Book Review: Shipped by Angie Hockman

October 18, 2021February 18, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Angie Hockman
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: January 19th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when she’s shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it.

The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although they’ve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend.

Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos—best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands…together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard.

With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because what’s the point of working all the time if you never actually live?

WHERE’S MY CRUISE?

Mostly because I read this book in winter, am I desperately wanting to find myself a cruise ship. Wow did this make me want to travel (which is definitely a bonus point for it).

Shipped was a good, quick read. I didn’t find myself falling in love with it ever. Every time it got close to that level, something would drag me back down. Hard to nail it exactly, things were just missing to make it a complete romance for me.

I liked Henley. She was intelligent, a bit of a workaholic, and had a lot of space to grow. By the end I appreciated her arc and thought it was empowering. Henley found the support of her friends and the strength within herself to make some big decisions that ultimately helped her find her true career passion.

Graeme was adorable. From the first page he popped up on I liked him. I thought there would have been more banter and angst between Graeme and Henley. It was a letdown to see how quickly they became an item honestly. I wanted some more push and pull.

The Author’s Note and the general theme of the book being in the Galapagos Islands was fantastic. It encouraged me to research eco-tourism and want to plan my own supportive trips. This was a bit of romance and larger plots that bounced off of each other well enough.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: kisses to closed door scenes
Trigger/Content Warnings: side character in a domestic abuse situation

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Book Review: Royally Rearranged by Emma St. Clair

October 16, 2021October 4, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 380 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: September 30th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There WILL be a royal wedding. The only question–who will be my groom?

An arranged marriage isn’t the worst fate for a princess like me. Especially because I’ve been in love with my intended groom since we were children.

But when my prince shows up with an American girlfriend instead of an engagement ring, all arrangements are off.

The clock is nearing midnight–I won’t turn into a pumpkin, but if I’m not wed by summer’s end, I’ll forfeit my kingdom.

Just your typical royal dilemma.

Out of sheer desperation, I make a deal with a devilish duke. Rafe de Silva is the prince’s rival and has a plan so ridiculous it just might work.

One moment, Rafe seems to relish making the prince jealous.

And the next… he’s making me question everything with his words, his touch, and his ability to melt my Ice Princess persona.

I’m not always given the luxury of choice, but now I have a huge one to make. I only hope I don’t lose my crown, my heart, or myself in the process…

Royally Rearranged is a sizzling, swoony, closed-door romantic comedy.

NEW ROYAL FAV.

First: ADD TO TBR.

Second: Continue with the rest of the review.

Y’all. I don’t find book boyfriends easy. Ones that live absolutely rent free in my mind. Rafe has been added to that list. RENT FREE. Ohhhhh my gosh what a vulnerable cinnamon roll with swagger. I loved every single moment he was on page. All that I learned about him. His emotional willingness to help Serafina find whatever she wanted. The support from both sides. Tender ending. ALL SO GOOD.

Not to put Serafina aside because she was top notch as well. I love how formidable she was. Intelligent and uncompromising. Not only did she really grow as a character, Serafina also showed my favorite kind of shut down. Thank heavens, when a miscommunication came up that I thought about throwing my kindle, she said, wait let me talk to him first. WHAT A CONCEPT. Five stars.

This gave off MAJOR Princess Diaries 2 vibes (it’s the best of the two, I will die on this hill). All the royalty I love to see without over the top dramatics. Everything was laid out perfectly and this book was just so dang good. My new favorite for this author.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses / make-outs
Trigger/Content Warnings: gaslighting and psychological abuse (recounted and a bit on page)

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ARC Book Review: Well Matched (Well Met #3) by Jen DeLuca

October 14, 2021July 18, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Jen DeLuca
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: October 19th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An accidentally in-love rom-com filled with Renaissance Faire flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights.

Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.

Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire–a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what’s real and what’s been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.

As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch’s family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch’s girlfriend again…something that doesn’t feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans–and open her heart–for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

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

AAAAAAPRIL.

Someone please tell me they read that in Andy Dwyer’s voice?

After that brief intro, let me voice my thoughts on this book.

BECAUSE I LOOOOOOVED IT.

All I could want for Mitch and April’s storyline was in here. I have been waiting for this book since Well Met. It wrapped me up and filled me with so many emotions throughout. I finished it in a day because I was so enraptured by this love story.

I love that there was a deeper story for Mitch. I really got to see all of his layers pulled back and see the insecurities that he struggles with. Watching April stand up for him and be by his side brought all the warm fuzzies and fist pumps because I was behind her back saying YEAH TELL ‘EM. The united front brought on by fake-dating (YUP THAT TROPE Y’ALL!!!) gave way to the clear emotional pull between them. [And let’s face it, I’m a total sucker for the fact he wore a kilt for a good portion of this book.]

April frustrated me, but not in an overly annoying way. More of a, I get it, kind of way. She had to work through a lot of feelings. Coping with becoming an empty nester after being a single-mom, seeing her ex again and learning that plans change. And that all of that is okay. But that it’s also okay to have moments of pure doubt and freak out a little because change is scary. Even when I felt exasperated, I still sat in April’s corner cheering her on to her, much deserved, happy ending.

There’s many a trope abound in here. And I love a good mash-up. Fake-dating was already mentioned, but there’s also single bed, age gap, and more. I was wrapped up in all the Ren Fest related and this series always makes me want to pull out a corset and dive into the fray. I ADORED a moment that reminded me of a scene in Grease (and I’m sure many other books/movies, IYKYK because I don’t want to spoil). There was layer upon layer of story here that had me swooning, begging for reconciliation, and rallying for that final push to my favorite kind of HEA.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: kisses to a few open door scenes
Trigger/Content Warnings: divorce (husband abandons April), family tension/bullying, abandonment of a child (side character)

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Book Review: Simply Starstruck by Aspen Hadley

October 11, 2021February 15, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 256 pages
Author: Aspen Hadley
Publisher: Sweetwater Books
Release Date: November 13th, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Kate Evans never imagined she’d be a young widow and single mom, staying in her aunt’s guest cottage. She also never imagined she’d live next door to Jess Sullivan, an actual movie star. Struggling to put herself back together, Kate gets swept up in a whirlwind of dating, but can she keep ignoring what her heart really wants?

KINDA STARSTRUCK.

This book was neither here nor there. It’s a very positive three stars and I’m not upset I read it. There were just some pieces that missed the mark and caused me to lower my rating.

I liked Kate as the main character. She was witty and had a pretty funny inner monologue. What bothered me was how long some of her growth took until the very very end of the book. It was drawn out wayyy too much. Kate flounced around dating a bunch of different men (which was fine initially, but didn’t need to take up 75% of the book). So instead of feeling like this book was about her and Jess, it became an odd episode of a dating game.

I loved Jess. Really really did. Anytime he was on screen I was excited. Jess and Kate bantered well and had some tender moments that made me want to swoon. This was the best part of the book and I wish there was a whole bunch more. Jess and Kate were a great match and I loved how Kate’s son was apart of everything too.

Overall audience notes: