Early Book Review: Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg

Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg is currently scheduled for release on April 25 2023. The only thing worse than hating your boss? Being attracted to her. Liz Baker and her three roommates work at the Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York that’s on the verge of shutting down—until it’s bought at the last minute by two wealthy lesbians. Liz knows she’s lucky to still have a paycheck but it’s hard to feel grateful with minority investor Daria Fitzgerald slashing budgets, cancelling bagel Fridays, and password protecting the color printer to prevent “frivolous use.” When Liz overhears Daria scoffing at her listicles, she knows that it’s only a matter of time before her impulsive mouth gets herself fired. But as Liz and Daria wind up having to spend more and more time together, Liz starts to see a softer side to Daria—she’s funny, thoughtful, and likes the way Liz’s gender presentation varies between butch and femme. Despite the evidence that Liz can’t trust her, it’s hard to keep hating Daria—and even harder to resist the chemistry between them.

Just as You Are is a novel that will be exactly what some readers need. I loved the honest look at gender identity and the struggles that every character had with in figuring out who they were, what the wanted, and how to be true to that. This is something everyone can relate to, and I think will definitely strike a chord with readers. I also like the character growth for everyone- in found family, friendship, and work not just through the romance lenses. I have to admit that I want to know more about some of the secondary characters, even those that only came up in very specific settings. I look forward to reading what ever Kellogg releases next. 

Just as You Are is a highly engaging and honest look at friendship, finding yourself, and the complications of all that and love. 

Early Book Review: Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera

Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera is currently scheduled for release on August 25 2020. Julia del Mar Ortiz is not having the best year. She moved to Dallas with her boyfriend, who ended up ditching her and running back to New York after only a few weeks. Left with a massive, by NYC standards, anyway, apartment and a car lease in the scorching Texas heat, Julia is struggling, except that’s not completely true. Running the charitable foundation of one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world is serious #lifegoals. It’s more than enough to make her want to stick it out down South. The only monkey wrench in Julia’s plans is the blue-eyed, smart-mouthed consultant the store hired to take them public. Fellow New Yorker Rocco Quinn’s first order of business? Putting Julia’s job on the chopping block. 
When Julia is tasked with making sure Rocco sees how valuable the programs she runs are, she’s caught between a rock and a very hard set of abs. Because Rocco Quinn is almost impossible to hate—and even harder to resist.

Here to Stay has it all. Julia is newly single and Rocco is not staying in Dallas long term. They are also in conflicting positions at work, and members of a new group of friends built of new Dallas residents from NYC. The chemistry is high, and the tension is too. I loved getting to see them build a friendship with each other, and build up a found family of friends. Some of their interactions were funny, but most were sweet. I really enjoyed how well I got to know each of them, and their circle. I also like that even when they messed things up it was not because of being silly or making a bad decision, but out of protecting each other and themselves at the same time. The work conflicts, the family dynamics, and the efforts of both to do the right thing for the greater good really made me like them each even more. The only thing that ever took me out of the story was my own hopelessness with Spanish. Thankfully with context and my limited understanding of romance languages I was able to translate the occasional conversational usage and dive right back in. My lacking, not an issue with the book, since it was exactly what these characters would say in the situation, and there were not stymied by my limitations. I really enjoyed how open and honest they were in the sex scenes too, something I have come to expect from the author. They communicate and make consent and  talking about what they like and want important and key to the moment. 

Here to Stay is another great romance from Herrera. Fans will need to read it, but I think most contemporary romance fans should give it a read.

Book Review: The Sheikh's Wife Arrangement (Safar Sheikhs) by Leslie North

The Sheikh's Wife Arrangement is the first book in the Safar Sheikhs series by Leslie North. Ancient law dictates that Sheikh Fatim Safar has to marry or be disinherited by his 30th birthday. Fatim isn’t worried—he married years earlier and had two children with his wife before she died. But there’s a catch: the law states he must be married at age 30. Two weeks from his 30th birthday, there’s no time to change it or fight it. Calla Clark is out to prove her parents wrong.Calla is in the Middle East to prove her design prowess., and what better way to do that then becoming seamstress for the royal family and getting to drape fabric over the sexy Sheikh’s rock-hard body. She can’t act on her temptations, of course. She’s got goals to crush. Still, when she watches the way the Sheikh commands his tribe, and cares for his kids, she can’t help but feel an undeniable attraction. Fatim has taken a liking to Calla, too. She’s smart, thoughtful, and good with his children. With his birthday right around the corner, Fatim offers her the position as his wife. It’s only temporary, and in return for marrying him and helping with his children, he’ll give her everything she needs for the upcoming Fashion Week. Calla agrees, so long as he helps keep her dream alive. With so many differences between them, Fatim and Calla’s powerful pairing could raise the tribe up to modern heights, or send it to the bin like last season’s cast-offs. 

The Sheikh's Wife Arrangement is a romance that works because of the complex characters. Yes, a marriage of convenience turned to love is not a new trope, but it totally works here. Calla is a strong woman that wants to prove herself, to show her skill in clothes design. She cares about others, and her biggest issue is that she has trouble saying no outright and tends to over extend herself. Fatim shares the trait of often overtaxing himself, but in his case it is because he wants everything to be as good as it can for his people. Both are trying to do too much, and prove themselves to be worthy of the trust others place in them and their own skills. There is a good amount of heat, a solid emotional crisis and solution, and some funny moments as well. I like that both characters had their own growth and concerns outside the relationship- even though they did affect it. They did not lose their other goals as soon as they fell in love, instead it brought their own issues to light and forced them to face them on their own. Calla had to figure out how to relate to the other women in the country, Fatim had to figure out how to rule balancing tradition and modern ideas as well as love. 

The Sheikh's Wife Arrangement is va good example of North's writing, and I think fans will want to start off this series right away. It has well written characters and emotional conflict. I liked it so much that I already downloaded the next title in the series.