opposites attract

December Midnights

This magical holiday romance releases today on audio! Thank you to the author for the ALC. The ebook is also available in KU.

This is a small town romance set at an inn in Maine during the winter solstice. A matchmaker has told Aurora she will meet her soulmate this solstice, but the only man she’s drawn to is Gray, a former baseball player, now investor at the Inn where she works. He’s leaving town soon to pursue a new career so this can’t be the man for her, right?

Full of magic and whimsy and spice, this is a quick reading and unique novella.  

I eyeball read this last year and was happy to reread it again this year on audio. The MMC, Gray, is a bit grumpy and growly, and Tor Thom’s narration fits that perfectly, especially during the dirty talk scenes. Savannah Peachwood was also perfect for Aurora’s whimsical and hopeful nature. The duet narration between them was just a delight, and I recommend checking this one out on audio if you can!

Bull Moon Rising

What a fun new world from Ruby Dixon! Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. 

I’ve got to be honest, I thought this was just going to be minotaur romance and didn’t think too much deeper about it but it turns out it’s one part fantasy, one part romance, and one part adventure which adds up to a pretty exciting new series!

It’s a fantastical world, full of magical artifacts and those that hold them are like the aristocracy of the world. Aspeth is the sheltered daughter of a holder on the brink of ruin. She decides to join the Royal Artifact Guild to hunt down more artifacts to save her father and their land, but it’s not as easy as she assumed it would be and ends up marrying a minotaur teacher who will sponsor her going through Guild training.

I really enjoyed it! It took me a little bit to get into which is true of all fantasy (especially when I didn’t realize it was fantasy going into it) but I finally got into it and really enjoyed both Aspeth and Hawk. Aspeth was a bit chaotic, she had a lot of spunk and a can-do attitude without a lot of street smarts or practicality, while Hawk was starchy and buttoned up and super competent. 

I also really enjoyed the side characters and there was a real found family between them all that I loved. You get action, adventure, and a slow burn romance that leads to some heat so I was very pleased!

I look forward to more from this world!

All Folked Up

Happy Thursday! All Folked Up is out today. 

This is book three in the Good Folk series, which is a spin off of The Winston Brothers, featuring important side characters finding their HEAs.

There is nothing I love more than returning to Green Valley with Penny. The way she writes, the unique turns of phrase, the thought and care that goes into every word, I just want to wrap myself in the pages and never leave.

We start off with possibly the most awkward meet-cute result of all time, which leads to an undercover investigation at the strip club our FMC Hannah manages. Hannah and Isaac have to work together so Isaac can investigate a frequent customer, but due to their terrible meet cute it’s quite awkward for a while. 

I’ve been wondering what Isaac’s deal was since I read Beard Science in 2016 so it was wonderful to get some answers. He started off a bit rigid and icy, but as the story moved on he started to thaw for Hannah and I grew to understand him better. 

Hannah was the kind of FMC I really enjoy – totally competent but underestimated and she proved how strong and worthy of love she is. 

It was heavy on the Green Valley cameos, especially Cletus & Hank, and my surprising new favorite Tina, which I loved! This gave me all the answers I’ve been wanting and it is always a true delight to return to my favorite fictional town. 

2024 Holiday Romances

This is a big year for holiday romance, mostly Christmas but some Hannukah and New Years as well. I’ve been working on gathering these for a while, so here it is:

Aug 27 – Last Christmas – Clare Swatman

Sept 2 – Christmas Ever After – Jaimie Admans 

Sept 4 – This is Not A Holiday Romance – Camilla Isley 

Sept 13 – Snow is Falling – Sarah Bennett 

Sept 17 – I’ll Get Back to You – Becca Grischow

Sep 23 – Snowed In With A Scotsman – Amber Cooper

Sept 24 – The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year – Ally Carter

Sept 24 – The Christmas You Found Me – Sarah Morganthaler 

Sept 24 – Jingle Bell Mingle – Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

