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: 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: The Orc from the Office by Kate Prior

These books have no business being this good. Kate Prior is a great writer who knows how to pace a novella. I can’t wait for her to write more books. 

This had a different tone than the first book. It still had moments of humor, but it was also more sweet. I literally “ahh”ed and clutched my heart several times. Khent is currently my favorite guy in a romance. He’s so sweet and caring. I think I’m a sucker for a gentle giant. 

Janice and Khent are forced together due to a series of ridiculous actions. It’s a forced mating and the pheromones are hard to resist. So there’s lots of tension and sexytimes, but it’s the emotional connection that really got me.

These covers and the concepts are over-the-top, but they are expertly executed. And just like the first book, Prior weaves in satire perfectly. 

I think I’m going to try her full-length book because it’s the only thing left.

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: 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 Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

This is such a popular book. Even people who don’t love the sequel(s), give it high praise. I like an enemies-to-lovers thing. And I’m drawn to stories set in Alaska. But this felt like Mariana Zapata.

So, I liked it well enough, but I don’t see what other people do.

Now, I’m not a big fan of single first person romances. 99% of the time I don't buy or connect to the romance. I definitely had that issue here. The ending was also a bit abrupt for me. The next book may fulfill that need, but I’m not sure I care enough to seek it out. 

I liked a lot of the characters individually. Calla could be unlikable-she’s fairly vain, but I have no issues with characters who care about their appearance. I actually was happy Ms. Tucker made the choice not to write a “not like other girls” heroine. Jonah was the weaker part of the romance. Getting his POV could’ve helped with this. Instead he came across a bit childish. Simon was a scene stealer though. He was so kind and precious. I always love a positive stepfather character in my books.

While the romance wasn’t my favorite, I did enjoy some of the other relationships. Mable was a great character and I liked her and Calla’s sister-like connection. I actually would like a story for Mable when she’s older.

Then, there’s Calla’s relationship with her dad, Wren. They’re reconnecting because he has cancer. He has strong Charlie from Twilight vibes and I mean that in the best possible way. Ms. Tucker developed that relationship in a very real way. I was worried it would be rushed or forced, but it wasn’t. The way their story was resolved wasn’t what I expected, but I think it was the right choice.

I realized I’ve actually never read a KA Tucker story before. I will read another book or two by her, but probably not right away. She may be another author who just isn’t quite for me. 

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren

This is only my second Christina Lauren book (I’m pretty sure) and I really enjoyed myself. It was a fairly light romance with some rom-com feels. Some people compared it to Set It Up on Netflix. I recently watched that movie and like it a lot. I see the connections-especially in the overworking of the female assistants-but they are their own thing.

Carey and James were both good and likable characters. They have good chemistry and great interactions. Carey felt more developed and had a better arc than James. It isn’t a big issues, but an observation.

Carey has a medical condition which added to the story and felt well-done. One of the author’s has a family member with the same condition. It was something I had never heard of but I did research afterward. It also added to why Carey put up with all the crap at work. There were also emotional reasons and combined, her decision to stay felt very real.

There was a small “now and then” aspect to the story structure. The “now” was police interviews. Initially, I liked it and it built up some tension, but the ending was underwhelming.

I enjoyed my time reading this and need to move Christina Lauren up on my TBR because I’ve liked both books I’ve read.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev

Holy crap! This book ripped my heart out and put it back together. Why did I wait so long to read another Sonali Dev book?

Where do I even start?

Ms. Dev’s writing is beautiful. I can easily picture her characters and their world. Ria is a really icy character, but I completely understand her because of the writing. I have a love-hate relationship with her inclusion of food. She weaves in food and cooking into scenes in a way that feels real and showcases Indian (and Indian-American) culture. Why do I hate it? Because it makes me super hungry.

Next, let’s talk characters. Ria is a Bollywood actress and she’s viewed as an ice princess. I want to avoid spoilers so talking about her is a little hard. She deals with some difficult situations from when she was a young girl. Her struggles really hit me. She’s cold and pushes people away to protect them. That is not my favorite thing to read, but it worked here. Vik was harder for me to like initially, but I ended up falling in love with him. He is such a good person, friend, and nephew. The side characters were great, too. Ria’s aunt was amazing and I want her in my life.

The romance is a second chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes. There’s also some friends-to-lovers because Ria and Vik grew up spending their summers together. It may have been a tad slow. When there is so much angst I do start to get frustrated. I just want people to have conversations. But I was 100% committed to their romance and story.

I loved spending time with these characters and culture different than my own. There is a wedding during a huge portion of this story. It was great to read about all the activities surrounding an Indian wedding. And Ms. Dev makes me want to really immerse myself in all things Indian.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Let's Get Textual by Teagan Hunter

Let’s Get Textual by Teagan Hunter

This was such a treat. It was adorable and I really liked the characters and romance. And I definitely want to read more Teagan Hunter books in the future.

I’m a huge fan of textual communication in my fiction, so I definitely loved all the texting between Delia and Zach. They had great banter and those interactions really helped show their personalities along with creating a foundation for their romance.

Speaking of, I really liked the romance. It was light and easy to cheer for. An angsty romance has it’s place, but ones like this always make me smile. And the baby goat! That whole story line was adorable and I liked what it added to the romance and story in general.

There were some great friendships in here which I love. It also contributed to some sequel bait which I am here for.

Thanks for reading!

Holly