Tag: contemporary romance

Book Review: A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak (Girl’s Guide) by Laura Taylor Namey

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Laura Taylor Namey
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 26th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this highly anticipated companion to the New York Times bestseller A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, Flora Maxwell heads to Miami to find a path for her future… and finds her heart along the way.

Winchester, England, has always been home for Flora, but when her mother dies after a long illness, Flora feels untethered. Her family expects her to apply to university and take a larger role in their tea-shop business, but Flora isn’t so sure. More than ever, she’s the chaotic “hurricane” in her household, and she doesn’t always know how to manage her stormy emotions.

So she decides to escape to Miami without telling anyone—especially her longtime friend Gordon Wallace.

But Flora’s tropical change of scenery doesn’t cast away her self-doubt. When it comes to university, she has no idea which passions she should follow. That’s also true in romance. Flora’s summer abroad lands her in the flashbulb world of teen influencer Baz Marín, a Miami Cuban who shares her love for photography. But Flora’s more conflicted than ever when she begins to see future architect Gordon in a new light.

Laura Taylor Namey’s newest novel navigates heartbreak that feels like a hurricane in a city that is famous for them.

I LIKED THE ENDING MOST.

Y’all know me, I’m not big on love triangles and I feel like I got lost in this one for a bit. Though I will admit to enjoying how things worked out for all parties in the end. It was way less dramatic and felt a lot more realistic and genuine.

I liked seeing the ups and downs of Flora’s journey. She definitely made some quick decisions that left her in hot water, and as those reasons unfurled you saw a very hurt soul who needed a safe place to be. I love that in the end she recognizes her need for help and admittance of things to work on. Character growth will always be my favorite.

It’s a fast read with a little bit of swoon and fake dating, LOTS of great photography content and a sweet group of people who are growing up.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: death of a mother from dementia

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: November 2024

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BEST MONTH OF THE YEAR!

Favorite books this month:

  • Perfect Distraction
  • Pictures of You
  • Lost and Lassoed
  • The Muse of Maiden Lane
  • If It Makes You Happy
  • Five Stolen Rings
  • Broken Harbor
  • The Road of Bones
  • The Shadowed Land
  • A Reign of Rose
  • Brielle and Bear
  • The Myths of Ophelia
  • Yuletide Bride
  • Not in My Book
  • Oathbringer
  • Izzy and Her Off-Limits Love

Least favorites:

  • Merry Ever After
  • Perfect Distraction by Allison Ashley
  • The Quit List by Katie Bailey
  • [ARC] Pictures of You by Emma Grey
  • Lost and Lassoed (Rebel Blue Ranch #3) by Lyla Sage
  • Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder
  • [ARC] The Muse of Maiden Lane (Belles of London #4) by Mimi Matthews
  • Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore
  • If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
  • The Temptation of Magic (Empyreal #1) by Megan Scott
  • [ARC] Five Stolen Rings by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
  • Bane of Asgard (Runestone Saga #2) by Cinda Williams Chima
  • Creatures of Chaos (Creatures of Chaos #1) by Julie Hall
  • [ARC] Broken Harbor (Sparrow Falls #3) by Catherine Cowles
  • [Novella] A Royal Possibility (Royal Hearts #4.5) by Amanda Schimmoeller
  • The Blood Orchid (The Scarlet Alchemist #2) by Kylie Lee Baker
  • [Novella] Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe #1) by Ali Hazelwood
  • [Novella] Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe #2) by Tessa Bailey
  • [Novella] All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe #3) by Tessa Bailey
  • [Novella] Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe #4) by Alexandria Bellefleur
  • [Novella] Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe #5) by Alexis Daria
  • Saved by Noel by Tracy Baack
  • The Road of Bones (The Ashen #1) by Demi Winters
  • [ARC] The Shadowed Land (The Lost Queen #3) by Signe Pike
  • A Reign of Rose (The Sacred Stones Trilogy #3) by Kate Golden
  • [ARC] Brielle and Bear (Once Upon a Time Vol. 1) by Salomey Doku
  • [ARC] The Myths of Ophelia (The Curse of Ophelia #4) by Nicole Platania
  • The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
  • Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows
  • Christmas With a Crank by Courtney Walsh
  • The Shadows Rule All (Dominions #3) by Abigail Owen
  • Yuletide Bride (Regency Christmas Brides) by Kasey Stockton
  • [ARC] Not in My Book by Katie Holt
  • [Novella] The Best You’ve Ever Had by Amelia Chasen
  • [Reread] Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archives #3) by Brandon Sanderson
  • [ARC] The Seaside Homecoming (On Devonshire Shores #3) by Julie Klassen
  • Fledgling by S.K. Ali
  • Heist Royale (Thieves’ Gambit #2) by Kayvion Lewis
  • [ARC] Izzy and Her Off-Limits Love (Oakley Island #3.5) by Jenny Proctor and Emma St. Clair
  • Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile #2) by Isabel Ibanez
  • Only in Your Dreams (The Mountains are Calling #2) by Madison Wright
  • The Songbird and the Heart of Stone (Crowns of Nyaxia #3) by Carissa Broadbent

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Book Review: Lost and Lassoed (Rebel Blue Ranch #3) by Lyla Sage

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Lyla Sage
Publisher: Quercus
Release Date: November 5th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She thrives in chaos. He prefers routine. The only thing they have in common? How much they hate each other. From the author of Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled, the highly anticipated next book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, a small town romance featuring enemies to lovers and forced proximity.

Teddy Andersen doesn’t have a plan. She’s never needed one before. She’s always been more of a go with the flow type of girl, but for some reason, the flow doesn’t seem to be going her way this time. Her favorite vintage suede jacket has a hole in it, her sewing machine is broken, and her best friend just got engaged. Suddenly, everything feels like it’s starting to change. Teddy’s used to being a leader, but now she feels like she’s getting left behind, wondering if the life she lives in the small town she loves is enough for her anymore.

Gus Ryder has a lot on his plate. He doesn’t know what’s taking care of his family’s 8,000 acre ranch, or parenting his spunky six-year-old daughter, who is staying with him for the summer. Gus has always been the dependable one, but when his workload starts to overwhelm him, he slips up, and he has to admit that he can’t manage everything on his own. He needs help. His little sister’s best friend, the woman he can’t stand, is not who he had in mind. But when no one else can step in, Teddy’s the only option he’s got. Teddy decides to use the summer to try and figure out what she wants out of life. Gus, on the other hand, starts to worry that he’ll never find what he needs. Tempers flare, tension builds, and for the first time ever, Gus and Teddy start to see each other in a different light. As new feelings start to simmer below the surface, they must decide whether or not to act on them. Can they keep things cool? Or will both of them get burned?

Thank you LibroFM for the gifted audiobook.

LOOOOOVED IT.

I am so happy I decided to pick up this series this year because it has my whole heart and soul now. I am obsessed with this whole family and can’t get enough. I loved how the enemies to lovers was executed here. You could FEEL all of the tension and the banter set the perfect edge.

The nanny x single dad trope made my heart burst. I loved all of the little tender moments and watching Teddy and Gus realize just how much love was already there. And even better, it fit into my plot > spice scale (which is totally arbitrary to my own thoughts, but if you know me this might make sense to you).

And the audiobook is top notch. I love dual POV so dang much. This entire series is worth the read.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3 open door
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 510 pages
Author: Julie Olivia
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 19th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

My new next-door neighbor seems to have everything figured out. Small town golden boy? Check. Single dad extraordinaire? Check. Hot baker forearms? I didn’t notice them, I swear.

I, on the other hand, don’t–at all–have anything figured out.

Trust me, I didn’t think taking over my mom’s dream bed and breakfast in Copper Run Vermont was going to be easy. It should be a good place to heal after my divorce. But apparently my scones belong in the garbage with my small talk skills. As pointed out by none other than Cliff.

Cliff is inescapable. He knows exactly what people need–always. His charm, the way he wears flannel, and even his pastries, make not wanting to be friends with Cliff and his daughters pretty hard.

Friends? I can make friends. That’s safe.

Except I’m leaving in three months to pass the inn off to my little sister and get the promotion in Seattle I’ve been working towards.

So ask me why I’m thinking about kissing my hot neighbor.

WHAT AN ABSOLUTE GEM.

YOU SHOULD GO READ IT TOO. This book blew up on my feed, and for good reason. I was obsessed with this from the beginning. The 90’s nostalgia was in full force and I could not get enough of the fall vibes too. I adored the small town and all of the local shenanigans but also how everyone took care of each other too.

The romance is the best kind of slow burn. I forgot how much I LOVE an amazing slow burn (please bring those back). The mounting tension, almost kisses, brief touches, gosh it all had me BEGGING for more. And while this is an open door book, plot > spice reigned and it became my favorite type of romance.

I loved the characters. The black cat x golden retriever was crafted with the perfect banter and shade between Cliff and Michelle. I loved the family aspects and the reconnections and growing pains that came with it all. The characters really showed the best of be yourself and how someone out there is your match and things will fall into place. Love love love love. Catch me reading all of Julie Olivia’s books now.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3-4 open door
  • Violence: low

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