Forget Me Not by. Julie Soto | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Forget Me Not

Author: Julie Soto

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 7/11/23

Categories: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary, Chick-Lit, Romance, Second Chance Romance

An ambitious wedding planner must work with her grumpy florist ex, whose heart she broke, on the most high-profile wedding of her career, in this spicy and emotional romance from popular fanfic author Julie Soto.

He loves me; he loves me not…

Ama Torres loves being a wedding planner. But with a mother who has been married more times than you can count on your fingers, Ama has decided that marriage is not the route for her. But weddings? Weddings are amazing. As a small business owner, she knows how to match her clients with the perfect vendor to give them the wedding of their dreams. Well, almost perfect…

Elliot hates being a florist, most of the time. When his father left him the flower shop, he considered it a burden, but he’s stuck with it. Just like how he’s stuck with the way he proposed to Ama, his main collaborator and girlfriend (or was she?) two years ago. But flowers have grown on him, just like Ama did. And flowers can’t run off and never speak to him again, like Ama did.

When Ama is hired to plan a celebrity wedding that will bring her business national exposure, there’s a catch: Elliot is already contracted to design the flowers. Things are not helped by the two brides, who see the obvious chemistry between Ama and Elliot and are determined to set them up, not knowing their complicated history. Add in a meddling ex-boss, and a reality TV film crew documenting every step of the wedding prep, and Ama and Elliot’s hearts are not only in jeopardy again, but this time, their livelihoods are too.

Content Warning: fear of commitment

I was so excited to read Forget Me Not because I was seeing it every on blogs and I was seeing good things about it! Now that I’ve read it I can see why people loved it so much.

This one is a second chance romance and I love how we are introduced to Ama and Elliot then get peeks into their past. I like how the past scenes built with the tension going on between them in the present day. Also, I love a wedding planner kind of story because it reminds me so much of the movie, The Wedding Planner, which was such a cute rom-com! This story is obviously different from that, but I love the whole wedding planner thing.

And I really love Elliot as a florist! I don’t blame Ama for falling for this guy who is so knowledgeable about flowers and so talented with installations. Yes, he is Mr. Grumpy and she’s Miss Sunshine and I love how she got past his defenses. Their past story is so cute and the heartbreak was sad but I could totally understand both their point of views. I think it makes their second chance romance story even more sweeter! The sparks are there between them and never really went away. They do have some spicy scenes which just adds to their chemistry – but I love the little awkward scenes between them too – I had some laugh out loud moments.

There are a bunch of fun side characters too – the couple who is getting married, Hazel and Jackie area cute couple. And I love how yes, Ama’s mother has had 14 marriages so she’s had a multitude of ex step-siblings, some that she employs! I especially love Mar.

Tropes: second chance romance, grumpy/sunshine

My Final Thoughts:

I love Ama and Elliott’s second chance romance. He’s grumpy, she’s sunshine and the sparks fly between them. I thought their love story was sweet and I love that there was a big wedding to plan while they tried to not bring up their past with one another. If you like wedding planner type of romance stories, you will definitely enjoy this one. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Unfortunately Yours by. Tessa Bailey | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Unfortunately Yours (A Vine Mess, #2)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 6/6/23

Categories: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary, Chick-Lit, Romance

A down-on-her-luck Napa heiress suggests a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience to a man she can’t stand… only to discover there’s a fine line between love and hate.

After losing her job and her fiancé in one fell swoop, Natalie Vos returned home to lick her wounds. A few months later, she’s sufficiently drowned her sorrows in cabernet and she’s ready to get back on her feet. She just needs her trust fund to finance her new business venture. Unfortunately, the terms require she marry before she can have the money. And well, dumped, remember? But Natalie is desperate enough to propose to a man who makes her want to kill him–and kiss him, in equal measure.

