Book Review: The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson

January 17, 2024January 24, 2023 GoodeyReads1 Comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 347 pages
Author: Sariah Wilson
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: February 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

True love requires a little research and development in a funny, heart-racing romance by Sariah Wilson, the bestselling author of The Paid Bridesmaid.

How can Anna Ellis, a geeky, brilliant, and hopelessly smitten cosmetic chemist possibly win over Craig Kimball, the man of her dreams—who also happens to be her boss? The answer is Craig’s empathetic (and handsome) CEO half brother, Marco. The makeup mogul knows Craig for the ridiculously competitive rival he is. Whatever Marco has, Craig wants. That can be Anna, if she’s game to play.

All Anna and Marco have to do is pretend they’re falling in love and let the rumors begin. If the experiment in attraction works, a jealous Craig will swoop in and give Anna her happily ever after—if it weren’t for one hitch in the plan. There’s more to Marco than meets the eye. With every fake date, Anna’s feelings are starting to become dizzyingly real.

Blame it on chemistry. It’s unpredictable, exciting, and occasionally combustible. If Anna and Marco are really falling in love, who are they to argue with science?

SO CLOSE.

Okay. I legitimately loved a lot of this book. I read it in a day. Kept going back to it kind of enjoyed. I thought the premise was fun and unique. I liked the cosmetics and chemistry combination and it made for a lot of great dialogue and witty puns. The love interest, Marco? FIRE. He was a super swoony gem. Just the sweetest and I loved all of the fake dating aspects that arose too. And the kisses were perfectly fiery which sells me on a fantastic book too.

BUT BUT BUT

There’s only so much obliviousness I can take from a FMC. Her best friend having to tell her multiple times that Marco was in love with her, refusing to believe that Craig could be anything but a perfect angel and not ever learning how to accept a compliment bugged me. It was 90% through the book and all of this was still happening in one capacity or another.

If Anna had been even a little more self aware I would have bumped this higher.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: make-outs
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of parents (car wreck & complications from anorexia)

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ARC Book Review: Sadie and the Bad Boy Billionaire (Oakley Island #3) by Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor

January 12, 2024January 2, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 277 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: January 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I will NOT fall for the smart-mouthed, pretty-boy billionaire who owns Oakley Island. But his yacht is another story …

Love and happily-ever-after? It’s not for me. I’m much happier keeping everyone at arm’s length, focusing on my government cybersecurity work.

But then I push things a little too far and hack my way into trouble. When I need to lay low and stay off the radar for a bit, what better place to do so than on Oakley Island with my sisters?

With limited housing options, I reluctantly agree to stay on the yacht of the very annoying Benedict King—the billionaire who has been messing—flirting?—with me since we met.

I did NOT agree, however, to a voyage out to sea.

But I wake up to find the yacht that should be docked and empty somewhere in the Atlantic with two government agents tasked with babysitting me and one Benedict King.

Who also lied about being my boyfriend.

Typical rich man—thinking he can take whatever he wants.

But he won’t take my heart. Not even when I see his softer side, see behind his walls, see the real man behind the reputation.

Honestly, this might be more dangerous than any of the other trouble I stirred up. Because if I fall for Benedict King, I’m not sure there’s any hope of rescue.

Thank you to the authors for an eARC.

MY HEART.

Once I started this book I was quickly reminded how much I love this author duo’s writing style. It just sucks me in, makes me feel good, and the story only heightens all of that for me.

I adored this story. It was different, and I love different. I love the complexity of characters and thoughts and trying to find that way to love. There’s reasons and depth and a raw truth that I feel in my bones when reading. Falling in love is hard y’all. And also Benedict King should be protected at all costs.

There were alllll of my favorite kind of moments. The soft, the take care of, the laughter, the swoon, and the amazing kissing scenes. WHY ARE KISSING SCENES ARE UNDERRATED Y’ALL, these were spectacular. I’m sitting here thinking of all the moments that I couldn’t get enough of. This was full of everything I love.

And getting those epilogues? I will not apologize for being an absolute sucker for that kind of stuff. Give me all the glimpses of life in the future.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: very low
Romance: make-outs
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: very brief gun violence

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Book Review: The Takedown by Carlie Walker

January 11, 2024November 27, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Length: 350 pages
Author: Carlie Walker
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An undercover CIA agent is sent home to investigate her sister’s criminal fiancé but the last thing she expects is to fall in love with his bodyguard along the way in this sexy romantic comedy.

It’s been a long time since Sydney Swift has gone home. An unrelentingly successful CIA field officer, she has spent the last three years pretending to be someone — anyone — other than herself.

But this year, the festive season is coming with some added surprises. Sydney’s beloved little sister has just announced that she’s engaged to Johnny Jones, the heir of an organized crime dynasty. With her built-in cover and her best-in-class reputation, Sydney is approached by the FBI as their way to infiltrate the Jones family at last.

Sydney has until Christmas to gather enough evidence on Johnny to take him down before he pulls off his most dangerous heist yet, all without losing her sister forever. But she hasn’t counted on the challenge of pulling this off right under her family’s nose or the complications of a romantic entanglement with Johnny’s handsome friend and bodyguard, Nick. Sydney always gets her man — but this time love is a target she can’t afford to miss.

Thank you PRHAudio for the gifted audiobook.

LOVED THIS.

I love holiday books that bring a new journey. A CIA agent and a bodyguard? YES PLEASE. I loved this. It had the perfect balance of rom-com vibes with a bit of romantic suspense and I was here for every moment.

I loved the romance between Sydney and Nick. The chemistry was there from the beginning and watching them clash through fantastic banter made me laugh and kick my feet throughout.

The journey for Sydney and her sister was great too. I loved seeing Sydney’s character growth and exploration of her past traumas and how she can move on from them. There were wonderful moments of reconnection with Sydney’s sister and grandmother and those really rounded out the book beautifully.

I am just entirely smitten with this book and will be recommending it to everyone for the holiday season.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Holiday Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: 2-3 open door
Violence: moderate-high
Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, parental abandonment

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ALC Book Review: Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

January 9, 2024December 23, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Kristy Boyce
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: January 9th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When it comes to romance, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to play games. A fun YA romcom full of fake dating hijinks!

Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she’s grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can’t waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan—a nerdy teen employee—to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.

But Riley didn’t realize that meant joining Nathan’s Dungeons & Dragons game…or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn’t require as much acting as she would’ve thought…

Thank you to Get Underlined for my final copy and PRHAudio for the gifted audiobook.

THIS WAS CUTE.

I had no expectations going in other than hoping the cute cover would supply a cute book. And it did! Very much a young adult romance that is great for a younger audience.

The combination of theater and D&D was fun. I liked seeing both side of this and how you can do all the things you want too. The themes of not having to box yourself into one hobby or passion was important. I also loved seeing divorced parents who could still be amicable for their child and working on not being a negative influence about the other parent.

There’s some fake dating that does have the added high school drama. I loved the side characters and the audiobook was fantastic. If you’re in need of something quick and light I’d recommend this one!

Overall audience notes: