bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

I buddy read this with my friend Allie <3

Absolutely phenomenal contemporary romance with the worst cover. I'm sorry, this cover is Not Great, but the story is so swoony and wonderful and has amazing anxiety rep.

Aja Owens meets a handsome stranger in the grocery store while having a panic attack and it turns out he's the grandson of her best bingo buddy. Walker Abbott is in town only to help his grandmother during her recovery from two broken arms, and he's not looking for any long term relationship, especially any that would keep him in his hometown, scene of judgement and the development of his PTSD and anxiety.

But Aja Owens is beautiful, understands him, kisses like a dream; and she's not interested in leaving small town life for the big city Walker currently resides in.

So very swoon worthy, Walker is so smitten with Aja, loves her body (and ahem is definitely a hero who eats). The bingo hall setting, the senior characters, the TRUCK (Slaughter writes the best car sexy times okay), so much to love. I urge everyone to pick this one up!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

Content notes: Aja is a fat, black woman. Walker is a white, muscly man. panic attacks (on page), discussion of mental health/anxiety/PTSD. Parental trouble/toxic relationships (Walker's father is a recovering drug addict), small town gossip (hurtful).

I love this series. I don't have coherent thoughts about it yet. I need to reread the whole thing, but I do love the kissing and the relationships and the whole family.

I am a die-hard fan of book/movie #2 in trilogies, and Emerald Blaze holds up to my quirk. The authors do an amazing job of building up the tension yet give such an emotionally satisfying result to the tension between Alessandro and Catalina. Oooomf.

Will be re-reading this one many times like I do with Book 2 of Hidden Legacy.

Odd couple Solange Pereira and Dean Chapman have my whole heart. A wonderful opposites-attract romance with fake dating set in Washington DC, another winner from Mia Sosa!

The tension was palpable between these two, and the scene at that party was just, wow lol.

I listened to an early copy from HarperAudio for Library Journal - review of audio to come at LJ.

A delightful bite of an audiobook, perfect for your weekly commute. I loved the airport setting, the heroine reading the hero's romance novels (yes friends, he is a romance novelist!!), and the biscoff cookies. For being a novella length, the story was wonderfully succinct and the steam was amazing.

Really made me want to head to an airport!

Narrators were also fantastic, especially his. Phew!

than you to PRH for the advanced listening copy.

Oh my gosh that Angel Rosas, Mr. I'm so awkward I'm going to text you okay? and also completely rail you into next Tuesday. And Deanna, burnt out public servant, laid off, trying to do her best. Love her.

Hopkins has a way with her sentences that just pull you into the narrative and won't let your mind or heart go until you've made it through to the HEA. Her vision of LA is so vibrant and alive, yet not idealized. Her characters work, they work really hard, they have worries, and wow do they have heat.

I love the "we had one amazing night" second-chance style romances so much - and this one fit the bill so nicely. I need to re-read again, as I never know how to properly put down a review for the author's work. I'm just so invested, I dunno.

A triumphant trilogy of brothers. Every one a masterpiece.

read along with the #RosasRead22 friends over on Twitter.

Officially declaring Julia Quinn not an author for me, especially 2022 me. I think if I had read her 10-15 years ago I would be nostagically into her work, but alas, 'twas not the case.

I did finish this one, and I appreciated that Francesca was pretty removed from the Bridgerton shenannies mostly (away in Scotland) and that Michael (once they finally started boning) was a dirty talker and very into making up for lost time. The lead up to this was pretty sad yet dull, and ennui of loving your best friend and cousin's wife aside, not as angsty as I would prefer.

Michael's 'love making' skills were also, despite frequent once started, pretty cringe-y in the sense verbal consent was not super present, even if implied consent was, and I dunno, in 2022 it wasn't working for me.

Also, just the banality of these folks sitting around and having parties and somehow not otherwise suffering or working is just too much for me right now. I prefer this in the visual medium of the show.

Content notes: Scotland setting, miscarriage (on page), death of spouse (on page), illness (malaria and a bad cold presenting maybe as malaria)

THIS is how you write a wonderful academia set romance - with two grown-ups who have a meet cute moment on NYE at the airport and then ope turn out to be academic rivals who have been arguing via paper and publication.

Super fun, sexy, and with lovely narration from both narrators. Highly recommend!

Also loved that the heroine was bisexual without it being a plot mover; she just is!

thank you to PRH Audio for the advance copy.

Disclosure: I am friends with the author

I was into this, and then I just drifted away and it wasn't the book, it was me, but now I'd need to re-read the beginning and well, I don't have it in my at the moment.

Definitely a me problem, and I picked it up during some hard stuff and I just wasn't focusing.

thank you to the pub for the ARC.

This was very much not a b book - but I did read it for Library Journal and reviewed it in the hopes it will find the audience it is looking for. I'm not going to star rate it but I did not like it for me personally.

Recommended for those who like closed-door regency romances with Christian themes, God, and courtly smolders and wedding kisses. The writing was lovely, if that is your thing.