She’s his BFF’s fireball sister-in-law, & he’s a shy, virgin, Football player with a big ol’ crush.
Name That Trope:
He Loves Her But She’s ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ About Him
Bearded, Man-Bun-Having Jason Momoa hero + Outspoken Tinkerbell heroine
Temporary houseguests = forced proximity
Long distance relationship FEEEEEEEELINGS!
Heroine with an identity crisis
What part made you fangirl squeal:
When our hero Dex worked his infant-magic and, among other things, wore a chest babysling to carry his nephew?!?!?! My ass went Fangirl 9000 over this baby-whisperer gender role reversal!
When Fiona fucking OWNED her backstabbing co-worker. I’m so here for women standing up to toxic women.
Literally every single time our man was putty at Fiona’s feet; HE WAS HER SEXY HAPPY-PUPPY!
The fact that we got a black! gay! football player! When our straight hero shared playful, flirty banter with him because Dex’s masculinity isn’t toxic, fragile, OR homophobic!? I lived.
How immediately after the One And Only Time hero-hottie majorly fucked up, he owns his fuck up with a genuine, real-ass apology!
Favorite Character:
FUCK YOU, ME, FOR MAKING ME PICK!
Fiona: Diminutive in size, big in personality! Voices her thirst and her thoughts whenever she feels like it! Is bold! Has Issues™ and opinions! Kicks creative ass!
Dex: Big in size, quiet in personality! Has secret lust and keeps his thoughts to himself! Is restrained! Has Feelings ™ and thirst! Is a secret photorealist painter!
How smexy was the smex?
EXPLODES OVARIES! COMES FOR YOUR LUST! IS HOT!!!! Seriously, this book does it all.
There’s everything from 1st-kiss-turned-public-dry-hump-fun [followed by Dex shutting down Fuck Boys], to a fingerbang session [followed by Dex grinding his horniness against the counter while fixing Fiona breakfast in post-orgasmic bed], to dirty talk, to outdoor beard-on-titty action!
Also did I mention Mr Sensitive Soul Dex has two Frenum piercings?!?! A BITCH WASN’T READY!
Whose Line Is It Anyway:
”Some guys are alpha dogs, snarling and snapping. Dex is more like a silverback gorilla, quietly going about his business until something pisses him off and he gives a warning.”
*****
Dex: God, I love the way you smell.
Fiona:And how do I smell?
Dex: Like happy dreams and well-fucked woman.
*****
“Life is like some messed-up game of Boggle, it shakes us all up and we land where we fall.”
*****
Fiona: I’m just not used to waving my own flag about stuff like that.
Dex: You don’t have to wave your own flag anymore, Fi. That’s my job now. My privilege.
Got any bitching to do?
Yeah. The book ended. So rude, what the fuck?!
Visually Depict Yo Book Feels:
Famous last words:
The Game Plan is a book where neither a synopsis nor a review will do the novel justice. A lot of what sells this crackalicious story are either spoilers, or the simplicity of being in Dex and Fiona’s heads.
But! If you like cinnamon bun heroes with a dirty mouth? If you love force-of-nature heroines struggling with life goals? If you enjoy emotionally driven stories that wreck you in the best way?
Well, my awesome fellow human, then you want this book!
When unsent emails literally became the most beautiful, romantic thing in the world! Y’ALL, I AM STILL SWOONING!
Anytime Sadia rocked her sexuality & her love of sex; BROWN CHUBBY GIRLS OWNING THEIR BODIES IS MY FAV!
Every scene wherein found family is just as important as blood family - and the fact that blood family ain’t always healthy family.
Favorite Character:
Our gal Sadia, FO’ SURE! For one, I connected with her an ass-ton more. For another, I adored everything she was and everything she represented.
This woman dealt with emotional & mental health issues, both of which were a big part of her character and her character arc. My ass loved Sadia all the more for it.
How smexy was the smex?
A strange mix of super-duper sexy dialogue…annnnd foreplay/post-coital moments set to light-speed.
The hot? Sadia demanding Jackson, and I quote, “Get on your knees and lick me.” [swooooon!]
The not? The fact that I literally can’t remember anything else about their sexy times. The scenes felt short, forgettable, and pretty vanilla.
Whose Line Is It Anyway:
Sadia:What about us? What do you want from me? Jackson:I don’t want anything from you. My dream is for you to let me love you. And maybe, someday, you can love me back. You don’t have to love me a lot. A little love is enough.
“You don’t just decide to love and suddenly everything is fine. Love takes practice. Love isn’t passive, it’s active. A verb.” - Grandpa
Sadia: Why were you involved in the protest? Jackson:Because it was wrong. Sadia:That’s not even your country, though. Jackson: Principles don’t have borders.
Got any bitching to do?
Sadly…a lot. The plot tension just didn’t work for me, even though “She’s My Dead Bro’s Wife Who I’ve Loved Forever” IS ALL MY CATNIP!
Problem was, Jackson struggles sooOooOOOo much with accessing his emotions that he feels shut off, even from the reader.
