I had to return this and I liked it, but not enough to make me want to pick it back up again after I had left it for awhile. The banter is amazing and so are the details of Venice. The sex is definitely swoony and I'd die to have her bathtub and bathing chamber. I'll probably try reading it again in the future!

Well Indigo, I'm glad to have finally read you. What an absolutely perfect historical romance. Between the slow burn simmering build up of Galen and Hester's love and the riveting historic details, I was absolutely captivated. No one writes a description like Ms. Bev, and I just sunk into this story like it was the softest cushion from Galen's epic carriage.

Galen as a hero was both gallant and frustrating in the best ways, a man who gets what he wants but never makes you hate him for it because his kindness and love are so apparent. I adored how he slowly seduced Hester, letting her set the pace to their relationship with just the right pushes along the way. His backstory is so heartbreaking, and I loved reading about his Aunt Racine and the other friends he had to help him become the man good enough for Hester.

And oh Hester, I'd fight for you too. Her story is also heartbreaking but because I know I can trust Ms. Bev I knew everything would end up okay. Her work with helping fugitive slaves and her role in her community was so inspiring, and her ability to stand up to Galen too.

I'm going to be hunting for a copy of this book to put on my keeper shelf. I highly recommend the audio if you can listen to it as well, the narrator was A+.

I do have to note this is the first romance I've read where a heroine has used a fainting couch for its intended purposes, swooning. Heck yes.

CW: gun violence, kidnapping, physical violence

Brianna Concannon believes she is content running her family's B&B in Ireland. Content with making the perfect bed, the perfect breakfast, the perfect flower bed. But deep inside her burns a desire for a family of her own, a desire she buried deep inside her after being jilted by her fiancee years ago. A desire reignited by the arrival of one Grayson Thane, author and charmer, to her inn.

Try as she might to not let her heart fall to the tempestuous yet kind hearted man who locks himself into his room to write his murder mysteries she can't resist, but as family secrets begin to unfold, Brianna might just have to let this wandering man blow just as quickly out of her life.

A classic Nora contemporary, I would have LOVED this story even ten years ago, but today I was left kind of underwhelmed, slightly bored, and also puzzled by how many times Brianna and Gray boned without protection and not even a hint of a secret baby (sign of the times).

I also hated how Gray treated Brianna when he was in his "artist" mode, grunting at her as she angelically laid his food trays at his side so as to not bother his "muse." I wanted her to dump that food on his head sometimes. The grovel was not enough either. I didn't mind his smoking and I felt Brianna's virginity was handled in a not icky way, but her mother needs to get a boot in the head. I think I'd have enjoyed Born in Fire or Born in Shame more (this Murphy, I must know more about him).

CW: Gray roughly grabs Brianna by the arm and she needs to tell him he's hurting her. A racist slur is used to describe Gray's looks. Fat shaming.

Not going to lie, I did get teased a bit by my colleagues at the library when Haven arrived on the holdshelf for me. But, haters gonna hate, and I'm a firm believer in #noshame #nosuchthingasaguiltypleasureread. Also, ever since Cap sported a beard in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War I've had feelings.

Okay, that said, this was very sexy book that I wish had just a bit more character development in the later pages. Basically, mountain recluse and nature photographer Shepard Olsen rescues city-girl Claudia Cade from murders when she stumbles upon his porch covered in blood and beat to hell one night. The murderers succeeded in killing Claudia's one and only family member, her brother, while they were out camping, and Shep and his shotgun are the only thing that save her from the same fate.

Claudia spends a few nights recovering from her physical wounds in the local hospital and forms an instant PTSD-drive connection with Shep, who also will continue to have his own struggles since he shot and killed one of Claudia's pursuers. They both try to return to their "normal lives" but are thrown back together when Claudia comes back to Shep's small town community to thank you, and tell him she thinks she needs to be with him to help process her trauma.

From there, they enter into a very consensual and very very hot BDSM relationship, which I was on board with. BUT, I just thought the ending came so very quickly. Of course they eventually realize sex won't heal all wounds, and Claudia leaves Shep behind, but then through the powers of therapy and time recovers enough to come back and they have their HEA.

I wanted a bit more of her journey on the page, but whatever. This was still pretty great and I'll definitely read more of this series.

The owner of a luxury lounge pretends to be one of the exotic dancers hired for a wild birthday party after he notices one of the guests being rudely rebuffed by one of the actual entertainers. A slightly awkward start (darn cuff links) turns into a steamy, slightly exhibitionist seduction of a woman who turns out to be one of the richest socialites in the city.

Aghast and embarrassed she's been deceived, Greta gives Francis the what's what and leaves him behind. But, she's also incredibly drawn to the man who both ignited her blood and her brain.

I highlighted so many passages and was laughing out loud throughout this story, not to mention how many times I yelled FUCK YES when Brett deftly skewered the patriarchy and fatphobia.

A wonderfully funny and deliciously steamy debut novella from one of my favorite bookstagrammers, Esme Brett is a new romance author to keep YOUR Eyes On!

I received an ARC from the author for review. Thank you Esme!

A chef running the cafeteria for an Antarctic science research facility finds herself caught in a deadly trek across the ice with the one man she couldn't stand after rogue mercenaries try to kill everyone to obtain ice cores holding a deadly virus.

Both thrilling and steamy, this is a delicious forced proximity romance.

I adored the awkward, tall scientist Ford Cooper, who is so afraid of his own feelings he had to run away to the Antarctic to escape them, until he finds Angel Smith who is also a sheer delight. Bonus points to Anders for making frozen sex super hot and the tension between these two fun and also with light-hearted moments, despite being basically on a death race. This reminded me of the X-Files episode Ice, minus the deadly ear worms (and that is high praise from me).

CW for gun violence, on page murder (not of main characters), sleeping bag sexy times.

I am so pleased I've finished my first ever Laura Kinsale romance! It did take me about a million Beth-years to finish reading it, but in my defense I did tackle the original, un-condensed version with ALL the Medieval words and ALL the plot. So much plot.

I am greedy and I wanted so many more pages of Melanthe and Ruck together. Those were my favorite parts, Melanthe being mean or cold, Ruck being in awe of her, Ruck fighting his lustful thoughts. Yes please. I regret that I didn't much care about Allegretto but that's probably because I was just waiting to get back to our main couple.

Melanthe is a queen and I loved her. I loved how much she slept, I loved how she protected herself. More heroines like this please. I also adored the Catholic guilt suffusing the page and the characters, especially Ruck. I feel you Ruck.

The language of this book is also stunning. The writing is superb. Just be prepared to really take your time and to take some breaths/pauses in reading to full enjoy.

I did a buddy read with Leigh Kramer!

I don't really know HOW to rate or review this book. It is important. It is hard to read. It is powerful.

For my personal reading choices, poetry is not where I usually turn, so I had a bit of a struggle finishing the book and really absorbing its messages. My brain works a bit better with analytical essays.

Middle-aged single mom and school librarian Amy is shocked to find the husband she never divorced back in her small town after he ditched her and their two children three years ago. He's now ready to try and be a father again to their teens, and is ready to give his credit card and time so Amy can go "have a break."

What follows is a typical tale of a white woman finding herself after martyring her life to motherhood and refusing to make her ridiculous husband pay his share with the help of rich friends, privilege, and circumstance.

Readers must read a long time before the find out what made Amy's husband run off to China CW

Miscarriage)

and I was just so utterly irritated with Amy's noble refusal to take him to task especially since her financial troubles are noted (Amy describes being on food stamps). The financial woes are sort of also solved by Amy immediately going from a stay at home mom to finding a miracle job as a librarian at her kids' posh private school. Amy does have an MLS but I found this to be a bit of a leap.

Also as a library worker and a parent, I was interested to see the struggle Amy has with her own daughter being a reluctant reader, and I did enjoy reading the journal entries Cori wrote to her mother to be the most compelling parts of the story.

There is also a romance subplot between Amy and the "hot biracial librarian" she meets at the conference, the "librarian who Dangerous Minds his school in the Bronx" and it all kind of felt a bit not great to me, said as a white reviewer.

I appreciate what this book was trying to do, but I don't feel like it pulled it off. It was very readable and I'm sure many white, middle class women will enjoy it.