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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
"I’m pretty sure you can’t have a relationship without hurting someone. Or being hurt. I think that’s what happens when two imperfect people are in a relationship."
The Bluff by Emma St. Clair is the second in the poker themed Graham brothers series. In this closed door, small town romance, we follow James as he sets up his brewery with help he certainly doesn't want from Winnie.
This is a classic Grumpy and Sunshine trope full of sass and storm clouds. Throughout the story, St. Clair also alludes to anxiety in the MMC and it felt extremely well done and on point. The characters are cute and the poker tie-ins are small but well done. Pat and Lindy thankfully aren't in this one very much although we do get a good dose of Tank again! Unfortunately, the Neighborly app makes a comeback. It was a great addition to the first book but felt irrelevant in this one despite it being Winnie's creation.
All in all, I enjoyed this one a lot more than book one!
It’s hard to choose, but brevity tends to be best, so here’s one thing I adored and one thing I didn’t.
✔️ I truly appreciated the anxiety representation.
It was never fully pointed out, but many of the feelings James described felt true to what I've experienced with anxiety. This book felt like a place I could see myself and gave me some new ways to describe what I go through in crowds and I appreciated that.
✖️ I wasn’t fond of the grand gesture.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good grand gesture and this one wasn't bad at all. I just felt like with the whole situation leading up to it, that Winnie should have been the one grand gesturing instead of James.
Quotes that stuck:
"In Winnie’s presence, I become what they tease me about—only worse. I’m a cartoon version of myself with a tiny storm cloud rumbling over my head. I’m a surly curmudgeon. My life is the lawn, and I’m yelling at Winnie to get off it."
"I’m not sad, but I am something. What I am is a creeping, heavy kind of feeling I’ve never been able to identify by name. It hits me every so often, not always for reasons I can name,"
“I’m sure she could handle you on her own. But that doesn’t mean she should have to. Leave.” If I liked the way James stepped in to physically protect me, I love his verbal defense even more. I have a theory. It’s that every woman has two fantasies—one where she’s rescued by a dashing hero, and one where she doesn’t need a hero at all and rescues herself."
"That’s my general stance on parties: NO."
"Grief has a long memory, and a way of leaping up to surprise you."
The Bluff by Emma St. Clair is the second in the poker themed Graham brothers series. In this closed door, small town romance, we follow James as he sets up his brewery with help he certainly doesn't want from Winnie.
This is a classic Grumpy and Sunshine trope full of sass and storm clouds. Throughout the story, St. Clair also alludes to anxiety in the MMC and it felt extremely well done and on point. The characters are cute and the poker tie-ins are small but well done. Pat and Lindy thankfully aren't in this one very much although we do get a good dose of Tank again! Unfortunately, the Neighborly app makes a comeback. It was a great addition to the first book but felt irrelevant in this one despite it being Winnie's creation.
All in all, I enjoyed this one a lot more than book one!
It’s hard to choose, but brevity tends to be best, so here’s one thing I adored and one thing I didn’t.
✔️ I truly appreciated the anxiety representation.
It was never fully pointed out, but many of the feelings James described felt true to what I've experienced with anxiety. This book felt like a place I could see myself and gave me some new ways to describe what I go through in crowds and I appreciated that.
✖️ I wasn’t fond of the grand gesture.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good grand gesture and this one wasn't bad at all. I just felt like with the whole situation leading up to it, that Winnie should have been the one grand gesturing instead of James.
Quotes that stuck:
"In Winnie’s presence, I become what they tease me about—only worse. I’m a cartoon version of myself with a tiny storm cloud rumbling over my head. I’m a surly curmudgeon. My life is the lawn, and I’m yelling at Winnie to get off it."
"I’m not sad, but I am something. What I am is a creeping, heavy kind of feeling I’ve never been able to identify by name. It hits me every so often, not always for reasons I can name,"
“I’m sure she could handle you on her own. But that doesn’t mean she should have to. Leave.” If I liked the way James stepped in to physically protect me, I love his verbal defense even more. I have a theory. It’s that every woman has two fantasies—one where she’s rescued by a dashing hero, and one where she doesn’t need a hero at all and rescues herself."
"That’s my general stance on parties: NO."
"Grief has a long memory, and a way of leaping up to surprise you."
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The bluff is book 2 in the #GrahamBrotherseries by Emma st clair ( @kikimojo)
We meet James, pat’s older brother, and Winnie, Lindy’s best friend in book one.
James is the older, quiet brother. This man gives grumpy silent type so naturally I was all in as soon as I saw book 2 follows him.
I wasn’t really feeling Winnie on the first book. It felt ok but nothing too extraordinary, I felt like her big thing was that she was going to marry her boring boyfriend, Dale. I was pleasantly surprised.
James and Winnie begin working together and it’s a struggle since day one. James prefers working alone and Winnie is all up to help.
The story features;
Grumpy x sunshine
Enemies to lovers
Office romance (they don’t have an actual office yet but he is still her boss lol)
One bed only (ish)
There are also meddling family members that mean well.
It’s important to mention that both characters are dealing with their own traumas, and we get to see how it gets dealt with, which I appreciate. Undealt trauma can definably affect how we react so I love that that was mentioned and dealt with.
The family dynamics is one of those details that I love about the series so far. We’ve gotten to see more than the traditional family and how they are all filled with love regardless.
Overall the story is one that you cant put down. I would have finished sooner but I had to work. As it says on that beautiful cover, it has comedy. I was laughing every other page and you get that vibe from a romantic comedy. Oh how I wished this was a movie I could tune in after a long day after work. For now, ill have to save it so I can re-read it when I need it.
I read it on kindle, but I feel the urge to see it on my bookshelf so ill look for a set so and re-read and annotate all my favorite parts.
We meet James, pat’s older brother, and Winnie, Lindy’s best friend in book one.
James is the older, quiet brother. This man gives grumpy silent type so naturally I was all in as soon as I saw book 2 follows him.
I wasn’t really feeling Winnie on the first book. It felt ok but nothing too extraordinary, I felt like her big thing was that she was going to marry her boring boyfriend, Dale. I was pleasantly surprised.
James and Winnie begin working together and it’s a struggle since day one. James prefers working alone and Winnie is all up to help.
The story features;
Grumpy x sunshine
Enemies to lovers
Office romance (they don’t have an actual office yet but he is still her boss lol)
One bed only (ish)
There are also meddling family members that mean well.
It’s important to mention that both characters are dealing with their own traumas, and we get to see how it gets dealt with, which I appreciate. Undealt trauma can definably affect how we react so I love that that was mentioned and dealt with.
The family dynamics is one of those details that I love about the series so far. We’ve gotten to see more than the traditional family and how they are all filled with love regardless.
Overall the story is one that you cant put down. I would have finished sooner but I had to work. As it says on that beautiful cover, it has comedy. I was laughing every other page and you get that vibe from a romantic comedy. Oh how I wished this was a movie I could tune in after a long day after work. For now, ill have to save it so I can re-read it when I need it.
I read it on kindle, but I feel the urge to see it on my bookshelf so ill look for a set so and re-read and annotate all my favorite parts.
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another fabulous rom com from Emma St. Clair! After reading The Buy In I have been counting down until I could visit Sheetcake, Texas again. The town and its host of crazy characters make the perfect small town backdrop for the Graham family to find trouble and romance. The awkward situations they get thrown into are nothing short of genius.
I am a sucker for a grumpy vs sunshine novel. Maybe because this mirrors my husband and I in real life. I am definitely the sun to his gray.
I am a sucker for a grumpy vs sunshine novel. Maybe because this mirrors my husband and I in real life. I am definitely the sun to his gray.
The Bluff is the second book in the new spin-off series, Graham Brothers, from the Love Clichés series. After reading The Buy-In, I've been anxiously awaiting James and Winnie's story.
James is a grumpy grump of a hero and I loved it so much. I related so much to how he felt around people and crowds, his introverted soul spoke to mine in ways I can't begin to describe. Winnie was a go-getter and brilliant at what she set her mind to. I loved that she set her mind on James and helped him with his brewery. I thought that James and Winnie just made sense together, the grump and the sunshine. They helped each other be more open and vulnerable versions of themselves and that's one of my favorite things to read in romance novels.
I'm even more obsessed with the town of Sheet Cake after this book. I can't wait to see this town develop even more throughout the rest of the series. I loved how quirky the town is, the themes of found family, and the love they have. This book was a rom-com that had me laughing and crying and then laughing again.
I recommend reading The Buy-In first so you can appreciate the Grahams and Sheet Cake. I can't wait for The Pocket Pair!
Thank you to Emma St. Clair for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
James is a grumpy grump of a hero and I loved it so much. I related so much to how he felt around people and crowds, his introverted soul spoke to mine in ways I can't begin to describe. Winnie was a go-getter and brilliant at what she set her mind to. I loved that she set her mind on James and helped him with his brewery. I thought that James and Winnie just made sense together, the grump and the sunshine. They helped each other be more open and vulnerable versions of themselves and that's one of my favorite things to read in romance novels.
I'm even more obsessed with the town of Sheet Cake after this book. I can't wait to see this town develop even more throughout the rest of the series. I loved how quirky the town is, the themes of found family, and the love they have. This book was a rom-com that had me laughing and crying and then laughing again.
I recommend reading The Buy-In first so you can appreciate the Grahams and Sheet Cake. I can't wait for The Pocket Pair!
Thank you to Emma St. Clair for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
James is the epitome of the grumpy hero, and I love him so much. He comes across as extremely introverted and struggles with too much time with people. I can relate. Winnie is brilliant, and yay for a woman who excels at all things tech, including creating her own neighborhood app.
This book brings together some of my favorite tropes, from grump/sunshine to workplace romance. And as always, Emma St. Clair's writing is a mix of hilarious comedy and poignant, heartfelt romance. In this book, there was one particular scene that made me cry and felt like it ripped my heart out.
So I recommend this to all who love romances and grand gestures and great families with big, sweet men.
Thank you to Emma St. Clair for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.
This book brings together some of my favorite tropes, from grump/sunshine to workplace romance. And as always, Emma St. Clair's writing is a mix of hilarious comedy and poignant, heartfelt romance. In this book, there was one particular scene that made me cry and felt like it ripped my heart out.
So I recommend this to all who love romances and grand gestures and great families with big, sweet men.
Thank you to Emma St. Clair for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.
Oh my gosh!! I inhaled this one, this captured me from the first page, and the giggles erupted from that point onwards. This was such a laugh out loud, all the feels kind of book. I loved everything about it and wouldn't change a thing. The banter, and everything in between had me swooning at this authors feet!! I had a goofy smile on my face the whole time reading this.
James and Winnie’s story captivated me from the first page to the last line, the chemistry is sizzling and the banter is witty but it’s the vulnerability that this couple share that took this story to another level, this book touched me on so many levels. There’s plenty of snarky banter, and some unexpectedly tender moments that left me feeling all breathless and swoonified. The enemies portion of this enemies-to-lovers story was the perfect amount of antagonistic exasperation without venturing into territory that felt too mean. James’ story, in particular, grabbed my heart in its clutches and refused to let it go. They both have dealt with some situations in the past that kept their hearts guarded and the last thing they were expecting was to fall in love. I just absolutely loved them together and how they understood each other, and complemented each other seamlessly. It was such a deliciously layered and complex romance, and I loved their vulnerability. I was cheering them on the whole way.
Emma St. Clair delivers an enemies-to-lovers romance that is full of laughs, feels, and epic chemistry. I devoured this book, completely swept up in the story, and I freaking loved it! It sucked me in from the very beginning and had me leaking some happy emotional tears by the very end. This is such a fun read. On top of that, it’s got achy tender feels, heartwrenching emotion and such a heart-meltingly-sweet romance....I loved James and Winnie’s story so much.
James and Winnie’s story captivated me from the first page to the last line, the chemistry is sizzling and the banter is witty but it’s the vulnerability that this couple share that took this story to another level, this book touched me on so many levels. There’s plenty of snarky banter, and some unexpectedly tender moments that left me feeling all breathless and swoonified. The enemies portion of this enemies-to-lovers story was the perfect amount of antagonistic exasperation without venturing into territory that felt too mean. James’ story, in particular, grabbed my heart in its clutches and refused to let it go. They both have dealt with some situations in the past that kept their hearts guarded and the last thing they were expecting was to fall in love. I just absolutely loved them together and how they understood each other, and complemented each other seamlessly. It was such a deliciously layered and complex romance, and I loved their vulnerability. I was cheering them on the whole way.
Emma St. Clair delivers an enemies-to-lovers romance that is full of laughs, feels, and epic chemistry. I devoured this book, completely swept up in the story, and I freaking loved it! It sucked me in from the very beginning and had me leaking some happy emotional tears by the very end. This is such a fun read. On top of that, it’s got achy tender feels, heartwrenching emotion and such a heart-meltingly-sweet romance....I loved James and Winnie’s story so much.
It was cute, a little too sweet at some points but still enjoyable