Monthly Recommendations - May Is for Contemporary

Hello-Hello! I am here with another post. Recently I joined another books related group on Goodreads called Monthly Recommendations (<--link). You might know the creators, Trina (Between Chapters) and Kayla Rayne. Do not be a troll and check these awesome beings' channels. - (No offense, trolls but you are pretty grumpy imaginary creatures.)

The month of May is dedicated to Contemporary Books.

According to May's discussion board, "Contemporary fiction is generally considered to be a real world setting with no fantasy or paranormal elements that takes place after World War II. It includes a variety of cross/sub-genres, such as: Romance, Coming of Age, Mystery, Horror, Humor, Literary fiction."

Since I prefer my books with a splash of imaginary... stuff, contemporary books are very few in my read pile... Thus, the books of my choosing are more romance oriented and cross the line into the New Adult category. I am not counting the ones from my TBR (to be read) list since I cannot offer an opinion cause I did not read them... DUH! 

The books are in no particular order.

Let's get this recommendation started!

 

 

This is one of my recent reads. It is an easy and quick read. A lot of themes are explored throughout this book. "Don't be quick to judge" and "things are not always what they appear" are just a few of them. Brigid Kemmerer does a great job reflecting real world problems in her book. I also like the mystery-romance aspect. Boy and girl know of each other's existence but they are not acquainted at all. They judge one another based on rumors and gossip. Then, they end up later corresponding anonymously to talk about their life and problems. From my point of view, this story is a bit too focused on the main characters; although, that hasn't stop me from enjoying a good book like this (Review HERE).

Goodreads book page

  

 

Alright, this is a kind of a classic cliché and I so love it. This a contemporary love story which it happens to take place in Paris, France. L'amour! I couldn't help it. I had to say the phrase. Tired of having all - mostly all - your books taking place in the U.S.A or U.K.? Then this book is your answer to that. But don't get overly excited, there still is an American/English aspect in this book. The setting is beautiful. The story had the right amounts of romance, reality, cuteness, sweetness, and culture, and characters... I read this book twice and that says something since I rarely read books a second time. Anyway... Try the book if you are in a mood for cute and fluffy. (*Not really a standalone.)

Goodreads book page

 

 

A book published by Swoon Reads*** (<-- link). Teenage girl with good reputation (high grades and focused on her grades but with a "cold" demeanor) meets the hot surfer womanizer boy. It is set in high school. The two try to figure out who they are despite... high school society? It is a nice contemporary with an important message addressed people. There is a lot of steam potential... but is not explored at all; though, the romance is cute. And despite the title, personally, I did not see the "walk of shame". Nothing was shameful.

Goodreads book page

  

 

Now, we are leaving the YA territory and move towards New Adult / Adult zone. This is another romance that takes place in another place other then USA or U.K. It's happening in Rome, baby! Cute. Full of steam. Love. Romance. Culture. A Prince in disguise. It is a retelling of the film Roman Holyday with Audrey Hepburn in the main role. You can check my review, HERE, if you need more convincing. (*Not really a standalone.)

Goodreads book page

 

 

Well, well, well. The maturity scale in this one gets a little higher (and I am not talking about the sexy time). This is a complex and complicated story. It is about life, love, and redemption. There is a strong connection with Dante's Inferno or shout I say Dante's personal life viewed from his work, The Divine Comedy. It takes place in Toronto, Canada. Yes, it started as fan-fiction but there is so much more to the story. This is a story well written able to touch your soul and feels - oops, feelings.

(Not a standalone.)

Goodreads book page

 

Another new adult book. If you are a Colleen Hoover fan, you already know of this book. Again, the maturity level is pretty high - and here I am talking about sex. This is my favorite Colleen's book so far. (I've only read two and the other one is Confess which you can find my review on it HERE.) Life. Love. Redemption. Tragedy. And the most important, how we cope with tragedy and find a way to relive and bloom again.

Goodreads book page

 

I hope you enjoyed this post and found some new books to add to your on growing TBR pile. And, if you want more contemporary recommendations, check out the group's May discussion board HERE.

See ya in the next post!

 

P.S. Confess was turned into a short TV show. For more details on that click the link HERE.

*The book can be read by itself - ish - but it ties in with other books. A series of standalones...?
 ***Swoon Reads it is a website where you can publish your manuscript and based on feedback from the readers you have a chances to get published.  

 

Royally Roma an enchanting retelling of the classic Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday

The Royals #1 by Teri Wilson

Publication Date: 27 March 2017

Book synopsis

In this charming, modern retelling of the classic Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday, a royal prince tries to escape his hectic and rigid life and ends up leading a young graduate student on a chase through the Eternal City. Julia Costa is too busy trying to complete her PhD while also holding down a full-time job as a private tour guide in Rome to keep up with celebrity gossip. So when she crosses paths with a real, actual prince, she mistakes him for a client and takes him on a daylong tour of the city. Intrigued by the idea of spending time with someone who obviously has no idea who he is, and delighted at the prospect of a day free of royal obligations, Niccolo La Torre, Crown Prince of Lazaretto, acts on impulse and assumes the role of Julia’s client. He swears to himself that he’ll return to his royal duties after only half a day…but he’s having the time of his life. Until Julia presents him with the bill. Since he snuck out of the hotel without so much as a dime, he tries to escape, only to discover that she won’t let him out of her sight until he can pay her back. She’s determined to get her money…and perhaps more from the handsome stranger she’s fallen for.  Royally Roma

 

My opinion

4.5/5 stars.

This book was sweet, romantic, and intense. The love felt genuine and real despite being insta-love. Niccolo and Julia were complex characters with complicated pasts. They meet by chance and everything goes down from there.

Being a retelling of the classic black and white film Roman Holiday was one of things which attracted me to this book. And this says something because my number one black and white movie is Roman Holiday followed by Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

The story has its flaws. Some might find the writing repetitive and overwhelming in the beginning (especially in the description category). Despite the cliché and the flaws, it made me feel things. I was able to connect with the characters. I felt sad. I felt mushy. I felt joy and sorrow. And this is the most important thing when it comes to a book. Books must have the ability to make you root for the characters and feel what they feel.

Rome. That setting! It was a perfect ambiance for the romantic story to bloom. Rome was well written in the book, full of magic and history. An Eternal City indeed.

I was in the mood for this romance. And because it moved me, I felt like giving it a high rating. But! There is always a but. I made a short list of the main things that bothered me.

Bothering things (if you read the book you will understand): lack of GPS tracking; portraying the female in some instances based on the ancient Greek misconception (lack of self-restraint); same can be said about the male character who is portrayed as in control, honorable and in charge of the polis (thank goodness he was not also the stereotypical bad-boy).

[Yes, I had to throw some historical facts. The action is happening in Rome for goodness sake! Ha-ha-ha =))!]

Do you love super sweet, charged, and cheesy romance? Then, this is your cup of tea. Or should I say cup of espresso? ;)

 

This is my sole opinion. ^_^

 

I would like to say thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Cultural
Language: none to mild
Sexual content: heavy
Violence: none to moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: mild