3⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Hooked #2 Others in the series ~ Mr. Hook-up Setting ~ Boston, Massachusetts Publication date ~ April 23, 2024 Pag3⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Hooked #2 Others in the series ~ Mr. Hook-up Setting ~ Boston, Massachusetts Publication date ~ April 23, 2024 Page Count ~ 378 (p+ 31 chapters +e) Audio length ~ 11 hours 50 minutes Narrator ~ Andi Arndt, Ryan West POV ~ dual 1st Featuring ~ billionaire, influencer/waitress, fake marriage, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, some steamage
I didn't read the blurb because this author is an automatic read for me. Plus I quite enjoyed book 1, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway if I did because I would have read this one anyway. Unfortunately I didn't like this one as much as I anticipated.
Grayson (30) & Jovana (22) meet at a bar and have a one night stand, he immediately gives her the boot after and she's super pissed, rightfully so. Flash forward 2 months and a scandal has his company, Hooked, needing her help and so they enter into a contract for a fake relationship.
Normally I don't mind the fake relationship trope, but I much prefer both parties to fully be on board with the plan and that was not the case here. I wasn't feeling the reason, or the big push, for it. I am, however, happy with how it played out in the end.
Playboy, anti-relationship, Grayson, is a big time a-hole and I wasn’t feeling him at all. Once he figures out his feelings for her he's all in, though, even if it takes an awfully long time.
I gotta hand it to Jovana, she stuck it out and in the end gets what she wants, but man oh man, he was difficult to deal with. I really enjoyed her relationship with her parents and her bff, Sloane, which showed more of her sunshiny character.
Overall, this was well written and certainly what I've come to except from this author, but I just couldn't get behind the content or the actions of the characters. Although this one didn't fully work for me I'll for sure read the next book (and anything else she writes), which is will follow single dad, Holden. Edit - just found out there will not be a book 3 anytime soon, poor Holden ...more
4.5⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Aspen Grove #1 Others in the series ~ If You Give a Grump a Holiday Wishlist #0.5 Setting ~ Maine Publication da4.5⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Aspen Grove #1 Others in the series ~ If You Give a Grump a Holiday Wishlist #0.5 Setting ~ Maine Publication date ~ March 14, 2024 Est page Count ~ (37 chapters +e) POV ~ dual 1st Featuring ~ small town, billionaire CFO, single dad, artist, nanny, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, neighbors to lovers, slow burn, some steamge, no 3rd act breakup
Dylan (33) & Marlow (23) don't get off on the right foot when her dog, Waffles, trespasses in his backyard. Flash forward one year later and Marlow becomes 6 year old Lola's nanny.
Book boyfriend alert! Dylan is most definitely a guy you’d want around when you’re sick as he’s a wonderful caretaker. He cooks and cleans, and even bakes muffins before 6am after he's had his workout. He works a bit too much, but he's such a devoted dad, and Lola is absolutely adorable and so well behaved.
Marlow is an artist and a bright spot of sunshine. Her relationship with Lola was wonderful. She has a strained relationship with her parents, but has found a great support system with Dylan's family, which was really nice to see.
Overall, I had a really great time reading this one. We've got the set up for the next book that seems like it'll be a lot of fun.
Series notes: This series follows siblings, so although not absolutely necessary I think you should read If You Give a Grump a Holiday Wishlist first because not only is it delightful, but you'll get to meet the whole clan because they're pretty involved as a tight knit family.
*Thanks to the author for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
2.5⭐ Genre ~ contemporary fiction Setting ~ France Publication date ~ October 20, 2023 Est page Count ~ 346 (40 chapters +e) Audio length ~ 10 hours 2 minu2.5⭐ Genre ~ contemporary fiction Setting ~ France Publication date ~ October 20, 2023 Est page Count ~ 346 (40 chapters +e) Audio length ~ 10 hours 2 minutes Narrator ~ Karen Cass POV ~ dual 3rd Featuring ~ small town, single dad, age gap (30 & 39), slow burn, no steamage
Luna & Yannick Luna heads to France in search of information as to why a man she doesn't know left his money to her. Her mother has passed, so she can't ask the urn of ashes along for the ride.
Yannick is a trained mountain rescuer, so he's happy to help out an out of towner when she runs out of gas. We tag along on some of his rescues, too.
I try not to let a narrator sway my rating as I like to base my thoughts on the actual story, but I feel like I just might have enjoyed this a little better had I read it. (More on that below.) Or perhaps not because I wasn't really feeling the chemistry with them. Maybe because it was a super slow burn on the romance front and more about finding out who left her the loot. I did like the friendship Luna made with Sylvia and the grief Yannick was feeling felt relatable.
It's a wintery, not a Christmasy, read and the atmosphere was spot on. I had to listen while I was snuggled in my blankie with my fuzzie socks on because I could just feel how cold it was there. The cover is adorable, too.
Narration notes: Double whammy ~ Karen is British and doing French accents, so my American ears struggled to stay focused.
4.25⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Spade Hotel #1 Setting ~ Hawaii & Los Angeles, California Publication date ~ December 28, 2023 Est page Count ~4.25⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Spade Hotel #1 Setting ~ Hawaii & Los Angeles, California Publication date ~ December 28, 2023 Est page Count ~ 396 (26 chapters) Audio length ~ 10 hours Narrator ~ Savannah Peachwood, Tor Thom POV ~ dual 1st Featuring ~ characters in their 20's, fast burn ~ then kinda slow burn, one night stand, billionaire, college student, rich man/poor woman, age gap (27 & 22), opposites attract, alpha, secrets, lack of communication, plenty of steamage, no 3rd act breakup
Macon & Brooklyn Macon is at a club for a bachelor party when he's drawn to the tiny dancer on a stage. Initially she's not feeling him, but very soon she realizes she can't resist his charms, so they head out to the party bus to get very well acquainted with each other.
Holy Maconator, so perfectly alpha and obsessed (not creepily) with her right from the start. He falls first, too. Although a billionaire, he's not overly billionaire~ish, except for that one time he flew her on a private jet to get the best sushi on the island.
Brooklyn was super smart, hardworking and passionate about her ideas to save the hotel money. I'm all about saving money and she had some good ideas, although probably already implemented in real life. I liked how, besides that first encounter, she doesn't give in so easily and plays a little hard to get, which throws Macon off since he's not used to that at all.
My only harp is that I really wish they didn't keep their secrets from each other for so long. They weren't even really that big of a whoop, hers especially. But at least we don't have a 3rd act breakup, so that makes up for it.
Overall, a great start to a new series and just what I'd expect from Marni. I love that we got a glimpse of the Dalton's from her previous series that I loved so much. See my reviews for all 5 of those books here.
I was lucky enough to have the ebook and an audio copy.
Narration notes: Savannah did a lovely job. Tor was great, too, more so with his man voice than his lady one.
*Thanks to the author, Valentine PR, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ARC and audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
3.75⭐ Genre ~ domestic thriller Publication date ~ February 9, 2023 Est page Count ~ 288 Audio length ~ 8 hours 25 minutes Narrator ~ Penelope Rawlins POV3.75⭐ Genre ~ domestic thriller Publication date ~ February 9, 2023 Est page Count ~ 288 Audio length ~ 8 hours 25 minutes Narrator ~ Penelope Rawlins POV ~ single 1st Featuring ~ age gap (19 years), gaslighting
Joanne & Richard are married with a new baby. Richard has a 20 year old daughter from a previous marriage, Chloe, who comes and stays with them while taking a break from school. Chloe is a nightmare and really acting like a pill to her new step-mom. But she's the perfect princess when daddy is around.
The tension is super high in this domestic/psychological thriller. We've got some unreliable narration happening here and it was hard to know who to believe. I was kept engaged and couldn't wait until we got back to the prologue scene. The ending was quite an interesting one. I'd be interested in reading more from this author in the future.
Narration notes: She did a fine job for Joanne, but meh with her Chloe voice.
*Thanks to Nicola Sanders, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ dual 3rd person POV, cop, small town, reverse age gap (h~35 & H~25), steamage
Bea & Austin were both great characters. Bea was fun, di4.30⭐
Featuring ~ dual 3rd person POV, cop, small town, reverse age gap (h~35 & H~25), steamage
Bea & Austin were both great characters. Bea was fun, didn't care about her appearance and she could dog a pie like no other. Austin was a super sweet, hottie boom bottie cowboy~ish cop.
Bea was really hung up on the age gap, but I found Austin to be very mature for his tender age of 25. The inevitable 3rd act breakup was for the birds and I hated what was said. FYI ~ the door is wide open for the steamage.
Overall, pretty delightful and I'd be very interested in reading more from this author.
Narrated by Mia Barron for 10 hours and 10 minutes. She did a pretty good job, but we all know by now I prefer a male narrator when I'm getting a dual POV ~ even when it's 3rd person.
*Thanks to Amy Andrews, RB Media and NetGalley for my audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
3.5⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Bossy Single Dad #1 Setting ~ NYC Publication date ~ October 21, 2022 Page Count ~ 390 (15 chapters +e) (Got th3.5⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Bossy Single Dad #1 Setting ~ NYC Publication date ~ October 21, 2022 Page Count ~ 390 (15 chapters +e) (Got the PC from Amazon, but it seems high to me...more
4⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Part of Your World #1 Setting ~ Minnesota Publication date ~ April 19, 2022 Est Page Count ~ 402 Audio length ~ 104⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Part of Your World #1 Setting ~ Minnesota Publication date ~ April 19, 2022 Est Page Count ~ 402 Audio length ~ 10 hours 5 minutes Narrators ~ Julia Whelan and Zachary Webber POV ~ dual 1st Featuring ~ age gap (she is 37 & he is 28), rich girl/poor boy, opposites attract, city life vs country life, small town, emotional abuse, physical abuse, overbearing parent to adult child, some steamage
Alexis & Daniel Alexis is a doctor from a prominent family in the medical field. Daniel is a carpenter and runs a BNB.
Daniel is so sweet and lovable, and I was sad right along with him when he felt betrayed. He's totally book boyfriend material. His dog, Hunter, steals the show when he's on page. Alexis has some terrible friends and an emotionally abusive ex-boyfriend. I was waiting forever for Alexis to grow a pair and stand up to her father.
All wrapped up as nicely as we knew it would. This is my first time reading this author and I'd be delighted to read more.
Narration notes: They are both well seasoned narrators that always do a lovely job.
Book 3 in the Spark House series ~ fine as a standalone, but the whole series is great, so you might as well read em all in order.
Featu4.5⭐ rounded up
Book 3 in the Spark House series ~ fine as a standalone, but the whole series is great, so you might as well read em all in order.
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, widower, single dad, friends to lovers, age gap (9 years), second chance at love, a little steamage
Harley & Gavin UGH! I usually am not a fan of single parent books, but this is the second dad now that is maybe changing my mind. What a swoony father Gavin is. He's so attentive to Peyton, he's not afraid to put on a tutu and the fact that she is his world just screams from the pages.
Harley was so sweet and an all around lovely person. You can always count on her to be there when you need her. She was great with Peyton and their bond was adorable.
It was nice seeing how Avery & Declan and London & Jackson are getting on with their lives. Most characters were likable, except MIL the PILL. She put a damper on things that I didn't care for. Some of it was understandable after a little communication, but it went on a tad too long for my liking.
Overall, a delightful wrap up for all the Spark sisters. EEK with the epilogue ~ perfection!
I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. Either format was perfectly fine.
Narrated by Jason Clarke and Stella Bloom (same for the whole series) for 9 hours and 54 minutes. They did a lovely job as usual.
