Naomi's Reading Palace: September 2019

Discretion by Karina Halle ~ Review & Teaser (@MetalBlonde)

I do love it when Karina Halle releases a book, and once I came across this one, you know I had to get it. It wasn't always smooth sailing for Sadie and Olivier, they faced a lot of family issues. It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, where I fell for the characters, but my heart ached too.

Title: Discretion

Author: Karina Halle

Series: The Dumonts #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: August 6th 2019

Buy Now - Amazon US | Amazon Aus

From New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle comes a delicious saga of wealth, luxury, and scandal—and the wicked secrets of success behind an envied family dynasty.

The Riviera means indulgence—if you’ve got money. For Sadie Reynolds, a down-on-her-luck student, the Riviera means dingy hostels and back streets. When a wrong turn puts her in jeopardy, the last thing she expects is to be saved by the most handsome stranger she’s ever locked eyes with. When she later wakes up in a luxury suite with a Mediterranean view, she’s in the tender care of her rescuer: Olivier Dumont, France’s most eligible bachelor, billionaire hotelier, and heir to the Dumont fashion fortune.

Olivier also owns his reputation for scandal. But Sadie is unlike any woman he’s ever met. Her humble persona and wild innocence promise real passion. He’s promising Sadie something too: anything she wants. From Bordeaux to Cannes to Paris, Sadie’s past in America is swept away and replaced with a fantasy too good to be true.

Pulled into Olivier’s orbit of wealth, glamour, and excess, Sadie discovers that the Dumont dynasty comes with a legacy of wicked secrets. And Olivier’s secrets may be the most damning of all…

Karina Halle is another one of those authors that releases a book and I have to grab it. I enjoyed watching Sadie and Oliver meet and fall for one another. Here's a few other factors I want to point out:

I really enjoyed the relationship between Sadie and Olivier, how they were from different world's and met purely by chance. They spent a lot of time together before having to go back to reality.
I liked that Sadie was willing to stand up for herself and face any danger thrown at her. She may be frightened on the inside but she acted tough.
Olivier was such a strong man, who allowed his mistakes rule him. It really saddened me that he carried the burden and didn't discuss them until he met Sadie. I wished that he had opened up more to his close family, as it would've saved him some heartache.
They had an immediate connection, I could see their feelings were growing rapidly and it wasn't going to be long before they acted on their instincts.
There was a touch of suspense and intense moments woven throughout the story arc, which kept me on edge and thinking what may happen between Sadie and Olivier.
It was interesting meeting Olivier's family. I loved his sister and father, however his extended family sure are different... I think my opinion on one of his cousins changed throughout the read, however the others are truly despicable.
I didn't like how a few threads were left open, and I'll have to read Seraphine's book to see what happens with the Dumount business.

Overall, I really loved getting to know Sadie and Oliver. They were so good together and I was glad they were able to stick together. I'm keen to see what happens next to the Dumount business, despite not wanting to see some characters again!

It was fun watching these two flirt around one another!

“And my lack of bathing suit?”
“I just went in naked.”
“I didn’t see anything,” I tell him quickly.
“No? That’s a shame. It was the whole point.”

Kindle Page 71

“You’re too beautiful for words,” he whispers to me, his lips brushing against mine. “None of the words in English will do. None of the words in French will do either. There is no language that can describe what I see before me.”

Kindle Page 74

Karina Halle is a former travel writer & music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling author of The Swedish Prince, The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Bad at Love & over 45 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her adopted pup Bruce, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon Author Page

Other reviews featuring Karina Halle
Royal Romance series
The Wild Heir #1
The Swedish Prince #2
A Nordic King #3

My Life in Shambles
Before I Ever Met You
Nothing Personal
Smut
The Debt

The Best Thing by Mariana Zapata ~ Review & Teaser (@marianazapata_)

Mariana Zapata has become one of those authors that I pick up once she releases something new. Once again I wasn't disappointed, I fell in love with the whole family and was grateful I was able to be part of the DeMaio circle of trust!

Title: The Best Thing

Author: Mariana Zapata

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: August 7th 2019

Buy Now - Amazon US | Amazon Aus

Some things are easily forgiven. Other things… not so much.

Lenny DeMaio made herself a promise: she was done.

Done thinking about him.

Done worrying about him.

Done reaching out to a man who clearly didn’t want to be found.

Too bad no one gave Jonah Collins the memo.

I discovered Mariana Zapata earlier this year and have devoured a number of her books. When I realised she had released a new book, I was excited to grab it and read it. The Best Thing was a beautiful read, a second chance romance with a twist! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Lenny and Jonah, while watching their connection reignite!

Lenny was such a strong and determined woman who was willing to do anything for her family. She had given up on seeing Jonah again, and when he came back he was determined not to leave. She was resentful at first, always calling him names in her head. However the more time he was around, the less she did that and I could see the shift in her heart.

I could see that Jonah was truly sorry for letting Lenny go. He worked hard to earn the trust back from her and also her granddad Gus and their friend Peter. Jonah was around every chance that he could, but never put any real pressure on Lenny. Jonah was a sweet and incredible guy, who really had a heart of gold.

Mariana Zapata sure knows how to weave a story. I liked that this particular story gave us a glimpse of Luna and Rip too! The story builds slowly as I got to know the characters and hooked me until that final page. I laughed, I swooned and even shed a tear, as I watched Jonah work his way into the DeMaio circle of trust. I cannot wait to read what Mariana Zapata has for us next!

This was a nice moment between Lenny and Jonah. He had worked his way under her skin and she was ready to recognise her feelings.

“What are you thinking?”
I glanced up at the intent face focusing on me, and just went for it because why not? Because I was scared of what he’d say? That should make me want to do it more often.
Life was short. You either took what you wanted or you didn’t. You either regretted not doing something or you regretted failing. Not doing something would keep me up at night. But it was failing that I could laugh at eventually and get over.
So I told him, because that was who I was. Who I had always wanted to be. “That I had wished you had liked me more before—”
He groaned. “I did, Lenny. I liked you heaps. I never forgot about you.”
“You didn’t let me finish,” I said. “And that I also really like you, and I was thinking that maybe I shouldn’t, but maybe I should because you might end up breaking my heart, but you might not. What do you think?”
His slow blink had me smiling at him.
“Too blunt, huh?”
His own small smile crept across that handsome, happy face. “Nah, just perfect.” He shook his head, that smile growing. “I won’t be breaking any hearts. You can take my word for it.”

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Mariana Zapata began writing love stories soon after she learned how to spell. She probably shouldn’t admit that she started sneaking romance novels from her aunt’s bookshelves way before she was old enough to even understand what it meant when a man flipped up a woman’s skirt… don’t tell her mom. Luckily, she stuck to stories about princesses and princes for a while. In her teens, she wrote boy band fanfiction (there’s still a website up somewhere on the internet with those masterpieces), and in her early twenties, she picked it back up again with Sookie Stackhouse and Twilight. Eventually, her significant other finally told her to do what she wanted to do and she began working on her original work. Her novels tend to include potty humor, bodily functions, and bad words. Mariana lives in a small town called Pagosa Springs, Colorado with her husband/best friend, Chris Letchford, and their two well-beloved (and emotionally manipulative) Great Dane children, Dorian and Kaiser. When she’s not pretending to write, she’s reading sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk or historical romance novels. You can usually find her harassing her dogs, being a hermit at home or cracking jokes at the expense of her family members.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Instagram

Other reviews featuring Mariana Zapata
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me
Wait for It
Luna and the Lie

Handle With Care by Helena Hunting ~ Review & Teaser (@HelenaHunting)

Hey guys! I realised I missed a week of posting on the blog... sorry about that, but I'm back today with a book that was released 2 weeks ago. It's been a while since I've read Helena Hunting, and I quite enjoyed this one! Wren was a take charge kind of girl, and Linc was a man trying to create his own path in life... it was a fabulous journey!