Sept 24 – Kiss Me at Christmas – Jenny Bayliss

Sept 24 – Second Chance Christmas – Jahquel J

Sept 24 – A Novel Christmas – Charity Shane

Sept 24 – Christmas In Spite of You – K.C. Mills

Sept 24 – All I Want Is You – Falon Ballard

Sept 24 – The Holiday Cottage – Sarah Morgan  

Sept 24 – Evergreen Christmas – Janet Dailey 

Sept 24 – The Christmas Catch – Toni Shiloh 

Sept 26 – Look Up, Handsome – Jack Strange 

Oct 1 – Make the Season Bright – Ashley Herring Blake 

Oct 1 – The Merriest Misters – Timothy Janovsky

Oct 1 – Only for the Holidays – Abiola Bello

Oct 1 – Mistletoe Misses – Alexandra Grace 

Oct 1 – Make My Wish Come True – Rachael Lippincott

Oct 1 – The Merry Matchmaker – Sheila Roberts

Oct 1 – One Big Happy Family – Susan Mallery 

Oct 1 – Some Like It Cold – Elle McNicoll 

Oct 1 – That Time We Kissed Under the Mistletoe – Julie Christianson

Oct 3 – Zero – Mandy Muse 

Oct 3 – Faking The Book Boyfriend – AK Landow

Oct 8 – When In December – Kendra Mase 

Oct 8 – The Christmas Crush – Noelle Douglas

Oct 8 – Love You a Latke – Amanda Elliot 

Oct 8 – The Nightmare Before Kissmas – Sara Raasch 

Oct 8 – The Most Wonderful Time – Jayne Allen

Oct 8 – Christmas Sweater Weather – Jaqueline Snow

Oct 8 – I’ll Be Gone For Christmas – Georgia K Boone

Oct 8 – Christmas in Aspen – Anita Hughes 

Oct 8 – Christmas Eve Love Story – Ginny Baird 

Oct 3 – Faking The Book Boyfriend – AK Landow

Oct 8 – When In December – Kendra Mase 

Oct 9 – A Holiday Worth Fighting For – Donna JA Olson

Oct 8 – The Holiday Honeymoon Switch – Julia McKay

Oct 8-  The December Market – RaeAnne Thayne

Oct 8 – Snowy Mountain Christmas – Sharon Sala 

Oct 8 – Up to Snow Good – Dani Ryan

Oct 8 – Holiday In Handcuffs – Nicole Sanchez 

Oct 9 – A Holiday Worth Fighting For – Donna JA Olson

Oct 10 – Sprinkle All The Way – Kayla Martin

Oct 10 – The Christmas Tree Farm – Laurie Gilmore 

Oct 10 – Sprinkle All The Way – Kayla Martin

Oct 10 – Making the Book Boyfriend – Carolina Jax

Oct 14 – Decked In Red & Green – Alexandra Hale 

Oct 14 – We Three Kings – Kristen Bailey 

Oct 14 – Deck The Shelves – Joelle Cullen

Oct 15 – Just One More Mistletoe – Carly Phillips 

Oct 15 – Only Ever You – Emma Sewell

Oct 15 – Hung By The Fire – Shea Brighton 

Oct 15 – Maid At Christmas – Bell Renshaw

Oct 15 – How My Neighbor Stole Christmas – Meghan Quinn

Oct 15 – A Winter Wish – Emily Stone

Oct 15 – Most Wonderful – Georgia Clark

Oct 15 – Eight Nights to Win Her Heart – Miri White

Oct 15 – The Wedding Witch – Erin Sterling 

Oct 15 – All I want For Christmas – Karen Swan

Oct 15 – Holiday Tides – Laura Langa

Oct 16 – Miami Ice – Aven Ellis

Oct 16 – A Scottish Christmas – Emma Bennet 

Oct 17 – Last Christmas Crush – Mia Heintzelman  

Oct 17 – Axes and O’s – Kayla Grosse 

Oct 17- Rating the Book Boyfriend – Jade Dollston 

Oct 17 – Tangled With the Tight End – Alexia Chase

Oct 18 – When the Snow Settles – Rachel Leberge

Oct 18 – Trouble – Brittanee Nicole

Oct 19 – Meet Me Under The Mistletoe – Danielle Baker

Oct 22 – The Christmas Countdown – Holly Cassidy 

Oct 22 – The Anti-Social Season – Adele Buck

Oct 22 – Hero for the Holidays – Maisey Yates

Oct 22 – The Christmas Cookie Wars – Eliza Evans

Oct 22 – Christmas Is All Around – Martha Waters

Oct 22- Merry Little Hate Notes – Jennifer Peel

Oct 22 – A Very Merry Hitman – Katie Reus

Oct 22 – Let’s Get Naughty – anthology

Oct 22 – Sleigh Me If You Can – Cheryl Terra 

Oct 22 – Winter Falls -Shana Gray

Oct 24 – Santa’s Coming – Serena Pier

Oct 24 – Merry With A Brewmaster – Alexandra Hale

Oct 24 – Mistlefoe – Mari Loyal 

Oct 24 – The Christmas Ornament – DL Gallie 

Oct 24 – Hating the Book Boyfriend – L.A. Farrow

Oct 24 – Tis The Season for Secrets – Kate Callaghan

Oct 24 – The Christmas Ornament – DL Gallie

Oct 25 – Single All the Way – Amy Knupp

Oct 25 – If This Was A Movie – Morgan Elizabeth 

Oct 25 – Filthy Rich Santa’s – Eve Ashwood 

Oct 25 – Mistle Ho – Josie Watts 

Oct 26 – Mistletoe Ever After – Nana Malone 

Oct 29 – Ghosts of Ex-Mas Past – Liz Alden

Oct 29 – Stuck Together – Lily Joseph

Oct 29 – The Christmas Fake – Rachel Kaye 

Oct 29 – Snow Struck – Elle Rivers 

Oct 29 – Sugar Nookie – Marika Ray 

Oct 29 – Heat and Run – Adriana Herrera 

Oct 29 – Catering to Christmas – Roxie Clarke

Nov 1 – Holiday Hire – Maggie Grace 

Nov 1 – Cookies, Candles, & Cute Butts – Dylan James 

Nov 1 – Merry Mishap – Vivian Mae 

Nov 1 – One Hundred Lights – Chrissy Hopewell 

Nov 1 – Yachts and Yuletide – Maude Winters

Nov 1 – From Santa With Love – Samantha Gail

Nov 1 – O Goalie Night – KM Gillis 

Nov 1 – Christmas Criminal – Ally Williams 

Nov 1 – One Little Chance – Rebecca Jo Jackson

Nov 1 – Falling In Love – Maddie Ellis 

Nov 1 – Christmas Delivery – Natalie Wish

Nov 1 – Saved By Noel – Tracy Baack 

Nov 1 – One Christmas With You – Mari Suggs

Nov 1 – The Spite Before Christmas – Jessica Booth

Nov 2 – Wrapped Up In Holly – Sophie Andrews 

Nov 4 – Christmas Off Script – Evie Alexander

Nov 4 – One Foggy Christmas – Kortney Keisel 

Nov 5 – The Remains of Christmas – Megan Montgomery

Nov 5 – Keep Me Warm – E.A. Brady 

Nov 5 – Mistletoe Mischief – Codi Hall

Nov 7 – Snowflake Kisses – Alane Middleton

Nov 7 – The Write Before Christmas – Lynessa Layne

Nov 7 – My Secret Santa Axton – Blaire Wild 

Nov 7 – See You Next Winter – Holly June Smith 

Nov 7 – Snowflakes In Seattle – Eve Kasey 

Nov 7 – Home For The Hockey Days – L McMaster

Nov 8 – The Naughty or Nice Clause – Kate Callaghan

Nov 8 – Tied Together – Baleigh Jayne 

Nov 8 – In the Money With You – Edie Cay

Nov 8 – Christmas Lights and Fights – Jatia Eley 

Nov 8 – Save A Horse – Irene Bahrd 

Nov 8 – All Wrapped Up – CF White

