Book Review: Whoa by Cambria Hebert

Reviewer: Tabitha Adkins
Book: Whoa by Cambria Hebert Format: Kindle
Series: Westbrook Elite, Book 6
Published by Cambria Hebert, LLC
Publication Date: December 08, 2023
Genres: Suspense, Romance, College Sports, New Adult Page Count: 433

The original synopsis can be found here.

Most people think I’m a moron. In actuality, I’m a man with a plan.
It’s one of those three-year plans that takes longer than three years.
Still, I’ve been making it happen. Checking off those to-dos and turning them into to-dones.
Everything is almost lined up.
And then my phone rings.
By the time I get to Jess, she’s unconscious and bleeding.
My carefully crafted plan blows up in my face.
I tell the hospital we’re engaged. We aren’t, but apparently, in that place, you need a permission slip to see your most important, so I do what has to be done.
I toss together an epic apology salad for when she opens her eyes, and when she does…
She asks me who I am.
I’m willing to overlook the insult since, you know, head injury, but then Nurszilla spills the beans on our pending nuptials.
And just like that, my friend turns into my fiancé, and I’m not even mad at it.
How could I be? Her curves fit in my arms perfectly. Kissing her is like whoa and makes me forget I’m living a lie.
I know I have to come clean, but someone dirtier than me is stalking my final girl, and until she remembers who, it’s on me to keep her safe.
The closer we get, the guiltier I feel.
When all this is over, will she forgive me? Or will everything I’ve done cost me everything I’ve always wanted?

THE REVIEW

“If you run off, I’ll chase you down.” “I won’t run.” “I’ll chase you down,” I repeated. I meant it. I’d chase this woman to the ends of the earth. – Kruger, Ch. 29

As usual with a Cambria Hebert book, it’s taken me a few days to get passed the hangover that I get sucked into. Whoa is a total 5-star read and it has me wanting to take a deep dive back into Westbrook, which honestly, I probably will after I’m done with Gearshark and Bearpaw… because of them being intertwined.

Now, like the other books in this series, you could read them as a standalone, but it really does give you the much bigger picture plus insight into other characters that come after, or even those that we’ve already fallen in love with. Besides, I don’t know about you, but I love the little inside jokes that come about because of things in the previous books.

Whoa is the 6th book in Cambria Hebert’s Westbrook Elite series. And boy does it get you going in the very first chapter. This isn’t my first foray into a book with a character that has amnesia, (if you haven’t read Cambria’s Amnesia and Amnesty duology, then you really need to!) but the way that the FMC gets it was new.

Benjamin Kruger is our male main character, we meet him first in Book 1, though we only know him as Kruger, and he’s awesome! He’s super sweet, protective… and growly. Not something that we see in the previous books, but once we get a deeper look I can totally see. As he’s grown he’s had two friends, Jess and Prism, and has gone to school with them both for years. However, Kruger wants more than just friendship with Jess and has been working towards that for a long time. And that time has finally arrived.

Jessica Park is our female main character, and we do see her a bit in the other books, but not as much as Kruger. She’s one of the lifeguards at the pool where our Bro’s the Elite swim and is generally there during their meets. Just being friends with Kruger is a spot where Jess believes she’ll always stay, not believing there is any other option.

Just like every other time, when something happens to one Elite member, it happens to them all, and they show up en mass to be there to help one another. When gets a call and has to rush out to help Jess, it’s put into the Elite chat and they all come running, trauma lattes in hand. (Can’t say I blame the guys for hating Caramel lattes, they seem to need them a lot!) These boys and their significant others rallied around Jess is everything, expanding their families to include her, not even because of Kruger, but because of her.

We also get to see a bit of Jess’s friendship with Prism (we find out his first name here too! It’s Matt). We’re told a bit about his past and why he does things, like wearing airpods everywhere. (P.S. I’m pretty sure that Prism is our next Elite member who will be getting a book!)

This one is more on the sweet than the spicy side, but don’t think you don’t get the spice in here too, because we do!

Until Next Time!

Tabby

Book Blitz: Whoa by Cambria Hebert




Title: Whoa
Series: Westbrook Elite #6
Author: Cambria Hebert
Genre: Contemporary Sport Romance
Tropes: Friends to Lovers/Fake Engagement
Release Date: December 8, 2023


BLURB

Most people think I’m a moron. In actuality, I’m a man with a plan.
It’s one of those three-year plans that takes longer than three years.
Still, I’ve been making it happen. Checking off those to-dos and turning them into to-dones.
Everything is almost lined up.
And then my phone rings.
By the time I get to Jess, she’s unconscious and bleeding.
My carefully crafted plan blows up in my face.
I tell the hospital we’re engaged. We aren’t, but apparently, in that place, you need a permission slip to see your most important, so I do what has to be done.
I toss together an epic apology salad for when she opens her eyes, and when she does…
She asks me who I am.
I’m willing to overlook the insult since, you know, head injury, but then Nurszilla spills the beans on our pending nuptials.
And just like that, my friend turns into my fiancé, and I’m not even mad at it.
How could I be? Her curves fit in my arms perfectly. Kissing her is like whoa and makes me forget I’m living a lie.
I know I have to come clean, but someone dirtier than me is stalking my final girl, and until she remembers who, it’s on me to keep her safe.
The closer we get, the guiltier I feel.
When all this is over, will she forgive me? Or will everything I’ve done cost me everything I’ve always wanted?







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AUTHOR BIO


Cambria Hebert is a bestselling novelist of more than fifty titles. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.
Besides writing, Cambria loves a pumpkin spice latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching K drama until her eyes won’t stay open. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chihuahuas (the real bosses of the house).
Cambria has written in many genres, including new adult, sports romance, male/male romance, sci-fi, thriller, suspense, contemporary romance, and young adult. Many of her titles have been translated into foreign languages and have been the recipients of multiple awards.

Awards Cambria has received include:

Author of the Year 2016 (UtopiaCon2016)
The Hashtag Series: Best Contemporary Series of 2015 (UtopiaCon 2015)
#Nerd: Best Contemporary Book Cover of 2015 (UtopiaCon 2015)
Romeo from the Hashtag Series: Best Contemporary Lead (UtopiaCon 2015)
#Nerd: Top 50 Summer Reads (Buzzfeed.com 2015)
The Hashtag Series: Best Contemporary Series of 2016 (UtopiaCon 2016)
#NERD Book Trailer: Best Book Trailer of 2016 (UtopiaCon 2016)
#Nerd Book Trailer: Top 50 Most Cinematic Book Trailers of All Time (film-14.com)
#Nerd: Book Most Wanted to be Adapted to Screen: (2018)
Amnesia: Mystery Book of the Year (2018)

Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.
You can find out more about Cambria and her titles by visiting her website:
Stay up to date on all of Cambria’s new releases and more by signing up for her newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bUL5_5


AUTHOR LINKS




Pre-Order Blitz: Acid by Andi Rhodes




Title: Acid
Series: Valhalla Rising MC #2
Author: Andi Rhodes
Genres: MC/Paranormal Romance
Tropes: Boss/Employee, Undercover Love
Release Date: January 5, 2024


BLURB

Humans are taught that death is the end, that it’s their soul’s final curtain call. But for the members of Valhalla Rising MC, death is only the beginning.

Acid…
My life was mediocre at best, but then I died and was escorted to Valhalla. I never thought of myself as a warrior, but rather a man who would do anything necessary to protect others. Which is exactly why Odin sends me back to the land of the living.

The woman I’m tasked with saving wants nothing to do with me, but my orders are to protect her at all costs. When strange things start happening on her farm, she relents and accepts my help, and I’m only too happy to provide it.

I know I can keep her safe, but I’m not at all sure about myself.

Peyton…
Some women spend their time searching for the perfect man, while others waste it on men who break them. I pride myself on not falling into either category. Men complicate things, leaving only pain and devastation in their wake. Which is why I prefer the company of my dogs.

Growing up in the foster care system, I never had any choice but to be independent. But when the life I’ve built is threatened, and I’m pushed beyond the limits of what I can handle alone, I’m forced to rely on the help of a handsome stranger.

Is he the answer to all my silent prayers, or will he destroy my heart even as he saves my life?








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AVAILABLE NOW


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COMING SOON


Releasing May 28

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AUTHOR BIO


Andi Rhodes is an author whose passion is creating romance from chaos in all her books! She writes MC (motorcycle club) romance with a generous helping of suspense and doesn’t shy away from the more difficult topics. Her books can be triggering for some so consider yourself warned. Andi also ensures each book ends with the couple getting their HEA! Most importantly, Andi is living her real-life HEA with her husband and their boxers.

For the most up-to-date information on releases, preorders, signings, and all things Andi Rhodes, visit her website at http://www.andirhodes.com.


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Release Blitz: Cruel by Maggie Alabaster & Jo Bradley




Title: Cruel
Series: Brutal Academy #2
Authors: Maggie Alabaster & Jo Bradley
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Mafia/Reverse Harem
Release Date: December 7, 2023


BLURB

This isn’t a game anymore. This is h*ll.

My sister did this to me. My own blood. She thinks she’ll break me. Beat me.

She’s wrong. So very wrong. I’ll fight my way out of here and when I do, I’m coming for her.

If a surprise attack from a new enemy doesn’t get us both, and our guys, first.

**This is a mafia, why choose, university academy book. Please note TWs**








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AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

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ALSO AVAILABLE


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

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COMING SOON


Releasing January 4

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU






MAGGIE ALABASTER

Maggie Alabaster lives in NSW Australia with her husband, two daughters, a beloved dog, countless birds and a growing collection of books and dragons. She writes reverse harem, both paranormal and contemporary.



JO BRADLEY

Jo Bradley writes contemporary romance. She has a writing companion named Bear and a highly inappropriate sense of humour. She’s looking forward to releasing solo books in early 2024.





Release Blitz: Beautiful Sin by Jennilynn Wyer




Title: Beautiful Sinners
Series: Beautiful Sin #2
Author: Jennilynn Wyer
Genre: New Adult Romantic Suspense
Tropes: Reverse Harem/Why Choose/Opposites Attract
Release Date: December 5, 2023


BLURB

Beautiful Sinners is the highly anticipated second book of the Beautiful Sin Series.

Blurb contains spoilers from book 1, Beautiful Sin.

***

I went to Darlington Founders filled with hopes and dreams. What I found were three men from a past I didn’t want to remember. Tristan Amato, Hendrix Knight, and Constantine Ferreira. Three dark and possessive men who saw me as beautiful and not as the scarred, damaged, broken woman I had become.

After a decade of loneliness and feeling like I didn’t belong because of my scars, Tristan, Hendrix, and Constantine showed me what it was like to be desired. Wanted. Loved. They claimed me. Made me theirs. Protected me. And unknowingly thrust me back into the life I forced myself to forget ten years ago. A life filled with lies, manipulations, and betrayal.

But they weren’t the only ones keeping secrets.

As my past and my present collided, I was forced to make a difficult decision. One born from the fire and the knife that marked my body. One of vengeance for myself and for my parents.

Our enemies wanted Aoife Fitzpatrick? They got her. And they would regret ever bringing her back.

Beautiful Sinners is a full-length dark why choose romance. It is book two in the Beautiful Sin series and ends with a cliffhanger. Recommended for mature readers. Please check Reader’s Note in the front matter of the book for potential TWs.

Beautiful Sin Series
Book 1: Beautiful Sin
Book 2: Beautiful Sinners
Book 3: Beautiful Chaos








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EXCERPT

“I’m not them. I can never be them.”
My voice chokes up. I will never be beautiful. My scars will never fade, and no amount of skin grafts or plastic surgery will make them go away. The man with the constellations on his neck ruined me.
Hendrix stalks closer until my back bumps up against the curved cabin wall, and he towers over me.
“Who will you never be?”
Our gazes meet, the magnetic pull of him too strong for me to resist, but all I see are unwanted images of him with…
“Serena.” I can’t hold his intense blue stare, so I lower my eyes to his chest. “Or every other woman you’ve been with.”
I saw enough on his IG feed to know he has a type. Blonde. Skinny. Gorgeous. Huge boobs.
Lean but powerfully muscled arms cage me in, and then Hendrix is right there in front of me. The curve of his ribcage cuts into my torso. Every exhale of his warm breath tickles my forehead and cheeks, stirring the small hairs that have curled around my face. I soak in his body heat. His smell. Him.
“Drop to your knees, baby, and I’ll show you exactly who my cock belongs to because it sure as shit isn’t the woman out there.”
Sinking to the floor, my body is already obeying before my brain catches up, and I snap out of it.

Copyright 2023 Jennilynn Wyer






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COMING SOON


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AUTHOR BIO


Jennilynn Wyer is multi-award winning romance author (Rudy Award winner for Romantic Suspense, HOLT Medallion Award winner, Contemporary Romance Writers Reader’s Choice Award winner, four-time Contemporary Romance Writers Stiletto Finalist, three-time HOLT Medallion Award Finalist, and a Carolyn Reader’s Choice Award Finalist). She writes steamy, New Adult romances as well as dark reverse harem romances. She also pens YA romance under the pen name JL Wyer. She is a sassy Southern belle who lives a real-life friends-to-lovers trope with her blue-eyed British husband. When not writing, she’s nestled in her favorite reading spot, e-reader in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, enjoying the latest romance novel.


AUTHOR LINKS