NYC

Falling for Fury

By Brittany Rianne

Released today!

(4 / 5)

Addison: 25-year-old law student who struggles with mental health and the expectations set by her dad. Noah: 29-year-old businessman who is determined to succeed to support his family but has sworn off love after the grief of losing his father. The two meet by chance and sparks fly, but is a relationship possible?

This book begins with a trigger warning, which I appreciated since I have had my own struggles with mental health. I’ll admit, in the beginning I had a hard time completely understanding the two main characters, but as I got to know them better, they both grew on me. On the surface, this is a romance story with good amount of spice, but it digs so much deeper with topics about mental health, family issues and personal growth. I liked the relationship between Addison and Noah, especially with how Noah embraced Addison as she was, instead of walking on eggshells like everyone else around her. I thought the book playlist (a song for each chapter) was a nice touch, even if I didn’t always listen to it while reading the book. This book is impressive for a self-published debut author – I would have never suspected this just from reading the book.

Thank you to Brittany Rianne for the free review copy of Falling for Fury! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

The Getaway List

By Emma Lord

Narrated by Norma Butikofer

Coming soon on January 23, 2024

(4 / 5)

The Getaway List is a young adult story following Riley, a teen who has just graduated high school and is trying to figure out who she is. She travels to New York City to visit her best friend, Tom, who moved away a few years ago. Together, they start doing some of the adventures on “The Getaway List,” which they created during their time apart.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of The Getaway List. I enjoyed the narration and thought it was well done. I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience this version of the book.

The Getaway List felt like a true coming-of-age story, since our main character, Riley, has just graduated high school and is exploring who she is and what she wants to do with her future. She initially heads for New York City to visit Tom, but they are quickly joined by a couple friends from school and a new friend along the way. The story takes place over the course of a summer full of adventures, blooming relationships, and the friends discovering their individual selves apart from family expectations. It was great to see so much character growth in Riley and all of her friends. I’ll admit that the parent in me cringed a bit when Riley impulsively took off immediately after graduation, straining her relationship with her mom. In the end, though, I was happy with the way things were resolved. There are some hints of romance along the way, but it’s very slow burn. It’s almost frustratingly slow, but I think there’s also a great lesson in these characters trying to figure themselves out before diving into something they weren’t quite ready for. I overall enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more books by Emma Lord.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Getaway List. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

January 8, 2024 by danimae1981 Audiobook Fiction Young Adult 0

Fairytale of New York

By Zoë Folbigg

Available now (read for free with Prime Reading)

(5 / 5)

Charlotte “Charlie” Brown is a professional makeup artist in London. She hasn’t seen her boyfriend, Harry, for 6 months, so she’s taking some off to visit him in New York City. She arrives just days before Christmas, but Harry isn’t there to greet her at the airport and isn’t answering his phone. Where could he be? And where does Charlie go from here?

This book was a great December read since maybe half of it takes place around Christmas and New Year’s. The story has a lot of depth to it and was very immersive – it was very hard to put this one down. I loved the settings of New York and London – it felt like a bit of an adventure exploring these places with the characters, especially when I recognized a few places from my own travels.

I really enjoyed the main character, Charlie. She is accomplished and hardworking, but she also has some self-doubts and ghosts from her past that she needs to resolve. Along the way she befriends Pete, another likable character who helps show her around New York City. These characters are joined by a diverse cast of side characters that were interesting and had their own stories.

I thought the style of writing was interesting in this book. It follows Charlie, but internal thoughts and feelings are shared from the characters that are around her too. I don’t usually see a narrative like this, but it really worked in this book, giving additional insight and even a sense of mystery since we obviously don’t know the whole backstory yet. I would love to read some more books by this author.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a free review copy of this book. All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

December 3, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

Baby, One More Time

By Camilla Isley

Coming soon on January 20, 2023

(4 / 5)

Baby, One More Time is the second book in the True Love series by Camilla Isley. A few parts actually overlap with the first book, Not in a Billion Years, so it was fun to revisit the characters AND see some events from a different perspective. While I think reading both books is the better way to go, Baby, One More Time could easily be read as a standalone. I see the potential setup for another book in the series, so I’m hoping the series will continue!

This book follows the story of Marissa and John, who dated in high school but had a rather abrupt breakup 16 years ago. Marissa has decided to try to have a baby through IVF, then discovers that John is a doctor at the clinic she is going to – let’s just say that was an awkward way to see each other for the first time in 16 years! The story alternates between both characters’ points of view, giving a clear picture of where things stand with each of them. I thought both Marissa and John were likable characters, and I enjoyed seeing Blake and Gabriel again from the previous book.

This book was a quick read and flowed well. At times it seemed a little redundant, especially within Marissa’s thoughts, but it was also understandable given her complicated situation. It’s definitely a slow burn romance, but it has a satisfying ending.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free advance review copy of Baby, One More Time! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

November 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Not in a Billion Years

By Camilla Isley

Available now: read for FREE on Prime Reading!

(4 / 5)

I discovered author Camilla Isley a few months ago and have enjoyed her books. I didn’t manage to get an advance copy of Not in a Billion Years, so it’s been on my “want to read” list since it released in September. This week I was approved to read the ARC of the next book in the series, Baby One More Time, so it was the perfect excuse to finally read this book. And what luck, it was even available to read for free through Prime Reading on Amazon!

Not in a Billion Years is a closed-door romance story following Blake and Gabriel, two New York City business owners in the fitness industry who have very different backgrounds. The book alternates between both of their points of view, so I took a liking to both characters from the start. The characters themselves got off to a rocky start, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say they were enemies. It was fun to watch their interactions, bantering, and funny situations they found themselves in, and I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow as they came to know each other better. Overall, I really enjoyed the story – it kept me engaged and wanting to keep reading until I reached the end. I’m looking forward to the next book, which follows Blake’s best friend Marissa, a side character in this book.

November 15, 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