Nov 9 – Snowed In With Mr Heartbreaker – Pippa Grant 

Nov 11 – Holidating – Sarina Bowen

Nov 11 – Snow Storm – EM Lindsey 

Nov 11 – Inherited Holiday – M Robinson 

Nov 11 – Five Stolen Rings – Gracie Ruth Mitchell

Nov 11 – Havoc for the Holidays – Jay Leigh

Nov 12 – Flopping In A Winter Wonderland – Jason June

Nov 12 – The Twelve Days of Christian – Caroline Corvin 

Nov 12 – Somewhere For Your Loneliness – Jeri Marie

Nov 12 – Merrily Yours – Rachel Lewis 

Nov 12 – Christmas Alibi – Dani Elias

Nov 12 – If Only In Our Dreams – Fae Quinn 

Nov 12 – Holiday Hoax – Nichole Green 

Nov 12 – Christmas with a Crank – Courtney Walsh

Nov 12 – Cruel Winter With You – Ali Hazelwood 

Nov 12 – Merry Ever After – Tessa Bailey

Nov 12 – All By My Elf – Olivia Dade

Nov 12 – Merriment and Mayhem – Alexandra Bellefleur

Nov 12 – Only Santa’s In The Building – Alexis Daria 

Nov 12 – Frosted By The Girl Next Door – Aurora Rey

Nov 12 – This Christmas – Georgia Beers 

Nov 12 – Unwrapped – D Jackson Leigh

Nov 12 – Festive Faking – Siena Trap 

Nov 12 – Elf Against The Wall – Alina Jacobs

Nov 12  Mistletoe Magic – Rebecca Barber

Nov 12- Second Chances with St Nick – Vicki Hilton

Nov 12 – The Santa’s Who Stole Me – Heather Nicks 

Nov 13 – I’ll Be Boned For Christmas – Katherine McIntyre 

Nov 13 – All You Want for the Holidays – Quinton Li

Nov 14 – Gnome One Like You – Tobie Carter 

Nov 14 – My Favorite Holidate – Lauren Blakely 

Nov 14 – Dancing In Lake Mistletoe – Amber Kelly 

Nov 14 – Gold Frankincense & Her – Louise Hudson

Nov 14 – 12 Days of Mistletoe – Jen Atkinson 

Nov 14 – Christmas At Fox Ridge – Bailey Hannah

Nov 14 – Dancing In Lake Mistletoe – Amber Kelly

Nov 14 – Everything I Wish For – J Hutchison

Nov 14 – Christmas Promises – Mia Elliot 

Nov 14 – The Thief Who Saved Christmas – Angela Casella 

Nov 14 – Jingle Balls – Rhian Cahill 

Nov 14 – A Baby For Christmas – Keira Andrews 

Nov 14 – Sin & Sleigh Rides – Eliza Black

Nov 14 – Seduction & Snowflakes – Meg Becker

Nov 14 – Sinning for Santa – Sarah J.D.

Nov 14 – Real Tree/Fake Boyfriend – Ree Thomas

Nov 14 – The Duke Who Despised Christmas – Scarlett Scott

Nov 14 – This Christmas – Kimolisa Mings

Nov 15 – Once Upon A Christmas Tree – Lulu Moore

Nov 15 – Mistletoe & Mine – JR Jenner

Nov 15 – Elfemies to Lovers – Jennifer Chipman

Nov 15 – Wrapped Up – Marlyn Love

Nov 15 – At Home With You This Christmas – Marie Landry 

Nov 15 – Meeting Mr Christmas – Ali Ryecart 

Nov 15 – When The Fake Snow Falls – Heather Garvin

Nov 15 – Holly’s Jolly Christmas – Stephanie Alves

Nov 15 – Slay All the Way – Nova Kane

Nov 15 – Christmas Kisses – Fiona Clarke

Nov 15-  The Christmas Pic – Rena Sapon White 

Nov 17 – Shining Star – Rasida Martin 

Nov 17 – Death’s Christmas Present – Hazel Rockwood

Nov 18 – Snowed In – Anthology (Cora Rose, EM Lindsey)

