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The Charm School
The Charm School by Susan Wiggs is $1.99 right now. This historical was originally published in 1999, and is about an awkward, shy young woman who sneaks aboard a ship bound for Rio (as you do). When the crew notice the attraction between her and the captain, they begin tutoring her in the the finer arts of being a confident young lady (yes way). This book has a much-loved Ugly Duckling storyline, and a 3.9-star average on GR.
An awkward misfit in an accomplished Boston family, Isadora Peabody yearns to escape her social isolation and sneaks aboard the Silver Swan, bound for Rio, leaving it all behind.
Ryan Calhoun, too, had a good family name. But he’d purposely walked away from everything it afforded him. Driven by his quest to right an old wrong, the fiery, temperamental sea captain barely registers the meek young woman who comes aboard his ship.
To the Swan’s motley crew, the tides of attraction clearly flow between the two. Teaching her the charms of a lady, they hope to build the confidence she needs to attract not only their lonely captain’s attention, but his heart, as well. For everyone knows the greatest charms are not those of the formal lady, but rather the possibilities of a new world built on love.
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Sweet Spot
Sweet Spot by Susan Mallery is $1.99! This is book two in her Bakery Sisters series and features a heroine who – you guessed it – runs a bakery. Some readers mentioned that there was some characterization issues, while others say this might be their favorite book in the series. Have you read this one?
If only her life was more sinful than sweet…
“Responsibility” should be Nicole Keyes’s middle name. After all, not many people would sacrifice their lives to run the family bakery and raise a younger sibling. But with Nicole’s twin sister now blissfully married and her younger sis turning out more femme fatale than girl-next-door, super reliable Nicole is getting sick of putting everyone else’s needs first.
Enter Hawk. The deliciously sexy former NFL player offers Nicole a taste of the freedom she craves. Hawk may know the way, blindfolded, to her sweet spot, but Nicole’s not about to let him get close enough to break her heart. Of course, she might not have a choice in the matter if Hawk’s past keeps getting in the way of their present….
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Beyond Control
Beyond Control by Kit Rocha is 99c! This is the second book in the erotic dystopian Beyond series. If you picked up the first book, Beyond Shame, while it was free (and it’s still free!) and enjoyed it, go ahead and treat yourself to the next one. I will repeat my previous warning in that these books are dark and packed with sex, which may not be everyone’s bag.
She refuses to be owned.
Alexa Parrino escaped a life of servitude and survived danger on the streets to become one of the most trusted, influential people in Sector Four, where the O’Kanes rule with a hedonistic but iron fist. Lex has been at the top for years, and there’s almost nothing she wouldn’t do for the gang…and for its leader. Lie, steal, kill—but she bows to no one, not even Dallas O’Kane.
He’ll settle for nothing less.
Dallas fought long and hard to carve a slice of order out of the chaos of the sectors. Dangers both large and small threaten his people, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. His liquor business is flourishing, and new opportunities fuel his ambition. Lex could help him expand his empire, something he wants almost as much as he wants her. And no one says no to the king of Sector Four.
Falling into bed is easy, but their sexual games are anything but casual. Attraction quickly turns to obsession, and their careful dance of heady dominance and sweet submission uncovers a need so deep, so strong, it could crush them both.
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No Such Thing
No Such Thing by A.M. Arthur is 99c! This is a M/M contemporary romance. Readers mentioned it was a teeny tiny bit of angst, but is mostly a sweet and adorable romance. However, some found it lacked action and was kind of boring. It has a 3.7-star rating on Goodreads.
Twenty-two-year-old Alessandro Silva knows that returning to tiny Perch Creek to help his foster mother was the right thing to do. With no degree and a delinquent’s reputation, he’s lucky to have landed a job waiting tables. But not everyone is happy he’s back, and the only thing keeping his move home from being a total bust is his boss’s hot brother.
Jaime Winters spent most of his life watching the world go by, first from a series of hospitals and then from behind big stacks of textbooks. Studying is easier than facing the fact that years of heart failure means he’s still a virgin at twenty-three. Until the new waiter in his sister’s diner awakens desires he’d long ago given up on.
The last thing Alessandro wants is to fall for someone as fragile as Jaime. And Jaime may have a new heart, but he’s scared of what giving it to another person would mean. Their no-strings-attached, instructional approach to sex keeps emotion safely at bay, until a secret from Alessandro’s past forces them to confront their feelings in the present…
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Borrowed The Charm School after seeing it featured somewhere (here, I think?) and really liked it!! I’m a sucker for the “ladies on a ship trope” – Charlotte Doyle FTW! – and really liked the longer than usual length of this. The romance was able to develop slowly and you get to see Isadora and Ryan change and grow quite a bit. Also appreciate the North/South American setting, instead of England!
Love the Beyond series as well – best dystopian erotica out there! The authors do a great job of balancing sex sex sex with interesting and realistic world building.
@ClaireC, whoa, haven’t thought of Charlotte Doyle for a hot minute! I totally bought it off the Scholastic Books order form.
I agree that the Beyond series is very well written and I really like how the mechanics of sex (who’s involved, how they have sex, etc.) is very evocative of the characters and what they want/need emotionally. Makes it way hotter and multidimensional.
I have no idea how well it’d hold up for me now, but I remember really enjoying Charm School when I read it many years ago. Iirc, it requires a huge suspension of disbelief but it was so much fun that I was willing to just go with it.
I also picked up The Charm School last time it was recommended here, and found it to be totally enjoyable. As cleo says, it did require frequent suspension of disbelief, but if you’re looking for a nice escape book for the weekend this just might be it!
Oh that Susan Wiggs sounds similar to a book I loved in high school, The Rebel Heiress by jane aiken hodge. The crew of a ship bound for England tutors her in etiquette so when she’s reunited with her long lost rich family, she’ll fit in. It was delightful.