The Relationship Mechanic was a fun and easy read. I really liked the small-town setting of Peach Blossom and the way the side characters, especially Vini’s family, added warmth and personality. The romance between Vini and Jessica had some cute and flirty moments, and the book definitely brings the spice.

At the same time, I felt like the connection between them leaned more on attraction than on deeper emotions. The story was predictable in parts and sometimes felt rushed, which kept me from fully loving it.

Overall, it is an enjoyable romance if you are looking for something light and steamy with a cozy small-town vibe. For me, it landed right in the middle as a solid three-star read.

This was a cute, fast burn romance with lots of spice. There were some really funny parts and it was easy to read. I see now that it's the second in a series. I guess I failed to notice that while I was reading, so I can honestly say it's fine to jump in without reading the first book. I felt like the story didn't have a lot of depth, but it's pretty cute overall and moves along quickly.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Can love with an expiration date bring two people closer?

This is the question when Jessica and Vini meet and flirt and slowly fall for each other in The Relationship Mechanic, the second book in the Peach Blossom series by Karmen Lee. The expiration date comes when Jessica – needing a 6-week respite from a messy romantic entanglement – arrives in Vini’s mechanic shop after her rental car breaks down. Soon with Vini’s expertise, Jessica finds something to occupy her time in this small Georgia town.

Vini, probably the most settled 23-year-old I’ve seen, runs the family auto shop and doesn’t envision life outside of Peach Blossom and her family: dad and two older sisters, Dani and Ava. What she has is enough for her, including the no-string attached rendezvous with Jessica. Why rock the boat if they plan to go their separate ways?

Why, because they are falling – fast. As I read, I kept thinking how are they going to resolve this, because Jessica’s used to traveling the world with her actress mother and military father, and Vini has never ventured outside Peach Blossom other than the occasional jaunt to Atlanta. They don’t seem to have much in outside of each other and the mind-blowing sex. I also felt like we didn’t see enough of Vini’s personality, but maybe that was by design, because she is so guarded. I did root for them, because Vini needed new experiences. And through their relationship, it allowed her sisters to see her finally as an adult, not just their baby sister. (Ava truly got on my nerves with her overprotective behavior. Just saying.)

I am ready for the next book in this series,The Secret Crush Book Club, coming out next month, which Dani gets her love story. This small town has done good.

I had to read this book twice because it made my heart smile. Run, don’t walk, to get a copy of this beauty.

3 ⭐️

Vini is a mechanic in the small town of Peach Blossom. Jessica is escaping a scandal that left her in the headlines. Both find themselves in Peach Blossom with a mutual attraction. This is a story of insta-love, friends with benefits, and small town nosiness.

This book felt VERY different from book one in the series, even though we practically had the same characters with the acceptation of Jessica. I will say, this book didn't rope me in the same way 7-10 Split did. I also found Ava, one of our FMC's from 7-10 Split and Vini's older sister, to be extremely annoying. It felt like an entirely different character from what we were introduced to. She single-handedly added a nagging annoyance to the book that almost overpowered the actual story at hand.

Miscommunication ran rampant through the book. Not just with the Williams' sisters but also with Grace and Jessica's friendship. I didn't dislike the ending of the book, it just seemed rushed in comparison to the rest of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley & Karmen Lee for the arc. Here's to finishing the series with book 3!

While I loved revisiting Peach Blossom, Georgia again, and I loved getting to know Vinnie better, there was something about this second installment that didn't live up to the first one. I can't out my finger on it exactly, because this book has everything you want in a romance.
The pay off in the end is great, but I'm just not sure what's missing for me. I would still recommend this book, and this series, and look forward to another installment.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy!
This was really cute and sexy! I don't usually love rushed romance and spicy scenes but Lee does it really well. The office scene was wild!
The characters weren't bland and had depth. This was my first time reading Karmen Lee and she already became an auto-buy author for me from this book.

This was such a fun and spicy read and I enjoyed it the whole time! I loved the dual POV so we could see what each character was thinking throughout the book! If you’re looking for a quick and fun (and very spicy) sapphic read I definitely recommend this one!
My only complaint with this one was that there were a lottt of spicy scenes and it felt like it took up a good portion of the book. I love a good spicy book but this one felt like it could’ve been done with less spice. We did still get a good plot along with the spice which I enjoyed!

I loved this small town romance! But I do feel like the characters felt a little flat. I needed more details and emotions from them. I struggle to connect with books where the connection is automatically based off pure physical attraction. Especially between two women I love seeing more than physical lust, I love sweet ways of showing intimacy, thoughtfulness and connection. But still, this author remains my favorite sapphic author. Thank you for giving me a copy!

I really enjoyed this book, and found the characters to be fun and sweet. The sex scenes were hot although way more than I expected but this is a friends with benefits situation so it makes sense. I do wish we had learned more about Jessica because she had an interesting back story but we aren't told much. Also, I liked seeing the characters from 7/10 Split but did not like how aggressively angry Vin's sister was regarding her relationship with Jessica. Felt very contrived. Overall, if you want something quick, and sexy to read, this is it.

Okay first, THIS COVER!!! Absolutely love it! This is book 2 in the Peach Blossom series. I did not realize that this book was part of a series until I was done reading. I do not feel like I missed out on anything by not reading book 1, but now I am intrigued to go back and read book 1. Now, this book was a great read! I was hooked from the beginning. The chemistry that these characters have bounces off the page. Once the characters begin a sexual relationship, they cannot keep their hands off of each other (A LOT of sex scenes).

A huge thank you to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for the E-ARC, it in no way influences my review.

Trigger Warnings(TW)
Sexual content, Cursing, Infidelity, Death of parent

** I would be mindful of the trigger warnings before reading.

#BookishMujer #LatinasWhoRead #KarmenLee #TheRelationshipMechanic #NetGalley #ARCreview

4.25/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Very spicy and very sapphic! I loved it! I enjoyed Jessica and Vini’s story for many reasons but their connection was unmistakable! That chemistry was intense and I could not get over how perfect they were for each other. Friend with bennies never looks so good!

Jessica’s past looks dark behind her but she didn’t let that change her. I liked how flirty she was and the was she pulled Vini. I was an absolute puddle over it! She was funny and open but her growth really made me happy to see.

Vini was the strong little sister who couldn’t help but fall for Jessica. Who could blame her?! I like how she went for what she wanted and how patient she was with Jessica.

The family drama is this one didn’t hit as much for me because I haven’t read the other book in the series but I think that reader who enjoy strong family ties and protective family members will really resonate with that aspect of the story.

I would recommend this book to contemporary romance readers and lovers of small town romance! Thank you to the publisher and the author for a copy of this story for review!

I attempt to read every Karmen Lee. I want to love them so bad, but for whatever reason I cannot get into them. I think the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired.

This was such a fun read the characters were so different and I loved getting to see how they grew and learned about themselves throughout the story. The narration was well done and kept me entertained.

This is a quick, fun love story between a small town mechanic and the flaky celebrity who rolls into town. Lee builds a compelling romance, with a strong net of supporting characters to round out the plot and help Jess and Vini's lives feel more full and fleshed out. If you want that tight, zoomed in look at a romance, this will definitely scratch that itch; otherwise, there's not a ton of substance here, but it's good fluff.

I liked this one a lot more than The 7-10 Split. I loved the characters, their relationship felt very real, and I really appreciated their growth in being able to communicate their feelings over the course of the book.

As much as I liked this book, and for the most part liked the dynamics between Vini and Jessica, I really truly hated Ava and Grace in this book. They were so mean to Vini and Jessica. Grace was not really a good or supportive friend, and Ava was so cruel to Vini - her own sister!! I think these two had so much potential, but all the factors keeping them apart were too much. I just wanted them to be happy! But they got there eventually, and did heat up some sheets in the process. Vini and Jess did have chemistry, but sometimes it felt more "tell" than "show". I really like Karmen Lee's writing and I'm curious to see what happens in Dani's story and also if Jess's brother is going to get his own HEA somewhere?

My first book by Ms. Lee and it won't be my last! Oh my goodness this book gave me all the feels of a small town and I freaking love it. Even though I'm bisexual, I could connect with both characters a lot! Such a good ass book!

I have really tried to like and finish this book, I wanted to love it, but I felt no connection to the story or the characters. I stopped and picked it up a few times to give it a fair chance, but I was not interested - even 50% into the book.

The daughter of an actress heading to a small town to escape a recent scandal and a cute mechanic hit it off and have a fling in this fun, spicy romance. Jessica has sworn off flings for the duration of her stay in Peach Blossom, Georgia. But she throws out that plan pretty much instantaneously after meeting the town's cute mechanic when her rental car breaks down. Vinnie's instant attraction to Jessica makes falling in bed with her easy, but when she starts to feel more the easy fun they've been having becomes a lot more complicated. Jessica still isn't sure what to do with the feelings she has for Vinnie. With an end date fast approaching on her time in Peach Blossom, will they be able to figure out what they want--and what they're willing to sacrifice--for the chance at something more?

Sweet, spicy, and sapphic--just the way I like it!