Happy Monday! Dying to Meet you is out tomorrow, thank you to the publisher for the ARC.
Loved this! It doesn’t matter what genre she write in, Sarina Bowen continues to write the most engaging, entertaining, compulsively readable novels.
This one is a domestic thriller, about an architect involved in a police investigation after her ex boyfriend ends up dead at her work site. She had recently been tracking him after he previously shared his location with her, which makes her the prime suspect.
It kept me flipping through the pages to figure out what the heck was going on and what the heck the history of the house she’s restoring had to do with it all. It also has a tiny bit of romance in it which of course I loved!
This was a nice change of pace for me (reading a domestic thriller) and I really enjoyed my time reading it.
The Thrashers is out now! Thank you @wednesdaybooks for the ARC.
Oh wow did I love this! I didn’t really think I was a YA fan anymore but Julie Soto has proven me wrong. If you love teen television dramas with a bit of mystery, like Pretty Little Liars, Riverdale, etc, then you’ll probably love this too!
I picked it up and did not want to put it down, I finished in under 24 hours which is unheard of for me these days. Though it’s YA, the characters weren’t overly immature or anything, though they still felt age appropriate.
I really loved the FMC, and most of her friends. There’s a bit of Logan and Veronica vibes between Jodi and her best friend’s other best friend and I loved their tension!
This book does have a solid ending, but I am still begging for another book, @wednesdaybooks pleasssseee. I just really thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this and definitely recommend it!
*For clarification, this wasn’t a romance, it’s a thriller, though there are certainly romantic elements. Just wanted to be clear since I normally only post romance reviews!
Serial Killer Games is out today! Thank you to the publisher for sending this unique book my way. I love dark humor and a book where the MMC falls first!
What would you do if you thought your coworker was getting away with murder—literally?
Dolores dela Cruz has been dying to spot one in the wild, and he fits the mold perfectly: strangler gloves, calculated charm, dashing good looks that give a leg up in any field . . . including fields of unmarked graves.
The new office temp is definitely a serial killer.
Jake Ripper finds a welcome distraction in his combative and enigmatic new coworker. He hasn’t come across anyone as interesting as Dolores in a long time. But when mere curiosity evolves into a darkly romantic flirtation, Jake can’t help but wonder if, finally, he’s found someone who really sees him, skeletons in the closet and all.
Until Dolores asks Jake’s help to dispose of a body . . .
A morbidly funny and emotionally resonant novel about the ways life—and love—can sneak up on us (no matter how much pepper spray we carry).
Happy Thursday! Sawyer is out today, thank you to the author for the ARC.
I loved this sweet (but spicccyyyyy) romance between Sawyer, our middle Rivers brother/single dad, and Ava, a single mother who is new in town to start a new job as a barrel racing coach. These two first meet in the city and have a fiery one night stand, only for Ava to show up in the same small town where Sawyer is from.
I just really loved their dynamic, from the body-slamming-at-the-bar meet cute to the eventual blending of their families. I loved how Ava helped Sawyer relax a little. It was fairly low angst, not a lot of drama between them, and that made it really quick and easy reading for me.
They’re both single parents and I loved the cute moments with their girls. I also loved the previous FMCs showing up to support Ava and welcome her into the Rivers clan. It made me laugh, swoon, and sweat at different times.
This was such a fun listen! Thank you to @PRHAudio for the ALC #PRHAudioPartner .
I love a destination romance, and add in action & adventure and I was hooked. It’s a second chance romance, but wasn’t really angsty or emotional which kept the story pretty light and fun.
If you’re looking for a fast paced, exciting romance without a lot of angst, I definitely recommend checking it out. It would be a perfect beach or airplane read when you just want something fun
Flirting Lessons is out now! Thank you to @berkleyromance for the free book! #BerkleyPartner
I’m about 50% into this one and really enjoying it!
It’s got lessons between straight-laced, dependable Avery, who wants to learn to approach women after only being with men, and Taylor, who is a bit less together in life, but has a lot more experience with women – and a bad reputation for loving and leaving them.
I’m really enjoying their opposites attract dynamic and watching Avery come into her own. They have a series of “lessons,” from salsa dancing to queer trivia nights and it’s been a lot of fun to listen to!
Blurb:
Newly single and about to leave her twenties behind, Avery Jensen is tired. Tired of being so buttoned up and well-behaved, and especially tired of dating men. She is desperate for change and determined to break out of her shell—which includes exploring her bisexuality and learning how to shamelessly flirt. One small problem: she doesn’t know where to start. With little dating experience, especially with women, confidence doesn’t seem within reach.
Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley’s biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker who just swore off sex for two months after making a bet with her best friend. As impossible as it seems, Taylor agrees—but not without finding some loopholes. So, when Taylor meets Avery, it only makes sense to offer her flirting lessons. It’s a win-win—Avery will get the confidence she needs while Taylor will be too preoccupied to think of all the sex she isn’t having.
While their lessons may start off a little rocky, Taylor is patient and encouraging, and it isn’t long before Avery starts to look forward to their weekly meetings. Soon Avery’s life starts to look the way she’s always wanted. There is just one small issue…she now has feelings for Taylor. Little does she know the feelings are mutual. Soon their attraction is impossible to ignore, and their once innocent lessons risk becoming messy when Taylor realizes that the only person she wants Avery flirting with is her.
Promise Me Sunshine released earlier this month, thank you to the publisher for the ARC!
This was a beautifully written, tender story about a woman learning to live again after a devastating loss.
Lenny’s best friend in the world, her person, passed away and her world is just absolutely rocked by it. She’s living in a cycle of temporary nanny gigs, afraid to make a commitment to anyone, and also afraid to return to her apartment she shared with her friend so she wanders the streets and sleeps on public transportation. She meets Miles, uncle to one of her charges, and he offers to help her work through her “live again” list, while she helps him bond with his niece.
The grief was handled so beautifully – both characters have suffered losses but are at different stages in the grief cycle and I just thought the representation felt so real and authentic. They bonded over their grief but also helped each other work through it. Despite all the grief, there was still humor and a bit of romance throughout.
The blurb says it’s a romance, and I’m not quite sure I agree with that – it definitely read more woman’s fiction to me, with a romance that kicks in ⅔ of the way in (at least for Lenny. Miles was obviously in love with her from the beginning)
It didn’t quite top Ready or Not for me, but I did like it a whole lot!
Happy Tuesday! Beautiful Exile is out today, thank you to the author for the ARC.
I always love being back in Sparrow Falls!
This is Arden’s story, who’s been a bit of a mystery throughout the series, and it turns out she’s one of my favorite CC heroines ever! How can you not love a FMC who holds the MMC at knifepoint upon first meeting him??
It’s got everything I love and want in a Catherine Cowles book – small town, (found) family, underestimated but strong FMC, protective MMC, romance, suspense, Lolli, and this time throw in a hilarious meet cute too!
Definitely check this one out if you’ve loved this series so far too!
Fan Service is out now! Thank you to @berkleyromance for the free book! #BerkleyPartner #Berkley #BerkleyBookstagram
This was a unique book! I really really loved the premise – a washed up actor seems to be following the path of his once beloved character on a long running tv show: turning into a werewolf. He doesn’t know who to turn to for help, so he finds the moderator of the fan page for his show, because no one knows more about his old character than her.
It started off so strong for me, it was laugh out loud funny and like I said the premise was so fun, but ultimately I was kind of bored and wanted more to happen.
So overall it was funny but not a true winner for me personally. I’d still say check it out if you like a himbo MMC or loved 90s The WB/CW paranormal dramas!
Happy Tuesday! Story of my Life is out now and it’s small town romcom perfection! I received an ARC, but all opinions are my own.
Lucy Score came out swinging (with a dead fish) in the first addition to this new series. Honestly I am not always the hugest romcom lover anymore, but this one was romcom done right for me – full of humor, irreverence, and a whole buttload of heart.
I loved the new in town, fish out of water vibes of city girl Hazel moving to small town Story Lake on a whim, starting over when life wasn’t going her way. She was a once popular romance author struggling with writer’s block, so when the hunky small town contractor working on the dilapidated house she bought starts to stir up some creativity in her, she asks him to keep inspiring her with a fake date, and maybe more. The banter between Hazel and Cam was hilarious, and boy were those two attracted to each other.
I loved the romance but I also loved the supporting characters and side plot. The town was so fun and quirky, and I loved how they banned together to try to save their town.
It felt like one part Schitt’s Creek, one part Hart of Dixie, with the close proximity, exasperated, I-want-to-tear-your-clothes-off vibes of Nick and Jess from New Girl (all my favorite things.)
Definitely check it out if you are a fan of the author’s Blue Moon series, or just quirky small towns in general.
Romance Reviewed 