Romance

Out On A Limb

Books like this are why I’m scared to DNF! At first I wasn’t feeling the humor in the book and wanted to give up but then somehow it turned into a moving, tender, gorgeous romance and I’m so glad I didn’t quit.

It’s an accidental pregnancy story between two virtual strangers who hook up at a halloween party, only to discover they’re pregnant a couple months later. They move in together (just as friends of course) so he can support her during her pregnancy and they can get to know each other better since they will be forced to interact for at least the next eighteen years.

As this is a single POV, this is mostly Win’s story. She’s been burned before so has trouble letting Bo in and sets boundaries left and right so she won’t be hurt again. She finally finds the love and acceptance she desires in Beau, and the way the two love each other is just beautiful. Also, her lifelong friendship with her bestie was a delight to read about.

The disability rep (she has an underdeveloped hand, he is an amputee and uses a prosthetic) is outstanding. It’s an own-voices story and you can really tell how personal this is for the author and it was pretty eye opening to me about things I had never considered.

It wasn’t a 100% perfect read for me but I’m not going to nitpick because overall though those things didn’t matter to me by the end. The love story was so dreamy and tender and was a great read I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Snow Place Like LA

This was such a fun novella! 

We met Luca and Angel in A Merry Little Meet Cute. They had a passionate affair while in Christmas Notch, but Angel ghosted Luca after filming ended to go to Paris with his ex boyfriend (or did he? 🤔)

It’s now summertime and Angel is back in LA, where the two keep running into each other. Will the forced proximity of a Pretty Woman inspired adult film set be too much for them to resist?

It was so fun and quick paced it almost made my head spin. They definitely had a physical attraction (with lots of steam packed into this short book!) but I could have used a little more emotion – however, that’s pretty common for a novella.

Overall though a good time if not an in depth emotional romance! I’m really looking forward to more in this series.

Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not by Julie Soto releases tomorrow! Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Well this was an amazing debut!

It’s a second chance romance between Ama, an up & coming wedding planner, and Elliot, her ex boyfriend and the florist already contracted to do the wedding Ama has just signed on to plan. It’s a well known influencer’s wedding that could launch her wedding planning career, so she’s forced to work beside the man who she shares a history with, which is unraveled through flashbacks as the book progresses. 

Both characters were interesting and I liked Ama’s growth throughout the book, but the real winner for me here was Elliot. He comes across as grumpy and maybe a little rude but he’s so soft and gooey on the inside. He’s absolute book boyfriend material and I’m still swooning over the deliberate way he took care of Ama, even after she broke his heart. Also, he has a thigh tattoo. 

Look, I’m not a fan in general of dual timelines (I lose interest when the timeline changes and I never feel like we get enough of them together in the present day because so much time is spent in the past) but I did appreciate that the past chapters were told from Elliot’s POV. He’s an outwardly stoic character so it was a much needed insight into what he was thinking. 

The writing is light and funny but still emotional at times when it needed to be and it was honestly hard to believe this was a debut. There’s a good bit of steam, excellent supporting characters (I’m going to need Mar’s story next, thx), and a fun plot set around planning a splashy wedding. 

Overall this was a really great read! Especially if you like dual timelines!

Mid Year Favorites

Whew can you believe this year is halfway done already? Like what?? 🤯

I’ve read 180 books so far this year (which I fully acknowledge is a silly amount) and here are my favorites so far! Ten 2023 releases and two backlist reads. The awesome thing is that I got to meet six of these authors this year (Lucy, Teagan, Abby, Karla, Sarina, and Christina Lauren) and hang out with book friends! How cool is that? 

Let me know if we have any in common, or if none, let me know what your favorite read(s) of the year so far!

In A Jam- Kate Canterbary 

Things We Hide From The Light – Lucy Score 

Moth – Lily Mayne (really the whole series)

Glove Save – Teagan Hunter 

R’jaal’s Resonance – Ruby Dixon

Yours Truly – Abby Jimenez 

One and Only – Karla Sorensen 

Good as Gold – Sarina Bowen 

Georgie All Along – Kate Clayborn 

Crimson River – Devney Perry 

The True Love Experiment – Christina Lauren

Berries & Greed – Lily Mayne

10 Firefighter Romance Recommendations

What do you think the sexiest (… or should I say hottest 🤭) profession is? I don’t know but firefighter has to be up there! There’s something about a man who’s willing to put his life on the line to save old ladies and kittens, you know? Plus he can carry me. 

Here are ten of my favorites!

Hero – Lauren Rowe 

Parks and Provocation – Juliette Cross 

Hot Stuff – Max Monroe 

Reason to Believe – Rebecca Yarros 

Ignite – Melanie Harlow

Make You Mine – Laura Pavlov 

The Player Next Door – KA Tucker 

Hosed – Pippa Grant and Lily Valentine 

Bailey Brothers series – Claire Kingsley  

Protecting What’s Mine – Lucy Score 

Done and Dusted

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage was such a pleasant surprise for me! I’ve seen it around since it made its debut a couple weeks ago but I didn’t really know much about it other than it has a unique cover. I read the first couple lines to see if it would draw my attention and the next thing I knew I was 20% in without realizing it. 

It’s a small town, brother’s best friend story about Emmy, who has returned home after an injury on the barrel racing circuit has left her shaken. She runs into Luke, her oldest brother’s best friend, who is surprised to find she’s all grown up.

They become friends as Luke helps her regain her confidence on horseback and the tension grows between them. There’s good steam, good banter, and he totally falls first which is the best since he’s a former bad boy/current playboy turned absolute cinnamon roll for her. 

I loved Emmy’s family and while brother’s best friend is not my favorite trope, I really enjoyed that dynamic here. We also get ADHD rep and no third act break up!

This did not read like it was the author’s debut at all which made it all the more impressive that it was. It made me want to listen to Brooks and Dunn and learn to ride a horse and I’m so excited for more from this series!

10 Road Trip Romance Recommendations

One of my favorite forced proximity micro tropes: Road Trip romances. The ultimate forced proximity , with bickering over playlists and snacks. 

Here are some recs and some on my TBR!

On The Way to You– Kandi Steiner 

The Mother Road – Meghan Quinn 

The Romantic Pact – Meghan Quinn 

A Week to Be Wicked – Tessa Dare 

Cocky Bastard – Penelope Ward

Quarter Miles – Devney Perry 

Too Hot to Handle – Tessa Bailey *

Unraveling Him – Claire Kingsley 

Professional Development – Kate Canterbary *

Along for the Ride – Mimi Grace *

Love & Luck – Jenna Evans Welch (YA)

*On my TBR

One Look

I really enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine single dad romance! 

It’s a fun, easy reading light hearted story with lots of steam and a quirky small town. I love a grumpy single dad and his relationship with his daughter was just adorable. 

I honestly don’t have much else to say about it other than it was a fun read and I enjoyed it! It’s a great summer read, taking place during summer in Michigan along the lake so the setting is perfect. 

I hesitated to pick this up, because tbh I didn’t love the first book I read by the author (not the one pictured) and the premise of a professional mourner sounded a little too “quirky” for me, but I’m really glad I read it! The Andrew cover convinced me to give it a try. 

I’m looking forward to the rest of this series, the next book is out next week and I’m excited for it.

Favorite Family Series

One of my very favorite types of series is one about a family where each sibling finds their HEA. If you can throw in a sassy grandpa or wise grandma, I’m pretty much guaranteed to love it.

Here are some of my favorite fictional families! Do we have any in common?

Shipley: True North by Sarina Bowen 

Bailey: The Bailey Brothers by Claire Kingsley

Winston: The Winston Brothers by Penny Reid

Sawyer: Cloverleigh Farms by Melanie Harlow

Beauregard: North Carolina Highlands by Jessica Peterson

Adair: The Adair Family by Samantha Young 

Easton: Tattered & Torn by Catherine Cowles

Savioe: Stay A Spell by Juliette Cross  

Bergman: The Bergman Brothers by Chloe Liese

8 Vegas Wedding Romance Recommendations

Marriage of Convenience gets a lot of well deserved hype, but I also love its drunken little sister, Oops!-we-got-married-in-Vegas. The regret, the hangover, the awkward aftermath, the eventual feelings and trying to figure out how to make the marriage work in the real world – I love it all. 

Here are some I’ve read and enjoyed!

Blind Pass – Teagan Hunter

Marrying Mr Wrong – Claire Kingsley 

The Pact – Max Monroe 

Shenanigans – Sarina Bowen  

The Clover Chapel – Devney Perry

The Devil Gets His Due – Elizabeth O’Roark

Put Me In Detention – Meghan Quinn

The Marriage Solution – Stephanie Rose