Flawsome Explorations by Ariella Zoelle Blog Tour

Unexpected sparks fly when a shy, straight, nerdy sweetheart meets a flirtatious, sexy, older Frenchman. Is Zio brave enough to take a chance on Armand?

Fabrizio “Zio” Revello

I embrace the philosophy that nobody is perfect by studying the art of imperfection. But then I meet Armand, forcing me to completely reevaluate my world view. From his gorgeous face, teasing sense of humor, and a French accent to die for, everything about him makes me forget one very important detail: I’ve never been attracted to a man until him. I shouldn’t let him tempt me, but the glimpse of the real Armand behind his playful flirtations makes him impossible to resist.

I’ve never been the adventurous type, but Armand makes me want to be brave and daring. Isn’t a lifetime of happiness with a person who understands me worth the risk?

Armand Bellamy

I approach Zio in search of a no-strings-attached evening of fun to kick off my business trip to Hawaii. But I get way more than I bargained for when I discover a shy, nerdy sweetheart who finds beauty in my flaws. He even accepts the parts of my heart that I hide from the world. It makes me want to make him mine—not just for one night but for every night of the rest of our lives.

He says he’s straight, but when have I ever let that stop me from getting what I want?

Flawsome Explorations is the second book in the Suite Dreams series and part of the Sunnyside universe. This novel features a bisexual awakening, shy/flirt, age gap, instalove, opposites attract romance. If you love cute sweetness, sexy fun, and no angst stories that will make you laugh and swoon, you’ll enjoy this satisfying HEA without cliffhangers. Each book can be read as a standalone or as part of the series in order.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Suite Dreams series!
For book one, Snowbody Like You, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

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Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

All I needed to tell Armand was, “Thanks, but I’m straight.” Those four little words should have been the easiest thing in the world to say, because they had been true my whole life. If I told him the truth, he’d back off.

But if I told him the truth, he’d back off. For some reason, that stopped me cold. Why? Sure, he was more beautiful than any woman I had ever seen. He looked like a model whose gorgeous smile would sell out any magazine he posed for on the front cover. His eyes were bluer than a summer sky, with a playful twinkle that detonated a bomb of butterflies inside my stomach. But he was a guy, so why was I all twisted up over him?

What was it about him that made me wish he’d never look away from me? I certainly didn’t understand why his cologne of dark spice with a hint of leather filled me with an unbearable urge to lick his neck to see if he tasted as good as he smelled. When he lifted my chin with his finger, it sent shivers racing down my spine as heat pooled in my belly. His offer to touch him exploded supernova flares within me, burning me with an unfamiliar need that scared me as much as it intrigued me.

It should have been easy to brush him off, to dismiss him as a playboy on the prowl for someone to warm his bed that evening. But when he had answered my question about his flaws, I had gotten a glimpse of the real him behind the flirt. He had lowered his guard, allowing me to see something beautiful in his genuine vulnerability. It moved my heart and inexplicably drew me to him. That was the Armand I wanted to get to know, but to what end?

The longer I looked at him, the more confused I got. Guys had hit on me before, but other than being mildly flattered, they had never tempted me before. But the glimpse of Armand’s nipples peeking out from behind the white roses on his see-through mesh shirt invited me to tease them with my tongue. Why did my fingers yearn to memorize the map of his body as I caressed him all over? And most importantly, why did those thoughts make my dick hard?

Because you’re not nearly as straight as you think, the voice in the back of my mind gleefully crowed.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars of sweet holiday romance

This is the second book in the Suite Dreams series. It is tied into the first book, but you don't need to have read it to enjoy this one. Whilst that was a pretty kinky read, this is a much sweeter, insta-love story.

Zio is a grad student using his brother’s reward points to stay in a five-star hotel suite whilst in Hawaii to deliver a conference paper on his studies into Japanese ceramics gold thread repairs. He meets Armand in the bar of the hotel and finds his whole life views change thanks to this man. As they spend time together learning about each other, it is clear that Zio has come to realise that he is indeed attracted to Armand. The only question left is how they will make it work... and it is fun to be a passenger along their romantic journey.

Sweet and low angst are the very enjoyable features in this relaxed and fun read. Sometimes such a book is just what you need, enjoy!


Angie – ☆☆☆
3 1/2 stars

If you want a super duper sweet, I'm talking mega-sweet, insta-love, low-angst story, this is the one for you! I read this after reading a really heavy book and this just wiped away the heaviness and made everything better. I love opposites when they attract and Zio and Armand fit the bill. This was a good, sexy, shy, flirty book that just made my day.


Sarah – ☆☆☆
The second of the Suite Dreams books is pure cheezy schmaltz. Armand is a smooth-talking French lothario who falls for a timid American grad student at a fancy Hawaiian resort. Zio doesn’t know what he’s done to attract Armand’s attention and it takes him some time to trust the older man’s intentions.

This story has been told a million times. It’s insta-love with stock characters and an entirely predictable storyline. Only the details of Zio’s Japanese ceramic art add interest to the basic, old-school Harlequin style romance. This is extreme insta-love. Armand is a changed man making wildly romantic gestures and declarations after one meeting. After two meetings, Zio is re-thinking his entire sexual identity.

The sex is hot in this book, but it’s not as imaginative or as kinky as the sex in Jude and Rigby’s book. Where the first book works as erotica, this is definitely classic romance. Unfortunately, the writing is just as clunky in this book – with less sex to offset the stilted prose. English is Armand’s second language, so it was easier to believe in his formal speech patterns, but Zio sounds way too formal for a grad student. Also, I’ll never understand the American obsession with Hawaii. As a non-American, I found it impossible to get excited about Zio’s room in a chain hotel on a crowded tourist island.

I’ve not engaged well with the world building in the first two of these books. The weird obsession with a chain of hotels just feels odd to me. The men in this series all seem way too old to be grad students. They speak like 50-year-olds but behave like 20-year-olds and it just doesn’t work for me. I really enjoyed the kink in the first book but this one left me cold.

 

 

 

ARIELLA ZOELLE adores steamy, funny, swoony romances where couples are allowed to just be happy. That means she writes low angst stories full of heat, humor, and heart. But sometimes she's in the mood for something with a bit more angst and drama. And if you are too, check out her A.F. Zoelle books.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Flawsome Explorations (Suite Dreams #2) by Ariella Zoelle to read and review for this tour.