by Penny Angeles-Tan | Apr 12, 2025 | Book Reviews
I usually shy away from stories with ridiculously long titles, such as
“My Husband Wants an Open Marriage” by Elysian Sparrow. The reason is that these stories often tend to be predictable, formulaic, and frequently written by young authors whose first language is not English, which can be evident in the text. At times, I get the impression that the manuscripts have been machine-translated, as the English can be quite poor.
“My Husband Wants an Open Marriage” by Elysian Sparrow surprised me with its well-written narrative. The story follows a familiar formula: Ryan and Julie O’Brien have been married for several years but are unable to conceive. A significant event causes a rift in their relationship. In their case, the issue arises from their struggles to have a child, prompting Ryan to propose the idea of an open relationship. However, what he truly means is that he wants the freedom to explore outside their marriage, while Julie cannot.
Ryan is openly having an affair with his secretary, Emily. He even goes so far as to bring her to their home, forcing Julie out of her bedroom and effectively ending her role as Mrs. O’Brien. Meanwhile, Julie endures the pain and humiliation of working in the company where her husband is the CEO, all while managing the Marketing Department. One night, she decides to go to a bar to drown her sorrows. There, she meets Luke, who offers to be her fake boyfriend whenever she needs one. This is where the story starts to become interesting.
I found this story on Goodnovel, but I saw it on other reading apps as well. As is my wont, when I find myself engaged after a few chapters, I turn to Amazon and check if the story is available on Kindle. And, YES, it is there! Woohoo! “My Husband Wants an Open Marriage” by Elysian Sparrow is divided into three books on Amazon Kindle and costs $12.97— that is LOADS cheaper than on the reading apps. Click here for Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3 of this story on Amazon Kindle.
38 chapters in and I still love it! So far, it isn’t as predictable as I thought it would be and I love it! I think you will enjoy this billionaire romance, too. And like me, you might fall for Luke as well.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 17, 2023 | Book Reviews
Age gap romances are “in” right now and Silver Fox Secret Daddy by Ruby Emhart is one such story.
Dr. Jensen Banks is a well-known heart surgeon. He is well-known for his skill in the operating room and in the bedroom. Panties fall when he walks into a room. Yes, he is that hot. At 47, Jensen has it made … a successful career, any woman he wants, and no romantic relationship to tie him down. To the casual observer, Jensen has everything. And yet a memory of a passionate moment in the past often enters his thoughts and makes him wish for more.
Luna is an aspiring doctor who just got hired to intern at a hospital in Boston. An amazing encounter in Heathrow Airport’s VIP lounge restroom left her with memories of the best sex of her life and a baby she later named Eloise. Little did she know that her trip to Boston would bring her closer to her baby daddy.
Bring in the complication: Peter. He is Jensen’s best friend. He also happens to be Luna’s estranged father. Jensen talks to him often about “the one that got away”. Luna reconnects with Peter in an attempt to possibly build a familial relationship with him and talks about this man she is dating. None of them realize they are talking about each other.
I think I both love and hate Ruby Emhart at the same time because she makes me wish that men like Jensen actually existed in droves. I mean, where are all these sexy silver foxes? Most men I meet who are in their 40s and up don’t seem to measure up to these book boyfriends. At the same time, it does make me smile to think of the “what if”. 🙂
Wait until you meet their uber-lovable daughter, Eloise.
This story was more interesting than I thought it would be. Are there funny moments? Yes. Are there parts that make me want to giggle like a schoolgirl? Yes. Are there scenes where I want to hit Luna at the back of the head? For sure. Are there steamy scenes guaranteed to make my eyes glaze? Absolutely! Am I telling you to read this book? Hell yeah!
This story shows us how love can change preconceived notions and push people to become better versions of themselves for someone else. Silver Fox Secret Daddy by Ruby Emhart is the fourth book of the Boston Billionaires series. Grab a copy now on Amazon in Kindle or paperback. With a Kindle Unlimited account, you can read for free!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Apr 26, 2023 | Book Reviews
Single Dad’s Surrogate by Krista Lakes is a book I encountered when checking out the books on sale during Goodnovel’s 3rd birthday bash. Money (and Goodnovel coins) well-spent!
Wyatt is a widower. His wife, Caroline passed away a year ago from cancer. When they were newly wed they discovered that because of her cancer treatment, Caroline would not be able to have a child. Thus Caroline and Wyatt decided to go for surrogacy.
Lily is the surrogate they chose 5 years ago. Her one condition to agree was that she be allowed to remain in the child’s life and they agreed immediately. In all that time she was loved and treated like family. Maggie, their daughter, even calls her Aunt Wiwee.
Wyatt’s housekeeper, Mildred is leaving for vacation for 10 days. Because he knows how much his daughter, Maggie, loves Lily he came up with the idea of asking her to be Maggie’s temporary nanny while Mildred is not around. With pay, of course. He even offered to add $100 compensation to each of Lily’s workmates who will cover her shift at the coffee shop.
Lily loves Maggie with all her heart and would have done it for free if not for the bills she still needed to settle. She immediately agreed and made arrangements at work. It didn’t hurt that she would get to feast her eyes on the object of her affection and the star of her wet dreams.
What I love about this story is that it is so organic … it is believable and possible. It does not feel forced. The fact that Wyatt is a billionaire is incidental even. The mansion, the private playground, the pool, the Lamborghini, etc. are just indicators of his wealth. He could have been a fairly well-off man living in a condo and the story would have still unfolded the same way.
There is no great conflict in the story other than the ghost of Caroline … only as this prevented Wyatt and Lily from getting together sooner because of guilt. It wasn’t until they both felt that Caroline would be okay with them being in a relationship that they are even able to be together.
I mentioned that I found this book on Goodnovel. Happily, it is also on Amazon, so those of you who don’t want to pay per chapter can get it there for 4.99. Strangely, when I checked Goodreads for this book it turned up but appears under a different author! Same title, the same preview, and the same book cover. In Goodreads, Single Dad’s Surrogate is credited to Cassandra Zara and Annie Young. So who is the real author?
Nevertheless, I have a feeling you will enjoy this book as much as I have. Do check it out!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 10, 2023 | Book Reviews
Accidental Vegas Daddy by Ruby Emhart was fun to read. I confess I was mostly smiling as I was reading it. From start to finish Mason and Kenzie (Lynn) are humping like bunnies just about every time they are within a few feet of each other. It is like there is a magnet pulling them together each time.
I couldn’t help but laugh at how much of a thrill they got from making out in semi-public places. That fear of getting caught upped the heat by a thousand!
But, of course, the story can’t be an uncomplicated HEA. Enter Mason’s sister who happens to be Kenzie’s best friend with whom she made a pact in college never to get involved with exes or family members. Also enter Rebecca, Mason’s “betrothed” from an arranged marriage planned by his father. Add to that Mason’s reputation for being a playboy. All that didn’t make life easy for these two lovebirds.
A few are left unanswered, though.
- What is so special about Marin Digital, Kenzie’s small publishing firm, that so many big companies would offer to buy her company, including Mr. Media, Mason’s company?
- What is Alice’s damage that upon finding out about Mason and Kenzie, she ends up alienating both of them by roping in Rebecca? I thought she was smart.
- Since when did Conrad become “dad”? After Mason and he had that long overdue talk how long did it take for them both to reach that point?
If you are looking for something not too heavy, check out Accidental Vegas Daddy by Ruby Emhart on Amazon for only $0.99 or free with Kindle Unlimited.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 23, 2023 | Book Reviews
I started and stopped reading Billionaire Bad Boys: An Off-Limits Romance by Lacy Nash so many times, I really wanted to give it a chance but I wasn’t getting engaged. The pace of the story is very slow. The first time they meet we see the spark but it isn’t until chapter 19 that we get Bryan’s POV and find out for certain that he is attracted to her, too.
The pulse of this story is just steady. Barely anything happens to make a beat jump up. We have Jackson’s stalking and Matilda’s predictable protective society matron attitude. One would think those would be enough but with most of the story being from Lily’s POV we aren’t really getting the whole picture, just her thoughts.
Bryan is reputedly a billionaire playboy but I have yet to see him do anything that would qualify as bad, really. If anything, he actually looks pretty angelic to me. Conflicts resolve themselves quickly without too much drama or build-up. It’s just too pat for me.
After 20+ chapters they acknowledge their mutual attraction and become an item. Yes, it takes more than 20 chapters for them to even hold hands. Maybe I’m just not the target audience but I feel I have read better stuff from this author. You should still try it when it comes out. It might be your cup of tea, it just isn’t for me. It isn’t yet but it should be out on Amazon soon.
Dr. Jensen Banks is a well-known heart surgeon. He is well-known for his skill in the operating room and in the bedroom. Panties fall when he walks into a room. Yes, he is that hot. At 47, Jensen has it made … a successful career, any woman he wants, and no romantic relationship to tie him down. To the casual observer, Jensen has everything. And yet a memory of a passionate moment in the past often enters his thoughts and makes him wish for more.
Single Dad’s Surrogate by Krista Lakes is a book I encountered when checking out the books on sale during Goodnovel’s 3rd birthday bash. Money (and Goodnovel coins) well-spent!
I mentioned that I found this book on 
Accidental Vegas Daddy by Ruby Emhart was fun to read. I confess I was mostly smiling as I was reading it. From start to finish Mason and Kenzie (Lynn) are humping like bunnies just about every time they are within a few feet of each other. It is like there is a magnet pulling them together each time.
I started and stopped reading Billionaire Bad Boys: An Off-Limits Romance by Lacy Nash so many times, I really wanted to give it a chance but I wasn’t getting engaged. The pace of the story is very slow. The first time they meet we see the spark but it isn’t until chapter 19 that we get Bryan’s POV and find out for certain that he is attracted to her, too.
You must be logged in to post a comment.