Tag: small town romance

ARC Book Review: The Wild Card (Sheet Cake #4) by Emma St. Clair

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 353 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair
Publisher: Self Publishing
Release Date: November 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Is twenty-three too old for running away? I sure hope not. Because, right now, that’s my current and only life plan.

Desperate to escape the dome of control my father has dropped over my life, I visit my brother in Texas–with no plans to use my return ticket home.

But after spending every cent of my savings to pay off my student loans, I need a job. Stat. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to ask my brother for help and admit how bad things have gotten at home.

So, when the production company I’m interviewing with in Sheet Cake, Texas wants proof that I’ve got long-term roots here, I invent a fake local boyfriend.

Which would have been fine had they not asked to meet him. Today.

I do what any woman in a desperate situation would I grab a man who’s giving off boyfriend vibes and ask to borrow him for an hour.

Too bad I didn’t recognize that man as Collin Graham, who just so happens to be the brother of my brother’s wife. (Confusing, I know–but the important part is that we are NOT related.)

When I finally realize who he is, two things are very he knew it was me the whole time, and this fake boyfriend thing is going to be a lot more complicated now that I actually got the job.

On the plus side, fake dating serves Collin’s purposes as well. We’re both a little lost, both deep in life transition–and apparently both struggling with the fake part of the relationship.

I hadn’t planned on coming to Texas and falling in love, especially not when the name of the game is playing pretend. But would dating Collin for real be such a bad thing?

That depends–on how long it takes the reasons we started faking to begin with finally catch up to us both.

The Wild Card is a fake dating (and fake fake dating) closed door romantic comedy with all the sizzle but none of the spice. Set in the fictional town of Sheet Cake, Texas, this rom-comcan be read as a standalone but pairs best with the other books in the series.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

GOOD TO BE BACK.

I’ve been waiting for this book for a long time and it was worth the wait y’all. I loved being back in Sheet Cake, and I loved seeing all of my favorite characters again. This is easily one of my favorite fictional small towns and I will come back again and again.

I loved this book was soft. It’s low angst but high in the tender and loving moments. Feeling seen and learning to trust and being open to communicate. I love the realistic and romantic nature of Collin and Molly’s relationship.

There’s the usual small town shenanigans and chaos. I love the text threads and family interactions, all of the fake dating schemes and how you know from the start nothing is fake. I’m so happy Collin got his love story!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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ARC Book Review: Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Tarah DeWitt
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: May 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An emotional, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Tarah DeWitt.

This time, they’ll get it right.

Wren and Ellis Byrd fell in love as kids, had their son Sam when they were only teenagers, and built a life together in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon. They were made for one another…until they fell apart.

Now divorced and in their 30s, Wren runs the bakery in town, while Ellis works as a firefighter. They live separate lives, though they are hardly off each other’s minds.

When Sam gets accepted into college and the pair help him move in together, Ellis convinces Wren to take an extended road trip back to Spunes with him to see if they can give their relationship one last chance. Amid the gorgeous scenery of the California coastline, dreamy destinations, and a great deal of long-yearned-for proximity, Wren starts to think it just might be possible. But the two still have to contend with their tumultuous past in order to move forward. And when spoken words fail, sometimes the written word must bridge the gap.
Will they make the most of what’s left of forever? Or will they let each other go for good?

Brimming with big feelings and packed with steam, Left of Forever is bestseller Tarah DeWitt at the top of her game.

Thank you You Had Me At HEA for the gifted copy.

THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT.

Lately I have felt the contemporaries I have picked up that are supposed to be ROMANCES aren’t actually all that romantic, and then I picked up Left of Forever and lost my absolute mind over how incredible this book is. It soothed something in my soul. It made me want to glue myself to my husband and it made me weep (if you’ve read that last paragraph YOU KNOWWWWW).

I loved how hard Ellis and Wren fought for each other. The circumstances surrounding their divorce made sense and wasn’t a mishap of anything that made me want to throw my book. Life really hits hard sometimes and things break apart. BUT THEY ALSO CAN BE HEALED TOO. This romance was everything. I loved how raw and open these characters became as they had to acknowledge the hurt and work towards better communication and that forever you could see they both desperately wanted.

I can’t tell you how many times I highlighted and tabbed my copy. There were many poignant moments, there was laughter too, and even those scenes where you could feel every word deeply. Hands down going to be one of the best romances I read in 2025.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 5+ open door
  • Content warnings: ectopic pregnancy (off page), conversations around infertility

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ARC Book Review: Love Bites (Timber Creek #2) by Aimee Vance and B. Perkins

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Paranormal Romance
Length: 420 pages
Author: Aimee Vance and B. Perkins
Publisher: Revel Books
Release Date: March 21st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He needs a wolf, she needs an adventure

Max
For a century, I’ve worked alone as the Dark Angel to keep the supernatural community safe and hidden, taking on the gruesome jobs nobody else wants. There aren’t trophies for my line of work, but I know I’m damn good at it — no team, no family, no ties to hold me back.

When a trail of bodies shows up on the human news with suspicious fang marks, it’s my time to shine. Right up until I learn my only hope of tracking down the vampires at fault is to team up with a superwolf. Problem is, I trust no one, especially not the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen who sniffs out my biggest secret as easily as breathing.

Summer
From the outside, my life seems great — I own the bakery-bookstore of my dreams, I have a comfortable position in my wolf shifter pack, my family is amazing, and I live in a picture-perfect small town. But I still have this simmering wanderlust in me, this desperate desire to upend it all for an adventure.

When the Dark Angel himself, Max Russo, walks into my store with a thrilling proposition to hunt down dangerous vampires across the world, I can’t pack fast enough – especially now I know his secrets.

One, supernatural bad boy Max just might have a heart under those black, shiny wings.
Two, he needs a friend as much as I need a croissant in Paris.
And three, he’s not just an angel.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

Y’ALL KNOW I LOVE MOC.

I had to have my hands on this book and it was really good! My favorite aspect was easily the found family and sibling relationships. I adore Summer’s family so much!! The text banter, the protection and loyalty, they make this book sing. I can never get enough of them. It just makes me all the more excited for this series to continue.

Max and Summer were a delight. I did love the chemistry between them, I would have just loved a little more actual conversation. It was very physically forward and that’s not my cup of tea. When they had those soft conversation moments and the flitted about while traveling? THOSE were the key romantic scenes for me.

I love that this series has suspense elements too. The bit of action was precisely what the plot needed (and hello, was anyone else emotional over Malachi’s backstory???). I liked seeing more of the vampire world and the secrets behind them.

The ending was abrupt and I wanted a bit more closure and conversation to wrap everything up. I’m hopeful we’ll get to see a little bit of that in future books.

Overall audience notes:

  • Paranormal romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4+ open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: kidnapping, attempted murder, weapons and physical violence, murder

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Book Review: Love Redesigned (Lakefront Billionaires #1) by Lauren Asher

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 530 pages
Author: Lauren Asher
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Julian
If I ever caught on fire, Dahlia Muñoz would fan the flames with a smile.
So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid the interior designer.
At least until my meddling mother exploits my savior complex.
The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town.
But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue.
What happens if I want her to stay?

Dahlia
People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one.
Julian Lopez—my childhood rival and family frenemy.
I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer.
Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits.
Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years’ worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions.
Giving into our desire is inevitable…but falling in love?
That isn’t part of the plan.

Love Redesigned is a steamy, small town romance about two family friends-turned-childhood rivals. It is the first book in the standalone Lakefront Billionaires series and has a happy ending.

LACKED PASSION.

I don’t know y’all, this one felt…formulaic? As if a trope was chosen, a scene was written, repeat and smashed together to be called one book. While I totally love some of those tropes and the scenes were pretty good with them, I feel like I never FELT for these two like I wanted to.

There’s some enemies-ish banter and I loved the small home town setting. I liked the cast of characters and goodness, I really did love Julian. For a 500+ page book this was easy to fly through.

I’m also not a fan of any kind of benefits situation. It feels like a device used just to add more spice when the relationship hasn’t been fully built quite yet. Nor do I feel like some aspects were dived deep enough into. Bleh, a mixed bag all around.

While this wasn’t a winner, I’m hopeful for book two.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4+ open
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a parent (recounted), grief and depression depiction

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