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stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)
Thank you so much to Jenny L Howe, St Martin Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!
I am so excited that more and more books with a female plus size MC is starting to be published. I am glad that I was able to get an advance copy of this.
Allison Avery is achieving her goals and got into the PhD program that she worked her whole life to get to. Everything was going well in her life until she sees her ex Colin Benjamin on campus. Upon seeing him, Allison immediately gets flashbacks of their past together and of course the ending of their relationship. They learn they would be working together as teaching assistant's to a professor, it forces them to have to put differences aside to teach a class on Medieval Literature. Let the fun begin!
"You' don't like happy endings?"
"I think the problem is more that I like them too much. No one gets that in real life. People deserve happy endings and not enough get them."
Allison and Colin. Colin was put through the ringer by Allison. I understand her reservation for not wanting to trust Colin but she could not get out of her own way to have a genuine relationship until the end. The character Allison was someone who I had a lot of issues with. I wanted to like her but it was just so hard. When she shined, she really did but the competitiveness was TOO much. I was feeling bad for Colin because she would just not let up. He was pushing back at her games. Don't get me wrong Colin was not perfect. Things would happen and instead of discussing before hand, kind of figuring to ask for forgiveness in the aftermath.
But with that being said, I really do love Colin and Allison together. There were so many swooon worthy moments and it made me really happy that Allison reconciled with Colin. I love the car ride and having the history he knew the complex relationship she had with her parents. There was a moment at the end when we found out he was at a certain place and it just made my heart melt. They brought out the best in each other and also the worse in each other. I really love how Allison tried her best to be there for Colin when he was going through family issues. I also loved that Colin loves Allison for all that she is - the good and the bad. Her size was never an issue between them. He loved her body as it was. And Allison loved her body for all that is was too.
I do wish we got an epilogue to follow up on the beautiful couple. Bonus content please?? : wink wink :
I was really proud of Allison for sticking up for herself and giving herself a boundary with her parents. I was upset at her mom for not respecting Allison's boundary back. The relationship with her dad was complicated as she was always showing up for him but he would not give her the respect she deserve.
I cannot wait to see what other characters Jenny has in store for us in the future!
I am so excited that more and more books with a female plus size MC is starting to be published. I am glad that I was able to get an advance copy of this.
Allison Avery is achieving her goals and got into the PhD program that she worked her whole life to get to. Everything was going well in her life until she sees her ex Colin Benjamin on campus. Upon seeing him, Allison immediately gets flashbacks of their past together and of course the ending of their relationship. They learn they would be working together as teaching assistant's to a professor, it forces them to have to put differences aside to teach a class on Medieval Literature. Let the fun begin!
"You' don't like happy endings?"
"I think the problem is more that I like them too much. No one gets that in real life. People deserve happy endings and not enough get them."
Allison and Colin. Colin was put through the ringer by Allison. I understand her reservation for not wanting to trust Colin but she could not get out of her own way to have a genuine relationship until the end. The character Allison was someone who I had a lot of issues with. I wanted to like her but it was just so hard. When she shined, she really did but the competitiveness was TOO much. I was feeling bad for Colin because she would just not let up. He was pushing back at her games. Don't get me wrong Colin was not perfect. Things would happen and instead of discussing before hand, kind of figuring to ask for forgiveness in the aftermath.
But with that being said, I really do love Colin and Allison together. There were so many swooon worthy moments and it made me really happy that Allison reconciled with Colin. I love the car ride and having the history he knew the complex relationship she had with her parents. There was a moment at the end when we found out he was at a certain place and it just made my heart melt. They brought out the best in each other and also the worse in each other. I really love how Allison tried her best to be there for Colin when he was going through family issues. I also loved that Colin loves Allison for all that she is - the good and the bad. Her size was never an issue between them. He loved her body as it was. And Allison loved her body for all that is was too.
I do wish we got an epilogue to follow up on the beautiful couple. Bonus content please?? : wink wink :
I was really proud of Allison for sticking up for herself and giving herself a boundary with her parents. I was upset at her mom for not respecting Allison's boundary back. The relationship with her dad was complicated as she was always showing up for him but he would not give her the respect she deserve.
I cannot wait to see what other characters Jenny has in store for us in the future!
Thank you so much to Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone, Avon Books, Harper Collins & NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book will be published on September 20, 2022.
This has been one of my most anticipated reads for the year ever since the premise of this book was announced. I mean a plus size female main character and a former boy band member working on a movie?! This was made for Stephanie.
"I love making people happy and nothing brings more joy than Christmas and titties."
Porn star Bianca Von Honey is looking to expand her career to what she always wanted - to be an actress. Going by her real name Bee Hobbes, she has the opportunity to star in Hope Channel's holiday film "Duke The Halls" alongside her boy band crush Nolan Shaw. What Bee doesn't know is that Nolan also has a crush on her as he is a loyal subscriber to her Closed Door account. They both needed this project to work as Nolan struggling to remain afloat once his boy band era fizzled and Bee trying to not be cancelled due to her career as a sex worker.
"I love you in the dark. I love you in the light. I love you everywhere."
This book was so much fun and had everything that you want in a romance read. I was already a fan of Julie's work but had not yet gotten to read any of Sierra's work yet so I was really excited to read this. She definitely brought allll the spice to life. In today's culture, as fan of public figures we tend to think that we know that said figure. In this book was no exception,
I am torn in how I feel about Nolan and Bee's relationship. Nolan felt as if he knew Bee and Bee felt like she knew Nolan. I like to think that with all the down time on set and off, they really got to know each other and connect on a deeper level. Sometimes it felt as if they were just living out each other fantasies.
But I also love that Nolan's feelings for Bee were known right away. I felt that his developed sooner than hers did. Not much further being but just a tad. It also just made me giggle with his time with the trusty gingerbread lotion (iykyk). I love Bee's relationship with her moms and the friendships she made with those that she has worked with on set. I also love that Bee was not apologetic about her body. She loves it, she embraces it and doesn't let it affect her goals. I also love that not only was Bee bisexual but Nolan was as well. I feel that the times I see bisexuality represented it is just the female so it was refreshing to have a male mc be bisexual as well.
This book also shed light on how the treatment sex workers are treated. Bee became the subject to many articles (good and bad) and unwarranted comments.
I also paired this book with the audio thanks to Harper Collins Audio for a copy of the audio!
I really love the female narrator, Joy Nash was absolutely perfect for Bee Hobbes. The male narrator Sebastian York, was okay. I think this was more of a me issue because I had a voice in my head of how he was going to sound. Though by the end, I felt that he brought Nolan to life and it was hard to not hear any other kind of voice.
I really hope that Julie and Sierra continue to work together on future projects.
I really like the style that they both brought to the book.
This book will be published on September 20, 2022.
This has been one of my most anticipated reads for the year ever since the premise of this book was announced. I mean a plus size female main character and a former boy band member working on a movie?! This was made for Stephanie.
"I love making people happy and nothing brings more joy than Christmas and titties."
Porn star Bianca Von Honey is looking to expand her career to what she always wanted - to be an actress. Going by her real name Bee Hobbes, she has the opportunity to star in Hope Channel's holiday film "Duke The Halls" alongside her boy band crush Nolan Shaw. What Bee doesn't know is that Nolan also has a crush on her as he is a loyal subscriber to her Closed Door account. They both needed this project to work as Nolan struggling to remain afloat once his boy band era fizzled and Bee trying to not be cancelled due to her career as a sex worker.
"I love you in the dark. I love you in the light. I love you everywhere."
This book was so much fun and had everything that you want in a romance read. I was already a fan of Julie's work but had not yet gotten to read any of Sierra's work yet so I was really excited to read this. She definitely brought allll the spice to life. In today's culture, as fan of public figures we tend to think that we know that said figure. In this book was no exception,
I am torn in how I feel about Nolan and Bee's relationship. Nolan felt as if he knew Bee and Bee felt like she knew Nolan. I like to think that with all the down time on set and off, they really got to know each other and connect on a deeper level. Sometimes it felt as if they were just living out each other fantasies.
But I also love that Nolan's feelings for Bee were known right away. I felt that his developed sooner than hers did. Not much further being but just a tad. It also just made me giggle with his time with the trusty gingerbread lotion (iykyk). I love Bee's relationship with her moms and the friendships she made with those that she has worked with on set. I also love that Bee was not apologetic about her body. She loves it, she embraces it and doesn't let it affect her goals. I also love that not only was Bee bisexual but Nolan was as well. I feel that the times I see bisexuality represented it is just the female so it was refreshing to have a male mc be bisexual as well.
This book also shed light on how the treatment sex workers are treated. Bee became the subject to many articles (good and bad) and unwarranted comments.
I also paired this book with the audio thanks to Harper Collins Audio for a copy of the audio!
I really love the female narrator, Joy Nash was absolutely perfect for Bee Hobbes. The male narrator Sebastian York, was okay. I think this was more of a me issue because I had a voice in my head of how he was going to sound. Though by the end, I felt that he brought Nolan to life and it was hard to not hear any other kind of voice.
I really hope that Julie and Sierra continue to work together on future projects.
I really like the style that they both brought to the book.
Audiobook: I am not sure what to add that hasn't already been said. If you grew up watching Disney or Nickelodeon, you may have interest to see insights into child stardom of the 2000s/2010s. This is super heavy and if you saw Jennette on your screen, you may not have noticed anything was ever wrong. I remember hearing comments after the fact from Jennette about how unhappy she was that her mom put her into show business but never knew the extent of it. It makes me wonder how many other child actors went through similar experiences between their parents and/or the adults around them. My guess is more than not which makes it all so much sadder.
I will not be rating Non Fiction books as it is based on real events and real experiences.
I will not be rating Non Fiction books as it is based on real events and real experiences.
I really enjoyed this one! I thought this had a different premise compared to other romance books out there. I mean, how many modern romances are second chance mix with treasure hunting and also lets throw in some fighting and a death??? I don't watch Yellowstone but I have seen bits and pieces from when my husband watches it and I immediately thought of the ranch on the show. I love that there were two narrators with the dual point of views.
Audiobooks: I had to see what all the hype was about! This was an enjoyable listen. I kind of wish there were 3 narrators as at first I didn't realize there were 3 POVs. But once I got that all straightened out, things came together. I kind of figured out what was going to happen midway through but it still made it enjoyable. If you don't want a romance or thriller and looking for a delightful found family book, check this one out!
Thank you so much to Mazey Eddings, St Martins, MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
THis will be published on Sept 6th, 2022.
I'm just going to put it out there, this will likely be in my top 5 books of the year.
Quick recap before I go on about how much I adore this book:
Lizzie meets Rake.
A weekend hookup that wasn't supposed to go beyond that, ended in a surprise pregnancy.
Lizzie and Rake navigating what they are to each other and how they were going to raise the baby.
As prefaced above, I absolutely loved this book! I was a fan of Eddings debut release A Brush With Love so I knew I had to check out her next book.
This blew all my expectations. I will admit that I was nervous because I have not read any books with an unexpectedly pregnancy and wasn't sure how I would feel regarding the trope. I am not sure how other books handled it to compare it to but I thought it was handled very well. As someone who has struggled with fertility, I like that Eddings acknowledged that pregnancies don't always make it past the first trimester and the fear that comes with that.
"I'm scared," she said whispered at last. Although it seemed impossible, Rake hugged her even tighter. "Me too."
I stayed up way past anyones bedtime to finish this and so many times I wanted to scream at them both because they clearly loved each other but yet neither wanted to admit it (darn miscommunication trope). Lizzie and Rake's relationship on paper should not have worked but yet they worked perfectly together. But they were each other's ying and yang. Edding's dialogue between the characters were crafted so well. I was giggling to myself at the stuff Lizzie would say and then at Rake's response as he would play along with her.
In Edding's Acknowledgements she mentions her ADHD and knowing that made all the sense of how she was able to make Lizzie's ADHD so believable and real. I love seeing how Lizzie worked through and overcame so much throughout the course of the book. She knows where her struggles are and does her best to rectify them even if it doesn't always work or half works.
"I make a lot of mistakes. But I'm trying. Does that matter to you at all? The effort I make to be better?"
Her conversation in the last quarter of the book with her mother was raw and honest. And once again proving that setting boundaries and removing toxic people from your life (even if its family) is so important to do. I was so proud of Lizzie for standing up to her mother.
Rake has been added to my list of top tier book boyfriend of 2022. I had even tweeted the author to express my love of Rake and his Australian accent. This once again proves that I fall for men only written by women.
And for those who are into the spicy bits in books, this one delivers! I think it was a mix of Edding's writing and my feelings towards Rake that made it all so so enjoyable.
I have also paired this with the audio. I really love that there were two narrators - one for Lizzie and one for Rake. I thought they both did an excellent job and had wonderful inflection and tone throughout the book. I thought Will Peter's Australian accent was well done. Summer Morton's softness came across in Lizzie's vulnerable times.
One of my favorites quotes comes from the author in her acknowledgements - "Every brain is beautiful, and they all deserve love exactly as they are." No truer words have been said. Thank you Mazey!
THis will be published on Sept 6th, 2022.
I'm just going to put it out there, this will likely be in my top 5 books of the year.
Quick recap before I go on about how much I adore this book:
Lizzie meets Rake.
A weekend hookup that wasn't supposed to go beyond that, ended in a surprise pregnancy.
Lizzie and Rake navigating what they are to each other and how they were going to raise the baby.
As prefaced above, I absolutely loved this book! I was a fan of Eddings debut release A Brush With Love so I knew I had to check out her next book.
This blew all my expectations. I will admit that I was nervous because I have not read any books with an unexpectedly pregnancy and wasn't sure how I would feel regarding the trope. I am not sure how other books handled it to compare it to but I thought it was handled very well. As someone who has struggled with fertility, I like that Eddings acknowledged that pregnancies don't always make it past the first trimester and the fear that comes with that.
"I'm scared," she said whispered at last. Although it seemed impossible, Rake hugged her even tighter. "Me too."
I stayed up way past anyones bedtime to finish this and so many times I wanted to scream at them both because they clearly loved each other but yet neither wanted to admit it (darn miscommunication trope). Lizzie and Rake's relationship on paper should not have worked but yet they worked perfectly together. But they were each other's ying and yang. Edding's dialogue between the characters were crafted so well. I was giggling to myself at the stuff Lizzie would say and then at Rake's response as he would play along with her.
In Edding's Acknowledgements she mentions her ADHD and knowing that made all the sense of how she was able to make Lizzie's ADHD so believable and real. I love seeing how Lizzie worked through and overcame so much throughout the course of the book. She knows where her struggles are and does her best to rectify them even if it doesn't always work or half works.
"I make a lot of mistakes. But I'm trying. Does that matter to you at all? The effort I make to be better?"
Her conversation in the last quarter of the book with her mother was raw and honest. And once again proving that setting boundaries and removing toxic people from your life (even if its family) is so important to do. I was so proud of Lizzie for standing up to her mother.
Rake has been added to my list of top tier book boyfriend of 2022. I had even tweeted the author to express my love of Rake and his Australian accent. This once again proves that I fall for men only written by women.
And for those who are into the spicy bits in books, this one delivers! I think it was a mix of Edding's writing and my feelings towards Rake that made it all so so enjoyable.
I have also paired this with the audio. I really love that there were two narrators - one for Lizzie and one for Rake. I thought they both did an excellent job and had wonderful inflection and tone throughout the book. I thought Will Peter's Australian accent was well done. Summer Morton's softness came across in Lizzie's vulnerable times.
