Tag: contemporary romance

ARC Book Review: But He’s My Fake Fiancé (But He’s a Carter Brother #3) by Annah Conwell

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 275 pages
Author: Annah Conwell
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 4th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

My ex-boyfriend is engaged to my stepsister.

Yeah, it shocked me too. So much so, that when my ex tells me, I grab the first guy I see and pretend he’s my fiancé.

Somehow it only gets wilder from there, because the guy I grab happens to be Grayson Carter, notorious flirt and extrovert to the max. Also, the guy I turned down a month before while dating said ex-boyfriend.

Grayson surprisingly goes along with my plan, throwing pet names and flirty lines at me all while putting on this protective facade in front of my ex that makes my knees weak.

But when our little scene turns into a full-on scheme, I find myself questioning what’s real and what’s not.

The problem is, if it is real, I don’t know if I can risk loving someone like Grayson. I have a feeling if I gave him my heart, I’d never get it back.

But He’s My Fake Fiancé is a cozy fake dating romcom for fans of sweet summer love stories. It has all the sizzling chemistry you love, without any explicit scenes. Check out the third book of the But He’s A Carter Brother Series, a series based around four strong, protective brothers finding love.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

GRAYSON.

I love charming golden retriever men. Especially when the anxiety rep squeezes my heart. That hit on a few personal life levels and I love when a book can bring that kind of connection out in me.

Sloane and Grayson were the best of opposites attract. I loved the banter between them and oooooh those kissing scenes were on fire. Booking a trip to Hawaii specifically to go hiking to a waterfall ASAP. There were so many sweet moments interspersed throughout and I absolutely loved getting to see the whole Carter family again.

This is a quick read with a cozy summertime vibe. There’s not a third act break-up or too wild of drama (but that one scene SENT ME, IYKYK). It’s heavily focused on the forced proximity and romance between Sloane and Grayson. It’s my favorite kind of romance to enjoy.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: heated kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: depictions of anxiety and panic attacks, brief physical altercation

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Reading Wrap-Up: March 2024

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Spring is here! And apparently that meant READ ALL THE THINGS. A good list of books to add to your TBR below!

Favorite books this month:

  • The Rule Book
  • The House on Biscayne Bay
  • A Drop of Venom
  • When the Moon Hatched
  • Walking on Hidden Wings
  • But He’s My Fake Fiancé
  • Off the Beaten Path
  • The Simple Wild
  • The Blooms that Broke Us
  • Radiance of the Moon
  • The Foxglove King
  • This Could Be Us
  • The Roads We Follow
  • Always Choosing You
  • Betrothal or Breakaway
  • The Rom-Commers

Least favorites this month:

  • A Promise Kept
  • Heart of the Valkyrie
  • On Thin Ice
  • In the Orbit of You
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  • [ARC] A Promise Kept by A.N. Horton
  • [ALC] The Rule Book by Sarah Adams
  • [ARC] The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties (Aunties #3) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
  • Reign of Darkness (The Fallen Kingdoms #2) by K.B. Benson
  • With a Little Luck (Fortuna Beach #2) by Marissa Meyer
  • [ARC] Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus
  • [ARC] The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton
  • The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester
  • An Improper Gentleman (Improper Agreements #2) by Audra Wells
  • Heart of the Valkyrie (The Vinland to Valhalla Saga #1) by Melanie Karsak
  • [ARC] A Feather So Black (Fair Folk #1) by Lyra Selene
  • [ARC] On Thin Ice by Anna Augustine
  • A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
  • [ARC] A Grave Robbery (Veronica Speedwell #9) by Deanna Raybourn
  • Lore of the Wilds (Lore of the Wilds #1) by Analeigh Sbrana
  • The Blood Vier (Blood Vier #1) by Christy R. Harrill
  • When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall #1) by Sarah A. Parker
  • [ALC/ARC] Funny Story by Emily Henry
  • [ARC] Walking on Hidden Wings by Rachel Scott McDaniel
  • All This Twisted Glory (This Woven Kingdom #3) by Tahereh Mafi
  • [ARC] But He’s My Fake Fiancé (But He’s a Carter Brother #3) by Annah Conwell
  • Off the Beaten Path (The Mountains are Calling #1) by Madison Wright
  • Stay with My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan
  • In the Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher
  • [Reread] The Simple Wild (The Simple Wild #1) by K.A. Tucker
  • Queen of Shifting Sands (Instanolde Chronicles #1) by Kaitlyn Carter Brown
  • [ARC] The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
  • The Words We Lost (Fog Harbor #1) by Nicole Deese
  • The Blooms That Broke Us by Ashley Dill
  • Radiance of the Moon by Ashley Worrell
  • The Foxglove King (The Nightshade Crown #1) by Hannah F. Whitten
  • This Could Be Us (Skyland #2) by Kennedy Ryan
  • The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allen
  • [ARC] If the Tide Turns by Rachel Rueckert
  • See Me As I Am by Cheryl Wanner
  • Fall of the Horizon (Dusk and Dawn #1) by Jessica J. Ayala
  • [ARC] The Hemlock Queen (The Nightshade Crown #2) by Hannah F. Whitten
  • [ARC] The Roads We Follow (Fog Harbor #2) by Nicole Deese
  • Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4) by Christopher Paolini
  • Winds of Change (The Descended Trilogy #1) by Bailey Estep
  • [ARC] Always Choosing You (Scoops Series #2) by K. SInko
  • The Tainted Cup (Shadows of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
  • [ARC] Betrothal or Breakaway (D.C. Eagles Hockey #3) by Leah Brunner
  • Divine (House of Oak #2) by Nichole Van
  • [ARC] The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

