It was one little white lie. What could possibly go wrong?
With my brother’s destination wedding on the horizon and no plus-one at my side, desperate times call for desperate measures. My mother has made it her personal mission in life to get me back together with my ex, who also happens to be the best man and my partner down the aisle. Nobody knows why I abruptly broke off our engagement and fled to Montana two-years ago, and I intend to keep it that way. Wyatt is determined to win me back, and the thought of dealing with him and my mother for a week in Maui would drive any woman to drink. Which is exactly what I did, and five shots of Tequila later, I’ve got the perfect solution to my problem. All I need is a fake fiancé…
I’ve had one goal that’s kept me alive when it would have been easier to give up—recuperate and get back to Afghanistan to complete my mission. What I wasn’t expecting was a petite, sexy-as-hell blonde to crawl through my bedroom window and turn my life upside-down. After a rocky start that involved me pulling a gun on her, we coincidentally find ourselves in need of the same thing—a fiancée.
To be fair, I warned her not to fall in love with me—that I was only going to break her heart. Guess I should have taken my own advice…
Melynda Price is a bestselling and award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her Against the Cage series has finaled in many awards such as the RONE, USA Today BBA, Golden Quill, National Readers’ Choice, and New England Readers’ Choice, and won the 2017 Write Touch award.
What Price enjoys most about writing is the chance to make her readers fall in love, over and over again. She cites the greatest challenge of writing is making the unbelievable believable, while taking her characters to the limit with stories full of passion and unique twists and turns. Salting stories with undertones of history whenever possible, Price adds immeasurable depth to her well-crafted books. She currently lives in Northern Minnesota with her husband and two children where she has plenty of snow-filled days to curl up in front of the fireplace with her Chihuahua and a hot cup of coffee to write.
An interesting journey of self discovery, but more importantly, self love. I typically find myself immersed in romance reads, and I thought for sure I knew exactly what was going to happen when the wedding was called off and our heroine decided to take the honeymoon anyways. Imagine my absolute delight when I realized that this wasn’t about a romantic relationship between two people, but quite simply a girls guide to herself. I enjoyed the travel through Japan, and while I’ve never been, this immersed me quite nicely in what to expect if I ever take the trip.
When I made the leap from paperbacks to digital, this author’s books were some of the first to hook me in. I’ve read and enjoyed nearly all of her contemporaries, and I loved the first book in this series when it came out… almost four years ago. I’ve probably read about a thousand other romance novels during the gap between books (seriously), and unfortunately this wasn’t up to the standard that my hazy memory recollects. Beyond the inconsistencies in the storyline, the manufactured drama drags this down. The writing style is devourable though, and I read this in one sitting. I liked a whole lot of it, but there are definitely some issues along the way.
The story follows Summer, a woman who is having a run of bad luck. Her brother’s destination wedding is quickly approaching, and her cheating ex will be in attendance. If spending a week with the man who broke her heart isn’t bad enough, Summer’s apartment was also destroyed in a fire. Heading to her best friend’s place for a few days, Summer has a run-in with an intense (and very sexy) neighbor. As the two get to know each other a little better, Summer and Cullen realize that they both have unfinished business with their exes that could be resolved with a fake significant other. The moody Marine agrees to be Summer’s wedding date and play the role of fake fiancé, but it isn’t long before things start feeling very real.
The foundation of a great fake relationship romance is here, and that’s why I enjoyed so much of it. Cullen is the kind of hero that I love to read about – caring, sexy, alpha, and a little vulnerable. He’s trying to find himself again, and there is so much potential in that storyline. Unfortunately, that’s all sidetracked by unnecessary drama. I’m really not sure why he needed to be going through a divorce, and there are some definite inconsistencies in the storyline. The final chapters cemented this rating for me, and honestly made me consider going even lower. But I enjoyed way too much of this to drop my rating. It’s an easy, steamy read that nails certain elements and completely fumbles others, but I will admit that I liked it the whole way through. I just wish there weren’t so many things that bugged me. I received an early copy and am voluntarily leaving a review of this light, steamy romance.
Summer, born and raised in New York, left the city and her cheating fiance aka her brother's friend/ business partner Wyatt. Her new life in Montana brings her closer to her grandmother, until she passes away. When a bad date ends with a call that Summer's apartment is in flames, it looks like she will have to crash at her friend Autumn. When the password to the apartment complex isn't working she tries the neighbour but it's rudely dismissed. With no choice left she decides to break into the apartment through the open window and it's just her luck that she falls into the wrong apartment.
Cullen is as surprised as she is, but given that he's a marine who just got back from Afghanistan, he has his gun ready and pointed at the intruder's head. When she surprises him by blaming him for the attempted breaking in there seems to be a spark of interest from him.
Soon after their feisty first meet Summer surprises Cullen with an invitation to be her plus one to her brother's wedding. The perks? Enjoying time on Maui island. The cons? Pretending they are engaged. The more time they spend together, the more they pretend to be in love, the more it doesn't feel like pretending anymore.
Summer is a great, sassy (and crazy) romance heroine. With all things happening in her life she just needs to keep her mother and ex-fiance off herself and what better then a simple lie- I am engaged. Cullen is everything you can expect from an alpha marine and his experience in the military, PTSD and flashbacks seem really realistic and are well put in the story. I liked the flow of the story, it's easines and fake fiancé trope that was written well. It's an easy read and would work perfect as a light summer read.
*A great thank you to the author Melynda Price, publisher BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for this free ARC.
First of all, I really loved Summer and found it hilarious how Summer and Cullen met. Their arguments were so much fun to read, and really helped to build their relationship naturally. After they both had rocky relationships previously, I feel like this really helped soften their feelings towards each other, while also providing some hilarious content to read.
I did want to give Cullen a few kick's up the butt sometimes, the poor guy did seem to have a lot on his mind, but it went a bit far sometimes. I did love how Summer wasn't a doormat at the start, that she sassed right on back and made him work.
Halfway through the book I felt Summer lost her strength, that with her family and ex...what a psycho! I feel like I kind of understand why she didn't tell anyone, but I also just wanted to shake her around and get her to say. Why stay quiet about that, especially when her family cared about her so much and it ended up putting the blame on her. If they really knew half the stuff that dude pulled it would be a different story. Your family's happiness is more important than money, and if they didn't understand, then they aren't worth the hassle. I think I was also thrown on where that strong woman had gone, making herself miserable to essentially only make the ex happy, because I can see that the brother wouldn't be happy she kept quiet if he found out.
I feel like the book started super strong, but I didn't really enjoy the ending at all. Summer almost seemed like a completely different character just forgiving the guy, but maybe it was because the scene was so short that we didn't get to see enough.
Usually before I request an arc, I also take a little peek at the ratings at Goodreads. But I couldn't find Hit It and Quit it there. Only the prequel One and Done.
But since the blurb got me curious, I requested the arc and it was fun. We meet Summer, who is having a really, really bad day. And when she wants to crash at her best friends house, the security code to the front of the apartment complex isn't working. When she buzzes Autumn's neighbor to ask to let her in, she is rudely dismissed. with no other options for the night, she decides to break into Autumn's apartment via her open window.
Only to end up with a gun to her head (because apparently it wasn't Autumn's open window, but her surly neighbor's). Cullen has just returned from Afghanistan and has trouble adjusting to the normal life. But he certainly didn't expect some fiery woman breaking into his apartment and blaming him for her breaking in. Normally, people tend to cower from his rough appearance, but this woman just scowls at him and it is intriguing him. When she shows up a few days later and asks him to be her pretend fiance for her brother's wedding, Cullen surprises himself by agreeing to go.
But the more time Cullen and Summer are spending together, the more sparks are flying. Throw in a meddling mother-in-law, an ex-lover and some fun in the sun and you have a very interesting story.
Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.
*I was kindly sent this in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley* I really enjoyed this. I read it in a single sitting. It was such easy reading. So feel-good with just the right amount of heavier topics thrown in to ground things without it overwhelming the generally happy/summer vibes. I loved the progression and pacing of the story. It was such a fun concept and their meeting had me howling. This was generally pretty funny and I found myself laughing on a few occasions. The sex was written so well and walked the line between spicy but also realistic. So good. I loved the characters, maybe a few of them were a little flat in places (mainly her family, but occasionally I felt like Summer was a little lackluster in places also) but that was certainly made up for in Cullen. He was such a great character. I adored reading from his POV. I love the way his demons were dealt with and tackled in a very believable way. My only gripe with the book was that her family never learned the truth - I wish there had been more of a spectacle at the end, Wyatt tells them all and so she reveals his secret too and then has to patch everything up? It just would have added a little more drama to the end whilst also allowing the plot to feel like things actually lead somewhere. But obviously, that was just a side plot and the main focus at that point was on their romance. So yeah, overall a very enjoyable and quick romance that's perfect for that summer feeling.
I received an advance reader copy of this book to leave an honest review. This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone. Both books are fun, fast reads with heavy drama and romance. Price has an excellent writing style with easy to follow synopsis and timelines.
This book follows Summer and Cullen. Their initial meeting is maybe one of the best parts of the book. Summer breaks into Cullen's apartment thinking it is her friends and Cullen, a former special ops soldier, pulls a gun on her. From there on out it is all witty barbs, antagonistic attitudes and overall heat between the two. When Summer finally realizes she has to figure out seeing her ex (who cheated on her and wants to get back together) at her brother's wedding in Hawaii, she decides (after some alcohol of course) that Cullen would be the perfect date. No chance of anything happening between them. Needless to say, shenanigans ensue between the two from the get go that are hilarious and also heartwarming. One of the biggest hurdles is this burning need for Cullen to get better after his injury overseas to get back to the "sandbox" and find the man who took out his team. Once the point comes where he has to make a decision, things start to fall apart.
I won't spoil much more but this was a very fun book to read. The chemistry between the two is amazing and the humor in the book keeps you hooked. Overall I would recommend. Good romance read.
Ms Price hit it out of the ball park with this book. It has it all ... I laughed (a lot), I cried (a little) and I swooned (a lot)! Summer just cracked me up ... even though her life was crumbling, she just picked herself up and went on. Cullen was so broken, I just wanted to hug him ... among other things lol! The banter between Summer and Cullen was so snarky ... I loved it! I laughed so hard I was crying when Summer was breaking into Autumn's apartment ... you'll see what I mean when you read it. And the chemistry between Summer and Cullen ... OFF THE CHARTS! I absolutely adored this book and I sure hope there is another one in the series.
Summer needs a fake fiancé for her brother's wedding so her mother will stop badgering her and to show her cheating ex that she's over him. Cullen needs a significant other to get his ex-wife off his back ... so they decide to help each other out. But while they are in Maui at the wedding ... Cullen and Summer form a bond that will be hard to let go when their arrangement is over.
I received an early copy courtesy of BooksGoSocial through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
What happens when you mix a quirky woman, an alpha Marine, and a fake engagement? Lots of laughter, heat, and a bit of heartbreak,
While the fake fiancé trope always offers the same ingredients, I really loved that Cullen was not only active military, but Summer accepted him scars and all. His PTSD and flashbacks made his character more realistic. Watching him reluctantly fall for his “Smalls” made for a delightful read.
Summer is sassy and so much fun. I loved her character. The way she handled her ex made me want to cheer her on, especially during their last scene together.
Hit It and Quit It is a beautifully written romance full of heat, heart, and two broken souls who can only be whole if they’re together. The ending seemed rushed compared to the pacing of the rest of the book, but overall, it was a very enjoyable read.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Hit It and Quit It, is the second book I have read by author Melynda Price. This romance opens with a hilariously funny dinner date, where the main character, Summer, is listening to her companion talk about his job...cleaning up roadkill. A terrible blind date to say the least.
Summer's evening only gets worse with her apartment burning to the ground, getting soaked in the rain, and almost getting shot by her best friend's new neighbor. Wyatt, the new neighbor, is recuperating from a horrific injury and tragedy while serving in Afghanistan. He and Summer share an instant spark, which evolves into a fake engagement. Overtime, they fall into lust and love.
While this story was quite fun, it had some serious elements as well. I enjoyed the author's writing style and her words kept me engrossed from beginning to end. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Price.
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
I think the title does this book a disservice. A different title the book may have gotten a better chance at being picked out by people to read. The connotation of this title is not exactly my favorite when in conjunction with a romance. I gave my spouse a brief synopsis and asked his opinion and he was a little bit less offended because he said men tend to talk that way about women in certain situations even though he doesn’t participate in conversations of that type. Overall the book had a great bantering between the characters and a fun storyline. It had a sexy tension between the characters that made the book more interesting and want you to keep reading. I think the author could could have played with that just a little more, but overall the characters and plot was interesting.
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.
I was given this book to review for free. This book is very funny and I did enjoy it. It had a bit of everything. It has cheating and interfering with family and friends. It was a good read of a contemporary rom-com. It has provided lots of laughter. I like the interaction between Summer and Cullen. Both have past and relationship issues. I read it in one sitting and easy flowing. I did felt the heroine needed to stand up for herself more instead of putting off things. I will leave it like that since I do not want to spoilers. I gave it 4 stars because I felt that the ending was quick. This is a new author for me but will look into her other books.
I usually read historicals, but decided to try this contemporary romance. I mean... fake fiancé times 2? What could possible go wrong? We know... it will go very wrong and then oh so right. The story of Summer and Cullen begins..... with her breaking into his bedroom. He responds by tackling her and pretty much cuffing her. We just know right then and there, it only forward to true love from here. They both have some dark shadows in their past that they are dealing with, but how refreshing to see how they work through them. Love this story and am ready to check out the rest of the series!
With such a serious-looking cover and hero PTSD, I thought this was a pretty adorable romance. In general, I love a good alpha hero and I usually enjoy the fake fiance/boyfriend trope. Combine 'em and I'm hoping for a good time, and this was a fun read.
My main nit is the time it took us to get to HEA. Author started with almost insta-lust before accelerating to fake fiance time. So the time lapse to author wrapping it up in a bow, just seemed like a different tone from where we were for most of the story.
WOW!! This book was so beautifully written, I was caught up in this book I didn’t realize hours had passed since I started reading it. There are some triggers so please research them before reading. This book describes the PTSD from coming back from war very well, it was hard not to feel like Cullen was a real person. The way the characters are written and the devotion they have for each other is a type of love one could only hope for. This book is 18+ and contains intimate moments that were very thrilling to read and left me smiling.
Perfection. This book has the perfect amount of love, passion, wit, angst while also touching on serious topics to bring depth to the characters. It was a great love story. I absolutely loved the book. I found no errors or had any confusion. The writing flowed and was thoughtful. I had never heard of this author but received a free copy snd am voluntarily leaving a review but will now add her to my list to find all her books. Definitely a pro!
I absolutely loved Hit It and Quit it by . I read a lot of books and while I thought this book was going to be similar to some I had already read, it really surprised me in a good way. Summer and Cullen made the best couple and while they did have some insta love, they did have to work to fix themselves to get their happy ending. Thank you so much NetGalley for an advance copy!! This is my first book by this author and before I finished the book, I had already purchased three more!
A big thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I had some issues with this book. But I did like the chemistry between Summer and Cullen. Summer literally loses everything but acts as if nothing happens. Odd The story felt sort of disjointed at times. Also this is part of a series but you would never know. 3 stars.
In the past I've enjoyed Melynda Price's books; however, this one was a miss. The hero and heroine were not my cup of tea. Cullen's inner monologue threw me out of the story and Summer was just kinda meh.
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I love Melynda Price. And this story was no different. The only thing I would have wished for - was an epilogue or more of the ending and seeing them together.
A very well written and entertaining romance with a touch of comedy, some steamy scenes, fun and drama. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, as I really enjoyed Summer and Cullen's 'fake romance' to 'real romance' story. I'll be reading more from this author.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Dru and Cullen's story really pulls you in from the beginning of the book. It's been awhile since a book as really captured me but this one I couldn't put it down.
This romance felt so real and relatable. Everyone comes with baggage and past bad experiences and have to work through them. The characters, although unlikeable at times, felt so real. Like, they were people I would meet in real life. I’m so in love with this story, it’s plot, and the characters.
Summer has turned her back on her wealthy family in New York and chosen to live in Montana, close to her beloved grandmother until her recent death. No-one in New York knows that she broke off her engagement to her brother's business partner Wyatt when she found him cheating on her in their apartment. Drowning in grief she thinks things can't get any worse, then her house burns down and she forgot to renew the insurance. Effectively homeless she tries to crash at her BFF Autumn's flat but accidentally breaks into the apartment next-door, owned by grumpy marine Calum Moriarty.
Summer's younger brother is having a destination wedding in Maui, and of course Wyatt is his best man and Summer is one of the bridesmaids. It's going to be excruciating and that's before you add in Summer's pushy mother who is desperate for her to get back together with Wyatt and return to New York.
As with all madcap heroines, Summer accidentally lies to her mother, telling her she is engaged and bringing her fiancé to the wedding. Now she just has to find someone!
This was sweet enough, but yawn I've read it all before soooooo many times. Fake fiancé, slimy ex wants her back, pushy mom, keeping the reason for the break-up secret to protect her brother's business partnership, what goes on tour stays on tour romance. This just didn't bring anything new to the table, no side plots, no realistic side characters.
Recommended for an undemanding beach read.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.