August Wrap-Up (2022)

August is a bit of a blur when I look back on it. I know I went camping with my family which was tons of fun. I also spent a lot of time with my niece and nephew. Being able to spend time with them was amazing.

I read a decent amount of books. I’m still a bit more into YouTube than reading, but I’m just trying not to pressure myself. My reading still leans more toward audio books,too. 

Here are the books I read a long with some thoughts:

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: A Little Too Late by Sarina Bowen

This book really kicked my reading slump’s butt. It was exactly what I needed and made my heart so happy. I listened on audio and Andi Arndt and Sebastian York did a fantastic job. It’s probably more of a 4.5, but I rounded up.

Like most Sarina Bowen books, this had so many things I look for in a romance. It’s second-chance, family dynamics, and pulls on your heartstrings. It also has some small-town feels since it’s primarily set at a ski lodge. There is discussion of miscarriage if that bothers you. 

Reed and Ava were college sweethearts. After their break-up, Ava ends up working at Reed’s family ski resort. Yes, this is weird, just go with it. Reed doesn’t know this and returns home because his dad wants to sell the resort. They’re forced to deal with their unresolved issues and continued attraction.

I loved Ava and Reed equally. I often find myself more invested in one character over another. They were also equally developed. I can count on Bowen to satisfy me here 95% of the time. The conflicts were more than just romantic. Reed especially has to work through emotion he’s ignored for years. I particularly enjoyed that.

The ending was a bit rushed. However, I prefer a pretty drawn out ending. I assume we’ll see these characters again. I enjoyed the side characters and will definitely continue on with this series. The other series Bowen, Yarros, and Perry wrote was spectacular. I’m sure this one will be great, too.
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: To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

I have some thoughts to work through so here we go.

First, let’s talk about the characters. There’s two main characters-Lira and Elian. Lira is a siren. She’s very harsh and cold. Her mother is also the Sea Queen who also turns her into a human. Because of her cruelty, it can be hard to connect with her, at least for me. Elian is a prince and a siren killer. He has a lot of wanderlust and doesn’t want to be a king. He came across slightly less developed than Lira. There were some interesting side characters, but they were pretty surface level.

There is a romance between Lira and Elian. I can’t decide if it’s a huge part of the story or not. They interact a lot, but it's a very antagonistic relationship. I’m unsure of the actual chemistry between them.. I don’t hate the romance, but I’m a little ambivalent. It is a pretty true enemies-to-lovers romance if you want that.

The whole book has a specific tone that I struggle to define. It’s definitely darker, but didn’t go as far as it could/should. I’m sure part of that is that it’s being a YA book. Maybe I would describe the tone as murky. Part of that is lack of development. I felt there was magic and politics that weren’t fully developed. They don’t have to be, but the murkiness did make me a little confused.

The ending was a bit rushed. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but I wanted more. Part of that is because the tone of the ending was very different. 

If I still did half stars, this would probably be a 3.5, but now I just round up. I don’t think this will be for everyone, but I think it will be a new favorite for some. I definitely don’t think it’s a Little Mermaid retelling though.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

July Wrap-Up (2022)

I’m reading again! Most, if not all, of the books I read this month were audio books. So, I guess I’m still in a bit of a slump when it comes to reading with my eyes.

And I’m really happy with the quality of what I read. Now, I’m finally doing my Poison Study re-read so I can finish the series. I love those books just as much this time around. 

I also started this month by finally getting Covid. It really hit me hard. Well that is a tad dramatic. It was like a bad cold, but it was exhausting. I took a lot of naps. Sadly, I didn’t use that time to read. 

Here are the books I read along with some thoughts on them:

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall

This was a bit of a disappointment. I hate negative reviews, but here I am. 

Is this supposed to be a farce or satire? Is it supposed to be like The Importance of Being Earnest? It’s been like 10 years since I read or watched that, but maybe that was the attempt. If this was supposed to poke fun at the historical romance genre it failed.

The big issue was how unlikable almost every character was. Belle is an awful person and if she gets a book I will actively avoid it. Bonny wasn’t as bad as his sister, but a lot of the stuff he said to Valentine rubbed me the wrong way. Valentine was the only one I ever liked or cared about. 

I never connected to the romance. I think a huge part of that was because I didn’t think Bonny deserved Valentine. But I never really felt the chemistry or attracted to them. Valentine, please run and find someone worthy of you.

The hijinx were just ridiculous and I’m actually a fan of a ridiculous or campy story. Belle was obnoxious, immature, and endangered so many lives. Bonny just made excuses for her. Peggy eventually stood up to her. I could be a Peggy supporter if she got her own book.

Valentine was interesting and I would’ve liked more. Is she asexual? Neurodivergent? Something else? I think something really could’ve been done with him. That’s another disappointment. 

I’m going to call this one a fluke. I plan to read more books by Alexis Hall, but not in this series.

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

June Wrap-Up (2022)

June was a month. My slump continued this month and I barely read anything. I only finished one book and it was at the end of the month. 

Work also continued to be stressful which contributed to my slumpy feeling. I really need to work on how work impacts my personal life. 

I have started exercising-more specifically walking. I think that has helped my mental health and I’m proud with the progress I’ve been making on those goals.

Here is the book I read and my thoughts:
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

April Wrap-Up (2022)

April flew by faster than any other month. It was peak tax season which is a busy time for my work. I also always feel a little down after a vacation.

So, I didn’t read as much as I normally would. But I’m fine with that because I’ve been giving myself grace. May’s also off to a great start, too.

Here are the books I read along with some thoughts.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas

I couldn’t decide if I was going to write a review. Apparently I am. Although this will probably be more rambly thoughts.

First, let’s talk about Merritt. She wasn’t hat I expected. I think I thought she would be a replica of her mom, but she isn’t. Honestly, it’s probably better that she wasn’t because she is her own person. She does know what she wants and goes after it. 

MacRae was interesting. Sometimes he was too down on himself. I get why, but it got annoying. When he kept saying he wasn’t good enough for Merritt. He was a nice guy though. I liked the rough Scotsman with a heart of gold.

The romance was good, but not very deep. I don't’ know how else to describe it. They had the same conflict/argument too many times. They also had sex (on page) too many times. It, again, just felt repetitive and wasn’t moving the plot forward.

I really enjoyed seeing Sebastian again. Of course, I would’ve liked more Evie, but I get it. I should’ve expected this based on the title, but I was shocked by what happened. At first, it bothered me, but I came around. Yes, I’m trying to avoid spoilers.

There were some great relationships here. It was full of supportive friends and family which I really liked.

I’m not sure if this series is over or not, but I’ll keep reading Lisa Kleypas either way.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

March Wrap-Up (2022)

Is anyone else weirded out by writing “2022” still? I just can’t believe we’re already in 2022. 

I did go to Disney at the end of the month so that cut my reading a bit short. Although I did read a novella on the plane and started another book. The vacation was very needed though. It was nice to get away and relax. 

Work has also been a little stressful so that slowed my reading. I usually listen to some audiobooks while working, but I was limited in how much I could do.

I’m still happy with my reading in both quantity and quality. I read some new-to-me authors and old favorites. I also had a couple favorite reads this month-Shenanigans and The Hollow Heart. 

Here are all the books I finished in March along with my ratings and some thoughts:

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Hollow Heart by Marie Rutkowski

This book destroyed me. It had no right being this good. Marie Rutkowski has a skill that truly impresses.

I enjoyed The Midnight Lie, but nothing like this. I also probably should’ve re-read the first book. I do remember connecting more with Nirrim than Sid last time, but here I was obsessed with Sid. I loved every single time we had a chapter with her. The God chapters really got to me as well.

There is still a romance here, but Nirrim and Sid are mainly apart. Normally, this bothers me, but it worked here. The romance wasn’t the main part of the story, but it’s very prominent. Heavy on the angst-especially Sid.

Sid’s story was beautiful. I was crying a lot during her chapters. Not sobbing, but gentle tears of the empathy I felt for her. Reading about her relationship with her parents and the desire to be loved and feel wanted just hit hard. I don’t want to go into it too much because of spoilers. But it felt so very real and raw.

Nirrim also goes on a journey. This one was harder to read, but I think on purpose. She’s losing her humanity, throughout this and that’s heartbreaking. 

You could probably read a lot into this when it comes to feminist and queer theory. But you can also read it as a book. I can appreciate a novel with layers.

I’ve been so impressed by Marie Rutkowski. I think I’m going to read it even though it’s a genre I don’t read. Now, I need to stop myself from re-reading the Winner’s trilogy and the duology.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Quarterly Wrap-Up (Q1 of 2022

The last three months have been kind of a blur. There was a lot going on at work which I think played a role. 

I did go on vacation at the end of March. I got a bit of a sunburn, but it was totally worth it. 

I also read lots of books. I’m very happy with how much I read. I’ve even completed a couple of series and found a new favorite author-Elizabeth Lim. I’ve also continued my journey through Katee Robert’s backlist

Here are some stats and my favorite reads of each month.

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