Tag: Book Review

ARC Book Review: Across the Star-Kissed Sea by Arlem Hawks

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 288 pages
Author: Arlem Hawks
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When May becomes a lady’s maid at sea, she’s hoping for an innocent adventure but instead must navigate rough waters, deadly combat, and unexpected love.

Mediterranean Sea, 1811

May Byam grew up following her father to his work at the ropemaking factory and listening to her uncle’s tales of life aboard a Royal Navy ship. After tragedy and scandal shatter her family, May is desperate to escape the shame that follows her. Despite her mother’s pleadings against it, May signs on as a lady’s maid to the young wife of a naval captain. If she’s going to run, she may as well do it in honor of her late uncle and cousin and where there is food, shelter, and perhaps even adventure. But the frosty reception she receives from the ship’s clergyman makes her feel far from welcome.

Heartbroken young Chaplain Elias Doswell returns to a harsh life at sea, but preaching to disinterested sailors isn’t the escape he’d hoped for—until a captivating young woman boards the ship. However, a case of mistaken identity ensures that he starts off on the wrong foot with the newly hired lady’s maid, who clearly wants nothing to do with him. But the close quarters of the ship forces the pair together, and May begins to see a side of the handsome clergyman she didn’t expect. As they struggle to navigate their deepening feelings, the danger of war with the French looms on the horizon, threatening their lives—and their love.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain for the ARC.

A SWEET STORY.

I love a good story set out on the sea and this was another amazing book from Arlem Hawks. I enjoy her historical stories so much and she’s a must read author in this genre.

I adored May and Elias. I loved that May had to work through a complicated past and learn from mistakes and she grew and took in new information about life aboard a boat. And sweet Elias who wanted to be loved for him. All of the soft and quiet things he did for May had me melting.

And getting to see the Peyton’s too!! I’m so happy they were included in this story and I loved being back on this ship. It’s a short and heartfelt romance. Y’all know I’m a fan of forced proximity and maybe that’s why I loved ocean stories so much?? They get to be together all the time and you get to see a genuine slow burn romance bloom in the best ways. Combined with action and the thrill of wondering what ship was on the horizon this isn’t a book to be missed.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: life threatening injuries, skirmishes on a boat, loss of life

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Sarah Adler
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 23rd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love.

Millicent Watts-Cohen is on a mission. When she promised her elderly best friend that she’d reunite her with the woman she fell in love with nearly eighty years ago, she never imagined that would mean traveling from D.C. to Key West with three tablespoons of Mrs. Nash’s remains in her backpack. But Millie’s determined to give her friend a symbolic happily-ever-after, before it’s (really) too late—and hopefully reassure herself of love’s lasting power in the process.

She just didn’t expect to have a living travel companion.

After a computer glitch grounds flights, Millie is forced to catch a ride with Hollis Hollenbeck, an also-stranded acquaintance from her ex’s MFA program. Hollis certainly does not believe in happily-ever-afters—symbolic or otherwise—and makes it quite clear that he can’t fathom Millie’s plan ending well for anyone.

But as they contend with peculiar bed-and-breakfasts, unusual small-town festivals, and deer with a death wish, Millie begins to suspect that her reluctant travel partner might enjoy her company more than he lets on. Because for someone who supposedly doesn’t share her views on romance, Hollis sure is becoming invested in the success of their journey. And the closer they get to their destination, the more Millie has to admit that maybe this trip isn’t just about Mrs. Nash’s love story after all—maybe it’s also about her own.

THIS WAS SO GOOD.

I didn’t really have plans to pick this up and a friend’s raving review convinced me to give it a go. AND I LOVED IT. I’m so happy I read it!

THE EMOTIONS. I felt them all throughout. The flashback chapters hurt my heart and when a reveal happened that I wasn’t expecting I was almost in tears. The writing just brought out all of the feels.

The romantic banter was amazing. I was laughing and swooning Hollis and Millie. They really had this enigmatic chemistry and the road trip antics were well placed. I’m not usually a road trip fan, but I love the way this story worked in its favor. I do think the physicality of their relationship surpassed what I love seeing, that’s a me thing though.

It’s a wonderful audio book. A deeply heartfelt story and I was in love from all sides.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 3-4 open door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a loved one

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: A Royal Promise (Royal Hearts #4) by Amanda Schimmoeller

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Modern Royal Romance
Length: 274 pages
Author: Amanda Schimmoeller
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 9th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two best friends.
One promise that could change everything.

Prince Andrew has been in love with his best friend, Bri, for as long as he can remember. Of course, he would never actually tell her that. When his parents try to force him into a marriage of convenience, Drew decides to enact the marriage pact he made with Bri when they were kids. While she might think he’s faking everything with her for the public eye, Drew finally has the chance to show his best friend how much he loves her and why they would make the perfect couple. Drew can only hope that their forced time together will show Bri what has been right in front of her all along.

Princess Brielle agrees to be her best friend’s fake fiancée to save him from a desperate situation. Emphasis on the word fake. But the more time she spends with Drew pretending to be a couple, Bri begins to see him in a new light. He’s no longer the scrawny, awkward kid he used to be. Drew is an attractive, confident man who makes their charade look effortless and has her heart racing on more than one occasion. As the lines of their fake engagement and her feelings begin to blur, she’s left with the biggest decision of her life–Bri can either allow herself to fall in love with Drew or potentially lose her best friend forever.

A Royal Promise is Book 4 in the Royal Hearts series. This is a sweet, closed-door romance and can be read as a standalone.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

SUCH A SWEET STORY.

Friends to lovers and I have an up and down history and I can easily mark this in the win column. It was such a sweet story. I adored Drew and Bri and watching them realize how their deep feelings had turned into everlasting love.

There were many tender scenes and I loved how the fake dating played out. The dates were fun and I enjoyed the lighter vibes of this book. It was exactly what I was needing when I picked it up.

I didn’t love the Clarissa plot line, but that was the only thing that stood out to me. I love that this is a modern royal romance story and it had one of my favorite tropes he falls first and he’s fallen HARD. All of the small elements came together for such a lovely romance read. I’m sad to see this series go but excited for what Amanda writes next!

Overall audience notes:

  • Modern Royal Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Holiday Tides (A Wilks Beach Holiday Novella) by Laura Langa

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Holiday Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 143 pages
Author: Laura Langa
Publisher: West East Publishing
Release Date: October 15th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Don’t get caught kissing Surfing Santa beneath the mistletoe.

Returning to her small beach town, Summer Owens finds herself living next to her former rival, Nick Watson, the renovation foreman who’s as handy as he is irresistible in his custom Santa-red wetsuit. But Summer isn’t falling for Nick’s charm, remembering how he once made her life miserable.

Determined to prove he’s changed, Nick jumps at every chance to fix the things that keep falling apart in her historic cottage—and maybe in her heart too. But nothing can happen under the mistletoe until Summer realizes that her current boyfriend is all wrong for her.

As they enjoy the town’s tree lighting ceremony, holiday parties, and a spirited karaoke competition, the sizzling tension grows. With Christmas approaching, Summer must decide between the wrong man in her life and the one who’s been right next door all along.

Enjoy the playful banter, sizzling kisses, and all the Christmas feels of this he falls first, small beach town, closed-door/kisses-only holiday novella by grabbing your copy TODAY!
Holiday Tides is a standalone novella that shares characters with the Wilks Beach novels.

Thank you Laura Langa for the gifted eARC.

JUST RIGHT.

You know what hits well? A perfectly crafted holiday novella. I love reading novellas during the holidays because when so much is usually going on moving through a quick romance brings a smile to my face. I adored this story.

I thought there was just the right amount of background information provided to really set the scene for the romance and that both characters were easy to love and clearly had a lot of great chemistry and banter together. The beachside small town holiday goodness was in abundance and made me crave all things winter.

Overall audience notes:

  • Holiday Romance Novella
  • Language: low
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: cheating (not between the main characters), mentions of loss of loved ones

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph