ARC Review: Fake-Ish by Winter Renshaw

I loved Dorion so much! Him and Briar were so good together. They had such a strong connection from the very start and their chemistry was off the charts. These two had it all and my heart felt for both of them in the situation they were in. I'm so glad that they were able to figure things out in the end. They were so real and genuine and I'm glad they remained that way at the end. 

Winter Renshaw never disappoints, and this was no exception. She just knocks it out of the park each and every time! I always look forward to her stories and can't wait for what is next! Winter Renshaw is one of my favorite authors and I can't recommend her books enough. Fake-Ish is one of my new faves, this one is a must read!

**ARC Provided by Publisher/Author**

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ARC Review: You or Someone Like You by Winter Renshaw

I absolutely loved You or Someone Like You by Winter Renshaw! I couldn’t put this book down! I was hooked from the very first page until the last, and was completely lost in this story. I didn’t know much about this book going in, but the wrong twin, right guy part of the blurb sold me and I am so glad that I read this book.

Roman is a widower left to raise his young daughters after losing his wife and has struggled to move on since her death. Sloane gets sucked into helping her sister try to get a promotion when her sister’s boss insists on setting her up with her nephew. Agreeing to help her sister out, Sloane is shocked to find out that the date is with Roman, the person that got Sloane fired from her job a few years prior. Both Sloane and Roman are lovers of art, while he collects it, she sells it. They quickly find themselves bonding over art, but with so many secrets and lies between them, what happens when it all eventually comes out?

I could feel the connection and chemistry between these two right away. It was clear on their first “date” that they had more in common that either wanted or expected, and I loved seeing them grow from that. They were so good together and I couldn’t get enough. Honestly I haven’t been this invested in characters or a story for awhile, and Roman and Sloane were everything I love to read about and had been hoping for here! I loved seeing how things unfolded and how art really brought them together. It all felt so natural and believable. 

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year, and I cannot recommend it enough! This one is an absolute must read!

**ARC Provided by Ardent PRose**

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ARC Review: The Rebound by Winter Renshaw

I have become a fan of Winter Renshaw's and I love sports romance stories, so I couldn't wait to read The Rebound. While I have really enjoyed the books I have read from Winter Renshaw in the past, The Rebound wasn't my favorite. I had a lot of issues with the story and the reason I am giving this one 2 stars is because I did actually finish the book. 

Yardley and Nevada thought that they were about to have it all. They loved one another and Nevada was headed to college to play basketball and hopefully begin a professional career. They promised that they would wait for one another and make things work. But unfortunately their promises didn't hold up, and now 10 years later Nevada returns home after retiring from basketball for good. Nevada is now a widower and a single father, and the last person he wants to see or talk to is Yardley after everything that has happened. 

My biggest problem here was Nevada. He was an absolute jerk that refused to listen to anything Yardley had to say, yet he had no problem using her when it suited him. I really hate when communication or a simple misunderstanding is blown out of proportion and is pretty much the entire cause for drama, and unfortunately that was the case here. Everything could have been solved so much quicker if Nevada just would have given Yardley a chance to tell him what she had been trying to, yet he never did which just struck me as odd and honestly infuriating considering she was supposedly the love of his life. That along with how he treated her so terribly and never really seemed to be sorry or actually say the words had me unable to forgive him. 

I also felt like for me personally that the circumstances of their time apart were hard to get over. He refused to talk to Yardley, yet he moved on easily with a nice girl that he married and had kids with. The only reason he even went home was because his wife died, or he never would have even heard Yardley out. Meanwhile, Yardley had been living a lonely life where she not only dealt with some very hard things, but she also didn't move on and pined away for Nevada only. I am over it when the heroine pines and doesn't even look at another man during a split, yet the guy fully moves on and comes back in the picture and just expects to pick things back up where they left off as if nothing changed. While that wasn't entirely the case here with him not even hearing Yardley out, he basically just expected her to get over how he treated her and reacted while judging her as if it meant nothing. Besides these issues, I had some issues with the story itself. Some things just didn't add up as far as timeline went, and some of the circumstances for the big misunderstanding didn't make sense as well. This won't be the last thing I read from Winter Renshaw, but unfortunately this was just a complete miss for me.

**ARC Provided by Ardent Prose PR**

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ARC Review: Dark Promises by Winter Renshaw

Dark Promises is the second book in Winter Renshaw's Dark series, though it can be read as a standalone. I am pretty new to Winter Renshaw's work having just recently discovered her, but I had to read this one after I saw that cover and read the blurb. I really enjoyed this one, and if I wasn't already on my way to becoming a fan of hers, I definitely am one now.

After having her heart broken, Rowan is only looking for a good time. She wants one night with no strings and no chance at any kind of relationship forming. Keir needs to clean up his act if he wants to have a successful senate campaign, and his adviser has handpicked Rowan. But convincing her that he has changed and is no longer a playboy will be harder than he expected, especially since that is all she wants from him. Soon Rowan and Keir find themselves feeling things they never planned on and both begin to wonder if there is something there between them worth changing everything for. 

I really liked these two. At first I was a little unsure about them as both weren't being entirely honest and each had their own motives for seeking the other out. The chemistry was there right away though, and you could see that they were actually really good for one another despite how things might have started. Keir was used to being a playboy and had no interest in relationships, but when he actually needed one the girl chosen wanted nothing to do with him. Rowan wanted to forget and numb the pain, and her carefully chosen fling wanted more. It was so much fun to see them challenge one another and the dynamic between them was so interesting to me. I really enjoyed the little war of wills they had going on and it felt like these two couldn't have been more perfect for one another. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from Winter Renshaw. Keir actually appears in two other books according to Winter Renshaw and for a limited time if you buy Dark Promises it includes the two other stories that he is in with it. I immediately went out and bought it so that I can not only meet Keir's brother, but see the villain himself before he fell. I think that readers will really  enjoy this one like I did, especially if you like them on the sexy side. This one I definitely recommend and I can't wait for more from Winter Renshaw.

**ARC Provided by Ardent PRose**

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ARC Review: Absinthe by Winter Renshaw

After reading Absinthe by Winter Renshaw, I can't believe that this was the first book I have read of hers. I was originally drawn in by the blurb and the forbidden aspect of the story, but I couldn't put it down once I started. It was well written and captivating, and I will definitely be checking out more by Winter Renshaw.

Halston and Ford met through a dating app called Karma. As the users of the app chat (they can only contact one user at a time) they earn Karma points that unlock different features such as the ability to email or call one another. The app allows its users to find the exact type of relationship they are looking for without putting themselves at risk before they are ready. Ford and Halston weren't looking for anything serious, but the connection between them grew as they got to know each other as Kerouac and Absinthe. But when the summer ends and Halston begins her senior year, they are both shocked when she arrives in Ford's office as principal of her school and they discover that the best phone sex of their lives was each other. 

I loved that this wasn't your standard teacher/student forbidden romance story. This book was emotional and sexy, and Winter Renshaw created characters and a story that was deep and complex. I really enjoyed seeing the layers peeled back here as we got to know Ford and Halston and all that each of them had been through. I felt so connected to the characters and all that they had been through. The chemistry was off the charts, but it was so much more than that. These two connected in a way that neither of them ever could with anyone else, and it was so obvious that they were perfect for one another. 

Overall, I loved this story! I couldn't out this book down and read it in one sitting. Winter Renshaw has gained a new fan in me after Absinthe, and I can't wait to get more from her in the future as well as go back and read some of her previous books. I really love stories that begin through social media or communication were they haven't met in person, and this was unlike any that I have read before. I highly recommend this book and I think readers are going to love Ford and Halston as much as I did.

**ARC Provided by Ardent PRose**

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ARC Review: The Perfect Illusion by Winter Renshaw

The Perfect Illusion is not the perfect book. Something is missing that would give this book the extra boost from a pretty decent romance to a memorable story. As it is, this book is ok and a good read but not great and far from epic.

Hudson is exactly what you would expect from the hero billionaire CEO. So, he's a jerk. Hudson is abrasive to his employees and even intentionally calls them the wrong name to prevent any emotional bridges from being built. Hudson is obsessed with work and in general getting what he wants. Mari is his beleaguered assistant who is fed up with the BS. And even though Mari really really needs a job, she decides to quit. Hudson ask her for one last favor as she is on her way out the door- to be his fake fiance and real wife.

So, that's one thing that's different about this book. Hudson tells Mari that he needs to really marry her to keep his family from marrying him off to another heiress to whom he had been promised if he didn't get married by the time he was 30. This is not the usual fake engagement story, nope. Hudson wants Mari to actually marry him (on paper) and stay that way until the other chick gets married to someone else.

I don't really want to go into the details because there are a couple of twists that would make it hard to do without spoilers and also because I just don't care enough. Mari is hiding a secret that is a ticking time bomb in the story. Mari and Hudson start to feel more than their "fake" relationship should allow. The other chick causes all sorts of problems and it turns out that Hudson has secrets of his own. I don't know, I just didn't like the way the plot was put together and I really didn't like the end of the book. The sex scenes were just ok and even though I got through this book with no issues it was just a giant OK. I haven't read other books by this author but I get the impression that she is probably worth reading. I will check out some of the other books by her because this one was a perfect disillusion.

**ARC provided by Ardent PRose**

Purchase: | Amazon |