Book Review: Savage Lover by Sophie Lark

This was a bit of a stepdown. It just felt a lot younger than the previous books. Camille and Nero are both around 25 but they act like they’re in high school. 

I feel like this was supposed to be a bully romance, but it actually isn’t. I like that because I usually have issues with bully romances. 

Camille was easy to like and connect with. She rides the line of “not like other girls.” Nero is a manwhore with a heart of gold. He’s definitely all about the mafia life and supporting his family. But they also weren’t quite as developed as I would’ve liked.

Speaking of under-developed: when did Nero and Camille fall in love? I enjoyed the steamy scenes, but I don't know why they ever actually got together. It kind of just happened. 

Even though this wasn't my favorite, I plan on continuing with the series.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Love on the Brain is my favorite Hazelwood so far. I’m not bothered by the repetitive nature of her stories…yet. I think she does need to branch out a little bit or people will get bored.

What I liked in this one is the same I liked in her other books. Bee was easy to like and she was competent. I’m a sucker for a competent character. I like that she isn’t a stereotype and she isn’t an awkward nerd.

Levi was cute and a great hero. He kind of felt like Josh from The Hating Game. I mean it’s a similar plot so I guess that makes sense.

The romance was predictable and Bee was kind of oblivious to Levi’s feelings. I’m pretty observant, but she was really bad. That was one of the things that bothered me.

Speaking of oblivious, that ending. It escalated quickly and I’m not sure I saw teh build up. Is this only me?

Like the other Hazelwood books, I read this by audio book. I highly recommend it and thought the narrator did a spectacular job. I should seek out more books she’s narrated.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Devil of Dublin by B.B. Easton

I have a lot of feelings about this one. I’m hoping I can explain them and work through how I feel.

First, this cover stopped me from reading this book for a while. The guy on the cover screams F-boy. I had to prepare myself for that type of hero. Kellen is definitely not that character. He’s a quiet and damaged man. I just get a different vibe from the cover than the story actually has. 

The use of the past storytelling was very well done. It doesn’t always add to the story. This one did work and I quickly grew close to Darby and Kellen. I actually started crying around 25% in the middle of my hair appointment. 

There’s a lot of trauma being dealt with here by both characters. Most of it occurred off-page but some was on-page. Ms. Easton has detailed content warnings on her website. Because of these traumas, I would’ve preferred more time to pass. It just made me feel like the relationship was a bit unhealthy. Easton does address this eventually which I appreciated. 

This was definitely dark and there were high stakes. I was curious how Easton was going to resolve the conflicts she set up. I was fairly satisfied with it. 

I found some of the intimate scenes to be a little off. I was occasionally confused about what was going on. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention, but I re-read several pages so I don’t think so. Maybe it’s because the characters were disassociating. 

Overall, I enjoyed this. But I would’ve liked some things to be more finished. I would recommend this. And I would read more B.B. Easton, but I’m not running out to pick up her backlist.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Husband Material by Alexis Hall

Starting reviews is so hard. 

I enjoyed this and was happy the first book wasn’t a fluke for me. But the ending was a bit of a let down. I can see why people wouldn’t like this one. There’s basically no steam either. Joe Jameson is a spectacular narrator. He may be one of the bests. And I now want to seek out other books he’s narrated.

A lot of this has repeated issues from the first book. If you don’t like an HEA story, I would recommend reading this one. It isn’t just pointless conflict, but I can see people being annoyed.

I would’ve preferred more Oliver-perhaps a second POV. But I almost always think a romance would be better with the second perspective. Luc can be a difficult person, but I like him. He’s fairly self-aware. I probably wouldn’t love Luc in real life, but as a book character he works. 

There were some interesting conversations here. Some surrounding Oliver’s family made me sad, but were very real. There’s a lot of discussion of what is gayness and how to express that. I’m not a member of the alphabet mafia, but I’ve thought about this, too. And I’m glad Alexis Hall didn’t avoid these conversations. 

But that ending. 

First of all, it was so drawn out. Then it was an abrupt end and I’m aware that sounds like a contradiction, but it isn’t. I can’t fully explain why it bothered me. And while I enjoyed this overall, I’m not sure I want to keep reading. I’m kind of concerned the next book will revisit the same conflicts and have the same “shock” ending.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Counterpoint by J.E. Birk

This was a fun read but I think I’ll forget it pretty quickly. I was more invested in the side relationships than the romance. I like the romance and think Aaron and Jeremy are a good couple. They are in fact good counterpoints for each other. But it also felt kind of one-note. They had the same disagreements and conversations. The side relationships with their friends, family, and work just felt deeper. I especially liked Jeremy’s family drama. It was hard to read as someone who has dealt with Alzheimer’s in my family but it felt real. Birk handled those situations well. Generally, I liked that Birk made a lot of the characters that could be villains like Benson and Jeremy’s mom real people. They had issues but you can see why they are the way they are. People are complex. This is a good addition to the World of True North and I’ll keep reading these books as the plots intrigue me.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. I think I had a bit of a bias because I heard this started as a Rylo fanfic and I’m an anti-Rylo shipper. But this ended up being adorable and gripping. My ratingin is probably more of a 4.5.

Where to start?

This made me very happy. And I read it in one day, which I wasn't expecting. I would describe this as sweet. That’s weird, because it does address some serious issues. And the steamy scenes were spectacular. There weren’t many, but it felt like the right amount. 

Hazelwood does a good job of writing well-rounded and intelligent characters. I don’t have any experience with academia, but it felt like it was there. I also am a sucker for a competent character. So, I think Hazelwood will be an auto-buy author for that reason. 

The romance was cute and well-paced. There was a huge conflict surrounding a refusal to talk to each other. I hate using that in a romance and this one lasted a long time. Olive and Adam were fake dating and I loved their conversations. Like always, I would like Adam’s perspective, but this book barely suffered from that.

The friendships here were also great. Both Olive and Adam have great friends. I love a supportive and loving friendship.

This lived up to the hype and I’m still happy I gave Ali Hazelwood a chance. Now I have to wait for more books though.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood

I wasn’t expecting to read this in one sitting, but I couldn’t stop. I would’ve loved a second pov, but I always feel that way if a romance is written from only one perspective.

This was told in a past and present way. The tension from that kept me going. I especially wanted to know what happened in the past. It was very well-paced. 

I loved the chemistry between Sadie and Erik. The banter was especially great. You could tell they were physically attracted to each other, but they’re personalities clicked, too. I don’t care about soccer, but I loved their conversations about it. The sexy times were quite steamy. I don’t remember the first one being this intense. Erik was also very kind in those scenes which was sweet. 

I’ve been enjoying my experience with Ali Hazelwood. I think I’m going to give The Love Hypothesis a try now. I’m also just waiting for my library hold on the next book in the series.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Forget Me Not by QB Tyler

I wanted to love this, but I was a bit disappointed. And it wasn’t nearly as angsty as I thought it would be. Maybe it would’ve if I read it in a shorter timespan. I read via audio if that makes a difference.

This is an interesting concept with adding amnesia to a marriage-in-trouble romance. I tend to be a fan of marriage in trouble or second chance romances. The hero did cheat on his wife which I’m not a fan of. There’s a lot of discussion surrounding miscarriage and fertility issues if that bothers you.

One reason I like this trope is because it often involves lots of deep emotion and conversations between the couple. I’m a sucker for that shit. This seemed to rely more on the sexual parts of their relationship. They did talk, but I would’ve preferred a more even split.

A lot of the conflicts are predictable here. I’m rarely bothered by that. It was annoying how quickly things were resolved-in multiple ways.

I will continue to read books by QB Tyler. I don’t know what to try next though.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark

I finished this in one sitting and stayed up until 2 AM. I haven’t done that in years so I felt I had to write a review. This was also my first Sophie Lark book.

This is a true enemies-to-lovers story. Like Callum and Aida legitimately hate each other because they’re from rival mafia families. Apparently I’m reading mafia romance a lot now. They basically try to kill each other even after they get married. They’re forced to marry by their fathers to bring peace to the families.

Initially, I thought this was slow. But it actually makes sense. There’s true animosity between Callum and Aida. It would be unrealistic for them to fall in love or move on from those feelings. That time really helped me buy into the romance. It also doesn’t stop them from having some spicy hate sex.

Callum and Aida grew to have a very strong romance. They understood and pushed each other in ways the other people in their lives didn’t. I especially loved when Callum would show respect to Aida. They had these little sweet moments.

I was intrigued by both of their siblings. That’s probably a good thing because the other books in the series are about them. I’m into the family dynamics here.

I would’ve liked an epilogue or something, but I always do. I do get why she didn’t do that. I’m hopeful I’ll get to see these two in future books. I’ll definitely keep reading the series, but I want to finish the other mafia romance series I’m reading right now.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Seatmate by Cara Bastone

It’s official, Cara Bastone is a favorite author. I need to pick up her full-length books. I also need to re-read Sweet Talk so I can decide if this is replacing it as a favvorite. 

This takes place in a day-less than a full day. But I completely fell in love with these characters and their story. It’s so cute and has those rom-com feels. There’s tons of situational comedy which is done very well. It is a clean romance-I don’t think they even kiss, but they have great chemistry.

Sam, the hero, is a great guy. Bastone writes nice guys so well. He cares about his family and friends. I also just realized his friend Vera is probably the Vera from Call Me Maybe. I loved him and then he mentioned toe beans and I fell completely in love.

Gwen is equally great. She’s confident in who she is. She’s also unique without being a “not like other girls” heroine. I loved how she pushed and supported Sam.

The romance was adorable and made me so happy. LIked I just had a huge smile on my face the whole time. Even though it’s short, Sam and Gwen also have their own journeys. BAstone successfully put so much in this story. 

Audible, again, did a great job with the audio book production. Each narrator was amazing and that background noises madde this really come alive. I’m really curious if the two main narrators record together or not. I know they usually don’t, but the chemistry here feels like it had to be together. 

I highly recommend this!
Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Love Lessons by Sarina Bowen

I will never not be excited to return the Brooklyn and these characters. And as many of the (now) side characters have grown and evolved.

This has a trope I struggle to describe. IT’s the the “I’ll teach you about smexy times so you can impress someone else.” It isn’t my favorite, but Sarina Bowen has some sort of witchcraft that makes me enjoy a trope I normally don’t. 

Vera and Ian are neighbors who have some conflict-mainly on Vera’s end. He is an enforcer for the Brooklyn Bruisers and is dealing with a fight that went bad last season. Vera is a shylist who recently started her own business. She’s also friends with Charli and Neal from the previous book. While there is some animosity, Vera and Ian are very physically attracted to each other.

The bulk of this takes place in Italy. Vera, Ian, and other Bruisers/Bombshells go on a summer trip to Italy. Brooklyn’s great, but it’s nice to travel a bit.

This definitely felt a bit steamier than other Brooklyn books, but maybe it’s just been too long since I read those. I love the chemistry between Vera and Ian. It felt real and organic. It did occasionally feel like Vera was more important, but overall I was happy with them.

I listened to this on audio and I definitely recommend that version. Both Joe Arden and Rose Dioro brought these characters to life beautifully. 

As long as Sarina keeps writing these books, I’ll keep buying and reading them.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Rivalry by Nikki Sloane

This was a roller coaster of a read. It’s pretty dramatic and sometimes felt like too much. Around 50% it started to drop off but picked back up in the last quarter.

I went to a college with an intense rivalry. Our rival was in the next town over so that added to it. But tons of girls from my school dates (and married) guys from the other college. So, I appreciate the rivalry aspect, but this was extreme. You kind of just have to suspend rivalry. 

Kayla and Jay have very good chemistry. They also explore that chemistry often. Kayla occasionally uses sex as a distraction. I liked when Jay realized that. He was an incredibly observant partner. I also love when authors use sex/sex scenes to explore characters and further plot.

Back to the rivalry conflict. I did have a bit of an issue with Kayla. She was incredibly irrational about it. At first it was funny, but it started to feel immature. I was really confused with how Sloane would resolve this. I was gripped. 

I’m still enjoying Nikki Sloane. I’m not sure where to go next though.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Legacy by Elle Kennedy

Since this is four novellas, I thought I would go through each one and then to a little wrap-up review on the whole thing.

The Pact-5 Stars

Ah my sweet babies, Grace and Logan. I love everyone in the Off Campus series, but they are my favorite couple. I’ve actually read this before because it was a holiday freebie. I still loved it.

Grace and Logan are struggling with being physically separated. I actually enjoy that type of story and seeing them work through the issues. This still had so much humor. Kennedy does a great job with situational humor. I also love the whole “pact” conversation. I feel like I could’ve reacted just like Grace in that situation. I would also be offended if my boyfriend refused to eat me in the event of my demise.

The Proposal-5 Stars

I forgot how much I love Allie and Dean. Especially Dean. He’s so over-the-top and cocky, but in a completely loveable way. It takes real skill as a writer to strike that balance.

Again we have a couple with some issues. Dean really wants to propose, but Allie isn’t ready for what comes after an engagement. It was interesting to see their reasons for everything.

Oh, andDean just thinking about Beau really hit me in the feels. I also forget how great the friendships are in these books are. The guys joking around and supporting each other is the best.

The Honeymoon-5 Stars

This may be more a 4.5, but I’m just embracing the nostalgia and rounding up. This is the only couple whose original book I’ve only read once so I’m not as emotionally invested in Sabrina and Tucker as the others.

