Camilla IsleyReseñas

Love Quest is the 2nd book in a series of re-released books by Camilla Isley, but it can easily be read as a standalone. Love Quest was previously released as From Thailand with Love. I haven’t read the previous version, so I’m not sure how many changes were made between releases, but I did enjoy reading this version. I’ll admit, The Love Theorem is still my favorite between the 2 books I’ve read so far in the series, but not every book can be my favorite, right?

I’ll be honest, it took me a bit to warm up to the two main characters in this book, Winter and Logan. I think a lot of that was influenced by the characters’ opinions of each other, as this is an enemies to lovers romance. I definitely took to Winter faster than Logan.

I really enjoyed the exotic setting in the remote jungle of Thailand. Plus, the search for a lost city gave a great sense of adventure. The book ended up with a lot more action than I was expecting which kept things interesting and exciting. It all definitely made this book different from many romance books I’ve read!

I’m happy to see that this series will be continuing, as I’ve enjoyed it so far. I’ve already been approved to receive an advance copy of the next book, The Love Proposal, so I’m excited to continue the series.

I received a free advance copy of this book, but all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Camilla Isley for the opportunity to read the book early!

The Love Proposal, formerly published as You May Kiss the Bridesmaid, is the 3rd book in Camilla Isley’s rerelease series. Though part of a series, this book can easily be read as a standalone.

This story’s main characters, Summer and Archie, are both from previous books in the series. Before reading, I was a little concerned I might not like Summer since she was more of a villain in the first book. However, I ended up liking her a lot and appreciated seeing the past events from her perspective. Of course, it was also fun to see other characters from the previous books as well.

Most of the book takes place over the course of a week that leads up to the marriage of the previous book’s couple, Winter and Logan. Summer and Archie begin what is meant to be just a week-long fling, but feelings start to develop between the two. I think both characters showed a tremendous amount of growth over the course of the story, which is something I like to see. The story had plenty of comedic moments intertwined with closed-door adult scenes. I really like how things ended in this story.

It sounds like there is at least one more book that will be released in this series, so I’m excited to see what comes next!

First off, I loved Leigh as a character, and I felt an extra special connection to her as a fellow avid reader, book reviewer, and woman in computer science. I went into this book knowing that I'd have to suspend reality a little bit, but I really enjoyed the interesting experience of "book character comes to life." I liked the story within the story aspect and how it all became intertwined. This book hits on just about every romance trope you can imagine, but it doesn't feel cheesy at all because the characters are actively pointing it out and joking about it. I loved watching Killian and Leigh adapt to their crazy situation. The romance is definitely a slow burn, but I think the character development along the way validates it. It was great to see Leigh gain a sense of trust and the ability to speak up. This was just an overall enjoyable, quick read from an author who doesn't disappoint!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the advance review copy of It Started with a Book! The opinions in my review are completely my own.

The Love Algorithm is the 3rd book in Camilla Isley’s True Love series. It could easily be read as a standalone, but it runs parallel to the other two books, so we get to see some previous characters along the way.

I’ve already read and enjoyed several of Camilla Isley’s books, and The Love Algorithm did not disappoint. This book follows the points of view of both main characters, and I found them to be very likeable. I love seeing successful women in engineering, and Reese was a great representative. Thomas was very down-to-Earth despite his billionaire background. I loved the interactions between Reese and Thomas. A special gem in this book was K-2P, a droid that Reese designed and had so much personality and sass, giving some literal laugh-out-loud moments. This was an overall enjoyable story that was a quick read and hard to put down!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the advance review copy of The Love Algorithm! The opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

More like a 3.5 - cute fast pace read that kept me engaged, realistic relationship

Fake relationship, turned real. Cute sappy moments that build into a friendship and love interest to relationship. A few moments of "just get over yourself" but all in all, a cute little romance that was a great in between read.

3.5 stars cute, fast paced read that kept me hoping for a cute romance.

The main characters did frustrate me at the beginning. I did not think that I would read the whole book and that this would become my first DNF of the year; however, it did pick up and I finished.
I wanted to strangle the dating company with all the blah matches!

