 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. 📖 Q: do you *have* to read series in order? I must have been feeling wild on Netgalley one day because I snapped up Allie Therin’s Proper Scoundrels—book 4 in her Magic in Manhattan universe—without having read the previous 3. It was a choice that really, really paid off. Just to be clear, this book is part of a series, but books 1-3 focus on a different couple. Also just to be clear, this book has so many things that are fantastic. 🖤 A super grumpy to the point of rudeness lead named Lord Wesley Fine. He’s frequently referred to as unlikeable & he thinks that his own heart is made of ice or a similarly inhospitable material. 🖤 Another lead named Sebastian de Leon who is both gentle + deadly, an intriguing personality combo described as a “dangerous marshmallow” by others. Add to that a hefty dose of guilt bc he was forced into doing bad things bc of blood magic & conditions are ripe for a real beautiful pairing. 🖤 There’s at least one scene in here that had me cracking up (and it involves handcuffs!), an only one bed sitch, a fast-moving romance spurred on by danger that still feels based on something solid, scares + entertainment. Some of the magic stuff took a little work for me to understand at first—maybe that’s why you’re supposed to start reading a series at the beginning 🤔😆—but this book is a real joy & pleasure & I soaked it up. 5 ⭐️. Release date: 12/28.
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 Thanks to Adriana Herrera for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. I just finished the Rake I’d Like to F anthology and the first thing I want to say is whew is it steamy! Featuring five anthologies written by Sierra Simone, Joanna Shupe, Eva Leigh, Nicola Davidson, & Adriana Herrera, Rake I’d Like to F offers a multifaceted Rake-tumbling-into-love experience. It’s a real trope-gasm, not to mention that the collection offers a rich feast of settings from a highwayman’s den to a Parisian sex club to Mayfair. Some quick thoughts about each story: 🖤 Sierra Simone’s The Last Crimes of Peregrine Hind gives me Cat Sebastian Kit Webb vibes, with a highwayman out for revenge who inadvertently captures the brother of the Duke he’s out for instead of the Duke himself. One of the leads is grumpy & the other is irreverent & bratty. Delish & oh so hot—very quickly. 4.5 ⭐️. 🖤 Eva Leigh’s Two Rakes for Mrs. Sparkwell has an intriguing set-up w/ a widow approaching a known rake to ruin her….& then becoming involved in a ménage with him & an enforcer/boxer. Brava to Leigh for writing such a resourceful & unabashedly turned on heroine & also for including some interesting class dynamics w/ the heroes—but while presumably these three are of equal importance in the relationship, it feels like the aristocratic hero is privileged more in the narrative itself and that rubs me the wrong way. 3.5 ⭐️. 🖤 Nicola Davidson’s A Rake, His Patron, & Their Muse is another threesome romance that works better for me because they seem on equal footing. The leap one of the leads—a famous playwright—has to make from physical intimacy to emotional is a nice touch & I really appreciate how each of the leads ultimately communicates their needs. 4 ⭐️. 🖤 I’m a big fan of Adriana Herrera & her story Monsieur X hits the right balance of passion & emotion for me. Focusing on two leads w/ mothers from the Caribbean—one a Black portrait artist whose clients are the aristocracy & the other who’s a member of the aristocracy—this story compellingly explores how each man seeks to indulge his specific needs & how that’s made more difficult / dangerous on account of the ton’s prejudices regarding sexuality & race. 4.5 ⭐️. 🖤 & finally there’s Joanna Shupe’s Sold to the Duke which is a stirring conclusion to the anthology. Maybe my fave thing about this one is how independent & proud the heroine Eliza is of what she’s made of her & her sister’s lives after they were cast away from their privileged Mayfair existence & had to survive in another part of London. There are some funny moments in this one & my heart was captured watching the rake hero as he fights to resist Eliza’s determined efforts to give him the virginity he paid for. 4.5 ⭐️. All things considered this is a really fun & HOT collection with a few standouts for me! Release date: 11/30. Please check out CWs from trusted reviewers for this collection.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. ☕️ Q: do you drink any special drinks around the holiday season? I’m all about Starbuck’s Christmas Blend. When I saw N. R. Walker’s Christmas Wish List was available I requested it so fast. A Christmas setting, a chef + a B & B owner, a this is only a temporary thing set-up…yum. Australian Jayden Turner has lived in the US for years, bouncing around from one city to another. He’s just signed on to work a short Holiday job at a new Bed & Breakfast in Hartridge, Montana, a place that turns out to be charming & picturesque. Even more noteworthy is the bed & breakfast owner, a hottie single dad named Carter “Cass” Campion who’s only come out to a few people including his ex-wife. Sparks fly but this is only temporary…& Jayden’s there to do a job. The romance between Jayden & Cass is sweet & nurturing & moves quickly. There’s a real foundation of care between both of them & it moved me to see how moved Cass was by Jayden’s nurturing gestures. It’s not all light—Cass has a tremendous amount of guilt for dissolving his family—but if you’re looking for a heartwarming romance between two people finding a home with each other you might enjoy this holiday read! 4 ⭐️. Release date: 11/25.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Complicated decisions are par for the course in Andrea Stewart’s Drowning Empire series, a richly developed world with lots of secrets & turns & the feeling that danger lurks around every corner but all’s not yet lost. Like in book 1, book 2 The Bone Shard Emperor focuses on several different people, many of whom have different visions for the future of the Empire & who should be leading it & how. This is a personally important question for Lin, whose father was Emperor & whom she deposed. Now, she’s picking up the pieces with Jovis, a man she doesn’t entirely trust—even as she never suspects his real intentions. The writing is bold & invigorating & routinely pulls at my heartstrings. The plot itself feels inventive & distinctive & somewhat complicated but I’m on mostly board with that…except there is one revelation shared between Lin and Jovis that feels too easily and quickly resolved. Beyond that I’m curious to see how things are resolved because there are lots of threats in this book, lots of pieces to tie together. This series has had moments of darkness—including death and suffering—but the ultimate feeling is of hope, resourcefulness, connection, & personal empowerment. I hope it all ends on a high note! 4 ⭐️. Release date: 11/23.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. 📖 Q: do you tend to remember your dreams? Therese Beharrie’s And They Lived Happily Ever After features a concept I haven’t read before: what if whatever story you wrote down turns into a dream starring you as the protagonist that night? That would probably be more exciting if you were a romance writer, like Gaia Anders is in the book. Gaia grew up in foster care & now prefers to stay away from other people. While taking 5 at a party she re-encounters Jacob Scott, her best friend’s younger brother who’s now a hot workaholic. They kiss IRL which doesn’t happen a lot for either of them. Then Gaia writes a story and like usual, Jacob shows up in her dreams only not like usual, he’s aware that he’s in Gaia’s dreams & his mind is kinda blown. Beharrie powerfully shows how Dream Life & Real Life compare & contrast for Gaia & the potential dangers of Gaia being able to write & live temporarily in a life that feels “safe” to her. Gaia lives with anxiety & fears of abandonment & Beharrie captures her wariness in a way that’s convincing but was also frustrating at times for me bc as a reader I wanted Gaia to trust Jacob (& be more willing to engage w/ her fears) a little faster 🙃. The book itself doesn’t always feel like an effortless reading experience for me & the first chapter is a little bumpy—especially in terms of explaining the premise—but the convos about writing romance & being a woman “taking up space,” the dorky & sexy hero, the reference to Gaia’s cellulite & her willingness to “teach him what she liked” are all lovely. This is one of those reads that’s a little hard to characterize but it boils down to: there’s a lot here to appreciate but the execution doesn’t always work for me. 4 ⭐️. Release date: 11/30.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Meg Long’s Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is a fierce, desperate, ultimately hopeful survival story about one teen’s journey across her treacherous planet in the most dangerous of races. Actually every one of her days on planet Tundar is dangerous, not only because of its climate & weather or the predators lurking in its woods but also because Sena, the protagonist, is part scavver. Scavvers are people who elect to live outside of the “corporate-run system” on Tundar—in a society governed by corporations & as the book repeatedly references, corporate greed, scavvers are treated with scorn, extreme prejudice, & hatred. And now that Sena has run afoul of the major crime syndicate on her planet, she—& the fighting wolf she’s unintentionally formed a bond with—head out to join a scientific team on the race she’s said over & over again she wouldn’t enter since it’s the place her beloved mothers died. The plot is difficult to summarize & it is intricate in the book but also explained well. Kudos to Meg Long for creating this world & society that feels innovative but also like a type of world that could exist 😬. Exceptionally building the tensions that Sena faces & the brutality of the landscape & the people, Long tells a story that’s big on adrenaline. But it’s nicely balanced by emotion as Sena finds people & a wolf she can trust. This is not a romance, romance friends, & FYI, it’s fairly gory & aggressive/violent with some instances of animals being hurt or not even killed, but it is a story that as I said earlier is ultimately hopeful & that ends on a real high for the protagonist. I really enjoyed this one! 4.5 ⭐️. Release date: 1/11
 Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. The reader’s note of Rachel Lynn Solomon’s Weather Girl really says a lot about this warm & cozy & also emotionally sharp read: “More than anything, I wanted this book to highlight a neurodiverse heroine who happens to be on medication & in therapy falling in love & thriving.” Meteorologist Ari Abrams is working under the famous meteorologist she admired growing up, a dazzling powerhouse who spends her non-air time fighting with the ex who also works at their station & in general creating a toxic work environment w/ their arguments. One night after a particularly bad fight between the exes, Ari & a coworker, Russell Barringer, decide to parent trap them—they seem to have lingering feelings for each other underneath the volatility & Ari and Russell also want to improve inter-office dynamics & opportunities at the station. Thus a strategic partnership between Ari & Russell is born. Weather Girl has lots of things that had me squeeing: a heroine—Ari—who relies on “surface level politeness” as a coping mechanism & also has Depression, fears of which drive some of—but not all—her actions in the book. Um relatable much? A self-described fat hero—Russell—who’s a single dad & a real sweetie whose care & concern for Ari (& you can tell for everyone) shines through like a soft beacon. The manipulation of characters in this one is a little unsettling for me—even if two bosses might still have romantic feelings for each other I’m not sure it’s a good idea to parent trap them after one throws an award & breaks a window out of anger at the ex at an office party? But this stunning romance really is full of care & hope & understanding & I love the idea that people will read this & realize/remember what Solomon writes in her note. People living with mental illnesses & challenges can fall in love and be loved & found desirable & valued for who they are; that’s certainly what this woman living with anxiety (me 😆) has found in my own life. 4.5 ⭐️. Release date: 01/11.
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Mystery plus romance is a real sweet spot of mine but while Manda Collins’s An Heiress’s Guide to Deception & Desire has its many commendable qualities it doesn’t fully satisfy. Four years ago Miss Caroline Hardcastle—now a cookbook author & one of the writers of the notorious Lady’s Guide crime column—was secretly engaged to Lord Valentine Thorn. But their class differences romance withered on the vine after he made a mistake. They don’t entirely get along now but they’re paired together to solve the disappearance of a friend of Caroline & Kate’s (a lead from the previous book), who’s an actress who just so happens to be secretly engaged to Valentine’s cousin. I enjoyed the twists this tale takes, particularly as their vaguely enemies to lovers story takes a turn toward something more matrimonial 👀 & both characters internally admit their leftover feelings. Both leads have done a great deal of growth since they were together & separated & it makes it easy to see how things could be different this time around. Val, in particular, is very much into showing his desire to be better. But I wanted more chemistry between them. Val is so self-aware, so perfectly imperfect & well-intentioned, & I’m sure this will be annoying to some reading my review, but it was a little much for me (*hiding behind my hands*). I just didn’t totally fall for this pairing, though I do love when characters grow & change & act to show it which these characters do in abundance. This book doesn’t entirely click *with me* but that might be an it’s not you, it’s me kind of situation. 3.5 ⭐️. Release date: 11/16.
