F*ck Roses

by Sara Cate

Alice was convinced she found the perfect man in Eli. He’s funny, handsome, charming...perfect. Until he dumps her on national television.
Reeling from the rejection of losing America’s most popular reality show, Alice finds herself stuck in a beautiful oceanfront suite on Wickett Beach with the world’s broodiest cameraman.
It’s up to him to capture her grief and humiliation on camera, but when an epic storm hits, Alice and Sam become stranded in the hotel room without power or a way out.
Being stuck with the perfect rebound sounds nice, but with the way Sam looks at her, Alice is starting to wonder if he’s ever going to let her go...even after the storm passes.

Genres: Romance, Novella, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, Smut, Enemies To Lovers

ebook

About the author

Sara Cate is a USA Today best-selling author of steamy romance and sexy book boyfriends. Although she writes a wide range of tropes, Sara is best known for her age gap and taboo romances. One thing you can expect from her entire collection is heaps of steam and plenty of angst.

Living in Arizona with her husband and kids, Sara spends most of her time reading, writing, or baking.

Find out more at: www.saracatebooks.com

Reviews

[Kursed Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

As if facing the rejection of losing America’s most popular reality show weren’t bad enough, now Alice is stuck riding out a severe storm with Sam the cameraman.

F*ck Roses is a novella with a unique premise and steamy outcome.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burn: 🔥🔥1/2
Darkness: 🤍
Heat: 🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 😢
Ending: 💗 {HEA}
POV: 👫🏻 {Dual}

🗂 Genre: Contemporary Romance

✨ Tropes: Forced Proximity, Virgin h

💋 Kinks: n/a

⚠️ Warning: This sweet and steamy read will leave you wanton.

🚩 Safety Squad: n/a

📣 Type: F*ck Roses is a standalone.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[D.L. Howe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice just lost the man in one of those ridiculous dating shows that involves roses. And as a storm swiftly overtakes the island she’s stuck with the hunky cameraman Sam.

Turns out this is everything Sam was hoping for, because while the bachelor had second thoughts he knew he wanted Alice from the first time he set eyes on her.

Short, sweet and to the point aka straight between the sheets.

Nothing too special about this one. Bland characters, bland plot, I did like the little plot twist for some much needed drama.

Overall coulda missed this one and not felt bad about it.

[fulano · Rating 2 out of 5]

cw: cheating (not MCs)

We don’t even get to learn about the hero and heroine at all. They lacked chemistry and though I adore the instalove trope, we never see how they “fell in love” because they had never really interacted before. They had one interaction and encounter…and then they declared their love instead of their intention to date. It made no sense because the heroine was desperate to marry the cheating guy a couple minutes before she ever even even talked and slept with the hero. They talked and then had sex once. ONCE!

But you know what hurts me the most? I would’ve forgiven that had the steamy scenes been good. I’ve never read Sara Cate before but I assumed that they were a steamy author given the popularity they’ve received over their Salacious Players Club series. I was made a fool instead. There’s one sex scene and it was clinical. It was one paragraph long and the basic “insert slot a into slot b” with virtually no foreplay. Everyone talks about the frustration they have over fade to black but let me tell you… nothing hurts worse than a badly written sex scene.

Oh and the heroine was a virgin. Which didn’t make ANY sense. That came so out of left field that I had a jump scare moment. I usually don’t pay attention on whether a heroine is a virgin or not because heroines are worth more than their virginity or lack of it, but this was very out of touch in the story. She begged the cheating guy to take it but he didn’t take up on her offer so I guess I’m glad she wasn’t one of those “I’m saving myself for the love of my life and I’m pure unlike every other girl uwu” so there’s that I guess.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the heroine calls her ex a “liberal” type while the hero here “probably has the second amendment tattooed in his ass”. (her own words) Conservative men are disgusting so I don’t know why the author would include that. White women are so terribly unfunny it’s honestly pathetic.

[anna. ׂׂૢ · Rating 1 out of 5]

and this is what we call pointless folks!!!

[Alyssa Huet · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5✨

[Sara Cate]

You can read this short story for FREE right now!
Grab your copy here ---> https://dl.bookfunnel.com/drusvd9k2z

[steph ⋆˙⟡♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I don’t rate many novellas more than 4 stars because there’s not much to them but I really enjoyed this one so it definitely deserves 5 stars. I love watching the shows so having a spicy novella about a contestant x cameraman… It was perfect. I LOVE Sam. He seemed extremely wholesome, tbh. Like he meddled into the show just so he had the ~potential~ opportunity to tell Alice how he truly feels, that’s super cute, honestly!! Ugh, I could read a whole length novel with Alice and Sam.

[Sarah Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t care much for reality show, but this story was pretty good. Alice wasn’t picked for the final rose but it works out for the best. I liked Sam and thought he was the better choice. Although I liked the story, I didn’t truly connect with the characters. It won’t deter me from reading more from this author.

[Jezabel Nightingale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and steamy.

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute - way more story than i was expecting, but it was good for what it is

[Kaija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man! I love this!
Quick steamy bachelor vibes, and I’m obsessed with it!

[Clo · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a quick read, my lord that was good.

[Gabby Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ for 50 pages, its good! however was very insta lovey, couldve done 70% feeling the vibe and then it wrapping up in the last 30%.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you’re dumped on national television in the finale of a dating show, then trapped on an island by a storm, what’s a girl to do? Sleep with the cameraman who has secretly been falling for you the whole time of course!

I’m deep in my Sara Cate binge and loving it!

[Milica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have given it 4 stars if the heroine wasn't a virgin and I don't like reading about virgin heroines and non virgin heroes. I was really enjoying the story until she said that she wanted him to be her first. That detail was unnecessary and it spoiled the whole book for me. Especially, since there was no reason for her to not be with anyone before him.

[Chalice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The couple: Sam and Alice

Romance trope: contemporary; competition
Length: 58 pages

Plot: Alice was competing on a Bachelor-style reality TV show, and Sam was one of the cameramen. Alice was runner-up; she was so certain that the bachelor would pick her, and then he didn't; now she's stuck at the resort with Sam, waiting out a storm. But Sam always knew that Alice was meant to be his, and he might have helped that along a bit. When the bachelor comes back, who will she pick - the guy she thought she wanted or the man who only wants her?

Commentary: I really liked this one. Sometimes we get it in our head that we want something and so it must be good for us when really, we should slow down and think ahead rather than just what feels good at the moment. I'm mostly talking about my Amazon purchases, but in Alice's case, she thought she wanted the bachelor who was (supposedly) wooing her in front of all of America, but Sam knew he was no good for Alice. He just had to get her to see that.

Grammar/formatting: The story ends at50%, with the rest of the book a preview of another book.

[Kaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
STEAM: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

I've been reading two-flame reads and needed a dirty quick read before I hit more steamy-not-spicy books. This scratched that itch.

Alice is the runner-up in a reality show, and she is distraught about losing her Prince Charming. It turns out The Bachelor was more of a toad and the Prince was right behind the camera. She and cameraman Sam get stuck at the resort after an unexpected storm hits the town. Will Sam come clean on his feelings and intentions?

This is my second Sara Cate read, and what I am learning is that she is fantastic at building immediate tension that grows hotter as the read moves along. When it finally comes to a head (no pun intended), you best believe that you're fanning yourself from the heat.

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a freebie novella from joining the author’s newsletter and a rebound romance. And it was just okay. Alice gets dumped during the last rose ceremony of a popular dating reality show. Feeling sad about not being picked after thinking the bachelor was “the one”, Alice then finds out a big storm is coming to the island and she will have to hole up in her hotel room. But she has Sam, the cameraman, with her and it turns into their romance. This was very short, like 50 pages or so, and takes place over 2 nights. It does get a bit messy towards the end when Alice finds out Sam really didn’t want her to end up with the show’s bachelor and got involved in making sure she didn’t. But then they bounce right back into one another’s arms.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a filmmaker I loved this. Normally film based romances don’t do it for me, but I think this was short and OTT enough fo really work. I think I also really enjoyed that Sara made him a camera dude. This was a brilliant move, because they are definitely the most obnoxious guys on set. And this was really good with delivering the obnoxiously sexy vibes.

