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!

Cute, fun, & film-centric, Timothy Janovsky’s Never Been Kissed is an estranged BFFs to renewed friends to romantic partners NA romance featuring a drive-in loving lead who has—as the title suggests—never been kissed.

I’ve never been to a drive-in but it’s a setting in this romance that evokes feelings of nostalgia & summer lightheartedness.

22 year old Wren Roland has worked there for the last 8 years. This year he’s manager & forced to work with his once closest friend, Derick, whom he almost kissed & who dropped him like a bad book in college.

Things I really enjoyed about this book: the demisexual rep, the somewhat nerdy leads (said by a nerd herself), & how Wren & Derick work to repair their relationship & improve how they talk to each other.

Less solid for me is the portrayal of Derick, whose actions aren’t always understandable. This is a case where I feel like I would have particularly loved dual narration.

Never Been Kissed is an easygoing read that I think some readers will be really moved by, but in the end for me it was enjoyable but not a read I fell in love with.

I have a family history of addiction & drug & alcohol abuse & I was both wondering how those topics would be treated in a romance & also aware that I was coming to the table with my own experiences & feelings on the topic.

Now that I’ve offered that review caveat I’ll say that in general I love redemption stories + second chance stories, how much hope they offer & how satisfying the narrative arc often is, & in the case of Trusted & True by Rhenna Morgan, protagonist Callie Moore is clearly invested in making good choices & in “making amends.”

She’s obviously done a lot of work thinking about her past actions, triggers, and motivations & leans heavily on the things that help her stay healthy & safe.

In general I really enjoyed Rhenna Morgan’s focus on blue collar leads & found family with this romance, & the hero Danny’s admissions that professionally, he’s not satisfied.

But I have two big problems with this romance. First, the relationship between Danny & Callie just moves so quickly. The end, in particular, feels rushed.

Second, two of Callie’s past actions—really big & tbh troubling admissions—are just lobbed into the plot & then they’re pretty easily dismissed by the characters…but not by me. Callie made a huge mistake when she was a teen in particular—one that makes me feel very uncomfortable but the other characters are kind of like, oh it’s okay (obviously exaggerating some here).

I believe in second chances but the execution of a second chance arc just doesn’t totally work for me in this book. Maybe if these were things the characters had started to process before the book started—instead of being quickly introduced in this book—it would have been more successful for me.

Like many of you I’ve changed the genres I’ve been seeking out during the pandemic because my emotional state already seems a bit wobbly. I've read Abby Jimenez’s The Friend Zone and, since that book had me in knots, I was kind of dreading this one tbh, especially at this moment in time. But for much of the book The Happy Ever After Playlist is a freaking delight, crackling with humor and devotion of all kinds, giving me enough drive to get through the heavy parts because I knew there would be even happier stuff on the other side.
 
We met Sloan in The Friend Zone, where she encouraged her BF Kristen to accept true love and where she suffered the tragic loss of her own fiancé. Set two years later, THEAP opens with her stuck in a pretty stagnant state. A dog—someone’s lost pet—helps pull her out of it.
 
Sloan eventually learns that the dog’s owner’s name is Jason and he’s a musician currently traveling in Australia, and before she knows it they’re texting and then eventually, finally meeting in person.
 
Even when Jimenez has held my heart crushed between her fingers I’ve never doubted her characters’ love for each other. It sings. It dances. In this case, I felt Jason’s love like it was a tangible thing & that made what was to follow a little easier to bear. This book is INTENSELY romantic and gives me some major flutters.
 
As much as I appreciated how THEAP is lighter in angst than I had anticipated, I was kinda surprised that Brandon—and Sloan’s feelings about moving on from him—didn’t take up even more of the story. There’s also a scene with Jason when he’s initially processing that her fiancé died and his reaction is a little off-putting. To be clear, Sloan is definitely devastated by Brandon’s loss but I expected even more introspection, maybe even more guilt, about dating someone new...although maybe I’ve just read too many books like that and that’s just my problem ;). 
 
There are a couple of things about the plot that I was somewhat resistant to but overall this book is a joy...with some heartache thrown in. It’s sooo funny—there’s one line from Kristen I’ve been wanting to share with people so badly haha—and I stan a creative, talented couple who care about their careers...and making it work with someone very special.
 
I felt the love in this one, people!

4.25 ​⭐️