Category: book review

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?—December 8th, 2025

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kid-lit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in those genres – join them.

What I am Reading Now

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.


She’s in the wrong place at the right time…

Gunshots echo, reverberating through me, allowing me to feel something… anything other than the pain that consumes me.

That should be a warning to stay away, but for some reason, she comes closer. Intruding on my silence. Sharing my darkness.

Close enough for me to see the look in her eyes. It’s not fear, but desire that darkens her eyes in the moonlight.

She should run. Run far away from me, but she never does. She comes close enough to touch, tempting the devil inside that wants to cause devastation for the loss I’ve suffered.

I take what I need before I discover the truth.
The gorgeous girl in the shadows that tastes like sin, isn’t an angel coming to light my way.

She’s one of us.
One I never should have touched.
And she has no idea.

She could be my destruction…

Dear readers,

Wicked Summer Knight is the prequel to my new angst-filled new adult mafia series. This book is a dark bully romance that contains mature content and demanding alphaholes that some readers may find disturbing. You have been warned.

What I plan on reading on Monday and Tuesday

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.

The truth is meant to set you free… but not my truth.

Mine has sent me deeper and darker, feeding my need for revenge. I want blood for those who wronged me and my family. And my so-called truth is ripping me apart, in a way lies never could.

Everyone else has moved on, but I can’t. Not until someone pays.

And it seems that fate is on my side this time, because the hellion girl from the graveyard is going to be my saving grace… and provide me with everything I crave.

The pain.

The vengeance.

The blood.

She has no idea what she’s been dragged into, but she’s going to regret every step she’s taken to get here.

Stella Doukas isn’t like any other girl I’ve encountered before.

She’s fierce, determined, and much stronger than I anticipated.

I might have met my match.

And that is not a good thing…

Dear readers,

Wicked Knight is the first to my new angst-filled new adult mafia series.
This is my darkest bully romance yet. If the following doesn’t get your pulse racing in all the right ways, you might want to miss this one out…
Dub/non-con, bullying, knife and blood play, mutilation, humiliation, somnophilia, sexual violence, exhibitionism/voyeurism. You have been warned. Enjoy!

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.

My entire life has been a lie.

The one person I’ve trusted despite all his secrets has shattered my faith, and the men around me have proved just how unworthy they really are.

As my reality becomes clear, I discover that I’m right in the middle of something far more dangerous than I ever could have imagined.

I’ve always been a fighter. I’ve been trained that way.

But this time, all I can do is run.

Only, it isn’t that easy. Because there’s one person I’ve left behind who won’t allow me to.

But he’s going to get a shock, because he seems to have forgotten who he’s dealing with.

I’m Stella Doukas, mafia princess, and I will not bend for any man.

Even the one who’s stolen my heart.

Dear Readers,

Wicked Princess is the second book in Stella and Sebastian’s trilogy and the first couples story in my Knight’s Ridge Empire series. This book is a dark bully romance that contains mature content and demanding alphaholes that some readers may find disturbing. You have been warned.

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.

She didn’t want to believe me.

She wanted to believe the threat wasn’t really there.

But as the sirens ring out in the distance and she stares down into my eyes, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her.

I’m not going to go down without a fight.

And I’m sure as hell not going to lose her now.

Even as our stubbornness tries to force us apart, severing everything we’ve built thus far.

With our nerves frayed and tempers close to breaking point, our fractured family sets about discovering the truth.

But we soon uncover more corruption and betrayal that only causes more pain to those I love.

Our entire empire is at risk, and it’s time to put the past behind us and carve out the future we deserve.

Dear Readers,

Wicked Empire is the third and final in Stella and Sebastian’s trilogy and the first couples story in my Knight’s Ridge Empire series. This book is a dark bully romance that contains mature content and demanding alphaholes that some readers may find disturbing. You have been warned.

Goodreads Monday: Ember Rising Light (Ember: Book 1) by C.K. Mullinax

This is a weekly meme in which anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. It was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.

Goodreads Synopsis:

There’s really no way to prepare…for something…like this…

Step into the shrouded realm of mysteries – a place where ordinary people have extraordinary abilities, where dark shadows hide unspeakable evil and pure light veils unbelievable power…

Tray and Ember Pateman are gypsies, living on their own, hiding in plain sight. They appear to be average high school siblings, but appearances can be deceiving. Gifted with supernatural abilities, they must learn to wield their epic powers before the approaching evil arrives.

