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caseroo7's review against another edition
3.0
Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick
Crazy for the Competition is a standalone story in Cindi Madsen's Hope Springs Series. Though the characters in each book are interconnected, it is not required that they be read in order to enjoy each story. While this book had some great moments, this one was just okay for me. I had a tough time relating to the heroine, but it was still a good light and easy read.
Quinn Sakata is working towards leaving her father's real-estate business and reopening the Mountain Ridge Bed and Breakfast. She is tired of trying to please her family and being the black sheep, only to never live up to their expectations. But in order to branch out on her own, she will have to out-bid the competition for the Mountain Ridge property. When she finds out that her high school crush Heath Brantley is the other bidder, she vows to do whatever it takes to be the winner. But when they are forced to work together to try and win the town's approval, Quinn and Heath grow close and soon they are both realizing that there is more to each other than they expected. Will Heath and Quinn do whatever it takes to beat the competition, or will they realize that there is more than just the property at stake?
I had a tough time with Quinn. Not that she wasn't an okay character, but I just didn't really have anything in common with her and didn't really ever feel like I was invested in her story. She was of Japanese descent and though she was Americanized, she still had a lot of traditional Japanese values. She wanted her family's approval and tended to do things in order to appease them, when it was clear that she wanted so much more out of life. That was a bit frustrating for me as I am pretty much the opposite. Though family approval and support is great, I also believe in going after your dreams and pursuing the life you want. Quinn did too, but she was pretty passive about it. Heath was easier for me to like. He was also very much a family man, but it was more in relation to his siblings rather than his father. He looked out for his little brother and would do whatever it took for him or his older brother. I felt like he and Quinn had a lot in common when it came to being loyal and how they felt connected to their families. I liked the connection that they found with each other as well, and it was good to see them get over their initial assumptions of one another.
Overall, this was a sweet and light clean romance. Though Quinn and Heath had chemistry, there wasn't much steam here as is common with Entangled's Bliss Imprint. If you are looking for something light and clean, this might be one that you want to check out. There were some really sweet and cute moments throughout this story, and I did enjoy it. For me personally though, I just wasn't really able to relate to Quinn and that kind of threw me off the whole story. I have really enjoyed books by Cindi Madsen in the past though, and I know I will read more from her in the future.
**ARC Provided by Tasty Book Tours**
Crazy for the Competition is a standalone story in Cindi Madsen's Hope Springs Series. Though the characters in each book are interconnected, it is not required that they be read in order to enjoy each story. While this book had some great moments, this one was just okay for me. I had a tough time relating to the heroine, but it was still a good light and easy read.
Quinn Sakata is working towards leaving her father's real-estate business and reopening the Mountain Ridge Bed and Breakfast. She is tired of trying to please her family and being the black sheep, only to never live up to their expectations. But in order to branch out on her own, she will have to out-bid the competition for the Mountain Ridge property. When she finds out that her high school crush Heath Brantley is the other bidder, she vows to do whatever it takes to be the winner. But when they are forced to work together to try and win the town's approval, Quinn and Heath grow close and soon they are both realizing that there is more to each other than they expected. Will Heath and Quinn do whatever it takes to beat the competition, or will they realize that there is more than just the property at stake?
I had a tough time with Quinn. Not that she wasn't an okay character, but I just didn't really have anything in common with her and didn't really ever feel like I was invested in her story. She was of Japanese descent and though she was Americanized, she still had a lot of traditional Japanese values. She wanted her family's approval and tended to do things in order to appease them, when it was clear that she wanted so much more out of life. That was a bit frustrating for me as I am pretty much the opposite. Though family approval and support is great, I also believe in going after your dreams and pursuing the life you want. Quinn did too, but she was pretty passive about it. Heath was easier for me to like. He was also very much a family man, but it was more in relation to his siblings rather than his father. He looked out for his little brother and would do whatever it took for him or his older brother. I felt like he and Quinn had a lot in common when it came to being loyal and how they felt connected to their families. I liked the connection that they found with each other as well, and it was good to see them get over their initial assumptions of one another.
Overall, this was a sweet and light clean romance. Though Quinn and Heath had chemistry, there wasn't much steam here as is common with Entangled's Bliss Imprint. If you are looking for something light and clean, this might be one that you want to check out. There were some really sweet and cute moments throughout this story, and I did enjoy it. For me personally though, I just wasn't really able to relate to Quinn and that kind of threw me off the whole story. I have really enjoyed books by Cindi Madsen in the past though, and I know I will read more from her in the future.
**ARC Provided by Tasty Book Tours**
jaimejustreadsromance's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the fresh take of a virgin and a bad boy because the bad boy wasn't really so bad after all and the virgin stayed true to her beliefs even after falling hard for said bad boy. I was extremely annoyed by Quinn's father for being so strict and so judge mental and disapproving of everything that she did. Even her sister made me angry because she didn't encourage her to be happy but rather to conform. I loved that Quinn was still pushing to be her own person even while struggling to be everything her family expected of her. From her loud laugh to her inappropriate cussing in church, Ives everything about her.
Heath was the best kind of bad boy because he wasn't really a bad boy at all. Everyone just perceived him to be and he did nothing to change their opinions. Ironically he was the best guy in this whole book, as far as I could tell. He did everything in his power to make sure his little brother was taken care of and was working hard to make sure that his older brother has someplace solid to come back to after leaving the military.
This was a sweet romance with very little angst but a whole lot of annoying, pushy family involvement. If you need a book with lots of sex and steam, this is not the book for you. If you enjoy a book where the characters have chemistry that's off the charts but keep to their believes, you will love it!
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Heath was the best kind of bad boy because he wasn't really a bad boy at all. Everyone just perceived him to be and he did nothing to change their opinions. Ironically he was the best guy in this whole book, as far as I could tell. He did everything in his power to make sure his little brother was taken care of and was working hard to make sure that his older brother has someplace solid to come back to after leaving the military.
This was a sweet romance with very little angst but a whole lot of annoying, pushy family involvement. If you need a book with lots of sex and steam, this is not the book for you. If you enjoy a book where the characters have chemistry that's off the charts but keep to their believes, you will love it!
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
abigail_lo's review against another edition
3.0
The hero was OK--standard bad boy fare. But the heroine was totally relatable. Asian, short, sassy, with a sailor's mouth and a fear of snakes? Definitely me.
danicapage's review against another edition
3.0
A clean romance novel. Seriously I love this publisher because the novels are romantic without being overtly sexual.
I enjoyed the characters and the writing style.
It was a cute, fun read that I enjoyed.
I enjoyed the characters and the writing style.
It was a cute, fun read that I enjoyed.
moniqueeditrix's review against another edition
5.0
Once again, Cindi Madsen did not disappoint! full review to follow
storieswithsoul's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this funny and cute story. Two opposite people who are unable to fight their attraction. They both want same property and are competing with each other. Still they decided to be friends. Although friends is not what they want to be. quinn can't help but fall for this ultimate bad boy. He is not like the others, he is funny and gets her like no one else ever has. Heath is now a reformed man. He wants to prove to everyone that he can be trusted and others matter to him. When he first meets Quinn he thinks she is a snob but after getting to know her he realizes that she is one of a kind, a person he can easily fall in love with.
This is an amazing read. With steady pace, well-developed characters and great story line, this book is a best summer read.
This is an amazing read. With steady pace, well-developed characters and great story line, this book is a best summer read.
jaimereadsromance's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the fresh take of a virgin and a bad boy because the bad boy wasn't really so bad after all and the virgin stayed true to her beliefs even after falling hard for said bad boy. I was extremely annoyed by Quinn's father for being so strict and so judge mental and disapproving of everything that she did. Even her sister made me angry because she didn't encourage her to be happy but rather to conform. I loved that Quinn was still pushing to be her own person even while struggling to be everything her family expected of her. From her loud laugh to her inappropriate cussing in church, Ives everything about her.
Heath was the best kind of bad boy because he wasn't really a bad boy at all. Everyone just perceived him to be and he did nothing to change their opinions. Ironically he was the best guy in this whole book, as far as I could tell. He did everything in his power to make sure his little brother was taken care of and was working hard to make sure that his older brother has someplace solid to come back to after leaving the military.
This was a sweet romance with very little angst but a whole lot of annoying, pushy family involvement. If you need a book with lots of sex and steam, this is not the book for you. If you enjoy a book where the characters have chemistry that's off the charts but keep to their believes, you will love it!
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Heath was the best kind of bad boy because he wasn't really a bad boy at all. Everyone just perceived him to be and he did nothing to change their opinions. Ironically he was the best guy in this whole book, as far as I could tell. He did everything in his power to make sure his little brother was taken care of and was working hard to make sure that his older brother has someplace solid to come back to after leaving the military.
This was a sweet romance with very little angst but a whole lot of annoying, pushy family involvement. If you need a book with lots of sex and steam, this is not the book for you. If you enjoy a book where the characters have chemistry that's off the charts but keep to their believes, you will love it!
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
beckymmoe's review against another edition
4.0
Such a sweet romance!
Quinn and Heath were both great characters--and both have such good reasons for why they need to be the one to win the competition for the property. I really liked that they didn't let their competition get nasty; even though going that route can be humorous at times, it wouldn't have been right for this story. They made their competition a perfectly fair one, with neither of them trying to undercut the other one in order to win.
I also actually loved that there was zero sex here--absolutely nada. It was important to Quinn that she wait for marriage, and she stuck to it from page one to the last. So refreshing! You know that there have to be people out there in real life doing the same thing, but it's such a rarity in mainstream romance. The chemistry is there, and they're both definitely feeling sexual tension, but Quinn resists and Heath respects her wishes. The fact that Heath was so cool with it even though it obviously wasn't easy for him made him an even better hero than he already was.
So did the fact that he actually took the time to learn about Quinn's culture, both by asking her and by doing research on his own. (And he uses some secretly-gained knowledge for an awesome purpose in the epilogue...but I am absolutely not going to give away what it is. You'll just have to read it yourself!)
Though Sadie and Royce from book one ([b:Second Chance Ranch|21519458|Second Chance Ranch (The Circle D, #1)|Audra Harders|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395255818s/21519458.jpg|40843025]) play a role, you don't have to have read their story to enjoy this one; it's fine as a standalone. So if you're looking for a sweet romance with a secondary theme of making a place for yourself beyond the one your family wants/society expects you to have, definitely give this one a read.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Quinn and Heath were both great characters--and both have such good reasons for why they need to be the one to win the competition for the property. I really liked that they didn't let their competition get nasty; even though going that route can be humorous at times, it wouldn't have been right for this story. They made their competition a perfectly fair one, with neither of them trying to undercut the other one in order to win.
I also actually loved that there was zero sex here--absolutely nada. It was important to Quinn that she wait for marriage, and she stuck to it from page one to the last. So refreshing! You know that there have to be people out there in real life doing the same thing, but it's such a rarity in mainstream romance. The chemistry is there, and they're both definitely feeling sexual tension, but Quinn resists and Heath respects her wishes. The fact that Heath was so cool with it even though it obviously wasn't easy for him made him an even better hero than he already was.
So did the fact that he actually took the time to learn about Quinn's culture, both by asking her and by doing research on his own. (And he uses some secretly-gained knowledge for an awesome purpose in the epilogue...but I am absolutely not going to give away what it is. You'll just have to read it yourself!)
Though Sadie and Royce from book one ([b:Second Chance Ranch|21519458|Second Chance Ranch (The Circle D, #1)|Audra Harders|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395255818s/21519458.jpg|40843025]) play a role, you don't have to have read their story to enjoy this one; it's fine as a standalone. So if you're looking for a sweet romance with a secondary theme of making a place for yourself beyond the one your family wants/society expects you to have, definitely give this one a read.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.