Tag: contemporary romance

ARC Book Review: Scrooge and the Girls Next Door by Melanie Jacobson

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Melanie Jacobson
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: November 8th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When the sunniest woman in Creekville buys the house next to the grumpiest man on the street, sparks fly . . . and not just because she keep blowing his fuses…

Paige Redmond has done everything the hard way, from her wild child past to being a single mother raising her own delightful wild child now. But since landing in Creekville, she’s turned it all around. With her newly-inked college degree and her shiny new job title, nothing can get in her way, not even the fixer upper cottage she bought on a whim. It’s the worst house on the best street in town, and she can’t wait to give Evie the Christmas of her dreams in their very own home.

Paige tackles the holiday with a Clark Griswold-level of Christmas spirit, amusing the entire town who cheer her on–everyone except for her humbug neighbor, the reclusive, grumpy, and deliciously handsome professor next door.

Can Paige and Ellie win over the town’s biggest Scrooge? Or will he pull the plug on their first solo Christmas?

Experience the laughter and magic of a Creekville Christmas from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Jacobson today!

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

THOUGHTS.

I started out really enjoying this. Easily a holiday read, I liked the grump and sunshine set up (with easy nods to The Christmas Carol). Single mom trope is here too and I love a great kid in a book too.

There’s some good humor and I loved the slow burn romance. It was a well accomplished age gap and I was head over heels for Henry. He reminded me of Temperance Brennan (Bones from Bones). A very dry sense of humor and the way he viewed the world. I thought this was spot on and his growth was solid too.

Paige grew on me but we had some learning curves too. I struggled with her absolute inability to let others help her even though they’ve literally been helping her for years. It was a stubborn clash that made me shrug my shoulders a bunch.

Some of the trauma felt like it was approached with a bit of insensitivity. I think I got what the author was trying to do, but it was a miss for me.

It does have the perfect amount of holiday cheer and I thought the ending was really sweet. There’s a good combination of things here even if some of the stuff wasn’t clicking for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Holiday Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a grandparent (recounted), brief mentions of substance abuse, grief

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Book Review: Sweet Talk (Love Lines #2) by Cara Bastone

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 238 pages
Author: Cara Bastone
Publisher: Audible Originals
Release Date: April 22nd, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Listening Length: 5 hours and 42 minutes

Stay up all night with this funny, surprising romantic comedy from Audie Award-nominee Cara Bastone — scripted exclusively for audio!

It’s officially booty o’clock, I’m alone again in my kitchen choking down a slice of terrible chocolate cake…and I’m pretty sure I just got drunk texted by the man I have a ginormous crush on.

I’ve been daydreaming about Eliot Hoffman’s dimples for two months, and even though I’m sure this was a mistake on his end, it doesn’t mean it’s not an opportunity on mine. It’s the middle of the night, and I just wanna talk to him. So I text him back.

And then somehow we keep talking…ALL NIGHT. We’re both insomniacs, so talking all night soon turns into talking EVERY night.

And talking about nothing soon turns into talking about something.

And here we go from in-depth analysis of reality TV to my relationship with my family to his amazing artwork. There’s no topic we don’t cover…

Except for who I really am. It’s the only question of his I won’t answer.

As my crush turns into an avalanche of Eliot, I think of him all the time now. But if he knew who I was, the entire house of cards we’ve built this relationship on would come toppling down. I want him to be mine, but we might never be more than just a sweet dream.

ADORABLE.

I’ve been seeing this book floating around on the Audible Originals page and needed something quick and light. THIS WAS THAT BOOK (I also believe it is available in ebook format now?).

The production for this was perfect. I loved the way everything sounded and I truly felt this story come to life. I would love if more audio books used a bit of sound effect to enhance the reading.

I adored Jessie and Elliot! Immediate chemistry from that first text and the subsequent late night chats had me laughing and smiling from ear to ear. This book just makes you feel good and I love that. I like the way the conflict/drama was handled. In a short read it didn’t take up unnecessary page time and really let Jessie and Elliot build up their relationship. All of these digital interactions made the in person moments all the better.

