Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: January 2025

February 1, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

We made it through 3438753 days of January. Here’s what I read!

[Reread] A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas
[ARC] Beyond the Crescent Sky (The Balkan Legends #2) by A.L. Sowards
[ALC] The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Our Deadly Designs (This Dark Descent #2) by Kalyn Josephson
[ARC/ALC] Gate to Kagoshima (Ancestor Memories #1) by Poppy Kuroki
[ARC] Of Flames and Fallacies (The Arterian Series #1) by Courtney Whims
Let You Love Me (Boys of Riverside #5) by Gracie Graham
Morbidly Yours (Love in Galway #1) by Ivy Fairbanks
Familiar Stranger by Caitlin Moss
[ARC/ALC] The Rival by Emma Lord
All to Pieces (The Seddledowne #3) by Susan Henshaw
[ARC/ALC] The Beasts We Bury (The Broken Citadel #1) by D.L. Taylor
A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson
A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
Where the Black Line Ends by Meagan Williamson
[ARC] A Heart Devoted (The Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir #5) by Nichole Van
[Reread] Iron Flame (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros
[ARC/ALC] Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth #2) by Kristen Ciccarelli
Seeing Miss Heartstone by Nichole Van
Know Your Newlywed by Elena Armas
Metal Slinger (Fire & Metal #1) by Rachel Schneider
The Heart of the Rebellion by Sian Ann Bessey
Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer
A Tribute of Fire (The Eye of the Goddess #1) by Sariah Wilson
When Alec Met Evie (The Appies #6) by Jenny Proctor
Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros
Class Clown (The Thornback Society #4) by Aspen Hadley
The Legend of Meneka (The Divine Dancers Duology #1) by Kritika H. Rao
Better Than Revenge by Kasie West
[ARC] Guarding the Mountain Man’s Secret (Brothers of Sapphire Ranch #7) by Misty M. Beller
[Short Story] The Situationship by Abby Jimenez
[ARC] Book Boyfriend by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Unromance by Erin Connor
A Forbidden Fate (A Forbidden Fate #1) by Kaven Hirning
[Novella] Spirit of the Wood (Green Rider #7.5) by Kristen Britain
Smoke and Mirrors (Silver and Bone #2) by Claudia Cain
[Reread] The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
The Check Down (Lacey Bros #1) by Brandy Pelletier

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Book Review: Know Your Newlywed by Elena Armas

January 30, 2025January 18, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 4 hours, 54 minutes
Author: Elena Armas
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Release Date: December 10th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) and Mary Mouser (Cobra Kai) star in this swoon-worthy, full-cast rom-com! When two super-fans of a beloved dating gameshow hear that it’s being rebooted, they decide to team up and fake a marriage to compete in the hilarious new audiobook Know Your Newlywed, written by Heather Taylor and Hillary Nussbaum, and executive produced by New York Times bestselling author Elena Armas.

Cleo is a researcher with big dreams of a PhD in anthrozoology, and a guilty pleasure obsession with Know Your Newlywed, a decades-old gameshow where married couples compete by answering obscure questions about each other. She’s more invested in her career than in finding a relationship of her own, though—that is, until she comes across Javi’s dating app profile, which says he’s “looking for someone to win Know Your Newlywed with.”

Sparks fly, and when Cleo and Javi catch wind of a reboot of their beloved show, they apply on a whim, pretending to be newlyweds themselves. Before they know it, they’re cast as contestants, playing the part of smitten married couple better than they could’ve imagined. Their very real chemistry is impossible to ignore, and as the competition heats up, they quickly become America’s sweethearts. But how far can Cleo and Javi take their secret? And as they inch closer and closer to a life-changing cash prize, will the mounting pressure and their individual ambitions get in the way of their blossoming romance? Or is their connection strong enough to last once the cameras stop rolling?

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

SHORT & QUIRKY.

There’s nothing SPECIAL about this book but if you’re looking for a good novella to spend an afternoon with, I’d recommend it. I was a big fan of the newlywed game once upon a time and I thought the play on that show was showcased well here. There’s quirky contestants and a little bit of drama and it’s a fun listen with the full cast.

I liked the romance between Cleo and Javi. It’s unconventional and works well. The sparks flew and they were just so sweet on each other. As I am prone to do, the third act bugged me a bit, but it’s fine. I liked how the novella wrapped up and the audio production was fantastic.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance Novella
Language: mild
Romance: one closed door

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Book Review: Where the Black Line Ends by Meagan Williamson

January 26, 2025January 15, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 332 pages
Author: Meagan Williamson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 29th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Reed Morgan thrives on chasing adventure. It’s why he doesn’t hesitate when he lands a spot on a mid-season wildland firefighting crew in the Payette National Forest. It’s the perfect opportunity for the guy who just lost the love of his life to his best friend and whose family rarely notices him. It’s not exactly diving out of airplanes, but it’s miles away from the opposite gender. Or so he thought.

Hailey Hart has spent her entire life seeking the approval of her father—a man married to his job. When the chance to work alongside his fire crew arises, she jumps at it. If he can see her as the EMT her mom once was, maybe he’ll finally give her the time of day.

After Reed and Hailey share a memorable first encounter on an airplane, they find themselves working together. They have two months to gain the trust and admiration of the one person they are both seeking approval from—the Iron Summit Superintendent. Neither one of them has time for a distraction.

But some wildfires start unexpectedly. And theirs is proving hard to put out.

VERY MUCH ENJOYED.

I feel like that sums it up really well. It was just a solidly good book. I had some minor hang-ups but I feel like I learned quite a bit about wildland firefighting and loved these characters too.

The setting was cool. I liked that it was basically in one location that provided a lot of forced proximity and moments for Reed and Hailey to interact. They had a good spark from the beginning and I thought the chemistry was well maintained.

Reed bugged me just a little bit because I feel like he wasn’t serious enough (and my personality was clashing so hard and shouting IT’S NOT TIME FOR JOKES) but I digress. And I think a little more background was needed with Hailey’s backstory too. We got a bunch of flashback chapters and moments that HELPED but I felt like I was still missing something.

Any who, truly good read. Hit on the emotional front too with the last 25%??! I liked the writing style and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: mild
Romance: vague/brief open door
Violence: mild
Content Warnings: dangerous fire based situations, loss of life, loss of a parent (recounted)

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ARC Book Review: When Alec Met Evie (The Appies #5) by Jenny Proctor

January 24, 2025 GoodeyReads2 Comments

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 331 pages
Author: Jenny Proctor
Publisher: Jenny Proctor Creative
Release Date: January 23rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Evie told herself not to fall for her pro-hockey crush. But when she sees him holding her baby girl, all bets are off.

When Evie moves South to the same mountain town where her childhood crush plays pro-hockey, she arms herself with all the reasons why she can’t fall for him again.

Number Alec is her best friend’s much older brother.
Number She’s recently divorced and does not need another man in her life. At least not anytime soon.
Number With a four-month-old daughter, she has zero time for dating.

Trouble is, Evie doesn’t know another soul in North Carolina, so when her rental floods before she’s even moved in, her only option is to crash with Alec for a few weeks. When she protests, he insists it’s what he’d do for his sister, and that’s basically what she is to him.

But all these years later, the unexpected chemistry between them definitely says otherwise.

A new relationship is risky when Evie is still licking her wounds from her divorce, and she has no idea if Alec has any desire to be a dad. His sister already warned he isn’t the type to settle down.

But she can’t make herself care about any of that. Not until she’s already fallen, and it might be too late to save herself from another heartbreak.

When Alec Met Evie is a closed-door, best friend’s brother hockey romcom with heart and humor, sizzle but no spice. Perfect for fans of sports romance who want a little less heat.

Books in the Appies Hockey Romance series are connected and chronological but still stand alone and can be read in any order.

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH YOU DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND.

The end of an era. AN ERA. Oh how I adored this sweet and tender romance y’all. It’s not high angst or tension, it’s this incredible slow build of two people who knew each other when they were younger reconnecting in a different area of life and falling head over heels in love. It is romantic and subtle and tender. It’s ALL THE THINGS.

I loved Alec’s journey with hockey too. As a former athlete, I felt like this hit a lot of those emotional points and the questions and concerns and what do I do now’s. It was impactful to see his trajectory and let me tell y’all, there’s one scene in this book that will have you crying. I am still a wreck just thinking about it.

And I adored Evie. She’s bright and optimistic without being unrealistic. I loved the raw looks into motherhood (especially during that first year of life) and learning who was actually standing in her corner. Side note: I also loved her ex-MIL??? Like for real??? That was an amazing, it was only a small moment that stood out so much for me. The baby content will melt your heart and this entire book will bring you joy.

I love the Appies.

Overall audience notes: