Representation – author is a person of color (BIPOC)
Heat Factor: Not quite fade to black, but the sex writing is more focused on the emotions than the mechanics
Character Chemistry: Veering into insta-love territory; maybe it’s fate
Plot: Grace has an identity crisis
Overall: Messy and beautiful
Southern Gentlemen, Book #1
Heat Factor: Steamy enough
Character Chemistry: “Let me put you on this pedestal.”
Plot: “I’m not the same girl I was ten years ago.”
Overall: There were bits that were really great, but the hero put me into a paroxysm of rage
Heat Factor: This game of “truth or dare” got p-r-e-t-t-y daring
Character Chemistry: More told than shown, at least until they start with the sexytimes
Plot: Longtime friends meet up at wedding and play a game of “truth or dare” that changes everything
Overall: There’s a lot of expository text, but the games they played were enough to keep me turning pages
Modern Love, Book 3
Heat Factor: A little at the end, but nothing too spicy
Character Chemistry: They are pretty cute together
Plot: Catfishing leads to friendship leads to fake engagement
Overall: I enjoyed this one
Holidays with the Wongs, Book #3
Review of Holidays with the Wongs, Book #1
Heat Factor: Oops! We kissed in the ice skating forest, so now we should probably also have all the sex…just to get it out of our system, of course
Character Chemistry: Apparently I’m a sucker for the best friends-but-one’s-secretly-in-love trope
Plot: Zach and Jo bonded over beers and broken engagements four years ago and have been friends ever since. After Zach’s family set up him and his siblings on dates at Thanksgiving, he won’t put it past them to do something wild at Chinese New Year, so he asks Jo to be his fake girlfriend.
Overall: It’s like a warm hug
