Broken Harbor is out now, thank you to the author for the ARC.
I’m so happy to be back in Sparrow Falls! This is Sutton and Cope’s story, both of whom we’ve met previously.
Sutton is a single mother bakery owner with a young son and a past she’s hiding from. Cope is a NHL star, in town to coach a kid’s camp and rehab his image a bit. When Sutton loses her place to live, Cope invites her and her son to stay with him.
There’s forced proximity goodness, suspense that keeps you guessing, and a swoony romance. The relationship between Cope and Sutton’s son is also very cute.
I really enjoyed this! I also listened to the audio and thought it was well done, especially Connor Crais as Cope.
Our time in Christmas Notch has come to an end, and what a wild ride it has been!
This brings us Isaac and Sunny’s story, who have both been interesting side characters along the way. Both are in town to try to find inspiration for their creative projects, and when Sunny’s motel room becomes uninhabitable, she and her cat move in with Isaac.
I’ve really been looking forward to Isaac’s story, the broken sad boy character is like catnip to me. I loved how Sunny was his total opposite, a testament to her name (or at least that’s what she wants you to think.)
The forced proximity works its magic on them and I think this might have been the spiciest book of the series. It was probably also the saddest, and most grief focused, but I love when books make me sad so I think this was my favorite of the three. I actually really love that this series has such emotional depth when at the surface it’s a raunchy romcom series about people in the porn industry making Hallmark-like Christmas movies.
It was funny, it was outrageous, it was entertaining. I loved the first book for its uniqueness, then the second book kind of fell apart for me so I was really glad when this one redeemed the series. I’ve loved this journey and I’m a little sad it’s over!
So … this was definitely an Emily Henry book! If you’re already a fan, I think you’ll love it. If you didn’t like her previous books, this probably isn’t going to be the one to convince you otherwise.
It was a close proximity fake dating romance between Daphne, a straightlaced librarian, and Miles, a laid back bartender, who both get dumped at the same time when their (now) exes realize they are in love with each other. Daphne has nowhere to go, so she moves in with Miles, despite their very opposite personalities.
I liked the progression of their relationship, they don’t know much about each other other than what their exes have told them so it was fun to watch them discover who they truly were. They start off pretty sad and grieving their lost relationships but it quickly turns into friendship and then more. I didn’t feel a strong passionate love between them, mostly because they are both still pretty hung up on their exes, but that’s okay.
Miles started as a very Nick Miller type character which I really loved, you don’t see that many romance MMCs who are often high while listening to Celine Dion alone in their bedroom. Daphne is a pretty typical Emily Henry FMC, smart and clever and sad.
The first half flew by for me, filled with the budding relationship and excellent banter, but the second half felt a bit slow. I expect Emily Henry books to be more on the women’s fiction side but there’s a lot of other stuff Daphne is working through with her friends and family and I just wasn’t that interested in those parts. The third act conflict was miscommunication based and I didn’t love that even though I understood it.
Overall though it was good! Again, if you love EmHen I think you’ll enjoy it. It fell somewhere in the middle of the pack for me behind Beach Read and Book Lovers. I did the audio and thought Julia Whelan did an excellent job as always.
Promise Me This releases tomorrow! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Another winner from Karla Sorensen! I love this world and this family and am always so happy to return. This is Ian Wilder’s story, the grumpy & slightly mysterious brother who’s mostly been in the background of the other sibling’s books. He’s back in town for good, settled down with a house and job at his family’s construction company, when suddenly his childhood best friend shows back up in town and needs a place to stay. He offers her and her daughter the spare rooms in his house and she reluctantly agrees. Harlow is a writer with a serious case of writer’s block and just needs a comfortable place to land for a while. Ian and Harlow were truly always just friends, from kindergarten on up but they fell out of touch after high school and are now rediscovering each other in their mid thirties. The close proximity of living together eventually works its magic and they start to see each other in a new light. When I say eventually, I mean WHEW it’s a slooowwwww burn but that just means the payoff is that much sweeter. I loved both characters, Ian is so grumpy with everyone in his life except Harlow, and even when he is she calls him out for it. I loved how they were each other’s person, they were such good friends first and they found comfort and a sense of home in each other. I loved how they both fought so hard not to have Feelings for each other and I loved when they had their fuck it moment. If you couldn’t tell, I loved it!
Only and Forever is out today! Thank you to the publisher for the advanced review copy.
Can you believe it? The final book in the Bergman Brothers series is here and I am distraught that it’s over 😩
For four years we’ve laughed and cried along with this family as they’ve grown up and fallen in love.
This time it was sweet Viggo’s turn, our ultimate cinnamon roll romance lover. We’ve seen him interfere in his sibling’s lives throughout the series, always pushing romance novels and rooting for their HEAs. He’s been waiting for a real life romance like he reads in his romances, but that doesn’t seem to be working for him. It’s okay because he’s busy opening a bookstore, being the best uncle ever, and adopting a whole lot of animals.
His life is shaken up when Tallulah Clarke, the girl he once had a big crush on, re enters his life and the two make an agreement. Tallulah needs help with her latest thriller from a romantic perspective, and Viggo needs help with his new bookstore. They agree to live together and exchange their skill sets, just as platonic friends, of course.
The forced proximity does as it always does and the roomies start to feel more, but both have a lot of baggage to work through. It was a slow burn, and the tension built most excellently.
I loved Viggo, he’s always been one of my favorite Bergmans and I loved getting to know him better. Tallulah was a little harder for me, not necessarily because she’s a ‘chilly cynic’ but because she was kind of mean to Viggo and since I already loved him, it felt kind of like she was being mean to my friend.
She comes from a toxic family with a lot of drama, but I felt like we never really got to understand what that drama was. We’re told her parents were bad, but I didn’t understand why. Her brother is a handful and enters rehab, but that happens in the background. I guess I just felt like her family stuff could have been expanded on so we could see it instead of just telling us they were toxic.
Another thing I felt like could have been explored more was Viggo’s ADHD. We know he has it but it doesn’t really seem to affect his life all that much, at least not that we see on page.
Overall it was a good read and ending to the series, just one I felt needed to be fleshed out a little more in some parts so we are shown more than told.
Berries and Greed by Lily Mayne releases next week on the 30th! I was lucky to receive an ARC and it absolutely captivated me. I read it all day yesterday and woke up thinking about it so I can’t wait another eleven days to talk about it.
This book was just so much fun! It’s a low angst, adorable, friends/roommates to lovers monster romance between Beryl, a human woman who has spent her life in a cult which worships the demiurgus, and Greid, a socially awkward demiurgus who’s just looking for a little company.
Their friendship started off so sweet, Greid has been lonely living on his own so he invites Beryl a chance to escape her cult and live in the real world in exchange for some companionship.
He’s the grump to her sunshine, his social anxiety means he’d rather sit at home, smoke a joint, and watch tv rather than go out and make friends. He’s an absolute dork in the best possible way. He’s also a sympathetic crier, caretakes Beryl during her period, and wears a Snuggie 95% of the time (Pooh bear style)
Beryl is a strong woman, discovering the real world for the first time and ready to take it on. I really enjoyed her journey to find herself, and also her complete acceptance and willingness to fight for her seven foot tall roommate.
The chemistry between them builds up so well, it’s a bit of a slow burn but when in snaps, it snaps hard. They have to be a bit creative due to their body difference and his monster peen and oh boy was it spicy! The author has a list of content warnings and kinks explored on her website if you need it.
This was overall such a delight to read. It made me laugh out loud multiple times, their friendship and udder awkwardness made me smile, and the burgeoning romance and way they took care of each other made me swoon.
I’m so excited for more from this world! It releases into KU next Friday
Romance Reviewed 