When letting go works in your favor! 3.25 stars

It is a cute story about having a crappy day and switching up how you live life. This book bugged me a little bit. While cute and sappy, The main female character was annoyingly pushy, overly self-absorbed and relentlessly seeing things from only her perspective. Yes, you should always shoot your shot. Yes, you should always know what you want. Saying what you want and meaning what you say is important but don't be an ass while doing it! Forcing someone to realize they are on the same page as you can truly backfire in the real world. Say how you feel with the understanding the other person may not feel the same.

2.5 stars - I’m happy I read the series out of order but I won’t be continuing

I read the books in the series out of order and by mistake but I am happy I did. I read three books and enjoyed the fast paced stories. Good in between audiobooks while driving to and from work and late nights up. But when I got to this book, the first book in the series, I lost all interest. The dual perspective of the same character kept losing me.still enjoy the authors writing style just not this book.

Oh, friends. I don't know where to start. This was *awful.* It's the first "new adult" novel I've read, and if this is what early 20 somethings are like, I kind of want a black hole to open up and swallow all of them...

It's billed as a romance, but there is no chemistry. It's full of shallow, dumb people doing shallow, dumb things, and I only finished it because it was like a train wreck I couldn't look away from. And it was short (under 5 hours on audio).

Love triangles, best friends having hot sex while one of them is in a relationship with a one-dimensional mean girl. Mentions of Harvard Law, when "school" or "Harvard" would suffice. A scene where a rich girl from Dallas has never had sushi (puh-leeze)... I could go on. This was terrible, and none of you should read it.

2 stars
(My rating scale translation: why didn't I DNF it?)

“I need to go home and perform an exorcism on myself.”

This book had me laughing out loud from page one all of the way to the end! Wonderful characters, over the top gestures and a perfect ending. I can’t say more!

This was a very cute, happy ending book. What happens when a writer escapes to the mountains to write, but decides to leave at the holidays then changes his mind after the house is already rented? A funny story with various arcs of romance within an unusual group. This is the first book I've read by this author, but I enjoyed it and bought the kindle version to ensure I can read it again. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a review for Sparks Fly by Laura D. Bastian ONLY. Full review of entire box set coming soon.

I was pretty excited to read my first novella from the My Funny Valentine box set but from the beginning I felt like this story was more on the slow side, and I fought to figure out exactly why. I never did get my answer, and the pace never really seemed to pick up either, leading to an ok read.

I don’t know why this is called Sparks Fly because the only electricity is at the various job sites that Adam works (he’s an electrician), and even those scenes are dull. I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters and the tedious predictability made it even worse. Samantha was my favorite character of the whole story, and sadly she was just a side character. Adam and Mia were lukewarm at best, and their story was overall sweet, but the relationship felt forced and the epilogue felt rushed.

I’m not saying the overall story is bad, per se. I just wish I could’ve connected more with the characters and cared about their situation. The writing was decent, but the flow felt off the entire time I read, and it just didn’t jive with me. It makes me sad because I love this author and was hoping for more sparks!

If you haven’t laid hands on the book yet, here’s your clue to stop reading. This review has spoilers.

The author has done a great job in writing the book. I can connect to the writing style very well, and I’m pretty sure a lot of others can, too. The book is a dual POV and that’s an amazing bonus to the amazing script.

I love Wendy and Riven’s character development throughout the book, especially when Riven colors her hair, yes, that was an IT moment. He was ready for the fury to get a reaction out of her, and I would like to think she looked glorious with the new hair.

However, the end, where they become STEP-SIBLINGS(?!) is something that made me drop the stars. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for their parents, but the marriage complicates things. The epilogue wasn’t as justified as it could’ve been. There were a lot of other ways to end the book, but this one was not the best, in my opinion. The parents could’ve pulled a prank, or there could’ve been a gap where they decided to act on their feelings, but really, it was too unrealistic even for fiction.

However, I love the family, especially Amy and Tess’ kids and it would’ve been great to see them involved more, but overall, the book was a quick read, and a great one, except for the ending.
I kind of dislike Riven for not telling his ex-wife about Wendy, and not because they didn’t have a DTR yet, but also because he could’ve shut her up and straight up told her to get the fuck out of his house. Whether or not he was hurt, he shouldn’t have let her belittle his relationship with Wendy.

As for Wendy, I feel sorry for her in a lot of ways. Sure, the book says it all worked out in the end, but she went through the most in terms of love. I don’t know what is better, but she sure did deserve it.

The story was okay, albeit excessively dramatic. I love a fake-dating book and I adore a second chance romance, but this was excessive, even for me, and trust me, I've loved the worst clichés. The story started fine, with both of the main characters figuring out how to tell their parents they had broken up (gasp!) four months ago and were pretending for their sake, and the obstacles sound great, initially. After a few chapters though, it all goes downhill. Every book is supposed to be an adventure but this one belongs in a hallmark movie, and one I'd definitely like to watch and laugh, but not enough to read the book. The plot becomes infuriating after a certain point and I was all but "End it already, for god's sake!". I mean, it was adorable because of the chocolates but the Japanese investors? I agreed with Marco at all times, and even though he might not be a suitable match, he'd be a level-headed person in a relationship someday, with the right person, of course. However, if you do like a cliché, I would recommend this book, too short to dnf but sometimes becomes too aggravating.

Take one part A Christmas Carol, with one part It's a Wonderful Life, shake, shimmy, and stir to set the potion in motion for a holiday mishap Caroline won't soon forget!

This is definitely a case of the familiar being taken in a new direction. I loved the aspects of the story that I could recognize from those tales of old, but I equally loved the new twists. How so? Well, in lieu of three separate spirits, it seems that even the ghosts are experiencing a supply in demand type issue and have to multitask. The big scary potential ending that shocks old Ebenezer into action has a rather mundane effect on our big city gal; very now, but still chuckle worthy. Then there's the future that could have been filled with so many hiccups, surprises, and the unexpected that your heart both hurts and beats in time with the heightened fever moments. I don't want to disclose too much because half the fun is seeing her reactions to everything and everyone she encounters, but let's just say her little spirit guild definitely knew what she was doing.

All in all, it's a great holiday tale that reminds us to prioritize the right things in life. Success, money, fame, popularity, and the like have their time and place, but we can't take them with us, nor will they comfort us on a bad day, or share in your joyous moments. Build a life you can look back on and say, I TRULY LIVED; I TRULY LOVED.


**ecopy received for review; opinions are my own

Lana was having a really bad day. She was hiding in a hotel closet and crying, having confirmed that her longtime boyfriend and even longer-time best friend were having an affair. By chance, a super star actor was also trying to hide from the paparazzi and picked the same closet. He was attracted to her and her sorrow. She was oblivious to his fame. And thus was the start of their relationship. This story was quite captivating from the beginning. The characters were delightful, especially Lana, Christian, and his personal assistant Penny. She really made the story. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Lana and Christian, but then, neither is real life. It was a well written story, with good dialogue, a well thought-out plot, and a satisfying conclusion. Recommended for readers of romance.

Not wanting to endure a family Christmas holiday as the spinster sister against the backdrop of a newly engaged one, Nikki hires an actor who is a drop-dead gorgeous hunk as her boyfriend for the week. It works, at least for a while, but then it all falls apart when an argument by the sisters is overheard. It’s a delightful tale, for Christmas or anytime, peopled with interesting characters looking for a happy ending. It’s a well-written quick read, and sure to bring a smile to your face.

Here is a summary of what the book is about. Have you ever wondered what might have been?
Gemma Dawson is at the airport, staring at two plane tickets to two different cities. Two different weddings. Two possible futures. She’s at a crossroads.
Be maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding or crash her ex’s?
Gemma’s decision, unknown to her, hinges on a delayed flight and a chance meeting. Now her life is about to go down two parallel tracks—will Gemma fly toward a life with her first love or a future with a man she’s not even met yet?

In concurrent storylines, Gemma lives out the consequences of each journey. Different stories unravel with unpredictable outcomes for Gemma and her loved ones.

I just love reading romantic stories. I found this book to be interesting because it was two different stories. I got confused at times. I did enjoy reading this book. Loved the characters in this book. Looking forward to reading more books by the author.

Happy Reading Everyone!

