Week in Review: 7.6-7.12

My week, in review. This is a short and sweet weekly update with ratings and blurb. If they are getting their own review, I’ll share it there!

EIGHT Books this week…and zero physical books! It was a week of e-books and audiobooks; some good, some just okay.

E-Books

The Player by Claire Contreras – 4/5 This was a @steamylitbookclub pick for June (I’m a bit late), I really enjoyed this one and I’m always surprised when I like a sports romance.

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young – 4/5 I have really enjoyed the two books I’ve read by Young and was excited to find out she had a whole backlist. On Dublin street is apart of a fairly large series but can be read as a stand-alone.

So Sweet by Rebekah Weatherspoon – 3/5 This was a quick novella read, I found it on my kindle app and have no idea when I got it!

Boomerangers by Heather Orgeron – 3/5 Single mom, second chance romance with her high school sweet in a small town…lots of meddlesome parents.

ARCs

Thank you to @netgalley @disneybooks and @readforeverpub / @grandcentralpub for providing these e-arcs in exchange for my honest opinion.

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy – 3.75/5 Cinderella retelling mixed with a dating show…full review coming soon!

The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon – 3/5 I feel very meh about this series and I’m thinking that it’s just not for me in the end.

Audio

Sunshine Girl by Julianna Margulies – 4/5 I know Julianna from ER and the Good Wife (most of us do), I recently heard her on @armchairexppod and was super interested to learn more about her very unique journey.

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling – 4/5 Mindy is hysterical per usual and gave super relatable insights into life and dating.

See you next week!

Love,

A

Most Anticipated July Releases

I’m bit delayed on this list…I’ve had the titles but I have been busy. I feel like if you want to hear from me, the best place to do it right now is the bookstagram. Everything is up to date there and I respond to my DM’s pretty fast.

That being said, July has some great picks! And we have already had one week of releases. I was lucky enough to get a number of ARCs published this month.

July 6

  • Out of Character by Annabeth Albert
  • What If You & Me by Roni Loren (review)
  • Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily R. Austin
  • Too Good To Be Real by Melonie Johnson
  • Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev

July 13

  • How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton (review)
  • It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (review)
  • While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory (pre-ordered)
  • The Rehearsals by Annette Christie
  • The Heir Affair (paperback) by Heather Cocks and Jessican Morgan (review)

July 20

  • Hot Under His Collar by Andie J. Christopher (review)
  • Isn’t It Bromantic? by Lyssa Kay Adams (pre-ordered)

July 27

  • The Man Ban by Nicola Marsh
  • Heartbreak for Hire by Sonia Hartl
  • Love Next Door by Helena Hunting

Have you pre-ordered any of these? Did I miss one I need to know about?

Love,

A

Book Review: Neon Gods by Katee Robert

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: Contemporary Romance and Adult Fiction

Warnings: grief, on page violence and assault

Read if you liked: Fifty Shades of Grey meets the Bareknuckle Bastards series

Steam: 4-4.5/5

Summary: via Goodreads

What was one of the last books your were heavily influenced by bookstagram to read? Also, the girls in the @badbitch.bookclub thread kept going on about it. Meet Neon Gods, if feel like there was a lot of hype about this book even before it was released but I was nervous because of how it was presented to me. Greek Mythology is a bit out of my wheelhouse but I was curious about a modern retelling. And I am here to tell you I LOVED it.

I’ve been trying to figure out why I loved this book and ranked it higher than some other romances this year and I do not know why other than: the plot was simple and clear, steam + concent was well written, liked the characters and I got my HEA. The mythology was light, this is a modern retelling of Hades and Persephone. Yes, it is very steamy but I don’t think it is as much as people say…or maybe my tolerance scale is super high. We can chat offline about my sentiments on this.

This is not a starter romance, this is a “I’ve been reading romance for awhile” kind of book.

Things I loved: Persephone is amazing, truly an independent women with a plan, who knew what she wanted. Hades, y’all stern brunch daddy energy, high on the cinnamon roll. He is such a surprise and genuinely loves + adores Persephone. Power couple who brought the best out of each other! So much consent and communication. Sister relationships. The town moments, Hades really cared about his people. Puppies!

Things I didn’t care for: Demeter, Persephone needed more form her mom at times with the communication. There was a lot of build up to the end, and it was kinda crazy how it happened…I was expecting a bit more but hey, we get another book to dive into that.

Needless to say, I can’t wait for the next based on the preview at the end of this one.

Love,

A

Book Review: How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton

Rating: 3/5

Genre: Contemporary Romance and Adult Fiction

Warnings: Cheating (past relationship), family tensions

Read if you liked: To Sir With Love or the Secret Bridesmaid

Steam: 2/5

Summary: via Goodreads

Thank you to @readforeverpub / @grandcentralpub and @netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. How Sweet It Is will be published on July 13th.

I loved the concept of this book; it was really sweet but also fell flat for me in the romance department. Ultimately, this book was just “okay” for me but I know a lot of people enjoyed it so definitely read it if the description interests you!

Things I loved: The meet cute was hysterical. Love all the party planning/organization talk. Drake’s brothers and mom were delightful. I loved the VIP date Drake planned. The Harvest festival costumes!

Things I didn’t care for: The romance didn’t feel fully fleshed out…I wasn’t super invested because the slow burn didn’t feel very burn like. The conflict was super fast and I wish we could have dove into it a bit more. I didn’t see the light blub moment of what happened and we need to fix it. I didn’t like the continued dialogue of his “nightmare” writing. There was no resolution with Kate’s parents and the issues there.

How Sweet It Is will be out July 13th, 2021! Pre-order now!

Love,

A

Book Review: The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: Contemporary Romance and Adult Fiction

Warnings: Family tension, grief, infertility

Read if you liked: The Royal We or American Royals

Steam: 2/5

Thank you to @grandcentralpub and @fuggirls for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The Heir Affair is available in paperback on July 13th!

It’s amazing when you get in a book in the mail that you were completely surprised by and really really wanted! I read the Heir Affair last fall, quickly after reading the Royal We…like, I didn’t want to wait for my library hold so I bought it on Kindle at 8pm and did not sleep that night to finish it. And now I have a matching paperbacks, it’s a happy day!

I know there are mixed feelings about this book, some really loved it and some did not (FYI, this is okay) but to put it in to context…I didn’t have 5 years to create expectations, I read them succinctly therefore I didn’t have time to think of what I would want it to be. And overall, I really loved it!

Let’s be honest, these books are pretty high drama, have a lot going on and you can’t read the second without reading the first…you will be lost. I really really enjoyed the storyline and watching the next chapter of this story unfold.

I feel like if I did a “what I loved and didn’t” I would give away details but I really enjoyed this book and it was nicely tied up while leaving room for other character’s stories if we were to get something more…which you may or many not get a peak of in the back of this book 😉 The Heir Affair is available in paperback on July 13th!

If you’ve read either of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Love,

A

Book Review: It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

Rating: 3.5/5

Genre: Contemporary Romance and Adult Fiction

Warnings: Death of spouse and parent

Read if you liked: Schitt’s Creek or Hot & Hammered Series

Steam: 4/5

Thank you to @avonbooks and @netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. It Happened One Summer is out July 13th, 2021.

Piper, Hollywood wild child and “it girl” influencer has it all… but when a party goes wrong (i.e. trespassing) and Piper ends up in jail. Her stepfather decides it is time to teach her a lesson in responsibility by cutting her off and sending her to Westport, a small coastal town, to run her late father’s bar. It only takes a few minutes for Piper to start bumping heads with local sea captain Brendan who doesn’t think she will last one minute in his town. Soon, the polar opposites discover an undeniable attraction between them and I’m sure you know what happens next! As Piper reconnects with her past and with a new romance brewing, will she find herself making a home in the most unlikely place?

I loved the premise of this book and that it was inspired by Alexis Rose from Schitt’s Creek…such a great show if you haven’t seen it yet! I have limited experience with Tessa Bailey books, having only read (and slightly struggled through) the Hot and Hammered series. I now think I understand her vibe/writing style. Don’t let these pretty illustrated covers fool you; these books are steamy (and I was NOT prepared). I started to talking about steam ratings after reading this book because the people need to know what they are getting. This is part of the reason I am conflicted about these books is because sometimes these scenes don’t match the characters personalities + vibe of the story. That being said, I think this might be my favorite of hers so far

Things I loved: I’m a major fan of romance after divorce/death of spouse (I really don’t know why, maybe because it feels like real life). Piper and Hannah’s relationship, great sister bond! All the small town vibes.

Things I didn’t care for: See earlier about the (very) explicit scenes, it didn’t fit the vibe and was, ironically, a turn off.

It Happened One Summer is out July 13th, 2021! Pre-order now!

Love,

A

Week in Review: 6.29-7.5

My week, in review. This is a short and sweet weekly update with ratings and blurb. If they are getting their own review, I’ll share it there!

EIGHT Books this week…and I 100% plan on reading all day today with my day off.

Most of this weekend was me falling down the rabbit hole of CLo’s Wild Series, it was wild and I was here for it! It was an adventure to get these books at a library. But as a Christina Lauren stan and I must read the whole backlist!

Physical Books

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon – 3.5/5 I recently received the ARC for the Dating Playbook so I had to read the first in the series. Love some ladies in STEM and gave me some major JTMD Vibes.

Dirty Rowdy Thing + Dark Wild Night + Wicked Sexy Lair by Christina Lauren – 4/5 I read book one a few weeks ago and knew I wanted to read this series. It centers around a friend group who got drunkenly married in Vegas. Each book has a different trope, 3.5-4 on the steam scale so be prepared for (a lot) more than your average CLo standalone book.

Neon Gods by Katee Robert – 4.5/5 This book was really hyped in the book community and I was nervous to read it because of how it was presented + the Greek mythology angle but I ended up LOVING it! The mythology is light and felt like a combination between Fifty Shades of Grey and the Bareknuckle Bastards series. Yes, it was very steamy, but I don’t think it is as much as people say…or maybe my tolerance scale is super high. 

E-Books

Don’t Kiss The Bride by Carian Cole – 3.75/5 I’ve been on the hunt for more marriage of convenience books, and stumbled upon this one while diving into Cole’s backlist. It does have an age gape but I wasn’t cringing as much as I have with others. 

ARCs

Thanks to @netgalley@readforeverpub and @grandcentralpub for providing this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton – 3/5 I have mixed thoughts on this one, I loved the concept but it did fall flat in some areas for me. Full review coming this week!

Audio

Live Your Life by Amanda Kloots – 5/5 I feel weird rating someone’s life story but this really was excellent on audio. This truly is a heartbreaking story, and I am in all of Amanda strength and courage during this journey.

See you next week!

Love,

A

Book Review: Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur

Rating: 4.25/5

Genre: Contemporary Romance and Adult Fiction

Warnings: brief discussion of parental abandonment

Read if you liked: The Intimacy Experiment or Written In The Stars

Steam: 3/5

Summary: via Goodreads

Light on plot, high on swoon and just delightful. Brendon was the most delightful ginger hero, Annie was so relatable and the Seattle setting was perfect! It’s basically a Nora Ephron movie which is threaded throughout the theme of this book.

Things I loved: Brendon, we must protect this precious cinnamon roll at all costs. Darcy + Elle + Margot for the constant comic relief. Thoughtful and fun dates . Light on the drama and I was here for it! The love fern. The Epilogue was truly perfect.

Things I didn’t care for: Honestly, nothing it was just so swoon-worthy and the perfect weekend RomCom.

This is a second in a series but can totally be read as a standalone!

Love,

A

Book Review: Ever After Always by Chloe Liese

Rating: 5/5

Genre: Contemporary Romance and Adult Fiction

Warnings: anxiety, childhood poverty, alcoholism, parental abandonment

Read if you liked: The Bromance Book Club or Love Her or Lose Her

Steam: 3/5

Well, if you’ve been around for a bit you’ve heard me RAVE about this series (book one and book two). I love it and it makes me so happy we get four more…seven in total!

I genuinely just enjoyed reading this book. I loved the characters, it flowed Ever After Always has been my favorite so far, what can I say…I love a marriage in crisis book and Chloe knocked it out of the park with this one. I’m pretty sure it’s the best I’ve read of this trope.

Things I loved: Aiden, our delightful glasses wearing cinnamon roll of a hero and how much he loves Freya. Freya our strong, independent heroine who’s doing her best. The book did an amazing job showing the internalized struggle from childhood trauma, normalizing therapy and showing that marriage takes two and a lot of communication. Slow burn with major tension. The continued family antics. The parrot was hysterical! That Twister game 🙈

Things I didn’t care for: I’m so happy, I couldn’t think of anything I just want more!

Okay, now I want to go read it again! The fourth installment, With You Forever, will be released on September 14th and is a marriage of convenience story. Which is about the only trope I love as much as marriage in crisis.

Love,

A

Book Review: What If You & Me by Roni Loren

Rating: 4/5

Genre: Contemporary Romance and Adult Fiction

Warnings: PTSD, depression, anxiety, physical disability, assault and infidelity

Read if you liked: Yes & I Love You or Life’s Too Short

Steam: 3/5

Thank you to @sourcebookscasa and @netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. What If You & Me will be released on July 6th.

I read Yes & I Love You in March and it was a surprise pick that ended up being one of my favorites of 2021. If you haven’t already, pick it up! Needless to say, I was super excited to find out there would be a second, Andi’s story, released in July (I pre-ordered it right away). I 100% read this within 24 hours of getting the approval.

I genuinely just enjoyed reading this book. I loved the characters, it flowed nicely so it was about 80% in when I realized I couldn’t find a clear cut plot…this isn’t necessary a bad thing because again, I really enjoyed the characters and watching them develop together and learn to move forward from their trauma but just an FYI. This is totally a go with the journey kind of book.

Roni Loren’s has this unique and delightful way of normalizing taboo topics and trauma in her books, showing that people can have a happy ending/deserve love no matter what “happened” to them. I’m planning on diving into her backlist after this.

Things I loved: The banter and dialogue was fantastic. Hill and Andi had great chemistry and their communication was really great. They both owned their trauma and where working on it…we love a healthy mental health journey. There was an organic nature of bringing back old characters and introducing new that I enjoyed. Always love a cooking angle, it was so sweet to watch him teach her how to cook. Hill’s was so respect of Andi’s boundaries and triggers, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…CONSENT IS SEXY.

Things I didn’t care for: I didn’t feel the conflict was fully fleshed out, it was abrupt and I wish there would have been a bit more context throughout the storyline.

Something I picked up on and had never seen in a book before that I want to point out: So often we see men being the hero when they are “saving” someone…Statistically, this really ends badly. I can hear Christina tell Burke, “don’t be a hero, the hero always dies” in my head (Grey’s Anatomy forever). I really appreciate that Andi asked Hill to say safe with her, let the police do their job because it wasn’t worth his safety.

What if You & Me is out July 6th, 2021! Pre-order or request at your local library!

Love,

A