Tag Archives: 3 fire emojis

ARC — Take The Lead — Alexis Daria

“It’s just you and me, dancing together.”
“And millions of people watching on live TV.”
“You’re not dancing with those people. You’re only dancing with me.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses racism, sexism, and emotional abuse. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Take The Lead” follows Gina Morales, a latina New Yorker that’s made it in Hollywood as a professional dancer, and Stone Nielson, a TV survivalist who’s made it to the spotlight essentially against his will. Gina is part of the profesional dancer cast of “The Dance Off”, a Dancing-With-The-Stars-esque TV show, and her partner for the season is Stone. They’re are opposite as opposites get, yet their attraction and connection are undeniable. Too bad Gina has sworn off workplace romances… Right?

This book exceeded my expectations in every way. I loved and connected with the characters more than I expected; and I was entertained and captivated by a topic I’m not particularly interested in (dancing and reality TV). I wouldn’t change a single thing about this novel.

I am a fan of Alexis Daria’s writing but I had not read her debut before. Now, with its re-publishing, I am endeared even more. Alexis was my first auto-buy author, and it seems like it’ll be staying that way.

This book is as steamy as they get, in true Daria fashion. I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy close proximity romances and opposites attract situations. Oh, and aren’t afraid of some sexy dancing and dancing, if you know what I mean.

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

Publication Date: February 14, 2023

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby — Sarah Ready — Josh and Gemma #1

“When you realize you love someone and that you want to spend the rest of forever with them, you want forever to start right now.”

Author: Sarah Ready
Narrators: Erin Mallon

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Narration: 4 mikes
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses infertility, IVF, miscarriages, and parental death, and contains fat shaming. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Josh and Gemma Make a Baby” follows Gemma Jacobs as she decides to take her life and future in her own hands and have the baby she’s always dreamed of—by herself. Well, sort of. In comes Josh Lewenthal, her older brother’s best friend and a family friend since pretty much forever. Josh is easygoing and overall a good person, and was Gemma’s crush when she was younger, but those days are over. He would be the perfect donor/anonymous baby daddy. He could be as involved (or not) as he’d like, and, most importantly, he’s agreed to do it.

Erin Mallon did a great job at narrating this book. I loved her male voices and she sounded just how I imagined Gemma’s voice to be. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for other books narrated by her.

This book made me feel all the feels—it made me laugh and cry and it surprised me in so many ways. It was comical in a sitcom kind of way. In a way that showed that this story was highly improbable and yet so so relatable. I loved aaaall the side characters. From Gemma’s family to the IVF support group, this book had some A+ side vibes.

This is the first book by Sarah Ready that I’ve ever read and now I feel a need to go over her whole backlog. Her writing was fluid and engaging and I could not stop wondering where this story was going. This was the happiest of happily ever afters.

With a sort of childhood friends-to-lovers trope going on and some very serious double pining, you’ll love “Josh and Gemma Make a Baby” if you’ve enjoyed books where one of the main characters has secretly always been in love with the other main character. Just beware that this book brings along many serious topics like infertility and miscarrying after IVF.

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“I guess loving is accepting that it’s about giving and never about taking. If you expect something in return, then love becomes a transaction and it’s not love anymore.”

ARC — Make A Wish — Helena Hunting — Spark House #3

“Have faith in the power of true love, my dear, it conquers all.”

Author: Helena Hunting
Narrators: Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Narration: 5 mikes
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses age gap relationships, parental death, death during childbirth, dysfunctional relationships, and gaslighting. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Make a Wish” is the third and final installment in the Spark House series, and it follows the youngest Spark sister: Harley. She used to be a live-in nanny for a toddler named Peyton, but that was until she tried to kiss the girl’s widowed father, Gavin, and they upped and left to the other side of the State. Harley never saw them again, she moved on to work with her sisters in their boutique hotel, and that was that. Until Gavin and the now 9-year-old Peyton move back and they naturally reconnect. Will Harley get over what happened years ago and be able to move on to what the future could hold? Or will her embarrassment win this time around?

Hear me out: this book is part of a series, yes, but it works so so well as a standalone novel. And you can trust me with this one, because I have not read any of the other Spark House books and I was not only able to understand what was going on, but I was able to love the novel and all the characters as a whole.

And then when it came to the narration of this ARC audiobook—it was simply perfect. Stella Bloom’s voice was soft and really expressed Harley’s quirkiness, and Jason Clarke… Oh, Jason Clarke. His voice was so so deep. It was absolutely immaculate. I recently found out all the other audiobooks for this series are narrated by this pair and I can’t wait to get my hands on those.

The age difference and change in power dynamics was a bit weird, I’m not going to lie. I sometimes doubted Gavin’s intentions and really thought all he wanted was another live-in nanny. Also, that 9-year-old acted more like a 5- or 6-year-old, it got to be a bit annoying, yet I still honestly enjoyed this book—hence the aaaalmost perfect star rating.

I can’t speak for the rest of the series, but I would highly recommend “Make a Wish” if you’re looking for a romance that leans more towards the complex. Touching topics like childbirth death and losing both parents at a young age, this is a bit of a heavy read—but it still finds ways to be heartwarming.

If you enjoy age difference and second chances at love, then “Make a Wish” is most definitely for you.

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

Publication Date: January 24, 2023

ARC — Exes and O’s — Amy Lea

“A die-hard, emotional romantic and a guy who only believes in one kind of happy ending? That’s a recipe for disaster if I ever saw one.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings (as given by the author): Emotionally abusive ex, on-page gaslighting, portrayal of child with illness, mentions of deaths of loved ones, and deliberate use of the word crazy throughout. —I’ll add that it contains sexual content.

“Exes and O’s” is a heartwarming story that follows Tara Chen, a NICU nurse and bookstagrammer, as she tries to find her own second chance romance by contacting her exes with the help of her forever-single-but-never-alone firefighter roommate, Trevor Metcalfe. Little did they know that looking for secondhand love, they’d find it in each other.

The duo Christina Lauren portrayed it just right in their cover art endorsement: you’ll be laughing out loud with this one. I rarely find rom-com books funny, but Amy Lea really did it with “Exes and O’s.”

The main characters were so likable yet realistically imperfect. Tara was just the right amount of annoying and clingy to get the point across, but she wasn’t obnoxiously undesirable to the point that you wanted to skip her dialogue. The contrary was true, actually, I loved Tara and Trevor’s banter and Tara’s inner monologue in general.

The chemistry between the main characters slowly builds and it literally killed me in the process—I’m not the biggest fan of slow burn romances, but Tara and Trevor were worth the wait. In my opinion, they both deserve the world, we must protect them at all costs.

Mark my words: “Exes and O’s” will be between the best romance books of 2023.

If you enjoy books with grumpy-sunshine character pairing, then you’ll love Tara and Trevor, and if you’re a fan of the close proximity trope, then “Exes and O’s” is the perfect romance book for you.

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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: January 10, 2023

“I don’t need another man who makes elaborate promises he can’t commit to, Trevor. I need someone who’s going to be open and honest with me. I want someone who is willing to try.”

(…) “If there’s anyone in this world I want to try for, it’s you.”

So This Is Christmas — Jenny Holiday — Christmas in Eldovia #3

Author: Jenny Holiday
Narrator: Cynthia Farrell

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Narration: 4 mikes
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis (it was all so awkward)
Content Warnings: Discusses homophobia, physical and emotional abuse, gambling addictions, chronic illness disabilities, and parental abandonment. Contains explicit sexual content.

“So This Is Christmas” follows Cara Delaney, a management consultant that is sent to Eldovia to fix the financial crises the country is currently facing due to their declining watch business, and Matteo Benz, the royal consultant of the King of Eldovia. Mr. Benz is set on making life as uncomfortable as possible for the visiting American, but little did he know that his stubbornness could lead to admiration, and perhaps even love.

The audiobook I listened to for this read was alright at best. I enjoyed the story more than the narration, and I didn’t even enjoy the story that much.

Apparently this is the last book in the series, which sucks because this definitely was not the conclusion I was looking for. It can’t really be called a royalty romance anymore, if you ask me—which would’ve been okay, had the two main characters had any true chemistry at all.

This book was more holiday-centric than “Duke, Actually”, which was nice, but I just could not get myself to like this pairing. I think Matteo and Cara were just chaste and in close proximity, and that’s what led to their hook ups. Also, their first kiss happened literally out of nowhere, it was plain out weird (and I know they felt weird about it too, but it still doesn’t justify it. Out in the wild that would be called assault, for real).

And finally, what kind of conclusion was that? This book felt like it didn’t have a real ending. I finished listening to this audiobook and was left wondering what the hell had just happened.

I think maybe just stick to the first two books in this series. “So This Is Christmas”, in my opinion, isn’t worth your time.

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Something Wilder — Christina Lauren

“I had to let you go once, (…) you think I’m letting that happen again?”

Author: Christina Lauren
Narrated by: Christina Lauren, Patti Murin, and Jon Root

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Narration: 4 mikes
Content Warnings: Discusses parent death, murder, and kidnapping. Describes hiking and violent injuries. Has explicit sexual content.

“Something Wilder” follows Lily Wilder, daughter of a notorious treasure hunter, and Leo Grady, her first (and, really, only) love, as they are reunited by chance in the middle of the wilderness they adored. A series of events sends them through the treasure-hunting trip of a lifetime. This is definitely an adventure you don’t want to miss.

Have you ever wanted to tackle a lovers-to-estranged-enemies-to-lovers trope book? Well, here’s your chance. “Something Wilder” will take you on horse rides and hikes that only few get a chance to see, all while reuniting two soulmates that only drifted apart due to distance and miscommunication.

I liked the narration of this audiobook, but it took me a few chapter to get used to Leo’s voice—it just wasn’t my cup if tea, but then I learned to love it. If you’re going to grab this book, definitely consider listening to it as an audiobook, it helped the visualization aspect for me, which in this adventure book was a plus.

This wasn’t my favorite Christina Lauren book, both plot- and spicy-wise, but I still enjoyed it truly. I found it weird that the villains could rationalize truly insane behaviors, it almost had a cowboy-soap-opera feel to it. The bad guys were just ridiculous.

But either way, if you’re looking for an outdoorsy romance that has its fair bit of adventure, treasure hunting, and code breaking, then “Something Wilder” is for you.

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A Lot Like Adiós — Alexis Daria — Primas of Power #2

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses serious family fights and abandonment. Has very explicit sexual content.

“A Lot Like Adiós” follows Michelle Amato and Gabriel Aguilar, two childhood best friends who had an almost hookup and then never spoke again. Gabe moved across the country, Mich went for a career in their home city. But then in an unexpected turn of events, 13 years after their fallout, they end up working on together on a project—and obviously, the sparks still fly.

Anyone remember how my first review on this blog was about Alexis Daria’s “You Had Me at Hola”? Well, I’m back with the sequel-ish’s review. And what I mean by sequel-ish is that this book really wasn’t about Jasmine and Ashton, which was a real disappointment. I bought “A Lot Like Adiós” swearing I’d get more of than Jashton goodness, but that wasn’t the case. So, no, this isn’t a sequel, it’s just an adjacent, standalone novel that takes places in the same “universe”, if you will.

It’s good, tho. It’s fun and quirky and you get these flashback of sorts, it’s lovely. It was very spicy, but the spice wasn’t as great as between Jasmine and Ashton if you ask me, hence the 3 fire emoji rating.

Mich and Gabe were cute, don’t get me wrong. They just weren’t what I was looking for. I’ve legit spent a year trying to get into this book and I was just never in the mood. I don’t regret grabbing it, but I just wouldn’t recommend it as highly as I did the first book in this series.

I would recommend this read if you’re a sucker for second-chance romance and those childhood best friend rekindled loves. But if you’re just looking for a romance, grab “You Had Me at Hola” instead.

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Talk Bookish To Me — Kate Bromley

Author: Kate Bromley
Narrated By: Natalie Naudus

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars (and I’m being generous)
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses cheating, parent death, and hit and runs.

“Talk Bookish To Me” follows Kara Sullivan, a romance novelist that’s stuck in a writer’s block, as she finds the cure to that bad slump when she is reunited with her first love and college boyfriend, Ryan Thompson, through a friend’s wedding celebration. Little did she know that her proximity to Ryan and their past love could only lead to more heartbreak.

Lets start with the praise. I loved Natalie Naudus’ narration. I will definitely be looking out for audiobooks worked on by her. I also like books that talk about books, so having the main character be a writer was fun. The spicy bits weren’t the best but they were definitely creative, alright?

Now, on with the not so good. Take the cheating content warning very seriously, it isn’t just lightly mentioned, it is literally a shit show. I didn’t particularly like Kara, but can definitely confirm I hated Ryan more. Cheating in books is a big turn off for me, it is my one pet peeve. I hate it when cheating is consensual (aka both parts know they’re cheating), but I hate it even more when it isn’t (aka one of the parts doesn’t know the other part is cheating). So I can honestly say I was really enjoying the book pretty much until that plot line was uncovered. It took all I liked about the book and threw it out the window. Honestly, I feel that by giving it a 3.5-star review I’m being lenient on the cheating just because I loved the narration. Normally I would rate it much lower.

