steamy

Book Lovers

By Emily Henry

(5 / 5)

I enjoyed reading this book so much. The witty banter and comebacks between Nora and Charlie had me literally laughing out loud more than I have while reading a book in a long time. The characters had a lot of depth, with their first impressions barely scratching the surface. This book faces some heavy topics at times, but I enjoyed the growth of the characters and relationships with each other. As a book lover, I enjoyed the glimpses into the book publishing world, plus the quips about small town romance tropes when this was indeed a small town romance itself. My only regret is that it took me so long to finally get around to reading this book!

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

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

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

Just Some Stupid Love Story

By Katelyn Doyle

Coming June 4, 2024

(3.5 / 5)

At their 15-year class reunion, Seth and Molly see each other for the first time since breaking up at the end of high school. Molly is a rom-com script writer who doesn’t believe in real romance, while Seth is a divorce lawyer who believes in soul mates. They make a bet about 5 couples from the class to determine who is right at the next reunion in 5 years… and one of those couples happens to be themselves.

Just Some Stupid Love Story alternates points of view between the two main characters, Molly and Seth. It took me a bit to warm up to Molly… she’s very cynical, especially about romance. As we learn about her past it becomes more understandable, but sometimes her self-sabotaging was really frustrating. The story covers the span of 5 years, so there are several jumps in time that highlight Molly and Seth coming together and drifting apart over the years. They both have a lot of self-reflection along the way, leading to a good deal of character growth. It was interesting to see how the relationships of other couples in the story evolved over time in addition to the main characters. Overall, the book was a little predictable but still a quick read that kept me engaged.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Just Some Stupid Love Story! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

April 30, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

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.

March 10, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

On the Plus Side

By Jenny L. Howe

Coming soon on December 26, 2023!

(4 / 5)

Everly has not really been herself since the loss of her grandmother, and she’s afraid of being “too much” – too loud, too colorful, too big. So it’s easier to hold a job where she doesn’t have to show her art to other people and dress in dark colors to blend in with background. Then everything changes when she’s nominated to be a guest on her favorite reality TV show, On the Plus Side, a show that puts plus size people under a positive light. It’s an opportunity to find herself and follow her dreams, but it also means big changes and being in the spotlight. Add in the Thor lookalike from work and the grumpy cameraman from the show, and things could get interesting…

As a plus size person myself, I was drawn to this book that features a plus size main character. I really love the positive outlook it has for people of all sizes, stressing pride in who you are and not being afraid to show your true self. There are several plus size characters, so it gives our main character, Everly, a place to feel seen and like she belongs. The show she is on concentrates on both fashion and life changes, so it was great to see her embrace her art and look at how she could make a career out of it. Everly was a character that I could really relate to, and I loved watching her grow over the course of the story.

Of course, with this book being a romance, we know going in that there’s going to be a relationship that blossoms through the story, which I really enjoyed as well. There are definitely some ups and downs along the way, but it was great to see Everly find someone who truly respects her for who she is. It was a heartwarming story that made me feel like I could learn some things about myself along the way.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the free advance copy of On the Plus Side! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

December 17, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

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.

November 8, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 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