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cobaltbookshelf's review
3.0
3.5 stars
This is great summer read! It's was an addictive story with great romance and characters, banter between Harper and Manny was so entertaining. It moves fast relationship but still it's entertaining
This is great summer read! It's was an addictive story with great romance and characters, banter between Harper and Manny was so entertaining. It moves fast relationship but still it's entertaining
lizmart88's review
3.0
Silly little romance that was pretty fun! Harper has sworn off men, but then she meets Manny, a committed playboy bachelor, at her friend's wedding. Will they or won't they?? You don't have to read it to find out how it ends, but if you want a fun romp, read it! We learn about Manny's soft side - and his love for his grandmother. And we learn about Harper's body image issues and struggles with vitiligo. The book felt very grounded in reality, even though it's a romance novel! Thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching them fall in love!
emreadslove's review
3.0
Loved the little tidbits of Melbourne life and Indian food. Not spicy at all. The ending seemed very rushed and I don’t think they were well suited for each other.
gailalison's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book. Apparently this is the second in a series, but I definitely don’t feel you need to read the first in order to understand and enjoy this book. I like the author’s writing style- it felt easy to get into the book and have that movie in my head experience. The main characters got together a little earlier on in the book than I usually prefer, but after finishing the book I can see why that was the case. There are a few plot points I found confusing or frustrating:
- Harper says Manny has a “killer sense of humor” right from the beginning, but I really didn’t see it. Harper’s character actually seems to have a lot more zingers.
- The way Manny talks to Harper is described as “flirting”, but it’s more like he’s hitting on her. It’s a little over the top at the beginning considering they’re strangers.
- At the beginning, Harper complains that Manny acts like his job is so much more important than anyone else’s, but he’s an ER doctor. His job IS more important, especially more important than hers.
- At one point she’s wearing a tank top outside, but I thought she was worried about showing her vitiligo. Is she wearing body makeup or something?
- The situation with her parents is a bit odd. Her mom seems like a fairly mature person, but when she is unhappy she kicks her husband out instead of trying to talk to him?
- At one point Harper’s mom says she and Harper’s dad don’t owe her anything (when Harper asked for an explanation on what’s going on). I strongly disagree with this, especially after her dad had put her in the middle of the situation for so long.
- The psychologist Harper speaks to (who had dated Manny for a week) sounded insane talking to Harper about Manny’s intentions. She didn’t even really know him and spoke both unprofessionally and out of turn. It was just weird.
- Manny’s grandmother was just unnecessarily manipulative and cruel towards the end. She had no right to “test” them in the way she did and could have relayed her feelings about their relationship to Manny in a different way. She wanted Manny to open up to Harper, but the “test” didn’t seem like the best way to go about it. I was glad to see that she apologized after the fact.
- I appreciated reading in the author’s notes that she also suffers from vitiligo. I’m sure it gives Harper’s character more authenticity.
Overall, I ended up enjoying this book and would check out more rom-cons by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for providing me access to this eARC!
- Harper says Manny has a “killer sense of humor” right from the beginning, but I really didn’t see it. Harper’s character actually seems to have a lot more zingers.
- The way Manny talks to Harper is described as “flirting”, but it’s more like he’s hitting on her. It’s a little over the top at the beginning considering they’re strangers.
- At the beginning, Harper complains that Manny acts like his job is so much more important than anyone else’s, but he’s an ER doctor. His job IS more important, especially more important than hers.
- At one point she’s wearing a tank top outside, but I thought she was worried about showing her vitiligo. Is she wearing body makeup or something?
- The situation with her parents is a bit odd. Her mom seems like a fairly mature person, but when she is unhappy she kicks her husband out instead of trying to talk to him?
- At one point Harper’s mom says she and Harper’s dad don’t owe her anything (when Harper asked for an explanation on what’s going on). I strongly disagree with this, especially after her dad had put her in the middle of the situation for so long.
- The psychologist Harper speaks to (who had dated Manny for a week) sounded insane talking to Harper about Manny’s intentions. She didn’t even really know him and spoke both unprofessionally and out of turn. It was just weird.
- Manny’s grandmother was just unnecessarily manipulative and cruel towards the end. She had no right to “test” them in the way she did and could have relayed her feelings about their relationship to Manny in a different way. She wanted Manny to open up to Harper, but the “test” didn’t seem like the best way to go about it. I was glad to see that she apologized after the fact.
- I appreciated reading in the author’s notes that she also suffers from vitiligo. I’m sure it gives Harper’s character more authenticity.
Overall, I ended up enjoying this book and would check out more rom-cons by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for providing me access to this eARC!
julia0490's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ameserole's review
4.0
The Man Ban was such a fun romcom book to jump into. Seriously, it was. Especially after meeting Harper and Manny. They were hilarious and I absolutely adored their chemistry. Plus, their bantering gave me some joy as well.
Now it was very easy to ship these two together. Even after they got off on the wrong foot. I think it's because of how they treated one another. Yeah, she was self-conscious of her body and didn't want to scare him away. This is mostly because of how her ex basically dumped her because her body was completely perfect. He was a douche canoe and didn't deserve her anyways.
Then there's Manny and he's the perfect prince charming coming to the rescue. Until the drama comes that is. If only he communicated to her about some things before, they were revealed to her in such a weird way. Maybe then they wouldn't have had to deal with consequences of certain choices made. Still, they got over it and made their way back to one another for a happy ending.
Definitely enjoyed this one and I can't wait for the next book Nicola writes!
Now it was very easy to ship these two together. Even after they got off on the wrong foot. I think it's because of how they treated one another. Yeah, she was self-conscious of her body and didn't want to scare him away. This is mostly because of how her ex basically dumped her because her body was completely perfect. He was a douche canoe and didn't deserve her anyways.
Then there's Manny and he's the perfect prince charming coming to the rescue. Until the drama comes that is. If only he communicated to her about some things before, they were revealed to her in such a weird way. Maybe then they wouldn't have had to deal with consequences of certain choices made. Still, they got over it and made their way back to one another for a happy ending.
Definitely enjoyed this one and I can't wait for the next book Nicola writes!
andrea_author's review
4.0
After a bad breakup, Harper has sworn off men. She's focusing on her career as a food stylist, and a friend's wedding is a great opportunity to show off her skills. Even if the annoying best man isn't impressed.
Physician Manny has no intention of ever settling down, despite his grandmother's constant refrain of wanting to see him marry before she dies. When he runs into Harper at an international conference, his only intention is to make up for his careless words at the wedding.
Fate has thrown them together, and a little fling can't hurt, right? But what happens when they return home?
This is a cute, whimsical book with likable characters and a touch of humor. The author did an amazing job of depicting the New Zealand setting. The plot was a little uneven—the two main characters didn't deal with their issues, until suddenly it all blew up—but overall, it was a fun read.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Physician Manny has no intention of ever settling down, despite his grandmother's constant refrain of wanting to see him marry before she dies. When he runs into Harper at an international conference, his only intention is to make up for his careless words at the wedding.
Fate has thrown them together, and a little fling can't hurt, right? But what happens when they return home?
This is a cute, whimsical book with likable characters and a touch of humor. The author did an amazing job of depicting the New Zealand setting. The plot was a little uneven—the two main characters didn't deal with their issues, until suddenly it all blew up—but overall, it was a fun read.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
samanthamarie's review
3.0
I have so many conflicting feelings about this book. I liked Manny a lot but we don't really get much info on anyone else although I am familiar with their friend group already. I like the idea of a vacation fling so I was somewhat on board already. However, have read The Boy Toy and many of my issues with that book are present in this one as well. Overall this was a fun quick read that you can read as a standalone, I read it in just under 5 hours (total).
Some of the conflict just doesn't seem like as big of a deal as it's made out to be. There are at least 50 chapters before Harper reveals her "true self" and it's resolved immediately. Actually, nearly everything is resolved pretty quickly once people open their mouths and say something (just like in The Boy Toy). I have my own personal gripes that don't really affect the story or my ability to enjoy it like why does she have to be a decade younger than him, why did everything happen so quickly, what setting spray did she use?
However, I think ultimately many of my issues were with Harper herself. I don't understand her man ban or that it's been such a long time -maybe because I'm older than her, maybe because of the pandemic but I just don't think 1 year is very long. The man ban seemed pretty much nonexistent and everything happened so quickly, there wasn't even the idea of resistance on her end. She was eager to date, completely open and flirtatious. Because I don't have vitiligo and the author does I have to assume this is an accurate representation of at least a little bit of living with it but I've known so many people with vitiligo that I didn't realize it was a big deal. I have to assume part of it is cultural and I just won't understand it but it seemed like an odd thing to hide for so long and to be able to hide. Not once does she mention what setting spray or makeup she's using that stays on through multiple rounds of sex.
There is steam - there are multiple open-door scenes and a number of closed door scenes. The characters don't deny their attraction to each other and it's fun to read that.
Some of the conflict just doesn't seem like as big of a deal as it's made out to be. There are at least 50 chapters before Harper reveals her "true self" and it's resolved immediately. Actually, nearly everything is resolved pretty quickly once people open their mouths and say something (just like in The Boy Toy). I have my own personal gripes that don't really affect the story or my ability to enjoy it like why does she have to be a decade younger than him, why did everything happen so quickly, what setting spray did she use?
However, I think ultimately many of my issues were with Harper herself. I don't understand her man ban or that it's been such a long time -maybe because I'm older than her, maybe because of the pandemic but I just don't think 1 year is very long. The man ban seemed pretty much nonexistent and everything happened so quickly, there wasn't even the idea of resistance on her end. She was eager to date, completely open and flirtatious. Because I don't have vitiligo and the author does I have to assume this is an accurate representation of at least a little bit of living with it but I've known so many people with vitiligo that I didn't realize it was a big deal. I have to assume part of it is cultural and I just won't understand it but it seemed like an odd thing to hide for so long and to be able to hide. Not once does she mention what setting spray or makeup she's using that stays on through multiple rounds of sex.
There is steam - there are multiple open-door scenes and a number of closed door scenes. The characters don't deny their attraction to each other and it's fun to read that.
smalltownbookmom's review
4.0
This was a fun dual perspective open door romance between Manny, an Anglo-Indian doctor and Harper, a white Australian food stylist.
Fans of The boy toy will recognize Manny from that book and appreciate the cameos from other characters (Ie Rory, Samira and their new baby). This is a standalone novel though and you don’t need to have read the earlier book to enjoy this story.
Things I loved:
- So many amazing food descriptions!
- Great banter and streamy sexual chemistry between the MCs
- Lots of armchair travel (the story is set primarily in Melbourne but the characters also travel to several places in New Zealand)
- How much family is at the core of the book (Manny adores his ailing grandmother and Harper is dealing with her parent’s separation).
- I also really enjoyed how once again the author has written highly relatable main characters (Harper has vitiligo- a skin condition that makes her self conscious and was the reason behind her year long man ban after her last boyfriend dumped her because of it)
If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Nicola Marsh’s contemporary romance books you are missing out. Highly recommended for fans of love stories featuring diverse characters, exotic locales and great food descriptions like The boy toy, Simmer down and Recipe for persuasion. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!
Fans of The boy toy will recognize Manny from that book and appreciate the cameos from other characters (Ie Rory, Samira and their new baby). This is a standalone novel though and you don’t need to have read the earlier book to enjoy this story.
Things I loved:
- So many amazing food descriptions!
- Great banter and streamy sexual chemistry between the MCs
- Lots of armchair travel (the story is set primarily in Melbourne but the characters also travel to several places in New Zealand)
- How much family is at the core of the book (Manny adores his ailing grandmother and Harper is dealing with her parent’s separation).
- I also really enjoyed how once again the author has written highly relatable main characters (Harper has vitiligo- a skin condition that makes her self conscious and was the reason behind her year long man ban after her last boyfriend dumped her because of it)
If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Nicola Marsh’s contemporary romance books you are missing out. Highly recommended for fans of love stories featuring diverse characters, exotic locales and great food descriptions like The boy toy, Simmer down and Recipe for persuasion. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!
littlered4758's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0