Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. A road trip romance with some let’s-snuggle-to-stay-warmer & mutual rescuing moments?!?! One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny is a character-driven romance with some big moments at the end that really amp up the action & the dramatic gesture quotient for each lead. The book opens with Raff, the son of an Earl, traveling to the home of his sister’s intended, William, who is a nobleman she will soon marry to shore up an alliance between their families. But William leaves before the wedding, before Raff and his family even meet him, & when Raff is tasked with tracking William, he enters Hartswood Forest and finds only the servant Penn that he met in the forest a day or so before & kissed. Seeing that Penn needs assistance with his own escape from the keep, Raff says Penn can accompany him on his journey North & find another way home & employment on the way. So, in short, Raff & Penn are on a journey away from the keep together, both of them keeping secrets that will soon blow up in their faces. This book is soft, with several moments where the leads try to protect each other. Both leads are loyal, steadfast, & brave, and both show how they’re willing to face pain for the sake of the other. Moreover, there’s an emotional consideration to the protection too, as Raff worries about the social dynamics between him & Penn, the man he believes to be a servant. ONIH is a great historical romance & I adore how these two are able to make a happy, safe life together because they made it happen. 4.5⭐️. Out 11/07. CWs: Penn’s past abuse. Reference to death, family exile.
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Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Want an intense fantasy from the word “go”? Try Hannah Kaner’s Godkiller, a multi-POV epic story featuring a god-killing bisexual heroine who has a prosthetic after her father sacrificed her leg to save her life the night her entire family was killed. Whew that’s a lot, right?! But like I said, this book is intense & compelling, with a reluctantly helpful heroine, a young orphaned charge who just happens to be connected to a small god, & a mysterious soldier-turned-baker who all make a journey to a war-torn city for different reasons. With standout queer rep & disabled rep, some steam, a multi-person POV, & a thrilling conclusion, this striking fantasy leaves the reader wanting more. 4.5⭐️. Out 09/12.CWs: please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. There’s been a real trend in my reading lately of emotional contemporary romances that deal with grief & general life uncertainty & it makes me happy & sad. Happy for all of us that we’re living in a time when these topics can be discussed with gravity & often humor & always understanding & that there can be so much joy interwoven in those stories too—the joy of falling in love. Sad because books about grief & loss are that too, of course, & Ashley Poston’s The Dead Romantics & Sarah Adler’s Mrs. Nash’s Ashes & now Jessica Joyce’s YOU, WITH A VIEW really make their departed characters come across the page—their hopes & dreams & most importantly, their love—even as those characters are no longer physically present within the book itself. YOU, WITH A VIEW is just a stellar book in general, merging a rivals to lovers story with an emotional epistolary-laden road trip with splashes of humor so well. Not only is the book about an ending—the loss of Noelle’s grandmother & best friend—it’s also about beginnings: giving life to professional hopes & dreams, making new friends, seeing more to a high school rival than you thought was there, seeing everything. What else can I say about this book except that I loved it, it’s beautiful & sad & hopeful & romantic, I loved the steam, I want to go on an adventure with someone who will kiss me in a hotel room (ie my husband), & you should read this book? 5⭐️. Out 07/11.[ID: Jess’s white hand holds the ebook in front of the ocean. In the background is her husband Daniel, a white man wearing a hat, a light colored shirt, & blue swimming shorts.]Hi and welcome to my blog stop for Sarah Adler's Mrs. Nash's Ashes! A big thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Summary.Just in time for summer, MRS. NASH’S ASHES takes us along for two romantic journeys set decades apart: a laugh-out-loud road trip romance and, a moving 1940s-set sapphic love story. In present day, former child-star Millicent Watts-Cohen is on what she believes to be simple a mission: hop on a flight from Washington, D.C. to sunny Key West and deliver the ashes of her elderly best friend to a long-lost lover. But when every flight in the airport is suddenly cancelled, Millie’s only hope at keeping her promise to dear Mrs. Nash is the insufferable—and ridiculously attractive—Hollis Hollenbeck. As the frenemy of Millie’s ex and a perpetual grump, the last thing Hollis wants is to travel all the way to Florida with Miss Ball of Sunshine, Millicent Watts-Cohen. But eventually, Hollis lets Millie hitch a ride with him, and the two embark on the adventure of a lifetime, one which will challenge every belief they’ve ever had about true love. As they contend with peculiar bed-and-breakfasts, unusual small-town festivals, and a deer with a death wish, Millie begins to suspect that her reluctant travel partner might enjoy her company more than he lets on. Because for someone who supposedly doesn’t share her views on romance, Hollis sure is becoming invested in the success of their journey. And the closer they get to their destination, the more Millie has to admit that maybe this trip isn’t just about Mrs. Nash’s love story after all—maybe it’s about her own. Alongside Millie and Hollis’s hilariously chaotic and deliciously steamy journey—yes, your favorite romance tropes like “there’s only one bed” and “quick, pretend we’re married” are in this one!