Nov 18 – Snowflakes, Cakes, and Royal Mistakes – Elizabeth Heathly 

Nov 18 – Santa of the Creek – Sue Brown

Nov 18 – A Quarterback for Christmas – Ana Shay

Nov 18 – The Christmas Cookie Crush – Jerica Macmillan 

Nov 19 – Merry Kissmas – Piper Rayne

Nov 19 – Naughty or Nice – Sophie Snow

Nov 19 – Wreck My Halls – Kate McWilliams & more

Nov 19 – Grouch-ish – LB Dunbar

Nov 19 – The Best You’ve Ever Had – Amelia Chasen

Nov 19 – Meet Me In Wonderland – Angel Anders 

Nov 19 – Santa Monica Baby – Kelly Reynolds

Nov 19 – Santa Maybe – Carla Luna

Nov 19 – Baking It Merry – Samantha Chase 

Nov 19 – Go Puck Yourself – Ariana St Claire

Nov 19 – His For Christmas – Lea Rose

Nov 19 – 12 Days to Christmas – Rebecca Alexandru

Nov 19 – Catching Up To Christmas – Roxie Clarke 

Nov 19 – The Best You’ve Ever Had – Amelia Chasen

Nov 19 – Chilled and Thrilled – Cleo White 

Nov 19 – Better Not Pout- Kat Savage

Nov 19 – Santa Daddy, I’m Not the One – Gianni Holmes

Nov 19 – Tangled Up In You – Shannon O’Connor 

Nov 20 – Silver Linings – Nic Starr

Nov 20 – Mistletoe Misconduct – Giuliana Victoria 

Nov 20 – My Greatest Joy – Brook Fox

Nov 20 – Christmas Cancelation – Evie James 

Nov 20 – A Handyman for the Holidays – Valerie Gomez

Nov 21 – My December Darling – Lauren Asher 

Nov 21 – The Christmas You Crash – Piper Hale

Nov 21 – Her Knotty List – Ari Wright 

Nov 21 – Silent Night – CR Riley 

Nov 21 – Merry In Moose Falls – Emily Silver 

Nov 21 – A Wish On Willow Way – Caroline Laine

Nov 21 – The Christmas You Crash – Piper Hale

Nov 21 – Kiss Me – Tiffany Patterson

Nov 21 – Gifted to His Dad – J Wilder 

Nov 21 – A Very Merry Nanny – Lyra Parrish

Nov 21 – A Minotaur Tale – Kass O’Shire

Nov 22 – Deck the Fire Halls – N.R. Walker 

Nov 22 – Holiday Hostilities – Katie Bailey

Nov 22 – Tastes Like Sugar – Becca Seymour 

Nov 22 – Knot Me For The Holidays anthology 

Nov 22 – A Naughty List for Christmas – Kat Summers

Nov 22 – Holly’s Grizzly – Leigh Miller 

Nov 22 – The Professor’s Holiday Surprise – Chloe Maine

Nov 22 – A Surprise for the Holidays – Anna Sparrows

Nov 23 – Snowed Under – Juliana Smith 

Nov 23 – Dear Santa, Send Me A Cowboy – Remi Rose

Nov 23 – Christmas Sins – H.N. Defore 

Nov 25 – Dance, Sugarplum – Amy Oliveira 

Nov 25 – The Cowboy Christmas Glow Up – Suzy Langevin

Nov 25 – Wrecked for the Holidays – Kerry Kilpatric

Nov 26 – Merry With Me – Kaylee Ryan 

Nov 26 – The Map Home – Elle Keaton

Nov 26 – He Sees You When You’re Sleeping – Alta Hensley 

Nov 26 – His Taste of Christmas – PS Black 

Nov 26 – The Goalie and Santa’s Little Helper – Ginger Scott

Nov 27 – All I Want For Christmas is The Hot Fireman Next Door – Rebecca Caudill

Nov 27 – Hostile Holidays – Erin Hawkins 

Nov 27 – Just for the Holidays – Micah Carver

Nov 28 – Dancing Through the Snow – Laura Rush 

Nov 29 – The Christmas List – Maren Moore

Nov 29 – Christmas by Design – Allie Samberts

Nov 29 – The Perfect Gift – Clio Evans 

Nov 29 – My Ex For Christmas – Bobbi Maclaren 

Nov 29 – The Christmas Rebound – Cali Mellep

Nov 29 – Hating You For Christmas – Liz Zerkle 

Nov 30 – A Storm is Coming – Orion Azure

Dec 1 – Screw’egd – Trilina Pucci 

Dec 1 – Finding Out – Jenni Bara 

Dec 1 – It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas – Julianna Keyes

Dec 1 – Merry Switch-mas – Elise Eliot  

Dec 2 – Slaying the Holidays – Beatrix Hollow 

Dec 2 – All That Glitters – Courtney Clark Michaels 

Dec 2 – Santa’s Baby – Jade West

Dec 2 – A Kiss for the Holidays – C.S. Autumn

Dec 3 – Second Down Scrooge – Lisa Suzanne 

Dec 3  – Ice & Sweet – Charlie Novak 

Dec 3 – Looks Real Good Now – Sophie Thomas

Dec 3 – Crushes & Christmas – KE Monteith 

Dec 3 – Worth the Rush – Bea Borges 

Dec 4 – The Holiday Party Pretense – Skye Kilaen 

Dec 4 – Matchmaking Under The Mistletoe – Hollie Luckie 

Dec 4 – Brewing Up Christmas – Emily Campbell

Dec 4 – Deck the Palms – Annabeth Albert 

Dec 5 – The Night Before Grumpmas – Kendall Hale

Dec 5 – The Dreidl Disaster – Stacey Agdern 

Dec 5 – Sin & Snowflakes – anthology

Dec 5 – The Knotty Claus – Honey Phillips

Dec 5 – Our First Noel – Heather Camacho 

Dec 5 – Sweet Boys Love Christmas – Micalea Smeltzer

Dec 5 – Snow Harm No Foul – Hannah Cowen

Dec 5 – Married With Malice – Cora Brent

Dec 6 – The Holiday Claus – Anne Einerson 

Dec 6 – The Holiday Fix – Nicole Banks 

Dec 6 – Whisked Til Peaked – Zea Kayleigh Galan 

Dec 6 – The Holiday Claus – Ann Einerson

Dec 6 – A Nightclub for the Holidays – Ardem Coutts

Dec 6 – Surviving the Holly Days – Echo Grayce

Dec 9 – A Crush for the Holidays  – E.L. Ough

Dec 10 – The Mistletoe Mix Up – Codi Hall

Dec 10 – Merry Little Mix Up – Lacey Black 

Dec 10 – Since We’ve No Place to Go – Kate Watson

Dec 10 – Baby Cakes – SJ Tilly

Dec 10 – Sparkle On the Ice – Hayley James

Dec 11 – An Alpha For the Holidays – Emily Axon

Dec 12 – Tinsel in Telluride – Hayden Locke

Dec 13 – A Christmas Mystery – Noelle Adams 

Dec 13 – A Pack For Winter – Eliana Lee 

Dec 13 – A Pack for the Holidays – Dallas Smith

Dec 15 – The Kiss Class – Ellie Hall

Dec 28 – Tis The Season of Wicked Deeds – Simran 

Just Between Us

Happy Monday! Just Between Us releases tomorrow. Thank you to the author for the ARC. 

I’ve been looking forward to Royal’s story since the Sullivans (I’ve included the quote that won me over)  and it did not disappoint! Our tattooed golden retriever King finally meets his match in Veda, the black cat consultant his brother hires to dig deeper into their father’s business holdings.

I loved their opposites attract relationship, they played off each other perfectly and I loved the exploration of their soft dom/sub relationship. Royal just wants to make her feel good and I loved that she finally got to relax a little with him. It was a bit forbidden considering Veda was working for his brother and I loved the secret element to their relationship. 

The subplot of taking down Russell King has been building throughout the series and there are definitely major developments here so I do recommend reading this in order, this won’t work as well as a standalone. In fact, go ahead and start with the Sullivans because I love them too.

I loved being back in Outtatowner, back with the Kings and the Sullivans, and I just love this world so much! I’m dying for JP’s story next, which is not something I thought I would have said earlier in this series. 

The Boss + The Maid = Chemistry – Louise Bay

The Boss + The Maid = Chemistry is out now! Thank you to the author for the ARC.

This was such a sexy and fun rom-com! This is a spin off of the author’s Doctors series though it reads fine as a standalone.

Efa and Bennett have a one night stand after meeting at a bar, only for her to show up as a maid at the hotel Bennett is currently residing in (and secretly owns.)

Efa is young and ballsy, she’s come to New York to get a job in tech and has no trouble going toe to toe with Bennett, who is 13 years older and tech billionaire. Bennett thinks she’s possibly stalking him after she shows up in his hotel room which was a funny misunderstanding.

The two are very hot for each other but it’s complicated with their age gap, her technically working for him and wanting a job at his tech company, and his general desire to remain anonymous.  

It was spicy, funny, and I had a good time reading it!

The Best of All

The Best of All is out today!

I really enjoyed this! This is book two in the series though I think it could totally be read as a standalone. 

This follows Liam and Zoe, who are named co-guardians to their best friends’ daughter Mira after their best friends tragically pass away. Zoe is immediately there for Mira, moving her in and accepting this adorable toddler into her life. Liam struggled a bit more, he never felt he should have a family or children after his own terrible childhood so a lot of the growth in this story is his, to accept love and family into his life. I loved watching his walls eventually fall down, all due to the little girl who melted his heart. 

Liam is a grump, football is his life and he doesn’t need any other distractions, especially living with the woman he’s pined for for a decade. The forced proximity works its magic and the sexual tension between the two of them was intense, though this is a sloooowwwww burn. 

Zoe was an easy character to love, she’s wanted her fairy tale ending ever since she was a kid and though this certainly didn’t follow the traditional path I love that she found her HEA in that broody football player who has secretly had feelings for her for years. 

Much like book one, this is a story of grief alongside the romance, though this one didn’t feel as heavy to me. Both Liam and Zoe (and Mira) were grieving the loss of their best friends but they had Mira to look after which helped keep them afloat. I’ve been looking for a good romance like Life As We Know It and this is the first one I’ve ever read that I thought really worked.

I loved it!

Just My Luck

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.

Golden Touch

Happy Tuesday! Golden Touch is out today, I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love going back to Vermont! This is book two in the Giltmaker series, which is a spin off of the True North series, but tbh I think you could read this one as a standalone with no problem.

This brings us Livia and Nash’s story, and it was such a fun close-proximity, opposites attract romance. Nash is back in town to keep his father’s brewery afloat while his dad is in the hospital, while Livia is his dad’s right hand woman. They end up bunking together so both can be close to the brewery and while they’ve met before and had a brief flirtation, their second meet cute doesn’t go quite as well and I do love a meet disaster. 

I loved them both. Livia is a total black cat heroine, which is my fave. She’s super competent at her job but doesn’t always make the absolute best choices in her personal life so her walls are up. She’s on the run from a bad ex which brought an element of suspense to the book I wasn’t expecting (but obviously loved.)  Nash was such a fun MMC, he’s so charismatic and flirty.He was very very into Livia and I loved his confidence in trying to win her over. The chemistry between them was so great.

The book overall was pretty lighthearted and funny and I really enjoyed myself while reading it! This is easily one of my favorite fictional worlds and I just loved being back. So so good! 

Side note – I reread Good as Gold in preparation and still really loved it! I did the audio and Jason Clarke is forever my favorite male narrator. 

Change of Heart

Change of Heart is out today! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

I loved this so much! 

Change of Heart brings us back to the Vital Signs world but with a new cast of main characters so you can absolutely read it as a standalone – that being said, if you’ve read certain Walsh and Vital Signs books, you’ll surely enjoy their coworkers. 

Whitney is a talented surgeon who recreationally crashes weddings with her bestie as a stress reliever. She has a steamy one night stand with the best man at a wedding in California, only for him to show up as a resident in her program at the hospital she works at in Boston. Henry hasn’t gotten over their night together so this is excellent news to him but she is technically supervising him and working on strengthening her hospital’s ethics policies so she has to be appropriate. He quietly woos her as they wait for his time in her program to be over and man it was a delight to watch the tension build between them.

There’s not much I love more than when he falls first and Henry is all in. I just loved him and how far gone he was. I love how Kate Canterbary writes a pining man and Henry gives Cal and Noah a run for their money. He’s such a good guy, so easy going in life but determined to win his lady over. 

Whitney was also a great character, she’s super competent and talented in her field but that hasn’t left a lot of room for a personal life outside her best friend so it was great to watch her try to find more balance.

I love their relationship, I love this world, I love Kate Canterbary’s words, I just loved it all. A top read of 2024!