Something Wilder by Christina LaurenContemporary RomanceMay 17, 2022, by Gallery Books Review by Angela I'm still not absolutely sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, it starts out with the classic Christina Lauren charm with interesting characters, strong friendships, and lively banter. On the other hand, it is quite a bit darker than this writing duo's other novels. Labeled as an "adventure romance", Something Wilder is big on the drama and mystery, but some of the Continue Reading
Review: Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky
Never Been Kissed by Timothy JanovskyLGBTQIA Contemporary RomanceMay 3, 2022 by Sourcebooks Casablanca Review by Kate H. Wren Roland is about to graduate college. A passionate film buff, with two great best friends, Wren came out in the year before the book Never Been Kissed begins. His friends seem eager to help him socially, but Wren isn’t sure why his romantic and sexual experiences seem to be on a different timeline than everyone else. He’s 22 and he’s Continue Reading
Scenic Sunday- Fire Inside by Kristen Ashley
I remember discovering Kristen Ashley in 2012. I picked up Rock Chick and laughed and laughed, and then devoured this author's backlist. Contemporary, Fantasy... it didn't matter. I just kept going and going until I'd read everything. Looking back I know that so much of her stuff is problematic, and she tends to describe everything in such detail, from the curtains to the throw pillows to the shoes the female main character is wearing. It didn't matter to me at the time though. I haven't read Continue Reading
Review: The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa
The Wedding Crasher by Mia SosaContemporary RomanceApril 5, 2022, by AvonARC Review by Angela This was one of my most anticipated releases in 2022. The first book featuring this cast of characters, The Worst Best Man, cracked me up. Seriously, I was laughing out loud at work and sneak reading between clients. I could not put it down. Inject that kind of romantic comedy straight into my veins. The Wedding Crasher features Solange Pereira and Dean Chapman, cousin to the FMC and best Continue Reading
Blog Tour and Excerpt: Set on You by Amy Lea
Set on You by Amy LeaContemporary RomanceMay 10, 2022Berkley About the book: One of SheReads' Best Romance Books Coming in 2022!A gym nemesis pushes a fitness influencer to the max in Amy Lea’s steamy debut romantic comedy.Curvy fitness influencer Crystal Chen built her career shattering gym stereotypes and mostly ignoring the trolls. After her recent breakup, she has little stamina left for men, instead finding solace in the gym – her place of power and positivity.Enter firefighter Continue Reading
Scenic Sunday: A Deal with the Devil by Elizabeth O’Roark
This scene was one of the most hilarious from my favorite read in April. The banter with this book was - chef’s kiss - incredible. The author spun a masterpiece out of a highly unbelievable set-up: a lowly assistant/writer who is paid to temp for a hot plastic surgeon, and they fall in love. This book is funny, with a great pining hero and some insane sexual tension. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves contemporary romances with some steam. (Fun fact: the entire Smexy team cannot get Continue Reading
Review: Birds of California by Katie Cotugno
Birds of California by Katie CotugnoContemporary RomanceApril 26, 2022, by Harper Perennial Review by Kate H. I had to go back and re-read the blurb for Birds of California about halfway through because this is one of those cases where the marketing and the content don’t match. The promotional material refers to it as a “whip smart romantic comedy.” Whip smart, I will give it, but romantic comedy? No. Birds of California is a novel Continue Reading
Blog Tour and Excerpt- The Dachshund Wears Prada by Stefanie London
The Dachshund Wears Prada by Stefanie LondonContemporary RomanceMay 3, 2022, by HQN Books Book Summary: How do you start over when the biggest mistake of your life has more than one million views? Forget diamonds; the internet is forever. Social media consultant Isla Thompson learned that lesson the hard way when she went viral for all the wrong reasons. A month later, Isla is still having nightmares about the moment she ruined a young starlet’s career and made herself the most Continue Reading
Review: Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Book Lovers by Emily HenryContemporary RomanceMay 3, 2022, by Berkley Review by Angela I've become an Emily Henry fangirl over the last couple of years, so when this book hit my Kindle I set aside everything to read. Book Lovers centers around two main characters deeply involved in the publishing world. Literary agent extraordinaire Nora Stephens and her editor nemesis Charlie Lastra. They first cross paths at a coffee meeting to discuss her biggest client's new manuscript. He Continue Reading
Review: Kiss Hard by Nalini Singh
Kiss Hard by Nalini SinghHard Play #4Contemporary RomanceMay 3, 2022, by TKA Distribution Review by Melanie Well, this was a delightful surprise from one of my very favorite authors, an unexpected contemporary romance announced less than a month prior to its release. Fun fact: I actually discovered Nalini through her contemporaries first! Back when I was under the misguided impression that PNR wasn’t really my jam, I started reading her contemporaries and immediately fell in love with Continue Reading