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thebiglittlelibrary's Reviews (622)
2.5 ⭐️ Loved the premise but was bored by 40%
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ nanny x single dad
✨ insta-lust
✨ Cassie: she’s in school for occupational therapy and used to be a camgirl
✨ Aiden: he’s a chef who used to watch her on only fans
✨ hidden identity
✨ second chance
✨ forced proximity
✨ forbidden romance
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ banter
✨ spice (up to 9 explicitly sex scenes)
✨ “you have to be quiet”
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ nanny x single dad
✨ insta-lust
✨ Cassie: she’s in school for occupational therapy and used to be a camgirl
✨ Aiden: he’s a chef who used to watch her on only fans
✨ hidden identity
✨ second chance
✨ forced proximity
✨ forbidden romance
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ banter
✨ spice (up to 9 explicitly sex scenes)
✨ “you have to be quiet”
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
2.5 ⭐️ A sweet, second-chance romance that takes place in beautiful wine country
"All time is not created equal. I know that now. Time with you is the most substantial of all. I'll probably never be able to stop counting the minutes that we're apart, but the ones when we're together, I'm leaving room for anything."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ small town setting
✨ dual POV
✨ second chance romance
✨ opposites attract
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ fun-loving, messy, virgin gardener
✨ serious, organized, secret cinnamon roll professor
✨ secret admirer letters
✨ miscommunication
✨ lies by omission
✨ so much tension
✨ smut
✨ mental health discussions
Summary:
Haille is a carefree gardener who's had a crush on Julian Vos since 9th grade. He was a senior. They almost kissed in the vineyards during a high school party, but when he realized her age, he turned her down. Fifteen years later, Julian is back home after needing a bit of a mental health break when his mother hires Haille to spruce up the carriage house garden. Julian doesn't initially remember her, but once he does, sparks fly and romance blossoms. However, upon Julian's return, Haille wrote him secret admirer letters and doesn't know how to broach the topic without ruining what they have.
Thoughts
It's a fine story, but I must say, I liked the first half of the story more than the second.
Here's what I liked:
Tessa Bailey did a great job introducing us to the characters and setting up the story.
The small-town vibes. I've never read anything that takes place in wine country, so this was different for me, and it worked. I also enjoyed the side drama about saving local businesses.
The romance. During the first half, there was so much tension between these two, and I loved how different they are from each other. The second chance romance with grumpy x sunshine characters was fun, sweet, and often clashed. But in the end, they were able to bring out the best in each other.
Julian. He was such an interesting character. He's a history professor at Stanford on a sabbatical to reevaluate his life. We learn that he has anxiety and suffers from panic attacks, and to feel in control, he develops a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder and keeps himself on a very strict schedule. I've never read a story with an MMC with these struggles, so I found it refreshing. Julian is also a secret cinnamon roll who falls hard for Haille, and his inner thoughts about her were steamy and sweet. She's chaotic and messy, everything that scares him and his orderly life, but by being around her, he forgets time and can relax. I loved his character development.
Here's what I didn't like:
Hailee. I loved her sunshine vibes and chaotic nature, but she was incredibly immature. First off, she has been pining after and cyber-stalking Julian for 15 years. She would watch his lecture videos online because she was that obsessed. Also, she's a virgin at the age of 29. I'm not saying that's good or bad, I was just shocked. And her reasoning for not having sexual relationships in the past is that no one has ever compared to Julian, which is psycho behavior since she didn't really know him at all to begin with. Honestly, if this wasn't a rom-com things could have quickly turned into a psychological thriller story.
The secret admirer letters. I didn't really understand their purpose in the story. She writes them AFTER they have their first sexual encounter. So at this point, there is an already established connection, so why write the letters now? Wouldn't it have made more sense if she wrote them before meeting him again? I also just think secret admirer letters are creepy, so that didn't help.
Julian's dirty talk. Not only was I not a fan of the actual dirty talk, but it seemed completely out of place with his character. He is a super reserved, serious, straight-laced guy but all of a sudden he's saying things like,
"You've been doing such bad things to my dick, sweetheart. Just bouncing with those curls in your tight shorts, not a care in the world, huh? Well, you've got to deal with me now. You've got to let those beautiful tits out and deal with me."
OR
"Your curves shake when I'm packing this thing tight. I know it for a fact now. The parts you're nervous to show me are actually what make me hard, Haille."
OR
"You're going to get so comfortable with me looking and touching and tasting every part of your naked body that you'll learn to bend over with your butt in the air, just like this, and ask me to eat it whole."
OMG WHAT?! (lol) EW, NO TO ALL OF THIS! Also, he has a dirty knee fetish which I'm assuming is because Haille is a gardener. But again, Julian's character did not match up with his persona during sexual encounters.
The conflict at the end. I just felt it was weak/pointless. Using the letters to create an issue with his anxiety isn't something I expected, and it just didn't work.
Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
"All time is not created equal. I know that now. Time with you is the most substantial of all. I'll probably never be able to stop counting the minutes that we're apart, but the ones when we're together, I'm leaving room for anything."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ small town setting
✨ dual POV
✨ second chance romance
✨ opposites attract
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ fun-loving, messy, virgin gardener
✨ serious, organized, secret cinnamon roll professor
✨ secret admirer letters
✨ miscommunication
✨ lies by omission
✨ so much tension
✨ smut
✨ mental health discussions
Summary:
Haille is a carefree gardener who's had a crush on Julian Vos since 9th grade. He was a senior. They almost kissed in the vineyards during a high school party, but when he realized her age, he turned her down. Fifteen years later, Julian is back home after needing a bit of a mental health break when his mother hires Haille to spruce up the carriage house garden. Julian doesn't initially remember her, but once he does, sparks fly and romance blossoms. However, upon Julian's return, Haille wrote him secret admirer letters and doesn't know how to broach the topic without ruining what they have.
Thoughts
It's a fine story, but I must say, I liked the first half of the story more than the second.
Here's what I liked:
Tessa Bailey did a great job introducing us to the characters and setting up the story.
The small-town vibes. I've never read anything that takes place in wine country, so this was different for me, and it worked. I also enjoyed the side drama about saving local businesses.
The romance. During the first half, there was so much tension between these two, and I loved how different they are from each other. The second chance romance with grumpy x sunshine characters was fun, sweet, and often clashed. But in the end, they were able to bring out the best in each other.
Julian. He was such an interesting character. He's a history professor at Stanford on a sabbatical to reevaluate his life. We learn that he has anxiety and suffers from panic attacks, and to feel in control, he develops a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder and keeps himself on a very strict schedule. I've never read a story with an MMC with these struggles, so I found it refreshing. Julian is also a secret cinnamon roll who falls hard for Haille, and his inner thoughts about her were steamy and sweet. She's chaotic and messy, everything that scares him and his orderly life, but by being around her, he forgets time and can relax. I loved his character development.
Here's what I didn't like:
Hailee. I loved her sunshine vibes and chaotic nature, but she was incredibly immature. First off, she has been pining after and cyber-stalking Julian for 15 years. She would watch his lecture videos online because she was that obsessed. Also, she's a virgin at the age of 29. I'm not saying that's good or bad, I was just shocked. And her reasoning for not having sexual relationships in the past is that no one has ever compared to Julian, which is psycho behavior since she didn't really know him at all to begin with. Honestly, if this wasn't a rom-com things could have quickly turned into a psychological thriller story.
The secret admirer letters. I didn't really understand their purpose in the story. She writes them AFTER they have their first sexual encounter. So at this point, there is an already established connection, so why write the letters now? Wouldn't it have made more sense if she wrote them before meeting him again? I also just think secret admirer letters are creepy, so that didn't help.
Julian's dirty talk. Not only was I not a fan of the actual dirty talk, but it seemed completely out of place with his character. He is a super reserved, serious, straight-laced guy but all of a sudden he's saying things like,
"You've been doing such bad things to my dick, sweetheart. Just bouncing with those curls in your tight shorts, not a care in the world, huh? Well, you've got to deal with me now. You've got to let those beautiful tits out and deal with me."
OR
"Your curves shake when I'm packing this thing tight. I know it for a fact now. The parts you're nervous to show me are actually what make me hard, Haille."
OR
"You're going to get so comfortable with me looking and touching and tasting every part of your naked body that you'll learn to bend over with your butt in the air, just like this, and ask me to eat it whole."
OMG WHAT?! (lol) EW, NO TO ALL OF THIS! Also, he has a dirty knee fetish which I'm assuming is because Haille is a gardener. But again, Julian's character did not match up with his persona during sexual encounters.
The conflict at the end. I just felt it was weak/pointless. Using the letters to create an issue with his anxiety isn't something I expected, and it just didn't work.
Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
3 ⭐️ Achilles didn’t deserve Patroclus
"If you have to go I will go with you."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ Greek Tragedy
✨ gods and men
✨ first half is Achilles and Patroclus childhood, second half is the Trojan War
✨ MM romance
✨ friends to lovers
✨ no spice vague descriptions
✨ single POV (Patroclus)
✨ themes: power of love, fate, destiny, pride, violence, honor, morality
✨ tw: rape, slavery, murder, human sacrifice, violence, war, torture
My Thoughts:
The story was an interesting adaption of Homer's Illiad, but if you already know Achilles' story, this may be very boring. The only new thing is the focus of MM romance, and truly, that was the most interesting part of the story, but it also was a small subplot. So, as someone who is very familiar with Achille's story, I didn’t fully invest because there was nothing new to anticipate. It's almost like I was reading Achilles fanfic, where some aspects of the story changed, but the characters and events that played out stayed the same.
It was also frustrating reading about a good person like Patroclus falling for an unawarely arrogant and selfish person who ultimately chooses fame and glory over their love (multiple times). So I couldn’t root for Achilles and Patroclus, and when the end came, I was angry and not sad because Patroclus deserved a life and death that wasn’t lived solely for Achilles and his whims. BUT at the same time, this is a classic Greek tragedy, so all of this is to be expected, and I can’t really fault the story for that.
Was the writing good? Yes? No? I don't know. It wasn’t bad by any means. It felt like I was reading a modern, revised version of the Illiad or something, so in that regard, it felt pretty true to how these stories are meant to be told. However, that writing just isn’t my favorite, so I was never going to click with it. Also, I've heard a lot of people commend the prose, but there wasn't an abundance of beautifully written sentences, so I'm not really sure what everyone was referring to.
So would I read this again? No, because it already felt like I was rereading it, even though it was my first time.
Was this as heartbreaking as everyone said it would be? No. I knew how this story would end, and the way things came to made me more angry than sad.
Would I recommend it? Yes. But only if you enjoy Greek Tragedies or aren’t incredibly familiar with Achilles' story.
Favorite Quotes:
We were like gods, at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.
_______
I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell, I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.
_______
"He has light enough to make heroes of them all."
_______
In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood, like a hundred golden urns pouring out the sun."
_______
"If you have to go I will go with you."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ Greek Tragedy
✨ gods and men
✨ first half is Achilles and Patroclus childhood, second half is the Trojan War
✨ MM romance
✨ friends to lovers
✨ no spice vague descriptions
✨ single POV (Patroclus)
✨ themes: power of love, fate, destiny, pride, violence, honor, morality
✨ tw: rape, slavery, murder, human sacrifice, violence, war, torture
My Thoughts:
The story was an interesting adaption of Homer's Illiad, but if you already know Achilles' story, this may be very boring. The only new thing is the focus of MM romance, and truly, that was the most interesting part of the story, but it also was a small subplot. So, as someone who is very familiar with Achille's story, I didn’t fully invest because there was nothing new to anticipate. It's almost like I was reading Achilles fanfic, where some aspects of the story changed, but the characters and events that played out stayed the same.
It was also frustrating reading about a good person like Patroclus falling for an unawarely arrogant and selfish person who ultimately chooses fame and glory over their love (multiple times). So I couldn’t root for Achilles and Patroclus, and when the end came, I was angry and not sad because Patroclus deserved a life and death that wasn’t lived solely for Achilles and his whims. BUT at the same time, this is a classic Greek tragedy, so all of this is to be expected, and I can’t really fault the story for that.
Was the writing good? Yes? No? I don't know. It wasn’t bad by any means. It felt like I was reading a modern, revised version of the Illiad or something, so in that regard, it felt pretty true to how these stories are meant to be told. However, that writing just isn’t my favorite, so I was never going to click with it. Also, I've heard a lot of people commend the prose, but there wasn't an abundance of beautifully written sentences, so I'm not really sure what everyone was referring to.
So would I read this again? No, because it already felt like I was rereading it, even though it was my first time.
Was this as heartbreaking as everyone said it would be? No. I knew how this story would end, and the way things came to made me more angry than sad.
Would I recommend it? Yes. But only if you enjoy Greek Tragedies or aren’t incredibly familiar with Achilles' story.
Favorite Quotes:
We were like gods, at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.
_______
I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell, I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.
_______
"He has light enough to make heroes of them all."
_______
In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood, like a hundred golden urns pouring out the sun."
_______
7% DNF . . . Damn, I’ve never DNFed something so early into a story.
I've only heard amazing thing about The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, so I was excited to receive an ARC since it's being republished by Avon. Imagine my surprise when I DNF'ed at 7%. Here's why:
1. The writing was incredibly tedious/unnecessarily wordy.The amount of backstory, random inner dialogue, and commentary the FMC has with herself while she’s supposed to be talking to a person in real life is unbearable. I get if this happened once or twice, but it was all the time. And it wasn't just a paragraph of inner dialogue but pages before we cut back to the in real life conversation, and I’m supposed to remember what they were originally talking about? No. This is a classic case of telling vs showing. And someone just told me there’s even a section where she has 18 pages of inner dialogue during a conversation?!! What?! That’s insanity. So yeah, after 2 chapters, I knew Mariana Zapata's writing wasn't for me.
2. The amount of times the FMC brings up and describes the appearance of the MMC was irritating. I don't need to keep being reminded that he's huge, massive, bulging, beautiful, etc. Also, her comments are said in such an objectifying way that made me feel the ick and made me hate her character.
Overall, this is a pass for me, but it appears I'm in the minority here.
I've only heard amazing thing about The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, so I was excited to receive an ARC since it's being republished by Avon. Imagine my surprise when I DNF'ed at 7%. Here's why:
1. The writing was incredibly tedious/unnecessarily wordy.The amount of backstory, random inner dialogue, and commentary the FMC has with herself while she’s supposed to be talking to a person in real life is unbearable. I get if this happened once or twice, but it was all the time. And it wasn't just a paragraph of inner dialogue but pages before we cut back to the in real life conversation, and I’m supposed to remember what they were originally talking about? No. This is a classic case of telling vs showing. And someone just told me there’s even a section where she has 18 pages of inner dialogue during a conversation?!! What?! That’s insanity. So yeah, after 2 chapters, I knew Mariana Zapata's writing wasn't for me.