Title: Handle With Care

Author: Helena Hunting

Series: Shacking Up #5

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: August 27th 2019

Buy Now - Amazon US | Amazon Aus | B&N | Kobo

HE WANTS TO LOSE CONTROL.
Between his parents’ messed up marriage and his narcissistic younger brother, Lincoln Moorehead has spent the majority of his life avoiding his family. After the death of his father, Lincoln finds himself in the middle of the drama. To top it all off, he’s been named CEO of Moorehead Media, much to his brother’s chagrin. But Lincoln’s bad attitude softens when he meets the no-nonsense, gorgeous woman who has been given the task of transforming him from the gruff, wilderness guy to a suave businessman

SHE’S TRYING TO HOLD IT TOGETHER.
Wren Sterling has been working double time to keep the indiscretions at Moorehead Media at bay, so when she’s presented with a new contract, with new responsibilities and additional incentives, she agrees. Working with the reclusive oldest son of a ridiculously entitled family is worth the hassle if it means she’s that much closer to pursuing her own dreams. What Wren doesn’t expect is to find herself attracted to him, or for it to be mutual. And she certainly doesn’t expect to fall for Lincoln. But when a shocking new Moorehead scandal comes to light, she’s forced to choose between her own family and the broody, cynical CEO.

I've read a few of the books in this series, but not all of them, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed meeting Linc and Wren. Their initial meeting was hilarious, despite Linc not really remembering it. So it was entertaining to see their relationship grow and how Linc remembered bits and pieces.

I admired what Lincoln actually did for a job, and despite being drawn away from his work to step into the family business, he was able to juggle everything, with the help of a pushy Wren. She took control of everything to create a positive image for Linc, and even though they clashed a little in the beginning, I could see the attraction growing between them.

Wren was a no-nonsense woman, and I loved her take control attitude. The way she put Linc's brother in her place was amusing, and she didn't allow people to run over her. She took her time with Linc, allowing him to open up to her and she's probably the first person who understood him.

I didn't really like Linc's mother or brother, however I did love his grandmother. She was an honest and kind woman who did all she could to look out for her grand children.

This was a good read, but there were moments where I rolled my eyes, however I loved how believable Wren and Linc were. A little of the drama was dragged out, but I was happy that they both stood up and took control. They had amazing chemistry and were definitely stronger together!

This was quite an amusing and awkward first kiss... but Linc was obsessed with Wren's lipstick!

“What the—”
He’s still gripping my hair in his fist, so when he comes back in and sucks my bottom lip roughly between his, all I can do is yelp. He backs off again, still wearing that furrowed brow as he rubs over my lips with his thumb. It’s tender from all the kissing, so I whimper.
“How is that lipstick still on?” He swipes the back of his hand across his mouth and checks for marks. “It should be smeared all over your damn face.”
I bark out an incredulous laugh. “It’s a stain. It doesn’t come off.”
“What?”
“It’s a lip stain; it’s not supposed to come off. I can eat a burger, and it doesn’t go anywhere.”
“Well . . . damn.” Lincoln is still frowning. “How do you get it off?”
“I have a special remover.”
“Oh. Huh.” He’s still staring at my mouth, still holding my hair while I straddle his lap. “So, kissing you isn’t going to make it come off?”
“No.”
“Not even if we kissed for, like, the next six hours?”
“I’m sure it would wear off by then, but then, so would my lips. Any other questions?” I’m snarky because this is a bit awkward.
He shakes his head. “No. Uh, actually, yeah.” He moves his hand around to cup my ass through my skirt and pulls me in tight against him. “What do you think about taking this to the bedroom?”

Kindle Arc Loc 1980

NYT and USA Today Bestselling author, Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance with all the feels to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads
Instagram / Pinterest

Other reviews featuring Helena Hunting
Shacking Up series
Shacking Up #1
I Flipping Love You #3
Pucked series
Pucked #1
Pucked Up #2
Pucked Over #3