Stinger by Mia Sheridan is a stand-alone romance, and this book is a true gem and way too underrated.
 
The story is about Grace and Carson who run into each other in a hotel in Las Vegas. And that is when their two worlds collide, and both are very different from each other.  Grace is a law student striving for an amazing career, while Carson works in the adult film industry. Initially there is quite some hate between them, but when they get stuck in an elevator, their hatred for each other turns into something else. They decide to spend the weekend together and I was living for the two and rooting for them. The steam in this book is immaculate and so hot. At the same time, they deepen their relationship through intimacy, and I loved that.
 
However, at some point they must get back to their everyday lives. This part truly hurt because I just wanted them to be together so badly. You could still see their feelings, but as a matter of fate, they found a way back to each other.
 
I saw a quote on Pinterest that said „I don’t know if I want to take you on cute dates & watch sunsets or if I want to push you up a wall and f your brains out“ and this basically captures the story in a nutshell. Buttercup x Desert Hyena forever.
 
Overall, this book is one of my new all-time fav books. If you like Mia Sheridan books, you need to check out this book, because it’s amazing and deserves more hype. Also, if you like books like The Roommate by Rosie Danan or Lingus by Mariana Zapata but better, this story will be for you. 5+ stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I really really loved this book! Grace and Carson were it for me. I loved Carson’s character development.

Can Mia do any wrong at this point? She is amazing. The way she is able to tell a story is like nothing I have ever seen before.

Archer’s Voice is my absolute go to and Stinger is going to be right up there from now on.

I don’t mind a steamy romance but this just didn’t do it for me. I was bored and the book was very predictable.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

✨Book Review!✨
“Stinger”
By Mia Sheridan
Release Date: June 6th, 2023
📚ARC from NetGalley
•••
This months ARC read was “Stinger” by Mia Sheridan. Without knowing what to expect out of this book, I assumed it was a steamy romance after reading the first few chapters. It quickly turned in to more of a contemporary romance/military romance/kind of a thriller by the end! I loved the shift in how the story was written. I feel like without it, the book could have been just like any other romance but instead, it had depth and made me want to continue reading to find out more. Mia Sheridan really did a fantastic job writing this book. The characters are well written and easy to love (or hate, if we’re talking about the bad guy), the plot is fantastic and the setting is well thought out!
🚨I would keep in mind there may be some triggers in this book for some readers. The second half does contain issues of human trafficking, talk of rape and abuse. (But Carson and his friends are there to save the day, so no worries!)
•••
When Grace Hamilton arrives in Vegas for a law conference, she suspects her stay will be just like any other. Relaxing by the pool studying law books and attending the conference each day to hear the speakers presentations. What she doesn’t know, is that when she meets Carson Stinger-“Straight Male Performer”, her life will be forever changed.
•••
I am so thankful I had the chance to read this book before its release in June! It exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it. If you like a good plot, a story with depth and drama but with A LOT of spicy scenes… you don’t want to miss Stinger!

1- Characters: 9
2- Atmosphere/Setting: 9
3- Writing Style: 9
4- Plot: 9
5- Intrigue: 10
6- Logic/Relationships: 9
7- Enjoyment: 10

Total Score: 65
65/7= 9.285
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (4.5 stars)

Thank you Netgalley and Bloom Books for the ARC of Stinger for it's republishing. I am a huge fan on Mia Sheridan and this book definitely did not disappoint! I love Mia's writing and I am always invested in her characters. From the beginning of the book, I loved Grace and Carson's chemistry. You can tell they truly cared for one another from their weekend together. I would definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of her other books such as Archer's Voice and More Than Words!

Once I started this story, I could not put it down. It definitely did not go in the direction I had assumed.

Grace Hamilton is spending the weekend in Las Vegas for a Law Student Conference. She is currently in Law School, and has a plan for her life, boyfriends/dating are not part of it for now. "Carson Stinger, Straight Male Performer" is in Las Vegas for the Porn Expo. They literally bump into one another in the lobby. Grace is very straight laced, while Carson is charming, sarcastic and oozes sex appeal. They are an unlikely pairing.

Grace finds Carson a bit crass and is not at pleased with his flirty ways. That is, until they end up stuck in an elevator together. A plan is made, that has Grace agreeing to spend the weekend with Carson. Little did the two of them know that it was the start of something beautiful. Before the weekend is up, Grace simply can't deal with Carson's job.

Fast forward a few years and people grow and change. Carson is a completely different person, Grace also makes changes although her plan remains on track of becoming a lawyer. Running into each other under different circumstances, they find they still have chemistry.

This was such a wonderful story of letting go and finding yourself, but there is a deeper message in the book.

Thank you Netgalley for the Read Now option and thakn you to the publisher for making it available.

I really really enjoy reading Mia Sheridan books and this one is my 2nd top favorite of hers I’ve read so far!

Grace is a very structured, Type A, law school girl and Carson is a go with the flow, “life is wild” male performer that couldn’t be farther opposite to each other.

They are both at their respective conferences at a hotel in Las Vegas, but when the elevator they’re on gets stuck for 2 hours, Carson pulls her from a panic attack and they become fast friends. Carson offers her a “fun weekend of letting loose” and she accepts after semi reluctantly throwing her plans to the wind.

They know they only get a weekend together, so they make the most of it. When they depart from each other, both of their lives will be impacted for years to come.

I love how Mia Sheridan writes this story over a few years, and shows the growth of both Grace and Carson on their own before they shockingly come back together when they haven’t spoken or seen each other in over 5 years.

Such a beautiful love story of fate working it’s magic 🪄


TW:
PTSD from war, Sex workers, Sex trafficking

This is my first Mia Sheridan book and it does not disappoint! This book makes me believe that true love exists. Throughout the book, both Carson and Grace go through character development that is exciting to read. There are so many cute moments that had me grinning from ear to ear, and some parts where i actually laughed out loud! There were even parts where i teared up. There is a depth to these characters that make you really root for them and their happiness. This book really has everything and I'd recommend it to everyone!

Quick easy read! I like that the “romance” didn’t follow the typical pattern, and the characters spent some time apart in the middle. It was still a little overly sweet/cliche, but I really enjoyed the character development and the added storyline that added more to the ending.

I would never have thought a love story between a porn star and prude could be so good. I am in shock with how much I loved this story and all that it entailed. From the very beginning it has spice, it has sweetness, it has action, and it kept my attention the entire time. I love how this story unfolded and how the characters grew as people. I loved the dual POV. It allowed me to really get to know Grace and Carson and care about them. This is my first book by this author but it will definitely will not be my last.

Rating: ♾️ stars

OMG!!! This second chance romance was everything!! Please read this book if you haven’t already! 😍

This is my second book I’ve read from Mia Sheridan and it’s one of my favorite reads of all time! ❤️

I went blind in to the story and didn’t know what it was about. That made my experience even better!

It made me feel so much and it had a lot of difficult subjects in it that are important to talk about. I liked that the author wanted to give victims from sexual trafficking a voice by including that in the story.

It starts with Grace that goes to Last Vegas for a law student conference. She was instantly attracted to Carson, he is a pornstar that stayed in the same hotel for the Adult Entertainment Expo. They got stuck in an elevator and started an agreement for the weekend. Grace and Carson had a magical time together that changed everything..

This was more than a romance book, it was about finding yourself, self growth, dealing with trauma’s..

I loved everything about it and especially the main characters and their friends.

I will think about this book for the rest of my life. ❤️

Thank you to Mia Sheridan, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and Netgalley for providing me with this copy. All opinions are my own.

Considering what I'm used to from Mia, I had totally different expectations going in and I still loved it. The characters are sweet, their development is handled really well, and I loved that they really brought out the best in each other. I do also appreciate that while their meeting and subsequent falling for each other was quick, they weren't immediately in a relationship and actually worked on themselves before finding each other again.
Shout of to Miss Sheridan for not adding a third act break up - not enough romance has this these days and I was so happy to wrap up a book that just ended without any added drama. ***insert clapping emojis***

I felt like this book was a little all over the place. Carson, an adult film star, meets Grace, an uptight law student at a weekend in Las Vegas. They get stuck in an elevator and fall for each other. The book kind of went off track for me at that point. The books skips through many years and goes off on a few tangents. But I have to say, my absolute LEAST favorite parts of the book was when Grace keeps asking Carson why he calls her buttercup. I thought that part (that happens multiple times during the book) was repetitive and totally cringy. Overall, I thought there were parts of the book that were sexy and romantic, but definitely not my favorite book of Mia Sheridan's.

Meh. Was not my cup of tea. Thank you so much to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This was only my third book that involved adult film stars. I enjoyed the star turned seal and the romance that occurred was a special kind. I loved the time jumps and multiple povs.

If you are triggered by mentions of blood, human trafficking, or rape maybe don't read this book.

This was an amazing book that started out such a simple story of two different people meeting and spending the weekend together. Then it took on a story of two people that learned something about themselves in the short weekend they spent together. Only to be reunited 5 years later and discover they still had the same feeling and it grow from there. I love the epilogue so much.
I had already ready the two Leo books and will continue to read this series.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bloom Books, and Mia Sheridan, I got my hands on an eARC of Stinger.
When Grace literally bumps into Carson, she knows her control-type personality will never match his go-with-the-flow energy. But as the pair continue to bump into each other while spending the weekend in Las Vegas tension reaches a boiling point. As they go their separate ways after the fateful weekend, each reflects on their time together and makes major life changes. After years apart they bump into each other in Las Vegas once again...
Dual POV, right person wrong time, turned second chance romance, the gorgeous cover encases a novel with a heavy emotional punch. Mia Sheridan delivers a novel that is both heart wrenching and heartwarming.
Stinger officially hits shelves on June 6th.

⭐️⭐️
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Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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Stinger starts off with Grace arriving in Las Vegas for a law student’s conference and she physically runs into Carson Stinger, a porn performer, who happens to be there for an adult entertainment conference. The two end up stuck in the elevator together, where Grace pours out her meticulous life plans and Carson lays out his lack of ambition. They end up bonding over the few hours that they’re trapped in the elevator, and when Grace reveals that she wants to sleep with another man before she meets her husband so that she can be “experienced,” Carson volunteers his time for the weekend. They spend the entire weekend together, both completely disregarding the conferences they were there for, but obviously, a law student on the east coast and a porn star on the west coast can’t really make a relationship work. As time passes, Carson takes inspiration from Grace to join the Navy and become a Seal, and she becomes a prosecutor and moves to Las Vegas. Will their paths cross again, five years later?
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This was my first Mia Sheridan book and I acknowledge that it was written 10 years ago and is being republished, so maybe her opinions and writing have changed, but this was a hot freaking mess. The blatant and internalized misogyny, the insta-love, the shame on sex workers, the police, military, and government presence being “sexy,” and everything else in this book being so BEYOND stupid and unrealistic made it almost a comedy instead of a romance if I’m being honest. This maybe would be good to a 16 or 17 year old with big city dreams, but as an adult this was practically insulting. I normally adore the books that Bloom chooses to republish and was shocked at how truly bad this was. The bonus star was for the sex scenes in the first half of the book (their weekend in Vegas), but literally everything else was trash.

I just want to start by saying that Mia Sheridan is my favorite author of all time, and she can do no wrong in my eyes! This book further proves that 😌

Grace & Carson meet due to unforeseen circumstances, and they do not get along right away. However, there is an attraction and chemistry between them that they cannot ignore 🔥 Things quickly spiral from there, and they become frenemies with benefits for a very brief amount of time. Life then gets in the way, and they don't see each other again for a long time. But even though this creates a right-person/wrong-time situation, they eventually meet again, and we get to see their second chance story unfold 🫶

I absolutely loved the longing and tension between Grace & Carson 🤌 Both in their first encounter and when they meet again, I felt their connection and enjoyed seeing it evolve after the years they spent apart. You can see how much they changed from when they first met and how they make each other better people 🥹 Additionally, Carson being so gone for Grace and willing to do anything for her was everything to me 😭

Overall, this book had the perfect balance of steaminess, swoon-worthy moments, and classic Mia Sheridan emotion-inducing vibes 🤩 I enjoyed seeing the first and second chances at love for Grace & Carson, and I think that they are truly meant for each other 💙 I hope I never run out of Mia Sheridan's books to read because she delivers every single time in all the ways possible.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Sourcebooks/Bloom for an ARC of this book 💌

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I love Mia Sheridan, she has easily become one of my favorite authors. I’ve been slowly making it through her catalog of books. As much as it pains me to say, this one wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t enjoy the characters. I didn’t enjoy the plot. I love a good second chance romance but just didn’t enjoy this one.