I didn’t enjoy the bit about how the weaker villain is a Portland liberal… whereas the hot, manly man was a gun lover (which seems like code for Republican, or non-voter / Libertarian). I seriously considered taking a star off for that weird comment. But I decided that seeing as he was in film, he was probably fine. Even if he was a camera dude.

[Nicole Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: F*ck Roses by Sara Cate
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
This review may contain minor spoilers.

Sweet & spicy short story inspired by a certain dating show. Alice is a broken hearted contestant who thought the final rose was going to be hers. Sam is the camera man who knew Alice deserved more than what Eli could offer.

He's supposed to capture her grief on camera, but when a storm hits, these two are stuck together in the suite. This story contains forced proximity, spilled secrets, and insta-love.

Fun read that is definitely a step up from watching the show. The contestant and the camera man is a fun angle *tee hee did you see what I did there?* and I would have loved a full novel to get to know the characters a bit more!

[Carmela Dimattia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun novella about life as a losing contestant on a dating show. Alice is devastated that Eli did not choose her for a happily ever after but when she is stranded with cameraman Sam her heartache turns into happiness when her and Sam embark on a steamy romance. Although Sam manipulated the situation it does not deter Alice from a relationship with him. This was a hot, steamy read that will leave you wanting so much more.

I received an arc copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Heather Hahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a quick and fun read! Love Sara's stories, so this didn't disappoint. Love the connection between Alice and Sam. While there isn't a ton of time for character development (this is a short story after all), you do have the understanding that they've been interacting for a while, behind the scenes of the show. So it's much more believable that Sam sees Alice for Alice, not for the made-up version, and why she would fall for him. Highly recommend!

[Hayley Tackett-Sebring · Rating 3 out of 5]

F*ck Roses is an awesome short story, I’d give it a 2 of of 10 on spice scale. But for a short story it’s pretty great. I finished it in just a few minutes, Alice and Sam seem like they’d be perfect for each other, however I just wish we got more than just a couple of chapters here. I felt like it could’ve been another few chapters longer and given even more detail about how everything played out.

[Tammy - · Rating 3 out of 5]

This steamy novella is about a woman who isn't the one to receive the final rose on a reality show and the cameraman who wanted her to lose. After the final show, these two find themselves stranded alone together due to a raging storm, and with nothing left to lose, they decide to throw caution to the wind. Great story to pick up if you're looking for a quick, fun, flirty little read.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted a quick read, looked thru my kindle for novellas, and stumbled across Sara’s. I f’ing love her and knew that this would be a quick, dirty, and hot read. It was and I loved everything about Alice and Sam’s story. Alice is runner up in a dating show and when she is stranded with one of the producers as a storm rages in- the storm raging between them runs hot AF.

[Hannah | Blessed Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute story!! Alice and Sam were adorable together, and Sam was totally swoon-worthy, just saying. 😍 Their story caught my attention from the very beginning and held it until the end. It was so good I low-key wish it was a full-length novel instead of a novella. 🥺
Anyways, I very much enjoyed reading it, and I'd definitely recommend it. ;)

[Amanda Koziczkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5☆
First off I absolutely love The Bachelor-esque set up! I ate that up! It was such an entertaining storyline for a novella and was a great little read. I loved Sam and Alice's steamy short story. I loved the concept of their relationship on the show and how that unravels after. They were just too cute and loved it!

[Kourtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forced proximity, forbidden romance, one bed.

We’ve all known the snowed in stories but let make it stormed in story and you’ve been dumped on a TV show. But since you stepped out of the limo you’ve always had your eye on the sexy camera man.

This was just the pallet cleanser I needed after this reading slump I’ve been in. What a quick read.

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a random freebie novella that I really enjoyed. Alice is one of the final two contestants on a Bachelor type reality show. The bachelor dumps her and she gets comforted by the hunky cameraman. I would consider reading something else from this author.

[Biggs_bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like reality love shows? Love romances books? Want to know what happens after the final rose? This book is all those things. A quick read with humor and heat and a touch of omg that’s so sweet moments. Sam is the best!