Their honeymoon was quite the adventure. It's over-the-top ridiculous and I thought it was hilarious. It gave me Adam Sandler rom-com vibes. And I’m here for that. 

The drama with that pushes Sabrina and Tucker to talk about underlying issues. It felt like a very realy conflict for parents and I appreciated it. This made me want to re-read their original book.

The Legacy-5 Stars

If you want a cute and fluffy epilogue novella, you’ll probably hate this one. It’s probably the heaviest. It does discuss abuse. I would’ve loved adorable couple stuff, but this is also a good novella.

Hannah and Garrett are apart a lot of this-especially emotionally. Garrett is working through drama/trauma from his childhood. This is where a bulk of the conflict comes from. As much as I want cute stuff, I’m happy Garrett got the resolution he needed. 

There is some cutesy stuff at the end. The title of this has a lot of meanings.

The whole book

Obviously I loved this. I can see why some wouldn't though. It probably has more conflicts than someone wants in an epilogue book.

I wasn’t expecting the stories to be connected so that was a happy surprise. It felt more like a full-length story. The doll thing kind of freaked me out, but was very funny. 

These are still the characters I love, but they are in new places in their lives. I love seeing how they and their relationships have evolved. And I will always love the friendships here-especially the boys. Now, I need to figure out how to fit a re-read into my schedule of the original books.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

I’m a bit all over the place with this one. It may be my favorite Tessa Bailey. It was good and I cared about these characters, but the romance was just a bit too rushed for me. 

People say this is grumpy/sunshine, but I don’t fully agree. Piper is very sunshine, but I don’t see Brendan as a grumpy hero. He’s exacting and set in his way, but not grumpy. I never would’ve expected it but the materialistic and vain heroine is becoming a favorite.

I do also like a fish-out-of-water trope and a small town romance so I shouldn’t be surprised I liked this. Both Piper and Brendon learn from each other. They push each other to grow and become better people which I’m a fan of in my romance. 

The romance was also very intense when it comes to sexytimes. I always forget Tessa Bailey does write steamier. It also was steamier than I expected from a traditionally published  novel. This is not a complaint.

I also really liked the relationship between Piper and Hannah. They are very supportive of each other and have a great sister bond. I’m definitely excited to read Hannah’s romance now.
Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert

This was fast and I cared about the characters more than I expected. It’s a little short and the romance was a bit rushed. I would’ve liked an epilogue, but I always would like an epilogue.

This is set around Boston Mob (all Irish I think) families, but the series follows the O’Malley siblings. Callie and Teague are getting married to consolidate power. They also both have some secrets. 

Callie and Teague are immediately attracted to each other. That’s not the same as insta-love, but it did feel like it moved quickly. I was mostly fine with it though. There’s some not talking to each other. Normally, I hate this, but it actually made sense why they kept their secrets.

I did grow to care about these characters and their families. I’m interested to see what happens with Teague’s siblings. They have a lot of different personalities so it’ll be fun to read their stories. This one wasn’t too dark or heavy although it does have sad stuff. But I think the future ones will be worse/darker. 

Overall this felt like Katee Robert, but a little more tame. I liked the audio especially because it included accents. Now, I have to decide if I want to pay to buy the rest on audio-I’m sure they’ll never go on sale.
Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Electric Idol by Katee Robert

I’m obsessed with this. I was nervous because book one occasionally felt disjointed, but this had none of that. And this had tons of similarities with the original Cupid/Psyche story. I thought it was a great adaptation.

Psyche. I loved her. She is confident and competent. I love a competent character. Her skill with social media and subtle manipulations were great. But she’s also a sweet character. That may sound like a contradiction, but it does work.

Eros is on the grumpy/brooding side. He’s been manipulated by his mom, Aphrodite, and is now her fixer. So he has done some bad things and that’s really messed him up. He views himself as a monster and undeserving of love. I thought this was a great twist on the monster aspect of the original story.

The romance is a marriage of convenience and has some Romeo & Juliet elements. Psyche and Eros’ moms are feuding and the stakes are high. They end up in a compromised situation and get married to try and get out of that. They’re attracted to each other, but know acting on that could cause more problems. So there’s some angst with the sexual tension. The steamy bits were just perfection. The passion lept off the page. And the scenes progressed the story and showed character development. Katee Robert is very good at using sex to explore her characters. And she certainly knows how to write a hot sex scene. She has magic.

The politics of Olympus were further explored here and I’m getting more invested. The stakes were raised. I also am getting invested in more characters. It’s hard because I never know if I’m supposed to like a character. Although Katee Robert will make you fall in love with a villain. I particularly want Psyche’s roaming two sisters to get a romance-especially Euridice. There’s so much there and I need it. Sadly, nothing’s been announced yet.

The next book will be connected to another family. I’m curious to get a different view on politics in the world. It’s also going to be poly. Fortunately, we only have to wait a few months.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Doctor by Nikki Sloane

Books like this still make me a bit uncomfortable, but I did enjoy myself. Riley from Riley Marie on YouTube said this is the middle ground between Penelope Douglas’ Birthday Girl and Katee Robert’s You’re Dad WIll Do. I see what she’s saying, but this is still very heavy on the banging bits.

This was very hot. Greg (I can’t take that name seriously for some reason) was a bit on the dominating side. Not in a jerky way, but in a kind of sexy way. He’s a father, but I wouldn’t say daddy if you know what I mean. I’m happy about the daddy talk in my books.

Cassidy was definitely young, I always would like a slightly older heroine. She just turns 20 during this. That’s a tad young for me, but I just aged her up in my head. But she was also on the immature side. Just in the way she reacted and the drama. Oh, everything was a big thing for her.

It’s been a bit, but this did feel like it had a lot of plot point similarities to Birthday Girl. It also happens basically the way you would expect. At one point, I literally thought of course this would be the conflict! It also was very fast. Cassidy breaks up with her boyfriend of 3 years and immediately falls in love with his dad. That always bothers me in my romance, but I think it’s part of the game. 

Nikki Sloane wrote a gripping and steamy book. I definitely see why she’s popular, and this worked for me. I do plan to read more of her books-especially if I can get them on audio.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Our Overtime by S.C. Kate

Why is starting a review so hard? 

This is a second chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes. It also has some pretty angsty moments. It also has a lot of hockey which I like in my romance. At times, the relationship dynamic reminded me of the District Ballet Company books. There are also moments of domestic violence if that bothers you. 

I read this in a few hours and was easily engaged. It kept me turning my figurative Kindle pages. But it was also a little bit lacking. Sometimes I needed breathing moments. That may have helped me connect more. The characters weren’t quite as flushed out as I would’ve liked. The romance was also a bit underdeveloped. I never really saw the love-especially when they reconnected. Instead, I was just told. I believe the romance, I just wanted it to be a bit more.

This does have closed door/fade-to-black scenes. Some people prefer that and others hate it, so I like to point it out. Personally, I don’t care as long as the romance is written well.

While this wasn’t my favorite, S.C. Kate has a lot of potential. She is still a new author and I think her books will get better as she practices her skill. I will continue to try books by her-especially if they’re still on Kindle Unlimited.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book review: Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone

Why did I wait to read this?

When I first read the synopsis I wasn’t interested-I have no idea why now. But I loved Sweet Talk so I tried this. It was just as adorable and amazing.

The majority of this takes place through phone calls, but the romance 100% works. This is steamy or sexual, but that isn’t needed. The dialogue is great. Cara Bastone writes like a classic 90’s rom-com and I’m here for it.

Vera and Kal were both great characters. She’s starting a new business that she’s passionate about. But she’s also afraid of disappointing her family since she’s “failed” before. Kal is working customer service and is helping her with the website for that business. He’s a little uncomfortable around women and adorably awkward.

The production on this is amazing. Audible adds background sounds to make it feel more real. It's like a traditional radio performance but for the 21st century. Highly recommend this and I think the audio is still free as a part of Audible Plus.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Best Men by Sarina Bowen and Lauren Blakely

I definitely recommend reading the prequel novella. The audio is available for free on Sarina Bowen's YouTube channel. I think it sets up the story well and makes the beginning more clear.

This has a lot of tropes that I and many romance readers love. There's bickering, personality clashes, and some forced proximity. There's also "let's just bang...oops I fell in love." Mark is also a recently divorced dad with a daughter, Rosie.

The romance was fairly steamy. You could feel the chemistry jump off the page. Sometimes I would've liked Asher and Mark to talk a bit more, but I still buy their love story. They do have pretty good banter.

I've read a couple Lauren Blakely books so I don't really know her style. This definitely had a lot of the hallmarks of a Sarina Bowen book though. It was funny and I love when she includes bits of her financial background. I also work in that area so I'm sure that's why I like it. Although this was a lot lighter than most of her books. It kind of gave me Good Boy vibes.

Oh, I really liked the friendships here, too. They were mostly little short bits, but they were so good. I love a positive and supportive friendship. They also help make the story feel more flushed out.

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author. This is my honest review.

Thanks for reading!
Holly