Twice Shy by Sarah HogleContemporary RomanceApril 6, 2021 by G.P. Putnam Review by Melinda I am a huge fan of Hogle’s debut, You Deserve Each Other, to the point that I was unsure how I’d feel about her next book, which is unfair to Hogle, but I wanted to love this one just as much. But Twice Shy is completely different from YDEO - in such a wonderful way. Because YDEO has an incredibly distinctive voice and you either love it or hate it, and Twice Shy has a much quieter voice, but one Continue Reading
Review: Careless Whispers by Synithia Williams
Careless Whispers by Synithia WilliamsContemporary RomanceMarch 30, 2021 Review by Melinda First of all, this series has the most beautiful covers, I can't stop staring at the forehead touch on this one! And the colors are so gorgeous and exactly how I imagine Elaina and Alex. I've been really looking forward to getting Elaina's story because we've seen glimmers of her in the first two books of the series and it was clear that there was so much going on there. She's been so career-driven Continue Reading
Melinda’s Minis: All the Missing Pieces by Julianna Keyes and To Be With You by Jodie Slaughter
All the Missing Pieces by Julianna KeyesRomantic Suspense/Mystery ThrillerSeptember 21, 2020 Review by Melinda I've read this author before in more of a straight up contemporary romance genre so I was really interested in reading this but throughout the whole book I was unsure if this was romance or suspense so I kept thinking HEA or NO!?! Let me put your mind at ease that there *is* an HEA! Reese was a spoiled rich girl whose life got turned upside down when her father was sent to prison Continue Reading
Review: Yes And I Love You by Roni Loren
Yes And I Love You by Roni LorenContemporary March 2, 2021, by Sourcebooks Casablanca Review by Melinda Roni Loren's writing in the past has been extremely emotional and well done but her subject matter was dealing with the past trauma of school shooting so I only read one and couldn't read the rest. The Say Anything series has just as much emotional depth but in a completely different way. First of all, I almost completely passed this by as the cover implied that it was maybe a general Continue Reading
Review: Best Laid Plans by Roan Parrish
Best Laid Plans by Roan ParrishGarnet Run #2LGBTQ Contemporary RomanceFebruary 23, 2021 Carina Adores Review by Melinda When I want to recommend a book with great mental health representation I immediately go to Roan Parrish because she has yet to fail me in this area. Her books almost always have characters who have depression, anxiety, or panic attacks - or a combination of all three. And Best Laid Plans is no different - Charlie has a lot of anxiety, particularly around other people's Continue Reading
Joint Review: Love at First by Kate Clayborn
Love at First by Kate ClaybornContemporary Romance02/23/2021 by Kensington Joint review by Melinda and Melanie Melinda: Kate Clayborn has become one of the top contemporary authors for me that I look to for emotion and character development. I’ve come to appreciate the love and care that comes through with her writing so much. However, Love at First strikes an uneven tone for me and had flashes of that brilliance that I expect from her, but it didn’t feel like it was carried all Continue Reading
Melinda’s Minis: Just Like This by Cole McCade & The Beautiful Things Shoppe by Philip William Stover
Just Like This by Cole McCadeAlbin Academy #2LGBT Contemporary RomanceNovember 24, 2020 by Carina Adores The follow-up to Just Like That takes place at the same academy for young boys as the previous one. What I love about McCade’s writing is the emotional development between the characters. Rian and Damon are extremely different teachers with different backgrounds coming together to try to help a student in trouble. Their relationship is both steamy and a bit of slow-burn simmering Continue Reading
Review: First Comes Like (Modern Love #3) by Alisha Rai
First Comes Like by Alisha RaiContemporary RomanceFebruary 16, 2021, by Avon Review by Melinda I'm a big fan of Alisha Rai's Forbidden Hearts series but was so torn on First Comes Like. What I loved was having a Muslim hijabi protagonist who was not having sex for religious reasons. Jia Ahmed has a story I'd been waiting to hear as she was a beauty influencer, which isn't something I'm exactly interested in IRL, but I wanted to see how she dealt with her Muslim family's expectations. And Continue Reading
Review: In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria MachadoMemoir November 5, 2019 by Graywolf Press Review by Melanie I listened to In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado and it was, quite simply, a beautiful experience. This is such an unusual book in so many ways - it’s a memoir but reads as fiction. It’s a domestic abuse narrative but it’s also poetry. It’s increasingly horrifying but it’s also lyrical on audio. This is one of those books I absolutely recommend you listen to, as it’s read by the Continue Reading
Melinda’s Minis: Learned Behaviors by Jayce Ellis & We Could be Heroes by Mike Chen
Learned Behaviors by Jayce EllisHigher Education #1LBGT Contemporary RomanceNovember 9, 2020 by Carina Press I’m generally not a reader who gravitates to single father stories but this cover drew me in because it’s gorgeous. This story has so much going on, but all of it works together. Two single men, with families, both with heavy work loads, working together and fighting their growing attraction. I really enjoyed the subplot there is with their two daughters also being in love Continue Reading