Wrecking Ball (Hard To Love Book 1)

I enjoyed this book tremendously and it had the right mix of angst, humor, romance, grief, loss and sweetness. Camilla was a young widower and she felt betrayed by her dead husband who left her with embarrassment and financial difficulty. Forced by circumstances to take a nanny job with grumpy Calvin to take care of his nephew, she and Calvin did not start off with on the right footing. However, Camilla was a forgiving and sweet woman. I liked the way Camilla and Calvin gradually came together. There was no instant lust but friendship that evolved to love. Though Calvin was a star football player, he acted like a baby with Camilla who unselfishly took care of him. Overall it was a great read but it would have better if it there was more proof-reading and editing.

I absolutely loved this book. So cleverly written. All of the character's were amazing. It was funny, touching, sexy without being overdone. I did not want it to end. Definitely one of my favorites this year. Can't wait to re-read it.

3.25

Picked this up after reading a recommendation from a blog stating that this would be good if you were a fan of Kristen Ashley and Mariana Zapata. I liked the book, and finished it one day but I did have some issues with how closely it sometimes shadowed KA’s Sweet Dreams and MZ’s Wall of Winnipeg. The first meeting between Calvin and Cam was Tate and Lauren all over again, and Calvin was just an overall Aiden Jr. I did get sick of the constant reiteration of Cam having only had sex with one person, which was her deceased husband, as though we would forget in two chapters she didn’t “do” casual sex....but I loved the slow burn between the two. Sadly when we finally got to the sex that more fizzled than flamed. Which would work for those not into super explicit sex, because it’s easy to skim. I may try this author out again to see if she can find more of her own voice because it was definitely entertaining.

I LOVED this book right from the beginning! I loved how they would argue and stick it to each other but at the same time respected each other. Then they slowly developed feelings for one another and they were always protecting each other from the outside world... loved it!

Wrecking Ball is the story of Camilla and Calvin ( with the feisty best friend Amber being responsible for many of the funny moments in the book - hoping she gets her own book ). Anyway, back to Cam and Calvin - I loved their relationship - a slow burn which is fast becoming my favourite. Calvin was pretty horrible to Cam initially, but we learn different things about him and his childhood as we read that help to explain his rather closed off personality. And poor Cam has had it pretty rough over the previous 3 years due to the business dealings of her husband, which she didn't find out about until he passed away. I love the angst of waiting for them to finally sort themselves and their relationship out ( Calvin and that hospital scene towards the end *sighs*). Loved the epilogue.

Wrecking Ball is the story of Camilla and Calvin ( with the feisty best friend Amber being responsible for many of the funny moments in the book - hoping she gets her own book ). Anyway, back to Cam and Calvin - I loved their relationship - a slow burn which is fast becoming my favourite. Calvin was pretty horrible to Cam initially, but we learn different things about him and his childhood as we read that help to explain his rather closed off personality. And poor Cam has had it pretty rough over the previous 3 years due to the business dealings of her husband, which she didn't find out about until he passed away. I love the angst of waiting for them to finally sort themselves and their relationship out ( Calvin and that hospital scene towards the end *sighs*). Loved the epilogue.

This book was way better than I expected. It wasn't as predictable as it seems and there is serious character development throughout. The book is so cute and although I love these kindle romances- I hardly ever actually swoon- and this book made me swoon and smile broadly. I didn't roll my eyes or think their love was fake.

Additionally- Cal's background tugged on my heartstrings and greatly contributed to the story!! this is a must read!! you won't even want to skim through parts. Also, Cam's Italian family and their sayings/mannerism are hilarious!

This reminded me a lot of Wall of Winnipeg- which happened to be one of my favorite books of all time! I loved the slow burn between Cal and Cam, they were well developed characters you couldn't help but love. I can't wait for more from Ms Dangelico.

Super sweet, super slow burn! I agree with the other reviewers, very Wall of Winnipeg-ish. You've got your moody H, sweet and kind h and they don't fall in bed by the 10% mark! I personally loved it, I don't mind waiting for the H and h to get together.

Saw this on goodreads and decided to take a chance and read it. So glad I did!! It was a cute romance that I really enjoyed. It had me laughing out loud and waiting patiently for there love to finally come together!

I loved the characters in this story and how they evolved over time. Witty and hilarious banter throughout. Would love to read a follow up on the non lead characters to see what happens to them. Also, love the back story on Cam. It provided a really nice view on an unexpected victim.

DNF before 40%.

If this had been uploaded as Vanessa and Aiden alternate universe fanfiction, I may have finished it. If you want to read about a stoic, grumpy, plant-based diet, successful football player, read the original "The Wall of Winnipeg and Me." This book seemed like a tribute to every Zapata book written, and I only made it part of the way in. The few plot points that weren’t inspired by other books, made very little sense. Why wasn’t Sam put into a private school? If Calvin never left the house for years, how was he so put out by female attention he wanted Cam to be his pretend girlfriend? Even all the nicknames Cam had for Calvin made zero sense and came across as forced. Too many weak plot points seemed really silly and drove in the stake that Dangelico put little effort into distinguishing this book from Wall of Winnipeg.

Spoilers below of a few similarities between books that I found.

Examples
The Wall of Winnipeg / Wrecking Ball
-Vanessa “Van/Vanny” / Camilla “Cam/Cami”
-The Big Guy / The Mountain
-Both books focus on how the hero following a “plant-based diet”, not “vegan.”
-Both men are six foot four, walls of muscle, although Cal’s muscularity is another point that doesn’t fit the storyline. As an avid football fan, quarterbacks aren’t known for being impressive specimens of muscle.
-Van overhears Aiden and his manager talking about her / Cam overhears Cal and his attorney talking about her. They both leave the house.
-Aiden shows up at Van’s house repeatedly to get her to come back to work for him. / Cal repeatedly shows up at the bar Cam is working at to get her to work for him.
-Aiden says the reason he was so mean to Vanessa is because he’s stressed that his contract is coming to an end at the end of this season and his visa is expiring. / Cal blames his stress on his contract is coming to an end at the end of the current season.
-Van tells Aiden she’ll marry him for his visa for the hundreds of thousands of dollars he’s willing to pay her but she insists on keeping her job. / Cam accepts the three hundred thousand dollars Cal is willing to give her as long she keeps her other job.
-Van calls Aiden “The Hulk” / Cam calls Cal “Shrek”
-Zac is a charming southern boy. / Justin Harper a charming southern boy.
-Aiden randomly calls Vanessa his wife in front of a woman flirting with him. / Cal randomly calls Cam his girlfriend in front of a woman flirting with him.
-Van’s father figure is a fan of the “other” Texas team. / Cal’s father is a fan of the “other” team.
-Aiden was injured in his younger years and has a scar because he didn’t go to the hospital. / Cam has a crooked finger from his younger years because he didn’t go to the hospital.
-Aiden has drunk parent figures and never drinks. / Cal has a drunk mother figure and never drinks.

These similarities are only in the first 40% of the book. I can only imagine what can be found in the rest.

On top of all the items mentioned above, the amount of rewritten dialogue is staggering. For the most flagrant line copied at the opening of both books should have warned me of why so many reviews state that this book reminds them of Zapata’s work, it IS mostly Zapata’s work.

Vanessa in The Wall of Winnipeg, "I wasn't shooting for the stars or aiming to become a billionaire. I didn't want to be a celebrity or anything close to that." /
Cam in Wrecking Ball, "Did I have aspirations that included becoming a CEO of a fortune five hundred company? No. Did I dream of winning a Pulitzer? No. Qualifying for the Olympics? Mmmnnno."

Is it a coincidence that this cover is so close to Zapata’s latest book? I am not sure. This was my first and last time supporting this author.

January 2017 --

I liked this book. The characters were interesting and some of the dialogue is cute. They came together because of a child, and I love books with kids who help the romance along. There were a few places that reminded me of elements from some of my favorite Kristen Ashley books; Sweet Dreams & Lady Luck. At first this put me off, but it really was so minimal, it could have been in head only. So, I'll forgive -- probably coincidence.

The sexy times didn't do much for me. There were typo's and word usage too, but this is an ARC, so I'll let those pass.

A sports themed romance with little of the sport [football] in the story.

Happy Reading!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Overall Rating = 3.5 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 3 / 4 / 3 = 3.5 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 3.5 Stars
Character / Secondary Character Development = 4 / 4 = 4 Stars
“Did I like” Hero / Heroine = 5 / 3 = 4 Stars
Story / Background Story Development = 4 / 4 = 4 Stars
“Did I like the Damned Thing” = 4 Stars
Ending = 3.5 Stars
Worth the Chili = 4 Stars -- [$3.99 on the store]
Smexy [HEAT] Rating = Mild
271 pages

First sentence: Cautionary tale ladies, never marry a man who quotes the movie "Wall Street" like it's his Bible.

Last sentence: And I know he means it. This amazing man would never give me anything other than his best.

First time reading P. Deangelico and I was truly impressed. I enjoyed this book a lot. I loved the banter between Cam & Calvin. I loved the humor and the relationship between Sam & Cam. But most of all I loved the dynamic between Cam & Cal, started very rocky, then turns into a friendship. I give this book 5 stars, because when I can't put it down and stay up to the wee hours if the night, yes it deserves 5 stars. Highly recommend.

This book and the story was interesting enough to keep my attention and not bad for a new author, but I did have some issues with it. First of all, the heroine is a divorced woman, a teacher, and yet she talked with constant slang language and sometimes very immature - it didn't mesh with the character for me. Also, I can't handle things like intentionally misspelled/misused/slang words I'm writing, such as the repeated use of "jezus" and simlar words in this book. It's extremely distracting and also annoying to me. I found the premise a little too much of a copycat of Mariana Zapata's novels for me.

4 "Boobear" stars!!!

Have you read a slow burn romance that doesn't feel like it because is so well written you just can't stop reading it?

Does that make sense? Maybe not, but this is my review so roll with it.

We know that romance can come in all shapes and sizes, but there's one type that hooks you in and keeps you there. Yeah, you guessed right, I'm talking about Slow Burn romances. And P. Dangelico did a great job with Wrecking Ball. So good that I've already read it twice and I'm currently kicking my a$$ for not reading it before.

After a fatal accident, Cam's course of life was forever altered. No money. No home. No Job. Everything was gone. But she's not someone who gives up easily. Armed with knowledge and tons of sass, she decides to go job-hunting. Landing a job as teacher and caretaker was her way to have a fresh start, but little did she know that her fresh start was coming in the form of a sexy Shrek and a little boy in need of some attention.

I loved seeing Calvin, aka Duck Dynasty, and Camilla grown both with each other and with themselves. Their story was totally adorable, and when things move towards love... Jaysus! Major swoon, baby! You could smell the love wafting off me.

Camilla, her sassy mouth, and big heart made me develop a serious girl-crush on her. Like seriously. And Calvin, oh Calvin. There were some moments when I was like.. for realzzzzz?

But then he opened up to Cam and I got drunk. Drunk in love with my Prince of Darkness. I wish the author would have given me his POV. That would have been PERFECT!

I also fell in love with little Sam, Calvin's nephew, he captured my heart with his little smiles. So that's why I felt frustrated when I didn't get the closure I wanted with him. I'm hoping I'll see more of him in future books.

I cannot finish this review without telling you about Amber. She was crazy but lovable. A true friend! And I can't tell you how excited I am to read her book next. I'm already feeling sorry for Ethan Fancy McButterPants Vaughn he doesn't stand a chance with her.

With an engaging writing style, hilarious banter, and characters that are hard not to fall in love with, Wrecking Ball will hook you in with a funny, adorable insta-hate/enemies to lovers story wrapped into an oh so deliciously slow burn romance.

Again. no sense but whatevs.

Fans of this trope will definitely need to check this book out.