Such a lovely holiday novella! Excellent ADHD & Autism rep.

Is it considered insta-love if they U-Haul? The 20 years of friendship and the gay awakening made it seamless though.

Very wholesome. Very cozy. Very spicy. Very Hannah Bonam-Young! Very Canadian.

It follows a thrice divorced woman in the tail end of the pandemic through her "coming of middle-age" journey with life, love, and her career transitions. It's extra cozy and includes insights into various middle-aged experiences for women through the pandemic.

I'm not the target demo for this book, but would SO RECOMMEND it to my mom and her FCC.

Thank you NetGalley and Make Waves Press for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own

I. am. obsessed.

I am surprised how much I enjoyed this book! Pretty much listened to it in one sitting.  Step aside, Scarred, I have a new favorite Never After book.

I really think it's just because he was a priest. Also the first time a French accent (specifically in audiobook format) has been sexy on a man.

TRIGGER WARNING FOR SA!

 My first queer historical romance! I NEED MORE! (Will be diving into Olivia Waite's backlist STAT.)

That being said it was all very mid. I loved the chemistry, the insight into sapphic love of yore, and the science/career storyline. However nothing was super exciting or thrilling. 

It was fine. I think I just need to stick with her historical romances.

I love that it’s the contemporary romance version of my beloved historical romances!!!

 Interesting subject (I've never read or learned anything about the Rum Smugglers or the Coast Guard's efforts to cut it off), but the plot was too uneventful to keep me engaged.

An easy read though! 

I really liked this one. Probably my third favorite. But it had the childhood friends/crush to lovers arc with the opposites attract and dangerous man elements that often hit with me.

I have noticed that the later books in this series rely on the "foreplay" or flirtation in earlier books to believe the couple in the book and we don't get to see the relationships develop and then are left with insta-love.  It's just not as satisfying.  I will say that for this one it felt better because of the complexity and longevity of their past and that they were still kept apart through this plot.  It was very much a book about her accepting her feelings for him instead of developing them.

Anyway, fun with better plot than most of them and maybe my favorite steamy scenes.  LOTS of blood and violence in this one though.