stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)

Thank you so much to Putnam books for an advance copy of this!

This book will be out on September 24th, 2024.


"Do you miss being in a relationship?"
"With you? Yes."

If you don't already know I am a huge Falon Ballard fan. I absolutely adore each and every one of her books. So when she announced she had a holiday book coming out, I knew I would equally love it and guess what - I did! This was a super quick read under 300 pages and I felt that it moved rather fast. I like that there were breaks within the chapters that focused on Jessica and Nick's prior Christmases together. I have become such a fan of second chance romances this year! There is such an art of seeing people re-fall back in love with one another and what makes them get pushed back together. In this case we have two romance writers who are snowed in a lodge after a work ceremony. Like come on! This has all the tropes I love workplace, enemies to lovers, forced proximity and its like Falon knows a way to my heart.

It was apparent that Nick was very much still in love with Jessica from the start. Jessica was a little more apprehensive in even having any sort of conversation with him. I think more so because she knew that if she would let him in, in any sort of way she would fall back in to familiar habits. And that is pretty much what ends up happening as much as she was trying to avoid it. I am glad that Jessica and Nick used that time together to really dig into the root of why they broke up and all the feelings that come along with it.

"I think we both know you are the one who can't resist me."

I do not believe this was as spicy as Falon's prior book but this is not lacking in the intimate department. I felt like I could sense the love between Jessica and Nick especially when we did get those flashback moments. Falon is so good with those intimate moments. And one thing that helped out on the pacing of the book is the way Falon writes her dialogue. She is a master at the banter and flirtatious talk.

My minor complaint is that I wish it was a *tad* longer.

If you are looking for a cozy yet spicy, quick holiday romance set in a snowed in landscape - give this one a read!

Thank you so much to Tristen Crone for the copy of this!

This book is out now!

This is a second book from Tristen Crone and I think I love this one more than I love Playing for Keeps! Once again the cover for her book is *chef's kiss* - a hot dark hair MMC with a midsize beauty set against Italy. It sets the vibe for the whole book.

"My days begin and end with you."

One of my favorite things about this book is that it is written entirely from the male perspective! When I started reading this, I kept waiting for it to switch to a female point of view but it never did. I felt that it was refreshing compared to other contemporary romances and now I want there to be more romances that is only told from the male POV.

I thought the chemistry between the two was so strong. They both held their ground with not giving into temptation as they were working together for those few months. I loved seeing Matteo's growth from the beginning to the end and realizing he needed to grow up. He never fully gotten to grieve his father because he was just so angry at him and how he was treated. I am glad though that he knew what he didn't want and that he didn't just fall in line with taking the family business. I am also glad that he was able to take care of himself after his time in Italy and work on the trauma that was inflicted.

I love how Giuliana was this strong female who wanted nothing more to work in her family's business and making it successful. Her sister and grandmother were also enjoyable addition to the story. And because Matteo could see how hard she worked to keep the olive grove afloat and understood her big plans for the farm to help bring in money, he wanted to make sure that he did not ruin that for her.

My selfish self wish we got to see more intimate time between Matteo and Giuliana just because I loved the way that Crone wrote those scenes.

I'm looking forward to see what Tristen does next! 

Thank you so much to Gallery Books for an eARC & free copy of the book! 
Thank you so much Simon & Schuster Audio for the complimentary audiobook! 

This was my first Kristy Woodson Harvey book and I will say I likely would read her again! This was such a moving story told between the past (her grandmother & grandfather) and the present. You really got a sense of each of the characters and what they were going through at that time in their life. There were elements of the book that were predictable but I still was enjoying the ride. I absolutely loved Beck's point of view! She seemed like she was a fire of a woman who stood up for what she felt was right. Her relationship with Townsend was so sweet and you could really sense the love between them. 

Another favorite character of mine was Keaton's neighbor Anderson down in North Carolina! He took a liking to Keaton right away and I enjoyed seeing their friendship grow. And of course where there is a cute kid there's an equally cute single dad. Bowen was a little bit more reserved as there is this stranger now living in this old abandoned house but quickly he became smitten with Keaton. Although we did not get to see much of the life Keaton had while in New York (only through past reflection and storytelling), I felt that she really belonged in the south. She adapted so well to the environment and the town folks. 

We got to learn about Beck's home life growing up and how challenging that was for her. And how even more challenging it was to face the later half of her life when things just were not the same as it was. Hearing from Townsend's point of view was a nice bridge to Beck's stories and seeing his point of view especially in the later years. Those letters & diary entries he wrote were a key to past that his children and grandchildren needed in the present timeline.  I love family mysteries like this and how it truly does bring families together. I did find it a little weird that Keaton and Harris mom and uncle never went back to the house after their parents died. They simply just up and left and hired people to take care of the house for the last 50 years. 

I primarily read this book via audiobook. All 3 narrators Cassandra Campbell, Devon Sorvari and Fred Sanders were fantastic as their respective characters. Their voices all came across as age appropriate while listening which was helpful with knowing when the character/timeline change (though it was pretty obvious based on the story being told). 

Overall I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a great book to read towards the end of the summer. It had all the elements of a beach read - mystery, family drama (nothing too dramatic), friendship & romance. 

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the eARC & free copy of the book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

This book is out now!

I am not sure how we made it to 2024 without ever having a contemporary romance starring a Native American but also written by a Native American. I truly hope that this opens up to other Native American authors to get published because we need more.

This was such a cute romance that I found myself laughing quite a bit at Ember's antics. I do not understand how she could get away with what she got away with for so long! When she first met Danuwoa he was onto her from the very beginning but he never really pushed her or questioned her. I know some reader friends said they had such anxiety of the juvenile actions Ember's were doing which understand how it could be hard to read but it did not bother me. I think because as a reader you know everything will eventually come to light and it all did spill out.

I did feel like like the romance came out of left field. I truly loved Danuwoa's character and loved the relationship he had with Ember but there was no flirtatious build up. It was just like oh I like you, let's kiss and then it happened. He was such a good guy and sometimes I thought that he was too good for Ember but at the same time they just worked so well together. Also the time they were in the supply closet WHEWWW.

I also really enjoyed any time the side characters were featured. I loved Ember's best friend/roommate Johanna. I thought she was hysterical. I also loved Danuwoa's sister as well as the time they were at the bowling alley.

I paired my reading with the audio and I thought Siena East did a fabulous job! I am happy that they were able to have a Native American be the narrator. I thought Siena made the listening easy and enjoyable. And I think other romance readers would enjoy listening as well.

I am looking forward to reading more from Danica in the future!

Check this book out if you are looking for a mildly spicy workplace romance filled with off the wall moments!

Thank you so much to Mulholland Books for a copy of this book!

This book is out now.

"Murder is a monster that chews up whatever expectations you had regarding death and spits them in your face."

I have not read Gabino Iglesias before but I recognize the cover of his last book from seeing it on Book of the Month and within the book community, I did not have my eye on this book until I saw the cover and the green stood out to me but then in the mini description there was a mentioned of Stand by Me. If you know me, you know how important that movie is to me and just seeing that I knew I had to read it.

I am typically a romance reader but I venture out to other genres just to keep my reading fresh and give variety. So this was slightly out of my comfort zone. I had not expected it to be so violent which was on me. I felt that the first half of the book was much stronger than the second half of the book especially the last quarter of it. I am not one who enjoys when lore/supernatural is brought into stories and this one had it and that is where it lost me.

"Someone is always trying to eat you, you know? We're surrounded by sharks even when we're on land."

The friendship and loyalty in this book was so strong. Those boys would do anything for one another and boy if the series of events that happened in this book didn't test that then I don't know what would. I felt for Bimbo and his pain of losing his mother but I had to imagine in retrospect he would have done things a little differently after her death. Perhaps it's my non violent tendencies or because I did not grow up in the city where it is common to seek vengeance but I am not sure it was worth losing others in the quest to have found her killer.

I read a good chunk of this book with my eyes but then did it in tandem once the audio was out. Both narrators Jean-Marc Berne and Daya Mendez (who took on the female point of views) did a good job with their characters. Having the audio really helped push me through the reading.

I will say Iglesias has a way with words and had some zingers that really sticks with you. I was highlight phrases here and there.

This was not fully for me but perhaps it is for you!

Thank you so much to Dutton books for a copy of this book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

This book is out now.

I was really excited to read this book but I had started this book back in May and after the first chapter I just took a pause and didn't go back until now.. I will say the first part of the book was rather slow for me and the long chapters did not help. There were a lot of characters and things happening that it was hard to focus on what was going on. I also didn't know that there were 5 year reunions for college (or any reunions for college that is). But one thing I thought the author did do a well enough job with is how Ella felt like she did not have it all together as she wanted to appear. I felt bad for Ella with her horrendous boss where she felt like she could not leave her job (a message to all - YOU CAN). Her friends seem to be very supportive in her and just want her to be happy and they clearly know that she is not.

"She didn't want to be alone anymore, bubble-wrapped by isolation so that no one could hurt her or let her down."

I was rooting for her relationship with Reece. He just seemed like a genuinely good guy who was smitten with Ella after seeing her again. And poor Ella she was not sure if this was just a weekend fling? Was this the real deal? Did he really like her? She just knew she did not want to get attached to this man and to this relationship if it was just going to end in heartache. But it turns out like her friends Reece wanted Ella and to make it work between them.

I paired my reading with the audiobook and Jaime Lamchick as always did a stellar job with the narration!

I am torn with how I want to rate this because the first half was really hard to get through and then the 2nd half (or pretty much when her and Reece started their hook up) was SO much more enjoyable and went by so quick!

Check this book out if you are feeling nostalgic for your college life, second chance romance & want to see a grand way of quitting a job - give this a whirl!

Thank you so much to Harquelin Trade Publishing for a copy of this book!

This book is out now!

"We can only know so much about the people in our lives."

This is my 2nd Mary Kubica book that I have read and just like with Local Missing Woman, this book kept me on edge and wanting for more. I found myself wanting to keep reading because I was not sure what was happening to Meghan. I was questioning a lot of things that was happening in Meghan's brain in the sense of she just couldn't stop herself and was putting herself in sticky situations. She was so wrapped up in the lives of other people that things just kept snowballing. I did feel for her being a nurse and having those hard days with patients and just wanting to save them all.

Twists in books are hit or misses with me and in this I truly did not see them coming (oh yes there are multiple ones).

I paired my reading with the audiobook and I thought Andi Arndt did a fabulous job narrating! She has one of those voices that make the listening very easy and mixed with the storyline, kept me engaged. I felt that the audiobook would have been easy to follow if I did not have the text.

The topics in this book were heavy and I would proceed with caution while reading.

Thank you so much to 831 Stories for an advance copy of this!!

This book will be published on September 10th.

"How obvious is it?"
"Oh, you're both total goners."

I first heard of this book while listening to a podcast and I immediately knew it would be for me. And lord did it deliver.
This is a novella and as much as I thought this was the perfect length, I selfishly can't help but wonder how the author would have stretched this into a full length book. But because it was a novella, the pacing was quick and I constantly just wanted to keep reading.

I absolutely loved both Maya and Charlie. Maya is this force in the political world as a strategist and has this opportunity to meet her childhood crush Charlie Blake who wants her to use her talent on his musical comeback. I had to laugh at Maya with her internal monologue when it came to talking and the initial meeting with Charlie. "I used to think my life would really start the day Charlie Blake knew my name." It just felt relatable. Even now being almost 40, I think I would become a puddle if any of my boy band crushes would reach out to me. Heck even if they look my way during a concert. I just really loved how their relationship grew from this professional meeting to slowly they couldn't stop chatting and being around one another. Their chemistry was so strong and Charlie was so enamoured by Maya. He was smitten from the very beginning.

I just enjoyed this book from start to end. The whole wedding scene was my absolute favorite between Maya and Kate to Maya and Charlie. I am still thinking about the two and hope they are happy together traveling the world!

Thank you so much to the author Sophie Andrews for the advance copy of her book!

This book will be out on August 8th.

Once again Sophie has made me fall in love with one of her single daddies! Each book in this series so far has been such a joy and I think this may be my new favorite.

I absolutely loved this one from start to finish! We are once again reunited with the man of the Single Dads Club & the honorary member Nate. Jude has been special from the start. He is a widow with two children and is battling with himself over how or if should try to date again. Enter his best friend Brooke. They had such a great friendship that started prior to his wife's passing. Brooke did not have it easy herself, fighting cancer (which caused her to lose the ability to have children) & having a partner who left her when she was in the thick of her treatment. "Because he'd made me feel like I had nothing to offer anyone anymore, and if he didn't want me, who would?" She was such a strong female character which made her come off real. Which honestly is what is so great about Andrews writing is that she writes these characters that you not only feel like you know but feel like you could see in a grocery store. Plus hello, we need more big men in books!!! 

Just like with Andrews prior work, the banter, the swoon, the spice, all perfection! Jude was so head over heels for Brooke and as soon as they kissed, it was game over. They both felt that instant connection. She tried to play it off but as an audience we knew. She was also a goner. Jude was so patient with her and Brooke told him what she needed and liked.

"They think they'll be the ones to fix me."
"You don't need to be fixed."

I am such a fan at the way that Andrews writes not only the love interests but how she writes the main character's relationship with the others in the book. The relationship Jude's relationship with his son Sebastian pulled at my heartstrings. He misses his mom and is still grieving her and so seeing his dad with another woman really was a jolt to the gut. And poor Brooke who has come to love these children over the years having to suddenly be the enemy. I thought the way it was handled was done so well!

I cannot rave enough about this series and I highly recommend them!! I am super excited for Nate's book which will come out in early 2025 but I will also be sad because that means the series is over.

Please check this book out if you love dual POV, best friends to lovers & just a great friendship between men.

Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

This book was EVERYWHERE before it came out and after it came out. And I did not want to miss the opportunity on reading it.  When my book of the month came in and I saw the size of it, I was shocked! I had no clue that it was a 500+ page book!

I am very mixed on how to rate this so I'm going to go between a 4 & 4.5. This book had so much happening. As much as I loved that this book took place over a 25 year period, once I got further ahead I was forgetting characters and small moments that happened in the early years.  The book kept me guessing the whole way. I absolutely loved Saint and her loyalty to Patch. You only wish to have their kind of friendship. 

"People talk about one life...one chance. But I reckon a single life is made up of a dozen or more roles and and responsibilities. I can count the versions of myself like friend and foe. Mistakes are the detours that remind you of the true way, Saint. To love and be loved is more than can ever be expected, more than enough for a thousand ordinary lifetimes."

I have never read a book by Whitaker before so I was unfamiliar with his style of writing. It was different in the sense that you question things that happen on page but then you find out more about it on the next chapter. It's hard to describe what I mean unless you read it. Several times I would be like "wait what" and flip back or even look ahead. I will say I was happy that with the size of the book, the chapters were SO incredibly short. Like some were even half a page so it made you feel like you were zooming through it. 

I paired my reading with the book with the audio. I had no issue with Edoardo Ballerini as the narrator & kudos to him for tackling a 14 hr book all on his own. I was able to up the speed without any issue of the sound being weird. Having the narration really helped keeping the book moving for me. 

I am glad I read it & looking forward to talking to other readers about it.