 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Things are pretty brutal on a large scale IRL & yet somehow Claire Kent’s post apocalyptic romances hit the sweet spot every single time. I was talking with a friend about these books & what we love about them recently: 🌻 the steam (so good, especially because Kent really plays with the idea of people hooking up in the secret hours & there aren’t any feelings involved, definitely not ;) ). 🌻 The hope, even though the old world is gone & the new world is uncertain every day. 🌻 The voice. These are just so readable! In Princess, Olivia, the daughter of a billionaire techie, has been living in a bunker for five years—since right before a major asteroid hit Earth, destroying life as they knew it. She’s there with Grant, among others. He’s given her the impression that he’s unmoved by her again & again but one day they turn to each other, set the room on fire, & repeat repeat. But are those pesky feelings one-sided? Though this book isn’t my fave of her post apocalyptic collection—that goes to Haven—it’s got everything I love about her books. The steam is great, the tension & the romance arc feel developed for my maximum enjoyment ;), & there’s a nicely portrayed conflict between his wish to protect her—like he’s done since they’ve known each other—& her desire to be viewed as equal. Definitely check this series out if you’re looking for something dark but soft where it counts! 4 ⭐️. Out now.Lots of CWs, including death and violence.
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 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.The pining in this one. Oh my gosh. The yearning. Sometimes (all the time) I want to read about a hero lying in his bed, wanting the heroine & wanting her to be happy but not sure about a path forward or about whether he should pursue it if there is. For this & for a hundred other reasons, Julie Anne Long’s YOU WERE MADE TO BE MINE is fantastic. With this upcoming release we’re back at the Grand Palace on the Thames, this time following Lady Aurelie Capet & former spymaster Christian Hawkes. After three years in prison, Hawkes has recently been released by Aurelie’s fiancé, an Earl who says he’ll also pay Hawkes to find the missing Aurelie, who’s vanished not too long after an argument they had. Though he hates the man, Christian accepts the job & tracks Aurelie to London & the Palace, where he soon meets her & is knocked FLAT on his gorgeous face by LOVE. But both of them have secrets. The writing in this one—like in the others in the series—is exquisite. I mean that. You can feel every emotion, as well as the love Julie Anne Long as for her characters & for people in general, I think. Not only do I love the main couple, I always love how JAL renders the secondary characters as well. I mean seriously, I’ve written this before but it remains true: I would like to live at the Grand Palace, amongst so many great friends & stellar drama. I think I would spend a lot of my time chuckling & saying “oh Dot,” like I did in this one—some of these passages are soo funny! With a riveting, tender, passionate love story whispering & yelling across the pages, a story about hurt & finding someone to share that hurt with, to nurture hope with, YOU WERE MADE TO BE MINE is beautiful & luminous & if you haven’t read this series yet, please, you must. 5 ⭐️. Release date: 06/28.
 Thanks to the author for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. 📖 Q: are you a true crime fan? I don’t read or watch a lot of it but I would like to check out I’ll be Gone in the Dark one day! Tessa Bailey is one of those authors I’m so grateful for. Mostly because she consistently delivers blisteringly hot romances with typically smooth heroes who are rendered BEWILDERED by the depth & power of their totally unexpected feelings for the heroine. Bewildered I say. My Killer Vacation offers both of those things in spades with second grade teacher Taylor going on a vacation with her brother, realizing someone at the beach house they’ve booked has been murdered, & encountering the bounty hunter / private investigator asked to check into the case, a hottie named Myles, as she tries to do her own murder solving. Though the narration was at times a little stiff for me—mostly in the beginning—& the mystery could have been a little tauter, this book delivers where it counts: it’s a sexy, escapist read that I enjoyed soo much (& honestly that counts extra right now). There’s one scene toward the beginning of Taylor & Myles’s acquaintance where he licks her stomach (!) & one memorable scene in a church. Plus more. Tessa adds to the sexual chemistry burning up the pages by giving me more of what I want: Myles is supposedly worrying about Taylor catching feelings after sex but instead after their first time she’s casual & he’s like WHAT, DIDNT THAT ROCK HER WORLD TOO? I eat that up. Not to mention the ending, which is just superb as far as gestures are concerned. This isn’t a total, unqualified 5 ⭐️ for me, especially if I consider it as a romance with a mystery. But it is sooo good & sooo fun to read—& I’m thankful to Tessa for delivering another book that put a smile in my lustful heart 😆—so after waffling a little it’s 4.5 ⭐️ from me! Release date: 06/06
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. My feelings for Cat Wynn’s Partner Track are complex. There are some things I loved & then there are things that had me going what?! internally. The book starts when attorney Perdie Stone scores a big victory against Ivy League grad, now defense attorney, & impossible hottie Carter Leplan. A major snowstorm & not enough rooms at the hotel result in an only one bed situation which turns into—as these things often do in a romance—a steamy hook-up. When Perdie returns home she soon realizes that Carter is a new partner at her firm, a fact that’s more than infuriating given how long she’s fought for a similar position. But they can’t stay away from each other & things get heated between them again & again. Other reviews mention the steam of this one & it’s true, it’s so hot 👏🏻. There’s one office scene involving red underwear that had me feeling all kinds of things. You can feel the heat coming off the pages & it is y u m. The chemistry between them is explosive & it’s offered as a reason why the characters can’t resist each other, despite Perdie’s *numerous* attempts to break things off. Speaking of Perdie, it was great finding an unlikeable heroine & seeing her ultimately pursuing the things that will fulfill her. I repeatedly got the sense that Perdie Stone doesn’t stay down for long. She’s in her late 30s & she’s assured & knows how to take her pleasure & I can only applaud her for all of those things. Carter is beta hero heart eyes: he is extremely sexy, self-aware, & sensitive. Also a dirty talker. But the romance arc is filled with frustrating & confusing mixed messages on Perdie’s end & often propelled forward by jealousy. In the end I didn’t feel super confident in the stability of their relationship though the last couple of chapters including the epilogue are cute & a nice touch. The romance itself unfolds in a muddled, frustrating way for this reader but I really appreciated aspects of the characters & the scintillating passages that pepper its pages. 3 ⭐️. Out now.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Isn’t it amazing when you read an author & you immediately think, I need to read more of her books? I loved Tanked by Mia Hopkins, a hot (!) second chance romance between two people who hooked up years three years earlier & reconnect during the pandemic. This book has a gesture that I think will win over readers everywhere—lead Angel Rosas makes sure lead Deanna Delgado’s phone is charging when they go to sleep on multiple occasions 🥺😆. I was more than a little in love with Angel when the book ends, he’s so sexy but also so earnest and sincere when it comes to Deanna. He manufactures a fantasy for her that is 🔥 but he also knows how to reassure her whenever she expresses vulnerability or insecurity & that is a sterling hero in my mind. The interplay between Deanna & Angel is not only sensual as all get-out, it’s also rooted in real love & respect & loyalty. It has one of those things I love: leads standing up for each other with family—not to mention leads who communicate their needs & wants with one another. Especially when it comes to sex and Angel’s participation in underground fighting. The stakes feel big in this one: I think it’s only the second book I’ve read that’s set during the pandemic & there are references to death & isolation. The business Angel & his family own is struggling & Deanna is laid off. There’s also just “normal” challenging family dynamics. But this couple & the community surrounding them is strong, & I really love how Hopkins portrays both elements. There are a couple of things that didn’t get tied up as clearly as I would like but if you’re looking for a contemporary romance that serves up plenty of steam & feels I definitely recommend this one! 4.5 ⭐️. Release date: 04/26.
 Thanks to Harlequin Publicity Team for the free finished copy. All opinions provided are my own.Serving Sin was my first time dropping into Angelina M. Lopez’s Filthy Rich series but as soon as I saw bodyguard romance I said helloooooo there. Roman Sheppard & Cenobia (Cen) Trujillo met about 13 years ago when he was a former Army Ranger, newly turned private security CEO who rescued her after she was kidnapped. Now, at a special celebration in Monte del Vino Real, Spain, where Roman now lives with his half siblings & serves as adviser to the king & a freaking prince, Cen reveals (1) that it was actually her who led the initiative to help their struggling country out of a financial bind, not her father as he thought & (2) she’s receiving violent threats as her huge car production company prepares to launch its first car. Roman wants to keep her safe, even as he knows how challenging it’ll be to be around the stunning woman he’s spent the last several years avoiding. Well, call me a Lopez fan because this book has so much of the good stuff: ⭐️ Cen knows her shit. Her business acumen🏻. Her drive, her stubbornness, her tenderness. ⭐️ age gap ⭐️ Roman is just in awe. Would also like to add that he doesn’t see himself as worthy of anything & while this is very sad that’s also my catnip. ⭐️ really interesting consideration of misogyny ⭐️ throughhhh sex scenes that aren’t clinical in the slightest. ⭐️ so much respect between leads There are a couple of moments where I came out of the story a bit due to how those plot points are presented, but overall, Serving Sin has great steam, characterization, & heart, & I really enjoyed my time with it! 4 ⭐️. Out now!CW:
 Thanks to Harlequin Publishing & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Q: are you/were you “good” at first dates? My husband was only the second person I dated & I think I was probably very awkward but also I must have been cute in some way . Last year someone’s review compared Cara Bastone’s debut to Kate Clayborn’s writing & I was there so fast. Since then I’ve loved reading more of Bastone’s work. The burn is so slowwwwwwwww, the relationships are so deeeeeeeppp, the kissing stuff—when it finally happens—is so delicious. Flirting with Forever is another wonderful installment, focusing on 37 year old Mary Trace—a gorgeous shop owner who is the last member of her close friend group who has not found her One yet—& John Modesto-Whitford, a public defender who is very grumpy & often rude. When they’re set up on a blind date by John’s mother, he actually says to Mary, “I thought you’d be younger”—or something like that—& Mary ends up leaving. But after meeting again at a block party they form an arrangement whereby Mary will run John’s mother’s other date suggestions by John to get his opinion before she wastes her time. Along the way Mary realizes there’s some secret kindness in John & he realizes more than ever that he was an idiot & not very nice to her & he’s been FRIEND ZONED. This book is a delight & the tropes keep coming & they don’t stop coming (I’ve been waiting to use Smash Mouth lyrics in a review.) There’s older woman/younger man; enemies to friends to lovers; sunshine & the grumpy; & some money difference conflict, with her having a lot more money & coming from a wealthier background than he did. The chemistry between them is so sexy; the hero is a big grump w/ a heart of gold; & the plot is straightforward. The end started to drag a scotch for me but Flirting with Forever is another winner & I really want this series for my shelves. 4 ⭐️. Flirting with Forever is available on 01/26/21. ✨Q: how soon do you write reviews after you’ve finished a book? 🌿 I take notes as I read & usually write the review a week or so later. I’ve seen so much buzz surrounding Rachel Reid’s enemies to lovers Heated Rivalry that when I had the opportunity to request her latest release I snapped that puppy up. Common Goal is an age gap romance between an NHL goalie who wants to explore his long-held but never acted upon attraction to men & a younger bartender whose heart is currently preoccupied with having big feelings for a soon-to-be married man. Eric Bennett, aforementioned goalie, is 40, divorced, & immediately captivated by Kyle Swift, bartender. But Kyle Swift sees the wedding ring Eric hasn’t taken off yet & is fully aware of how being attracted to older men has never worked out for him & decides to stay away. It turns into a “we’ll go to a bar together & I’ll be your wingman” situation for a little while but luckily for us, Eric & Kyle can’t resist their attraction for one another & kissing commences. Common Goal is super steamy & that made me 😄. What else did I love? How Eric & Kyle have compatible interests & actually talk about them. But they also miss a couple of communication opportunities that always seem so easy to me (TELL HIM, the oversharer in me inwardly screams. My life philosophy = better to make someone feel awkward w/ oversharing rather than seem emotionally unavailable 🤣🤣.) My biggest squabble with Common Goal however is that the resolution feels really rushed. This was a 3.5⭐️ read for me. There are some things about the plot that I didn’t jump up & down for but I’m really excited to dive into Rachel Reid’s catalog. What I liked about her writing I really liked. Common Goal is out 09/21. Thanks to Netgalley & Carina Press for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. 5⭐️ |
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