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Book Review: 50 Ways to Win Back Your Lover (Bower Boys #1) by Kelly Siskind

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 331 pages
Author: Kelly Siskind
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: September 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From Kelly Siskind comes a slow-burn romantic comedy about one man’s creative attempt to win back his high school sweetheart after a change in fortune gives them a second chance at love.

Growing up, I had it all—my art, close friends, a gorgeous girlfriend who owned my heart—but then my life exploded.

Turns out my father was laundering money, and my whole family got shoved into witness protection. No notice. No chance to explain. I was ripped away from beautiful, blue-eyed Delilah Moon, shattering both our worlds.

A decade later, fate has given us a second chance.

The cartel my father worked for has been wiped out. I’ve returned to my hometown, determined to win back the love of my life. But Delilah is engaged.

Or…is she?

I’m almost positive she’s lying about her fiancé to protect her heart. Which means I need to up my game.

I’ve made a list of fifty ways to prove we’re meant to be. Except Delilah’s barely looking at me, never mind swooning. I have a feeling my disappearance scarred her more than she’s admitting, and no one in town will tell me what happened…

NOT FOR ME.

The idea was there. I was hopeful, but I just don’t love the way everything shook out in the end.

I LOVE the concept of a MMC only POV. That’s fun, I haven’t read that before. Within all of that was some of this books downfall. It does not work for me to hear over and over “c*ck twitches, bulging pants, etc.”. It feels like unnecessary innuendo that takes me out of the book each and every time. I get the physical attraction aspect, lets add more to the other elements of a relationship too.

The second chance trope worked. I liked the witness protection program back story (once again, haven’t read that before) which made for some interesting angles. I think it would have been cool to have a little more suspense? I guess this was supposed to be wholly romance though so that’s fine.

I liked the audiobook narrator and I did enjoy most aspects of both characters. There is a third act issue that makes me shake my head. Everything was just okay about this (which makes me sad because I LOVED Siskind’s previous series).

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open; high explicit
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: father in prison, witness protection program, mentions of gang violence, recounted near death injury

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Book Review: To Bleed a Crystal Bloom (Crystal Bloom #1) by Sarah A. Parker

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 486 pages
Author: Sarah A. Parker
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 24th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

What a pretty flower to keep locked in a big, rocky tower.

Nineteen years ago, I was plucked from the heart of a bloody massacre that spared nobody else.

Small. Fragile.
An enigma.

Now ward to a powerful High Master who knows too much and says too little, I lead a simple life, never straying from the confines of an imaginary line I’ve drawn around the castle grounds.
Stay within. Never leave.
Out there, the monsters lurk. Inside, I’m safe … though at a cost far greater than the blood I drip into a goblet daily.
Toxic, unreciprocated love for a man who’s utterly unavailable.

My savior. My protector.
My almost executioner.

I can’t help but be enamored with the arcane man who holds the power to pull my roots from the ground.

When voracious beasts spill across the land and threaten to fray the fabric of my tailored existence, the petals of reality will peel back to reveal an ugly truth. But in a castle puddled with secrets, none are greater than the one I’ve kept from myself.

No tower is tall enough to protect me from the horror that tore my life to shreds.

IT KIND OF WORKED FOR ME?

I have felt super conflicted over my thoughts on this one.

One one hand, I really did like this overall. It is dark, it is a bit twisted, but the author did a good job of conveying that and it was written in a way that didn’t bug me too much. I could see great potential for Orlaith’s character development and the whole Rapunzel theme was perfect.

I did think the “heat” scenes in the middle of the book were way out of left field? And forced the steam rather than a natural development. It was kind of weird, I don’t understand why it was there and could have used a whole lot less of it.

The reader is kept in the dark as much as Orlaith and I liked that plot choice. I was kept enough in the loop to keep me going and that was fine with me. I figured more would be explained throughout the series and was getting a big enough taste to want to read those books.

There’s some plot holes involving Orlaith’s drug addiction and other tidbits that I thought were thrown to the side and needed more closure about, small plot things kept jutting out to me that left a little flustered.

But now after seeing some reviews and speaking with friends who’ve read the second book I’ve decided, at this time, not to pick it up. I have some major thoughts on the romance arc (that I won’t go into here because of spoilers) that I would need answered to give the whole series a go.

Overall audience notes:

  • Dark Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: high innuendo; 1-2 open scenes
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: abusive relationship, PTSD, agoraphobia, panic attacks, nightmares/night terrors, self-harm, drug use, drug addiction, blood/gore depiction

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Book Review: Hold Back the River by Ashley Dill

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 385 pages
Author: Ashley Dill
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three lives shattered by trauma. Two fatal decisions. One new beginning.

Returning to his empty childhood home by the river is harder than Patrick Moore expected. His memories of the riverbank were tainted the night he was arrested and his high school sweetheart went missing. After a fourteen year prison sentence, he searches for her, hoping to find companionship and a normal life.

Julia Collins is an adrenaline-junkie with one mission: outrun grief or die trying. After being furloughed for her mental health, she’s forced into sobriety and must navigate life without her poisons of choice — tequila and her job. That’s when she hits it off with the mysterious Patrick at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Fresh hope dawns in her heart, and she wonders if she can thrive despite her secrets and enjoy life again.

But it isn’t long before currents of regret rip them apart.

Can Patrick and Julia outlive the past? Or will they succumb to the river’s fury?

Hold Back the River, a contemporary romance set in Middle Tennessee, is a heart-rending story about how a lonely soul, a guilty conscience, and a broken heart find healing together at the river.

WELL.

I think, unfortunately, this was a little over hyped for me. I very much enjoyed it, but there were some issues too. In the end I do think this was a solid debut and I would absolutely read another book by this author.

I ADORED Patrick. I loved his soft and resilient nature and when offered a second chance, gave it the best chance he could. I loved watching him fall in love, get to connect with those around him and bury the trauma of his past.

Jules, I struggled a little more with. I understood the pain she was going through and I only wish that there had been more focus on her getting the help she needed. It’s a lot more glossed over and I was missing that bit to connect with her arc.

I enjoyed the multiple POV and the heartfelt nature of the story. At times, I didn’t know where the focus was supposed to be, there was a LOT thrown in and some small plot holes popped up as a result, but its a pull at your heartstrings story at its core that I did like.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: drug use, loss of a loved one, giving up a baby for adoption, false imprisonment, child abuse, suicide attempt and ideation

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Book Review: Fates Illuminated (Call of the Norns #1) by Aimee Vance

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Time Travel Romance
Length: 300 pages
Author: Aimee Vance
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 26th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The dawn of Shelbie’s 31st birthday found her melancholy, adrift in a world where she felt bound to be always a side character, never the star of her own story.

All of that changed when she spontaneously booked a trip to Sweden with an itinerary full of hiking and horseback riding – two things that weren’t exactly in her comfort zone.

She expected to see the Northern Lights, nurse sore muscles, and, heaven forbid, pee in the woods. Those things she had time to prepare for, even if none of her preparations went as she had planned.

What she didn’t expect, though, was for her Fate to be tied to a much larger story, one that had unfolded long ago, and would immerse her in a world of people and things she’d only ever read about in novels.

BUT, VIKINGS?

When you think of a Viking book, what comes to mind? I’d say something with intensity, action and passion. I got maybe some passion here and I am missing out on the rest.

There was no conflict? Shelbie shows up at a different time, and every single person she meets is nice. Everyone is ready to help and she frolics around making birthday cakes and watching friendly competitions.

I DID love most of the side characters though. And would love to see more of them. A unique group of people who all were bringing something for the story. Even it wasn’t wholly moving the plot forward.

Romance wise, it’s a bit instant. I wanted more lead-up. Domari and Shelbie did grow on me but I think I’m supposed to feel more invested at this point. The ending left a lot for me to consider and enough so that I do want to give book two a chance. I’m curious how it’s going to go, hopefully well, and I’ll probably be back with another review soon.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple open; low-med explicit
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: small physical altercations

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