Cover Image: Smitten by the Brit

Smitten by the Brit

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Come on…admit it…you love a great British accent. Don’t we all?!? Now, imagine that wonderful accent comes wrapped up in the body of a sexy guy who just happens to be sweet, sensitive…and a genuine gentleman! Well, sigh!! Definitely a great way to start a romance. This is the second book in this series and, as always happens to me, I didn’t read the first. However, that did not impact my enjoyment of this book. It did, however, make me want to go back to read the initial installment.

This is really a story about battling expectations, dealing with family commitments, and, ultimately, deciding which path you’ll choose. These two characters brought quite a bit of baggage into this story and it took a long time for them to sort through it enough that they felt comfortable moving forward. The “lover of love” in me would have liked to move through those hurdles more quickly but the realist in me understands that the entanglements these characters face can’t always be solved so easily. I enjoyed the banter between Theo and Bonnie and I loved watching them sort through their issues on the way to their happily ever after.

This was definitely a sweet story but many of you will be happy to know that the author brought some heat to these pages as well. I enjoyed Bonnie’s love for all things Shakespeare and Austen and I loved her internal monologues even though I wanted to shake her sometimes and tell her to get a move-on…Theo is worth the leap of faith! And, speaking of the the sexy Brit, I loved that he was a perfect gentleman, so caring and charismatic. He’s everything a girl wants in her dream man. And, the fact that he ultimately knew his heart belonged to Bonnie had me swooning!

This was a fun, quick read for me. I love discovering new (to me) authors and I know that I’ll be reading more by Ms. Johnson. It’ll be interesting to see if, when I read the first book in the series, I find the Scot as enchanting as the Brit. Oh…who am I kidding, of course I will (and I know this because, of course, I met him already in this book). I’m definitely looking forward to discovering more by this author.

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Sweet, sexy, funny....and honest. Melonie Johnson hits her stride in Smitten by the Brit.

Maybe it's partly because of our current obsession Harry and Meghan, but I loved Smitten by the Brit. But after meeting Bonnie and Theo in Melonie Johnson's debut, Getting Hot with the Scot, I kinda knew I would.

Initially, Bonnie and Theo are both are in Chicago -- home for Bonnie and the location of some charity event Theo needs to attend. Plus, these two are signed up as maid of honor and best man for their friends' Cassie and Logan (from book 1 - Getting Hot With the Scot). But then, Bonnie is offered a summer session teaching literature at Cambridge, so it only makes sense that the two of them might meet up on that side of the pond. And when Bonnie gets blindsided by her cheating fiancé, the idea of taking off for England is better than ever. But will Theo just be the rebound guy?

Smitten by the Brit is sweet and sexy, funny...and honest. It's where Melonie Johnson starts to hit her stride.
I only wish Bonnie had gotten to Cambridge faster. (Where's that eyebrow waggle emoji when you need one?)

P.S. Fingers crossed that eventually Theo's sister Tabitha gets her own story. Once you meet her, you'll know why.

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"Smitten by the Brit" by Melonie Johnson (A Sometimes in Love Novel)
A contemporary romance you will not want to miss. It is a part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone. The description tells you the what of the story... but does not warn you how addictive this story is... I did not want to put it down.. even when my eyes threatened to give up focusing or my body needing for me to move about to avoid the aches and pain of sitting still too long. I received a free ARC copy from the publisher.. and this is my opinion of this story.

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A really fun read! This is the second book in a series involving five friends. This is Bonnie and Theo's story. Theo is a chivalrous gentleman, having been raised to be a Duke and finds himself attracted to Bonnie when he meets her and her friends. She at first wants nothing to do with him because she is in a committed relationship. But when things change she finds herself turning to this stranger she finds appealing.
I loved the banter between these two and the relationship that bloomed. I really related to Bonnie and found her enlightening. She didn't like Theo opening doors or offering his arm for her. Which completely threw him off. This was a great read, talking about discovering who you really are as well as accepting who you are meant to be. I did not want this story to end. Highly recommend.

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I really enjoyed this book! Theo is the friend of book 1's sexy Scot. Theo has his own problems, but the feisty American helps him see things differently.

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Smitten by the Brit by Melonie Johnson
Book #2: Sometimes in Love Series
Source: NetGalley and St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Rating: 4½/5 stars

Bonnie Blythe has known since she was a child exactly her life will play out. She will continuously indulge her love of literature and she will marry the man she has been in love with since elementary school. With the exception of no set wedding date, everything is right on schedule for Bonnie and going exactly according to plan. Well, until she walks in on her fiancé with another woman; that sort of derails the old life plan.

Though Bonnie is sad about the end of her engagement, she isn’t quite as broken up as she expected to be. What’s more, she finds herself thinking more and more about a most intriguing man she met while in the midst of helping her best friend, Cassie Crow find her happily ever after with her hot Scot, Logan Reid. Logan’s partner in crime, Theo Wharton is a curious man with fine manners, a brilliant education, a love of literature, and a proper British title. He is every girl’s dream but Bonnie’s interest in Theo troubles her.

Theo Wharton has spent his life knowing certain things to be true: 1) the men in his family have failed his family, 2) he will not, under any circumstances follow in the footsteps of the men in his family and, 3) in order to save his family’s legacy and lands, Theo must marry a wealthy woman, even if love isn’t a part of the equation. Until he met Bonnie Blythe, Theo was certain he could fulfill his familial promises with little to no difficulty. Bonnie Blythe is most certainly a difficulty and now that she is single and available, Theo has every intention of pursuing her even if it means finding a new way to save his family.

As Fate would have it, Bonnie finds herself in England for the summer teaching a course near and dear to her heart, Shakespeare. As Fate would also have it, Bonnie is in close proximity to Theo which presents her with wonderful and sexy possibilities for her time in England. While there, Bonnie and Theo become quite friends and also begin to understand one another a bit better. Theo understands Bonnie’s true intentions and desires for her life, while Bonnie begins to understand how conflicted Theo is regarding his family and duty toward them. As one might expect, the understanding brings clarity and clarity, as it so often does leads to decisions. Decisions don’t always bring happy endings and for Bonnie and Theo an HEA may not be possible.

The Bottom Line: With the exception of one thing, I enjoyed this second installment of the Sometimes in Love series even more than the first. The only thing I wanted a bit more of was some serious fire power out of Bonnie when she caught her fiancé with the other woman. Outside of that single issue, I got great pleasure out of this book and, like its predecessor completed it in a single sitting. Even more than Cassie and Logan, I liked Bonnie and Theo immensely and their story was quite wonderful. Between their general attitudes and tendencies and the constant literary references, I, like Bonnie was quite smitten and more than ready for book three.

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Theo Wharton is a wonderful hero. He is polite and charming, but has enough of a twinkle in his eye to attract any woman. Add in that he’s a duke with his own castle and he seems ideal. His problem is that his family, like many such aristocratic families in Britain, is land rich and cash poor. It doesn’t help that his father made a lot of bad investments while wasting money on useless stuff. So his mother is pressuring him to marry a wealthy woman to save the family. The only problem is that he’s very attracted to Bonnie, an American literature professor who is best friends with the woman who is marrying Theo’s best friends.

It was clear why Bonnie would be so attracted to Theo. Unfortunately, she was engaged to her childhood boyfriend, but we know that that relationship has to end so that she can get together with Theo. And so it does, in the cliche scene of her walking in on his cheating on her. But that frees her up to take a job teaching a summer class at Cambridge.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked the dynamic between the two main characters as they trade Shakespeare and Monty Python jokes.

It all gets resolved rather easily though I am skeptical that the solution would raise the sort of money that we’re told Theo needs to keep employing about a hundred people dependent on his family. But suspend disbelief and enjoy the American book-lover getting her romantic hero.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

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Smitten by the Brit (Sometimes in Love, #2) by Melonie Johnson This is the second book in this series and I enjoyed it as much as the first... Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book. This is Theo (best friend of Sean and secretly attracted to Bonnie) and Bonnie (best friend of Cassie engaged and secretly attracted to Theo) Their story continues where we left of with Cassie and Sean...BUT can be read as a stand alone. This book grabbed me from the start and I didn't want it to end. So many laughs, some angst, a few tears and all and all a great journey to their HEA. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Wonderful characters Happily Ever After Great world building Easy-to-read Steamy Witty Entertaining Funny Page-turner Romantic

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3.5 stars!!!

This is my first book by the author and i really enjoyed it..

Bonnie is an American literature professor and a Shakespeare fan..
Theo is the Duke of Emberton, trying to fulfill his family obligations and save them from debts..
Bonnie and Theo met in the past during Bonnie's Europe tour.. Though they were attracted towards each other, they refrain themselves from giving in to their attraction as she's been engaged to her childhood love Gabe at the time..
However, now after a year, Bonnie breaks up with Gabe when she finds out about his cheating... And exactly then, Theo is there by her side.. And when they are finally trying to sort out what they feel about each other, Theo's family obligations proves to be a big obstacle for their HEA..
Smitten by the Brit is a light heart romance and a sweet read for those who love a caring and sweet Duke with fine amount of chivalry !!

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Love this cover. While this was a bit predictable especially with what Bonnie found out about her fiance Gabe (which I felt bad on how she found out) I did find this one was a bit too long as well. Characters especially Theo was likable. I am still curious to how the next book will play out.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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A duke who needs to marry an heiress to save his family falls in love with someone unsuitable? Sign me up.

Melonie Johnson writes good, well-rounded characters and this book is great, but the beginnings of her romances just make me cringe. Definitely may work for another reader, but this is the second of Johnson’s books where the early romance (prose and dialogue) just seemed really forced to me. I don’t understand it, because everything else works well. I managed to power through, it got a lot less cringe-worthy and I actively started enjoying it.

I may be a very picky reader when it comes to details but I’ve travelled from London to Cambridge and back and meeting someone at Charing Cross is not the easiest or fastest way to get to Piccadilly. I’ve spent a total of nine days in London in my life and even I immediately questioned that detail.

Cute premise, enjoyable story.

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I loved this book! Book 2 of the series, I wasn't sure how it would go. It exceeded my expectations and I'd read it again.

Bonnie must come into her own after a horrible betrayal. Theo has family obligations to uphold. Both can't seem to resist each other.

The hot scenes are hot. The tension between these two is amazing. We see some familiar faces from Book 1, as it does continue the story.

I feel this one was easier for me to relate to and I enjoyed the characters' separate challenges and victories better. Highly enjoyable read!

Note: I did receive a free copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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Loved this book! Theo and Bonnie were perfect together. Theo and all his properness and Bonnie with her baggage. I loved Theo's family. Grumpy snotty Moma, Theo's three sisters it all works. I really didn't see that ending coming. Well written, Fun with all the feels. Kept my interest from the beginning. I read it in a long day.

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I was sent this ARC by the publisher with the understanding that I would read and provide an unbiased review.

After reading the prior installment of this series, I was better prepared for the cute, quirky story that emerged between these covers. I especially liked the story, and the heroine of Bonnie, with her love for Shakespeare and Austen, rang true to me. Bonnie is a likable protagonist who was very relatable to me, a total book nerd. And I was taken with Theo, as he wrestles with dueling desires: to take care of his family and estate and to follow his heart. I'm very much looking forward to the next installment. :-)

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That was cute!

If you follow by blog or my reviews, you know I wasn't a huge fan of the first book in the Sometimes In Love series where we were given the love story between Cassie and Logan. They just didn't do it for me.

Well Theo did it for me.

This was a fun read. Again, as I said in my review for Getting Hot with the Scot, I LOVED the friendship these girls share. Bonnie is in a bind and it wouldn't have mattered which friend she called, they ALL would have gone out of their way to get her accommodated. Seriously. If you look through the notes I took while reading this one, I mention the friendship more than once.

As for Theo...

This man is polite and chivalrous... he holds doors open, he offers his arm while they're walking, he ALWAYS offers to walk her to her place after an outing. He's so HONEST. The man, the myth, the legend. Theo Wharton.
He always made it a point to let the lady decide. He was always hyper aware of the situation she was going through and he always stopped to think about how something would make her feel before doing it.

It was incredibly frustrating for me with how long it took for these two to get going but I guess it made sense. With Bonnie coming out of a SUPER long relationship and all. They both wanted to know this wasn't some sort of rebound "love" and I get that. But I found myself internally screaming, "Kiss him already you idiot!"
I also have beef with how a few other things were handled in the story. The actions didn't really seem true to the character and it was a tiny bit off-putting.

Overall, this really was a fun read though. I definitely enjoyed Bonnie a lot more than I did Cassie. I developed feelings for the characters that I wasn't able to develop for Cassie's story. This was really good and very enjoyable.

3.5 out of 5!

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Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first read by Melonie Johnson and I loved this book! This was the second book in the series but you can definitely read it as a stand-alone. I am a sucker for a sexy accent and Theo did not disappoint. The characters were both likable and their romance was sweet and believable without unnecessary angst and twists. This book was hilarious and well written. I am definitely going to read the first book in the series now!

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Book 2 in the Sometimes in Love series and it was just as good as the first one. Theo, the Duke, is so sweet, it's almost sickening sometimes. I wish he had been a little more pushy in going after Bonnie and not so willing to cave in to family pressure instead of going after what he wanted. He waited until almost the end to finally do what he wanted. Good book, and I hope all 5 of the friends get their own stories!

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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Just as fun and cute at the first book in the series. Really enjoyed reading Bonnie and Theo's story. Both are relatable and real characters who I was routing for!

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Smitten by the Brit picks up where Getting Hot with the Scot leaves off with Cassie & Logan's wedding, In book 2 of the Sometimes love series we get Bonnie and Theo's love story. Lovers of Jane Austen will swoom for Theo's manners and sexy accent. A Steamy read that any girl who dreams of Duke's, Mr. Darcy, and Prince Harry will love. Jump into this great series, you won't be disappointed!

ARC from Net Galley-Honest Review

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Smitten by the Brit is the second book in the new Sometimes in Love series by Melonie Johnson. I loved the first book (Getting Hot with the Scot) so I had high hopes for this one. I can happily say I was not disappointed! We meet Bonnie and Theo in the first book - Bonnie is Cassie's best friend while Theo is Logan's. You could tell there was chemistry between the two in the first book so I was very happy they got their own story! There are twists and turns for both characters while they are trying to figure out who they are and what they want in a relationship. I thought both characters were super likable and their actions were believable. This showed pressures from family as well as how to rebuild your life after things don't go the way you planned. I definitely recommend this book and cannot wait to read the rest of the series!

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