Author: elocko

31. Marketing and Communications. Sheridan Alum 2015. Laurier Alum 2014. Muggle Born. Bocce Enthusiast. Texas Forever. Trade. Build. Settle.

Valentine’s Day 2020

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Happy Valentine’s Day! 💕 As a proud Romance Reader my romantic stack could technically be my entire home library of books, so it was tough to narrow it down to this pile. But these here are my faves at the moment. How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year?

I’m celebrating Galentine’s Day a day late this year and hanging out with my girlfriends tomorrow, watching Rom-Coms and the Valentine’s Day episode of the O.C. A day for ladies celebrating ladies, Galentine’s Day is awesome and I can think of no better place where this goes down than here on bookstagram! 💕 There is so much bookish love, and it’s such an awesome space to share. Thank you to everyone who has ever commented, liked or shared a recommendation with me, I always choose my next read from here and you all have such great reviews. Sending out book love to you all 💕 .

Wellness Journals from Medamour

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One of my favourite things to do, besides reading, is journaling! I have about 3 agendas on the go, as well as two journals with to-do lists galore, plus a digital work and personal calendar. 

It may be chaos but it is organized chaos, and it keeps my thoughts, plans and ideas out of my head and onto paper. Medamour.com is an amazing intimate health and wellness shop run by a friend of mine, and they stock some of the COOLEST books and journals as well as pleasure products and bath essentials, etc. Basically, they are a beacon of self-care and support amongst the doom and gloom of the world wide web. 

This past week, thanks to www.medamour.com I hosted a giveaway on my Instagram page. Shoutout to my fellow Canadian @readwellreviews the winner of 2 awesome wellness journals by Monica Sweeney. Thank you to @medamour1 for sponsoring this giveaway, and be sure to check out the www.medamour.com for all your sexual health and wellness needs.

If your interested you can use code ‘theromancereader’ to save $10 off any $50 purchases!

💚 Wicked Sexy Liar by Christina Lauren 💚

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💚Wicked Sexy Liar by @christinalauren 💚


And just like that I’m done the series 😩 I loved each and every book from the Wild Seasons storyline and Luke & London’s story was such a sweet ending to it all. *Even better was the short story for Not-Joe/Dylan and Perry at the end, such a great addition!

Anyway Luke and London are the two that are on the outskirts of the “group that went to Vegas”. London being Lola’s roommate and Luke being Mia’s ex, and childhood friend of Lola and Harlow. Ever since his breakup with Mia, Luke has been quite the ladies man. Never really caring about anyone in particular. Until he meets London.

After letting him call her Logan for the entire first night they get together, London knows Luke is only good for a one night fling. That is until one night becomes two and then three and soon enough her perception of him starts to change from lothario to genuine nice guy. He realizes he needs to prove himself to London and show that he’s boyfriend material, but can he shake off his roster of ladies once and for all?

While I really enjoyed this one, I can safely say my favourite book of the series was Dirty Rowdy Thing. I’m giving this one an 8/10. These books do not disappoint!

An Ode to my Favourite Book

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Oh The Hating Game. I love this book so very VERY much.

I’m currently re-reading for the third time and I can promise that it does not get old. I adore these characters, and the hate to love trope with a ‘flamethrower’ level passion.

While sitting at work day dreaming about this book yet again, I stumbled upon some amazing Hating Game artwork that other book bloggers have put together. And it is now officially my screensaver. (Thank you @alleskelle.com)

Now the film is supposed to be in production later this year and I quite literally cannot wait!!! Lucy Hale and Robbie Amell are the spitting image of the characters from my mind, I know they’re going to be perfect.

Have you read the Hating Game yet?

Dark Wild Night

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Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren 💙

After reading Dirty Rowdy Thing, I downloaded the next in the Wild Seasons series, Dark Wild Night, and finished it the next day. This series is fantastic! Each character in this friend group has their own style and unique connection to their partner, so each book is fresh but still funny, emotional and sexy af!

After a wild night in Vegas where 6 strangers, 3 girls and 3 guys get married, Oliver and Lola were the only ones of the group that decided to just be friends. In the 8 months after Vegas they’ve become as close as friends can get, doing everything together, including their shared love of comic books (Oliver owns a comic book store, Lola wrote a best selling comic). Lola has a huge crush on Oliver but won’t make a move again after he told her from the beginning he doesn’t see her that way. Meanwhile, Oliver has slowly started to fall for Lola and everyone seems to know it but her…

This one gave me such Seth Cohen vibes!! I really like that each chapter is from Oliver or Lola’s perspective so their mutual confusion over each other is so sweet. I’m giving this one an 8/10 💙

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Dirty Rowdy Thing

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Dirty Rowdy Thing by @christinalauren 🇨🇦 And boy does this book live up to the title!

This book not only had the dirtiest sex scenes ever but also had such a great storyline. Christina Lauren do such a great job of creating a story with substance, emotion, lovable complex characters as well as ALL THE RAUNCHINESS. I absolutely loved this one.

Following the first in this series, Sweet Filthy Boy, where 3 girls and 3 guys met and got married in Vegas, we’re now catching up with unlikely couple Harlow and Finn. Harlow is a Cali girl who is always down for fun, and Finn is a rugged Canadian fisherman who takes things a bit more seriously. Finn is in Cali to see his friends and for a business offer, and Harlow is forced to see him for a few weeks. She quickly realizes he could be the perfect distraction from all the seriousness going on in her life but soon enough this distraction becomes more like an obsession…

I’m giving this one a 9/10 for hot Canadian fisherman🔥

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

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Wallbanger by Alice Clayton 💕 I may have been embarrassed to hold up a cover that says Wallbanger on holiday, but it was worth it.

This one was surprisingly such a slooooow burn. You’d think with a title like Wallbanger it would be straight to the steam but it was actually SO romantic. The humour was a bit silly at times, and Caroline was way too dramatic for me but Simon is such a great character and I liked the story. An easy beach read, I’m giving this one a 7/10 🏝

🌧 Rainy Day Reads 🌧

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This weekend in Toronto called for intense rain, and lots of it, which meant I had a perfect excuse to go nowhere and enjoy some guilt free reading!

One of my best friends gave me two of these books for Christmas, and I can’t wait to bring them with me on vacation later this week (I’m going to Mexico WOOHOOO!!).

Do you have any vacation romance recommendations? (I’ve already read Unhoneymooners). I’m not necessarily looking for destination romance novels but I need a guaranteed good read for my trip, I’d appreciate any suggestions 🙂

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

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🔥 Office romance 🔥 Enemies to Lovers 🔥 FULL STEAM AHEAD 🔥 But very little plot…

Holy moly this @christinalauren is spicy!! This is definitely the most scandalous of their books that I’ve read so far…
Bennett Ryan is a perfectionist young mogul at his father’s company, while Chloe Mills is his hardworking assistant who hates his guts. In fact the feeling is mutual. That is, until the tension boils over turning into hate sex which turns into something more…?

To be honest this relationship seemed super unhealthy, there is minimal plot, they barely have a full conversation with each other throughout the whole book and every other page is a sex scene…but I couldn’t stop reading! If you can set aside the rediculousness of it all, it is a quick, steamy read with some pure hatred thrown in for fun. I’m giving this one a 6.5/10 overall but a 9/10 on the steam factor🔥

Baking Me Crazy 🍪 by Karla Sorensen

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Baking Me Crazy by @karla_sorensen


I am officially obsessed with Penny Reid’s Green Valley universe. Baking Me Crazy is the first of the Donner Bakery canon that takes place in the same town as the Winston Brothers (the bakery is the home of the Banana Cake Queen).

The men in Levi’s family have been known to be cursed with love at first sight and when they fall they fall for life. When Levi met Joss that’s exactly what happened, but she just wanted to be friends. Five years of friendship later Levi is as in love with her as ever, but Joss is starting to fall for her physical trainer. Levi suddenly realizes he’s got to act now or lose his girl before he’s even had her.

I really enjoyed that the story was told with the female lead being in a wheelchair. I feel like it was so well written you begin to understand her perspective in a small town and the difficulties she faces in the world of romance.

I’m not usually a fan of the “pining for the best friend” trope, it can sometimes feel a bit pathetic or awkward to me. I did like it in this case because it was not only really romantic, but if felt like while he was the one pining, he was also super confident and she was awkward and uncomfortable, almost evening it out?! Anyway I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read the next in the series. I’m giving this sweet read a 7/10!