I’ve read, or listened to, so many books lately. Some old, some new, some repeats from previous reviewers. Here’s a quick rundown of my favorites in the form of speed reviews. It’s like a speed dating event but less awkward.
Master of Salt and Bones by Keri Lake
I’m going to call this a B to B+ for me. Super dark read. The H is mysterious, misunderstood, and lives in a huge monstrosity of a mansion. He’s reclusive, a bit of an urban legend to the neighboring town, and was raised by terrible parents. Like REALLY evil parents. The h is a street kid, townie type young woman who is hired to be a companion to the H’s elderly mother. The h has a dark past, lots of triggers here.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
I loved this book. Easily an A-A+. I listened to it and the narrator was great. It’s a YA Vampire book from 2013. It has some romance, but very light and zero steam. The premise was so intriguing. Vampires, and people bit by vampires who haven’t gone full on vamp yet, live in places called coldtowns. Outside of the coldtowns, coldtown residents look glamorous with live streams from beautiful high-fashion vampires who party and experience this decadent existence. Inside is a much different story. It’s an interesting commentary to me on our current influencer culture and “fear of missing out.”
Fanning myself. I think the entire Smexy crew loved this book. A+ for sure. Original and HOT Hades and Persephone retelling. Just do it. Get it and lock yourself in your bedroom with a bottle of wine.
People we Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
I was a big fan of Beach Read and if you liked that one, you’ll love this one, too. I listened to it, definitely an A from me. It’s a sweet friends to lovers trope, that had me cheering for the couple from page one.
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
I ripped through this Tessa Bailey book. SO F’ing GOOD. A+ from me. The H is a grumpy sea captain, the h is spoiled, rich and recently burned from a public break up. The H is just the right balance of kind and dominant. Bailey does a great job of getting you to love the h. Not easy when she appears at first to be 100% vapid.
This was on my list for awhile. It’s a whopper of a taboo love story that came out in 2015. I give it a B. What got me to finally give it a try? I found out that Zachary Webber is the narrator on the audible. Sign me up. I could listen to him all day… and all night. No surprises here- it’s a priest who falls in love with his parishioner. The priest was called to his vocation through a sad set of circumstances. He’s young, good looking and had previously led a fairly un-priestly life. I admit to cringing a bit, especially when he referred to her as his “lamb”. I did set it down here and there. But, it’s really good. It’s just SOO taboo, some of the places they fornicate are well…whoa… You’ve been warned.
Wow—you’ve done some reading! PRIEST is one of my all-time favorite romances—and it’s on sale for $1.49 today. I love everything about it—so, so angsty. I liked MASTER OF SALT AND BONES, but it is extremely dark (including the death of a child in the past). I almost feel it could be classified as “romance-adjacent” because so many other things are happening. Tessa Bailey is hit-or-miss for me. I’ve read so many great reviews for IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER but the blurb’s reference to the heroine being unable to do math really annoyed me.
Priest was such a unique experience to me- I had to stop, look away, reset and jump back in. Lol…but I really enjoyed it! Just different. I LOVED the Tessa Bailey book. One of my top reads of the year. The heroine was straight up unlikable to me at the beginning. But, she grew on me. Much deeper and far more kind than her original celebrity “fake” lifestyle would lead you to believe.
I didn’t get far in It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey before putting it aside. You weren’t kidding about 100% vapid!
Yup! She’s awful, just cringe-worthy. BUT, I swear to you, she improves. :)