It’s the 62nd day of January and I can't wait for January to be over. Here are some thoughts on books I read recently Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday. Y’all know I am a fan of Jenny Holiday’s books. This book was good but not a great read for me. The heroine, Evie, returns to the seaside town where she spent her summers while growing up. Her aunt has passed away and left Evie the inn. Evie doesn’t want it, but she doesn’t have options. The hero, Sawyer, is the townie boy who broke Evie’s Continue Reading
Did Not Finish Friday
Today we bring you a round of up books that we did not finish. Life is too short to read books that aren't bringing you joy. Let us know in the comments what books you DNF so far this year and why. Now, Then, Always by Mona Shroff- You might be wondering how this could have ended up on my DNF list after I was really excited about it. And I wondered the same thing. Basically it just wasn't drawing me in. It probably had more to do with external factors like life and the story wasn't Continue Reading
Kini’s Monday Minis- Reviews for books by Rachel Reid, Lucy Parker, and Adriana Anders
Tough Guy by Rachel Reid- It has been a while since I read a hockey romance and this one did not disappoint. Hockey playing hero Ryan suffers from anxiety and it was handled so well by the author. His love interest is Fabian and Fabian seems to present as gender non-conforming. All in all the story was sweet and sexy and was a great reintroduction to hockey romance for me. This is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. Reid hints at another couple that has my interest Continue Reading
Review: Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey
By now y’all may know that I love the marriage in trouble trope. There is something so appealing to me about reading about couples who have to figure out their shit and decide to make their marriage work. I haven’t read Bailey in quite some time, I’ve kind of moved away from reading and enjoying her brand of possessive alpha heroes. But with this trope, I was never not going to read Love Her or Lose Her. I ended up having incredibly mixed feelings about this book. I will start with the good. Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- Mini reviews for books by Kate Clayborn, Tasha L. Harrison, Roni Loren, and Emily Belden
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn- I actually read this months ago but just waited to talk about it. I didn’t love this book. It was a good but not great read for me. It felt more like women’s fiction, but that is fine with me because I enjoy WF too. There was a lot of emphasis on the Meg’s work and it felt like too much at times. There is a subplot where Meg and her roommate/former best friend work on repairing their relationship but it also felt like this was a more important relationship to Meg Continue Reading
Kini’s Most Anticipated Reads 2020
First I want to mention that almost all of the books that I am excited about are from traditional publishers because they typically release information about new books several months in advance. If you are indie or self publishing a book, we would love to know about it sooner rather than later so we can get it on our radar! Our request form does not require an ARC. Second, most of these books are from the first half of 2020, with a few from the second half as publishing hasn’t released much Continue Reading
Kini’s Romance Wrap Up 2019
Just over a year ago, Mandi decided she didn’t want to run Smexy anymore and Angela and I jumped at the chance to do so. I have learned so much about running a blog. The biggest thing is that my relationship with books has changed. I am no longer “just reviewing” books. Now not only am I looking at them for potential review but also is it something we might want to spotlight in some other way to Smexy readers. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love it. But it has just changed things for me. Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses: Mini reviews for books by Adriana Herrera, Tarryn Fisher, and JN Welsh
Here’s a quick round up of books I’ve read recently. Although I don’t have much to say about them. It’s the end of the year, I think I will hit my goal of starting 100 books this year, but have quite a few DNFs this year. I will have more of a wrap up next week. Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera- This is super sexy story centered around two competitors of a holiday baking show. (Think Great British Bake Off). This was my first book by Herrera, I have at least one of her Dreamer series Continue Reading
Review: Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
This is the second book I’ve read by Hoover. When I saw the description for this book I felt compelled to read it. I enjoy stories centered around a mother and daughter trying to figure things out. Add in some tragedy and I’m all for it. I have never really been drawn to Hoover’s books but I thought maybe this will be the that helps me understand her appeal to so many. Reader, this was not the one. This review will be spoilery so be forewarned. A big chunk of this review will be under a Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- Books by Kate Clayborn, Molly O’Keefe, and Sagan Morrow
A Day in the Death of Walter Zawislak by Molly O’Keefe, pubs 12/9. This book is not a romance but does contain a love story. The story is kind of a mash up of movies Meet Joe Black and A Christmas Carol with a little bit of On Top of the World by the Dixie Chicks thrown in. I don’t want to spoil it but it is an interesting story of a man looking back on his life and coming to grips with his self worth. It has the deep emotions that is Molly’s trademark. I really enjoyed it. It also included Continue Reading