I got an ARC from Edelweiss and Berkley for an honest review.

I like the idea, two writers with a history of knowing each other and using each other to be better (without each other knowing), end up next door to each other on a lake to write their upcoming great works. They can't, they both have writer's block. They trade genres, he writes romance, and she writes literary fiction. It was a fun read, but I found it lacking.

I don't know if it is just me or the time I read this, but I didn't think the characters connected on the page, they do connect, but I didn't peg them to have a HEA be together at the end, and I would have been okay. The ending felt rushed and forced compared to the rest of the book.

This book would make a great movie because I kept seeing it played out in my head, the book was good, but it felt heavy-handed at timekeeping with tropes and protocols of a RomCom.

Tropes - Enemies to Lovers, Close Proximity

I received an ARC from Edelweiss and Haymarket for an honest review.

I like Rebecca Solnit, and I enjoy her books. Her books have always been her writings from other publications put together with a theme. So there are articles that I find more interesting than others.

I received an ARC from Edelweiss and TarcherPerigee for an honest review.

I usually like history and history books with lots of historical moments, but every story had a moral. History isn't fairy tales.

If you don't usually read history and you want a super irreverent nod to history, this is your book. I felt the book consistent need to bring it to modern-day and with a moral was a little monotonous.

It was my reward for finishing up a big work project. It was quick and dirty and worth it.

You have to go in knowing that it's taboo, but only slightly.

Anyway, no regrets.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Atria for an honest review.

I have never been so confused about a book in a while. Honestly, I don't usually go for the "summer beach reads," but the premise sounds interesting.

The main character, Daphne, is an influencer who is not a size four and just lands a big fashion deal. Yay. That's cool. I like that realization of how influencing an online platform is all about selling yourself, and that is, in fact, a subject through the book. Fine. That plot I could deal with, and it was pretty solid for the first 50 percent of the book. Daphne gets invited/forced into being an old best friend's wedding as the maid of honor because Drue doesn't' have friends anymore. They had a massive falling out that included an online video of said fallout. It was ugly. Drue screwed everyone over, and on her wedding day, she needs to bribe and even pay people to be in the wedding party.

Anyway, it was hard to take the book seriously, and that was the point until the middle of the book changes the tone completely, and then that is when I was about to end it, but I kept reading anyway.

There is a murder, and Daphne is involved and must solve it. It just gets ridiculous, and I had a hard time caring about the plot. The book could have ended, and it would have been a nice novella.

The prologue made no sense, and whenever the novel tries to bring it into play, it just doesn't work.

I was continually pulled out of the book. I would sit there, reread a sentence, and wishing it was the first 50 percent of the book. I like taking on big ideas about selling ourselves online and being happy with yourself and removing people in our life that cause heartache. Whatever good that author did at the beginning was removed with the murder mystery plot that we suddenly have to solve.

This book is a weird beach read because it is not easy. There is a murder, which is fine but I wasn't expecting it. And it felt like two books smashed together. I am reading an ARC, so hopefully, the final/printed copy is fleshed out more.

I received an ARC from Edelweiss & NetGalley and St. Martin's for an honest review.

Delightful fun read.

I do have a problem with a newspaper or a book that doesn't have a historical date in mind, none of the books in this series do. I know it is a historical romance, but the History teacher in me wants a time or a period. With that, there was nothing in the book to place the story, which means a lot was vague or not discussed.

I also found the amnesia storyline a tad problematic. All the liberties with someone who doesn't remember who they are - pushing it. I get it is a historical romance, but still, it bothered me.

But delightful nonetheless.

I enjoyed the first book in this series (4 stars). This book felt off in all the places.

First, it starts with the wedding of the Hero & Heroine, Sebastian, and Eliza, from the first book. Which was an odd thing considering that is usually the ending or as part of the epilogue of the original book. It didn't work here. Finally, get to the main characters of this book, Caroline and Leopold, whose chemistry is that there is no chemistry. It felt forced and convenient. Their personalities seem young, but I don't think they are supposed to feel that way. They went from not likely each other to suddenly kissing each other 48 percent into the book. But none of the characters had personal growth that you tend to look for in a romance.

I was always taken out of the book by the made-up country that made it feel more like Disney than it should - which I didn't have a problem within the first book. Also, there is a secondary subplot about sex-trafficking that is not done well in the ARC. It made more problems for the characters to deal with as a plot device and was confusing because it wasn't clear and only implied, which made it worse.

There were moments of delightfulness.

I received an ARC from Edelweiss and HQN for an honest review.

The Beauty and the Beast trope is one of my favorites! Because usually there is a book reading and a library involved - somehow ;). It's the best part of the Disney movie.

Thea becomes penniless and titleless when her father betrays his country and is hung (which all happens before the book). She works a few jobs that she is not good at because she never had to do manual labor for pay before and ends up bargirl that is own by the Treweloves. Benedict sitting in his sister's bar, drinks, and watches this barkeep that is far above her station, and he is intrigued. He is never intrigued. Banter and attraction ensue, and waiting for "protection" commences.

Benedict offers her a job more suited to her, and that is to teach the rest of the Harlots that works in a building he owns, so he can finally shut down the brothel and move on. He was never the pimp but offered sanctuary and protection for those; this was the only source of income but wants to shut it down and do something else. So he entices Thea to work for him. She agrees with a counteroffer - to teach her to be a seductress so she can control her fate. Of course, its a historical romance and we know how that will go. But Benedict agrees knowing full well he is not going to let her go.

Heath is very good at creating great stories with emotion and always something more profound.

I highly recommend it. Enjoy the ending of a delightful series.

I received an ARC from Avon and Edelweiss for an honest review.