lisaluvsliterature's Reviews (4.19k)

I have really enjoyed all of this author’s books, so I was immediately intrigued with the synopsis of this one! I mean, as a single woman who is pretty sure she is always going to be single, what could be better than the book boyfriend of my dreams popping out of the current book I’m reading or me being able to pop into the book to fill out the rest of the story?

So much of this was a single romance reader’s dream come true story. But what made this even more fun was when Killian actually showed up in Leigh’s world outside the book, in her bed even! Suddenly this billionaire enemies to lovers romantic interest from her book must figure out how to go about his new life in the real world. Figuring out if he was real, or if he was a figment of her imagination took some time to decide as well.

As much as I adored this story, and totally got the direction the author took it in the end, I did have a few things that didn’t quite work for me. For instance, the fact that Leigh’s work had to do with AI made me think maybe there was going to be some kind of connection to Killian coming out of the book. But there was not. And honestly, we never really got a reason for how he came out of the book, and my brain needed just a little bit more about that. What they did about the book later in the story, well, again, it was a bit anti-climactic for me. 

Besides those things though, it was a fun read, and I did really enjoy this fun little foray into a world where a book boyfriend comes to life. Now I’m off to bed, hoping to dream about one of my own many favorite book boyfriends, even I don’t get them appearing in real life out of my dream when I wake up in the morning.

I’ve enjoyed books by this author in the past, so definitely was interested in reading this one. And when I picked it up, I was so glad I was able to fit it into my review schedule because I devoured it in about two sittings! Yes I got very frustrated with Molly not seeing that Duncan wasn’t really the right one. However he did such a good job of playing on her weaknesses and knowing what to say to get her to think and remember how good things had seemed between them. At least before he dumped her to go on the reality show. 

Then there was Ben, the grumpy of all grumpy-sunshine stories. Ben was a good guy. But boy did he have so much to work on. It was obvious he really liked Molly, and he was trying to get her back. His holdups though kept things from going smoothly. However I liked the way their friendship/relationship grew and got stronger the more time they spent together. How they worked through things, fought, made up, and brought out the good in each other. 

I’m not the type of person who likes to watch dating shows. But for some reason I enjoy reading about them in romance stories! And this story was perfect for me. The way the show was set up was a lot of fun. This did have a bit of a jargon issue for me at times with obviously British jargon. I did have to look one word up, even if I kind of figured it out based on context clues, “bagsy”. Kind of means what I’d think of as calling dibs on something basically.

This story had romance, banter, steamy times, and a wonderful HEA that had me swooning. But it also kept me guessing or wondering how things would come about, as Ben kept saying he couldn’t do marriage, and Duncan kept stringing Molly along. As I said, I am soooooooo glad I fit this one in! I’ll be making sure I do my best to continue fitting books by this author into my schedule in the future!

I almost forgot about the e-galley I had of this, so got to reading a bit late. But once I picked it up I was sucked right into this fun little story! I’ve enjoyed the YA books by this author that I’ve read in the past, but haven’t read any of her adult titles. And this was her first rom-com, and I think she did a great job! It doesn’t sound as if she’s planning to venture into a bunch of this type in the future, that she had the idea for this one pop into her head and then got it all planned out and written based on some fellow writers suggestions. However I would read more from her like this in the future!

Daphne was a fun character, I totally got her “fear” of talking in front of crowds or even the attention she would get from being a famous author. I do know there are always still the people in the publishing or any other world that still look at a man’s work over a woman’s if they know who the author is. However, I do wonder if a YA book might be okay these day by a woman, as it seems as most of what I stock in my library is by women authors? But as was mentioned in this story, Daphne’s book got put on the adult bestseller list and all the backing because it was supposedly by a guy.

I fell in love with Chris from the first time we met him. But with what had happened in Daphne’s last serious relationship, it was extremely easy to understand why she wasn’t going to be interested in him, or give into the inkling of attraction. Chris had his own background and reasons for not jumping into it at first. Not knowing for sure how she actually felt about him. And then wanting to go slow. To prove to her. Yes, he was a perfect book boyfriend. Probably almost a perfect boyfriend in real life if he’d been real! The banter and sexual tension between him and Daphne, especially every time they got interrupted by a phone call or text, was perfect!

The living in the Yukon wilderness setting of the story was something I really liked as well. Daphne having built her perfect house, learning about all the different things that area had to offer like hiking, outdoor activities, etc. The bear parts of the story, her past with swimming, all of it either was very exciting or else I connected to it in a way. It was also a lot of fun reading about the author events, and I loved when Daphne looked out and saw that not all the people in her audience were there just because of how Zane/Chris looked or his crazy grizzly bear video.

I do feel like the neighbor Robbie’s storyline was maybe left a little bit hanging at the end? I know that by revealing the secret the way they did, it took away his blackmail, but, and maybe I read too fast and missed it, I’d have like to have seen something happen to him for what he did.

But a wonderful unexpected rom-com from Kelley Armstrong, and I’d definitely read more like this from her in the future! Hint: Maybe we could get either Daphne’s friend Nia’s story or Chris’s sister Gemma’s story?

This is my 2nd book by this author and I’d give it a little higher rating than my last one. It was intense, and definitely had me on the edge of my seat wondering what exactly was going on, who was this killer that was part of the tagline on the cover. It started out with an event that was so emotional and definitely influenced how Katie behaved or acted. Not to mention that Aster had her own issues from how she had behaved or reacted to that event at the beginning. There were portions split out from the viewpoint of someone you didn’t know for sure. Was it one of the two girls after the story we were getting on their hike? Was it another person they’d seen along the trail? Was it even anyone we’d had any contact with through Aster and Katie’s viewpoints? Then, who was the character that Katie and Aster should be worried about. Was it Finn? Was it the runner they’d seen early on? The two climbers? The druggie guy? I had guesses, some panned out, some weren’t quite right, but I liked the way the author kept me turning pages just to find out what happened. 

Oh my gosh, Levi Posey and his bologna sandwiches are the best! I wasn’t sure he would be my favorite, but this book had me in stitches from laughing! Oh my gosh Posey was hilarious! Not only in how he thought about himself, but also in his total assurance that he was the reason all his friends were now in happy relationships. The lack of filter he had about saying anything, especially when he went to his friends’ girlfriends for advice on what to do about Wylie. Or when he would start rambling with Wylie at times too! Then there were his interactions with his scary coach, also Wylie’s father. Posey’s attempts at conversation had me laughing out loud.

And Wylie, gotta love her. Her self assurance in herself and what she enjoyed in the bedroom. I loved her idea of drawing for her favorite x-rated star’s logo, and the other idea she came up with that she went with in the end. Made me think so much of Meghan Quinn’s own illustrations in her books! Her bestie was a bestie in all the ways as well!

The erotic torture war was so funny, but also extremely hot at times. Not to mention when the two of them finally gave in to each other. A little fanning myself with those scenes! But it was so much more that that physical aspect with each other. Posey was just an all around good guy. He supported Wylie so much, even when he was asking her to do the ridiculous tasks her dad told him he HAD to make her do he was mostly reasonable about it and definitely felt bad about it.

Ugh, I think Wylie’s dad was/is definitely in the running for a worst parent too. The way he treated her and basically told her she’d have to pay back her tuition? Wow. But she was such a good person, and a loving daughter that she didn’t want to just give up on a relationship with him.

Our gang of the “Frozen Fellas” may have been left out of Posey’s main scheming with Wylie, but they still had their hilarious texting group, and in the end they definitely came through for him and showed just what a great friend and person he really was. I’m looking forward to OC’s book, although I wonder if it might be a split off series as the ending of this one might have left some team members positions with this team on a bit of a question. My silly brain kept seeing the name “Rivers” coming back and for some reason thinking it was Alex Waters from Helena Hunting’s Pucked series, and he is way older and retired and not even a part of this world! lol

As usual Quinn connected us to other characters from her other books, specifically the romance author and also the small town that the Lovemark movies were filmed in. I saw one person in the author’s Facebook group saying that Posey had beat out Jason Orson as their book boyfriend. While I do love Posey, I’ll give him second place because Jason is always first in my bookish heart!

I’m not a poetry person really, but I know this author, so giving it five stars for what he’s done!! 

Um, I adored this book so much! I saw a bad review on Goodreads and I had to hold myself back from commenting on all the wrongness in their review, lol. I know, I know, my opinion and their opinion are both right! We don’t do that to other bloggers/reviewers!

While at first I was a little annoyed with maybe how Eileen acted with her friend, I also totally got it. This was again a familiar issue for me, friends moving on in their lives, getting engaged, having other things to do instead of the annual traditional trip or event or get together. Eileen had a lot going on with what had happened with her ex, but boy did I still want to smack that guy. In a way though, both he and her best friend could see that she let others kind of decide what she was going to do, and didn’t necessarily fight for her own dreams or wants.

Going to this retreat thing, though, even though no one else was going, that was the beginning of her fighting or doing what she wanted. But then, when she ended up broke down in the town that is her favorite town in her favorite series, that’s when it got interesting. I mean, how often do we readers talk about which of our favorite book worlds we’d want to go to? Right now, I think I want to go to Meghan Quinn’s little town of Almond Bay. But I digress.

She met the grumpy Anders right away. And he doesn’t seem to like her from right off the bat. But he can tell after one thing she says that she could mess with all the people in this little town. Mess up the story.

Elsy gets in and begins to wonder about little things with the characters/couples that she “knows” and loves from her favorite books. But with the final book never getting written, it feels like there are things missing to solve and make them have their complete HEA. Not to mention that Anders isn’t any character she knows in the books, even if there is the bookstore mentioned in spots in the books. He won’t let her go to the waterfall, the magical place in the stories that the couples kiss and fall in love. He doesn’t want her to mess up any of the characters’ stories. Just because she knows all about them, she’s a stranger, so it could be weird to just talk to them.

In the town though, stuck because of a car part issue, she does get to know them, and get to be friends. And Anders is more of a maybe enemies-to-lovers or a grumpy-sunshine eventual romance. Even though Elsy is sure there must be a love interest coming to him. He does go into a weird little area behind a building, and after sneaking in there, she wonders even more who he is. I got an inkling about him at one point, and I loved that I was right about that! I loved that aspect of the story, that twist, even if for a minute at the end I was sure Elsy wouldn’t get her own HEA and I was going to throw a fit!

I loved, loved, loved this story so much and I can’t wait till I get to meet the author next month! Another winner from Ashley Poston!

Another 3rd person POV book, but that’s okay, this one was good too! By a fifth of the way into the story I was already very emotional at all that was happening! The way that Daphne felt after heckling Chris, I have totally had that feeling after arguing with someone or saying something mean to them, even if I felt justified when I said it, the look on their face or how they responded to it, similar to Chris in that first situation, totally sent me spiraling into feeling horrible. 

Now this was a major story of not telling someone a secret that could have been solved so much earlier in the book, but I know that it was the plotline in a way, so had to be done that way. And even though I know that, it is why I couldn’t give it a 5 star rating, had to drop to 4.5 instead. 

But the chemistry between these two both through text messages as well as in person once Daphne took over her sister-in-law Layla’s job working with Chris’s baseball team was so good. And the steamy scenes had some very steamy bits that I enjoyed, and were perfect for when they were a part of the story and not too much. I loved the awkwardness of Daphne’s rambling at times when she was nervous, it was realistic for me, and reminded me of my own bad habit of oversharing or saying things at the wrong time. 

The book made me remember how much I used to enjoy baseball and going to my hometown games for the Kansas City Royals, whether we were having a winning year or one of our normal struggling years. And when the author did name some real teams, I had a little hope maybe she’d name my KC team, but alas it wasn’t to be. All in all this was the perfect read for this time of year, the baseball season, and I loved the romance so much. I’ve wanted to read this author before, and now I know I will have to go back and read some more! 

It took me a minute to get into this one, as it was in third person and I do prefer first person POV for romance, but once I kept going, I ended up enjoying this one. The story takes place over several events that bring our two main characters together. We mostly get more from Natalie’s viewpoint, but as the story goes on we get more from Rob’s as well. They have a bunch of misses, starting with some misunderstandings, then getting over those things and it seems like maybe they can connect, but then something else comes and gets in the way and messes it up. Often a mispoken word to someone, or a misunderstanding occasionally too. Or they’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time, with both having their own significant others.

I ended up really connecting with Natalie a lot though, when it came to how she started feeling about being left behind as her friend, her best friend especially, seemed to be moving on to different phases of her life. Pretty much all my college friends did that. And I got left behind. As they got married and started hanging out with their husbands’ friends who were also married. When they had kids it was even more that I lost them. And I understand why it happens. But I also totally understood Natalie in this book at that point. Then towards the end Rob’s father suffering from dementia hit a bit hard for me with my own stepfather’s journey over the past few years.

I still liked the book though, and think it was definitely worth a read, lots of emotion and great takes on things.