Tag: st. martin's press

Book Review: Never Planned on You by Lindsay Hameroff

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Lindsay Hameroff
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: February 18th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A glittering, laugh-out-loud second chance romance that reminds us true love is sometimes the one thing you never planned on.

Ali Rubin has a reputation for spontaneity. Like that time she made a drunken bet in London that led to matching tattoos with a stranger. Her joie de vivre is one of her best qualities; she lives every day to the fullest and follows her dreams wherever they take her. And now, they’re taking her from her career as a chef in New York City back home to Baltimore, where she’s interning as a wedding planner.

Despite the occasional fantasy about her British tattoo twin, Ali never expected to see Graham again. So no one is more surprised than she is when he turns up in Baltimore, ordering a latte at her favorite cafe. When they reconnect during an enchanting evening together, Ali can’t help but wonder if Graham might be someone special.

At the same time, she’s desperate to succeed in her new career and prove that she isn’t the family flake. When she gets a job planning a high profile wedding at a historic hotel, it seems like things are finally falling into place. That is, until Graham turns out to be the groom.

Graham’s family owns the once-grand, now struggling Black-Eyed Susan, and he’s returned to Baltimore to help his grandmother get it back on its feet. He’s certain that hosting a wedding at the hotel is just the publicity boost it needs. Ali’s boss agrees, and promises Ali a full-time gig if the affair goes off without a hitch. Unfortunately, Ali and Graham can’t seem to ignore their rekindled chemistry, especially when it’s revealed that Graham and his fiancée are planning a marriage of convenience. Still, staying away from each other is the best thing they can do, since giving in to their growing feelings might cost them everything.

Because when it comes to love, all bets are off.

Thank you to You Hade Me at HEA for the gifted copy.

I WAS SORT OF CHARMED?

This was my first book by this author and I think I’d pick up another? There were plenty of good and solid moments throughout and I liked a lot of the base themes. There is a glaring issue though.

I don’t think I’d classify this as cheating because the “relationship” Graham was in wasn’t a true romantic situation (which is mentioned in the synopsis), but I do wish there had been less sneaking around and Graham had come clean sooner. It didn’t give it a good forbidden angle, just a frustrating one.

The chemistry between Graham and Ali was great though. I really loved them together and I thought the one night stand trope worked well enough for me (and I usually don’t enjoy that one). The setting was charming with a historic hotel and all of the wedding/event planning. I liked that there were many Graham and Ali proximity moments because I truly got to see their relationship unfold. They played off of each other well.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: mild – moderate
  • Romance: open door

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ARC Book Review: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

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Rating: ★★☆
Audience: Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Ann Liang
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds.
Her beauty hides a deadly purpose.

Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.

Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.

Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL Y’ALL.

I am sitting here to write this review after finishing it the previous day and I still haven’t figured out how I feel about it and what I want to do about it. I DID enjoy the audiobook. If you want to read ASTDR I would definitely recommend that avenue. Loved the narrator, no issues on that front.

My main issue stems from how short this book felt. It is barely over 300 pages and for a standalone fantasy that can be hit or miss. I thought things were moving TOO FAST and I couldn’t keep up with the speed of the timeline. It also made the main romance line feel off-kilter. I would have loved more connection and time between them.

I didn’t mind the plot. It’s one I’ve read before, but do enjoy often. But, as the story went one it took some final turns that have me in a befuddled state. I think it boils down to this not being the style of fantasy romance I personally like.

I’ve enjoyed Ann Liang’s previous books in the YA Contemporary Romance category, and I would still read her next book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical fantasy romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: make-outs; low innuendo
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Content Warnings: weapons violence, poisoning, attempted murder, actual murder, loss of life, war themes

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ALC Book Review: The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Katherine Center
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: June 11th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies—good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates—The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!—it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone—much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script—it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter—even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules—and comes true?

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audiobook and St. Martin’s Press for the ebook.

THIS FILLED MY SOUL.

Audiobook thoughts: The narrator was incredible. I mostly listened to this and I looove the way Patti Murin brought Emma to life. I felt like I was a part of this story in all the best ways. Highly recommend listening to the audiobook!

I needed an automatic win kind of read and I just knew this would deliver, and it did that and so much more. Gosh I loved this book. It speaks to the soul of every lover of romance everywhere. The themes are woven in with care and love and EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK OKAY?

I adored Emma and Charlie. From the moment they met you could see the connection between them. I looooved the banter and humor. I laughed so many times and could not stop smiling. Even had some teary eyed moments because the story was as deep as it was light. The perfect combination of both was balanced throughout this book.

You know a romance is good when you love BOTH characters. And while there’s a good moment or two where you want to shake some one, it doesn’t matter because every thing felt authentic. The build up of decision making and past issues made the entire book feel real and a true nod to taking the lemons life gives you and squeezing out whatever lemonade you can.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of divorce, mentions of cancer, loss of a parent (recounted)

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ARC Book Review: The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

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Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Katherine Center
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: July 19th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She’s got his back.
Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindgerten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka “bodyguard”), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.

He’s got her heart.
Jack Stapleton’s a household name—captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid.

They’ve got a secret.
When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it.

What could possibly go wrong???
Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

LOVED THIS.

I love this author!! Another fantastic romance filled with heart, growth, and swoon heroes. I always look forward to Center’s books and this was no different. I adored the unique plot set-up and all that unfolded. A bodyguard and an actor?! Yes please.

I found myself laughing out loud so much. There’s something to the perfect dose of snark Hannah provides at key moments in her journey. She’s grappling with a lot and the touches of humor fit in well. I liked that alongside the laughter were deep conversations too. Handling the loss of a family member, substance abuse and more. This keeps the romance in the spotlight, but tackles other things life may hold too.

Hannah and Jack were SO SWEET. This was a slow burn romance with just a dash of forbidden. I loved the build and hope these two had. A beautiful friendship blossomed before deeper feelings were acknowledged and I loved all of the quiet moments between them!!!

A few of the small side plots seemed a bit random? Like the ex-boyfriend drama. It felt necessary for Hannah’s story originally, yet when it started popping up in other places I thought it was superfluous.

Besides that tiny tidbit, GREAT READ. Loved it. Can’t wait for more.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: mild
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, gun violence, mother with cancer, loss of a mom due to substance abuse, car wreck, substance abuse (specifically alcohol), suicide ideation (and near attempt), physical altercations

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