Tag: contemporary romance

Book Review: Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 272 pages
Author: Annabel Monaghan
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: June 7th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Nora’s life is about to get a rewrite…

Nora Hamilton knows the formula for love better than anyone. As a romance channel screenwriter, it’s her job. But when her too-good-to work husband leaves her and their two kids, Nora turns her marriage’s collapse into cash and writes the best script of her life. No one is more surprised than her when it’s picked up for the big screen and set to film on location at her 100-year-old-home. When former Sexiest Man Alive, Leo Vance, is cast as her ne’er do well husband Nora’s life will never be the same.

The morning after shooting wraps and the crew leaves, Nora finds Leo on her porch with a half-empty bottle of tequila and a proposition. He’ll pay a thousand dollars a day to stay for a week. The extra seven grand would give Nora breathing room, but it’s the need in his eyes that makes her say yes. Seven days: it’s the blink of an eye or an eternity depending on how you look at it. Enough time to fall in love. Enough time to break your heart.

Filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, Nora Goes Off Script is the best kind of love story–the real kind where love is complicated by work, kids, and the emotional baggage that comes with life. For Nora and Leo, this kind of love is bigger than the big screen.

ENJOYABLE.

This is another, I wasn’t going to read this book until everyone else convinced me otherwise. And while I don’t have a RAVE review, I do have a solid one that I would still stand on as a recommendation for a short, fast paced romance.

I think this is the first movie star romance that I actually liked. Leo is sweet and caring, and full of charisma that sweeps you up. Nora and Leo get off to a fast pace start that shows truthfully how connection can spark. I adored how Leo fit right into their family and made an effort in being there.

The conflict and how it started made me tilt my head a bit. I didn’t love it because I think a simple, is this true? could have fixed it real fast. I don’t know, the fast nature of their relationship might have played into it being apart of their downfall for a bit, but it still bugged me.

I loved the small town setting, the kids were sweet, and Nora was able to find steady ground again. I like that she found her happiness and the complicated joy that comes from having falling in love.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: vague open that fades to black
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of infidelity (from the ex-husband), spousal and child abandonment, alcoholism

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Speechless by Lindsey Lanza

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 328 pages
Author: Lindsey Lanza
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: January 17th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When life’s off-key, go to Malibu

Bestselling author Lucy Gold may write fairy tales for a living, but her own happily ever after is looking bleak. Seeking a fresh start after a sudden divorce on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, she decides to make a new life for herself and her service dog in Los Angeles. But when her living arrangements fall through just before takeoff, a handsome stranger offers to let her stay with him and his motley crew of musicians in Malibu. Her gallant hero? None other than Henry Turner, the award-winning composer whose music has held Lucy together while her life’s been crumbling apart.

Henry might be at the peak of his creative career, but his crippling anxiety throws his personal life completely out of tune. Yet all of that changes the longer Lucy stays with him and his housemates, swiftly becoming one of their own and offering Henry a glimpse of happiness he never thought possible. As their relationship deepens, Lucy’s attraction to Henry cannot be denied, but as she works through the aftermath of her divorce, she’s resigned to give up on love. Henry plays all the right notes and says all the right words. Will Lucy be able to hear them over her fear of the past repeating itself?

Speechless is a swoony saga about finding your people, overcoming your deepest insecurities, and choosing happiness no matter what life throws at you.

WONDERFUL DEBUT.

Ohhh my goodness I inhaled this book on the day it released. I could not put it down and now all I want is Lanza’s second book because this was a fantastic debut.

I LOVED all of the rep here and how both characters worked through and handled things. It wasn’t always linear and I love feeling the real and rawness of both of the main characters.

Henry was the sweetest cinnamon roll who was kind, genuine and there. Always there. My absolute favorite nuance. Lucy showed some beautiful character growth and I really appreciated the author’s note at the end that further made Lucy’s decisions clear.

There was a tender found family here too. I loved that Lucy got the chance to make true and lasting connections that she desperately needed (and deserved).

