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: Doubletalk by Teralyn Mitchell

Friends-to-enemies kind of-to lovers. There’s predictable moments, but I really enjoyed this. I read it in one day and easily got sucked in.

Rory and Zeke were childhood friends, but they had a falling out in middle school. Rory still lives in Vermont. Zeke is a professional basketball player. He returns to Vermont to rehab some injuries. They run into each other and slowly reconnect. Zeke definitely wants a relationship or at least friendship, but Rory is still angry from the earlier stuff.

Rory will probably bother some readers. She’s a harsher personality and she’s a big grudge holder. I didn’t mind, but I’ve been known to hold a grudge so I get it. She’s also fairly self-aware about that. She does grow and learn, too. 

Zeke was a very nice guy and he tried to make up for mistakes he made as a kid. I would’ve liked him to be a bit more developed. We got little glimpses of his familial relationships, but that was really it.

My biggest issue was around the “big secret”. I knew from the beginning what the big conflict would be. I hate the not talking to each other thing. It wasn’t the knowing it part that bothered me but what the actual conflict was.

There were some small pacing or plotting things that felt off. Or sometimes I thought there was a continuity error. Maybe it was me. It didn’t impact my enjoyment too much anyways. 

Ms. Mitchell, please tell me Stacey will get her HEA. I’ll definitely look into more books by Mitchell when I have space in my TBR. Her style was easy to read and connect with.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

I’ve been hearing about the greatness that is the Kowalski family for years and this did not disappoint. This is a story about Joe and Keri reconnecting-lord knows I love a reunited lovers story-but there’s really three stories weaved in. And I really enjoyed all three of them. It made it a real family story which I am also a fan of.

I’m not a huge fan of authors in books. It always feels like the author is trying to insert themselves. This didn’t feel that way. Maybe because the author character was male or more of a horror/thriller author. Joe was a really great guy. He has some darkness in his past but it wasn’t a particularly angsty story. And he wasn’t jaded and woman-hating. Keri was likable enough but she did get on my nerves on occasion. I did like seeing her interact with the whole Kowalski family.

The romance was cute and well paced. It takes place in a short period of time but the fact that they dated in high school helps stop it from feeling rushed. And I liked the semi-forced proximity of the story. They are stuck in a constrained area-a campground-but because the whole Kowalski family was around it didn’t feel like they lost agency which I often see as a problem with that trope. And I liked how Ms. Stacey used the interview questions as a character development tool. I kind of wish their were more questions.

This was a fun and quick read. I’m loving the Kowalskis and am excited to read Kevin’s story. Thankfully, I already own it!

Thanks for reading!

Holly