lisaluvsliterature's Reviews (4.19k)

I am always happy to read a new story from this author, as I love her characters, not only the main ones, but also those who make up their lives. In this one we had the adorable little Londyn, Jane’s daughter, as well as Jasper’s twin nieces Lacy and Macy, who were a ton of fun as well. And then we had the somehow enemies to lovers type of story, even if Jane maybe misjudged poor Jasper a bit out of the gate.

The whole dating app/service was a fun aspect to the story, and I liked how Jane soon learned that maybe the computer’s picks of matches might not be perfect in real life. The different dates were funny, both Jasper’s as well as hearing how terrible some of the others went, and knowing that is realistic for many people who find themselves in those situations. The romance was sweet, but also very steamy at times. 

While I understand that Jane’s more dream job was running her matchmaking service, I would have loved her bookstore management gig myself. I laughed at the codes they called over the intercom, as well as the strange customers they had, like a flasher and a pet chicken. Another fun story from one of my favorite authors!

I loved the first book in this new series, and was very excited for this next one. I think it’s awesome that the pub date is Halloween too! This one was a little long for me, but it did stick really close to the Winston Brothers book it was a mirror universe world for.

I could honestly go back to my review of that book, Grin and Beard It, and almost write this review word for word. I loved Sonnet, she was funny, had some totally awkward traits for a beloved movie star like she was. And she was accepting of being a big curvy girl, and I loved the way she didn’t let anyone change her mind or make her feel bad in any way. How she stood up for herself and tried to set an example for others. Of course the fact that she wrote monster romances was perfect for this story too!

Then there was Maverick, once again I loved his sweetness and he pretty much was perfect in how he reacted to the way things went, although a few times his backing off did annoy me. I adored his inner wolf voice and the comments it made about all that was happening and what he did. He handled the ending problem in a perfect way, the spilling of the relationship by Sonnet before they’d planned.

I loved getting time with Ranger, the Cletus Winston-like Boone brother. And I have to say getting a banana cake queen that was a hummingbird cake queen instead? I’ve had hummingbird cake, and it is my absolute favorite cake, to me it is what they should call better than sex cake, because I have to savor every bite as a mouthful, so I get the way Sonnet reacted to it when she ate it.

Once again I am thinking this author is doing a wonderful job with her paranormal reimagining of one of my all time favorite contemporary romance series, and I am sooooooooo excited for the next one! Is it time for it yet? Please tell me it’s been greenlit!

I loved this author’s SmartyPants Romance books and have been trying to fit in her other books. When I got the chance to listen to this one on audio, I jumped on the chance! And boy was I glad I did! There was so much fun silly little stuff in the story, banter, things that happened, all the reasons I’ve adored the other books I’ve read by this author. I also totally got how she felt about wanting to be a different person, although while her reason was her stutter, mine is maybe for my insecurities. I also had the same kind of experience with speed dating! So I get it. 

I connected a lot with Meg, but I did get a bit frustrated with her and how she didn’t quite give Keegan a chance in some ways towards the end. Also how she tried to be secretive with her identity when it didn’t seem her boss realized it was her after the makeover. There was no way that wasn’t going to explode. But I liked the way it played out completely different than I expected. And there was the misunderstanding that also made me cranky. Although I wondered about a bathroom confrontation, that didn’t show up even in the spot it might have in another story. 

The narrators were perfect. It was duet narration even though we really only got Meg’s point of view. Which was nice, even if I would still love to have Keegan’s POV too.

Once again this author has won me over with wonderful characters, dialogue, situations, and romance. Definitely a recommended listen/read from me!

This book got me out of a reading slump and was a perfect read for this spooky Halloween time of year. It is a YA story, so our main characters are high schoolers. First is Riley who lost his dad and baby brother to a fire about 6 years ago. While he’s occasionally had some weird smells happen, things that he connects with his dad – motor oil and red lollipops, just recently things started being more visions with the scents. His friend Davis is worried about him, and when Davis stumbles into a new shop in town where a girl named Jasmine works, a girl who seems to be psychic, he decides to introduce the two.

Riley has no respect or trust with psychics after his mom was taken advantage of by several right after his dad passed away. But he can’t deny that Jasmine really seems to be the real thing. Especially when she knows the exact thoughts going through his mind as they go through his mind, word for word. He fights having her help him the whole time. But slowly with the help of Jasmine and a psychic friend of hers, he begins to see that he needs to trust and use the signs his dad seems to be sending him.

Jasmine has her own stake in this, not just because she is getting Riley’s thoughts loud and clear in her head, but because her own father is missing. And he was sent to the town Riley lives in right before he disappeared. So together the three teens have a mystery to solve, because soon Riley finds out from his stepdad, Greg – once his dad’s best friend, that the accidental fire – one he felt guilty that he might have started – wasn’t an accident. And it’s possible that his dad was a dirty cop. Riley doubts that is true. And even wonders if maybe Greg or their other cop friends were actually the ones that were dirty.

I had my suspicions all the way through, and the author let me keep them, by dropping hints here and there, and discovering along with Riley exactly what had happened and who was responsible. There was a twist about his baby brother’s death, which I almost wondered with some of the visions he was having. But I liked the way that turned out, and how we got it all wrapped up in the end.

This was such a good book and I hope to get a copy ordered for my school library as soon as I get a chance!

Another one I just couldn't get into.

Just wasn't connecting

Wasn't feeling connected to the characters.

So I forgot I had this before it came out and didn’t have it on my review schedule, so this review is behind. I picked it up after two other books that were Halloween type of reads disappointed me, and this one grabbed me and was enjoyable thankfully. And it was definitely pretty wild!

First of all a better title would have been How to Help a Horny Werewolf, and I think I read in the afterward by the author that it was originally named that. Because honestly it was more about the serious sexual tension/connection between Cassie and Seth than about any hunger per se. And there were some points in those scenes that might have been a little extreme or out there. But then I reminded myself it was a monster romance, so that was something that could be expected.

Usually I have issues with third person, but the way this one was told worked okay for me. It was easy enough to tell her voice. One thing I did love was how hilariously awkward the whole being horny and being attracted to each other. I get that to some that might come off as adolescent, but I’m here to tell you as an adult I can’t say that I wouldn’t be awkward myself as long as it’s been since I’ve been in a relationship. Or even just because I’m basically an awkward person.

The world in this was so hilarious. I loved her familiar. I loved how certain spells did not work at all like you’d expect. Like having a sentient microwave and other furniture/appliances. And the way that Seth became a werewolf? Well, I kind of wondered when something happened if that would be what it did actually turn out to be. And then the fairies and all the other supernatural creatures we got to meet in this book were original and so much fun to read about.

While I give it 4.5 stars here on my blog for the few issues I had with it, I’m giving it a full 5 stars on other sites that I can’t do half stars. I’m also hoping that we do get a sequel since it says it is going to be a series, and that the next book is her friend who might be a witch? We will see!

It's not bad, I'm just kind of bored and think it might be predictable most of what is going to happen, even as I know I was learning some things I didn't know before.