Book Review: The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

Title: The Heart Principle

Author: Helen Hoang

Series/Standalone: The Kiss Quotient (Book #3)

Genre: Adult, Romance

Pages: 339

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2021

Format: Audiobook

"A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected- and the man she enlists to help her- in this New York Time bestselling romance by Helen Hoang.

When a violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too. Translation: She's going to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better.

That's where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because being with Quan is more than sex- he accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she herself has just started to understand. However, when tragedy strikes Anna's family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves."

My Rating: 3.75/5

I really liked that this series worked along with our main character getting diagnosed with autism and finding who she is in a world where she doesn't have to mask. Also watching her find a partner, not just someone who treats her like trash was amazing. I loved seeing Quan become a man who is ready for more than a casual hook up. This book was also about grief, loss and extreme life changes. This isn't what I wanted from a romance personally and that's why I took it down a bit for a rating.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Title: The Bride Test
Author: Helen Hoang
Series/Standalone: The Kiss Quotient (Book #2)
Genre: Romance, Adult, 
Pages: 296
Publisher: Berkley
Year Published: 2019
Format: Audiobook

"Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions- like grief. And love. He thinks he's defective. His family knows better- that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can't turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn't go as planned. Esme's lessons in love seem to be working... but only on herself. She's hopelessly smitten with a man who's convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme's time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he's been wrong all along. And there's more than one way to love."

My Rating: 4/5

I really enjoyed the drama of this book and I think that it was a fun take on romance. I think that Helen Hoang does a great job of building up drama and tension between characters. I did find that some aspects of this were a little much for even me to buy. I think that the ending reveals about Esme's truth was frustrating to wait for and in the end, really came to nothing. I do love the way that there is a slower burn with these characters which is different than The Kiss Quotient. I'm looking forward to reading the third installment but unfortunately, we have to wait until 2021. I'll be waiting (impatiently). 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Title: The Kiss Quotient
Author: Helen Hoang
Series/Standalone: The Kiss Quotient Series (Book #1)
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult
Pages: 333
Publisher: Berkley
Year Published: 2018
Format: Audiobook

"Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases- a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice- with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan- from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic."

My Rating: 4.5/5

I was very unsure whether I would enjoy this. I thought that the main premise would be teaching her how to date and then working her way up until she was going to go for physical. But dang this book gets physical fairly quickly. I was impressed with the writing style and the representation. I thought that the use of saying "no" was great because it is constantly mentioned that if it went too far she could ask him to stop. I appreciated that aspect because sometimes in a romance consent isn't really covered. The sex scenes were well written though very explicit which I just wasn't quite ready for. The few aspects that I didn't like was the audiobook had some interesting background music and I felt that the end wrapped a little too quickly for my liking, but that might be because I binge-read the last hour or so.  I'm looking forward to continuing the series and reading from other characters p.o.v.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny