Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria BellefleurContemporary RomanceApril 30, 2024 by Avon Review by Melanie It is no secret that when a romance novel touts itself as a romantic comedy these days, I immediately give it massive side eye. Having been burned way too many times by rom coms that were neither romantic nor comedic, that particular pairing of words automatically makes me back away. However, Alexandria Bellefleur’s Truly, Madly, Deeply is one banger of a rom com, both Continue Reading
Review: When I Think of You by Myah Ariel
When I Think of You by Myah Ariel Contemporary RomanceApril 16, 2024 by Berkley Review by Melanie I haven’t been having a lot of luck with contemporary romances lately, but I have to say, Myah Ariel’s debut, When I Think of You, just blew me away. It may not be the steamiest romance I’ve ever read but it had an abundance of longing and tension, making me wait with bated breath to see if Kaliya and Daniel, one-time film school classmates turned lovers, would be able to mend their Continue Reading
Riding the #CallawayExpress
By Melanie One of my favorite things about the romance community is when we all collectively discover a new-to-us author who has a pretty lengthy backlist. Last year, I asked for some historical romance recommendations on twitter - I came to historical romance pretty late in my romance reading journey and I wanted to spend this year reading new-to-me authors. Readers responded with a plethora of names for me to try (here is the original tweet if you are so inclined to make your own list) and Continue Reading
Review: Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
Ready or Not by Cara BastoneContemporary Romance (Romantic Fiction)February 13, 2024 by Dial Press Review by Melanie I read this book in the span of two days which is shockingly fast for me these days when I read with my eyes. I simply could not put it down. If you are reading this review, you will undoubtedly be rather shocked when you get to the end of this review and see that I’ve given this book a letter grade of C-. Yes, that minus is important because this book is verging on a Continue Reading
Review: Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar
Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina KumarContemporary Romance January 16, 2024 by Dell Review by Melanie I always find it increasingly difficult to review books that aren’t 5 stars or 1 star but just sort of fall into that middle category that I like to label as forgettably meh or as my friend Melinda would term, “aggressively fine.” The real problem with this book actually lies with me because it’s time I finally admit that I just don’t care about the fake relationship trope in contemporary Continue Reading
Review: Some Winter’s Evening by Erin Langston
Some Winter's Evening by Erin LangstonHistorical Romance NovellaNovember 1, 2023Self-published Review by Melanie Here I am, once again ready to wax poetic about an Erin Langston book much the same way Cora Travers is likely to wax poetic about Nate Travers’ dimples while under the influence of too much ratafia. You might recognize Cora and Nate as the two main characters in Langston’s debut full length novel, Forever Your Rogue, a book I read and adored some months ago, to the point that Continue Reading
Review: So Flocked by Sarah Estep
So Flocked by Sarah EstepContemporary RomanceOctober 26, 2023Self Published Review by Melanie Discovering a new-to-me author always delights me especially when their authorial voice works for me. I discovered Sarah Estep’s debut, Keyed Up, earlier this year and it was a true rom-com, witty and sharp and full of sexual tension between two incredibly likable MCs. I was hooked by her writing style and when she announced the next book in her Brunch Bros series, it quickly became one of my Continue Reading
Review: Resonance Surge (Psy-Changeling Trinity #7) by Nalini Singh
Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh Paranormal Romance July 18, 2023, by Berkley Review by Melanie The newest addition to Nalini Singh’s long-running Psy-Changeling Trinity series is less of a banger and more of a slow burn. A very, VERY slow burn, to be precise. In fact, it took me several days to finish this book and while I wouldn’t say I was bored exactly, I can’t really say I was riveted either. It was fine for the most part, with the action picking up steam (not THAT kind of steam) in Continue Reading
Review: Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn SolomonContemporary RomanceJuly 4, 2023 by Berkley Review by Melanie This is the third Rachel Lynn Solomon contemporary romance I’ve read and I think that’s enough data to conclude that she’s now an auto-read author for me. Her voice is just a perfect blend of biting wit and vulnerable self-doubt, her characters are beautifully rendered with layers of complexity and the romance just feels like a punch to the solar plexus. There’s so much care taken, Continue Reading
Review: Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
Role Playing by Cathy YardleyContemporary RomanceJuly 1, 2023 by Montlake Review by Melanie This is now the second Cathy Yardley book I’ve read and I really have to make time in my reading schedule to dive into her backlist. Her voice is sharp and funny and I love how she writes her MCs and the way her characters communicate like adults, no game playing. Well, no mind games, at the very least. Her author’s voice really works for me and this book just hits perfectly on every Continue Reading