ALC Book Review: The Heir (Crownhaven #1) by Sophia Travers

October 30, 2025October 21, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 488 pages
Author: Sophia Travers
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 15th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two rival families. A marriage between their heirs. In public, it’s love. But in private? It’s war.
Aiden Prince is the arrogant heir to the old money family that destroyed mine. He’s hazel-eyed and sharp-jawed, the golden boy of high society.
I’m the girl who’s never belonged in his world.
At sixteen, I poured my soda on his loafers. He told me to lick it off.
At eighteen, I learned the truth—Aiden’s family took everything from mine. I vowed to make everyone who mocked us eat their words.
At thirty, I have the chance to get back everything Aiden’s family stole…but I have to marry Aiden to do it.
In public, we’re the perfect couple. But in private? We’re playing a dangerous game—the first one to desire the other loses.
I’ll never give an inch to Aiden…until I see who he is beneath his cold exterior.
He’ll do anything to protect me.
His touch sets me on fire.
His world doesn’t want me. My family doesn’t want him.
We promised to divorce once our deal is done…and we each lose everything if we fall in love.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for an ALC.

I THINK I LIKED IT?

I know a lot of us have some kind of line when it comes to what works for us regarding spice. And while I did LOVE that this was a marriage of convenience there was one issue, but we’ll get into it.

So YAY for moc, that’s the reason I picked this book up in the first place. AND that it’s a duet audiobook. That absolutely delivered. If you’re interested in reading this one, go for the audiobook!! I also genuinely liked the connection between the MC’s. There was good banter and soft moments and a lot of opportunity for growth and self reflection between the histories. I even liked Aiden and Emory as standalones too. Which made the chemistry all the better.

Many of the family dynamics worked for me too. The ridiculously dramatic ones and the strong sibling bonds. I thought they were balanced well and it kind of makes me want to read more of these books to see the other siblings.

BUT. What did take me out was the overuse of spicy scenes for the sake of it. I just don’t love unnecessary pages. I could have done with a few less and would have been more engaged with the story.

Will I read the next book?? I DON’T KNOW. I tried a new to me author though and that’s always fun.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary romance
Language: strong
Romance: I lost count
Violence: mild

Book Review: The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain

October 29, 2025October 29, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Sarah Chamberlain
Publisher: Griffin
Release Date: September 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Love could be a recipe for disaster, or the best thing they ever cooked up…

Kieran O’Neill should be on top of the world. He’s just won a cooking reality TV show, he’s on track to open his own restaurant before he turns thirty, and he’s even got a high-paying cookbook deal. Still he can’t impress his stuck-up family, his ADHD makes planning ahead impossible and, worst of all, his ghostwriter is the most uptight, humourless woman he’s ever met. But to be seen as a serious chef like he’s always wanted, he needs to finish this book…

Ellie Wasserman is barely holding it together. She’s a thirty-year-old widow living with her needy in-laws, her little brother won’t adult without her help, and instead of working on her own cookbook, she’s ghostwriting one for the chaotic, impulsive Kieran O’Neill. Or would be, if he’d ever answer her emails. But to own her own home like she’s always dreamed of, she needs to finish this book…

As their deadline gets closer and the heat between them builds, can these two driven, lonely people let go of their past hurts and make something truly sweet together? Or will their fragile new love go up in smoke?

The ultimate will-they-won’t-they, enemies-to-lovers romance that readers everywhere are falling in love with!

DIDN’T HOLD UP.

I was intrigued and hopeful going in and then within an hour of listening I almost DNF. It didn’t feel romantic, I wasn’t very interested in the story but I kept going. And it did get better…for a bit.

The middle section was good and had some true developmental moments and the slow burn was working for me. I didn’t mind that it took months to move the relationship along. It felt natural and I was charmed. And I did enjoy Kieran a lot. I loved the ADHD and dyslexia rep too.

I was frustrated with Ellie more often than not. I understood the arc path she was moving on but it took a long time to get to those moments. They came so close to the end by that time I was kind of over the book and wanting to wrap things up.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 3-4 brief; low explicit open door
Violence: low
Content Warnings: loss of a husband (FMC is a widow), mentions of alcoholism, grief, neglectful parenting

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Book Review: Not a Thing (The Seddledown #2) by Susan Henshaw

October 27, 2025October 28, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 290 pages
Author: Susan Henshaw
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A small town principal rewriting her future. A big city lawyer running from his past. The secret that could tear them apart.

After getting dumped, Christy Thornbury has zero intentions of setting foot on Seddledowne soil ever again. But when the school board begs her to be their high school principal, she packs up her car and leaves her toxic family in the dry, Wyoming dust.

Serial dater, Holden Dupree, sprints faster than any woman can catch him. But when Christy’s sisters devise a humiliating scheme to find her a husband, Holden breaks the one self-imposed rule he’s lived by for the last decade. And now he’s stuck in a frustrating, all-cuddling, no-kissing, fake relationship with his brother’s gorgeous ex.

With chemistry hotter than a branding iron, can Christy keep her heart on lockdown while tucked safely in a playboy’s embrace? And will Holden finally lasso his demons, fight for the love he never thought he’d find, and come home to Dupree Ranch for good?

Perfect for readers who enjoy a love story with sizzle but no spice. Get ready for fake dating and forbidden love, dark pasts and daring rescues. But always a hard-earned happily ever after.

I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS.

This book was maddening to read while also being addictive and I found myself downloading book three immediately after (granted, I have been most looking forward to book three so it tracks).

ANYWHO. My issue here is how immature so many of these adults were. The book is set in high school and it felt like most of the antics were high school based too. And I don’t know how I feel about how some of the heavier themes were used and handled.

There were some good swoon moments and I actually didn’t mind Holden and Christy as a couple. They had this off-beat chemistry that worked well for them. And I can’t deny that I love a great heated make-out scene.

I went up and down as I read on this book and while it’s not my favorite, I’m not upset I read it either.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: low
Romance: heated make-outs; light innuendo
Violence: moderate
Content Warnings: su!cide (mentioned and brought up throughout), bullying, stalker

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Book Review: Fighting for You (Veterans of the Silver Ridge #4) by Claire Cain

October 22, 2025October 26, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 326 pages
Author: Claire Cain
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 18th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I’d always thought having a mortal enemy was for dramatic novels and movies, right up until my so-called friend Jude “Beast” Rawlins did the unthinkable and became just that—my enemy.

Five years later, we’ve both retired from the Army, and fate has landed us in a town too small to avoid each other. We steer clear when we can and butt heads when we can’t… until the day our jobs at Saint Security rope us into an assignment together posing as husband and wife.

Staying apart is impossible, and staying silent even more so. Everything inside me erupts, and I’m ready to finally put this beast of a man in his place for what he did.

Except, it turns out now I do the unthinkable and see Beast in a new way. In fact, I also get to know Jude, the man he is behind it all, the man I’d forbidden myself to ever notice. And I discover maybe this man never had to be my enemy.

What’s a woman to do when the one she’s always considered her enemy turns out to be just a man, one with a soft heart and an even softer touch? I’ve made so many mistakes in my past, I’m not sure I can trust myself, or Jude.

Can former enemies really have a chance at love?

MY FIRST CLAIRE CAIN BOOK!

And not my last. I enjoyed this quite a bit and I loved that this had veterans and a little bit of suspense and a good enemies to lovers romance to boot. I thought it all came together well and I loved the vibes of the whole book.

I adored Beast. I loved how soft and tender he was at his core. And I love an outpouring of the soul moments and the strength it took to do so. It was great getting lots of forced proximity and small town goodness is always my jam.

I haven’t read the previous books in this series and I don’t know if that hindered me a little bit. I was missing some context for the business Jude and Jess were involved in, but as things went a long I felt caught up enough to enjoy the story.

Overall audience notes: