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Not Your Biggest Fan by Sara Ney
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
I enjoyed Harlow and Andy together. Their time in NY is fun, with an enjoyment of the city and each other. And their flirty texts afterward are some of my favorites moments.
It is an insta-love kinda thing though, so you need to be ok with a little less than logical romance between the two of them. It’ll require you to just go with it and enjoy that they spent like 2 days together before deciding that major life decisions could be made. Realistic, no, but it’s a fun, rom-comy story and doesn’t have to be that real.
Although I do wish we’d gotten more of what it actually means for Harlow to be in a relationship with Andy. She gets a bit of it but I’m hoping that we get glimpses of it as we get future stories in the series. Because it isn’t going to be easy, and based on her issues once she figures out who he is, it’s something that needs to be addressed.
But Ney has an out here because their friends are a hoot and I’m looking forward to more books as (hopefully) each of them finds their own HEA. And Harlow’s dad as well. Like Harlow settling in to a relationship with Andy, I’m hoping that we get more of his search for a partner as we move along. There’s plenty of opportunity to address some of those missed moments and I’m curious to see where she goes.
Silly, funny, and lighthearted, as an introduction to Ney’s work I enjoyed Not Your Biggest Fan. Set your believability cap off to the side and just settle in for some fun :)
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
It is an insta-love kinda thing though, so you need to be ok with a little less than logical romance between the two of them. It’ll require you to just go with it and enjoy that they spent like 2 days together before deciding that major life decisions could be made. Realistic, no, but it’s a fun, rom-comy story and doesn’t have to be that real.
Although I do wish we’d gotten more of what it actually means for Harlow to be in a relationship with Andy. She gets a bit of it but I’m hoping that we get glimpses of it as we get future stories in the series. Because it isn’t going to be easy, and based on her issues once she figures out who he is, it’s something that needs to be addressed.
But Ney has an out here because their friends are a hoot and I’m looking forward to more books as (hopefully) each of them finds their own HEA. And Harlow’s dad as well. Like Harlow settling in to a relationship with Andy, I’m hoping that we get more of his search for a partner as we move along. There’s plenty of opportunity to address some of those missed moments and I’m curious to see where she goes.
Silly, funny, and lighthearted, as an introduction to Ney’s work I enjoyed Not Your Biggest Fan. Set your believability cap off to the side and just settle in for some fun :)
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
The Perfect Love by Bethany Monaco Smith
4.0
This is my first read by this author so I’m not sure how this represents her writing style. But I’m not 100% sure what to think of this one. I loved Chelsea and Trevor, individually and as a couple, and I loved the found family that they have created. There are a lot of them, so I was glad for the character guide at the front to somewhat keep up.
For a large group of college students, tho, they come with a large amount of trauma. This is where my hesitation comes in. I guess they could have bonded because of their issues but it seems like every one of them has something big they need to work through. And they know a lot about mental health, good communication, and support. I mean A LOT. Trevor is an amazingly perfect book boyfriend, tho he does have some trauma of his own to work thru, but the rest are amazingly perfect friends. Sure, a couple of them are studying counseling, some are actively in therapy, and they’ve been thru a ton collectively, but they are also only 20 years old. (Not that # of years lived necessarily means that you can’t have these kinds of lived experiences, but all of them?)
I saw another review say that it felt like an after school special and I can see that. There’s a lot of mental health terminology and advice, girl power and healing. I love that Chelsea is so into supporting women, lifting them up – **** the patriarchy, choose the bear kinda thing. But there’s so much going on here. I’m not sure if it is because there are so many of them, and they are so close, that it felt that way. And I admire both Trevor and Chelsea and how they address & overcome their issues. It was just a very full book.
Please know going in that this book deals with some really heavy subjects. It has some fantastic mental health representation and I love to see the normalization of that in books. The characters try so hard to be good people, good friends, to be supportive and love enthusiastically. They are wonderful characters and I so want to know their stories, to get to know them better.
It just feels like a lot when there are so many of them :)
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
For a large group of college students, tho, they come with a large amount of trauma. This is where my hesitation comes in. I guess they could have bonded because of their issues but it seems like every one of them has something big they need to work through. And they know a lot about mental health, good communication, and support. I mean A LOT. Trevor is an amazingly perfect book boyfriend, tho he does have some trauma of his own to work thru, but the rest are amazingly perfect friends. Sure, a couple of them are studying counseling, some are actively in therapy, and they’ve been thru a ton collectively, but they are also only 20 years old. (Not that # of years lived necessarily means that you can’t have these kinds of lived experiences, but all of them?)
I saw another review say that it felt like an after school special and I can see that. There’s a lot of mental health terminology and advice, girl power and healing. I love that Chelsea is so into supporting women, lifting them up – **** the patriarchy, choose the bear kinda thing. But there’s so much going on here. I’m not sure if it is because there are so many of them, and they are so close, that it felt that way. And I admire both Trevor and Chelsea and how they address & overcome their issues. It was just a very full book.
Please know going in that this book deals with some really heavy subjects. It has some fantastic mental health representation and I love to see the normalization of that in books. The characters try so hard to be good people, good friends, to be supportive and love enthusiastically. They are wonderful characters and I so want to know their stories, to get to know them better.
It just feels like a lot when there are so many of them :)
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Better Than Friends by Jill Shalvis
4.0
Shalvis is great at giving her readers cute, heartfelt small-town romances. The characters are the highlight of her stories. And here I love them all, especially Noah’s sister and her son, who provide some of the best moments in the story.
And while I liked Noah and Olive together, I think a little more development needed to be done for why Noah ran so hot and cold. I get that he was hurt by Olive in the past (and another girlfriend did a number on him) but it doesn’t quite explain why he’s all over the place now. Just needed a little bit more to make it easier to follow.
Olive, tho, is not as difficult to understand. With the way her parents (and then Noah & his parents) treated her, she’s going strong with a lot of baggage. The girl needed, and still needs, someone to step up and be there & prove to her that she’s worth it.
Shalvis takes readers on a roller coaster ride as Noah & Olive do the dance of will they, won’t they, can they keep their hands to themselves. Better Than Friends is humorous and sweet and angsty, but not heavy. It’s all about found family and loving yourself & each other, differences and all.
(The series is not connected, outside of the setting, so don’t worry if this is your first.)
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
And while I liked Noah and Olive together, I think a little more development needed to be done for why Noah ran so hot and cold. I get that he was hurt by Olive in the past (and another girlfriend did a number on him) but it doesn’t quite explain why he’s all over the place now. Just needed a little bit more to make it easier to follow.
Olive, tho, is not as difficult to understand. With the way her parents (and then Noah & his parents) treated her, she’s going strong with a lot of baggage. The girl needed, and still needs, someone to step up and be there & prove to her that she’s worth it.
Shalvis takes readers on a roller coaster ride as Noah & Olive do the dance of will they, won’t they, can they keep their hands to themselves. Better Than Friends is humorous and sweet and angsty, but not heavy. It’s all about found family and loving yourself & each other, differences and all.
(The series is not connected, outside of the setting, so don’t worry if this is your first.)
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Sometimes You Fall: Carrington Cove Book 3 by Harlow James
4.0
For someone that’s never been in a relationship, Grady proves himself to be a darn good partner. Having grown up without a dad, he pretty much just does what he would have wanted his own dad to do. He’s there for Chase and Scottie, supporting them, showing up for them, and giving them the love they’ve not had up until now.
Scottie’s marriage was not the best and she’s still carrying those scars, finding it difficult to trust. She’s spent years being everything for her son, never being able to rely on his father. Little by little, though, Grady is showing her that not all men are the same.
While some of the dialogue from the spicy moments were occasionally a little … enh for me, my biggest complaint is that we didn’t get enough of Grady with Chase. I would have loved to see more of their interactions, them bonding, and Grady showing him what a real father figure is like. The bits that we do get are great and I just wanted more as he proves to both Scottie and Chase that he can be trusted.
This is my first book by Harlow James and I liked it. The pacing is good, and while there’s steam the emphasis is on the people and their connections. And with the final chapter she gives us, I’m SOOO curious about what happens in the next book :)
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Scottie’s marriage was not the best and she’s still carrying those scars, finding it difficult to trust. She’s spent years being everything for her son, never being able to rely on his father. Little by little, though, Grady is showing her that not all men are the same.
While some of the dialogue from the spicy moments were occasionally a little … enh for me, my biggest complaint is that we didn’t get enough of Grady with Chase. I would have loved to see more of their interactions, them bonding, and Grady showing him what a real father figure is like. The bits that we do get are great and I just wanted more as he proves to both Scottie and Chase that he can be trusted.
This is my first book by Harlow James and I liked it. The pacing is good, and while there’s steam the emphasis is on the people and their connections. And with the final chapter she gives us, I’m SOOO curious about what happens in the next book :)
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Reckless Love by Willow Aster
4.25
Rhodes & Elle together are just the best. They have a great connection from years of being friends and they offer each other so much support. Being there for each other, in the best and worst of times. It’s a shame that they somehow managed to friend zone each other when their feelings are so obvious. But maybe it’s for the best as they spent those intervening years truly getting to know each other and coming into themselves. Their time is now and not any earlier.
I don’t usually like romances that do flashbacks – preferring that they do the history at the beginning and then move into the present – but I liked how Aster does it. All of the flashbacks chapters are pertinent to something said or done in the next chapter, but still giving us a good understanding of their history together and how they got to today. Maybe it’s not everyone’s thing but for someone who doesn’t usually like them it seemed to work for me.
The only thing that really bothered me was it didn’t feel like the guys played as much of a part in this one as they did in Secret Love. That found family thing, the way they showed their love & support for each other, was some of my absolute favorite moments in the last book. I just wanted a little more of that.
Aster is a newish to me author and I’m really enjoying her stories. I like her characters, the delicious amount of steam, and all the feels that she gives us. And based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m definitely looking forward to the next one in this series!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
I don’t usually like romances that do flashbacks – preferring that they do the history at the beginning and then move into the present – but I liked how Aster does it. All of the flashbacks chapters are pertinent to something said or done in the next chapter, but still giving us a good understanding of their history together and how they got to today. Maybe it’s not everyone’s thing but for someone who doesn’t usually like them it seemed to work for me.
The only thing that really bothered me was it didn’t feel like the guys played as much of a part in this one as they did in Secret Love. That found family thing, the way they showed their love & support for each other, was some of my absolute favorite moments in the last book. I just wanted a little more of that.
Aster is a newish to me author and I’m really enjoying her stories. I like her characters, the delicious amount of steam, and all the feels that she gives us. And based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m definitely looking forward to the next one in this series!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
A Simple Life by Melanie Moreland
4.0
While the dialogue is a little awkward in places, overall Moreland’s newest is just the sweetest. Very low angst, with the biggie being obvious (a tad unrealistic) but very satisfying, and full of all sorts of feels as John & Quinn go from fussing with each other to fighting their attraction. It all may come from some assumptions and tender feelings, but with a little patience and communication, and the adoration of a little girl, they eventually figure it all out.
And oh do I love Abby, Quinn’s daughter. She’s one of those kids who is adorable and funny but not overly precocious to the point of being unbelievable. She’s definitely in some of the best moments of the story. Especially between her and John.
John lets his past impact how he views Quinn and once his story comes out you can understand why he might be a bit sensitive. Once he gets over his initial reaction, he throws himself into wooing both Quinn and her daughter. He might not think that he’s romantic but he’s good at being there, caring, and helping where he’s needed. He brings out the little girl in Abby and shows Quinn what it’s like to be appreciated.
A Simple Life is a simple story of two people who meet and, eventually, fall in love. There’s a good dose of heart and a decent amount of steam and a ton of cuteness. It’s a pretty easy read with an enjoyable progression to a nice HEA ending.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
And oh do I love Abby, Quinn’s daughter. She’s one of those kids who is adorable and funny but not overly precocious to the point of being unbelievable. She’s definitely in some of the best moments of the story. Especially between her and John.
John lets his past impact how he views Quinn and once his story comes out you can understand why he might be a bit sensitive. Once he gets over his initial reaction, he throws himself into wooing both Quinn and her daughter. He might not think that he’s romantic but he’s good at being there, caring, and helping where he’s needed. He brings out the little girl in Abby and shows Quinn what it’s like to be appreciated.
A Simple Life is a simple story of two people who meet and, eventually, fall in love. There’s a good dose of heart and a decent amount of steam and a ton of cuteness. It’s a pretty easy read with an enjoyable progression to a nice HEA ending.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Steal My Heart by Laura Pavlov
4.25
**slight, kinda, sorta spoilers ahead**
I love Henley! She’s smart, sassy, and emotionally mature. She does have some issues from her childhood but she recognizes them. I know that some didn’t like the way she put up with Easton’s waffling (and boy does he run hot & cold) but I took it more like she was doing her and letting him do him.
And he does him all over the place. The man definitely fights his attraction to Henley, not wanting to take the chance of endangering his heart. It can be frustrating but with the help of his family he eventually figures things out.