*Thanks to Helena Hunting, St Martin's Press ~ Griffin, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my ARC and audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
4⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ The Dalton Family #2 Others in the series ~ The Lawyer Setting ~ California & Florida Publication date ~ March 1, 4⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ The Dalton Family #2 Others in the series ~ The Lawyer Setting ~ California & Florida Publication date ~ March 1, 2022 Page Count ~ 348 Audio length ~ 8 hours 43 minutes Narrators ~ Kelsey Navarro Foster, Tim Paige POV ~ dual 1st Featuring ~ billionaire, lawyer, college student, age gap, fast burn, lotsa steamage
4⭐ Genre ~ women's fiction Series ~ Beck Sisters #2 Others in the seriesFloat Plan Setting ~ Ohio Publication date ~ March 8, 2022 Page Count ~ 273 (25 cha4⭐ Genre ~ women's fiction Series ~ Beck Sisters #2 Others in the seriesFloat Plan Setting ~ Ohio Publication date ~ March 8, 2022 Page Count ~ 273 (25 chapters) Audio length ~ 7 hours and 42 minutes Narrator ~ Sarah Naughton POV ~ single 3rd Featuring ~ workplace sexual assault, single mom, island life, close proximity, small town, boss/employee, age gap, friends to lovers, slow burn, very minimal steamage
Trigger warnings from the author ~ sexual assault, mentions of child death and suicide
Rachel (28) & Mason (38) Rachel moves from Florida to Ohio on a whim for a job opportunity at a brewery hotel after getting wrongly fired. But when she pulls up to the property it seems like Mason led her there on false pretenses since the hotel is still under construction.
This was cute one. Maisie was adorable and well behaved. I don't know about moving across (is it still across when it's really up?) country with my toddler on my own to live with a man I don't know though, but all works out of course. The characters are relatable and likable. The slow burn for them was perfect and developed nicely.
Series notes: Honestly I have no clue if a true standalone because I read Float Plan a while ago. I am guessing it's okay though because her sister doesn't make too many appearances.
3.85⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Misadventures #18 Setting ~ Kansas Publication date ~ February 19, 2019 Page Count ~ 226 (18 chapters +e) Audio 3.85⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Misadventures #18 Setting ~ Kansas Publication date ~ February 19, 2019 Page Count ~ 226 (18 chapters +e) Audio length ~ 6 hours 27 minutes Narrators ~ Natalie Eaton, Teddy Hamilton, William LeRoy POV ~ triple 1st Featuring ~ insta love, throuple ~ MFM, MMF, age gap ~ 24 & 33, steamage, body shaming, small town
Ireland & Caleb & Ben Ireland is finally happy with the way she looks, but still has some reservations about what people truly think of her. I felt the plus size rep was well written. For every person that was mean there were just as many that were all about body positivity. It's nice that their town was very understanding of their unconventional relationship. There are always going to be body shamers out there and Ireland lets them get into her head, which leads to the 3rd act crap.
Insta love is not my favorite, but I could tell Caleb & Ben were all in with her right from the get go. They're both hot with rock hard abs of course. Caleb was super sweet and Ben was the more dominate one being he's ex-military. He made one dick move, but redeems himself.
Overall, enjoyable. There's a good amount of steamage for a quick read, but it wasn't over powering to the plot.
Series notes: Every book in this series is a standalone. Some are single and/or duo authors and some collaborations.
Narration notes: I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference. I've listened to Teddy before and I'm sure you'll be in for a treat if you listen to this one.
3.75⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Misadventures #22 Setting ~ Kansas Publication date ~ September 24, 2019 Page Count ~ 199 (16 chapters +e) Audio3.75⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Misadventures #22 Setting ~ Kansas Publication date ~ September 24, 2019 Page Count ~ 199 (16 chapters +e) Audio length ~ 5 hours 24 minutes Narrators ~ Teddy Hamilton, Jill Redfield POV ~ dual 1st Featuring ~ workplace romance, detectives, reverse age gap ~ 37 & 24, he falls first, steamage
Cat & Jace She's the senior detective known as the Ice Queen and he's just the rookie that's going to make her melt.
Cat's fiance was killed on the job years ago, so she vowed to never date a cop again. But there's just something about this young man that gets her blood pumping. But ugh with this lady ~ push and pull, push and pull....make up your mind already. EVERYONE is going to die no matter what job they have!
Jace falls first and Cat stabs him with her ice pick in his sweet young heart. Of course something predictable happens to him on the job that throws a wrench in things. ...more
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