Join them as they face off against the wicked shadows. Unearth a clandestine culture. Discover the shrouded unknown. Begin to unravel the mysteries in Ember Rising Light, book one in the epic fantasy six book Ember Series.

Will you dare…to brave…the dark?

WWW Wednesday: December 2nd, 2025

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that Sam hosts at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!!

Happy Reading!

What I am currently reading:

Sofia
One night.
No cuddling.
No sleepovers.
These are the rules I live my love life by. Running a business as a bar owner leaves no time for relationships—or their drama. But when I meet international rock star Brenner Reindhart, he makes me want to break all the rules . . .

Bren
Keeping Industrial November at the top of the best-selling charts for over eight years has taken a toll on me, and I’m ready to slow down.
I’ve been burned by love before, and I’m finally ready to try again. I think Sofia Ocampo might just be the one. Only, she has no plans to ever be in a relationship.
Aware she has no interest in it, I still give her my heart.
I can only hold my breath and hope she won’t break it.

***This high-steam, contemporary rock star romance contains adult content with some taboo elements not suitable for all readers. Read responsibly. All novels in the Industrial November on Tour series can be read in any order.***

What I recently finished reading:

Rival florists. Spite bouquets. A Monster Romance enemies-to-lovers YOU’VE GOT MAIL in the Discord age
— this flower shop has everything.

Sumi is on top of the world.

Well, as on top as one can be after learning a relative one never met has died, leaving one a small fortune.

Deciding the unexpected windfall is a sign she needs to follow her dreams, quitting her job, moving to aspirational Cambric Creek and opening a flower shop is the obvious move. Definitely not just a midlife crisis. Applying for franchise ownership with a giant flower conglomerate seems like a piece of cake — they provide the equipment, the distribution contracts, and all she needs to do is front the money and live happily ever after.

There’s only one catch . . . she didn’t realize chasing after her dream might cause someone else to lose hold of their own.

Ranar never wanted to inherit the family business.

There’s an enormous pressure to keep his family business going — started by his grandfather, passed to his father, and now to him. Pressure as a non-human business, pressure as the grandson of an immigrant, pressure as the eldest son . . . but as it is, brick and mortar flower shops are a notion of a bygone era in this digital world.

When Bloomerang, an online flower conglomerate, opens one of their soulless flower factories in Cambric Creek, Ranar knows it’s only a matter of time before he’s forced to close the door on his family’s business for good. It doesn’t matter how pretty the sylvan owner is or how friendly she seems — she represents everything wrong in the industry, in his world. She’s bound to put him out of business eventually . . . but he can make her regret it first.

Sumi is positive there is room for two flower shops in Cambric Creek, if only the owner of The Perfect Petal wasn’t such a rude, condescending, infuriatingly handsome jerk. Despite being non-human herself, Cambric Creek is a learning curve she wasn’t anticipating, and she knows she has a lot to learn about multi-species living — starting with the conundrum of her naga rival’s junk, because where is it? She’d love to discover the mechanics, if only he wasn’t so terrible.

When she joins an online server for local business owners, discovering The Perfect Petal’s owner is chatting there as well, she decides it’s the perfect opportunity to discover his weaknesses and take him down . . . if she doesn’t wind up falling for him first.

He Loves Me Not is a high heat standalone monster romance in the Cambric Creek universe. One does not need prior knowledge of the world to enjoy.

What I plan on reading Thursday through Sunday:

She voiced one of Disney’s most infamous villainesses. With her husky timbre and most unforgettable cackle, Betty Lou Gerson terrified an entire generation as Disney’s original “Cruella de Vil” in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). Betty used her whiskey-soaked voice to give us an innovative portrait of elegant villainy beyond entertainment’s stereotypical “old hag” antagonists in radio, film, and television. She had a prolific radio career in both Chicago and Hollywood before the silver screen and was featured in many popular television series in the 1950s and 1960s such as Perry Mason, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Hazel. Though “Cruella” is perhaps her most recognized role, she also performed in other beloved film classics including Cinderella (1950), Mary Poppins (1964), and Cats Don’t Dance (1997).

The great irony of Betty’s story is that while her voice frightened audiences through nearly all mediums, off mic, she was in fact no villainess at all. Betty traversed through some of the most volatile eras in American history, while overcoming many personal tragedies of her own. She was among twentieth century entertainment pioneers and an iconic voice of feminism.
Learn the compelling story of Betty Lou Gerson as the “voice of villainy.”

