Book Review: Starlight by Christine DePetrillo

This had more of an emotional impact on me than I was expecting. I teared up a little toward the end.

It starts with a hook-up which isn’t my favorite thing, but I still ended up really liking it. The romance was good. Darren and Grace had really good chemistry. They also were interesting characters. Grace is a singer and has a passion for service dogs which I loved. Darren has a 10 year old adopted son who is dealing with trauma. He cares so much for his son. He also has some hang-ups about past relationships.

There were a lot of predictable conflicts and reveals, but they still worked. I wish the reveals happened a little earlier because the resolution was a bit rushed. Full disclosure: I almost always want more resolution and epilogue-type stuff.

This was a happy surprise and I’m glad I picked it up. Definitely recommend it.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Unforgettable by Marley Valentine

The hardest reviews are for good books. There’s nothing groundbreaking or particularly awful. It was good, I enjoyed it, but will probably forget most of it pretty quickly.

This starts with a one-night stand that turns into some fake dating. Fake dating isn’t my favorite trope, but I know a lot of people love it. Reeve and Oz really cared about each other. Their romance was kind of sweet. It was also physical. Not necessarily in the shmexy way-although there was that. What I mean is that they would just touch each other or put their feet on the other’s lap. It’s just a subtle thing I love seeing. It’s sweet and shows how safe they feel with each other.

I did really struggle with the difference between Oz and Reeve. They never felt like distinct characters or like they had a particular voice. Eventually I just gave up trying to remember/figure it out.

I enjoyed reading this and would recommend it. It’s pretty similar to a lot of the other books in the Vino and Veritas series. I generally don’t have a problem with a formulaic story so that doesn’t bother me.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Stronghold by Ana Ashley

This is a second-chance romance along with being friends-to-lovers. Judson and Skyler grew up together and were best friends until a misunderstanding separated them at 18. Judson returns to Vermont after a failed relationship and these two reconnect.

The romance was very well done. I mean, I’m predisposed to like it because these are some of my favorite tropes. There was some drama from lack of communication, but it wasn’t too much to be annoying. I liked that they actually talked to each other about relationship stuff instead of just giving into their chemistry. I can see people think it’s slow, but I liked the pacing.

The reality show part felt a little random, but it was a fairly small part of the plot. Sklyer is dealing with a father with addiction. That plot line was much more compelling to me.

Judson and Skyler are both passionate about their careers-cooking and maple syrup. I’m a sucker for a passionate and competent character. The friends and family are really good, too. They are supportive and funny. I really liked Judson and Skyler’s moms.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Firefly by Krystyna Allyn

This was a good addition to the Speakeasy series. There’s a good chunk of time spent at the taproom which I liked. 

Melody and Trevor met at a Brooklyn bar and had a connection but Trevor returned home to Vermont so nothing happened. Then Melody has family drama and runs away to Vermont. There’s a lot of running away in the World of True North books. They reconnect, but Melody is afraid of relationships. That’s where the majority of the conflict comes from.

Trevor has some familial drama as well. But I didn’t connect with him as much as Melody. Neither were very deep, but she had a little more going on.

My big issue was that Trevor had some stalker vibes. I thought he was going to be a nice guy with beta energy. But that stopped after the first chapter. He was incredibly pushy with Melody. He even got a little too physical-often stopped her from leaving. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t think it’s particularly problematic or a hard pass, but I didn’t like it. 

Generally, it was a good book though.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Quarterly TBR Picks (Q3 2021)

I can’t believe I’m already talking about my third quarter TBR. Really, I’m not ready to be halfway through the year. But you can’t control time.

I have a TBR jar that starts the year with 20 prompts. I pick 5 randomly and assign them a book. Below are the prompts I picked this quarter and the corresponding book.

Picked this up on Audible Plus

I do a video on my YouTube channel where I actually pull the prompts. You can check that out here.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Kulti by Mariana Zapata

Do you ever feel like you are completely alone about a book or author? That is exactly how I feel with this. People LOVE this book. I just don’t see the romance. I felt the same about From Lukov with Love.

Full disclosure, I don’t like soccer/football. It’s one of my least favorite sports. I don’t think that impacted my enjoyment, but I want to be honest. I did really respect Sal and her commitment to her sport. She’s very passionate and works hard.

Before reading this I’d always heard about how this is an amazing slow burn romance. I don’t understand. It was slow, but there was no burn. I got very strong friend energy from Sal and Kulti, but that was it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate them as a couple, but I never felt sexual chemistry. 

The age gap did bother me, but I don’t think it played a big role in my thoughts. I was fairly ok with it until the end. There was a conversation that made me a little uncomfortable.

Obviously I’m an anomaly when it comes to this one. I mainly wrote this in case others felt the same way. 

Another POV may have helped. But I also rarely like a single POV romance.

I felt similarly about From Lukov with Love. Should I just give up? I’ll probably try one more Mariana Zapata book before deciding if she isn’t the author for me.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Waylaid by Sarina Bowen

I loved this, but every True North book is spectacular. At the same time, I don’t have a lot to say.

Daphne and Rickie have amazing chemistry. And this has a kind of second chance romance vibe. Their banter was cute and I loved the pacing of the romance. 

Rickie completely stole my heart. Daphne is equally amazing and I have no complaints, but Rickie was just something else. He’s a lot like Blake from Good Boy, but still his own character. He’s over-the-top and unapologetically himself. I loved every time he was completely honest about his feelings for Daphne and no one believed him. It was sweet and hilarious at the same time.

Like most Sarina Bowen books, there are some more serious elements. Blake has amnesia from a situation he can’t remember. As per usual, Bowen immediately grips you with the raw emotion tried to this. And shout out to having a therapist and a character seeking the help they need.

There was so much of the Shipley family here. I love them. I want to go to Thursday dinner. They love and support each other while also joking around. And Grandpa Shipley was a little bit of a player here. Get it, Grandpa! I want more True North books, because I never get tired of the world, but I also live in fear of Grandpa dying. Anyone else? 

Eight books in and the True North series is still going strong. Waylaid is a spectacular addition.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Quarter 2 Wrap-Up (April, May, & June of 2021)

The year is half over. And I’ve already read over 150 books. Huge shout out to audiobooks for helping make that happen.

I don’t have a bunch of new favorites, but I’ve enjoyed the majority of the books I read. Most of them were four or five star reads.

Sadly, I’m now behind on my NetGalley ARCs. But I had to read a bunch of ARCs for the World of True North series. Hopefully, I’ll be caught up by the end of the year. I feel really bad when I don’t get them by release day.

The number of books purchased this quarter doubled. But I had already read or have read most of them since adding them to my shelves. A book haul should be up on my YouTube channel soon.

Below are stats on my reading for the last three months. There’s also some info on my favorite books for each month. I did a YouTube video going over this if that’s more your speed.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Beloved Liar by Lauren Rowe

This was a really good conclusion. I do think this could have been one book or maybe a duet, but I’m still happy I read them. 

I thought this would have a lot of angst and drama caused by not talking to each other. But it wasn’t bad. Georgiana and Reed are adults here. Thank you! There was still drama and conflict but it wasn’t annoying. There were emotional payoffs-especially for Reed. I’m trying to avoid spoilers here. 

Reed did have some stalker or overbearing moments that got on my nerves. Georgiana did hold her own and called him on his BS so that helped. And he seemed to learn and acknowledge his problematic behavior.

This had more of Georgiana being a journalist which I liked. For a while it felt like a throwaway career, but Ms. Rowe delivered with this one. There was a Harvey Weinstein type story with this one. So, there were several conversations of sexual assault and abuse of power.

The epilogue was one of the most adorable ones I’ve read. It made my heart so happy. And I’m very happy to see Georgiana’s sister, Alessandra, has a spinoff. I already bought that audiobook.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Sideways by Lisa Hughey

This was good and a pretty fast, easy read. I felt like I was kind of missing some things. I’m guessing this is connected to another Lisa Hughey series or books. Of course I don’t mind connected books and easter eggs, but this felt like too much. 

Colt and Tracy were both good. Colt is a former celebrity chef who had a breakdown. He also has a bit of a hang up about rich people. I liked him, but he also didn’t feel fully developed-his character never went deep enough. Tracy is a politician’s daughter and is in Colebury hiding from a scandal. She had a bit more emotional development than Cold, but also felt like a cookie cutter character.

Tracy pushes Colt to cook again and his cooking scenes were probably some of my favorites. You could tell how passionate he is about food and cooking. I love that in a character.

