Romance

Love, Just In

By Natalie Murray

Coming soon on January 3, 2024

(4 / 5)

Love, Just In follows the story of Josie of Zac, written from Josie’s point of view. The two have been best friends since they were teenagers, though they have drifted apart over the past couple years, following the death of Zac’s fiancé. Josie, a news reporter, is temporarily assigned to work in the city Zac has moved to, giving them the opportunity to reconnect. The book alternates between “today” and various moments from Zac and Josie’s past together.

One of the big themes of this book is Josie’s anxiety, especially about her health. After losing two family members to breast cancer, plus the loss of Zac’s fiancé at a young age, Josie worries that she will get cancer and die young. The anxiety is so bad that it’s caused her to panic on live tv, affecting her career. The portrayal of this anxiety felt very real while reading Josie’s story. This specific anxiety isn’t something I see much in fiction reading, so it definitely brings some awareness to a very real condition.

I enjoyed Josie and Zac’s interactions with each other, both as friends and as a couple, so I enjoyed being able to see their current story and pieces of their history. At times it felt frustrating when I could tell that they were more than friends who weren’t acting on it, but it was also understandable given the issues each one of them needed to sort out first. It was an overall good story that kept my attention, was quick to read, and had a satisfying ending.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for the free advance copy of Love, Just In. All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

Always the Bridesmaid

By Laura Carter

Coming soon on November 17, 2023

(4 / 5)

Always the Bridesmaid is the 4th book in Laura Carter’s Brits in Manhattan series. It features Sarah, who has appeared in the 3 previous books, and Charlie, who made a brief appearance in Friends With Benefits. It’s really not necessary to read the other books in the series to enjoy this book, though I have enjoyed following the stories of this group of characters across the series.

Always the Bridesmaid mostly takes place in England, divided between Surrey and London. The characters from the previous books have gathered together for Jess and Jake’s wedding, which is how Sarah and Charlie meet. These two characters have a bit of a rough introduction though since they are both dealing with some feelings brought up by the marriage of their friends (Sarah is a widow and misses her late husband, while Charlie never feels good enough after years in the foster system). It takes a while for both characters to break down their walls, so this is definitely a very slow-burn romance, but there’s plenty of funny and sweet moments along the way.

I think some of my favorite parts were touring through London, since it’s one of my favorite cities in the world, and many of the destinations in the book were ones I visited there myself. I enjoyed both of the main characters as well as seeing the other couples again from the previous books. It was another quick read, and I think the series has only gotten better as it’s continued.

I received a free review copy of the book, but all opinions are completely my own.

October 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Friends With Benefits

By Laura Carter

Released today!

(4 / 5)

Friends With Benefits is the 3rd book in the Brits in Manhattan series by Laura Carter. Like the other books, it can easily be read as a standalone, though reading the whole series makes me feel like I know the characters better. Friends With Benefits is my favorite book in the series so far.

This story has us following Jake (The Law of Attraction Drew’s younger brother) and his roommate/best friend Jess, who are visiting Drew from the UK. Most of the book is told from Jake’s point of view, though some chapters from Jess’s are sprinkled throughout, mostly to provide the backstory of why she’s afraid of relationships. While I usually prefer a more even or primarily female perspective in books, I actually really enjoyed Jake’s point of view.

Unlike the first 2 books, Friends With Benefits primarily takes place in the Hamptons along the beaches of Long Island. I enjoyed this beach setting and the gathering of so many characters that I’ve come to know throughout the series. I enjoyed the relationship and chemistry between Jake and Jess, and though the “friends with benefits” relationship seemed a bit complicated, I enjoyed the closeness the two shared right from the beginning. I really like how things ended in this book, and I’m looking forward to the next book in this series!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free advance copy of Friends With Benefits! The opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

October 16, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Two to Tango

By Laura Carter

Released in September

(3.5 / 5)

Two to Tango is the second book in the Brits in Manhattan series. This book could easily be read as a standalone, though it was fun to read as a series and revisit characters from the first book. I liked this book more than The Law of Attraction – I liked the male main character, Brooks more and also preferred the more even points of view altering between Brooks and the female main character, Izzy.

Brooks and Izzy are both fitness instructors, though have very different methods. This was very much an enemies-to-lovers romance, so there’s a lot of bickering between the two. At times their antics were funny, though sometimes they seemed childish and unprofessional, especially when they attack each other via Izzy’s blog. The good thing is that the characters eventually recognize these flaws in themselves and the baggage from their pasts that they need to work on, so there’s some good character development along the way. Overall, another quick read, and I plan to continue reading the series.

October 14, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

The Law of Attraction

By Laura Carter

(3 / 5)

I’ve been approved to read advance copies of a couple books in the Brits in Manhattan series, so I thought I’d start at the beginning. The Law of Attraction is the first book in the series and available to read free through Prime Reading.

Honestly, I didn’t like this book as much as I hoped I would. Drew, the main male character, is a bit of a conceited jerk in the beginning, and he knows it. While this gives a great opportunity for character development (and there was), I just had a hard time getting past his personality, especially since almost the whole book is written from Drew’s point of view. I would’ve liked to see more from Becky’s point of view, but her chapters are mostly to reveal things about her past.

Overall, The Law of Attraction was a quick read that didn’t turn out to be one of my favorites, but I didn’t necessarily dislike it either. I plan to continue reading the series, which appears to be stories that follow side characters from this book, which should be interesting.

October 12, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

A Pretty Implausible Premise

By Karen Rivers

(4 / 5)

On the surface this looks like just a YA romance, but it really takes an emotional journey through guilt, loss, and forgiveness. Both of the main characters are going through their own versions of this. Hattie’s mom left when she was just a child, and now she has given up on competitive swimming after a little boy drowned during her lifeguard watch. Presley’s twin brother was killed in a car accident that left him with injuries that ended his figure skating career and put their father in prison. There’s also parallels between Hattie and Presley’s stories and a book that Hattie is obsessed with, which we are able to read excerpts of throughout the book – a story within the story. I really liked both of the main characters. I think they felt realistic and relatable.

The book did feel a bit slow, especially at the beginning. About the first 3rd of the book is just the first day of school, and while it was setting up the backstories and framework, I could see some readers losing interest in this part. The ending of the book is much faster paced. For me personally, the book kept my attention, and I was able to read almost the entire book in a day. The romance wasn’t quite as “insta-love” as the description made it sound, which I was actually glad about.

I received a free copy of A Pretty Implausible Premise through the Amazon Vine program, but all opinions in my review are uninfluenced and my own.

October 10, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Romance Young Adult 0

Snow Days With You

By Leonie Mack

Coming soon on October 20, 2023

(4.5 / 5)

Snow Days With You is a sweet, slow-burn romance that left me with a cozy feeling. It takes place in Chamonix amidst the snow-covered mountains of France, which was an amazing, beautiful setting. There’s a lot of French dialog throughout the book, but it’s done in a way that makes the setting feel more authentic. I don’t know French and didn’t have any issues since most of it was translated or could be figured out from context.

The story’s main characters are Luna and Yannick. Most of the book follows Luna’s point of view but some parts follow Yannick, which I liked so I could see his perspective as well. On the surface, these characters seem completely different from each other: Luna has lived a very sheltered, safe life, while Yannick works as part of a rescue team for the mountains, traversing dangerous terrain that they must access by helicopter. But the characters are also both dealing with a lot of grief from losing loved ones and the ending of serious relationships. Luna travels to Chamonix after she receives a large insurance payout from a man she didn’t know, and it’s almost like fate with how Luna and Yannick’s paths keep crossing with each other. I liked these characters, and I thought they really brought something good out of each other.

The story has a sense of mystery to it, as Luna is trying to figure out why she was the benefactor of the money and also discovering things about her late mother that she never knew. That part of the story took some turns I wasn’t expecting, so it kept things interesting. There was also an “air of excitement” with mountain rescues and mountain climbing being a major theme.

