WHAT A GEM.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I loved this. As someone who struggles with the same fears and issues surrounding saying “yes” more often, this felt like a book written for me. I loved Kelsey’s journey. I loved seeing her find herself and choosing to say more often enough to realize all of the little things she has been missing (and of course, finding love too!!).

And I really loved Georgina. Her story line brought me to some misty eyed moments and I loved that seeing her growth and she learned some hard truths and took the best step forward to finally reconnect with her family.

I liked the audiobook. I thought the romance was absolutely adorable. It was sweet read that had a lot of wonderful themes that are easy to connect to and this is a new favorite!

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Fiction + Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low
- Content Warnings: a character with kidney disease 

Full review to come!

Full review to come!

NEW FAV.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I loved this book! It is easily my new favorite by this duo. I am not a summer camp girlie and this made me feel those nostalgic vibes that I absolutely understand those who loved camp would go through. I loved how this plot worked out with enjoying camp shenanigans, falling in love and rekindling friendships.

Jessie and Hillary were a fantastic pair. I loved seeing their friendship come alive again. I think both of them went through great growth and showed a lot of strength in perseverance and finding where you wanted to be in life.

I adored both romances too. I loved that both had a second chance vibe and had just the right amount of slow burn for the condensed timeline. I was smitten with both and loved the communication and effort each couple took to be together.

Definitely a book for all of the summertime vibes.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: moderate
- Romance: 2-3 open door 

KNEW IT.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I had a feeling from the get go this was going to be a winner for me. I LOVE books where the man is absolutely gone for her and Isaiah Rhodes DELIVERED. I have not recovered. I think The Right Move is still my top, top favorite, but this absolutely competes. I have been waiting for this story after the perfectly drawn out tension.

This marriage of convenience had me in a chokehold. I loved Kennedy!! She was fierce and capable and I just wanted her to feel the love that was surrounding her after being in a deficit for so long. The slow build for her and the character growth she showed was top tier. I loved her journey.

AND ISAIAH? Y’all can already tell I’m obsessed. I loved getting his POV and seeing the deeper workings of his thoughts and decision making processes. He’s a hopeless romantic with a huge heart who just wanted someone to want him. And that hits on a whole other level.

I loved the baseball content, the found family, the soft and sweet and the hard and fast. There’s not one moment I wasn’t glued to my kindle trying to read this.

Overall audience notes:
- Sports Romance
- Language: moderate-high
- Romance: 4+ open door
- Violence: low
- Content Warnings: loss of a mother recounted, anxiety attacks (brought on by thunderstorms), misogyny and sexism in the workplace 

Full review to come!

GREW ON ME.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I love a charming guy and Beau fit that bill to a T. I loved his demeanor and soft joy that he brought to the story. It contrasted well with Gemma and they had some great chemistry. There were a few truly standout scenes that I was hoping to get and they delivered.

The Grams plot line bugged me a little because I felt like it kept over shadowing the romantic aspects. I was tired of Gemma getting calls that Grams had caused some other kind of chaos and when the secrets came to light I was let down.

There’s good flirty banter, and like all of the other books in this series, I adore the summer vibes. I feel swept away to this island and love seeing different pieces of it in each book.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low 

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

THIS PAINS ME.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I am a mega fan of Lord’s YA books. I have loved them all. And this first adult romance really missed some marks for me. I went in with respectable hopes and am sitting in a middle ground of feelings.

The idea was clever, but the execution seemed like it was trying too hard. Or maybe that the focus was in the wrong direction? Often there was a lot of grief depiction and discussion and that kind of took over from the romance. I did like some of the soft moments between Levi and June. Yet, I’m not sure that I believe they make it after the book, ya know?

The social media/Tiktok focus also didn’t have my attention. I struggle to connect with books with such a media centered ideal and attempt to be relevant. I did like June’s best friend a lot. And all of the scone content was great. You’ll probably find me baking some first thing tomorrow.

All of the ex drama took away the focus from the romance too. I could not fathom Levi’s thinking with his previous relationship. And with June, her ex just showing up at random times to stir chaos got old.

I’ll still read Emma Lord’s books because I’m hopeful there will be more gems again.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: moderate
- Romance: 1 open door
- Content Warnings: loss of a sister (aneurism), grief depiction, cheating (June and Levi’s exes) 

3.25 stars

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

A TALE AS OLD AS TIME.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

This was by no means, a poorly written book. And it definitely has an audience. It’s a pretty classic fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast. You’ll notice all of the usual components and dynamics that are often seen in these retellings.

I did like the characters. They were fleshed out well for the confines of a standalone fantasy. There’s three POV’s and I liked Adam and Lydia’s the most. The third POV was perfectly fine, I just didn’t understand the necessity of it. There’s some big world building but no major magic system which balanced best for a single book. I liked not having to worry about the magic when there were enough groups of people I was trying to get a hold on.

The romance is sweet, a slow burn that could have used a little more fire, but like I mentioned earlier, travels along the B&tB line well. They do have some chemistry and learned to work together. I liked the strength of Adam and Lydia in holding onto hope to rid the world of the Crimson Lord.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance Retelling
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: moderate
- Content Warnings: loss of life, kidnapping 

Thank you to Book of Matches Media and Hazel St. Lewis for the gifted ARC!

FELT FRESH.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

This book really had my attention. While you can definitely draw some similarities to other fantasies I’ve read, I did feel like much of this was unique and had a different vampire twist that has me wanting book two ASAP.

I loved that Quinn was a dancer and part-time mortician. The combination of athleticism and science are things I personally enjoy and those character dynamics were a cool part of this plot. Found family is a big aspect of the book too and I loved all of these side characters.

The romance was a bit lusty for me in the beginning, but luckily grew on me. When that backed off and I got to see the banter between Quinn and Emrys I was much more interested in watching their connection grow. I think the slow burn settled in well and I can’t wait to see how the relationship continues in book two.

All of the mirrors, and vampires and other world building aspects created a complex city full of mystery. I liked that it had plenty of action balanced with soft moments that made it easy to turn the pages.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance
- Language: high
- Romance: 2ish brief open door
- Violence: high
- Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction, murder, loss of loved ones