In 1842, the gunpowder might of China’s Qing Dynasty fell to Britain’s steam engines. Furious, the Emperor ordered the death of his engineers, eliminating China’s best chance of fighting back. Since her father’s execution eight years ago, Jin Soling has kept her family from falling apart. With her mother addicted to opium and her younger brother in danger of being sent off to the factories, Soling has no choice but to sell off the last of her father’s possessions. Unwittingly, her actions bring her to the attention of the imperial court—the same court that betrayed her father. The Crown Prince has launched a secret mission to bring together the remnants of the former Ministry of Science. To restore her family’s name, Soling must track down the rebel alchemist who holds the key to powering the imperial fleet. Her only ally is a man she’s just met—the engineer with a mysterious past who was once meant to be her husband…

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you another couple in her dark mafia, high school bully romance Knight’s Ridge Empire series.

I’ve lived my entire life in the shadows…

Sheltered yet painfully aware of the haunting reality of who my family really is.

I’m tired of being the good girl— of doing everything I’m told. Halloween seems like the perfect time to explore my hidden desires.

And that’s exactly how I end up in the arms of a masked mystery guy.

He doesn’t handle me like glass. He takes exactly what he wants and gives me everything I didn’t know I needed— until he vanishes into the darkness leaving me with one burning question…

Who was my mysterious knight that introduced me to the dark side?

Dear Readers,
Dark Halloween Knight is a prequel to Dark Knight trilogy. The events of this prequel coincide with the end of Wicked Princess.

After a devastating breakup, instead of drowning in her tears, Amelia Day starts a new business. For a hefty fee, she uses the methods for training foster dogs to transform men into suitable marriage material. Her track record is impeccable until she meets perpetual bachelor Phin Baxtor. From the start, she’s confused as to why this guitar-playing hunk would even want to hire her, but she needs the money, so she takes him on. Phin is content with working in his food truck all day and playing the field at night. But his business partner, Jay, offers him a bet he can’t refuse. If Phin can complete Amelia’s program without changing his ways, he will win Jay’s rare guitar. Certain his task will be easier than playing “Hound Dog,” he agrees to enter the program. With Phin and Amelia spending all their time together, her techniques begin to slip past his defenses. He might become her biggest success, but falling for a client isn’t supposed to be part of the deal.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?—December 1st, 2025

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kid-lit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in those genres – join them.

What I am Reading Now

Grace has a job she loves, a community she adores, and plenty of friends . . . but her lack of bedroom action has left this event planner too horny to think.

When one ill-advised night at the bar leads to her giving an exhibitionistic show to an unknown presence outside her bedroom window, she thinks she’s hit a new low. When her voyeur turns out to be a nebbishly charming mothman, Grace needs to decide if she can trust her body — and her heart — with this garnet-eyed stranger before he flys out of her life for good.

Sweet Berries is a monster/human romance featuring high heat and a lot of heart, with a guaranteed HEA. It is the second book in the Cambric Creek Steamy Sweet Monster Romance series

What I plan on reading on Monday and Tuesday

The Azathé Tea Room is a strange place, indeed. There are no servers, no menus — do mind our hostess, though, she can get a bit underfoot! Help yourself to a book while you wait, and be sure to shuffle your tarot deck well before placing your order.

Harper Hollingsworth wasn’t looking for a friend. She wanted peace and quiet. Someplace to lose herself in a book and not think about being a misfit; not think about her coven or her disconnect from the craft as her mother taught it, not think about being the odd goth out everywhere she went. She didn’t want to think about her lack of magical ambition, as she was regularly told by her mother’s poison-tongued familiar, and more than that — she didn’t want to feel. Anything.

Companionship wasn’t her aim the day she stepped into the odd little tea room, just off Cambric Creek’s bustling Main Street. She wanted to settle into the shadows and get lost there, and if she had to talk to anyone, it would be to herself.

She didn’t expect the shadows to talk back.

To the strange, seldom seen owner of one of Cambric Creek’s oddest businesses, tea is more than just a beverage. They take pride in both their blends and their unorthodox method of teasing out the order each guest needs to sate more than their thirst. Azathé brews more than a fine cup of tea — they steep the smell of memories, the anticipation of the future, pain and loss, hope and longing, an elixir of health and comfort and feeling in every cup. Residing unseen in the shadows gets a bit lonely at times, an undignified emotion for one as old as themselves, and so they have made it their business to get to know their unwitting neighbors one cup of tea at a time. Guests may not know what to expect when they step over the shop’s threshold, but the owner guarantees they will feel something before they leave.

The shadowy proprietor of the Azathé Tea Room isn’t content to watch Harper sink into depression day after day within the walls of their establishment. Once they intervene, Harper is drawn into their world of oddity and emotions, where the darkest shadows can reside in the light, and even the most mildly macabre witch can find her place.

Two For Tea is a human/monster romance featuring a F witch / NB shadow creature. It is set in the world of Cambric Creek, but can be enjoyed as a standalone. Themes included: ALL the creepy/cozy aesthetic, working through depression, why choose appendages, finding one’s place. This is a high heat romance intended only for mature audiences.

Rival florists. Spite bouquets. A Monster Romance enemies-to-lovers YOU’VE GOT MAIL in the Discord age
— this flower shop has everything.

Sumi is on top of the world.

Well, as on top as one can be after learning a relative one never met has died, leaving one a small fortune.

Deciding the unexpected windfall is a sign she needs to follow her dreams, quitting her job, moving to aspirational Cambric Creek and opening a flower shop is the obvious move. Definitely not just a midlife crisis. Applying for franchise ownership with a giant flower conglomerate seems like a piece of cake — they provide the equipment, the distribution contracts, and all she needs to do is front the money and live happily ever after.

There’s only one catch . . . she didn’t realize chasing after her dream might cause someone else to lose hold of their own.

Ranar never wanted to inherit the family business.

There’s an enormous pressure to keep his family business going — started by his grandfather, passed to his father, and now to him. Pressure as a non-human business, pressure as the grandson of an immigrant, pressure as the eldest son . . . but as it is, brick and mortar flower shops are a notion of a bygone era in this digital world.

When Bloomerang, an online flower conglomerate, opens one of their soulless flower factories in Cambric Creek, Ranar knows it’s only a matter of time before he’s forced to close the door on his family’s business for good. It doesn’t matter how pretty the sylvan owner is or how friendly she seems — she represents everything wrong in the industry, in his world. She’s bound to put him out of business eventually . . . but he can make her regret it first.

Sumi is positive there is room for two flower shops in Cambric Creek, if only the owner of The Perfect Petal wasn’t such a rude, condescending, infuriatingly handsome jerk. Despite being non-human herself, Cambric Creek is a learning curve she wasn’t anticipating, and she knows she has a lot to learn about multi-species living — starting with the conundrum of her naga rival’s junk, because where is it? She’d love to discover the mechanics, if only he wasn’t so terrible.

When she joins an online server for local business owners, discovering The Perfect Petal’s owner is chatting there as well, she decides it’s the perfect opportunity to discover his weaknesses and take him down . . . if she doesn’t wind up falling for him first.

He Loves Me Not is a high heat standalone monster romance in the Cambric Creek universe. One does not need prior knowledge of the world to enjoy.

Goodreads Monday: Doctor Abbott (Joutone Warrior: Book 1) by Michelle Laverdure

This is a weekly meme in which anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. It was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Doctor Benjamin Abbott started his career as surgeon, working in all parts of the world with one goal…to bring medicine to people who would never see it otherwise. With a brilliant mind and determined drive, he quickly found himself working for pharmaceutical companies, research labs and governments across the globe. He should have been prepared for any place his career could take him. He could never be more wrong about that….
Ben’s Last mission left him freezing and alone on a desolate island in the North Atlantic, or so he thought until he was captured and at the mercy of an entire warrior race. An undiscovered breed of humanoids with a thirst for battle and no regard for human life.
He is quickly duped into marrying a woman who had become infatuated with him, and soon learns the price of such a mistake. The only way to keep himself and her alive is to use his healing powers to barter not just for his freedom but for his protection.
As word spreads of his skills he finds he is little more than a trophy and commodity to the Joutone, kidnapped, bartered for, traded, fought over, but never to return home. Ben’s only hope for survival becomes the one beast who seems to want nothing more than to see him dead.
It is at his mercy that he learns there is no hope of ever seeing home again, and that the rest of his life will be a struggle for survival.

A New Lease on Death (Supernatural Mysteries: Book 1) by Olivia Blacke

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Date of publication: October 29th, 2024

Genre: Mystery, Paranormal, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Ghosts, Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy, Contemporary, Adult

Series: Supernatural Mysteries

A New Lease on Death—Book 1

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this darkly funny supernatural mystery about an unlikely crime-solving duo that launches a commercial, unique, and genre-blending series, death is only the beginning.

Ruby Young’s new Boston apartment comes with all the usual perks. Windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building. Heat that barely works. A malfunctioning buzzer. Noisy neighbors. A dead body on the sidewalk outside. And of course, a ghost.

Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she’s kept up her residency, despite being bored out of her (non-tangible) skull and frustrated by her new roommate. When her across-the-hall neighbor, Jake Macintyre, is shot and killed in an apparent mugging gone wrong outside their building, Cordelia is convinced there’s more to it and is determined to bring his killer to justice.

Unfortunately, Cordelia, being dead herself, can’t solve the mystery alone. She has to enlist the help of the obnoxiously perky, living tenant of her apartment. Ruby is twenty, annoying, and has never met a houseplant she couldn’t kill. But she also can do everything Cordelia can’t, from interviewing suspects to researching Jake on the library computers that go up in a puff of smoke if Cordelia gets too close. The roommates form an unlikely friendship as they get closer to the truth about Jake’s death…and maybe other dangerous secrets as well.

First Line:

I didn’t know how long I saw cross-legged in the snow, waiting for the dead man crumpled on the ground in front of my building to wake up.

Important details about A New Lease on Death

Pace: Fast

POV: 1st person (Cordelia and Ruby)

Content/Trigger Guidance: A New Lease on Death contains themes that include suicide, cheating, infidelity, domestic abuse, domestic violence, alcohol consumption, alcohol abuse, blood, body horror, dead bodies, physical injuries, death, grief, loss depiction, gun violence, murder, attempted murder, and physical assault. Please read carefully if you are triggered by any of these.

Language: A New Lease on Death contains mild swearing and language that might offend some people.

Sexual Content: There is mild sexual content in A New Lease on Death.

Setting: A New Lease on Death is set in Boston, Massachusetts.

My Review

The main storyline of A New Lease on Death was exciting and well-written. It is split into two POVs (Cordelia and Ruby) and then further divided into two separate storylines (Jake’s murder and Cordelia’s suicide).

The storyline of Jake’s murder was interesting. First off, I liked how Cordelia was first on the scene and waited for Jake to wake up (for lack of a better word). When that goes sideways, Cordelia returns to her apartment and Ruby. I liked how Cordelia revealed herself to Ruby (she was worried about her last living plant) and how they started investigating Jake’s death together. Ruby had me chuckling throughout the book as she struggled to communicate with a ghost and not look insane.

The storyline that involved Cordelia and her death was sad. The author deliberately kept the facts of her suicide few and far between. There was an acknowledgment that her drinking was a little much and that it could have been a factor in her death. Then, the author puts a neat spin on that angle and sends the storyline in a different direction.

Both mystery angles were well written. I was shocked at who killed Jake and the reason why. Everything said about the guy up until the reveal contradicted it. I also want to give Ruby kudos for bravery because I know I would have freaked out. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, I was surprised by the twist the author put on Cordelia’s death.

The end of A New Lease on Death was mixed for me. I loved that the author could wrap up the storyline with Jake. However, she left Cordelia’s storyline open, and I was slightly frustrated at how it was left. That frustration made me want to read the second book, so it worked.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Kristyn J. Miller for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Given Our History. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin

Date of publication: October 29th, 2024

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Adult, Chick Lit

Publication Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

A hilarious and heartfelt rom-com about having it all, slowing down to see the big picture, and finding out that the person you least expect could be your perfect fit

Josephine Davis has spent her entire twenties building Revenant: a fashion brand headquartered in downtown Austin. When her biggest investor orders Josie to hire a consultant, the last person she expects to be working with is Will Grant – the twin brother of Josie’s ex best friend.

Sure, Will and Josie may have shared one mistake of a kiss during senior spring break nine years ago, but they’ve never been friends. She remembers him as moody; he always thought of her as shallow. Romance isn’t on the table for either of them until they blink, and realize there’s a reason they can’t stay away from each other.

But there’s Will’s sister to consider – whom Josie hasn’t spoken with since their falling out – not to mention, Will and Josie live seventeen hundred miles apart. And it’s not like she has time for a boyfriend anyway when she’s an overworked CEO. As Josie’s burnout looms while she falls deeper and harder for Will, she contends with the fact that eventually, she’ll have to make a choice: stay alone to be productive, or slow down to be in love.

First Line:

Do you ever wonder what happened to the girl who peaked in high school?

Important details about Perfect Fit

Pace: Medium

POV: 1st person (Josie)

Content/Trigger Guidance: Perfect Fit contains themes such as death, infidelity, grief, bullying, and a car accident. Please read carefully if these trigger you.

Language: Perfect Fit contains mild swearing and language that might offend some people.

Sexual Content: There is moderate sexual content in Perfect Fit.

Setting: Perfect Fit is mainly set in Austin, Texas, but there are also chapters set in Tennessee (Nashville), Peru (Arequipa), and Spain (Barcelona).

My Review

When I read the blurb for Perfect Fit, I was immediately interested. From what I read in the blurb, this book hit all my wants for a romance. So, I accepted the widget and jumped into reading. I am happy to say that this book was a great read.

The main storyline of Perfect Fit is centered on Josie. Josie is a twentysomething fashion designer who has built her brand up on social media and is looking to open a brick-and-mortar store. When her leading investor hires a consulting firm, Josie is all for it until she realizes who she will work with – Will Grant, the twin brother of her high school ex-best friend Zoe. Still hurting from how her friendship with Zoe ended, Josie keeps him at arm’s length. But that lasts all of a minute because everything Josie has worked so hard for is about to go up in flames. Through it all, Will is at her side. Can Josie see what she has before her, or will she let it go?

I liked Josie. To this day, she remains one of the realest characters that I have read. Take, for instance, her battle with social media. Josie put herself in exile from all sites because of the cyberbullying she endured in the early years of her business and the impact it had on her mental health. I also like that she wasn’t made out to be a superwoman CEO. Instead, as the book went on, she got progressively more and more burnt out, and I liked how the author chose to have her remedy it.

I liked Will and thought he was perfect for Josie. Initially, I thought he would be a Finance Bro (and wasn’t surprised when he admitted that he was), but that assumption was thrown out the window shortly after the book began. Will went above and beyond for Josie, both personally and professionally. He even began to mend the friendship between Josie and Zoe.

The friendship between Josie and Zoe and how it ended are a vast part of the book. The author didn’t come right out and say what happened that night at the beach. Instead, she teased it, and I was stunned when the whole story came out. That night had so much trauma, assumptions, and communication issues and it broke my heart.

The storyline with the business was interesting, but it didn’t hold my attention. I was more interested in Josie, Will, and their slow-burn romance than reading about investors and opening stores. I liked the trip that Will and Josie took to Peru and Spain. The Peru trip (and the stomach bug they both caught) broke down the last walls between Will and Josie.

There was a secondary storyline involving Josie and her current best friend. It was the only time I didn’t like Josie. Instead of confronting her best friend over something that was said while drunk, Josie stewed on it. And when everything (including the news that her best friend was supposed to tell her in private) exploded, it wasn’t very good. Thankfully, Josie’s current best friend didn’t do her dirty like Zoe and instead talked to Josie about what was happening.

The romance between Will and Josie was a slow burn, and I loved it. There was a lot of sighing, looking at lips, and sexual chemistry that was through the roof. So, when they finally had sex, I was like, “Finally.” And then, it was a wait for Josie to realize her feelings for Will (his feelings were very apparent from the get-go).

The end of Perfect Fit was perfect. I liked how the author wrapped everything up and gave Josie the closure she needed with Zoe and the HEA she deserved with Will.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Clare Gilmore for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Perfect Fit. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Perfect Fit, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Clare Gilmore:

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin

Date of Publication: October 15th, 2024

Genre: Romance, Horror, Paranormal, Adult, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal Romance, Fiction, Halloween, Adult Fiction

Purchase Links: Kindle | B&N | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

An enemies to lovers romance with a spooky twist where two feuding writers end up on a writers retreat together at a haunted castle in Scotland

It’s been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she’s a publishing pariah and hasn’t been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true.

Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling “book without a soul,” as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her.

But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they’re stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and… maybe they shouldn’t have been enemies at all? But if they can’t stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.

Full of spooky chills and even more sexy thrills, If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is the funny, fast-paced romp romance readers have been waiting for!

First Line:

Pen wondered how drunk she must have been when she accepted this invitation.

Important details about If I Stopped Haunting You

Pace: Medium

POV: 3rd person (Pen and Neil)

Content/Trigger Guidance: If I Stopped Haunting You contains content that includes death, gore, injury, injury detail, racism, violence, blood, grief, alcohol, drug use, anxiety, body horror, and gaslighting. Please read carefully if any of these triggers you.

