Tag: contemporary romance

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

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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

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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

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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:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none that I remeber
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: divorced parents, parent in the hospital

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ARC Book Review: Recipe for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 384 pages
Author: Rachel Linden
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 9th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

After a day of unrivaled disappointments, a promising young chef finds every bite of food suddenly tastes bitter. To save her career, she travels to the Pacific Northwest to reconnect with her estranged mom, and discovers a family legacy she never suspected in this delicious novel from the bestselling author of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie.

American chef Georgia May Jackson has one goal—to run her own restaurant in Paris. After a grueling decade working in Parisian kitchens, she is on the cusp of success. But in one disastrous night, Georgia loses her sous-chef position, her French boyfriend, and her sense of taste! Renowned for her refined palate and daring use of bold flavors to create remarkable dishes, Georgia is devastated to discover her culinary gift has simply…vanished.

When she receives a surprising invitation from her estranged mother, Georgia flees to a small island near Seattle hoping the visit will help her regain her spark in the kitchen. There she tentatively reconnects with her mom, a free-spirited hippie eager to make up for her past mistakes. But there’s something about the enigmatic island Georgia just can’t piece together. Good luck charms keep appearing in the oddest places. Her neighbor is a puzzlingly antagonist (and annoyingly handsome) oyster farmer. And her mom keeps hinting at a mysterious family legacy.

With the clock ticking and time running out to win her dream job in Paris, Georgia begins to unravel some astonishing secrets that make her wonder if the true recipe for a charmed life might look—and taste—very different than she ever imagined.

Thank you Berkley for my gifted copy.

DIDN’T QUITE CLICK.

Well folks, this one let me down a bit. Started off well and I was interested, and then things never picked up. It kind of felt one note throughout and I was waiting to feel INVESTED and that point never hit for me.

The cooking content was good, I love a book that makes me hungry. I liked the setting and there were aspects of the romance that I enjoyed too. It’s a slow burn with a dash of banter and forced proximity.

All of the family drama and secrets started to bug me too. I was tired of hearing I can’t tell you yet, OHMYGOSHJUSTTELLME. It felt added in to stretch out the book and I felt annoyed by this.

I liked that that Georgia had some growth and found where she wanted to be. I love a good full circle moment and this had the ones I was after.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Fiction + romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating boyfriend, a mother with drug abuse issues, parental abandonment, driving under the influence causing a car crash

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