Tag: contemporary romance

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: October 2020

GoodeyReads2 Comments

What a month!

I devoured another 31 books and can’t believe my eyes. I finished and caught up on series. Read a smattering of genres and really enjoyed my October reads!

Favorites: The Extinction Trials, the Wayfair Witches series, Kingdom of the Wicked, Empire of Storms, Code Name Helene, Enjoy the View

Least Favorites: The Guinevere Deception, Fire Study

  • Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake #2) by Victoria Schwab – (☆☆☆☆)
  • The Extinction Trials (The Extinction Trials #1) by S.M. Wilson – (☆☆☆☆☆)
  • The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (☆☆☆☆)
  • Loved Up (Wayfair Witches #6) by A.A. Albright – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Lost Roses (Lilac Girls #2) by Martha Hall Kelly – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1) by Katherine Arden – (☆☆☆☆)
  • [ARC] Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked #1) by Kerri Maniscalco (☆☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • The Boyfriend Project (The Boyfriend Project #1) by Farrah Rochon – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Steelheart (The Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Rocking Out (Wayfair Witches #7) by A.A. Albright – (☆☆☆☆)
  • The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising #1) by Kiersten White – (☆☆☆)
  • London Prep (London Prep #1) by Jillian Dodd – (☆☆☆☆)
  • [Reread] Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas – (☆☆☆☆☆)
  • Fire Study (Poison Study #3) by Maria V. Snyder – (☆☆☆)
  • Acting Up (Wayfair Witches #8) by A.A. Albright – (☆☆☆☆☆)
  • The Kinder Poison (The Kinder Poison #1) by Natalie Mae – (☆☆☆☆)
  • London Prep No. 2 (London Prep #2) by Jillian Dodd – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Legally Red (Wayfair Witches #8.5) by A.A. Albright – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon – (☆☆☆☆☆)
  • Swotting Up (Wayfair Witches #9) by A.A. Albright – (☆☆☆☆)
  • [Reread] A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3) by Sabaa Tahir – (☆☆☆☆☆)
  • London Prep No. 3 (London Prep #3) by Jillian Dodd – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Age of Death (The Legends of the First Empire #5) by Michael J. Sullivan –(☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • Forget Me Knot (Wayfair Witches #10) by A.A. Albright – (☆☆☆☆)
  • [ARC] Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • If It’s Perfect (The Wedding Business #1) by Summer Dowell – (☆☆☆☆)
  • The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow #1) by Kalyn Josephson – (☆☆☆)
  • All Hallowed Out (Wayfair Witches #11) by A.A. Albright – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Holiday Heist (Wayfair Witches #11.5) A.A. Albright – (☆☆☆☆)
  • [ARC] Enjoy the View (Moose Springs, Alaska #3) by Sarah Morgenthaler – (☆☆☆☆☆)
  • Age of Empyre (The Legends of the First Empire #6) by Michael J. Sullivan – (☆☆☆ 1/2)

How was your month? Do you have a favorite book you read? Lets talk in the comments!

Instagram || Goodreads

ARC Book Review: Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club #3) by Lyssa Kay Adams

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Lyssa Kay Adams
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: October 27th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A hacktivist and a cat café owner decode the friend zone in this romantic comedy from the author of Undercover Bromance.

Alexis Carlisle and her cat café, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chef’s sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim they’re sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trusts—her best friend, Noah Logan.

Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noah’s got a secret: He’s madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush.

Noah’s pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved “manuals” to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship he’s ever had. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

DEVOURED THIS.

Ahhhh, another good installment y’all. I love how the Bromance Book Club combines laugh out loud moments with critically important topics as well.

Hello, way super smitten with Noah here. Once again, anther love interest that I adore. Such a tough guy with an absolutely soft soul. I adored his dynamic with Alexis and trying to make sure he was the best he could be for her, and being what she needed when she needed it. Add in the *helpfulness* of his friends and its a recipe for some mistakes, and beautiful growth moments.

I only struggled with one decision. And I can’t speak to it because it would be a major spoiler, but I’m curious what others will think. I understood the affect it was meant to have on the reader, I just don’t know if it was necessary? I DON’T KNOW. I’m conflicted. The theme of forgiveness was huge in this and I think that’s why it’s swayed me to being more okay with it the longer I’ve thought about it. Either way you look at it, it was a tough choice.

Alexis was a strong main character. Her bravery to face down the Karen’s and finding her power again was stunning. I was hoping to see her grasp that SHE mattered too, and I really saw those changes by the end. Love some character growth from both Alexis and Noah. Put them together was fireworks. They were a match. No other way to look at it.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: strong and frequent
  • Romance: kisses / heated make-outs; a handful of open-door scenes
  • Trigger warnings: remembering sexual assaults, loss of a parent, grief

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: Beach Read by Emily Henry

GoodeyReads3 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 361 pages
Author: Emily Henry
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 19th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really. 

A MUST FOR SUMMER.

Oh I loved this.

I’ve been in a huge reading slump. And this book managed to pull out a two-day read from me because I couldn’t put it down. I knew it was practically a 5 star from a quarter of the way through. Beach Read was just that magical to me at the right time.

I almost feel like that makes it hard to write a review, at least a fully coherent one. If things go sideways, know, I LOVED IT. And definitely would recommend across the board for an adult (low-mid steam) contemporary romance that makes you smile, laugh, and want to hug the main characters.

This book has magnetizing powers. I love the polar opposite, old college acquaintances, set-up. The chemistry between January and Gus flew off the charts from the moment the met again. I love that there was a clear dynamic between them and that the banter between them was snarky AND sweet, and never came across as downright mean. The pacing for their relationship moved in just the right ways for me and I love the way they worked on communicating together and acknowledging the things they needed to work on.

For the plot, how charming for authors to be writing books while reading a book written by an author? I could really feel Henry’s voice because I could feel the same struggles she probably went through writing her novel as January and Gus worked through theirs. The juxtaposition gave a charming flair that made for easy and enjoyable reading.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses / make-outs; a few open and close door scenes; mildly detailed
  • Trigger warnings: Gus discusses his abusive Father, multiple discussions about a fictional suicide cult (they see the site, speak with those who had family members that were apart of it); loss of a loved one, adultery, cancer, divorce

Instagram || Goodreads

ARC Book Review: Well Played (Well Met #2) by Jen DeLuca

GoodeyReads3 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Jen DeLuca
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 22nd, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Another laugh-out-loud romantic comedy featuring kilted musicians, Renaissance Faire tavern wenches, and an unlikely love story.

Stacey is jolted when her friends Simon and Emily get engaged. She knew she was putting her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother, but it’s been years now, and even though Stacey loves spending her summers pouring drinks and flirting with patrons at the local Renaissance Faire, she wants more out of life. Stacey vows to have her life figured out by the time her friends get hitched at Faire next summer. Maybe she’ll even find The One.

When Stacey imagined “The One,” it never occurred to her that her summertime Faire fling, Dex MacLean, might fit the bill. While Dex is easy on the eyes onstage with his band The Dueling Kilts, Stacey has never felt an emotional connection with him. So when she receives a tender email from the typically monosyllabic hunk, she’s not sure what to make of it.

Faire returns to Willow Creek, and Stacey comes face-to-face with the man with whom she’s exchanged hundreds of online messages over the past nine months. To Stacey’s shock, it isn’t Dex—she’s been falling in love with a man she barely knows.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own!

SO SWEET.

I am all over this series by Jen DeLuca. They’re adorable and easy to enjoy and get a few smiles out of me.

In differentiating from Well Met, this book follows Stacey as she goes through a lot of big life decisions. Some cards were handed to her unplanned and now she’s found herself stuck in a slump, wondering what to do next. I struggled with the way Stacey talked about herself at times. I liked that she had a good evolution over the book about finding her way. Learning to take those leaps of faith and following something you know you love.

Okay, Daniel? TOTES ADORBS. I mean, from the get go. Absolutely loved him. So flippin’ cute. He warmed my heart 100x over and was such a match for Stacey. I liked the way the initial conflict (trying to avoid spoilers) happened between them. The communication and understanding that went into seeing both sides of the story really set me up for loving this ship. And this was a continual theme that helped

Another magical setting at a Ren Fest and I am once again wishing I could go to one this year! I love the writing and magic I feel between everyone. Getting to see Simon and Emily again was also absolutely amazing. I did like Well Met more, ONLY because it had more of an enemies to lovers vibe (which is my favorite trope ever). This is more friends to lovers and I found it very sweet watching Daniel and Stacey fall in love.

And low-key, STOKED for the next book in this series and the fact it’s about Mitch and April.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: a little (strong when used)
  • Romance: kisses / make-outs; a full chapter open door scene

Instagram || Goodreads