romancingthereader's reviews
1338 reviews

Dad Bod Orc by Tana Stone

fast-paced

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

3.5

I always judge novellas by a simple metric - would I have loved this if it was a full-length book. And I think here that was a yes.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:  Dad Bod Orc by Tana Stone 

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Part of the Dad Bod monster series by various authors. 

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: E-book ARC on Kindle. 🆓️ on KU  

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Monster romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Age gap, bodyguard, forbidden, opposites attract.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Harlowe is an actress under extreme scrutiny. Roc is a bodyguard hired to protect her. Though the pair can’t be more, their forced proximity draws them together.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: This is one of those occasions where the title of the book is exactly what you get - and I’m not mad about it. 

You get a burly bodyguard of an orc who’s secretly shy and embarrassed about how humans see him. A sunshine actress who needs help. And a really quick insta-love story. 

It was the perfect palette cleanser to add to your list and a quick read.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 2.5/5 🌶🌶

 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.   

Wild Love by Elsie Silver

slow-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

4.0

Elsie Silver can’t write a bad book… and her introduction to Rose Hill set us up for a wonderful new chapter in her writing.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Wild Love by Elsie Silver

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Rose Hill character series. Book 1.

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: E-book on Kindle. 🆓️ on KU 

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Contemporary romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Billionaire, small town, brother’s best friend, opposites attract, he’s always loved her.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Rosie loses her job and returns to Rose Hill, where her brother’s best friend is undergoing some major life changes and needs help. She becomes his business manager, but as the pair get reacquainted it’s clear Ford Grant has more than friendly feelings for her.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Elsie Silver’s writing is, simply put, SO GOOD. Her love stories give me butterflies to read, and I’m always happy to dive into whatever she puts out.

Wild Love was such a good heart reset. I love a man who pines for a woman for decades. I love an FMC who is a little crazy and knows who she is. The two complimented each other the way only fictional characters can… and the spice was an absolutely perfect level.

This wasn’t my favorite Elsie Silver book for a couple reasons - though a four is an EXCELLENT rating still. The first reason was that there really wasn’t a lot of drama at all. It dragged a bit. Second is the billionaire trope didn’t fit quite correctly for me. It just felt forced in a strange way.

But regardless, I enjoyed the book. And she did an incredible job of setting up a series I can’t wait to read.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 3.5/5 🌶🌶🌶

That Second Chance by Meghan Quinn

emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

This wasn’t my absolute FAVORITE Meghan Quinn book, but the free read-and-listen was great and I appreciated the low-drama read for sure.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: That Second Chance by Meghan Quinn

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Getting Lucky character series. Book 1.

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: Audiobook on Kindle. 🆓️ on KU to read and listen.

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Contemporary romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Small town, romcom, love after loss, new girl in town, slow burn.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Griffin and his brothers had a chance encounter with a mystic who cursed them never to find love - and soon after, his wife died. So when he meets Ren, the new girl in town who seems too good to be true, he refuses to fall in love in case the curse strikes again.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Super light read with almost no drama and a great happily-ever-after. So, that’s kind of what I want in every romance novel.

There was a lot of tension in the slow burn, and a super cute happy ending. I can’t really complain m…

This is a four year old book, and I tend to love how MQ’s writing has grown over the years. Ren was a little bit of a shallow FMC, and she came off a little desperate at times. 

I’m still going to read the rest of the series, though. Because I’ve never met an MQ book I hated.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 3/5 🌶🌶🌶

Just This Once by Lena Hendrix

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? Yes

4.5

I think those of you who read the Sullivan family series have been salivating to read more about the Kings. But for those of you who haven’t gotten into Lena Hendrix’s writing, you might want to get on this new series bandwagon with us this time… 

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Just This Once by Lena Hendrix 

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: The Kings, book 1.  

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀:  E-book ARC on Kindle. 🆓️ on KU. 

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲:  Contemporary romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: One night stand, forbidden romance, opposites attract, bad boy with tattoos, man in uniform.  

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Emily and Whip have an incredible night together, before they realize they can’t go forward with their connection because Whip works for Emily’s father. But the connection they share keeps bringing them back together, and the good girl can’t help but fall for the bad boy firefighter. 

