talknerdybookblog's reviews
2607 reviews

Anything but a Gentleman by Elisa Braden

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Representation: Indian biracial supporting character / secondary Hero

Safety Rating for Augusta and Sebastian: Safe

• No cheating
• No OW drama
• Does have mild OM drama
The Hero mistakenly believes that Augusta wants to marry a Lord, which causes some misunderstandings between them. The Heroine doesn't set the Hero straight because she wants to protect her sister's reputation.
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• No separation

Safety Rating for Phoebe and Adam: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• No OW drama
• Does have OM drama
- Heroine is pregnant with OM's baby. While she doesn't want to marry the OM, she's terrified of being "ruined" and the implications in such a class-based society. Plus, her child would be taken care of if she were to marry him (she and her sister are destitute). 
• Does have the Heroine pushing the Hero away for the above reasons (plus the Hero is unaware she's pregnant with the OM's baby and doesn't think the Hero could overlook that)
• No separation

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Sexism
• Classism
• Racism
• Child abuse
• Physical abuse
• Infertility discussed

Ending:

HEA with epilogue

Confessions of a Dangerous Lord by Elisa Braden

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No OW drama
- Hero hasn't been with a woman since he met the Heroine 2+ years ago
• Does have OM drama
- the Hero rejected the Heroine at the start of their friendship to protect her, so the Heroine has moved on to find herself a husband.
- The OM is an Earl and wants to marry the Heroine. They kiss and the Heroine enjoys it; she would've married the OM if the Hero hadn't made his feelings known. But, she recognized that while she liked and would've had a good marriage with the OM, her feelings never compared to what she felt with the Hero.
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• No separation


Possible Triggers: Yes

• Knife violence
• Murder
• PTSD and grief from the Hero's father being murdered in front of him as a boy
• Classism
• Sexism

Ending:

HEA

When She's Common by Ruby Dixon

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• Does have a brief separation (no other partners)

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Enslavement of the Heroine recounted
• Classism
• Xenophoia

Ending:

HEA (married + planning for a baby)

Claim Me Forever by A.L. Jackson

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• Does have OW drama
- Hero's wife was murdered, and the whole town thinks he was devastated. He was, but not for the reasons people think. Everyone thought they were end-all-be-all in love with each other still, but the Hero was seeking a divorce and had just separated from his wife when she was killed.
• No OM drama
• Does have the MCs pushing each other away
• No separation

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Pedophilia
• Heroine recounts child abuse (see above)
• Gun violence
• Threat of gun violence
• Grief
• Abduction
• Captivity
• Sex trafficking
• R@pe
• Intimate partner violence
• Depictions of untreated mental illness
• Hero recollects when he found out about his wife's infidelity 
• Alcoholism (Hero's wife became dependent on alcohol)
• Murder

Ending:

HEA

Aldo by Melanie Moreland

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• No separation

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Gun violence
• Sexism
• Physical assault
• Attempted murder
• Murder
• Grief - death of Hero's parents when he was young

Ending:

HEA

This Spells Love by Kate Robb

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Representation: Gay supporting characters, Indian supporting character, Achillean side relationship

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• Does have mild OW drama
- In the Heroine's OG timeline, the Hero is casually dating a vet tech
- In the alternate timeline, the Hero is single but the Heroine is heartbroken that she's been replaced as his bff by Sunny 
• Does have mild OM drama
- Heroine is getting over her break-up (she was with her ex for 4 years)
• No pushing away
• No separation

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Fire causing a business to burn down
• Financial problems of supporting character
• Parental abandonment which has caused the Heroine to fear intimate relationships (she doesn't cope with the idea of people leaving her)

Ending:

HFN - epilogue is 6 months out from OG timeline and hints at a possible engagement in the future

The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Representation: Japanese supporting character

Note about safety:

I consider the book not safe cuz when the protagonist kisses her love interest mid-book, he pulls the same "you're not ready" bs from the original timeline and proceeds to meet someone else and date this OW for the rest of the year (and brings her to their shared family Thanksgiving). The direction of this part of the story is why I couldn't rate the book higher than 3.5-stars despite enjoying Sadie's growth and the plot throughout her second chance year. Also, given Sadie's horrible relationship with her parents, I thought it was heartbreaking that her brother told her to stay away from her love interest once she realized her feelings. Like, I get that he's her brother's best friend, but her brother essentially blamed her for not realizing the LI was in love with her for 10+ years ... despite him never making a move (that one lame attempt when they were kids doesn't count).

Mature Themes: Yes

• Sexual content alluded to 
• Alcohol consumption (including using it to cope)

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Toxic parental relationship
• Sexual harassment
• Sexual assault
• Toxic romantic relationship
• Racism
• Sexism

Ending:

HFN

Every Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• No OW drama
• Does have OM drama
- Heroine is being courted by an OM who the whole ton (+ her family) thinks she'll inevitably marry and the Heroine is seriously considering him
• Does have the MCs briefly pushing each other away
• No separation

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Dognapping 
• Threat of animal harm (but no animals were harmed in this book)
• Ableism
• Classism
• Sexism

Ending:

HFN (the MCs get engaged)

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Representation: Main character with Type 1 diabetes 

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
- it's been a while for both of them, but the Hero briefly reflects on past hookups (in the vein of how he's never felt this way towards anyone but the Heroine) and the Heroine's past isn't delved into
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• Does have a very brief separation (no other partners during this time)

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Heroine decides to pay for her insulin out of pocket (she mostly depends on samples for her doctor), but some reviewers have said this is implausible given how expensive insulin is in the USA without healthcare  
• Misogyny
• Recounting of neglect during childhood

Ending:

HEA with an extended epilogue (married with a kid)! FINALLY

Boss in the Bedsheets by Kate Canterbary

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No OW drama (although the Hero's ex - and how she's unsuited for him - is mentioned a lot)
• Does have mild OM drama
- Heroine's abusive ex shows up and attempts to make the Hero doubt their relationship which epically fails
• No pushing away
• No separation

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Intimate partner violence recounted (Heroine was in an emotionally abusive relationship)
• Gaslighting (see above)
• Medical trauma (Hero needed treatment for a dislocated arm)

Ending:

HFN - they're engaged but I wanted an extended epilogue