Review – More to Love by Alison Bliss

Posted October 15, 2019 by Carole in 2019 Audiobook Challenge, 2019 Blogger Shame, Audiobook, Book Reviews / 12 Comments

More to Love by Alison Bliss
Narrated by Violet Strong
Series: A Perfect Fit #3
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing) / Hachette Audio
Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Date Read:  September 17, 2019
Length: 368 pages / 9 hours 25 minutes
Source: NetGalley/ Purchased

This laugh-out-loud romantic comedy proves that, when enemies become lovers, all bets are off!

Jessa Gibson may be new in the little town of Granite, Texas, but in no time at all her gourmet food truck business is booming. Soon she’ll have enough money to open the restaurant of her dreams. But first, she’ll have to appease the hot local health inspector, no matter how strange his “violations” sound to her. No pink plastic gloves? Really?

Max Hager isn’t exactly who he says he is. Pretending to be a health inspector is a (mostly) innocent mistake. A mistake made way worse by Max’s immediate, electrifying attraction to the curvy, sexy, redheaded chef. Throw in a whole lot of lust, and things in Jessa’s little kitchen are about to really start heating up. But can Max find a way to come clean with Jessa before his little deception turns into a recipe for disaster?

My Review

I had some issues with this book.  This was really more of a 2.5-star read but since I am feeling generous, I am rounding up.  I have had a review copy of this book for quite a while but hadn’t had the chance to read it so I decided to pick up the audiobook and give it a try.  I thought that the narrator did a great job but I just couldn’t ever get completely behind this story.

Jessa was great.  She was confident and an all-around nice girl.  She worked hard and wanted to play by the rules.  She wasn’t afraid to take risks or go for what she wants.  And then there is Max.  Max ruined this story for me.  He lies when he meets Jessa and doesn’t stop lying for the whole book.  Jessa deserved better than that.

I did enjoy seeing Jessa connect with the people in town.  I also thought that Max and Jessa had great chemistry and there was some potential for their relationship.  My problem is the Max waits way too long to come clean and his lies go on way too long.  He even takes steps to keep the deceit going after he has started to get involved with her.  There were just a lot of lines crossed in this story.  Every time Max had an opportunity to come clean with Jessa and didn’t take it, I lost some respect for his character.  By the end of the book, I had no respect left.  Jessa deserved better.

I thought that Violet Strong did a great job with the narration.  Her narration was one of the highlights of the book.  She did a great job with the character voices and had a great reading voice.  I had no problem listening to her narration for hours at a time.  I wouldn’t hesitate to listen to more of her narration work.

I think that there are some readers that will enjoy this one more than I did.  I have a hard time with romances where one character is deceiving the other so this one didn’t work for me.  I haven’t quite given up on this author and would love to try more of her work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.

The Series – A Perfect Fit
Book #1 – Size Matters – My Review
Book #2 – On the Plus Side – My Review
Book #3 – More to Love
About the Author

Alison Bliss grew up in Small Town, Texas, but currently resides in the Midwest with her husband and two sons. With so much testosterone in her home, it’s no wonder she writes “girl books.” She believes the best way to know if someone is your soul mate is by canoeing with them because if you both make it back alive, it’s obviously meant to be. Alison pens the type of books she loves to read most: fun, steamy love stories with heart, heat, laughter, and usually a cowboy or two. As she calls it, “Romance…with a sense of humor.”

12 responses to “Review – More to Love by Alison Bliss

  1. Ugh, I can tell already that I'll pass on this one. I loathe when relationships start with lies… and it's even worse when it continues. But we, the reader, and the main character are just supposed to get over it and fall for the hero? Nope, not happening.

    Side note: I totally applaud the author for her plus size characters but does the publisher (or whoever did these covers) really think the women shown are plus size? Those look like perfectly average-shaped women to me, not plus-size or curvy. But I guess anything over a size 2… Okay, rant is over. LOL

    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books

  2. I agree with Tanya about the women on the cover – I don't know that it's an adequate portrayal. I'm glad you enjoyed this one though.

  3. It sounds difficult and I think you wrote an excellent review. Lies are not fun (unless it's a fake relationship where both of them know it).

    Anne – Books of My Heart

  4. I'm with you. Starting a relationship with lies doesn't work for me. It's up there with insta love and triangles.