Tag: contemporary romance

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: May 2024

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Is it summer yet?
I almost went through another month without any two stars, but one found me via surprise book mail I felt obligated to read. But there’s lots of great five stars to pick from!

Favorite Books this Month:

  • When Gods Fall
  • Savor It
  • Fragile Sanctuary
  • The Familiar
  • Beneath a Crescent Shadow
  • Swift and Saddled
  • A Convenient Fiction
  • Saints and Monsters
  • Emma Lion Vol. 7
  • Woke Up Like This
  • Burning Crowns
  • The Perfect Putt
  • To Charm a Lady
  • A Kingdom to Claim
  • Of Jade and Dragons
  • Summer in the Highlands

Least Favorites this Month:

  • One Last Summer
  • [Novella] Powerful (The Powerless Trilogy #1.5) by Lauren Roberts
  • When Gods Fall (The Gifts of Gods #1) by S.E. Bouvier
  • [ALC] Savor It by Tarah Dewitt
  • Clandestine (House of Oak #3) by Nichole Van
  • [ARC] Fragile Sanctuary (Sparrow Falls #1) by Catherine Cowles
  • [ALC] I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers
  • [ARC] Sincerely, Secretary of Doom (High Court of the Coffee Bean #2) by Jennifer Kropf
  • The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
  • [ALC] The Darkness Within Us (The Shadows Between Us #2) by Tricia Levenseller
  • An Improper Scheme (Improper Agreements #3) by Audra Wells
  • Five Broken Blades (The Broken Blades #1) by Mai Corland
  • [ARC] Beneath a Crescent Shadow (The Balkan Legends #1) by A.L. Sowards
  • Swift and Saddled (Blue Rebel Ranch #2) by Lyla Sage
  • A Convenient Fiction (Parish Orphans of Devon #3) by Mimi Matthews
  • Saints and Monsters by Ellen McGinty
  • [ALC] Icon and Inferno (Stars and Smoke #2) by Marie Lu
  • Emma M. Lion Vol. 7 by Beth Brower
  • Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea
  • The Winter Companion (Parish Orphans of Devon #4) by Mimi Matthews
  • The Goddess Of by Randi Garner
  • Maybe This Time by Cara Bastone
  • Burning Crowns (Twin Crowns #3) by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber
  • [ARC] One Last Summer by Kate Spencer
  • [ARC] All’s Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath
  • [ARC] Lady of Basilikas (The Droseran Saga #5) by Ronie Kendig
  • [ARC] The Perfect Putt (More Than a Game #2) by Annah Conwell
  • The Gathering Storm (The Wheel of Time #12) by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
  • Beyond the Aching Door (The Fatebound Duology #1) by Victoria Mier
  • Heavenbreaker by Sara Wolf
  • [ARC] To Charm a Lady (The Cartwells #2) by Joanna Barker
  • [ARC] A Kingdom to Claim by Sian Ann Bessey
  • Happy Medium by Sarah Adler
  • [ARC] Of Jade and Dragons (Fall of the Dragon #1) by Amber Chen
  • Brand of Light (The Droseran Saga #1) by Ronie Kendig
  • [ARC] Seven Summer Weekends by Jane L. Rosen
  • [ARC] Summer in the Highlands by Nichole Van, Heidi Kimball and Michele Paige Holmes

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Book Review: The Brightest Sunset (The Darkest Sunrise #2) by Aly Martinez

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 286 pages
Author: Aly Martinez
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 27th, 2017
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Bullshit.
Words destroyed me.
“I’m sorry. She didn’t make it.”
“Daddy, he can’t breathe!”
“There’s nothing more we can do for your son.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Those syllables and letters became my executioner. I told myself that, if I didn’t acknowledge the pain and the fear, they would have no power over me. But, as the years passed, the hate and the anger left behind began to control me.
Two words—that was all it took to plunge my life into darkness.
“He’s gone.”
In the end, it was four soft, silky words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Charlotte Mills.”

GOOD CONCLUSION.

I liked the way thing wrapped up in this one. It once again kept me totally enthralled and I needed to know that there was going to be a happy ending or I might have thrown this book across the room.

What I didn’t love was Brady. He was awful the entire time and while I understood it was there to create the tension, it did eventually start to feel a bit over the top and redundant.

