ARC Book Review: Seas the Dating Coach (Wilks Beach #1) by Laura Langa

June 6, 2025June 1, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 300 pages
Author: Laura Langa
Publisher: West East Publishing
Release Date: June 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Seizing the day is great—but snagging a dating coach is better.

All I wanted was to finally say hi to my longtime crush. Instead, I slipped on a puddle of coffee and landed in the arms of Finn Reynolds—the infuriatingly charming newcomer in town. When I tried again, I got utterly tongue-tied. Now I’m blushing, flustered, and somehow caught in Finn’s ridiculous proposition.

With plans to become our library’s next director, Finn has one major winning over the standoffish locals. If I agree to shift popular opinion in his favor, he’ll become my personal dating coach. I’m more fluent in fictional dukes than real-life flirting, but I’m also ready to step out of my shell.

As we navigate trial dates along the seaside and late-night pep talks, I start to feel more confident—more myself. And the way Finn looks at me? It’s impossible to ignore the sparks between us—or how sizzling those practice kisses are.

But Finn’s hiding a big secret—one that doesn’t stay buried for long. And the truth turns out to be a plot twist I definitely didn’t see coming.

Enjoy the playful banter and sizzling kisses of this dating coach, secret identity, small beach town, closed-door/kisses-only romance by grabbing your copy TODAY!

Seas the Dating Coach is the first book in the Wilks Beach Series, but can be read as a standalone.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

A SWEET READ.

For someone who is hit/miss on the dating coach trope I enjoyed this book a lot! I thought the banter and flirting were great and let me tell y’all, there were so many kissing scenes??? I love a a good heated kissing scene.

The relationship dynamics between Finn and Vivian were wonderful. I loved that they pushed each other to step outside comfort zones, lean on each other and find that strong bond of trust. I absolutely think these two have a HEA that surpasses the end of this book. There were multiple sweet and tender moments that made my heart squeeze.

I also really appreciated how the third act was handled as well as some of the background reveals between characters. Things could have easily gone sideways and blessed be, they did not. I love when characters communicate and trust the person they have gotten to know to explain themselves first before jumping to conclusions.

Laura Langa continues to deliver fantastic closed door romances.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Content warnings: a manipulative father

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Book Review: Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) by Juliet Marillier

June 6, 2025April 26, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy
Length: 672 pages
Author: Juliet Marillier
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: October 22nd, 2015
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A magnificent saga set in the Celtic twilight of 10th century Ireland, when myth was law and magic was a power of nature, brilliantly brought to life: the legendary story of an evil stepmother opposed by a seventh child.

The keep at Sevenwaters is a strange, remote place, guarded by silent men who slip through the woodlands clothed in grey, and keep their weapons sharp. Invaders roam outside: raiders from across the sea bent on destruction. But now there is also an invader inside the keep: the Lady Oonagh, a sorceress as fair as day, with a heart as black as night.

Oonagh captivates Lord Colum and his six sons, but she cannot enchant his daughter, Sorcha. Frustrated in her attempts to destroy the family, Oonagh binds the brothers with a spell only Sorcha can lift. If she fails, they will die.

When the raiders break through, Sorcha is taken captive. Soon she will find herself torn between her duty to break the curse and a growing, forbidden love for her captor.

BEAUTIFUL.

This book really grew on me. It started off pretty slow, but the further I got into it and the more I grasped the writing style the deeper the connection to the characters became. It’s a harrowing journey of love and loss and the strength it takes to move forward when everything is pushing you back.

I loved the historical elements and how they played in to the fantastical. I loved Sorcha. I ached for her at her lowest and cheered for her at her highest. The resilient nature she possessed was, at times, unfathomable. I loved how much she continually cared when others kept trying to make her hard.

There’s a subtle and soft romance that’s woven into this book too. I loved the intensity and sacredness of it and how the relationship came to be. The tension is palpable and all of the action scenes had my heart in my throat. I loved the balance of quiet and loud, I adored so many of the side characters and love the vibes of an older fantasy book.

I’m not sure if I’ll read the next? This was a standalone and the next book has a big time gap between the two. Maybe one day!

Overall audience notes:

Historical Fantasy
Language: low
Romance: fade to black
Violence: high
Content Warnings: rape (on page and recounted), animal death, blood/gore depiction

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ARC Book Review: Call of the Loon by K. Sinko

June 5, 2025May 31, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 286 pages
Author: K. Sinko
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It’s 2020. Tea Richards sold off all of her apartment furniture and watched her master’s graduation on Zoom, with no future job prospects and nowhere to go. Her mother is on the front lines working at hospitals to fight the disease, so going home to New Jersey wouldn’t be safe. Instead, her mother suggests joining her grandparents at their cabin up at Silver Falls in Minnesota for the summer, a place she has avoided since her last visit when she was eighteen. It’s the only choice she has, even if it forces her to finally face her grief. But at least there’s open air, blue skies, golden sunsets, and less people she’ll have to deal with.

Until the boy next door knocks on the screen door.

Archer Vincent has spent every summer at the lake helping his family run Wild Pines Resort, and this year is his first as the resort’s manager. But throw a global pandemic into the mix, and nothing seems to be going to plan. Especially now that Tea Richards is back for the summer, and even though he hasn’t seen her in years, his boyhood crush on her remains. Despite his best made plans to keep everyone at the resort safe, Archer can’t help breaking his own rules over and over again, all so he can get one step closer to the girl that got away.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SUMMERTIME LOVE.

I loved how much this felt like SUMMER. It really made me want to run off and find a lake and sailboat to enjoy a hot day on the water. I love when a book can bring out such beautiful and engaging setting.

Having dual POV is always a bonus for me and I loved getting both Archer and Tea’s thoughts and mannerisms. I liked the instant rekindling of chemistry they had upon seeing each other and that they finally communicated a bit to be able to most forward from the past. I don’t love flashback chapters so it was great not to have those in this second chance romance. I felt like I still got the information I needed and it made the pacing much more smooth.

I just don’t think I was quite ready for a pandemic romance though. I don’t feel far enough removed from those years to be able to read about them. I do think the author wrote those aspects with care and mindfulness so that’s not an issue at all.

I love having heated closed door authors to read and K. Sinko continues to be a favorite. I always look forward to her characters, romance, and storylines.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: mild – moderate
Romance: vague/low explicit fade to black
Violence: low
Content Warnings; COVID pandemic, loss of a parent (recounted)

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ARC Book Review: The Friendship Fling by Georgia Stone

June 5, 2025May 20, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 385 pages
Author: Georgia Stone
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: June 3rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this delightfully charming and heartfelt debut love story, two lonely and wildly different strangers embark on a short-term friendship over one London summer—only to discover they may be something more by the time the season ends.

No one would ever call Ava Monroe a people person, which isn’t ideal for a barista in a busy London coffee shop. She’s sarcastic, blunt, and cynical, and her relationships are strictly no strings attached. With her best friend Josie soon leaving for a year, Ava knows she’ll be all alone unless she shakes up her routine. But she can’t risk bringing chance back into her carefully controlled life.

Then insufferably cheerful, country-hopping, undeniably gorgeous Finn O’Callaghan rolls into her coffee shop with a horrifying proposal —a strictly friends-only summer fling. Finn needs a local to help him complete his London bucket list, and Ava needs to reassure Josie she won’t be on her own. And it’s only for a few months.

To Ava’s surprise, their mismatched friendship of convenience becomes oddly tolerable, and as they work their way through Finn’s list and around the sun-drenched city, from rooftops and floating bars to nights at the museum, their adventures—and Finn’s company—start to feel . . . nice. Incredibly, terrifyingly, dangerously nice.

Still, rules are rules—Ava has good reasons for them—and as the days get shorter, Finn’s departure gets closer. Because that’s the thing about it always ends. Right?

Thank you Harper Perennial for the gifted copy.

CHARMING DEBUT.

Oh well this was a delight and I would definitely read another book from this author!! I felt like Ava and I were soul sisters so that really helped. Many of her characteristics were my vibe and personality which was fun to see in a book. I am not bubbly, neither is Ava. Give me more black cat book recs.

I really adored this that book went from strangers to friends to lovers. It is a SLOW BURN and we love slow burns. The plot is a little slow and I wanted something *else* for it but that was my only issue. I loved the strong friendships and positive communication throughout. The third act works for the book and did not make me cranky so this book gets all the points for that fact alone.

I loved that it was dual POV and getting to know both Ava and FInn. I LOVED Finn too. Both characters have great arcs about learning to step outside comfort zones, make boundaries for family and finding what’s next in life. It’s charming and sweet and a little spicy.

Overall audience notes: