romancingthereader's reviews
1340 reviews

Blitz by Devney Perry

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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? It's complicated

4.5

I've read a lot of Devney Perry books, and the first Treasure State Wildcats book, Coach, was by far my favorite... so the wait for this second book has been unbearable, and I'm so glad it's finally out in the wild.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Blitz by Devney Perry

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Treasure State Wildcats 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. ๐Ÿ†“๏ธ on KU

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

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Football romance, coach/athlete, forbidden, age gap.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Toren meets Jennsyn at his Fourth of July party, and spends the next few weeks delaying calling her because he feels how soul deep their connection is. Right when he's about to reach out, he sees her playing vollyball and reality hits him: She's a student at the college he coaches at. Instead of the love story he was sure of, now the pair have to actively avoid each other.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„:  Whatever Devney Perry is putting into these sports romances, I am addicted.

Forbidden love and coach/athlete might sound daunting, but honestly it's done perfectly here. There's no "ick," at least not for me. Jennsyn is 22 and plays vollyball. Toren is 33 and coaches football. And the way Devney Perry writes their connection, it's so clear they're only right for each other.

There's so much I loved about this book. Each character had their own struggles, and the way they grew into them and complimented each other was pretty much why I read romance. I also loved seeing it play out in almost a dual timeline with Coach, which hands down my favorite Devney Perry read. The sports aspect is really solid too, and I loved how both of them supported one another.

Beware, you should only read this book if you love pining - because the pining is SO real in this one. But you absolutely should pick it up.

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: 3.5/5 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’˜. 
Swipe Right For Monsters by R. O'Leary

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funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 I've read two books from R. O'Leary, and both had me laughing, smiling into the pages, and with heart-eyes at the end. Swipe Right for Monsters was more of the same.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Swipe Right for Monsters by R. O'Leary

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. ๐Ÿ†“๏ธ on KU

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Paranormal Romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Instalove, shifters, why choose

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Nicole's fresh out of college, reeling from loans and her rundown house. Looking for someone to take care of her, she downloads a monster dating app and makes a few selections - and when she can't decide who to date, she decides to date them all.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: There's a special place in my heart for books that don't take themselves too seriously, and R. O'Leary's books have proven to be just that.

I didn't love Nicole at first - she's drunk when she downloads the app, and R. O'Leary made the five men she dates so loveable I was not in love with her for trying to take advantage of them. But as the story goes on, I was just rooting for that happy ending to come.

I love the monster aspect of this. There were two vampire best friends, a earth-powered shy fae, a cougar shifter and a werewolf. They all had banter between them, on top of the connection they had with Nicole. Sometimes, you really just had to laugh. On top of all of that, the spice was top notch. 

If you need a no-muss, no-fuss read, I suggest picking this one up.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

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

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medium-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

4.0

In the past, I've described Gemma Weir's books this way: Have you ever been in the supermarket and seen those tabloids? You know the ones. The ones that hawk information that can't be possibly true - Celine Dion is an alien, Ben Affleck cheating on JLo - but you can't help but glance at them anyway? 

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Blaze by Gemma Weir

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Montana Mountain Protectors character series. Book 1.

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

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

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Alpha male, instalove, toxic AF.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: James works for the state budget department, and is sent to check in with their newest expensive endeavor - a world class rural fire department run by Buck. But one look at James, and Buck is completely taken... despite her strange connection with her ex's family that will only bring him drama.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: So in case it wasn't clear - these books are akin to those tabloids. I can't pick one up and share it with a solid recommendation because they're SO not PC. They're toxic and sometimes when I read them I question if I should give it the pageviews. 

If you're not familiar with Gemma Weir, you should read the forward in every book that goes something like "so many people email me that this is abuse but really it's just super alpha men and I will continue to write it anyway." But like the tabloid trash, I am always fascinated and always dig in. 

Blaze was tamer than her other series - and in the reviews I can see readers yelling one of two things - either it's too tame or it's completely crazy. I get it. Buck was a nutcase. And James was hard to even like a little. 

But bottom line, these are my guilty pleasure. I never share them on my Insta account in fear of people picking them up and judging me. But Weir has gotten better as a writer. She's cleaned up her work. And these legit just are good pallet cleansers after I read something heavy. 

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ 
A Secret for a Secret by Helena Hunting

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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

4.0

I get so sucked into Helena Huntingโ€™s hockey seriesโ€ฆ itโ€™s kind of hard to stop once you start.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: A Secret for a Secret by Helena Hunting

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: All In character series. Book 3.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: Listened through Kindle. ๐Ÿ†“ on KU to read & listen.

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

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Opposites attract, forbidden love, ONS, he falls first and HARD.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Ryan has always followed the rules. Until he meets Queenie, and begins to step outside his comfort zone. But sheโ€™s a hurricane to his calm seas, and they might be too different to stay together. 

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: When you read as many romance novels as I do, finding a character whoโ€™s even a little unique is wonderful. And Ryan was that character to me. Most people write their leading men as alpha and brooding - but thatโ€™s not Ryan. Heโ€™s calm and thoughtful and a rule follower and sweet.

It takes a good writer to make those attributes stand up and feel great throughout 300 pages, and Helena Hunting nailed it. Ryan was layered and wonderful. And Queenie had a similar character arc that made me root for her to find happiness.

So invested in this series!

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
Time to Shine by Rachel Reid

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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? It's complicated

4.0

Rachel Reidโ€™s way of writing might not be for everyone, but itโ€™s definitely my cup of tea.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Time to Shine by Rachel 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 using Libby.

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

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Grumpy/sunshine, hockey romance, slow burn, friends-to-lovers.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Landon gets his chance to play for an NHL team when heโ€™s called up to the Ottawa Outlaws. Heโ€™s immediately bombarded by Casey Hicks, the teamโ€™s star and perpetual golden retriever.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: I waited a few months for this book to be lent my way. And it continued a lot of what I already know from Rachel Reid - she writes the characters and the stories she wants, regardless of how unconventional.

Landon and Casey had a sweet journey, and I absolutely love how they came together. I also appreciate how she writes couples who arenโ€™t easy to define or put in a box - and spice that isnโ€™t always conventional or expected.

Iโ€™ve read every one of her books, and Heated Rivalry & The Long Game are still absolutely epic and my favorites. But this was a sweet book with a perfect happy ending.

Also, as a huge hockey fan, I have to give props. Rachel Reid writes some of the most realistic romances involving the sport. Theyโ€™re always spot on.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
Euro Dreams by Kate Stewart

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.
I tried to stay open minded - and maybe I can get back into it when Iโ€™m in a better mindsetโ€ฆ

But the FMC in this book is pretty unlikeable. Itโ€™s like reading Bridget Jonesโ€™ Diary hijinx without any of the charm that Bridget brings to the pages. 

Also, the writing is super off for me. It reads as an American trying to write with that trademark British quirk, and quite honestly, it fails. You end up with an MMC who is speaking like a regency novel.

I might give it another chance, but someone would have to convince me hard.
The Catch by Amy Lea

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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? It's complicated

5.0

The Proposal meets It Happened One Summer with a son of swoon-worthy momentsโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: The Catch by Amy Lea

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: The Influencer Series. Book 3.

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

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

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Small town / city girl, opposites attract, all of the banter, fake engagement, insta-love, enemies-to-lovers.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Melanie travels to Nova Scotia for an influencer trip, but a mistake leaves her with no place to stay. Her only hope is a room at an old B and B, and sheโ€™ll have to deal with the grumpy owner, Evan.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: I wasnโ€™t sure I was going to like this book. Iโ€™m a frugal girly, so I give trad-published books a little bit extra scrutinyโ€ฆ and this one stood up to it. 

I was skeptical because it seemed a little too much like Tessa Baileyโ€™s It Happened One Summer, but the more that I read the more I fell in love. Melanie and Evan are two great, multifaceted characters. They are easy to fall for.

Once I got to the 50% mark in this one, I couldnโ€™t put it down. Iโ€™m excited to pick up the others in the series - rest assured, this can be read as a standalone, because I had no idea it was even in a seriesโ€ฆ woops!

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
Pretty Rings and Broken Things by Kat Singleton

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

3.0

Billionaire romances are my kryptonite, and I will gladly add this one to my shelf. But there were a few things I wish were different.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป:  Pretty Rings & Broken Things by Kat Singleton

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Black Tie Billionaires character series. Book 2.

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

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

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Billionaire, arranged marriage, he falls first, no third-act breakup.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: When Winnie and her family are betrayed, she has no choice but to marry Archer Moore - her familyโ€™s arch rival.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: Billionaire romances are super popular, so these days Iโ€™m looking for those that stand out to me. And Black Ties & White Lies was a little underdeveloped in my opinion.

The rating here sank to a three honestly as I wrote the review. I hate to say it, because you guys know Iโ€™m a big Kat Singleton fanโ€ฆ but this one just didnโ€™t hit for me. There were some plot holes and repetitive writing, and I really didnโ€™t fall in love with Winnie at all.

It was a good read - Archer is a fun book boyfriend and Kat Singleton absolutely nailed the whole โ€œI spend money like it means nothing to me vibeโ€ that helps make these books so swoony. It just wasnโ€™t for me - and Iโ€™m sad that was the case.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 3/5 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’˜.  
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

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funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

Fangirl Down immediately took over as my top Tessa Bailey book. It might have even been decided before I was halfway through. It was THAT good.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Big Shots duet. Book 1.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: Paperback

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

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Opposites attract, he falls first and HARD, all the spice, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Wells Whitaker has one person left who believes in him - his number one fan, Josephine. Just when he gives up on his golf career, Josephine's family business is demolished in a hurricane, and he decides to play a few tournaments with her as his caddy to help her raise the money for renovations.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: This book made me want to jump up and down, it was so good.

Wells is the definition of a grumpy cinnamon roll character. He's in love with Josephine from the get-go, and it takes him a little bit to catch on but as a reader, the entire time you're reading with stars in your eyes. And I absolutely loved Josephine. The banter between these two characters, their internal monologues, the tension... it was all done SO perfectly.

I laughed legitimately out loud - especially at Josephine's shameless admiration for Wells' butt - and I teared up in some spots as well. I might reread this book when I get down, just for the endorphin bump. 

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