romancingthereader's Reviews (1.64k)

emotional reflective 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: No

Iโ€™m not the biggest Hozier fan, but I was into this story ideaโ€ฆ and let me tell you, Iโ€™m certainly a fan of Tom Halloran.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: If Not For My Baby by Kate Golden

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle. Courtesy of NetGalley.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Rockstar romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Opposites attract, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, roadtrip vibes.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Clementine gets plucked from her small town in Texas to tour with one of the worldโ€™s biggest stars: Halloran. But she learns very quickly thereโ€™s a lot to learn about the soulful crooner behind closed doors.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: Listenโ€ฆ I think a lot of people are going to come out of this book with a new favorite book boyfriend. But I adored that this entire book was told from Clementines perspective, because she was a fun little character to explore.

Fanfic type books run a thin line. Theyโ€™ve got to meld with the fandom, but also be approachable to people who donโ€™t know a thing about the subject youโ€™re trying to emulate. And I sit somewhere in the middle. So while I got the Hozier vibes, this didnโ€™t overwhelm me.

But Tom and Clem are everything. Tom, the musicโ€ฆ itโ€™s all so unbearably sexy and romantic. Heโ€™s all broody and poetic and pining for Clemโ€ฆ And Clem is refreshingly fun. Sheโ€™s seeing the world through new eyes at every turn.

I loved this book. I loved the visuals and the settings and the entire feel of it, start to finish.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 5/5 โญโญโญโญโญ  

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜.
relaxing fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I love this little world. So when I saw the novella coming out, it moved straight to the top of my reading list. Kass Oโ€™Shire has something special hereโ€ฆ the way she writes and the world she created is just so unique and interesting. This one was super spicy (thank you, Kass!) and also answered a few questions readers hadโ€ฆ Iโ€™m loved it from start to finish.
challenging funny reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Mazey Eddings now has two books on my top tier list in 2025. Itโ€™s safe to say sheโ€™s a one-click author for me now, I trust her that much.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle. Courtesy of NetGalley.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Second chance, love eager, bi MMC, black cat/golden retriever.  

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Eva Kitt hosts a mildly successful gimmick interview show, though sheโ€™s always hoped to be a true journalist. When a bottle of wine leads her to bash her ex - wildly successful podcast host Rylie Cooper - he challenges her to let him right the wrongs of the past.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: A few times during this book I had to hold my hand to my heart and hope it would stop beating so fast.

I loved Eddingsโ€™ last release, Late Bloomer earlier this year and I was excited to dig in here. I knew itโ€™d be more emotional than I planned, and WOOF, was I right.

Eva is this demonstrative (but very relatable), loud and opinionated woman that wonโ€™t give Rylie a smidge of forgiveness. And Rylie? From the jump you can tell heโ€™s more than meets the eyeโ€ฆ and he turns out to be so much more than I bargained for.

This book was full of moments that left me, as the reader, feeling raw and vulnerable. It was emotional through and through, and a few times I was screaming at Eva just to get it together. But I love that I never hated her. Women with big emotions are so easy not to like, and Mazey Eddings wrote Eva so well I refused to give up on her.

If you need some romance therapy, this one is a must-read.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 5/5 โญโญโญโญโญ  

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜.   
emotional mysterious reflective 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: No

Every time I get a new Catherine Cowles release, Iโ€™m always a live action version of that โ€œgimme, gimmeโ€ meme. 

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Chasing Shelter by Catherine Cowles

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Sparrow Falls character series. Book 5.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle. ๐Ÿ†“ on KU.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Romantic suspense

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Opposites attract, single dad, banter for days.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Ellie comes to town after leaving her life in New York, only to find herself living next door to the grump, single dad Sheriff.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: Listen, I eat these books up like candy. Would I want to live in a Catherine Cowles related town? Absolutely notโ€ฆ way too dangerous. But do I escape every time a new book drops? Yep!

The Sparrow Falls series has been Catherineโ€™s best yet. Iโ€™ve adored the couples, and the added backdrop of this mixed Colson family, slapped together with a mix of blood family and adopted additions. Trace was a broad character, not just your typical broody sheriff but with a tragic backstory and a daughter you canโ€™t help but love as a reader.

The relationship between these two felt inevitable from page 1, but I love that. It made room for the suspense of it all, and that had me clicking my heels. For the first time, I literally didnโ€™t guess the twist. Which made me impressed to say the least. 

I highly recommend picking this one up before the sixth book releases because let me tell youโ€ฆ that couple is going to bring down the house.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4.5/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜.   
emotional reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Iโ€™ve never read a Taylor Jenkins Reid book. But something about this cover grabbed my attention. Then I went in mostly blind, and got swept up in the incredible writing storytelling of it all.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Atmosphere by Taylor
Jenkins Reid

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book on Kindle. Borrowed through the Libby app.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Opposites attract, forbidden love.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Joan has never felt like she fit in - until she found NASA. Now as a part of their elite astronaut program, she meets Vanessa, a fellow astronaut who makes her life feel like a puzzle that finally fits together. But as they navigate the astronaut program and finally advancing women to space, it becomes clear their romance was doomed from the start.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: This book was a roller coaster, in the best possible way.

Joan and Vanessa had the type of love everyone yearns for but few find. And then to have to hide that love and live in the shadows when youโ€™re truly happy was heartbreaking to read. As a reader, this had moments of humanity, of swoon-worthy romance, of absolute panic and of complete devastation.

TJR wrote this as a dual timeline, expertly alternating between the โ€œpresent dayโ€ of Joan attempting to motivate Vanessa home from a doomed space mission to the past and the beginnings of their relationship. I was floored, and let me tell youโ€ฆ when the third act breakup comes alongside the truly life and death moment, you may need a tissue (or if youโ€™re like me, an entire box). 

The characters, the camaraderie, and the vastness of space had me highlighting passages left and right. This was easily a top book of the year - get that library hold in ASAP.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 5/5 โญโญโญโญโญ  

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 1/5 ๐ŸŒถ

Terror at the Gates

Scarlett St. Clair

DID NOT FINISH: 4%

The writing in the first 20 pages of this book was enough for me to DNF without remorse. I tried.
emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I try not to be super mean in book reviews.  But being honest Iโ€™m definitely disappointed in this book. 

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: When I Should Have Stayed by Max Monroe

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Red Bridge character series. Book 2.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle. Courtesy of NetGalley. ๐Ÿ†“ on KU.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Second Chance, he falls first, instalove.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Josie and Clay burned hot and then burned out just as fast. She left, and never gave him a reason why. But as their lives become intwined again, itโ€™s up to her to tell the truth.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: Max Monroeโ€™s Billionaire Bad Boys series is one of my favorite ever. I loved the Winslow Brothers series as well. After that, I donโ€™t know what happened. I read a few of their books and they seemed disjointed, and they lack not only the things I loved that made them shine, but the fundamentals of actual romance.

I felt like this book had a great start, and I was interested in where it was going. But a lot of it threw me off. There was an unaligned dual-ish timeline that wasnโ€™t labeled well enough, and completely threw me off. 

And while I was struggling through that, it only drew more attention to the fact that Clay and Josie didnโ€™t have any foundation, only this attraction. In skipping through the timeline, they skipped everything that would have made the couple special.

And then there was the trauma of it all. Josieโ€™s reason for leaving was harsh. Clay never came across loveable - only unserious and kind of one dimensional.

I think at this point I have to let go of the marketing and hype and just let go of these authors. But we will always have the Billionaire Bad Boys.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 2.5/5 โญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 2.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜.