Andrea Valcarcel

ARC — To Swoon and To Spar — Martha Waters — The Regency Vows #4

“I can’t help thinking that he’s always held himself somewhat…apart.”
“Because he was not married?” (…)
“Because he cared about this house more than he cared about anything else. (…) It makes for a lonely existence, I suspect.”

Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Mentions death of parent. Includes a marriage of convenience. Contains some sexual content.

“To Swoon and To Spar” is the fourth installment in The Regency Vows series, and it follows Viscount Penvale as he is set to be married for the sake of real estate. Penvale has been set on buying Trethwick Abbey from his uncle for years now, but his uncle had never been willing to sell until now and under one condition—Penvale has to marry his uncle’s ward, Jane Spencer. And they do agree to get married and Penvale does get the house, but once in the Abbey, Jane decides she’ll be faking a haunting in hopes that Penvale will scare off and leave off to London—but Penvale isn’t scared that easily and perhaps Penvale and Jane aren’t as different as they think.

I reviewed the other books in this series a year ago and they’re all equally entertaining, with the third, “To Marry and To Meddle”, being the funniest in my opinion. Working as standalone novels with a few crossovers, these novels are a fun interpretation of unusual love stories during the Regency Era.

I would highly recommend this series as a way to be introduced to historical fiction and historical romances. Martha Waters has found a way to make this historical fiction lighthearted and comedic, which often isn’t associated with this genre.

Grab “To Swoon and To Spar” if you enjoy romances with marriage of conveniences, one bed tropes, and romantic comedies.—Additionally, if you’re into the Bridgerton TV Series, there is no way you wouldn’t like this series.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: April 11, 2023

ARC — The Widow’s Guide to Second Chances — Valerie Pepper — Guided to Love #1

“You scare me. (…) I like you, and I shouldn’t and that scares me.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses parental death and abandonment, family member death, spouse death, and firefighting and emergency first responder risks. Contains explicit sexual content.

“The Widow’s Guide to Second Chances” follows Devon Rayne as she is forced to move back to her hometown to renovate her childhood home and live there for 6 months as per her grandmother’s will. The problem is Devon hasn’t been to her hometown in 5 years—not since her firefighting husband died in a school fire and she was left a widow. Now that she’s back, she reconnects with both old and new friends, but is still set on leaving after that 6-month mark. And little to nothing will make her stay (little being Aaron Joseph, a paramedic that just clicks with Devon, against her own will). Will Devon give this town and her heart a chance to heal? Or will she go back to running away from what hurt her in the past?

Given the title of the novel, I expected this to follow a “he fell first” trope (and it did), but what I did not expect was that this falling would take place before the book, when the main characters were young adults and not the 30-something’s they are now.

But gosh, did I love Devon and Aaron, both so broken and insecure in their own ways, both with different coping mechanisms—they were made to make each other feel safe and happy. The one reason it didn’t get the full 5-stars was because one of the arcs of the book just felt unnecessary to me, but I still enjoyed this read very much.

I would highly recommend this book if you like small town romances or if you’re looking for a love after loss romance story full of tension and stubbornness.

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ARC provided by Book Sirens and Valerie Pepper in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: April 11, 2023

“All I could do was wish I had met her first.”

Blog Tour ARC — What The Hex — Jessica Clare — Hex #2

“You’re obscene.”
“You love it.”
“Jupiter help me, I really do.”

Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 4 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Describes toxic relationships and mentions animal death. Contains explicit sexual content.

“What The Hex” follows Penny Roundtree, a hopeful familiar without a warlock or witch, and Willem Sauer, a 270-year-old warlock, as they participate in a downright illegal arrangement—she’ll be his familiar while he’ll teach her the magic he isn’t even supposed to partake in. But when doubts begin to rise, they have to act as a couple to justify the amount of time they’re spending together, even though they’re as different as opposites can get.

This book had all the cards stacked against it and it still won my heart over. Because, although I was looking forward to this series as a whole, I came into this sequel a bit biased and disappointed when I read it would be following Penny—I found Penny to be extremely annoying and a bit naïve in “Go Hex Yourself.” So now, tell me, why did I love this second installment so much?

Warlocks are meant to teach their familiars, and oh, did Penny have a lot to learn and Willem a lot to teach. I absolutely loved how the characters in the first installment were present in “What The Hex”. Nowadays, series tend to be more standalone-ish, and you’ll get a small crossover here and there and that’s it, but this was not the case with Jessica Clare’s Hex series. Here, Reggie from “Go Hex Yourself” was ever present in Penny’s life, be that through texting or through actual in-page time together. It was definitely different to other series I’ve experienced lately.

In general, this was a fluffy but spicy piece that’ll have you finishing up the whole 336 pages in one sitting, running for that HEA. If you like witchy and magical romances, then don’t hesitate on grabbing the Hex series—its magic system is complex enough to entertain but simple enough to understand and leave enough space for romance and some plot development.

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Review posted as part of a blog tour.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

ARC — The Plus One — Mazey Eddings — A Brush With Love #3

“I’ve known Jude my entire life. He lived on the same block as us growing up, and he and Collin were best friends from the jump. But he and I have always been, like, these fundamental opposites. Even as a kid he was serious; had a certain sharpness about him. And I was nothing but soft spots. (…) And he and I fought all the time. And it was always about the silliest stuff. A snarky comment, a mean look, breathing too loud . . . I could always get under his skin, and I kind of loved it. It meant he saw me.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 5 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Describes and discusses panic attacks, medical trauma, and war and PTSD. Contains explicit sexual content.

“The Plus One” follows Indira Papadakis and Jude Bailey, two childhood frenemies that are forced to walk down the aisle—not of their own wedding, but of Collin Papadakis’s, Indira’s brother and Jude’s best friend. Not only that, but they’re actually all living together for the few weeks before the wedding, for various reasons. Will they be able to coexist around each other? Or will their bickering ruin the party, perhaps even before it starts?

Jude was so haunted by his experiences as an emergency doctor that it killed me, Indira was so set on dealing with her emotional baggage that it inspired me. When I thought Mazey Eddings couldn’t make me fall in love any harder for a set of characters, she gave me “The Plus One.”

These novels all technically work as standalone romances, yet they’re part of a series because they take place in the same world, revolving around a mismatched group of (rather lovable) friends. Indira was never a friend of the group that stood out to me—Lizzie was my fave from book one. But gosh, Indira had my heart on her sleeve about 20 pages in.

Enemies to lovers isn’t my favorite trope, but this was carried out so perfectly I am reconsidering my biases. This was a 5-star read all-around. No beating around the bush with that.

“The Plus One” will be one of my most recommended romance read of 2023, so grab it. No need to hesitate. You’ll love this one, even if you haven’t read the other books in this series. Even if, like me, enemies to lovers isn’t your favorite set up.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake — Mazey Eddings — A Brush With Love #2

“You don’t understand what a privilege it is to know you. (…) You don’t understand how it changes a person to hear you laugh.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 4 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Revolves around an unplanned pregnancy. Describes and discusses panic attacks, living with ADHD, and very emotionally abusive and gaslighting parents. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake” follows, well, Lizzie Blake, a baker with ADHD, after a one-night stand ends with her being pregnant. But one-night stands are her thing and they definitely used a condom… an expired condom, that is—hence the baby that’s now growing inside of her. And so in comes Rake, the one-night-stand-turned-baby-daddy, who is an Australian businessman that is offered the opportunity to move to the States. Rake decides to move across the globe and is eager to take on the responsibility of being the father—but Lizzie doesn’t do relationships, and least of all under these conditions. So they’ll be friends and coparents and ignore the definite spark that keeps growing between them.

This book broke me. It absolutely shattered me. Seeing how people treated Lizzie because of her ADHD and life decisions tore me apart. Rake was literally the perfect bundle of Australian sunshine that Lizzie needed to bring structure and, most of all, understanding to her life. I am not the biggest fan of unplanned pregnancies in books but holy did I love this read. This trope was carried perfectly, I don’t see how Mazey Eddings could’ve made this book any better.

I would highly highly highly recommend this series in general, but if you were to read only one book by Mazey Eddings, then definitely let that be “Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake.”

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A Brush With Love — Mazey Eddings — A Brush With Love #1

“No one doubts you constantly do your best. We all admire you so much for how hard you work. But some days, your best can be a B, and some days your best can even be a C, or some days, it could mean doing nothing at all but just breathing.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Describes and discusses panic attacks, mental illness, and death of parents. Contains explicit sexual content.

“A Brush With Love” follows Harper and Dan, two dental students, as they literally crash into each other’s lives. Harper is in her last year of school, while Dan is just a first-year student—but they’re roughly around the same age… that’s because Dan didn’t even want to be a dentist to begin with, but that’s a longer story. This pair immediately clicks but Harper is set on not being distracted for her last semester, she must end this perfect run with a perfect GPA, no matter what that might mean for her mental health.

I loved that this book was more than just a romance—it tackled topics from mental health to emotional abuse and gaslight by figures of authority, such as parents—but that’s also what made it a bit iffy for me at times. I couldn’t see Harper’s behaviors as things actual people would do in real life, but I guess that’s what fiction’s for, right?

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a sweet romance and who aren’t to off-put by the topic of dentistry. I can openly admit that I wasn’t that interested on the dentist school portion of this novel—but I was also willing to withstand some anatomy lessons in order to see Harper and Dan’s happily ever after.

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ARC — Sea Change — Gina Chung

“(…) Then the image of Eriko snapping at her trainers and slamming into the other dolphins, all while continuing to circle her tank in tight, anxious spirals, comes to mind. I realize that the main difference between Eriko’s situation and mine is that she never had a choice in her entrapment, but I do. I don’t have to be stuck anymore.”

Genre: General Fiction
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Describes the disappearance or death of a parent, dysfunctional families, and racism. Discusses sexual content, but isn’t explicit.

“Sea Change” follows Aurora (Ro), a zookeeper at a mall aquarium, as she tries to find new meaning in life after a very special animal is set to be sold to a private investor. The aquarium Ro works at is aiming to financial ruin, so when some rich family asks to buy their giant Pacific octopus for a great sum of money, the aquarium declare said octopus sold. But this isn’t just any octopus—this is Dolores. Dolores was caught by Ro’s father in one of his expeditions before his research boat is lost at sea and him and his crew are presumed dead. Dolores is practically all Ro has left from her father, how can the aquarium sell her just like that? -queue tears-

I am going to be honest upfront: I’m completely biased when it comes to reviewing this book. I am a marine zoologist, how on Earth would I not love this? But now, hear me out, regular fiction usually bores (I need me some romance and spice, don’t judge me) so my hopes weren’t too high but oh wow, did I binged “Sea Change” in a span of 24 hours.

The concept of a vortex that’s so polluted and inhabitable that organisms started to adapt to it? Terrifying but not so far from what could actually happen. In the end, nature will always find a way, with or without us. Gina Chung’s debut novel was an ode to marine life but also a mystery exploring difficult family dynamics and a very unique character—Ro.

If you like general fiction reads and marine animals, and you’re looking for a book that’s a bit futuristic but in a possibly-realistic way, then don’t hesitate to grab “Sea Change.”

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Vintage in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Go Hex Yourself — Jessica Clare — Hex #1

“I can’t change the past, but it’s no wonder that I can’t keep a familiar.
No one wants to serve a monster.
Certainly no one wants to kiss one.”

Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 4 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses parental death, child abuse, and emotional abuse. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Go Hex Yourself”, the first installment in the Hex series, follows Reggie Johnson, a pretty average young adult, as she finds the perfect job in a newspaper ad: being an assistant for her absolute favorite card game, Spellcraft: The Magicking. But she might’ve been a bit wrong on what the position entailed, since they’re actually spell-crafting—Reggie is being recruited to be an actual witch’s familiar (aka an apprentice, of sorts). That’s okay. The pay is great, the old witch is quirky but nice, it includes room and board… the only problem is her boss’s nephew. Ben Magnus is insufferable and selfish and just plain out always in the way. But when Reggie finally comes to realize magic is real and this isn’t some LARPing thing, Ben is the only person she can trust, especially after people around them, including her witch boss, start getting cursed left and right.

I will be completely honest here. The only reason I read this book was because I was contacted to read an advanced copy of the second book in this series, but oh, did I not know what I was missing. How did “Go Hex Yourself” go under my radar? I have no clue, but this series could easily become one of my favorite, right up there with Lana Harper’s The Witches of Thistle Grove series. We’ll see where the second installment goes, but the potential is clearly there.

I love witchy romance as much as the next gal, but I am here to scream at the top of my lungs that “Go Hex Yourself” is more than just spice. With complex characters that have just as complex back stories and being told through different points of view, this book did not fall flat on just lust and sexiness. I related to Reggie at a ridiculous level and I was right there along for the ride, being as surprised and horrified as she was at all things magic—and being just as undeniable attracted to a not-so-evil evil warlock.

I feel like “Go Hex Yourself” caters to every reader, not just fantasy and witchy romance readers—so, if you’re looking to explore genres (or if you already know you love witchy stories, either way) this book is perfect for you.

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The Charm Offensive — Alison Cochrun

“I don’t think happily ever after is something that happens to you, Dev. I think it’s something you choose to do for yourself.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses mental illness and panic attacks, ableism, racism, and homophobia. Contains sexual content.

“The Charm Offensive” follows Charlie Winshaw, a tech entrepreneur turned reality TV star, and Dev Deshpande, a producer for said reality TV show. This TV show, Ever After, is set to find the perfect princess for the perfect prince. But Charlie is all but perfect, and he isn’t even sure why he’s looking for a princess. So, when Charlie and Dev suddenly click, they definitely can’t act on it. Dev isn’t looking to be anyone’s little secret (he’s over that), and Charlie has a contract signed. And so Ever After continues.

There has not been a single Alison Cochrun book that I haven’t loved—but “The Charmed Offensive” takes the cake and has every single cherry on top. This book made me feel so many things—yes, love, but also frustration and self-consciousness and just plain mad at both main characters at different points in time.

I connected so much with the characters and the story, I can’t not recommend to every single person I’ll come across. If you still haven’t read this gem, and you like queer romances, then what are you waiting for? Grab this without hesitation.

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ARC — Too Soon For Adiós — Annette Chavez Macias

“My grandma used to say that the universe worked in mysterious ways. It was the only explanation I could come up with for how I’d ended up becoming a chef just like the biological father I never knew. Or how I ended up eating tacos in his restaurant almost thirty years after I was born.”

Genre: General Fiction, Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses parental and child death. Describes a sexual assault and physical abuse. Contains some sexual innuendos, but it’s closed doors.

“Too Soon For Adiós” follows Gabby Medina, an ex-sous-chef, as she learns to live after her mother’s death. She was left without her adopted father at a young age and now loses her mother at 29—she is all alone. That is, until a stranger introduces himself as her biological dad at her mother’s funeral. She wants nothing to do with him, for obvious reasons. But when things take a turn for the even-worse, she wants to leave the only place she’s called home and is driven to Sonrisa, New Mexico, her bio-father’s small hometown, where she’ll meet new people and grow into new places.

Do not be bamboozled by the cute cover: this book follows a heartbreaking story, and it touches on very difficult topics like terminal illness, serious debt brought on by someone else, sexual assault, domestic violence, and so much multigenerational trauma.

The romance portion of this book is closed doors, but gosh, the sexual tension between them is so palpable that although their love was slow to burn, it was 100% worth the 65% wait.

I think these are my favorite types of books—both general fiction and romance sprinkled together. It’s as close to real life as fiction gets. I loved the small town setting, I loved almost every character, I loved watching Gabby grow and learn that being soft doesn’t have to mean being weak.

I cannot recommend this novel enough. Immerse yourself in this story if you’ve enjoyed books like “Georgie, All Along” by Kate Clayborn or “Commonwealth” by Ann Patchett, where life is woven as the complicated thing it can be.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Montlake in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 21, 2023

“Mijita, that’s what love is, (…) losing yourself in someone else.”