Girlfriend, Interrupted Patricia Caliskan

Ella Shawe met the man of her dreams--who also has two children. This isn't a story of how she wants/needs the children's approval. It is how she adapts to life after living with Dan and his children for the past seven months. Ella is trying to be the best step-girlfriend she can be but creating home-cooked meals and going on a cleaning frenzy--both things she is not comfortable doing. None of it is anything that Dan asked her to do. Ella also feels like she is competing with Dan's ex-wife, who seems to be completely perfect.  She wanted the children to embrace her and become a family. But Ella also has to content with her mother--a sex therapist who has a radio show. Ella feels like that nothing she does is enough for Dan's children especially his tween daughter who is starting her teen angst early. To add to her insecurities, Dan's mother keeps making off-handed comments about how Ella isn't doing anything correctly especially when it comes to Dan's two children. What does Ella do? She breaks up with Dan because--well a girl can only take so much. But will Dan be able to bring her back? Can they ever be together as a family? How can she measure up to all that pressure?

The Serial Dater's Shopping List Morgen Bailey

It is rare when I don't adore a rom-com. This one sounded like I would be laughing but back side off. But it was not what I expected. There are scenes that could have been hilarious but were just okay. Each chapter is set up as a different date that she goes on--ok one or two are combined in the chapter but the chapter headings are nicknames for the date. Izzy is a technology journalist for the local Northampton newspaper. She loves her job! Izzy adores everything related to technology. Companies send her samples and freebies to review in her daily column. Her editor, William gives her a new assignment--go on 31 dates in 31 days using an online website. She is supposed to detail the dates. But Izzy doesn't really do that. She briefly describes the dates without giving too much info about the dates themselves or what happened. She accepts dates from a wide variety of men from an environmentalist who doesn't keep up with politics to two married men to a gay guy. But with each of these men she learns something new about herself and what she wants from a man. One thing she realizes is that sometimes you have to shop around for that perfect dress--man. As a woman knows, you have to try on multiple dresses before finding that perfect one. Sometimes that first comfy, and sexy dress is the perfect one. But you don't know that until after you've tried on all the other dresses. 
I love that analogy Bailey had at the end with Izzy's character. It is perfectly describes how Izzy found her perfect dress--man. 
While, I had moments of disappointment with this novel. I still enjoyed the trials and tribulations that Izzy endured.  

Summer Scandal Kat French

A Summer Scandal 

Kat French 

Violet has a safe stable life, living with her parents, beside her Grandpa Henry, and dating reliable Simon. Violet feels stiffled. She doesn't realize how stiffling her life was until after her grandfather passed away and willed Violet a pier and a condo. Yes, an entire pier at a small town ocean town two hours away in Swallow Beach. On the day of her grandfather's will reading, Simon proposes. He states that he will wait for her after she tells him that she's going to live at Swallow Beach for the summer. 

Violet feels a pull to her dead grandmother, Monica who died when Violet's mother Della was a small child. The more Violet spends in her grandparent's Lido condo the more Violent feels connected to the women she's never met. To top it all off, Violet looks almost exactly like Monica. 

Her grandfather's condo is located in a building called the Lido. She immediately befriends Barty and his granddaughter Keris both of who live in the groundfloor. Cal, the blue-eyed leathermaker who takes her breath away. Violet tries to stay away from Cal and the pull of attraction he has on her. The friendly exchanges of number and neighborly dinner only instensifies her attraction to him. 

Cal's mother, Lady Mayoress is doing everything in her power to gain control over the pier from Violet. Lady Mayoress, Gladys is looking out for the town and her only son. She wants to ensure that the pier re-opening is in the best interest of the town. At the moment, Gladys isn't so sure since Violet has decided to re-open the pier that sells various forms of sex toys. She believes that this will attract unsavory people. 

Cal knows what's best for him. For years, he thought that was his first love Ursula. She left him to become an American model. The more time he spends with Violet, the more he's falling for her. He doesn't realize how much he loves her until it's almost too late when a fire breaks out on the pier with over a hundred people on it. 

The Invitation by Keris Stainton

     

This novel focuses just as much on body image as it does on the romantic notion that a person can find that "one who got away." Piper James is body positive blogger. She focuses on having a healthy body image over healthy living. Yes, Piper is considered "chunky" or "fat" but she works out and maintains a healthy lifestyle. Piper works for a record label in the legal department. But that is not how she lands herself on Hey UK! morning show debating the differences between dieting and maintaining a healthy body image. After her television premier, Piper hears from her high school crush, Robbie Kingsford. She again runs into Robbie at the Starbucks in her hometown of New Brighton when she has to rush home due to her great aunt falling ill. Rob invites her to return home for their high school reunion in a few weeks.

But Piper never wants to return to her old stomping grounds. There are too many memories in New Brighton for her. She can see her parents ghosts almost everywhere in New Brighton. She also hasn't dealt with the fat shaming from her childhood either. Rob just wants a chance to be with his high school crush--Piper.   

    

https://www.keris-stainton.com/

                                                                                                                                      

All I Want is You by Patricia Mar

Mar puts a different spin on this romantic novel--the story of Sara De Michele and Daniel Gant isn't the beginning of their love story but the middle. How couple need compromise and trust to grow as a couple. The storyline was not what  I expected. My expectations were of the couple runs into a few hiccups--they break up and get back together. Instead Sara and Daniel are madly in love with each other. The conflict of the story is they are so madly in love that it blinds them and feeds their insecurities especially for Sara since Daniel is a highly sought after male model with the media and Hollywood knocking on his door.
Another surprise for the reader is Daniel is just as much if not more insecure about himself and his relationship as Sarah is. His cousin enters the scene at the height of Daniel's insecurities and when Daniel has to leave for a meeting in Hollywood. The media adds to both Sara and Daniel's insecurities when Daniel is photographed at a party with a Hollywood actress. Of course, the quirky sister and best friend also assist the duo with finding their true passion and reminding both Sara and Daniel what they each want--each other.