Free Fall is out today! Thank you to Hambright PR for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. What a treat! Kathryn Nolan has written a perfect summer read. It’s a small town, grumpy/sunshine romance between a straight-laced bodyguard and the charming man he’s supposed to protect. Luke has just inherited his father’s company, and with it a handsome bodyguard & a series of threats. Elijah is up for a promotion so he obviously can’t break the number one rule of not getting personal with a client but as threats draw them together, it gets harder to keep Luke at a distance. Ooooh did I love all those forbidden tension filled moments! Elijah is such a serious guy who’s so secretly soft for Luke and I loved how that stoic man blushes. Luke is the life of the party and I love that he didn’t make it easy on Elijah to keep his distance. Both had a lot of family trauma and I love that they found acceptance in each other. They had great laugh out loud banter, a ton of chemistry & heat, and I loved that we got some action in the story as well. Overall, I just really had a great time reading this!
I really enjoyed Done and Dusted but I loved Swift and Saddled. I thought this was delightful. I find Lyla Sage’s writing to be so charming and easy reading in the best way. It’s easy to pick up her book and read the whole thing without moving or even realizing time has passed.
This returns us to Rebel Blue, and this time it’s Wes’s turn to fall. Wes is the easy going Ryder, the middle child peacekeeper who finds his match in Ada, the interior designer he hires to make over the house he’s turning into a guest ranch.
I loved their golden retriever/black cat vibes. Wes is so laid back and kind, while Ada is not quite as easy going. She’s had a rough patch and needs to take this job and herself seriously.
Wes falls first and hard and I loved how he carefully won Ada over. He was so patient and loving and supportive. Ada had a journey to go on to accept love and friendship into her life, and I appreciated that we really got to know the characters and their motivations so it was easier to understand why she struggled so much.
I loved being back in this world and seeing all the Ryders and Teddy and Luke and I’m dying for books three and four!
Happy Thursday! Through the Glen released today into Kindle Unlimited. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In Through the Glen, we return to the (unfortunately) fictional Ardnoch, the member’s only club set in a castle deep in the Scottish Highlands, where shy housekeeper Sarah asks worldly aristocratic television producer Theo to work on her screenplay with her. Struggling with writer’s block on his own, he eventually agrees and the two shut themselves away in Sarah’s cottage to work on the project together. Their close proximity does its magic and the two start to have feelings that surprise them both.
They’re opposites in almost all ways – Sarah is extremely shy and sheltered in her small town, she has lived a quiet life but really comes into her own in this book. She’s secretly a bestselling author under a pen name, and she goes through a lot of growth to accept her success and also to accept new friendships and experiences in her life. Theo is a swaggering playboy, the son of a British Viscount, one who’s vowed never to settle down after his first relationship imploded spectacularly.
The two find comfort and acceptance in each other and it was lovely to watch their respective walls start to fall. The sparks between them were intense and the author always brings the spice which I love.
I can’t say either MC is my favorite of the author’s, but that’s okay. They can’t all be my favorite! They loved each other and Sarah is a lot more forgiving than me, so that’s what matters.
I love being in this world and am so glad we still have more books to come! I can’t get enough.
Happy Wednesday! Head Over Heels is out today I received an eARC in exchange for review and ordered the paperback as soon as it was available because, spoiler alert, it’s my favorite read of 2024 so far! This is book two in the Wilder Family series, between middle brother Cameron Wilder and the woman with whom he gets stuck on an elevator. Cameron and Ivy are strangers with an immediate attraction (I was sweating a little at their interaction) but are quickly rescued from their predicament, only for her to reappear in his life as a much needed client of his family’s construction company. The two are forced to spend time together as her family’s home is remodeled and soon their initial attraction sparks right back up again. I loved both characters separately and together. Cameron is the good guy brother, the nice one, the one who fixes all the problems.He’s just so capable and emotionally mature and GAAHHH I loved him. Ivy is much more reserved thanks to her upbringing and I love that we got a slightly icy heroine! Cold girls need love too and it was a delight to watch Cameron purposefully and masterfully melt some of those walls. Their small town boy/city girl opposites attract vibe was excellent and boy did they have a lot of chemistry! I loved being back with the Wilder family, whom we’ve met through both this series and another, though things have definitely taken a sad turn as their father’s health continues to decline. Anticipatory grief is a hard thing to deal with and I loved that Ivy could be there for Cameron, who’s always there for everyone else. Also I sobbed like a baby. This was such an excellent, sexy, emotional, heartfelt small town romance. Karla’s long been a favorite author of mine but I feel like she’s entered a new era with these past few releases and I’m so glad I get to go along for the ride!
The Best Laid Plans releases tomorrow, thank you Montlake for the ARC.
This was such an enjoyable romance! It was perhaps a little more grief heavy than I was anticipating, but I enjoyed how emotional it was.
Burke is recently retired from the NFL due to an injury when he gets the news his best friend has tragically passed in a car accident and left him his grandparent’s mansion which is in massive need of a renovation. All Burke wants to do in his unplanned forced retirement is relax with his family in Florida, so a stressful project halfway across the country doesn’t appeal to him.
The house comes with a project manager in charge of the renovation who convinces him to keep the house and oversee the reno in honor of his best friend who wanted the house returned to its former glory. Burke and Charlotte temporarily move in together in the carriage house on the property and immediately butt heads. I enjoyed the sparks and banter between them and their slow burn relationship. I also really enjoyed their families and the set up for the next book sounds great!
Overall it was a good read, I really enjoyed the setting and the home preservation and I look forward to the next book!
Today kicks off a new Smartypants launch and starting it off is Peaches and Dreams by Juliette Cross! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I thought fall started today which is why I took this autumnal colored picture but it turns out it starts Saturday. Regardless, this is a great fall read!
This was such a sweet (and spicy) small town romance! This is technically book four in the Green Valley Heroes series but could absolutely be read as a standalone, or even just after Parks and Provocation also by Juliette Cross.
Marly, also known as Mad Marly for her wild and sometimes crazy behaviors, meets her match in Wade, a very grumpy rule following single dad(dy bear.) Their opposites attract grumpy/sunshine dynamic was a joy to watch as they balanced each other out.
I loved how supportive and caring Wade was. Such a dad in the best possible way! I also loved how great Marly was with Wade’s son Jake, they had such a cute relationship.
Overall a great low drama read and great addition to this universe!
The Brood is out today and I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is book six in the series (though you could absolutely read this one as a standalone) which follows Wilder, a grumpy high school teacher, and Iris, his best friend’s little sister. Wilder begrudgingly lets Iris stay with him for a couple months as she visits Calamity for her travel IG blog as a favor to his bestie.
If you like …
-forced proximity
-age gap
-brother’s best friend
-grumpy/sunshine
-opposites attract
-steam!
-widowed, broody MMC
-younger travel influencer FMC
-tension
-banter
Then check this one out! TBH I can’t say it’s the most complex plot, but I mean what more do you need? Look at everything on that list, it was a very enjoyable read.
Blurb:
A small town, forced proximity, age gap romance from Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, Devney Perry.
The last thing Wilder Abbott needs is a houseguest. Solitude has been his stoic companion for nearly a decade. He prefers to brood over his mistakes in seclusion. Besides, he gets enough social interaction as a high school science teacher in Calamity, Montana.
But when his oldest friend calls, begging for a favor, Wilder begrudgingly agrees. For the next two months, he’ll give up his guest room to his friend’s little sister.
Iris Monroe isn’t the girl Wilder remembers. Gone is the shy, quiet mouse ten years his junior who always had her nose in a book. Grown-up Iris talks too much and asks too many questions, especially about his past. And her bright smile and clear blue eyes are hard to ignore.
Two months. He just has to survive two months. Except Iris is as nosy as she is beautiful. And his secrets prove hard to hide when she’s living under his roof.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Happy Tuesday! The Love Plot by Samantha Young is out today, thank you to the publisher for the early review copy.
This was such a fun opposites attract fake dating romcom!
Rafe needs a fake girlfriend to get his family off his back about settling down, so he makes a deal with Star, the character actor hired to dress up at his niece’s birthday party. She’ll pretend to be his girlfriend, while he’ll pay her a large sum to be at his beck and call for the next six months.
The two are opposites in almost all ways, Rafe is grumpy and reserved, from a rich traditional family while Star is the easygoing daughter of two hippies, content to live her life flying by the seat of her pants.
Rafe is a new favorite of mine, he came across as Darcy-like at the beginning, so reserved and standoffish but I really really loved him as we got to know him. Star was so sunshiney and I loved how she didn’t take anything too seriously. I can’t say she didn’t frustrate me at times, but that’s all part of the character arc, right? Sometimes they have to make mistakes in order to learn from them and grow.
Overall this was a very funny and charming romance about two polar opposites finding their way together with a good amount of steam and emotional moments for balance. I definitely recommend for my romcom loving friends!
BLURB:
There’s a magnetic attraction when a happy-go-lucky gig worker agrees to a fake relationship with a rich, uptight New Yorker in this steamy romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young.
Star Shine Meadows is all about freedom, thanks to the hippie parents who raised her. Juggling her jobs as a professional costume character actor and a line sitter, she believes in no expectations, no stressful ambitions, and no-strings-attached relationships. So when she meets a birthday girl’s grumpy uncle while working a princess party, she can’t help but needle him. She’ll never see him again, and honestly, he’s pretty hot.
Rafe Whitman may be a veterinarian with a great bedside manner, but that doesn’t mean his patience extends to anyone with opposable thumbs. His family will not stop nagging him about finding “the one,” so when he runs into obnoxiously cheery Star again, he makes her an offer: He’ll pay her more than she would make doing her odd jobs if she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at family gatherings. She can stop sitting in line waiting for someone else’s new phone, and he’ll get his family off his back.
When the tension between them heats to a breaking point, Star’s desire for “no strings” is tested against Rafe’s staunch stability. They say opposites attract, after all….
Samantha Young is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series, including Moonlight on Nightingale Way, Echoes of Scotland Street, and Fall from India Place, and the Hart’s Boardwalk series, including Every Little Thing and The One Real Thing, as well as the standalone novels Fight or Flight and Much Ado About You.
Happy Thursday! Smartypants season kicks off today!
I really enjoyed this opposites attract fake dating romance. Tough Cookie is the third standalone in the Donner Bakery series, this one between Noah and Carla.
Stunt man Noah has returned home to Green Valley to recuperate from an injury suffered on this most recent film, where he runs into Carla, the reclusive woman who is renting a house from his mother. Noah’s mom is on his case to settle down and give her grandbabies, so Noah proposes that he and Carla hang out while she’s in town to fool his mom. Carla has been isolated while dealing with a debilitating illness, and she decides to let Noah help her ease her way back into the real world 🤝
I really enjoyed these characters, separately and together. Noah is an easy going, flirtatious cinnamon roll of a man, skilled both in stunt work and the art of cookie decorating. Carla is much more reserved, an extremely organized woman who’s life now revolves around treating her illness and work. Both have bad experiences in their past so they promise not to fall for each other during their arrangement, which of course never works.
They had really excellent banter, it made me laugh out loud multiple times. There were immediate sparks between them and I loved how their romance felt natural, despite the short time frame.
It was quick reading for me, I basically read it in one sitting and was kind of bummed when it was over! I really enjoyed this one. Though this takes place in the Penny Reid universe you can read it as a complete standalone.
Georgie, All Along is a heartwarming romance about a woman who returns to her hometown to find herself.
Or, more importantly, not necessarily finding a grand purpose but instead learning to be okay with living in the moment without everything planned out. Georgie has spent her adult life catering to other people’s needs, so when she finds herself suddenly unemployed without a plan she finds herself adrift. Levi has spent his life trying to prove his father wrong and outgrow his troublemaker reputation, living a quiet life so as to not rock the boat and draw attention to himself.
The two find themselves as unexpected roommates due to a miscommunication and the forced proximity works its magic as it often does. Georgie and Levi seem like opposites at first, she’s all sunshine and bold outgoing energy while Levi is quiet and disgruntled and grumpy, but really they have more in common than they think and balance each other out quite nicely.
Levi and his dog Hank are two of my favorite characters I’ve read in a long time. Though this book is sort of the Georgie show, they were the stars for me.
It was a warm and cozy read that I know I’ll be thinking about for a long time. The beginning did start out a bit slow for me but I really loved it by the end!
Romance Reviewed 