marytidbury's reviews
382 reviews

Here With Me by Brooke Montgomery

emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Such a cute read. I wasn’t expecting this to have romantic suspense in it and so I was pleasantly surprised. I will say I was expecting to love this but it didn’t hit as much as I thought it would. But I still loved it!

Fragile Sanctuary by Catherine Cowles

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I am shook. I did not see that plot twist coming. Fragile Sanctuary had me on the edge of my seat the entire way through, I was second guessing every single side character we met, trying to figure out who the big reveal would be at the end and I was shocked. I adore Catherine Cowles’ writing to my very core, she has this ability to completely hook me, and it was no different with this story. Rhodes and Anson were swoon worthy. The tension between them and the chemistry was electric. This had by far one of the best f*ck it moments that I will never forget. The spicy was spicy, probably her spiciest one yet!

Both the main characters have tragic pasts, which absolutely broke my heart. Anson is our grumpy ex-FBI profiler and Rhodes is our sunshine gardener. The way these two are together and how easy their relationship was melted my heart. Seeing how they helped each other through their respective traumas was so beautiful to watch! It should come as no surprise that I’m rating this book 5⭐️

King of Sloth by Ana Huang

adventurous challenging emotional funny fast-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

Sloane and Xavier had me squealing and kicking my feet. The black cat x golden retriever vibe was done so well. We love a powerhouse of a woman, which is exactly who Sloane is, and we love a man who is an absolute simp for the woman he falls in love with, which is exactly who Xavier is.
I love these two so much and I loved how their relationship grew and developed as well as how they brought out the best in each other. I’m completely obsessed!

Beautifully Broken Spirit by Catherine Cowles

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Jenson and Tuck were swoon worthy. The ease of their relationship and the progression from friends to lovers was perfect. 
Like all of Catherine’s books the plot was written well and left you guessing. 
It’s single mum, so obviously I was left in a little puddle seeing Tucks relationship with her son Noah develop and seeing them as a family, ahhhhh!!!! He was so protective of them and it made my heart burst seeing it!

Learn Your Lesson by Kandi Steiner

adventurous challenging emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

Daddy P didn’t disappoint. Age gap, grumpy single dad x nanny AND he’s a professional hockey player? SIGN ME UP! The tension between him and Chloe was glorious! Their chemistry was undeniable, the spice was spicing and I just lapped up every single second of their relationship.

I’m a sucker for spicy lessons trope and it was done so well, the rules they put in place that added to the tension between them and knowing that rules are made to be broken🥵

The relationship Chloe had with his daughter was beautiful and seeing how she helped her open up and be a kid just had me melting. 

This little family is adorable and I’m in love with them! Definitely my new favourite in the series!

Beautifully Broken Life by Catherine Cowles

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely heartbreaking but healing. Tessa and Liam stole my heart. Tessa is such a strong FMC and her bravery and determination is so empowering. Liam is swoon worthy. His patience and love for Tessa had me melting. This book had me gripped from cover to cover. Not only was the romance top level, the plot had me looking over my shoulder! So good!

Wild Love by Elsie Silver

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

This book had me squealing and kicking my feet. Elsie Silver knows how to write hot af men! Ford Grant oh my god, he left me in a puddle. This man is swoon worthy to a whole other degree.
Ford and Rosie’s relationship was packed full of tension and flirty banter. Their years of history that we got to see made me fall for them both even more. 
Rosie honestly had me cackling, this is a girl I want to be besties with! The way she kept Ford on his toes was glorious to watch.
Ford is a total simp for our girl Rosie, this man would (and does) do anything for this woman! He is completely besotted in the best way. Also the way he steps up when Cora turns up on his door had me melting, and their relationship was ADORABLE!
Honestly this was one of my favourite books of the year so far, both funny and sexy!

Falling for Meadow by Kels Stone, Denise Stone

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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? No

4.5

this was so adorable! Ollie and Meadow’s story was packed full of tension, their love for each other bursting off the pages. They’re childhood sweethearts who haven’t seen each other in nearly 20 years, after things ended badly. But when Ollie returns to the small Scottish town of Thistlehill to help at his family’s distillery, these two can’t deny the attraction and feelings that are still there.

Meadow, is a single mum but also a successful chef. She is battling with grief and insecurities from when she was younger, but she doesn’t let that stop her from being a powerhouse of a woman. The way we followed her journey and how she opened herself up to Ollie and how they helped each other heal was so beautiful.

Ollie man, he’s absolutely swoon worthy. He’s got the success he’s always craved but it came at the cost of loneliness. Now he’s back in town and he sees what he’s been missing out on, he’s not gonna let it slip through his fingers again. 

These two were made for each other. 

Beautifully Broken Pieces by Catherine Cowles

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

Catherine Cowles my queen and savior!
This woman has done it again. The combination of romance and mystery is done so perfectly I’m fully obsessed with this woman’s writing style. I was fully invested in these characters from the first chapter.
I adore Taylor and Walker, their love story was beautiful to read about, their love was easy and i loved how it grew and helped them heal from their grief. 
There were so many twists and turns in this story that had me guessing constantly, as to what was going on. I’m so excited to continue this series

Between Never and Forever by Shain Rose

challenging dark slow-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? Yes

3.5

I just couldn’t get into it. There were definitely enjoyable moments but I feel it was too long, could’ve been a lot shorter as they dragged out a plot point that was then resolved within the space of half a chapter. I loved Dex, but found Keelani to be quite annoying.