Heroine – actually a medical doctor (if not actually a doctor see: healer)
Heat Factor: I had really high hopes but gave up before anything happened
Character Chemistry: I’m not sure if the chemistry wasn’t great or if it was just everything wasn’t great
Plot: The president has a crush on the new head of pediatric cardiology at her son’s hospital, plus her re-election campaign is starting
Overall: I’m sorry I didn’t try harder, but I was still bored ⅓ of the way through, and I just didn’t want to continue.
Erin recommended a bunch of Morality Chain books to Holly this week, so that Holly would understand the greatness of this trope. Ashwin did not convince Holly that Morality Chain is the best trope, so we decided to review it together.
Gideon’s Riders, Book #1
Erin
Heat Factor: I mean, I think it’s designed to be erotic romance (or adjacent thereto), so a lot of the connection between the protagonists is sex-related
Character Chemistry: Heavily based on yearning
Plot: Ashwin is on assignment to infiltrate a powerful sector leader’s guard but, OOPS, his only emotional connection EVER got adopted by the sector leader, too, and that’s really throwing a spanner in the works
Overall: The morality chain aspect was probably my favorite part of the romance/relationship component, but overall I was more drawn to the Riders and the political intrigue.
Holly
Heat Factor: So many multiple orgasms
Character Chemistry: Kora makes Ashwin feel, and since he has been conditioned (read: tortured) to not feel, that is a problem
Plot: Ashwin is infiltrating an elite bodyguard biker squad, and Kora is making him feel things
Overall: The romance was ok, but I was very distracted by all of the questions I had about the worldbuilding
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
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
Heat Factor: More of a Viennese Waltz than a Tango
Character Chemistry: I liked that they didn’t try to fight it
Plot: He’s a 27-yo free spirit, she’s a 37/38-yo obsessed with structure, so of course forced proximity leads to a “fling”
Overall: I was mostly able to let go of people being messy and enjoy a charming romance, but there were some latent value judgements I didn’t like
The Smut Report 