Snag Your Copy Flashed (Happy Endings, #3) Scripted By Zoey Castile Accessible From Digital Format

received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review,

The Delight
A new author with a series I haven't started, but it failed to grab my attention and keep it, I floundered reading this over a long time, Just no satisfaction.



I started this story without really knowing what it was about, While it was in the middle of a series, that didn't throw me so much as just plain not caring, Magdalena "Lena" Martel left Queens to find herself in art after both of her parents have passed away, An aspiring artist who is down on her luck after her stepmom steals her identity and runs up the credit cards, Faced with having to leave school while trying to pay it all off, Lena takes a job to care for a recluse on his property, But the interview is done by a neighbor who explains the rules, Strict rules to keep away from the owner, but also in a way to draw him back to reality,

Patrick Halloran hit his fame hot and fast and got burned when he was reckless, I had no idea who he was or his history going into the story and that may be why his side of the story seemed so stilted, Young, he was a soccer star that was injured moving onto a male strip group that gained some popularity when his former neighbor, Scarlett, recognizes him in Vegas and uses him as a model for her romance books.
Thrust into the spotlight, he makes his first movie, living high on his fame only to have it all come tumbling down one night while drunk and road racing with his brother in the passenger seat.
Now he is scarred, injured physically and mentally, dealing with guilt and PTSD,

Lena fixes meals, sings off key, unpacks boxes and generally stays way from Pat unless he is texting her his complaints on everything she does, Slowly this changes tones, but the secrecy is kept, Sexting, phone sex, but still Pat refuses to let Lena see him, And this is where the story lags, The slow crawl to falling in love is mostly through a phone, leaving a lot to be desired,

Pat has money, maybe not an endless supply, but he is not hurting while Lena is living paycheck to paycheck trying to keep her head above water, keep in touch with her younger sister and figure out what she needs to do for the future.
She is very open and loving, but also keeps to her roots of family even if they are gone, Pat his hiding away from everything and everyone, He hasn't contacted his boys from the stipper group or even keeping up on his brother who is in rehab far away, Bitterness grows inside of him, while Lena grows fustrated with what they are to each other,

There are some other twists to the story, but overall, it just dragged on and on for me, The excitment came when he yelled or insulted her and she gave it back to him, It got old how he would hurt her even if it was a defense mechanism, Overall, I just didn't like Pat, He came across as someone who hadn't grown up and when something bad happens he retreated to sulk, Yes, he had some issues, but he dumped all who cared about him instead of facing his wrongs and healing,

I also felt Lena was too young for him, She had lost her mother early, then her father through a slow death with a stepmom who took no responsibility fo her daughter or husband, Lena has to get away to find herself, but in doing so she left a younger sister she felt like a mother, Letting her stepmom walk all over her, she can't seem to find a course to her life, This all felt very authentic in a young woman trying to find herself, still feeling the general parent who isn't, while trying to fix all the problems, She isn't out to get a man with money, Not a gold digger, but truly a young woman confused by life and trying to just live,

The two didn't feel authentic even after a very long courtship through a phone, She accepted him for himself and he the same to her, but he also was blind to almost anything not dealing with himself, In the end, I wanted her to move on and find a man who appreciated her and who wanted to take on life with her,

Overall, I just didn't care for this story, I like several characters, but in the end, they weren't enough to make me want to come back for more,


Challenges Met
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Reading Challenge
Literary Pickersbook shelf
Bad Boys of Romance Challenge
Books 'N' Tunes Challenge
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Preview
sitelinkThis review was originally posted on Delighted Reader Original review: sitelinkA Novel Glimpse

Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.


The last book in the Happy Endings series wasnt my favorite, so I was a little hesitant to pick up Flashed, I waited for reviews from some trusted readers and since they all seemed to love it, I decided to give it a read, Im so happy I did!

Flashed takes us to the quiet ruggedness of Montana, to a man who was once famous but now hides from the world, After a horrific accident, Pats once beautiful body has been left ravaged, He doesnt want anyone to see him and feels he doesnt deserve anyones love or friendship, All of that begins to change when Lena becomes his housekeeper and moves into his pool house, Lena brings with her a magic that makes him want to live,

Flashed reminded me a bit of a mashup of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, Pat was this gruff, tormented man who was no longer his most handsome self, He needed to forgive himself and move on, but didnt know how, Underneath it all, he was a sweet guy, Lena was a young woman down on her luck who takes a job as Pats housekeeper to help pay for college, Hes not nice to her in the beginning, but they slowly develop a friendship that turns into more, It was just all so sweet, I loved every moment of it, I dont know what else to say about it, Fans of fairytale retellings will most likely adore this book, I obviously did. Its my new favorite in this series, People are going to have a lot to say about these covers but I love this damn series, Its got witty banter, thoughtful stories with a diverse range of characters, just the right touch of soap opera, mad steam especially this one despite its slow burn / beauty beast thing its got going on, and theyre just so fun.
Here for wherever Castile wants to take me next, CW: flashbacks of car accident

I devoured this and was so engrossed that I never even updated my GR status as I was reading, lol. I can say without a doubt, Pat and Lena's book is my fave, I figured no one could top Fallon and Robyn buuuut here we are! This was is sort of a Beauty amp a Beast retelling, I got that vibe immediately, Lena goes to work for Pat in his big house, cleaning and cooking for him but he keeps himself hidden because of his scars from the car accident, He even gives the rules about her needing to stick to the schedule so they dont run into each other when she's in the main house,

So he's got this mysterious recluse vibe going on and they're never in the same room at the same time for a portion of the book but their relationship builds over texts and phone calls and the little notes Lena leaves with his food.
I love when the characters text each other, Sooo much emotions is revealed and you learn alot about them too,

Pat is struggling after the accident and it's difficult for him to leave the house too, God, I wanted to both hug him and smack him a lot of times and be like do not be mean to Lena! But his growth was so well done.
Gradual but with set backs, His struggles dont just disappear when he and Lena get close physically and emotionally, He still has them but we slowly see him trying and taking those little steps, Damn Zoey upped her entire "make me feel all the feels" game here,

Lena's growth too, She's dealing with family stuff and trying to figure out her personal path and here she's gotta deal with Groucharella! I didn't coin that word, Pat's friend Scarlett gets the honor lol

The secondary characters are also great and fully formed.
But never distract from the MCs, They provide support annnnd like Scarlett and Kayli, keep Pat in check about himself when he messes up, I also loved how they embraced Lena

and Lena's friend Mari, Also Scarlett is a romance writer!! and Pat reads her books,

I don't know if there will be more books in this series but i hope! Because Pat's bro Jack, i need to see his HEA please and thhhanks!.
When a man makes his living by his looks, he can forget that loveand lustare more than skin deep, But the right woman can remind him, . .

A former soccer player, stripper, and model, legendary party boy Patrick Halloran finally gets his big break starring in the summer blockbuster.
But when an accident leaves him changed forever, he hides away in his secluded Montana ranch, Only his new housekeeper is allowed insidewith one rule: she's not allowed to see him, But Pat sees her, and she's the most stunning woman he's ever laid eyes on, Even her voice is beautiful, Still, Pat can't allow himself to get close to anyone, Not without a fight at least, . .

Magdalena "Lena" Martel is a long way from Queens, New York, After a rough patch, the aspiring artist is working her way through collegeeven if it means keeping house for a man whose gruff voice she can only hear through a closed door.
Still, Lena senses Pat's got a good heart, maybe even a lovable one, She's intrigueduntil his anger sends her running into the freezing woods, Now Pat will have to find herand when he does he may have found the one woman who can thaw his heartnot to mention the rest of him, But can their new bond survive the paparazziand their personal
demons, . .

Praise for Stripped

"A witty, wonderful romance that speaks to who we are, who we are meant to be, and who we are meant to be with.
" Sarah MacLean, The Washington Post

"Stripped is a modern romcom that's equal parts sexy and sweet, " Shondaland

"That smile you have on your face right now It'll be there the entire time you're reading Stripped, " Jasmine Guillory, Oprah Magazine,: This book has kind of a Beaty amp the Beast vibe to it, and while I liked the characters, romance didnt really work for me,

