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bee_thebibliophile's reviews
1951 reviews
His Until Christmas by Con Riley
4.5
I love returning to Con Riley’s atmospheric, Christmas-y versions of London and Kara-Enys for the holidays each year! Jack and Reece’s story was everything I’ve come to expect from these stories and more.
Jack is a PA-extraordinaire but finds himself in a predicament with his employment, namely that he can’t work for someone he has feelings for, something that’s planned to happen after the holidays, meaning Jack gave his notice to avoid being caught in a bad situation again. Rex, being the hilarious and adorable menace that he is, engineers things to bring Jack and the subject of his feelings, Reece, together for the holidays to show them how good they could be together and to keep Jack around.
Reece and Jack’s relationship has a foundation of friendship, but they’ve both wanted more for about as long as they’ve known each other. Being forced to work together leading up to Christmas gives them an opportunity to see how great they can be together and forces them to confront their feelings head on all while encouraging each other to grow, take responsibility for the changes they need to make and to love each other regardless of their employment situation.
I love all the ties back to Con Riley’s other stories and how each of these Christmas stories continues to grow her book universe a little more by connecting different characters. It’s always a treat to read these books and Jack and Reece’s story was no different. I already can’t wait for next year’s story!
Jack is a PA-extraordinaire but finds himself in a predicament with his employment, namely that he can’t work for someone he has feelings for, something that’s planned to happen after the holidays, meaning Jack gave his notice to avoid being caught in a bad situation again. Rex, being the hilarious and adorable menace that he is, engineers things to bring Jack and the subject of his feelings, Reece, together for the holidays to show them how good they could be together and to keep Jack around.
Reece and Jack’s relationship has a foundation of friendship, but they’ve both wanted more for about as long as they’ve known each other. Being forced to work together leading up to Christmas gives them an opportunity to see how great they can be together and forces them to confront their feelings head on all while encouraging each other to grow, take responsibility for the changes they need to make and to love each other regardless of their employment situation.
I love all the ties back to Con Riley’s other stories and how each of these Christmas stories continues to grow her book universe a little more by connecting different characters. It’s always a treat to read these books and Jack and Reece’s story was no different. I already can’t wait for next year’s story!
12 Dates of Christmas by Brigham Vaughn
3.0
The Christmas Falls matchmaker meets his match while working together to launch his new website.
Leo Fenner and Nick Morgan have been working together to launch a website for Nick’s matchmaker service that he started to honor his late wife and to help people find love like they did. Leo’s new to Christmas Falls and is desperate to find the love of his life despite a lot of bad dating luck in Chicago. So, as a thank you for his work on the website, Nick encourages Leo to sign up for his service and sets him up on dates. However, the dates are a major bust, though they bring Leo and Nick closer together than they ever expected. The dates with other people turn into dates between the two of them.
Nick isn’t sure he’s completely ready to date again and ends up waffling on Leo multiple times, making him feel terrible along the way and then going over-the-top to make it up to him when he finally figures it out. I think the idea of these two together turned out better than the actual execution - seeing Leo go along with Nick’s poor treatment really put a bad taste in my mouth. Once they work things out, it gets better, but it wasn’t enough for me to forget. The Christmas Falls cast of characters and atmosphere saved this one for me; it ended up being a little sickly sweet and wrapped up incredibly conveniently. It was an easy read and always fun to return to Christmas Falls, but this one wasn’t one of my favorites.
Leo Fenner and Nick Morgan have been working together to launch a website for Nick’s matchmaker service that he started to honor his late wife and to help people find love like they did. Leo’s new to Christmas Falls and is desperate to find the love of his life despite a lot of bad dating luck in Chicago. So, as a thank you for his work on the website, Nick encourages Leo to sign up for his service and sets him up on dates. However, the dates are a major bust, though they bring Leo and Nick closer together than they ever expected. The dates with other people turn into dates between the two of them.
