Tag: contemporary romance

Book Review: Hopeless (Hopeless #1) by Colleen Hoover

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: New Adult Romance
Length: 417 pages
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: December 18th, 2012
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author of SLAMMED and POINT OF RETREAT.

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever. 

SHATTERED.

Wow does this book absolutely break my heart. It’s a CoHo book. I KNOW something is always coming. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting to see what moment is going to break me. And as expected, once I realized what was happening, alllll of my emotions flared.

I love how Hoover’s books are romances, BUT so much more. SO MUCH more. There’s deeper story. Deeper conversations and thought. They’re nuanced and tend to be traumatic. And I keep coming back for more. I love the journey I’m taken on every time. I adored Dean Holder. Absolutely smitten with that bad boy with a soft and supportive heart. Sky was indominable beyond belief. Going through some of the worst things a child can and to rise again. The strength of many of the characters of this story defied comprehension.

There’s an immersive plot where usually by chapter one I am HOOKED. This was no different. I love working through her backlist of stories because now that I’m on my 15th (maybe more?) of her books, they all have something unique to bring to her collection.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses to brief open door scenes
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: sexual assault and rape (multiple times) of multiple children, kidnapping, on page suicide (by gun), off page suicide mention, PTSD

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: June 2022

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Another month of some great reads! Reviews will be out in the coming months. Feel free to comment if you have any questions about the books you see!

Favorites this month: The Stardust Thief, The Inadequate Heir, Daughter of No Worlds, It’s All in How You Fall, The Blood Traitor, Furysong, Empire of Storms, Fire Falling, and Children of Fallen Gods

  • A Lily in Disguise (Wycliffe Family #1) by Jessica Scarlet
  • Song of the Forever Rains (Mousai #1) by E.J. Mellow
  • Unlikely Match by Laura Bradbury
  • Rivals (American Royals #3) by Katharine McGee
  • See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon
  • Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
  • [ARC] Beasts of Ruin (Beasts of Prey #2) by Ayanna Gray
  • The Changeup (The Vegas Kings #1) by Emily C. Childs
  • West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras
  • The Stardust Thief (The Sandsea Trilogy #1) by Chelsea Abdullah
  • The Serpent’s Curse (The Last Magician #3) by Lisa Maxwell
  • [Reread] The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom #3) by Danielle L. Jensen
  • Twin Crowns (Twin Crowns #1) by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber
  • The Truth about Miss Ashbourne by Joanna Barker
  • All Fired Up by Dylan Newton
  • The Sunken City (The Sunken City #1) by Emma V.R. Noyes
  • Winterlight (Green Rider #7) by Kristen Britain
  • Daughter of No Worlds (The War of Lost Hearts #1) by Carissa Broadbent
  • It’s All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning
  • The Art of Victory (The Donovans #1) by Martha Keyes
  • Together We Burn by Isabel Ibanez
  • [Novella] Maybe Not (Maybe #1.5) by Colleen Hoover
  • Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West
  • The Blood Traitor (The Prison Healer #3) by Lynette Noni
  • [Novella] The Sweetest Connection (Airport Novellas #3) by Denise Williams
  • Nightfall (Keeper of the Lost Cities #6) by Shannon Messenger
  • [Reread] Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas
  • On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi
  • [ARC] Furysong (The Aurelian Cycle #3) by Rosaria Munda
  • [ARC] Check Mate (Under Kansas Skies #3) by Leah Brunner
  • [Reread] Fire Falling (Air Awakens #2) by Elise Kova
  • Cover Story by Susan Rigetti
  • Blood Scion (Blood Scion #1) by Deborah Falaye
  • Children of Fallen Gods (The War of Lost Hearts #2) by Carissa Broadbent
  • [ARC] Stealing Infinity (Stolen Beauty #1) by Alyson Noel

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ARC Book Review: Check Mate (Under Kansas Skies #3) by Leah Brunner

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 300 pages
Author: Leah Brunner
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: July 1st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

How did I find myself sharing a tent with my obnoxious—albeit gorgeous—neighbor, Isabella Romero?

It all started with a stupid bet.

All I had to do in order to win was something unpredictable. (Which my brother thought was impossible for the ever-boring David Windell).

Well, I showed him… by booking a trek in the Andes Mountains to see Machu Picchu.

When the brochure for the expedition mysteriously appeared on my front porch, along with Isabella’s cat who doesn’t have boundaries, it was like fate interceded: I could win the bet while simultaneously getting a vacation from my irritating neighbor.

Two birds, one stone.

Except, it turns out that was Isabella’s brochure… and she booked the same trip.

So here I am, stuck sharing a tent with the woman who drives me crazy—and makes my heart race like never before.

Check Mate is book three in the Under Kansas Skies Series, but can be read as a standalone. Check mate is a dual POV, closed-door romcom. It contains mild language and innuendo.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

THIS WAS SWEET!

Sometimes what you need is a fast paced contemporary romance and I feel like this mostly delivered in that department.

I adored the opposites attract vibes between Isabella and David. It’s not enemies in anyway. Just two people creating some laugh out loud neighborly pranks between each other before realizing how much they actually care about one another. It’s mega sweet and I loved seeing David come out of his shell. This also gave me major wanderlust as someone who is very much like David with a resistance and hesitancy towards big adventures.

Isabella was the perfect balance. I loved that she was a travel blogger and it was a career field I don’t see explored often in the contemporaries I happen to pick up. She has an amazing sense of who she wants to be and standing up to her Mom was the cherry on top.

My issue with a lot of this read was the depth. It is SO FAST that I felt like I was missing something. I wanted deeper explorations of everything. The main characters, side characters, maybe a good sub-plot or two. Anything to increase my connection with the story as whole. I kept feeling like the chapters were cutting off really quickly and moving on to complete new scenes without steady pacing.

This is another good installment to the series though. The conflict was truly natural and not overdrawn and gosh dang it do I love a sappy grand gesture ending. I was grinning hard at those closing scenes.

And I anxiously await getting my hands on the next brother’s story because I know I’m going to love it!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: emotionally manipulation from a parent

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Book Review: Ever After Always (Bergman Brothers #3) by Chloe Liese

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 358 pages
Author: Chloe Liese
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: January 12th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Buckle up for an emotional journey of hijinks, heartache, and a hot slow-burn in this marriage-in-crisis romance about going the distance to make love last.

Aiden

I’ve spent twelve years loving Freya Bergman and twelve lifetimes won’t be enough to give her everything she deserves. She’s my passionate, tender-hearted wife, my best friend, and all I want is to make her happy. But the one thing that will make her happiest is the one thing I’m not sure I can give her: a baby.

With the pressure of providing and planning for a family, my anxiety’s at an all-time high, and I find myself pulling away, terrified to tell my wife how I’m struggling. But when Freya kicks me out, I realize that pulling back has turned into pushing too far. Now it’s the fight of a lifetime to save our marriage.

Freya

I love my cautious, hard-working husband. He’s my partner and best friend, the person I know I can count on most. Until one day I realize the man I married is nowhere to be found. Now Aiden is quiet and withdrawn, and as the months wear on, the pain of our growing distance becomes too much. 

As if weathering marriage counseling wasn’t enough, we’re thrown together for an island getaway to celebrate my parents’ many years of perfect marriage while ours is on the brink of collapse. Despite my meddling siblings and a week in each other’s constant company, this trip somehow gets us working through the trouble in paradise. I just can’t help worrying, when we leave paradise and return to the real world, will trouble find us again?

Ever After Always is a marriage-in-crisis, opposites-attract romance about a sensitive, fierce-loving woman and her resilient husband who has anxiety disorder. Complete with island vacation antics, a sibling prank gone wrong, and a steamy slow burn, this standalone is the third in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.

DEEPLY FELT.

Third book in the Bergman Brothers [& Sisters] series and I’m still smitten as ever. Another great read that is only further solidifying my love for these characters.

I love that this was a marriage in crisis trope. After reading books like Bromance Book Club, I’m realizing I tend to enjoy this trope! There can be a lot of exploration here and this had many many conversations that I appreciated and resonated with 100x over.

The anxiety rep with Aiden was something I loved most. Even more unique to this story was the discussion of how anxiety affects communication and sex drive. Something I haven’t come across in a romance novel. The love and passion Aiden has for Freya is eternally my favorite. I appreciate any character willing to take a low point in their lives and actually try and do the work to make things better. Through therapy, tough conversations, and learning how to rekindle their intimacy, Freya and Aiden had me devouring this book to see that spark turn into a flame again.

Moving locations to a vacation was a different addition and I think the change of location helped a lot for the plot. Adding a lot more romance and moments where Aiden and Freya could work on themselves and their marriage (and who doesn’t love a tropical location?). There’s clearly a deep love between them and that easily gave me the stamina to see this read through.

There were many things I loved about this read (even if it isn’t my all time favorite of the series). I can’t wait for Axel’s story next!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses to many open door scenes
  • Violence: falling from a cliff, breaking a bone
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: parental abandonment, anxiety, alcoholism, poverty recounted

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