Tag: berkley romance

ARC Book Review: Exes and O’s by Amy Lea

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Amy Lea
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 10th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A romance novel–obsessed social media influencer revisits her exes on her hunt for true love in this romantic comedy from the author of Set On You.

Romance-novel connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different men–all of whom dumped her because of her “stage-five clinger” tendencies. Nevertheless, Tara is determined to find The One. The only problem? Classic meet-cutes are dead thanks to modern dating apps. So Tara decides to revisit her exes in hopes of securing her very own trope-worthy second-chance romance.

Boston firefighter Trevor Metcalfe will be the first to rush into a burning building but the last to rush into a relationship. Love just isn’t his thing. When his new roommate Tara enlists him to help her reconnect with her exes, he reluctantly agrees. But Tara’s journey is leading him to discover his own new chapter.

The more time they spend together, the more Tara realizes Trevor seems to be the only one who appreciates her authentic, dramatic self. To claim their happily-ever-after, can Tara and Trevor read between the lines of their growing connection?

Thank you to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for an eARC.

ADORE.

Ohhh how this grew on me. After loving Set On You I had to get my hands on this book and it did not disappoint.

I loooved Tara. I connected through many of her thoughts about romance, love and life and really enjoyed the journey her character went on. Her ability to be optimistic about love and the place she wanted it to hold in her life was incredibly hopeful. Tara needed someone to see and love all of her and that’s where sweet Trevor enters the picture. TREVOR. Good heavens. From a disastrous meeting to slowly peeling away all of those layers!? I was in a PUDDLE by the ending confessions. I loved his counter balancing gruff nature and how he was just always *there*. This duo truly went from roommates to friends to lovers and I was couldn’t get enough.

The forced proximity moments had me grinning like a fool. I LOVED the banter and all the times Tara dragged Trevor along (who we all know went willingly) to whatever plan she had in store that day. The entire vibe of this book was exactly what I was seeking. A light hearted (yet serious) look at finding love.

Amy Lea is easily becoming an auto-read author for me. I love the way she writes romances and the slow burn payoff is always worth it.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 2-3 open door; mild explict
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: a child with a heart condition, gaslighting, mentions of death of loved ones

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Photo credit to author Amy Lea

Amy Lea is an Asian Canadian government analyst who runs the Bookstagram account @amyleabooks, where she promotes and reviews contemporary romance novels. Set on You is her debut novel. Learn more online at www.amyleabooks.com.  

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Book Review: The Siren of Sussex (Belles of London #1) by Mimi Matthews

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Mimi Matthews
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 11th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Victorian high society’s most daring equestrienne finds love and an unexpected ally in her fight for independence in the strong arms of London’s most sought after and devastatingly handsome half-Indian tailor.

Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she’s worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she’ll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London’s attention she’ll need a habit-maker who’s not afraid to take risks with his designs—and with his heart.

Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful, inching his way toward recognition by designing riding habits for Rotten Row’s infamous Pretty Horsebreakers—but no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible.

But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. With obstacles spanning between them, the indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters most: making their mark or following their hearts?

GREAT ROMANCE.

Wonderful that this book was a romance because that was definitely the best part of the entire book. I was completely wrapped up in these two star crossed lovers. They were very sweet on each other and all of these tense, yet soft, moments between them had me absolutely swooning.

It also approached a lot of different topics from racism and colonialism to conversing with spirits and falling in love. I did think the spirts sub-plot was a bit out there and didn’t necessarily fit with the book. The author’s note cleared some of that up, but it still didn’t mesh for me with the rest of the story.

I loved that Evelyn was an excellent horse woman and found her way in society. I liked her growth as a character and that she found a supportive friend group. I LOVE good friend groups and now I want to read the next books in this series so I can get everyone’s story.

The audio book was great, DUAL POV and dual narrators too!! Always my favorite aspect of romance books.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: light
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: racism, micro-aggressions, colonialism

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Book Review: The Singles Table (Marriage Game #3) by Sara Desai

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 322 pages
Author: Sara Desai
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: November 16th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Opposites attract in this romantic comedy about a free-spirited lawyer who is determined to find the perfect match for the grumpy bachelor at her friend’s wedding

After a devastating break-up, celebrity-obsessed lawyer Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. She puts her energy into building her career and helping her friends find romance through the wedding season. She’s never faced a guest at the singles table she couldn’t match, until she crosses paths with the sinfully sexy Jay Donovan.

Former military security specialist Jay has no time for love. His life is about working hard, staying focused, and winning at all costs. When charismatic Zara crashes into his life, he’s thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of chaos he wants to avoid. Worse, they’re stuck together for the entire wedding season.

So they make a deal. She’ll find his special someone if he introduces her to his celebrity clients. But when their arrangement brings them together in ways they never expected, they realize that the perfect match might just be their own.

NOT MY FAV.

Things I did love about this read was how quickly I flew through it. The audio narrator does an amazing job and I read it in a day. Definitely would recommend this series on audio!

I enjoyed Jay and Zara together. I wish their relationship didn’t have the friends with benefits vibes though. Plenty of angst. And you could truthfully feel the chemistry between them. I loved the plot with the multiple weddings, lawyers, security aspects and more. It was a fun combination that led to plenty of hijinks and forced proximity moments that I adore.

The steam was too much for me personally. There’s 4 (maybe more?) open door scenes I had to skip over and they started to feel more there for spice than actually moving the book forward. This is just my take, so read away if you’re all for the spice!

I thought the ending was pretty sweet and it did wrap up some necessary ties between the larger plot and the couple. I didn’t love how the conflict was handled, or I guess dragged out, but it wasn’t too glaring of an issue for me.

The second book in this series is still my favorite, but I never felt like I was hate reading this one. Just wasn’t for me (which might mean it’s for you!).

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple open door scenes
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: PTSD, panic attack

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ARC Book Review: Well Traveled (Well Met #4) by Jen DeLuca

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Jen DeLuca
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: December 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Renaissance Faire is on the move, and Lulu and Dex are along for the ride, in the next utterly charming rom-com from Jen DeLuca.

A high-powered attorney from a success-oriented family, Louisa “Lulu” Malone lives to work, and everything seems to be going right, until the day she realizes it’s all wrong. Lulu’s cousin Mitch introduced her to the world of Renaissance Faires, and when she spies one at a time just when she needs an escape, she leaps into the welcoming environment of turkey legs, taverns, and tarot readers. The only drawback? Dex MacLean: a guitarist with a killer smile, the Casanova of the Faire… and her traveling companion for the summer.

Dex has never had to work for much in his life, and why should he? Touring with his brothers as The Dueling Kilts is going great, and he always finds a woman at every Faire. But when Lulu proves indifferent to his many plaid charms and a shake-up threatens the fate of the band, Dex must confront something he never has before: his future.

Forced to spend days and nights together on the road, Lulu’s interest in the kilted bad boy grows as he shows her a side of himself no one else has seen. The stresses of her old lifestyle fade away as she learns to trust her intuition and follow her heart instead of her head. But when her time on the road is over, will Lulu go with her gut, or are she and Dex destined for separate paths?

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for an eARC.

ADORED.

Good heavens, I LOVE THIS SERIES. I flipped out when my ARC approval came in and it did NOT disappoint.

I looooooved Dex. He was a rake with a soft side. There were perfectly well written moments of the way he looks at Lulu. The many times he leaned in to give her little forehead/hair kisses. How he pulled her into him anytime Lulu was near just to have her close. I CAN’T HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS. I am a puddle. It was the SWEETEST. What really makes a romance for me are all of those subtle moments. The moments where a character is saying you’re mine, I’m yours in that tender, loving way that encompasses all they’re feeling.

My tiny tidbit would be that there wasn’t very much romantic development until the halfway point. I would have even been cool with some good flirting and banter. But I gotta give it up to that second half. It really sealed the deal on this relationship.

I also really liked the journey that Louisa went on. From a mental breakdown at a Ren Faire, to finding a balance between work she was actually happy about doing and life around her, it was everything I love in a female main character. Going off the grid was a fun concept and I love how she just went for it. Lulu was all in for her summer fling and everything it came with.

I’m realizing I could just keep going with everything I loved, so I’ll say it again now, READ THIS SERIES [note*: not necessary to read the others, but it does help you get good background because all previous couples make an appearance here!!]. This book had it all and gave me the best feelings.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 1-2 open door; low explicit, light innuendo
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: anxiety depiction

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