Mia could be my new BFF
929482
OMG!  I just adore Mia and her lists! She is quirky and funny and made this book so enjoyable! And then there is Lucas... Not our type but loveable none the less! He seemed like the perfect gentleman until about 70%!? I'm so glad their story will be continuing...

Top five reasons I love this book:
1. Mia
2. Lucas
3. Paris
4. Wine
5. Hot sex
4149625
I have been fortunate enough to read all of Sylvia Massara's books and enjoyed them all for different reasons. We first meet Mia Ferrari in Playing With the Bad Boys when she solves a murder which was made to look like a suicide.
Mia Ferrari is one of those gutsy female characters that you wish, as a writer, you had invented, and as a reader, you had as a friend. She is strong, opinionated and unafraid of anything that life throws at her. This is one ballsy chick.
In the Gay Mardi Gras Murders, Mia has her work cut out when a particularly gruesome murder is committed at the hotel while she is duty manager. She does what any wannabe detective does and sets out to uncover the murderer. Even though she is warned off the case, has to juggle her day to day work, look after a friend from the UK who has personal issues, and try not to murder the difficult Phil Smythe, the man she hates most in the world.
The situation is further complicated when more horrific murders occur. Nothing fazes Mia, who is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery particularly, when she is befriended by a group of delightful and amusing "queens" and learns of the disappearance of a large jewel.
What I particularly like about Sylvia's novels, her ability to write about emotions, not just love. Mia has had some major knockbacks in her life and is not some soppy girl. She hates her ex-husband but can deal with the mess he has left behind. She gets angry and isn't afraid to show it. She is a grown woman who likes men, particularly bad boys, even though she knows she shouldn't, and she enjoys sex. She isn't seeking a happy ever after solution. So what the reader gets, is a well-rounded, well balanced character, one who convinces us all that friendships are by far the greatest gift you can have, and that they can be even stronger than marital ties.
Sylvia also paints a wonderful, vibrant picture of the Mardi Gras carnival and the gay community that she meets, with a sincerity and at times, a poignancy. Her characters are affectionate and wholesome, yet in contrast, the brutal murder of a transsexual is callous and serves to highlight the deplorable nature of some.
Mia's friend from the UK, Amanda, is on a personal journey, taking time out to enjoy a holiday with her friend and to decide what to do with her future. Mia stands firmly behind her, even when she makes some poor judgments, not condemning her decisions or criticising her. Who wouldn't want a friend like that? Mia is made of stern stuff and with her on your side you will not go wrong.
The novel is fast paced, realistic and gritty but also sensitive and well written. I grew to like Mia more and more, as the plot and her own character unfolded.
Mia too learns much in this book. At the end, there is a hint of what is to come next for her. Without giving away any of the story, I can say that I shall be waiting with baited breath for the next in this series.
963536
I absolutely adored this book! I devoured it and wanted more. Lucas and Mia are such a great couple, balancing each other out. Melanie Harlow did a fantastic job of creating this story and developing the characters perfectly. I think one of my favorite things was the lists. It was done so that it described Mia to a T in such a simple form. Brilliant.
The steam factor was top notch and I loved reading it develop between Mia and Lucas as they got more comfortable with each other. One-click and travel to France for a fab love story!
3595237
This book has been one of my favorites!  Mia has come back to her roots with more time with Murphy and the Peeps group. The group all have different lives but are still close like family.  I am glad that they are doing investigations together. I wonder if Cid will be bringing back the next big investigation for them. Can't wait for the next book.
4005606
I received this book as an ARC

I LOVE IT!!!! Mia Caldwell, I am just loving your books of late. Love the story line. Nessa, I love her character.
4575465
Loved this book for the most part. My only complaint was that it was very predictable throughout the entire story. I'm still giving it 4 stars because I love Mia's writing and her stories always make me feel good. I would read a comic book if Mia Sheridan wrote it, she is that incredible.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. It wasn't my absolute favorite book of Mia's but I still loved it.
964866
Thomas & June chemistry  was instant. This sexy story will heat you up all over.  I was hooked from page one. Mia had become one of my favorite authors in a short amount of time.
43195
It was a good romance, but I sometimes I felt weird about Mia. She was likable and I thought she had a cool backstory, but overall she seemed to act weird towards the hero of the story. It seemed like she would flip flop her feelings toward him.

