Title: Beefcakes
Author: Katana Collins
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 24, 2020
Blurb
I might as well permanently add the label "Ex" to my name. I'm
an Ex-Mr. Universe. Ex-Mr. Olympus. An Ex-Hollywood Stuntman. But no one from
my small hometown cares anything about that. They only care that I'm the
ex-boyfriend to the beloved Mayor's daughter, Elaina Dyker.
And now, ten years later, I'm back, helping my siblings run my mother's
bakery while she takes on chemo. What should have been a routine cupcake
delivery turns into utter chaos when the bachelorette party thinks I'm a
stripper. And what's worse? Elaina is the maid of honor.
But the meme about us sure went viral fast. My small hometown has become
positively infested with tipsy bridesmaids looking for my erotic cupcakes.
Now Hollywood's knocking again--and this time they want me and my ex, Mr.
Beefcake, and Ms. Prude, to star in a reality show.
It could solve all my problems—except her.
My Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purchase Links
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a brilliant, delightfully unique premise for a book, and every maid of honor needs a Beefcakes to tap into for the bachelorette party! I fully expect they’ll be popping up across the country as a result of this book. Collins effortlessly reeled me in – hook, line, and sinker – with this phenomenal romantic comedy, and now I *have* to read all the books in the Maple Grove series! Also, I now have another fabulous author to follow.
Neil Evans left town a week before his high school graduation without so much as a goodbye to anyone, including his high school sweetheart. Since then, he's made his mark in both the body-building world and as a stuntman, but he's grown weary of the Hollywood façade. His mother's health has been poor and now he's back in Maple Grove to try to help his brother save her bakery and figure out a way to pay her mountain of medical bills. What he didn’t expect was for a ruined cupcake delivery and some quick thinking at a bachelorette party to result in demands for his baked goods to sky rocket after a meme went viral. And he never expected for his high school sweetheart to be in attendance.
Lainey Dykers went from nerdy girl to party girl in high school, and when the most popular guy noticed her it wasn’t long before they were crazy in love. She and Neil had so many plans and hopes and dreams, and all of them came crashing down around her when he left without saying goodbye. In the years since, Elaina has worked hard to reinvent herself as a responsible, organized, confident, capable woman and now acts as the town manager for Maple Grove. Although, she may have a little more work ahead of herself, with that little grudge and slight need for retribution when it comes to Neil now that he's back in town.
I adore this story for so many reasons. But Neil's insecurity from all those years of people seeing nothing but his muscles, and Elaina's struggle to figure out how to embrace both versions of herself are what resonate most with me. And the author handles these issues with a deft hand, giving us just enough to truly empathize with the characters and become invested, but not so much that we get to the point of, “oh, just get over it already.” This story is so beautifully balanced, carefully crafted and flawlessly written that it reads itself. All I had to do was sit back, hand over my heart, (gleefully, I might add) and enjoy the show.
Yes, there's romance and comedy, and Neil and Lainey's journey will keep you glued to the page, reading late into the night. I startled hubby's pet mouse back into its house with my barks of laughter, and the banter, the tension and the emotional ride are oh, so delicious. We also get a nice dose of steam, and some of the interactions are sweet enough to cause a tooth ache.
But the heart? Oh, my soul, the heart in this book is amazing and unforgettable. Between Lainey and Neil's romance, their love for their family, and their love and commitment to their town – my heart will never be the same after reading this book. And yet, this book is about so much more. It's about finding your way, finding yourself, finding your path and embracing your future. About letting go of fear, old hurts and uncertainty, and being brave enough to take a chance that will change your life. I read a lot of romcoms, but this one is in a class of its own. Without even trying, Lainey and Neil's story gets a spot on my top five romcoms for the year.
Do your heart and funny bone a favor and start reading this one right away! Grab your copy from the links below, then scroll down for more goodies. Until next time, dear reader
Much love between the covers,
BookAddict
*See my other reviews here.
AMAZON TOP 500 REVIEWER
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Video
How to make a Thin Mint Cocktail
with Katana Collins
Author Bio
I love coffee.
As an author and a story-teller, it is the lifeblood to which my ideas
take flight. And I believe in giving credit where credit is due. Occasionally
someone (ie – my husband) will try to secretly switch out my beloved regular
coffee for decaf. I always know the difference. ALWAYS (I’m looking at you,
SEAN).
I am incapable of achieving the perfect ponytail. I’m dyslexic. I can
never wear white without spilling on myself. And I’ve never read Pride and
Prejudice (gasp!).
When I was younger and stole my mother’s Harlequins to read beneath the
covers with a flashlight (seriously, did we ALL do this? I think we did.), I
wanted to read about the tough as nails heroine. The perfectly imperfect girl
with quirks and attitude and sass. And the anti-heroes who were anything but
“Prince Charming.” Forget the knight on a white horse… give me the bad boy on a
motorcycle.
So, now, I write those romance novels I craved to see on the shelves all
those years ago—the sassy heroines. The badass heroes. I spend my days in the
throes of my imagination and am loving every minute of it. I can travel
anywhere and become anyone I want to be. One day, I’m a mechanic in Boston and
the next, I’m a vampire stripping in Las Vegas.
Since penning my first novel back in 2012, I’m now an international
author with 15 published books, in a wide range of contemporary romance
genres–(Paranormal, New Adult, Small town, Erotic Suspense… you name it!).
After living for a decade in Brooklyn, NY, I took the plunge and moved to
beautiful (although kinda chilly) Portland, Maine. I now live full time in
‘Vacationland’ with a kind of mean cat, a mellow chihuahua, and a very NOT
mellow lab-pittie mix. Oh, yeah… there’s a husband who draws comics somewhere
in that mix, too.
I can usually be found in a coffee shop with my nose in my laptop wearing
fabulous (albeit sometimes impractical) shoes.
I love connecting with readers and fellow sassy storytellers, so feel
free to drop me an email at katana.collins@gmail.com or connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@katanacollins). You can find a list of my
available books over on my Bookshelf or if you’ve already
read a book, it would make my day if you wrote a review!
Author Links
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