Tag: contemporary romance

Book Review: Sweet Right Here (A Lost Story Bookshop Novel #1) by Jenny B. Jones

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 370 pages
Author: Jenny B. Jones
Publisher: Sweet Pea Productions
Release Date: December 1st, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Twice jilted, I’ve sworn off love forever.
But Miller James might be the one man to change my mind.

Newly un-engaged, I’ve returned to Sugar Creek to the welcoming arms of my family to make a fresh start. While I have a reputation for being unlucky in love, I’ve just scored the career coup of a lifetime—to work at Hope Farms, a therapy ranch for military veterans. The problem? The owner is the arrogantly handsome Miller James. He might be an old friend, but Miller’s all grown up now and made it clear I’m not welcome. I’ve got six months to make my program a success, but it’s hard to help others heal with Miller’s interference—and the return of someone from my past.

Miller’s got some secrets of his own. After a family tragedy rocked his world, the entrepreneurial genius left his first class life behind to open Hope Farms. And maybe everything Miller touches does turn to gold, but when my sisters recruit him in their pursuit of my next Mr. Right, Miller gets a little too involved. The lines are blurring between work and romance, and my boss has ideas that make me question his strategies—and his heart.

Can two broken people mend enough to heal together? Nothing’s fair in love and farming, but can Miller James and I harvest our own happily ever after?

Sweet Right Here is the first book in the hilarious, swoony Lost Story Bookshop series. Perfect for fans of laughs, sighs, and closed-door romance. 

VERY ENJOYABLE.

I just really liked this book. I kept thinking that as I turned the pages. The writing brought on this need to catch every word and lean into every nuance of this story. I’m already excited to see what the next book in this series holds.

The banter between Miller and Hattie was perfectly sassy and charming. It’s very much low angst, but high tension. There’s a build to them coming together. A push and pull as Hattie copes with a lot of her past to actually let Miller in. And oh my goodness, don’t we love a man who keeps showing up? THE ANSWER IS YES. I adored Miller and the chemistry these two had together.

I struggled a bit with the plotline involving Hattie’s birth father. I saw the connections towards the end, but during the saga I always wanted to slide by those pages because I was frustrated with the decision making. Luckily it’s not a huge aspect and the other themes in this book were strong and passionate. Lots of focus on mental health, caring for veterans and finding love again. Not to mention, two cute nieces who were a nice added touch.

Great read of reluctant lovers and childhood friends meeting on the same soil again. Lots to love about this one.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: parental abandonment, PTSD, suicide (off page, but is a theme throughout), cheating

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Book Review: The Co-Op by Tarah Dewitt

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 364 pages
Author: Tarah Dewitt
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 20th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

They say love and construction don’t mix.
By that logic, hate and construction may as well be condemned.

LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds had one short and contentious summer fling when they were teens.
Certainly nothing to build a foundation on.
But a decade later, when their grandmothers have left them with shared ownership of their dilapidated Santa Cruz building, they’re thrust back together and have to figure out how to brace up the pieces.
LaRynn has the money, but to access her trust, she has to be married.
Deacon has the construction expertise, but lacks the funds.
A deal is struck: Marry for however long it takes to fix up the property, collect a profit, and cut ties.
Thrust into a home without walls, they quickly learn that it’s easy to hide behind emotional ones, even in a marriage. But, with all the exposure and pitfalls that come with living with the opposite sex (and none of the perks) they’ll also have to learn what it means to truly co-operate as a team.

The Co-op is a steamy story about restoration and renovation, and uncovering all the things that build character within ourselves. It’s about the never-ending construction project that partnership is, and finding enjoyment at every stage.

BEST [YET].

Easily calling this my favorite book by this author. It was this beautiful steady growth that just made me fall in love with the characters and story. I live for character progression and this had that in spades. LaRynn and Deacon CLEARLY have some unresolved history and I appreciated immensely that amidst the digs and teases real communication started to flow. Both sides started to look at the situation differently and were able to talk about things that had been sitting on their souls for too long.

And what happens after? A wonderful relationship filled with pure love. These two had the heat, the banter, and all of the emotions. The innuendo was a bit past my comfort zone, but the steam itself is easily moved over. I just loved this story. LaRynn was not an easy character to love and sometimes we feel like that about ourselves and so I loved watching her story unfold (and I promise I did love her by the end!). Deacon was just the sweetest. And I loved that they both didn’t let each other get away with anything that needed to be discussed. Gah, I love communication.

The setting with the house flip was great. I liked the mix of construction shenanigans and everything else happening. The romance really stood out and dang do I love no third act break up that makes me want to pull my hair out.

I can’t wait to see what Dewitt writes next. I will eagerly be anticipating her next book.

Overall Audience Notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open; high explicit + high innuendo
  • Violence: Low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: parental abandonment

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Book Review: The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Elizabeth O’Roark

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 319 pages
Author: Elizabeth O’Roark
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: January 20th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

You don’t really know a guy until you’ve vacationed with him…

When Drew Wilson’s ex-boyfriend Joel “Six” Bailey asks her to go on his family trip to Hawaii with him just as her life is falling apart, she decides it’s the perfect time to give him another chance.

The hitch? The Bailey family includes Six’s rude older brother, Joshua—a hot-nerd doctor who has hated Drew since the moment they met and once suggested she’d steal the family silver.

Drew is determined to win the Baileys over and give this thing with Six a fair shot…but Joshua is making that difficult. Not simply because he is in her way at every turn, but because—as one tropical adventure leads to the next—she’s beginning to wonder if obnoxious, odious Joshua might be the brother she actually belongs with. 

STARTED STRONG.

This got off on a really great foot. I thought the banter was fun between Drew and Josh (though there were some really odd and distasteful jokes that I did not love). They had some chemistry from the beginning and I was fairly smitten.

Josh is the gruff, protective type and I looooved all of those moments when that side came out. Those moments were the highlight throughout. Drew was a bit all over the place. I liked her most of the time, but towards the end some of her decisions had my tilting my head.

Aaaaand then we come to the last quarter of the book where it all of a sudden got over the top dramatic. Unnecessarily dramatic. At that point my connection with the relationship had kind of dwindled and I was ready for everything to be over. It ended really quickly and luckily a small epilogue helped.

It’s a sweet romance a lot will love even if everything didn’t hit well for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: multiple open door
  • Violence: a little
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, drug use, mentions of suicide of a parent (off page, but discussed), parent with cancer

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Book Review: Do You Take This Man by Denise Williams

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Denise Williams
Publisher: Berkley Books
Release Date: September 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

After butting heads, an event planner and a wedding officiant begin an enemies with benefits arrangement as wedding bells chime around them in the newest rom-com from acclaimed author Denise Williams.

Divorce attorney RJ would never describe herself as romantic. But when she ends up officiating an unplanned wedding for a newly engaged couple in a park, her life is turned upside down. The video of the ceremony goes viral, and she finds herself in the unlikely position of being a sought-after local wedding officiant. Spending her free time overseeing “I dos” isn’t her most strategic career move, but she enjoys it, except for the type A dude-bro wedding planner she’s forced to work with.

Former pro-football event manager Lear is a people person, but after his longtime girlfriend betrayed him, he isn’t looking for love. He knows how to execute events and likes being in control, so working with an opinionated and inflexible officiant who can’t stand him is not high on his list. He’s never had trouble winning people over, but RJ seems immune to his charms.

Surrounded by love at every turn, their physical attraction pulls them together despite their best efforts to stay an arm’s length apart. Lear refuses to get hurt again. RJ refuses to let herself be vulnerable to anyone. But when it comes to happily ever after, their clients might not be the only ones saying “I do.”

OVERSHADOWED.

I’m not a super spice loving gal. BUT I can overlook it whenever the plot and characters beside it are strong. Unfortunately the spice really took over here and I had a hard time looking past the friends with benefits motif.

The characters were good. I did love the dual points of view between RJ and Lear. The banter was seriously FIRE. I was cracking up and it had a very good enemy to lovers vibe. New workplace rivals that butted heads and felt the heat between them.

I’m sadly realizing while writing this that I don’t remember a lot of the plot. This goes back to the heavy physical relationship over anything emotional that came late in the game.

I loved Williams first two books and I’m bummed this one was a miss. I’m still hopeful about whatever book is coming next!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple open door; high explicit
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: sexism, cheating recounted, death of parents mentioned

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