ARC Book Review: Kissing for Keeps (Sheppard’s in Love #1) by Martha Keyes

April 6, 2023April 6, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Martha Keyes
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 6th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

History has a way of repeating itself…

SIENA
Coming on the heels of a big, fat failure at work, my best friend Madi’s glamorous French wedding is the perfect opportunity to prove I can do some things well—even if it kills me, which is looking like a distinct possibility. Maid of honor duties are no joke. And while I could honestly use an extra hand or ten, I have to refuse the offer of help from Madi’s flirt of a brother, Jack. Nothing would spoil the beautiful wedding festivities faster than her finding out about that thing that happened between Jack and me that one time…

Not that there’s any danger of it happening again. It was so long ago, I’ve forgotten everything about it, down to the brand of his cologne. Aqua Di Gio is so utterly predictable.

JACK
I admit, I haven’t been the best brother to Madi. Okay, slight understatement—a history of dating her friends and ruining those friendships has landed me squarely in her black books.

But my offer to help Siena isn’t some underhanded scheme to hurt Madi a third time. I genuinely want to be a better brother. And as for teasing Siena in the meantime? That’s just standard procedure for me.

Because everything is totally normal here. Nothing to see, folks.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

LOVED FROM START TO FINISH.

Oh this book was everything I needed!! I loved it so much and am so excited for Martha Keyes to be writing contemporary romances now too. I’ve always enjoyed her historicals, and now I can love on these sweet romances too.

I adored Jack. Oh my goodness, what a cinnamon roll who threw perfectly placed banter. Continually took care of Sienna and tried to make amends for his past. I love a character who can acknowledge mistakes and look towards change and growth. Sienna was lovely too. I FELT her need to make sure everything was perfect for Madi’s wedding and I liked how this pressure helped her reevaluate a lot in her life too. Jack and Sienna were clearly a match from the start and I looooved all of the forced proximity moments we got between them. Also, I need strawberries ASAP.

The setting was beautiful. In France at a château? SIGN ME UP. It was romantic and brought about a fantastic kissing scene, just the right amount of jealousy from Jack and plenty of time to explore the countryside and local town. I could not put this down and look forward to getting even more stories in this world!!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a father (past, mentioned)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Luck of Finding You (The Nelson Sisters #1) by Taylor Epperson

March 28, 2023September 7, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 280 pages
Author: Taylor Epperson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 23rd, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Can you fall in love with the same person twice?

Exactly five years, five months, and three days ago I spent a single afternoon with a guy, Noah, and promptly fell in love with him. Then he left without leaving a number or his last name.

Now he’s standing above me in the same tiny cafe we met all those years ago. And he’s a grown man with an easy smile that’s making me feel eighteen again. But I don’t fall in love, not anymore.

Which is why I make this promise to myself. I will not fall in love with Noah. Again. Even if I do have to work with him every day for the next year in his Grandma’s book store, thanks to her will.

And I will not fall in love with Mo, my online best friend who’s suggesting that we finally meet in person after two years of talking.

Because in the end, guys always leave, and happily ever afters only exist in romance novels.

CUTE.

I enjoyed this one! It had a cute You’ve Got Mail-esque plot with some decent main characters. I adored the bookstore set-up and the forced proximity. There’s a very fast tempo to the story so if you’re looking for a sweet rom-com to read in a day, this could be it!

The insta-love was a bit of a struggle for me. I think pacing + insta was where it lost me. I have read books where insta-connections work, this though, fell flat. I wanted more depth from the main characters (praises for dual POV at least!). Trying to add in hard backgrounds + everything happening in present time + the romance was a tricky combination that didn’t always succeed.

There is a miscommunication trope here too. It isn’t over the top dramatic but I know this is a controversial trope to use so I figured I’d mention it. I liked the charming moments and the second chance these two took at love. The kissing scenes were nice and swoony and I think book two has the potential to be even better.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a mother (recounted)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: February 2023

March 1, 2023February 27, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

I’ve been focusing hard this year to try to pick books (and accepts ARCs) I legitimately think I will enjoy. Out of 80+ books, I’ve only had TWO two stars. And that to me is really impressive. I’ve also been doing a lot of rereading and I’m here for that era too.

