Member Reviews
Second chance romance, they met years ago and they had bananas chemistry but life pulls them in different ways they met again and boom the chemistry still is there... a good read.
Oh I loved this! Second chance, family rivalry romance with glimpses of the previous books' MCs HEAs. What more to ask?
I fell for the Puso family. However, I related the most to Beatrice. I am so glad she got her love story and I could barely put it down. It was a great wrap up to the whole feud between Willow Creek and Heart Resort. I loved the many characters of the Puso family and its employees from the Heart Resort. I loved how Beatrice stood up for herself even though in finding her passions she kept miscommunicating with her family throughout all of it. It's not your typical book about second chance love, family rivalry and that's why I loved the Heart Resort Series.
Thank you to Net Galley for the arc as always, all words are my own.
Tif Marcelo writes romance stories that continue to enchant me and take me on an adventure! Beatrice and Jackson appear in each other's lives after meeting five years before in Vegas but then they find out they are from competing families. I was immediately hooked and could not stop reading from the seacoast setting to the various relationships throughout the book, I was immersed in the story. I also enjoy learning new words as Filipino is woven throughout. This book has supporting characters from the Heart Resort series, there are some details that may be spoilers to the Heart Resort series but I found it did not take away from my enjoyment of the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!
Lif Marcelo is a new author to me and I will definitely be reading more of her work. This is an entertaining easy quick read with a little family drama, great hero and heroine with an awesome plot. Jackson and Beatrice have a sizzling one night stand in Vegas five years ago. What stays in Vegas is suppose to stay in Vegas, right. Jackson can’t seem to forget Beatrice. The two meet again and find out that they are next neighbors and that their families are business rivals in a resort business competition for the same property. As Beatrice and Jackson are navigating their way into a relationship family business is getting in their way. Jackson let Beatrice get away once and he has no intentions of letting that happen again and neither does Beatrice have intensions of letting Jackson go either.
So how can these to navigate their way into an HEA and still keep their families happy?
I received an ARC via NetGalley and Montlake and I am leaving my review voluntarily.
There was a lot to enjoy about this book: Beatrice the heroine runs an online fashion subscription business, has an adorable dog, and has strong family ties to her three brothers. Jackson the hero has a wonderful relationship with his mom, and has a heart of gold. Personally, I loved all the family dynamics in this book, between Beatrice and her brothers, and Jackson with his absentee father and half brother. The characters were well developed, and the setting of the Outer Banks felt almost like a character itself. This book also delivers intrigue, as Jackson's father and Beatrice's family are business rivals. This book has everything! Definitely will be looking into the other Heart Resort books.
One night in Vegas and neither can forget the other. Until they end up living side by side in the Outerbanks. Except, it’s complicated. Of course it is! It’s family pitted against family, competing over the next land deal. Compromise seems impossible so love isn’t enough.
Your heart will scream in fury as you read because surely, two people so in love can’t just walk away from each other, right?!
Roll the dice and see if Beatrice’s and Jackson’s numbers come up.
Thanks to Montlake and Netgalley for this advanced copy!
Lucky Streak is a warm, lovely romance about two people who meet briefly in Vegas and five years later live next door to each other, recognizing right away that the heat between them never died. I really liked this novel, it felt inviting and just a little steamy and I could see it being the perfect book to curl up with when in the Outer Banks. Jackson and Beatrice are adorable together and the supporting cast comes in and out at just the right amount, helping to move the plot forward without bogging it down.
I didn't realize that this was connected to Marcelo's other series about Heart Resort and the Puso family and I wish I had read the other books before diving into this one. You can definitely read it as a stand-alone, but I also felt like I was missing an understanding of the family characters, who are clearly important to Beatrice. Also maybe the other books have more about the rivalry between Beatrice and Jackson's families? Either way, this book was so good that I'll go back and read those stories for sure.
Part of me wanted a litte more angst and a little more steam from this book, but I also really loved how it centered family and personal relationships. The conflict can't completely be resolved by the two lovers getting together, but it feels like that's not really the point of the book and I love that. Not every story needs to solve larger problems, you just need to resolve the ones that really keep the lovers apart and Marcelo did that well.
Overall, this is a great comfort read for a comfy day.
Lucky Streak is the next book in The Heart Resort Series by Tif Marcelo. This is a uniquely written novel by a very special author. A romantic drama with a Romeo and Juliet feel. I love Tif Marcelo’s writing style, it is intriguing and engaging throughout the book. The characters are well developed and very real. Family loyalty and drama top this one. I am a big fan of this author and her books and this one did not disappoint! I highly recommend this talented author and all her books.
Thank you NetGalley, Montlake and Tif Marcelo for honoring me again with an advanced copy of this captivating story in exchange for my honest opinion.
#netgalley #montlake. #tifmarcelo. #arc
Always enjoy a Tif Marcelo book! Love her roots of military and their steamy Vegas meet up. She’s has a gift of creating people and their towns that make you want to live there.
Watch my Amazon live interview with Tif: https://amazon.com/live/broadcast/b2aa2f51-85e4-4137-9bc4-617dc7163959?tag=erinmbransco-20&linkCode=ilv&ref_=social
I have read several of Tif Marcelo books. I do enjoy her writing and I do enjoy that she writes about her culture.
The beginning of the story almost made me stop reading it. It started out with too much drama for me. The story did improve and I did like the main characters. The pace was a little on the slow side. I did like that Beatrice and Jackson had a bit of a history before their love story began. Second meetings are one of my favorite genres.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book. I was so excited for a good old second-chance romance but I got a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong the book was really funny and quirky at points, but at the same time a bit the plot seems weak and disappointing. I wish the focus in the book was different, feels like certain things just didn't work well.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.
I have read and enjoyed several of Tif Marcelo's older books and was excited to read this but this fell short for me. I couldn't connect to the characters and it was sloooow. After a while I started skimming and in the end put it down.
I'm not deterred though so I will give her next a new chance :)
Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.
I have read and enjoyed several of Tif Marcelo's older books and was excited to read this but this fell short for me. I couldn't connect to the characters and it was sloooow. After a while I started skimming and in the end put it down.
I'm not deterred though so I will give her next a new chance :)
Five years ago, when Beatrice was busy with family duties, she meets Jackson. They share part of a magical night together, only to have her called away. They decide that if it's meant to be they'll meet again. Only Beatrice, who at the moment is going by Tricia, decides to go back and slip her number under the door. Is it crazy to leave something like this up to chance? Maybe...but if you believe, maybe the person, if they're meant for you, will find their way back to you.
I hate to say that this one was a disappointment for me. The premise was so charming and started off so strong...then it quickly fell apart for me. I really wanted to like it but I just had a hard time getting behind any of the characters. Ok, except for maybe "The Cathy Hill".
What I liked:
1) The writing style - it saved this book for me. I like how this author writes and the language she used.
2) Some of the banter was witty and fun.
3) Who doesn't love an adorable dog.
4) I appreciated the choices for the main conflict - I wasn't 100% behind the resolution though.
What didn't work so well for me:
1) The story-telling and framing: I felt like the drama swallowed the initial charm of this story SUPER quick. I found myself wishing we had a slightly different time frame or wishing the author used some breaks to skip ahead.
2) Sadly, I found the chemistry between the characters to be lacking. It started off stronger than it ended - but it quickly fizzled for me.
3) Way too much time focusing on the main characters short comings. I also wish there was a LOT more about her side hustle.
4) I don't want to say too much here - but there was a choice at the very end that I did not like at all. And frankly I'm a little surprised no one suggested an edit. (Though this WAS an ARC/unedited proof so maybe that was changed?)
Overall it was a cute story but I just found it whelming and a definite miss for me.
A lovely addition to this series, Beatrice and Jackson reconnect after five years, and when dealing with their family feud as well as her new business, leaves Beatrice running around with little time for their new romance Jackson all seems lost but they can’t wait to get back together..
While I like the tropes this book is supposed to contain, I didn’t really like the story. There wasn’t enough drama for me to engage with the book. While there was conflict for the characters to work through, I found it to be so low key, that it was a struggle to finish. I also think the closed door romance inhibited my connection to the characters. There was just no spark. And while I can appreciate a story incorporating different ethnicities, it felt like EVERY character was ethnically identified. That got to be over the top for me.
Thanks for the arc to Netgalley.
I’m always here for a good family drama and I liked the idea of the rivalry between to families. However the story felt a bit flat, and so many times I forgot I was reading. It’s not a bad book but I was hoping something more. The relationship between the two main characters was too fast and I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted.
This was an interesting book. It didn't really catch my attention and held it in until like halfway through. I did like the characters and I stuck with the book and it was worth it. I'd recommend reading it.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Lucky Streak is a sweet romance, billed as a “set in the Heart Resort universe,” although not connected to the series proper. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, I did feel like it took some time to really come to grips with who the other characters were, even though I did recently read one of the Heart Resort books, and can’t really think of any reason why a book about another Puso family member would be marketed in such a strange way.
One thing I liked about the premise is that it didn’t go in the direction I was expecting. Despite the presence of Vegas in their backstory, it’s not a “we got quickie married and didn’t realize till later,” and as much as I can respect the emphasis on sexuality when relevant, I liked that the main goal here was developing the emotional connection that Jackson and Beatrice felt in their brief first meeting.
And while their initial meeting resulted in a few misunderstandings, I appreciate how quickly those are resolved, instead of being allowed to fester. The focus on their reunion is centered instead on the issue of how they can be together, given their respective standings with their families, who run rival businesses, and their deeply personal reasons that are mixed in with their professional goals. Both of them have been party to some of the messy actions on their family company’s part towards the other (although Jackson’s father has admittedly played much dirtier).
I also love how each character’s relationship with fate is explored. Beatrice is a big believer in luck and fate, and her chapters are headed by affirmations, which highlight her positive outlook on speaking things into existence. Jackson is somewhat more cynical about it, although his experience meeting Beatrice again helped to further shape his worldview.
This is a sweet read with a focus on family, fate, and Filipino culture. If you enjoy stories with equally well-drawn romantic and familial relationships, I recommend picking this one up.