bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

I read this! How did I not review it?! I loved this story!

What a great enemies to lovers romance, especially with the way the office politics were handled. I never felt icky watching these two rivals compete and fall in love. I also loved seeing a heroine who dropped out of high school, got her GED, and never went to college, yet is still succeeding and making her own way, even if her family is being a turd about it. So often romance heroines are expected to be "perfect" in every way, and I like how Mayberry pushes these boundaries. Audrey is exceptional, just in her way. I love to see it.

In the same vein, Zach's backstory was also super compelling, and seeing Audrey learn he isn't just a rich pretty boy with everything was so important. Also seeing her show up for Zach and not trying to "fix" his relationship with his addict mother was lovely.

I didn't even mention the sexy steamy chemistry! OFF THE CHARTS.

CW: addiction (Zach's mother is addicted to heroin and struggling)

I adored watching this gruff, grumpy, and haughty-nosed theater critic turn into a squishy mess for the bubbly and engaging stage actress! Watching an icy hero melt for a heroine is one of my favorite things!

The many allusions to Austen’s work and the sheer elan takes with using theater as another character in her story is a joy to read!

Also, I'm going to use this book as a "bridge to romance" for some of my friends and library patrons who are mystery fans. There is just enough suspense to make them happy, while also introducing them to the romance genre! While the sex scenes are definitely on page, I feel they are super joyful and I wouldn't think too hard about "who" I recommend this too.

There is a fabulous moment where the heroine tells the hero she cannot enjoy penetrative sex during a certain time of the month, and the way he reacts is A+ consent at its very best!

While this is book 4 in a series, I’ve *gasp* not read the others, and this one completely stands alone. I’m definitely going to be picking up the others though!

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review! Thank you!

A solid debut romance that takes on a marriage in trouble plot with great secondary characters and earnest feelings. Gavin and Thea are both frustrating and endearing, their fears and miscommunications making their marriage woes relatable and their path to a HEA hard-won and worthwhile.

I cared not for the catty "WAG" subplot and didn't really need the inclusion of the historical novel story that Gavin was reading. That's my personal preference. I also found the quick resolution to Thea's orgasm "problem" frustrating. I encourage everyone to read [b:Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life|22609341|Come as You Are The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life|Emily Nagoski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421037685l/22609341._SY75_.jpg|42099345].

On the flip side, Gavin's stammer was lovingly portrayed as something he lives with and has fears about, and Thea's support of him was beautifully done.

All in all, this was highly readable and I look forward to more books in this series. If only men were able to find emotional connections with each other and talk about their relationships openly and without fear of being belittled or "unmanned." I'll definitely be pressing this book in to the hands of my spouse!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

Anika is aghast when she learns her boss is having her train her nemesis Royal at the coffee shop she manages and runs the social media and marketing for. Plus her beloved parents are going on their dream vacation for the holidays, effectively leaving her alone for Christmas for the first time ever. Anika will find though that sometimes love is just the flip side of hate, and maybe she won't be alone for Christmas after all.

A fabulous holiday novella perfect for the season, I especially enjoyed reading one that wasn't all ho ho ho happy about the holidays, as a lot people do struggle. The sexual and emotional chemistry between Royal and Anika was also amazing!

This novella is set in Jones' Equilibrium series. I hadn't read any of the other books in this series, but was perfectly fine and didn't feel lost. That said, I've discovered Anika and Royal's tension is also built up in some of the other stories and I have to read them now!

Available on KU!

Sonja, recently divorced, is looking to launch her own natural apothecary business. She's been raising her children and running her household for years, not to mention running her now ex-husband's real estate office with no paycheck, but wants to make sure she's doing the best she can before hitting the green light. So, she enrolls into a new entreprenuer class that comes highly recommended by her community of friends and fellow small business owners. What Sonja isn't expecting to come with the class is the sexy af instructor Atlas.

Instant attraction between these two is tested by both their age gap (about ten years) and Sonja's desire to guard her heart and her life. But Atlas is persistent and watching these two work for their HEA was a day well spent.

Absolutely delicious and chock full of characters full of depth and emotion, I can't wait to come back to this world. Sonja's mother and sisters were especially lovely, as well as reading about their traditional family practices.

Also I have this great image of huge Atlas, with his big thighs and broad shoulders, tootsing along on his bicycle in this town I sure as heck would like to visit.

Holy wow that was h-o-t. A quick and deliciously dirty erotic take about a new submissive bringing the alpha she's always wanted to heel in life while he brings her satisfaction in bed. There were a few moments I glossed over, particularly involving the love interest's need to discuss his desire for a relationship first with her brother and NOT her, but if you are looking for a sinful brother's best friend romance, this is a great one to pick up!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Erin McLellan keeps delighting me with these queer holiday romance novellas. Candy Hearts is perfect for those who maybe kind of hate to love Valentine's Day but would absolutely embrace it with their own sexy "fake Valentine" like Benji and William. I loved the stuck together in a power outage situation that brought our two lovers together, as well as the found family celebration. Benji's love of lingerie is also very endearing and used to great sexy effect.

I learned a new sex move term and also there's a lot of sperm. So much.

*I received a free copy from the author for review

Amber Wong has given up dating for almost a year, but she's really missing sex. Deciding she's ready to take on some casual flings, she goes to the pharmacy to replace her expired condoms and runs into her old family friend Dr. Sebastian Lam. Awkward. Or is it? Dr. Lam has glowed up into a fine specimen and some flirting leads to him throwing Magnum condoms into her basket, with a promise that yes, he actually does need them.

They agree to try out a sex-only relationship and their families absolutely cannot know. But as Valentine's Day draws near and despite a slight hiccup with Sebastian's dick actually almost being TOO BIG, they find themselves actually dating. And having feelings.

Dick donuts, sex toys, and waist coasts used as lingerie, this is a fun and steamy holiday novella.

I did find myself looking for a bit more character development, especially in Sebastian's case. I wanted to get a bit more of his personality besides being a "perfect son" He's obviously very into Amber but I wanted to get to know him more. Amber's family is a hoot and I love them.

*I received a free ARC for review from the author, thank you!

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

Spoiler

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.

While the dual narrators for this short romance story were superb, I overall find myself struggling with the length of the Read Me Romance audiobooks. I always want just a little more meat and find the insta-love trope to not be to my taste.

That said, this is hot as hell on audio, but wasn't hitting my personal romance catnip.

Johnny is a rock god, he spies Hope in the crowd at his show and screws up for the first time ever. He gets her to come back stage, tries to sex her up in the dressing room until she tells him she's a virgin (no discussion of their previous partners or safe sex), and then they agree to slow down. He's in love, she's in love and a quick dark moment that is soon resolved make for a fun listen, but not one of my favorite of Tessa Bailey's.

Bonus points for reminding me a little of the film Ibiza.