Totally Engaged by Mina V. EsguerraContemporary RomanceMay 14, 2021, Self PublishedARC Review by Melinda I think Mina V. Esguerra is such a talented writer and generally I pick up anything she writes. But this book is really up there with one of my favorites of hers. Rose is a fashion entrepreneur who is pretty happy with her life and what she has. However, her mother is not as happy about any of it. Rose's entire immediate family immigrated to the United States, but Rose had aged out of Continue Reading
Series Review: Irons and Works by EM Lindsey
Irons & Works series by EM Lindsey Contemporary Romance Self Published Reviewed by Melinda There is almost nothing better than finding a new author to you and then loving their writing. The only thing better is when there is a whole series to binge! One of my favorite tropes in romance is found family, I gravitate to books and series that have even a hint in them, and The Irons and Works series is just teeming with found family. This series starts with Free Hand, where we're introduced Continue Reading
Melinda’s Minis: Sun of a Beach by Mia Sosa and Abel by Katee Robert
Sun of a Beach by Mia SosaContemporaryApril 8, 2021, by AudibleARC This is another audible original, which seems to be more and more of a trend with romance authors. Donovan and Naomi are given an assignment for the swimsuit edition of the magazine they work on and things are interesting since they dislike each other. Naomi began the novella in an ‘I would never date a co-worker’ frame of mind and changed to ‘I am in love’ mindset in the length of 24 hours basically. Donovan changes from Continue Reading
Review: The Revelation of Light and Dark by Sawyer Bennett
The Revelation of Light and Dark by Sawyer BennettChronicles of the Stone Veil #1Romantic Fantasy/Urban FantasyFebruary 9, 2021Reviewed by Jen Some of my favorite reads over the past several months have been in the fantasy category. The cover for The Revelation of Light and Dark by Sawyer Bennett has the same vibe as the Ash and Blood series and ACOTAR. Of course, I was in. First up- here’s your warning, each book ends on a cliffhanger. Big cliffhangers. BUT, the first three books Continue Reading
Guest Review: Always Only You by Chloe Liese
Today Smexy welcomes Alyssa (Hi Alyssa!) who is talking about disability rep in her latest read. You can find her on Twitter at @measuredandslow Always Only Yoy by Chloe LieseBergman Brothers #2Contemporary RomanceAugust 4, 2020 I was really excited to read this one; you don’t see Rheumatoid Arthritis or Autism, let alone both, in romance that often. When it does show up it tends to be in older characters or a reason for the femme character to be benevolent and caring (there’s a Continue Reading
Angela Minis: Reviews for books by KJ Charles, Kerrigan Byrne, and Sara Desai
The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ CharlesLGBT Historical RomanceFebruary 24, 2021, by KJC Books Yeah, so I'm a KJ Charles fangirl. I admit it. Every new release I just want to grab up and read as soon as it hits my kindle, but on I also want to keep it in my pocket to look forward to when I need a pick me up after a bad day. The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting features the grumpy/sunshine trope to perfection. Robin Loxleigh, Mr. Charm, is in London with his sister in order to secure Continue Reading
Review: When Tara Met Farah by Tara Pammi
When Tara Met Farah by Tara PammiBollywood Dance & Drama Society Book 1Contemporary RomanceJanuary 26, 2021 Review by Melanie A little bit about me before I delve into this review. I don’t DNF books lightly. In fact, I do everything in my power to resist DNF’ing a book. Ironically, I advise people to DNF on the regular because life is too short to force yourself to read a book that isn’t working for you. But rarely do I ever take that advice for myself. Having said all that, I almost Continue Reading
Review: Last Strand (Elemental Assassin #19) by Jennifer Estep
Last Strand by Jennifer EstepElemental Assassin #19Urban FantasyMarch 16, 2021 Self Published Review by Angela Favorite Quote: But this was the life I had built, the one I had chosen for myself, and I wouldn't have it any other way. So I returned to my book with a smile on my face, my knives tucked up my sleeves, and more peace in my heart than I'd felt in a long, long time. My name is Gin, and I kill people. Always and forever. This is it y'all, the last Gin Blanco adventure... at Continue Reading
TikTok Made Me Read It: A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair
My newest obsession is BookTok. If you’re not on TikTok, this is a category you can search on the app and you will find tons of videos from creators talking about all things books. They recommend series, act out scenes, swoon over book boyfriends, show off amazing bookshelves + "shelfies" and even warn you about which books don’t live up to the hype. I LOVE IT. I get lost in the dance videos. Then, I found BookTok and it took my love up a notch. I never post, only lurk, and I Continue Reading
Review: The Solstice Countdown by Lisa Shearin
The Solstice Countdown by Lisa Shearin (SPI Files #7) Urban Fantasy March 9, 2021 Self-published Reviewed by Kate “You make me weak in the knees, and not in a good way. One of these days, your cockiness is gonna backfire, and if it doesn’t get you killed, I’ll do it.” “You’ll be standing in a long line,” he murmured. Reading the latest SPI Files novel is like visiting old friends. I have been reading Lisa Shearin's books for over a decade now - starting with her Raine Benares novels, Continue Reading