Tag: gracie ruth mitchell

ARC Book Review: Beauty and the Beach (Falling for Summer) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 305 pages
Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 17th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Phoenix Park is the man I fantasize about…hitting with my car, that is.
He’s rich. He’s sexy. He’s the absolute worst. But after I fall prey to an internet scam and lose every last penny in my account (please don’t ask), it’s Phoenix who swoops in with an offer I can’t refuse. I’ll marry him for the summer so he can inherit the family company from his dying grandmother, and in return, he’ll drop a hefty sum of money into my bank account.

Buy me a pair of sweatpants with GOLD DIGGER across the butt, because I’m just desperate enough to agree.

Our arrangement is only supposed to be for a few months, until Phoenix’s poor grandmother passes. I can pretend for that long. I can stop insulting him long enough to force a few smiles and some lovey-dovey glances. But with every touch we share, with every kiss we fake, I find the walls around my heart beginning to crack–letting in feelings I’m not prepared for.

And when Phoenix’s grandmother makes a miraculous recovery, leaving us stuck indefinitely in this charade of holy matrimony? That’s when I know I’m really in trouble.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.

If you need a book that feels like summer, this brought those vibes and the atmosphere I have been craving. This is a GEM. READ IT OKAY.

I have a hard time finding true enemies to lovers in contemporary books. And this DELIVERED. I was obsessed with the snark and banter and all of the nicknames had me hollering. There was this sense that you just KNEW they already loved each other, and getting to see the process of the forced proximity break down those barriers was everything.

There are so many scenes I want to shout about but I also need you to go in blind and trust the moments, because they are MOMENTS. I HAVE NOT RECOVERED FROM THAT HUG SCENE. AND I PROBABLY WON’T. Not to mention the kissing scenes lit my kindle on fire.

I liked the level of chaos that was added from Phoenix’s family. I loved the positive therapy rep. I am obsessed with the chemistry between the MC’s (and it’s dual POV too!!). Everything, I loved everything about this book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: an emotionally manipulative grandmother, losing a brother in a car accident

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Wish You Weren’t Here by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Magical Realism Romance
Length: 348 pages
Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 13th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Clementine has accidentally freed a British genie from his ancient British teapot, and she’s not thrilled about it.

However, appalled by his living conditions—and grudgingly impressed by his jawline—she vows to set him free. But before he can join the human world, the genie must prove he can live like a human—and he must do it in one month, or he’ll fade away for good. As Clementine and the genie embark on a series of How to be Human lessons, and as they pretend to date in order to discourage the men trying to woo her thanks to a wish gone wrong, the two of them discover that being human is more complex than they expected—and that love can be found between the unlikeliest of pairs.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SO CLEVER.

I absolutely loved this whole entire concept. It was insanely clever and I was busting up laughing within the first few chapters. The dry wit and humor was played well.

I really adored Clementine. The anxiety rep was great and I felt connected to the ups and downs and feeling “boring” and finding where you want to be. Wow did that hit home on many levels of my soul.

The romance with Alaric was sweet. It’s the best kind of slow burn. I was looking for a little bit *more* in the first half, but I adored the way things progressed in the second half. And I found the ending to have a lot of great themes and endearing moments to both characters and what they wanted out of life and how they found a way to do that together.

There’s some cute small town antics and I loved the little oceanside area. This was another wonderful book by Mitchell and I am just easily charmed by the sweetness with a touch of magic her books provide.

Overall audience notes:

  • Magical Realism Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Heidi Lucy Loses Her Mind (Happily Ever Homicide #2) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 338 pages
Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: October 5th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Heidi Lucy has a secret—a big one. A scary, dangerous, ugly one.

There’s just one problem: thanks to a mysterious head wound, she can’t seem to remember what that secret is.

In order to regain her lost memories, Heidi sets out to retrace her steps—followed grudgingly by Soren, a faithful patron of her little bookshop and the less-than-thrilled recipient of the cryptic voicemail she can’t remember leaving. But her journey gets derailed when one of Heidi’s customers drops dead in the middle of her shop, and it isn’t long before both Heidi and Soren come under suspicion. Something fishy is going on in Sunshine Springs, and if they want to find the truth, they’re going to have to hunt for it themselves.

Who killed the woman in Heidi’s bookshop? What secret has Heidi forgotten? And, maybe the most crucial question of all: Who gave Soren permission to look so good in a man bun?

Heidi Lucy Loses Her Mind is the second in a series of interconnected standalones involving swoony romance, wacky comedy, and dead bodies turning up in the most unlikely of places.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SUNSHINE.

It’s my favorite micro trope ever: when the MMC is GONE for the FMC. It never gets old and automatically has me kicking my feet in the air waiting to watch the love story play out. And this one DELIVERED.

I love the combination of murder mystery and romance. It just works. Gracie Ruth Mitchell does an incredible job of balancing all of the swoon while moving the plot along and wondering whodunnit. I ADORED Soren (are we surprised?) and was ecstatic to get his POV alongside Heidi’s. I also thought Heidi was great. She’s quirky and goes after what she wants and I loved watching her let Soren in.

There’s lots of really great themes throughout too that made me want to hug multiple characters. I loved the bookish vibes and the small town setting. And every time Soren spoke I’m pretty sure I melted into the floor. This book is sweet and I loved it.

A fantastic story, one I devoured in practically a day. The books in this series can be read as a standalone too!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low-moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Juniper Bean Resorts to Murder by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance + Mystery
Length: 368 pages
Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 31st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Juniper Bean has big plans for her writing career. Swoony kisses, sigh-inducing happily ever afters—she’s going to write them all.

There’s just one problem: she can’t seem to stop killing off her main characters.

After accepting that a genre change is in order, Juniper sets out to do some research. What’s the best way to carry a dead body? How exactly does one pick a lock? Juniper is going to find out—with the unwilling help of her new roommate, Aiden.

But Juniper’s plans go haywire when she stumbles across an actual, real-life dead body—and before she knows it, she and Aiden are thrust into the middle of a murder mystery that seems suspiciously tied to Juniper’s past.

Who killed the girl in the woods? Can Juniper ever get the hang of mystery writing? And, perhaps the biggest question of all: Why the heck does Aiden look so good in a tweed jacket?

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

WHAT A COMBINATION.

I increasingly became obsessed with this story the more I read. It was a beautiful combination of romance, mystery, vulnerability and humor. My new favorite book by Gracie Ruth Mitchell.

This romance was off the charts tender. With a dash of second chance and a feeling of fate playing a role, Juniper and Aiden found each other [again]. I loved the way they bounced off of each other and how you could really see the growth in their bond as they worked together to solve a murder mystery. There were incredibly vulnerable moments from both Aiden and Juniper about how they perceive themselves and things they knew they needed to work on and it had me all misty-eyed at the end. I felt all the feels.

The mystery played out well!! It was woven in behind the romance (without overshadowing) and I was still very much intensely involved in solving the crimes. Those more intense ending scenes were exactly what I was hoping for and all of the grand reveals simultaneously broke my heart and gave me relief for the characters involved.

A really great read. I could keep gushing about all of the tiny moments I absolutely adored that came together to make this book huggable. I know this was a mix-up in what GRM usually writes and she NAILED IT.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance + Mystery
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, knife violence, alludes to sexual assault and rape (of a side character), loss of a mother, lack of food resources

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph