Tag Archives: 4 stars

ARC — Queried Sick — Dallas Smith

“But I can’t keep running from things. I can’t run from you. I don’t want to. I want to be with you. I want to be a person who deserves you.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Low-key centered around the pandemic and quarantine. Discusses unhealthy family dynamics, biphobia, and parental death. Chronic illness and anxiety representation. Contains some sexual content.

“Queried Sick” follows Oliver Wheeler and Ezra Beaumont as they meet virtually, during quarantine, and kind of trauma bond over it. Ezra is a traveller now stuck in the city he hated the most due to the pandemic, and Oliver is the guy who’s tasked to train Ezra at his new job at a publishing company—a job he has no experience doing. Slowly, a friendship forms… a friendship that has all the possibility to turn into something more.

Oh God, can Ezra and Oliver and their bad literary quotes be any cuter? I don’t think so. This book brought me back to the days of Covid, which wasn’t something I loved, but it was definitely something I needed. It also brought me back to my days of being in a long distance relationship, which weren’t my fave but they got me to where I am today and I owe it that.

Are you looking for a queer, workplace and kind of enemies-to-lovers romance that’s hella adorable while still touching on tough topics? Then “Queried Sick” is exactly for you.

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ARC provided by Book Sirens and Dallas Smith and Wordsmith Literary LLC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: May 2, 2023

ARC — French Holiday — Sarah Ready

Author: Sarah Ready
Narrator: Kelsey Navarro

Genre: Romance, Fiction
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Mentions parental death and disappearance. Discusses sexual assault, terminal illnesses, and abandonment. Contains some sexual content.

“French Holiday” follows Merry DeLuca, as she moves to France in an attempt to escape the fact that Merry’s little sister just married Merry’s best friend and unrequited love for years. Little did she know that her stay at her aunt’s old castle came in a package deal—Merry was being forced to coexist with Noah Wright, the best man at her sister’s and best friend’s wedding, and her lowkey archnemesis. Well, an archnemesis she thinks she hooked up with during said wedding? But oh well, that’s a story for another time. Together Merry and Noah will not only make the castle livable again, but they will try to uncover the truth about the castle’s history and its previous owners.

Let’s touch on the narration first—at first I thought I had never heard a book narrated by Kelsey Navarro, and oh have I been missing out, but it turns out I was wrong. Kelsey Navarro has actually narrated some of my favorite books, like All The Feels by Olivia Dade, it was just her voice variations are so spot-on that I didn’t even recognize her. Without her voice and inflections, I don’t think this book would’ve been half as fun as it was.

Now moving on to the actual story. If you’ve been following my reviews, it is no secret Sarah Ready is one of my new favorite authors. Her Josh and Gemma series have most definitely defined my year. So perhaps take my opinion on “French Holiday” with a grain of salt.

That being said, I absolutely loved this story and audiobook. Is it objectively unrealistic? Um, yes? But isn’t that what we’re looking for in fiction sometimes? “French Holiday” was a lovely enemies to lovers romance that carried along a fun mystery on the side. Set in Franch (duh), this is the perfect summer read if you’re looking to escape reality for a bit. I would highly recommend this audiobook.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: April 26, 2023

The League of Gentlewomen Witches — India Holton – Dangerous Damsels #2

“Do not look so concerned on my behalf, Captain. It is a common enough statement. For example, I myself love that house there with the wooden shutters. I love tea. I love you, and your smile, and the way you sigh in your sleep. See, common. Unconcerning. We are still enemies.”

Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Describes violence, physical abuse, ableism, and kidnapping. Contains sexual content.

“The League of Gentlewomen Witches” follows Charlotte Pettifer, a witch and future head of the League of Gentlewomen Witches, as she tries to recover a long-lost amulet and keep it out of the wrong hands. That’s where the pirate Alex O’Riley comes in. He’s looking for the amulet as well, but for other reasons. As they team up, the tension between then grows, and perhaps the amulet won’t be the only thing stolen in the process.

The sequel in the Dangerous Damsels series is once again action-packed and completed with reluctant main characters, ones who aren’t willing to fall in love with each other.

And so, it appears that India Holton’s thing is the only-one-bed troupes and I must say I am entirely here for it. Her comedic approach to fantasy in a Regency Era setting is astounding. So many genres come into her writing and it’s amazing how she makes them work. India is really helping me fall in love with historical fiction again.

I would highly recommend this series, starting with the first installment though, as “The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels” felt like a better introduction to this mash up of genres. Nonetheless, I will be recommending this book to every single reader looking for a different and unique romantic fantasy read.

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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 — Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner — Kathryn Freeman

“I get the feeling you’re not a fan of romcoms.”
“Not my thing, no.”
(…) “Love isn’t your thing?”
(…) “Funny thing, love. It’s like the pot of gold at the end of that whimsical rainbow. People want to believe it exists, but evidence shows it’s just a myth.”
(…) “Tens of millions, no wait, hundreds of millions of people would disagree with you.”
“Today, maybe. But tomorrow? I bet a good number of them would find themselves agreeing with me. And the next day, a good number more.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses death of parent, abandonment, emotional abuse, toxic relationships and cheating, and severe gaslight. Contains sexual content.

“Nobody Puts Romcoms in the Corner” follows Sally Thornton and Harry Wilson as they embark on the weirdest of love quests—recreating iconic romcom scenes on social media. Sally is Harry’s landlord of sorts, and after they recreate the Dirty Dancing lift and go absolutely viral, they have no other option but to keep it going. What they did not account for was their in-real-life chemistry. But Harry doesn’t do love. He’s seen enough to know it doesn’t exist… or does it?

This is the romcom book to take on all other romcom books. This romance was all I wanted it to be. With funny and heartwarming romcom references and oh-so sweet scene reenactments, I absolutely fell in love with this book and it’s cluster of characters—I mean, the main characters are named Harry and Sally, need we say more?

This is the perfect romcom book for romcom movie lovers. If you’re looking for an emotional but hopeful romance and are a fan of that sweet close-proximity trope, then “Nobody Puts Romcoms in the Corner” is right for you.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: February 27, 2023

“You once talked to me about bells. Do you think it’s possible you could hear those bells with someone like me?”
(…) “Harry Wilson, what are you trying to say?”
“I don’t know. (…) I just know I care for you more than I’ve cared for anyone.”

ARC — Planning Perfect — Haley Neil

“I can practically see a Pinterest board version of the reception coming together with fairy lights and mismatched vintage china settings and a simple white cake with berries dotted along one side for a pop of color.”

Genre: Young Adult
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: N/A, it’s clean
Content Warnings: Discusses racism, queerphobia, and ace-phobia.

“Planning Perfect” follows Felicity (Fe) Becker, a high schooler who’s in the asexual spectrum, as she helps plan her mother’s wedding. Looking for a venue for a destination wedding, Felicity’s long distance friend, Nancy, offers up her house and adjacent apple orchard and so it’s set. But as they spend more time together, Felicity’s and Nancy’s friendship blossoms into something more… But what could that something be, given Felicity’s asexuality? Anyways, she doesn’t have time to date because one of the wedding guests is an event planner with a very competitive internship program so Felicity has no time for anything else but to plan the perfect wedding.

This book really resonated with me, as a new adult, because I am currently in the midst of planning my wedding and I now know all too well the hassles and stresses of planning such a particular event. It was also super interesting to listen to Felicity’s inner monologue. My brother is within the asexual spectrum and seeing how Felicity thought really gave me another perspective as to how that could feel and the struggles they can face.

I really enjoyed how these chapters were being separated, instead of just “Chapter One” etc. etc., they used chapter divisions to give context about when things were happening, life for example “Two hours and six minutes after the engagement” or “Twenty one days until the wedding” and so on and so forth. That made flashbacks and the timeline in general more understandable and I loved it.

This was such a unique YA read. I feel like it’s the perfect gift for young readers who are just starting to get into the world of reading and romance. With a very diverse set of characters that goes through extensive personal growth, we get to see a lovely story unfold in a beautiful forest-y setting.

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ARC provided by Holly Ruck and Bloomsbury YA through Edelweiss Plus in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: February 14, 2023

“Sure, Nancy knows that I’m on the ace-spectrum, but I don’t think she realizes what that means.
She wants intimacy; she wants passion. I can’t be the one to give those things to her.”

ARC — Not Your Valentine — Jackie Lau

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 4 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses parental abandonment and going viral over something embarrassing. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Not Your Valentine” follows Helen Tsang, a chemistry lab instructor, as she decides that the best way to get people to stop asking her about her relationship status after having a very public break up was to start fake-dating her high school best friend.

This book is your perfect fake-dating, friends to lovers novella. It’s also described as a grumpy/sunshine situation—I honestly didn’t see it that way, but that doesn’t mean I loved it any less. Set around Valentine’s Day, this is a perfect seasonal read for February. The cover doesn’t have much to do with the actual story and I hate misleading covers, but it’s cute so I’ll let it pass.

I would highly recommend this novella if you’re looking for a short romance that’ll give you all the spice and all the aw’s you’ll need for days.

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

Publication Date: January 24, 2023

ARC — The Second You Are Single — Cara Tanamachi

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Mentions miscarriages in the second trimester, childhood cancer, and cheating. Discusses fat shaming and abandonment issues after divorce and other negative romantic experiences.

“The Second You Are Single” follows Sora Reid, a freelance writer who pitches the concept of ‘Solo February’ after a series of negative dating experiences. Little did she know that it would go viral and that, in the middle of all of it, she’d run into her childhood best friend, Jack Mann. Jack, who is now a pastry chef, had the hugest crush on Sora growing up, and can’t wait to reconnect. But Sora can’t. Solo February, and all… They’ll have to wait ‘till March. Sure, that’s plausible. Unless they don’t.

Well, having been in a stable relationship for the last 7 years, I thought I wouldn’t relate that much to the Solo February challenge, but I was a tiny bit wrong there. This was still a very fun and empowering read, having Solo February branch into self cafe rather than just having it be a men-ban.

I loved all the representation in this book—from different cultures and ethnicities, to different bodies. I did feel like they went a little overboard with Sora’s love for bacon, it seemed satirical at best, but if I kind of block that out this book was near perfect. We got to see how Sora and Jack reconnect and get to know each other as adults, we see the tension and chemistry build, this wasn’t exactly some unrealistic insta-love story.

I would highly recommend this book. It feels like the perfect Valentine’s or Galentine’s Day gift, so definitely add it to your wishlists and TBRs!!

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

Publication Date: January 31, 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.”

Enjoy the View — Sarah Morgenthaler — Moose Springs, Alaska #3

Author: Sarah Morgenthaler
Narrator: Elise Arsenault

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Narration: 5 mikes
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emojis (pretty closed-doors, I wasn’t made for these kinds of books, I’m exhausted)
Content Warnings: Describes animal cruelty and death, violence, and bullying. Mentions car accidents. Contains some sexual content.

“Enjoy the View ” follows River Lane, a Hollywood actress who’s now trying to make it as a director, as she films her first documentary—funded by the Alaskan government and aimed at the small town of Moose Springs. Little did she know that Moose Springs most definitely did not want to be filmed or showcased as a destination. With none of the permits she thought she’d have, she seta out to climb one of the mountains that surround the quaint town. This is where Easton Lockett comes in. As a mountaineer and search-and-rescue specialist, Easton is tasked with guiding them up the mountain. But one thing he did not expect was to fall for the director on the climb up.

Elise Arsenault comes back in to save the day. The only reason this book has a 4-star rating instead of a 3- or 3.5-star rating was because of Elise. I have loved how her voice seems different for every book, yet she keeps me paying attention. I wouldn’t change a thing about this narration.

Well, there’s definitely a theme here: a scruffy, local man falls in love with, unintentionally, with a beautiful outsider—betraying their locals-only rules that are being upheld by the townspeople in Moose Springs. Does anyone care if they date outsiders? No. But do they act like the world will absolutely fall apart if they do? Indeed.

“Enjoy the View”, as compared to the second book in this series, brings us back into the beautiful Alaskan wild. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, if you’re a fan of outdoorsy activities, wildlife, and remote locations, then you’ll adore Moose Springs.

This series as a whole reminds me of a milder, PG-13 version of the Wild series (I was really holing it’d get spicier with every book, but it didn’t). So, in other words, I loved it. I would highly recommend the Moose Springs, Alaska series.

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