I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Totally Folked by Penny Reid is the first in her new series Good Folk: Modern Folktales which is a spinoff of her Winston Brothers series. Set in the small town of Green Valley, TN, each book will follow a beloved, or maybe misunderstood, character. In this initial installment, Deputy Sheriff Jackson James gets a story, and y’all I couldn’t have been happier with it. Full of unexpected angst and steamy romance, Totally Folked had me hook, line, and sinker.

Jackson James has spent the last five and a half years cleaning up his playboy image in hopes of running for sheriff of Green Valley when his dad retires in a few years. He has goals, and this image in his mind of what a family, a real family, should look like. He knows it’s hard work and perseverance that makes a family last and not something that feels as easy as breathing. So for the last five and a half years, that is what he’s pursued in an effort to forget his one night stand with America’s number one celeb Raquel Ezra.

Raquel Ezra is lost at the beginning of the book, showing up on her friend’s doorstep with a small suitcase and nothing else, none of the normal entourage of security and agents that typically follow her on her heels. Rae needs a change. She’s tired of the constant grind of Hollywood and always feeling as though she has to pretend. She wants a real life, and if that means saying goodbye to her career, she’s prepared to do so.

I loved the alternating POV chapters. I’m not sure I would’ve liked Rae otherwise. She’s currently in a fake relationship with another actor, one that’s “cheated” on her multiple times to keep them in the limelight. Jackson is trying to force a romantic relationship to work with his friend and single mother Charlotte (who I sincerely hope gets her own story, I love her!). Neither are really available for a relationship, and yet all it takes is one look and the two are back five and a half years ago on that one night. I love the chemistry between them and the angst is off the charts.

Overall, I really enjoyed Totally Folked. I love Green Valley so it wasn’t a shock that I enjoyed a new story featuring a different character. The Winston brothers are well-known in the community so it was fun to see them from the outside looking in. They truly are an intimidating bunch, but I love how they’ve adopted Jackson into their circle, even Jet. If you are a fan of steamy romance and small towns, I highly recommend it!

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy is the first in a new series from Disney-Hyperion called Meant to Be. Each book in the series will feature a contemporary romance about one of our favorite Disney princesses. In the first installment, Murphy tackles the iconic Cinderella and nails it in my opinion. If the Shoe Fits is a modern Cinderella retelling with a Bachelor twist to up the angst and drama.

Cindy is a newly graduated fashion designer suffering from creative block who returns to her step-mother’s home in the hopes of stirring her muse and finding herself again. I love Cindy. She is spunky, full of sass, and confident in a way most plus-size women (myself included) aren’t. I love that she goes for what she wants when she wants it and doesn’t subscribe to any labels. In short, Cindy is an icon for pleasantly plump women

One of my all-time favorite movies ever is Nora Ephron’s When Harry Met Sally. There is something so iconic about the movie that no matter how many times I’ve watched it I find new things to love (and yes, even hate) about it. Imagine my surprise and delight when I started reading People We Meet on Vacation and discovering that it is in fact a homage to my favorite movie. Y’all, it is wonderful, will make you feel all the feels, and guaranteed to leave you smiling. Emily Henry is now on my auto-buy list!

When the book opens, it’s been two years since Poppy Wright has taken her annual summer vacation with her best friend Alex, and she is miserable. Not exactly the best mood for a travel writer and blogger to be in. She desperately wants to fix things between them and be how they were, just Poppy and Alex. She feels lost without him. He is her other half, her best friend and she has to fix them.

I love Poppy. She is so easy to root for. Told entirely from her perspective, the story unfolds in flashes of present and past summers. From their first horrible meeting to their awkward reunion, my heart ached for her. I wanted her to find the happiness she was looking for, even when she was clearly looking in all the wrong places.

Alex is amazing. He is kind, empathetic, a bit neurotic (but aren’t we all), and above all clearly loves Poppy. She means as much to him as he does her. I love seeing him through her eyes. It made it so easy to see why she loves him, why their friendship works, and above all why she needs to fix it. Poppy made me miss Alex, and he’s not even a real person!

