolic or actually frolic?”
“Both.”

For the record, I apologize in advance if I go a little quote-crazy in this review. Which I probably will. So, sorry. And by sorry, I mean you're welcome.

R: The romance: CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE. Super cute alert to the max!! James was such a sweet guy which to be honest is super rare now in books and it was so refreshing reading about Audrey and James. They seriously belong together.

S: Oh. My. Gosh. My heart. The romance in this book was so freaking beautifully awkward and cute, and I am smiling like a loon just thinking about it. But it wasn't overly cheesy or anything! It was simply fabulous.

“I don’t have your number.”
I scribbled it down on a scrap of paper and pressed it into his hand. “Call. Or text. Or IM.”
“How do you feel about carrier pigeons?”
I shuddered. “The equivalent of flying rats.”
“Scratch the pigeons, then.”

R: Victoria is Audrey’s bff and I LOVED her. Now, when I start books and the best friend is introduced, I hate her on spot because I know she’ll either: 1) screw the main character over or 2) act as some sort of plot device, but Victoria was a REAL character!! And it wasn’t like Victoria was the crazy fashionista and Audrey was the shy misunderstood bookworm like what always happens in books. NOPE. Audrey was just as crazy as Victoria and YAAAAY!! I’m tired and OVER the crazy-bffand-main-character-who-does-nothing dynamic. 

S: Yes yes YES! FINALLY a real, healthy, long-standing female friendship in YA! Victoria was hilarious and awesome, and she and Audrey had a great friendship. Yes, they fought, but it was clear that they were actually equal friends who loved each other and had absurd and awesome BFF-y interactions. Plus, Victoria left the best message in the history of messages on Audrey's answering machine:

WHY ARE YOU NOT ANSWERING YOUR PHONE?!? OH MY GOD, DID YOU SEE THE ARTICLE? I AM FREAKING OUT, WHY ARE YOU NOT ANSWERING YOUR PHONE?! Please call me. I’m starting to act like Tizzy around here. It’s getting ugly. Oh, hi, Mr. and Mrs. Cuttler, in case you get this first. Everything’s fine, I’m just trying to get ahold of Audrey. Okay, ‘bye. AUDREY, CALL ME BEFORE I HAVE TO RESORT TO SKYWRITING.

R: Another cool thing: Audrey’s PARENTS! They’re actually present in the book! And wait for it... Audrey actually even says she likes her parents! MY god is this book even REAL?! But oh it is and it's glorious.

S: I don't really have any comments to add here except: YES! And imagine me doing an epic Breakfast Club-style fist pump.

R: This is such a great contemporary YA and I want MOREEE like it! Audrey goes to school and she studies and she has boy drama and she deals with her family and she goes to work and loves music and goes to concerts and spends money on CDs… she’s a REAL PERSON!!!! Despite Audrey’s insta-fame, we still get a story of normal girl with a normal life. Family, friends, school, activities. It’s well rounded with all the aspects of ya know, LIFE. I can’t think of many books like that. So you better believe it: Audrey, Wait! is going on my favorites shelf.

S: Audrey, Wait! is most definitely going on my list of Top 10 YA Books of All Time. And no, I don't have an official list. But it would definitely be on it. It had SO MANY of the things I always beg for but rarely get in a YA book, and in addition, it was original and relatable and hilarious and touching. It is a new favorite, for sure!

Rating: [A] Amazing. Just like we knew it would be!

First:

The day I broke up with my boyfriend Evan was the day he wrote the song. You know, the song.

---

Favorite:

“Did Evan actually say ‘kill this vibe’?”
“Those words exactly,” I told her. “Plus some other choice phrases.”
“What? Like ‘Fuck you’?”
“No, more like, ‘How could you do this to me?’ ‘I thought we were gonna be together forever.’ That kind of stuff.”
“Please. He must be a closet romance novel reader. I’m surprised he didn’t break out a lute and try to woo you.”
“If he had done that, I would’ve been more interested.”

---

Teaser:

This was, I decided, the best night ever. The rest of my life was gonna have to be amazingly wonderful, like I would have to cure cancer or save the rain forests or win a Nobel Prize, in order for it to ever surpass the greatness that was this night.

