Tag: contemporary romance

ARC Book Review: One More Wish (Sugar Valley #2) by Lindsey Lanza

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 357 pages
Author: Lindsey Lanza
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 18th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Always be careful what you wish for.

Maya Bloom has a secret.
For as long as she can remember, all her wishes have come true. One quick plea to the universe, and whatever she wants is hers. The they always backfire.
Which is why Maya is done wishing. Well, until her wedding day when she’s in desperate need of the truth.
And when it feels like her whole life is imploding, she makes the split-second decision to run to Vermont and be with her best friend, Ellie.

Liam Harley has a problem.
He’s been living his best single dad life in small town Vermont, but he can’t seem to forget the past. Not his last job as a Michelin star chef, not his night owl lifestyle, and especially not that night two years ago when he met Maya Bloom.
When Maya shows up in his new haven of Sugar Valley, he wonders if he’ll get a second chance with the woman who’s been haunting his dreams.
Unfortunately for him, she has no idea who he is.

One More Wish is a small-town romance about the power of found families, the magic of finding your soulmate, and believing in the impossible.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SWEET & SPICY.

I love the way Lindsey Lanza writes romances y’all. And even though they are spicy, I love the way that is approached too. It feels genuine to the romance and progression of the story and I love how close it brings the characters together. I adored this tender romance. It doesn’t have a big complicated plot, it’s just two people who found each other…again.

The magical realism aspects were just right. I’m hit or miss on them and I liked the little dash Maya’s ability gave this story. And I appreciated how it connected with life and all of its ups and downs. The chronic illness representation is, as always, amazing. It’s eye opening and raw. Combining that with a beautiful and strong support system really squeezes my heart.

I looooved Liam. He’s a walking green flag. I loved seeing his growth, as well as Maya’s. I loved how they approached hard conversations, worked together, and did their best to communicate big emotions. I clearly am in love with every character in this series and it was great being back in Sugar Valley.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: mild – moderate
  • Romance: 3-4 open door
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: chronic illness (lupus, type 1 diabetes), pregnancy complications (side character)

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Book Review: I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Ann Liang
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: February 6th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Snarky and romantic, I Hope This Doesn’t Find You is Never Have I Ever meets To All the Boys if Lara Jean wrote hate emails instead of love letters.

Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a “pleasure to have in class.” It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She’d never send them of course — she’d rather die than hurt anyone’s feelings — but it’s a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie’s work.

All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. “You’re attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you’ve been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft…”

Sadie doesn’t have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them… that is, until they’re accidentally sent out.

Overnight, Sadie’s carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It’s her worst nightmare — now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they’re not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there’s one person growing to appreciate the “real” Sadie — Julius, the only boy she’s sworn to hate…

THIS IS ACADEMIC RIVALS.

You know when a trope is mentioned and when you read it, you feel like that trope was not actually there? NOT the case for this book. This was an intense and passion filled academic rivals and I loved that. Sadie and Julius were at each other constantly but you could also clearly see the chemistry between them.

I liked seeing Sadie grow over the book. Bless her heart, being so consumed by people pleasing and trying to make things right was eating her up. And I liked watching her understand that you just can’t please everyone, and that those who love you will stick with you.

This was pretty solid for YA in regards to content. I didn’t love the underage drinking house party, but language and romantic content wise it would be okay for teens. Which is always a plus for young adult books.

I have enjoyed this author’s previous books and will definitely continue to pick them up.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: parental abandonment, cyberbullying

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ARC Book Review: The Magic of Light by Jordan Abitz

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 361 pages
Author: Jordan Abitz
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

How do you build a life when yours has been shattered to dust?

Sawyer spent her childhood bouncing from one foster home to the next. As an adult, she spends her days advocating for those in the same broken system. When a child in her care runs away on a rural road in Kansas, it starts a chain reaction that unravels memories from her past. At the center is a grumpy rancher she can’t seem to stay away from. Sawyer wasn’t built for love and relationships. In the end, everyone always leaves.

Soren is no stranger to tragedy. Over the last eight years, he has rebuilt his life from the ruins of his greatest regret. When he returns from feeding cattle to find a beautiful woman sitting on his porch, he can’t shake a sense of déjà vu. Soren feels desperate to know her—especially when he finds out how closely connected she is to his past.

Is it possible for a relationship to last when love may not be enough to hold you together?

The Magic of Light is a contemporary romance novel about love, loss, and the power of hope against all odds.

Thank you to Love Notes PR and the author for an eARC.

BEAUTIFUL DEBUT.

Oh I enjoyed this so much. It’s such a beautiful romance that makes you FEEL. I loved the impact and themes and I am so excited for future books. There was clear intention and a lot of love that went into writing this story.

The main characters were great (yay for dual POV). Soren and Sawyer bond together through a soft and tender story. I loved how they showed up for each other and the inevitable draw that pulled them together over and over. The slow burn buuuurns in all the best ways.

I had a few minor quips about some repetitive thoughts and too many uses of the nickname, but honestly, that’s it. I was drawn into this book and had a hard time putting it down. The found family and small town made me NEEEED the next books in this series. I already love these characters very much.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: foster care (theme throughout), injury from an animal, mentions of child abuse (recounted), C-PTSD episodes, loss of a sibling (recounted, car accident), grief depiction

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ARC Book Review: The Serendipity (Only Magic in the Building) by Emma St. Clair

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 276 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He’s a no-nonsense businessman. She’s a free-spirited baker. But the magical building they live in seems to think they’re a perfect match…

When billionaire Archer Gaines needs to escape his father’s corrupt shadow and a related scandal, he purchases The Serendipity, a historic apartment building far from New York City.

He believes in bottom lines and big business deals, definitely not in the local folklore surrounding the town of Serendipity Springs. So he’s eager to move forward with plans to flip the building into luxury lofts.

But The Serendipity doesn’t particularly care what Archer believes, and the building has plans of its own.

Willa never believed in the rumors about her “magical” building. But that was before she walked into her closet looking for a sweater and found herself in another apartment altogether–in the penthouse closet of the grumpy and unfortunately attractive new building owner.

This is less of a meet cute than a meet ugly, and things only go downhill from there.

When Archer announces sweeping changes that include a rent increase, he becomes public enemy number one for the residents. And by charging Willa for use of the commercial kitchen, he puts her fledgling baking business at risk.

With his progress being (magically) blocked at every turn, Archer grows desperate for help.

But the bewitching woman he found hiding in his closet seems to present both the answer and a larger because Archer never planned to fall in love or stay in Serendipity Springs forever …

The Serendipity is a standalone book in the Only Magic in the Building series. These closed door, whimsical romance books are all set in the same historic building, which has a habit of playing matchmaker with its residents. There are light magical elements, but no spells, shifters, or dark magic of any kind.

Thank you to the author for the eARC.

THIS WAS SWEET.

I’m very excited for this multi-author series and getting my hands on the first book was a must. I love Emma St. Clair and this was another great read. The magical realism aspects were charming and didn’t overwhelm the book. I liked how it played out and it was easy to love on this magical building.

The romance is low angst but filled with some fiery banter. Willa and Archer come from completely different walks of life and clash a bit as they find their footing together. I loved all of the late night chats and I think the second half did a wonderful job of showing off the romance. I appreciate when things aren’t blown out of proportion and when communication is an important factor.

There were some good topics and themes discussed throughout. I liked understanding more about agoraphobia and the impact it can have on your life. The positive therapy points fit in well to the plot too. Add in a few fantastic kisses and this was another gem for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: agoraphobia, emotional distant parent

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