As a lover of romance, I'm almost ashamed to say that this was my first time reading Alisha Rai. I'd heard so many good things about her, and I wasn't disappointed. The Right Swipe has a very interesting premise and strong, likable characters. Samson is a former pro football player currently serving as the spokesman for an online matchmaking company. Rhiannon is the tough CEO of her own dating app, looking to buy another company to prove herself even more. The cover art makes the book seem like a light-hearted rom-com, but while it has some light moments and a good bit of humor, the Right Swipe hits some heavy topics like workplace sexual harassment and CTE in pro athletes, Both main characters have some serious issues from their past that they are working through but that still affect the way they handle their current relationships.
I have to say that I love Samson. Like really love him, He came off as just a genuinely good guy,one who was always there to help and support those around him and actually cared about the happiness of others. I loved the chemistry between Samson and Rhiannon, and how devoted Samson was to her, even after such a short time. But at some points I found myself getting frustrated with Rhiannon's insistence on punishing Samson, and by default punishing herself, for other men's behaviors. I was really happy that they were able to work it out in the end and it wasn't in some crazy far-fetched way.
Another thing I really liked about this book and a show more definite strong point in Rai's writing is her creation of interesting and endearing secondary characters. I know this book is the beginning of a series and I hoping to see some of those characters we met in the Right Swipe in future books. As always I gravitate to diverse and inclusive books and this one definitely fit the bill. Rai features characters of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and ages.She created a wonderful cast of characters and I look forward to reading more from her. show less
I have to say that I love Samson. Like really love him, He came off as just a genuinely good guy,one who was always there to help and support those around him and actually cared about the happiness of others. I loved the chemistry between Samson and Rhiannon, and how devoted Samson was to her, even after such a short time. But at some points I found myself getting frustrated with Rhiannon's insistence on punishing Samson, and by default punishing herself, for other men's behaviors. I was really happy that they were able to work it out in the end and it wasn't in some crazy far-fetched way.
Another thing I really liked about this book and a show more definite strong point in Rai's writing is her creation of interesting and endearing secondary characters. I know this book is the beginning of a series and I hoping to see some of those characters we met in the Right Swipe in future books. As always I gravitate to diverse and inclusive books and this one definitely fit the bill. Rai features characters of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and ages.She created a wonderful cast of characters and I look forward to reading more from her. show less
I had been waiting so long to read this book, and I was definitely not disappointed. Alyssa Cole is an incredibly talented writer and I applaud her decision to write diverse and inclusive romance novels. A Prince on Paper is the third in Cole's Reluctant Royals series, and just might be might favorite of them. Nya and Johan were both introduced in previous books and I was already invested in their characters. Nya is the daughter of a super controlling and emotionally abusive father who is currently in prison for trying to overthrow the royal family in their small kingdom of Thesolo. Johan, known as the bad boy prince of Liechtienbourg, hides his good heart and uses his bad boy persona to shield his little brother, the actual heir to the throne. Nya must return home for her cousin's wedding to the prince of Thesolo, who happens to be Johan's best friend. They begin a fake relationship to help them both out of an awkward situation, but their fake relationship quickly becomes something more.
Both Nya and Johan are misunderstood characters who struggle with the image the rest of the world sees of them, as opposed to how they see themselves and each other. As always by Cole, the book was extremely well written. While I found that A Prince on Paper wasn't as humorous as the previous books, I don't think that was a problem at all, as this book dealt with lots of serious subject matter. I was emotionally invested in the lives and relationships of all of the characters. Of course show more Nya and Johan's relationship was the star of the show, but Nya's relationship with her father and Johan's relationship with Lukas were just as interesting. I think that is a testament to Cole's ability to write strong multidimensional characters.Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I didn't want to put it down. I loved the development of the relationship between Nya and Johan. I really enjoyed watching Nya break out of her shell. She really grew throughout the book and I was rooting for her the whole way. Alyssa Cole writes great love scenes and I thought the way she eased them into a physical relationship was very true to the characters and added to the story. I loved that there was also an bit of mystery and intrigue in the book, I would definitely say this was a five star read for me, and I look forward to reading much more from this author. show less
Both Nya and Johan are misunderstood characters who struggle with the image the rest of the world sees of them, as opposed to how they see themselves and each other. As always by Cole, the book was extremely well written. While I found that A Prince on Paper wasn't as humorous as the previous books, I don't think that was a problem at all, as this book dealt with lots of serious subject matter. I was emotionally invested in the lives and relationships of all of the characters. Of course show more Nya and Johan's relationship was the star of the show, but Nya's relationship with her father and Johan's relationship with Lukas were just as interesting. I think that is a testament to Cole's ability to write strong multidimensional characters.Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I didn't want to put it down. I loved the development of the relationship between Nya and Johan. I really enjoyed watching Nya break out of her shell. She really grew throughout the book and I was rooting for her the whole way. Alyssa Cole writes great love scenes and I thought the way she eased them into a physical relationship was very true to the characters and added to the story. I loved that there was also an bit of mystery and intrigue in the book, I would definitely say this was a five star read for me, and I look forward to reading much more from this author. show less
I was very impressed by the Bride Test, I think it was a wonderfully well written book that drew me in and kept me emotionally involved throughout. I'd been looking forward to reading this since being blown away by the Kiss Quotient, the previous book in the series. As a librarian and POC lover of romantic fiction, I'm always on the lookout for new diverse and inclusive romance, and Helen Hoang definitely delivered. The story revolves around Khai, a Vietnamese American with Asperger's and Esme, a young Vietnamese single mother. Esme is brought to America by Khai's mother for a trial run as his fiance. I immediately fell in love with Esme' and Khai. Esme's humor really resonated with me and I loved her determination and strength. I felt deeply for her and really found myself pulling for her throughout the book. Hoang created characters that the reader could really relate to and I think you can she that her own life experiences and that of her family greatly influences her writing and gives it a real personal feeling. The book brought out a wide range of emotions me. There were laugh out load moments, and also moments where I found myself crying with the characters. Overall I think this was an amazing book, and I can't wait to read the next installment.