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What is Love?
What is Love? by Jen Comfort $2.49 on Amazon! Both characters in this romance are quiz game show champions that are brought back for a “champions only” episode. I was kind of eh on this one, but I think I’m in the minority.
Head and heart collide in a story of polar-opposite rivals that’s anything but trivial in this game show romance from Midnight Duet author Jen Comfort.
Answer: From the Latin word for crossroads, this is knowledge so common as to be obscure, the pursuit of which engages millions daily. Question: What is trivia?
Trivia is the magic in the mundane, the connection in the commonplace, and Maxine Hart’s second-favorite pastime. A self-proclaimed Brooklyn street rat and a high school dropout, Maxine has never been a fan of formal education, but thanks to her ADHD “superpowers,” she’s a glutton for knowledge—and a good fight. And when Maxine enters the trivia game show Answers!, her brilliance, coupled with her penchant for big bets, devastates her competition. Even record-holding, 76-time-winner Teddy Ferguson.
Or was it their kiss the night before they faced off that threw the buttoned-up professor off his game?
Now, Maxine and Teddy cross paths again in a high-stakes tournament against all-time Answers! winners, including undefeated champion Hercules McKnight. With nothing in common but an insatiable appetite for knowledge and a desire to win, Maxine offers Teddy a deal: combine their strengths to shore up their weaknesses. She’ll push his tolerance for risk and improve his buzzer speed, if he’ll find creative ways to fill in the gaps in her education.
Except neither one of them foresaw just how scintillating learning could be…
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You Had Me at Happy Hour
You Had Me at Happy Hour by Timothy Janovsky is $2.99! This is a small town romance with a mixologist and sommelier I’m also getting a whiff of a grumpy/sunshine romance.
Rivalry never tasted so good.
O’ little town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania—it may be charming, but Julien Boire can’t wait to get out of there. Soon he’ll be leaving to take an advanced wine course that will put him on track to become a master sommelier. Meantime, his OCD demands he keep clear of distractions, especially the hot new hire at his aunt and uncle’s restaurant, Martin’s Place.
Which should be easy, because Greg Harlow is as ill-suited to Julien as a bold cabernet is to a delicate salmon entrée. Charismatic and confident, Greg is a TikTok mixologist who could charm a paper bag—even one as tightly wound as Julien. One thing they do have in common: neither wants a relationship.
Greg’s history with dating is… complicated. Yet working together isn’t. First, they’re teaming up to launch a series of happy hour events at Martin’s Place. Then they’re agreeing to a no-strings sex pact that involves new worlds of experimentation. Nothing is off-limits. Except a future.
It’s exactly how Julien wants it. Except for the little part of him that wonders if maybe he’s about to lose the kind of happy that could last much longer than an hour…
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Game Misconduct
Game Misconduct by Ari Baran is $2.99! This is a m/m hockey romance with an age difference. We also mentioned it on a previous Hide Your Wallet! I know this is prime catnip for some of you! However, I’ve heard this series isn’t as great as Rachel Reid’s hockey romances.
Two bitter rivals go head-to-head in this age-gap, enemies-to-lovers hockey romance.
Michael Sato is used to fighting.
An undersized defenseman, Mike had to be tough, clawing his way up from the minors by taking down one ferocious player at a time. No way is he going to lose his spot on the league roster, especially not by giving in to his attraction to a hot, infuriating rival.
Daniel Garcia is used to fighting, too.
Enforcer Danny is the biggest, meanest player on the ice. A target for anyone trying to make a name for themselves, he doesn’t show weakness, nor is he going to risk his last seasons for a sexy rookie who nearly knocked him on his ass.
When their intense physical connection explodes outside of the rink, Mike and Danny learn they just might be able to build something real, but only if they can let down their guard—and their fists—long enough.
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Slouch Witch
RECOMMENDED: Slouch Witch by Helen Harper is $1.49! I bought this urban fantasy on a whim when it was on sale, and even convinced Sarah to buy it. We squeed over it in a previous podcast, but are really eh on the next book. The first has a non-cliffhanger ending, but it wasn’t satisfying in terms of the romance.
Hard Work Will Pay Off Later. Laziness Pays Off Now.
Let’s get one thing straight – Ivy Wilde is not a heroine. In fact, she’s probably the last witch in the world who you’d call if you needed a magical helping hand. If it were down to Ivy, she’d spend all day every day on her sofa where she could watch TV, munch junk food and talk to her feline familiar to her heart’s content.
However, when a bureaucratic disaster ends up with Ivy as the victim of a case of mistaken identity, she’s yanked very unwillingly into Arcane Branch, the investigative department of the Hallowed Order of Magical Enlightenment. Her problems are quadrupled when a valuable object is stolen right from under the Order’s noses.
It doesn’t exactly help that she’s been magically bound to Adeptus Exemptus Raphael Winter. He might have piercing sapphire eyes and a body which a cover model would be proud of but, as far as Ivy’s concerned, he’s a walking advertisement for the joyless perils of too much witch-work.
And if he makes her go to the gym again, she’s definitely going to turn him into a frog.
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I think Ari Baran has a great and gritty voice. FYI, Game Misconduct is high angst, with fairly graphic depictions of violence. I ended up not finishing it, but I really enjoyed the other two books in the series. Home Ice Advantage was my fave. It’s quite the mashup: enemies-to-lovers/competence p0rn/sports/workplace romance.
I loved GAME MISCONDUCT. It is, however, far grittier than Rachel Reid’s Game Changer books. I’ve enjoyed all three of Baran’s Penalty Box books; the most recent (HOME ICE ADVANTAGE) is on my favorite reads of the year list.
In re Ari Baran to Rachel Reid – it feels like a weird comparison to make. I’d actually be more inclined to compare Ari Baran’s hockey romances to KD Casey’s baseball romances, in part because both feel a little more adult and emotionally grounded.
I liked Game Misconduct, but it wasn’t a reread for me the way that Baran’s other books have been. And definitely ready the content warnings to determine if whether the way the characters navigate their sexual encounters will work for you.
I’ve read all three Ari Baran’s hockey romances. The third book, HOME ICE ADVANTAGE – was by far my favorite book and one of my faves of the year so far. The second book, DELAY OF GAME, was the weakest of the three and skippable imo. GAME MISCONDUCT took me 3/4 of the book to actually enjoy reading it. The MCs aren’t in good places in their lives when they meet and I kept wanting them to go to therapy, not embark on a relationship (of sorts).
Count me as another fan of Ari Baran’s writing, and ditto to the reminder to check the content warnings as they are certainly warranted. That said, I’ve reread the three books more than once and look forward to the upcoming GOALTENDER INTERFERENCE. And I also agree with @Omphale and @DiscoDollyDeb–Baran’s books (especially GAME MISCONDUCT) are grittier than Reid’s, and I think they are all excellent but not necessarily comparable.
$1.99:
– Fangirl Down: A Spicy Sports Rom-Com with a Touch of Adventure, Perfect for Fall 2024, Get Ready to Sweat (Big Shots Book 1) by Tessa Bailey
– Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (A Vera Wong Novel Book 1) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
$.99:
– A Companion for the Count: A Regency Romance (Clairvoir Castle Romances Book 2) by Sally Britton
$2.99:
– Little Fires Everywhere: A Novel by Celeste Ng
Free:
– Mr. Gardiner and the Governess: A Regency Romance (Clairvoir Castle Romances Book 1) by Sally Britton
– Her Spooky Secret Suitor: A Steamy Friends-to-Lovers Contemporary Romance (The Wayward Brits) by Poppy Parkes
I have also read GAME MISCONDUCT, but don’t remember much about it beyond the angst and haven’t read the rest of the series. I’m thinking now that I might have to reconsider since you folks say book 3 is so good.
Free:
– Puck Me Already: Power Play Off the Ice by Kat Obie
– A Heart for the Taking: An M/M Paranormal Romance (Bright Lake Chronicles Book 1) by Mell R. Bright
Currently free to US Kindle readers ~
After the Shut Up Ring by Cate C. Wells
I borrowed Slouch Witch and was meh on it, slightly more interested in the characters in the 2nd book, and really liked the last book. I can’t remember much except feeling there was an emotional payoff and lots of character growth on the part of the main character.
THE SHABTI is finally on sale!! And I enjoyed WHAT IS LOVE but got distracted ~2/3 of the way in but that happens all too often and isn’t a reflection of the writing!
Had written a longer comment but when I tried to post, got error message:
400 Bad Request
Request Header Or Cookie Too Large
nginx/1.23.4
…and it deleted my draft. Retyped main points and fortunately thought to copy before trying to post that time. Anyway, now trying in Ecosia w fingers crossed
… “fortunately” bc I am a squirrelbrain w the memory of a goldfish.
Anyway, praise Beyoncé, it worked.
Also, part of my original comment was about snapping up “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers” — thanks, @flchen1! — and how that might pair (throuple?) nicely with “The Best Way to Bury Your Husband” by Alexia Casale (my hold is fiiinally up) and the new-to-me “How to Kill Men and Get Away With It” by Katy Brent ($2.99 on Amazon, also on KU). Feels particularly apt for 2024’s spooky season, ijs