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(Review) Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

Click on the image above to learn more about Fortnight of Festivities and enter in the giveaway!
Title: Sleigh Bells in the Snow
Author: Sarah Morgan
Series: O'Neil Brothers, #1
Published: October 29, 2013 (Harlequin)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Format: E-galley provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Once upon a time, Christmas was Kayla Green's favorite time of year. Now all the workaholic wants for Christmas is for it to be over—as fast as possible! So when duty calls her to snowy Vermont to close a deal with a new client, Kayla is grateful for an excuse to avoid the holidays for another year.

Jackson O'Neil left a thriving business behind to return home and salvage his family's resort—it's in his blood, and he can't let it fail. Now that he's got marketing whiz Kayla Green working with him to put Snow Crystal on the map, success is on the horizon. The fact they strike enough sparks off each other to power all the Christmas lights in Vermont is just an added bonus.

Kayla might be an expert at her job, but she's out of her depth with Jackson—he makes her crave the happy-ever-after she once dreamed of, and it's terrifying. As the snowflakes continue to swirl, will the woman who doesn't believe in the magic of Christmas finally fall under its spell?

For some reason, when I picked this book up weeks after I looked at the summary for it, I was thinking it was going to be a snowbound together story. Not quite sure why I thought that, but there it is. I was prepared for something cute, fun, and sexy. And that's what I got. But you guys, I also got so much more.

Sleigh Bells in the Snow was not a story about two people being snowbound together, but a family business on the brink of going under. Jackson had come home to do his best to keep Snow Crystal Resort & Spa afloat, but they were lacking publicity. That's where Kayla, workaholic and super marketing genius, came in. Jackson's grandfather was sure Kayla could not come up with a decent campaign for Snow Crystal without truly experiencing it, so Kayla was to stay on the property for a week first. Thus, Kayla decided to come immediately. After all, Kayla wanted to escape Christmas, and a secluded cabin in Vermont is the best possible way to barricade yourself away, right?

Wrong. At Snow Crystal, Kayla found Jackson's family, and they were all about Christmas. There are few fictional families I've ever loved as much as I do this one. Shannon Stacey's Kowalski family. Julia Quinn's Bridgerton family. But the O'Neils are a class all of their own. And my favorite thing about them was that it wasn't just the official O'Neils. There were a couple family friends in the mix who were clearly just as much family as the ones related by blood. As that is very much how my own family operates, I absolutely love seeing it in books. The O'Neils were close-knit and clearly loved each other, but they still gave each other a hard time and even fought sometimes. The interactions between the three brothers in particular were simply fantastic. Each character was clearly presented and unique, and while each stood out individually, they were very much a collective unit. Jackson's grandfather loved Snow Crystal and was resentful of Jackson for changing so many things. Jackson's brother Tyler was doing his best to raise his teenage daughter who had just come to live with him. We even got some sneak insight into that relationship with a little bit of their perspective, and it makes me so excited for Tyler's book. Not to mention the fact that I'm already falling all over myself with how much I want his love story with Brenna. But I digress.

Due to issues from her past, Kayla was extremely uncomfortable with both Christmas and the open affection of the O'Neil family. It broke my heart to watch her go through this. I've read a lot of books where the hero or heroine hates Christmas due to something tragic in their past, but I think this was the best handling and explanation of it that I've ever seen. Though a little dramatic, it felt authentic, and I loved seeing Kayla slowly open up and conquer her fear caused by the past.

Kayla and Jackson had some great interactions. It kind of reminded me of "The Proposal," actually, with the closed-off, workaholic city girl out in the middle of nowhere and learning to adapt and open up with the help of a very hunky guy. Even though their story basically took place over a week and thus they had pretty quick relationship development, it never felt rushed. They had great chemistry and had some butterfly-inducing almost moments, which ultimately led to things getting pretty steamy but never gratuitously so, which I appreciated. There were so many more important things to focus on! Like Jackson teaching Kayla to ski, which made me giggle:

“Want to try again?”
“Why not? I think there might be a centimeter of my body that isn’t bruised, and if I’m going to be black-and-blue I’d prefer to be black-and-blue all over. I like a uniform look.”

Or even Kayla bonding with Jackson's mother, which nearly made me cry.

Speaking of crying, I want to bawl over the fact that the next O'Neil book doesn't come out for another six months. And Tyler's book, which I'm most eager to read, doesn't even have a release date yet. But I will wait for it. Oh yes, I will.

Also, just a moment to look at how freaking cute the cover is, because it needs to be admired. Now, moving on.

You guys, I don't even quite comprehend why I loved this book so much. It was one of those times when everything just clicked. The amount of Christmas in the book was just right, not just a bit just shoved in there as a marketing technique. I loved the family. I loved the characters. The setting was positively magical. The writing was fantastic. I may not be able to fully explain it, but I can tell you one thing: This was my first Sarah Morgan book, but I can guarantee you it most definitely will not be my last.

First:
Kayla Green cranked up the volume on her favorite playlist and blocked out the sound of festive music and laughter wafting under her closed office door.

---

Favorite:
I preferred snow when it was my desktop image.

---

Teaser:
To hell with professional, it’s Christmas. People do crazy things at Christmas.

All quotes taken from an advanced copy and may appear different in the final version.

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(Review) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Published: September 10, 2013 (St. Martin's)
Rating: Stay Up 'til 2 AM
Format: Physical ARC as part of a Literary Lushes tour

Summary: Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Now Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

I've taken quite a while to formulate my thoughts about Fangirl. I read Eleanor & Park earlier this year, and while I did enjoy it, I did not fall head over heels for it like 98% of the blogging community.

Fangirl, on the other hand?

This book could have been written for me, y'all. I waited a long time to write this review, because I thought I might be able to be more coherent, more logical, spelling out points A, B, and C as to why this book is awesome.

I gave up. Sort of. I decided to do the logical thing and make a list! But fair warning: it probably won't be coherent, because my love for this book refuses to be contained.

I know this book isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. But it was exactly, exactly what I have been wanting from the New Adult genre. I don't want another story about the good girl and the brooding, tattooed boy. Appealing, yes, but that's not what I wanted when I complained for years and years that there were never any books set in college. This was. It was fun, challenging, and unique. I could go on, but I'm going to stop now and let the list do the talking. So, without further ado...

The ABCs of Why Fangirl Rocks, Why I Loved It, and Why You Might Want To Read It
A: Addicting. I couldn't put this book down! I read it in one sitting, and it's not a small book.
B: Baz. Baz was basically the Draco Malfoy of the Simon Snow world. He was the arch enemy of Simon Snow, but you knew there was something going on beneath the surface, too. Cath loved to write him, and I loved to read him.
C: College. For years, I've been longing to read books set in college, and this one nailed it! I especially love that Cath's college had a huge agricultural program that differentiated it from your typical universities. As I attended a school where most people (including my roommate) came for the equestrian programs, I appreciated this.
D: Dad. I really loved reading about Cath's relationship with her dad, even though it was hard at times.
E: Eeeee! This book will make you squeal and basically turn into a giant spaz. Or, at least, that's what it did to me.
F: Fangirliness. If there's one thing I can relate to, it's being a fangirl. I have been deeply involved in various fandoms over the last 10 or so years of my life, and I love it. I really do. It was fun to see this being played out in a book.
G: Growing up. Cath had to learn to grow up in a lot of ways over the course of the book, even though it wasn't easy.
H: "Happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy. It’s the noblest, like, the most courageous, thing two people can shoot for."
I: Issues. Cath had issues. Her dad had some sort of manic disorder. Her mom had left (sort of) on September 11 (yes, that one). Cath herself had social anxiety she had to conquer to be successful in her new life at college. These were not small things, and Cath had to figure out a way to work through them.
J: Just Because. You should read it! Because I said so, that's why. (Hey, it works for my mom...)
K: Kissing. There is KISSING in this book. Good kissing.
L: Levi. GAH. I could write paragraphs on Levi. He was so far from your typical gorgeous hero, for so many different reasons. He was a farm boy. He was so happy, always finding something bright to focus on, and Cath had an obsession with his ten thousand smiles. I could go on, but I will stop here. I still have half the alphabet to go!
M: “Months are different in college,” Levi said, “especially freshman year. Too much happens. Every freshman month equals six regular months – they’re like dog months.”
N: NaNoWriMo. Fangirl was Rainbow Rowell's NaNoWriMo project! How awesome is that?
O: Originality. I've never read another book like Fangirl.
P: Perfect. Okay, so Fangirl not quite perfect. But it comes pretty darn close. It's definitely a favorite.
Q: Quotable. I saved so many quotes from this book. I love Rainbow Rowell's writing style, and she had some amazing, funny, and relatable quotes in here.
R: Roommate. Cath's roommate, Reagan, was a really interesting character! I liked getting to know her. Rainbow Rowell showed the difficulties of having a roommate, but the advantages, too.
S: Simon Snow. I know not everyone was a fan of the snippets Simon Snow books and fanfiction, but that was one of my favorite parts! I looked forward to them. More than anything, I quite honestly want Rainbow Rowell to stop all current writing projects and write the Simon Snow books for real. I would totally read them. Plus, they have the best fandom name ever: Snowflakes. How cute and fun is that?
T: Twins. Cath and Wren (Cath. Wren. Get it??) were twins who had been close for a long time, but Wren was always the outgoing one with the stronger personality. They also used to be Simon Snow fangirls together. But in college, Cath and Wren struggled to find that relationship where they could still be close sisters but also have separate identities.
U: "Underneath this veneer of slightly crazy and mildly socially retarded, I’m a complete disaster."
V: Variety. If you're looking for something a little different, chances are Fangirl fits the bill. It's not typical YA, NA, or adult romance, but it is sure to appeal to lovers of any of the three.
W: Writing. Cath was a writer. She wrote fanfiction, and she was at college to study writing. And her writing was actually good.
X: X-treme Swoons. Yeah, okay, so I cheated a little. But seriously. SO MUCH SWOONING in this book.
Y: Young. Cath actually seemed young in a lot of ways, even though she was mature in others. And I loved that. College is a time for figuring things out. Most people are still quite young and immature as freshemen, and that's okay.
Z: ZZZs. HA. Just kidding. You totally won't be getting those until you finish this book. Who needs sleep, anyway?

“I’m not really a book person.”
“That might be the most idiotic thing you’ve ever said to me.”

---

There should be a word for a laugh that ends as soon as it starts. A laugh that’s more a syllable of surprise and acknowledgement than it is anything else.

---

Sometimes writing is like running downhill, your fingers jerking behind you on the keyboard the way your legs do when they can’t quite keep up with gravity.
All quotes have been taken from an advance copy and may differ in the final edition.

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(Review) It Happened One Midnight by Julie Anne Long

Title: It Happened One Midnight
Author: Julie Anne Long
Series: Pennyroyal Green, #8
Published: June 25, 2013 (Avon)
Rating: Stay Up 'Til 2 AM
Format: Digital ARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss. (Thank you!)

Summary: More than one beautiful woman’s hopes have been dashed on the rocky shoals of Jonathan Redmond’s heart. With his riveting good looks and Redmond wealth and power, the world is his oyster—until an ultimatum from his father and a chilling gypsy prophesy send him hurtling headlong toward a fate he’ll do anything to avoid: matrimony.

Intoxicating, elusive Thomasina de Ballesteros has the bloods of London at her feet. But none of them knows the real Tommy—the one with a shocking pedigree, a few too many secrets, and a healthy scorn for rakes like Jonathan.

She is everything Jonathan never wanted. But on one fateful midnight, he’s drawn into Tommy's world of risk, danger…and a desire he’d never dreamed possible. And suddenly he’s re-thinking everything...including the possibility that succumbing to prophesy might just mean surrendering to love.

Julie Anne Long has done it again. She had my expectations all tied up in knots for this one. Her last two books in this series were AMAZING, thus I wanted this one to be just as fabulous. However, I wasn't crazy about the gypsy prophesy element, and foremost, I logically knew that hitting it out of the park three times in a row was extraordinarily unlikely. But she did it. Boy, did she.

It Happened One Midnight was a story unlike any I'd read before. At first, I thought it was going to be more in the vein of the first one in the series. A little more of a suspense-adventure plot than I usually prefer in my books. But it wasn't! Nor did the gypsy prophesy really have much to do with anything. I can't talk about the subplot specifically, due to spoilers. But it was interesting and totally fit with Tommy's character. It added a unique element and driving force to the book without taking over and stealing the show from the characters, which is a difficult feat to accomplish.

