Novella Review: Bridal Boot Camp by Meg Cabot

Rating: 3.5 stars

Pub Date: May 28, 2019

Publisher: Avon Impulse

Genre: adult romantic comedy

Format/Source: eARC, Edelweiss

Status: novella, book #0.5 of the Little Bridge Island series

Summary: Physical trainer Roberta “Rob” James moved to Little Bridge thinking she’d found paradise, but things haven’t turned out quite as she’d hoped.

The closest Rob has come to her “happily ever after” is happy hour at the Mermaid Café with her buddy Bree, the bartender slash waitress who’s got romance problems of her own.

But Rob’s situation suddenly changes when sheriff’s deputy Ryan Martinez accidentally enrolls in her bridal boot camp class. Turning mush into metal in time for the big day is Rob’s passion (because even the happiest bride could use a little toning).

But what happens when a guy who’s all mush meets a girl who’s all metal?

They discover they have a lot to learn . . . about each other, themselves, and the island paradise they’ve come to call home.

Review:

Bridal Boot Camp is the first look into Meg's new Little Bridge Island series, which I'm really excited about! I've been needing some more adult romance from Meg since I frequently reread her Boy series and last year I reread the entire Heather Wells series. Her books are a shot of fluff that I always appreciate, and Bridal Boot Camp isn't any different.

I think Rob and Ryan have really really great chemistry, and I loved seeing them overcome some initial not-quite-right first impressions to get to the good stuff (ie kissing). However, I'm going to give Bridal Boot Camp 3.5 stars because it was SO SHORT. I don't mind novellas, but I like them more in the 80-120 page range. Bridal Boot Camp is only 51 pages, and that really wasn't enough time to get a good arc with Rob and Ryan. We only get four chapters, and while they're good, fun chapters, full of that classic Meg Cabot banter and charm, this didn't feel like a fully fleshed out story.

And although I thought it introduced the world of Little Bridge Island decently, I prefer for companions (whether novellas or full-length novels) to be at least a little more connected. The summary mentions Bree (who is the mc of the first full Little Bridge Island book No Judgments) and Rob being friends, but really, Rob is just Bree's one-a-week trainer, and Bree is the "sad-eyed" waitress Rob sometimes sees at the Mermaid Cafe. I've also just finished reading No Judgments, which I really enjoyed (review coming closer to its pub date in September!), but Rob was not even mentioned by name in it. Ryan is in exactly one scene, and only refers to Rob as his girlfriend.

I never miss an opportunity for more content in a good series so I love novellas, I just think this one was not quite meaty enough to be a must-read. But if you're a die-hard Cabot-fan like me, or if you read No Judgments and want more Little Bridge goodness, Bridal Boot Camp will whet your appetite while you await the next book in the series.

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About the Author:

Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign, but learned at an early age that a good storyteller can always give herself a happy ending.  Her 80+ books for both adults and tweens/teens have included multiple #1 New York Times bestsellers, selling over twenty-five million copies worldwide. Her Princess Diaries series has been published in more than 38 countries and was made into two hit films by Disney. Meg’s numerous other award-winning books include the Mediator series, the Heather Wells mystery series, and Avalon High, the latter of which was made into a film for Disney Channel. Meg Cabot (her last name rhymes with habit, as in “her books can be habit forming”) currently lives in Key West with her husband and various cats.

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Fall With Me Release Day Blitz

I'm so excited to help with Ink Slinger PR's release day launch for Jennifer L. Armentrout's newest new adult novel Fall With Me! Guys, this book is amazing, and it just might be my favorite of the series so far! Roxy and Reece are incredible!!!

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Pub Date: March 31, 2015

Publisher: Avon

Genre: new adult contemporary romance

Status: book 4 of the Wait for You companion series

Links: check out my reviews of Wait for You, Be with Me, and Stay with Me!

Summary:

At 21, Calla hasn’t done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.