2. The amount of times the FMC brings up and describes the appearance of the MMC was irritating. I don't need to keep being reminded that he's huge, massive, bulging, beautiful, etc. Also, her comments are said in such an objectifying way that made me feel the ick and made me hate her character.
Overall, this is a pass for me, but it appears I'm in the minority here.
4.5 ⭐️ A spicy, marriage of convenience story that's one of Tessa Bailey's best!
"If I had one wish, it would be to slow down my time with you, Natalie. A hundred years won't be enough."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ napa valley setting
✨ he's a war veteran trying and failing to produce wine to honor a friend's dreams
✨ she's got fired from her finance job, dumped by her fiance, and went back home to get trust fund money to start a new business
✨ marriage of convenience
✨ instant attraction
✨ hate to love
✨ he falls first
✨ denial of feelings (fmc)
✨ lots of tension
✨ hilarious, snarky banter
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ "my girl", "princess", "babe"
✨ complicated family dynamics
✨ lie by omission (because they secretly want to get married to each other)
✨ HEA
✨ dual pov
My Thoughts:
I was nervous about this book since I didn't really like Secretly Yours (2.5 stars), but this was so much fun and, in my opinion, one of the best Tessa Bailey novels! She really knocked it out of the park!
Here's what I liked:
August is such a fantastic MMC! He's a burly ex-Navy SEAL - loyal, honest, caring, kind, and protective. He sunk all his money into making wine to honor his late best friend and fellow soldier since it was his dream *cue to waterworks*. He's just a huge teddy bear that could snap you in half. Oh he's also a cat dad *swoon*. But best of all, he's a BIG, FREAKING SIMP for the heroine, Natalie. He falls fast, hard, and is so far gone, she can do absolutely no wrong. All August wants is for Natalie to be happy and safe, and he will do everything in his power to make it so.
This quote just about sums up his feelings: "As long as you need me, Natalie, I'm with you. Whatever you decide, whatever happens, I'm your goddamn man."
Natalie is such a relatable heroine. Natalie is feisty, witty, and hardworking. She had everything going for her until it comes crumbling down, and now she has to pick up the pieces. Seeing her struggle with feeling worthy was something I really relate to. She never feels like she's good enough and always feels like she's failing the expectations set for her by her mother, ex-fiance, and people in her field of work. But August is the first person to really make her feel seen and appreciated for just being herself (with no expectations), and this is an incredibly healing experience for her. I loved seeing her grow and discover who she is.
August also works through some struggles. As a military man, he's not good at feeling helpless. He was there the day Sam died and has lived with guilt ever since. It was his job to protect Sam, and he failed. So the winery is a way for him to honor and atone, in a way. But August feels he needs to do this on his own and ends up shutting Natalie out, which further triggers her feelings of not being enough. Eventually, August realizes he made mistakes and makes it his mission to fix them. Watching him work through this was really lovely.
August and Natalie are 100% soulmates! I don't usually believe in soulmates in real life or in fiction, but these two are it. You can fight me on this. They are passionate, messy, fun, honest, and open. Plus, they actually communicate (thanks to Gus), which is so key to every successful relationship. They support each other and really helped each other heal. I enjoyed seeing their love grow and deepen. And they were so much fun with their banter and pranks! They are my favorite Tessa Bailey couple! I absolutely adore them!
The spice actually got me feeling hot and bothered. One of my usual hangups about Tessa Bailey is the cringe dialogue during sexy moments. While there were some (see below), they were few and far between compared to the delicious, filthy things that came out of August's mouth. For example:
All of the sexy moments were HOT AF, and I ate that sh*t up! I now need my own husband to start calling me 'my wife.'
The epilogue was perfection! I don't want to spoil it, but seriously, August made me melt all over again. He would do anything for his family! You're going to love it!
Here's what I didn't like:
It’s mentioned so many times, and in so many ways, that August is a big oaf. Wording like, 'big lug', 'brute', and 'bonehead' is used to describe him. And here are a few phrases that support these sentiments as well: “he used all his brain power,” "poor man-brain working overtime,” “It made her want to walk into his stupid muscular arms and whack him in the head with an encyclopedia." If it were said once or twice, I’d be okay with it. But the repetitive use made it seem like he actually was an idiot, which then I was wondering why someone like Natalie would be into a big dummy. He's not actually an idiot, though, so it annoyed me he was being unfairly picked on.
While most of the dirty talk didn’t bother me, some of it did. For example:
"Jesus. My balls have never gotten so heavy so fast in my life. Pretty sure every drop of blood in my head just went south. Give me like... eight seconds to make sure I'm not going to pass out."
I think the first two sentences should be inner thoughts, and maybe the last one could have been actual dialogue because no one would say that stuff in real life.
Also, I still don't like Haille from Secretly Yours. She doesn’t play a big role, but she makes an appearance, but I found her character to still be annoying. At least it was consistent with Book 1.
Overall, I loved Unfortunately Yours and 100% recommend reading! It’s one of my favorite marriage of convenience stories along with King of Wrath by Ana Huang.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC and Avon for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Favorite Quotes:
"You know what we'd be doing if we were alone."
"Fighting?"
"Fucking."
_____
"Christ, just thinking about you sitting on my face might finish me."
"You want me to - "
"I'm not above begging."
_____
"I love fucking my wife. I feel it in my chest, you know? It's never been like this. it's never going to be like this again, for either of us. All right? We found it."
_____
"Her heart beat like a song that he could follow out of the darkness."
_____
"I need my wife. I'll always fucking need my wife."
_____
"He never would have wanted me to succeed at his dream. . . at the cost of you." His eyes found their way back to her. "Because you're my dream."
_____
"If I had one wish, it would be to slow down my time with you, Natalie. A hundred years won't be enough."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ napa valley setting
✨ he's a war veteran trying and failing to produce wine to honor a friend's dreams
✨ she's got fired from her finance job, dumped by her fiance, and went back home to get trust fund money to start a new business
✨ marriage of convenience
✨ instant attraction
✨ hate to love
✨ he falls first
✨ denial of feelings (fmc)
✨ lots of tension
✨ hilarious, snarky banter
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ "my girl", "princess", "babe"
✨ complicated family dynamics
✨ lie by omission (because they secretly want to get married to each other)
✨ HEA
✨ dual pov
My Thoughts:
I was nervous about this book since I didn't really like Secretly Yours (2.5 stars), but this was so much fun and, in my opinion, one of the best Tessa Bailey novels! She really knocked it out of the park!
Here's what I liked:
August is such a fantastic MMC! He's a burly ex-Navy SEAL - loyal, honest, caring, kind, and protective. He sunk all his money into making wine to honor his late best friend and fellow soldier since it was his dream *cue to waterworks*. He's just a huge teddy bear that could snap you in half. Oh he's also a cat dad *swoon*. But best of all, he's a BIG, FREAKING SIMP for the heroine, Natalie. He falls fast, hard, and is so far gone, she can do absolutely no wrong. All August wants is for Natalie to be happy and safe, and he will do everything in his power to make it so.
This quote just about sums up his feelings: "As long as you need me, Natalie, I'm with you. Whatever you decide, whatever happens, I'm your goddamn man."
Natalie is such a relatable heroine. Natalie is feisty, witty, and hardworking. She had everything going for her until it comes crumbling down, and now she has to pick up the pieces. Seeing her struggle with feeling worthy was something I really relate to. She never feels like she's good enough and always feels like she's failing the expectations set for her by her mother, ex-fiance, and people in her field of work. But August is the first person to really make her feel seen and appreciated for just being herself (with no expectations), and this is an incredibly healing experience for her. I loved seeing her grow and discover who she is.
August also works through some struggles. As a military man, he's not good at feeling helpless. He was there the day Sam died and has lived with guilt ever since. It was his job to protect Sam, and he failed. So the winery is a way for him to honor and atone, in a way. But August feels he needs to do this on his own and ends up shutting Natalie out, which further triggers her feelings of not being enough. Eventually, August realizes he made mistakes and makes it his mission to fix them. Watching him work through this was really lovely.
August and Natalie are 100% soulmates! I don't usually believe in soulmates in real life or in fiction, but these two are it. You can fight me on this. They are passionate, messy, fun, honest, and open. Plus, they actually communicate (thanks to Gus), which is so key to every successful relationship. They support each other and really helped each other heal. I enjoyed seeing their love grow and deepen. And they were so much fun with their banter and pranks! They are my favorite Tessa Bailey couple! I absolutely adore them!
The spice actually got me feeling hot and bothered. One of my usual hangups about Tessa Bailey is the cringe dialogue during sexy moments. While there were some (see below), they were few and far between compared to the delicious, filthy things that came out of August's mouth. For example:
"Tell me the truth. You thought I would throw you into missionary, come in sixty seconds, and fall asleep. Didn't you?"
"Yes. No." she babbled, rocking furiously in his lap. "I don't know."
"Not with my wife."
Without warning, he flipped Natalie onto her back and drove her up the bed with one savage pump of his hips. "I'll be earning the right every single day to come inside pussy this good."
All of the sexy moments were HOT AF, and I ate that sh*t up! I now need my own husband to start calling me 'my wife.'
The epilogue was perfection! I don't want to spoil it, but seriously, August made me melt all over again. He would do anything for his family! You're going to love it!
Here's what I didn't like:
It’s mentioned so many times, and in so many ways, that August is a big oaf. Wording like, 'big lug', 'brute', and 'bonehead' is used to describe him. And here are a few phrases that support these sentiments as well: “he used all his brain power,” "poor man-brain working overtime,” “It made her want to walk into his stupid muscular arms and whack him in the head with an encyclopedia." If it were said once or twice, I’d be okay with it. But the repetitive use made it seem like he actually was an idiot, which then I was wondering why someone like Natalie would be into a big dummy. He's not actually an idiot, though, so it annoyed me he was being unfairly picked on.
While most of the dirty talk didn’t bother me, some of it did. For example:
"Jesus. My balls have never gotten so heavy so fast in my life. Pretty sure every drop of blood in my head just went south. Give me like... eight seconds to make sure I'm not going to pass out."