I once again still love Porter and Charlotte. They are really there for each other and it’s sweet. I like that neither of them gave up and actually found a way to work together for a solution that would make everyone feel satisfied.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance; multiple open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of kidnapped baby, recounting of an attempted murder-suicide (side character), physical altercations, grief and depression

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Book Review: The Darkest Sunrise (The Darkest Sunrise #1) by Aly Martinez

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 266 pages
Author: Aly Martinez
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 13th, 2017
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Whoever coined that phrase is a bald-faced liar. Words are often the sharpest weapon of all, triggering some of the most powerful emotions a human can experience.
“You’re pregnant.”
“It’s a boy.”
“Your son needs a heart transplant.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Syllables and letters may not be tangible, but they can still destroy your entire life faster than a bullet from a gun.
Two words—that was all it took to extinguish the sun from my sky.
“He’s gone.”
For ten years, the darkness consumed me.
In the end, it was four deep, gravelly words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Porter Reese.”

THE DRAMA.

Totally picked this up based off of ONE review I saw from a friend. And then I binged both books back to back. Was it GREAT? No. But it stopped my reading slump from the pure drama of having to know what was going to happen next.

There’s a lot to unpack in this heavy, short story. It kind of had a CoHo vibe with the intensity of it all. I did like the romance at its core. There were many great sweet moments between them as both struggled with some past traumas.

I felt a vast array of emotions throughout as things went up and down and seriously, all around. I don’t want to leave a long review because I don’t want to allude to any of the things that go down. It was enthralling and kept my attention and was exactly what I was looking for at the time.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapped baby, attempted murder-suicide (side character), a child with a heart condition, grief and depression, physical altercations

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ARC Book Review: Savor It by Tarah Dewitt

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Tarah Dewitt
Publisher: St. Martin’s
Release Date: May 21st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Summer won’t last forever.

Sage Byrd has lived in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington) her entire life. She’s learned to love her small world, with the misfit animals on her hobby farm, and her friendships with the town’s inhabitants. But when her 5-year relationship ends and her ex, town-golden-boy Ian, suddenly gets engaged, Sage needs a win―something that will convince everyone to stop pitying her all the time, and to put Ian in his place. The Festival of Spunes, the town’s annual summer competition, would be the perfect opportunity. She just needs a partner.

Fisher Lange was a hotshot chef in New York City until the loss of his sister left him numb, grieving, and responsible for his teenage niece Indy. When Fisher loses his Michelin star along with his love of cooking, his boss sends him and Indy to Spunes on a much-needed summer sabbatical to consult on a restaurant opening. But when clashes with the townspeople threaten his last chance to redeem himself and a kiss with his new neighbor Sage leads to dating rumors, a strategic alliance might just be the best way to turn things around.

A deal is struck. Sage will improve Fisher’s image in the eyes of the town and remove the roadblocks he is facing with the restaurant, and Fisher will be Sage’s partner for the competition. But as their pact quickly turns into steamy rendezvous, emotional wounds begin to heal, and the pair tries to savor every moment, they start to realize that summer is racing by much faster than they would like…

Filled with spicy summer fun, small-town charm, and Big Feelings, this highly anticipated romcom is Tarah DeWitt’s best yet.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

NEW FAVORITE.

Audio notes first: LOVED. The narrators brought this book to new heights. It felt like I was truly listening to the main characters tell me the story. I loved the way it was crafted.

Oh my gosh, how does Tarah Dewitt do this to me every time??? I’ve been reading her books from the beginning and each and every dang story has brought the humor and feels and love and ALL THE THINGS.

I was SMITTEN from the first few chapters. Where you just know it’s going to be a five star read. And it never disappointed me once. I loved the grump x sunshine balance and the banter and heat between these two was next level. I loved how both Sage and Fisher had intricate backgrounds that played into their story, and seeing the growth from finding love with each other. This really read like a grown up summer romance story in allllll the best ways. I felt transported to this small town and adored the whole set-up.

This is full of swoon and romance. It’s full of heart and finding the best step forward. Full of reigniting passions and holding onto the parts of you that you love. This swept me away as an absolute romance book BUT with so much space filled with the ups and downs and pure joys of life.

I loved it. I loved it all. And I loved the ending came together too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate-high
  • Romance: 3+ open door scenes
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: depictions of grief, death of a loved one (off page)

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