Character development over the course of the story was huge. It was almost like the Luna at the end was a different person from the Luna at the beginning. And Yannick grew over the course of the story as well. The book kept me immersed and interested. I would love to read more books by Leonie Mack now that I’ve had a chance to read one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the free advance copy of Snow Days With You! My review is my own honest opinion of the book.

October 3, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Woke Up Like This

By Amy Lea

Coming soon on October 1, 2023

(4 / 5)

Woke Up Like This was my September early access pick through Amazon Prime First Reads. I often pick a book and save it to read later, but this one caught my interest enough that I decided to read it right away.

The main character of this book is Charlotte, who is only weeks away from graduating high school. She is hoping for the perfect experience to end high school, especially a memorable prom. She’s a planner and takes charge. But she feels like her nemesis, J.T. Renner, is out to ruin everything for her. Honestly, at the beginning of the book it felt like Charlotte was a bit immature and was unfairly putting the blame on J.T. for everything that didn’t go right for her. I was afraid that this book might be a little too “high school drama” for me. But I kept going and it did improve. There were definitely some funny moments, especially when Charlotte wakes up and is suddenly 30 years old.

An interesting theme in this story was the “coming of age” look at teens vs adults – Charlotte thinks adulthood will be fun because there won’t be curfews and you can do what you want, plus you’ll have all the answers. But then once she experiences life as a 30-year-old, she sees that that’s not necessarily the case. Also, it’s important to appreciate the present, because you really can’t predict how things might change in the future.

Overall, this was a fun, quick read that kept me wanting to read more. While the book might be more directed towards a younger audience, there were some things that Charlotte learned along the way that spoke to me personally.

September 21, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

Ghosted

By Sarah Ready

Narrated by Sarah Naughton and Rob Brinkman

Coming soon on September 26, 2023

(4.5 / 5)

TW: suicide

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of Sarah Ready’s upcoming book, Ghosted. The narrators did a great job reading the book. A special thanks to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for the free advance copy of this book. The opinions expressed in my review are solely my own.

I went into Ghosted knowing it was a paranormal romance, but it ended up being so much more than I was expecting. It made me feel such a range of emotions, from laughter to tears. At times it did feel a little long, but then the story took a big turn in a direction I wasn’t necessarily expecting.

The author has a very descriptive style of writing, thoroughly painting the scenes throughout the book. Characters were complex and interesting, with side characters that had big personalities and their own character developments. All of this really brought the story to life.

I will note that Jillian, the main character, is a huge Star Trek fan, so many references to the show are made. I’m familiar enough with the various series to be able to appreciate the references, but readers not familiar with Star Trek might find themselves a little lost at times.

I don’t want to give away any of the plot here, so I’ll just say that I ended up enjoying this book so much more than I expected. It was hard to tear myself away from the story, and I finished the whole thing in just over a day. I would love to read more books by Sarah Ready!

I received a free review copy of this book, but all opinions are completely my own.

September 19, 2023 by danimae1981 Audiobook Fiction Romance 0

Match Me If You Can

By Sandy Barker

Coming soon on September 28, 2023!

(4 / 5)

I’ll be honest, when I first started this book, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. It alternates points of view between the two main characters, Poppy and Tristan. In the beginning, I felt like Tristan had no real personality at all. Which, I suppose is meant to represent the “grumpy” trope, while Poppy was the “sunshine”. I’m glad I kept reading and gave this book a chance, because I did end up liking it. As the story progresses, the main characters definitely gain depth, and Tristan actually becomes likable. There’s definitely some unexpected situations that keep the story interesting.

One thing I enjoyed about the book was the variety of settings. The majority of the book takes place in London, which is admittedly one of my favorite cities. The characters also go to Greece and Edinburgh, which were beautifully described and fun to visit through the eyes of the characters.

Overall, this was a fun, lighthearted read. As I got closer to the end, the book kept me so engrossed that I may have stayed up later than I should have to finish it that night.

I will note that the book included a trigger warning in the beginning regarding infertility and IVF. It was a pretty minor part of the story, but still good to know in advance if it’s a bothersome topic for someone.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free advance copy of Match Me If You Can! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

September 11, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0