Tag: contemporary romance

Book Review: A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Ashley Poston
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 25th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction… literally.

Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going to her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel…

Because it is.

This place can’t be real, and yet… she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.

Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.

Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.

Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.

NOT MY FAVORITE.

Well, this is officially my least favorite of Ashley Poston’s books. I’ll definitely be reading the next one, this one just fell into the miss category.

I think there was too heavy of a focus on the fictional town. I don’t mind that these books have magical realism, but a whole town that was derived from the FMC’s favorite book series, while charming, was the only thing Eileen could focus on. She felt like a side character in her own book. I will say that Eileen did have some decent character growth overall and she had a good journey.

And THEN, there was this twist involving the romance towards the end that had me fully stop in my tracks while listening. Like why???? It took the romantic aspects out of this book even more. While there were sweet moments and I kind of thought they had some chemistry, I am meh about this book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 1-2 open door
  • Content Warnings: loss of a loved one (car crash)

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Book Review: Daisy Haites (Magnolia Parks Universe #2) by Jessa Hastings

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Toxic Contemporary Romance
Length: 494 pages
Author: Jessa Hastings
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: August 8th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

All twenty-year-old Daisy Haites has ever wanted is a normal life, but as the heiress to London’s most notorious criminal empire, it’s just not in the cards for her.

Raised by her older brother, Julian , after their parents were murdered, Daisy has never been able to escape the watchful gaze of her gang-lord brother. But Julian’s line of work means that Daisy’s life is . . . complicated.

And things don’t become any easier when she falls hard for the beautiful and emotionally unavailable Christian Hemmes , who happens to be one of the few men in London who doesn’t answer to Julian.

Christian’s life is no walk in the park either, since he’s in love with his best friend’s girlfriend, Magnolia Parks .

He’s happy enough to use Daisy to throw off the scent of his true affections—until she starts to infiltrate those, too.

As their romance blossoms into something neither was anticipating, Daisy and Christian must come to terms with the fact that in this life everything comes at a price. Relationships intersect and tangle, and Daisy, Christian, and Julian will learn that sometimes life’s most worthwhile pursuits can only be paid in blood.

DAISY REALLY PMO.

I think I liked Magnolia Parks better than this one????

The first bit, was (once again), wildly confusing as you’re thrown into the chaos of all of these people’s lives and missing the context of many things. Once that started feeling settled, I could finally understand what was happening and all the intricacies of they dynamic between Daisy and the boys.

I actually enjoyed the organized crime plot line with Julian. I am deeply curious about his story and where it will go and why everyone is obsessed with him (yes, I already put book three on hold).

Daisy just really made me mad (IYKYK). Those last few chapters made me want to throw my phone through a wall. The self sabotaging dynamic is not one for me and I swear if that doesn’t change soon I might rip a part book three (though I think that’s Magnolia’s book so??? I don’t know, it’s all complicated).

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: brief open
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: kidnapping, attempted murder, gun violence, murder (recounted), loss of loved ones, substance use

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Book Review: Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Jeff Zentner
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: April 30th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Colton Gentry is riding high. His first hit in nearly a decade has caught fire, he’s opening for country megastar Brant Lucas, and he’s married to one of the hottest acts in the country. But he’s hurting. Only a few weeks earlier, his best friend, Duane, was murdered onstage by a mass shooter at a country music festival. One night, with his trauma festering and Jim Beam flowing through his veins, Colton stands before a sold-out arena crowd of country music fans and offers his unfiltered opinion on guns. It goes over poorly.
 
Immediately, his career and marriage implode. Left with few choices or funds, he retreats to his rural Kentucky hometown. He’s resigned himself to has-been-dom, until a chance encounter at his town’s new farm-to-table restaurant gives him a second shot at a job working in the kitchen with Luann, his first love, who has undergone her own reinvention. Told through perspectives alternating between his senior year of high school, his time coming up with Duane as hungry musicians in Nashville, and the present, COLTON GENTRY’S THIRD ACT is a story of coming home, undoing past heartbreaks, and navigating grief, and is a reminder that there are next acts in life, no matter how unlikely they may seem. 

WHAT A STORY.

I fell in love with Colton Gentry. I loved this redemption story of a fan who really has been brought to a deep valley and found a way back out again. I appreciated that it wasn’t linear and that mistakes were still made. Colton always remained a character to root for and someone you wanted to see succeed.

The second chance romance was executed perfectly too. I liked having the flashback chapters that showed just how much Luann and Colton were in love with each other. Full of young mistakes and wanting to repair those bridges and boundaries. I loved how they reconnected and how they had this soulmate kind of vibe about them.

I loved this audiobook and I think that this is such an underrated contemporary romance book!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: low explicit open door
  • Violence: low-moderate
  • Content Warnings: MC struggles with alcoholism, mass shooting discussed, grief and loss depiction, death of a friend and parent

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ARC Book Review: If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: August 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this enemies-to-lovers romance, school nurse Josie and her brother’s best friend–hockey player Wyatt Jacobs–are tricked into spending a summer together that’s anything but smooth sailing.

When Josie’s brother sends her to a random address for their (sometimes) annual Super Summer Sibling Extravaganza, she finds neither siblings nor extravaganzas. Instead, ends up at a run-down cottage on the Northern Neck of Virginia occupied by a hockey player she knows and loathes.

A hockey player who isn’t just one of her sports agent brother’s clients. He’s also his best friend. And Josie’s sworn enemy.

Oh–and her brother wants Josie to help Wyatt recover from his injury.

Dragging grumpy hockey players to physical therapy is a far cry from bandaging skinned knees, but for the price her brother offers to pay, Josie is willing to try.

Even if it means sharing what she dubs the quaint little murder cottage with Wyatt.

Begrudgingly, Josie starts to see a little more of the man behind the grumpy exterior. And when she finds out he was supposed to sail the Intracoastal Waterway south to Savannah scattering his uncle’s ashes, Josie surprises even herself by offering to be Wyatt’s first mate.

Smooth sailing is nowhere to be found, and Josie begins to wonder if they’ll be able to make it home without killing–or kissing?–each other.

And yet, the longer they share cramped quarters and canned food, the more of Wyatt’s layers she peels back until Josie realizes she misunderstood him, their shared history, and perhaps herself as well.

Thank you to Emma St. Clair for the gifted ARC.

OH HOW SOFT.

You know what we all need sometimes? A soft and sweet summer romance that just gives you the warm fuzzies. I adored this story. It was an easy read and I loved watching these two souls who were so oblivious to their love work it out sailing together. And did I mention that Wyatt is down bad? BECAUSE HE IS AND I LOVE IT. There were so many small moments that truly added to their love story. I love the quiet actions. Those always speak the loudest and make my heart burst.

I loved the few cameos from some of my favorite Appies and the growth that Wyatt showed throughout. I love watching grumpy characters soften and have some core realizations about their life. Josie was steadfast in taking care of Wyatt and I can’t tell y’all how many scenes I was giddy over. Your friendly reminder that closed door romances can bring the heat.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: grief depiction, loss of a loved one (recounted)

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