Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Whew, the emotional journey Old Flames & New Fortunes took me on! You never know what you’re gonna get with a Sarah Hogle book & I love it. It’s hard to compare any of her books to any of her others bc they’re all so different—but I’d say the overall vibes of this one are more like Twice Shy, but with magic, second chances, & a strong bond between sisters & friends added in & some other things taken out . Romina Tempest—who makes magical floral arrangements—runs a magic business with her sisters & their friend. Everything is as it should be when an old love, Alex, returns to town just after Romina & her friend have lied & said they are dating. This romance doesn’t rest on its laurels—it produced so many different feelings in me, from laughter to sadness to swoons to nervousness. I was all over the place. That’s something I really love about Sarah Hogle’s books, how they go for it & you basically have to lean into the experience. The aforementioned swoons in this book are real & serious & I will follow a devoted, lay-all-his-cards-on-the-table hero to the ends of the Earth. Though I didn’t love all of the details surrounding their first relationship imploding, I also found much of it relatable. Sometimes people do dumb, hasty things…& if they’re lucky, they get a second chance. So I ultimately really liked this book & love Sarah Hogle’s imagination. I’m truly so excited to see what she writes next! 4.5⭐️. Out 04/02.Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.
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Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.After going on a bit of a slog through Radiant Sin, I was so excited to be lifted & tossed around in the high-speed gusts of the sex & intense-feelings tornado that is Midnight Ruin. In this addition to Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus series, increasingly assertive Eurydice, stoic & protective BFF Charon, & artistic & guilt-ridden Orpheus find unexpected pleasure in each others’ arms as Olympus threatens to come crashing down around them. On the chemistry side of things, whew!, this book is hot. But the romance arc is a bit wobbly for me in the beginning. If I’m reading a poly book, I want all people involved in the initial relationship to equally want to pursue adding another or others to their relationship—otherwise it makes me a bit sad . In this case, I felt a teeny bit sad for Charon, but by the middle & end (this book moves fast!), he was as invested in the new dynamic as Eurydice is. Midnight Ruin is a great return to a series that has offered satisfyingly steamy reads. With that being said, I’m not sure if I’ll continue to read it—for me, Robert’s latest Threshold series holds more freshness & bounce to it. 4⭐️. Out now!CWs: reference to murder; attempted murder; reference to abortion
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. All opinions provided are my own. To Woo & To Wed is the third Martha Waters book I’ve read & I really love the humor, heart, & mild absurdity of them. The last one—where the heroine tries to stage a haunted house—is particularly inventive. This one is a bit more conventional, hinging around a fake engagement between two people who were close to being engaged seven years earlier. Sophie & West have had quite the journey to a HEA. First derailed by his tyrannical duke father & a horrible curricle accident, Sophie and West are additionally hindered by Sophie’s feelings regarding the obstacles they face. But the attraction between them holds steady, as does West himself, who has pined hard for our girl Sophie. You know how I am about second chance & the execution of this one doesn’t quite win me over. The flashbacks feel kind of inserted into the narrative without the glue to bring it all together for me seamlessly. I felt like I was missing some of the emotional nuance necessary to really fall for the second chance arc. But the characters are entertaining, & I love Martha Waters’ writing style, which is shiny & bright & witty. To Woo & To Wed isn’t my fave of this series but I rec this author in general & really look forward to reading more of her books. They’re adorable. 3.5⭐️. Out 02/06.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. What an emotional adventure The Lady He Lost by Faye Delacour is & I loved every minute. This historical features a woman scorned only—the woman scorned was only very reluctantly done so & the hero has regretted it basically every moment since & he misses their friendship & being with her… Jane Bishop & Lieutenant Eli Williams used to be besties. One drunken night he is caught in a mildly (my interpretation) compromising position with Jane’s mean cousin & he proposes to said cousin as a result. Jane’s broken-hearted & even more upset when he leaves to return to sea & is presumed dead after a shipwreck. Now, several years later, Eli returns *surprise!!*. His former fiancé is now engaged to someone else & Jane is pissed at him. This book abounds with humor & emotional delicacy & enough steam even during a coded convo between the leads that I had an “oh my” feeling going on. My fave books are those where we have well -rounded relationships with secondary characters too, where they’re fleshed out & real, & TLHL has that for sure. I love Jane’s BFF & her uncle Bertie & could even see a bit of redemption in the cousin by the end. Then, the ending! I loved it. The gesture of support Eli makes is wonderful. Just *claps*. I didn’t even mention that Jane is entrepreneurial & is running her own ladies-only gambling hell with her bestie. Check this one out! You won’t be disappointed. 5⭐️. Out 04/02.Please see the CWs listed by a trusted reviewer.
Thanks to the author for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Eliza McLane’s holiday novellas are so good, you all: they include outrageous amounts of sexual tension, MCs who are living their best lives sexually, and big emotional breakthroughs that contribute to the HEA. These novellas never feel like they’re missing a big part of the emotional story—they feel complete & full & that’s such a nice feeling to walk away with after you’ve flown through a novella. In Haunted Hookup, Alice is finally getting to visit the reputedly haunted house she’s spent so long researching. She’s been invited to join a house party of sorts & serve as a tour guide. The first night of the ball includes so much wish fulfillment (thank you, Eliza!) & I was like wow, it goes there, & yes, this is fun! It turns out that Alice actually knows the very attractive masked stranger who makes her toes curl & what follows is a lovely & hot exploration of what might have been & still could be if they follow their hearts. There is a ghost in this book & some thrills but it’s mostly a sad/wistful kind of ghost story that runs a nice parallel to Alice’s own. This book is great fun, like Eliza’s others. Check it out if you’re looking for Halloween vibes or a hero with chest hair or some great communication or some restraint play. 4.5⭐️. Out 10/10.Please see a trusted reviewer's list of CWs.
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