Library Loans - The Romance Edition

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The Rule Book by Sarah Adams
Published by Dell on April 2, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

College sweethearts meet again years later, in this highly anticipated romance and companion story to the viral TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet.

Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender who also happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it’s come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent and he’s holding a grudge.

Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved—she won’t quit easily.

Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship be the thing to save their careers?

Eight years after their breakup, Nora and Derek are reunited. But will they be able to put the past behind them as they embark on a professional relationship?

Second chance romances are my catnip, and this was a great one. My heart ached for Nora when Derek's less than friendly feelings were revealed. Yes, she did break up with him, but there were reasons. The worst part about it was that they both still harbored feelings for each other, and you know I had my pompoms out to cheer them on as they healed from past wounds and had a chance to get acquainted with each other as adults.

Adams always brings a ton of humor to her stories, so I laughed often as she set these characters up in so many amusing situations. Can we talk about the Rules? These twenty rules were supposed to keep Nora and Derek from crossing that line, but they kept finding themselves in positions to break them, one by one. Let me tell you, when Derek declared they were going to break all the rules, I swooned. I might have clapped and done a happy dance, too.

I have to say, Nora was a gem. I loved her fire and spirit, and she was hilarious. Her quirks were some of the best I have read lately. I couldn't help but smile every time she was on page. I hated that she sacrificed so much for her job, but I admired her ambition and drive as well as her ability to temper both and still be kind.

And, well, you know I loved the hero. I did want to smack him in the beginning but as I learned more, I wanted to hug him. Derek was coming off an injury and there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding his future in football. This kind of threw him into a tailspin as football had defined who he was for so long. I felt for him and really loved the way his teammates supported him in his time of need. As we saw in The Cheat Sheet, these guys were a handful. They loved to meddle, but it was because of how much they cared for each other.

Once again, Adams delivered a fantastic rom-com that hit my trifecta of laugh, smile, and swoon. I hate to think that this is the end of stories set in this world, but I am glad I had the opportunity to witness their HEAs.

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Whisky Business by Elliot Fletcher
Published by Avon Books on June 4, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Opposites attract when a fish-out-of-water actress and a grumpy Scottish whisky distiller are forced to work together to save the business they both love.

As a child, April Sinclair dreamt of escaping her quiet island life to become a world-famous actress. Now fully grown and with her once-flourishing career at an all-time low, what better way to figure out where it all went wrong than to go back to the beginning? April has her sights set on a new challenge, and that is saving her family’s distillery on the idyllic Scottish Isle of Skye.

What she doesn’t expect to find is Malcolm Macabe, short-tempered and exceedingly attractive, living in the home she has just inherited. He may be a million miles away from the shy teenager she knew growing up, but one thing is for certain: he doesn’t want her around anymore.

Master distiller Mal has three loves in his life: Whisky, his dog and silence. He has no time for the pampered princess poking her nose around his distillery, even if said princess is the one who got away. More comfortable in the shadows than the spotlight, Mal is content to wait her out. She’ll grow bored and run back to her glamorous world of nail salons and take-away coffee eventually. When sparks begin to fly, he tells himself it doesn’t matter…because April Sinclair could never want a man like him, right?

April ran from Skye while chasing her dream, but when her dream turns to a nightmare, she runs back to the safety of her island home.

Whisky Business gave me exactly what I was looking for! I will start with the obvious, the Scottish setting. Fletcher did a wonderful job transporting me to the Isle of Skye. The beauty was all around me, but what surprised me was how much I enjoyed learning about the distillery and whisky making. I am not a drinker yet it all still fascinated me, and I was so invested in the success of the distillery, too.

That takes care of the whisky, now we can talk about the business. The best business was what was going on between April and Mal. They were an odd coupling, yet they had a history of crushing on each other from their youth and just seemed to be a perfect match. I loved learning about their shared past while they became acquainted with the adult versions of each other. I appreciated that both Mal and April were nursing wounds that kept them from fully trusting another person with their heart, and that's why it was so amazing to see them surrender to each other.

As an actress, April had a big personality while Mal lived more of a hermit life. He seemed so gruff and grumpy, but gosh, darn it! His heart was huge. We all know to trust a dog's opinion, and the dogs in this story loved him. His young nieces were also big fans, and he was precious with them.

Speaking of Mal's family, I sort of adored them (though I am conflicted about dad). I was not sure about his older brother, but he really grew on me, and Mal's sister was fabulous from the get-go. I saw that there would be books for the other two Macabe brothers, but I can't help but hope the Macabe sister gets a book, too. It's always a pleasure to root for a single mom to get her HEA.

Overall, this was a fun and lovely tale of fresh starts and redemption, as well as love and family. The whisky and small town setting made this romance even more appealing for me. I enjoyed meeting everyone and cannot wait for the next Macabe brother book.

Are you a whisky drinker?
Let us know in the comments!