For as long as she can remember Bonnie Blythe has been imagining the perfect life. She thought last year when her boyfriend since middle school finally proposed that she was on the path the starting that perfect life. Instead, almost a year later, she's still waiting to set the date and instead of planning her own wedding is helping plan her best friend's wedding to a man she's not even know for a year. When a shocking discovery causes Bonnie to end her engagement, her life is now an open book, blank slate.

Taking the opportunity at its fullest potential, Bonnie decides to take a summer teaching position at Cambridge. While there she reconnects with her best friend's fiancee's best friend, Theo, thinking now is a perfect time for a friends with benefits fling. Except nothing about Bonnie and Theo being together works like a fling. They're too attracted to one another and like each other's company too much to want to put an expiration date on their time together. Fortunately, Bonnie has nothing left to lose if she chooses to give her heart to Theo. Theo, on the other hand, feels the duty to his family, and those his family employs and supports, weighing on him. Both Bonnie and Theo will have to listen to their hearts if they want to find their happily ever after.

If you read Melonie Johnson's previous book in the series Getting Hot with the Scot, then you will already recognize Bonnie and Theo, and you'll already be pretty well acquainted with their chemistry. It wasn't too difficult to surmise how a few choice things play out (i.e. Bonnie's engagement) that set Bonnie and Theo on the paths to their Happily Ever Afters, but much like Johnson's previous book, I enjoyed the fact that there were a lot of twists and turns along the way. Obstacles were never necessarily gone, they just changed shape a bit.

I really loved the exploration of self that Bonnie experiences after the ending of her engagement. The idea of the world and opportunities being completely open for her experience after putting aside much of what she wanted to accomplish while supporting her ex-fiancee in his endeavors. The realization that the future we pictured for ourselves can change it doesn't have to be decided upon at an early age and adhered to completely.

This applies to Theo as well. After his father basically ran the dukedom into the ground, Theo put the weight of its renewed success upon his shoulders. Going so far as to being pushed by his mother to marry well in order to help it survive. I liked the spin on the antiquated notion of the woman (or daughter) who would typically have to marry well in order to be able to mete out a future life for herself. It calls to mind Austen's Pride & Prejudice where one of the most stressed-upon ideas for Mrs. Bennett is the sisters having to marry well. It brings some things full-circle as we quickly learn Bonnie is a big Austen fan.

I felt the spark a little more between Bonnie and Theo in their secondary roles of the first book than I did here. But I felt like the focus upon them finding their paths, despite their obligations, was the bigger point. And while making that point, their romance helped each of them figure out a new facet of themselves.

Bonnie and Theo's romance was singular in this book. There wasn't a secondary romance started for any of the remaining friends, and while I loved that we got to see the beginnings of Bonnie and Theo early on, I like the idea of what comes next being a surprise.

Smitten with the Brit works really well on its own, but you won't want to miss the first book or miss seeing where things start for Bonnie and Theo.

What a fun and refreshing book, this story is filled with heartbreak, new love and romance and plenty of fun and quirky conversations by the characters to each other and in their own minds. The second book i have read by this author and i have to say Theo from this story is all sorts of sexy book boyfriend material with a huge dose of chivalry in and for once not too over the top alpha male which i loved. Bonnie is a delight so fun and you really connect with her i found. Well worth a read on your summer hols.

https://books-and-thebigscreen.co.uk/books/smitten-by-the-b…-melonie-johnson/

3.75 stars. This was a pretty good book! Smitten by the Brit is book two in the Sometimes in Love series. I had not read book one the series, but it worked fine as a standalone. This is Bonnie and Theo's book. Bonnie's best friend is marrying Theo's best friend and they have felt an attraction since they met. But Bonnie has had a boyfriend so nothing ever developed. When Bonnie's relationship blows up spectacularly, Theo consoles her and they have a one night stand. Bonnie does not feel ready for a relationship and Theo is a British Duke who must marry well for his family. But, when Bonnie gets the chance to teach in London, she and Theo begin spending more and more time together, falling for each other along the way.

