Once Upon a Bad Boy by Melonie Johnson

NEVER SAY NEVER

Sadie Gold is ready to take her career to the next level with the role of a lifetime. Finally, she can shake her reputation as a pretty face with more wealth and connections than talent. But Sadie is not prepared for the wild turn her own life is about to take. The man in charge of training Sadie for her most demanding role yet is none other than her first real boyfriend—the one who took her heart and ran away.

WHEN IT COMES TO LOVE

Bo Ibarra is as good-looking and irresistible as ever. Maybe even more so, now that everything once worked against them—Sadie’s pampered and privileged upbringing and Bo’s childhood in a family struggling to make ends meet—is in the past. But the future is still unwritten… and getting there, together, means coming clean about painful secrets and slashing through nasty tabloid rumors while trying to control the attraction that crackles between them. Maybe it’s finally time for them to walk off into the sunset and into a true and lasting love?

Book 3
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series and is now the chance of actress Sadie to find her happily ever after. I would highly recommend that you read the books in order, as the characters are key to the story, even if each book concentrates on another of the college girlfriends. Whilst the first two are the result of people they met on their Europe tour, Sadie finds herself working with her first love, Bo, and that gives a whole new slant to the story.

Sadie has been the very worldly member of the girl gang. Her parents are super wealthy and she has been on a national TV series for a while. She finally gets her chance as a serious film actress, and cannot believe it when Bo, the man who told her on her prom night that they should NEVER see each other again, is her trainer. And she took him at his word, so has avoided all knowledge of him.

They give off such mixed messages when they first meet, yet it is clear that they are both jealous of others being near their one-time love. It was a lot of fun when co-star Ryan plays around, but even more amusing that he sets his sights on Sadie's BFF, Ana. There is definitely a story to be told there – which I am looking forward to reading soon (hint hint).

As we start to learn just what happened all that time ago, and why both of them were so badly affected by the breakup, some really rather sad and even shocking revelations are going to have to be made. Through this, Sadie rekindles her relationship with her beloved Nana, and I loved seeing how close they were and how grateful Sadie is at being given the chance to heal that bond.

A great story, with lots going on, and I have to say, some fabulous humour – I did spend a lot of time chuckling at some of the chaos that they manage to get up to! A lovely second-chance love, which brings the total number of loved up couples to three – a few more to go yet!


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
I love second-chance romances and this one delivers.

Sadie and Bo loved each other immensely although they only saw each other during the summers. She was the daughter of a wealthy family and he was the son of her grandmother's estate manager. Bo realized early on that being with him would only keep Sadie from achieving her dreams and he broke her heart.

Sadie left Chicago and never looked back for Bo. Telling herself that if he didn't want a life with her, she didn't need him. Closing the chapter and that box of memories, Sadie set out on becoming an actress – a star.

Ten years later, she's back in Chicago to film a movie and Bo just happens to be the stunt coordinator on the film. Not sure how to handle this, she does what she always does – turns to her best friend Ana for advice.

The movie gives both Bo and Sadie time to work out their problems, deal with the teenage drama/trauma, and realize that the people they are today are not the people they would have been if they had stayed together. Realizing that life happens for a reason, they accept the past and look forward to the future, until someone tries to sabotage them with a long held secret.

Taking advice from her beloved Nana, Sadie owns her choices and dares anyone to condemn her for them.

I enjoyed this book. The secret that Sadie held is one that both empowers and devastates the person making the choice. Bo makes up for his insensitivity by making a profound discovery about himself that redeems him in the end.

Also Available in the Sometimes in Love Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Getting Hot with the Scot post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Smitten by the Brit post.

After earning her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, Melonie Johnson—aka #thewritinglush—taught high school English and Theatre for several years. An award winning author and a two-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist, she writes smart and funny contemporary romance and moonlights as an audiobook narrator under the pseudonym, Evelyn Eibhlin. She lives happily ever after with her husband, two redheaded daughters, a dog that's more like a small horse, and a pair of hermit crabs. Getting Hot with the Scot is her debut novel.

Connect with Melonie

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
The Reading Lushes Facebook Group

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Once Upon a Bad Boy (Sometimes in Love #3) by Melonie Johnson to read and review.

Smitten by the Brit by Melonie Johnson

DEFINITELY, MAYBE... OR LOVE, ACTUALLY?

English professor Bonnie Blythe expects her life to play out like her favorite novels, especially now that her long-term boyfriend has finally proposed. So when a shocking discovery leads Bonnie to end her engagement, she decides to close the book on love. But the plot thickens when a brand-new character enters the scene—and quickens Bonnie's heart.

With his brilliant blue eyes, sexy accent, and irresistible charm, Theo Wharton is like a romantic hero straight out of a Jane Austen novel. When fate places Bonnie in England for a summer—conveniently close to Theo—she realizes a hot friends-with-benefits fling is exactly what she needs to start a fresh chapter. Just as Bonnie begins to believe she's falling in love, an eye-opening revelation into Theo's life makes Bonnie feel like she's wandered into one of her favorite books. Will Bonnie have the courage to risk her heart and turn the page with the dashing Brit to find her true happy ending after all?

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
This book was a lot cuter than I thought it would be. We see plenty of Cassie and Jaime from the first book, but this book is truly about Theo and Bonnie.

They take the long way around to get to the romance but when they do, it is explosive. I have to admit that Theo's mom is a bit of work and I'm sad that Bonnie didn't confront her in front of everyone.

True love prevails, but the devil is in the details.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series – and I would recommend that you read book one first as it sets the scene for this lovely romance. We also get to catch up with the duo from that story, which was fun too.

Bonnie behaved herself impeccably whilst in London, even though her attraction to Logan's friend, Theo, was pretty overwhelming. But her fiancé, Gabe, was back home, and having known him since she was six, she had no intention of derailing her plans. Now life is back to normal in Chicago, and she is looking forward to Gabe finishing his PhD and them finally getting married. Seeing Theo again at an event with Logan and Cassie reminds her that she should be at home with Gabe. Sadly, this early evening results in her discovering that Gabe is not the man she believed. Feeling that she has lost all that she had held dear, she escapes to a hotel.

Cue Theo, a man who is hiding his true identity and who knows that he has to marry wisely to keep the family seat, staying in the very same hotel as Bonnie, and seeing her revives all those feelings again. And so starts a rebound affair, with no intention of permanence – or at least that is what they both tell themselves. Obviously, we know that the challenges thrown in front of them will somehow be cast aside, although the solution comes from a very unexpected quarter.

Great addition to the series, and I am already waiting for the next installment!

Also Available in the Sometimes in Love Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Getting Hot with the Scot post.

After earning her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, Melonie Johnson—aka #thewritinglush—taught high school English and Theatre for several years. An award winning author and a two-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist, she writes smart and funny contemporary romance and moonlights as an audiobook narrator under the pseudonym, Evelyn Eibhlin. She lives happily ever after with her husband, two redheaded daughters, a dog that's more like a small horse, and a pair of hermit crabs. Getting Hot with the Scot is her debut novel.

Connect with Melonie

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
The Reading Lushes Facebook Group

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Smitten by the Brit (Sometimes in Love #2) by Melonie Johnson to read and review.

Getting Hot with the Scot by Melonie Johnson

IT’S TIME TO FLIRT WITH A MAN IN A KILT

Cassie Crow, a pop-culture reporter for a TV talk show, is focused on becoming a “serious” journalist. But when she stumbles into a kilted Highlander with a killer accent, Cassie decides that taking one night off from work and spending it with a sexy Scot couldn’t hurt...

Logan Reid has built a career on his charm, hosting a series of off-the-wall hijinks on the Web. But when the Scottish prankster meets the all-American, equal parts intelligent and irresistible Cassie, Logan realizes that one night of fun won’t be enough. Could it be that this career-focused, commitment-phobic couple is finally ready to take a chance at true and lasting love?

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
I thoroughly enjoyed this lighthearted story about Cassie and Logan. Logan's pranks have helped him avoid dealing with the grief caused by the loss of his father. Cassie, on the other hand, is wanting to move on to serious reporting and believes that being an unwitting participant in one of his sketches will set her career back by a landslide.

Logan has had his sights set on Cassie since he first met her in that drafty old castle. While he is pursuing his dream of making it big, Cassie is also making her dreams come true by creating a dialogue to help children's literacy.

One slip of the tongue, one moment of weakness leads to a potential career crash for Cassie. Logan didn't mean to share the video but the effects of it could lead to the loss of her job.

Only time will tell if the aftereffects of the leaked video will lead both the destruction of career and the romance that Logan has built with Cassie.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first in a new series, and is one which I will continue to read. It was easy reading, with some silly banter, some fun flirtations, and a sweet story at its heart. As a Brit I had a few issues with how they managed their itinerary, but overall it was fun.

A group of old college girlfriends on a trip round Europe together is a great starting point for a story. We get to know them and their foibles in a really natural way through the story, to the point where I could describe each one and their interests, but having learned them organically. This is a sign of good writing for me. I am really happy that we will be meeting them again in future installments and finding out how they reach their happily ever afters too.

Cassie and Logan are a good pairing, because unbeknown to them, they have a career in common and a future which would work. I thought this was a clever way of making what should have been a crazy fling actually work into a romance with a future. The dilemma that Logan faced was well played, and his difficulty in deciding how to reconcile head and heart worked.

Overall a good read, with a happy vibe and a desirable outcome – thank you, Melonie Johnson.

After earning her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, Melonie Johnson—aka #thewritinglush—taught high school English and Theatre for several years. An award winning author and a two-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist, she writes smart and funny contemporary romance and moonlights as an audiobook narrator under the pseudonym, Evelyn Eibhlin. She lives happily ever after with her husband, two redheaded daughters, a dog that's more like a small horse, and a pair of hermit crabs. Getting Hot with the Scot is her debut novel.

Connect with Melonie

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
The Reading Lushes Facebook Group

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Getting Hot with the Scot (Sometimes in Love #1) by Melonie Johnson to read and review.