bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

what an absolutely divine listening experience. I had totally forgotten I had an early ALC from Audible (thank you Audible) for one of my favorite new contemporary voices. I do believe you can get the eBook now too, but Sweet Talk imo is best listened to, especially since it is written in a variety of text messages, voice messages, and phone calls; like a radio play! There's also sound effects and two narrators, both great.

I also adored how we don't quite know who Jessie is at first, and the consent/banter between her and Eliot as he adorably tries to figure out who the person is behind the number he haphazardly programmed into his cell phone was so cute. Their conversations are so wonderful, and I could listen to them talk to each other all day.

Also, Eliot's PTSD, his dyslexia; Jessie's family struggles, her dad. This is quite heavy without being HEAVY if that make sense? I thankfully knew about Jessie's dad's cancer before I started, but I wasn't expecting some of the other plotpoints but they were wonderfully developed.

The ending was ... so abrupt though. Jessie's identity/the big secret was so worrisome, and I was sweating about how it would all go. And it went so well, so quickly that it felt a bit immediately done and resolved.

BUT, those are quibbles for an otherwise fantastic experience.

Character / Story notes - Jessie is a white woman who likes to box/workout, rides a motorcycle, has a dad with cancer and a brother

Eliot - a white man with AD-HD and dyslexia, is dealing with PTSD and trauma after his apartment was broken into and he was held at gunpoint, draws a webcomic.

Setting = New York City

Friends who love Fall, but are not fans of spooky season, Georgina Kiersten's Fall Into You is like biting into a perfectly crisp

A large and diverse cast of friends and family support main character Savvy as she finds her own worth after her fatphobic and casually cruel ex says he is leaving her for "an upgrade."

Taking his hurtful words and turning them into a mission, Savvy decides to "upgrade" herself, but finds self-acceptance and love along the way, including a romance with a carpenter and a renovated kitchen.

This bordered close to the women's fic / romance line, with most of the story spent on Savvy's internal and external journey to finding work-life balance and incorporating fitness into her life. For me, the talk of "cheat days" and weight was not personally something I was hoping to read, and Savvy's ex's comments were really rough. The author does a great job of balancing that hurt with all of the love and validation Savvy finds within herself and from her friends and her love interest; I just wanted more romance.

The romance between Savvy and Spencer Morgan, who turns out to be a carpenter, not homeless like she at first believes, was cute. There's some misunderstandings about why Spencer won't sleep over and when he drives an ex to an airport, but overall he is a cinnamon roll and their love scenes are steamy and delightful.

Overall I enjoyed the writing, but the story became bogged down in too many plot threads and characters.

Character notes: Savvy's mother is Thai-American, her Dad is Black. Spencer is Black.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

So, I already adored Lucian and Emma, but holy crap in audiobook format?! Fire blazing out of my ears sexy. Currently Make it Sweet is available to read & listen in Kindle Unlimited, so scoop it up if you have a subscription.

I devoured Make it Sweet by Kristen Callihan (3.21).

An actress needing an escape after being axed from a popular TV show fights feelings for the ex-hockey player with THIGHS for days who is secretly baking her the most luscious cream filled pastries at his grandmother's estate

reviewing for Library Journal - link to come.

CW: parental death (off page), cheating (heroine breaks up with ex for cheating), discussion of dieting/weight as part of being "in Hollywood," concussion.

More romantic fiction than a romance. There is an HEA, but the story is mostly focused on Ved's personal journey to truth and acceptance versus his relationship with his love interest. There is a lot of lying and secrets, especially in regards to Ved having an arranged marriage/engagement with a woman, who he becomes friends with. They do have an understanding this isn't a love match, but it can still be construed as lying and deception.

The audiobook narrator was really good, just not a story I'd have picked up on my own.

I listened to an early ALC and it was absolutely everything. Sheer perfection. Maybe my favorite historical romance of 2021??? I need to re-read so I can form more coherent thoughts.

Secret identity, revenge, she won't sleep with him except in the dark while wearing a veil or he's wearing a blind fold? This is banana pants. What a fun read, I truly didn't like either character, but I was totally team Venetia for putting up with the Duke of Lexington and turning him into a simpering idiot.

Ugh, i am in a weird reading mood and I will need to re-start this later.

Re-read with the delightful Mary Jane Wells as narrator, but downgraded two full stars.

Well, why ever this was such a delight to me in 2017, in 2021 and listening via audiobook I found myself more eye-rolling at Gabriel thinking he has shocking sexual proclivities (I did like the hot scene where he ties her wrists with her corset strings) and his mistress hangup. Also, the espionage plotline was truly boring despite me liking the ensuing sickbed scene. Kind of a mess tbh, and realizing that Pandora has some slight daddy issues didn't help matters. Anyway, still a great listen and it was fun to hear Pandora utter Winterbourne's classic "not even five minutes" herself.

Oh, just delightful. Lady Pandora, game-maker, wallflower, dreamer, gets stuck in a fancy chaise lounge trying to retrieve a lost earring for a friend who wants to avoid scandal. Too bad Pandora is the one caught in a scandal, as the dashing man who rescues her from said chaise is accused of ruining her.
Super sexy, confident, and handsome Gabriel is actually quite pleased with this turn of events, as he finds Pandora's eccentricities delightful. Asking her and her family to spend a week at his estate, Gabriel hopes to convince Pandora that marriage is on the table, despite her adamant refusal to be tied down. Pandora doesn't want any man taking away her rights, especially since she is on the cusp of launching her board game empire.
Gabriel, modern way ahead of his time, is out to show Pandora that he can be a man deserving of her love.

I really liked this. Gabriel is such a doll, and what a great story. Exactly what I needed right now.