That was absolutely delightful. Loved the themes around mental health, the progression of the central relationship, the football storyline, the sexiness, the tie-in of Alisha's last series. Basically, I loved everything. Alisha Rai is one of the very best romance authors out there and the care she takes with diverse characters, empowerment of women and other vulnerable populations, is brilliant and stunning every single time. She also cracks me up and teaches me what the youths are saying, which is super helpful. Read this book, and everything she writes. Thank me later. And Zee for getting me hooked.

There are few things Rhiannon Hunter won’t do to get a shot at outmaneuvering her competitors in her quest to buy Matchmaker, but when the sweet and sexy man who ghosted her after talking her into a rare second date turns out to be the new face of the company, she has reevaluate a lot of her plans. Samson Lima walked away from football after seeing his team routinely mismanage his best-friend’s concussions and has spent the last five years caring for his uncle Aleki as he suffered from CTE-related dementia, except for that one night he spent with Rhiannon. Samson is just starting to come out of the fog of grief, and trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life, and the one thing he knows is, he wants to spend time with Rhiannon again.

The Right Swipe is the first book in the Modern Love series. The Right Swipe is loosely connected to Rai’s fantastic Forbidden Hearts series and like that series, Rai continues to combines sexiness, timely themes and and in-depth characterizations to a create fabulous romances that beg to be passed on to new romance readers. In the Right Swipe, Rai deftly handles heavy topics like CTE, and #MeToo while crafting complex characters that relish friendships and sparkle with wit and humor. Rai excels at capturing the details of what dating is actually like right now in the age of apps & social media, while never losing focus the emotional core of her stories.

While the change of format and price hike might give some romance readers pause, Rai’s latest is worth every penny. Rhi is fantastic heroine, sharp, ambitious and wounded. Samson is a rare kind of hero, principled, caring and compassionate, and eager to rebuild his connection to Rhi, without overbearing antics, that showcase a different kind of strength. Both these characters are worth knowing, as are their friends and co-workers. I am going to need a lot more than three books in this series!



Content Warnings: workplace harassment, anxiety, depression

Loved this book and talked about it multiple times on When in Romance. Definitely the one from 2019 that I bought for the most friends as well. The combo of a powerful female business leader combined with socially relevant themes and plot lines - and great story telling- made this a favorite of the year.

The Right Swipe has everything contemporary romance readers are looking for--a hot football player, dating apps, and a woman tech leader! Alisha Rai has written another hit series with the first book in the Modern Love series. Alisha's writing is always so fresh, interesting, and easy to read. She has quick banter and steamy scenes that keep you reading. Fans of her previous books will love this one!

Rhiannon is the creator of an online dating app and overall bad ass, independent woman. I love strong women and she did not disappoint.
Samson is a former football player, whose father and uncle died from complications of CTE. Samson is passionate about the study of and research into CTE. His aunt owns a rival online dating company.
Rhi and Samson went on a date, then Samson ghosted her. They find themselves back together on stage at a conference. You’ll have to read on to find out if they fall in love or just become friends.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was....fine. It was better than a lot of other romances I’ve read but it was still just ok. Nothing too special about it. Except the writing was excellent.

Apparently I'm a fan of prickly heroine and teddy bear hero set ups because this was just what I needed and a perfect way (in my opinion) to get hooked on a new to me author! Rhi is a bad@$$ boss b!+(h and I'm so here for it, as is Samson - the sweet, sexy Samoan giant of my dreams. I adored this twist on a second chance romance, as well as all of the family dynamics, friendships, and dating-app world intrigue. It was so good to see empowered, intelligent women in a modern and realistic (or at least seemingly) setting, the relevant commentary and connection to the #metoo movement AND CTE. I do think that Samson may have been a bit too much of a pushover at times, but I can get over that really easily. The Right Swipe is smart, emotional, clever, and sexy and I can not wait to get the story on Rhi's brother now that I know his HEA and I hope we get books for Lakshmi and Katrina too! 4 out of 5 wine glasses.

Rhiannon and Samson are working rival dating app companies, but they have a history. Samson wants back in her life after he left her hanging months ago. Will Rhiannon give him a second chance or will she protect her heart at all cost?

The story itself was entertaining. It's told from both Rhi's and Samson's perspectives. They were fun and easy to like. Also the side characters were hilarious!

I appreciate the author giving focus to brain injuries during sports and the importance of being treated properly. Recovery from brain injures is slow-going and extremely restrictive as far as what you can do, especially with everyday things like readin

DNF @ 22%

First DNF of 2020, and I’m so sad about it! I just feel like this book is too business-oriented. I don’t really care about the ins and outs of their internet dating platforms. The main characters just had a whole debate on a talk show about whose platform is better, and I’m just bored with it. There’s been no romance so far. Nothing funny has happened. I’m tired of listening to Rhi hate Samson. I’m not attached to either character... It’s all so meh to me.

***Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing an ARC for me to leave an honest review of.***

"Rhiannon Hunter worshipped at the alter of no man". This opening line had me hooked from the first page. I love that Rhi is a smart, industrious woman of color that decides to develop a dating app that is geared towards real interactions as opposed to casual hook-ups. I have never dated online but this was well written and gave me a pretty good understanding of what it must be like. It was spot on with what my friends have described to me about it. I think the chemistry between Rhi and Sam is hot, hot, hot and I am so here for it.

I can't wait to see what happens in book 2 of this new series.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this novel. Regardless of the way I acquired the novel, the thoughts, opinions, and views stated in this review are completely unbiased and one hundred percent my own.

This is my last ARC that I have already read, and then forgot to review. I’m officially caught up! In that sense at least…

I didn’t love this novel the first time around, and I think I finally pinpointed why: the villain of this story matches a villain in my own story. Initially, I think I was so jarred by the comparison that I couldn’t focus on anything else. I’m very thankful that I decided to read this story for a second time, and focus more on our main characters.

Rhi is crazy smart, intelligent, and successful. She doesn’t fail in what she pursues, despite her existing PTSD and anxiety from the aforementioned villain. Her counterpart, Samson, is an unintentional hero for standing up for better sports medicine and concussion research.

It has been really wonderful to see romance novels infuse such meaningful topics into their characters worlds. This novel had a positive display of boundaries, consent, and an interesting discussion on ethics in the workplace.

I thought this book could have been shorted and still packed the appropriate social and romantic punch. Despite the length, the chemistry between Rhi and Samson never dimmed. I absolutely adored that we had this famously retired football player who didn’t know how to date women, but was smooth as butter when it came to the one woman he was actually interested in.

I admired how strong Rhi was portrayed as a business woman, as an employer, and as a friend. Part of her journey through this novel is learning how to depend on others, and when to lean on her friends or family for help. It was a good reminder that even your strongest friends need to be checked in on.

The chemistry and the discourse in this novel were very enjoyable. I just wish it had been edited down a bit more. I think a shorter novel, with the same outcome, may have had more of an impact during the finale.
3.5/5

A fun modern read, I thought this book excelled in setting up a great romance in the digital age. It will definitely resonate with today's audience.

Oh, this was really delightful? Not necessarily my favorite tropes but Rhi was such a badass heroine and I loved how sweet and supportive Samson was.

Alisha Rai consistently brings us great stories, great characters, etc. This isn't my all-time favorite of hers but it's a solid read. Really interesting story and the characters are well done. Very modern romance. I really liked it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book by Alisha Rai that I’ve read and it’s making me want to read her backlist. I loved the writing style and the diversity in this book. While the storyline wasn’t wholly original with other romance books coming out this year about women running dating apps, I did love the second chance romance and forced proximity in this book. Rhi and Samson were both characters who immediately came to life once I started the book and I couldn’t help being drawn into their story. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the rest of the characters we were introduced to in this book fare with the subsequent books in the series.

I have liked some of Rai's writing in the past, but this one was a bit of a slog for me. I didn't love the main characters and I didn't feel like they spent enough time together for the reader to be convinced of their love. I also just didn't love the writing. It was somewhat saccharine and hard to get into the flow of. Not for me.

I was really looking forward to this book. The cover and my desire to do nail art for it really drove my want for this book. I did receive an ebook arc for it but ended up listening to the audio instead.

Along with Samson's personal experiences with CTE, I found the online dating aspects in this story really interesting. I applaud all the people who are making a go at dating in this age of online dating.
I wasn't really into Rhiannon and Samson's relationship. I didn't feel the chemistry between them as much as I thought I would. Samson was lacking in flaws while Rhiannon was fighting against hers. It always says something when I enjoy the relationship between the MCs and their friends more than the romantic relationship between the MCs themselves.
Overall, the book was fine, but I just felt like I needed more from the two MCs in the way of love and like. I do plan to read the rest of the series as I am looking forward to Katrina's story.

I seriously loved this book! It's been a while since I've read a really good romance that I could just sink into and enjoy but this book hit the spot. And it had some downright sexy moments without falling into the cliche scenes I remember from romances in my youth (still love them but boy did they make me laugh). Rhi as a character was a little frustrating because she was so stubborn and set in her isolated ways but she was also relatable, especially after I learned more of her backstory (trust issues made sooooooo much sense once everything about her ex got explained), but I also liked that she had some bad, set-in habits because it made her realistic as a person. I loved Samson though at times he was almost a little too perfect. Together both of them were sweet and sexy and really funny and lovely to root for. This was one of those books where I talked back to the book a lot, arguing with the characters when they were trying to avoid admitting their feelings for one another, cheering them on, etc. I also liked a lot of the secondary characters. Katrina and Lakshmi were especially fun and a good support network for Rhi, Annabelle was the sweetest and most insightful lady ever who I just wanted to hang out with, and Samson's friends were by turns hilarious and sweet. At first I thought Rhi's ex was going to be a somewhat laughable villain, just a generic dude bro who was a jerk and condescending and whatnot, but he was actually properly scary at times, which made me love Rhi all the more when she stood up to him and held her own. If was awesome to see her gain back some of the power he had stolen from her during their relationship. I also loved that the conclusion of the book wasn't necessarily as easily wrapped up and pat as I expected at first, that there was one last bit of drama to cause one last almost disaster with Rhi and Samson (drama that definitely made me want to smack Rhi upside the head, but still it was relatable). It made the actual conclusion and HEA all the sweeter knowing that they had both worked through some issues (thanks to solid advice from both Belle and Rhi's brother) before they got their heads on straight. All in all, this was an awesome modern romance that left me wanting more from Rai (and lucky for me, her next book in this series is available soon!)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of The Right Swipe. I was excited to visit with Rhiannon again after first meeting her in another series by the author. She is a no-nonsense, right in your face, successful AF lady boss. And then I got sad because I had a hard time connecting with her at first. Her rigidity, her relentlessness, her cool demeanor. And then I began to learn more about WHO she was as a person and her history and it all made sense. I loved her relationship with her BFF and I loved watching Samson honest to god woo the hell out of her. I think she stayed true to herself while letting her walls down just a little. And I 1000% loved the way the villain of the story got EVERYTHING they deserved and more. Really hoping to see Katrina and Lakshmi in future installments.

I love stories that feature main characters who are really good at their jobs - especially when those characters are female and POC. I really enjoyed the slow burn between these characters, and look forward to more in the series.