stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)

Mini Book Review: I am giving this a 3 and it is very generous. 
There were moments where I found promising but often was left with more questions than anything. I like the idea of the twist but thought it just was not done well. I also was confused on the backstory of her father and his Guatemalan background and what it had to do with the story?  

This was a book club pick and we all felt similar in our feeling while reading. I paired my reading with the audio which helped keep my focus and the book moving but had I only done the audio I think I would've been lost until I figured out the flow since there was no indication that it was the past. 

I also am not sure what genre this is? I wouldn't call it a thriller? Maybe a mystery? A literary mystery? 

Thank you so much to Minotaur/St Martin's Press for the advance copy!

This book is out NOW!

We are four books deep into this series with 3 more to go! This series is serious such a fun time!!

This one picked up right where the 3rd one left off and what I loved about this was that it included all the characters!  I love that the setting was in Atlantic City. There was a moment that Finlay and Vero are at what they think is a restaurant and well it is not and it was such a riot! And it just made perfect sense for it to happen to them.  

Finlay and Vero are once again the best duo in books! I absolutely love their friendship and how they are ride or die for each other. They are constantly protecting one another and would do anything for the other. 

I paired this with the audio courtesy of the library and once again Angela Dawes is the best for these characters! 

My only issue with having a series is that we go a year in between and it's hard to remember what happened in the prior book. And this one was a continuation from all 4 books so it was hard to remember. With that being said I think Cosimano did her best with trying to incorporate as much backstory as she could. I think having some sort of character guide in the front would help. 

This case was solved & the end set us up for the next book!

Thank you so much to Berkley for the advance copy of this!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

 This book will be out March 12, 2024.

Listen, Lynn Painter can do no wrong. I have yet to find a book of hers that wasn't stellar. This is my second adult book of hers and last year I absolutely loved The Love Wager. And this one was no exception. I thought the concept was unique and what a meet cute (though a little out of the ordinary)!

"You cannot touch me, Steinbeck, without shattering me."
"I want to watch you shatter."

Sophie has sworn off on love after her ex fiance was cheating on her and her best friend hired an objector to object their wedding. Fast forward, the objector Max needs a favor from Sophie and for her to join her on a wedding gig. The chemistry between Sophie and Max was very apparent early on and the banter carried on throughout the book.  Max fell super hard for Sophie and you could tell he was struggling to respect her wishes to not be in a relationship. Sophie's feelings were also very complicated because she made this vow to herself that she would not fall in love again but here she was slowly falling for Max.  They both just worked so well together and became best friends throughout the course of the book. 

This was a quick read and just such a delight! I paired my reading with the audio and both narrators Helen Laser & Sean Patrick Hopkins were excellent! I really felt them as a couple while I was listening. 

If you are a fan of dual POV, fake dating, wedding shenanigans, fun banter - definitely check this out! 

PS - Why is it so sexy when a guy says "Stay the night"?!

Thank you so much to Avon for the advance copy!

I am so so mad at myself for waiting this long to read this book! I was not a fan of Dade's last book so I was hesitant to start this but after several of trusted reader friends raved about it, it was time to dive in.

This book is out now!

"You've never bored me. Not for a fraction of an instant."

I honestly thought this was going to have paranormal element (I could've sworn I read that somewhere) but it very clearly did not. A spite house was a new term for me though once I learned more about it while reading it, I realize that it definitely was not a new concept. I love that we got see Athena and Matthew meet at the engagement party before it all went downhill so we could see their spark. When Athena ended up moving in, in between the brothers (which was a choice by the author) they were forced to play nice. I am not sure if I would've done all the spiteful things that Athena did to Matthew just to agitate him. He took it with stride.

Chapter 11 to 13 were the most beautiful chapters and had me in all my feels. Matthew was just so tender and the moments between him and Athena just felt so real. And even typing this was making me emotional. We all deserve to have those individuals who will do whatever it is to make sure you are okay. "I know you're lost right now, Athena. I know you're damaged. But you're seeking new worlds sweetheart, and sometimes that's what happens." My heart just broke for Athena because she had so much change in such a short time and she never fully dealt with those changes. It just felt so relatable and turning 37 this year I felt the failures that Athena felt. It just hit me hard and made me reflect on moments in my life where I needed a Matthew.

