Such a Ginger Read: Melanie Harlow

Where I read a book and then label it as "Such a Ginger Read" because, well, it is such a Ginger read. To see my first edition post of this new feature, please click here.

It's no surprise that I am a lover of romance reads. Pretty much 95% of what I read is romance. And if you don't consider it in that genre, then there's at least a romantic element in the story. I feature both a lot of YA and Adult romances on my blog that I read, but today I wanted to single out a new-to-me romance author I recently discovered: Melanie Harlow.

If you're a fan of Christina Lauren (like me!!), then you'll definitely want to check out her stuff. She writes romantic comedies that deliver a steamy, yet in depth story about two characters finding their way through love. I've only read two of her novels, but already I know she delivers Such a Ginger Read!

Some Sort of Crazy by Melanie Harlow
Published: November 17, 2015
About the book: When a psychic tells Natalie Nixon her life is about to be upended by a mysterious stranger, she laughs it off. After all, she has everything she’s ever wanted—a successful bakery, the perfect boyfriend, and the keys to her dream house.

Who could possibly make her want to throw all that away?

Then Miles Haas comes back to town.

But he’s no stranger—they’ve known each other since high school. Plus, he’s only around for the summer, he’s still a shameless playboy, and he makes a living writing articles for a men’s magazine with titles like 'Should You Bang the Boss’s Daughter? A Flowchart' and 'Butt Stuff for Beginners: A Field Guide.'

He’s not the man of her dreams, and she’s not about to abandon everything she’s worked so hard for just for a little fun. Except he makes her laugh like no one else, smells like heaven, and looks sexy as hell in those panty-melting glasses.

**SOME SORT OF CRAZY is a full-length standalone romance.** [goodreads]

Can we take a second and just admire that cover? Now I am not one to oogle over romance book covers and the hot dudes on them. However, something about this adorable pose and those eyes? Yeah, it totally grabbed my attention. Once I started reading the book and I met who Miles was, this cover came even more to life to me.

Before you ask, yes this book is part of a series. Do you need to read them in order? Nope. I sure didn't. They are set in the same fictional world, but each book is about its own separate characters and their own stories to tell. So I didn't find it necessary to follow from book one to three (this is actually book two). I like when authors do this because if a particular storyline intrigues you, you don't feel pressure to read the previous books in order for the whole thing to make sense. You can just jump right to the one you want. And that's totally what I did.

Natalie and Miles are hot. Their chemistry and playful banter was so fun to read. Miles' character delivered some laugh out loud moments. If you're like me, humor can be such a sexy thing! If you're someone who is shy about steamy romance scenes, or the sexytimes aren't your thing -- then this book may not be your cup of tea. It's definitely hot! But I felt that it was done tastefully, and realistically. Forced romance that comes across fake is such a turn off in romance novels.

I loved the dynamic of these two characters, but I also really enjoyed their journey; especially Natalie's. Melanie Harlow promised a steamy read, but I've come to realize that she can also deliver when it comes to storylines with depth and characters that are way beyond two dimensional. Her novels, especially this one, is such a Ginger read and I can't wait to read more from her backlist.