The whole book just kept me wrapped up in all the emotions. And the ending??? THE FEEEEEEELS. It was beautiful and everything and you definitely need to read this too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: a few vague, fade to black; low explicit
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: bullying, social anxiety and selective mutism, chronic illness (endometriosis), divorce, loss of a parent, grief depiction

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Mazey Eddings
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: March 1st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into a top oral surgery residency program when she crashes (literally) into Dan. Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable.

A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules.

So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can’t risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is.

Blood, gore, and extra-long roots? No problem. The idea of falling in love? Torture.

LOOOOOOVED.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I picked this up. I had friends give it five stars, I had friends give it one star. And here I am shouting, YOU SHOULD READ THIS BECAUSE I LOVED IT.

The way I burst out laughing at the meet-cute between Harper and Dan gave me all the good vibes for a great read. I adored these two. Even better there’s dual POV meaning we get allllll the action from both sides. I love that both struggled with different pieces of their lives and the overcoming brought fantastic resolution.

I felt incredibly seen by Harper’s anxiety. I’ve been in many of those same positions and unfortunately have responded the same too. I appreciate the representation and how it was handled. I loved that her friends were a safe place to be and that therapy and other help were also available.

The romance was just so dang SWOONY. I was in a puddle every time one of them started confessing real feelings towards each other. It was incredibly tender and sweet. The passion fueled arguments that I can’t get enough of were here too and I LOVE IT ALL. And a grand gesture to end it?! YUP. All amazing. This romance will wrap you up and make you feel whole.

Loved everything about this. Felt all the feelings from tearing up, to laughing, and feeling my heart beat out of my chest. It was a great audiobook too and highly recommend you get your hands on this one!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: brief open door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: anxiety, on page panic attacks, sexism

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Just My Type by Falon Ballard

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Falon Ballard
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: February 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

To win the job of her dreams, a relationship-prone journalist needs to learn how to stay single in this heartwarming and hilarious new romantic comedy from the beloved author of Lease on Love.

Lana Parker has never been single for long. After a disastrous break-up with her high school boyfriend, Seth Carson, Lana’s bounced from long-term relationship to long-term relationship. She’s an expert girlfriend, even acting as the resident dating and relationship columnist for one of Los Angeles’s trendiest websites. But now, at the age of thirty, Lana suddenly finds herself single again, and she’s determined to stay that way, no matter how challenging.

That is, until her high school ex, Seth, now a journalist in his own right, takes an assignment at Lana’s site. Ready to put down roots after years of traveling and freelancing, Seth becomes not only Lana’s colleague but also her competitor. With their combative relationship history–and undeniable chemistry–they quickly find themselves pitted against each other in a battle of wits: writing an article series that goes against dating type. For Lana, that means writing about staying single and embracing it. For Seth, it’s learning to settle down and become boyfriend material. Whoever’s is most popular wins a highly coveted columnist spot that either could only dream of. But when the two square off against one another, it’s not only their careers on the line–it’s also their hearts.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook.

NOT MY FAVORITE.

Audiobook review notes: I had no issue with the audiobook! I liked the narrator and thought it was well paced. I was able to keep up with the story easily.

After enjoying this author’s first book, I was hoping to like this one too. Aaaand I did not.

This was a poor execution of both enemies to lovers and second chance romance. I thought both Lana and Seth acted pretty childish for most of the book and I hardly saw any growth. I don’t mind a hot mess type of character to start with, but Lana needed a lot more change by the end for me to like her. And I never found that moment.

Themes of positive therapy and mental health were the high points here. There were multiple therapy conversations and working through past trauma that allowed the relationship to at least develop by the end. This also helped the weird boss situation that I’m not sure was ever truly resolved??

I wish at some point I felt like cheering on this couple. I’m feeling all sorts of disappointment over this let down. Lack of true chemistry, lack of character arcs and that competition just didn’t do it for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: two open door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: emotionally unavailable parent, sexual harassment, parental abandonment, alcohol consumption

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph