ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The only other book of Radley’s I’ve read is Humbug, which I enjoyed, but this was close to being my first DNF for the year. Not because it’s badly written, but because the circumstances in the book bordered on ludicrous and I just couldn’t get into it, so I was bored or annoyed or both for the most part. I didn’t connect with either MC, so I also found the romance flat and the ‘villain’ was too over the top for me.

I can’t explain why I didn’t like this without spoilers so don’t read any further if you don’t want to know what happens.

The first MC is Regina, who has just been made redundant at her long term marketing job, and she needs a new job right away because she pays for her aunt’s care and it’s expensive.

This was the first issue I had with the book, Regina is mid 40s and in a good paying job, with no kids or other expenses and yet we’re expected to believe she lives paycheck to paycheck due to paying for her aunt’s care. This made no sense. This may have made more sense if she was the younger character but my no means did I believe that Regina, who has been working for at least 25 years did not have a huge amount of savings behind her. There’s no mention of bad investments, but we’re still supposed to believe she’s basically broke. It also wasn’t clear why her aunt even needed help paying for her care.

Anyway, this leads to Regina taking the first job offered to her, without really researching it at all, despite being told she was recommended for the role (she’s supposed to be smart, but doesn’t even ask who recommended her) and therefore ends up working for her ex girlfriend, Margot, who is a raging bitch. Margot sets about exacting revenge on Regina for breaking up with her by making her work with lingerie models, because Regina has a phobia about nudity. Margot is such a horrible boss and person, not just to Regina, that I couldn’t believe no-one had reported her or that she didn’t get fired.

Enter Grace, the other MC, who works as a model for Regina’s new company. She offers to help Regina with her nudity issues in exchange for mentoring in marketing. The two hit it off and become friends, though Grace clearly wants more, but Regina is clueless. There’s also an age gap of about 13 years, but Grace seems older than Regina most of the time, instead of the other way around.

While I usually enjoy a good slow burn, the relationship between the MCs was mostly made up of them commiserating over what a bitch Margot was and worrying about getting fired, which wasn’t interesting. The only highlight was Regina’s aunt Bess and her friends at the home and her new boyfriend.

The two MCs don’t even start dating til the 85% mark, which meant the ending was rushed. The resolution to Regina’s work situation after so much angst about it was also underwhelming, especially given what we’re told in the epilogue, but by then I was way past caring. 2 stars.

A delightful and whimsical love story, offering a unique blend of joy and warmth.

This tale gracefully steers away from intense drama and angst, opting instead for an entertaining journey. The character are likable and easy going. The romantic interplay between Regina and Grace was a highlight, showcasing a mature relationship blossoming between individuals in their mid-thirties and mid-forties—an age dynamic that works perfectly.

The main characters are Regina, Grace and Margot.
Regina's company has gone bankrupt. She decides to take a position at a fashion brand. What she doesn't realize is her ex-girlfriend, Margot, will be her boss. Margot is a micro manager and believes she can win back Regina.
Regina is made head of the lingerie department and meets one of the models, Grace. There is instant attraction and the more they spend time together, the more Margot tries to control what Regina is doing at work.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After the company's sudden bankruptcy, Regina Avery had difficulty finding a new job, so she ended up accepting a job offer from a company that sells lingerie, which makes her uncomfortable. And to add to the uneasiness she now works under her ex who played mind games with her, and now wants to return Regina. But awkwardness doesn't end there when model Grace Holland comes into the picture...

I wholeheartedly enjoyed this romance! It was light, smooth, and funny. I was very worried at the beginning of the book that Regina would choose her ex for some stupid illogical reason, and thank god, she didn't! Those were typical romance tropes turned into "OK, and what will they do this time" anticipation and even the resumption of communication between Regina and Grace didn't disappoint, although expected, it was amusing. I couldn't put down the book and did so only when I had to.

It was truly a blast! 5 stars and a nice time is guaranteed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was in the middle of another book when I had the urge to pick up Taking the Plunge. So I did and had a lovely time with a couple of delightful women. I thoroughly enjoyed being on the journey with Regina and Grace. I really loved Grace. Sometimes when reading a romance, I connect much more with one of the characters than I do with the other and this was one of those. Regina was fine but I loved me some Grace. And I learned more about different types of bras than I ever thought I would. Not a bad thing at all!

I can always count on Amanda Radley to make me happy for a few hours. Taking the Plunge was no exception.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC!

Quick and easy read for me. I liked the story but for me it lacked the chemistry of both MC's. Everything felt very superficial and not as deep as I expected.
A solid 3.5 Star read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for leaving a honest review.

A fun and light read! A little disappointed by the lack of chemistry and steam between the two MCs. May be my personal preference but that development of emotions, connection, both mentally and physically, is important and it was a little lackluster in this book. Still, it was entertaining and the storyline was unique and funny. Overall, I’d say give it a chance if you enjoy fun and fluff!

I was so surprised, in a great way by this book! First off, there is no third act break up which - honestly made it so different than the romance novels I have been reading. Making it a breath of fresh air! Grace and Regina are adorable and Margot is a terror. I loved the supporting characters who really gave good insight to the main character and her development throughout the novel. Loved it and will read it again!

Regina has just lost her job, and is offered one by her ex-girlfriend Margot. The plot revolves around Regina and her terrible ex Margot. Regina works with models but is averse to seeing nude or nearly nude models. When Regina meets Grace, a model, she falls in love but has to deal with a very jealous Margot I foy\und the characters interesting and quite different in nature. I recommend this book for all romance readers.

Cute, quick, and enjoyable read with likable main characters. I thought the plot was very unique and enjoyable. I was very pleasantly surprised. This is my first book by this author and I will be looking for more to read in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Taking the Plunge by Amanda Radley is a pleasant and lighthearted Sapphic romance. I found this story to be a satisfying read, though I must admit this is not the author’s best work.

The tale is light on drama and angst, but still entertaining. The characters, with the exception of Regina’s ex-girlfriend are all likeable folks. I especially enjoyed Regina’s Aunt Bess and Bess’ romance with her boyfriend in the assisted living home. Regina and Grace worked well as a romantic couple. I was pleased that the two were a more mature couple, being in their mid-thirties and mid-forties. That is also the perfect age gap for me.

Fans of this author will undoubtedly enjoy this sweet, slow burn romance. I’m giving this book three and a half stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for giving me the chance to read and honestly review this novel.

I had a fun time reading this book.

Actually I was hooked from its introduction. Regina having a funny weakness towards lingeries had me LOL what? And Grace is a really smart girl, with all the model look. She's not like some doll model with beauty outside, but she's also very down-to-earth, professional and friendly. Although the chemistry seems like... a bit lack to me, I really hope her next book will be epic again. Because A.Radley is always creative with her unique/shy characters that I easily fall for <3

A pretty basic but enjoyable sweet office romance, no tension or drama between the love interests and overall a wholesome if slightly cringe read.
A nice representation of a quickly blossoming relationship between two older women, a charming model in her mid thirties and a reserved marketing whiz in her mid forties.
It’s all very cute and supportive, a lovely cozy, fade to black read.
Not the best writing or introduction but it does warm up, some of the dialogue is a little stiff but on the whole it’s alright, some good banter and adorable crushing.
Overall the writing is okay, it could definitely use some editing and isn’t the best, but it’s readable and light.

It’s not incredibly realistic but it’s an easy read, the characters were lovely, I especially loved Aunt Bess. The only source of toxic friction is Regina’s nasty Ex Margot, and the two band together and form a friendship and unkowingly mutual crush that only grows with Margot trying to force them apart.

“You’re too negative, poppet.”
“Realistic,” Regina corrected.

Sweet and enjoyable read. You get what you get from Amanda Radley. Interesting characters with different levels of issues. From the start, you cheer for one or the other or both to "win" at the end. This low-angst read has Regina Avery, talented marketing expert, out of a job since her company went bankrupt. She locates a "temporary job" in the fashion industry where her ex-girlfriend Margot works. There she meets Grace Holland, beautiful model that Regina finds herself attracted to. One problem with the job is Regina has an issue with scantly dressed women; causes her to be effected physically as well as mentally which is the basis of the story. Funny and entertaining. Hard not to like Grace and how she interacts with Regina. On the other hand, Margot boo, that is all I got to say.

Where do I start... The book is an easy read, premise of a marketing exec, 'forced' to work in an industry where it makes her feel uncomfortable sounds kind of funny. Having said exec fall for one of the model, sounds like a solid good time, right?!

I don't know if the below is gonna be a spoiler or not, you might not want to keep reading this review if you don't want to be skewed by my opinion towards the storyline. I feel like rating this 2-stars might be a bit cruel but 3-stars really seem like it's overly generous. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bold Strokes for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my (maybe too) honest review.

(Spoiler?)


Ok ok ok... I, have a problem with being dragged down by the 'evil b#$ch' antagonist in this story and had tried so hard to rise above this weight.
Like, aghhh, this is agonizing to read through and not in a 'oh no, my heart hurts from all the angst' type of way. But literally from the 'wow, this is just pure evil... this lady needs to find a new job asap, can I keep reading this and figure out how she's going to eventually get out of her evil clutch' kind of way.

I mean, I get it, you can't always just have fluffy romance without any sort of 'good' conflict through the book. But this DRAMATIC vein was a bit much for what I thought I was getting myself into.
This underlying feeling of 'wow, I can't stand this' really got in the way of my low key, just want to be entertained read of a what I thought was a romantic, scandalous and perhaps could be a bit funny HEA sort of novel.
I'm sorry, maybe I'm really shallow and simple in my way of not looking for a book to evoke any feelings other than 'awwww'... 'oh! but you love each other! why is there a misunderstanding!?'

An enjoyable read. I liked both the witty title and the premise of nudity issues. Both of the leading characters were charming and cleverly nuanced. The ex was almost a pantomime villain with the dialogue involving her funny and engaging. The whole book whizzed along very nicely and had plenty of feel good factor at the end of it.

Cute age gap romance with a it of drama and angst. Regina and Grace are very likable main characters and their relationship is is slow burn friends to lovers romance. The supporting characters were well developed and the villain at times was really vile. I liked the addition of aunt Bess who's related to Regina, and the loving relationship between these two. Every character that popped up was there to make this a better story. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family and I look forward to what's next from this author.

Really enjoyed this book, a light, funny read, I enjoyed the friendship that developed first between Regina and Grace, two women confident in their work but with nervousness in other areas of their lives. Regina's Aunt Bess is a feisty 81 year old which is always a joy to read about. Even Regina's manipulative ex Margot who also features heavily in the book, cannot take the joy out of this lovely story, although she does try. Extra kudos for being set in the UK.

With thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a well written, low angst slow burn romance. The main characters were also awesome. I really admire how Grace tried to help Regina with her gymnophobia.

I received an ARC copy from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley.

Entertaining enough plot. Super interesting phobia for a MC to have to deal with, but there is not enough follow up to truly feel like what I read was a well-rounded story of overcoming one's afflictions.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.