The romance worked and they had good chemistry. I liked the cute couple moments. But I also felt like I missed something in their emotional arc. Like why did they actually get together? That scene was confusing-I though paragraphs were missing.

I would still recommend this and the Speakeasy books. I’m definitely a fan of small town romances and this was a cute one.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

June Wrap-Up (2021)

June is a big blur. If I really think about it, I can remember things but it feels like I slept through the month. That would have been nice actually. 

I did have a dance recital. It wasn’t a traditional one, but better than no show like last year. I also had my yearly car inspection which turned into a whole thing. But I did finally get my car back on the 30th and it’s legal!

I also read 33 books this month. I was about an hour worth of reading away from finishing 2 more, but I had no desire to read after getting my car back. I re-read some favorites for a Smash or Trash video (which is now delayed until July). They were still amazing which is always satisfying. 

And I am now obsessed with Katee Robert. I decided to give her a try again, but this time on audio. I loved so many of the Wicked Villain books and could not stop reading them. I’m trying to have some self-control and not read everything. I ‘m also now supporting her on Patreon.

These are the books I read along with my ratings and short thoughts:

The Wedding by Katee Robert

Thanks for reading
Holly

July TBR (2021)

The year is already half over! I finished a lot of the books I wanted to in June, but I’m still behind on some. Especially for my new releases which I’m trying to stay on top of. 

I’m trying to be easier on myself this month, too. I’m going to Disney World at the end of the month and I rarely read on vacation. 

Below are some of the books I’m hoping to finish this month.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Touchstone by Karen Stivali

This was good, but a little forgettable. Sam felt flat to me. It was almost like he was a part of Phoebe’s story. I didn’t dislike either character, but I also never fully connected to them. There also wasn’t a lot of tension or conflict. I’m sure some will like that, but I thought it felt a little off.

I’m excited to spend time in a new part of this world and I’m eager to see the Speakeasy Taproom grow. This has that small-town feel which is a comfort-read setting for me. Sam’s grandma and aunt were adorable. So, was the cat. I like a feisty cat character.

Sorry, I don’t have a lot to say. This set up the series, but isn’t going to be a book I want to return to over and over again.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

This was a hard read as I expected. I’m sure it was even harder to write. Because of this, I felt the need to write a review. Now where do I start?

The romance wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t fully buy it. The chemistry wasn’t really there for me. I liked Elle and Malcolm as characters, but I didn’t get their attraction to each other.

The historical parts were what really got to me. There’s so much tension because Elle and Malcolm are spies. It made me perpetually anxious. Then, there’s dealing with the race issues. Ms. Cole doesn’t hide from the atrocities of American history. But she also doesn't blanket vilify Southerners (or glorify Northerners). Humans are complicated and this shows that. I really appreciated the raw look at things that happened.

While this isn’t a new favorite, I did like it and will read more Alyssa Cole books. It also does some important things. It’s also important to tell more non-traditional romances-whether character, time, location, or situation.

Ok this has probably gone on too long.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Bad Liar by Lauren Rowe

Is this my new favorite Lauren Rowe book? It may be too soon, because this is really a lot of set up for the rest of the series. 

Georgie is a confident almost college graduate. She wants to be a journalist and cares about her family. She was so easy to like and connect with. 

Obviously I know a little bit about Reed from the Josh and Kat and Morgan Brothers books, but it was nice to get in his head a little. He’s definitely an arrogant businessman character-not very original-but I’m still interested in him. 

The romance is all physical right now. Reed and Georgie are immediately attracted to each other and just want to bang like bunnies. It was very steamy especially compared to what I normally read. There’s potential for me to be bothered by a power dynamic issue, but for now I’m on board.

I already got the second book on audio and can’t wait to read it. I’m trying really hard to stick to my current reading plans.

Thanks for reading!
Holly 

Book Review: Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

This was very good. I was a little worried because I absolutely loved The Hating Game. I know there were a lot of negative thoughts about Sally Thorne’s sophomore novel. I haven’t read it, because I was scared, but I’ll definitely pick it up now.

I was almost instantly emotionally connected to these characters. Not even just Ruthie and Teddy-the main characters-the Parlonies and Melanie also got to me. Ruthie is kind of a “not like other girls” heroine, but it worked. Her personality and behavior was shown so well. It was an expert example of show not tell. I learned so much about Ruthie from little things she would do and say. Teddy was a sweetheart who just wants to be loved. I was actually surprised how much I understood and cared about him since he didn’t get a POV.

The romance was kind of a slow burn. Usually I think about slow burn being closely tied to angst, but this didn’t feel very angsty. It felt perfectly paced especially for Teddy and Ruthie’s characters. Their chemistry wasn’t particularly sexual, but it was so palpable. You could tell they were attracted to each other physically, but also intellectually and emotionally. I don’t think I realized I was missing this in a lot of my romances.

A lot of things were predictable about this especially with the secondary plots. But I don’t mind. They weren’t really predictable because it’s convenient or expected, but because Ms. Thorne left some really good breadcrumbs.

You know what I hated about this though? The cover. I know what they were going for, but it’s so boring. If I wasn’t interested because I previously read and enjoyed a Sally Thorne book I would’ve skipped right over it. And why does Teddy not have tattoos? Would that have been too hard? I’m not a huge fan of illustrated covers, so I come into this with some bias. I just want this really great book to have an equally beautiful cover.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Goalkeeper by Andi Burns

I don’t have a lot to say. This was good, but pretty standard with the series especially. Why do so many characters have toxic parental relationships? It just gets really old.

I do like a goalie character, but there wasn’t as much hockey as I like in my hockey romance. That’s a personal preference. Paige was a YouTuber-beauty vlogger-which was different. Was it realistic? Not so much. She was also very confident and sex positive which I appreciate.

The romance was supportive on both ends. And they regularly spoke to each other which is nice to see. The conflict was a little predictable and I was a bit disappointed in the resolution.

Overall, I liked this, but it’s a forgettable one. It’s probably hard because the previous book was just so good.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Snowballed by Melanie Ting

I didn’t think this would make me ball my eyes out, but here we are. This was a little disappointing the first third, but then I got very invested. I’m so glad I kept reading.

Noah is a new transfer to Moo U and is a grad student so he’s a bit older. He’s also a little shorter (5’9”). Let’s normalize that please. He’s also a little stoic so sometimes it was harder to know what’s going on in his head. That was one of my issues with this. I would be told things about Noah’s personality, but I had trouble seeing it. 

Zoe is going through a lot. Her story is what really got me crying. She works so hard and is dealing with the loss of her dad. I think I just really identified with her.

I wasn’t buying the romance at first. They had this bickering thing going on which I normally love, but I wasn’t really buying it. Once Noah and Zoe were together I was on board. I loved their almost quiet supportive of each other. Zoe’s refusal to deal with her personal issues caused a lot of the relationship drama which I actually really liked.

I think this will be a sleeper favorite Moo U book. It’s a more quiet story, but beautifully emotional and engaging. And I just realized I’ve owned a Melanie Ting book for years and need to get on reading that. I feel really bad that I’ve slept on her.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Playmaker by Sierra Hill

I like seeing another romance between two hockey players. Callan and Aria had good chemistry and would get to know each other which is nice to see. But the plotting also felt a little jumpy and I never fully connected to the characters.

Generally, I like the Moo U books, but why do so many of them have a dad that was in the NHL? How realistic is that? Moving on.

Callan was a pretty good guy. He actually didn’t react the way I expected in a lot of situations. He also had the opportunity to take advantage of Aria and didn’t. Aria has some family drama going on. I’m not sure how much I bought that situation impacting her like it did.

The romance was good. There’s definitely chemistry between Callan and Aria. The pacing was a little weird. It wasn’t fast or slow. Instead there were time jumps that caused me to be confused about the status of their relationships. Oh, there’s some fake dating in this, too. The romance conflict was very predictable and also resolved too fast in my opinion.

In the end, this was constantly bouncing between 3 and 4 stars. If I still did half stars, it would probably be a 3.5. So a 4 it gets. And I would probably read another Sierra Hill book, but not right now.

Thanks for reading!
Holly 

May Wrap-Up (2021)

May was a very good reading month for me. I finished over 30 books, novellas, and graphic novels. And a lot were four or five stars.

I’ve also read a bit out of my comfort zone and actually liked what I read. That’s always a good thing.

I also got to spend some time with my family and celebrate birthdays. It was nice to be with each other and spend time outside-the weather has been georgeous. Th Murphy cat has been loving having the windows open and smelling the fresh air.

Below are all the books I read along with my ratings and thoughts:

Jasmine’s Collar

Meg’s Punishment

Hercules’ Cross