Dade is a masterclass of writing sex scenes for plus size characters. She has a way with her words that just make you feel all those ooey gooey feelings. She knows the mechanics of the female body and the partner has the gentleness that you want to read in a romance. There was something about Matthew that was new for me in a romance and thought that was a refreshing take and unexpected. I was so happy she took advantage of their apartment proximity.

I am still rating this book high because of the emotions and reflecting it had me mentaling doing while reading. But the whole brothers triangle was just not something that I enjoyed and I knew there was going to be pain and anger regarding it as always does. Even though I thought Dade did as best as she could with the storyline and I am glad that this was a dual 3rd POV because we got to see the brothers interact. I had so many love hate moments with Johnny and though I didn't fully understand why Matthew was so against Athena in the beginning. It only makes me wonder what Johnny was telling Matthew and making her seem like she was one thing but as Matthew learned he was very incorrect about. Also the moment towards the end at the cemetery just squeezed at my heart. I actually would've loved more about their parents. Perhaps this trope would've worked for me more if there was more time between them reconnecting and not so soon after the engagement ending.

I also felt like she could have cut some parts out to make the book a tad shorter. Did we really need to get the detailed of all the audiobooks (granted I think this sets up for next book)? Or every time someone needed to google something new?

I paired my reading with the audiobook (thank you Libby) and I thought Joy Nash did such a great job narrating! She has such a playful tone and her male voice made me melt.

I am looking forward to the next book because honestly I have no idea what Karl is going to look like or anything about him! But his personality was great!

If you are a fan of Olivia definitely check this one out but proceed with caution because even with the antics and small town feels there is also a lot of real topics dealt with.

Thank you so much to St Martin's Griffin for the advance copy!

This book will be published on May 21, 2024.

This is my second book by Tarah DeWitt and after falling in love with her characters in Funny Feelings, I knew I would enjoy her other books!
Did this one hit the same way - not right away but in the second half it really took off! 
Tarah made me want to visit Spunes, OR and go to the restaurant that Fisher helped set up.

"It's been a privilege to fall in love with you, Sage."

I absolutely loved Sage!! She has been one of my favorite female characters that I have read recently. I just love her resourcefulness, her strong will and especially her relationship to those in the community. Her and her brothers crack me up and felt so believable. I also love how she took in Indy and was able to relate to her as they both lost their mother at a young age.

Fisher Lange was such a fish out of water (no pun intended) and she made him feel comfortable in the town. And I love how he came to her rescue when she was faced to face with her former long time boyfriend. It also was beautiful to see how Fisher's relationship with his niece Indy grew from the start of the book to the end. 

"Do you not like my driving?"
"No. I just prefer to keep my hands occupied."

I am not a fan of slow burns but I know that we have to have slow burns in romances. I think where I struggled is I accidentally read two slow burns in a row so I think that was part of my issue. Comparing though to the book prior to this, the relationship between Sage & Fisher was so much stronger and playful. They just seemed like they just had such fun time together and were just so attractive to each other.  They both knew each were it for them but it was too late and Fisher had to go back to his life on the East Coast. 

I love that this was a dual POV so we did get to see both sides! 

If you are looking for a chef from the city & a teacher from a small town entangled in a summer fling - check this out! 

Mini Audiobooks: I had heard such great things about this book and perhaps if I had read with my eyes or had the physical with me as I listen it would've been helpful. But I felt myself getting lost in some parts. I understood the gist of the storyline and loved Luz was the one in charge of a rum business. The chemistry between Luz and Evan was so hot! I definitely could feel their chemistry and I already know the level of spice that Adriana can write. Where I was lost was the politics of the business. It just made me lose interest.

Mini Audiobook Review: 3.5 - This was the 3rd book I read from this series and probably my least favorite of the 3. And honestly what made me knock it down was the twist at the end. I love the concept of trading places (full blame on The Parent Trap) so I was good with that trope. I love how they met and how they spent the day together. Still looking forward to listen to the rest. 

Thank you so much to Helena Hunting & Good Girls PR for the complimentary advance copy of this!

This book will be published on March 5, 2024.