FAVORITES OF THE MONTH:

First to Fall
A Game of Hearts
Final Offer
Into the Churn
All Rhodes Lead Here
A Waltz with Traitors
Edenbrooke
Wing and a Miss
Exes and O’s
The Bluff
The Work of Art
A Dawn of Onyx
Sensibly Wed
Running Barefoot
Royal Gone Rogue

LEAST FAVORITES OF THE MONTH:

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard

First to Fall (Lost Story Bookshop #2) by Jenny B. Jones
[Reread/ALC] Game of Hearts by Joanna Barker
Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires #3) by Lauren Asher
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
[ARC] Into the Churn by Hayley Reese Chow
Well of Eida (The Fallen Kingdoms #1) by KB Benson
[Reread] All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
The Curse of Ophelia (The Curse of Ophelia #1) by Nicole Platania
Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time #6) by Robert Jordan
My Phony Valentine (Holidays With Hart #1) by Courtney Walsh
The Shattered City (The Last Magician #4) by Lisa Maxwell
[ARC] A Waltz with Traitors by A.L. Sowards
[Reread] Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
Wing and a Miss (Deadlights Cove #3) by B. Perkins and Aimee Vance
Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy #1) by Maiya Ibrahim
[Novella] Mysteries of Thorn Manor (Sorcery of Thorns #1.5) by Margaret Rogerson
[Reread] Exes and O’s (The Influencer #2) by Amy Lea
[Gifted] Lovely Dark and Deep (Fallow Creek #1) by Claudia Cain
[Reread/ALC] The Bluff (Graham Brothers #2) by Emma St. Clair
These Infinite Threads (This Woven Kingdom #2) by Tahereh Mafi
[ARC] Happy Place by Emily Henry
Spare by Prince Harry
[Gifted] Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
[ARC] Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson
[Novella] Coming Home by Kennedy Ryan
Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr #1) by Helen Scheuerer
The Work of Art (Somerset Stories #1) by Mimi Matthews
A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones #1) by Kate Golden
In Spotlight and Shadow (Doors to the Past #11) by Rachel Scott McDaniel
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (The Unselected Journals #1) by Beth Brower
Sensibly Wed (Bradwell Brothers #1) by Kasey Stockton
[ARC] Love Buzz by Neely Tubati Alexander
Running Barefoot by Amy Harmon
Beauty and the Blade by S.C. Grayson
Mr. Gardiner and the Governess (Clairvoir Castle Romances #1) by Sally Britton
[ARC] The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes
Stardust in Their Veins (Castles in Their Bones #2) by Laura Sebastian
[ARC] Royal Gone Rogue (Sweet Royal RomComs #2) by Emma St. Clair
Chain of Thorns (The Last Hours #3) by Cassandra Clare
A Tournament of Crowns (A Trial of Sorcerers #3) by Elise Kova

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: My Phony Valentine (Holidays with Hart #1) by Courtney Walsh

February 14, 2023February 11, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 373 pages
Author: Courtney Walsh
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 8th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A chance meeting. A hunky hockey player. A fake romance.
Hardly an ordinary day in the life of Poppy Hart.

My days usually consist of agonizing over my failing restaurant, worrying about my mountain of debt and nursing my broken heart.

Everything changes when I bump into a man in the coffee shop and claim him as my new boyfriend. To my absolute horror, he turns out to be hockey’s most renowned bad boy, Dallas Burke. To my absolute delight, he goes along with my story.

When his no-nonsense manager and meddling grandmother jump in the picture, they see a win-win solution for my failing restaurant and Dallas’s less-than-stellar reputation.

A full-fledged fake romance complete with contract negotiations, pretend dates and phony PDA.

But as I get to know the real Dallas Burke, who is not the man the press says he is, it becomes clear that if this isn’t real. . . someone better tell it to my heart.

PERFECT FOR THE HOLIDAY.

Well this was just real dang sweet. If you’re looking for low angst, closed door, reformed bad boys and hockey? Read this. Easy.

I liked a lot of this book, more-so the second half. There was good chemistry between Poppy and Dallas and there were some prime moments that I am ALWAYS here for (protective heroes are my jam). I truly thought they got along well and I liked the fake dating aspects too. AND that they both were vocal about their wants and needs as well. There’s a very light hearted vibe to this that made me feel good and I love books that do that.

There’s some tiny tidbits here and there I didn’t love. I don’t love gossip-type magazine chapters. I really can’t stand mean girl side characters. And the grand gesture at the end left me with a little bit of second hand embarrassment (and didn’t fit the MMC’s character throughout the book).

Besides those small things I like the fluttery butterfly feeling this book gives. They’re some GREAT kissing scenes and I officially want to go on a binge read of all things sports romance. I loooove when I can find a closed door sports romance.

Overall audience notes: