Tag: spicy romance

ALC Book Review: Jilted by Vi Keeland

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 266 pages
Author: Vi Keeland
Publisher: Bramble
Release Date: May 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From #1 New York Times bestseller Vi Keeland comes a brand new slow burn, swooning romance where 27 Dresses meets The Hating Game.

Weddings. I spend every working minute talking and writing about them, when just the thought of one makes me want to scream. After my fiancé abandoned me at the altar last year, my dream job at Bride magazine has turned into a reoccurring nightmare.

To add insult to injury, the bridezilla at my latest assignment, somehow roped me into filling in for a missing bridesmaid. Of course, I had to get paired with the most gorgeous groomsman. Wilder Hayes is perfect—except when he opens his mouth and we end up bickering all evening. That is, until the coat closet incident.

At least I’ll never have to see him again. Or so I think… Until I walk into work on Monday and find out Wilder isn’t just a jerk, he’s also my boss’s son. And I’ll be spending the rest of the season working with him at every single wedding I cover this year.

Can the jilted bride and the man who is afraid of love find a way to heal each other?

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

THAT’S A NO FOR ME.

I had been warned before listening to this that it might not work for me. I went in level headed and admittedly did like it for the first 50%ish. The bones of the plot were good. The MMC was a rugby player and uber charming. I didn’t mind the FMC, all is hunky-dory.

But after the halfway mark things went downhill. So much so that I’m quite confident this is the only book I will read from this author. I’m good with that. I didn’t like the heaviness of the spice and the third act??? NOPE. One of my most frustrating tropes.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 4+ open door; high explicit
  • Content warnings: cheating (not the main characters), Parkinson’s disease, loss of a parent (recounted)

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Book Review: Sweet Wicked Vows (A Wicked Dade Book #1) by Rachel Donnan

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 347 pages
Author: Rachel Donnan
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 28th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

JAXON
Revenge doesn’t have an expiry date.
So when my brother hands me the chance to get it, I jump.
It doesn’t matter that it involves marrying my main competitor and enemy’s daughter.
All I have to do is focus on the task at hand and not on the redhead who makes me question everything, including my own heart.

EVELYN
My whole world is being turned upside down.
Broken-hearted and thrust into becoming CEO of my dad’s company, I make a deal with the Dade devils.
Marriage for one year. Simple.
Except everything I start to feel for Jaxon is anything but simple.
No matter how much I crave him, falling in love with my temporary husband isn’t an option, right?

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.

Okay so, I picked this book based off of seeing it recommend on a Thread I wrote. It just called to me. And at the time of me writing this review, it has less than 40 reviews on Goodreads. I took a shot in the dark, and I am here to say, I enjoyed this book.

The marriage of convenience trope CALLED to me. And I answered. I thought it was a clever plot with the feuding jewelry stores and I did like both characters. There was some good and feisty banter. I love a man who speaks a different language and I thought the romance showed a lot of potential.

What was missing for me was a fleshing out of all aspects of the plot and romance. Since I’ve read 1,000+ romance books I felt like my mind filled in the blanks because I knew where things were going. I do wish that we had some more background on the feud, the characters, just all of the little pieces put together.

Will I read the next book? Maybe. I think the spice was a bit out of my wheelhouse preference level (but if you like more spicy things, I would say try this!!). I’m not mad I took a chance on reading this though. It brought me out of a slump I was mulling me way through.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: multiple open door; fade to black
  • Violence: mild
  • Content Warnings: loss of a parent (recounted), loss of a parent (on page)

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Book Review: The Mist Thief (The Ever Seas #3) by L.J. Andrews

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 454 pages
Author: L.J. Andrews
Publisher: Victorious
Release Date: June 30th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

he tried to kill him, so he made her his wife.

Skadi first met her husband-to-be with blades in hand on the opposite side of a battle. She lost, and he claimed his prize.

To her horror, the king of the shadow elven agrees to marry her off to Jonas, a prince in the fae realms, as a way to unite their kingdoms against a shared enemy—the light elves. Skadi knows the marriage is nothing but a political game. Feelings won’t come into play.

Except her new husband makes not falling in love . . . challenging.

When new threats arise, Skadi must decide to either love her enemy, or keep him alive by betraying him to another.

Welcome to another installment in the Ever Seas world where pirates, fae, and elves collide with Vikings in a dark fantasy romance between a morally gray cinnamon roll and the broken princess who steals his heart.

*This book is a standalone with a guaranteed HEA, and can be read before The Ever King/Queen, but to see the full impact of their story, it’s recommended to read that duet first. This series is set in the same world as the bestselling Broken Kingdoms series, but can be read independently, and readers are encouraged to read the list of triggers inside.*

LOVELY STANDALONE.

I loved loved loved being back in this world. It hit that fantasy romance craving I am always in search of and it was MARRAIGE OF CONVENIENCE. How was I supposed to resist???

I loved Skadi and Jonas. I love seeing a man fall hard and do whatever he can to make Skadi feel comfortable and safe with him and his family.

Jonas stilled for a breath, then leaned forward, drawing his cheek alongside mine. “Be kind, be gentle, and be monstrous. I will want you every way.”

This line was used a few times throughout and I was OBSESSED every time I read it. Who doesn’t want to be loved this way? Through the darkness and the light. It resonated deeply and made this passionate book all the more.

The physicality of the relationship started to outweigh the plot in the second half. And that did bug me enough to notice and mark it. Otherwise I don’t have any issues. The plot is slower and heavily romance focused rather than the larger plot. It has the edge of feeling cozy while still dark and gritty. I can’t wait for more books with future couples!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: high
  • Romance: 4+ open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: self harm (recounted), murder, assault, kidnapping, torture, mentions of emotional and mental abuse

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Book Review: Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Sarah Adler
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 23rd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love.

Millicent Watts-Cohen is on a mission. When she promised her elderly best friend that she’d reunite her with the woman she fell in love with nearly eighty years ago, she never imagined that would mean traveling from D.C. to Key West with three tablespoons of Mrs. Nash’s remains in her backpack. But Millie’s determined to give her friend a symbolic happily-ever-after, before it’s (really) too late—and hopefully reassure herself of love’s lasting power in the process.

She just didn’t expect to have a living travel companion.

After a computer glitch grounds flights, Millie is forced to catch a ride with Hollis Hollenbeck, an also-stranded acquaintance from her ex’s MFA program. Hollis certainly does not believe in happily-ever-afters—symbolic or otherwise—and makes it quite clear that he can’t fathom Millie’s plan ending well for anyone.

But as they contend with peculiar bed-and-breakfasts, unusual small-town festivals, and deer with a death wish, Millie begins to suspect that her reluctant travel partner might enjoy her company more than he lets on. Because for someone who supposedly doesn’t share her views on romance, Hollis sure is becoming invested in the success of their journey. And the closer they get to their destination, the more Millie has to admit that maybe this trip isn’t just about Mrs. Nash’s love story after all—maybe it’s also about her own.

THIS WAS SO GOOD.

I didn’t really have plans to pick this up and a friend’s raving review convinced me to give it a go. AND I LOVED IT. I’m so happy I read it!

THE EMOTIONS. I felt them all throughout. The flashback chapters hurt my heart and when a reveal happened that I wasn’t expecting I was almost in tears. The writing just brought out all of the feels.

The romantic banter was amazing. I was laughing and swooning Hollis and Millie. They really had this enigmatic chemistry and the road trip antics were well placed. I’m not usually a road trip fan, but I love the way this story worked in its favor. I do think the physicality of their relationship surpassed what I love seeing, that’s a me thing though.

It’s a wonderful audio book. A deeply heartfelt story and I was in love from all sides.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 3-4 open door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a loved one

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