3.5 stars
<i>On the Plus Side</i> is a heroine in love with her brother’s best friend romance. It was fun to read a plus size heroine that is confident in her sex appeal. In fact, the author doesn’t even make this a focal point at all. Valerie is just a girl that doesn’t lack confidence and doesn’t lack male attention. The exception to that is Logan whom she has been in love with forever. He does make her doubt herself because he doesn’t seem interested. She also has an extremely over protective brother that doesn’t “allow” her to do anything.
Valerie soon convinces Logan to hire her at his new bar. Logan needs the help but Valerie also sees it as her chance to get closer to Logan. It’s not long before sparks fly and Logan gives in to his feelings for Valerie.
I wanted to like this more and I probably would have rated it higher but the men in the story made this annoying. Valerie was a bit immature at times but for the most part I really liked her. Logan was rude and an immature brat. He misread situations all the time and instead of letting Valerie explain he would constantly interrupt her. I believe the author was trying to create tension or angst here but all it did was make me dislike his character. Valerie’s brother was ridiculously over protective but this is explained towards the end and it was kind of sweet.
All in all, this was a cute story and I will definitely read the next book.
<i>* advance copy provided for a voluntary review*</i>

I dislike novels about fat women with a food listed in the title. Puns on being large? Almost as bad.

The name aside - this novel is cute. I appreciate that Valerie knows what she wants and goes for it - and what she wants is Logan. The drama is some real life sh*t and the only bit I didn't like about it was how caveman Logan was being about his mom. (The caveman crap with her brother gets called out, thankfully!)

Alison Bliss never fails her readers! On the Plus Side is an empowering read. The chemistry and character development of Logan and Valerie is amazing. You'll feel the sweet connection between the two, and you'll fall in love with love!

Review will appear in July at Romance Reviews Today www.romrevtoday.com

ON THE PLUS SIDE -- Alison Bliss
A Perfect Fit, Book 2
Forever
ISBN: 978-1-4555-6807-9
July 2017
Contemporary Romance

Granite, Texas – Present Day

When she was a teenager, Valerie Carmichael had a huge crush on Logan Mathis, her brother’s best friend, she but hasn’t seen him since high school. One night, she goes out with her brother to a bar now owned by Logan, and the moment she sets her eyes on him, the attraction is rekindled, but he won’t look at her as anything other than his best friend Brett’s little sister. Valerie has a lush, sexy body that attracts men like magnets (much to Brett’s annoyance as he’s overprotective of her), but why won’t Logan respond to the signals she’s sending? However, when Valerie and the head bartender are spotted in what Logan thinks is a “compromising position” and he fires the bartender, she offers to temporarily work at the bar until he finds a replacement.

Logan is annoyed when other men flirt with Valerie because deep down he’s jealous. He won’t make a move on her as Brett is his best friend and would kill Logan for even thinking about dating Valerie. Logan blames Valerie for the incident with his now ex-employee, but is desperate for a replacement and finally agrees to hire her. Now that they’re working together, the sexual attraction between them heats up. Will Logan give into the desire he feels for Valerie, despite the affect it would have on his friendship with Brett? What about the little lie she told him about not having the required liquor server license? Will that get him in trouble if something happens?

Valerie has had unrequited love for Logan for years, and thought she’d put it to rest when he left town. Now he’s back in town and has opened a bar, which should make that place off-limits, but with Logan still best friends with Brett, she can’t avoid going there. In ON THE PLUS SIDE, the moment she spots him in the bar, she wants so much for him to look her way. When he accuses her of coming on to his head bartender, she tries to explain to him that wasn’t what was going on. The head bartender was threatening her after she caught him stealing money. Of course, Logan thinks Valerie uses her body to attract and reel in men. She thinks working for him will allow him to get to know her better—and make it easier to attract him. Well, it works all too well. But overprotective Brett isn’t aware of their fling. Oops…that is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

Meanwhile, Logan needs money fast. He found out shortly after he returned to town that his mother needs ten thousand dollars or she’ll lose her house, and he’ll do anything to make sure she stays in her beloved home. Valerie is a whiz at making drinks, and her wizard skills are attracting more people to the bar, where Logan makes even more money. Working in close quarters has him unable to resist her, and their hot kisses soon lead to more. Logan and Valerie embark on a secret affair, unable to tell Brett the truth because they’re not yet sure their fling will last. After all, she is only supposed to be a temporary employee. Once he has a new bartender, will Valerie and Logan break up? Dating a woman with a sexy body means warding off rivals, which also causes some conflicts between them, and Valerie prefers to fight her own battles.

