Day: August 17, 2018

Tag: The Office Book Tag

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THEOFFICEBOOKTAG

I was tagged by Leslie for The Office Book Tag! Confession time: I have watched an episode of The Office here and there, but I haven’t watched all of it! I know!! I need to get on that soon!

1. Michael Scott – Book that tried WAY too hard:

I really wanted to love I Hate Everyone But You but it fell so short for me. I think I get where the authors were trying to go with it, but they went so far that I just ended up hating it.

2. Dwight Schrute – Book that ended up being a lot more complex than you thought it would be:

I Stop Somewhere ended up being a lot more serious than I expected. It was a really heavy book and while it was good, I don’t know that I would actually recommend it.

3. Jim Halpert – YOU in a book. Book/character that you related to a ton:

I have to go with Leslie’s answer — Penny from Emergency Contact. I mentioned in my review that I had a friendship a lot like Penny and Sam’s when I was that age, and I just really loved this book.

4. Pam Beesly – Seriously underrated but amazing book you wish everyone would read:

Starry Eyes! I know that I talk about this book all the time, but I wish that it got more attention because it’s just so good.

5. Ryan Howard – THE INTERN. Debut novel that impressed you:

My favorite debut so far this year is Love Scene, Take Two! I can’t wait to read more from Alex Evansley.

6. Andy Bernard – ANNOYING book/character that you can’t help but love (or not):

Actually, every character in Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List is terrible and I would never want to meet any of them in person, but the book as a whole was really entertaining.

7. Robert California – Book/character/plot that went over your head or was really confusing:

I don’t actually know if A Visit from the Goon Squad was confusing or if it went over my head, but it was a real mess and I don’t know how it won a Pulitzer.

8. Angela Martin – Book with a plot that didn’t appeal to you at first but you ended up loving:

I really wasn’t sure about Sky in the Deep when I first picked it up, but I ended up really loving it!

9. Kelly Kapoor – Favorite sassy character:

Meredith from Arrogant Devil is pretty sassy!

10. Kevin Malone – Book that features music:

Seven Ways to Lose Your Heart by Tiffany Truitt features a whole music festival!

11. Phyllis Lapin – Book that made you feel warm and fuzzy:

Anything Jenn Bennett writes makes me feel warm and fuzzy, but for the sake of this prompt, I’ll go with Alex, Approximately.

12. Oscar Martinez – Book that has an awesome LGBT character that defies stereotypes:

There are a lot of LGBT characters in Running With Lions and I don’t really think any of them fall into common stereotypes.

13. Stanley Hudson – Character/book that DGAF: 

I’m once again going with Leslie’s answer — Mia from Nevernight absolutely doesn’t give a fuck.

14. Meredith Palmer – Book you couldn’t stomach (too graphic/violent/romantic/vulgar – or whatever your reason!):

Definitely Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk. I loved his books when I was in high school, but I read this one in college and just couldn’t do it. I mean, I finished it, but I hated it and I really clearly remember laying on my boyfriend’s couch and complaining to his roommate about it.

15. Creed Bratton – Book/series that only ever made you ask more questions:

I love V.E. Schwab and everything she writes, but A Conjuring of Light ripped my heart out and then left a lot to be desired. I still had a lot of questions at the end of the book, and, well, it’s the last book in the series, so that’s not really a great thing…

I’m tagging:

Any fans of The Office and anybody who wants to do this!
Please link back to me if you do it so that I can see your answers! ❤

Mini-reviews: The Billionaire’s Secret duology by Ivy Layne

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The Billionaire’s Secret Heart by Ivy Layne
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Links: Amazon • Goodreads
Publication Date: June 6, 2016
Source: I think this came from someone’s mailing list?

Josephine:
It was the worst blind date in the history of the universe, until Holden Winters swept in and rescued me.
Are you kidding? Holden Winters?
A scion of the notorious Winters family, Holden is gorgeous, wealthy, and brilliant. He dates socialites and pop stars, not computer science grad students more comfortable in a hoodie than couture.
Our night together was a fantasy…and a huge mistake.

Holden:
I don’t usually steal other guy’s dates. I don’t have to. A look is all it takes, and the women fall over themselves to get to me. Then I saw Josephine, sitting with her dweeb of a date, just waiting for a man who could appreciate her lush curves and sharp brain. When she ghosted on me, I shouldn’t have been so shocked, but women never walk away from me. Josephine thought she could call the shots – she didn’t realize that a Winters man always gets what he wants. And I wanted her.

The Billionaire’s Secret Heart is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It’s the first in the Scandals of the Bad Boy Billionaires series, and introduces the notorious men of the Winters family. You can read it on its own, but you might want to read the others once you get a taste of the Winters men.

Here we are again, hate-reading another book from the dark, dusty corners of my Kindle. Someone remind me why I do this reading challenge. I would prefer to just forget that these books exist.

This one doesn’t actually start off that badly. I mean, from the beginning, I really disliked that the hero is named Holden. I think that name should be reserved for one character only and not used on an asshole billionaire, but let me just set that aside. The beginning is actually really funny! I love reading about terrible, cringy dates. It makes me feel better about my teenage years. And an awkward, cringy date is how this book opens.

It all falls apart around 5% when the author not only forgets how she spells her own character’s name (is it Stuart or Stewart?) but also then forgets that said character even existed. Holden whisks Josephine away to his private penthouse, or something, and they have a lot of sex. A lot of sex. So much.

Then there’s just drama. One thing after another. There’s a weird love triangle, some instalove thrown in for good measure, and a “you’re not like any other girl I’ve dated,” which is, admittedly, a step up from “you’re not like other girls.” Josephine borrows her friend’s dress (fine, nice, okay) and also borrows her friend’s bra (not fine, not okay, just weird). At one point, Holden says, “Take off your bra” even though Josephine’s “full breasts spilled free” not even three paragraphs earlier. This book was terrible, but at least they used condoms every time.

Some quotes:

  • “I’m a scientist and I rarely exaggerate.”
  • “I jumped out of the bed like a scalded cat.”
  • “I was guessing he had a big cock. Exact inches didn’t matter.”
  • “I hadn’t just slept with him. I’d fucked him three times.”

#killingthetbr: 1 year on shelf

The Billionaire’s Secret Love by Ivy Layne
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Links: Amazon • Goodreads
Publication Date: June 7, 2016
Source: I think this came from someone’s mailing list?

Emily
I tried to say no. I did more than try, I flat out turned him down. Repeatedly. But Tate Winters doesn’t take no for an answer. He’s smart, hot, and he knows how to get to me. Before I can stop myself, I’m falling for him. But Tate doesn’t know my secrets. He doesn’t understand that we can’t be together, no matter how much we both want it.

Tate
I like things easy, at least when it comes to women. I’m Tate Winters – I’ve never had to work for a female in my life. Emily is worth the effort, I know she is. She’s beautiful, brilliant, and real. The only woman I’ve ever known who can match me. She keeps running from me, but I won’t let her get away. Emily Winslow is mine. I just have to prove it to her.

The Billionaire’s Secret Love is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It’s the second book in the Scandals of the Bad Boy Billionaires series, and reveals more about the notorious men of the Winters family. You can read it on its own, everything you need to know from the first book is explained, but you might want to read the others once you get a taste of the Winters men.

So, I was a little nervous to read this installment of the series because

  1. It’s not like the first book was good (at all), and
  2. Let’s be honest, Tate sounds like a rapist from the synopsis.

And, yeah, turns out that this book is even worse than I thought it would be. I mean, what can I even say? Tate tells us what a gentleman he is and then promptly starts stalking Emily. Emily turns him down, so he asks if she’s a lesbian, because that’s the only reason he can come up with that a woman wouldn’t be falling all over herself to date him. At one point, Tate tries to “trap her without making her feel trapped.” There’s also a tense change mid-sex scene, so that’s great. Oh, and a very brief side plot about murder and paparazzi and crime scene photos that’s promptly forgotten because of the “stupendous” sex that Tate and Emily have.

This book is only 99 pages but it was a struggle to finish.

Some quotes:

  • “At the memory of Tate’s strong hand on my arm as we crossed the street, I shivered again, my nipples tightening, an ache rising between my legs.”
  • “My cock wasn’t exactly small, or even average.”
  • “When his hand slid under my shirt, I broke the kiss and said, ‘I made you a picnic.'”

#killingthetbr: 1 year on shelf

Have you read this duology? Let’s talk in the comments!

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