I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing.
49944
A new friend for the new year. I like it so far.
4187971
Mia Quinn is an intriguing new character in this series and it's interesting to watch her juggle being a DA, a widow, and a mother. She tries her best and is definitely a sympathetic character. Her good friend Colleen is murdered while on the phone with Mia and Mia is assigned the case. She searches for Colleen's killer and along with an investigator named Charlie looks into whether Colleen's death is connected to the death of Stan, another assistant district attorney who was killed several years earlier. At the same time, Mia is committed to pursuing justice for a teenage suicide victim who was bullied. The story starts off with Colleen's murder so things get going pretty quickly and we are thrown into the action. This is a popular technique but sometimes it feels odd that we don't get to know the characters better before bad things happen to them. Perhaps we don't get to know the characters that well at the beginning of the story, it wasn't a "one more chapter before bed" kind of book for me. Nonetheless, the story moves along at a nice pace and I was curious to see what would happen next, especially since Mia is likable and has a lot going on in her life. Her bickering with Charlie was slightly annoying at first, but overall they seemed realistic. Mia's father also has an interesting role as he's recently become more active in his church.
3429283
I loved this book and it's companion Finding Eden so much. I thought it was crazy brilliant and so unique.  Mia is an auto-buy for me.
2331531
This was a cute story between a reclusive rock star and a very quirky artist.  I loved Mia and her quirkiness was one of the many things about her I liked, but there were times I wanted to shake her for being so stubborn and fighting her feelings for Brennan.  Brennan was just an idiot at times but that is part of what makes the story.

I couldn't stand Mia's cousin Skylar to the point I would cringe every time her was in the scene and I'm not sure if it was her or the way she treated Mia, or maybe a little bit of both.

I have already started book 2 in this series and I'm curious to see how it connects to book one.
1553938
I have found a new cozy sleuth who has warmed my heart, Sophie Winston. I love her character as she is like a lot of us, a little overweight and trying to make her way in the world doing something she loves. Her love is cooking and boy do her recipes in the first book of the series sound oh so yummy. My favorite if the Crusty Country Bread, Bacon and Herb Stuffing. Is Thanksgiving here yet?

In The Diva Runs out of Thyme, I was laughing one minute and clutching my Kindle the next out of anxiety wondering was Sophie going to make it. When she becomes a suspect in several murders she does not mind getting her or Nina, her best friends hands dirty trying to figure out who is the real murderer I would love to have a spunky Nina in my life.

There are a lot of characters but Krista Davis does a tremendous job with the character development. I never once got confused with who was who and who was doing what. I was impressed with her scene description as I always felt like I was right there in the room with the characters especially when the scene took place in Sophies kitchen. I want her kitchen that is outfitted with a fireplace made out of rock that came over with her husbands immigrant family and the kitchen table that everyone congregates to. A hint of romance for Sophie really develops at the end of the book but I am not going to give anything away as I want you to be as awed as I was.

I was very impressed with the clean language and no sexual content besides a few kisses here and there. I am interested to see if the series continues this way. I definitely can see this novel being made into a Hallmark Movies and Mysteries movie.
3063571
I want to start this review out by saying I will definitely be reading more by J. Daniels in the future. I enjoyed her writing style and her voice even if I didn't always enjoy the book. I was left wanting more from this book a lot. I wanted to know more about Mia other than that her mom was sick and she was awkward as a kid. I also felt like I needed to suspend a lot of belief to enjoy this book, which I really didn't mind, but I know that it will bother other people.

Ben seemed like a really great guy. I wanted to know why he was such a jerk when they were younger. It felt like there was more behind his problem with Mia, but that was never explored. I couldn't put the book down. I did enjoy it a lot and would have enjoyed it even more if some of the things I wished had been explored had been explored. Also, I was a bit confused by how Mia reacted to a hugely tragic event in her life. I would have been beyond consolable, but she barely seemed fazed.

Overall I liked this book and I will definitely read more about this author.
1214274
Super cute and adorable, The Fine Art of Pretending is a read that will capture your heart and leave you wanting more from Rachel Harris.

Alyssa Aly Reed has always been the friend to all the guys at Fairfield Academy. Shes never the one who is asked out on dates or has the boys swooning over her and she believes thats down to her tom boy style. She loves sports, shes competitive and she never wears make up. But thats about to change. Aly is determined that for her senior year that she will be the girl all the boys want by changing her style from tomboy to girly and shes set her sights on the hottest guy at school, Justin. The problem is Aly believes she needs to be noticed and this is where her best friend, Brandon Taylor comes in when she convinces him to be her pretend boyfriend. But, as her and Brandon start their fake relationship it soon becomes harder to work out whats real or not.

This was the first book Ive read by author Rachel Harris and I can now officially say I want more from her. Its impossible not to see her other work around, so its definitely something Im going to be checking out while I wait for more from the The Fine Art of Pretending series.

The Fine Art of Pretending was just the type of read I was looking for. I was reading a New Adult story and wasn't really in the mood so Im glad I had this book ready and waiting for me because it really was a fantastic read! I loved how the story was so realistic to so many teenagers nowadays because of how many teenagers try to change who they are to fit in better or in this case to stand out more. The deeper message of the story is, you are who you are, don't change yourself unless it makes you happy.

The characters of the story are just great. Aly and Brandon have such a deep connection that you cant help root from them from the start. Even though they have their ups and downs during the story, I could completely sympathize with both of them. With Aly making the biggest change and going through a lot to finally discover who she is, I felt a deeper connection to her. But with Brandons point of view come different issues and for that I loved him too.

In all, The Fine Art of Pretending is a lovable YA contemporary read that will have you swooning all the way through. Very enjoyable and simply a fantastic summer read!
2423186
I read both books and was so touched. There was just the right amount of angst.  I would have liked to have read Xander's story.  Hopefully Mia will give us that
757392
I was so excited to read this book because I love the premise of a good girl and a bad boy falling in love. I often feel like I can relate to the good girl character, so I love putting myself in their shoes and pretending like the bad boy is falling in love with me. Mia was the good girl character in this book, but she wasn't as relatable as I thought she would be. What I didn't really understand about Mia's character was how snarky/sassy she was right off the bat. Her character came off as being sheltered and quiet, but she really wasn't. I enjoy characters that can be sassy, but she came off as way too sassy right away for a "shy girl". I would have enjoyed it more if she eventually grew into a character that could be sassy at the perfect moments.

I absolutely loved Ryder's character. I am a sucker for bad boys. He was the perfect bad boy. Ryder could be a total jerk, but underneath he had a big heart. I really enjoyed seeing him slowing grow and become more comfortable and open with Mia. Chapters in his point of view were the best because he was hilarious and I loved reading what he was thinking about.

The romance was cute, but I felt like it wasn't really developed as well as it could have been. Their feelings seemed to be instant, and I wish it had been a little bit more of a slow burn relationship. They had some really cute moments, and I highly enjoyed those little moments. Even though the relationship felt rushed, it was still really adorable.

The ending was one of the cutest endings that I ever read. I loved it to pieces and it made my heart feel like it was full of rainbows. This book overall was very sweet, and it was an enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to people who love the good girl and bad boy romance. It is a quick and fun read, and it definitely will put a smile on everyone's face (especially the ending).

4 / 5 Fangs

Cliffhanger: No

*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review *

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