REVIEW: A Place in the Sun by R.S. Grey

Title: A Place in the Sun
Author: R.S. Grey
Release Date: Oct 24, 2016
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Shel: A Place in the Sun gave me a different look at what R.S. Grey can do. I've seen her characters work hard and crack me up and smolder on the page; this novel felt a little more melancholy..a little more tinged with seriousness. Don't worry--there are still many times (most, actually) where I laughed/snorted at the dialogue or the situation, but I think Georgie's desire to find her person..her love..really struck a chord. Court: It did. And once it finally occurred to me who Georgie is there is for sure a realization that she has a lot more going on in that head than she portrays to a lot of people. Deep down she loves so hard, and just wants to be loved like that in return. And to say that she picked an easy catch would  mean you might not know Georgie very well!! 

Shel: Georgie's so light and full of life and so much more insightful than the chatterbox she comes off as and to read her internal thoughts and desires for the one man who'd finally caught her eye and her heart and to know that Gianluca was not ready for what she wanted was ..well, sad. Court: Yes, but I also liked all of the extras we got in this book. It was so multi-dimensional and the setting, y'all...wow. The other characters, and even the bed and breakfast...a big depth here that I enjoyed immensely. 

Shel: I don't want to mischaracterize the tone of this novel--it's full of comedy and romance and sweetness. We all need a Georgie in our lives-so vibrant and caring and fun--and the way she handles the ever brooding Gianluca is hilarious and smart and sweet. To see his subtle changes because of her unwillingness to let him be miserable is gratifying. But even with all of these many funny and light moments I still felt an undercurrent of something more serious that gave this novel something I don't think I'd seen before in her novels and I really liked it. Court: Oh yes. She is light in the dark. She is in your face, and makes even us as a reader really evaluate her thoughts and see if we can think about things the way she does. She doesn't let Gianluca get away with ignoring her, and really she's larger than life. I really liked her, and after somewhat being overshadowed by her brother, I really am glad that while they are mentioned - this is really her book, and her story and there is no distractions by her family.

Shel: Pair the love story with the absolutely stunning backdrop of Italy (I've never wanted an Italian vacation more!), and you have a wonderful weekend escape in A Place in the Sun. Court: Yes! I completely agree. Book me a flight immediately, and you should read this book asap! It is not to be missed!!! I also told Shelley that we need to marathon R.S Grey books for the foreseeable future...stat! 

When her mother’s incessant matchmaking hits an all-time high, Georgie Archibald does what any sensible woman would do: she flees the country.

Seeking refuge in the picturesque seaside village of Vernazza, Italy, Georgie’s only plan is to lie low, gorge herself on gelato, and let the wine and waves wash her troubles away...that is until she wakes up in a bed that belongs to the most romantic-looking man she’s ever seen.

Gianluca.

After going out of his way to rescue her, the former London financier turned mysterious recluse makes it clear that despite acting as her white knight, he has no plans to co-star in her fairytale.

But Georgie isn’t asking for his heart—she’s merely intrigued.

After all, Gianluca isn’t just gorgeous—tall and tan from days spent in the sun—his touch sets her world on fire. With him, Georgie experiences the most intoxicating passion she’s ever known, and it only takes a few steamy nights for her to realize that sometimes running away from trouble is the best way to find it.

I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors are Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.

   

COVER REVEAL: A Place in the Sun by R.S. Grey

Title: A Place in the Sun

Author: R.S. Grey

Release Date: Oct 24, 2016

Add on Goodreads

When her mother’s incessant matchmaking hits an all-time high, Georgie Archibald does what any sensible woman would do: she flees the country.

Seeking refuge in the picturesque seaside village of Vernazza, Italy, Georgie’s only plan is to lie low, gorge herself on gelato, and let the wine and waves wash her troubles away...that is until she wakes up in a bed that belongs to the most romantic-looking man she’s ever seen.

Gianluca.

After going out of his way to rescue her, the former London financier turned mysterious recluse makes it clear that despite acting as her white knight, he has no plans to co-star in her fairytale.

But Georgie isn’t asking for his heart—she’s merely intrigued.

After all, Gianluca isn’t just gorgeous—tall and tan from days spent in the sun—his touch sets her world on fire. With him, Georgie experiences the most intoxicating passion she’s ever known, and it only takes a few steamy nights for her to realize that sometimes running away from trouble is the best way to find it.

I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors are Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.

   

REVIEW: Out of Bounds by R.S. Grey

Title: The Summer Games: Out of Bounds

Author: R.S. Grey

Release Date: Aug 1, 2016

OUR REVIEW:

Court and I loved our first foray into R.S. Grey's books when we read THE SUMMER GAMES: Settling the Score and when we saw that she was writing another book about the games and a gymnast we were allll over it. 

In Out of Bounds the dynamic between Brie (an Olympic bound gymnast) and her newly appointed coach, Erik, was immediately explosive and I knew I was going to be in for an angsty ride. I wasn't wrong. Brie was already tense and nervous about everything that was about to happen and then you throw in a coaching change and she was on edge. THEN, when your new coach is a dick before you can even process things, BAM! we have some interesting pages ahead. Right? Right.

By the 34% mark I was inhaling the book like it was my first donut after weeks of horrible dieting. I loved the tension between them--I found myself nervously laughing to myself at Brie's attitude and Erik's general pissed off nature. I liked how Brie didn't back down from his challenging ways and demands. She shrugged him off and pretended like he wasn't constantly under her skin (he sooo was under her skin). Meanwhile Erik and his snarling "I don't play with girls" comments made me want to smack him and have Brie own his ass. Gah. He could be such a dick sometimes. Those punishing runs were killer. I'd want to kill him if I had him as a coach.

SIDE NOTE: Dude. The sexual tension between these two was epic. I think I've found a new sexual tension queen to crown--RSGrey--this crown belongs to you. And then you hit me with the yoga session: I don't know if  yoga will ever be the same and also he was ughhhhh.. a douche. The way he refers to her as his doll. It angered me, no lie.  And then I'm going along..and let's just say that alley scene? ON FIRE. Or so I thought. Then you hit me with a scene in the practice gym and OMG. OMG. O-M-G. Wut. 

So, their relationship was intense but the novel was so much more than that--the humor (hello easy bake oven), the special relationships with his grandfather and her mother, and the way the Olympic competition part was paced (no lie--I started stress eating at this part) all had me immersed in the world R.S. Grey created. Anytime I had to put the book down I found myself looking longingly at it until I could pick it back up. 

Let me end with two final observations about this novel: 

I have no idea whether R.S. Grey is or was an athlete, but if she's not, she's a great researcher and observer of people. I loved how she captured that feeling of being an athlete and also of how she wrote about friendships. I appreciated how she made Brie a team player and gave her teammates (except June) that were awesome--they egged her on to do stupid stuff  and they always had her back. It's what you want to imagine Olympic teammates are like and that's what really enhanced this novel for me--those moments of their down time when they got to be girls and to do funny things? I loved the friendship aspect of this novel--everyone should have a Molly and a Lexi and a Rosie--every scene they were in was perfect.

And, I especially liked Grey had Brie reflect on her hard work to get to the top. All the sacrifices she made (and her mom made) felt so real without overly dramatizing her life or minimizing what it took to get there. That's what made this more for me. The romance and the sexy times were good--great even-- but this reflective quality is what made it stand out and made me like Brie that much more.

Whether you read this in time for the summer Olympics or not, I think anyone who picks this one up will have quite an enjoyable experience with it. For more info, read below~

I despise Erik Winter.

He’s arrogant and cruel—a man I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy—and by some twisted turn of fate, he’s my new Olympic gymnastics coach.

I’ve had to contend with gruff coaches in the past, but Erik is far worse. His stern demeanor complements a body built for intimidation, and his reprimands come from a mouth so cunning, I know it could strip me of my defenses—if I let it.

Though each of us would love to be rid of the other forever, we are bound to each other by need and necessity. I’m his rising star, his best shot at proving himself to his critics. And without a coach, I have zero chance of winning gold in Rio.

The easiest way forward would be to wave a white flag and make peace with the man I’ll be sharing close quarters with for the foreseeable future, but he is intent on war.

Fine. By. Me.

If he pushes me, I’ll push back harder. If he wants to test me, to play with my head, I’ll show him just how many boundaries I’m willing to cross. Because I know it’s not a choice between winning or warring—not if you can have them both. At the end of it all, I plan on leaving Rio with gold around my neck and his icy heart in the palm of my hand.

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I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way, I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.

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COVER REVEAL: The Summer Games: Out of Bounds by R.S. Grey

Title: THE SUMMER GAMES: Out of Bounds

Author: R.S. Grey

Release Date: Aug 1, 2016

Add on Goodreads

I despise Erik Winter.

He’s arrogant and cruel—a man I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy—and by some twisted turn of fate, he’s my new Olympic gymnastics coach.

I’ve had to contend with gruff coaches in the past, but Erik is far worse. His stern demeanor complements a body built for intimidation, and his reprimands come from a mouth so cunning, I know it could strip me of my defenses—if I let it.

Though each of us would love to be rid of the other forever, we are bound to each other by need and necessity. I’m his rising star, his best shot at proving himself to his critics. And without a coach, I have zero chance of winning gold in Rio.

The easiest way forward would be to wave a white flag and make peace with the man I’ll be sharing close quarters with for the foreseeable future, but he is intent on war.

Fine. By. Me.

If he pushes me, I’ll push back harder. If he wants to test me, to play with my head, I’ll show him just how many boundaries I’m willing to cross. Because I know it’s not a choice between winning or warring—not if you can have them both. At the end of it all, I plan on leaving Rio with gold around my neck and his icy heart in the palm of my hand.

I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way, I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.

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REVIEW: The Summer Games: Settling The Score

OUR REVIEW:

Shel: I can't believe that this is my first R.S. Grey novel. What the hell is wrong with me? I should've started reading her novels a long time ago. Let my stupidity be a lesson to you all. READ HER BOOKS. BUY  HER NOVEL especially if you like romance and comedy and with a side of angst and sexy times. Court: RIGHT. We see her name a lot, and are just now reading one...and now! We're big time fans. Of course. Shel picks the best books for us to read. Always. So, I honestly wasn't surprised!

Shel: As noted, I haven't read any of her other works but I know enough about her books to know that her fans who've read Scoring Wilder will absolutely love Settling the Score because of the references to Kinsley and Becca and their men. I don't even know much about them and they delighted me--they're freaking hilarious and the exact kind of annoying best friends everyone needs in their life. Their humorous moments plus some seriously funny moments with Andie + Freddie and Thom and Georgie made my weekend. Grey's light touch when it came to her comedic moments were perfect--not too heavy handed and not so subtle that I missed the jokes. Comedy is hard to write and it takes talent to do it well so kudos to Grey for every funny moment she put in there. Court: OMG they were over the top weren't they! We got Scoring Wilder in our arsenal too, so I'm excited to read that...but Becca and Kinsley were super over protective, but lovable so I was able to forgive them for it! I can't even tell you how in love with Georgie I am over everyone else. The story was made even that much better because of her, and her British-isms (which, as an American, don't judge me for saying that...but y'all...don't be daft...I love that) and how much she loved and helped her brother. It really brought him down to earth as a character knowing that he was just like the rest of us, and had a great, while annoying, little sister. Loved! The whole aspect of the Olympic games, and everything these kids (I can say that now that I am 27) were going through...whew, the pressure was immense, but they were bound and determined to shine, and I loved the journey of seeing them do so.

Shel: Don't be fooled by my obvious crush on her comedic skills. R.S. Grey threw some angsty curve balls in there that had me taking breaks to just catch my breath before I dove back in. Caroline had me all sorts of pissed and crazy! And let me not forget to mention that the sexual tension between Andie and Freddie was H-O-T. Court: NO JOKE! I thought she was going to kill us there for a minute. It was tough, and OMG some people are just cray cray, and the media is crazy...so if that is what being famous entails, I am glad I am not! The writing was stellar, and addictive-so again I had a late night reading this book! But "no ragrets" yo..haha.

Shel: With the humor, angst, and sex, you may think I've forgotten about the backdrop: the Olympic Games. But I haven't. As a matter of fact, I know absolutely nothing about soccer but the sequences of the team on the field or training were really wonderful--they were exciting and fatiguing and had me all sorts of excited to watch the games this summer!! Court: Me either. We are soccer newbies together, but Andie could make me enjoy it a little bit more, and probably if I saw a game live. It was a fun element added to the story, and in my limited knowledge, very thorough and knowledgeable.

Shel: There's so much to enjoy about this novel and I'm excited that there will be another book in this series (and a whole slew of novels in her catalog that I need to get my hands on!!). If you're looking for a really well written sports romantic comedy this is the perfect one to read now! Court: *raises hand* yes, sports rom-com's are our favorite...and I am hoping every minute that Georgie's story is next!

As an Olympic rookie, Andie Foster has spent far more time in her cleats than between the sheets. For 21 years, her Fridaynights have consisted of blocking shots rather than taking them. But now that she's landed in Rio, she's ready to see for herself if the rumors about the Olympic Village are true:

The athletes are all sex-crazed maniacs...
The committee passes out condoms like candy...
The games continue long after the medals have been handed out...

As Andie walks the line between rumor and reality, she's forced into the path of Frederick Archibald, a decorated Olympic swimmer and owner of a sexy British accent—too bad he's unavailable in a way that "it's complicated" doesn't even begin to explain.

In other words: off limits.

It doesn't matter that he has abs that could bring peace to the Middle East and a smile that makes even the Queen blush; Andie fully intends on keeping her focus on the soccer field. But the Village is small. Suffocating. Everywhere Andie goes, Freddie happens to be there—shirtless, wet from the pool, and determined to show her a whole new meaning of the phrase "international affairs".

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I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way, I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.

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