Language: If I Stopped Haunting You contains moderate swearing and language that might offend some people.

Sexual Content: There is explicit sexual content in If I Stopped Haunting You.

Setting: If I Stopped Haunting You is set in present-day Scotland.

My Review:

When I saw the cover for If I Stopped Haunting You, I immediately wanted to read it. The cover’s illustration was terrific. Then I read the blurb, and my interest was caught even more. There is nothing like an enemies-to-lovers, forced romantic romance with a dash of horror and supernatural to curl up on the couch and read. But now that I have read it, I am a little disappointed.

The main storyline of If I Stopped Haunting You centers on Penelope (Pen) Skinner, Neil Storm, and the events at the writer’s retreat in Scotland. While I did find parts of the storyline engaging, I could not get invested in it for the most part.

The main characters and their relationship made me “meh” about the book. Pen did a number on Neil emotionally. She was just plain nasty to him for 85% of the book. Pen also blamed Neil for being blacklisted in the publishing community when it was her actions (throwing a book at Neil’s head and injuring him) that caused the blacklist. Because of that, I couldn’t wrap my head around her change of feelings for him. It was lightning quick and seemed almost forced.

I did like Neil and felt awful for him. He was suffering from a significant case of writer’s block, which was brought on by Pen’s actions at the conference. So, as with Pen, I didn’t quite agree, or like that, his feelings went straight to lust when he saw her. Again, it seemed forced.

I did like the paranormal angle. If the author had stayed more focused on the story of who the ghost was and why she was haunting the castle, I would have been more invested in the book. But I didn’t like that certain elements were left unfinished, like how the ghost was related to Pen.

The romance angle was a huge part of the book. I felt that the romance between Pen and Neil was forced and unrealistic. They went from hating each other to banging like bunnies within two chapters. In between, Pen kept up her gaslighting and abusive nature towards Neil. It all left a terrible taste in my mouth. Now, saying that there were some pretty hot and explicit sex scenes. I also did get a giggle over Pen busting in on Daniela while she was sexting with her girlfriend over Facetime.

Other elements were enjoyable, but they could not quite overcome what I didn’t like in this book. The author did a great job of showing how nondiverse the publishing industry was. She also created some memorable secondary characters I wished had more page time in the book.

The end of If I Stopped Haunting You was anticlimactic. I was expecting the author to end on a happy, right-now note. Instead, she fast-forwards a year later, and things are still happy for Pen and Neil.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Colby Wilkens for allowing me to read and review this Arc of If I Stopped Haunting You. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to If I Stopped Haunting You, then you will enjoy these books:

Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin

Date of publication: October 15th, 2024

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Fiction

Purchase Links: Kindle | B&N | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

In Erin Hahn’s latest cozy, swoony romance, Maren Laughlin has been fishing her whole life, but she’s finally ready to be caught.

At thirty-three, Maren Laughlin’s just turned down her boyfriend’s proposal, walked away from her decade-long position as a park ranger, and returned to her childhood playground in Northern Wisconsin to accept her inheritance: a decrepit waterfront bait shop. After a lifetime of letting things happen to her, she’s ready to start making her own moves, even if everyone else thinks she’s making the wrong ones. Well, not everyone—at least the local heartstopper and resort owner is on her side.

Josiah Cole has made some missteps in his life, but he’s proud of what he has: two awesome kids and the keys to the kind of getaway spot that has families coming back every summer– their up north home away from home. After his marriage dissolved, leaving him a single dad, he feels he’s the last person to judge Maren for her recent transformation (even if his best friend, her brother, wants him to feel otherwise). Besides, he genuinely likes having her around. She’s a breath of fresh air, his kids adore her (not to mention her dog, Rogers), and it doesn’t hurt that she’s beautiful.

Things between Maren and Joe are easy. So easy, they’re fully immersed in the middle before they even decide to begin. It’s not a question of should they, but rather can they make it last? Are things too easy, or is this just how real love works? In Erin Hahn’s heartwarmingly sexy Catch and Keep, Maren and Joe have to be brave enough to find out.

First Line:

“Happy birthday, sunshine!”

Important details about Catch and Keep

Pace: Medium

POV: 1st person (Maren, Joe)

Content/Trigger Guidance: Catch and Keep contains themes that include ableism, stalking, alcohol, cyberbullying, slut-shaming, abandonment, and child abuse. Please read carefully if these trigger you.

Language: Catch and Keep contains moderate swearing and language that might offend some people.

Sexual Content: There is moderate sexual content in Catch and Keep.

Setting: Catch and Keep is set in Wisconsin.

My Review

When I read the blurb for Catch and Keep, I was a little “meh” about it. But I have read a couple of books by Erin Hahn before and decided to give it a go. Well, wasn’t I surprised when I realized this book takes place in the same universe as Built to Last and Friends Don’t Fall in Love. Once I realized that, I started to enjoy the book.

The main storyline of Catch and Keep is split between Maren and Joe. The storyline does merge a little after the middle of the book (when Maren and Joe hook up). This book was well written and well fleshed out, with characters I loved (and one I couldn’t stand).

The storyline with Maren was a little rough to read. Maren had found fame as a YouTuber in her late teens/early twenties. Her channel was dedicated to fishing (the name Musky Maren did give me a giggle), which was her passion. She shut the channel down when a viewer started to cyberstalk her. She turned her knowledge of nature (and fishing) into a career as a park ranger. She put that career on hold after ten years when her boyfriend (and soon-to-be supervisor) proposed in public and made her throw up on his feet. She took off to upper Wisconsin, where she spent summers with her family at a resort, and where a family friend left her his bait shop when he died. The rest of her storyline centers on Maren coming to terms with her life and figuring out what she will do next. Joe and his kids are a massive part of her life from the second chapter on, and they factor in her decisions towards the end of the book.

The storyline with Joe was just as challenging to read as Maren’s was. Joe is ex-military, divorced, and has physical custody of his two children (Anders and Lucy), one who has autism. Joe’s ex-wife took off shortly after Lucy’s autism diagnosis and blamed everything on Joe (the end of the marriage, the autism diagnosis). Joe knows Maren from her summers at his parents’ resort, and he now manages. The rest of his storyline focuses on his daily life with his kids (and how much routine and therapy are needed for a small child with autism) and his reconnection with Maren.

The book didn’t start to pick up until Maren and Joe started dating, which only happened a little after halfway through. The build-up to their relationship was excellent. I loved how good Maren was with the kids and how she bonded with them. I also liked that she didn’t exactly fight her feelings for Joe. As for Joe, he was a little more cautious with Maren because his ex put him through the wringer.

I do want to address Joe’s ex-wife. Honestly, I didn’t like her from the minute she was talked about. I get that she raised the kids alone while he was serving overseas, but it didn’t excuse her taking off when he got back (and after Lucy’s diagnosis). The more she appeared in the book, the more I disliked her. She ignored everything Joe told her about Lucy and chalked it up to her being “difficult.” The culmination of that secondary storyline made me see red. I loved that Maren didn’t hold back when confronting Joe’s ex when they got to the hotel and saw how Lucy was being treated.

I also want to address Maren’s brother, Liam. Not to mince words, but he was an emotionally abusive, manipulative asshole who got his ass served to him by his wife and Joe. I’ll leave it.

I loved watching Maren grow into herself throughout the book. The only time I was iffy (and at one point, scared) for her was when she realized that her cyberstalker from years ago lived in the same town she did. Other than that, I loved seeing her grow into herself and find joy in doing what she loved (fishing).

I loved the romance in Catch and Burn. It wasn’t quite a slow burn, but it wasn’t lightning fast either. It was comfortably in the middle and believable. I also liked that while there was a chapter or two where Maren needed to take a break from Joe (to reevaluate her priorities and goals), there was never a breakup.

I loved the end of Catch and Keep. I liked how everything smoothed out for Joe and Maren. And, of course, that last chapter was excellent. I loved that they got a very much-needed HEA.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Erin Hahn for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Catch and Keep. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

If you enjoy reading books similar to Catch and Keep, then you will enjoy these books:

Other books by Erin Hahn

Surviving (The Adventures of John Harris: Book 1) by A.J. Newman

This is a weekly meme where anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. This meme was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.

This is a post-apocalyptic story about how a hero, John Harris, leads a group of people in rebuilding the country after a major nuclear and EMP attack. A coalition of Islamic Terrorists, Drug Cartels and rogue US Government thugs kill over 200 million people in the USA and Western Europe. John leads the fight against the rogue Department of Home Land Security and Mexican Drug Cartels while the remnants of the US military deal with the terrorist countries overseas. There is no electricity and food and water are running out. Looting, rioting and gang violence are the rule of the day. John’s team fights for survival against very long odds, but John is a hard man for hard times. The four book series spans from 2020 to 2048.