Plus our hero’s ENTIRE conflict is that Sadia’s off-limits because she was his bro’s wife. Yet when gal tells him they were unhappily married, with divorce on the horizon, WE GET NO REACTION! They bang, there’s a time jump, & we skip right over the OTP learning each other’s bodies & developing intimacy; both physical and emotional intimacy.
So, alas, grumpy fangirl is grumpy.
Visually Depict Yo Book Feels:
Famous last words:
That panda hiding his head in shame is legit me in my book feels.
Because the characters were lovable! The family dynamics were beautiful! Hell, the heroine was a brown girl from a Muslim background who also beautifully own her sexuality!
There’s a lot to love in the book, and it doesn’t bore…it just didn’t grab me like I expected it to.
I’m back with another Mary Balogh romance novel! So let’s get right into my thoughts, feelings, and rambles on…
As a young man, Justin Wiley was banished by his father for mysterious reasons, but now his father is dead, and Justin has been Earl of Brandon for six years. A dark, dour man, he nonetheless takes it as his responsibility to care for his half-sister Maria when her mother dies. He travels to her home to fetch her back to the family seat at Everleigh Park.
Although she adored him once, Maria now loathes Justin, and her friend Lady Estelle Lamarr can see immediately how his very name upsets her. When Justin arrives and invites Estelle and her brother to accompany Maria to Everleigh Park to help with her distress, she begrudgingly agrees for Maria’s sake.
As family secrets unravel in Maria’s homecoming, Justin, too, uncovers his desire for a countess. And, while he may believe he’s found an obvious candidate in the beautiful 25-year-old Lady Estelle, she is most certain that they could never make a match…
This novel started out fairly strong. I was enjoying the set up of the story, what with a sort of enemies to lovers plotline, a mysterious family secret, and a country house party, there was lots to sink my teeth into.
I’m not sure what happened within the last few chapters of the book though, because I found that it was dragging on terribly for me. I’m not sure if Balogh is just tired of this series or what, and I couldn’t blame her, considering there are nine books in total! I don’t know, it just seemed that once the family mystery was revealed, and a certain missing character was found, the plot could only go forward to a wedding. This is fine, though. I’m used to this in romance novels, but it was as if the announcements and the planning and the wedding went on for those final few chapters. I don’t think it helps that Balogh insists on listing off every single family member, and for both parties in this book! Not only that, but she lists how they are related to one another, or not related to one another. It got incredibly repetitive after awhile, and it did feel like she did it more often in this book than she has in the others.
In the beginning, I found myself hoping that maybe Bertrand, the twin, would get his own book too. But now… well I’d say this is a fine enough send off for the Westcotts. Even the blurb in the back of this book seems to be promoting her next new series entirely, so I’d say Balogh seems to be finished with the Westcotts too.
All in all, I didn’t hate this novel. It was enjoyable enough, and while Estelle may have found her someone perfect, or rather, someone who was perfect for her, unfortunately I can’t say the same about this novel for me.
Happy Pride Month! We want to thank you all for being part of FictIf. No matter how you choose to identify yourself, and who you choose to love, you are all loved in this community.
He may look like a kindly gent, but this villain hides his true identity behind lies and falsehoods. Can you work out his true intentions before it’s too late?
I was super lucky to get to do a print + sticker sheet for the release of THE HEART PRINCIPLE by Helen Hoang- one of my most anticipated reads this year! You’ll get both these items when you order ANY Helen Hoang book from The Ripped Bodice bookstore Today is the last day though so jump on that if you’re keen!
Saw someone say this this morning. And if that isn’t the best reason to enjoy romance novels, then I don’t know what is.
(And before anyone starts in with any condescending derision, lemme ask you the last detective novel you read where the detective didn’t ‘win’ by solving the case. I’ll wait…)
It’s INSANE to me how controversial romance novels are. Romance novels. Like, being openly a fan of them immediately opens you up to people constantly coming at you like “but don’t you think it’s ~limiting- and ~juvenile~ to have a genre of books with happy endings for women?”
Like.
No?
Why is it such a big deal to want to read stories where women have sex and then don’t die at the end? Jesus Christ.
Why is the concept of female characters being happy seen as less creative than female characters suffering? (Trust me, creating a world where women win in the end takes a lot more creativity and artistic vision lmfao)
Anyway, literary bros will pry my romance novels with their happy endings from my cold dead fingers.
Or die in the very beginning of the book. But no one calls out James Patterson for writing another formulaic thriller in which a woman is horrifically killed after getting laid and then some man solves her murder. Every. Damn. Time.
But hey, those romance novels where women get happy endings are so limiting, eh?
This whole Bridgerton series thing has got me thinking, like a lot. What if the series blows up more than anyone was expecting? What if this opens the doors for other romance novels to get adapted into streaming service series?! Could you imagine the wallflowers being a series too?! I could scream just thinking about it.
All of this rambling begs the question: What romance novel, whether it be a series, historical or contemporary, would you like to see adapted into a live action series?
A sports romance series, preferably hockey. I’m not too picky about which one though. I just wish there were some good sports romance TV shows out there! There are shows with sports and shows with romance, but the two rarely intersect.
I mean, look at this photo manip that @spartanguard did for my book! Don’t you want to see that on TV?