Nick isn’t sure he’s completely ready to date again and ends up waffling on Leo multiple times, making him feel terrible along the way and then going over-the-top to make it up to him when he finally figures it out. I think the idea of these two together turned out better than the actual execution - seeing Leo go along with Nick’s poor treatment really put a bad taste in my mouth. Once they work things out, it gets better, but it wasn’t enough for me to forget. The Christmas Falls cast of characters and atmosphere saved this one for me; it ended up being a little sickly sweet and wrapped up incredibly conveniently. It was an easy read and always fun to return to Christmas Falls, but this one wasn’t one of my favorites.
In Every Universe by Hannah Henry
4.0
What happens when you wake up in an alternate universe and you’re no longer married to your best friend, instead you’re just platonic roommates? Zacky Porter finds himself in that position, navigating a new life with a different version of Cameron Vesper by his side.
This was a different take on the amnesia plotline and I really enjoyed it. Zacky’s new life isn’t incredibly different from his old one, though two big pieces - his relationship status and his job - are totally new. He’s no longer married and he’s a professional hockey player, two things that rock his world and leave him grieving for the life he left behind. From the minute Zacky lays out his situation to new Cameron, Cameron is so supportive and takes it upon himself to help in any way he possibly can, being incredibly sweet and loving. Their friendship slowly starts to evolve and it’s adorable and easy in a way that made my heart happy.
These two were adorable together and had me smiling even when things got tough. I got really emotional when Zacky and Cameron started talking about letting go of Zacky’s husband version of Cameron - talk about heartbreaking. I really wish this was longer in general - I wanted more development for both Zacky and Cameron and the plot overall. Hannah Henry’s stories tend to be on the shorter side, but I think this book would have been outstanding if it had some more time to develop and the characters more time to grow together. Overall I really enjoyed this - it’s so unique and I’ll be thinking about Zacky and Cameron (and the alternate universe Zacky and Cameron we meet in the bonus scene) for a while.
This was a different take on the amnesia plotline and I really enjoyed it. Zacky’s new life isn’t incredibly different from his old one, though two big pieces - his relationship status and his job - are totally new. He’s no longer married and he’s a professional hockey player, two things that rock his world and leave him grieving for the life he left behind. From the minute Zacky lays out his situation to new Cameron, Cameron is so supportive and takes it upon himself to help in any way he possibly can, being incredibly sweet and loving. Their friendship slowly starts to evolve and it’s adorable and easy in a way that made my heart happy.
These two were adorable together and had me smiling even when things got tough. I got really emotional when Zacky and Cameron started talking about letting go of Zacky’s husband version of Cameron - talk about heartbreaking. I really wish this was longer in general - I wanted more development for both Zacky and Cameron and the plot overall. Hannah Henry’s stories tend to be on the shorter side, but I think this book would have been outstanding if it had some more time to develop and the characters more time to grow together. Overall I really enjoyed this - it’s so unique and I’ll be thinking about Zacky and Cameron (and the alternate universe Zacky and Cameron we meet in the bonus scene) for a while.
Flake It Til You Make It by Beth Bolden
3.5
This installment of the second season of Christmas Falls was full of small town antics but left me wanting more from the couple and more Christmas Falls in general.
Rocco Moretti is the new owner of Jolly Java and after making some changes to the menu, he’s lost a number of Christmas Falls regulars and is struggling to win them back. Taylor Hall is the deputy mayor with his eye on the prize of becoming city manager next, but a former Christmas Falls native challenging that has him scrambling to be the most appealing option. They craft a plan to get Rocco back into the Christmas Falls residents’ good graces and to show that Taylor has roots in Christmas Falls - fake dating, of course!
Rocco Moretti is the new owner of Jolly Java and after making some changes to the menu, he’s lost a number of Christmas Falls regulars and is struggling to win them back. Taylor Hall is the deputy mayor with his eye on the prize of becoming city manager next, but a former Christmas Falls native challenging that has him scrambling to be the most appealing option. They craft a plan to get Rocco back into the Christmas Falls residents’ good graces and to show that Taylor has roots in Christmas Falls - fake dating, of course!
They try to keep things professional, but they’re both feeling things they shouldn’t and things get complicated for a bit before they finally talk things out. While they were cute together, I felt like Rocco and Taylor’s story was built so much on the fake relationship and navigating that that they didn’t really spend much time getting to know one another, which made the story fall a bit flat for me even though it had promise. And, even though this is a standalone story in the Christmas Falls series, I felt like I was missing a lot of backstory because I haven’t read any of the Moretti family stories by Beth Bolden. As someone who likes to know all of the characters’ backstories, I was a bit frustrated.
I also missed some of the Christmas Falls fun - even though Rocco and Taylor attended some festival events together, it just felt perfunctory some of the time, not like they were seriously interested in becoming part of the town. Not my favorite trip to Christmas Falls, but still looking forward to the rest of the stories!
I also missed some of the Christmas Falls fun - even though Rocco and Taylor attended some festival events together, it just felt perfunctory some of the time, not like they were seriously interested in becoming part of the town. Not my favorite trip to Christmas Falls, but still looking forward to the rest of the stories!
Christmas On Stardust Lane by Garrett Leigh
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
UGH. Tam and Bhodi have my whole heart. These two were everything I could have hoped for and another perfect holiday couple and swoony, emotional vibes from Garrett Leigh!
Tam Dubois and Bhodi Jones meet under unexpected circumstances in the hospital parking lot, then again when they learn that Tam is Bhodi’s new landlord. While they mean to keep things separate and stay out of each other’s hair, they just can’t help themselves - the pull to get to know each other is too strong. After heartbreak and a motorcycle accident, Tam found a way to turn his recovery into a living as a calligrapher, something unexpected but so fitting even though he finds himself alone more often than not, usually by choice. Bhodi is running from his broken heart to work as a nurse at another hospital where he’s starting over again, something he’s pretty familiar with, resigned to keeping his heart protected by keeping his distance.
They’ve both been hurt in the past, are bruised and battered and extremely protective of their hearts. But they break down each other’s walls one by one, interaction by interaction, helping each other to overcome the hesitation that kept them from starting anything serious by being themselves. They quickly become safe spaces for each other and even though they tried to keep their feelings out of their physical relationship, the pull was too strong. Tam and Bhodi belong together and once they finally recognize that, nothing can stop them from embracing every single moment together.
I LOVED the Logan cameos throughout, the call backs to some of the Rebel Kings, the Remi mentions…all of them made my heart happy. I cannot wait for next Christmas to get Sab’s story!
Tam Dubois and Bhodi Jones meet under unexpected circumstances in the hospital parking lot, then again when they learn that Tam is Bhodi’s new landlord. While they mean to keep things separate and stay out of each other’s hair, they just can’t help themselves - the pull to get to know each other is too strong. After heartbreak and a motorcycle accident, Tam found a way to turn his recovery into a living as a calligrapher, something unexpected but so fitting even though he finds himself alone more often than not, usually by choice. Bhodi is running from his broken heart to work as a nurse at another hospital where he’s starting over again, something he’s pretty familiar with, resigned to keeping his heart protected by keeping his distance.
They’ve both been hurt in the past, are bruised and battered and extremely protective of their hearts. But they break down each other’s walls one by one, interaction by interaction, helping each other to overcome the hesitation that kept them from starting anything serious by being themselves. They quickly become safe spaces for each other and even though they tried to keep their feelings out of their physical relationship, the pull was too strong. Tam and Bhodi belong together and once they finally recognize that, nothing can stop them from embracing every single moment together.
I LOVED the Logan cameos throughout, the call backs to some of the Rebel Kings, the Remi mentions…all of them made my heart happy. I cannot wait for next Christmas to get Sab’s story!
If Only In Our Dreams by Fae Quin
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
What a dreamy, sweet, slightly awkward yet adorable and funny story - I enjoyed this book so much! It was the perfect way to start off my holiday reads this year.
Robin “Trashmouth” Johnson has been a musician, performing around the world for years and running himself ragged while doing it. He’s neglected his family and taking care of himself in favor of always being on and sinking further and further into poor health due to his unmanaged insomnia. That is, until he meets a man with nice biceps on a plan to visit his little brother in Vermont. Ben Montgomery is the man with the nice biceps, really the nice everything, who is a doctor, the world’s sweetest father to twin Edgar Allen Poe-obsessed 4-year-olds and one of the loneliest men around town. He’s a writer under a pen name and that secret side of him comes out more often than ever when Robin’s around.
Robin and Ben don’t make sense in a lot of ways when you see things from the outside, but once they started talking, they were more alike than they ever could have imagined. They tell each other their deepest, darkest secrets, they fit seamlessly into each other’s lives, they support each other in all of their important decisions and they care for each other on a level that neither of them expected. Robin fits right in with Ben, his twins and the rest of the Montgomery clan, like he was meant to be there as more than just Miles’s older brother/Bubba’s duncle. I loved how rigid Ben melted away whenever he saw that Robin needed him and that Robin finally had a chance to slow down and find himself again with Ben’s reassurance.
These Christmas Daddies books got me right in the feels - I’m excited to see if there’s any more stories in this world now that the Montgomery brothers are all happily off the market!
Robin “Trashmouth” Johnson has been a musician, performing around the world for years and running himself ragged while doing it. He’s neglected his family and taking care of himself in favor of always being on and sinking further and further into poor health due to his unmanaged insomnia. That is, until he meets a man with nice biceps on a plan to visit his little brother in Vermont. Ben Montgomery is the man with the nice biceps, really the nice everything, who is a doctor, the world’s sweetest father to twin Edgar Allen Poe-obsessed 4-year-olds and one of the loneliest men around town. He’s a writer under a pen name and that secret side of him comes out more often than ever when Robin’s around.
Robin and Ben don’t make sense in a lot of ways when you see things from the outside, but once they started talking, they were more alike than they ever could have imagined. They tell each other their deepest, darkest secrets, they fit seamlessly into each other’s lives, they support each other in all of their important decisions and they care for each other on a level that neither of them expected. Robin fits right in with Ben, his twins and the rest of the Montgomery clan, like he was meant to be there as more than just Miles’s older brother/Bubba’s duncle. I loved how rigid Ben melted away whenever he saw that Robin needed him and that Robin finally had a chance to slow down and find himself again with Ben’s reassurance.
These Christmas Daddies books got me right in the feels - I’m excited to see if there’s any more stories in this world now that the Montgomery brothers are all happily off the market!
The Snuggle is Real by DJ Jamison
4.0
This was adorable and such a great way to kick off Christmas Falls: Season 2! Mason, Ford, Charlie and Peppermint Bark got me right back into the magical world of Christmas Falls.
Mason West is new to Christmas Falls, running the town’s new foundation tasked with making sure people around town have what they need to have a magical holiday season. Ford Donnelly barely gets by during the winter months, scraping by doing odd jobs until spring but this year, he’s surprised with taking care of his ex’s daughter Charlie, something he’s excited about but not prepared for.
Even though Ford doesn’t want to accept help from the foundation or Mason, he does it for Charlie, to give her the perfect Christmas which pulls Ford and Mason together time and time again. They’re such opposites and they never expected to fall for each other, but they can’t seem to help it. And Charlie makes an impression on both of them, showing them what they could be if they just let themselves open up to each other.
Together they realize that the holidays are more about spending quality time together and making memories than they are about having the money to do things over the top and they create the perfect Christmas for them and Charlie, forcing them to see that they belong together…all of four of them when you include Pepper.
This was a really cute story that handled some more serious topics along the way and showed that family looks how you want it to look and that the holidays are about so much more than the amount of money you can spend. Looking forward to more stories in Christmas Falls!
Mason West is new to Christmas Falls, running the town’s new foundation tasked with making sure people around town have what they need to have a magical holiday season. Ford Donnelly barely gets by during the winter months, scraping by doing odd jobs until spring but this year, he’s surprised with taking care of his ex’s daughter Charlie, something he’s excited about but not prepared for.
Even though Ford doesn’t want to accept help from the foundation or Mason, he does it for Charlie, to give her the perfect Christmas which pulls Ford and Mason together time and time again. They’re such opposites and they never expected to fall for each other, but they can’t seem to help it. And Charlie makes an impression on both of them, showing them what they could be if they just let themselves open up to each other.
Together they realize that the holidays are more about spending quality time together and making memories than they are about having the money to do things over the top and they create the perfect Christmas for them and Charlie, forcing them to see that they belong together…all of four of them when you include Pepper.
This was a really cute story that handled some more serious topics along the way and showed that family looks how you want it to look and that the holidays are about so much more than the amount of money you can spend. Looking forward to more stories in Christmas Falls!
The Backup Plan by Eden Finley
4.0
This book put the biggest smile on my face - it was everything I was hoping for in this new King Sports series!
Thad St. James and Kelley Afton get off to quite the rocky start when they’re forced to spend weeks together in a cabin in the middle of winter. Thad is still mourning the loss of his professional baseball playing dreams, while Kelley seemingly has everything Thad dreamed of but is struggling to get his anxiety under control after coming out.
The sneaking around and keeping things a secret was a lot of fun to read - since they lived in different cities and Kelley traveled so much, it was one of the more believable secret relationship stories I’ve read. Even though Thad and Kelley share a love of baseball, they couldn’t be more different but they work together so well, anticipating what each other needs, going out of their way to be thoughtful and sweet. Their relationship felt unexpected but so believable at the same time.
Of course I loved all of the Damon moments…he’s really grown into himself and being the boss suits him for sure. And Thad’s friendship with Brady was the perfect way to tie all of Eden’s stories together plus I’m never going to turn down even little glimpses into Brady’s HEA. I wish there was more of a resolution with the storyline with Thad’s brother, but maybe that’s going to go somewhere later? I guess we’ll see!
Really looking forward to seeing where the King Sports series will take us next. Fingers crossed for a certain two feuding agents at the LA office!
Thad St. James and Kelley Afton get off to quite the rocky start when they’re forced to spend weeks together in a cabin in the middle of winter. Thad is still mourning the loss of his professional baseball playing dreams, while Kelley seemingly has everything Thad dreamed of but is struggling to get his anxiety under control after coming out.
The sneaking around and keeping things a secret was a lot of fun to read - since they lived in different cities and Kelley traveled so much, it was one of the more believable secret relationship stories I’ve read. Even though Thad and Kelley share a love of baseball, they couldn’t be more different but they work together so well, anticipating what each other needs, going out of their way to be thoughtful and sweet. Their relationship felt unexpected but so believable at the same time.
Of course I loved all of the Damon moments…he’s really grown into himself and being the boss suits him for sure. And Thad’s friendship with Brady was the perfect way to tie all of Eden’s stories together plus I’m never going to turn down even little glimpses into Brady’s HEA. I wish there was more of a resolution with the storyline with Thad’s brother, but maybe that’s going to go somewhere later? I guess we’ll see!
Really looking forward to seeing where the King Sports series will take us next. Fingers crossed for a certain two feuding agents at the LA office!
Sweet Like Whiskey by Emmy Sanders
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
This book is titled perfectly - Jackson and Ash’s love story was so incredibly sweet. I couldn’t get enough!
Ashley (Ash) Alcott leaves behind his entire life to move to Montana with no long-term plan but finds himself exactly where he was always meant to be - working at the Darling Ranch. He is sunshine-y, positive and incredibly empathetic, always doing whatever he can to make everyone around him feel comfortable and at home. But when he meets Jackson Darling on his first day of work, he finds way more than he bargained for by taking the job. Jackson is grumpy, quiet and caring but hesitant to let anyone in after getting hurt by an ex. They both throw each other for a loop, but also give them something they weren’t expecting, the feeling of home.
These two are sweet and wonderful together. Their relationship is easy and so much fun to read. They bring out the best in each other and I really enjoyed that they didn’t play games and acted like the adults that they are - they liked each other so they started dating and fell for each other harder than they ever anticipated. Ash and Jackson are opposites in so many ways but they brought out hidden sides of each other when they were together, Ash getting so much more flirtatious and naughty and Jackson showing his sweet side and his intense care. The low angst love story was exactly what I needed and really the perfect way for these two sweet men to find their happily ever after.
Can’t wait for more stories about the Darling brothers set on the ranch - the location is so idyllic plus I’m so intrigued by each of the brothers and can’t wait to see who they all end up with!
Ashley (Ash) Alcott leaves behind his entire life to move to Montana with no long-term plan but finds himself exactly where he was always meant to be - working at the Darling Ranch. He is sunshine-y, positive and incredibly empathetic, always doing whatever he can to make everyone around him feel comfortable and at home. But when he meets Jackson Darling on his first day of work, he finds way more than he bargained for by taking the job. Jackson is grumpy, quiet and caring but hesitant to let anyone in after getting hurt by an ex. They both throw each other for a loop, but also give them something they weren’t expecting, the feeling of home.
These two are sweet and wonderful together. Their relationship is easy and so much fun to read. They bring out the best in each other and I really enjoyed that they didn’t play games and acted like the adults that they are - they liked each other so they started dating and fell for each other harder than they ever anticipated. Ash and Jackson are opposites in so many ways but they brought out hidden sides of each other when they were together, Ash getting so much more flirtatious and naughty and Jackson showing his sweet side and his intense care. The low angst love story was exactly what I needed and really the perfect way for these two sweet men to find their happily ever after.
Can’t wait for more stories about the Darling brothers set on the ranch - the location is so idyllic plus I’m so intrigued by each of the brothers and can’t wait to see who they all end up with!
Just Bromantically Invested by Saxon James
3.0
I’ve been waiting for Madden and Penn’s story for a while now and I liked it, but didn’t love it as much as I was hoping.
Madden Young and Penn Jackson have been best friends since high school, played college baseball together, moved to Seattle together and started their own business as business partners. To say they’re totally ingrained in each other’s lives would be a bit of an understatement. But Madden loves Penn as more than a friend and Penn has absolutely no idea, so there’s some awkwardness there that they haven’t had to navigate before. They’re codependent and both a little needy, but it mostly works for them since they’ve been such big parts of each other’s lives for so long.
Even though Madden and Penn are best friends, their communication skills are seriously lacking - there’s so much miscommunication/lack of communication here that it started to drag the story down and took me out of the romance. I wasn’t really convinced that these two would work together long term - they both had a tendency to self-sabotage or spiral when things were going too well. Their romantic relationship just didn’t quite gel for me.
I felt like there weren't as many moments with the Bertha boys in this one as in others, but when they were around, I loved it. Definitely could have done with more! And the addition of Lana and Lisa felt unnecessary since Madden and Penn could have figured things out in so many different ways. But, I’m dying to get my hands on Xander’s book next - he’s been such a big part of each book so far and I can’t wait to finally get inside his head.
Madden Young and Penn Jackson have been best friends since high school, played college baseball together, moved to Seattle together and started their own business as business partners. To say they’re totally ingrained in each other’s lives would be a bit of an understatement. But Madden loves Penn as more than a friend and Penn has absolutely no idea, so there’s some awkwardness there that they haven’t had to navigate before. They’re codependent and both a little needy, but it mostly works for them since they’ve been such big parts of each other’s lives for so long.
Even though Madden and Penn are best friends, their communication skills are seriously lacking - there’s so much miscommunication/lack of communication here that it started to drag the story down and took me out of the romance. I wasn’t really convinced that these two would work together long term - they both had a tendency to self-sabotage or spiral when things were going too well. Their romantic relationship just didn’t quite gel for me.
I felt like there weren't as many moments with the Bertha boys in this one as in others, but when they were around, I loved it. Definitely could have done with more! And the addition of Lana and Lisa felt unnecessary since Madden and Penn could have figured things out in so many different ways. But, I’m dying to get my hands on Xander’s book next - he’s been such a big part of each book so far and I can’t wait to finally get inside his head.