Romance Quick Reviews: The Meghan Quinn Edition

A Not So Meet Cute (2021)

Huxley is a businessman who needs to find a fiancée ASAP after telling a little white lie to a potential business partner.  Lottie is jokingly trolling Huxley's wealthy neighborhood hoping to score a rich husband when the two bump into each other, and they realize a fake relationship might be able to solve both their problems.  I wanted to love this book more than I did, although it wasn't a terrible read by any stretch of the imagination.  The fake relationship trope can be a fun one, although the addition here of a fake pregnancy kind of rubbed me the wrong way - I just couldn't see how there could be anything short of a cringe ending to that.  Huxley was... hard to like.  He's cold and distant - I get that this is a "contract" between him and Lottie, but a little more warmth and friendliness could have gone a long way.  Also, I get why he bought her a new wardrobe, but why all the skimpy underwear and pajamas that no one was going to see?  Lottie has already faded from my memory, but thankfully the side characters were amazing and really added some needed fun and humor to the story.  3 stars

Royally Not Ready (2022)

Lilly is shocked to find out that she's next-in-line to the throne of a country she's never heard of, but she's willing to take a chance to learn more about the mother she lost and where she came from.  Keller is tasked with training and teaching her; neither expect the sparks between them that quickly turn into something more.  I love royalty in my romance stories, and this was kind of like The Princess Diaries for a VERY adult audience.  Quinn actually had me chuckling out loud at the beginning of the book, as Lilly really pushes Keller's buttons, trying to get him to loosen up.  There's so much lust and sexual tension between the two, and the sex scenes are often and quite graphic.  I felt like the tone of the book changed once Lilly and Keller got together.  It lost some of the humor, but I liked seeing Lilly start to take things seriously and rely on Keller.  The story is a bit predictable, but I was still rooting for Lilly and her newly-found family.  4 stars

 

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.