 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.Damn if small town life doesn’t seem so charming in the pages of a Jill Shalvis book . In The Sweetheart List Harper Shaw chooses a small town—Sunrise Cove—that’s from her memories of her beloved mother & moves there to start over with her dog. Right away she meets mysterious, gruff hottie Bodie Campbell (I mean don’t you know he will be hot based on his name?). She impresses him (read: annoys him) with her refusal to let him help her. But they come back into contact soon after & then another mysterious person is thrown into the mix, a runaway teen named Ivy who has her own reasons for being in Sunrise Cove. Sweet & adorable & heartwarming are all words I would use to describe this one. My fave moments are when Harper & Bodie comfort each other—they start building emotional intimacy early-ish in the book & that’s something both leads really need, coming to each other with their respective painful pasts. Not only is there is romantic navigating to do in The Sweetheart List—Ivy becomes someone who is important to the development of Harper & Bodie’s relationship too, adding complexity in ways I both enjoyed & also didn’t wholeheartedly love (sometimes I just want my romances to be child-free . Don’t the leads have enough to worry about? ). Though the book started dragging for me a bit in the end, the beginning is strong & reminded me of what drew me to Shalvis’s books in the first place. 4⭐️. Out 06/13.CWs: Previous death of parents. Previous death of work partner, of brother (overdose). I think it’s odd that pot is referred to as a gateway drug for his brother.
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 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. If you are a member of the Thick Books Love Club you might want to check out Lucy Score’s romances. She has a keen eye for voice, her secondary characters are often endearingly eccentric (Mrs. Tweedy ), the steam is gooood, & there’s a nice bit of sweetness to magnify that lusty spice. With that being said, Lucy Score’s recent release--Things We Hide From the Light, out now—is uneven for me. Likes—all of the things I mentioned earlier. Plus a badass heroine named Lina who’s basically a bouncer hunter + treasure seeker + adrenaline enjoyer & a hero—Nash Morgan— who’s a well-respected police chief with a great butt. Dislikes, or maybe it’s more accurate to say discomforts—this book reveals Nash’s depression after surviving being shot & losing the memory of what happened & the inclusion of mental health challenges is always something I respect & love. But I find myself uncomfortable with how Nash pressures Lina into actions & situations by using his emotional/mental state (even if his intentions aren’t malicious, even if she is also drawn to him). Not that Lina can’t be that important to him & to his happiness…it’s more of a concern for me that he hasn’t tried to find & regularly actively pursue other resources in addition to his relationship with Lina. This book is angsty if angst is your jam, it’s got plenty of tension between leads, & then there’s a nice payoff at the end with a double epilogue (!). The more I think about this one the less I know what to rate it. 3.5 stars️? Either way, the bottom line is: there are some things I really liked about it, some things I didn’t like, & I’m looking forward to the next one (second chance with Sloane and Lucian, anyone?!) 3.5⭐️. Out now!CWs: Depression. Shot in previous book. Op she was in charge of resulted in injury. Previous heart issues. Panic attack. Flippant reference to assault. Racist cop incident with another cop. Discussion of child with cancer. Assault, attempted sexual assault. Addict father.
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC and the publisher for the complimentary hard copy. All opinions provided are my own.I just wondered what it would be like if someone like Kate Clayborn—who writes so gorgeously & so completely from the heart—hadn’t written books & they weren’t published… Especially when her books make me feel so full. So expansive (read the book to get this reference ;) ). Georgie, All Along is another exquisite portrayal of the best of people & of love. I think it’s also probably the funniest book of Kate Clayborn’s that I’ve read. Not only is Levi totally amazing—I want to hug him & go to his Bday party & drunkenly tell him how much I love him & also write embarrassing wishes regarding him up & down my arms in Sharpie —but Georgie—& her heart & her confusion & friendship—is also beloved to me. Have I ever been uncertain about what I want? About my future? Um yes. This is my favorite kind of romance in that not only is the central love story so wonderful & well-developed, the secondary characters & those relationships are too. Kate Clayborn is one of my fave writers of friendship & I absolutely love how she captures the one between Georgie & Bel, another opposites attract pairing that’s done so well. This book satisfies on every level & made me feel as if I were truly watching/observing/enjoying love in all forms. So if you haven’t read Kate Clayborn yet, please do. She is an author I recommend without reservation & her books are lovely & like Georgie says about Levi, “what I want, but better.” 5⭐️. Out now!CWs: Parental estrangement; parental neglect; parental “cruelty.” References to drug use & emotional abuse at alternative school.
 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. Sophie Jordan’s The Scoundrel Falls Hard was such a fun read that ticks major boxes for me: 🔨 An unconventional pairing. Gwen Cully’s a blacksmith & Kellan Fox’s a conman whose con has been discovered & who takes refuge in her smithy. 🔨 She saves him. 🔨 Sizzling 🔥. Honestly Sophie Jordan writes such great 🔥 scenes. The build-up between the ever-resourceful, determined not to fall Gwen & Kellan, the charming rogue finding redemption in a quieter life, is superb & then when they finally fall 👀, let’s just say they aren’t the only ones to see 🥵 🔥 . 🔨 A standout heroine. She’s 28, nearly 6 feet tall, often wears pants, & is solely responsible for her home & livelihood until she gets some help from the friendly conman next door (he doesn’t actually live next door). I flew through the pages of this one. Sophie Jordan brings it on the emotional front too & by the ending my little heart was going pitter patter at how settled the couple is & how Kellan has found a home with his Viking love that’s far more satisfying than the rootless life he had before. This was a good time! 4.5 ⭐️. Release date: 08/23.
   📖 Q: what’s been one of your fave reads of the year so far? This is one of mine! 👆🏻 I feel like I’m still unpacking some of the things I was explicitly & implicitly taught about how young girls & women should act & books like Emily Henry’s Book Lovers, where the heroine, Nora, is often referred to as a shark, freaking delight me. She loves high heels, she is a devotee of her phone, contracts, & NYC, she is shamelessly devoted to pros & cons lists, & the hero, Charlie Lastra (*swoon*) tells her YOU DON’T NEED TO CHANGE (that might be an exact quote from the book FYI), you are a terrifying force of nature & I worship the ground you conquer. Book Lovers is a dream book to me, one that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. It’s dislike to love and fish out of water with two uptight, big city leads who move temporarily to a small town, & it’s peppered with references to Jane Austen, the Dewey Decimal system, & Rebekah Weatherspoon. I wanted two Epilogues. It’s also about the relationship between sisters & how that can be affected by feelings of responsibility & protectiveness—how hard it can be to throw those things off & chase something for yourself. This book had me smiling & thinking how funny it was, it had me swooning for both leads, it had my heart twisting…it’s sooo good!! 5 ⭐️. Out today!
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