Romance

The Break-Up Pact

By Emma Lord

(3.5 / 5)

June and Levi were close childhood friends who have had minimal contact for the past 10 years. Each has been in a long-term relationship that recently ended, quite publicly. When a photo starts circulating of the two of them, assuming they are dating each other, they decide to “fake date” to help draw business to June’s tea shop and make Levi’s fiancé jealous.

The Break-Up Pact was set in a small, tight-knit beach town where everyone seems to know each other. We follow several things that are going on beyond the main storyline… June’s tea shop struggling, Levi writing a book, June’s brother is getting married, and June’s friend Sana is trying to write an article worthy of being in a big magazine. There’s a bit of a sad undertone to the story due to June’s sister (and Levi’s friend) Annie passing away two years ago, and I think both characters are still processing the grief of her being gone. The main characters were overall likeable, though sometimes I found it a little frustrating how much June tended to push Levi away. Both characters have been living in situations that are more to fulfill the dreams of other people instead of themselves, so there was some good character development as June and Levi figured out what they actually wanted for themselves.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Break-Up Pact! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

If the Ring Fits

By Camilla Isley

Coming January 25, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

When Rowena finds out she’s pregnant and lost her job in the same day, a chance encounter with a multi-millionaire who’s trying to impress his boss leads to an agreement that could benefit both of them… by getting married. If the Ring Fits is the 2nd book in Isley’s Funny Feelings series, though it can easily be read as a stand-alone. Fans of Isley’s may recognize a few familiar characters from her True Love series as well!

If the Ring Fits was a quick, light read that kept my interest well enough. Sometimes situations seemed a bit too convenient to be truly believable, but it’s all explained in a way that makes sense. I enjoyed the moments of playful banter between the main characters, and overall found both of them to be likable. As a former software engineer, I liked seeing the representation of a woman in STEM.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of If the Ring Fits! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

January 5, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

She Doesn’t Have a Clue

By Jenny Elder Moke

Coming January 21, 2025

(3 / 5)

She Doesn’t Have a Clue combines mystery and romance when an author, Kate, attends a wedding on a remote private island. Kate writes a mystery series, and when the mystery that she encounters parallels the plot of one of her books, she tries to channel her fictional character to solve it. Meanwhile, the groom at the wedding is Kate’s ex-fiancé, and her former friend/crush, Jake, is also in attendance.

The premise of this book seemed interesting, but unfortunately, it ended up falling a bit flat for me. I struggled with the beginning of the book, I think because we are meeting so many sketchy characters that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. The narrative would also occasionally switch to the book that Kate wrote, which threw me off even more. It was obvious from the start that Kate had history with Jake, but the references were vague, and I felt a bit out of the loop (it was eventually explained, but not until much later in the book). Things did get more interesting when Kate realized that one of the wedding guests was up to no good, and there’s a mystery to solve. I figured out the culprit about 70% of the way through, though it wasn’t super obvious, and I think other readers might be kept guessing for a while. In the end, the story kept my attention well enough, but I feel like I never really connected with Kate and the story was a bit too chaotic for my taste, so it just wasn’t the right book for me.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review a free copy of She Doesn’t Have a Clue! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

December 27, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Mystery Romance 0

Promise Me Sunshine

By Cara Bastone

Coming March 4, 2025

(4 / 5)

Promise Me Sunshine is a romance story that focuses heavily on learning to live through grief. Our protagonist, Lenny, is very much struggling with life after the loss of her best friend to cancer, to the point where she won’t even go home. While at a babysitting job, she meets Miles, who can be a bit rough around the edges but recognizes that Lenny is struggling. Miles has had to deal with grief himself, so he offers to help Lenny. I really enjoyed reading this story and thought it dealt with some very heavy topics well. I liked both of the main characters and thought that their different personalities complimented each other in a way that brought out the best in each other. Lenny and the grief she was dealing with felt very real but also left me with a feeling of hope. The romance is very slow burn, but I really had to respect how Miles navigated Lenny’s grief with her. This was a book that was hard to put down, and I would love to read more by the author!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Promise Me Sunshine! All opinions expressed are completely my own.

December 2, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

A Cruel Thirst

By Angela Montoya

Coming December 17, 2024

(4 / 5)

Lalo has been turned into a vampire, but he is determined to undo the curse and not lose his humanity. Carolina wants to hunt vampires with the rest of her family, but her parents would rather arrange a marriage and life of safety for her. Will the two be able to work together to rid the world of vampires?

I enjoyed reading A Cruel Thirst. It integrates a lot of common vampire lore while also providing explanations for its origins, stemming back to gods and the first vampire. I liked both of the main characters, with Lalo being rather dramatic and terrible at being a vampire while Carolina was strong, spirited, and independent. The relationship that develops between them had the right amount of push and pull to keep it believable and interesting. I thought the Latino background of the characters was enhanced with the use of Spanish words throughout the story, but in a way that someone who doesn’t know the language can still understand the meaning. Overall, I felt that this story was done really well, and I look forward to reading more by the author.

Thank you to Random House Children’s, Joy Revolution, and NetGalley for the free review copy of A Cruel Thirst! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

October 13, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

If I Stopped Haunting You

by Colby Wilkens

Coming October 15, 2024

(3.5 / 5)

Four months after rival authors Pen and Neil have a rather public fight that results in one throwing a book at the other, they find themselves on the same writer’s retreat in Scotland. With the castle they are staying at rumored to be haunted and feelings between them getting complicated, can they survive the whole week together?

If I Stopped Haunting You was an interesting combination of spicy romance with paranormal activity and some horror elements. The settings gave the story a creepy undertone that was fitting, and I enjoyed the detailed descriptions. The story begins with Pen acting a bit childish and impulsive, which doesn’t give the best first impression, but I ended up enjoying her character anyway. I liked that the book alternated between the points of view of both of the main characters, which helped me understand and like them both better. For the most part I liked the story, though it lost some momentum for me for maybe the last third of the book – characters seemed to make some illogical choices given the circumstances, and the ghost mystery was resolved in a way that left me a bit underwhelmed. A few things seemed to go unexplained too, though I can see how it adds to the mysterious atmosphere of the story. Of note, I appreciated the insight into the experiences of Indigenous authors, an ongoing theme throughout the story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the free review copy of If I Stopped Haunting You! All opinions presented in my review are completely my own.

September 29, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Wished

By Sarah Ready

Coming October 1, 2024

(4 / 5)

Anna has been in love with Max since she first met him 3 years ago. The problem is that he doesn’t notice her at all, she’s just one of the hired people cleaning his house. When she makes a wish on an heirloom necklace, an unexpected turn of events ensues.

Wished is the 4th book in Sarah Ready’s Ghosted series. Since there’s very little references to the previous books, it could easily be read as a standalone, though there are some possible spoilers in the epilogue if you intend to eventually read the earlier books.

I thought this was an enjoyable read. It’s not surprising that we experience some insta-love along the way, given Anna’s love at first sight and then reality changing from a wish. There’s some pretty intense feelings involved that turns up the spice. I enjoyed some of the philosophical aspects that the book explores, such as the impact of changed realities, freedom of choice, and the things that make people happy. There was at least one aspect of the scenario that was never really explained, though given the magical/paranormal aspect the story is based on, that might be explanation enough for most people. This book definitely brings a rollercoaster of emotions.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles and NetGalley for the free review copy of Wished! All opinions expressed are completely my own.

August 30, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

This is Not a Holiday Romance

By Camilla Isley

Coming September 4, 2024

(3.5 / 5)

Nina does not get along with her brother’s best friend, Tristan, and the feud has been going on for 15 years. When she finds out Tristan will be spending the week with her family for Christmas, Nina is livid. With some unexpected feelings brewing, is it possible for things to change between these two enemies?

Camilla Isley is an author whose work I really enjoy. This book didn’t turn out to be one of my favorites by her, but it was still a cute, quick, light story that was perfect for a vacation read. Of the two main characters, I liked Tristan but found Nina to be a bit childish, especially in the beginning. Some of the pranks between the two were funny, but others were too vindictive for my taste. I did enjoy the romance aspect of the book, and it kept my interest easily enough. Parts of the book were predictable, but this wasn’t the type of book that I was expecting to produce a bunch of surprises. I’m wondering if this book will be the first in a series, since the epilogue seems to open the possibility for a couple more storylines.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of This is Not a Holiday Romance! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

August 21, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

This Will Be Fun

By E. B. Asher

Coming September 10, 2024

(3.5 / 5)

Ten years ago, four heroes saved the realm, an event that is joyously celebrated by the Queendom… except for the heroes themselves. After losing their leader in the battle, the remaining three heroes split on bad terms. Now the queen is getting married, and the heroes must face each other again for the event.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It’s more character driven than plot driven, which wasn’t quite what I was expecting. For the first half, it felt like not a lot was happening, and there was a lot of eluding to past events without completely revealing what exactly happened (until around the 40% mark). Things did pick up a bit maybe around the halfway mark, but I wasn’t really feeling either of the romances. The magic in this world led to a lot of modern-world parallels – chain coffee shops, riding sharing, tabloids, social media, video streaming, etc. It made the story a bit quirky, though for me this magic almost felt a little too convenient at times. In the end, this book didn’t capture my interest as well as I thought it would, but I could see how others might really enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the free review copy of This Will Be Fun! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

July 26, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Freeing Mallory

By S. Ashley

(4 / 5)

Freeing Mallory is a romance that delivers a decent amount of spice while also providing an interesting story. Both of the main characters, Mallory and Baxley, have been through some traumatic things in the past, so there’s an undertone of grief, but it is interesting to see how they each face it and learn to move on. I found both of the main characters to be likable and more complex than I was expecting, and I enjoyed the relationship between them. There’s a twist along the way that didn’t really come as a surprise for me, though there were still aspects of it that I didn’t expect. The story was a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but I was happy with the way things ended.

June 10, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Paperback Romance 0