Review:  Paper Roses (Confetti Hitched Book 3) by Lily Morton 

Rating: 4.75🌈

Paper Roses just might be my favorite book of Lily Morton’s fabulous Confetti Hitched series.  The third story in this series about a wedding planning business, Confetti Hitched, the author’s focus turns from its engaging, vivacious employees to its owner, Jed Walker and his PA, Artie.

Jed, a widower, and his adorable PA Artie, are about to tumble into that popular romance trope, the fake marriage.  In Morton’s story, this romantic framework for Jed and Artie’s HEA is a hilarious, poignant, heartwarming tale of two men clearly destined for each other. The obstacles in their relationship, a dead husband’s memory, a timeline , and various misunderstandings are clearly present.  However , Morton’s narrative takes the wonderful slow road in allowing the meaningful aspects to of the past relationship and their current feelings a slow recognition to be fully understood. I enjoyed that the reveal was part of the growing relationship. It was extremely satisfying to see such adult relationships here.

I also adore that Mal and Caden and their farm were very much involved in parts of this story. Hilarious and very entertaining. 

So much laughter here as well as romance. The pages flew by. I can see this couple having so much entertainment and joy in their lives together going forward. 

Paper Roses (Confetti Hitched Book 3) by Lily Morton will be a reread for me.  I loved this couple so and it left me feeling so lighthearted and happy. 

Another win and highly recommended story by this author for me. 

Confetti Hitched:

Confetti Hearts #1

Something Borrowed #2

Paper Roses #3

Book Cover design by Natasha Snow Designs 

Buy Link

        Paper Roses (Confetti Hitched Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Jed Walker thinks he’s having a midlife crisis. The only trouble is that it feels too good to stop.

Widowed at a young age, he’s spent his life since then avoiding any relationships that might end up hurting him again. He has his successful wedding planning business, Confetti Hitched, and a series of uncomplicated hookups, and that’s all he needs in life

The one person disrupting this controlled stoicism is his younger assistant, Artie. He’s sweet and kind and has a funny way of calming Jed’s mind. So, when Artie comes to him with a problem, Jed moves heaven and earth to help, which is how he finds himself entering a fake marriage with the younger man and catching feelings. Too bad it’s all pretend. Or is it?

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a story about how love can completely derail the best-laid plans.

This is the third book in the Confetti Hitched series, but it can be read as a standalone.

  • Publication date: February 9, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 326 pages

Review: Irresponsible Puckboy (Puckboy #2) by Eden Finley and Saxon James

Rating: 4 🌈

Irresponsible Puckboy is the second in Eden Finley and Saxon James’ hockey romance series, Puckboy.

This time it’s a good friends to lovers, fake marriage trope story. I was looking forward to it as Tripp Mitchell, one of The Queer Collective, was a interesting character in the first book. The rest of his friends were on him about his one-sided love for his dimwitted best friend and fellow Vegas teammate .

How was that going to play out?

Much as you would expect it seems.

Tripp’s a well defined character, his pain over the years of hiding his passion and love for Dex is almost awkward to read. Especially when Dex is so hugely oblivious as well as admittedly being not the sharpest tool in the shed.

It’s a two person POV, which helps because while you immediately connect with Tripp, trying to find a way to make a case for someone who’s basically a Golden on the low scale of perception, gets trickier.

Make no mistake ,you believe Dex is a person of little self reflection, with zero concept of life outside of food, and hockey, uh, the basics. But that’s a puppy or a toddler who can skate.

And having to read about Dex as he painfully navigates mentally through the most rudimentary concepts and ideas gets a bit annoying. At one point, after he lets himself into Tripp’s penthouse unannounced, he actually throws himself between Tripp and the man he’s had a one night stand with, the next morning. Dex , while he’s in bed with the naked couple, whines about his girlfriend, and wonders why Tripp’s not exactly thrilled to see him.

Yes, there’s many other questions this scene brings up but you get my issues here.

Once they ā€œfake marryā€ , the lack of communication in some areas as Dex decides to try on being gay brings up a bunch of issues as well.

It’s no wonder The Queer Collective has so many doubts about them.

Part of this story is Dex’ journey to pansexuality and coming out. But as the character was written, he just never felt layered enough or as complete as Tripp.

I’m probably not in the majority here. But this book and couple didn’t strike the same sparks as Ezra and Anton, either on or off the ice.

It was just a little bit lacking on one side.

The business end when dealing with the fallout of their marriage, the press and their managers, and even how the team handled it. That felt believable. Team dynamics are a funny thing , and it’s elements like this or certain teammates that can throw a season.

I’m anticipating the next book. I’m hoping it will feature a real bad boy of the Collective. Oskar. Won’t that be delicious!

If friends to lovers, and fake marriage tropes are your thing. If cute dim boyfriends are part of the storyline? This is the book for you. It’s got a sweet HEA.

Check out the series.

Puckboy series:

šŸ”¹Egotistical Puckboy #1

šŸ”¹Irresponsible Puckboy #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showIrresponsible Puckboy – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Tripp

The worst part of being in love with my straight best friend is the fact he’s too oblivious to see it.

Years of pining have left me exhausted, and I need a break from Dex. I need space to get over my feelings. But when his relationship falls apart and he turns to me for comfort, I cave immediately.

If there’s one thing I hate more than being hurt, it’s seeing Dex struggle. I can’t leave him in a time of need, even if my friends say it’s my biggest downfall.

They say Dexter Mitchale is my weakness, but if that’s true, I don’t want to be strong.

Dex

I’ve always been the dumb one. It’s what I’m known for, and usually I don’t let it get to me.

I have hockey, and I have my best friend, Tripp. What more do I need? To settle down? No thank you. Marriage? Hard pass. According to ex-girlfriends, that makes me ā€œirresponsible.ā€

But the solution I come up with to get over my fear of commitment might be my dumbest idea yet. Not only does it have team management breathing down my neck, but it puts a strain on my friendship with Tripp.

This PR nightmare could lose me the only person I’ve ever loved. Losing girlfriends is nothing. Losing Tripp? It’s not an option.

I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him.

New Book Blitz for My Fake Canadian Wife by M. Hollis (excerpt and giveaway)

Title: My Fake Canadian Wife

Author: M. Hollis

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: January 7, 2019

Heat Level: 2 – Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 25600

Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, lesbian, student, waitress, photographer, holidays, immigrant, Brazil, Canada, fake marriage

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Synopsis

When Dora receives a letter from the immigration service in Canada saying she will be deported soon, as her visa is expiring, a friend suggests she marry a woman. Since she doesn’t currently have a girlfriend, faking a relationship might be her only option since she can’t muster the desire to return to school for advanced photograph studies.

Abby is a reserved librarian who seems enthusiastic about helping with the marriage plan. As the two girls get to know each other through dates in snowy Toronto and meeting Abby’s family for Christmas, Dora starts to wonder how much of this relationship they are faking and how much is real.

Excerpt

My Fake Canadian Wife
M. Hollis Ā© 2019
All Rights Reserved

Chapter One
My hands shook around the letter, the words blurring before my eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Not to me. Almost two years living in Toronto, without any complications, and now I received notice I was going to be deported. Thrown out of the place I was learning to love as my own. And honestly? I was to blame for missing the expiration date on my student visa.

Now, I had to race against time to legalize my immigrant status, or I’d have to go back to Brazil. To a home I barely thought about anymore.

I sat on the couch, letting the letter fall to my lap. I was screwed. Completely screwed.

My roommate, Julie, came out of her room, stopping in her tracks to give me a curious glance. ā€œGeez, you look like someone died,ā€ she said. ā€œDon’t you have to go to work?ā€

When I didn’t say anything, Julie gave up and walked to the kitchen. I heard mugs being moved around and cupboards opening and closing. A few seconds later, she came back, a small frown creasing her forehead.

Julie was a cute tomcat bisexual girl who was into indie movies, the ones with barely any dialogue, where one watched people live through a vintage faded screen. Some of them were actually nice, if one was in the right mood to understand its meaning behind the many layers of subtext.

Technically, the apartment we shared belonged to her. She was the rich kid of a famous Canadian producer, and her mother was a well-known director in the Toronto film community, so her family paid for most of her expenses. Or, well, now our living conditions. I couldn’t really complain since I had a bedroom to myself, a cozy living room, and a kitchen large enough for more than two people to move around comfortably.

What more could a girl like me ask for in life?

Right, citizenship.

ā€œOkay, please tell me no one actually died,ā€ Julie said, her bangs falling in front of her dark eyes.

I shook my head, finally coming back to myself and jumped from the couch. ā€œI need to go to work.ā€

ā€œWell, you can still get there in time.ā€ And then Julie was back to her morning coffee rituals.

I had a life to take care of. This situation wasn’t going to fix itself if I sat around, missed work, and stared at this letter all day. I moved quickly, shoved the letter into my backpack before grabbing my keys and my bike helmet.

ā€œHave a good day!ā€ Julie said from the kitchen as I opened the door. ā€œAnd be careful with the traffic.ā€

I rolled my eyes at her worry. Julie had been struck by a car last year when she was biking around the city, and now she believed bicycles were monsters from hell, instead of realizing drivers can be the real assholes. She even tried to get rid of my red beauty, but I obviously didn’t let her touch my baby.

ā€œDon’t worry! You have a good day too,ā€ I said as I closed the door behind me.

Racing down the stairs, I almost tripped over someone. I took a step back, cursing to myself when I caught a glimpse of dark blonde hair. It was our neighbor from downstairs, Carol.

ā€œHi, Dora,ā€ Carol said with a sly smile. ā€œHaven’t seen you in a while.ā€

She played with her hair in a flirtatious way, leaning closer. I tried to get past her, but she was quicker and trapped me against the wall.

So maybe I had slept with our super-hot neighbor when I had just moved in and desperately needed to get laid. I still regretted the decision. Not that the sex was bad, but Carol didn’t seem to get the message that casual sex with her wasn’t something I was going to make a habit of.

I pushed past her to gain a little breathing space. ā€œYou know how it is. Super busy with work and life.ā€

Carol’s mouth formed a little pout. ā€œIf you ever have free time, you know where to find me. I’m right under you.ā€ She winked at me and waved before saying, ā€œBye, bye,ā€ and walked the last steps to her floor, swaying her hips suggestively.

I blinked a few times, trying to bring myself back to reality. Work. I needed to get to work. I ran the last steps, opened the garage door, grabbed my bike, and left the building.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Meet the Author

M. Hollis could never decide what to do with her life. From the time she was a child, she has changed her ideas for a career hundreds of times. After writing in hidden notebooks during classes and daydreaming during every spare moment of her day, she decided to fully dedicate herself to her stories. When she isn’t scrolling around her social media accounts or reading lots of femslash fanfiction, you’ll find her crying about female characters and baking cookies.

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