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ALC Book Review: The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Sports Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Sarah Adams
Publisher: Dell
Release Date: April 2nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

College sweethearts meet again years later, in this highly anticipated romance and companion story to the viral TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet.

Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender who also happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it’s come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent and he’s holding a grudge.

Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved—she won’t quit easily.

Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship be the thing to save their careers?

Thank you to PRHAudio for the free audiobook.

HELD UP.

Honestly y’all. I was nervous about this one. But honestly, I loved it. It had all of the charm and swoon that I love and adore in Sarah Adams books. I laughed out loud multiple times at the well placed jokes and banter between Nora and Derek. The set-up worked really well and I loved seeing both of them pursue their separate passions while finding a way to reconnect.

My tiny quip is that I just didn’t understand the reason for breaking up in the first place. One small conversation could have changed the entire trajectory (which is an issue I often have in second chance romance books and it’s a me thing, BUT STILL).

I loved the forced proximity moments and hot dang Derek has a heated way with words. This is my favorite level of heat and steam and I looooved the combination. The audiobook narrators did an amazing job. I really appreciate with dual POV having two narrators.

And I am OBSESSED with how much we got to see Derek’s friend group (including Nathan!!). I know a lot of focus is usually around great female friendships (which is awesome), I just loved that this one had Derek and his friends as a prominent aspect. I loved how they encouraged and pushed Derek to move forward and make things work with Bree.

Absolutely another hit for Sarah Adams. Her books bring me such joy.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Sports Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: one open door; low explicit
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: The Words We Lost (Fog Harbor #1) by Nicole Deese

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Fiction + Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Nicole Deese
Publisher: Bethany House Fiction
Release Date: April 11th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three friends. Two broken promises. One missing manuscript.

As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony—two elements her current life possesses in spades. In the months following the death of her childhood best friend and international bestselling author Cecelia Campbell, Ingrid has not only lost her ability to escape into fiction due to a rare trauma response, but she’s also desperate to find the closure she’s convinced will come with Cecelia’s missing final manuscript.

After Ingrid jeopardizes her career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But then Joel Campbell—the man who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters—offers her a sealed envelope from his late cousin, Cecelia, asking Joel and Ingrid to put their differences aside and retrieve a mysterious package in their coastal Washington hometown.

Honoring Cecelia’s last request will challenge their convictions and test their loyalties, but through it all, will Ingrid and Joel be brave enough to uncover a twice-in-a-lifetime love?

LOTS OF FEELS.

This was my first book by Nicole Deese and will not be my last! I enjoyed this one a lot and the audiobook was fantastic too.

There were so many good themes and explorations throughout. Grief, forgiveness, losing a loved one, second chance love, gosh it’s all here. I loved the coastal setting and felt transported to all the summer vibes that I didn’t know I needed. The flashback chapters were a nice edition because I loved seeing how close these friends were. I loved the complexity of emotions. The non-linear path that grief creates and to work through those moments.

Woven in were scenes of joy and love and friendship. I loved the balance and the steady pace of the story. It was a beautiful book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a loved one (drowning, cancer), depictions of grief and depression

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