Book Reviews: Ramon and Julieta, Fair Trade, Not Safe for Work, Plus Size Player & The Love Constant

Book Reviews

by 

Traveling Bookie Monster

Title: Ramon and Julieta

Author: Alana Quintana Albertson

Narrators: Alexander Amado& Vanessa Vasquez

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Trope: Romeo & Juliet Retelling

Rating: Loved

Spice: Flamin Hot Cheeto

Synopsis: Ramón Montez always achieves his goals. Whether that means collecting Ivy League degrees or growing his father’s fast-food empire, nothing sets Ramón off course. So when the sexy señorita who kissed him on the Day of the Dead runs off into the night with his heart, he determines to do whatever it takes to find her again. 

 Celebrity chef Julieta Campos has sacrificed everything to save her sea-to-table taqueria from closing. To her horror, she discovers that her new landlord is none other than the magnetic mariachi she hooked up with on Dia de los Muertos. Even worse, it was his father who stole her mother’s taco recipe decades ago. Julieta has no choice but to work with Ramón, the man who destroyed her life’s work—and the one man who tempts and inspires her. 

As San Diego’s outraged community protests against the Taco King takeover and the divide between their families grows, Ramón and Julieta struggle to balance the rising tensions. But Ramón knows that true love is priceless and despite all of his successes, this is the one battle he refuses to lose. 

Thoughts: I love a good retelling. Add Latinx characters, cultura and traditions and I'm all in! 

This book had a little bit of everything. From the mentions of food and the traditions of Dia de Los Muertros, to class differences, gentrification/gentefication, family drama and even some spice, this book has it all. 

The narrators did an amazing job bringing Ramon & Julieta to life! They elevated this great book by adding their voices to an already great book. Can't wait to continue with the Love & Tacos series. 

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Rating:

LOVED= 5 Stars. A new fav. Will be talking about every chance I get. 

ENJOYED= 4-3 Stars.  It wasn’t a life changer but I would recommend. 

0-2 Stars/ DNF= I will not post a review about a book I didn’t enjoy or did not finish. Good vibes only. I support anyone who’s brave enough to create their own work and put it out into the world for others. 

Spice: 

Puffy Cheeto- No Spice. 

Crunchy Cheeto- Closed Door/Fade to Black

Flamin Hot Cheeto- Spicy. A few detailed scenes. 

Takis- Erotica. With more mature themes.

Title: Fair Trade

Author: Millie Perez

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Trope: Billionaire Boss, One Night Stand, Sports Romance (Baseball)

Rating: Loved

Spice: Flamin Hot Cheeto

Synopsis: Nicholas Stonehaven is the devil.

The man was supposed to remain a stranger. A fond memory of a night I’ll never forget. Instead, I’m mortified to learn that my dirty little secret is now the new owner of the New York Monarchs, making him my boss. I tell myself I can handle this new development. I didn’t become the first female general manager in Major League Baseball without knowing how to handle a curveball. I make trades and close deals better than any other GM in the league. But when the arrogant billionaire offers me a contract I can’t refuse, it seems like I’ve earned myself another fancy, although temporary title: wife.

Luisa Álvarez is heaven sent.

When she’s not calling me Lucifer, that is. I can be a lot to handle. Hell, I use that to my advantage in the boardroom. But my experience as the CEO of a media enterprise did me no good when I inherited a professional baseball team from my estranged grandfather. I would have sold it off immediately, but even from six feet under, the old man held something over my head, and I couldn’t let it slip through my fingers. That’s how I found myself married to my Angel. She may be hung up on the fact that we made a deal and signed on the dotted line. But there is nothing fake about the way I feel for her or how she comes alive under my touch. We agreed to a fair trade, but now it’s time to renegotiate. Because when it comes to my wife, I never vowed to play fair. 

Thoughts: This was fun and full of flirty, quick banter that had me giggling throughout . 

Nick is a secret mush and his love for Luisa was so cute and heart warming. I was highlighting so many lines. 

Luisa is such a bad ass boss babe and I love it. When she finally stood up for herself,  I was so proud. 

This book has lots of Dominican representation and familia and has great PCOS rep. 

Can't wait for Home Runner!  

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Rating:

LOVED= 5 Stars. A new fav. Will be talking about every chance I get. 

ENJOYED= 4-3 Stars.  It wasn’t a life changer but I would recommend. 

0-2 Stars/ DNF= I will not post a review about a book I didn’t enjoy or did not finish. Good vibes only. I support anyone who’s brave enough to create their own work and put it out into the world for others. 

Spice: 

Puffy Cheeto- No Spice. 

Crunchy Cheeto- Closed Door/Fade to Black

Flamin Hot Cheeto- Spicy. A few detailed scenes. 

Takis- More than a few detailed scenes 

Title:  Not Safe for Work

Author: Nisha J Tuli

Narrator: Soneela Nankani

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Trope: Workplace Romance, Work Rivals to Lovers, Only One Bed, Work Trip 

Rating: Enjoy

Spice: Flamin Hot Cheeto

Synopsis: Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. Teetering on the edge of burnout, Tris is stunned when she’s picked to attend WMC's corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. It’s a chance to revive her stalled career and compete for a coveted spot in an executive training program—plus, three weeks in paradise! The only downside? Rafe is her co-attendee. 

Tris plans to avoid Rafe entirely, but when she arrives in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. Sure, it’s not all torture. Rafe is a smoldering ten—okay fine, an eleven—but after years of competition, they can barely stand being in the same time zone. 

As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along? 

Thoughts: I struggled with this one for a bit, as the FMC was so oblivious and kinda annoying but I am really glad I stuck it out because I ended up really enjoying it. 

The story, plot, MMC & even the supporting characters were all great. The narrator really made the story work even though I felt the FMC was kind of insufferable. She annoyed the heck out of me and I wanted to strangle her more than a few times throughout this book. 

She isn't completely terrible but there were some moments where I found myself sarcastically replying to her inner monologue, and although it may have been because I was arguing with her I do enjoy how engaged and into the story I was. Hence the 4 Stars. 

Even if the MC is making me want to fight them, if it's giving me such strong emotions, I know it's good. 

The author does mention that this is her most personal book and that makes the themes of sexism and racism at the workplace within the book hit much deeper. I did appreciate the realness of the story's subject matter as these are conversations we need to be having in the real world as well. 

Overall I did end up enjoying this book and I will be reading this author again in the future.

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Rating:

LOVED= 5 Stars. A new fav. Will be talking about every chance I get. 

ENJOYED= 4-3 Stars.  It wasn’t a life changer but I would recommend. 

0-2 Stars/ DNF= I will not post a review about a book I didn’t enjoy or did not finish. Good vibes only. I support anyone who’s brave enough to create their own work and put it out into the world for others. 

Spice: 

Puffy Cheeto- No Spice. 

Crunchy Cheeto- Closed Door/Fade to Black

Flamin Hot Cheeto- Spicy. A few detailed scenes. 

Takis- More than a few detailed scenes 

Title: Plus Sizer Player

Author: Danielle Allen

Narrator: Wesleigh Siobhan

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Rating: Enjoyed

Spice: Flamin Hot Cheetos

Synopsis: Nina Ford doesn’t like to put all her eggs in one basket. She works multiple jobs, she enjoys multiple hobbies, she dates multiple men.

In her thirty years of life, Nina has never come across a man who has all the things she’s looking for.

She loves fun and excitement—and she has a man for that.

She loves confidence and humor—and she has a man for that.

She loves intelligence and ambition—and she has a man for that.

She loves passion and romance—and she has a man for that.

She’s always been content rotating a few men in and out of her life to get her needs met. But when Russell Long, her designated “Fun Guy”, shows her that he’s good for more than just thrills, it seems too good to be true. Nina finds herself in a predicament.

She's found everything she's ever wanted in a career in one job.

She's found everything she's ever wanted in a partner in one man.

Inevitably, her eggs are bound to get cracked.

Like her back. 

Thoughts: This was a low drama/high stress story with just the right amount of spice. 

I listened to the audio and these two had me STRESSED ALL THE WAY OUT multiple times! Pure recklessness! 

I loved every second of my strands turning white. Cause whew! Danielle Allen can write the heck outta sexy scene. My body was so confused, heart braced for the potential drama and body hot from the words. 

Wesleigh Siobhan did her thing with this audio. I sometimes find it hard to listen to some narrators but I have yet to hear her and not enjoy the experience.

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Rating:

LOVED= 5 Stars. A new fav. Will be talking about every chance I get. 

ENJOYED= 4-3 Stars.  It wasn’t a life changer but I would recommend. 

0-2 Stars/ DNF= I will not post a review about a book I didn’t enjoy or did not finish. Good vibes only. I support anyone who’s brave enough to create their own work and put it out into the world for others. 

Spice: 

Puffy Cheeto- No Spice. 

Crunchy Cheeto- Closed Door/Fade to Black

Flamin Hot Cheeto- Spicy. A few detailed scenes. 

Takis- More than a few detailed scenes 

Title:  The Love Constant

Author: Ana D’Arcy

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Trope: Billionaire Boss, Age Gap

Rating: Enjoyed

Spice: Takis

Synopsis: As Andrea refuses to let go of the man she loves, she and Lex discover that love can be just as dangerous as it is powerful, and survival is anything but guaranteed.

Lex’s past has caught up with him, blowing his life apart and stealing the future he dreamed of with Andrea. As he struggles to accept the reality of what he’s lost, a new concern arises: Andrea is determined to get him out, and he knows exactly how far she’s willing to go to make that happen.

Andrea isn’t giving up on their love story. She’s found her person in this universe, and nothing will stop her from getting him back. There’s no future without Lex, so she’ll risk everything she’s built, if that’s what it takes. Rules, dangers, consequences … none of it matters if it means leaving him behind.

What neither of them realizes is that getting Lex out is the easy part. Forces they can’t see are already watching, waiting, and closing in. What started as a fight to reclaim their future turns into a battle for survival—one that will test their trust, their resilience, and the limits of their love.

Their bond has never been stronger, but a love like theirs has a way of making people reckless.

And this time, recklessness might cost them everything. 

Thoughts: I have loved this trilogy since book one and this was one of my most anticipated reads for this year. 

Sadly, this book didn't hit the way I thought I would. Although the story was full of spice, banter and family; all things I love, I just wasn't connecting with this story the same as the last two. 

I felt like this story just kind of went a little too long, which is wild for me to say because I normally love books that are over 500 pgs. I also normally love a book full of spice, but I think there was just an unnecessary amount vs the actual storyline? Some of the scenes seemed unnecessary and could have been cut and the one scene I wanted to see, we didn't get. 

THE END

Felt like it kind of came out of nowhere. Like we spent all this time getting to a HEA and it was rushed. I had a visceral reaction when I turned the page and it said 'THE END', cause it felt soooo sudden. 

The story line itself was an interesting turn from the way the last book ended and Andrea is a badass and I love her. The book is still good and the trilogy as a whole is dope. I love the rep and the fun. 

I do recommend for anyone looking for a sexy smart billionaire boss trilogy with a spicy Latina, deaf rep, autism rep and lots of SPICE, this book will definitely hit.

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                                        @booksteantravel

Rating:

LOVED= 5 Stars. A new fav. Will be talking about every chance I get. 

ENJOYED= 4-3 Stars.  It wasn’t a life changer but I would recommend. 

0-2 Stars/ DNF= I will not post a review about a book I didn’t enjoy or did not finish. Good vibes only. I support anyone who’s brave enough to create their own work and put it out into the world for others. 

Spice: 

Puffy Cheeto- No Spice. 

Crunchy Cheeto- Closed Door/Fade to Black

Flamin Hot Cheeto- Spicy. A few detailed scenes. 

Takis- More than a few detailed scenes