One of my favorites quotes comes from the author in her acknowledgements - "Every brain is beautiful, and they all deserve love exactly as they are." No truer words have been said. Thank you Mazey!
Audiobook: I was really nervous going into this to one as the reviews for this has been one extreme or the other. And I am happy to report that I really enjoyed it! I was very curious where the story was going to go and when I thought I knew what was going to happen per usual I was wrong. I will say as much as the narrator was fine in their inflection, the voice did sound older which made me think the female MC was much older than 35. This may continue to be a hit or miss among thriller lovers but I really enjoyed it.
Audiobook - I have waited too long to do my review so now my memory is a little foggy.
I do remember that sometimes I would get my timelines confused; that could be part of the trade off doing the audio. I love the working dynamic between the two and they knew that they could create magic. If you enjoy books about books - check this one out!
I do remember that sometimes I would get my timelines confused; that could be part of the trade off doing the audio. I love the working dynamic between the two and they knew that they could create magic. If you enjoy books about books - check this one out!
Audiobook: This one is probably my favorite of the 3 novellas.
I love the chemistry between Ian and Hannah.
I love the chemistry between Ian and Hannah.
Thank you so much to Courtney Kae, NetGalley & Kensington Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book will be published on August 30th.
"Romance novels should be flaunted with pride."
After a scandal with a client, Morgan retreats back to her hometown to get a well deserved break from event planning. Though workaholic can't stay away from planning too long, she gets tricked into planning a fundraiser to help save her childhood best friend's business from the big business that has been taking over. Morgan did not leave her hometown on the best of terms so she has to work to rebuild her relationship with her old friends and family. One relationship she was most unsure about was with her former best friend turn crush Rachel Reed. It was a rocky start but once they had a heart to heart things fell into place.
"I want to be overwhelmed by you. All of you."
Ya'll this was a great book to kick off the start of the new holiday releases! This book had everything I needed in a queer romance. This has been labeled as a queer Hallmark movie and honestly it does. My Hallmark viewing has declined over the years (just not enough time in the day) but if they were like this, then perhaps I would make the time to watch more.
I was really excited to have read a second chance romance. It's not a trope I find myself reading a whole lot of and I loved it. Of course there was some force proximity which is a favorite trope of mine. I was rooting for Rachel and Morgan throughout the book and knew that they just had to have their happily ever after. Also the SPICE in this was so hot!!
I would never have thought from the way this was written that this was a debut book. The dialogue, the descriptions were crafted so well and flowed beautifully.
I am looking forward to the new book in the series & can't see where the characters from Fern Falls go!
This book will be published on August 30th.
"Romance novels should be flaunted with pride."
After a scandal with a client, Morgan retreats back to her hometown to get a well deserved break from event planning. Though workaholic can't stay away from planning too long, she gets tricked into planning a fundraiser to help save her childhood best friend's business from the big business that has been taking over. Morgan did not leave her hometown on the best of terms so she has to work to rebuild her relationship with her old friends and family. One relationship she was most unsure about was with her former best friend turn crush Rachel Reed. It was a rocky start but once they had a heart to heart things fell into place.
"I want to be overwhelmed by you. All of you."
Ya'll this was a great book to kick off the start of the new holiday releases! This book had everything I needed in a queer romance. This has been labeled as a queer Hallmark movie and honestly it does. My Hallmark viewing has declined over the years (just not enough time in the day) but if they were like this, then perhaps I would make the time to watch more.
I was really excited to have read a second chance romance. It's not a trope I find myself reading a whole lot of and I loved it. Of course there was some force proximity which is a favorite trope of mine. I was rooting for Rachel and Morgan throughout the book and knew that they just had to have their happily ever after. Also the SPICE in this was so hot!!
I would never have thought from the way this was written that this was a debut book. The dialogue, the descriptions were crafted so well and flowed beautifully.
I am looking forward to the new book in the series & can't see where the characters from Fern Falls go!