This originally was not on my radar to read but then I learned I was receiving this so when it arrived I thought lets give this a go! And once I started, I could not stop reading. I'll be honest, at first I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this because off the bat Bea was kind of annoying. Which is an odd choice of word because it was used a lot (35 times) to convey the relationship Bea had with her older brother Flip but also with his best friend Tristan.

I have never read a book by Helena Hunting before so I had no idea what to expect. This book was such a fun time from start to finish.

"There's only you, okay? You're the only one."

I am trying to go through the rolodex of books in my head but I want to say this may have been my first book where the FMC falls for her brother's best friend. And I loved it! I love the secrecy, the sneaking around, the thrill of them being caught- it all just played a part in their relationship! In this case, it was a childhood friend so Bea and Tristan knew each other since they were both children through high school.

The relationship with Bea and Tristan was such a journey from being enemies to lovers. The tension was such a great build and I felt you knew that Tristan had something for Bea fairly early on during the first car ride. He warned Bea from the start that he was going to be rough but would never hurt her and I don't know why but that made him extremely attractive. As time goes on he became so protective of her.

The spice in this had me shaking my head and blushing. The clandestine hook ups, food play and the intimacy it all was A LOT. If you enjoy a lot of spicy time - you will definitely like this! There were a few things that they did had me question a lot of things and it only would works in a book LOL

I felt bad for Tristan that he could not articulate how he was feeling because it was a new feeling for him. And things with his past prevented him from taking things to the next level. I was not a fan of the 3rd act conflict but I understood why it happened, I just wish they fought and argued as oppose to breaking up. My heart broke for Bea in that moment. They both were just so in love with each other.

I was screaming (in my head) at different moments for both Bea and Tristan because I was getting so frustrated that they just need to communicate! Or they would have actions that I just did not understand.

"Some people spend their lives chasing dreams. I've spent mine chasing financial stability."

Besides the questionable sex kinks that occurred the other ick I had was the boundary between Flip and Bea while she was staying at his apartment. It took Flip way to long to realize he was disrespectful and it just was honestly quite weird that he didn't have an issue having his sexacapades while his sister was in the home. Despite this, I do love the closeness of their relationship as siblings.

I do wish there was a little more hockey involvement in this book. I wish we could have seen Bea at more games or somehow incorporate the games into the book. I did love the after game parts and the intensity Tristan felt watching Bea at the club - SO HOT.

This is a little bit longer of a romance book than I am used to (448 pages) and honestly I felt like it went by pretty quick.

I *think* I know who the second book will star but I am anxious to see who the couple will be! I hope we get a book for Flip because I want to see him in a health relationship.

If you are looking for a spicy SPICY brother best friend with a dash of hockey - check this out!

Thank you so much to Hachette Audio & Forever for the complimentary audio! 

I had never heard of the red string theory until this book and the concept of it is wild!!! And I really want to know how many individuals are set on this theory to find their love connection. 

I thought this was such a unique story and I'm not sure how NASA and artist go together. Not so much in the individuals themselves but bringing together their jobs but for whatever reason it worked and it brought Rooney and Jack together.  I love following them through their first meeting and essentially date in New York City.  I thought they had such great chemistry during this and I could feel their attraction when they were able to reconnect in California. Even with things being predictable I still was interested in their story and their back and forth proving that they were in fact brought together by fate. 

Rooney's relationship with her mother was beautiful. I love how close they were and how much Rooney admires her mom. I love that she wants to make it in the art world without her mom's help.  

I thought both narrators Yu-Li Alice Shen and Andrew Grace did a great job with their characters! I thought the narration was so creative and both narrators would talk back and forth in conversation. I hope this becomes a new trend when we have dual POVs with dual narration. It just really adds that extra element to the listening. 

I really enjoyed this and can't wait to go back to read Lunar Love! 

Mini Audiobook Review: I absolutely loved everything about this! This was such a great novella from start to finish. I thought this was such a unique romance. Rosie is so relatable feeling no good enough and constantly comparing herself to her sister. I thought Leo was such a kind, patient man who made her feel so comfortable while being trapped for 3 hours.

I thought the audio was excellent with the sound effects of how the voices were outside the spa float.
Bailey Carr did great as the narrator.