Thank You for Listening by Julia WhelanWomen's FictionAugust 2, 2022, by Avon Review by Melanie First, let's get this out of the way: I hate the term women’s fic. No need to dismissively label an entire genre just because it focuses on a female protagonist’s journey. Just call it fiction. We’re not going around labeling Franzen as men’s fic, are we? (Wait, ARE we?!?) So, yes, while I have labeled it as women’s fiction per the publishing industry standards, please let it be known that I Continue Reading
Review: Fire Season by KD Casey
Fire Season by KD CaseyUnwritten Rules #2LGBTQ RomanceJuly 19, 2022 by Carina Press Review by Kate H. Baseball might be my least favorite sport to read about, but I loved this book. Now I have to go back and read Unwritten Rules, the first in this universe. Fire Season can standalone, I will attest to that. I just want to read more KD Casey. Two divorced men, both professional baseball players, meet during the fire season in the Bay Area of California. Through the course of a Continue Reading
Review: Eclipse the Moon (Starlight’s Shadow #2) by Jessie Mihalik
Eclipse the Moon by Jessie MihalikStarlight's Shadow #2Science Fiction RomanceJuly 12, 2022, by Harper Voyager Review by Angela This author has quickly become one of my absolute favorites in the fantasy/sci-fi genre. When one of her new or upcoming releases hit my Kindle I drop everything and settle in for a rollicking good time. I'm never disappointed. Eclipse the Moon is the second book in this series, which began with Hunt the Stars and the introduction of this world and the now Continue Reading
Review: The One Who Loves You by Pippa Grant
The One Who Loves You by Pippa GrantTickled Pink #1Contemporary Romance/Romantic ComedyJuly 12, 2022, by MontlakeARC Review by Angela Y'all I NEEDED a romantic comedy in my life when I snatched this book up for review. Anyone who's read a Pippa Grant book knows she has a zany, sometimes outrageous brand of humor and some really unique characters. This book is no different. I know with all the cutesy covers floating around Romancelandia nowadays anything labeled as a romantic comedy is Continue Reading
Review: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
The Dead Romantics by Ashley PostonContemporary Paranormal RomanceJune 28, 2022, by BerkleyARC Review by Angela I almost passed this book up. The blurb was so intriguing with its mentions of ghostwriters and ghosts, funeral parlors, and dead editors, but I still hesitated. Mostly because I tend to grab up books like I'm hoarding in case of an apocalypse. I have zero willpower and my TBR shows it. But then one more email hit my inbox and I couldn't resist anymore. I hit that read it button Continue Reading
Review: Big Wild Love Adventure by Julianna Keyes
Big Wild Love Adventure by Julianna KeyesContemporary RomanceJune 20, 2022Self-PublishedARC Review by Iby Emmy Shaw is having a terrible year. Her fiancé leaves her at the alter - after announcing that he got his girlfriend pregnant - and Emmy has sunk her life savings into a failing food truck. After another professional catastrophe, Emmy is drunkenly persuaded to enter a reality dating show set in the jungle with the potential to win $250,000, and to her own shock, is accepted. The plot Continue Reading
Review: The Devil You Know by Elizabeth O’Roark
The Devil You Know by Elizabeth O'RoarkDevil #3Contemporary RomanceJune 23, 2022Self PublishedARC Review by Angela Having gobbled up the first two books in this series in just the last couple of months, my anticipation for Ben's book was sky high. Ben- the lawyer, best friend of Hayes from A Deal with the Devil, Ben- who helped Drew extract herself from her terrible manager in The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Ben- who according to the blurb, and the heroine of The Devil You Know, was Continue Reading
Review: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Every Summer After by Carley FortuneComing of Age FictionMay 10, 2022Berkley Review by Jen How much did I love Every Summer After by Carley Fortune? To the moon and back. This book was SO good! It gave first love chills, brought back sweet memories of growing up, and special summers spent by the water. For me it was the ocean, for our heroine it was the lake. At age 13, Persephone (Percy) and her family get a cottage and spend every summer by the lake. Next door is Sam and his Continue Reading
Melinda’s Mini Reviews: No Strings by Lucy Bexley & the Roxane Weary series by Kristen Lepionka
No Strings by Lucy BexleyLGBTQ Contemporary RomanceJan 11, 2022Purchased Review by Melinda No Strings by Lucy Bexley is genuinely one of the most charming and surprising books I’ve read! The cover may be one of the worst I’ve ever seen so I would never have picked it up without a friend telling me it was 5 stars for her. Elsie is a puppeteer on a kid's TV show that she basically created…but gets next to no credit OR money for. And when the head of the company dies, his daughter Jones Continue Reading
Review: My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
My Killer Vacation by Tessa BaileyContemporary RomanceJune 6, 2022Self-Published Review by Iby I am admittedly a Tessa Bailey fan, especially her newer works. I love the banter and the steam - she has great dynamics between her main characters, and her books tend to be lighthearted and eminently enjoyable. When she said she was writing a murder mystery romance, I knew that I’d be all-in. The set-up: Careful, cautious second-grade teacher Taylor has saved for years to take a vacation in Continue Reading