Overall, I absolutely loved People We Meet on Vacation. From the first page to the last (and y’all I even read the little book club questions and extras at the end, I rarely do that!), I was fully invested in Poppy and Alex. The alternating timeline chapters really added depth to their relationship and kept the story moving forward. It was all heading to the last vacation they spent together and how it brings them to now. I love how Emily Henry wraps the story. The finish is just as satisfying as the entire book itself….and now I’m gushing so I’ll stop

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

I adored this book! The Switch by Beth O'Leary is a story about two women looking for change. Leena and Grandma Eileen’s switch comes after Leena is given a two-month sabbatical from her job and Eileen’s husband leaves her for the dance instructor. While I wouldn’t put this firmly in the romance category, it’s more women’s fiction, it does offer not one but two happily-ever-afters that satisfy this romance-lover’s heart.

Leena is living in London, putting everything she has into her career. After the death of her younger sister two years prior, Leena struggles with grief, depression, and anxiety. When an important meeting at work brings everything boiling to the surface, Leena’s boss gives her two months of mandatory leave. Not sure what to do with herself, she finds her way to her grandmother’s home in a small village in Yorkshire. One thing leads to another and before she knows it, Leena is agreeing to swapping lives with her grandmother.

I love Eileen! Eileen reminds me of my great-grandmother who passed away several years ago. Fiercely independent and the matron of the family, she has a truck load of responsibility and does it all with a smile. For the last few years while mourning her granddaughter’s death, she’s been attempting to help her own daughter with her grief and Leena as well. In the midst of this, she’s had to deal with divorce. Now well into her 70s, she’s lonely and maybe ready to get back into the dating scene. Switching places with Leena could solve two problems: reconciliation between mother and daughter and Eileen could find a beau.

Alternating the chapters from both women’s perspectives allows the readers to see each character in a different light. I loved seeing Leena through Eileen’s eyes as it allowed me to understand her better. Leena thinks she’s doing well, coping with her grief and anxiety, and yet seeing what Eileen sees you realize she isn’t. Same with how Leena sees Eileen. I also love the narrators, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman. They bring the characters to life with subtle inflections and pacing.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Switch. Both Leena and Eileen are wonderful characters. I liked seeing the juxtaposition of Eileen on the dating scene and Leena being a “parent” to her. Their relationship is wonderful, and I loved how the story was resolved. If you are a fan of women’s fiction, I highly recommend it.

Thank you so much to the author for providing an eARC of House of Eclipses. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

House of Eclipses is the first book in a brand new duology from author Casey L. Bond. As the third daughter of the Aten of Helios, Noor is not expected to inherit her father's throne. So when the ruler of Lumina reaches out to the Aten to strike a deal to join their houses, the Aten hatches a plan of his own. What if he brings his second and third-born daughters to present to the Lumin and plants them to steal his mythical crown?

Final Thoughts:Beautifully written, House of Eclipses sends readers on Noor's journey, packed full of first love, intrigue, and the heartbreak of betrayal.

See full review at YA Books Central: https://www.yabookscentral.com/yaindie/26708-house-of-eclipses

I received an eARC of this book via the authors. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Of Glass and Ashes by Elle Madison & Robin D. Mahle is the third book in their series Twisted Pages and picks up close to where we left off with book two. I should note here that if you haven’t read the previous books in the series, there may be minor spoilers ahead. Also, while the first two books feature a different sister, they need to be read in order to understand the plot going forward. Ok…now that that is out of the way, let’s continue

Faking Reality by Sara Fujimura is a sweet, contemporary teen romance about a reality TV star, her best friend, and growing up. Living her life online and in the public eye has never been easy, and Dakota can’t say she is upset that her reign as America’s DIY princess is coming to an end. Her entire life has been dictated by her parents’ HGTV show. Their fans have watched Dakota grow up and been invested in her life before it even began, making Dakota’s real life difficult to navigate. With the camera present, it is hard to determine who are her real friends and who are faking it, even dating is not an option after the previous year’s disastrous homecoming dance. But once the cameras are gone for good, Dakota plans to let her crush know how she truly feels.

Final Thought: With a dash of romance and a sprinkling of Japanese American culture, Faking Reality is a sweet contemporary featuring the importance of friendship, how to cope with change, and the butterflies of first love.

See the full review on YA Books Central: https://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/26652-faking-reality

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

A hate-to-love romance awaits in Heartbreak for Hire, the newest release from author Sonia Hartl. This rom-com touches on cheaters and revolves around revenge which leads to some hilarious missteps and misguided intentions.

Brinkley is a Heartbreaker, hired by women who have been cheated on, lied to, emotionally torn down, or had their careers jeopardized by egotistical men. It’s Brinkley’s job to embarrass and humiliate these men, sometimes recording their incriminating behavior, basically she tears down their egos. For two years, she’s been happy with her line of revenge work until her latest target turns out to be a genuinely nice guy. She finds herself attracted to him in all the wrong ways, and ultimately fails in her task. Imagine her surprise when her boss announces that they are no longer just a woman’s organization and are hiring men and one of those men was her nice guy.

I really like Mark. He’s not at all what Brinkley expected. He’s an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago, and despite everything Brinkley has experienced in academia, Mark is the opposite of her expectations. Their attraction to one another oozes off the pages, making them easy to root for.

Romances are usually pretty straightforward: meet-cute, some kind of problem keeping them apart, and then an HEA. It’s how the author executes those things that make a book. While I really enjoyed how this process in the book, Mark and Brinkley really are fun, I had a hard time with the company they are working for. The revenge plot felt slimy to me. While I get that it was how the author got them to meet, it made me cringe, even if I’ll admit I did laugh at a few of their assignments.

Overall, I enjoyed Heartbreak for Hire. Brinkley and Mark’s witty banter and their on-page chemistry drove the story. If you are looking for an out-of-the-box, hate-to-love rom-com, I recommend you check this one out.

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

This little novella had everything I enjoy about space operas in one tiny package. Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton & Gareth L. Powell follows the story of Amahle, one of a number of explorers who travel the universe alone, visiting distant planets and collecting memory collars for the inhabitants of Glisten. These collars record everything a person is thinking and experiencing while wearing them. Because Amahle’s circuit has her visiting these planets once a millenia, several generations are stored on the collars and viewed by Amahle to pass her time on the ship while traveling. When one name keeps recurring in the memories she watches, Amahle begins to question the people she works for and her long existence as a Light Chaser.

I really liked Amahle. She’s lived for millenia, forgetting her older memories to make room for the new and current ones. Somewhat content with her life aboard her ship with just the AI for comfort, Amahle still feels as if something is missing, if only she could remember what. Her interactions with people from various planets play out through both the memory collars and her current stops. The back and forth between present and memories can often be confusing, but rewarding if you persevere through it.

I was surprised at the amount of world-building the authors were able to pack into such a short novella. It’s immersive, told entirely through Amahle and the memory collars. The universe is fascinating, and Amahle’s job even more so. I was curious to find out more about the people she worked for, how she was able to live such a long life, and the different planets colonized by humans. The plot increased my curiosity with the introduction of Carloman. He gives Amahle a number that to her makes no sense and continues to pop up on different worlds as different people. Who is he and what does he want with Amahle? These questions play out throughout the climax of the book, adding suspense and a touch of thrill to the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed Light Chaser. For such a short novella (clocks in at just under 170 pages), the authors tell a lot of story. Amahle and Carloman will stick with me for a while. If you are looking for a quick sci-fi read, I highly recommend it.

Final Thought: Light Chaser packs a lot of story into a small package with a well thought-out universe and an interesting leading character sure to please any sci-fi fan.