Smitten by the Brit, the 2nd book in Johnson’s Sometimes in Love series, is the much-anticipated love story between Theo Wharton, Duke of Emberton, and Bonnie Blythe who readers met in Getting Hot with the Scot. As friends of the first book’s protagonists Logan and Cassie, they first meet on a river cruise in London. It’s obvious from the start that there’s an attraction, but Bonnie is engaged to her long-time boyfriend Gabe back home in Chicago. As this book opens, Bonnie discovers Gabe in bed with his advisor’s assistant, so she impulsively accepts a summer professorship at Cambridge where she inevitably runs into Theo, unaware that he’s a Duke. Between her trust issues and his bitchy mother who continually reminds him of his obligation to marry for money to keep their ancestral estate and family from financial ruin, the path to love is anything but smooth. Will Theo’s sense of obligation be stronger than his love for Bonnie? Johnson’s sophomore effort is just as delightful as her debut with the same cast of characters along with Theo’s family. In addition, there’s the beauty of Scotland and England, steamy sex scenes, and enough misunderstandings to keep readers guessing whether this star-crossed couple will be able to have their happily-ever-after. This one will appeal to romance readers who love a bit of aristocracy in the mix.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Paperbacks through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I enjoyed this second story in the series where Bonnie Blythe, BFF of Cassie Crow, and Theo Martin, friend to Logan Reid, from an earlier story are able to reconnect and explore the chemistry between them. Bonnie really needs a make over of her life plans after she catches her fiancée cheating on her and Theo needs to find a better balance of work and play. All does not go smoothly but there are unexpected events that make their lives more interesting. A good read!

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

Johnson writes great characters and fun, twisty storylines and sexual/romantic tension that keeps you turning the pages.

This is the 2nd book in this series and I enjoyed all of the characters and their many quirks.

We were introduced to Bonnie and Theo in the first book as best friends to the main characters.  I could feel the interest between these two but knew at the time it wasn't going to go anywhere because Bonnie was engaged and she isn't the type to cheat on her man.

Fast forward to an event in Chicago that brings Theo and Bonnie together again and the chemistry is still there.  Thankfully Bonnie finds her fiance cheating on her which opens the door for Theo.  But what does Bonnie want from him?  A fling?  More?  She really isn't sure but is lucky enough to have the summer to figure it out.

This book has a lot of laugh out loud moments for me and I read the book very quickly since I didn't want to put it down.  I enjoyed the conversations between Theo and Bonnie, the various activities they did while she was in England, and just how they just seemed to click.

I'm hoping that there will be a couple more books featuring the other two girlfriends that make up the rest of Bonnie's group of friends.

We give this 5 paws up and suggest starting with Getting Hot With the Scot since it will set you up for this book.

I saw Melinda tweeting about this book because the hero has a grumpy cat. As an owner of a cat who has permanent resting bitch face, I needed to read this book. I was not disappointed.

The heroine, Sadie, is an actress who is determined to be seen as more than a soap star who got the job because of her prominent family. She gets an acting job that takes her back to her hometown of Chicago and is reconnected with her childhood sweetheart. Bo is a stunt coordinator assigned to the movie set.

Sadie had an abortion as a young adult. She isn’t apologetic about it. Bo’s initial anger quickly subsided and he understood how Sadie made the choice that was right for her at the time. There was no shame attached to it. This is how it should be.

I LOVE second chance romance. I really enjoyed this story. I was very invested in finding out what happened to tear them apart and if they could figure out how to be together again. Sadie and her friends were great. I am going back to read the other books in the series.

Great book that had such a great setting. The characters just fell off the page, and made you fall in love. The story is amazingly well written.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC to me in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed reading this book where good old fashioned manners collide with innocence and a freshly broken heart. I enjoyed reading about Theo and Bonnie's slow and tender relationship growth until they blossomed into a lovely couple. Frequently, romance books forget to incorporate the new and unexpected feeling and experiences one tends to experience at the beginning of a relationship where love it tentative and sometimes frightening. Melonie Johnson did a fabulous job at portraying these new feelings and making them feel real.

I would definitely recommend this book to mature audiences of 18 and older as there are adult situations. I look forward to reading book number three in this series, Once Upon a Bad Boy.

Happy Reading and Enjoy!

This review is posted on Goodreads and Amazon.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has strong, well-written characters that draw you in from the beginning. The plot is a bit predictable but who cares? It is also well-written with lots of humor as well as the required angst. I enjoyed the references to Jane Austen and Shakespeare, and I loved that the book took place in England, one of my favorite places. I felt like, at times, Bonnie was living out some of the dreams I had when I was younger. I have not read the earlier book in the series so this obviously can work as a standalone novel. After having read this one, however, I plan to go back and pick up the first one. Over-all an enjoyable introduction to a new-to-me author.

Melonie Johnson returns with the second book in her Sometimes in Love series of books with Smitten by the Brit. I won't lie, I wanted Bonnie and Theo to get together from the moment they met each other. Even without meeting her fiancé Gabe, there was just something about Bonnie and Theo I loved.

I enjoyed Smitten by the Brit a great deal. I already liked the characters from meeting them in the first book. I have to say I did feel that Bonnie was a bit naive about many things, but overall it was an endearing quality rather than a negative. I have to say I wanted to throat punch her ex when I saw what he had been up to, and thought Bonnie handled the entire situation way better than most. Her dad offering to kill Gabe made me laugh out loud while I was reading at work. Honestly, I liked Bonnie when we first met her, but loved her after seeing her pick herself up and move on after her well-ordered world was destroyed.

Theo Wharton is not only a super sexy Brit, but an actual Duke as well! OMG he was completely swoon-worthy from the very first. However being the Duke of Emberton comes with many responsibilities, and sadly he normally has to put his desires on the back burner to take care of his family and all the families that depend on their estate for their livelihoods. However, when Theo is with Bonnie, he can just be Theo and have some happiness. She doesn't care he is a Duke and honestly was attracted to him long before she knew anything about him.

I enjoyed watching Theo and Bonnie fall for one another. I do wish the story had moved along a little bit faster, as it did seem to drag at times. I loved how much chemistry was there anytime they were together and found myself falling in love with them as a couple. I also loved getting to spend time with all of Bonnie's friends again in this book, and meeting all of Theo's sisters. Overall, Smitten by the Brit was an enjoyable story and I look forward to reading the third book in this series.

Rating: 4 Stars (B-)

*3.5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book once you got into it. I really liked both Theo and Bonnie, and getting to know them was really fun. It did seem like the book was quite slow for the first half, but things picked up by the end.

A fun read, and I would recommend.

Bonnie Blythe is a Shakespearean professor. She has caught her long- time fiancée cheating. She is trying to be happy for her BFF Cassie Crow who is getting married to Logan Reid. Logan is having Theo Wharton as his best man, he is also a Duke but doesn’t really let people know. Theo and bonnie met in book 1. There was an attraction, but it was not acted on because Bonnie was engaged at the time. Now they are thrown together for Cassie and Logan’s wedding. Theo’s family is land rich and his mother wants him to marry “the right woman to bring money into the estate.” Theo has been working hard to get the estate out of debt because of his father. He also has a hard time denying his feelings for Bonnie. She is still gun shy about getting involved in another relationship. Bonnie has an opportunity to teach Shakespeare at Cambridge over the summer and she takes it. Theo is excited because this is his chance to see if they can make the relationship work. He begins to woo her. Bonnie is hesitant at first, but soon comes to realize that she has fallen for the sexy Brit.
I really enjoyed this story. The characters have great chemistry together. Theo tries his best to win Bonnie over and finally does. It is a cute story and I couldn’t put it down. I am going to grab the first book in the series and look forward to the third book in this series.

After reading the first book in this series, I didn't hold out a lot of hope for this installment, but I gave it a go anyway. Unfortunately, I was right.

At first, I loved the interactions between Theo and Bonnie. It seemed to be a throwback to older contemporary romances with it's "meet/cute" style. Unfortunately, I didn't see much growth from either of them, and it made them feel a bit one-dimensional. Cassie and Logan also featured into this story, so it was also a good way to catch up with them as well.

The plot didn't hold my interest much, even with the Shakespeare references. Once again, I found myself forcing myself to finish reading this. I think it's a case of me not fitting with the author, unfortunately, so I'm not looking forward to reading the final book in the series!

It took me a while to jump into Smitten by the Brit even though I liked Getting Hot with a Scot and really enjoyed the glimpses of Bonnie and Theo. I regret not reading it sooner because this book was even better than the first.

Bonnie and Theo's scorching chemistry in Getting Hot with a Scot stole the show for me, so I was eager to see them get together here. They couldn't act on the obvious attraction between them in the first book because Bonnie was engaged to her long-time boyfriend. In Smitten by the Brit, she is crushed to find out that he has been cheating on her. Ready for a new beginning, she accepts a guest lecturing position in Cambridge. Bonnie was a down-to-earth heroine who will appeal to many readers. She is smart, bookish, and quite the nerdy woman. I found her to be endearing with her positive outlook on life and I had no trouble rooting for her on her path to her happily ever after. After her scumbag boyfriend, she deserved someone as devoted as Theo in her life. Theo is a duke in England who is in a bit of a financial situation - he needs money to save his home and this turns out to be an obstacle in Bonnie and Theo's relationship. Theo was swoony in every way. He was the epitome of a perfect gentlemanly hero. I loved how kind and respectful he was, not to mention how sexy he was!

As you can imagine, the romance in this book was just pure deliciousness. I was anticipating the romance occurring fairly quickly as Melonie Johnson had built up their chemistry in Getting Hot with a Scot, so imagine my pleasant surprise when she delivered with a slow-burn relationship. It made sense that it would take its time to develop given Bonnie just broke away from a long term relationship. The romantic tension between them only seemed to amplify as the story progressed and I was here for it. I loved watching Theo and Bonnie get to know each other on both an emotional and physical level. As with the first book, Smitten by the Brit spends a lot of time on the female friendships with the planning going on for Cassie and Logan's wedding. I love the bond between these girls! I also really loved Theo's sister, Tabby, who plays a fun role in the book.

Smitten by the Brit was a very wholesome romance novel. I'm excited to have discovered Melonie Johnson and her words. She is clearly a very talented author and I can't wait to read more from her.

I do enjoy a good romance and one that has some British boys in it; however, this title did not hit home to me. The writing was poor, the story was engaging enough but overall the book fell flat.

I like the way Melonie Johnson write friendships between her characters, and I appreciate that the writing is very sex positive, but - despite how much I liked the premise of this book - this story wasn't for me. The pacing seemed off in a way that turned out to be distracting to me.

I enjoyed this one. Smitten by the Brit by Melonie Johnson had all the elements that I find enjoyable in my books. Great characters, fun banter, sexy chemistry. This one has some of it but I wasn't wowed by it.

I need to preface that I really dislike third person point of view. Although this book was not written in first person POV, it kept me reading it from cover to cover. I enjoyed the main characters and the slow burn of this romance. I was interested to see how everything was going to end at the end of the book because things were still not 'settled' at the ending part of the book. I enjoyed a lot of the secondary characters especially Theo's sister, Tabitha, she is a great addition to the story! I feel that an Epilogue would have left the reader with more closure to the story, unless there is much more to come in this series...

It’s very easy to root for a female main character when she finds her fiance cheating on her, but Melonie Johnson really didn’t need to pull that dirty trick on Bonnie Blythe to make me like her. Bonnie is, quite simply, fun, and she definitely deserved to end up with Theo, a thoroughly decent sort who’s torn between true love with Bonnie and the need to marry well to secure his family legacy, because Theo is a duke who’s inherited a lot of responsibilities and dependents and nothing more than a pile of debts to discharge all those responsibilities with.

I have to admit I kept wondering throughout the book how the heck the author was going to resolve this without something magically unlikely happening. I won’t spoiler how she pulled it off, but it was in the end really clever, nicely feminist and didn’t involve anyone compromising their core principles.

This is a feelgood sugar rush of a romance. It’s the second in a series, but I hadn’t read the first and didn’t have any problem following along with the action. If the recent trend of demanding, bossy, arrogant heroes doesn’t do it for you, you’ll absolutely adore Theo, who’s a perfect gentleman in every way, but I did think his Britishness was somewhat overdone. It read a bit like the author had been on tour around the UK and was determined to wedge in everything cutesy she’d seen and done, with occasionally muddled phrases - I have no idea what a rasher of eggs is supposed to be, for example. Bacon is what comes in rashers.

Overall a charming read, and if you’re American with a yen for all things Brit, you’ll probably adore everything about this book. Just don’t expect everything over there to be quite this twee if you ever do get to visit, and don’t try ordering any rashers of eggs. Four stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy for an honest review. This is the next in the series after "Getting Hot with the Scot" and it mentions a little bit of Cassie and Logan. In "Smitten by the Brit" Bonnie catches her fiance not working on his dissertation as that has been keeping him quite busy these days. Bonnie runs into British, gorgeous, kind Duke Theo and you just can't help root for these two.

I enjoyed this series! I really like that it followed three girlfriends' in their traveling adventures as the move on from their specific situations to find love in Britain. This one is Bonnie's story, and how she gets over her no good ex-fiancé with Theo. I think my favorite of the series is Once Upon a Bad Boy (I read them out of order), but overall, I loved discovering a new author, and I will look out for her upcoming books.


Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.