Last time Melonie Jonhnson gave us kilts this time we got a Duke. Hot romantic romance. Hot fun read. Looking forward to more books from Ms Johnson.

I received an ARC from Netgalley / St Martin's Press.

After a disaster with her current love, English professor Bonnie Blythe has all but given up on love. Then, Theo Wharton, with bluer than blue eyes, a darling accent and sex appeal to die for, comes into her life. How can Bonnie ever resist, especially when she lands in England for the summer--and closer to Theo? Maybe a fling wouldn’t be such a bad idea, after all. Then, Bonnie learns Theo’s secrets and begins to wonder just what she should do now, and things quickly move to the next level.

I loved the way Bonnie could take her broken heart, pick up the pieces and move on. My kind of girl! Bonnie really was a sweet girl, deserving of the very best, which I why I was rooting for her. Theo was the perfect match for any girl/woman: sex appeal, dreamy looks and manners that are above reproach. Still, his secret gets in the way, not to mention Bonnie’s resolve that love may just not be her thing right now. Nevertheless, their chemistry came through loud and clear, as did their deep-down desires. I though, at first, this would be a quick fling, with both moving on, but soon realized there was much, much more to this than a mere quick, passing attraction. If only Theo’s family didn’t get in the way, with his mother’s ideas about her son’s matching up with a girl/woman. Still, the author managed to have the characters work through all this and did that quite well. I enjoyed the story of these two seemingly lost souls meeting up and falling for each other. The author has definitely shown her abilities in writing such a moving romance. I think anyone looking for a great summer read will enjoy this one. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the second book in this series and I was really looking forward to it. They set up the flirtation in the first book, Getting Hot with the Scot, and I liked Bonnie and Theo. The elements were there. Her engagement ends. They run into each other in Chicago and then she ends up in England for the summer.

They have undeniable chemistry. I guess I just wanted more from them emotionally. She’s an Anglophile and he’s British and thinks she’s hot. That seems to be the whole basis for their relationship. I don’t know if I missed something or if something was missing. This just didn’t hit all the right notes for me. But the author writes good banter and fun scenes.

I give this book 3 stars. I think it works better if you’ve read the first in the series because you can see how they met. But it could stand on its own as well. I will definitely continue with the series.

Smitten by the Brit is the second book in the Sometimes in Love series, and once again author Melonie Johnson strikes the perfect balance between hot, hot, hot, hot, hot (did I add enough hots???) sexy stuff and hold your heart and sigh sweetness! This time it’s Shakespeare-loving English professor Bonnie Blythe and devastatingly handsome dashing Duke Theo Wharton who will capture your heart – and make you laugh so hard you will snort.

Theo is the perfect gentleman - chivalric, honor and duty bound and sexy enough to take your breath away. Bonnie likes to plan and play it safe. Her plan for as long as she can remember has been to marry Gabe. Now that her plan is in the dumpster, she can’t imagine what her life will be. And then here comes Theo!

Bonnie and Theo met last year when Cassie, Bonnie and their chums were on their European vacation. There was instant heat between them, but since The Gabe Plan was still in effect nothing happened. Now, though, what’s to stop things from proceeding, especially since Bonnie is suddenly going to be spending the summer in England, conveniently close to Mr. Hottie? Well, that’s where the fun begins. Turns out it’s not that simple.

Smitten by the Brit is every bit as delightful as Getting Hot with the Scot, the first book in this series. Things are awkward and tender and sweet – and did I say hot?? Once again the setting in England is breathtaking, the Shakespeare references are marvelous, and watching this romance stop and start and bump along has your fingers and toes crossed hoping for Bonnie and Theo’s happy-ever-after.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing an advance copy for my honest review. I can say without hesitation that I love this series and recommend you read it now. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and hope that author Melonie Johnson writes many, many more.

After reading other reviews for this series, I have decided that it is not for me. I will not be reading or reviewing it for my blog.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Bonnie Blythe expects to spend the summer planning her wedding to her long-time boyfriend (now fiancé). However, she calls off the wedding when she catches him cheating on her. Instead, she gets a chance to fulfill a dream by spending a summer teaching in Cambridge. That she will be near her best friend’s fiancé’s drop-dead gorgeous best friend, Theo, is icing on the cake. The two agree to a friends with benefits arrangement, but can they keep their hearts out of it?

