 Thanks to the author for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.* brother’s best friend * snowed in romance * secret crushing * smoking hot sex around a Christmas tree Eliza McLane’s Santa, Baby serves up a hefty dose of Christmas romance magic, blending steam, pining, respect, & care effortlessly & offering something sweet & IMO super sexy. Wow-ie. Actor Nick Andersen arrives at his new job only to find when he arrives that he will actually be starring as Santa in an adult film directed by—& co-starring—his best friend’s quiet but also fascinating sister Holly Caine. Holly blends into the background when it comes to family life but at work she’s the one making the decisions. Including shutting down the film they’re making when a big storm is about to roll in. But when she & Nick are snowed in—with the cameras still there & that delicious chemistry flaring between them—well, the show must go on. [insert any song lyric about Santa Claus coming here.] This novella offers so much good stuff: a love story that feels believable, MCs who offer understanding and empathy to each other, and a big gesture of support; so much sexiness & heat; a fast-moving story that doesn’t skimp on the feels. The dynamics with her family fall a *bit* short for me but otherwise Santa, Baby is sensational. It’s so much fun & gives a lot of heart to hold onto too. 4.5⭐️. Out now!CWs: Reference to negligent parents, depression. Reference to views of conservative parents & those same parents make Holly leave their house when she shares that she works in the adult film industry.
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 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I know I’ve said this before but the more I read by Alexis Hall the more I’m in awe of how versatile of a writer he is. A Lady for a Duke is just masterful, Paris Daillencourt is like being inside my own brain in some of my most anxious moments, & then Glitterland—which is being rereleased—is another emotional powerhouse. Dark, hopeful, & hilarious by turns, it deals with the topics of depression and a past suicide attempt, among others, offering a book that I think will move & maybe resonate with a lot of readers. At the beginning of Glitterland writer Ash meets model Darian in a one night stand that ends in a rather panicked exit afterwards. They meet again thanks to Darian’s pluck & what follows is the beginning of a relationship, as Ash starts to relax some into his mystifying connection with Darian & how Darian makes him feel. This is not an easy, emotional read despite the moments of hope & the bursts of humor. In the end, Ash is not “cured” of his depression or totally rid of uncertainty. But he can see & feel happiness in that moment & he has found love with someone who is so generous & lovely. So this book isn’t for everyone but, for me, it was another reminder of how much we all need & deserve love, no matter what our brains might sometimes tell us. 5⭐️. Out 01/17.CWs: Suicide ideation. The lead refers to himself as being bipolar, depressive, & having anxiety and describes emotions relating to those. References to past cutting. The lead ceased an RX before the book began bc it made him gain weight. Reference to something being “Not like black urban. Just urban urban.”
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Emma Lord’s YA books always get me right in the feels. Eminently readable, skillfully written, characters that navigate complicated situations with humanity & grace, these books are always winners for me. Begin Again continues that trend for me, this time in a college setting as Andie Rose arrives at her dream school as a freshman transfer. Despite the fact that Andie’s contending with a lot—including a long distance relationship with a longtime boyfriend, a somewhat fractured relationship with her dad, & the legacy of her mother—this book is hopeful & graceful & even helped me feel like my own life experience was somewhat relatable in its discussions of family grief. The wrap up to one of the elements of this story could have used some more time & attention IMO but overall this is a sweet, sincere, & lovely story—interspersed with moments of humor (shout-out to the grandmas!) that I flipped through the pages quickly of. 4.5⭐️. Out 01/24.CWs: Death of mom. Emotionally abandoned by dad. Cheating manipulative bf. The other lead was cheated on too.
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.It’s no secret that if a book has a ghost & a romance arc I am there with bells on & Charlie N. Holmberg’s Keeper of Enchanted Rooms—book 1 of the Whimbrel House series—is a relatively soft & quirky example of that combo that I enjoyed. At the beginning of the book Merritt Fernsby—a disowned writer—learns that he has inherited a large home on an island. But upon arriving he learns that the rumor he heard was true—the home is haunted & worse, it won’t allow him to exit now that he’s inside. Luckily for Merritt a magic organization in charge of Enchanted homes is on the case, sending housekeeper Hulda to help. With Hulda’s help, Merritt will solve the mysteries surrounding the home & along the way decide the home (& spirit’s) future. This book has a sweet romance arc & a compelling story that kept me turning pages. I found the whole experience to be soft & whimsical with a couple moments of mild unsettlement so this is definitely a great read for those who don’t want to be too frightened. Merritt has a nice backstory but emotionally I would have liked more about & from Hulda. Though the story didn’t emotionally engage me as much as I would have liked, it was a great way to spend my time. 4⭐️. Out now!ID: a white hand holds the ebook up in front of a black murphy bed. On top of the murphy bed mantle there's a grouping of green and silver Christmas trees and a white porcelain house. The background has a section of cream paneled wall and a section of floral wallpaper. Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I’m on the decidedly wimpy side of the angst-meter but when my book bestie Kim @bookbruin said the magic words about Abby Jimenez’s upcoming release, Yours Truly—EPISTOLARY ELEMENTS—I decided to snap it up. What did I think? Per my usual experience reading this author, I thought the book was exceptionally written & funny but the angst goes a *smidge* too far. There’s pretty much always a moment with this author’s work where I think: this additional bit of angst isn’t necessary . But with that being said, this story is adorable & sweet & I so enjoyed watching too lonely ER doctors who have been burned by love & start off with big dislike on the heroine’s part turn to friendship via letters & emails & calls & then to a fake dating sitch & then to love. The overall story is lovely, not to mention how funny some of the lines are. One of them in particular really cracked me up. I also love the anxiety rep, the care they take with each other, how hero Jacob consistently puts himself out there for Briana & how much she tries to protect his peace of mind & comfort. Jacob running to the cafe toward the beginning of his relationship with Briana just so he’ll have phone service for her call is stunning & Briana is a powerhouse of a lead. So in the end, this is quite a book. I think there could have easily been less angst & that would have been preferred by me personally. But this is a wonderful story of two people falling in love & choosing to be together. 4.5⭐️. Out 04/11.CWs: Cheating ex. Brother & ex. Brother on dialysis. Kidney failure. Anxiety. Former miscarriage. Reference to postpartum depression.
