Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I’ll be honest & admit off the bat that I was leery of beginning this one bc I was nervous I would encounter a behemoth. But to my surprise, once I read a couple of chapters The Christmas Fix activated my “dislike to lovers” pleasure receptors & I was off. Cat King and Noah Yates dislike each other immediately. She’s a reno expert & reality tv star & he is a starchy city manager who doesn’t want her to orchestrate and film any reno to his storm-ravaged town. But somewhere along the way he realizes that there is much much more to her & also that he has embraced a locked-down life & the fun begins. The Christmas Fix starts off a bit bumpy for me because both leads come across as abrasive. Cat is not willing to take no for an answer & Noah is very judgmental about her profession & interests & lifestyle & in a way that doesn’t feel potentially sexy. But the steam keeps steamin’ & there are some majorly cute moments as Cat introduces him to grocery store & snow adventures. Noah’s unexpected vulnerability is heartwarming, even more so how Cat responds to it. I wanted a bit more from his evolution but overall, it’s nicely done. Some of Lucy Score’s books haven’t worked for me in the past but The Christmas Fix is an adorable & hot & sweet holiday read that actually ties in nicely to the new year despite the title. 4.25⭐️. Out now! CWs: some comments about how clothes fit; past parental negligence/emotional scarring.
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Hi and welcome to my blog tour stop for Patience Griffin's Happily Ever Alaska! This cover is so precious--I love how cozy the image is. You can pick up your copy of this contemporary today. Summary.Lolly Crocker keeps a warm bakery in her chilly Alaskan town, but can she handle the rekindling of an old flame? Whenever things get too serious, baker Lolly Crocker knows it’s time to break it off with a guy. Without fail, her gut will tell her that the man she's dating is not Mr. Right. The one exception was Shaun Montana, her high school sweetheart. With Shaun, life felt complete; but her mother convinced her she was too young to be tied down, and Lolly broke up with him the night before she left for college. While Lolly keeps every relationship light, Shaun is never less than fully committed—and still somehow his romances have all ended badly. When he comes back to Sweet Home, his attraction to Lolly is as fiery as ever, but he's determined to keep things casual for once...just when Lolly is finally ready to risk her heart on a second chance. Excerpt.Lolly Crocker stepped outside to get her mail, glad for the warmer days of July and to be free of a jacket. A group of her home ec students would arrive any minute at her humble abode on the cheap side of Sweet Home, Alaska, population 573. Over summer break, Lolly was giving baking lessons based on The Great British Baking Show, a favorite binge for both her and the girls, who were in her class at Sweet Home High. Today's bake was macarons, a treat that Lolly loved. Which was perfect-it was her thirty-fourth birthday. She'd returned to her hometown around this time last year to take a position teaching family and consumer science, but since the end of school, she'd basically been holding her breath. Rumor had it that noncore subjects like hers might be cut from the curriculum in the fall. But as each day passed and the new school year drew nearer, she felt more confident. No teachers had been laid off, according to the grapevine, which was more accurate than the Nightly News. And yet, Lolly couldn't breathe easy until the district sent her a new contract. Hers must've fallen through the cracks. On Monday, she planned to call and find out what the holdup was. The first day of school was in one month and four days. Surely her missing contract was just an oversight. As she reached for the mailbox handle, a blue Ford pickup pulled in beside her. Newlyweds Jesse and Tori Montana grinned at her as they disembarked. "Hey, Lolly." Tori gave her a hug with a gift bag in hand. "How is your staycay-honeymoon going?" But Lolly needn't have asked. They both seemed to be floating on air. "We've made progress on our new home," Jesse said, "and when Shaun gets back, it'll go much quicker." But as soon as he said it, he seemed to regret bringing up his brother. Probably because he'd seen Lolly blanch. Shaun Montana was Lolly's one regret in a long line of breakups. She had quite the record of dating good guys and then cutting them loose. A couple of times-okay, three-she'd even been engaged: Howard from Missouri, whom she'd met her senior year of college; Ted the history teacher, who taught at the same high school in Oregon as she had; and Frank, who owned three dry cleaners, all three men whom she'd met when she lived outside of Alaska. Each time, after she got engaged, when her stomach started hurting, she knew without a doubt that Mr. Right This Time hadn't really been right after all, and she broke it