Anyways, personally I did not like this book because of its plot, but if you’re into cheating tropes, then this book might be for you.

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ARC — Built To Last — Erin Hahn

“On Sunday, I cut off all my hair.
Lyle said trim, so I get a bob. Not just because of Lyle. I wanted a definitive way to show the world I wasn’t that girl anymore. I don’t cry on cue, I don’t take shots of tequila in club bathrooms, I don’t flash my underwear on the red carpet, and I no longer let men make my decisions for me.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Deals with alcoholism, insecurities, cheating, parental neglect, and Hollywood trauma.

“Built To Last” follows Shelby Springfield and Cameron Riggs, two childhood costars and lovers, after they’re reunited years later to take part on a home renovation show that’ll change their lives. Since their childhood show (and their breakup), Shelby hit rock bottom and moved back to Michigan to help in her father’s home reno business, while Cam got his college degree and joined Nat Geo, traveling around the world all alone. When their other former costar, Lyle Jessup, calls in to pitch them HomeMade, a new home renovation show, they don’t say no to that pilot, but aren’t too sure about everything else. Working closing with your ex you still love? Kind of a slippery slope to travel—but they’re set on tackling it.

This second-chance romance is the sweet break you’ve been waiting for. With some close proximity and mutual pining, Shelby’s and Cam’s love story is a somewhat slow-paced one, but one that’s worth the wait.

This is the first time I’ve read the “one room/one bed” trope where, in fact, they don’t end up sleeping in the same bed, and nothing actually happens throughout it. It was weird, and perhaps refreshing, being so sure something would happen, and then it didn’t.

The one thing I didn’t like about this book was it’s spicy content. The intimate scenes were weird and climax kept being described as a feeling of bonelessness, and that just really threw me off. Not that Shelby and Cam don’t have chemistry, because they do, it’s just those moments felt weirdly described to me.

All in all, I really enjoyed this read. I would recommend it specifically if you’ve enjoyed other reality tv show-ish books, like “For Butter or Worse” by Erin La Rosa, or if you just like those kinds of show in real life. But even if you’re not the biggest fans of these kinds of shows, like me, “Built To Last” is a cute, relatively short, lighthearted, second-chance romance with a HAE that’s definitely worth grabbing for this fall season.

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

Publication Date: October 18, 2022

ARC — When Life Gives You Vampires — Gloria Duke

Author: Gloria Duke
Narrated By: Meg Sylvan

Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 stars
Narration: 5 mikes
Content Warnings: Discusses fatphobia, crash dieting, infertility, and kidnapping. Describes fires, death, drinking blood, and hate crimes. Includes some sexual content.

“When Life Gives You Vampires” follows Lily Baines, a 25-year-old New Yorker that was turned into a vampire by a virtual stranger against her (and his) will. Lily meets Tristan at a bar and they hit it off pretty quick, but Tristan did not mean to turn her—that’s actually against all vampire laws. That’s why, now, they’re being threatened and hunted down by, lets say, the president of vampires. How will they fight this double death that is knocking on their door? This and more is what this amazing story has to offer.

This book is fun and funny. It’s about vampires without being pretentious—it might even be a bit satirical when it comes to our young generation’s perception of vampires. I loved how they broke the fourth wall here and there. I did not want this book to end, it was the light-hearted, suspenseful read I needed.

Also, I had never heard a book narrated by Meg Sylvan, but I can honestly say I will be following her work from now on. Her voice really kept me engaged, which is actually a really big feat when it comes to me—my mind is all over the place when I’m listening to audiobooks, yet Meg’s narration really caught my attention.

Don’t expect this book to be life-changing, because it isn’t, but it does touch on important topics like loving yourself, body positivity, and trusting family and friends. It also has quite a cute love story, with all its ups and downs.

I would highly recommend this read and this audiobook if you’re looking for a light-hearted but short and captivating read. With its strangers-to-lovers trope, it’s quite unique, I can’t think of any book to compare it to—but definitely grab this book if you like books with plus-sized main characters and if you won’t be offended by a joke or two about vampires.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, and published by Sourcebooks, in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: October 4, 2022