ARC Book Review: Well Matched (Well Met #3) by Jen DeLuca

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Jen DeLuca
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: October 19th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An accidentally in-love rom-com filled with Renaissance Faire flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights.

Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.

Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire–a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what’s real and what’s been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.

As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch’s family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch’s girlfriend again…something that doesn’t feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans–and open her heart–for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

Thank you the Berkley and Netgalley for an eARC. All opinions are my own!

AAAAAAPRIL.

Someone please tell me they read that in Andy Dwyer’s voice?

After that brief intro, let me voice my thoughts on this book.

BECAUSE I LOOOOOOVED IT.

All I could want for Mitch and April’s storyline was in here. I have been waiting for this book since Well Met. It wrapped me up and filled me with so many emotions throughout. I finished it in a day because I was so enraptured by this love story.

I love that there was a deeper story for Mitch. I really got to see all of his layers pulled back and see the insecurities that he struggles with. Watching April stand up for him and be by his side brought all the warm fuzzies and fist pumps because I was behind her back saying YEAH TELL ‘EM. The united front brought on by fake-dating (YUP THAT TROPE Y’ALL!!!) gave way to the clear emotional pull between them. [And let’s face it, I’m a total sucker for the fact he wore a kilt for a good portion of this book.]

April frustrated me, but not in an overly annoying way. More of a, I get it, kind of way. She had to work through a lot of feelings. Coping with becoming an empty nester after being a single-mom, seeing her ex again and learning that plans change. And that all of that is okay. But that it’s also okay to have moments of pure doubt and freak out a little because change is scary. Even when I felt exasperated, I still sat in April’s corner cheering her on to her, much deserved, happy ending.

There’s many a trope abound in here. And I love a good mash-up. Fake-dating was already mentioned, but there’s also single bed, age gap, and more. I was wrapped up in all the Ren Fest related and this series always makes me want to pull out a corset and dive into the fray. I ADORED a moment that reminded me of a scene in Grease (and I’m sure many other books/movies, IYKYK because I don’t want to spoil). There was layer upon layer of story here that had me swooning, begging for reconciliation, and rallying for that final push to my favorite kind of HEA.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses to a few open door scenes
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: divorce (husband abandons April), family tension/bullying, abandonment of a child (side character)

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Book Review: Exile (The Extinction Trials #2) by S.M. Wilson

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Dystopia
Length: 384 pages
Author: S.M. Wilson
Publisher: Usborne Publishing LTD
Release Date: June 1st, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Betrayal. Sacrifice. Survival. Welcome to The Extinction Trials.

After surviving on Piloria once, Storm and Lincoln are the obvious candidates to return to the dinosaur continent to test the new virus that should clear the way for human settlement. But they have their own priorities – finding a cure for the plague that’s sweeping Earthasia, and keeping themselves alive.

DINOSAURS, OH MY!

Wow am I so happy I found this series! It’s pure entertainment for me (as a dinosaur fanatic) to get to read these. I love the dystopian-type setting and the exploration of Piloria.

Once again we have our two main characters, Lincoln and Stormchaser. I still liked them this time around. Though it looks like there might be some feelings there and I want more exploration of that. More exploration of all the characters interactions and musings. It’s a continual high stakes read with being chased by dinosaurs and surviving in the wild, that I’m realizing I’m not getting a lot of character connection.

I did see it come out towards the end and am so happy that it went the direction I was hoping. I think Strom and Lincoln both have some big decisions to make and it has amped up the finale. This series is overall an intriguing premise and I will practically read anything that involves dinosaurs.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult dystopia
  • Language: none
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: dinosaur attacks, endemic of a skin disease, physical/weapon attacks

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Book Review: Simply Starstruck by Aspen Hadley

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 256 pages
Author: Aspen Hadley
Publisher: Sweetwater Books
Release Date: November 13th, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Kate Evans never imagined she’d be a young widow and single mom, staying in her aunt’s guest cottage. She also never imagined she’d live next door to Jess Sullivan, an actual movie star. Struggling to put herself back together, Kate gets swept up in a whirlwind of dating, but can she keep ignoring what her heart really wants?

KINDA STARSTRUCK.

This book was neither here nor there. It’s a very positive three stars and I’m not upset I read it. There were just some pieces that missed the mark and caused me to lower my rating.

I liked Kate as the main character. She was witty and had a pretty funny inner monologue. What bothered me was how long some of her growth took until the very very end of the book. It was drawn out wayyy too much. Kate flounced around dating a bunch of different men (which was fine initially, but didn’t need to take up 75% of the book). So instead of feeling like this book was about her and Jess, it became an odd episode of a dating game.

I loved Jess. Really really did. Anytime he was on screen I was excited. Jess and Kate bantered well and had some tender moments that made me want to swoon. This was the best part of the book and I wish there was a whole bunch more. Jess and Kate were a great match and I loved how Kate’s son was apart of everything too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: car accident
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a spouse, cancer, car accident

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Book Review: Small Favors by Erin A. Craig

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Paranormal
Length: 480 pages
Author: Erin A. Craig
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: July 27th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range–five narrow peaks stretching into the sky like a grasping hand, bordered by a nearly impenetrable forest from which the early townsfolk fought off the devils in the woods. To this day, visitors are few and rare. But when a supply party goes missing, some worry that the monsters that once stalked the region have returned.

As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents’ deepest desires, however grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister, and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames.

PERFECTLY SPOOKY.

I think I enjoyed this read more than the author’s first book! What a delightfully creepy read perfect for autumn.

This is a slower read with this great building to a climax. Each chapter kept pulling me in and a subtle cliffhanger at the end led me deeper into the woods. I cringed at the descriptions (in a good way) of the mutilated creatures and eyes following the members of town. There was a nice sense of paranormal that fit in to the small community hidden by the mountains.

I liked the little dash of romance and the way that played into the overall plot. It had some twists and turns on its own and I love how it worked out. I also really liked that this was focused on a family. Ellerie and her siblings had to take care of themselves while their parents were gone. Some bonds between the siblings broke and others strengthened as the watchers brought chaos to their doorstep.

The only thing I wish this book had was a longer ending. Things wrapped up SUPER quickly (while things were still burning down around them) and I don’t feel like I got everything I needed. I’d explain further but I might accidentally spoil, so that was my biggest issue in the end. Otherwise, great read and I can’t wait to continue reading whatever comes next from this author!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Paranormal
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: intense blood depictions, emesis, execution, gun violence, animal death and injury

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