ON THE PLUS SIDE is a sexy, funny read that will tickle your funny bone and have you reaching for a cool drink to cool down as Valerie and Logan make some hot magic together. Give yourself a summer present and pick up a copy of ON THE PLUS SIDE. You won’t be sorry.

Patti Fischer

Valerie Carmichael has it bad for her brother's best bud, Logan Mathis. She has for what seems like a lifetime to get over him. When Valerie hears that Logan has moved back to town and is opening his own bar, suddenly everything becomes clear. Valerie is going to take a leap and go after the only man she has ever wanted and never been able to have, Logan.

Logan has always had a thing for his Valerie. Unfortunately for him, she is and will always be unattainable, right?! When Valerie comes at him hard and fast, Logan finds himself caving. If ever there is a woman he needs at his side, it's Valerie. How can Logan keep Valerie in his life without losing his best friend in the process.

I really, really, really enjoyed ON THE PLUS SIDE by author Alison Bliss! I can relate to Valerie, who is on the curvy/bigger side. I love that big girls are making a comeback in romances these days. Although I am not near as confident as Valerie is with hers, it is nice to see a woman who knows her appeal and goes after what she wants. In this case, hotter than hot Logan. My heart has always beat faster for the bad boy type, especially when they are the older friend of the main character's brother. Boy, there's just something about this type of situation that really heats things up. I guess it is the whole forbidden factor. Either way, Ms. Bliss nailed it with ON THE PLUS SIDE. I am looking forward to reading more of her PERFECT FIT series.

This story is clearly on the A+side! Valerie Carmichael has a vivacious personality and a voluptuous body that always caught the attention of men, just not the one man she’s been crushing on since she was a girl! Logan Mathis sure noticed Val, but she was his very best friend’s sister and he was not going there. Ever. But when Val sashays into Logan’s new bar and starts tossing around cocktail shakers and sassy comebacks, Logan’s resolve to stay away from her disappears quicker than a tequila shot on Cinco de Mayo!

This was a great story filled with wit, curves and steam. Val is a girl that could rock her curves - her confidence was beyond inspiring to me! Forget about Wonder Woman, it’s Valerie Carmichael who is a superhero for all females. It was so refreshing to read about a woman who was confident with her body that may not have been perfect by model standards but was perfect for her. As always, Alison Bliss has populated her story with fun, witty characters who smoothly draw the reader into journey they are on; you will laugh, cry and get frustrated right along with them. Logan was a hero worthy of some of those emotions, Brett managed to redeem himself and Max…...well, I think Max “the instigator” deserves his own story!

As an aside, I have seen some reviews mention this is a “BBW” romance. It truly celebrates that “big beautiful women” can be desirable and romanced. But a part of me feels it is unfair to slap a label on this novel. I prefer think of it as a romance novel celebrating the uniqueness, intellect and sexiness of all women of any size and shape! Once again, this terrific author has outdone herself - On the Plus Side is an excellent addition to the “A Perfect Fit” series.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.75 Hearts Let me start by saying from the comments below you may think I didn’t like this book but I actually did. There are some things that need to be addressed but all in all I enjoyed it. It seems like a good curl up on the porch and read kind of book. I liked Val mostly. I did enjoy Logan and the intimate scenes are fun and sexy.

Now for the constructive criticism. .This is the typical “can’t date my best friends little sister. There is a lot of internal conversation that repeats itself over and over. I mean how many times (in all books with this storyline) can a person think “I can’t do this she’s my best friends sister”?

Val seems a bit desperate for Logan. I get she has always been in love with him but she steps over the line to desperate a number of times. And also Val is very egotistical about looks/getting men. I get that her curves bring the boys to the yard but she talks like she is God’s gift to men. They are always missing the clues of the same situation. And finally, one thing that this (and many other) book does is not letting the person explain the situation. I mean seriously if someone is attacking you and a person walks in thinking they are getting hot and heavy do you really let them keep thinking that or do you say “He attacked me” and then explain the rest… Not “Logan I need to tell you something” and let him think the worst.

OK so now that I have gotten that off my chest this book is really good. Even with all the “typicals” in this story it is still a great read. And you can’t go wrong with a guy who loves curves.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Valerie has had a crush on Logan for years. Logan, her brother's best friend, is unattainable but that doesn't stop her from hoping that someday they can get together. Logan has been fighting his attraction to Valerie for a long time mostly because her brother would kill him if he knew. Now Valerie is an adult and Logan can't resist her any longer. Sexy romance read!

I received and ARC of the first book in this series, Size Matters, through netgalley and have been waiting to see something else by the author pop up. I was delighted to receive another ARC in exchange for an honest review. While contemporary romance is not my preferred genre, the cover, title, and author caught my eye. I adore that the cover has a “plus size” heroine on it - I’m a sucker for a plus size heroine, being a little curvier than normal myself. And, overall, I am very happy to report that I quite enjoyed this book.

The story is set in modern day, small-town Texas and revolves around Valerie, a bakery employee with dreams of bartending, and Logan, her older brother’s best friend that is opening a bar in town. They pined for each other during the teenage years, but then he moved away. He’s back now and the sparks fly. They have a Super Hawt and Super-Secret romance and fall in love. Awwwww, how sweet, right? EEh, it is a little more complicated than that.

Unlike her best friend and the heroine from the first book, Leah, Valerie has zero self-image and sensitivity issues about her size. She is constantly being given attention (in the good way) for her body and Logan (as well as her over-protective brother, Brett) can’t reconcile her being the little sister that has now grown up. They keep displaying sexist male arrogance BS all over the place, including during multiple fight scenes (eye roll). There is also a tiny lie that blows up in everyone’s face and is, in my opinion, handled VERY poorly. She knew she was making a mistake and felt bad about it at the time. Then it isn’t mentioned again for 100 pages before, kaboom, it detonates in the last 25 pages. And, I hated that everyone was willing to forgive and forget because this is a romance novel, but c’mon, this ending is exactly why critics say romance novels are entirely unrealistic. Because no borderline chauvinist like Logan would be ok with the little lady making a mistake like that OR how she fixes it. In fact, I find the entire ending to be barely believable – except the fact that Brett was caught eating Cheetos in front of the tv in his undies. That seemed spot on perfect.

So, given all that, why did I enjoy this book? Well, it is fast paced and moves quickly. Because Valerie and Logan both have a pretty decent sense of humor. They are trying to do the right thing – Logan’s sense of honor is pretty well honed, even if Valerie’s sense of right and wrong is a little off. I loved getting to see more of Max, Sam, and Leah. There are also some great exchanges and banter – did I mention the Cheetos? The romantic scenes are hawt, but there isn’t an epilogue, so I wonder exactly how sustainable and long lasting this relationship will be.

In general, I can happily recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, quick beachy sort of read. And, while it works as a standalone novel, I recommend starting with Size Matters.

On The Plus Side by Alison Bliss.


Valerie has always turned heads and has never been short on male attention and affection from all but the man she really wants. Her brothers best friend, Logan. Logan has finally returned home and has opened up his own bar/club in the hope that he'll manage to raise funds to get his mother out of trouble. When he finds Val's (not) to-do list, he does his best to ensure they tick everything off.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much that I enjoyed about this book. The characters lacked maturity and came across as annoying, especially the way they dealt with issues. I was expecting more humor and quality as I have with the previous books I have read from this author. I will say that I enjoyed the cameo appearances from characters in the previous book of the series. Both books in the series are standalones.

*arc received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

*Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.

Size matters!!! There’s no doubt about it. It all comes down to acceptance with confidence and personality. And being “On The Plus Side” can also have some sexy and wonderful men longing for those lush curves, voluptuous body and more importantly the heart of the woman.

Valerie Carmichael has been tempting Logan Mathis since forever, but when the guy of her hottest fantasies happens to be the best friend of her over protective brother doesn’t bode well for her plan of seduction. But when love is on the line, everything is fair game. And getting the job, as a bartender in Logan’s bar is the perfect setup, right under his nose and in his face all the time.

All Logan Mathis wants is to make the bar a success and help his mother not lose her home. He desperately needs to make it work and the she-devil of Valerie is his best option as she bartends her talents to success and gives him sleepless nights as he desperately tries to stay away from her.

And so begins the dance of love. Highly intoxicating. Highly erotic. Valerie is one amazing lady of skills, humor and love. Logan never stood a chance resisting her, even when it seems that their newfound love goes through a rough patch.

“On The Plus Side” is my second read of Alison Bliss and she totally made my list of to-read-again writers. Wonderfully narrated, good development of characters and a charming storyline to keep the readers entertained and captivated, “The Perfect Fit series is a definite rocker!

What’s it About? Valerie Carmichael has spent years lusting after her overprotective older brother’s best friend Logan Mathis but Logan’s always seemed oblivious to her existence. Determined to get his attention, Valerie tells a little lie in order to get a job at Logan’s new bar where she’ll be in constant reach. Meanwhile Logan is fighting a losing battle to keep his hands off his best friend’s sister but when he finds Valerie’s naughty to-do list he suddenly can’t handle the thought of her doing them with anyone but him. When Valerie’s white lie comes back to bite her, she’s not sure if she’ll be able to save her growing relationship with Logan or get her brother to back off once and for all.




Overall reaction to the story? Author Alison Bliss’ cheeky humor and red hot romance is right up my alley and I could bask in this book all day if given the chance. On the Plus Side is the BBW romance I’ve always wanted to read! The heroine is a super confident, sassy, flirty plus sized woman who knows she’s a catch and just needs the man of her dreams to see that he’s exactly what she needs.



Describe the hero in five words: Stubborn. Sexy. Loyal. Sweet. Determined.

Did you like him? Yes.

Why? Logan doesn’t have much in his life except his mom and his best friend Brett and he’s a really loyal guy so I kind of felt bad at the situation he was in, he really had a thing for Valerie but his loyalty to her brother kept him from acting on it. Logan could be a little gruff sometimes and he had the tendency to get a little rude with Valerie whenever he felt close to giving in to her. He was still a good guy overall though. He had a rough charm about him and also a quick sense of humor that popped out when you least expected it. He could be sweet one minute and be completely dirty the next which made him irresistibly yummy.



Describe the heroine in five words: Confident. Sexy. Intelligent. Daring. Determined.

Did you like her? Yes.

Why? Valerie is the “plus sized” heroine I’ve been waiting for! She’s the heroine who isn’t bemoaning her size and who needs a man to show her how to accept herself for who she is. Nope. Valerie freaking OWNED her curves and she knew she was sexy and could turn heads wherever she went. I loved that about her! She was so confident without being arrogant and she was also fun because she wasn’t always being all insecure and wishing she was skinnier. On that note she also didn’t go and hate on women who were thinner which made her even better in my eyes. Valerie was a good friend, and a very tolerant sister because her brother gave a whole new meaning to “over protective.” As awesome as Valerie was though, she had a moment of being super naïve and a tad selfish when it came to Logan and his business. She was so focused on winning Logan over that she ended up causing him harm yet I don’t think she quite realized how irresponsible she had been and instead got all butt hurt when he got angry at her.




Let’s talk about the romance: Logan and Valerie had that bubbling chemistry that came from years of pent up longing and attraction so it made a lot of their early interactions tense. Logan tries his best to ignore it but of course a character like Valerie isn’t about to let him walk away without letting him know just what he’s walking away from and that’s when things turned grab-your-ice-water hot. These two just couldn’t keep their hands off of each other and with two such strong willed characters you bet those scenes were super sexy and of course, really hot. What really stood out to me though is that Valerie was the one that did most of the pursuing and seducing and Logan was the one with all the reasons why they couldn’t be together. It put a different spin on the romance and I enjoyed seeing a woman chasing the man. That doesn’t happen too often.



How about that supporting cast? Not going to lie, Valerie’s brother is a gigantic pain in the butt. He’s overbearingly protective of her to the point of almost getting into fights because guys flirt with her! I mean, she has to date in secret because of Brett’s attitude! Granted, later on you find out why he’s that way and it’s a heart breaker but still I think it came a little late because by that time I was kinda hating him. Though by the end he was more of a big brother than crazed bodyguard to Valerie. I want him to fall in love next so he can get jerked around for a change. I know I’m mean that way. Then there were also Valerie’s friends including a very mischievous Max who liked to tease and play but at the same time could instigate a fight like no one’s business. Once he found out Logan had a thing for Valerie he couldn’t resist poking at him by flirting outrageously with her even though he didn’t have any romantic feelings for Valerie at all. All in all though, Max seemed like a pretty stand up, solid friend to have around even if he did like causing trouble. I liked him and there may be a bit of a crush developing there too.


Click It or Skip It? Click It. Alison Bliss is a new to me author who I have a feeling will end up on my “Favorites” list very soon.

WOW!!! If you are looking for Hot, Steamy and you can see the sparks fly kinda book. Then this is the book for you. Alison Bliss outdid herself with Valerie and Logan’s story. I highly recommend reading this book.

I loved this book, I just adored Logan and Valerie. They were both determined to get what they wanted, even at first it wasn't the same thing. Once they got together it was hot and steamy. It is also packed full of humor with a lot of emotions form both characters. I really love this series and can not wait for more.

I read Size Matters and loved it and from what I saw of Valerie in that book I knew I had to read On the Plus Side. I loved it just as much as I did Size Matters. Valerie and Logan were both great characters and the chemistry between the two was sizzling hot! I also enjoyed the humor that was spread throughout the book including a list Valerie writes up that ends up creating some interesting scenes between she and Logan.

There were two things that knocked this down from a 5 to a 4 star read for me. One was Valerie's brother who really crossed the line from being an admirable though misguided over-protective brother into just being a crazy, seemingly unhinged brother. The other bigger issue for me was that Valerie makes a mistake, a huge mistake that has some pretty dire consequences. I felt like though she said it was her bad and she's sorry, she didn't really see what the big deal was. Instead it's made out more like Logan was the jerk for over-reacting and then easily forgives her without her having to deal with any consequences for her actions. So that kind of soured things a bit for me.

Still Alison Bliss has an amazing writing style that draws you in and makes you fall in love with her stories. I'll definitely be on the look out for More to Love!

Big girls don't cry.
They go after what they want.

Thanks to her bangin' curves, Valerie Carmichael has always turned heads-with the exception of seriously sexy Logan Mathis. Just Valerie's luck that the object of her lust-filled affection is also best friends with her overprotective brother. But Valerie's determined to get Logan's attention . . . even if it means telling a teeny little lie to get a job at his new bar.

Logan can't remember a time when Valerie didn't secretly fuel all his hottest fantasies. Now the curvaceous she-devil is working behind his bar, tempting him every damn night. It's only when he finds Valerie's naughty things-to-do list that Logan decides to break every rule in the book-by making each red-hot deed a reality.

No one warned them that they were going to fall this hard. And no one warned them that sometimes the smallest secrets can have the biggest consequences.

I really liked this book but I felt so bad for the hero!! It's one of those books where nothing goes right. Poor Logan literally has everything go wrong for him. While I loved the fact that this was a plus size girl that get her guy, I felt too sorry for the dude. Valerie's brother needed to slow his roll and take a major dose of Xanax because his OTT protective brother routine was really starting to grate on my last nerve. I wanted to snatch his boxers and give him a wedgie you wouldn't believe. The girl's an adult....let her live her life!! For me, I love best friend and sister books, but I still was rushing through pages because brother-dear was getting on my last nerve. Overall, it wasn't an unpleasant read for me. I would definitely read other books by this author.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

Would've enjoyed this book more if the author hadn't made Valerie so whiney.

I'm not a fan of the idea of having a series of books on plus-size women. And yet, I love how the author deals with the theme. Check Size Matters right now if you haven't yet. Thus, I couldn't feel happier when I was offered the opportunity to review this.

For this second book, we get Valerie who seems to overflow with confidence and sex appeal, except when it comes to her long-time and her brother's best friend. Logan now is back to town and has suddenly become her boss?

Because I have read it, which is the first in the series, it was impossible not to compare. While Leah, from Size Matters, lacked confidence right because of her weight, Valerie doesn't care about it so this book didn't focus on such issues. She is just an overweight heroine and the topic is rarely mentioned again. I find that to be a win because it gives representation without becoming a fetish.

At the same time, weight was an interesting topic in the first book. Without it, the second book brought nothing that interesting. In other words, we just got a romance like you and me and everyone have read anywhere else already. The other negative was Logan. I confess I started by liking him but I grew more and more tired of his reactions. Not my book boyfriend.

But don't worry, we get lots of funny scenes to compensate. Also, Valerie is a wonderful protagonist. I pity her for having those many controlling men in her life but I guess she should be fine, judging from how well she knows to defend herself.

For those who enjoyed the first book, the main characters are back in this one, and get enough space for us to know how they are doing. For those who haven't read—read it. Kidding, you really don't need the first one to understand this. Logan, the main guy, wasn't even there so the story is practically all new.

I think Size Matter had a something else On The Plus Side lacked. It doesn't mean I enjoyed a lot reading it. This will be a perfect beach read, I'm sure.

Loved this book