I really liked both the hero and heroine. Tommy was honest and forthright in many ways, but mysterious and secretive in others. She was slow to open up, but understandably so. I loved learning more about her as the story progressed. She was so strong and tenacious, but never obnoxiously so, and she was never so secretive as to incite frustration. Jonathan was a man with natural instincts and talent as a businessman. He was confident in his abilities, but he also struggled with desire to prove himself to his father, who was unable to respect Jonathan or take him as anything more than a joke.

While both the plot and characters were good, the thing that made this book magic was the dynamic between Tommy and Jonathan. I cannot fully explain it. They had an almost instant kinship despite appearing so different, but the early foundation of that kinship was that they did not care about each other. Which sounds odd, but it worked for them. They were both intelligent and stubborn and witty and hilarious, and it made for some of the best banter I've ever read.

“Dear God, tell me you didn’t just say that again. No. I’ve no interest in the affairs of complicated, circumspect, ginger-haired women. No.”

“And you know very well I’ve no interest in the affairs of currently penniless rakes.”

Well.

“I ought to say ‘ouch,’” he said gingerly.

“You would, but you don’t care what I think any more than I care what you think. Since we share a particular interest, I do however think you’ll be interested in a business proposition I’d like to share with you.”

“And every grain of sense I possess tells me I’d be wise to pretend I never heard you say that.”

“How many grains of sense do you possess?”

“Let me see...three grains, at last count. I used to have four, but I forfeited one when I agreed to accompany Argosy to this salon. Again.”

“That’s such a shame! Three grains is one fewer than you need to prevent you from a trip to the Half Moon Theater at midnight.”

I'm fairly certain it would have been entertaining just to watch me reading this book, because I felt like I had a loony grin on my face the entire time. And I laughed. A lot. I couldn't help it! Their interactions were simply fabulous! Of course, there were also moments of heart-clutching and a little bit of tearing up. And swooning. Oh, the swooning. The chemistry between Tommy and Jonathan was fantastic. I love how it developed for them. It wasn't instant; it came gradually and naturally, but it was fierce and moving. Also, the end of this book was one of the best I've ever read. It was a great line that actually tied back into the plot and was just awesome in general.

I have very few negative things to say about this book. The beginning was a little slow, but that's the only real thing. I do hate that the "bad guy" in the book went by the name of The Doctor. I'm sorry, but no. That title is already taken, and it is 100% awesome. No villains should be allowed to use it.

It was also nice to see some of the regular Pennyroyal Green characters back again. We saw both Eversea and Redmond family members, and Argosy made appearances again. Poor man. One day, I hope he will get his own book. Even though he is a tad ridiculous, I want him to be happy.

Now, all I have to do is sit back and wait for Between the Devil and Ian Eversea. In March of 2014. Pardon me while I go cry in a corner. Or re-read the entire series to tide myself over. Yes. That seems like a better option.

Trouble was, she’d begun to find him interesting. And it was a rare enough sensation, when it came to men.

---

It’s valuable, he thought, to occasionally see one’s self through the eyes of new people. Not the ones who see you nearly every day, and therefore never really see you.

---

Laughing with him was strangely a bit like drinking champagne. She wanted more of it, and the more she had of it, the giddier she felt.

---

Are you appealing to my sense of chivalry now? You must be desperate.

*All quotes from ARC or galley, so final copy may be slightly different.

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(Review) Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

Welcome back to Sizzle & Swoon! I am so excited to be here with the review of the third book in the Travis series! If you missed them, make sure you check out Racquel and Alexa's reviews of the first two. For more sizzling fun, head over to Alexa Loves Books today to see some of our favorite couples!

Title: Smooth Talking Stranger
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Series: Travis Family, #3
Published: March 31, 2009 (St. Martin's Press)
Rating: Stay Up 'til 2 AM
Format: Hardcover, borrowed from the library

Summary: Ella Varner is responsible and controlled. Her childhood taught her that love is best avoided. That is, until she’s left holding her reckless sister’s baby. What Luke needs now is stability, and Ella's determined to do what is best for him. As her bond with the baby grows stronger every day, Ella confronts the man her sister claims is the father: Jack Travis.