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.  Blurb."The perfect feel-good read."—Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation Britta didn’t plan on falling for her personal trainer, and Wes didn’t plan on Britta. Plans change and it's unclear if love, career, or both will meet them at the finish line. Britta Colby works for a lifestyle website, and when tasked to write about her experience with a hot new body-positive fitness app that includes personal coaching, she knows it's a major opportunity to prove she should write for the site full-time. As CEO of the FitMi Fitness app, Wes Lawson finally has the financial security he grew up without, but despite his success, his floundering love life and complicated family situation leaves him feeling isolated and unfulfilled. He decides to get back to what he loves—coaching. Britta’s his first new client and they click immediately. As weeks pass, she’s surprised at how much she enjoys experimenting with her exercise routine. He’s surprised at how much he looks forward to talking to her every day. They convince themselves their attraction is harmless, but when they start working out in person, Wes and Britta find it increasingly challenging to deny their chemistry and maintain a professional distance. Wes isn’t supposed to be training clients, much less meeting with them, and Britta’s credibility will be sunk if the lifestyle site finds out she’s practically dating the fitness coach she’s reviewing. Walking away from each other is the smartest thing to do, but running side by side feels like the start of something big.  My Review.In Denise Williams’s newest release Britta Colby—an editorial assistant at a lifestyle website—pitches a new story idea: she’ll sign up for the FitMi app, a supposedly “body positive” personalized coaching app that will give her nutrition & activity advice. As she tells others, she doesn’t want help losing weight; she’s more concerned with fitness &, as she writes on her sign-up, “to look & feel good naked.” Unbeknownst to her, her new coach Wes is actually one of the founders of the app. So he’ll have a lot riding on the article series she’s secretly been writing for her readers about her FitMi experience. I have a lot of feelings about Denise Williams’s The Fastest Way to Fall & they feel difficult to pin down 🤣. On one hand, Williams writes a story that she’s clearly passionate about, something that comes across as early as her Author’s Note, & her writing is marked with sensitivity & quirkiness, & a sense of fun. She captures Britta’s moments of insecurity but even more, her confidence & pleasure about her body & herself & I love how weight loss is mostly unrelated to that. The zest between leads is apparent in even their initial banter & after they finally take that satisfying leap, Williams’s consideration of the ethical fallout of their secret relationship is satisfying in a different way. But in general, & I’m not trying to say this flippantly, I think both leads could have benefited from therapy earlier in the story. Wes is a sweetheart but his dealings with an ex merit more internal (& professional) exploration within the book & Britta has an incident related to her health that made me feel uncomfortable. Also, & unrelated, I don’t always feel like Britta takes responsibility for her role in this “forbidden” relationship 🤷🏻♀️. In the end this is a story with a lot of nuance that I enjoyed reading & some things work for me & some things don’t feel as considered as I would like. 4 ⭐️. About Denise. Denise Williams wrote her first book in the second grade. I Hate You and its sequel, I Still Hate You, featured a tough, funny heroine, a quirky hero, witty banter, and a dragon. Minus the dragons, these are still the books she likes to write. After penning those early works, she finished second grade and eventually earned a Ph.D. in education, going on to work in higher education. After growing up a military brat around the world and across the country, Denise now lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband, son, and two ornery shih tzus who think they own the house.   Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. 📖 Q: what’s everyone currently reading? I just finished Manda Collins’s An Heiresses’s Guide to Deception & Desire. Rave reviews sent me running to request Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light & I don’t regret it. This is a scrumptious fantasy to savor featuring a gruff, prickly magician paired with an amiable non-magician who just might have a little unknown power, a something something, of his own 👀 . Sir Robert “Robin” Blyth, member of the Civil Service, has just been transferred to the Office of Special Domestic Affairs & Complaints when the off-putting Edwin Courcey—a member of the magical community who’s widely derided for the small amount of magic he possesses—asks where Robin’s predecessor in the position is. Robin doesn’t know. But Robin wants to find out for himself when he’s magically kidnapped one evening & tortured as his captors look for info regarding a “Contract.” With world-building that kept me feeling “ohhhh,” a relationship that starts bumpy (my fave kind of beginning 🤣) & continues bumpy-ish but also enjoys growing closeness, & a story & mystery that captivates & entertains, A Marvellous Light is a fun one. I really love reading romances with unlikeable leads who lash out bc they’re scared of feelings & love & vulnerability & this book has that & more (including another lead who wears his sweet heart on his sleeve). Imagine a fantasy that really sucks you in—a la Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, as the blurb says—plus some fantastic and all too-appreciated 🔥 🔥 🔥 & you have this one. It is a real delight & I’m so looking forward to the rest of the trilogy! 5 ⭐️. Release date: 11/02.
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