Will They or Won't They by Ava WilderContemporary RomanceJune 27, 2023 by Dell Review by Melanie I was a huge fan of Ava Wilder’s debut novel and was especially intrigued by the premise of her second novel, Will They or Won’t They, which, based on its description, happens to be a second chance romance, one of my favorite tropes. One could argue that it’s also an enemies-to-lovers trope but I would say this is more of a costars to casual sex to secretly pining to antagonistic costars to Continue Reading
Review: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley PostonContemporary/Magical RealismJune 27, 2023, by BerkleyARC Review by Angela This book surprised me in all the best ways. I adored The Dead Romantics, released last year, but I think I might just love this book a little bit more. As with the Dead Romantics, this is another grief book, set in a magical apartment in the modern day, with seven-year slips in time. This is also a romance, with a lovely developing relationship between a grieving book Continue Reading
Review: Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin
Much Ado About Nada by Uzma JalaluddinContemporary RomanceJune 13, 2023 - Berkley Review by Melanie I’m not always super fond of Jane Austen retellings - they are usually a bit hit or miss for me - but I think I may be predisposed to loving Persuasion retellings since second-chance romance is one of my favorite tropes. Much Ado About Nada tells the story of Nada and Baz, who have a very storied past. The book is mostly set in the present day but does occasionally take a detour to Continue Reading
Review: Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews
Magic Claims by Ilona AndrewsKate Daniels: The Wilmington Years #2Urban FantasyJune 13, 2023- NYLAARC Review by Angela You never really know how much you will miss certain characters and worlds until a series ends, and you're not sure if you'll ever see them again. Which makes these last two books in the spin-off to the Kate Daniels series so special. The first book, Magic Tides, gave readers a sense of what Kate, Curran, and Conlan were up to after leaving Atlanta and settling down Continue Reading
Review: Keyed Up by Sarah Estep
Keyed Up by Sarah EstepContemporary RomanceMay 4, 2023 Self-published Review by Melanie I discovered this book by sheer stroke of luck while scrolling through Instagram which is extremely unusual since I don’t actually spend a lot of time on Instagram. Somehow, the universe must have known that this book would speak to my personal reading id and check all my boxes. The author had done one of those posts with multiple arrows around the book and labeled each one with specific micro tropes Continue Reading
Review: Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane
Big Gay Wedding by Byron LaneLGBTQ+May 30, 2023 by Henry Holt and Co. Review by Kate H. Big Gay Wedding is like a romance novel that starts at the epilogue. Instead of the meet cute, the inciting action, turning point, and so on, we jump to right after the proposal. The focus of the story moves around almost the entire wedding party: the grooms, the moms, the grandfather and the sheep. Yes, the sheep. And when I say it moves around, I really Continue Reading
Audio Review: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Fourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosEpic FantasyMay 2, 2023, Entangled Review by Jen If you’re on TikTok, you CAN NOT escape the hype about Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I saw the posts. I loved the posts. I bought the audio book. I’m going to start this review by focusing on the end first. Wow oh wow…that end, that cliff hanger! Imagine if you will a dogfight scene from one of the Top Gun movies. But instead of planes, we have dragons, gryphons and one other mystery beast Continue Reading
Review: Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler
Mrs. Nash's Ashes by Sarah AdlerContemporary RomanceMay 23, 2023 by Berkley Review by Melanie I’ve been leaning hard into historical romance this year as my primary source of escape. However, Sarah Adler and I follow each other on Twitter, and having seen her discuss her contemporary romance on several occasions piqued my interest. I thought the setup was fascinating and it involved tropes that I normally love - road trip romance, only one bed, and forced proximity. Cut to me reading Continue Reading
Review: Crowns of Nyaxia duet by Carissa Broadbent
Crowns of Nyaxia Duet by Carissa BroadbentDark FantasySecond book: April 14, 2023 Review by Jen If you’re a reader of fantasy romance, this duet is definitely for you! I couldn’t wait to read these two books every day and night. They’re SOOO good! Fans of ACOTAR, Blood and Ash, Red Queen and yes…even Hunger Games (with some added spice!) will love it. Oraya is a human young woman. She has been raised by the vampire king, Vincent, since she was a small child. This is just Continue Reading
Review: The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
The True Love Experiment by Christina LaurenRomantic ComedyMay 16, 2023Gallery Books Review by Jen I’ve read some great books in recent months, but this one is hands down my favorite. I have to think it will be in my top three even at year end. It’s that good!! The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren is a follow up to The Soulmate Equation. BUT, I didn’t read that book and this definitely stands on it’s own. Now I’m putting the first book on my TBR list. Where to Continue Reading