Disclosure – All reviews and opinions, are my own. If you make a purchase through my referral links, I may earn a small commissions from Amazon, and/or other retailers at no extra cost to you.
***I received an advance review copy of One Week in Paradise from the author, but am leaving this review voluntarily***
Blurb
When disgraced influencer Bailey Clarke is invited to go on an all expenses paid trip to a couples only resort in Jamaica, she’s ecstatic. This is the perfect opportunity to rebuild her brand. Only problem is…she’s not currently in a relationship.
Enter the effortlessly handsome Caspian ‘Cash’ Reid, who just so happens to be her brother Dane’s best friend. He’s never seemed to like Bailey, but when Dane jokingly suggests Cash accompany her to Jamaica and get a free holiday, Bailey can’t get the idea out of her head.
Surprisingly, Cash agrees to be her fake boyfriend all in the name of content. Their agreement is simple enough, but one week in paradise brings them closer than ever before and an undeniable spark ignites between them.
But Bailey has secrets, and the closer they get to one another, the closer Cash gets to unravelling her shameful past. As the lines blur between their fake dating agreement and their real feelings, will Bailey let Cash into her life or will she let her past destroy her future?
A steamy fake dating contemporary romance.
My Review
Bailey is an Instagram influencer who has hit a low point in her career after a viral video shows her in a questionable light. She loses everything; her boyfriend, her apartment, and countless followers and brand deals, and is living back at home with her parents, who don’t fully understand or support or Influencer career. After her world is turned upside down, she’s in an understandably dark place. She’s left doubting herself, her passion, and her worthiness of being loved.
When a brand reaches out with an invite to Jamaica to a couples only resort, it seems as if things may begin to turn around for her, except one major detail, Bailey is newly single after The Video. When her older brother suggests she takes his best friend, Cash, on the trip as a fake boyfriend, she immediately shoots down the idea. After almost two decades of knowing each other, Cash can barely even stand to be in the same room with her; so why on earth would he go on a couple’s holiday to Jamaica with Bailey?
Surprise, surprise!
Cash almost immediately agrees, and that’s where the story begins to take off. 7 days in Jamaica changed everything for Bailey and Cash. We get to see Bailey rediscover her passion being an influencer, develop new friendships and relationships, and ultimately push aside the negativity and rumors that are so easily spread online, and own up to her truth while also standing up for herself.
I loved reading about the influencer life and some of the lows that can come with it, especially since it is such a glamorized lifestyle right now. And watching Bailey gain her confidence back and being able to open up to and trust Cash after everything she went through, made me want to hug her.
I absolutely loved this book. It was an extremely quick read, but for me, the pacing was perfect. Especially when you’re looking for something light to break up darker reads. The fake dating and miscommunication tropes were done well. I also loved seeing bits and pieces of Cash’s true feelings shine through before he shut them down. I do wish it would have been a dual POV, so that we could see more of what was going on in Cash’s head (especially after the massage!) But the chemistry between those two is electric and you could feel it through the pages. I really hope there is a sequel to their story somewhere down the road.
I received an ARC copy of Living Legend from Grey’s Promotions, in exchange for an honest review.
Heaven’s Gate has a demon problem, and the higher ups call in their favorite sentry to discreetly solve their issue while also bringing in a soul seething demon and her violence obsessed, fellow demon, to assist. Living Legend is full of action, banter, spotlight stealing side characters, and slow burn spice, that leaves you wanting more.
Angels and demons on the same team? What could go wrong?
Dani is the definition of a strong and confident female main character and I absolutely loved her. She is completely and unapologetically herself and will not change that for anyone. Not even the handsome angel that has caught her eye and her body’s attention. But the tension, banter, and side character dynamics absolutely made this story for me. Elise & Reese definitely need their own book. Elise is a psychotic demon, that doesn’t do “friends” and is absolutely my favorite character behind Dani.
Nick is the dark-haired, sentry favorite of the executive angels, and Reese is his mouthy, flirtatious, and extremely loyal, best friend. They unwillingly team up with demons, Dani and Elise, to discover who is letting demons into Heaven’s Gate, and discreetly stop it.
The world building gives you just enough details without overwhelming you with facts like some fantasy books can easily do. The story was action packed, with plot twists at every turn. I had suspects on my list and almost every time I thought I knew who was behind it all, I was wrong. The spice was definitely slow burn and full of tension, as any slow burn book should be, but it was also short lived. I found myself wanting more spicy scenes as the story unfolded throughout the second half.
The overall pacing of the story felt slow in the beginning, but once I hit the 50-60% point in the book, it took off, and I couldn’t put it down.
I wouldn’t say the story ended on a huge cliffhanger, but that epilogue absolutely has me anxious for Book 2. I can’t wait to see where Dani and Nicks journey goes, and hope we get some POVs from Elise and Reese in the sequel.
Check out Living Legend, by Allie Shante, if you’re looking for ✔️ A strong, confident FMC ✔️Enemies to lovers ✔️Slow-burn romance ✔️Forced proximity ✔️Dual POV ✔️Angels, Demons, and magic
She’s been called from her place in the darkness to aid the side of good in the last place she wants to be…
Dani, groomed by Lilith herself, has long been spreading horror in the murk of purgatory. She never asked to be summoned to Heaven’s Gate and never expected to be charged with the stubbornly attractive angel Nicholas as her partner. Though, with a face like his to look at, Dani isn’t about to complain. The lines between good and evil are shifting. Dani discovers that, lurking in her familiar darkness, are secrets she would never have guessed at and doesn’t understand. Now she must ask herself, who is a demon supposed to trust?
He’ll have to join forces with the last entity he expected… but sometimes true loyalty lies in the most unexpected places.
Nicholas is a sentry angel yet to see actual combat, so it comes as a surprise when he’s summoned by the highest angelic executive. The bigger shock is being forced to rally together with an alluring demon he can’t get out of his head. But as allegiances are tested, Nicholas discovers a lot is hiding between the boundaries of good and evil. Side by side, Nicholas and Dani must fight the unknown… in whatever form it takes.
Allie Shante was born and raised in Georgia and graduated from Georgia State University with a biology degree. While science was fun, books have always been apart of her heart and writing right up there with it. When she’s not reading and writing confident females and stubborn men, she enjoys being an over protective dog mom and crushing escape rooms with her husband.