I think the first two sentences should be inner thoughts, and maybe the last one could have been actual dialogue because no one would say that stuff in real life.
Also, I still don't like Haille from Secretly Yours. She doesn’t play a big role, but she makes an appearance, but I found her character to still be annoying. At least it was consistent with Book 1.
Overall, I loved Unfortunately Yours and 100% recommend reading! It’s one of my favorite marriage of convenience stories along with King of Wrath by Ana Huang.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC and Avon for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Favorite Quotes:
"You know what we'd be doing if we were alone."
"Fighting?"
"Fucking."
_____
"Christ, just thinking about you sitting on my face might finish me."
"You want me to - "
"I'm not above begging."
_____
"I love fucking my wife. I feel it in my chest, you know? It's never been like this. it's never going to be like this again, for either of us. All right? We found it."
_____
"Her heart beat like a song that he could follow out of the darkness."
_____
"I need my wife. I'll always fucking need my wife."
_____
"He never would have wanted me to succeed at his dream. . . at the cost of you." His eyes found their way back to her. "Because you're my dream."
_____
4.5 ⭐️ Such a fun, hilarious, romantic, sex-positive story
"All at once, two things become clear. One, that this man has no early idea where the clitoris is. And two, it's not the room that's cursed - it's Drew."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ he's a actor from a cult hit paranormal TV show
✨ she's a ghost writer hired to write his memoir
✨ one night stand gone wrong
✨ traveling across the country with your terrible one-night stand
✨ “teach me”
✨ sex lessons
✨ co-workers to friends to lovers
✨ one bed
✨ he falls first
✨ witty banter
✨ single pov
✨ HEA
✨ Jewish rep
✨ mental health rep
✨ nerd rep: Lord of the Rings, comic cons
✨ tw: abortion (past), parental abandonment and emotional abuse (past), on-page panic attack
My Thoughts:
Okay, I loved this story! Rachel Lynn Solomon once again creates magic with this witty, charming rom-com that hooked me from the start!
Here’s what I liked:
The MCs: Chandler Cohen and Finnegan Walsh (first introduced as Drew). I absolutely adore these two! Chandler and Finn are both so thoughtful, caring, and kind. They’re just good people.
Pause while I rav a bit more about Finn. Every time this man is on the page, I can’t help but smile like an idiot. He’s a huge freaking cinnamon roll and you know I get weak in the knees for that kind of MMC. I love that even though Finn’s an actor, he’s a huge nerd. He has a great sense of humor - especially when teasing Chandler. His friends are so wonderful. How he supports and encourages Chandler to follow her dreams is so lovely. And his pain meds love confession was the cutest thing I’ve ever read. Okay, I’m done swooning over Finn.
"All at once, two things become clear. One, that this man has no early idea where the clitoris is. And two, it's not the room that's cursed - it's Drew."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ he's a actor from a cult hit paranormal TV show
✨ she's a ghost writer hired to write his memoir
✨ one night stand gone wrong
✨ traveling across the country with your terrible one-night stand
✨ “teach me”
✨ sex lessons
✨ co-workers to friends to lovers
✨ one bed
✨ he falls first
✨ witty banter
✨ single pov
✨ HEA
✨ Jewish rep
✨ mental health rep
✨ nerd rep: Lord of the Rings, comic cons
✨ tw: abortion (past), parental abandonment and emotional abuse (past), on-page panic attack
My Thoughts:
Okay, I loved this story! Rachel Lynn Solomon once again creates magic with this witty, charming rom-com that hooked me from the start!
Here’s what I liked:
The MCs: Chandler Cohen and Finnegan Walsh (first introduced as Drew). I absolutely adore these two! Chandler and Finn are both so thoughtful, caring, and kind. They’re just good people.
Pause while I rav a bit more about Finn. Every time this man is on the page, I can’t help but smile like an idiot. He’s a huge freaking cinnamon roll and you know I get weak in the knees for that kind of MMC. I love that even though Finn’s an actor, he’s a huge nerd. He has a great sense of humor - especially when teasing Chandler. His friends are so wonderful. How he supports and encourages Chandler to follow her dreams is so lovely. And his pain meds love confession was the cutest thing I’ve ever read. Okay, I’m done swooning over Finn.
5 ⭐️ One of my ALL TIME favorites!