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:  Man, was I happy to be back in Outtatowner.

Guys, I’m always raving about Lena Hendrix’s writing. I have a ridiculous amount of swag for her last series, and I was just SO excited to pick up this new character series.

Whip and Emily’s story was a great kickoff. It was spicy and romantic. And Whip was book boyfriend perfection - a tattooed, pierced firefighter who is so much more than just what he shows on the surface. I read the last two chapters with a hand over my heart.

To say I’m excited for the characters in this series is underselling it. I’m particularly pumped for Abel’s story next - the ex convict turned bar owner and his quirky employee. I’m already sold.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 3/5 🌶🌶🌶

 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.   

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Abby Jimenez is a rare author I will pay traditional publishing prices to read… because her stories are just THAT good.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Standalone (kinda)

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: E-book on Kindle. Borrowed from Libby.

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Contemporary romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Meet cute, she’s a runner, he falls first (and HARD), found family.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Emma is a traveling nurse with a curse - everyone she dates breaks up with her and finds their soul mate immediately after. She meets Justin, who has a similar curse. They decide to date just for the summer to help cancel out their respective bad luck.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: That synopsis is what the publishers put out, but this story is - like many of Abby Jimenez’s books - so much deeper.

It’s funny and sweet and soooooo romantic, and then deeply emotional and painful and healing all at once. This book hit me like a ton of bricks. It felt cathartic to read.

I always feel like Abby Jimenez’ writing is so intentional. She researches well and has sensitivity readers and makes everything feel both relatable and believable. I told a friend I was genuinely sad for what happened to Emma - and she’s a fictional character.

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to see the five-star rating, but it’s impressive to me nonetheless.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 2.5/5 🌶🌶

📝 𝗔 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲…  I mentioned this is a standalone. But it’s also part of a universe. Highly recommend reading Part of Your World and Yours Truly as well.

Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws

emotional 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? Yes

4.5

You guys know I am an Amy Daws fan. And I jumped into this one with both feet - because I've never read a surrogacy romance. And I know a lot of people raised an eyebrow when the synopsis for this one was released, but man... it was just as good as I hoped.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Mountain Men character series. Book 1.

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: E-book ARC on Kindle. Free on KU.

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Contemporary Romance  

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Surrogacy, small town, age gap, found family, plus size rep, cute animals galore.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Trista's always done things on her own, and finding the money for her animal sanctuary is no different. She decides on becoming a surrogate - and when she meets Wyatt, a mountain loner who wants a to be a father more than anything. She moves to live on the mountain with Wyatt and his brothers during her pregnancy, and the two deal with immediate tension from the start.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: I always know with Amy Daws I am going to get a solid read with emotions that I entirely relate to and spice that's off the chart.

The Nine Month Contract was all of that and more. Trista was a gorgeous character who embodied plus-size pregnancy who had incredible character death. Watching her learn to rely on others and discover her found-family was so wonderful.

And Wyatt! If you love men who internally pine for a woman, you'll love Wyatt to the moon and back. All of the best book boyfriend qualities and more - and trust me, you can't help but fall for a man who is begging for a child.

The surrogacy portion of this was interesting. It felt well researched, but there were portions that had to be embellished for the book in general. So if this is something you're fiercely protective of when you're reading, you might want to go into this with an open mind or skip this one entirely. 

I will say, the insemination portion was a LOT. It might be that I am 36... that I just went through a pregnancy... whatever, but I thought even though parts made my eyes bug out of my head, it was still pretty hot. And a breeding kink? Yea, I'm down for whatever. Just make sure you know what you're getting into, and read the forward note!

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐  

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 2.5/5 🌶🌶  

Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.

So boring. And so weird. What are we doing here?

The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.

Exceedingly depressing and had a lot of religion throughout. Never judging a historical romance by its cover again.

The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.

If you don’t hook me in the first 25% I’m not going to stay, and this book didn’t even get close. 75 pages in and I had no clue about what was going on, and I simply couldn’t continue.

Wild Life by Opal Wei
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.

The writing in this book is CHAOTIC in all caps. It felt like a fever dream. I’m a quick study and don’t mind complex language but woof. It wasn’t in any way relaxing… and she might get better but the FMC was super out of bounds.