Speaking of family. Cutler is an adorable kid, and I loved him from the Magnolia Falls series, but … I don’t know. Having him deliver these life lessons was a bit much. They were things that needed to be said and realizations that needed to happen but having them come from a kid … I did appreciate that therapy played a strong part in the story and the characters traumas are addressed. I love that authors are normalizing talking to professionals.
I really like Pavlov’s writing. She delivers such easy reads with depth and characters that I want to get to know better. I’ve enjoyed the couple of books that I’ve read so far and I’m looking forward to more in this series.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
I love Henley! She’s smart, sassy, and emotionally mature. She does have some issues from her childhood but she recognizes them. I know that some didn’t like the way she put up with Easton’s waffling (and boy does he run hot & cold) but I took it more like she was doing her and letting him do him.
And he does him all over the place. The man definitely fights his attraction to Henley, not wanting to take the chance of endangering his heart. It can be frustrating but with the help of his family he eventually figures things out.
Speaking of family. Cutler is an adorable kid, and I loved him from the Magnolia Falls series, but … I don’t know. Having him deliver these life lessons was a bit much. They were things that needed to be said and realizations that needed to happen but having them come from a kid … I did appreciate that therapy played a strong part in the story and the characters traumas are addressed. I love that authors are normalizing talking to professionals.
I really like Pavlov’s writing. She delivers such easy reads with depth and characters that I want to get to know better. I’ve enjoyed the couple of books that I’ve read so far and I’m looking forward to more in this series.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Face Me Off by Kimberly Readnour
4.0
Deke Me was the first of Readnour’s books that I’ve read and I enjoyed the heck out of it. Face Me Off takes place about the same time frame with related characters. And while you don’t HAVE to have read the first book there were a few moments that would make a bit more sense afterward – only because both Maddy & Ryan are friends with Amanda & Blake so some of their romance is mentioned here.
I felt like this one has a bit more steam than the previous one – I mean it does start as a “with benefits” situation so you gotta have those bennies, right? But I still loved the characters. Both are struggling with balancing what they want against the expectations of others. They also have some history together that has left them with hurt feelings and baggage. It’s a nice little Romeo & Juliet story – with a better ending, of course.
I did have some issues tho. While Readnour gives us some delightful characters, and I found Ryan’s cheekiness and confidence appealing, if I had to hear about the size of his package one more time …. it wasn’t even him! Yes, honey, I’m thrilled for you. There was also some overuse of metaphors and similes. It can make the writing interesting but if there are so many that I notice how often “like” and “as” are used then it might be a bit much.
These are nitpicky things but the one that I think needed a bit more development were Maddy’s parents. Are they caring parents that just didn’t understand their daughter? Were they looking out for the family and doing what they thought was best for everyone? Are they rich aholes? I wanted to understand them but I just never could get a good feel for them and in this case it’s really important.
But Readnour’s writing is smooth, her books move quickly, and are easy to read. Her characters are interesting, fun, and have a conflict that may be somewhat predictable but it isn’t heavy handed or overdone. Based on these two books I am definitely going to keep an eye out on the next one in this series and will be adding some of the others to my TBR pile.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
I felt like this one has a bit more steam than the previous one – I mean it does start as a “with benefits” situation so you gotta have those bennies, right? But I still loved the characters. Both are struggling with balancing what they want against the expectations of others. They also have some history together that has left them with hurt feelings and baggage. It’s a nice little Romeo & Juliet story – with a better ending, of course.
I did have some issues tho. While Readnour gives us some delightful characters, and I found Ryan’s cheekiness and confidence appealing, if I had to hear about the size of his package one more time …. it wasn’t even him! Yes, honey, I’m thrilled for you. There was also some overuse of metaphors and similes. It can make the writing interesting but if there are so many that I notice how often “like” and “as” are used then it might be a bit much.
These are nitpicky things but the one that I think needed a bit more development were Maddy’s parents. Are they caring parents that just didn’t understand their daughter? Were they looking out for the family and doing what they thought was best for everyone? Are they rich aholes? I wanted to understand them but I just never could get a good feel for them and in this case it’s really important.
But Readnour’s writing is smooth, her books move quickly, and are easy to read. Her characters are interesting, fun, and have a conflict that may be somewhat predictable but it isn’t heavy handed or overdone. Based on these two books I am definitely going to keep an eye out on the next one in this series and will be adding some of the others to my TBR pile.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Taken by Storm by Mari Carr
4.25
**a few slight spoilers ahead**
I know that not everyone enjoys an insta-love story but I like that Carr makes it a thing for all the guys. That it’s something that runs in the family with their parents being the first. Now it isn’t love at first sight for Levi and Kasi, but Levi just needed to really see Kasi as all grown up for it to hit. After that, it’s all over and we just need to wait for Kasi to catch up :)
Now, I like Levi but he’s definitely a bit … alpha? One of the things that bothers me is that Kasi has an issue when one guy treats her like “the little woman” but she’s ok when Levi does it? Complete with being told what to do and consequences? Sure, it could be because she loves and trusts him and he realizes that she’s strong on her own but … I don’t know. Maybe it just needed a little something to make that distinction a bit clearer.
And Kasi is strong. She’s been trying to keep her family and their farm going for months, all by herself. But she’s finally at the breaking point. Unfortunately she’s got a lot of pride that keeps her from asking for help from her friends. Until it gets to the point that she literally falls into Levi’s arms. And he’s not taking no for an answer *whew*
It’s obvious that someone’s trying to take advantage of Kasi. I mean he might as well be twirling his mustache and rubbing his hands together as he manipulates things. He’s just that over the top. But I do like the way that things get resolved – so satisfying!
This is only the second book by Carr I’ve read and I’m loving this one too. There were a few things that got to me but overall it is just great! It’s steamy, sweet, and an easy read.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
I know that not everyone enjoys an insta-love story but I like that Carr makes it a thing for all the guys. That it’s something that runs in the family with their parents being the first. Now it isn’t love at first sight for Levi and Kasi, but Levi just needed to really see Kasi as all grown up for it to hit. After that, it’s all over and we just need to wait for Kasi to catch up :)
Now, I like Levi but he’s definitely a bit … alpha? One of the things that bothers me is that Kasi has an issue when one guy treats her like “the little woman” but she’s ok when Levi does it? Complete with being told what to do and consequences? Sure, it could be because she loves and trusts him and he realizes that she’s strong on her own but … I don’t know. Maybe it just needed a little something to make that distinction a bit clearer.
And Kasi is strong. She’s been trying to keep her family and their farm going for months, all by herself. But she’s finally at the breaking point. Unfortunately she’s got a lot of pride that keeps her from asking for help from her friends. Until it gets to the point that she literally falls into Levi’s arms. And he’s not taking no for an answer *whew*
It’s obvious that someone’s trying to take advantage of Kasi. I mean he might as well be twirling his mustache and rubbing his hands together as he manipulates things. He’s just that over the top. But I do like the way that things get resolved – so satisfying!
This is only the second book by Carr I’ve read and I’m loving this one too. There were a few things that got to me but overall it is just great! It’s steamy, sweet, and an easy read.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Duke of Luhst by Mariah Stone
4.25
So I enjoyed the crap out of this story but I’m not sure how much more I would have loved it if I’d read the first book in the series. There were a few plot holes & some character development that I might have gotten if I’d met them before. But based on what I got as a first read, it was still well worth it.
Chastity has scars gotten at the hands of her father (this is one of those places where I don’t think I got enough detail but may have better understood with her brother’s story). She’s spent years emphasizing her brains, not her femininity, hoping that she’d find someone who valued her as she was. But it’s left her alone, awkward, and looked over.
Lucian’s parents were horrible, to him and to each other. To outrun the pain and wounds that their actions & words left him with, he has turned himself into a devil-may-care rake. Someone that makes no attachments, locks his heart down, making sure that he cannot be hurt or commit any harm to others.
I loved these two together and my heart broke for them both, for their pasts and the present. There’s so many ups and downs for them as they figure out if they can let the pain, the scars, of their past go and take the chance on a future. It’s scary, painful, but totally worth it if they are brave. And I’m here for every moment of it.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Chastity has scars gotten at the hands of her father (this is one of those places where I don’t think I got enough detail but may have better understood with her brother’s story). She’s spent years emphasizing her brains, not her femininity, hoping that she’d find someone who valued her as she was. But it’s left her alone, awkward, and looked over.
Lucian’s parents were horrible, to him and to each other. To outrun the pain and wounds that their actions & words left him with, he has turned himself into a devil-may-care rake. Someone that makes no attachments, locks his heart down, making sure that he cannot be hurt or commit any harm to others.
I loved these two together and my heart broke for them both, for their pasts and the present. There’s so many ups and downs for them as they figure out if they can let the pain, the scars, of their past go and take the chance on a future. It’s scary, painful, but totally worth it if they are brave. And I’m here for every moment of it.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**