#TNReads: Real Quick Reviews for Lazy Readers featuring Alyssa Cole

A divorce attorney walks into a bar where he meets a wedding planner. Not just any wedding planner. His brother’s wedding planner. The wedding planner that he’ll be in close contact with for the foreseeable future or maybe…forever? I know, I couldn’t put it down either.

I loved The Assistants so I was excited to get my hands on When Katie Met Cassidy, but unfortunately this book fell a little flat for me. The story felt rushed and I couldn’t understand why Cassidy would fall for Katie so quickly when she seemed so meh. Yes, she’s beautiful and smart, but nothing seemed to set her apart from all the other girls that Cassidy had dated. There was a huge lack of character development that explained any of their feelings beyond “she’s hot”.

I think Katie’s struggle to come to terms with her sexuality is worth reading about and we need more stories like this, but I still felt that by the end she hadn’t figured out who she was – which is ok but doesn’t necessarily make for a compelling ending. There need to be more books focused on same-sex romances, but I don’t think this one will sweep many people off their feet. It feels more like the starting idea of a book rather than the finished product.

New York socialite Portia is tired of disappointing everyone around her, so she flees to Scotland to take an internship with a struggling Scottish armory. She hopes to flex her social media skills, learn how to make a sword, and just maybe start over as a better version of herself. She does not plan on developing an intense crush on her grouchy, much older boss Tavish. But naturally it happens, because this is romance, right? Things get awkward when Portia discovers that Tavish is actually the secret son (and heir) to a Duke. She makes it her mission to makeover her antisocial boss into a refined, savvy Duke. But can she trust him with her heart?

The second book in Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series, A Duke by Default is an enjoyable, steamy romance with depth. And you can’t beat that Edinburgh setting. Or that cover. Rawr, am I right???

If you’re looking for a juicy tell-all about the Obama White House that will give you absolutely no political insight but tons of office gossip, From the Corner of the Oval Office is for you. In it, Beck Dorey-Stein tells her story of being hired as a White House stenographer after answering a craigslist ad. She went on to travel on Air Force One with the White House entourage across the globe and into many co-worker’s hotel rooms. This isn’t the serious tell-all you’ll get from another member of the administration, but reading about Beck racing against President Obama on the hotel treadmills will never be something I can turn down. I was enthralled from the first page and you will be too.