Tag: Book Review

Book Review: Wild About Denali (Wild Hearts of Alaska #1) by Sara Blackard

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 220 pages
Author: Sara Blackard
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: December 1st, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Falling for the single mom? Nope. Not gonna happen, no matter how gorgeous and kindhearted she is. The potential for heartache is too high.

I should know. My mum proved that dating a single parent leaves one open for soul-crushing bachelorhood. Which is why I determined to keep things friendly with Denali Wilde once I learned that the beautiful police dog trainer came with a kid. Why add all that drama on top of moving to Alaska and opening an animal rescue center?

Too bad I didn’t keep my wits when it came to her son. The problem? The kid is amazing, into rescuing animals just like I am. Fair dinkum, the kid needs a mate about as badly as I do.

I’ve done a lot of crazy things in life. I mean, my TV series on Nature Channel wasn’t called Getting Wild with Wilder for its placid landscapes and tranquil animals. Yet, getting close to Denali and her son proves I have more than a few roos loose in the top paddock. Not only has my admiration for Denali increased with her insane dedication to her son, but he’s buried himself so far in my heart, I’ll never escape.

My determination to keep things friendly with Denali? Yeah, not as easy as I thought it would be. The thing is I’m wild about Denali. I just don’t think she feels the same for me.

Wild About Denali is a laugh-out-loud, heart-melting romcom with a single-mom, an Aussie reality TV star, and kisses that will curl your toes while keeping it clean.

CHARMING!

I had no expectations going in to this and was pleasantly charmed by the story. It was fun and full of wilderness adventure.

Drew and Denali had some great chemistry and I loooove dual perspective and getting both sides of the story. It’s a fast paced romance that has some good swoony kiss scenes and learning how to fit into each other’s lives.

I also liked the single mom trope here. Sawyer was such a great kid and learning about all sorts of different animals as apart of the nature and rescue aspects was unique to romances I’ve picked up before. I always enjoy coming acorss something I haven’t read before.

There’s good family and friend dynamics. Blended families that actually want to make things work pull at my heart strings. It is super easy to read in a day and I think many would like this one!

**Audiobook note: one thing that did bug me (but did not affect my rating) was the speed differences between narrators. Both were great BUT the male narrator was infinitely faster than the female and I had to change reading speeds with chapter changes.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: animal encounters

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ARC Book Review: Heidi Lucy Loses Her Mind (Happily Ever Homicide #2) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 338 pages
Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: October 5th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Heidi Lucy has a secret—a big one. A scary, dangerous, ugly one.

There’s just one problem: thanks to a mysterious head wound, she can’t seem to remember what that secret is.

In order to regain her lost memories, Heidi sets out to retrace her steps—followed grudgingly by Soren, a faithful patron of her little bookshop and the less-than-thrilled recipient of the cryptic voicemail she can’t remember leaving. But her journey gets derailed when one of Heidi’s customers drops dead in the middle of her shop, and it isn’t long before both Heidi and Soren come under suspicion. Something fishy is going on in Sunshine Springs, and if they want to find the truth, they’re going to have to hunt for it themselves.

Who killed the woman in Heidi’s bookshop? What secret has Heidi forgotten? And, maybe the most crucial question of all: Who gave Soren permission to look so good in a man bun?

Heidi Lucy Loses Her Mind is the second in a series of interconnected standalones involving swoony romance, wacky comedy, and dead bodies turning up in the most unlikely of places.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SUNSHINE.

It’s my favorite micro trope ever: when the MMC is GONE for the FMC. It never gets old and automatically has me kicking my feet in the air waiting to watch the love story play out. And this one DELIVERED.

I love the combination of murder mystery and romance. It just works. Gracie Ruth Mitchell does an incredible job of balancing all of the swoon while moving the plot along and wondering whodunnit. I ADORED Soren (are we surprised?) and was ecstatic to get his POV alongside Heidi’s. I also thought Heidi was great. She’s quirky and goes after what she wants and I loved watching her let Soren in.

There’s lots of really great themes throughout too that made me want to hug multiple characters. I loved the bookish vibes and the small town setting. And every time Soren spoke I’m pretty sure I melted into the floor. This book is sweet and I loved it.

A fantastic story, one I devoured in practically a day. The books in this series can be read as a standalone too!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low-moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder

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Book Review: Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Mystery
Length: 320 pages
Author: Hannah Linder
Publisher: Barbour Pub
Release Date: September 30th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Danger Lurks at Rosenleigh Manor

Enjoy another Gothic Style Regency from Hannah Linder.

The accidents are not a matter of chance. They are deliberate. As English gentleman William Kensley becomes aware of the danger at Rosenleigh, he pleads for truth from the only man he can trust—until that man is murdered.

As the secrets unfold into scandal, William’s world is tipped into destitution—leaving him penniless and alone. His only comfort is in the constant love of Isabella Gresham, but even that has been threatened. When a hidden foe arises from their acquaintances and imperils Isabella’s life, will William be the only one willing to rescue her? And even if he saves Isabella from her captors, will he still have to forsake her heart?

Thank you to AustenProse, Barbour Books and Netgalley for the eARC.

GENUINE ENJOYMENT.

This one took me by surprise. And as it’s Hannah Linder’s third novel I can see how much her writing and story telling has grown. Not for one minute was I ready to speed read and move on. I loved this story and the truths it held throughout.

The romance had this forbidden layer to start out that was worked out really well. I loved the slow progression between William and Isabella and how fate pulled them together. William was an incredible MMC and his ability to constantly have to turn and make a new move was inspiring. I felt a lot of his anger and disappointment towards his fortune and I loved the honest way the subtle faith elements played into his character.

This is definitely a darker book and I was surprised at the layers of mystery that unfolded as truths were revealed. There were continual things to unpack and the pace of the plot remained steady as I was grasping to know what happened next. I enjoyed the drama. I loved this story and I look forward to Linder’s next book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Suspense + Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, gun violence, physical & weapons violence, loss of life, loss of loved ones, kidnapping, torture, harassment, blood/gore depiction

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ALC Book Review: Silence and Shadow (Blood and Moonlight #2) by Erin Beaty

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy + Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Erin Beaty
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

After confronting a killer and fleeing her home to be with each other, Cat and Simon arrive in the sprawling city of Londunium pretending to be a newly married couple, but don’t expect to keep up the ruse for long. Cat looks forward to honing her healing magick at the local Selanae university, but instead finds a council of ruthless leaders threatening to erase her non-Selanae “husband’s” memories to protect their secrets.

Terrified to lose him, Cat takes desperate steps to keep him safe. But when a string of mutilated bodies turns up in the woods outside the city, and Simon is recruited to profile the killer, Cat is pulled back into a world of murder, mayhem, and magick—one that threatens to swallow her, and everything she loves, whole.

The sequel to Erin Beaty’s buzzworthy YA medieval fantasy-thriller Blood and Moonlight, Silence and Shadow is full of swoony romance, dangerous magick, and murder—perfect for fans of Kerri Maniscalco and Mary E. Pearson.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

A GREAT MYSTERY.

I just have no complaints. I really enjoyed listening, I thought the story was great, the subtle romance was sweet (with some fade to black steam) and I love these characters. They’re flawed without making you feel like pushing them off a cliff. There’s apologies and strength and I love the way Erin Beaty crafts her characters.

The mystery kept me guessing and I love the change of location from the previous book (which you do have to read before this one!!). Exploring a new area, side characters and a killer on the loose. This has a slight cozy vibe while also being on the darker edge. With some action mixed in and some twists that made the ending feel like you have to keep going.

I’m a big fan girl of Erin Beaty and this continues to ring true. Another brilliant book!

Overall audience notes:

  • Upper YA Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: light
  • Romance: multiple fade to black
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: serial killer, blood/gore depiction

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