If you like Indiana Jones & wish that it was a rom-com featuring a female lead (NOT a sidekick), then you may enjoy Raiders of the Lost Heart.

It was a fun archaeology rom-com that showed that woman are just as bad ass archaeologists as men can be - if not more.

Enemies to Lovers, but maybe also second chance romance? I loved the interactions between Ford and Corrie & how their relationship developed. It nicely showed that even after two characters get together, they are still going to have bumps along the way that can worked out. I also really loved the side characters - they were fun & memorable and written just as well as the main characters were.

I would love if there was a second book - whether it was following in another adventure for Corrie & Ford or whether it followed Ethan & Sunny. Also, we need more Agnes. She was one of my faves.

Overall, this was a 4 star book for me. One that was a very quick read and once I really got into it, I didn't want to put it down.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARCs for #joyfulchaosbookclub, in exchange for my honest review.

I have come to the conclusion that Lana Ferguson is not an author that I enjoy.

I should have known… after DNFing The Nanny because it felt like the plot just basically turned into a sex-fest, I was really hesitant about The Fake Mate.

At least this one I finished? Let’s focus on the pros and cons…

Pro: it had more of a rom-com plot. It had more of what felt like a plot. It had a plot. Aka - a conflict, a way to resolve (and I love fake dating tropes!), and a resolution that led to a HEA.

also pro - the narrators were enjoyable to listen too.

Con: the spice felt like a bad porno at times. The characters were really annoying. There was no scene building or background information for how the human world & the shifter world became harmonious. The stupidest third act breakup ever.

I like open door books. I like closed door books. I like no door books. I try to go into books with little to no expectation.

And I truly hoped to enjoy this one but I admit defeat.

If you enjoy extra spice, omageverse, and an unrealistic plot - this is the book for you!!

Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 but rounded up to 4 for goodreads.

I wanted to love this book - but it was one that I was lukewarm about.

I’m not going to rehash the synopsis but instead give the pros and cons:

Pros: I loved that it had very strong feminine characters. Women rule the world and I am all for that. I enjoyed the plot (for the most part) and I do love second chance romances & workplace romances. I also enjoyed the narrators.

Cons: I didn’t like aspects of the workplace romance. Secret dating in the workplace because they are doing something that others got fired for?
I hated that he felt like he needed to come to her rescue.
And the third act breakup felt like it could have been something they talked through by simply communicating.
I also struggled with following the timeline - it felt very confusing & hard to follow at times.

Overall, I enjoy Denise Williams books and I will happily read more of what she writes.

Thank you to Berkley & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC.

I absolutely love when debut novels a magical, swoon-worthy, incredibly hard to put down, and just overall, an experience that leaves you with a book hangover and wondering if you will ever find another book that.is just utterly delightful that you don’t want it to end.

What really drew me into this book was the fact that it was a parallel timeline story and Kate Robb did it so incredibly well!
I adored Gemma and Dax - their relationships in both timelines made me swoon and made me want them both to succeed. I did find myself getting upset with Gemma for considering staying in the second timeline because I KNEW in my deepest heart that if she went back to her original timeline and told Dax how she felt, that he would admit he felt the same.

I loved the character growth and development, i loved the side characters - seriously loved EVERYTHING about this book.

I also listened to the audio and Khama Fraites did a phenomenal job. I really enjoyed the audio narration.

Huge thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC. Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC - being gifted these did not impact my honest review.

The Second Chance Year may be one of my top favorite debut novels this year. Melissa Wiesner is officially on my auto-read, auto-buy, auto-devour every book that she writes.

The idea of reliving one of the worst years of your life in the hopes of changing things to make it better? I feel like it’s something that we all have wanted to do at one point of our lives. What I loved most about this book is that along the way, you learn a lesson that changing yourself for the worst is not how you turn a bad year into a good year.

I adored Sadie (the cat lady) and I adored Jacob. The side characters were FANTASTIC. They were very memorable in the story and I loved the chemistry that they had with each other.

Give me more books like this and my whole reading shelf will be full of 5 star reads.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Savor It is my third book read by Tarah DeWitt and I’ve decided that she’s an auto-buy, auto-read author for me. While this will not replace Funny Feelings as my favorite, it’s high on my list of books that I love.

I love how real and relatable that Tarah writes her characters - Fisher was the perfect grump and Sage was the perfect sunshine. I felt Fisher’s emotions as he processed the loss of his sister, a new guardian, and career struggles. I loved Sage’s energy as she literally gave no f’s and instead focused on what brought her happiness.

I loved that their relationship was not insta-love but instead developed as they got to know each other. I also loved that all of the animals in the book had their own personality that really added to the story.

Tarah’s stories are full of emotion & relatable characters and I will always fully recommend them.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was absolutely my favorite book written by Sarah Grunder Ruiz.

I was able to listen to the audio - Gary Furlong was a perfect sexy Irishman Jack and Karissa Vacker was a perfect free-spirited Raine. I loved everything about Last Call at the Local and there is literally nothing about the book that I disliked.

I really appreciated how much time that we spent in Jack’s head. The fights with the intrusive thoughts was so hard for me to read because it just absolutely broke my heart - but it was so well done. I fully related to the anxiety that he felt with the intrusive thoughts. And Raine’s ADHD - I have never felt more scene. I loved how she wrote the ADHD without any apology, showing the readers that Raine has accepted that part of her life and doesn’t let it bring her down.

The story as a whole was fantastic - the third act breakup didn’t even feel like a breakup, but instead it felt like a pivotal point of the story that helped the characters really discover where they were meant to be - both in terms of where they lived & who they were meant to be with.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

When I started reading Dungeons & Drama, I was hoping for a fluffy YA that felt like a warm hug & left me feeling cozy and happy. This is literally just what I got but also paired with real emotion from characters who were relatable and honest.

I loved the chemistry between Riley and her mom& dad. It felt like a normal teenage relationship, where you just don’t know how honest you can be with your parents for fear of being judged. Where you don’t know quite know how you fit in or if they accept the things that you absolutely love.

I loved how they shared their D&D games and brought you into that world. I really loved the relationship between Riley and Nathan as their fake dating evolved to real feelings.

This was such a good read for someone who just wants a fun & enjoyable book that is also full of emotion.

I listened to the audio and really enjoyed Eva Kamisnky as the narrator. She had a lot of expression in her narration and really brought the story to life.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC and thank you to Delacorte Press & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.