Tag: new adult romance

ARC Book Review: Student Union (The Undergrads #1) by Julie Murphy

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: New Adult Romance
Length: 294 pages
Author: Julie Murphy
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: May 5th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From #1 New York Times–bestselling author Julie Murphy comes a sexy rom com about a college marriage of convenience that goes way beyond chemistry 101…The first in a trilogy of romance novels that follows a group of girls as they navigate love, friendship, and new adulthood, this is perfect for fans of Elle Kennedy and Hannah Grace.

CLOVER ROWAN WALSH knows The Plan™.
1. Get a full ride to her dream school, Wexley University.
2. Conquer the school of business.
3. Say goodbye to the paycheck-to-paycheck life she and her mom have known for years.

There’s just one hiccup. With the first semester rapidly approaching, Clover learns her housing grant has fallen through. But a loophole presents Married couples can live in the dorms for the price of one student. Clover is willing to sacrifice the sanctity of marriage . . . even if it means proposing to the one person she swore she’d never speak to again.

Bennett Andrew Graves is the only heir to the Graves Coffee empire. After spending his first year at Wexley, squeaking by in classes and becoming personally acquainted with the female student body, he is looking forward to living off campus. Until the girl he grew up with (and whom he completely devastated years ago) walks back into his life with the most absurd Will you marry me?

Bennett can’t refuse Clover. He owes her this, but that doesn’t change the fact that these two can barely carry on a conversation without getting at each other’s throats. Forget about sharing a dorm—much less one bed.

But as Clover and Bennett hide the true nature of their marriage, they find that playing house isn’t all that bad—especially with certain marital benefits in the mix. In fact, Clover and Bennett are soon forgetting the most important part of their fake marriage of convenience . . . that it’s supposed to be fake.

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted ARC and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook.

NOT QUITE FOR ME.

Y’all know I basically jump at any book that has marriage of convenience as one of the leading tropes because I love that stuff. And I’m aware that MOC is usually a suspension of belief but this one felt even more of a stretch than usual. With everything happening so fast in the first chapter I had no moment to catch up and get on board.

I didn’t mind the romance between Clover and Bennett. There were many good moments (not the make-out when only she was drunk). I liked that Bennett took care of her and was genuinely trying to make amends for a mistake in high school. I do love a protective scene and this one had a few.

The college atmosphere was a bit over the top in the lust and d*ck joke department. While I get it, it also didn’t serve the book well and I don’t think needed to be added as heavily as it was. I mean, the second half felt like mostly spice and the book is less than 300 pages?? The slow burn had been so good too!!

I’m not sure I’ll read the next couple in the series. I’ll think about it, but if it follows a lot of these same lines I might not be charmed.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4ish open door; high innuendo
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: attempted assault, catfishing (recounted), bullying

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ARC Book Review: Magic at Midnight by Courtney Millecam

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Rating: ★★★★.5
Audience: Historical Fantasy + Romance
Length: 444 pages
Author: Courtney Millecam
Publisher: Laurel Ink Press
Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

All magic comes with a price…

Gemma Spencer lives in a cruel twist of fate: she has access to everyone’s memories but her own. With no recollection of her past, Gemma survives as a con artist on a small island where magic hums beneath the surface of daily life.

When a tourist arrives with a newspaper article about a missing girl who looks eerily similar to Gemma, she realizes the truth about her identity lies in the glittering city of Linness—where the mystical is outlawed and gangsters rule the streets. But magic can still be found…if you know where to look.

While there, Gemma meets Hendrik, an investigator, who offers Gemma a dangerous bargain: impersonate the missing girl and go undercover inside the infamous Copperleaf Club. It’s the big break Hendrick needs to solve his father’s murder. For Gemma, it might be the only way to find answers about her past.

The deeper Gemma and Hendrik get inside the world of illegal magic and rival magicians, the more their fragile alliance—and growing feelings—begin to unravel. And as Gemma gets closer to the truth, she suspects her own memory was taken from her for a reason.

And remembering could be deadly.

For readers of Six of Crows and Stalking Jack the Ripper— this gaslamp romantic fantasy is perfect for fans of forbidden magic, reluctant allies with hidden motives, and a high-stakes deception where love may be the biggest gamble of all. This book includes a no-spice romance, but the gritty world and darker themes make it suitable for older YA audiences and above.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SUPERB STANDALONE.

Courtney has done it again! What a fabulous book y’all. Good closed door fantasy standalones feel like finding a needle in a haystack. This is the needle!! Go read it!!

I loved the world and setting. The gas lamp vibes with the air of historical atmosphere worked incredibly well. I liked the way magic used and the interesting landscape it created.

And the characters were amazing. I loved the portrayal of friendships and the soft found family aspects. I especially liked Gemma’s character arc and seeing how she grew from start to finish. The romance is more in the background but still present enough to be enjoyed. Gemma and Hendrik are reluctant allies that push each other’s buttons in all the best ways.`

Everything came together well and I think all the necessary plot points were satisfied. The hidden motives and deceptions will keep you turning pages.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Historical Fantasy Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: murder, loss of a parent

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ARC Book Review: Storm Breaker (Storm Breaker #1) by Nisha J. Tuli

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: NA Dystopian Fantasy Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Nisha J. Tuli
Publisher: Entangled: Mayhem Books
Release Date: May 5th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the publisher who brought you Fourth Wing comes your next romantasy obsession…

For nineteen-year-old Poet Graves, New Manhattan has always promised safety―if she obeys. Raised within the ruling Houses and betrothed to a powerful heir, she enters Amery Academy knowing her future has already been decided.

But Amery is nothing like she imagined. Its trials are brutal, its loyalties conditional, and its rules designed to expose weakness. As Poet struggles to survive, she must hide the truth that could get her executed: the storms don’t fear her―they answer back.

When a dangerous outsider from beyond the city walls enters the academy, Poet is drawn to him despite everything she’s been taught to believe. He threatens the life she’s been promised. And choosing him could cost her not just her future, but her freedom.

A gripping dystopian romance filled with forbidden power, ruthless challenges, and a heroine who refuses to burn quietly―perfect for fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games.

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted ARC.

IT WAS ALRIGHT.

I wasn’t initially planning to read this but when a book shows up on your doorstep you take a chance! I did like this more than Trial of the Sun Queen. But overall my vibe here was…predictable. From the first few chapters I could map the whole book and I wish it had brought something more to the story to overlook that fact.

I didn’t mind the FMC, Poet. She goes through a coming of age that works for the story. I think her arc had a good start and I that will only grow in the sequel.

The romance was fine. I would have a few more quiet moments. I think some of the pacing or scene line ups didn’t flow well and that’s my hold up. Even though I knew where it was going I still liked the ending because it led to an opening I wanted to see.

This book luckily didn’t become a hate read, it was just missing that element that feels engaging and like I HAVE to keep reading to know what happens next. I’m at least interested to hear about the next book.

Note, I don’t consider this YA, more NA.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Dystopian Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 1-2ish low explicit open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: loss of life, weapons violence, assault, near death experiences

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Book Review: Nightshade (Sorrowsong University #1) by Autumn Woods

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: New Adult Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Autumn Woods
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 24th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When Ophelia Winters accepts a scholarship at a prestigious Scottish university to prove that her parents’ death was the fault of Cain Green, an American aviation tycoon, her plan is simple; keep her grades up and her head down. The last thing she wants is to wind up in a mafia war or step on the toes of royalty.

Her plan gets off to a rocky start when the mysterious man that almost kills her on her first day turns out to be Cain’s eldest son. As far as she’s concerned, Alex Corbeau-Green is a younger version of his billionaire father. A monster hiding beneath a beautiful facade.

Loneliness has been Ophelia’s only dependable companion for years, but when anonymous threats and mysterious occurrences start to haunt her time at Sorrowsong, she wonders if she really can survive there on her own.

Between being paired together for a project and ending up as each other’s alibi for a murder, avoiding Alex becomes increasingly impossible. She begins to fall for the soft heart that hides beneath his hard exterior.

Tormented by a malicious stalker and growing closer to Alex, Ophelia’s desperation for revenge wavers for the first time. Can she really bring herself to pull the trigger on Cain now that she knows the family it’ll split into two?
__________

Dark Academic Romance – Enemies to Lovers – Slow Burn – University Setting

This work is dark in places and contains several triggers throughout. Please heed the warnings before reading.

I THINK I LIKED THIS?

I’ve decided that I will continue with this duet. It’s got the dark vibe I love and things started to grow on me in the second half. It kind of has Maxton Hall vibes? But with a much darker angle. Did anyone watch My Fault: London? Kind of on that wavelength.

This had a dark academia mood that I thought was balanced well with the characters. I loved the brewing found family and getting the backgrounds on many of the students.

Ophelia and Alex had a good connection and I thought the banter worked well between them. I wish there would have been more of them in the first half. I loved how many interactions they had in the second half of the story. THOUGH, the ending made me a bit cranky, but I can’t explain it without spoilers so it is what it is.

I feel like reading the next book? It was different than the usual rom-coms I read so it was nice to mix it up. I have many questions and want to see the fallout from the ending.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: open door, low explicit; innuendo
  • Violence: moderate – high
  • Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, loss of parents (recounted), declining mental health of a parent, anxiety, drowning

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