Last: Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann: you know that ghost stories make me weak in the knees, so I was really excited by this title. What worked for me is a self-assured heroine who shines on the page, some really thoughtful conversations between the hero and heroine about the heroine’s asexuality, and the overall interesting premise. But unfortunately, the book seemed to lag in spots and just felt a bit convoluted. I missed a sense of joy. In the end, I wanted to love this one but sadly I just didn’t. 3 ⭐️️. Out 05/21. (Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)
Now:The Prospects by KT Hoffman. I am absolutely loving this queer baseball romance. I kid you not, at 5% I was already messaging someone telling them they needed to read this book. I am about 75% in now and I know this is going to be a five-star read. Out 04/09. (Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.) Next:Maybe Emma R. Alban’s Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, maybe Kate Clayborn’s The Other Side of Disappearing. I’m honestly not sure. Have you read any of these books or any on your TBR?
0 Comments
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Lavash at First Sight by Taleen Voskuni made me have such a big heart-smile. I loved so much about it, especially: 🧡 how both Nazeli & Vanya are Armenian-American & this is something really important to them & to their families in general. I love how they are able to bond over that shared history & culture—their mutual respect for each others’ parents really got to me! 🧡FMC Nazeli’s passion & drive to give everything her all. The tension between her demanding 9-5 (more like 24/7, as hard as she works) & the toll she grows to understand it’s taking on her feels relatable! 🧡 so much family love! I know I mentioned this earlier but I just love how the family is represented here. There are some hiccups along the way but also so much love & understanding & acceptance. 🧡 Romeo & Juliet vibes but make it queer & add a food competition 🧡 honesty & transparency & a willingness to admit mistakes. Nazeli doesn’t take the easy insult road earlier in the book but later, when she does make a mistake, she’s very self-aware & takes responsibility. 🧡 humor! For my romance peeps, I wanna let you know this is closed door. But I also want to shout to the world that this book is so sweet & lovely and I loved it! 4.5⭐️. Out 05/07.CWs: Toxic work environment & Nazeli’s boss makes negative & harmful comments about her body. Reference to Armenian Genocide.
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.The pure excitement of reading a steamy & heartwarming romance that features leads that are in their fifties! As someone who is about to bid her 30s hasta la vista, I love seeing older leads having fun & falling in love. Booksta Loves, Lips Like Sugar by Jess K Hardy has it all: Aforementioned steam, including a sizzling FaceTime moment A charmer hero who’s a famous drummer & also marvels over his granddaughter. A lovely, strong “baker goddess” heroine who’s got a lot on her mind. She is so cool. References to hot flashes and other references to hot bodies that are also aging. This book is so heartfelt & delightful—it’s so cute to watch them fall in love—& it also wrestles with tough topics like addiction & parental memory loss. I definitely, absolutely rec this contemporary if you’re looking for something that will satisfy your sweet tooth *drum roll* (sorry it just came to me). 5⭐️. Out 03/28.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. Imagine having to film an intimacy scene for a romcom with the person you’ve disliked with fervor since you were teens—when he publicly stomped your heart. The former is actually my fave part of Right on Cue by Falon Ballard, when the two leads—who have had less than stellar interactions throughout the book—suddenly have to film an intimate scene. Before they even begin, the jerk-ish Grayson makes a speech promising to respect screenwriter-turned-actor Emmy, & what follows is respectful & also unexpectedly hot, for the leads & this reader. That middle section of the book is where it really shines for me, after a beginning where both leads come across as a bit immature & before the 3rd-act conflict, which had me agitated. There are aspects of this contemporary that I really, really like: the steam totally works for me, the Nora-Ephron-like heroine, the aforementioned middle, where everything makes sense & gels for me…but unfortunately, the totality of the story—from beginning to end—isn’t there for me. 3.5⭐️. Out 02/27. CWs: previous loss of beloved dad; parental estrangement.
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC and the publisher for the complimentary hardcopy. All opinions provided are my own.Ahhh this book. I am swimming in feelings about READY OR NOT by Cara Bastone. My heart is mush; MUSH I TELL YOU. I am such a fan of best friend’s sibling romance & this book delivers in a major way. At the beginning of the book, Eve Hatch learns that a one night stand she had weeks ago has resulted in pregnancy. She wants to keep the baby & as her best friend Willa initially struggles with the pain of her own fertility struggles & how that relates to Eve’s surprise pregnancy, their other bestie, Shep, Willa’s brother, becomes even closer to Eve. Bastone deals with emotions so beautifully here, showing the various ways people can act to surprising events & how those behaviors & feelings can change over time. The friendships are wonderfully explored, including Eve & Shep’s, which gave me all the freaking feelings. I mean, this man. He has broad shoulders & a “bony sternum,” & he’s sweetly clumsy, & so smart, & so kind. I love him. The things he does for Eve & her baby in this book! I can’t say more bc of spoilers but oh my goodness. Eve is such a fantastic heroine, blazing a path while dealing with surprise, & her thoughtfulness & assertiveness (& struggles sometimes to decide things) feel so real & also cheer-worthy. Not only is this book romantic & , it’s also poignant. FYI, this book includes a labor scene, & it exacerbated those heart feelings. This book is so wonderful & I will be dreaming about Shep forevermore. 5⭐️. Out 02/13.CWs: Friend is struggling with fertility. Previous loss of parents & bff’s mom. Labor. The man that Eve conceived with doesn’t commit to everything at first, because he’s dealing with relationship struggles of his own.
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC and the author and the publisher for the complimentary hardcopy. All opinions provided are my own.Jen Comfort’s books take you on a ride in the best way. My experience with What is Love? felt a bit like what the hero Teddy feels in heroine Maxine’s presence: dazzled, awed, entertained, ed… This contemporary has-- 🐍two super hot nerds battling it out in trivia. They’re both very smart, curious, & determined but have totally different styles when it comes to studying & making decisions. 🐍 fantastic steam. Whew! 🐍so many funny moments, seriously, & some of them are in your face, can’t miss it, & others are more subtle. The way I must have been smiling reading this book! 🐍 no third-act break up! 🐍 an uptight & the chaotic one dynamic that’s a bit true, a bit of a mask, & throughout the book these leads see what’s deeper in themselves & in the other. 🐍 queer rep! 🐍 the hero falls first! 🐍 really great portrayal of ADHD & how that affects learning & experiences in education. I love how it becomes part of their trivia journey & their relationship. 🐍 romantic moments that had me swooning & laughing at the end. If you like your romance to feel free, wild, fresh, & very romantic in a bold kind of way, check out Jen Comfort’s books! I’m *such* a fan & have the feeling I will love everything she writes. 5⭐️. Out 04/01. 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.Wowie, I have a lot of thoughts about this one. What I love about At First Spite by Olivia Dade: 🤍Body positivity. I love the way Dade describes bodies. I feel like I could maybe say it more eloquently but it comes down to that fact. They’re beautiful & sexy & appreciated etc. & all of that means a lot to me as a reader & a person with a body. 🤍Sex positivity. Those scenes seem to be lingered on in a very effective way once we get to them. The window! 🤍Leads who cry & eventually get in touch with all of their emotions. 🤍A pining hero. 🤍A heroine who, by the end, knows her worth. Athena’s thoughts & insecurities feel very relatable & the realizations she comes to are striking. That journey she goes on helped remind me of something too! 🤍A developing friendship group & sense of community in a new place! We’ve all been there. With that being said, the conflict in this book gives me some of the dreaded ick. In the prologue, Athena is engaged to Matthew’s brother, Johnny. When the book opens, Athena & Johnny are no longer together & he is on their honeymoon, solo. There isn’t a lot of time between Athena & Johnny & Athena & Matthew & things get unnecessarily messy & in a way that I think weakens the book. I wish some elements of the plot had been written differently. But At First Spite is a good book with some shining aspects that I think will resonate with many readers. 3⭐️. Out 02/13.CWs: Depression. What I would say is passive suicide ideation. Past death of sibling. Estranged parents.
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.
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.]
|
About me.Give me that HEA, please.
Join my mailing list.Want to receive a weekly email with links to my latest blog posts? Sign up below!
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|