off. Her only consolation was that all three of her ex-fiancés had married soon afterward, started families, and had their happily-ever-afters, in spite of her. But the story of Shaun had gone differently. They'd never been engaged, but Lolly had been convinced that they'd had a love for the ages. Lolly looked up into Jesse's face and realized the air surrounding them was fraught with awkwardness. "Sorry? What did you say?" Looking embarrassed, Tori held out the gift bag. "No worries. I brought you a present." Lolly accepted the bag, though she wasn't sure what was going on. "Present?" What she really wanted to ask was When is Shaun going to be back in town? Lolly had seen him at their wedding but only from a distance, as if he was trying to stay away from her on purpose. And then suddenly, he'd been gone. No one had said when he was coming back. Excerpted from Happily Ever Alaska by Patience Griffin Copyright © 2023 by Patience Griffin. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. About the author.Patience Griffin is the award-winning author of the Kilts and Quilts series of contemporary romances. She grew up in a small town along the Mississippi River, enjoying life in a close-knit community. She loves to quilt and has gained national recognition with her September 11 Story Quilt, which has toured the country as the property of the Pentagon, and her extensive collection of commercially available quilting fabrics. Have you ever read a romance set in Alaska? Are you planning on checking this one out? Let me know what you think!
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. This powerhouse of a cover matches the vibe of these books by Xio Axelrod so well. Girls with Bad Reputations & the former, The Girl with Stars In Her Eyes, focus on members of the all-girl rock band The Lillys. These books have such musical presence, you all. I feel like I’m at their concert during the musical scenes, only without the crush & stress of having to leave a crowded parking lot after ;) . Girls with Bad Reputations, this upcoming release, features drummer Kayla, who's actually managed to keep her rocker life a secret from her demanding, reputation-focused mother, a prestigious professor & writer. But The Lillys’ success is growing in this book, thanks to their talent & their hard work, & not only are those scenes really fun & magnetic to read, they also amp the stakes with Kayla emotionally. We know eventually everything will come out. As Kayla travels the US with her band, she gets to know Ty, their bus driver who’s still processing trauma from being recently falsely accused by a classmate. This friends to lovers story is a slow burn, with plenty of conversations & support & understanding to really cement their connection, & I love how they genuinely appreciate each other. I wish the book had been a bit tighter in spots, but I’m such a fan of this premise & The Lillys & Axelrod really makes me feel the authenticity of it all. The experience of them. 4⭐️. Out 02/06.[CWs: Ty was falsely accused by a classmate of plagiarism & assault. Death. Grandfather experiences a stroke.]
Hi and welcome to my blog tour stop for Jaci Burton's Housebroke! I'm excited to feature this romance--out tomorrow! Summary.A millionaire and a woman who thinks he's a house flipper are stuck living in a house together with a menagerie of rescue dogs as roommates, in this heartfelt romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton. After her ex took all their money and bailed, Hazel Bristow is left broke and homeless. A kind friend whose home is on the market lets Hazel and her foster dogs stay there until it sells. It’s the perfect setup, until her friend forgets to tell Hazel she’s sold the house. Linc Kennedy is shocked to find Hazel and her pups squatting in the house he just bought, but after some negotiating—she offers to cook amazing meals for him in return for a paycheck—he agrees to let her remain while he’s renovating the place. Linc tells Hazel he’s an investor who renovates homes for fun—he just leaves out the part about being wealthy. Hazel’s intrigued by Linc. He’s funny, sweet, ridiculously hot, and loves dogs almost as much as she does. But her track record with men? Not great. She worries her trust meter isn’t in working order. Linc’s never met anyone like the quirky beauty who puts everyone’s needs—human and canine—before her own. He didn’t tell her about his wealth because he’s been burned by women who only wanted him for his money. But with Hazel, he’s never felt more like himself. Now he has to figure out how to tell her the truth without losing her. Because Linc realizes what he feels for her isn't puppy love—it's true love. About the author.Jaci Burton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Boots and Bouquets series, the Brotherhood by Fire series, the Hope series, and the Play-by-Play novels. Learn more at jaciburton.com. Who else loves a forced proximity romance? I love that trope. Let me know what you think if you check this one out!
