thegreatmanda's reviews
441 reviews

Misha Horne has a way of cutting straight into the intense emotions of life; anyone who's ever felt lost, or been let down by adults as a child and then left to figure out those feelings on their own, is going to find something to relate to in their characters.

Snowed in With Benefits is unusual in that both MCs are celebrities, which isn't something most of us can relate to, but the author makes them relatable anyway. They fall for each other very quickly, but given the heightened emotions of the situation and the fact that they're snowed in at a remote location with nothing to do but talk to each other, it progresses naturally enough. I'd be in love with Marco after about five minutes of the way he talks to Austin.

Favorite Quotes (SO MANY):

It was almost flattering in a way. Like he thought I was a person and not five hundred headlines in a trench coat.

God, he had expressions I'd never seen that stirred my fucking guts around, shaking my insides like a snowglobe. There was something extra in him, and I wanted it.

"So, how come in all these pictures you look like you want to murder me?"
"How come in all these pictures you look like you like it?" I asked him in a moment of post-laugh giddiness.
He stared down at his wine, swirling it more, a faint smile on his lips. "Maybe that's what I'm into."

"Really? Seriously? You only care what people think."
"Because I have to. My life is gone, I'm public property. You still have choices."
Hearing that clearly hurt me more than it hurt him, and that twisted me up hard, gave me another one of those urges to hold onto him, wrap a blanket around him and keep him safe.

I just stared at him, something old inside me breaking with a thick, solid crack. More than the freedom to walk away, more than the nerve to rebel, more than the simple ability to take a break without feeling like I was turning my back on everything and everyone I loved, that was what I needed to hear. Just the simple acknowledgment that the weight on my shoulders was real and the complications weren't in my head.
Never in a million years would I have guessed it would be spoiled brat celebrity trainwreck Austin Ash who saw me. Specifically looked past everything I had and saw what I was struggling to become. Not that I even knew what that was yet, just that this shadow had gotten too dark for me to stay in. He wasn't oblivious at all. He wasn't any of the things he pretended to be.

He grinned, and for a second, I got lost in him. His smile and his charm and the real life backstory he was bringing out for me that felt like a special gift.

Finally, he reached out and with the back of his other hand, stroked his fingers down my temple, my neck, tracing the curve of my ear. It tickled a little, just enough to make my skin sparkle and my nipples hard, but it felt so good being touched that way, petted, like somehow he was coaxing the anxious tangle of energy out of me.
Everything about the moment was soft and sleepy and breathless and terrifying and every impatient part of me was screaming, but I waited. All day long, every day, I did whatever I wanted, took whatever I wanted. But this time, I wanted to be taken. I wanted to be wanted.

"It doesn't matter."
"Matters to me."
"Why?"
"Because a second ago you were feeling really good and now that's going away. I want you to keep feeling good. So tell me what's hurting you so I can fix it."

"Of course it matters. Jesus, of course it fucking matters. Look at how much it tore you up and no one even knows why."

It was porn and confession and deep emotional connection all at once, and I hadn't known that was a thing until that very second.

His words were ragged, broken, like he was coming apart, and I held him tight, so he didn't.

"So, what do you want?" he asked me, taking my hand and threading his fingers through it. Our gloves were so thick I couldn't even feel him, but then he curled his fingers tight, and I at least felt something. "What do you think about when you lay in bed at night, and you can't sleep? You could have anything. What do you want?"
It was such a stupid question, one I'd been asked in so many stupid interviews, and I wasn't going to answer it, but then for some reason I just did.
"This."

"I think you're beautiful. And I think you're shattered. And I would give you anything you wanted if it would make you feel whole."

He was so unexpected, so special, and I was so fucking gone. I'd make him feel like he was mine so completely he wouldn't have a choice but to believe it.

Everything about his touch was gentle, but the control was undeniable. Not even hidden, just put aside, simmering on the back burner as his soft caresses boiled to the top, slicing through the heat to give me goosebumps, saying take what you want, just know I'm giving it to you.

"It's hard to hold yourself together all the time, isn't it?"
He nodded.
"What if I held you for awhile."

"Yeah. If that's what you want. Make ten albums no one hears. Sleep for a month. Livestream yourself eating brownies and watching the weather channel. Whatever makes you happy. Whatever helps. But if you want a safe space, you have it."
"Yeah? Where would you be while I'm livestreaming the weather channel?" I asked him, hiding my face in his chest while I asked, snuggling deeper into the safe space his warm body provided.
He stroked my hair, wrapping his other arm tight around me. "Wherever you want me to be."

"Just so you know I was walking away from the situation. Not from you. I have no intention of walking away from you."

"I handed you my coat because you were cold and I wanted to take care of you," he said softly. "I still want to take care of you. If you'll let me."

"Marco," I whispered again, and I could feel the absolute indulgence radiating off him as he pressed his lips to my forehead, and I thought about him saying he wanted to spoil me in every way possible. I wanted to do the same thing. Make his life easier, help fix all the things that shouldn't be broken.

"I'll be fine. I don't want to brag, but I did do okay handling the press at the airport."
"You mean when you shoved your tongue down my throat instead of using it to answer any questions? Yeah, that was really good."
"It answered all their questions, didn't it?"

Playing Offside by Jax Calder

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was exactly the sweet, sexy, easy, happy thing I needed to read right now. It has some conflict, but nothing heartbreaking or complicated. Plenty of sweetness, with some excellent spicy sprinkles.

Favorite Quotes:

His unabashed smile lit him up. “Oh my god, that was incredible.”
Water droplets slid down his cheeks. His eyelashes clumped together, forming starry spikes.
The simple joy on his face.
This time there was no force on earth that could stop me crowding into his space so I could kiss his smile.

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thegreatmanda's reviews 441 reviews

thegreatmanda's reviews
441 reviews