This is the second book in a series but can be easily read as a standalone. Personally, I liked the first book in the series more than this one. However, I am not a big fan of the historical romances with dukes, so maybe having a duke as the lead in this modern romance means that I’m just not a fan of duke romances altogether? Overall, though, this was still a fun read, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

English professor Bonnie Blythe's life is turned upside down when she finds her longtime boyfriend and fiancée in bed with another woman. When an opportunity to teach summer classes in England is offered, she jumps on it. It also gives her the chance to reconnect with Theo Warton, her best friend Cassie's fiancé's best friend. Theo is a duke and handles the family's properties which are in distress due to poor management. Bonnie and Theo start as friends and then quickly become lovers. Theo feels an obligation to his family to marry someone wealthy to help support the family. While there is a happy ending for Theo and Bonnie, it doesn't come easy.

I enjoyed the story, though not being a fan of Jane Austen, the constant references to her books got annoying. I also felt that Theo was a little too good to be true. And even though Theo was conflicted in whether to choose Bonnie for love or someone else for money, I felt he led Bonnie on for a little too long.

Can an everyday girl who teaches Shakespeare love a British Duke? Eventually that is what the story is about but she really has a close relationship with her best friend about to marry her Scottish love who is the best friend of the Duke. Has some good spots but a little too drawn out for me.

Such a fun read by Melonie Johnson! I loved Bonnie and Theo and am so happy with their story. Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC for my honest review.

This the second standalone in this series, but I would suggest reading the first book to get the full enjoyment out of this series. And while I liked the first book, Getting Hot with the Scot, I actually loved this book more. Maybe it was having met Theo and Bonnie in the first book, but I think it's more that Theo is that proper British gentleman who has a sexy, saucy side when he's with Bonnie. I loved the dynamic between these two characters -- their banter and personalities complemented each other perfectly. And I love the friendship aspect among the girls in this group -- I hope each of them gets their own book! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cute romance for American readers fascinated with "Britishness". Some of theUK slang seemed a little dated, and I didn't get a sense the author was comfortable with the mindset of people raised to ancient (and fading) titles. Bonnie was a little too Mary Sue at times, but on the other hand, for a cheery summer read, it zips right along.

I think the biggest plus is the female friendships.

4.5 Stars
Bonnie Blythe is an English professor & engaged to Gabe so her life is on course that is until everything changes. She ends her engagement & takes up an opportunity to lecture at a summer school at Cambridge University. Her best friend Cassie is getting married & the best man is Theo Wharton who is like a romantic hero straight out of a Jane Austen novel. Theo & Bonnie met the previous summer & were attracted to each other but Bonnie was spoken for but now she’s free.
This is the second book in the series & it could be read on its own but it does follow on from the first & if you love series I’d recommend reading in order. Theo was smitten by Bonnie on their first meeting &wants to pursue the budding relationship but he knows his other commitments mean that it can only be a fling. Bonnie has loved Gabe since she was eight so is confused by her attraction to Theo. A well written, page turning lovely romance. The characters have depth & are very likeable, I loved how Theo & Bonnie’s relationship developed from attraction, to friends to lovers, I'm eagerly awaiting more in the series.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I think Smitten by the Brit is perfect for classic literary romance lovers wishing for their own duke to sweep them off their feet. I thought I would love this one but sadly for me it was a miss. I am not a huge literary classic reader so all the constant references to Austen novels did little for me. The story didn't excite me and I found myself waiting for it to end. The writing itself was good and the characters were well-developed, I just didn't connect with them. Theo was charming and sweet but I found Bonnie a bit tiring and bland. They have good sexual tension and seemed compatible. Overall, this one just wasn't for me but I can see why others might really enjoy it.

Smitten by the Brit is the second in Melonie Johnson’s Sometimes in Love series. Bonnie and Theo met in the first book, Getting Hot with the Scot, and this is their story. Bonnie Blythe is an academic who loves Shakespeare and Jane Austen. Theo is the sixteenth Duke of Emberton, a man who is torn between fulfilling his duty and following his heart. This book was not as steamy as the first book, but I appreciated that. Bonnie and Theo’s story is much better told than the previous story. After her previous relationship ends, Bonnie is offered an opportunity in England for the summer where she has time to get to know Theo better. By the end of this book I was just as smitten with Theo as Bonnie was, and I look forward to the next story in this series.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced e-book of Smitten by the Brit. I enjoyed it. #netgalley #smittenbythebrit

Bonnie Blythe has a lot to be anxious about. Her best friend is getting married after a brief courtship, which thing Bonnie cannot help comparing to her longtime engagement to her high school sweetheart. Her troublesome crush on a British man she met on a trip to Europe notwithstanding. Until she discovers her fiancé is cheating on her, just when her crush is in town.

Said British crush, Theo Wharton, has his own problems. He is another in a long tradition of titled people lacking funds. Not to mention his unfortunate crush on an unavailable American.

You see where this is going.

In all fairness, I should have figured that I would not care for a book with a twee title that uses the word “Brit” as though it isn’t borderline archaic. I should have known that “Britishness” would be fetishised and reduced to tourism while Theo talks as if he is either quite old or using a list obtained from a Google search for “British slang.” At one point, there’s an attempt to describe someone’s accent when he had only said “sorry,” and I spent ten minutes trying to recreate it using the description as instructions. I just ended up saying 서리 over and over. It got very cold. ...Pardon the pun, I had to.

However. The publisher sent me an ARC through NetGalley (thank you) and it sounded like a movie. Also I was in the mood for cute.

It delivers on cute. Bonnie is almost unbearably cute at times. I liked her nerding out over things she liked, and she was generally sweet. But she was also aggressively pure. I don’t care what a heroine’s level of sexual experience is, but Bonnie’s attitude toward sex grated on me. The kind of nervous innocence that drives an adult woman to use the phrase “one of those” to refer to a prospective lover’s penis. Just... uh, no to that, actually. The sex scenes suffered for it. Neither party seemed terribly comfortable—although enthusiasm was not a problem?—and there were so many little things that felt off. I found myself over-analysing what was going on and why I didn’t care for it. At my worst, I was giving them tips.

One aspect of the book which I absolutely adored was all of the women. There are so many people in this book for what it’s trying to do, and most of them are women. They’re varied, nuanced characters who all have positive relationships with one another. My favourite scene was when Bonnie’s friends drop everything to deliver an impromptu object lesson on how to give a blowjob using ice pops and fruit snacks.

As women’s fiction, I would say this is decent. It has the sort of emotional payoff one might expect from a story primarily about a woman dealing with the fallout of one relationship and beginning another. Bonnie’s friends support her, she gets a job opportunity that takes her out of the country, and she rediscovers a love of writing.

But as a romance, it leaves something to be desired. Theo isn’t a bad character, but his story is less compelling. Bonnie and Theo already like each other before the story even begins and once she’s single, the only things keeping them apart are Bonnie’s hang-ups. And some of those are difficult to understand in a narrative sense.

It’s funny and pays off in some places and wobbly and awkward in others. Ultimately, I disliked more than I liked about it. Ah well. There’s an audience for it, I’m sure.

We got a glimpse of Theo and Bonnie's interaction in book 1 and since then I could not wait to get my hands on their story. You knew from the first moment that Theo wanted Bonnie, but as the gentleman he is, he would not act on those feelings since she was engaged. But when the ring comes off and Bonnie is not long tied up, all bets are off.

When we first meet Bonnie she was engaged to her childhood sweetheart, Gabe and was waiting for him to finish school for them to set the date for their wedding. She's been waiting for them to pick the date for years, and now that he's finishing school this summer, its wedding time. Don't want to spoil it but almost a year after Bonnie's trip to Europe where she met Theo, her engagement is over. Gabe was an ***whole, period! With the engagement off and her world turned upside down, she gets a crazy opportunity to teach a summer class in England and she takes it. When Bonnie saw Theo for the first time there was definitely something there, but like I said earlier Bonnie was engaged so those feeling got pushed away, but now with everything going on she allows herself to hangout with him and be friends.

Theo can not stop thinking about Bonnie, but his mom is trying to marry him off to a rich girl to help with the trouble his father put them in. He has grown up and been raised to take over the family lands and to save them from going under. He doesn't want the girls his mom is setting him up with, he wants Bonnie. But on the other hang he knows Bonnie isn't ready for a committed relationship and needs time, so he will do whatever he can to make her happy and be party of her life, even if it friends with benefits for now, because he knew that she is going to be much more to him than just friends.

How will this story end? You have to ready it to find out! I think my favorite part is the ending chapters. Cassie's wedding and the return for Bonnie back to the states.

Received an ARC for my honest review and opinion.

Smitten by the Brit is the second book in Sometimes In Love series by Melonie Johnson. This series is like the most delicious candy I can't get enough of. It's indulgent, sweet, and romantic. As soon as I finish one book, I want to pick up the next. I liked Cassie and Logan from Getting Hot with the Scot but I loved Bonnie and her sexy Brit, Theo, even more.

Bonnie is an English professor, who teaches Shakespeare and who loves Jane Austen's novels, so this book has a lot of bookish references and the whole story has an Austen-esque feel to it. If you read the first book, you will know who Theo is (otherwise I will not spoil it for you) and their relationship is a little angsty and oh-so swoony. I rooted for them from the first page, and actually even before, when we first met them in Getting Hot with the Scot.

We also get to revisit all the wonderful characters we met in the first book and are introduced to some new and very interesting characters. I particularly loved Theo's sister, Tabitha, and I want her to have her own book! I hope Melonie Johnson keeps writing this series and keeps giving us all the swoons.

A perfect romance for fans of Austen and Shakespeare!

We met Theo and Bonnie in the previous book, so it's no surprise to find their romance finally getting off the ground. Bonnie's still recovering from her ex-fiance's betrayal so she doesn't trust herself or her feelings, and Theo's torn between what his heart wants and what's best for his family.

This book is a true gem for die-hard bibliophiles, with many references to the works of both Shakespeare and Jane Austen. I absolutely loved the way Bonnie, and to a lesser extent Theo, used their literary knowledge to frame their current situation and feelings without becoming enslaved by the resulting expectations. This book shines on its own as a modern-day romance, and it's every bit as good as those it's modeled after.

As a wonderful bonus we get caught up with Logan and Cassie, too, and get a glimpse into the main characters of the next book in this delightful series. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Cute and charming. While this one is predictable, it's still a fun read to escape to when life gets a little crazy. I really like Johnson's writing style and humor. I know my library patrons will, too, so I've ordered a few copies.

After Getting Hot with the Scot, I was a bit hesitant to start with Smitten by the Brit. It's not that I didn't like the story of Cassie and Logan, but it was a bit slow. However, in this second part, Melonie has picked up the pace. Maybe because we already have met Bonnie, Cassis's BFF. And we knew that during the summer holiday in Scotland Bonnie met Logan's best friend Theo. But although Bonnie felt an attraction to the handsome Brit (with dimples!), she knew she had a fiance at home. Had she known that her childhood sweetheart and longtime fiance was screwing around behind her back, maybe she would have acted on her attraction to Theo. But what Bonnie doesn't know is that Theo is a duke. As one of the last non royal dukes in England, Theo feels the pressure of keeping up the good name and heritage of his family. And since his father left them years ago, after having gambled away a lot of the family fortune, ti falls on Theo's shoulders to keep the estate and all of its personnel afloat. Since Theo's mother is all about appearances, she tries to force Theo into a marriage of convenience to secure the future.
So Theo had already resigned to living his life in a loveless marriage, just like his parents. But when Bonnie breaks down in front of Theo after finding Gabe in bed with someone else, Theo is there to take care of her. Having this beautiful redhead in his arms, just feels right. So maybe, Theo should deviate from his mother's wishes and let himself believe in a future full of love. Wonderful read! Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.