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ARC Book Review: Runaway Bride and Prejudice (Appies) by Emma St. Clair

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 28th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There’s one rule smart hockey players know not to never, and I mean, NEVER date the coach’s daughter. But no one ever accused Van of being smart.

When the mouthy bad boy of the Appies catches the groom cheating on the coach’s daughter, he can’t just walk away. Not on her wedding day.

Maybe his own relationships are casual, but he would never cheat and never treat wedding vows so carelessly. Not after he and his sisters watched their divorced parents cycle through marriage after marriage.

But forcing the groom to come clean sets off a chain reaction Van couldn’t have expected.

Ending with a black eye, an unexpected trip to Florida with one runaway bride, and a secret bargain struck with Coach.

A bargain that may just jeopardize the very real and very inconvenient feelings he’s developing for the very last person he ever should.

Runaway Bride and Prejudice is a closed door hockey romance featuring the team bad boy and a very good girl who also happens to be the coach’s daughter. It’s a sports romance with all the sizzle and swoon, but no spice.

This is part of the Appies hockey romance series, featuring Just Don’t Fall, Absolutely Not in Love, a Groom of One’s Own, and Romancing the Grump. These books are standalones but may be best read in order.

Thank you to the author for an eARC!

HI, I LOVE THIS BOOK.

It was absolutely everything I could have hoped for when I was thinking about Van’s story. I devoured this read. And I feel like it’s hard to even put my words down because I don’t want to spoil a thing about this book. This is truly a best read blind book and trust me, it will DELIVER.

I loved getting Van’s perspective. A character I have been waiting to know and understand better. I loved the layers and journey. He’s such a charming man and I could not get enough of his heated and swoony actions. His love language is physical touch, and you. can. tell. Also I got a jersey moment which is one of my favorite tropes in sports romance so of course I went feral when that happened.

And I liked Amelia a lot too. She was slightly frustrating but in that way that is totally relatable and had me sitting there going, yeah I’d respond the same way too. I loved that she found her courage and voice in the end and got a chance to live her love story.

I’m always obsessed with any interactions involving the Appies and the text threads were *chefs kiss*. One of my forever favorite fictional hockey teams. I LOVED Van’s sisters too. They were the perfect balance for him and I loved seeing them take Amelia into their family.

I honestly could just keep going. I loved this book. It’s always hard for me to choose a favorite Emma St. Clair book but this definitely ranks up there.

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: physical altercations, loss of a parent (recounted from past), divorce, cheating (not between the two leads in any way)

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Book Review: A Lady’s Guide to Scandal (A Lady’s Guide #2) by Sophie Irwin

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Sophie Irwin
Publisher: Penguin books
Release Date: July 11th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Internationally bestselling author Sophie Irwin brings us another fresh, witty take on a romantic escape led by a deeply lovable heroine determined to start living on her own terms

When shy Miss Eliza Balfour married the austere Earl of Somerset, twenty years her senior, it was the match of the season–no matter that he was not the husband Eliza would have chosen.

But ten years later, Eliza is widowed. And at eight and twenty years, she is suddenly left titled, rich, and, for the first time in her life, utterly in control of her own future. Instead of living out her mourning quietly, Eliza heads to Bath with her cousin Margaret. After years of living according to everyone else’s rules, Eliza has resolved, at last, to do as she wants.

But when the ripples of the dowager Lady Somerset’s behavior reach the new Lord Somerset–whom Eliza knew, once, as a younger woman–Eliza is forced to confront the fact that freedom does not come without consequences, though it also brings unexpected opportunities.

SCANDALOUS.

Another great read for this series. I love the whole vibe of these historical romances. They’re humorous and on the lighter side while still covering some solid character growth and plot arcs.

This book is a love triangle (if that wasn’t obvious) and I actually didn’t mind it all that much. There’s good push and pull but at the same time, I did feel like there was a clear choice from the beginning and VERY happy that it went the way I hoped. There were lots of good sweet moments and I adored the ending!!

I thought Eliza was a beautiful character. Flawed, weighed down by duty and in need of a fresh start. She definitely went through plenty of emotional turmoil to get there, BUT get there she did and that’s what we want. I hope there’s going to be another book in this series!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a spouse (recounted)

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ARC Book Review: Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: August 27th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A TALE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S EVER FALLEN FOR THE VILLAIN…

When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favourite fantasy series.

She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He’s impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she’s not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor’s tale.

So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they’re doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor’s fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.

This adult epic fantasy debut from Sarah Rees Brennan puts the reader in the villain’s shoes, for an adventure that is both ‘brilliant’ (Holly Black) and ‘supremely satisfying’ (Leigh Bardugo). Expect a rogue’s gallery of villains including an axe wielding maid, a shining knight with dark moods, a homicidal bodyguard, and a playboy spymaster with a golden heart and a filthy reputation.

Thank you Orbit Books for the gifted copy and LibroFM for the audiobook.

I’M STILL CONFUSED.

That is unfortunately my biggest takeaway. I am still confused by this world and some of these characters and why the heck this was 17 hrs of audio? The heavy world dumping in the beginning didn’t stick.

It’s a fun idea and the bones are definitely there. There’s noticeable pop culture references and some of the humor does it well. I just don’t think ALL of it did the intended job. It kind of felt like the TV show adaptation of My Lady Jane. Honestly, I think Long Live Evil would work best as a show. With the real world cross overs and setting this could be great for TV.

There’s some good themes on the perception of others and choosing the best option from a list of bad. I did like most of the characters and different scenes were interesting or perfectly comical.

I’m undecided on picking up book two right now. If I do I will probably do the audio again. There’s a great twister of an ending at least.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: moderate, scattered throughout
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: terminal illness (cancer, theme throughout), murder

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Book Review: Asking for a Friend by Kara H.L. Chen

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Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Kara H.L. Chen
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Release Date: July 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

This charming YA rom-com follows a strong-willed, ambitious teen as she teams up with her childhood frenemy to start a dating-advice column, perfect for fans of Emma Lord and Gloria Chao.

Juliana Zhao is absolutely certain of a few things:

1. She is the world’s foremost expert on love.

2. She is going to win the nationally renowned Asian Americans in Business Competition.

When Juliana is unceremoniously dropped by her partner and she’s forced to pair with her nonconformist and annoying frenemy, Garrett Tsai, everything seems less clear. Their joint dating advice column must be good enough to win and secure bragging rights within her small Taiwanese American community, where her family’s reputation has been in the pits since her older sister was disowned a few years prior. Juliana always thought prestige mattered above all else. But as she argues with Garrett over how to best solve everyone else’s love problems and faces failure for the first time, she starts to see fractures in this privileged, sheltered worldview. With the competition heating up, Juliana must reckon with the sacrifices she’s made to be a perfect daughter—and whether winning is something she even wants anymore.

WELL.

I’m of two minds. On the one hand, I think this has some great themes, is good for a younger audience and is a quick read. I liked the messages about staying true to yourself and making mistakes and learning from them. On the other hand, this is the same YA contemporary I’ve read at least 10 times. Which led me to having a harder time moving through this because nothing felt new. And since that’s entirely a me thing, it could easily be a book for others.

There is a little bit of language, but the romantic content is kisses only with no innuendo. It’s definitely a true to young adult book and that is its biggest strength. I did like the character growth from Juliana (even though it came a bit late). She stood up for herself and made the tough decisions facing a lot of nuanced aspects in her life.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary + Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Content Warnings: loss of a father (cancer, recounted)

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