One of the best historical romance covers so far of 2020 hides an equally steamy tale featuring a love potion, a virgin engaged to another man, and the rogue who claims he'll never fall in love.

What an entirely madcap adventure, one confined within the stuffy walls of a mansion that can barely contain the simmering heat between Charlotte and Kingston.

I don't want to give away much more of the plot as it is best consumed in one sitting while you feverishly read through it with an icy beverage on hand to rub on your cheeks.

For readers concerned with the love potion and consent, I recommended reading the spoiler on Jenreadsromance's excellent review here.

Charlotte's journey into her own power was a great way to spend an evening.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

In Rhythm by JN Welsh is an amazing 2nd chance romance that is deliciously sexy yet also showcases the difficult work to manage addiction, fame, and friendships. Welsh crafts a story that is both romantic and makes you feel at one with the EDM scene (even for someone who knows nothing about it), full of color, light, and the darkness that can lurk in the corners waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of those weak moments we all struggle with. There's no magic sex cure here, and the way Velvet struggles to reconcile her worries for someone in recovery with the the trust he'll need to stand on his own was really great to see. This was my first JN Welsh book and it won't be my last!

This is a long story, and at times I felt like we were with Velvet's other friends and family more than we were with the main couple, but overall this was a lovely romance.

In Rhythm is the 2nd book in this series, but I had no issue reading it as a standalone.

Thank you to Carina Press for the ARC!

CW for addiction, drug overdose (on and off page), drinking, abusive and controlling behavior

*Actual rating 4.5 stars*
I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review, thank you to the author!

When Rose finds out she's losing some of her favorite classes to a new teacher, a man to boot, she's determined to treat him professionally but coldly. She isn't expecting him to be the passionate, excellent educator she discovers him to be as the school year begins. She isn't expecting to like him!

Martin, moved to Marysburg to be near his 18yo daughter before she graduates and goes to college, is mortified when he finds out he's taken Rose's classes, especially so when he sees how excellent she is in the classroom. He's bound and determined to make her life easy, all while struggling to hide his very fervent interest in her.

As these two wounded souls grow to know one another, they find they have more in common than they could have imagined, but also need to work to find out if they can let their pasts go to find a future together.

So soft, so sweet, and sexy! I loved this romance with 40+ characters who have faults, wrinkles, and rolls.

I had a mighty struggle getting through this book. I found the alternating voices of the mother and sister of Olympian Gold Medalist Gwen Jorgensen distracting and often repetitive. Why not edit these narratives together into a cohesive memoir? I especially did not care for the sister's portions, as they were full of purple prose and unnecessary personal details.

But then again, who was the intended audience for this book? I as a non-Olympian, non-athlete found myself struggling through the jargon, the over abundant descriptions of watching Gwen's races, their thoughts about how sad it was that Gwen couldn't enjoy the family time they had because she was so consumed with her sport and competing.

Is this story helpful to actual athletes either? I'm not sure. Gwen as a person and competitor still feels like a stranger to me, the reader. Sure, her story can be seen as inspirational, but honestly the belief Gwen is just a "normal" person who succeeded even though she was "not exceptional" feels disingenuous. Gwen is a wealthy, white woman who was exceptional for her hard work ethic and privileged for the opportunities she was given the chance to take. Most people would not have the same chances.

I feel like this book is a project her family very much wanted to do, regardless of Gwen's feelings on the subject. There may be niche interest due to the upcoming 2020 Olympics but it isn't clear Jorgensen will even be competing. I checked today and she's not competing in the triathlon, has dropped out of the Olympic marathon, and is instead focusing on the 10,000k track event.

Basically, a family's vanity project with some casual insight in to being related to an Olympian athlete. I'd much rather have read Gwen's own memoir.

Good farm boy Mitch is riddled with grief, depression, and lingering effects of PTSD but manages to pull himself out of it not with therapy and help, but by throwing himself in to the Milwaukee Fire Department and playing white savior to the Black kids who live near his assignment in "the core."

I see what this author was trying to accomplish but I found parts perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Mitch, as a character, is not saying racist harmful things, but he is surrounded by other characters who are and do.

The audience of this story will be similar to those who are drawn to "feel good films" like The Blind Side or The Help, those who want to believe hard work and good will is all it takes to foster good "race relations."

As a romance reader, I also found the depiction of women in this story to be shallow and one-dimensional. Every woman that is not a kid or a granny is first described by her breast size and sexual interest in Mitch, god among men. There's a slight second-chance romance arc that truly doesn't pay off, as both Mitch's sweetheart from HS and the colleague he bangs and gets sexually harassed by WHILE ON THE CLOCK are one-note characters. The sex scenes are clumsy and I was bummed the only female firefighter on page was hyper-sexualized.

CW: Super violent and graphic, lots of on page death (children, pets, friends), and racist slurs.

God I adore this series. Is it wrong to want more? Watching Jack Mulligan slowly lose his heart to the quiet but never meek and never weak Justine was fan-fucking-tastic.

I adored how Jack was as fastidious about his appearance (manicures, perfect bespoke suits) as he was filthy mouthed in bed. I loved how learned consent and good bed manners from his mother and the other sex workers he grew up with and how he always made sure Justine was 100% on board with every touch and kiss. SWOOOOOOOON.

Where Florence stole my heart in [b:The Prince of Broadway|43309158|The Prince of Broadway (Uptown Girls, #2)|Joanna Shupe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559283912l/43309158._SY75_.jpg|67210973], Jack for me was the star of this book. I love Justine too, Jack's character was just riveting.

Pour me a glass of cold lager, I need it to cool off.

I received an ARC for review from the publisher and Edelweiss+. Thank you!

I'll be re-reading and posting a more coherent review closer to the pub date, but this is definitely a must!

Rita Clarkson may have burned down her dead mother's restaurant as the final straw in her emotional break after also being kicked off a reality cooking competition for almost stabbing another contest when they deflated her souffle.

A road trip with her three slightly estranged siblings, per the request of her dead mother's journal, is the right way to come back from that, right?

Well, especially if the road trip hits an immediate road block after their Suburban breaks down outside of a desert town, requiring Rita to take a wild ride on the back of the town's former man-whore's motorcycle. Said man owns a bar called Liquor Hole...

But, said man is also a reformed man-whore. Jasper has been celibate and mostly sober for almost two years after realizing he had become the town joke. Now he can't believe he's immediately ready to throw his hard work away to try and tempt the deliciously prickly Rita into his bed. But this time he's out for keeps.

I'm so delighted with this! I love a great family-issues, sibling driven story. Throw in an epic road trip and the promise of finding out what the other Clarkson siblings will be doing (they all have mysterious REASONS for agreeing to the trip to NYC and I cannot wait to read about them.

Two members of a BDSM club have a sexually charge, yet antagonistic relationship, but because they are both tops see no future in any sort of relationship. But one night of wild passion opens up a world of possibilities but a world that is shut down when a big move pulls them apart.

A fun, quick, steamy read with a bit of a suspense plot that I personally didn't care about.

CW: a character's trust was taken advantage of in the past, leading her to not want to risk submissive behavior.

An advance copy was provided in exchange for a fair review.

Well I ate up every single angst ridden moment of this morally complex and heart-wrenching romance. I may never recover but wow. Where have you been all my life Lorraine Heath?

CW: miscarriage, pregnancy

This story deals with very heavy topics, so make sure you are ready for that. Heath did an amazing job making Jayne, Ainsley, and Walfort human and complicated. You will ACHE for Jayne as she falls in love with Ainsley during their month long interlude to impregnate her. Your heart will break into a million pieces as Ainsley too falls for Jayne while also being riddled with grief and regret over his role in Walfort's accident.

I shan't tell you how Heath pulls off the HEA, but it was perfectly crafted and kept me on my toes. My god that scene in the carriage when Ainsley and Jayne are having their "last moments" together SLAYED MY SOUL. Loved it.

So excited to listen to the Fated Mates podcast next week!