Genre: Romance Actual Rating: 4 stars Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis Content Warnings: Touches on subjects like parental death and abandonment issues. Contains explicit sexual content.
“Kilt Trip” follows Addie Macrae, an American travel consultant, and Logan Sutherland, one of the Scottish co-owners of a family-owned tour company that’s struggling to make ends meet. Logan is absolutely against Addie coming and restructuring his hidden gems tours, so they set off on a truce: they’ll experience both sides of Scotland—the touristy and then less traveled—and decide from there which tours stay and which don’t.
Alexandra Kiley did such an amazing job with this book. It truly made me feel like the travel influencer I’ve never wanted to be, and I was there for it. The sexual tension between these enemies to lovers was irresistible, I couldn’t get enough of them.
I would highly recommend this read if you’re looking for a romance book that’ll transport you into the Highlands and are a fan of the enemies to lovers books—because that’s what they are.
Genre: Romance Actual Rating: 5 stars Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis Content Warnings: Touches on tough subjects like alcoholism and sobriety. Describes stalking. Contains sexual content.
I can’t come into this review saying I’m not biased—I love Erin La Rosa’s writing, and “Plot Twist” wasn’t the exception. “Plot Twist” follows romance author Sophie Lyon in the aftermath of a horrible confession that’s left the internet dumbstruck: she’s never been in love. Facing a career crisis and a manuscript deadline, Sophie decides to investigate her failed relationships and turn the chaos into content for her followers. Enter Dash Montrose, her brooding landlord and former teen star with secrets of his own. What starts as an unconventional friendship—with a dash of mutual attraction—quickly spirals into something much harder to define. What a plot twist.
This book strikes a balance between laugh-out-loud antics and thoughtful exploration of deeper themes like identity, family pressures, and the healing power of connection. Sophie’s journey to reclaim her narrative is inspiring, while Dash’s steady support and personal growth add emotional depth. And yes, the heat between them is undeniable—romance fans will not be disappointed.
Perfect for fans of romantic comedies with heart, “Plot Twist” is a testament to the messy, beautiful process of finding oneself—and maybe love—along the way. I couldn’t recommend this romance enough.
“A man begging her to marry him. But not because he chose her. Because she was the other name on the contract. And what a contract it had proven to be.”
Genre: Romance Actual Rating: 4.5 stars Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis Content Warnings: Touches on subjects like child abuse, physical and emotional abuse, and abandonment. Revolves around sickness and death of a parent. Contains sexual content.
“The Witch is Back” follows Emmaline (Emma) Bluewater and Bastian Truenote as they reunite after years of no contact—after Bastian called off their engagement by legit running away and never speaking to her again. That was until Bastian walks back into Emma’s life, asking to be married, preferably as soon as possible, because Bastian’s mother was literally dying because they didn’t fulfill their marriage contract—a contract that not even one of the most powerful magical families, the Truenotes, can out-hex. How romantic.
Told in third person and through two points of view, “The Witch is Back” is an entertaining, witchy book that’ll have you hooked right from the start. The history between the two main characters is palpable and I was honestly dying to know what exactly drove them apart to begin with.
This book is for you if you’re looking for a magical childhood friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance with some marriage of convenience and forced proximity sprinkled in. I would highly recommend this book for any readers that enjoy witchy romance book, “The Witch is Back” does not disappoint.
Genre: Romance Actual Rating: 4 stars Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji Content Warnings: Describes toxic relationships and mentions death of a parent. Contains some sexual content.
“Ciao for Now” follows Violet Luciano as she and a few of her colleagues embark to Rome for a fashion internship. Little did she know that as soon as she got there she would stumble into her mentor’s son, ruining his computer, and effectively laying on the worst first impression ever—an introduction that leaves them as, essentially, enemies… But if they’re enemies, then why do they feel this pull towards each other? Better look away, I guess.
I have read other books by Kate Bromley, so I can’t say I’m completely surprised I adored this book—her writing style has captivated me before and her quirky characters always capture my heart. Now, sprinkle in some more forbidden romance, in true Kate Bromley fashion, and you had me hooked.
“Ciao for Now” is the perfect summer-y read. Set in Rome, this read will have you wanderlust and wishing you, too, will follow your dreams wherever they might go. Sitting just over 300 pages, this was a short, quick read, perfect for some airport hopping, so don’t hesitate to grab this book if you’re looking for a lighthearted, heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romance.
“But love—” “Doesn’t conquer all. (…) It doesn’t, Chris. Look at the divorce rates in America. (…) Do you know what every single one of those couples had when they got married? Love. They all stood in front of an altar and gazed into each other’s eyes, and that’s the problem with these modern notions of love. There’s too much staring into each other’s eyes, and not enough looking in the same direction.”
Genre: Romance, Comedy Actual Rating: 5 stars Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji Content Warning: Discusses antisemitism, generalized anxiety disorder, and mixed religion discrimination, and mentions car crashes, parent death, aneurysms, and head tumors.
“Mr. Perfect on Paper” is just about what the title suggests. Dara Rabinowitz is a modern Jewish matchmaker, having created a dating app called J-Mate, when she just still hasn’t found her Mr. Perfect. In comes, Chris Steadfast, a news anchor who moved to New York recently after losing his wife. Dara’s “Perfect Jewish Husband” list is broadcasted by her grandmother in live television, pushing in a series of events that lead to Dara and Chris working on a reality TV style segment where they try to find this Mr. Perfect on Paper. But what does it say of Dara when they actually find Mr. Perfect, but all she can think about is Chris (who fits basically none of her requirements)? Will she follow tradition or will she follow love? And why can’t she follow both?
I am not Jewish myself, but I enjoy so much reading and learning about different religions and beliefs, and I must say this is truly a blast for that. This books takes place during the High Holidays, and even though I had read about them before, Jean Meltzer really did deliver at subtly explaining and showing how these holidays are lived—and why.
I loved Dana’s mannerisms and Chris’s insecurities and empathy. They both felt really human to me. Did I like the outcome? I’m not sure, but I still gave it 5 stars because in the end I just wanted Dara to be happy, and that’s the best testament of how this book moved me. But, if what you’re looking for is spice, this book isn’t for you. You’ll get a few kisses and that’s it.
I would recommend this book to readers with exposure to the Jewish religion and traditions, or anyone whose willing to Google a ton of terms you might not understand (that’s what I did, and I loved it). If you’re looking for a light-hearted, clean romance, “Mr. Perfect on Paper” is perfect for you.
ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date: August 9, 2022
“But what I learned from this journey, from finding my real-life Mr. Perfect on Paper, is that love isn’t something that can be quantified on a list. Love is messy. And terrifying. It shows up when you least expect it, and complicates your life in every way. But it’s also…safe. And comforting. It allows you to be yourself completely, without judgment or fear, and it feels right.”
“You have excellent taste in wine and terrible taste in men, are you happy?”
Genre: Romance Actual Rating: 5 stars Spicy meter: 4.5 fire emojis Content Warnings: Discusses panic attacks, relationships with a narcissist, and parent death.
“For Butter or Worse” follows Nina Lyon, a renowned, award-winning chef, and Leo O’Donnell, a restauranteur who’s made his family restaurant into a famous franchise. They have been cohosts (and nemesis) on a cooking reality TV show for 3 years, but things quickly go south when management decides to have their final episode for season 3 filmed live, and Nina ends up quitting mid-episode. To make matters worse, when Leo goes to Nina’s restaurant to apologize, they’re photographed in a compromising position, sparking up dating rumors…which actually end up helping both their restaurants? Seeing the effect their “relationship” has on their respective businesses, their publicist decides it’d be best if the fake date, at least for a while—they’ll just have to not kill each other while doing so.
Um, can I just say I can’t believe this is Erin La Rosa’s debut romance novel? The story she’s told is well written and complex without being pretentious. Both main and side characters were lovely but imperfect. I loved Nina, I loved Leo, I loved their family and friends, I loved and lived vicariously through their story. I found out I apparently love cooking themed romance novels? I can’t get enough of it. I just finished reading it and want to grab it all over again.
And on the spicy side… I’ll just say it didn’t disappoint. The last few novels I had read were sort of lacking on that front, but “For Butter or Worse” definitely delivered. Also, I found it hilarious how in the acknowledgements, Erin La Rosa thanks (and apologizes to) her cousin, Mela Lee, who’s an audiobook narrator and who narrated the audiobook version of this book—with sex scenes and all.
I’ll be recommending this book for the rest of the year. It’s that good and entertaining, there is not a single dull moment. It’s relatively fast-paced and the different points of view really built on the pressure between Nina and Leo.
If you enjoy fake dating romances, close proximity tropes, books with “famous” characters, or books that involve the culinary world, then “For Butter or Worse” is definitely for you. Also, just in general, if you’re looking for a steamy, generous read… then grab this novel as soon as you can.
Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction Actual Rating: 3.5 stars Spicy Meter: 1.5 fire emojis Content Warnings: Toxic work dynamics.
“Here for the Drama” follows Winnie, as she moved across the world from the United States to the United Kingdom—straight to the heart of London’s theater world. She is the right hard of a renowned, American playwright, and she is trying to hold the play from falling apart as the director and her boss butt heads, and as she falls for the one guy she was told not to fall for. To say there’s a lot going on in this book would be an understatement.
If you’re reading a book titled “Here for the Drama” I assume you’re, well, here for the drama. Over-the-top would be an accurate way of describing this book and all Winnie goes through. I loved the dynamic banter and I loved the forbidden romance feel to it (not the spicy part, that part was entirely awkward and worded weirdly), but I think it was a bit much at times. I wasn’t completely engaged and sometimes only skimmed through, just reading the dialogue, that’s why I’ve given this book 3.5 stars.
I would recommend “Here for the Drama” to anyone who’s ever watched Mexican Novela type shows (let that be actual novelas or perhaps tv series like “Jane The Virgin”). Basically, if you like unrealistic, slice-of-life drama and the New York City-London vibe, then this book is for you.
andrea's galley 