—Adler takes us back in time to witness the love story that inspired Millie’s mission. Sparks fly in the past and present as two stories of true love weave together into a funny, heartfelt novel that hits the sweet spot between elevated romance and women’s fiction. My Review.Opposites attract road trip romance = love for me & Sarah Adler’s Mrs. Nash’s Ashes did not disappoint. This author is so funny, you all. I was cracking up reading some of the heroine’s lines & the banter is a grumpy & the sunshine delight. The book opens with Millie beginning a trip to Florida to bury part of her elderly best friend’s remains. Her flight plans fall through but luckily for her, Hollis Hollenbeck, who she vaguely knows through her ex, allows her to ride with him. Hollis is by turns exasperated, bewildered, & turned on by Millie or Millicent, as he calls her. That is my favorite combo . I adore Millie, whose heart is wide open. & then I adored Hollis for adoring this about her in a confused, curmudgeonly, & fiercely protective way. This book will grab hold of your heart & the dual storylines, telling Millie & Hollis’s story & Mrs. Nash & her lover’s, are done so well, pacing-wise. The only thing that bothered me a bit about the book is the conflict, which really does go for the jugular, as Millie describes that type of fight. But I love how it wraps up & how they got there, & this is one of those books that gives all the feelings a la The Dead Romantics. A lovely & celebratory portrayal of weirdness & love. 5⭐️. Out tomorrow, 05/23!Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs. Are you planning on checking this one out? Let me know what you think and thanks for stopping by!
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I was impressed by Mazey Eddings’s adult romance debut A Brush with Love but for me her voice shines even more in this adorable & also emotionally striking YA contemporary romance, Tilly in Technicolor. Mazey captures so well the feeling of not belonging / not feeling free to be oneself & how critical putting yourself into new experiences, putting yourself out there, being yourself, can be to your own happiness…& maybe it will allow you to find and appreciate happiness with someone else too. The neurodivergence rep, the story of recent high school graduates, Tilly and Oliver—the former trying to figure out her path forward—, the leads’ bad initial impression of each other, & some adventures in different European cities results in a book that really had me smiling on the inside & also feeling so happy by the end. There’s one moment in particular where Oliver realizes that unlike other people, Tilly is actually into his interests, like the color of a door, that is particularly lovely. Though I wanted more in regards to Tilly’s relationship with her overbearing, often toxic mom—the resolution is a bit hasty for me—everything else is basically pitch perfect. I’m really glad this book was written! 5⭐️. Out 08/15.CWs: Overbearing, overmanaging, dismissive mom; lack of understanding & even cruelty from others regarding neurodivergence.
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I’m starting this review in a brutally honest way & saying that I thought book 1 in this series was really good, book 2 was a slog for me, & book 3–excluding a quibble or two I had at the end of this book—had me saying OH MY THIS IS FUN from the first time the MCs meet. Definitely by the end of their encounter, when they hook up for the first time. Eamon Sullivan is supposed to be accompanying Carla Black on a trip across Ireland for his brother & her BFF’s wedding. But sparks fly in a major way when they meet & after setting the sheets, the bed, the room, that entire side of Ireland on fire with their sexytimes, & after realizing how much pleasure they take in each other, they prolong their road trip in fun random adventures along the way. Off the Map portrays instant attraction & companionship in a beautiful & striking way—I totally believed that they were hot for each other, that they liked each other, & that it was love too. This book feels like it came to me at the right time & I embraced the heck out of this road trip romp. With that being said, there is a sadder story underpinning the book. Carla’s beloved dad has dementia & there is loss & grief on page—see my CW below for more on this. I didn’t totally love how it functions in the plot but the story of their relationship overall is touching & explains Carla’s love of travel. Off the Map was a bubble book for me in terms of reading Trish Doller. Will I be back for more now? You betcha. 4.5⭐️. Out 03/07.CWs: Dad has dementia & dies at the end of the book.
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.#SundayShelfie + Review I recently reorganized my bookshelves, getting rid of some books I was N E V E R going to read, consolidating my two TBR shelves into one overflowing one, & making a lot more room for books I’ve loved in the rest of the bookcase. So here she is: a reorganized bookcase with some different books at the front! & now here’s that aforementioned review ;). If you’re searching for thick fantasy books with romantic elements you M U S T look at the Last Binding series by Freya Marske. Book 1, This Marvellous Light, was one of my top reads of last year. A Restless Truth is a sensational follow-up & my guesses & expectations about the couple for book 3 are S K Y high. In this book, Robin’s sister Maud Blythe is accompanying a woman holding part of the Last Contract back to England. Said woman hasn’t revealed what item in her belongings is actually the Last Contract, which is a problem when she’s murdered & someone ransacks their room. In order to find that item, & yeah, prevent a lot of bad things from happening to Britain’s magic-possessors & probably just the world in general, Maud ropes others into helping her, including the stunning Violet Debenham. There is intrigue galore in this book & lots of twists & turns. As Maud & Violet work together they indulge in their attraction, even as Violet struggles to really let someone in. Not only are the world-building & the plot strong, the emotional acumen shown here is really lovely. Marske has a deftness with emotions that left me hoping these leads could go to the relationship distance. Book 3 will likely focus on a different couple & I have my hopes for it will be. In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out these two interconnected queer fantasies, beginning with A Marvellous Light. They’re very very good! 5⭐️. Out 11/01.CWs: one of the secondary characters that we’re presumably kinda sorta supposed to be rooting for calls another “Mediterranean gutter rat.” Violence, including murder.
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC and the publisher for the complimentary hard-copies. All opinions provided are my own.If you’re in the mood for a brother’s best friend romance, you long for those days you studied learned Greek mythology in school, & you are a creature who thrives on secondhand pining, you should check out Amanda Bouchet’s A Curse of Queens. Though it’s book 4 of the Kingmaker Chronicles this book focuses on a different couple & I don’t think it’s necessary to read the series from the beginning (although obviously there are advantages to doing that). This book finds healer & sister of the King, Jocasta, “Jo,” quietly longing for a love & a home of her own & still hurting from being rejected by her brother’s best friend Flynn when she was 18. For his part, Flynn has big feelings for Jo which he will not share or act on because of his tremendous fear since losing so many of his loved ones. Luckily for us, Jo & Flynn decide to go on a mission to save the royal family that takes them adventuring across the kingdom & sea, to places no other mortals dare go. Jo has to really fight for Flynn & throughout the book she becomes the leading lady of her own life—to borrow a quote from Hannah of Tessa Bailey’s Hook, Line & Sinker. Filled with lots of potential danger, acts of bravery, & finally…kissing & declarations, A Curse of Queens is a captivating fantasy with heart & thrills that ends with an intriguing set-up for the next book (which I’m guessing will focus on a different couple). This fantasy romance offers first class adventuring-writing with pockets of sweetness & it was a lot of fun. 4.5 ⭐️. Out 10/04.CWs: Implied attempted rape by soldier. Violence. Death.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. This book isn’t quite Assassin Lite but there are so many things that got to my heart nonetheless. 🌻 Like a deliberately annoying lead + the lead who gets exasperated by him. 🌻 A grumpy & the sunshine combo. 🌻 Forced proximity. 🌻 I have to trust you (even though I shouldn’t) if I want to survive. 🌻 Let’s make a home together. In N. R. Walker’s The Kite Harry & Asher are both assassins who go on the run together once they realize that hits have been put out on both of them. Neither man is quick to trust so that makes the inevitable walls coming down all the better. The steam had me fanning my cheeks, the caretaking scenes grabbed at my heart, & I was genuinely happy to see them at the end, forging a new, safe life separate from the violence of their past. Be warned: there’s a lot of violence in this one & lots of deaths, some committed by the leads. In an effort to establish their own safety Harry also threatens a villain’s family in front of the villain only & while I think he was bluffing I prefer my leads to make less threats against possibly innocent people please & thanks. But on the whole The Kite really satisfied. 4.5 ⭐️. Out now!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. #SundayShelfie + Review You know that thrill you get when someone’s writing is just really, really good? I had it often when reading Cat Sebastian’s The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes. Sebastian is someone who’s writing I just *delight* in, to an extravagant amount. There are so many lines in this ARC that I wanted to share as evidence of how good it is—like one about cake & religious icons—so many moments when I felt a smile growing & also greedily thought, I *H A V E* to get a copy of this for my shelves. This book picks up action-wise during and after The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, taking Marian Hayes and Rob Brooks as its focus. After shooting her duke bigamist-husband, Marian “kidnaps” the charming Rob Brooks (formerly a highwayman who has been presumed dead for a year) & they travel to visit her sick father & prepare for any fallout from the shooting. TPCoMH is a rich & sexy cornucopia of tropes: 🖤 Road Trip 🖤 Some Epistolary 🖤 Forced Proximity 🖤 Oops I blackmailed you to lovers 🖤 A tiny bit of the forbidden (though that’s not really a big dissuasion bc our leads have big IDGAF energy) 🖤Some Deception Plot & a dynamic between MCs that honestly makes my wings soar & my whole reading persona lusty: she is severe & uptight & authoritative & he LOVES IT & thinks she is PERFECT. When I tell you I loved how this became part of their intimate moments... There’s so much to love about this romance: the humor (honestly I cracked up all the time), the care (from both of them), Marian’s fierceness & what this book says about motherhood & parenting in general, the found family this group makes 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺, & what it means to choose yourself. I loved it & adored it. 5 ⭐️. Release date: 06/07.
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