Review: Better Than People by Roan Parrish

Better Than People by Roan Parrish
Publisher: Carina Adores
Genre: Male/Male Contemporary Romance

ISBN: 9781335542823
Release Date: August 25, 2020
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible | Carina Press

It’s not long before their pet-centric arrangement sparks a person-centric desire…

Simon Burke has always preferred animals to people. When the countdown to adopting his own dog is unexpectedly put on hold, Simon turns to the PetShare app to find the fluffy TLC he’s been missing. Meeting a grumpy children’s book illustrator who needs a dog walker isn’t easy for the man whose persistent anxiety has colored his whole life, but Jack Matheson’s menagerie is just what Simon needs.

Four dogs, three cats and counting. Jack’s pack of rescue pets is the only company he needs. But when a bad fall leaves him with a broken leg, Jack is forced to admit he needs help. That the help comes in the form of the most beautiful man he’s ever seen is a complicated, glorious surprise.

Being with Jack—talking, walking, making out—is a game changer for Simon. And Simon’s company certainly…eases the pain of recovery for Jack. But making a real relationship work once Jack’s cast comes off will mean compromise, understanding and lots of love.

A grumpy illustrator with a marshmallow heart – and a small army of animals – meets his match in Better Than People. Animal lovers will smile over Jack’s cats and dogs and their antics (Puddles is a personal favorite), but it’s the humans that make this story shine.

After being betrayed by his best friend and business partner, Jack is grouchy, reclusive, and hasn’t drawn in longer than he cares to admit. A broken leg is the last thing he needs, especially with four dogs (and one cat) to walk. The PetShare app brings more than he expected in the form of handsome Simon Burke. Simon grabbed my heart from the first. He has extreme anxiety and author Roan Parrish doesn’t shy away from the realities someone like Simon lives with. I appreciated both the emotionally honest take on Simon’s anxiety and that it didn’t define his whole character. Both Simon and Jack are likeable heroes with tempers, insecurities, and flaws which help bring them alive and make them easy to root for. Their romance is slow burn to start and I thoroughly enjoyed watching their love story unfold. Problems aren’t overcome by magic and Jack and Simon have to work for their happily ever after, but it’s worth every bump in the road for a satisfying ending.

A cast of mostly animal supporting characters make Better Than People a lot of fun to read. The canine and feline personalities are every bit as well-defined as the heroes’, which was a treat. But there are a couple of human secondary characters who also made this book a richer experience. Simon’s grandmother was as endearing as could be and Jack’s brother Charlie… Oh, that man has a heart of gold and I do hope he gets a book of his own.

Better Than People is a sweet, sensual, and satisfying romance. This is the first book of Roan Parrish’s I’ve read and given the references to The Remaking of Corbin Wale in this story I will definitely be picking up that book next.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters

Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters
Publisher: Carina Adores
Genre: Female/Female Contemporary Romance

ISBN: 9781488076305
Release Date: July 28, 2020
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible | Carina Press
Elia Winters Reading Order

Megan Harris had hopes of seeing the world, but at twenty-five she’s never even left Florida. Now a wedding invitation lures her to Quebec…in February. When her ex-friend Scarlett offers to be her plus-one (yeah, that’s a whole story) and suggests they turn the journey into an epic road trip, Megan reluctantly agrees to the biggest adventure of her life.

A week together in a car is a surefire way to kill a crush, and Scarlett Andrews has had a big one on Megan for years. The important thing is fixing their friendship.

As the miles roll away, what starts as harmless road-trip games and rest-stop dares escalates into something like intimacy. And when a surprise snowstorm forces Megan and Scarlett to hunker down without the open road as distraction, they’ve got a bigger challenge than making it to the church on time: facing the true nature of their feelings for each other.

Hairpin Curves is a sexy and sweet road trip romance that’s impossible to resist. Childhood best friends who have fallen out but are making amends? Check. Secret crushes? Check. Layered characters? Check. Sizzling sexual tension? Check. A sex-positive romance that makes your heart sing? Check. Elia Winters hits all the right notes and more in this story. Every bit of Megan and Scarlett’s romance worked for me and it was a delight from beginning to end.

Megan is at a crossroads in her life at the beginning of this book. She’s been in almost a holding pattern for years and her life seems as unexciting as, well, her beige home. When Scarlett approaches her about doing a road trip to Québec for a friend’s wedding, Megan is uncertain. She and Scarlett had a falling out right before college and they haven’t spoken since. But somehow Scarlett convinces her and they start of on an adventure that leads to more than either could have imagined.

What I loved most about Hairpin Curves is the layers Megan and Scarlett have. Megan seems staid and boring on the surface and on some levels she is cautious, responsible, and extremely risk-averse. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t dream of more. I enjoyed seeing her hidden talents come out and I was even more entertained seeing her dirty side revealed. Megan is a realistic mix of seeming contradictions and I loved that about her. And Scarlett…oh, she tugged on my heartstrings at times. Scarlett is a bombshell who seems to have all the confidence in the world. She loves with her whole heart and isn’t afraid of that. But Scarlett is also vulnerable in many ways. She doubts herself, her intelligence, and there are moments when she broke my heart. I desperately wanted to see Scarlett and Megan fall in love and get their happily ever after because I liked these two interesting, complex women.

It isn’t easy for Megan to let go of the past and the hurt Scarlett caused her, but Scarlett is determined to repair their friendship. Their road trip from Florida to Québec is filled with fun stops and quiet, intimate moments. The stops they make along the way bring out new sides of them and I loved watching Scarlett and Megan let their walls down and fall for each other. The sexual tension that simmers is hot and when it boils over… Well, I wouldn’t expect Ms. Winters to deliver anything but deliciously erotic love scenes and she doesn’t disappoint.

In Hairpin Curves the road to happily ever after has a some detours in the form of old wounds, insecurities, and a lack of communication, but each of these is presented in a way that’s logical to the characters and their situation. I enjoyed watching Scarlett and Megan overcome these internal obstacles because their love story was worth the work. Ms. Winters had me hooked from beginning to end. Hairpin Curves made me smile and sigh throughout and the pitch-perfect ending charmed the heck out of me.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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