ARC Book Review: Merritt and Her Childhood Crush (Oakley Island Romcom #2) by Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor

February 19, 2023January 27, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 340 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: TBD 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I said I’d never set foot on Oakley Island again. Not so long as HE lived there. But after my life implodes, I’m reconsidering EVERYTHING. Including my reasons for avoiding the first—and only—man I’ve ever loved.

I’m a high achiever. Driven. Maybe a little TOO driven.

So when my boyfriend confesses to cheating AND steals the promotion I’ve been working toward for years, I do the unthinkable for someone like me.

I break.

But the timing couldn’t be better for me to fall apart—I can escape to the idyllic Oakley Island and oversee the renovations on my late grandmother’s estate.

There’s just one tiny, massive, little problem: no one told me the contractor is the grown up version of the boy I fell in love with years ago.

He was my first love. My first kiss.

My first heartbreak.

Now, I’m faced with seeing Hunter daily. Being his boss. Forging a new dynamic that fits our adult selves.

Hunter is bigger. Bearded. Talks in grunts rather than words.

And has just as much hold on me as he ever did.

Trouble is, Hunter’s life is on Oakley. His daughter is on Oakley. And it was never my plan to stay here permanently.
Do I really want to risk having my heart broken a second time? More importantly, do I want to risk breaking his?

Merritt and Her Childhood Crush is a second chance at childhood first love romantic comedy. The Oakley Island Romcoms follow three very different sisters as they renovate the house they inherited and find love on the island along the way. The stories are standalone, but if you like continuous stories, we recommend reading them in order. Each book is closed door, with sizzling chemistry but no spice.

Thank you to the authors for an eARC.

DEEPLY LOVED.

This feels exactly like that the type of books I have come to expect (and love) from these authors. BUT this one also had this extra layer of deep that really resonated with the story and the character dynamics. Merritt and Hunter are both in lower places than they expected when they meet again and that takes time to crawl out of and see the future before them.

There’s definitely still some comedic antics that had me smiling and chuckling along. Though I keep turning back to all of the meaningful conversations that were brought to the table. I loooove that both of them worked hard on trying to communicate with each other. There’s past grievances, many questions, and a sense of will they stay? that bring out the feels as the pages go by.

Merritt was a fantastic FMC and very much relatable to my modus operandi. The oldest child seeking constant perfection and an escape from her parent’s divorce. WOW THAT HITS. Slowly and surely she connects back with her true self and acknowledges that she can be a combination of all the Merritt’s she’s tried to be and I LOVE THAT. + the addition of a super swoony Hunter who is short on words and big on trying. He makes mistakes too and finding that I need to set boundaries moment was critical to the story.

I loved this story and could continue gushing about it. It was everything I hoped for and my excitement for book three is off the charts.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: very little
Romance: make-outs
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of childbirth, divorce, loss of a grandparent, cheating (recounted – NOT between main couple)

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Book Review: The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa

February 15, 2023April 23, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Mia Sosa
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: April 5th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man is back with another hilarious rom-com about two strangers who get trapped in a lie and have to fake date their way out of it…

Just weeks away from ditching DC for greener pastures, Solange Pereira is roped into helping her wedding planner cousin on a random couple’s big day. It’s an easy gig… until she stumbles upon a situation that convinces her the pair isn’t meant to be. What’s a true-blue romantic to do? Crash the wedding, of course. And ensure the unsuspecting groom doesn’t make the biggest mistake of his life.

Dean Chapman had his future all mapped out. He was about to check off “start a family” and on track to “make partner” when his modern day marriage of convenience went up in smoke. Then he learns he might not land an assignment that could be his ticket to a promotion unless he has a significant other and, in a moment of panic, Dean claims to be in love with the woman who crashed his wedding. Oops.

Now Dean has a whole new item on his to-do list: beg Solange to be his pretend girlfriend. Solange feels a tiny bit bad about ruining Dean’s wedding, so she agrees to play along. Yet as they fake-date their way around town, what started as a performance for Dean’s colleagues turns into a connection that neither he nor Solange can deny. Their entire romance is a sham… there’s no way these polar opposites could fall in love for real, right?

GREAT READ.

And I daresay, better than the first.

This was a legit rom-com. I found myself laughing out loud so many times at the wild antics going down. THAT PARTY THOUGH. And other scenes really brought the smiles. Not to mention, amazing banter that I am alllllllways here for. Solange and Dean hit it out of the park with the chemistry between them. I LOOOVED the fake dating plotline. It added perfect forced proximity moments and actual dates they had to attend together. The sly touches, the STAIRWELL, one bed and more. A great romance all around.

The outside plot was stable for the story too. I liked that Solange was exploring her career options and where her past was colliding with what would be best for her future. Dean finally realizing love is cool and that he should definitely get on that train was on point too. I really enjoyed them on their own separate journeys, but with any awesome romance, I LOVED them together.

It’s a bit on the steamy side for me (but easily skippable). And truly one of those solid contemporary romance books.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: multiple open door
Trigger/Content Warnings: parental abandonment recounted, cheating mentioned, alcohol consumption

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ARC Book Review: End of Story (End of Story #1) by Kylie Scott

February 14, 2023January 28, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Kylie Scott
Publisher: Graydon House
Release Date: February 14th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New York Times bestselling sensation Kylie Scott’s sexy, smart and unconventional opposites-attract love story looks at what happens when fate refuses to give up on what’s meant to be…

When Susie Bowen inherits a charming fixer-upper from her aunt, she’s excited to start living her best HGTV life. But when she opens the door to find that her contractor is none other than her ex’s best friend, Lars—the same man who witnessed their humiliating public breakup six months ago—she isn’t exactly eager to have anyone around whose alliance is with the enemy. But beggars can’t be choosers, and the sooner the repairs are done, the sooner she can get back to embracing singledom.

Things go from awkward to unbelievable when Lars discovers a divorce certificate hidden in a wall and dated ten years in the future—with both their names on it. It couldn’t possibly be real…could it? As Susie and Lars work to unravel the document’s origins, the impossibility of a spark between them suddenly doesn’t seem so far-fetched. But would a relationship between them be doomed before it’s even begun?

Thank you to the publisher for a finished copy.

PLOT HOLE.

I wish I could tell y’all what happens with that divorce certificate that was found hidden in a wall, because that felt like the biggest waste of time to me. An entirely huge plot hole in my mind that was never fulfilled.

The premise of this sounded cool. It’s what drew me in. You’re kind of thrown straight into the book without even the smallest build-up. I found my footing pretty quickly though and was initially charmed. House flipping is always fun, there’s a little of bit of mystery and intrigue, some grump x sunshine tropes. Things I’m into.

And then things I was not. The entire plot is boring. Nothing actually happens. It’s like reading about a very basic dating life. Throw in a bunch of random scenes of trying to figure out where the paper comes from and that’s it. That’s all I’ve got. There were a few dramatic points tossed in as well that also really didn’t service the plot either.

I was hopeful, and then those hopes were dashed.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: strong
Romance: 3 open (med-high explicit)
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a family member, being hit by a car (minor injuries), being kissed without consent, physical altercations

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Book Review: My Phony Valentine (Holidays with Hart #1) by Courtney Walsh

February 14, 2023February 11, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 373 pages
Author: Courtney Walsh
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 8th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A chance meeting. A hunky hockey player. A fake romance.
Hardly an ordinary day in the life of Poppy Hart.

My days usually consist of agonizing over my failing restaurant, worrying about my mountain of debt and nursing my broken heart.

Everything changes when I bump into a man in the coffee shop and claim him as my new boyfriend. To my absolute horror, he turns out to be hockey’s most renowned bad boy, Dallas Burke. To my absolute delight, he goes along with my story.

When his no-nonsense manager and meddling grandmother jump in the picture, they see a win-win solution for my failing restaurant and Dallas’s less-than-stellar reputation.

A full-fledged fake romance complete with contract negotiations, pretend dates and phony PDA.

But as I get to know the real Dallas Burke, who is not the man the press says he is, it becomes clear that if this isn’t real. . . someone better tell it to my heart.

PERFECT FOR THE HOLIDAY.

Well this was just real dang sweet. If you’re looking for low angst, closed door, reformed bad boys and hockey? Read this. Easy.

I liked a lot of this book, more-so the second half. There was good chemistry between Poppy and Dallas and there were some prime moments that I am ALWAYS here for (protective heroes are my jam). I truly thought they got along well and I liked the fake dating aspects too. AND that they both were vocal about their wants and needs as well. There’s a very light hearted vibe to this that made me feel good and I love books that do that.

There’s some tiny tidbits here and there I didn’t love. I don’t love gossip-type magazine chapters. I really can’t stand mean girl side characters. And the grand gesture at the end left me with a little bit of second hand embarrassment (and didn’t fit the MMC’s character throughout the book).

Besides those small things I like the fluttery butterfly feeling this book gives. They’re some GREAT kissing scenes and I officially want to go on a binge read of all things sports romance. I loooove when I can find a closed door sports romance.

Overall audience notes: