Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf: Review: Izzy As Is by Tracie Banister

Izzy As Is by Tracie Banister
Release Date: January 24, 2018
Publisher: self published
Genre: Adult, Romance,
Source: eBook provided by author in exchange for an honest review
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The party is over for bikini model Izzy Alvarez. For six years she’s made a good living by flaunting her God-given assets on runways and in front of cameras, but now as she approaches the big 3-0, the bodacious Latina is shocked to learn she’s aged out of the profession that’s kept her in mojitos, mani/pedis, and designer thongs. What’s a girl with a taste for the finer things in life and no marketable skills to do?

Getting a regular job is too boring to even consider, so Izzy decides to follow in the footsteps of her newly-engaged frenemy and become a trophy wife. Although she’s desperate and too broke to get a chipped nail fixed, Izzy still has standards for her future husband, which means no uggos, no vertically-challenged guys, and no geezers who need to pop a blue pill to perform in the bedroom. Enlisting the aid of her computer whiz nephew and her closest pals, Izzy goes on the prowl for a rich, marriage-minded man, encountering likely candidates in a lot of unlikely places.

The high life she’s dreamed of may be within reach when Izzy meets a charming, successful man who’s not only hotter than a steamy summer night in Miami, but ready to settle down. Now all Izzy has to do is make sure her loud, crazy Cuban family doesn’t scare off el hombre perfecto—oh, yeah, and squelch those pesky, romantic feelings she keeps having for the sweet, cash-strapped guy she's known forever.

Will Izzy’s hunger for money win out, or will her fiery heart demand to be heard?

Review:

To put it simply: I ADORED Izzy As Is.

It's pee-your-pants hilarious, charming, and romantic! Oh, and did I mention swoon-worthy as well?! Seriously, I was in swoon heaven the whole way through, and I couldn't have been any happier.

What I Liked:

The Main Character - Izzy is completely unapologetic. She's in-your-face feisty and her confidence reaches extreme heights. Some may say she's just a tad too full of herself; however, I couldn't get enough of her. The things she would say always had me dying of laughter. She has no filter whatsoever! What I liked the most about Izzy, however, was the moments where she let her guard down. Sure, she may put on an incredibly tough act most of the time, but she has the same fears and worries as the average person. Her career is stalling, she's dealing with money problems, and she wonders if she'll ever have her happy ending. At first, she thinks the answer is the superficial one - marrying up - but as the book continues Izzy finds herself in surprising position and I loved the growth that came with it.

The Romance - In Izzy's pursuit for a rich, sexy husband, she experiences some winners and a whole lot of duds. The duds brought the laughs and the winners brought the steam. By the middle, Izzy is torn between two guys: the powerful executive ready to settle down and her long-term guy best friend. While I liked both, I was team best friend the whole way through! I loved the connection between him and Izzy. Their chemistry was scorching hot, and I loved the way that everyone but them knew there was something brewing there below the surface.

Izzy's Family - I could honestly read about Izzy's family all day. They're dysfunctional in the kind of way that is incredibly funny but at the same time you're happy you're not the one dealing with them. I loved the spats that would occur between Izzy and her sisters and mother, but I have to say the real show stealers here were Izzy's nephew and niece. The scenes were Izzy was in charge of them were by far my favorite.

The Message - Over the course of the book, Izzy experiences a lot of growth, and I appreciated the message it brought along for the ride. When the book first begins, Izzy believes that money is the answer to everything; however, she quickly learns that's not the case; instead, family, love, and happiness are what has the most value at the end of the day. I loved seeing this transformation occur, and I especially loved seeing Izzy finding her groove later in life. It goes to show that it's never to late to change your path.