August Cates may own a vineyard, but he doesn’t know jack about making wine. He’s determined to do his late best friend proud, no matter what it takes. Except his tasting room is empty, his wine is disgusting (seriously, he once saw someone gag), and his buddy’s legacy is circling the drain. No bank will give him the loan he needs to turn the business around… and then the gorgeous, feisty heiress knocks on his door. Natalie has haunted his dreams since the moment they met, but their sizzling chemistry immediately morphed into simmering insults.

Now, a quickie marriage could help them both. A sham wedding, a few weeks living under the same roof, and then they can go their separate ways–assuming they make it out alive. How hard could it be? There’s just one thing they didn’t account for: their unfortunate, unbearable, undeniable attraction.

Content Warning: PTSD, grief

If you read Secretly Yours, then you will have met these two characters, Natalie (Julian’s sister) and August, in that story. So this story starts off right away with Natalie and August already going at it with the sexual innuendos, but it’s an enemies to lovers romance so Natalie is always trying to take him down a notch and August likes the torture and tries to match her tit for tat (literally lol). He is obsessed with her breasts – and tells her every chance he gets.

I thought the two of them were so funny because both of them are hot-heads and want to get their way. August is an ex-Navy SEAL so he is a bit intense but funny too. Natalie was intense too when it came to finance – the two of them was chaos at times but fun chaos. And when they finally relieve the sexual tension between its explosive, dirty, loud, and intense as they both are. I thought it was cute how they finally admitted to feelings for one another though.

I think this was the perfect sequel to Secretly Yours and very different from Julian and Hallie. It has the same spice, and more laughs in this one. I do think if you didn’t read the first book, you’d be shocked at how Natalie and August are already off to the races with hating and wanting one another. So just be aware of that if you didn’t read the first book.

Tropes: fake dating, enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience

My Final Thoughts:

I think Natalie and August make a great couple because of how they can set each other down but not be too offended. It’s a turn on for them actually! This story has enough spice to keep things juicy and enough laughs to make you root for the both of them.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Secretly Yours by. Tessa Bailey | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Hook, Line and Sinker by. Tessa Bailey | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It Happened One Summer by. Tessa Bailey | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Place by. Emily Henry | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Happy Place

Author: Emily Henry

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 4/25/23

Categories: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary, Chick-Lit, Romance

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Content Warning: grief, depression

I usually love Emily Henry books and I was excited for this one but maybe I should have read more reviews about it? I didn’t feel this one at all – and I don’t know if it was because I wasn’t in the mood or I just didn’t love the second-chance romance that this story is centered on. Or I wasn’t connecting to the characters? Maybe it was a combination of all of it.

Harriet and Wyn have broken up but they didn’t tell their best friends and they all meet up at their “happy place” at a cottage in Maine for one last hurrah before the cottage gets sold.

I did like Harriet talking about “happy places” in the past – the past chapters start with the place description. I will say sometimes I was confused if I was reading past or present at first. I can relate to the good ‘ol days with my college friends. It’s such a special time when you make new friendships in college that continue after you graduate. And I did love seeing how tight everyone was, even Kimmy who is Cleo’s girlfriend and kind of the newish one to the group – but she fits in. They have lots of memories and you can feel the closeness between all of them.

I also did like how reality sets in for the friends and they acknowledge how maybe they haven’t done a good job at keeping up with one another (because of time differences, space, etc…) since they all live apart now. But this mostly happens at the end of the book. For the most part it’s about Harriet and Wyn. They were together for 8 years and something or lots of things broke them…but we only get all the information later in the book, and that frustrated me. I struggled to read this one.

Harriet and Wyn being together “one last time” maybe felt like this book was about closure, possibly? And I appreciated their truths when it was revealed but why did it take so long to actually say what they wanted or talk about the break-up and how it happened. The communication between these two was driving me crazy but I get it shows how sometimes or LOTS of times, communication is one of the hardest parts of being in a committed relationship. I also didn’t connect to Harriet and Wyn or any of the characters – maybe Chloe is who I liked the most but everyone else? Not really.

A lot of the problems between the couples and friendships were so real in this book which is great but I was maybe hoping for a more lighthearted story because it was called Happy Place! Spoiler, there is a “happy” ending but I wasn’t feeling happy by the end of this lol…just tired.

Tropes: one bed, second chance romance

My Final Thoughts:

There were some things in this book I liked: the college best friends, the realness about friendships that maybe fall apart a little after moving away from one another, and the importance of communication in any worthwhile relationships. Because we see what happens when the communication is stunted – relationships can strain, they can break. But miscommunication in a story can be so frustrating sometimes, and that’s what this book mostly made me feel. I was going to rate it a 2.5 but then bumped it to a three because there were a lot of real issues she brought up in the book that I like, but it just made me feel sad. This one is my least favorite Emily Henry book, but hopefully the next one is better for me.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Lovers by. Emily Henry | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

People We Meet on Vacation by. Emily Henry | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beach Read by. Emily Henry| Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

King of Wrath by. Ana Huang | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: King of Wrath (Kings of Sins, #1)

Author: Ana Huang

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 398

Publication Date: 10/18/22

Categories: Adult, Series, Contemporary, Romance, Arranged Marriage

She’s the wife he never wanted…and the weakness he never saw coming.

Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally.

The billionaire CEO never planned to marry—
until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows.

Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. He’ll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal.

There’s only one problem: now that he has her…he can’t bring himself to let her go.

***
Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family’s ticket into the highest echelons of high society.

Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.

While the rude, elusive Dante isn’t her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty.

Craving his touch was never part of the plan.

Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.

King of Wrath is a steamy billionaire/arranged marriage romance. It contains explicit sexual content, profanity, and mild violence. Recommended for mature readers only.

Content Warning: violence, robbery

I have seen this book everywhere, even at the salon where my son was getting his haircut – the receptionist was reading this so I thought it was time I pick it up too. And I can see why this book is addictive!

What’s so addicting? Well the tension between Dante, a hot, billionaire, alpha male who is possessive and Vivian, a beautiful, successful, dutiful young woman is electric. They have some good spicy scenes between them. I felt there was a nice balance though between the spicy scenes and the actual relationship part of their story which spans the time they are engaged which is about a year. They go from strangers, to fake dating, and then to growing feelings for one another. So it was nice to see the affection building between them after being instantly attracted to one another at first.

As for Vivian, I related to her sense of duty towards her family. But I really can’t stand how his dad treated her. I think it was nice to see Dante put him in his place though and protect Vivian the best he could. Families are complicated and there are many examples of it in this story alone. I feel like Vivian and Dante had some difference but were alike in many ways as well in how they loved their jobs, love their families and and had a good group of friends.

It’s not an original story but these tropes are usual the type I have fun reading when I am reading a billionaire romance.

Tropes: arranged marriage, forced proximity, age gap, billionaire/heiress, interracial romance, alpha male

My Final Thoughts:

I can see why this book is popular in the romance world. It has all the billionaire romance tropes I enjoy and it’s actually nice to see Dante and Vivian’s relationship actually evolve in the story even though they were forced together into an arranged marriage. It has a nice balance between spicy scenes and actually dealing with relationship issues and it ends with a happy ending. I’ll definitely be reading King of Pride next, because I think Kai and Isabella would be an intriguing match!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

BLOG TOUR} Main Character Energy by. Jamie Varon | ARC Review

Welcome to the blog tour for Main Character Energy by Jamie Varon!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Main Character Energy

Author: Jamie Varon

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 9/5/23

Publisher: Park Row

BUY HERE: Harpercollins.com | Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit

“This book absolutely dazzled me from the opening scene until the very last page. Highly recommend!”
—Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading

“a sparkling debut” -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Poppy Banks would rather be writing mysteries than writing listicles for her dead-end job at Thought Buzz. But after a series of rejections, she’s ready to accept life on the sidelines as a plus-size woman. Her aunt Margot is the one person unwilling to give up on her niece’s dreams and tells her so at their secret yearly lunches.

But all of Poppy’s beliefs about herself are challenged when her beloved aunt dies and leaves her niece a grand surprise—a trip to her villa in the French Riviera. There, she learns her aunt intends to leave her stunning villa and secretive writer’s residency to Poppy—if she can finish her novel in six months.

When the writing countdown begins, Poppy realizes she has more to confront than her writer’s block. Family drama, complicated romances and self-doubt all threaten to throw her off course. In this fun and heartwarming debut, Poppy must decide if she can live up to her aunt’s—and her own—desire to be the main character in her own life.

Content Warning: Grief

The thing that drew me to this book was the title, Main Character Energy. I knew it was going to be a woman on a self-journey and when I saw that the synopsis mentions the French Riviera, I had to request it.

Poppy feels like she is at a dead-end in life. Her dreams of being a writer is stalled, she doesn’t get support from her family – especially from her mom and Poppy can’t believe this is her life. It is her life, until an opportunity arises after the death of her estranged aunt Margot who passes away. Margot leaves her a chance to be the “main character” in her life and what a chance it is.

The story is set on the French Riviera and I’ve only been to Nice, France once but it is a beautiful place so I could picture Poppy in France and really blossoming and working on her writing and herself really. There is even some romance in the air for her with Oliver, the man who was practically raised by her aunt. I loved the romance, the sense of community at the writing retreat Poppy lives at, and the magical setting of the French Riviera.

I enjoyed Poppy’s self-journey because she has a lot of things to fix. She’s afraid and this opportunity makes her face some fears and push through them. There are a lot of issues she has with her family and it does get resolved. I will say Poppy is forgiving towards her mom, because a relationship like that could have really ended in a “no contact” situation and I wouldn’t blame Poppy at all!

I did feel like some parts of the book felt rushed. Maybe because Poppy goes weeks without talking to Oliver because she’s busy writing but those are time jumps that I felt like rushed the story. Also I did wish for more “main character energy” but I get that Poppy was really new to this and she’s her own person. She made herself the main character in her way, even if it’s not as bold as I was expecting. Other than that though I think this is a great summer read.

About the Author:

Jamie Varon is an author, branding expert, course creator, and graphic designer living in Calabasas, California. Her nonfiction book Radically Content was published in 2022 with Quarto and is currently being adapted into a feature film with Camilu Productions LTD. Main Character Energy is her debut novel.

Author Website: https://www.jamievaron.com/

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Beach Read by. Emily Henry| Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Beach Read

Author: Emily Henry

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 386

Publication Date: 5/19/20

Categories: Women’s Fiction, Adult Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.

Content Warning: grief, cheating

I’ve read two Emily Henry books and this one is my third and maybe my favorite of the three! It’s summer and I wanted a summer time book and what better book than one named Beach Read and it’s set in summer? This is the perfect summertime beach read and aptly titled.

Gus and January are both authors and in the middle of writing their next books. They both have houses next to one another, but January is there only to pack up and sell the house while trying to get some reading done. She’s dealing with a lot of emotional baggage concerning the passing of her dad and the secret life she never knew he led. She is trying her hardest to figure who her dad was and dealing with his betrayal but also missing him and loving him just the same. Gus has his own issues he’s dealing with too. He didn’t grow up in a happy, stable home like January and that makes him see life differently than January. They are opposites that attract and spending the whole summer together makes them break down boundaries, build trust and love and so much more.

I loved the characters in this book, even Gus who is so tortured. January really is miss sunshine despite everything she is going through and her best friend Shadi is already a true love story. I love their friendship. Gus’ aunt Pete was also a fun side character.

I didn’t feel like this was a rom-com. There were funny moments yes, especially with the way Gus and January interacted but there are heavy issues taking place in this story like grief and parental abuse. This is definitely more women’s fiction than a rom-com. But I loved it. I love that January and Gus both grow from being with one another and letting down their guards. I could relate to her heartbreak and search for the truth about the person she loved.

Quotes from the book:

“…when the world felt dark and scary, love could which you off to go dancing; laughter could take some of the pain away; beauty could punch holes in your fear.”

“He fit so perfectly into the love story I’d imagined for myself that I mistook him for the love of my life.”

“I wanted to know whether you could ever fully know someone.”

“Happy endings don’t happen to everyone. There’s nothing you can do to make someone keep loving you.”

“No matter how much shit, there will always be wildflowers.”

“Unless the world freezes over in a second ice age. And in that case, there will at least be snowflakes, until th ebitter end.”

“The beautiful lies were all gone. Destroyed. And I was still upright.”

Tropes: opposites attract, writer romance

Why you should read it:

characters are complex and there is lots of growth
Gus and January’s relationship, they have fun together and them both being authors challenged the other which was great
themes about marriage, love, friendship, life

Why you might not want to read it:

not a typical rom-com, it deals with some tough topics like grief and infidelity

My Thoughts:

I’m so happy I got to read this one! It was exactly the kind of romance I was in the mood for, something with depth that challenged the characters to grow while they fell in love. January’s journey to making sense of her father’s life also made me tear up. It’s the kind of summer read I was looking for and I’m glad to knock this one off my TBR list. Great book!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

People We Meet on Vacation by. Emily Henry | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Lovers by. Emily Henry | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The True Love Experiment by. Christina Lauren | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The True Love Experiment

Author: Christina Lauren

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 5/16/23

Categories: Adult, Romance, Chick Lit, Women’s Fiction

Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.

Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.

Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?

Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.

The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.

Content Warning:

I didn’t know this book was about Fizzy until I read someone’s review about it and then I had to get it. If you read The Soulmate Equation then you are familiar with Jess’s best friend, Fizzy. And I loved Fizzy and wished she was going to have her own book and now she does!

This whole story does Fizzy justice! We get more of her humor and wit. She’s so much fun and she loves her family, her friends and their kids. I love how she jumped off the pages full of life and she’s a romance writer, what’s not to love? And we even get to dig beneath Fizzy’s armor and see her vulnerable side when she starts falling in love with Connor, the producer of the dating show she’s signed up to be on. Their romance is everything. I love that they both have had relationship issues but they eventually work through it, like adults, to get their happily ever after. The romance is full of chemistry and sparks and sweetness too. I love them together. And not only is she and Connor amazing together but the friendship between Jess and Fizzy is top-tier. I love them together too, they are soul sisters.

I also appreciate that we get such a well-rounded Fizzy. I loved the moments with her family and her mentioning even though they love her, she didn’t think her mom thought her job as a romance writer had any merit. And then they have that moment at the end…I don’t know why it made me emotional. I related a lot to the parental expectations.

I thought the story was heart warming and emotional and everything I wanted in a romance.

Favorite Quotes from the Book:

“I tell them that if they put in the work, if they allow that there will be blind curves and ups and downs, if they allow themselves to be vulnerable and loved and honest with the people who mean something to them, things really will turn out okay.”

“Tall, British, and dimpled? Never trust a cliché.“

“Truth is, you’ll never meet a book lover who hates the quiet.”

“People think romances are just about sex-and some are, which is fine-but they’re also about social change and challenging the status quo, such as who the world thinks deserves a happily ever after.”

“Book people are just better, I swear by it.”

“No one loves you in this exact, perfect, consuming way.”

Tropes: single parent, grand gesture

Why you should read it:

you loved Fizzy in The Soulmate Equation – you’ll love her more here
Connor and Fizzy gave me all the feels
this book is fun and funny! I love when Jess and Fizzy talk and River is there at the wrong time and tries to leave the room LOL, love them

Why you might not want to read it:

My Thoughts:

This might be my new favorite Christina Lauren book because of Fizzy. I’m so happy she got her own book because she’s a side character that totally deserves to be in the spotlight and have a happily after. And she gets it. ❤️

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Something Wilder by. Christina Lauren | Audiobook Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Soulmate Equation | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In A Holidaze | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book Review | The Unhoneymooners ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC Review | The Honey-Don’t List ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Practice Makes Perfect by. Sarah Adams | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Practice Makes Perfect

Author: Sarah Adams

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 338

Publication Date: 5/2/23

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Fake Dating, Small Town Romance

Annie Walker is on a quest to find her perfect match—someone who complements her happy, quiet life running the local flower shop in Rome, Kentucky. But finding her dream man may be harder than Annie imagined. Everyone knows everyone in her hometown, and the dating prospects are getting fewer by the day. After she overhears her latest date say she is “so unbelievably boring,” Annie starts to think the problem might be her. Is it too late to become flirtatious and fun like the leading ladies in her favorite romance movies? Maybe she only needs a little practice . . . and Annie has the perfect person in mind to be her tutor: Will Griffin.

Will—the sexy, tattooed, and absolutely gorgeous bodyguard—is temporarily back in Rome, providing security for Amelia Rose as excitement builds for her upcoming marriage to Noah Walker, Annie’s brother. He has one personal objective while on the job: stay away from Annie Walker and any other possible attachments to this sleepy town. But no sooner than he gets settled, Will finds himself tasked with helping Annie find the love of her life by becoming the next leading lady of Rome, Kentucky. Will wants no part in changing the sweet and lovely Annie. He knows for a fact that some stuffy, straitlaced guy won’t make her happy, but he doesn’t have the heart to say no.

Amid steamy practice dates and strictly “educational” tutoring lessons, Annie discovers there are more layers to Will’s usual stoic attitude. As the lines of their friendship become dangerously blurred, Annie reconsiders her dream guy. Maybe her love life doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be real.

Content Warning: grief

I never read When in Rome, but apparently this is book two in this romance series. After reading Practice Makes Perfect I may just have to pick up When in Rome.

Practice Makes Perfect is such a cute, heartfelt story that left me feeling good inside. I love the whole premise of Annie being the one in town with the good girl reputation and here comes Will, her future sister-in-law’s bodyguard who comes with a bad reputation. The romance is sweet with enough heat between them and plenty chemistry. I love them as friends and trying to work out some personal issues before willing to commit to one another. The fake dating is very brief in the book though. Will becomes her “dating coach” but Annie doesn’t really need it, all she needed was someone to like her for who she is, like Will does. There is very little steam but when it’s done, it’s done really well. The sex scene is fade to black so this is not as spicy as Annie’s favorite pirate smut stories! I think I would have liked a tiny bit more of spice because their chemistry is so great!

The other thing I love about this story is the small town environment where everyone is in everyone’s business, which I bet could be annoying but I thought the way they looked out for Annie was sweet. And Annie has a wonderful cast around her. Her parents died when she was 3, so she is really close to her siblings. I thought her interactions with them were fun. Especially when she and sisters admitted what what kind of romance books they read. I did love how Annie’s a big reader of pirate smut and how Will reads a copy of her book haha.

Overall this was such a feel-good romance and a quick read so I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tropes: good girl/bad boy reputations, fake dating, small town

Why you should read it:

Annie and Will’s sweet love story – acquaintances to lovers
small town

Why you might not want to read it:

it isn’t spicy enough

My Thoughts:

I thought this was a fun and sweet rom-com and I actually want to read When in Rome and whoever’s story is next! Annie has two sisters who are still single. I’m hoping for Maddie’s story and I’m thinking James has a thing for her, so I’ll definitely read the next book!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Carrie Soto is Back by. Taylor Jenkins Reid | Audiobook Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Carrie Soto is Back

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Narrators: Stacey Gonzalez

Format: audiobook (borrowed)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 8/30/2022

Categories: Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction, Sports, Tennis

Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the ‘Battle-Axe’ anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.

Content Warning:

This book is about Carrie Soto’s life and how she becomes a tennis star, to lose her top spot and come back and take it again. The audiobook narrator did an amazing job capturing the passion of pro tennis and Carrie strong voice.

I found Carrie fascinating when she was briefly introduced in Malibu Rising. But you don’t need to read that book to read this one. And I’m glad she got her own story. This one is all about Carrie though and her determination, struggles, wins, losses and the part that really touched me – the relationship she has with her father.

I’m not the biggest tennis fan but I’ve had my share of watching it back in the 90’s when I was young. It’s got an appeal to it especially because it’s a battle against one person, but the biggest opponent at times is yourself. There is a little bit of romance, but it isn’t the focus of the book, which was nice. This book is very entertaining as we follow Carrie’s highs and lows and the lessons she learns through it all.

Why you should read it:

well written story – the audiobook is very good
the exciting world of Tennis championships, a come back story
a story about overcoming challenges, a father/daughter story, and the glory of winning

Why you might not want to read it:

not into tennis

My Thoughts:

I didn’t love Malibu Rising because there were too many characters coming and going. But I love that Carrie Soto got her own book because she was one of the characters in Malibu Rising that was intriguing. I’m glad I listened to this one!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | Audiobook Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Malibu Rising by. Taylor Jenkins Reid | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hello Stranger by. Katherine Center | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Hello Stranger

Author: Katherine Center

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 7/11/23

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Categories: Romance, Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Sadie Montogmery has had good breaks and bad breaks in her life, but as a struggling artist, all she needs is one lucky break. Things seem to be going her way when she lands one of the coveted finalist spots in a portrait competition. It happens to coincide with a surgery she needs to have. Minor, they say. Less than a week in the hospital they say. Nothing about you will change, they say. Upon recovery, it begins to dawn on Sadie that she can see everything around her, but she can no longer see faces.

Temporary, they say. Lots of people deal with this, they say. As she struggles to cope―and hang onto her artistic dreams―she finds solace in her fourteen-year-old dog, Peanut. Thankfully, she can still see animal faces. When Peanut gets sick, she rushes him to the emergency vet nearby. That’s when she meets veterinarian Dr. Addison. And she’s pleasantly surprised when he asks her on a date. But she doesn’t want anyone to know about her face blindness. Least of all Joe, her obnoxious neighbor who always wears a bowling jacket and seems to know everyone in the building. He’s always there at the most embarrassing but convenient times, and soon, they develop a sort of friendship. But could it be something more?

As Sadie tries to save her career, confront her haunting past, and handle falling in love with two different guys she realizes that happiness can be found in the places―and people― you least expect.

Content Warning: mention of death of a parent, grief, bullying

This book was such a nice surprise especially because the main character is dealing with face blindness and she’s an artist who paints self-portraits!

The romance for the most part worked for me. I thought her romance with Joe was nice as they started as stranger and into friends and then something more. I wasn’t sure how everything would resolve itself in the end but it did – with a lot of explanations.

Aside from the romance, Sadie is also dealing with a lot of things with her family. Her mom passed away, her dad remarried and her step-sister is horrible. She doesn’t have a great relationship with her dad, or any of them. I’m glad Sadie had her best friend and her family to support her though. There was a moment where the family drama came to a head but there wasn’t a happily ever after for that part of Sadie’s life. And what was up with her step-sister Piper? I felt like Piper and Sadie acted like teenagers at times – which at times I thought was weird since they are adults.

I think I had some pacing issues with this one but I think because it wasn’t centered fully on the romance, I wondered why it was taking so long for the romance to get going. In the beginning of the story it’s mostly about Sadie, her accident, and how she was going to compete in the art self-portrait competition. I was wondering where the romance was – but it was there…just not on full display.

I really enjoyed the messages in this story though. I like that Sadie had to see things in a different way, and like her best friend Sue told her, maybe winning the art competition wasn’t the ultimate goal. Sadie was lost without her brain working as it did before, but she also found her way through every challenge which makes for a heart-warming story about growth.

Why you should read it:

Sadie has face blindness and we get to see her navigate her new normal
The romance between Sadie and Joe is sweet

Why you might not want to read it:

Sadie’s family drama – Piper, her stepsister is a bit much

My Thoughts:

It took me awhile to get settled in this one but once I did, I finished it quick. I found it to be a such a cute and unique romance because Sadie’s condition. And how can I not love Joe, who’s someone who loves to help others and he loves animals. He’s a winner and I’m glad he and Sadie get their happily ever after.