But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought she'd left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.

Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from the moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn’t give them her mom.

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Excerpt:

Someone—was it Melvin?—catcalled as Reece led me down the hall, and my cheeks flushed. “Okay, he-man, I can walk all by my little self.”

He cast a look over his shoulder at me as he opened the office door. “I’m sure you can.”

Then he pulled me inside.

My gaze flipped to the roses—the roses!—but before I could say a word, he closed the door and my back was pressed against it, his hands planted on either side of my head and his face right in mine. Like right there, within kissing distance.

Wow.

“So, I was at my father’s place in New Jersey most of the day, and you know, he lives out near the Pine Barrens, so service is shit.”

I nodded even though I really wasn’t processing what he was saying as I was too busy staring at his mouth. Those lips, fuller on the bottom, drove me to distraction.

“I pull out of his driveway and I have all these messages from Dennis,” he continued, and I finally caught on to what he was talking about. “I honestly thought he was messing with me at first.”

I cringed. “He . . . um, he wasn’t.”

He shot me a bland look. “That much I figured out.” His hands slid on the door, stopping just shy of touching my shoulders. “What did he do to you?”

“What?” I blinked.

“What did that bastard do to make you throw a book through his windshield?”

Oh. Oh. My heart was now wiggling along with my stomach. “He really didn’t do anything. I just lost my cool. He wanted to talk to me, and I didn’t want to talk to him.”

“You don’t have to talk to him.”

“That’s what Dennis said, but I shouldn’t have damaged his car.”

A muscle flexed along his right jaw. “That’s true.” He shook his head. “Damn, Roxy, can’t say I’m surprised.”

My brows flew up. “You’re not?”

He laughed under his breath. “Babe, you’ve always had a hell of a temper on you.”

Ah, that was kind of true. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

Reece cocked his head to the side. “A sexy thing, but vandalism and destruction of property doesn’t look good on you, sweets.”

“No. It doesn’t match my manicure.” I raised my hands, flashing him the blue nails.

He laughed again and then he sobered up, just like that. Cop Face was on, and yeah . . . the low coiling in my stomach told me I found Cop Face arousing. “You’re lucky. He could’ve pressed charges, and this conversation would be going in a whole different direction.”

My own half smile slipped off my face. “I know. It’s . . . I was just with Charlie, and he’s . . .” Unable to continue, I forced a casual shrug I didn’t feel. “What are you going to do with me?”

His lips parted as his chest rose with a deep breath, then his gaze dropped to my mouth, and his expression tightened. He looked . . . he looked hungry. “I have lots of ideas.”

About the Author:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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Giveaway:

a signed set of the first three books in the Wait for You series & a $25 gift card

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Review: Fall With Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rating: 4.5 stars

Pub Date: March 31, 2015

Publisher: Avon

Genre: new adult contemporary romance

Format/Source: DRC, Edelweiss

Status: book 4 of the Wait for You companion series

Links: check out my reviews of Wait for You, Be with Me, and Stay with Me!

Summary:

Eleven months ago, bartender and weird-shirt-wearing extraordinaire Roxy and Officer Reece Anders had a one night stand. Well, kind of. She’s been in love with him since she was fifteen, and he wishes that night they shared never happened. She’s sworn him off forever, but the past and future collide, forcing her to rely on the one man who broke her heart not once, but twice.

Her best friend since birth has been in a long-term care facility since he became a victim of a hate crime years ago, and the person who put him in there is out of prison and wanting to make amends with him and Roxy. She’s not sure she has room for forgiveness in her and when she begins to receive frightening messages and is on the receiving end of escalating violence, she thinks she knows who is to blame. The man who already destroyed one life already.

But Reece isn’t convinced. The threats are too personal, and even if Roxy doesn’t believe him, he’s not willing to let anyone hurt her. Including himself. He’s already messed up more than once when it comes to Roxy and he’s not going to let history repeat itself.