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Book Review: Landin’ in Trouble (Creekville Kisses Too) by Brittany Larsen

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Rating: ★★
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Length: 313 pages
Author: Brittany Larsen
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: September 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

One woman is about to ruin everything.

They call me Landon-In-Trouble for a reason. I think it has something to do with my dimples and ability to charm my way out of anything. And if causing a little trouble grabs the attention of a beautiful woman, even better. The spotlight and I are old friends and perfect partners.

That is, until Brynn Foster dances her way into my life and my heart. She’s stunning and everything I never knew I wanted—grounded, down-to-earth, good with kids. She has this ability to see right through my usual crap to the dark secrets beneath. But that’s just the problem–although my charm may have won her over once, it won’t be enough to keep her. She already gave up a career in the spotlight. There’s no way she’s going to compete with my need to still be in it, whether I have dimples or not.

So it’s time for an impossible choice: the life I always craved or the woman who’s unexpectedly stolen my heart.

Landin’ in Trouble is a sweet and sizzling closed-door romcom that will have you laughing out loud. It also includes the sensitive topic of disordered eating. Please be aware should this be a triggering subject for you.

Thank you to the author for a copy of this book!

WARNING.

I firmly stand by the fact that books need trigger warnings and that they should be at the front of the book. This was much heavier and I even found myself triggered by some of the main themes here. I wish I had known prior so that I could have felt more prepared.

I don’t think this couple makes it past the book. I did NOT like the MMC, Landon. He betrayed Brynn’s trust, went behind her back, did not listen when she said no, and thought little of her for “just” being a yoga and pre-school teacher. That in no way made me think they would be good together. That’s a lot of red flags and strikes against him.

It also ended SUPER abruptly. I had to flip the pages back and forth and I’m sure anyone watching me on the treadmill while finishing this probably thought I was making the wildest faces. There needed to have been a longer epilogue that actually fleshed things about between them. They haven’t solved their issues [yet].

I’ve gotta stop myself. I will say I did like Brynn (though her choice in Landon is questionable) and the small town vibes with the meddling grandma were fine too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of multiple miscarriages (side character), disordered eating (recounted and discussed often), themes surrounding weight control

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Book Review: A Royal Competition (Royal Hearts #2) by Amanda Schimmoeller

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Modern Royal Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Amanda Schimmoeller
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 26th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

One prince. Twelve women.
A broadcasted dating competition where only one will become queen.
Prepare to be royally entertained.

Prince Liam was never supposed to be king. Now he has ninety days to find a bride or lose the throne. In his final moments, the king shared one last wish—that Liam would star as the lead in a royal dating show and marry the woman of his choosing. Even though he has vowed to never love again, Liam reluctantly agrees to take on the role, hoping to gain the support of the Wistonian people. But then the one person who has the power to break down his walls shows up as a contestant in the competition.

Lady Charlotte never planned to return to the Wistonian Palace. And she definitely didn’t plan to court the man she has secretly been pining over for years. In a competition where most women would do anything to win, she simply hopes to survive with her heart still intact. But things never seem to go according to plan.

A Royal Competition is Book 2 in the Royal Hearts series. This is a sweet, closed-door romance and can be read as a standalone, but it would be most enjoyed after reading A Royal Obligation.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy!

OH HOW SWEET.

That’s the vibe of this whole book. It is SWEET. If you need something that doesn’t have a lot of angst with two people who are clearly into each other, pick this one up. I appreciate that it never came off as a love triangle or anything. You know the endgame from the beginning and it was cute watching them realize how much they loved each other.

I adored Liam and Charlotte. I liked their personalities and strengths. Both exhibited many good qualities and I liked seeing them separate as much as together. Honestly I could have used even more time of them together because I liked the banter and tender ways they look after the other.

There’s a little bit of drama, definitely some reminiscent pieces of The Selection Series and Princess Diaries 2 (my personal fav), and some good kissing scenes too. This was my first by Schimmoeller, but won’t be my last. I have my eyes on the third book in this series!!

Note: I read this without having read the first and didn’t have any issues!

Overall audience notes:

  • Modern Royal Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: grief surrounding loss of parents

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Book Review: The Catch (Summer Nights #1) by Lauren H. Mae

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Rating: ★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 420 pages
Author: Lauren H. Mae
Publisher: William St. Press
Release Date: January 11th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

With Catia Roday has learned the hard way that love always disappoints, so when she finds herself falling for Josh Rideout—the handsome, charming, seemingly-perfect guy she just met on vacation—only to find out they hail from neighboring towns, she has one question: what’s the catch?

Unwilling to let love make a fool of her again, Cat tries desperately to ignore the chemistry between her and Josh, but it isn’t easy when their vacation plans keep overlapping. With the universe constantly throwing them together, and her friends practically staging an intervention to tell her she’s making a huge mistake, she decides to prove her point once and for all. On the way home, she makes a bet. She’ll take her budding vacation romance back to the real world, and when she proves Josh is too good to be true, she wins! (And she avoids another heartbreak.)

What ensues is a series of tests and games with Josh one step ahead of her the whole time, until Cat realizes the friendly wager has her betting against the one man who may be able to revive her faith in love. Worse yet, it turns out Josh might not be the gambling type.

HARD PASS.

Oooooh this was not for me. And now I don’t even want to try any of the other books in this series.

We got off on the wrong foot by throwing in some one night stand vibes (almost went through with it). I have never loved that trope and this is what I get for not reading the synopsis.

I also hated the FMC. I thought she was manipulative and rude. Why would you bait your boyfriend into potentially flirting with someone else just so you can prove he’s not actually a nice guy so you can break up with him? THAT IS NOT OKAY. That scene and others enraged me to no end.

The drama with the third act was, you guessed it, as awful as the rest of this book. Over the top and since I was done with the book at this point I just wanted it to be over. There relationship got fully started before the halfway point and it never recovered. I wasted my time on this one.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of prior divorce

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ARC Book Review: All’s Fair in Love and Christmas by Sarah Monzon

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Rating: ★★
Audience: Holiday Romance
Length: 256 pages
Author: Sarah Monzon
Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: September 5th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Every December two things are guaranteed for graphic designer Mackenzie Graham–Christmas celebrations and the annual promotion at her workplace. Those two things are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, the better an employee is at harnessing the Christmas spirit, the more likely they’ll win the new job. With her social anxiety, Mackenzie never thought she’d be a contender in her company’s holiday competition, so how exactly has she found herself dueling her workplace crush with wrapping paper tubes and using tinsel as her weapon of choice for a much-needed raise?

Jeremy Fletcher’s life is meticulously planned out, including how to win this year’s promotion at work. Not only will the new position fulfill some of his career goals, but the raise will help him as a single guardian to his twin niece and nephew. Jeremy has barely noticed Mackenzie Graham around the office, but now that she’s his rival, he can’t stop thinking about her. Her quirkiness intrigues him, and he’s afraid that if he can’t get his head on straight, the job isn’t the only thing he’ll end up losing to Mackenzie.

‘Tis the season for romance, faith, and humor–all wrapped up in this enchanting holiday rom-com from award-winning author Sarah Monzon.

Thank you to Bethany House for the eARC.

MAYBE FOR YOU?

I know I gave this a low rating, but I’m also able to see that maybe it’ll work for someone else this holiday season.

What I struggled with most was the mental health representation and how it was handled. It just didn’t sit well with me and I wish a little more exploration would have been written in. I felt like this plot line wasn’t truly finished.

The romance was lackluster. It was trying hard to be sweet and cute, but many of the moments felt forced.

There’s definitely plenty to fulfill anyone looking for a read with holiday spirit. Lots of Christmastime activities and traditions to go around. While I didn’t click with the writing style if you enjoy:

  • Sweet romance
  • Heavy faith themes
  • Workplace romance
  • Kind friendships

…then maybe it’ll work for you!

Overall audience notes:

  • Christian Holiday Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: FMC’s Mom has Alzheimer’s, mentions of loss of a sibling, social anxiety rep

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