 Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary finished copy. All opinions provided are my own.Is this the most eccentric romance I have ever read? I think so. Maybe it’s because the hero was once dead & the heroine Angelika Frankenstein-ed him, making him from a couple of different available corpses & bringing him back to life in hopes he would be in love with her (& also in hopes of having a huge accomplishment to mark down in her brother’s feud with another scientist- rival). Maybe it’s because the most romantic moments and even the lesser give full Morticia & Gomez from Addams Family vibes, a comparison made by others & which had me excited to pick this one up. Maybe it’s just all of the little small details. And there are many 🤣. Angelika’s attraction to thighs. Victor eating his apples. The pig. But Sally Thorne’s Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match is absurd and stuffed with quirkiness (it cannot be contained) & also with goodwill. Because no matter what the Frankensteins do or how many natural laws they break, it’s made very clear that they do have big hearts as well. Just your conventional type of romance 😆 . It was hard for me to pin down my feelings on so much of this book including a love triangle-ish situation. On one hand the love triangle often leads to more absurdity so it fits the theme but on the other it goes too far for me. But this book has some truly romantic moments, a general sense of exuberant & romance-loving IDGAFs, the leads have a real & true appreciation for the other, & there’s a Frankenstein story that had me saying “what?!,” “oh,” “that’s really sweet,” & probably “what” again 😆. It’s a romance that breaks a lot of the rules & part of me was like “no! Don’t do that” & the other part was like “this is fun” 🤣 . 4⭐️. Out 09/06.CWs: Angelika looks at the other MC’s genitalia when he’s dead while she is designing the resuscitated body to come. Angelika really wants a baby & they question whether Will will be able to impregnate her. Violence. Reference to death of parents. Theft.
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 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Roni Loren’s Say Everything series is one that’s going on my fave contemporary romance series list—you can put that blurb right on the cover 😆. The latest installment, For You & No One Else, out now, warmed every cockle of my heart. I really loved this friends with benefits romance where they really are *friends* & lovers & eventually make an adorable and unfairly hot partnership. Therapist & mental health influencer Eliza hasn’t won over office-mate Beckham & that’s fine. But they strike up a friendship while unexpectedly shopping for a dog together *cue the soft, happy tears* & as a hacker & friend he’s there for her when a horrible date tries to publicly shame & bully her by posting a video of her without her consent rightfully going off on him (check out the CWs for more on this!). Gradually they move into something steamier, but there are big complications standing in the way including Beckham’s past & their different relationship wants. This age gap, forced proximity, workplace-ish romance is written so beautifully & captures how romance underlaid with a strong friendship can be so strong & heartwarming. The speeches that each makes about friendship, & later about love, really got to me in the best of ways. & the Epilogue. I didn’t need to see it go there, & it didn’t have to for the characters, but I absolutely loved seeing them sooo happy. Furthermore, seeing the other characters from past books—all of them one big, happy, extended family—was particularly welcome given the crappy news we’re dealing with in the Real World. This book & this whole series is fantastic. If I want sensitive romance with steam & compelling relationships with attraction & tenderness & respect & gentle challenges I’m rec’ing this one! Check it out if you haven’t already—you won’t regret it! 5 ⭐️. Out now!
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Ahhh this book. If you haven’t read a KD Casey book you must! Please 🥺. KD Casey is rapidly becoming one of my fave writers & for me the author shares many of those characteristics I love so much about Kate Clayborn’s writing: they’re deceptively quiet-ish plot wise but they’re absolutely stunning stories with so many romantic, smaller moments that add up to huge incontrovertible proof that two people have found their person 🥺🥺🥺. Oh yeah, & there’s baseball 😅. In Fire Season Reid Giordano, a recovering alcoholic who’s trying to find his way back professionally to the pitching he was once capable of—is traded from the minors to the Oakland Elephants. There he meets Charlie Braxton, a star pitcher who’s known for not saying a lot & who’s keeping his impending divorce a secret. They become friends & eventually more in the midst of stresses like Reid possibly being temporary in Oakland, Charlie’s experiences with anxiety, & Reid’s continual work toward maintaining his sobriety. Despite the last paragraph the overall tone of Fire Season is of hope & growth & making deliberate choices to try to be better & stronger. I absolutely love this book & I think its romantic moments—like them dancing together in a kitchen—will live with me rent free. Please check this author out! & then come chat with me 😆. 