"To the people who look at the stars and wish. . . To the stars who listen - and the dreams that are answered." (Ch. 34, pg. 337)
I'm writing this review after re-reading A Court of Mist and Fury, and it's just as magical now as it was the first time I read it! Seriously, I just LOVE this book. I feel it in my heart and soul. I can't stop thinking about it. It's everything I could want in a book and more! The characters (old and new), storyline, plot twists, worldbuilding, snarky banter, slow-burn romance, action scenes, heart-pounding suspense . . . all AMAZING! Sarah J. Maas never fails to captivate the reader. You'll feel sorrow, joy, anger, pain, and love. You'll laugh out loud and feel the heat
"To the people who look at the stars and wish. . . To the stars who listen - and the dreams that are answered." (Ch. 34, pg. 337)
I'm writing this review after re-reading A Court of Mist and Fury, and it's just as magical now as it was the first time I read it! Seriously, I just LOVE this book. I feel it in my heart and soul. I can't stop thinking about it. It's everything I could want in a book and more! The characters (old and new), storyline, plot twists, worldbuilding, snarky banter, slow-burn romance, action scenes, heart-pounding suspense . . . all AMAZING! Sarah J. Maas never fails to captivate the reader. You'll feel sorrow, joy, anger, pain, and love. You'll laugh out loud and feel the heat
3.75 ⭐️ So much fun!! This book had me hooked from the start!
”There isn't a single dish that I could create that would taste as good as the both of us together.”
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ modern spin on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
✨ indian wedding planning
✨ punjabi main characters
✨ she's a loyal, controlling wedding planner trying to plan her best friend’s wedding
✨ he's an egotistical and irritatingly sexy chef who's supposed to help her with the menu since he’s the groom’s best friend
✨ first impression gone wrong
✨ hate to love (on her side)
✨ forced proximity
✨ similars attracts: stubborn, workaholics who don't want a relationship
✨ "you make me crazy"
✨ amazing banter
✨ he falls first
✨ found family
✨ plus size fmc
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ kinks: praise, bondage, cl*t slapping, minor exhibitionism, toys
✨ taylor swift references
My Thoughts:
Okay, so I liked this book! I really did. Especially the first half!
We start off with a bang in the prologue where Benjamin and Bobbi meet 10 months ago. There's so much sexual tension between the two and they share an almost kiss! But thanks to four stupid words (said by Benjamin, of course), Bobbi currently hates him. This is a hate to love (on Bobbi's end) romance, where no matter how hard Benjamin tries, he can't seem to do anything but piss her off. I LOVED their vexing banter and how hard they fight their attraction to one another. But thanks to their friends forcing them to work together, they are unable to resist.
Benjamin and Bobbi were also extremely likable and very similar characters! Bobbi is such a loving and loyal friend. She does everything with 100% of her entire heart and won't stop until it's done to perfection. That's what also makes her an incredible successful wedding planner. I also appreciated that she was plus size and extremely confident in herself! And we were able to learn a bit more about perceptions of being plus size not only by American standards but those of Punjabi men and women.
Benjamin is also an incredibly kind and loyal friend. He is extremely confident and straightforward, but plays mediator for his family, which tends to pull him between his passions and 'responsibilities'. Throughout the book, Benjamin realizes he needs to prioritize himself and his happiness instead of being manipulated and controlled by his family. Watching him grow and go through this journey was a very cathartic experience for me.
On a side note, one of the main themes of this book is community whether it be your friends or family and I love that!
I also really enjoyed that the non-romance plot was centered around Prem and Kareena's wedding! These two are just the cutest! Seeing their love story unfold in Dating Dr. Dil was a delight, so to see their wedding play out was a special treat. Maybe in the next book, we'll see them having kids.
”There isn't a single dish that I could create that would taste as good as the both of us together.”
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ modern spin on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
✨ indian wedding planning
✨ punjabi main characters
✨ she's a loyal, controlling wedding planner trying to plan her best friend’s wedding
✨ he's an egotistical and irritatingly sexy chef who's supposed to help her with the menu since he’s the groom’s best friend
✨ first impression gone wrong
✨ hate to love (on her side)
✨ forced proximity
✨ similars attracts: stubborn, workaholics who don't want a relationship
✨ "you make me crazy"
✨ amazing banter
✨ he falls first
✨ found family
✨ plus size fmc
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ kinks: praise, bondage, cl*t slapping, minor exhibitionism, toys
✨ taylor swift references
My Thoughts:
Okay, so I liked this book! I really did. Especially the first half!
We start off with a bang in the prologue where Benjamin and Bobbi meet 10 months ago. There's so much sexual tension between the two and they share an almost kiss! But thanks to four stupid words (said by Benjamin, of course), Bobbi currently hates him. This is a hate to love (on Bobbi's end) romance, where no matter how hard Benjamin tries, he can't seem to do anything but piss her off. I LOVED their vexing banter and how hard they fight their attraction to one another. But thanks to their friends forcing them to work together, they are unable to resist.
Benjamin and Bobbi were also extremely likable and very similar characters! Bobbi is such a loving and loyal friend. She does everything with 100% of her entire heart and won't stop until it's done to perfection. That's what also makes her an incredible successful wedding planner. I also appreciated that she was plus size and extremely confident in herself! And we were able to learn a bit more about perceptions of being plus size not only by American standards but those of Punjabi men and women.
Benjamin is also an incredibly kind and loyal friend. He is extremely confident and straightforward, but plays mediator for his family, which tends to pull him between his passions and 'responsibilities'. Throughout the book, Benjamin realizes he needs to prioritize himself and his happiness instead of being manipulated and controlled by his family. Watching him grow and go through this journey was a very cathartic experience for me.
