Author: Amanda

Amanda https://romancereviewedcom.wordpress.com
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Funny Story

So … this was definitely an Emily Henry book! If you’re already a fan, I think you’ll love it. If you didn’t like her previous books, this probably isn’t going to be the one to convince you otherwise. 

It was a close proximity fake dating romance between Daphne, a straightlaced librarian, and Miles, a laid back bartender, who both get dumped at the same time when their (now) exes realize they are in love with each other. Daphne has nowhere to go, so she moves in with Miles, despite their very opposite personalities.

I liked the progression of their relationship, they don’t know much about each other other than what their exes have told them so it was fun to watch them discover who they truly were. They start off pretty sad and grieving their lost relationships but it quickly turns into friendship and then more. I didn’t feel a strong passionate love between them, mostly because they are both still pretty hung up on their exes, but that’s okay. 

Miles started as a very Nick Miller type character which I really loved, you don’t see that many romance MMCs who are often high while listening to Celine Dion alone in their bedroom. Daphne is a pretty typical Emily Henry FMC, smart and clever and sad. 

The first half flew by for me, filled with the budding relationship and excellent banter, but the second half felt a bit slow. I expect Emily Henry books to be more on the women’s fiction side but there’s a lot of other stuff Daphne is working through with her friends and family and I just wasn’t that interested in those parts. The third act conflict was miscommunication based and I didn’t love that even though I understood it. 

Overall though it was good! Again, if you love EmHen I think you’ll enjoy it. It fell somewhere in the middle of the pack for me behind Beach Read and Book Lovers. I did the audio and thought Julia Whelan did an excellent job as always. 

The Paradise Problem

I pretty much love every Christina Lauren book so it was no big surprise I loved this one, too. It’s a perfect summer read! 

This follows Anna and Liam, almost five years after they got married to take advantage of family housing in college. Anna thinks they’re divorced, only to find out years later that not only are they still married, Liam needs her help to convince his super rich family that they’ve been happily married this whole time so he can inherit a buttload of money. She needs the money he offers in exchange for carrying out the ruse to take care of her sick father, so she agrees and he whisks her away to the private island where his little sister is getting married for a week of family shenanigans.

I genuinely enjoyed this so much. We’ve got marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and opposites attract, all mixed in with a lot of family drama and rich people problems. Anna is so fun, she’s a free spirited artist who is loyal and true to herself despite the lavish world she is suddenly a part of. Liam is more straight-laced, a serious professor who grew up in the toxic world of extreme wealth but still has a good head on his shoulders. I loved their opposites attract relationship, Liam enjoys Anna for who she is and Anna is on Team Liam the whole way.  

There is a ton of family drama and I ate it up. Liam’s family is seriously full of terrible people and I loved watching Anna and Liam navigate them. They all had me laughing out loud, especially Liam’s sister in law Blair. We also get some steam which isn’t a guarantee in modern CLo so that was a nice surprise! 

I did the audio of this (on Spotify!! I always forget to check there) and it was great. Both narrators did an excellent job, the delivery on the funny parts was just so good.

I really can’t recommend this one enough if you’re looking for a wildly entertaining beachy read! 

The Ride of Her Life

The Ride of Her Life releases today! Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

I’m a big Hallmark fan and the plot of this sounded very Hallmark to me in the best way – city girl Molly inherits a horse farm and goes there with the intent to fix up the farm to sell – only to be met by a hot farrier who doesn’t want her to sell and clashes with her at every step. Only in this one, it’s a sapphic enemies to lovers between Molly and Shani, the hot tenant who knows everything about horses. 

I had mixed feelings about this one. I loved the premise, the setting, Shani, and all the supporting characters at the farm. They have such a great found family centered around the stable where they board their horses. There was a lot of humor and a bit of steam and I loved that we got a character who is a farrier, which is a career I’ve never read about in a romance novel before.  

Molly, on the other hand, was a bit of a struggle for me. When you watch a Hallmark movie, you’re rooting for the small town to win, for the developer to go away, for the festival to raise enough money to save the library or whatever. In this, she’s the only POV and she was the city girl who came to ruin everything which made it hard to root for her. She only cared about her best interests and I just never warmed up to her. 

Overall though it was a cute read! I was curious to see how it would all unfold and work out between them, and like I said I did enjoy the rest of the characters. The writing was light and enjoyable so if sapphic hallmark sounds good to you I do recommend it!

Fragile Sanctuary

One word review – Unputdownable. 

A new Catherine Cowles series feels a bit like the first day of school. Excitement, wonder, new friends, and a little bit nervous because you don’t know what’s going to happen. And boy was this an excellent new beginning. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

This introduces us to Rhodes and her found family in Sparrow Falls. She finds herself growing closer to her brother’s best friend Anson, the grumpy, broody, mysterious fire restoration specialist helping rehab her childhood home. When a series of “accidents” happens to Rhodes, Anson is just the man to help protect her, but Anson is a man full of secrets and those secrets might be the most dangerous of all. 

Both have painful pasts and watching them comfort each other and help bring each other’s (especially Anson’s) walls down was just beautiful. The sexual tension between them built masterfully and when it finally snapped whew it was hot. 

There’s an excellent cast of supporting characters. Rhodes and her siblings and grandma were an amazing found family. They are mostly not blood related but they are a true family nonetheless and I loved their interactions and group texts. I’m looking forward to their stories and already have guesses about who their future love interests will be!

The romantic suspense kept me guessing and I was totally fooled this time. I’m usually great at guessing the “bad guy(s)” in romantic suspense but I didn’t put it all together this time and I love that!  I rarely read a book in one sitting anymore, but I could not put this baby down once I started because I just had to find out what was going on.

I loved loved loved it! I loved it so much I read it first with my eyes then a week later listened to the audio as well which was also amazing and I thought both narrators did a great job!

Role Playing


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This was a cute romance about two Gen X introverts who meet online while playing a RPG together. Due to assumptions made on each side, they don’t realize they’re talking to someone their own age but they form a friendship regardless while going on quests together with the rest of their guild. Eventually they realize the truth but both are romantically cautious due to their pasts so the friendship continues to grow. ⁣
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I loved Aiden so much. He’s a cinnamon roll good guy who gave up everything to try and take care of his aging parents without much support. He hasn’t had much of a romantic history outside of a few relationships when he was young and I loved the journey he went on to discover why that is (hint: he’s not straight). I love how clearly written and well explored his demisexuality is, a lot of times this is just hinted at or skirted around but it was a major plot point here, integral to his story. ⁣
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Also, he’s described as chunky and PLEASE I am begging you give us more big boy MMCs because I love it. ⁣
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I loved how unapologetically grumpy Maggie was. She was completely out of fucks to give and it was honestly so refreshing to read a character who didn’t care what people thought about her. She was a borderline hermit, leaving her house only when truly necessary and mostly avoiding other people (I can relate). She was also so supportive and accepting of Aiden when not a lot of people in his life were. ⁣
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I really enjoyed this but at times it was a bit too much of a slow burn for me personally because not a lot of tension was being built. Some of the game stuff was also boring for me but I can see that being interesting if you’re into gaming!⁣
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Overall though I thought it was a good story with great representation and it was a great change of pace to read about characters that skewed older than we normally see in romance! ⁣
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I did the audio on this one, I liked the flow but didn’t think either narrator’s accent was a great fit for the characters. The male narrator especially has a southern twang which didn’t fit the MMC who was born and raised in Washington. This isn’t a huge issue but it is enough to pull me out of the book!⁣

Young Buck


From Smartypants Romance… Young Buck, an all-new slow burn small-town romance
 from Kilby Blades, is now live in #kindleunlimited!

My take –

This was a sweet small town age gap romance. Loretta and Buck had a hilarious meet cute that set up the story really well. I love that she was the older one in the age gap, though Buck didn’t really seem younger in any way. I enjoyed how their relationship grew from neighbors to more and enjoyed the bit of heat we got! 

At times it felt like these were montages instead of chapters, the way things jump around. She’s on a date with a different guy, the next page he’s rescuing someone in her “book club”, then the next chapter something else happens. It didn’t feel like a super cohesive plot in these moments.

I also did not love the third act conflict. I don’t hate them in general but this one had me gritting my teeth.

Overall though it was a good addition to this series!

‘Young Buck’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #5 in the Green Valley Heroes series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Package Makes Perfect

This was a cute fake dating small town romance between Robin, an outgoing aviation mechanic, and Arthur, a slightly grumpy mailman. 

Robin catches her boyfriend, Arthur’s cousin, cheating on her and decides to fake date Arthur to get back at him. Arthur, who believes in true love and soulmates, is appalled that his cousin would cheat on a woman as wonderful as Robin, so he agrees despite this causing major issues with his family. She decides to give him kissing lessons (and more!) after their one attempt at a kiss to decide if they’re actually compatible goes terribly.

I loved Arthur, he’s described as grumpy but I think he’s really just an introvert who appreciates a schedule and just wants to be comfortable at home while reading a book and having a strict bedtime (I can relate). He’s a big hairy guy which I lovvvveee and I loved how steadfastly he believed in true love even if he hadn’t really felt that spark with any one (until *spoiler alert* Robin). His family was also great, aside from one of them, and I loved that they were a bunch of male wedding planners.

Robin was a fun character, I loved her take no shit attitude while also caring deeply for Arthur and his happiness. I love that she has a blue collar career while also going to school to finish her degree so she can own her own company. 

I loved them together but man the lack of communication made me want to pull my hair out by the end. Neither of them were honest about their feelings and it got repetitive and old as the book progressed. 

Overall though it was cute and I especially loved the kissing (and more!!) lessons. 

‘Package Makes Perfect’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #6 in the Green Valley Heroes series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Skies Over Caledonia

Happy Thursday! Skies Over Caledonia released today, I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

I love returning to Ardnoch! 

This brings us Jared and Allegra’s story, two characters we’ve met in previous books. We’re now five years in the future from the previous book, and Allegra finds herself about to be kicked out of Scotland for visa reasons. She has a proposition for Jared, whose family farm is failing – they get married so she can stay in the country and she can provide the capital needed to save the farm.

I love a marriage of convenience romance and this one was so good! Jared’s been avoiding Allegra’s attentions for years, she’s too rich and shiny and young for the likes of a surly farmer like him but the forced proximity works its magic and they eventually can’t resist each other any longer.

Jared was so broody and grumpy and I loved it. He boarded on rude at times in his insistence at not growing closer to Allegra and I love that she eventually won him over. He was the king of “my wife” moments that I am an absolute sucker for. Allegra was a character who surprised me, she wasn’t necessarily cast in the best light during previous books but I loved learning her history and watching her come into her own. 

They’re both two lonely souls and I loved how they found belonging with each other. It’s a slow burn but when they finally gave into those feelings it was super hot! There’s also a dash of suspense and I love that it drove them closer together.

It’s always great to return to this world and I thoroughly enjoyed it!. 

Promise Me This

Promise Me This releases tomorrow! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. ⁣
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Another winner from Karla Sorensen! I love this world and this family and am always so happy to return.
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This is Ian Wilder’s story, the grumpy & slightly mysterious brother who’s mostly been in the background of the other sibling’s books. He’s back in town for good, settled down with a house and job at his family’s construction company, when suddenly his childhood best friend shows back up in town and needs a place to stay. He offers her and her daughter the spare rooms in his house and she reluctantly agrees. Harlow is a writer with a serious case of writer’s block and just needs a comfortable place to land for a while.⁣
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Ian and Harlow were truly always just friends, from kindergarten on up but they fell out of touch after high school and are now rediscovering each other in their mid thirties. The close proximity of living together eventually works its magic and they start to see each other in a new light. When I say eventually, I mean WHEW it’s a slooowwwww burn but that just means the payoff is that much sweeter. ⁣
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I loved both characters, Ian is so grumpy with everyone in his life except Harlow, and even when he is she calls him out for it. I loved how they were each other’s person, they were such good friends first and they found comfort and a sense of home in each other. I loved how they both fought so hard not to have Feelings for each other and I loved when they had their fuck it moment.⁣
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If you couldn’t tell, I loved it! ⁣

The Five Year Lie

Sarina Bowen is one of my all time favorite romance authors so I was so excited to see she had a thriller coming out! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I don’t read a ton of thrillers these days but I do enjoy them so this seemed right up my alley … and it was!

I really enjoyed it. It’s a domestic thriller about single mother Ariel, who receives a text message five years after the disappearance of the father of her child. They once had a torrid affair, until one day he sends her an email saying he’s leaving and it’s over between them, oh and then he died. She sets off to find out who could have sent her this text and what was really behind his disappearance five years ago, as the contents of the text change her perspective on the whole situation. 

It’s a quick reading book that flashes between past and present as we discover what brought Drew into Ariel’s life all those years ago and what led to his disappearance. The mystery was intriguing and I didn’t want to put it down so I could find out if my theories were correct. I enjoyed all the characters and yes, there is a romance. It’s in the background but it’s definitely there which was great. 

Overall I thought it was an intriguing read and one I recommend for those who like thrillers with a bit of romance!