bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

Ooof. I was drawn in by the "let's pretend to be married so we can spy on this evil corporation and take it down" FBI romance premise but was completely let down by the lack of chemistry between the two love interests. The main brunt of the page count is on the mystery about who is poisoning natural medicine tabs and setting bombs to blow up at a factory that just keeps functioning despite HAVING BOMBS BLOWING PEOPLE UP and not much is developed on the actual romance. Sure they share a trailer and pretend to be married but that is about it. I was glad the heroine was rather growly.

Thank you to Harlequin for the free review copy.

Office Hours perfectly captures the sheer surge of emotions one has when realizing the object of your eternal crush is also completely enraptured with you, wrapped in an academia setting.

Jackson never ever disappoints, building a world you can taste and see while also deftly forming amazing characters to put in it. I ate this up! It is probably for the best there was not a tall, jacked three-piece suit wearing proff of this deliciousness running around any campus I've ever been on, but lord it was fun to read about.

Jackson also doesn't hesitate to bring light to the difficulties facing Black professors, especially Black women, in higher ed, but entirely balanced with the relationship building between Deja and Alejandro.

There were quite a few typos in the first half of the book, which I would not normally note, but I hope they can be caught and fixed for an update.

I brought this Carolyn Crane out from the depths of my unread Kindle collection, a book I purchased who knows how long ago on the recommendation from someone. Sorry, it is all a bit fuzzy.

I don't typically like romance covers with guns on them but I am also a sucker for a thigh holster so don't @ me. I am always so-so with Romantic Suspense because it is hard to find ones that meet the perfect balance of action and romance for me. Off the Edge skewed a bit over the line into too much action for my personal reading tastes, but I enjoyed reading it.

CWs: violence, so much violence (guns, physical, rape mentioned and threatened, domestic abuse), medical gore, gas lighting, on-page torture.

I loved the concept of a buttoned up linguistics professor who turned into a spy/secret agent/assassin after his family and wife were brutally murdered. He uses his education to pin point where bad actors could be from, narrowing down who they could be based on their speech patterns, dialect, and use of words. VERY intriguing concept and well done here.

Laney, on the run from her awful abusive ex, is hiding in Thailand and moonlighting as a lounge singer where she encounters Macmillan. She thinks he's been hired to bring her back, but he's actually on the hunt for an unknown bad person who is trying to sell a top secret super lethal drone. Of course their paths converge and they finally instantly into lust and then are on the run together, danger bang!

I won't spoil the rest of the plot, but it is definitely OTT. The parts with Laney and Macmillan bantering and explaining their pasts sparkle, I just wish there was more danger banging and less torture/fighting/violence. A bit insta-lusty/lovey for me too, and Laney is really trustworthy of too many people considering her past.

Also there's a magic penis! Laney has never orgasmed with a partner before, I mean, abusive horrible husband so yes I get that, but of course she is able to come more than once with Macmillan their very first time. I wish this was handled more sensitively or not a plot point at all.

Looking for a scorcher that'll singe your eyebrows off?

I finally bought Burn Down the Night by M. O'Keefe and holy smoke show. A con woman takes the bad boy leader of a motorcycle club hostage so she can find her sister. He's currently handcuffed in her Aunt Fern's FL condo and she's trying to convince him to help her and

Heated Rivalry has come HIGHLY recommended to me from many trusted Romancelandians, so I was excited to listen to it. AND WOW did I ever enjoy watching these two hockey idiots fall in love over a series of years. The story turned out to be the softest with the most banging which is a combo I really needed right now. The ultimate ending was also very gentle which I also appreciated.

I will need to re-read this one very soon because I had to gradually listen and have problems finding the time/focus to listen to audio books right now.

Highly recommend!

CWs: parental death (suicide, in the past and discussed), homophobia discussed, fear of coming out, fear of being outed and fearing for one's life and livelihood due to being outed, medical injury

Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan was powerful, heart wrenching, and what I've come to crave from this amazing writer. Kimba is an astonishing heroine. I was not expecting pregnancy to be such a major focus of the story based on the blurb alone.

But readers, I ate this story up, every emotional and devastating part. Seeing how Kimba and Ezra grew up together, witnessing their parents' stories and watching the unraveling of the mystery surrounding why their parents' friendship imploded, and seeing how Kimba and Ezra handled their attraction as Ezra's relationship with partner ended was captivating. Questions of faith, identity, and what it means to be parent where also examined in thought provoking ways. I don't want to say too much more about the plot as it is best enjoyed as it unfolds. I've noted some CWs below.

As always I was left inspired and a bit hungover after reading, but if you loved Ryan's last duology you won't want to miss this one. Queen Move can be read as a standalone.


Thank you to the author for the free review copy.


CWs: pregnancy (all aspects, both in the past, discussed, and happening to main characters, cheating (in the past, assumed), I can't think of others right now but let me know if I've missed something major.

40-Love by Olivia Dade has my whole heart. From the moment Tess's naked breasts squashed against Lucas's bare back and the joke's started flying, I fell in love. So absolutely sexy and tender and a perfect example of what I need in romance right now.

Tess Dunn cannot believe a 26-year-old former tennis pro was ACTUALLY flirting with during her bare-breasted rescue, but after her best friend and travel partner books her solo lessons with the smokin' hot Swede, Tess soon finds out Lucas Karlsson is definitely interested in more than her tennis serve.

With less than two weeks before Tess returns to her high pressure and high stress job as an assistant principal, Lucas is intent on showing Tess he's in this not just for the grand slams but forever.

Dade never disappoints with the care she gives her characters AND her readers. Watching Lucas show up again and again for Tess was absolutely delicious and important to see. Tess is my favorite type of romance love interest, confident in herself yet vulnerable to past hurts, but never willing to compromise her core beliefs. Also, the time Dade takes to show Tess's relationship with her friend was lovely, and I hope her travel companion gets her own story!

Absolute must read of Summer 2020, get your copy pre-ordered now!

Thank you to the author for the advanced reading copy. I am buddies with Olivia on Twitter.

Eugene Parsons is the uptight and stern supervisor of the teams working on getting America to Space and the moon. We met him in the first book but in Earth Bound we finally get to see someone get under his skin.

Charlie Eason is stunningly beautiful AND brilliant, the best engineer Parsons has ever seen. But she also could be a huge distraction, but Parsons is determined to remain nothing but professional. Charlie is also not looking for any distractions or any hint of controversy. It is hard enough for her to be a woman in this field, let alone to let an office scandal rock her career.

But, what if they simply explored their attraction OUTSIDE of work in hotel room, once a week? Just a simple sex pact, no feelings involved.

And so it goes for many months before Parsons unrecognized feelings begin to seep into his work, and cause him to make decisions to save Charlie's job without thinking of the consequences.

Utterly delicious, especially if you enjoy stories with buttoned up, starchy love interests who finally discover they have a heart. Loved it!

A quick age gap erotic romantic story that ends in a slight cliff hanger. Shae is on her dream Italian vacation but discovers her boyfriend of many years is actually kind of the worst. She ditches him to enjoy her dream day of eating all the pizza in Naples and leaves with the memory of delicious carbs and a delicious encounter with an older Italian man.

I'll look forward to seeing where this series goes! Short, quick, and dirty, but also poignantly sad in some parts.

Nurse Devyn Echols is finishing up her training to become a Nurse Practitioner, but her internship position means she has to work with Dr. Joseph Wright, a man as frustrating as he is handsome. Their personalities clash but Devyn soon finds out it is because Dr. Wright is very very attracted to her.

I really enjoyed the interplay and banter between Joseph and Devyn, and we get to see some of the characters from the previous book that I fell in love with too! Workforce dynamics are explored as well. I really need a story with Devyn's brother who starts dating her pregnant coworker!!!

Listened to on audio to fufill the Ripped Bodice Bingo Square "Health Care Professional"

There are some plot points I would like to mention for those who need the CWs:

Abusive ex-boyfriend character who is fatphobic, physically assaults Devyn, violates HIPPA, and slut shames
Pregnancy (of side characters and at the end)
Medical gore (surgery/blood/injections/fainting)