 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I’ve seen the author Scarlett St. Clair everywhere on booksta & this fairy tale retelling novella, Mountains Made of Glass, was my first foray into her writing. This novella reminds me that while I am trash for fairy tale & Fae romance, I am also *not trash* for dark romance. So ultimately, I really enjoyed aspects of this one but also squirmed away from others. As a result, if you’re a lover of dark romance maybe take this review with a grain of salt . MMoG is, in moments, violent & gruesome, a sometimes unsettling backdrop to a tense & whimsical story about Gesela, a woman with some Fae heritage, who is forced to try to rid her village of a curse—knowing all the while that she is seriously going to anger some magical powers for the affront. After ridding her village of the curse, five elven princes appear at her home & magically transport her to their brother, “a beast,” where she’s presented with a challenge that unbeknownst to her as some hidden qualifications, including falling in love. The fairy tale underpinning of the story interests & charms. It’s hard to predict where the story is going (excluding the assumed promise of a HEA), & I love how creative the author is in bringing so many elements into the story. Also steamy. Choke play, anyone? But with that being said, the heroine’s actions sometimes had me raising my eyebrows and feeling a bit confused, and the other MC, Casamir, is a dark prince who is his beastly, ruthless self when it comes to manipulating her—which I didn’t always love . I guess the dark romance comes into play for some of that & it just doesn’t always work for me, personally. Setting aside the quibbles, I might be back for another of these retelling novellas in the future for a quick burst of fancy + steam. 4⭐️. Out now!There are lots of CWs for this one—please check a trusted reviewer’s list.
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 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.A big thanks to Bethany @illstoptheworldandreadwithyou for sharing about this book. As soon as I read her review I was like SOLD & I ended up finding a fantasy with kissing book that was so good! But also now I am INVESTED & there’s a cliffie. But let’s focus on the positive ;) . Rebecca Ross’s Divine Rivals has an enemies to lovers, workplace romance, class difference romance arc with a bit of a you’ve got mail correspondence situation—Iris, the FMC, has been writing letters & magically sending them to her beloved brother who’s at war, without knowing that they are actually traveling to her workplace rival Roman Kitt instead. He does know that Iris is sending them. That won’t cause any problems, right? ;) I basically thought everything about this book is so well done. Those elements, how war experiences are incorporated, both of the leads’ writing experiences, how they come to mean more to each other. I love how they came together & the closing scenes left me with my heart in my throat. Not to mention the sweetness of various moments throughout the novel, like how Roman is willing to ride on the side of a truck FOR HOURS into a war zone because he can’t bear for Iris to go without him…& this is before they’re even together. Highly recommend this one & really need the second kthankyoubye. 5⭐️. Out 04/04. CWs: previous death of mother. Previous death of sister. War references.
 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 Harlequin Publicity Team for the complimentary finished copy and the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I’ve been so excited to read On the Hustle by Adriana Herrera since someone first started listing its tropes. In the end this book really satisfies, with a “he chases her bc he’s secretly had feelings for her,” plotline & a FMC who doesn’t take shit from our demanding, authoritative hero & makes him re-evaluate some very necessary things. Alba Duarte is such a great lead. She actually designs spaces for bibliophile-lovers (is this a real thing someone can buy for me, thanks) & when she’s given a chance for a big design in Texas while she’s visiting her BFF Julia she decides to stay there, throwing the boss she’s just given notice to—who happens to secretly have been lusting for her for years— in a tizzy. Said boss Theodoro is soon given a chance to film a reality tv show in Texas which will one, allow him to help his business, & two, eventually allow him to win Alba over once he gets her hired to design the space he’s working on for the show. It’s fun seeing how Theodoro opens himself up once he’s no longer Alba’s boss & how she makes him question some of the things he thought about her & his own life. The beginning starts off really strong for me, & the steam is so good, but the ending is a little wobbly. It feels like at least one thing is wrapped up pretty quickly. There are also moments when it’s a little challenging for me to understand how Theodoro could be so cold as her boss & then magically switch a flip to someone warmer, something Alba has some issues understanding as well. But I love the book references, how she doesn’t magically fall into his arms, how he defends her, & how the FMC is the workaholic with extreme ambition in this one. All in all another fun, steamy powerhouse contemporary from AH. 4 ⭐️. Out now![ID: Jess, a white woman in a bright yellow coat with brown buttons, holds the book in front of a green tree with some red & orange leaves.] Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky totalllly surprised me. There was so much to be delighted about in this New Adult novel & I shall enumerate it below in hopes of convincing you to give this one a try: The tropes. Money difference, hate to love, fish out of water, only one bunk bed. All wrapped up in a male male holiday romance that had me singing “all I want for Christmas is you.” A rich guy who’s kinda rude & undergoes a transformation of the heart after he’s cut off by his parents & sent to live with his grandparents. Mental health rep. Matthew Prince Jr. has generalized anxiety disorder & experiences panic attacks on page. When he does, the other lead Hector Martinez helps calm him. I didn’t fall in love with Janovsky’s first book but I’m so glad I gave this one a shot because it was everything I could have wanted. The hate to love arc is wonderfully rendered, with both leads not being at their finest coupled with assumptions they both make, & then a moment of kindness & realization that turns things sweeter between them. This one hit me emotionally on several levels & offers so much holiday goodness. 5⭐️. Out now!CWs: Generalized anxiety disorder. Parents aren’t the most supportive or involved.
 Thanks to Partner @bibliolifestyle for the complimentary finished copy and the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Every time I open a Jenny Holiday contemporary I’m reminded of how much I like her books. So This Is Christmas really got me going with: ❄️An uptight hero—Matteo Benz, an equerry to the king of Eldovia—who wears three piece suits on the daily, tries to be professional at all times, but is very much annoyed by the heroine. To quote the book: “He looked like a millennial dressed up as a boomer.” ❄️A business-oriented heroine—American Cara Delaney who’s visiting Eldovia & serving as a business consultant for the King. She & her job immediately rub Matteo the wrong way. ❄️Both leads recognizing that there’s more to the other lead than their initial impression & slowwwwly coming to call each other by their first names. ❄️a fun glimpse back at previous characters ❄️Holiday’s deft hand with emotions & nuance & pacing. I feel like I’ve been really blessed on the holiday romance reading front this year & this is another adorable book that warmed my heart. If you haven’t checked out Holiday’s Eldovia series yet I really recommend it—especially book 2 which is a fave. 4.5 ⭐️. Out now!CW: heroine’s mother forced out of home after unwed pregnancy. Cara assaulted at 16 & she fended him off using her high heel shoe. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC and the publisher for the complimentary finished copy. All opinions provided are my own.If I’m looking for soft & cozy Roan Parrish is always a good bet & the title of this upcoming release--The Rivals of Casper Road—(not to mention those adorable FREAKING PUMPKINS on the cover!!) sucked me in. Give me all the fall stuff. This ended up being everything I said in the first paragraph: soft, cozy. Sweet. Pumpkin-y ;). The basic set-up of this one is that after suffering a big heartbreak Bram Larkspur has moved to Garnet Run, Wyoming, home to some of Parrish’s other beloved characters. His new neighbor is prickly Zachary Glass, a stiff, reserved type who has won the neighborhood Halloween decorating competition several years in a row. Thanks to a couple of unfortunate moments they end up as rivals for a brief moment, & then they become something else (hint: something with smooching). This is just a fast, heartwarming read between a prickly & the sunshine one with an epilogue that ended things on an awww note. I’m really happy that these two Harlequin releases of Roan’s just go for it & these covers make me all kinds of happy. 4⭐️. Out now!CWs: references to former anti-Semitism & bullying. Zachary has self-consciousness and insecurities about appearance now. Zachary’s sister disappeared when they were teens. Bram was cheated on in past.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Claire Kent is giving us so much post apocalyptic romance this year & I’m grateful for it. I’m such a fan of how she captures a post-asteroid world, where there's so much sadness and uncertainty but love is still possible. Embers flirts with forbidden love, featuring Rachel, who’s in her early 20s & Cal, who’s in his mid-40s or so & happens to be her former boyfriend’s grumpy father. Their relationship goes through quite an arc throughout the book, with them meeting when Rachel is 17 & her boyfriend still alive, to the two of them living alone & becoming closer, to becoming something more—a span of 5+ years. Despite the progression of their physical relationship (or maybe because of it?) Kent ramps up the angst in this one. While there’s so much to enjoy about Embers—the voice, the heroine becoming more independent as the book progresses, and the story of two lonely people connecting, in general the premise is not my fave, especially since Rachel is 17 when she first moves into Cal’s home. Nothing physical or romantic happens until Rachel is 22, but I’m kind of with Cal in this one: the potential power dynamics are somewhat troubling here. I just wish some of the details had been written differently because the way they *are* written it doesn’t feel like they’re on totally equal footing—something Cal suggests. Not to mention that there’s a speech Cal makes when Rachel is 22, referencing his feelings for her & their history together, that gives me somewhat ick, uncomfortable vibes. While Embers isn’t an unreserved win for me I am excited about the author’s next release in December. 3.5 ⭐️. Out 08/09.Lots of CWs including death, violence.
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