AAs I am new at the Netgalley site, I was browsing through the read-me now list, and when I saw the cover and read the summary, I thought it is the right candidate TBR, even if it is the fourth book in the series. The truth is I wasn't paying attention while downloading the book I had only two days to read the e-book. Somehow I managed to read it in three sittings.
As I am a mood reader and I read other books at the same time, and they are a little bit heavier, I felt that I wanted something fluffier and a romantic comedy. "To the Stars and Back" is a book part of the series. But you can be read as a standalone and out of order. Lana and Christian's meet-cute is something I have never read. I like how Christian is thoughtful and helpful during Lana's tough time.
Making a female main character, smart, and nerdy, is another aspect you see and read every day.
These books take important subjects and intertwine them as sub-subject in an innovating way. One such subject education, and specifically for people that are not so privileged, helps them to get the knowledge for a better future. Education of women in fields that are usually managed and handled by the male population is another issue applied in this book. The other theme that is implementing as a sub-subject is environmental issues.
I am looking forward to reading Camilla Isley's books from the "First Comes Love" series, as well as her other works.

Imagine a world where celebrity news doesn't infiltrate your personal bubble. A world where you're aware of your surroundings, but only on a larger scale...as in environmental causes, space phenomena, and friendships. A world where you leave the smallest footprint possible, your cater to your curiously named cats, and love feels comfortable, if not always comforting. Sounds somewhat perfect, right? Well it was...until it wasn't...and that's how Lana finds herself in the closet of a hotel with a supposedly random hot guy, who actually cares why she's crying in a closet to begin with, who then whisks her away from the "scene of the crime" in his environmentally friendly vehicle wearing a green peace hat...and doesn't even know he's been voted "the sexiest man alive" several times over...oh, and he's a top ranking movie star. Yep...some girls have all the luck.

Okay, so I don't envy Lana the HOW it all came to be, but come on...talk about all the luck! Could you imagine? Lana's take on life is refreshing, if not somewhat hermit-like when it comes to social media outlets, but it makes her who she is...environmentally friendly ideals and all! I love the fact that she has strong beliefs on how she affects the planet and strove to follow them while teaching not preaching to others. I adored the fact that she was a strong woman with a good head on her shoulders and a brain she wasn't afraid to use. I enjoyed her innocence to the whole celebrity scene, as well as how well she took the paparazzi influx when it eventually made headlines. It made her more human, a person of the here and now, not just a two dimensional figure. As for Christian...honestly, he tries SO HARD... and that fact alone would make him a darling because it showed he truly cared about her. The only thing I really blame him for was his reaction to THE BIG EVENT...definitely a bad choice there bro...but otherwise, he's a gem!

In the end, it was a fun read filled with humor, heart, and love big enough to reach...to the stars and back. Recommended read for Contemporary Romance, Chick-Lit, and Romantic Comedy fans, in the older teen through adult age range.


**ebook received for review; opinions are my own

Written in the first person from the perspective of Nikki Moore, a thirty-year-old, successful producer in an advertising company who has been single for a while, and feels she is a disappointment to her family because she has not yet snagged a man. Her younger sister, Julia, has just become engaged, further underlining Nikki's deficiency in the boyfriend-department.

Going home at any time, but especially for the Christmas holiday, has always been a trial for Nikki as she feels that Julia is the golden girl who inherited all the beautiful genes, and that their parents always side with Julia, while Nikki is the plain one, who without a man, is a bit of a disappointment to them. And now Julia has got her man, Paul, to commit - a man Nikki had known for years and had feelings for, before the fateful day she introduced him to Julia, when Julia realising that Nikki had feelings for Paul, snatched him from under her nose.

What do you do in a situation like this, when your younger sister is now engaged and you are still single? You hire a boyfriend to take home for the holiday of course! Having discovered the attributes of Julia's perfect man, Nikki searches the database at work for a model to match and comes up with Diego O'Donnell. She hires him to act as her boyfriend for holidays, probably in hopes of making her sister jealous and certainly to steal her thunder as now everyone will be focusing on Nikki's new boyfriend. What Nikki does not bargain for is falling in love with Diego.

Nikki is a likeable character from the start. I feel her frustration that she is not able to shine at home like her sister does, and this frustration can bring out the crazy side of her personality. I didn't take at all to Julia, who comes over as spoilt and selfish throughout, and would be someone I could not trust, and would keep at arms length... or much further!

I loved that when Julia cooks a vegan meal, the food is eaten without comment, but an hour later the whole family end up in Nikki's bedroom devouring pizza which her best friend, Blair, has smuggled into the house. For me this sounds like the first time Nikki has 'triumphed' over Julia and underlines that Julia is the golden child whose failures are not to be mentioned. She is allowed to believe that everyone enjoyed the meal, so it comes as a bigger slap in the face when she finds the whole family feasting on pizza. I'd be pretty smug too, telling her without words, that her diet doesn't suit everyone!

This is a funny, easy to read, happy-ending, Christmas story which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I loved Nikki's sarcastic thoughts which definitely mirror my own, and add extra colour to the story. It is book 3 in the First Comes Love series, but can be read as a standalone.

My thanks to author Camilla Isley for a free digital copy of this book to review.

Ally isn't having a very good day. She woke up feeling frazzled and remembering the dreadful sight she saw yesterday - her ex (the love of her life who abruptly ended their relationship one year ago) with his girlfriend. Feeling sorry for herself she doesn't lead her mom on that she's having a terrible morning and heads to a flea market with her. There she discovers something that just might get her happily ever after.


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This is a story that features one broken hearted girl bent on getting revenge on the snide Vanessa and winning back her mom. And one jinn named Arthur whose wishes will make all the difference. Now Ally might sound maniacal or petty but she so doesn't come off that way. First off Vanessa likes to rub her relationship with James on her all the time. Second she's too funny not to be on her side. I always had a smile on my face with this girl at the helm of I Wish for You. Her personality was her basically saying it like it is, being passionate (she's also a crier like me), and she would always say or do things that made me laugh. She's a special little snowflake and I love her for it. Arthur, the jinn, was very disapproving of Ally's plots especially when it involved him not looking like himself... He is very proper and loves reading especially reading books to learn what is happening in this modern age. He's also very amused by Ally when he's not giving her advice on her wishes.


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Those wishes she casts - pure genius! I kind of think everything turned out too easy for her. Although, why not? She did have magic on her side. I really loved the magic, romance, funny revenge, and truth seeking in I Wish for You all so Ally could get the love of her life. Everything about this I enjoyed. I'm thrilled I finally read I Wish for You because I would have seriously missed out on one fantastic read. I totally recommend this especially if you need some laughter in your life.

A nice, light-hearted romance, even when dealing with some heavy topics. Kept me interested the whole way through.

This set of books was an offer to me on NetGalley by the publisher in return for an honest review.

#All books - 3,5 stars
The plot is built around 10 couples.
These are written has clean romances like the hallmark movies.
There's a pattern of turning players into monogamous boyfriends.
There are a lot of pop culture references.
Although the first could be standalone, the others are tangled. I would suggest you read them like this set. This idea is support by the fact that the third book ends in a kind of cliffhanger and doesn't have closure to the main plot and beyond the main plot, there are little snips about the couples from the previous books.
However a would remind you that the writing and plots get better, so don't give up after the first one.
I was an easy read although I couldn't bear any more love triangles ou quadrangles ou whatever...too much drama for me...

book #1 - 2,5 stars
It feels like the story begins in the middle and not in the beginning. You hardly know the characters and their situation and things start to happen.
I think the tension should have been built before things start to happen.
We get access to thoughts the beyond the two main characters. It's not bad it's just unusual.
Although the structure kind of gets better, it doesn't go deep, you are not overwhelmed by feelings, you hardly get the description of what they feel when they kiss. So you don't really feel there. But the ending might not be the expected one.

books #2 #3 #4 - 3,5 stars, 4 stars, 4stars.
This book begins exactly where the first one ends. And it will tell the story of Alice, who also appears briefly on the first book. But then goes back to the pass. Unlike the first one you can see through other characters eyes, and it gives hint about the following novels. It not so focused on the main romance and goes through the others characters emotions. So many characters.
The writing mature and the length of the book grew, which allow meeting the characters better. However, they should have more depth than they did.½

Wow!! Camilla Isley keeps suprising me with her amazing writting! At first I got a little confused but then I understood that there were to paths that were different for the decision took in one moment. One moment, one decision and it could change our lifes forever! But I got surprised with the end and I loved it, I love how Gemma and Jake's lives were destined to be together. I love the love story between Gemma and Jake and I totally love the Jakebox!!! actually I have myself one of those to save memories from me and my boyfriend as well. Another thing I like very much is the references to Harry Potter and other movies and series along the book and how everything looks so real that can make us feel so many emotions like sadness, joy, fear, nerves...it's amazing! Another big lesson this book gives us is to follow our heart, and even if other people try to change the way we feel, if it's real then it won't go away.