On a side note, one of the main themes of this book is community whether it be your friends or family and I love that!
I also really enjoyed that the non-romance plot was centered around Prem and Kareena's wedding! These two are just the cutest! Seeing their love story unfold in Dating Dr. Dil was a delight, so to see their wedding play out was a special treat. Maybe in the next book, we'll see them having kids.
3.5 ⭐️ but rounding up to 4-stars because it was enjoyable and I read it quickly
"She may not need to define long-term, but to me, forever sounds nice.”
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ sacramento setting
✨ wedding centered
✨ she’s an upbeat up and coming wedding planner who doesn’t believe in long term relationships
✨ he’s an tattooed asshole and the best florists in town, but he doesn’t do casual hookups
✨ forced proximity
✨ co-workers to lovers
✨ second chance romance
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ he falls first
✨ “I hate everyone but you”
✨ so much tension
✨ witty banter
✨ size difference
✨ 3/5 spice
✨ dual pov
✨ dual timeline: flashbacks are in his pov
✨ lgbtq rep
✨ tw: death of a parent (past, off page)
My Thoughts:
As a fan of Julie's Dramione fanfics, I was eager to read her first traditionally published book - and it did not disappoint! This was such a fun, sweet, and sexy story that I know many will fall in love with.
What I liked:
The second chance romance portion was done extremely well. I'm not usually a fan of this trope, however, it made perfect sense why Ama was so reluctant to marriage and ended her relationship with Elliot. I also understood Elliot's hesitation to Ama, but absolutely adore his continued commitment of love to her even though she rejected him in the past.
Writing in dual POV and dual timelines was a good move. I loved seeing how they fell in love the first time from Elliot's POV and their second chance from Ama's POV. This really let the reader understand the characters - their reservations, fears, hopes, and dreams.
The wedding planning premise and having both Ama and Elliot a part of the wedding industry was so much fun. Weddings are exciting and the perfect opportunity to bring people together. There were already so many stressful elements to planning the wedding, but then add Ama and Elliot's tension and you've got so much drama and angst. It was a wild ride!
Jackie and Hazel, whose wedding Ama was planning, were great characters that never overshadowed the MCs. Sometimes side characters can play too big of a role in the story or they can be annoying, but Jackie and Hazel did, and were, neither. They were perfect and added just enough drama to make things interesting.
The overall writing was well done. I really loved Julie Soto's use of prose. She also writes stories and characters that you feel attached to but she does so in a way that's easy to read and follow along.
I liked Ama but I loved Elliot. This man, with his grumpy attitude and tattoos, is the epitome of falling hard and never moving on. But I loved how he didn't just fall all over Ama the second she came back into his life. Instead she had to earn his trust back. And seriously, his tattoos, while lovely by design, have such beautiful meanings behind them.
"She may not need to define long-term, but to me, forever sounds nice.”
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ sacramento setting
✨ wedding centered
✨ she’s an upbeat up and coming wedding planner who doesn’t believe in long term relationships
✨ he’s an tattooed asshole and the best florists in town, but he doesn’t do casual hookups
✨ forced proximity
✨ co-workers to lovers
✨ second chance romance
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ he falls first
✨ “I hate everyone but you”
✨ so much tension
✨ witty banter
✨ size difference
✨ 3/5 spice
✨ dual pov
✨ dual timeline: flashbacks are in his pov
✨ lgbtq rep
✨ tw: death of a parent (past, off page)
My Thoughts:
As a fan of Julie's Dramione fanfics, I was eager to read her first traditionally published book - and it did not disappoint! This was such a fun, sweet, and sexy story that I know many will fall in love with.
What I liked:
The second chance romance portion was done extremely well. I'm not usually a fan of this trope, however, it made perfect sense why Ama was so reluctant to marriage and ended her relationship with Elliot. I also understood Elliot's hesitation to Ama, but absolutely adore his continued commitment of love to her even though she rejected him in the past.
Writing in dual POV and dual timelines was a good move. I loved seeing how they fell in love the first time from Elliot's POV and their second chance from Ama's POV. This really let the reader understand the characters - their reservations, fears, hopes, and dreams.
The wedding planning premise and having both Ama and Elliot a part of the wedding industry was so much fun. Weddings are exciting and the perfect opportunity to bring people together. There were already so many stressful elements to planning the wedding, but then add Ama and Elliot's tension and you've got so much drama and angst. It was a wild ride!
Jackie and Hazel, whose wedding Ama was planning, were great characters that never overshadowed the MCs. Sometimes side characters can play too big of a role in the story or they can be annoying, but Jackie and Hazel did, and were, neither. They were perfect and added just enough drama to make things interesting.
The overall writing was well done. I really loved Julie Soto's use of prose. She also writes stories and characters that you feel attached to but she does so in a way that's easy to read and follow along.
I liked Ama but I loved Elliot. This man, with his grumpy attitude and tattoos, is the epitome of falling hard and never moving on. But I loved how he didn't just fall all over Ama the second she came back into his life. Instead she had to earn his trust back. And seriously, his tattoos, while lovely by design, have such beautiful meanings behind them.