5 ⭐️. Release date: 07/19.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. After loving Neon Gods & not getting to Electric Idol book yet 🙈 I’m slipping back into the Dark Olympus series with the positively scintillating Wicked Beauty. It’s high action, high heat, high everything it does because this book is not tame. I *definitely* picked that up as soon as Helen & Achilles have wild hate sex 😅. Eventually this is a book about a couple becoming a throuple as someone in the book says, with Helen becoming part of a relationship that Achilles & Patroclus already have & forming something new. But it’s also about more than that, as Helen tries to wrestle control over her destiny & transform herself from the “prize” of a tournament to its victor. To the next Ares of Olympus. With Wicked Beauty Katee Robert writes something so hot. Does it even need to be said? Let me just tell you that I was engaged. It’s an interesting story too, as Helen navigates the cutthroat world of Olympus & tries to forge a new place for herself. Where it falls a little short for me is in emotions. First of all, I wasn’t expecting the tension that develops between Achilles & Patroclus & how Achilles potentially threatens that beloved relationship by his actions with Helen. It gave me partnership in trouble vibes & not in a good way. And second I always want the romance, the declaration, the big words, & maybe that’s not what this story is about but I wanted more of that anyway 😅. This is a lot of fun & I’m so glad Katee Robert is writing it. Now I have to go back for Electric Idol! 4 ⭐️ . Release date: 06/07
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. I think Alexis Hall is one of the best banter writers I’ve read & it’s very apparent in A Lady for a Duke. Wouldn’t it be so great if we were as quick, funny, & astute as an Alexis Hall character? Let me just say I welcomed those moments of humor with open arms because so much of the romance is a rich, dense, & incredibly thoughtful plumbing of emotions, heart, & friendship. Which is amazing…& also served really well by an occasional bon mot for levity. A Lady for a Duke has everything & it just feels so colorful to me. I don’t think I’m in danger of forgetting the characters—they’re truly magnificent in their own ways, from the leads—indomitable Viola Carroll & the sternly principled & honorable Justin, duke of Gracewood—to Viola’s brother, a not very bright but also affable person called Badger who is beloved by his wife, (a magnificent would-be puppet master with a heart) Louise. The story, too, is unforgettable, featuring a trans heroine who, as she says, made choices that severed her from her old life—as a beloved best friend to Gracewood—but that allowed her to live as herself. This childhood best friends, class difference (Viola is a lady’s companion) romance has bold & romantic speeches & moments, stunning descriptions, a devastating sense of drama, & an absolutely lovely Epilogue that serves up major feels. Check out the CWs but this book is soo good & highly recommended! 5 ⭐️. Release date: 05/24.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. There are some books that just feel effortless & that’s Mia Sosa’s The Wedding Crasher. You all, this book is funny, sharp, FUN, family-centered & as sexy as forearms. Featuring a hot but semi-awkward hero, a heroine who isn’t afraid to tell the truth even when the truth puts her between a rock & a hard place, & a fake dating situation that turns into something that could change their lives forever. Solange is Lina’s—from The Worst Best Man—cousin. Dean is Max’s—from the same aforementioned book—BFF. They’re brought together when Solange helps encourage Dean’s fiancée to be honest about her heart after Solange catches said fiancée in an intimate moment with someone else before the ceremony. The chemistry between these two is played up beautifully—these two CARE—as is their conflict, which is thoughtful and well done. Their sex scenes had me internally clapping, including moments like him sliding down the wall bc he’s so overwhelmed by the hotness of it all. Me too, Dean, me too. This is such a good book & a stellar example of a fantastic rom com that activates emotions on *all* levels. 5 ⭐️. Out tomorrow!
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. I jumped into Sonali Dev’s The Rajes series with the final book, The Emma Project, a retelling of—you’ve prob guessed it—Jane Austen’s Emma. Brimming with passion & vitality & with characters who feel layered, this is an interesting read that I’m still trying to pin down. I could definitely tell that this was the final book. It has the air of things boiling up & coming to fruition over a period of time & unfortunately I do think I would have appreciated some of the pacing & structural elements more had I read earlier books. But with that being said I found lots to appreciate about The Emma Project, newby to the series that I was. Starting with the complex characters—even the secondary characters assert themselves & contribute to the story, whether the leads want entirely want them to or not 😉. The family dynamics are sometimes loving, sometimes frustrating, & it’s really cool how past main characters aren’t perfect in this book just because of their once-vaunted MC status. The Emma Project features childhood friends to lovers, 12 year age gap (she’s older), once fake-engaged to your brother, workplace romance. The sex scenes are mostly fade to black but there’s a lot of emotional intimacy here; it’s really sweet seeing how much Vansh knows Naina & vice versa—their understanding goes bone deep. There are a lot of challenging family undercurrents in this read, including an abusive father (see my CWs) & I would have liked possibly some more time just on the development of Vansh & Naina as a couple, outside of their families. Those loom pretty large. But this is a rich story told in a lovely, happy, & haunting voice & I would imagine a great conclusion to the series. 4 ⭐️. Release date: 05/17
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Isn’t it a delight when leads hook up early in the romance & the author still manages to maintain a good level of will they or won’t they (of course they will!)?! That’s what happens in Witches Get Stitches, Juliette Cross’s upcoming offering in her Stay a Spell series. Violet Savoie is a Divine Seer & tattoo artist & Nico Cruz is her business partner & also the sexy singer werewolf she hooked up with almost two years earlier. But Violet’s read her cards which seem to forecast a not so happy ending for them. Despite the high level of attraction that rages between them, she doesn’t want to pursue it—even if a big part of her does in fact want to pursue it. This book has so much of JC’s delicious trademarks: sexy sexy interactions between leads—you can feel how much they want each other. Sweetness—Nico wants Violet so bad & it’s actually painful for him even as she feels like home. Cool worldbuilding. A lovely set of ensemble characters w/ some suspense built up for future books. This series has been such an enjoyable ride & I really luxuriate in the steamy world the author offers. Though I didn’t totally appreciate one of Nico’s try-to-make-Violet-interested strategies, Witches Get Stitches is a fun, hot installment & I can’t wait to read more. 4 ⭐️. Release date: 07/20. Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Bethany Bennett’s lovely debut Any Rogue Will Do had me so excited about this new voice in historical romance. While West End Earl falls somewhat flat for me, I’m really looking forward to seeing what Bennett writes next. Adam Hardwick has worked as a land steward for Lord Calvin Carlyle for two years. They’ve developed a close friendship, Cal even referring to his amiable, red-haired friend as Puppy. But after Adam is attacked, Cal realizes that Adam is a woman, Phee, who has assumed her brother’s identity & the dress & mannerisms associated with men during the time so she can hide from her nefarious uncle & guardian. Cal’s there for her, even as this development causes him to develop romantic feelings for his employee/friend. There are lots of things standing between them but can they make it work? Kudos to Bennett for writing a sweet, beta hero who’s a good friend, a bold heroine, & an unconventional story. On balance I think Bennett writes with grace & sensitivity, & as I mentioned before, I think more great things are in our romance-reading future. But I was disconcerted by Cal’s rapid transition in thinking regarding Phee. As Adam, Phee garners none of Cal’s romantic interest; Cal even muses on how unattractive a sister of Adam’s would have been. But basically as soon as Phee reveals she’s a woman, soon after Cal’s aforementioned musing, she becomes attractive to him. The turnaround is very quick & it just feels odd to me. The story also goes in a very unexpected direction & while it eventually gets smoothed away, some of those vaguely rough edges took me out of the story somewhat. I love the sweet friendship between Cal and Phee & that the story (& Bennett) are willing to be daring, but sadly West End Earl doesn’t always work for me. 3.5 ⭐️. Release date: 06/29 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.Q: are you/could you be a light packer? If a hard-hitting romance with a heroine who must find what happiness looks like on the other side of loss + a charming Irish hero on a captivating sailboat journey sounds like your cup of tea then I definitely recommend Trish Doller’s Float Plan. Anna Beck’s beloved fiancé Ben committed suicide nearly one year before & she’s been in a fog of grief since. When she receives a reminder that they’re supposed to leave on the sailing expedition he planned, she quickly leaves by herself without telling her best friend or family or quitting her job. Also without having totally mastered learning sailing a boat on her own. A scare on the first leg of the journey convinces her she needs help & she enlists Keane Sullivan, Irish rogue & all around sweetheart. As Keane tells her in one moment, he’s had to learn to live with loss, too, after his leg was amputated & his professional sailing dreams were threatened...if not destroyed altogether. Anna & Keane will journey to Puerto Rico together & then she’ll continue without him to Trinidad. Only things don’t really work out as planned. With outstanding, vibrant descriptions of sailing, the places Anna & Keane travel to, & the people they encounter, Float Plan feels like an adventure. The storytelling is fine, the voices wiggled their ways into my heart, & the friends to lovers slow burn tale is so moving—though I did feel like things get a little anticlimactic toward the end. Temporarily. While Keane is a stud, without question the real standout for me is Anna, who makes the decision to leave everything she’s ever known & along the way learns how capable she really is & what the world looks like—what her life can look like—from the tiller of her boat. TW: Anna’s fiancé Ben committed suicide before the book begins but she flashbacks to finding his body. Second, there’s an uncomfortable moment for me when Keane segues from his discussion of a series of statues honoring slaves who died off Martinique to “honor[jng] the memory of those we’ve lost”—in her case Ben. I found the suggestion of comparison somewhat unsettling. 4.5 ⭐️. Float Plan publishes on 03/02. |
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