Serving Sin by Angelina M. Lopez

I really wish that I had known that there was some (mostly off-page) depiction of rape in this book; I would have saved it for another time. I had really enjoyed the first book in this series when I read it a couple years ago and thought this book would be similar. The topics in this one were weightier which I wasn't expecting. I'm also not a huge fan of time hops which this book used to fill in backstory. This will be a book enjoyed by readers who like a powerful heroine and a man who isn't afraid to let her do her thing but also by readers who are prepared for a little more grit in their romance.

Cenobia "Cen" Trujillo is her father's heir apparent. But manufacturing in Mexico isn't exactly ready for a female to be in charge. Nor for her to introduce new technology to the automotive industry and someone is sending her threats. So she seeks hep from the one man she knows can keep her safe, the same one who rescued her thirteen years ago, Roman Sheppard. 

Roman has dark secrets in his past, things that keep him from reaching for happiness. Even knowing that Cen (who he can't seem to call be the name she prefers) is the one who helped pull his adopted country out of debt just makes her more out of reach. He finds her power sexy which is pretty awesome in a hero, even one who needs to pull his head out of his own butt in order to get to an HEA.

Four stars
Follows Hate Crush

This book comes out May 25th, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Carina Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Best Man Problem by Mariah Ankenman

One time. Lilly Walsh slept with a client one time. And he wasn't even really a client, just a member of the bridal party that Lilly was a planner. But his wife (!) unexpectedly showed up and Lilly was taken aback. Then sued. So she's made a promise to herself never to do that again. But what is she supposed to do when the one-night-stand she had shows up as the best man at another wedding?
Lincoln Reid is toked to see Lilly again but he can't understand why she's so shy about keeping what they had going. But he's willing to go with it. And as he helps to plan his two best friends' wedding, he starts to fall more and more in love with this woman.
I did NOT like the Big Misunderstanding at the end of this book. I get that there were breadcrumbs leading to that moment but it didn't feel true to Lincoln's character up to that point. He went from being this dream boyfriend to a jerk and, while that may be something that happens in real life, the turn back to dream boyfriend didn't ring as true.

Three stars
This book came out January 20th
ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley
Opinions are my own