Tag: contemporary romance

Book Review: The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club #1) by Lyssa Kay Adams

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Lyssa Kay Adams
Publisher: Berkley
Expected Release Date: November 5th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The first rule of book club:
You don’t talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him. 

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife. 

SO REFRESHING.

I mean seriously. A romantic contemporary centered around a married couple? It’s a sub genre I didn’t know I needed, but now want entirely more of.

Gavin and Thea were so mesmerizing to watch. I read this book in under 24 hours because I truly could not put it down. I love how sweet Gavin was and how he truly wanted to make his marriage work.

Both Thea and Gavin enraged me at times with how stubborn and frustrating they were acting. While you’d think this would ruin the book, it doesn’t. This really made the characters real and human. Marriage is hard. Great, but hard. There’s so many layers to a marriage and what it takes to hold on when the best option truly seems like giving up. Mistakes were made on both sides and it took Gavin really diving into his backstory to convince Thea they both had more to give to their relationship.

Thea was the initial instigator in wanting a divorce and I love that this book had her perspective too. It took a lot of looking through her history and introspection for her to let go of her past. It’s hard to not allow past relationships and family dynamics play apart in your own life.

The book club was FANTASTIC. Oh my goodness, I loved it so much. They were such a random group of guys that all had this one connection, romance books. I love how they took Gavin in to their fold and helped him work through his issues. The dialogue and scenes with them had me laughing out loud. Actually laughing so much my husband asked what was so funny. They were the lighthearted and sincere group of friends that the book thrived off of.

My only issue was that the steaminess and language was a bit past my personal preference level. Language I can mostly overlook but I found myself skip/skimming over the steamy scenes because of the level of detail. The flirting and banter though? That was great and I could not stop reading during those scenes. Thea was so flustered with Gavin that it was absolutely precious.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: a lot throughout
  • Romance: sexual banter, flirting, kisses, make-outs, detailed sex scenes
  • Violence: physical

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My TBR That I Predict Will Be 5 Star Reads

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Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

Oh this is a good topic this week y’all. Though now I’m all up in arms that I don’t have any of these books yet. I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THESE BOOKS.

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas

IS IT ANY SURPRISE I HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS BOOK? Probably not. But the few lucky souls I’ve seen with an ARC have been singing its praises and I am here for MARCH.

Aurora Burning (Aurora Cycle #2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

My babe is on the cover, SO OF COURSE I WILL LOVE THIS.

The Empire of Gold (The Daevabad Trilogy #3) by S.A. Chakraborty

I have been anxiously waiting for this finale since I finished The Kingdom of Copper last year. This finale is sure to be epic.

Wild at Heart (Wild #2) by K.A. Tucker

The moment I heard there was a sequel I squealed. I LOVED The Simple Wild and I have high hopes this sequel lives up to it.

The Stormlight Archive #4 by Brandon Sanderson

*anxiously awaiting a title and to know who Kaladin’s love interest will be*

AND IT COMES OUT ON MY BIRTHDAY.

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

I have given everything Levenseller writes a 5*. I love her books. I am so excited this comes out SOOOOOOOON.

The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom #2) by Danielle L. Jensen

I’ve already read The Bridge Kingdom twice and will read it a third time before reading this book. It is my top read of 2019. Clearly I’m anxious about book two.

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

Since Amy Harmon can do no wrong, this historical fiction romance is sure to bring the tears and the stars.

Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon

My friend got this for me for my birthday and I actually just picked it up a few nights ago. I have high hopes since this a favorite book of hers. I’m really curious how this story will play out!

Reign (Stormheart #3) by Cora Carmack

Admittedly, I didn’t love book two, buuuuuut I think the finale will have all of my attention. I have some really high hopes for a ship that I’m hoping will sail off into the sunset. And I mean, LOOK AT THAT COVER.

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: January 2020

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What a month!

I may have gone a bit crazy this month and didn’t even know it until I started counting them. Granted, January lasts FOR FOREVER so you can’t really blame me. I had a great re-read, conquered a 1,200+ page beast, and threw in some cute rom-coms to boot.

This was a great start to 2020 and I am stoked for what my reading year has in store!

My reviews will be posted in the next few months! I only post Monday – Friday so my reviews get extended into other months over time.

  • [Re-read] A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2) by Sarah J. Maas – (☆☆☆☆☆)
  • Talon the Black (the Dragonwall Saga #1) by Melissa Mitchell – (☆☆☆)
  • Regretting You by Colleen Hoover – (☆☆☆☆☆)
  • My Very Own Hitman by Izi Miller – (☆☆☆☆)
  • A Dangerous Collaboration (Veronica Speedwell #4) by Deanna Raybourn – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive #3) by Brandon Sanderson – (☆☆☆☆☆)
  • The Grace Year by Kim Liggett – (☆☆☆☆)
  • The Tea Dragon Society (Tea Dragon #1) by Katie O’Neill – (☆☆☆☆☆)
  • [ARC] Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker – (☆☆☆☆)
  • One of Us Is Next (One of Us Is Lying #2) by Karen M. McManus – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Blood Heir (Blood Heir Trilogy #1) by Amelie Wen Zhao – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Vortex Visions (Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles #1) by Elise Kova – (☆☆☆☆)
  • [ARC] The Maiden Ship (The Maiden Ship #1) by Micheline Ryckman – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Love Is An Art by Summer Dowell – (☆☆☆)
  • 180 Seconds by Jessica Park – (☆☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • Chosen Champion (Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles #2) by Elise Kova – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz – (☆☆☆☆)
  • Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • Two Dark Reigns (Three Dark Crowns #3) by Kendare Blake – (☆☆☆)
  • The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez – (☆☆☆)
  • Akarnae (The Medoran Chronicles #1) by Lynette Noni – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston – (☆☆☆☆)
  • The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
  • The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner – (☆☆☆☆☆)

Favorite this month: ACOMAF, Regretting you and Oathbringer

Least favorite this month: Two Dark Reigns

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Book Review: Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆  
Audience: Young adult contemporary romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Publisher: Penguin Books
Release Date: May 22nd, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Shouldn’t a girl get to star in her own love story?

Seventeen-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It’s inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love . . . with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college’s acting requirement in the smallest role possible.

So when she’s cast as Juliet (yes, that Juliet) in her high school’s production, it’s a complete nightmare. Megan’s not an actress, and she’s used to being upstaged—both in and out of the theater. In fact, with her mom off in Texas and her dad remarried and on to baby #2 with his new wife, Megan worries that, just like her exes, her family is moving on without her.

Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare’s R+J. A character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. Megan agrees to help Owen with his play in exchange for help catching the eye of a sexy stagehand/potential new boyfriend. Yet Megan finds herself growing closer to Owen, and wonders if he could be the Romeo she never expected.

In their fresh and funny debut, Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka break down the high school drama to find there’s always room for familial love, romantic love, and—most importantly—self-love.

WHEREFORE ART THOU OWEN?

I read this book after reading If I’m Being Honest (which is their second book). I can definitely say the sophomore book is a lot better. I still enjoyed this a lot, but not as much.

I had a hard time connecting with Megan. I appreciated her strong will and tenacity in regards to some thigns. At some points she was a biiiiit much for me. I felt she was too casual in her friendships and relationships (until the very end of the book). Which I realize is a part of her character arc, it still made things frustrating for me.

Owen though, I LOVE HIM. He’s precious. I don’t appreciate him cheating on Cosima though and I’m glad that ended swiftly after. I have no idea why she was even in the story. BECAUSE SHE WASN’T IN THE STORY. That may not make a lot of sense, if you read this book, you’ll understand. Besides that Owen was sweet, attentive, and a truly kind person that I was smitten with.

There’s quite a bit of drama in this (and I know it takes after Romeo and Juliet, so logically, this makes sense). I don’t mind drama, but so many people cheating on each other and a lot of casual discussion about sex is personally not my cup of tea. Especially for high school kids.

I liked the plot and that Megan got a chance to really dive into who she wants to be as she graduates high school. The play was a fun mix-in and kept the scenes rolling right along. This is a very quick read and it helped me through a reading slump.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult contemporary romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses, make-outs, a lot of casual discussion of high schoolers sex lives, a little detailed love scene
  • Trigger warnings: cheating boyfriends/girlfriends, divorce

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