Secret Haven is out now! Thank you to the author for the gorgeous trope ARC.
Oh, my heart. Love love loved this! Definitely my favorite of the series and a top all time fave from the author.
This is book six in the series, and the clues have been laid out through the series for this couple. Man, did I love them! We’ve seen the connection between them but I loved getting to know their real backstory. The love, the sacrifice, the yearning, all chef’s kiss perfection.
I don’t want to say too much because some of the elements of the book surprised me and I want the same for you but I will say I just loved everything about how this story unfolded. And as always, I did not properly guess who the bad guy(s) was/were and especially not the why.
I loved this whole series but Catherine really saved the best for last here! Love!
Happy Tuesday! In A Rush is out today, thank you to the author for the ARC.
If you know me, you know my unrelenting love for In A Jam, the first book in this series (though either can 100% be read as a standalone) so I was so excited to get more in this world! This was a laugh out loud romance, filled with long term pining (from him), a fulfilled marriage pact, and revenge against a two-timing ex.
I love a marriage of convenience romance but a revenge marriage is even better. Emme recently found out her ex was cheating on her, and the two have to be in a wedding party together very soon. Her old BFF Ryan reminds her of the marriage pact they made in high school – they’re both 30 and unmarried, so they elope in order to make her ex feel bad and also to clean up Ryan’s reputation.
Ryan and Emme are both flawed characters, which I loved even if they were at times frustrating (just like real people are!) There were a lot of genuinely hilarious moments, and it was so wonderful to see characters we’ve met in previous books but also meet new ones. I especially loved Ryan’s teammates!
Though I really did find this enjoyable, there were perhaps too many similarities plot wise to In A Jam for me (marriage of convenience, high school friends, he’s secretly pined for her for years, she’s a teacher who recently got dumped and is feeling adrift, same female friend groups, etc) which made it hard not to compare the two. It didn’t quite stack up as well for me or have the same heart as In A Jam. I also found Shay and Noah to be way more likable than Emme and Ryan.
Overall though I did like it and enjoyed my time back in this world!
The Co-Op just re-released recently, thank you to the publisher for the early copy in exchange for a review. It sounds like it’s been re-written a bit so I’m not sure how it compares to the original!
This is a second chance marriage of convenience romance between two people who inherit a house together and have to rehab it in order to get it on the market.
LaRynn and Deacon were great characters, they’re both big people with big personalities and big opinions. They have excellent banter and they’re kind of mean to each other (LaRynn especially, but Deacon likes that) which I really enjoyed, and it felt realistic especially with their history. I loved the setting and the construction details, though I really could have used more of those to be honest.
It was a very character driven story, these two are orbiting around each other in a close space with a lot of hurt feelings from the past, and it felt a bit slow at times for me because of this. That being said, again, it did feel realistic to me. Working through the past takes time, I’m just impatient!
Overall though I thought it was a great story, especially if you love character driven plots with a crap ton of banter!
The Christmas You Found Me released today. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.
Oh wow did I love this. This now ranks up there with my all time favorite Christmas romances, for sure.
This is a marriage of convenience romance between Sienna, a recent divorcee whose friend places a joke Husband Wanted ad to find her a new man, and Guy, a single dad with a chronically ill daughter who responds to the ad in hopes securing work will help him afford his daughter’s life-saving medications.
Sienna was a great character, she’s clinging to her family’s ranch by her fingertips post-divorce and she still has it in her heart to help out this stranger and possibly help save his daughter’s life. She was kind and compassionate and I want to be as nice as her when I grow up.
Guy was also great, a devoted dad willing to do anything to save his daughter in the hellscape that is the US healthcare system. Their romance was both insta-love and a slow burn and a very sweet one at that (by that I mean they both immediately liked each other but it took a while for things to actually develop romantically.)
I loved the forced proximity of them living together in her little cabin. There’s a pervasive sadness to both of their lives due to what they’re going through and I loved that they could bring a little light to each other. I also loved both their relationships with Guy’s daughter.
The tone in this is definitely different from that of the Moose Springs series, which is not a complaint. Those weird delightfully weird romcoms, while this is a straight up contemporary romance with angst and serious tones. I feel like both have hit at the right time to be exactly what I want at that time.
I really think this would be a great Hallmark movie, but specifically the Hallmark Miracles of Christmas variety. Overall I thought this was just a really great romance. It made me cry (a lot!) so I’m giving it five stars!
My goodness did I love this book! I didn’t necessarily think I would but man was I wrong (again.)
It’s a marriage of convenience romance between a werewolf alpha and the vampyre daughter of a councilman. Misery’s best friend has gone missing and the only clue points to her new husband so she agrees to marry to try to find out what happened, while he agrees to the marriage for political reasons.
Misery has long been neglected by her family unless she can be used to their advantage, and I just loved her. She was alone in enemy territory, doing whatever she could to try to find her bestie and I loved her journey as she navigated that. She was so snarky, so funny, and her walls were up so high in a very believable way with her history. I loved her romance with Lowe but I loved her relationship with Lowe’s little sister even more. They genuinely had me giggling with their interactions.
Lowe was the new alpha to his pack, and did everything he could to keep a distance from his new bride but just couldn’t stay away. He was a great character but the star for me was really Misery.
I loved the angst and longing between these two strangers who meet for the first time at their wedding.The romance is a bit of a slow burn due to Misery’s circumstances but I loved how they eventually built a relationship and it did get good and steamy eventually.
I have a long history with vampire and werewolf romance so I will say parts of it were pretty easy to guess what would happen but the author’s voice felt fresh and it was honestly such a joy to read! I loved it and look forward to more in this world.
Happy Monday! Just My Luck is out today, thank you to the author for the ARC.
There’s not much I love more than a grumpy/sunshine marriage of convenience romance and this one was so good! I think this might be my favorite Lena book yet.
We know Abel from previous books, he owns the local brewery, and is very grumpy. Sloane is his employee, a sunshiney single mom who overhears that Abel is having trouble securing a business loan to buy out his evil father’s stake in the brewery, so she concocts the perfect plan – they’ll marry so she can get her trust fund early and give him the money he needs in exchange.
The forced proximity of living together worked its magic and the tension between them was so great. Sloane was so upbeat and fun and I loved how grumpy Abel melted for her and her kids. He was so soft for them when he generally didn’t allow softness in his life – due to his heartbreaking past.
I loved being back in Outtatowner! It was so great seeing both the Sullivans and the Kings and how their overall relationships have changed throughout the series. The subplot that has run through the background of both series continues to grow and I’m dying to see what happens next! Royal’s book is coming and I’ve been waiting not so patiently for him.
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!
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!.
Happy Thursday! I Wish We Had Forever released today. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this small town, brother’s best friend, fake marriage romance! We found out at the end of I Wish You Were Mine that Jen and Abel had eloped and now we get to see what happened from their point of view. I was so excited to find out what happened and it did not disappoint! Abel’s my favorite kind of MMC, he’s grumpy, broody, protective, and a bit broken but still soft for his lady. And man did he have a dirty mouth on him! Jen was a great FMC, she’s strong and I loved watching her to learn to stop people pleasing and ask for what she wants. They were such a cute couple, I loved how supportive they were of each other, and I loved all the chemistry between them after years of longing and pining. It’s a Jessica Peterson book so of course it’s super spicy, with lots of food and friendships as well. I’m sad this series is over, I’ve loved every book including this one!
I love this book. I loved it last year when it was my first read of 2023, and I loved it this year as my first read of 2024. I did it on audio this time around and it was so so so good (Jason Clarke 🥵) It’s easily become an all time favorite for me. It has literally everything I love in a romance – small town, marriage of convenience, a grumpy MMC who falls first and hard, pining (my GOD, the PINING). It had me laughing and swooning in equal parts. Even the tagline makes me swoon – “She was the one who got away. She just didn’t know it.” My review from last year still holds true – Noah, Daddy Bread Baker for those in the know, is a serious dreamboat. He’s pined for his former neighbor/high school crush for years, so when she shows up back in town to claim an inheritance, he immediately throws out a marriage proposal to help her out – despite the fact that he’s very grumpy she left him behind in the first place. He’s raising his niece all on his own and doesn’t really have time for a marriage, what with single handedly saving his family’s farm, helping out everyone in town, and perfecting his jam recipes but he just can’t help himself. His niece was an absolute hoot- I want to be Gennie when I grow up. Even though he’s grown up physically since high school, he can’t help but blush and panic when Shay gets close, which of course makes him even grumpier. Shay is a bit lost, her seemingly perfect life has come crashing down around her and she doesn’t know who she is or what she wants anymore. She was an interesting if not a bit frustrating at times character, but I think I actually understood her more the second time around. It’s so obvious Noah is gone for her, but she just got out of a really long and toxic relationship so immediately jumping into something new can’t be easy. The sparks between Shay and Noah were immediate, and though it was a slow burn, when things got physical oh boy did dirty talking Noah have me blushing. I loved how these two balanced each other out. I love this book.
Romance Reviewed 