readingromancehea's reviews
759 reviews

Under the Bed by Eva Marks

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Shiloh met Kaleb 11 years ago. He would save her from her father's abuse. When Shiloh was hurt by a couple of boys Kaleb decided to take action. He was arrested for unaliving both boys. Now he couldn't save her. Things are different 11 years later. He's more obsessed with her than ever. What changed? Everything. 

When Kaleb was just her brother he was so good to her. Saving her from her father was brave. I feel bad that Kaleb had no one for 11 years while in the institution. Shiloh is bold for standing up to her father. I like how Shiloh kept Kaleb's mask. I love what they call each other. How Kaleb escaped is great. It's horrible that Shiloh was brain washed by her father to think Kaleb would hurt her. Kaleb's messages are definitely different. I'm surprised at the ending. That was unexpected. 

Eva always knows how to suck you into a book. She's such an amazing dark romance author and I appreciate all her work. Definitely check this out! 

Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad slow-paced

5.0

Kian is used to his routine. When his teammate Elijah gets hurt they bring on someone else until Elijah gets better. The company brings Harper onto the team. Kian can't stand Harper. Harper idolizes Kian but thinks he's boring. Management tells them to fake being friends or they both need to find another job. Can they do it?

The hate Kian has towards Harper is brutal. I mean I can understand it to an extent but you've got to give everyone at least one chance. Kian finds peace in racing but Harper is putting him in a funk. Harper knows he's had his fair share of headline drama but he's a good driver. That elevator ride was not what I expected. I love how Kian helped Harper when he was sick though. Then Kian called his sister to make sure he was doing everything right. How cute is that!!! The ending was exactly what I needed. 

I loved every second of this story. Rebecca did an amazing job and I can't wait to read more from her. 

Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins

adventurous challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

5.0

All Haymitch wants to do is help out his mom and brother and spend time with his true love. All of that gets taken away when he's sent into the Hunger Games. How do you live your life normally after being thrown into an arena to fight for your life? 

My poor Haymitch. This is so unbelievably sad and heartbreaking. All the things Haymitch had to go through during and after the reaping is cruel. I want to jump into this story and just hold Haymitch while he cries. He deserves that. I will forever hate President Snow. 

What If I See You by Susan Renee

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

Thank you to Susan Renee for this arc in exchange for an honest review 

Griffin has talked to Layken before but for some reason this time is different. What Griffin doesn't know is that Layken has had a crush on him for years but hasn't had the courage to do anything about it. Maybe when they go to Napa with their friends Layken and Griffin can come together?

I love that Griffin calls Layken Naughty. The way Layken shows up dripping wet and crying made me so sad. I'm surpsied Griffin didn't hug her while she was wet. How cute is it that the second Griffin sees Layken in his clothes makes his whole world shift. The fact that Griffin wants to help Layken with book ideas is adorable. I'm obsessed with their wedding night. It definitely didn't go how they planned but it was still a night to remember. The reference to the glitter challenge the guys did over Christmas was great. The ending was sweet and I love the epilogue. Now it's time to wait for the next masterpiece by Susan!

Pieces by Meghan Hollie

emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted tense medium-paced

5.0

Thanks to Meghan Hollie & Love Notes PR for this arc in exchange for an honest review 

Hudson and Jay make a bet that if Hudson doesn't sleep with anyone for 3 months Jay will buy him Gracie Abrams tickets. Well 3 months later Hudson is at the concert and meets Daphne. They don't know anything about each other but they spend one night together. How can one night change your whole life? 

I love that Hudson calls Daphne "Princess". Its cute how they meet at a concert. When you click with someone so fast it's electric. Their first night together was epic for both of them. I feel bad that Hudson had to wake up to Daphne gone. I think Hudson's soul left his body when he saw Daphne at football practice talking to his coach. When you hear a girl you hooked up with talk to your coach saying "bye dad" shakes up your whole world. How Hudson found out about Daphne being pregnant was crazy. The character growth for both of them is amazing. Easy 5 stars!

Oblivious by Leslie McAdam

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

August was told there would be a boy moving in next door. He was so excited to finally have a friend that wasn't one of his sisters. When August met Noah he knew that they would be fast friends. This turns into Noah falling madly in love with August while August doesn't have a clue.

It's adorable how happy August was when Noah moved in. I feel awful for Noah because of the reason why he moved in next door. The fact that they opened up a law firm for all LGBTQ+ people is amazing. Their gif game is definitely different. It's cute that they both know almost everything about each other. This is a reminder to never keep secrets from your best friend. Especially if you're in love with them. You'll miss out on so many opportunities. The ending was quite nice.

Strictly Curious by Joelle Lynne

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

Garrett has been in love with Tyler for years but Tyler has no idea. Tyler catches Garrett in the shower with another man and now he can't stop thinking about what it would be like to be with Garrett. How can your whole world change in one moment? 

How they met is a little unconventional. Their close bond from the beginning is adorable. The way they cuddle even before everything happened is beautiful. Tyler finding Garrett in the shower with another man changed his whole world. Tyler is absolutely positively oblivious. The camping trip wasn't what I expected at all. I do like Ava and Lucy. The twist was different. The ending was perfect.

Moth to a Flame by Eva Marks

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Please read the trigger warnings! 

Regan is on the dating site Moth to a Flame looking for someone to help her live out a fantasy she has. The problem is that the owner of the site has found her profile and becomes obsessed. Nothing will stop him from finding her. How far will he go to get her? Extremely far.

I love that Landon calls Regan "Little Lamb". What happened to Landon's parents is heartbreaking. I like how Landon came across Regan's profile. The fact that Landon put a wall up on Regan's profile so no one else would see it is genius. I didn't expect the gifts Landon gave Regan. Their first meeting was different. I love how strong Landon makes Regan. The ending was crazy. 

I absolutely love this story but it was very hard to get through. The trigger warnings are there for a reason so please read them. Eva is such a good story teller and sucks you right into all her stories. She continues to write bangers and I love them all.

What If I Knew You by Susan Renee

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

Corri tries to send a text to her dad but ends up texting a stranger instead. She ends up texting with this stranger quite a lot. When she agrees to meet up with him she's shocked to see who she's been texting. She's been texting a hockey player that's on her dad's team. What can she do now?

I love the nicknames they have for each other but I wish they were either used more or had other ones too. Bodhi is the sweetest cinnamon roll ever. When texting someone you should probably make sure you have the right number but I'm glad she didn't. It's adorable how they kept texting even after Bodhi told Corri she has the wrong number. I feel terrible that Bodhi was so lonely. When Bodhi asked if certain lessons were a thing because he wants to get rid of his V card I was shocked. Layken is hysterical. The ending was cute.

Susan knows how to write the cutest cinnamon rolls. I think Bodhi might be my favorite in this series. I did like how she brought back the Chicago Red Tails in this one. Definitely read this.

Cherry Picked by May Archer

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

5.0

Hawk has wanted Jack for 7 years but has been scared to say anything. Hawk is tired of having his V card so he asks Jack if he'll do the honor of deflowering him. Jack freaks out and has all sorts of dumb reasons why they can't be together. How do you make the love of your life see that you belong together?

I love that Jack calls Hawk "Bird". Their first meeting was funny. I like how Jack made it clear that he's not babying Hawk but he just likes to take care of him. It's cute how Hawk tells Jack everything. Even about the books he's reading that Jack knows nothing about but wants to hear anyways. I hate Jack's excuses as to why he can't be with Hawk. There's nothing wrong with wanting who you want. The fact that Jack keeps messing up orders and sets a rag on fire because he can't get Hawk off his mind is not what I expected. The scene Hawk made at the diner was definitely a little too much. The ending was perfect. 

I really enjoyed this. Lots of laughing and yelling at the book. I need to read more from May Archer. This was such a good read.