The Beaty is Lena, a Latina art student from Queens, NY who is finishing college in Montana after some family amp financial setbacks, The Beast is Patrick, a former soccer star turned stripper turned bad boy actor who got badly injured in a car accident, Patrick is struggling with severe PTSD/possibly agoraphobia and his friend Scarlett hires Lena to help clean Patricks mansion in exchange for rooming in the pool house, Basically its a forced proximity/roommates situation with the twist that Lena is never allowed to see Patrick, But they text and somehow fall in love, and this is why it didnt work for methe relationship progression did not make sense, First, it was instalust on Patricks end which, okay, I get that, But then, they exchange a few texts amp Lena is nice to Patrick, and thats their chemistry Ive read a few romances where the love interests communicate by text/letter/postit notes and I have always understood why the two people fell in loveeither sense of humor or something in common or something else.
In FLASHED, I can understand why Patrick feels for Lena, but I have no idea why Lena likes Patrick, To me her feelings seem more like pity amp a desire to “fix” him rather than love, So it felt really hard to root for them, And then once they were “together” the conflict amp ending felt unrealistic amp rushed too,

I was also uncomfortable with the portrayal of Patricks mental health everyone has their own journey and not everyone needs therapy but the way his trauma amp “recovery” were handled seemed to imply that you can get “better” on your own as long as you love someone and thats just not true.
This was a case of love pretty much magically healing someone, which I think can be a harmful message,

But I think if youre in the mood for something very fast amp soapy that you arent going to examine too closely this could work, When Lena amp Pat did interact, whether by text or phone, it was often funny or entertaining, And Lena as a character was enjoyable I loved, loved some of the details of her character, Her descriptions of Queens, NY amp her mom singing to salsa while cooking made me homesick, and her quip about bringing five supersized bottles of Adobo seasoning to Montana is worth at least half a star.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ecopy in exchange for an honest review,.

This was the last book of the Happy Ending series and Im very Sad, but also not really because this was fantastic, Ay, dios how I love Zoeys romance, Her characters are so sympathetic, their fears and dreams so real, and to see them grow is a wonderful thing,

Flashed is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and just EXCELLENCE, I do like retellings but I have always felt very meh about Beauty and the Beast, so I was surprised how much I enjoyed the classic moments here, I guess, it does make all the difference that this story is coming from Zoey, and there are so many conversations about consent, respecting boundaries, and how the heroine is not here to save anyone.
And the big gesture PERFECT, My heart melted with these two, their very slow build romance, and how sexy the book gets, I adored it, okay Im not sure what to do now that we wont have more Happy Endings,.Stars

This is the fourth book in the Noodle Shop Mystery series by Zoey Castile,

This book made me aggravated, but not in a bad way, Maybe frustrated is a better word for it, The tension between Patrick and Lena went on and on and on, Granted, the guy has a problem, He had it all. Didnt appreciate any of it, Then when an accident nearly takes his life and the life of his brother, Jack he loses it, He can no longer venture outside, Panic sets in and he feels trapped in his Montana house, His best friend, Scarlett West, a popular romance author, hires a housekeeper for him, But Lena isnt allowed to see Patrick, She cleans, makes food and such but isnt allowed in certain parts of the house, The two speak a lot through shouting from room to room or text messages,

It is probably the anguish of these two never meeting that is what makes this book so good, I am sure it is what made them want each other more over time, They wanted each other but couldnt have each other, That made me want a happy ending for them, I knew I was going to get one because the series is called Happy Endings, Duh! Burt author sure made me question whether it would happen or not,

Lena was the giver, Always doing for others. I liked the reverse dynamic at the end where all her friends turned the emotional tables on her and she ended up being the one who was put up on a pedestal for a change.


This book was both wonderful and heartbreaking, Plus it had some of the most memorable secondary characters Ive seen/read in a long time, Speaking of that I really want to see a book featuring the story of Hutch and River and Scarlett and Ricky Rocket, That would be awesome. I checked the main characters of the previous books in this series and neither couple was the main feature of those books, I may not get what I want, but it is good to dream sometimes, Hint. Hint. Wink. Wink.

If you love a good romance, definitely check this one out, I guess you could put this into the hate to love category, That seems to be a popular theme these days in contemporary romance, Whatever you call it, I call it good stuff, Definitely an author to watch and put on your must read list,

I received this as an ARC Advanced Reader Copy in return for an honest review, I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title, .