I liked this story, but I felt like it was a slow starter. I found the book hard to get into at first and it was hard for me to feel chemistry between the characters or a connection to them. But as I kept reading, I liked the book more and felt it turned out pretty good for me. Overall, the book was sweet, sexy and romantic. I liked Bonnie and Theo. I felt bad for all that Bonnie had gone through. Theo was a little overly polite at first, but he turned out to be strong and sexy. I liked the way their romance progressed and seeing them fall for each other. I felt the love and connection between them by the end, but I was a little disappointed that no "I love you"s were ever exchanged. I wanted a little more resolution and an epilogue at the end. Still, this was a mainly enjoyable read. I liked the literary references too.

Overall, I enjoyed Smitten by the Brit. This was my first read by Melonie Johnson and I will probably read more from her in the future.

Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege of reading this title prior to publication---I just loved it!
Written so well and easy to read, it was a fun and enjoyable journey in romance! Can't wait to read additional titles in this series/by this author. Thank you again.

This was not my book. There’s nothing actually wrong with it, but by the end of the first page, I knew this was a bad match. Before I get into why I didn’t care for it, a brief synopsis:

Bubbly English professor escapes nurses a broken heart by taking on a summer teaching gig in England. Her best friend’s fiance’s best man happens to set her heart aflutter, something her newly single status allows her to appreciate guilt-free. For his part, the best man happens to be fending off matchmaking efforts by his mother: the family needs an influx of cash to support the ancestral estate and bachelor dukes always fetch a good price at market. (Did I not mention he’s a duke? He’s a duke, a fact he’s hiding from our heroine because people are weird about dukes.) Thus, we find our couple overcoming obstacles in the name of true love.

So, it’s a fun premise. As the second book in the series, readers of the first will get a gratifying amount of cuteness from the previous HEA. Somehow, the book just didn’t land for me.

I got off on the wrong foot. On the first page, the heroine coos over her long-term boyfriend (since high school! She’s supporting him in his grad program!) while bemoaning that he’s been overworked lately now that his dissertation defense is approaching. Two guesses what’s going on there?

Look, I will defend romance tropes. I know that there are things which define the genre, that readers need to be able to rely on. When I read romance, I have a rough idea of how things are going to go. Often, I specifically read for those beats. (Raise your hand if your beat up paperbacks fall open to that one steamy sex scene or that moment where she finally gives in to her feelings.) However, the happy heroine walking in on her her neglectful-of-late partner banging another woman is not one of those beats. I could cheerfully never read that scene ever again.

Over and over again, this book makes these choices that feel expected. Not in the way that good plotting makes an ending inexorable--things were always going to lead in this direction--but in the way that I could see where each beat was going to go. Neither Bonnie nor Theo was charming enough to make me want to root for them.

While this wasn’t my book, it’s a perfectly decent read. If you’re just looking to fill a couple of hours, or need something to gently scratch your romance itch, this might do the trick for you.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in order to facilitate this review.

Bonnie and Theo’s story was a moving, emotional and wonderful adventure in Smitten with the Brit by Melonie Johnson, book two in her Sometimes in Love series. English professor Bonnie had known Gabe, her fiancé, since they were in elementary school. She could not understand his reluctance to set a wedding date. Even during her European vacation she was faithful to him, despite her attraction to the handsome Brit, Theo, best friend of Logan (hero in book one). Imagine her surprise and devastation, walking in on him with another woman. In their apartment. On her grandmother’s quilt. That was the end of that engagement. She could not believe he would do that to her and she kept questioning what she did wrong. Theo was in Chicago to meet up with his best friend and to escort another of his mother’s offerings for marriage. Imagine his surprise to learn that Bonnie is no longer engaged and now available to pursue. He has not stopped thinking about her since the previous summer, when they met. With Bonnie taking a summer position at Oxford and being nearby, Theo is set to woo her and win her over; despite his mother’s objections. Bonnie’s love of Shakespeare and Austen allows her mind to turn her relationship with Theo into a modern equivalent of her favorite book Sense and Sensibility. After admitting to herself that she was falling in love with Theo, Bonnie overhears an unfortunate conversation between Theo and his mother. Not waiting to confront Theo or find out the truth, Bonnie flees from England, back to the safety of Chicago and a life without love. Surprisingly, Theo will not allow for that; following Bonnie back to claim her as his wife.

Oh my goodness!! I totally and absolutely loved the manner in which Ms. Johnson wove a love of the classical literature with Monty Python lines; allowing for many laughs. She even included Chicago landmarks that this former Chicagoan recognized. This story is a wonderful, humorous, and amazing tale that was emotional, humorous, and moving, filled with sexual chemistry, wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that is must read. I totally loved this story about Bonnie and Theo finding their true and forever love. I love how Bonnie found her true self writing and journaling instead of giving all up for a man she thought loved her. I also loved how Theo stood up to his mother, choosing a wife for love and not for social position. I highly recommend Smitten with the Brit to other readers and look forward to Ms. Johnson’s next book in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I was sooo excited for Smitten by the Brit after reading Getting Hot with the Scot and Melonie Johnson did NOT disappoint!

If every man could be the man Theo Wharton is, all us ladies would be on cloud nine every single day! What a gentleman. What an over-all amazing person. To find a man with those qualities is my hope for the future.

Bonnie and Theo grabbed my attention in Getting Hot with the Scot and completely consumed me in Smitten by the Brit. Their chemistry and sexual tension was off the charts. I loved the humor, the friendships, the heart-melting swooning moments. I loved it all!

This is one of those books you won’t want to put down after you start, and will miss them when you finish. I can’t wait for Once Upon a Bad Boy. Melonie Johnson has quickly become a favorite author of mine. Check her out, you will be glad you did.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, the author, and Netgalley for an advance copy and these are my honest and unbiased opinions.

Synopsis:

DEFINITELY, MAYBE...OR LOVE, ACTUALLY?

English professor Bonnie Blythe expects her life to play out like her favorite novels, especially now that her long-term boyfriend has finally proposed. So when a shocking discovery leads Bonnie to end her engagement, she decides to close the book on love. But the plot thickens when a brand-new character enters the scene—and quickens Bonnie's heart.

With his brilliant blue eyes, sexy accent, and irresistible charm, Theo Wharton is like a romantic hero straight out of a Jane Austen novel. When fate places Bonnie in England for a summer—conveniently close to Theo—she realizes a hot friends-with-benefits fling is exactly what she needs to start a fresh chapter. Just as Bonnie begins to believe she's falling in love, an eye-opening revelation into Theo's life makes Bonnie feel like she's wandered into one of her favorite books. Will Bonnie have the courage to risk her heart and turn the page with the dashing Brit to find her true happy ending after all?

Review:

This is the second book in this series that I read. Wow, I need more, is all I can say. Theo and Bonnie first appear in the first book in the series and have series eye chemistry. This second book has a whole lot more! The characters are so real, this could be you, someone you know, or someone you at least could definitely relate with. I really enjoyed the first book in the series but I loved this one even more. I think the author definitely found her niche in creating heroes and heroines that you just can't wait to fall in love with!

I received this as an ARC through the publisher via NetGalley.

Bonnie Blythe is an English professor enamored with literature and hoping for a set wedding date with her fiance when he finishes his dissertation. When it all falls apart once she catches him cheating, her entire staid world has to change. She accepts a new summer teaching position in England, a dream she wouldn't have otherwise gone through with, and decides to see where her prior infatuation with Theo Wharton will go.

Smitten by the Brit is the second book in the "Sometimes in Love" series, but it's absolutely not necessary to have read that one first. Enough of the plot is explained in the course of the text, and it's still fun to see Cassie and Logan in the middle of wedding planning. It's terrible that Bonnie walked in on Gabe cheating, and she's in a lot of shock. She handles herself a lot better than she thought she would, and she does have a lot of experiences teaching and traveling that she would have limited herself otherwise. Theo is still every inch a British gentleman, asking if she's sure she wants to proceed with their not-quite-dating. The fact that he might be the rebound guy is dealt with honestly, and he never once oversteps her comfort level.

I really enjoyed the back and forth between Bonnie and Theo, as well as the various interactions between Bonnie and her friends. There are a lot of humorous bits as well as the dramatic ones involving the end of her engagement and the fact that Theo's mother wants him to marry someone rich to restore the family finances. It's a great balance and is a fun read before we get to the happily ever after.

Such an amazing read. If you've read getting Hot with the Scot then you are familar just a bit with Bonnie and Theo. If not that's okay too you wont get lost while reading this one. But you will lose yourself in the book itself. I love Smitten by the Brit. I love Bonnie and Theo together. They just seem like a perfect match. Yes there will be times you want to yell at Theo's mother but it is what is need for the story line. Bonnie there are times you just want to hug her and say you will find a better Gilbert. Can I just go off a little and say that I love the Anne of Green Gable references. That is one of my all time favorite book series reads of all time. You will giggle along with this gang of friends many times over. Bonnie and Theo you just have to really read this one and find out more about them. I don't want to give too much away when it comes down to them. This being Melonie Johnson's second book she pulls you in and brings this breathe of fresh air to her characters. She is now fast becoming a one click author for me. Go one click this one.

I wish I could have loved it.
Smitten By the Brit is the second book in the ‘Sometimes In Love’ series by Melonie Johnson. It was a good read and Theo and Bonnie made a lovely couple but I still struggled to connect with the characters.
The story line was good, with plenty happening, I guess. This series is just not for me.

This is book 2 in the Sometimes in Love series and can absolutely be read as a standalone although I recommend reading the first book because it introduces her character and gives you some back story. This one is about Bonnie and Theo. Bonnie is excited now that her and her boyfriend have finally gotten engaged, until something happens to make her end the relationship. But because of it, she decides that love isn't for her.

Theo and Bonnie are extremely sweet together. And while I really enjoyed this story, I didn't feel like they were going to actually have a relationship of any sort until closer to the end of the book. This is the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. That and he was just a little too sweet for me, since I definitely enjoy my bad boy alpha's. But that is just my preferences. On a whole the book is a good read and I will probably be reading the other books in the series just because I always want to know the other character's stories. I just don't know that this is one of my favorite reads.

This is the second book in A Sometimes in Love series. I truly enjoyed reading about these two characters Theo and Bonnie. This story was easy to read and well written. I enjoyed the storyline.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Mark's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Smitten by the Brit is book two in the Sometimes in Love series. It can be read as a standalone. I have the first one, Getting Hot with the Scot, on my kindle but for some reason I started with this one first. I had a little trouble getting into this one because at first I just didn't connect with Bonnie. Even though it took my longer than I would have like to connect with Bonnie, she's a good character. Bonnie is nice girl. She's sweet and shy. Bonnie has been when Gabe for a while but one night she comes home to fine him cheating. She leaves him and takes a job to teach at Cambridge for the summer. Theo is a Duke. He's very much a gentleman. He's sweet. I liked the spark Theo and Bonnie had.

This is the second in this series by Melonie Johnson, and if you are looking for an easy afternoon read, sweet and contemporary, this is the read you are looking for. Bonnie met Theo in book 1 but this is their story. Bonnie, an American, and Theo, a reluctant British Duke have an immediate connection, but Theo is supposed to marry a Brit, who is wealthy enough to help Theo’s family financial problems. This is their journey and it was an enjoyable one. Theo was a wonderful, well mannered Brit but Bonnie is a force to be reckoned with.

I didn’t think this author could make this book better than the first one “Hot with a Scott” but I was so so wrong. This one had me by the heartstrings to the very end. All the literature references in this book add such a great effect to this story while it helped you connect with the characters even further. Theo Wharton was a true gentleman throughout this book who I believe all man should take note off. His compassion, understanding, patience, care, manners, respect, loyalty and love his show to all from family to friends even over his own feeling.

This book can be read as a stand-alone or like myself read as part of this great series of book by this great new author. The book is a fast paste read that will totally entertain through with the humour, friendship, chemistry and sexual tension. I would highly recommend this author and this book to anyone. It was great to be back with these characters again as well get more of an insight to their wonderful friendship and their growth in each of their lives. The story grows in such a way that it has brought in so many other characters and plots that you are already wishing you could read about them.

We start back in Chicago with Bonnie Blythe at an event meeting up with her friends and as had been the case for some time she is minus her fiancé Gabe. Bonnie was not happy with her prolonged engagement but she was hopeful with Gabe’s PHD finalising soon that this may all chance.

“As was so often the case lately, her significant other was significantly absent.”

As she hoped she got a change but it was not the one she had always dreamed of.

Bonnie loved her books, Shakespeare and had many great characters in these novels she aspires to be, she feels like Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables and her best friend Cassie in life is Diana Barry, Anne’s bosom buddy from the same book.

“Bonnie had often wished to be in the middle of an Austen novel. Only now that she was, she couldn’t wait to escape.”

Bonnie and Theo Wharton had met some 9 months ago in England when her best friends meet the love of her life. Logan is Theo’s best mate and Bonnie is best friends with Cassie so it was not surprising for Theo to turn up in Chicago unannounced.

Both Theo and Bonnie had a connection the first time they met but will Bonnie is a long turn relationship both made not steps to each other. But this is not the case any longer as they both find out they are staying at the same motel in the city. Can their friendship turn to something more maybe a friendship with benefits?

“Your dimples.” She sighed again. ” They’re my kryptonite.”

Bonnie sets off for a summer teacher and rediscovery in England but before she leaves he learns that Theo is a Duke like a character in one of her novels.

Will Theo be Bonnie’s rebound boy or will they find something stronger?

Thank you St. Martins Press for providing me with an ARC e-copy through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I picked this book up on a whim but was quickly smitten by not just the Brit, but also by Melonie Johnson. She has a fun, enchanting, and quirky way to tell a story. She makes you get the feels for her characters. And boy did I feel them when Theo battled with what was more important in life - supporting his family or following his heart. Bonnie was such a fun, bright character, a perfect pairing to a man who was weighed down by convention and tradition. 

There were some laughs, a few groans of frustration, and a lot of smiles. An easy read for any time the year!

I really enjoyed Getting Hot with the Scot and was really interested in Theo and his life. Smitten with the Brit was even better than I anticipated. Theo had been attracted to Bonnie when he met her the previous summer, but she was engaged, so they remained strictly friends. Sure, he fantasized about her, but he wouldn't act on his fantasies.
Bonnie was also attracted to Theo, but she stayed true to her fiiancee and vowed to keep Theo as a friend. When Theo shows up in Chicago to see his best friend, she is thrown for a loop and leaves rather abruptly from the party she, Cassie, Theo, and Logan are at. What she doesn't expect to find is her fiancee in bed with another woman when she gets home. She promplty ends the engagement and checks into a hotel.
From there, Bonnie and Theo start spending more time together and he lets her decide how far to take things. He has feelings for her, but he realizes that she is coming off of a long relationship so he doesn't want to push her. When things start getting steamy, she melts down and he supports her. Theo had me swooning throughout the book. He was patient, kind, understanding, persistent, and loyal. He tried to do everything that was expected of him where his family was concerned. He just wasn't sure how he could marry someone he didn't love or someone who wasn't Bonnie.
Bonnie was a character who felt like she could be a friend. She thought she had her whole life mapped out, but had a wrench thrown into her life when her relationship ended. She knew she was attracted to Theo, but didn't want to rush anything. When she overhears a conversation between Theo and his mother, she misunderstands what is going on and runs away.
Believable characters. Wonderful relationships amongst friends. Great supporting characters. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Smitten by the Brit by Melonie Johnson was a charming and sweet read. Bonnie Blythe thought her life was set after her boyfriend proposed, but then something happens that changes everything. Theo Wharton has responsibilities and obligations and he is willing to do what is needed, but then Bonnie walks back into his life. Can they keep things light and simple when their chemistry is so strong?

Theo was such a caring hero that will make you swoon. Bonnie was a romantic at heart trying to find her way. Their connection was undeniable, but so much stood in their way, can they find a way to each other before it’s too late?

Happy reading!

Sometimes I'm just in the mood for a feel good romance and this definitely fit the bill. You are rooting for the main character, Bonnie, right from the start. You want her to have her happy ending after her she catches her fiancé cheating on her. I love the cast of girlfriends. Their interactions are so amusing. The perfect thing for a romantic comedy. The reader feels the ongoing steamy attraction between Bonnie and Theo with an added bonus of an English countryside setting and quotes from Shakespeare, Austen and other English authors. Unfortunately, even when I just want a good romance story, I can't just turn off my realistic sensibility. Is it really a good idea to have a main character go immediately from one long term relationship to jumping so quickly into spending the rest of her life with someone else? Seems too soon, even though Bonnie appears to be very mature and confident in herself. Maybe I could have overlooked that if the end was a bit stronger. Theo had his own family obligations and responsibilities that prevented a long term commitment to Bonnie, and yet in couple pages those obligations and responsibilities just disappeared and all was good. I would have liked further development in Theo's family dynamics, especially since his family was full of interesting characters. Overall this was a quick and enjoyable read.