It’s a sweet read. The ending was everything I hoped for in the progression of this story. No overreaching for a relationship just beginning, but all the ooey-gooey-ness your heart can handle. Definitely one to pick up!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: parent with terminal cancer, gun violence

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Book Review: Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Women’s Fiction + Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Lia Louis
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: September 28th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this romantic and heartwarming novel, two strangers meet in chance circumstances during a blizzard and spend one perfect evening together, thinking they’ll never see each other again. But fate seems to have different plans.

On a snowy evening in March, 30-something Noelle Butterby is on her way back from an event at her old college when disaster strikes. With a blizzard closing off roads, she finds herself stranded, alone in her car, without food, drink, or a working charger for her phone. All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome American stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. What follows is eight perfect hours together, until morning arrives and the roads finally clear.

The two strangers part, positive they’ll never see each other again, but fate, it seems, has a different plan. As the two keep serendipitously bumping into one another, they begin to realize that perhaps there truly is no such thing as coincidence. With plenty of charming twists and turns and Lia Louis’s “bold, standout voice” (Gillian McAllister, author of The Good Sister), Eight Perfect Hours is a gorgeously crafted novel that will make you believe in the power of fate.

A GREAT WINTERY READ.

I couldn’t put this one down. I’m not big fan of women’s fiction, but the inclusion of the perfect amount of romance made me love this one. It had many memorable moments and I finished this in a day.

I loved the journey Noelle went on. Over the season she really grew and found her footing in the bigger world outside of her home. I loved how compassionate she was towards her mother and the stumbling it took to work through her life with her old flame. This was a love triangle that worked out sufficiently and never felt like an annoying tidbit you want to skip over.

The soulmate/fated kind of love Noelle had with Sam was adorable. I loved how they kept clashing into each other and how there story kept unfolding. Moment after moment brought them together and the tender kisses and quiet behind the scenes were incredibly sweet.

It was feel good and heartfelt and I thought this whole read was such a gem.

Overall audience notes:

  • Women’s Fiction / Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: make-outs/closed door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: being a caretaker for an ailing parent

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ARC Book Review: A Very Merry Bromance (Bromance Book Club #5) by Lyssa Kay Adams

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Lyssa Kay Adams
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Release Date: November 1st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Tis the season for a Bromance Book Club matchmaking mission! This time, they’re pulling out the mistletoe for everyone’s favorite country music star, Colton, and his second chance at love.

Country music’s golden boy Colton Wheeler felt the most perfect harmony when he was with Gretchen Winthrop. But for her, it was a love him and leave him situation. A year later, Colton is struggling to push his music forward in a new direction. If it weren’t about to be the most magical time of year and the support of the Bromance Book Club, he’d be wallowing in self-pity.

It’s hard for immigration attorney Gretchen not to feel a little Scrooge-ish about the excess of Christmas when her clients are scrambling to afford their rent. So when her estranged, wealthy family reaches out with an offer that will allow her to better serve the community, she’s unable to say no. She just needs to convince Colton to be the new face of her family’s whiskey brand. No big deal…

Colton agrees to consider Gretchen’s offer in exchange for three dates before Christmas. With the help of the Bromance Book Club, Colton throws himself into the task of proving to her there’s a spark between them. But Gretchen and Colton will both need to overcome the ghosts of Christmas past to build a future together.

Thank you to PRHAudio for the gifted audiobook.

WISHING FOR MORE.

This is the first in the Bromance series that didn’t quite hit for me. And it’s a Christmas book?! I was hoping for a home run.

I did adore Colton. He was the perfect sunshine MMC and had me straight SWOONING. I loved many of his sentiments towards Gretchen and trying to help her see the greener side of the life she’s been through. The holiday vibe isn’t as heavy here, but is present enough for me to say it is good for the season.

My personality clash with Gretchen was the downfall. I struggled with some repetitive notions that constantly spiraled to the same basic story. I could understand why she was making those decisions but it got old and I got frustrated.

I did adore all of the cameos from the Book Club. I love how tight know and found family they all are with each other. It’s the kind of group I’d love to be apart of too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Holiday Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: open door; med-high explicit
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: emotionally absent parents, physical altercation, sibling abuse

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