Billionaire, savvy businessman, and all-around ladies’ man, Jack Travis has a reputation as big as the state of Texas. No one has ever truly touched his heart or soul...until Ella Varner comes along. With a baby in tow, an independent streak, and her incredible practicality, Ella is unlike any woman he has ever known. But she may be exactly what he needs.

Although I had read Smooth Talking Stranger twice before, I decided to re-read it again for this review. It had been too long, I had never taken notes on it, and I did not want to produce a half-hearted review. This is one of my all-time favorite series! And I have the honor of reviewing the last one, after Racquel and Alexa reviewed the first two. Best decision ever! I picked it up, only to devour it in a few hours, in one sitting (minus a quick break to fix my lunch).

When I read Smooth Talking Stranger for the first time, I was all prepared for it to be my least favorite of the bunch. Random baby? Worst cover of the three by far? Yeah, there was no way it was living up to Sugar Daddy or Blue Eyed Devil, both of which were out-of-this-world amazing. Little did I know. I should have known better than to underestimate Lisa Kleypas.

My love for this book runs deep. Although I could probably ramble for three or four times the length or my "average" review, I will try to contain myself (but if you'd like to discuss further, feel free to comment! I will definitely be up for it).

Ella was a great heroine! I loved that she had self-worth and ideals, and she stuck to them. At the same time, she was willing to compromise on some things when she realized she was wrong or believed them for the wrong reason. She was practical, logical, and responsible, but she had issues with developing true intimacy, due to growing up with her mother's behavior and endless string of boyfriends. Thus, she was both the best and worst person to find motherhood suddenly thrust upon her.

But Ella dealt with it in a way that was impressive and believable. She learned that it's not the end of the world accept help or to open up to someone. Her storyline with Luke runs a very close second to her relationship with Jack as my favorite thing about this book. Luke was adorable, and I loved watching the bond between them grow.

I fell head over heels for Jack Travis. When I think of the Travis series in the context of Book Boyfriends, Hardy Cates tends to be the first one that comes to my mind. But I always forget how much I love Jack (and Gage, too, albeit to a slightly lesser extent). Jack was a business man and a playboy, entirely Alpha. Ella did not want to like him because he made her uncomfortable, and was the kind of man she usually could not stand. But he was kind, funny, and amazingly sexy, and as she got to know that, their relationship began to turn. Jack and Ella's chemistry was unbelievable, and they played off each other perfectly. Each of them was what the other never knew they needed.

Smooth Talking Stranger is more than a romance. It is a story about commitment, family, motherhood, relationships, responsibility, and love of every kind. Also, the end makes me sob happy tears every time. It is so good. I highly recommend this one.

Quick note before you go out, buy this book, and read it. Although it could definitely be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the first two books in the series before reading this one. You will enjoy it so much more!

“You always tell people to face their problems.”
“Yes, but I prefer to ignore mine and let them fester.”

---

He could probably get a woman pregnant just by winking at her.

---

Babies were dangerous...they made you fall in love before you knew what was happening. This small, solemn creature couldn’t even say my name, and he depended on me for everything. Everything. I’d known him for little more than a day. But I would have thrown myself in front of a bus for him. I was shattered by him. This was awful.

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I reflected that for all the people you lost touch with or couldn’t hold on to, life occasionally made up for it by giving you the right person at the right time.

Bonus point! Smooth Talking Stranger was, until recently, believed by many to be the last in the Travis series. Some of us stubbornly held onto hope that Joe, the last Travis sibling, would get a book. And four years later (two weeks ago), Lisa Kleypas announced that it was actually going to happen! If you happened to hear a loud noise or sense a disturbance in The Force on June 19, that was the sound of Racquel and me screaming together from opposite sides of the globe.
Don't want to miss any Sizzle & Swoon? Check out our master list of all the posts!

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(Review) A Notorious Countess Confesses by Julie Anne Long

Title: A Notorious Countess Confesses
Author: Julie Anne Long
Series: Pennyroyal Green, #7
Published: October 30, 2012 (Avon)
Rating: Stay Up 'til 2 AM
Format: Physical copy, purchased

Summary: From Covent Garden to courtesan to countess, beautiful, fearless, shamelessly ambitious Evie Duggan has riveted London in every role she plays. But the ton never could forgive her scandalous—if shockingly short—marriage, and when her star plummets amid gleefully vicious gossip, the countess escapes to the only legacy left to her: a manor house in Pennyroyal Green.

He has the face of a fallen angel and a smolder the devil would envy, but Vicar Adam Sylvaine walks a precarious line: resisting temptation…and the wild Eversea blood in his veins. Adam’s strength is tested when scandal, aka the countess, moves to Sussex. But when a woman who fiercely guards her heart and a man entrusted with the souls of an entire town surrender to a forbidden desire, will the sweetest sin lead them to Heaven...or make outcasts of them forever?

It was so wonderful to be back in Pennyroyal Green! Having just re-read What I Did for a Duke, I figured it was the perfect time to pick up A Notorious Countess Confesses. While I had pretty good expectations since I love the whole series, I always just take it for granted that none of them will ever be quite as good as What I Did. But A Notorious Countess Confesses absolutely blew me away!

I fell in love with the idea of this immediately. I had been intrigued by Adam in previous books. Nothing like a super hot guy with Eversea blood running through his veins to be the town vicar! But he wound up being even better than I could have imagined: I absolutely loved Adam. I would definitely list him among my favorite heroes. It has to be incredibly difficult to write a non Christian-themed romance with a vicar hero. I've only read one before, and it was good but not great. So I was a little hesitant about this one, but Long pulled it off brilliantly. I very much admired Adam. His dedication and loyalty to his parishioners was incredible, and even though he struggled with some aspects of his position, he was never defeated.

He’d begun to feel equal to the job, but privately, he didn’t know if he would ever truly feel worthy of it. He just knew he would never stop trying to be.

Evie was an interesting heroine! She had been born and raised by a poor family in Ireland, but she moved to England when she was still fairly young. She was incredibly beautiful and adored by every male who saw her on the stage, eventually racking up the sort of notoriety that can only be partially fabricated. But after being cast aside by London society after the death of her husband, Evie wound up in Pennyroyal Green. Evie was spunky, clever, guarded, and completely unrepentant about her past. She was used to using her looks and masterful flirtation skills to manipulate men into doing whatsoever she darn well pleased.

But flirtation had always been her version of fairy dust. She could fling it into a man’s eyes and dazzle him and yet never fully be known. And then never be fully hurt.

Unfortunately for Evie, Adam was not your average man. He was okay with silence, he was observant, and due to his Adonis-level features, he was used to female attention. He was impervious to Evie's flirting, and it eventually turned into a sort of joke between them. But Evie had to learn how to interact with him honestly, which she was unaccustomed to doing. Adam got to do the same with her. And through this, a beautiful friendship was born that could eventually develop into something more.

One thing you should know about me: One of my favorite things in the ENTIRE BOOKISH UNIVERSE is really good slow burn romance. That super slow-building, filled with crazy chemistry, makes you stop breathing by just a touch or a glance, kind of burn. The slow burn in this book was adjective-defyingly awesome. The chemistry between Adam and Evie was un-freaking-believable. It was almost palpable. And their whole story was completely captivating. This book literally kept me up until 2:45 in the morning because the idea of going to sleep without finishing it was unthinkable.

Overall, A Notorious Countess Confesses was fantastic! While it did not quite overtake What I Did for a Duke as my favorite Pennyroyal Green novel, it was definitely a very close second. The relationship development was brilliant, believable, and laced with humor and a mind-blowing amount of chemistry. It was also very addicting and absolutely worth the sleep deprivation it caused me. If you're a fan of historical romances heavy on the slow burn, I would highly recommend this one!

She never should have forgotten that the world was on the side of the planners, not the dreamers.

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He couldn’t help but think she was an entire Hallelujah chorus of a woman. Yet another thought he wouldn’t be sharing with his cousins. Or with anyone.

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There’s nothing heroic about futility.

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Miss Pitney, why do you suppose Envy is one of the Deadly sins? It is a sin against yourself. It harms you and blinds you to many things, including good intentions. God saw fit to make you perfect the way you are. Not more or less perfect than someone else – perfect as you are. You need to believe it for the right person to see it. And the feeling when you are truly seen for who you are...it simply cannot be mistaken.

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{Joint Review} What I Did For a Duke By Julie Anne Long

Title: What I Did For a Duke
Author: Julie Anne Long
Series: Pennyroyal Green #5
Genre: Historical romance/regency
Published February 22nd 2011 by Avon
Goodreads summary:

For years, he's been an object of fear, fascination . . . and fantasy. But of all the wicked rumors that shadow the formidable Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge, the "ton" knows one thing for certain: only fools dare cross him. And when Ian Eversea does just that, Moncrieffe knows the perfect revenge: he'll seduce Ian's innocent sister, Genevieve--the only Eversea as yet untouched by scandal. First he'll capture her heart . . . and then he'll break it.

But everything about Genevieve is unexpected: the passion simmering beneath her cool control, the sharp wit tempered by gentleness . . . And though Genevieve has heard the whispers about the duke's dark past, and knows she trifles with him at her peril, one incendiary kiss tempts her deeper into a world of extraordinary sensuality. Until Genevieve is faced with a fateful choice . . . is there "anything" she won't do for a duke?

Because we both harbor incredible amounts of love for What I Did for a Duke and have read it multiple times (Racquel four times, Sharon twice), we decided this was the perfect opportunity to try something new: a conversational review! Which may or may not have ended up including a lot of capslock, flailing, discussions of death by swoonage, and somewhere mixed between all of that, our thoughts about the book.

And these are just the highlights! The entire conversation actually wound up lasting 3 hours. We kid you not.

Also, scroll to the bottom if you'd like to see some of the "outtakes" from our conversation, too!

Okay, now that you have sufficiently prepared yourself, you may proceed to read our thoughts on one of the best historical romances we have ever read!

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(Review) The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James

Title: The Ugly Duchess
Author: Eloisa James
Series: Fairy Tales #4
Published: August 28, 2012 (Avon)
Rating: Stay Up 'til 2 AM
Format: Digital ARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss

Summary: Theodora Saxby is the last woman anyone expects the gorgeous James Ryburn, heir to the Duchy of Ashbrook, to marry. But after a romantic proposal before the prince himself, even practical Theo finds herself convinced of her soon-to-be duke's passion. Still, the tabloids give the marriage six months.

Theo would have given it a lifetime…until she discovers that James desired not her heart, and certainly not her countenance, but her dowry. Society was shocked by their wedding; it's scandalized by their separation. Now James faces the battle of his lifetime, convincing Theo that he loved the duckling who blossomed into the swan.

As The Ugly Duchess was Eloisa James, I had fairly high expectations when I picked it up. But when I actually read it? Two words: Blown. Away. It was not at all what I expected! Seriously. It was going along in a great-but-expected way and then all the sudden, BAM. But it's a good bam. A very, very good bam. Just letting you know that the blurb is, well...pretty much not at all the story. But the story is better than that, and I for one loved being surprised with the twist and subsequent story, so I am going to let you enjoy it firsthand as well.

Back at the beginning, though, the book opened with Theo and James, only 17 and 19, and they actually had a friendship. A real friendship! And neither of them was ~secretly in love~ with the other. Which I love, by the way, but it was nice to not have that aspect for a change. They made me smile; I loved seeing how they interacted. I also really appreciated how their voices were different when they were younger compared to further on in the book.

One reason I love Eloisa James is that she does not idealize marriage. Marriage is work; it is not simply a solution to tie up everything into a pretty, tied-up-with-a-bow Happily Ever After. A ring does not magically solve all problems. But it can work! It can be a beautiful thing as long as the parties are committed to it. I absolutely loved reading James and Theo's journey to a happy marriage and their HEA. It made me smile, laugh, cry, and swoon.

Overall, The Ugly Duchess was one of the best reads of the season, and it is definitely among my top favorite James books. It was an intriguing mix of friends-to-lovers and marriage of convenience. I had never read a book that balanced those elements in that way so well before. I absolutely loved it! James remains one of my favorite historical romance authors. I am SO excited for her next book (Rapunzel story! Cross-dressing hero! Yes, please!).

Random funny sidenote: Verveine was mentioned at one point in the book, and I was momentarily nonplussed. I forgot it was an actual plant and had real uses besides repelling vampires. :D

She did like it, almost all of it, particularly the part where he kissed her so urgently that they were both moaning, because that made her feel like a bit of paper about to go up in flames.

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