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hookedbythatbook's reviews
3098 reviews
The Key to My Heart by Lia Louis
4.0
This book captured Natalie's grieving process extremely well. Her feelings of guilt because she wasn't behaving the way people around her wanted her to behave, and her conflicted feelings about the house that she and Russ had bought together. The piano music was an especially emotional touch, and more so when Natalie found out who was leaving the music for her. I found her reactions very realistic. It just showed how we don't always make the best choices when consumed with grief. And how difficult and confusing it can be for the people who desperately want to support their grieving friend. I loved how everything unfolded for Natalie in the end.
The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley
5.0
This is that perfect book to take you away from regular life for a few hours. It made me smile and there might've been a few tears as well. The banter between Claire and Graham was on point. It was clear from the start that they had a strong connection, that only grew as time went on. Claire and Gertrude together has to be one of the best dog-people relationships ever. And those letters that Graham wrote grabbed me by the heartstrings every single time. I can highly recommend this if you like a light-hearted, steamy friends-to-lovers romance.
King of Sloth by Ana Huang
5.0
This is my favourite by far (so far) in this already excellent series. Ana Huang dials up the sexual tension yet again to even higher levels of exquisite torture. Xavier started out rudderlessly floating along on the wave of his father's money, and even then he was charming as heck. Sloane's life, in direct contrast, was rigidly controlled. They softened and shaped each other as they spent more time together. The plethora of cameos from Ana's previous books were absolutely priceless and had me quietly squealing in delight. This series don't have to be read in order, but personally I think it helps, just to keep the characters straight.
Until It Was Love by Pippa Grant
5.0
Goldie and Fletcher are a solid 4 stars, but that mustache adds an extra star, like the cherry on top, the winning goal in overtime, the icing on the cake... you get my drift. The banter was top notch, as was the sizzling chemistry.
Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison
4.0
This book introduced us to a world of magic that had some new and unexpected elements. I'm, of course, talking about the dross here, which didn't always make a lot of sense to me, to be honest. But I loved Petra's expert handling of it and the magical elements that came about later because of it. Benny didn't impress me that much. He came across as oblivious most of the time, though I did appreciate his passion for his work. I'm not sure what Petra saw in him. The action was exciting and nail-biting. I liked where the story ended, even though there's obviously more to come.
One Fine May by Courtney McCaskill
5.0
With plenty of witty banter, this light-hearted brother’s-best-friend to lovers romance had me smiling all the way through.
One Fine May is the fifth book in The Rake Review series, one book for each month of the year written by different authors. And reminiscent of Bridgerton, it comes complete with its own scandal sheet, The Rake Review, penned by the Brazen Belle. Mr. May in our calendar of rakes is Mr. Evander Beauclerk, son and heir to an ultra wealthy shipping insurer, and most definitely an unrepentant rake.
I enjoyed everything about this book. Vander and Letty had a connection right from the start and it showed in their frank back-and-forth, which included plenty of teasing. Their attraction was always slowly simmering under the surface, just waiting for Vander to catch up to what was happening. Vander’s inner voice was almost like a whole extra character on its own.
Even though this is a novella, it never felt rushed and their relationship had plenty of time to develop at just the right pace. The details about the insurance company and Vander’s ideas for it were interesting and served to show us Vander’s intellectual strengths.
I can highly recommend this entire series is you like steamy historical romance.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Because the Baron Broods by Darcy Burke
3.0
This is a sweet, heart-warming story of redemption and self-forgiveness.
Let’s start with the beginning, which was my least favourite part. It started out slow, even though a lot of things were happening, and I kept wondering where all of this was heading. There were way too many discussions on the subject of rogues, which just made me think that the ladies weren’t all that well-versed in rogue-ery and were basing all of their observations on one friend’s bad experience. And then, of course, the man that our FMC was interested in couldn’t possibly fall in the rogue category, so she was free to associate with him.
I quite enjoyed the middle part a lot more where it was mostly only Tamsin and Isaac confronting their relationship issues. It was sweet and very reflective of the tentative connection between them. I understand that when Isaac was young it was easier to let his family take care of his problem, but surely as he got older and gained more influence, he could’ve tried to find out the truth, instead of torturing himself with guilt and his own imagination.
Isaac spent so much time trying to avoid Tamsin and his growing feelings for her, and that made the ending feel a bit rushed. There was enough chemistry to make them believable and interesting. And I loved the mention of the town Marrywell from the Marrywell Brides series.
This is book two in the series, but it stands well on its own. You might like this if you like your historical romance with tortured heroes and strong, supporting heroines.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong
4.0
Who knew a small town hidden in the wilds of the Yukon could have so many secrets and so much drama? Eric and Casey put the residents under the microscope yet again after a US Marshall is shot while looking for his quarry in their town. Casey is a hard person, shaped by her past, but this just means she is perfect for Rockton. Her only soft spot is Eric, and her dog, and maybe her sister. She harbors no illusions about the people living in town and treats pretty much everyone as a potential suspect. And despite the turmoil in the council, Eric and Casey do their best to keep everyone in line and safe. I love April's addition to the story and can't wait to see more of her interactions with Casey. I can recommend this series if you like nail-biting action, where nothing is black-and-white, and characters with more secrets than common sense. It is best to read the books in order.