Christina Hall’s Paige Turner is a delightful blend of second chances, slow burning love, and the modern dating struggles we all know too well. With a witty, self aware FMC and a sweet and super hot childhood best friend, this book delivers both humor and heart in equal measure.

Paige is relatable in every way—stuck in a rut, navigating lackluster dates, and desperate for a connection that isn’t just based on swiping right. The blind dating experiment adds a fresh and engaging hook, but what truly elevates this story is Rhodes. He’s been in love with Paige forever, and his decision to compete anonymously for her attention is equal parts romantic and nerve-wracking. Watching their relationship unfold, tangled in years of history and hidden feelings, was both exhilarating and agonizing in the best way.

Hall’s writing shines with snappy dialogue, authentic emotions, and humor. The chemistry between Paige and Rhodes is undeniable, making their eventual realization all the more satisfying. While the miscommunication trope might frustrate some, it’s handled with enough sincerity that it never feels forced.

If you love second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers, and just the right amount of chaos in a dating experiment, Paige Turner is a must read! It’s heartfelt, witty, and leaves you with the perfect bookish swoon.

Thank you to NetGalley, Christina Hall, and Hill Publishing House for the eARC of this book. 

Along Came Amor delivers a steamy, emotional romance with the perfect balance of passion and heart. Alexis Daria once again proves she knows how to craft a compelling love story, blending culture, family, and sizzling chemistry.

Ava and Roman’s “no strings” agreement had all the makings of a fun, carefree fling—until fate throws them together in the most unexpected way. I loved Roman’s devotion and how he wasn’t afraid to challenge Ava’s walls, but I wished she had shown more emotional growth earlier in the story. At times, her reluctance felt repetitive, making it harder to fully invest in their journey. Roman is the definition of book boyfriend too, and I absolutely adore him. 

The family drama added a rich layer, but it sometimes overshadowed the romance, which left me wanting more of Ava and Roman’s relationship development. That said, the tension, slow burn buildup, and undeniable chemistry kept me hooked until the very end.

If you love steamy, heartfelt romances with strong cultural influences and a dash of family meddling, this one is definitely worth picking up!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alexia Daria, and Avon for the eARC of this book. 

I wanted to love The Travel Assignment, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. While the premise of two people recovering from long term breakups and rediscovering romance together had potential, the execution didn’t quite deliver.

One of my biggest struggles was the confusion with the character names—it made it hard to stay engaged in the story. Additionally, the romance took a backseat to family dynamics, which wasn’t what I was expecting. I would have loved to see more relationship growth and emotional depth between the main couple, but instead, it felt underdeveloped.

If you enjoy stories with strong family themes and a subtle romance, this might work better for you. But for me, I was left wanting more connection and depth in the love story.

Thank you to Greenleigh Adams and The Author Agency for an eARC of this book. 

The Boyfriend Boycott by Meg Riley is a heartfelt, slow burn romance about fear, love, and learning to break the cycles of the past. It’s equal parts steamy, sweet, and emotional, with an MMC who is impossible not to fall for and an FMC who will have you rooting for her from page one.

Grady and the FMC start as friends with benefits—one night, no strings attached. But what happens when one night turns into more? Grady isn’t willing to be just another fling, and despite her best efforts to push him away, he’s determined to prove he’s different.

What makes this book stand out is its emotional depth. The FMC’s struggle with relationships, shaped by the wreckage of her mother’s past, is painfully real. She’s convinced love will only lead to disaster, but Grady? He’s all in. The way he shows up, stays, and refuses to let her doubts win makes this story incredibly moving.

What to expect:
✔ Friends with benefits to something more
✔ A cinnamon roll hero who fights for her heart
✔ Emotional depth with family struggles & healing
✔ A strong, independent FMC learning to trust love
✔ Swoony, small-town romance with ALL the feels

If you love grumpy heroines, persistent golden retriever heroes, and romances that hit you right in the heart, The Boyfriend Boycott is a must read! 💕🔥

Thank you to NetGalley, Meg Riley, and Wild Rose Press for the eARC of this book. 

For The Fans by Nyla K. is a raw, emotional, and deeply compelling MM romance that delivers so much more than just forbidden stepbrother tension. Yes, it’s spicy, yes, it’s packed with enemies to lovers angst, but at its core, this book is about survival, resilience, and finding unexpected love in the darkest of places.

Kyran and Avi couldn’t be more different—one is a disciplined, broody football star with everything to lose, the other a free spirited artist who refuses to be tamed. They clash at every turn, but when a sudden financial crisis leaves them both desperate for a solution, they’re forced to set aside their differences and take a risk that neither of them saw coming.

What sets For The Fans apart is how it tackles serious topics with honesty and depth—toxic family dynamics, the pressures of expectation, and the harsh realities of financial instability. Kyran’s struggle to maintain control of his future while battling internalized fears is gut wrenching, while Avi’s ability to find light in the darkest moments makes him impossible not to love. Their journey is full of pain, healing, and self-discovery, proving that sometimes, love finds us in the most unexpected places.

What to expect:
✔ A deeply emotional enemies to lovers romance
✔ Forced proximity that brings ALL the tension
✔ A grumpy/sunshine dynamic that cuts deep
✔ A unique take on the OnlyFans trope—raw, vulnerable, and powerful
✔ Tough topics handled with care, heart, and realism

Yes, it’s spicy. Yes, it’s messy. But For The Fans is so much more than just steam and angst—it’s about finding freedom, love, and self-acceptance, even when the odds are stacked against you.

5/5 stars. If you love MM romances that blend intensity, heart, and unfiltered emotion, this one will stay with you long after the final page! 

Don’t You Dare by C.E. Ricci is the kind of friends to lovers, bi awakening romance that grabs you from page one and refuses to let go. One party game. One dare. One kiss… and suddenly, nothing is the same for Aspen and his very straight (or so he thinks) best friend.

Between the sports setting, the endless tension, and the downright scorching dirty talk, this book delivers everything. It’s messy, it’s angsty, it’s hot as hell—and you will be obsessed with the way these two navigate their feelings through a string of increasingly risky dares.

If you love:
✔ Best friends realizing they want MORE
✔ Bi curious exploration that is HOT HOT HOT
✔ Sports bros with undeniable chemistry
✔ Flirty dares that spiral into full blown obsession
✔ Baseball puns & dirty talk that will make you blush

Then run, don’t walk, to grab this book. C.E. Ricci absolutely nails the tension, the yearning, and the deliciously slow burn descent into chaos. 

Jackie Lau absolutely nails the time loop trope in Time Loops and Meet Cutes, delivering a story that’s equal parts heartfelt, hilarious, and brimming with romance. As someone who loves a good mix of rom com charm and deeper emotional layers, this book checked all the right boxes for me. It reminded me of Freaky Friday, but make it an adult romance! 

Noelle Tom’s struggle is incredibly relatable—trapped in the cycle of work, routine, and never quite slowing down enough to figure out what truly makes her happy. The time loop forcing her to relive the same Friday over and over had me hooked, but it was her unexpected connection with Cam that stole my heart. Their meet cutes (yes, plural!) were sweet, awkward, and swoony, and I loved watching Noelle slowly lower her walls.

One of my favorite things about this book is how Lau seamlessly blends humor with introspection. It’s laugh out loud funny one moment and deeply emotional the next. Noelle’s journey is not just about breaking the loop—it’s about learning to be present, to let go of perfectionism, and to take a chance on love, even when the future is uncertain. And let’s be real, Cam? Absolute book boyfriend material. If there’s one book boyfriend I wouldn’t mind reliving a day with, it’s him.

Time Loops and Meet Cutes is the kind of book that sticks with you long after you turn the last page. It’s witty, cozy, and full of heart—a must read for anyone who loves a romance with a little magic and a lot of feels. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Jackie Lau, and Atria Books for the eARC of this book. 

🏴‍☠️✨ Heart Marks the Spot by Libby Hubscher ✨🏴‍☠️

If you love treasure hunts, forced proximity, second chances, and adventure fueled romance, this one’s for you! 🌊🔎💖

💔 One summer. One unforgettable night. One very public betrayal.

Treasure hunter Stella Moore is used to chasing riches, but when it comes to love? Not so lucky. Last year, she found both—hidden treasure and Huck Sullivan, the broody adventure novelist who swept her off her feet… then disappeared without a trace. 😤

Fast-forward a year, and every bookstore is screaming his name. His new, bestselling novel? Basically their entire story. 🔥 And now, on her latest expedition, guess who shows up uninvited, looking for material for his sequel?

👀 Huck. Freaking. Sullivan.

💖 What I loved:
✔️ High stakes adventure meets sizzling romance – think National Treasure vibes but way more tension 👀
✔️ Childhood friends turned found family crew – Stella’s squad is EVERYTHING 🏴‍☠️
✔️ The forced proximity & reluctant truce – being stuck on a boat together? YES PLEASE!
✔️ Top tier groveling – Huck has a lot to make up for, and it delivers

🙄 What frustrated me:
🚫 Huck, why did you do that to Stella?! 😤
🚫 The emotional whiplash – the back and forth hurt at times
🚫 I wanted more of the treasure hunt itself! 🏝️

This is an adventurous, emotional, and totally gripping second chance romance with high seas, hidden treasures, and heartache. If you love epic love stories with equal parts angst and adventure, this book marks the spot! 💘

Thank you to NetGalley, Libby Hubscher, and Berkley for the eARC of this book. 

If you love second chance romance, black cat x golden retriever energy, and public call outs turning into reluctant dating, Well, Actually is about to be your new fave! 😏🔥

🎤 Eva Kitt is stuck hosting Sausage Talk (yes, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds) instead of living her dream journalism career. But when she goes viral for dragging her college ex, she suddenly finds herself in the spotlight—for better or worse.

👀 Enter Rylie Cooper. Social media’s favorite “reformed good guy” teaching men how to be better partners… except, plot twist: he was actually THE WORST to Eva back in the day. So now, to prove he’s changed, he proposes a deal: a series of dates, documented for his audience, to show how much he’s “grown.”

🔥 The banter? Immaculate.
🔥 The forced proximity? Delicious.
🔥 The tension between loving and loathing? CHEF’S KISS.

What I loved:
✔️ Mazey Eddings’ signature wit & banter – this book sparkles with humor and sass
✔️ Eva’s sharp, take no BS attitude – she’s a black cat to her core 🖤
✔️ The emotional depth – the exploration of growth, accountability, and rediscovering trust was SO well done

🤨 What I struggled with:
🚫 Rylie being too golden retriever at times 
🚫 Some of the “let’s film our dates for the internet” moments felt so cringey  and will soon be out of date and not relevant (but also realistic for influencer culture 💀)
🚫Eva was kind of lowkey a bully at times, like she was SO MEAN 

This is a fun, flirty, and surprisingly deep romance about second chances, self worth, and calling out the past while maybe… falling for it again.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 – because black cat/golden retriever romances own me 😭🐾

Thank you to NetGalley, Mazey Eddings, and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book. 

📖💦 Deep End by Ali Hazelwood 💦📖

Ali Hazelwood said spice, and she DELIVERED! OH MY GOODNESS, this was so hot.🔥Deep End is easily her hottest book yet, diving into dom/sub dynamics, BDSM exploration (though more on the rough smut side and less of the kink stuff), and an undeniable chemistry that sets the pages on FIRE.

🏊‍♂️ Lukas Blomqvist? Elite Swimmer. Golden Boy. Absolute MENACE in and out of the pool. His discipline and dominance? Chef’s kiss. 😏 And Scarlett? Strong, determined, and just trying to recover from her injury while resisting a man who makes that VERY difficult. Their arrangement? Not staying casual for long.

🔥 What I loved:
✔️ Lukas as an MMC – he’s so good at everything (maybe too good? but still, obsessed)
✔️ The smut – TOP TIER. This was Ali Hazelwood’s most explicit book, and I was so here for it
✔️ The tension and power dynamics – absolutely addicting

🙄 What drove me nuts:
🚫 PEN. Just… Pen. The constant interference, the lack of boundaries, the way Lukas could not say no—even IN FRONT of Scarlett?? The secondhand embarrassment was real 😩
🚫 The OW drama felt forced and repetitive. It dragged the story down when I really just wanted her to disappear.
🚫 Plot? What plot? Beyond Scarlett’s injury recovery and Lukas winning at life, there wasn’t much else. It was basically just 🔥 scenes (which, no complaints, but still).

If you’re here for elite athlete romance, spicy tension, and dominant men who know exactly what they’re doing, you’re going to devour this. But if you hate annoying third party interference and MMCs who struggle with boundaries, prepare for frustration.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️– because Lukas + spice carried this book HARD 🔥🏊‍♂️