Hi and welcome to my blog tour stop for Jo Segura's Raiders of the Lost Heart! I was so intrigued by this book immediately after reading the synopsis and check out that cover. Summary.Archaeologist Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has a bone to pick. Literally. It’s been Corrie’s life goal to lead an expedition deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the long-lost remains of her ancestor, Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire. But when she is invited to join an all-expenses-paid dig to do just that, Corrie is sure it’s too good to be true...and she’s right. As the world-renowned expert on Chimalli, Corrie should be leading the expedition, not sharing the glory with her disgustingly handsome nemesis. But Dr. Ford Matthews has been finding new ways to best her since they were in grad school. Ford certainly isn’t thrilled either—with everything going on in his life right now, the last thing he needs is a reminder of their rocky past. But as the dig begins, it becomes clear they’ll need to work together after learning that a thief is lurking around their campsite. Now they are forced to keep their discoveries—and lingering attraction—under wraps. With money-hungry artifact smugglers, the Mexican authorities, and the lies between them closing in, there’s only one way this all ends—explosively. [ID: Jess’s white hand holds the ebook in front of a Christmas tree decorated in pink & gold.]My review.I’m not the type to get into races with jaguarundi or go on unguided tours of caves, for example, but I *do* love an adventure story & the thrill of the hunt in my local antique or thrift store so Jo Segura’s Raiders of the Lost Heart was right up my alley. This book is really fun. Featuring two professors who have a missed romantic opportunity & betrayal in their background, ROTLH takes the reader on an intriguing ride through the jungles of Mexico & a dislike-to-lovers relationship arc. Corrie Mejía is the badass archaeologist type who’s been compared to Lara Croft & isn’t afraid of a bit of danger with her quest. She’s also trying to make it onto the archaeological map amongst her colleagues, who don’t entirely give her the respect she’s due. An opportunity to search for Chimalli brings her face to face with an old nemesis, Ford Matthews, a hottie who she believes betrayed her. Ford is self-aware, self-critical when necessary, and secretly consumed with worry. In the jungles of Mexico the two have a chance to confront their past & figure out if they have a future. This opposites attract works really well together, both of them tempering the other/encouraging the other when necessary. I liked how wrong they could both be about their work/research methodologies—it’s nice to see talented, really smart people not be perfect sometimes . For me, some of the external drama gets to be a bit much, & I didn’t love the pacing of how certain strings are tied at the end, but by & large this is an entertaining, adventurous, passionate story by an author I’d definitely like to read again. 4⭐️. Out now!CWs: blackmail, previous slut-shaming, mother currently has cancer, loss of parents, former betrayal of parents.Are you in the mood for an adventure romance? Have you read any recent romances featuring an archaeologist lead?
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Photo Credit: Micah Benson 2020 | Rosie Danan is the award-winning, bestselling author of The Roommate and The Intimacy Experiment. The New York Times describes her work as "warmly funny and gorgeously sexy," and a film adaptation of The Roommate is currently in development from Anton Studios. When not writing, Rosie enjoys jogging slowly to fast music, petting other people’s dogs, and competing against herself in rounds of Chopped using the miscellaneous ingredients occupying her fridge. Learn more online at www.rosiedanan.com. |
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