*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Oh how I desperately wanted to love this book. It had such a promising premise– please give me all the charming English villages and crumbling manor houses and Mr. Darcy-esque pseudo-aristocratic love interests– but unfortunately it fell flat on pretty much everything for me.

First off, the romance. I, as a person and reader, love love. I will find the tiniest crumbs of a relationship and honestly, that’s usually enough for me. But there was no chemistry between Wolfie (ugh) and Pippa, and any interaction between the two of them felt not only flat, but incredibly forced.

Which leads me to my second concern, the characters. I loved the secondary characters– the delightful organic farmer neighbors, Pippa’s lovely cousin and his steamboat roommate, even Juniper the rare heritage breed pig. However, Pippa continued to lack boundaries concerning her ex boyfriend and fall into the same pattern of devoting herself to a project for someone else’s benefit. Wolfie never seemed to have much personality at all. I figured out he liked piano, but mostly he was just there to prove Pippa had moved on from her ex and provide a beautiful historic home.

I feel like this book was crying to be a women’s lit detailing Pippa’s recovery and growth as a single person– instead it felt like wasted potential.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Newly widowed and deep in the throws of depression, Cecelia Thorowgood has lost the will to exist. Living in her sister’s home, her melancholy has been incurable by some of London’s finest physicians– lending her family to explore alternative options. David Mendes has know heartache and loss, a Jewish immigrant he left his homeland of the sun-drenched Portugal just in time to become a physician during the Great Plague. Haunted by his past, he continues to provide care to his patients and ailing father while fighting his own struggles.

Tender and full of longing, THE PHOENIX BRIDE is for the lover in us all. Two heartbroken people, kept apart by societal standards and expectations, find solace and rekindle the joy of life with each other.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Reviews for RIGHT ON CUE are somewhat mixed, and, in my opinion, for good reason. Fallon Ballard has two well received romances on her shelf, and I had high hopes for her next book– but unfortunately this one fell flat for me.

The miscommunication trope is almost never well received by readers; and I was definitely not a fan of its repeated use, especially in the last part of the book. Additionally, the MMC was unexpectedly rude for the first few chapters, and I just couldn’t warm up to him even after the romance started.

While this one wasn’t my favorite, I’m still looking forward to Ballard’s next book.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

The newest addition in the genre of contemporary cozy mysteries, GATOR QUEEN joins the ranks of Arsenic and Adobo and Smile Beach Murder in my top mystery series!

Back from her plush life in Boston, Maggie Andrews takes her home town of Wahoo, Florida by storm. Along with her twin sister, Vera, the two are filling their dad’s role as resident gator trappers, with the extra challenges of running an airbnb and opening a new romance bookstore. However, when their local rival trapper ends up dead and Vera’s gun is the one left smoking– Maggie has to add the role as detective to her already full plate.

This was a really fun start to a mystery series!! The town and local residents are super quirky, and Maggie was exactly the type of MC I love– tough as nails but with a softer side. The ecological side of the story was a new twist and the mystery was full of twists and turns.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

After a glamorous stint in New York City, Ellie Greco finds herself running her family’s deli in the small town of Milborough after her beloved father’s death. She’s (mostly) resigned herself to her fate, with her sewing machine gathering dust and the day-to-day deli operations monotonous. However, with the impending sale of a local building to Mangea, an upscale Italian supply store, Ellie has to team up with an unlikely ally to maybe make both of their dreams come true.

While I’m confident there is something for everyone in LOVE YOU MEAN IT (this book has so many tropes it’s almost eye watering), it missed the mark with me. As a protagonist, Ellie had a frustrating amount of self-sabotage and martyrdom– and while her chemistry with the MMC was impressive, her overall poor decision making made it difficult to see a way the two of them fit (without a lot of therapy and open communication).

Additionally, rather than being quick and peppy– this book seemed to drag on and on and on. Rather than focusing on one or two themes, it felt as many tropes as possible were crammed into this story which made the entire story feel bogged down. And some of the major plot points weren’t even resolved at the end

Spoiler

I mean, they were still engaged at the end of the book. Were they going to get married? Keep up the charade of an engagement until they became officially engaged? What was their plan there??

Overall, LOVE YOU MEAN IT had the makings of something really special– but it felt like it bit off more than it could chew.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Decklee Cassel fought her way to the top, and nothing could stop her blind ambition. Starting off as a scrap of a girl in Memphis, Tennessee, Decklee becomes a beloved country music icon whose mysterious, post-death time capsule sparks a nationwide hunt.

Darren Purchase is desperate to escape her small hometown of Mayberry. An aspiring journalist and lifetime lover of Decklee’s music, Darren sets out with her unlikely companion to try to find the singer’s lost album– and the $3 million dollars that comes with it.

Both Decklee and Darren’s point of views were interesting, compelling, and complex– while I enjoyed Decklee’s story more, Darren’s own coming of age journey was heartwarming.

EVERY TIME YOU HEAR THAT SONG is a lightening-in-a-bottle story, one filled with love and longing and music that sings to your soul in all the best ways. The best way that I can think to describe this story, is a perfect YA mix of Daisy Jones and the Six with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and a little bit of Dolly Parton thrown in.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

After a disaster of a breakup on the plane ride to an European food and wine tour, Theo and Kit have spent four years getting over each other. Theo has delved into the world of wine-- running a bar out of a renovated VW bus while studying to become a sommelier (and subsequently failing the exam three times with a fourth on the horizon). Kit has returned to France, the country of his childhood, and graduated from a prestigious pastry school in Paris with the achievement of "pastry sex god" under his belt.

However, the tour voucher expiring and (independently) the two exes decide to finally take the trip. Solo. As a celebration to getting over the other.

Things don't go as planned.

Now stuck sitting next to each other on a three week tour, Theo and Kit have to prove to themselves, each other, and every other person on the bus that they're over each other..

In Casey McQuiston's newest book. THE PAIRING, us readers are taken on a trip across the most romantic (and delicious) parts of Western Europe with two bisexual messes. And I do mean Bisexual Messes. The sheer amount of research and passion McQuiston poured into this book is unbelievable, and I may have found myself desperately trying to find this exact tour (with the unfortunate understanding there wouldn't be nearly as many hot and available singles in real life).

Told in dual POVs, THE PAIRING is a rare treat into the minds of both protagonists and the yearning ya'll, it's almost unbearable. However, the longing is tempered by breathtaking descriptions of the Italian coasts and french pastries and homemade pasta and some very salacious peaches ;)