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.A single parent chef + a smartass businessman temporarily down on his luck & back in the hometown he left as soon as he could. On paper that combo speaks to me. But sadly Kosoko Jackson’s A Dash of Salt & Pepper didn’t live up to my hopes, offering a story of growth & some steam but also one that doesn’t lay solid enough groundwork for the arc of the relationship or of one of the lead’s change of heart. What I think Kosoko Jackson does compellingly in this romance though is portray a titanium-strength friendship between Xavier—said businessman—& his BFF Mya, & give some insight into why Xavier why wears his glib armor. While A Dash of Salt & Pepper doesn’t totally work for me—I found myself skeptical of where the story was taking me—there are still things to appreciate here—including that adorable cover & the dislike to love premise that always has me sitting up & paying attention. 3⭐️. Out 12/06.CW: loss of job, possible failure of business, a joke about JonBenet Ramsey.
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.With Ashley Herring Blake’s Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail we’re back with the same magnetic, loving, boisterous & balanced friend group, this time watching Astrid—who feels an imperative to always seem calm, cool, & collected—take on the renovation of a beloved inn before the eyes of the inn’s family members, a tv crew…& as always, her overbearing mother. Also before the eyes of carpenter Jordan Everwood, the same woman who Astrid had a nasty moment with at the end of Delilah’s book & the beginning of her own, about some spilled coffee & her power dress. Astrid isn’t someone who is open easily—we see that even with her close circle—& it’s lovely watching her find that safe place to land with the person who she started off so antagonistically with. Jordan, too, needs that safe place. As always, my heart cheered for two people finding a home & a refuge with each other, especially when I can relate to one of them in some way (hello self-consciousnesses & fear of failure etc. it’s nice to see you again ). This book has an interesting tension that strikes at the heart of what both women desire for themselves, heart-grabbing backstories about growing up & in the present, trying to wrestle back an identity & purpose for themselves, & that aforementioned wonderful group of friends. The “villain” in this story feels a bit obvious & I would have liked a bigger conclusion to that whole storyline, but on the whole, this is another emotional, powerful, sensual read with a great group of characters. Can’t wait for Iris’s book! 4.5⭐️. Out 11/22.CWs: mother’s manipulation & overbearingness, & there’s a reference to her homophobia. Jordan’s ex wife had cancer & left her soon after learning she was in remission.
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC and the publisher for the complimentary hard copy. All opinions provided are my own.Peter Reedton isn’t a particularly bold hero. As the book notes, he is not waging outright war against his enemies to make himself or the heroine happy. Instead, the book says, he’s “subtle,” “caring.” And in the end, so romantic. I loved him so much. Olivia Dade writes her leads in Ship Wrecked beautifully. They feel & seem real—they have charm, eccentricity, insecurity, hurts; they show uncertainty & grace; they are frustrating at times; they are loveable. He & Maria Ivarsson—both actors on a Game of Thrones-like show—are so emotionally charismatic. I talked about Peter already & Maria is a dynamo—she stands up for herself & for Peter & tries to facilitate connections for him, something he isn’t naturally adept at doing. The fat rep is sensational, the found family had my heart squeezing, & the ending gives me the gestures & romance my greedy heart wants. But the book does lose a bit of momentum for me for around 10% of the end, & at the beginning Peter’s personality loses a bit of charm when it delays their relationship in an anticlimactic sort of way . With that being said I think those things wouldn’t hurt as much with a reread, when I knew what was coming & when things were going to slow down. In the end this lovely powerful book is really something special & I adore it. 5⭐️ . (I rounded up because since finishing, my heart has grown even fonder.) Out 11/15.CWs: the show producers are jerks at times who have certain body and/or beauty expectations for the leads—particularly for Maria. Maria was a foster child who was repeatedly uprooted & sent to live with new families. Parental death. Former infidelity & partner abandonment.
 Thanks to the author for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Cat Sebastian books make me so happy. Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots—Cat’s upcoming novella release out 11/15–is another soft, sweet, loving book that starts with mutual unspoken pining between friends & ends with them as lovers making a bigger life together. The 1970s New York vibes are strong, the communication is lovely (& so is the steam!), & there’s no third act breakup after they decide to be together (yes yes yes). If the thought of a pediatrician & music critic combo, neurodivergent rep, and so much care sound good to you, give this one a try. Thanks to the author for another lovely read. 4.5⭐️. Out 11/15. CW: please consult the author’s note for a detailed list of CWs.
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