For the Sake of a Scottish Rake by Anna Bradley

A charming friends to lovers via a fake relationship and mutual pining

Folks, this book hits the trope trifecta. Lucy, the sheltered daughter of an Earl everyone considered mad, meets Ciaran when he interrupts her morning swim to save her from drowning. Their paths cross again and again until feelings begin to blossom. He even steps in as a suitor when a distasteful betrothal looms - but they're just friends, right?

The friendship between Lucy and Ciaran felt real and not forced as they spent time together in Brighton and London. I also appreciated the female relationships in this story as the girls got to know and support each other. I did expect at least one of the others to get her own story as well, but they all seem to wrap up by the end of the book, which felt like a missed opportunity. Even the abusive father was handled well - he was categorically awful but there was sufficient comeuppance and a happy lack of victim blaming.

My one problem with this book was how the mutual pining dragged on. Listen, the morning after feelings are admitted and consummated is the perfect time to finish with the "we're just friends" routine. Instead, we are subjected to an endless refrain that does nothing to advance the plot and tested my patience.

Overall, an enjoyable read that felt like it went a little too long. Four stars.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via NetGalley, all opinions are my own

Love Hard by Nalini Singh

Ladies and gentlemen, she's done it again.

There's something about Nalini Singh's contemporary romances that are just so real. No powers, no vampires, no shifters - instead, we have an enemies-to-lovers romance story about the importance of family set in my country and peppered with familiar references.

Jacob is a star first five-eighth (hi DC!) with the (unnamed) New Zealand national rugby team (go All Blacks!) who is also a devoted single dad to his adorable daughter Esme. Juliet is a high-powered exec who was his high school nemesis and the best friend of Jacob's now-deceased girlfriend, Esme's mom Calypso. After years without contact, they are reunited at the wedding of Jacob's older brother Gabriel (whose story can be found in Rock Hard). True to form, sparks fly.

Fair warning - while this reads well as a stand-alone, there are heaps of characters in this. In particular, there are a lot from Cherish Hard (Sailor's story) so I would recommend reading that before this one, not only to understand the relationships here but because it is a beautiful story about realising not only your dreams but someone else's - you can find my review here.  The Bishop-Esera clan is getting large, people! It's past time for a family tree.

Things I liked:
- working out where Nalini got her inspiration, especially around the rugby players
- the absolute obliteration of Juliet's nasty ex
- all the banter
- Esme
- the really moving discussion around grief and moving on
- how Jacob got to be vulnerable and emotional
- family, both by blood and by choice

Things I didn't like:
- um
- maybe having too many characters and no character sheet?
- idk this was great

Unquestionably five stars. Touching, funny, and sincere - I loved this book.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from NetGalley; all opinions are my own

The Arrangement by Sylvia Day; Minerva Spencer; Kristin Vayden

This is a collection of novellas, all involving arranged marriages. Specifically, we have one story with matchmakers and two with marriages of convenience, and the overall effect is... mixed.

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day
I have to say, this was my least favourite of the three. I felt like we started in the middle of the series and skipped to the end. The most frustrating thing was that no-one ever explains exactly why or how Sophie is so ruined that she can't imagine a happy ending with Justin. I do however give Justin kudos for considering it unthinkable that he would sleep with Sophie and not marry her, and then following through. He was possibly my favourite of the heroes for his integrity and common sense.

The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer
Beau needs money. Jo has money, and has secretly been in love with him for five years. Her father brokers the match from his deathbed, a match that has its roots in tangled relationships from - you guessed it - five years ago. I enjoyed how Beau and Jo got to know each other and you know what? I changed my mind. I love how Beau made a conscious decision to honour and befriend his new wife, even as his ex-fiancee and current sister-in-law crashes the honeymoon. I do think this one finished quite abruptly though.

The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden
In a flip of the previous story, Diana needs money and Brook needs respectability. This one made a little bit less sense than the other one and I found the story even more rushed. Of course, the best part was how Brook and Diana both decided that while this wasn't an ideal situation, they would make the best of it and learn to live with the other - and of course, 'live with' turns to love with startling alacrity.

Overall, this was a decent but not great collection of stories that had good relationships but where (likely due to word limits) the plots all fell by the wayside. Three stars.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

Blog Tour: A New Life for Ariana Byrne by Liz Hurley

What happens after all your dreams come true?

Ariana Byrne knows how to survive. After becoming guardian to her four little sisters after their parents died when she was only eighteen, she had to grow up quickly. Now she’s in her twenties, stuck in a loveless marriage to Greg, trying to make ends meet for her young twins, William and Leo.

So when Ari is told that she’s actually the Right Honourable Lady de Foix, Countess of Hiverton, owner of a sprawling estate in the village of Saxburgh in Norfolk, her first instinct is laughter. Surely the girl who has to choose between food and keeping the lights on isn’t really rich beyond her wildest dreams?

She knows how to take care of her sisters and her children, but how on earth can Ari take care of an entire village? Can she fight off the circling land developers from Saxburgh, and stop her in-laws from grabbing all the money for themselves?

And while she’s struggling to settle in and settle down, she’s making new friends and new mistakes. Trusting her gorgeous neighbour, Sebastian Flint-Hyssop, may be the biggest one of all…

She’s swapped sink estate for country estate…but can a girl from inner city London learn how to become a Lady?

Take a trip to Hiverton Manor for the most uplifting novel of 2020 – guaranteed to put a smile on your face! Fans of Jenny Colgan, Trisha Ashley and Carole Matthews will love this romantic, feelgood read.

Purchase Links
AMZ: https://amzn.to/2NKQuAm
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2uPB0ob 
Apple: https://apple.co/2RsuI5z

Review in Heels
At heart, this is a fantasy. We meet Ariana as she considers ending her unhappy marriage - the marriage she entered and endured for the sake of her twin sons and four younger sisters. Soon, it is revealed that her mother was the disowned not-officially-disinherited daughter of an Earl and their estranged family have all passed. Ari is suddenly a Countess with estates, tenants, and a charming new neighbour.

There are laughs and surprises along the way as Ari and her family settle into their new roles, along with love-to-hate villains that all get their comeuppance. It was a beautifully satisfying read overall, seeing Ari grow into the person who she was meant to be, as she blends her inner-city upbringing with her newly-discovered inheritance to solve problems and discharge her new responsibilities.

My one quibble is the lack of an epilogue - the last chapter has one character outline how they expect the future to go and I would have loved to read even a short epilogue showing how that played out. I understand that the author is setting up all the sisters to get a book of their own and this may play into it, but it won't be the same from a different point of view.
Despite this minor omission, five stars for a fun wish-fulfilment fantasy.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from Rachel’s Random Resources.

Author Bio
When I grew up I wanted to be an underwater archaeologist or an astronaut but I ended up in a library. Everyone laughed as I’m not a naturally quiet person but I loved it. I went on to become a professional librarian for the money and the glamour. Not finding quite enough of either my husband and I set up a bookshop. We didn’t find much there either so I started writing. Now I have loads of money and glamour but only in the pages of my books! In the meantime I dive and look at the stars.

Social Media Links
• Twitter: @hello_hurley
• Facebook fan page: @theotherlizhurley
• Instagram: @liz_hurley_writes
• Author website: www.lizhurleywrites.com 

The Language of Cherries by Jen Marie Hawkins

Coming of Age with bonus slow burn romance and miscommunication problems

Evie doesn't want to spend the summer with her father in Iceland. She would rather be in Florida with her best friend, her almost-boyfriend, and her beloved abuela. Instead, she's up where the sun won't stop shining, her estranged mom won't stop calling, and the wi-fi keeps cutting out. Bored and alone, she finds painting inspiration in the cherry orchard over the hill. She also finds Oskar.

Oskar is too embarrassed by his stutter to talk to Evie, so he lets her believe he doesn't speak English. Still grieving the loss of his family and hiding from the world, he intially resents her intrusion into his family's legacy. Then, as Evie responds to his feigned ignorance by pouring out her heart, he begins to look forward to their one-sided interactions.

I can't say that I approved of Oskar's deception, but I could understand why it happened and how it grew into a larger problem as feelings got involved. What kept me reading was how the author captured the uncertainties of late teenagerhood, as Evie and Oskar had to make decisions on their futures, balancing past hurts with family obligations, and understanding the world isn't as black and white as childhood would have you believe.

I also liked how the narration switched from Evie to Oskar on a chapter by chapter basis, with very different writing styles used to differentiate their voices.

For an intricate, interesting, and sometimes painfully accurate look at growing up, four stars.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley