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tips_and_tropes's Reviews (417)
As someone who cut my reader teeth on historical romance, not much hits harder for me than the “reformed rake” (aka the former gigolo in Rhyland’s case). Throw in the brother’s best friend and hate to love tropes, and I am all in.
Dylan and Rhyland being the couple in this book was not on my bingo card, but I never should have doubted LJ Shen. There’s something about the way these two banter and bicker that just works for me. Their chemistry is sparking with every encounter, but what really did it for me was Rhyland’s relationship with Gravity. He fought falling for that little girl with everything he had, but by the time he was giving her words of affirmation every night, and tucking her in with Mr. Mushroom, I was a goner. And really, Dylan never stood a chance.
I listened to the audiobook featuring duet narration by Teddy Hamilton and Savannah Peachwood, and I highly recommend it. The performances were great, the snark, the sizzle, and the vulnerability in the story all came through so well that I didn’t want to stop once I got started.
Lottie Owens has a lot more to answer for than a hangover when she wakes up in Vegas married to her ex-fiancé's little brother, who also happens to be the sheriff of her Nebraska hometown. Brooks Watson’s been in love with Lottie Owens since forever, but his selfish older brother swooped in first, and he lost his chance. Now that the invisible string tying them together has a nice tight knot, he’s not willing to let her slip away so easily.
This story is so charming. I listened to the audiobook, and the duet narration from Stephen Dexter and Vanessa Edwin is beautifully done. The small town vibes are super cozy, and the banter between Lottie and Brooks is enough to make you wanna kick your feet. The slow burn has a great payoff, and some serious heat. Lottie’s large family is full of funny and intriguing hints for future stories, and I’m definitely looking forward to returning to Plain Daisy Ranch.
Thank you to Valentine PR & Piper Rayne for the ALC review opportunity.
Smut forward, but a good time nonetheless. It's a quick read with some hot scenes.
Back in high school, Liam Miller broke Birdie Wilder’s fragile heart with a few thoughtless words. While adult me can definitely give grace to both teenagers in that moment, teenage me would have been equally as devastated as Birdie. When we join grown up Birdie in the present, she’s grown into herself and embraced her body and her place in the music industry, but that doesn’t mean it’s all rainbows and unicorns.
I enjoyed this audiobook, which has been re-released with the dual narration style talents of Angelina Rocca and Grayson Owens providing the voices for our Birdie and Liam. The performances are top notch, and the audio quality itself is great. The story is kept fairly light in tone even considering that it deals with some darker concepts like grief, alcohol abuse, traumatic childhoods, and stalking. I struggled a little with being emotionally invested because it felt too low stakes at times for what was happening.
One thing that I was frustrated by is Birdie’s lack of safety net. I felt like too many of the people in her life had reverted to “hanger on” status and let being a true friend to her slide in favor of keeping things more surface. It felt at times like no one in her life was invested enough to take care of her, or really look out for her best interests. On the other hand, knowing what we do about fame and celebrity these days, that feels pretty authentic too. I do wish that Liam had done a little more overt yearning/groveling before Birdie gave in because that’s always fun to read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, Fat Babe Publishing, and Kayla Grosse for the ALC review opportunity.
I enjoyed this audiobook, which has been re-released with the dual narration style talents of Angelina Rocca and Grayson Owens providing the voices for our Birdie and Liam. The performances are top notch, and the audio quality itself is great. The story is kept fairly light in tone even considering that it deals with some darker concepts like grief, alcohol abuse, traumatic childhoods, and stalking. I struggled a little with being emotionally invested because it felt too low stakes at times for what was happening.
One thing that I was frustrated by is Birdie’s lack of safety net. I felt like too many of the people in her life had reverted to “hanger on” status and let being a true friend to her slide in favor of keeping things more surface. It felt at times like no one in her life was invested enough to take care of her, or really look out for her best interests. On the other hand, knowing what we do about fame and celebrity these days, that feels pretty authentic too. I do wish that Liam had done a little more overt yearning/groveling before Birdie gave in because that’s always fun to read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, Fat Babe Publishing, and Kayla Grosse for the ALC review opportunity.
Handsome Devil is the third book in the Forbidden Love series, and while we’ve caught glimpses of Gia and Tate along the way in Truly Madly Deeply & Wildest Dreams, the peeks we’ve been given don’t even begin to hint at the darkness below the surface of these characters. This book serves as the conclusion to the series, but also a launching point for her forthcoming mafia series, Society of Villains.
Tate Blackthorn may be a morally black antihero, but he’s undeniably got style. He’s ruthlessly vicious, incredibly tightly wound, and wildly unhinged, but as we learn more about his origin story, it’s not really so surprising that he is who he is. His character arc in this book really drew me into this story, and has me excited for more of this mafia world to come. Watching him finally surrender to his feelings for Gia is just delicious.
This book is the darkest in tone of the series by far, but I really enjoyed it. I have loved them all, but I think this is the one that will stick in my mind the longest. It was a fun easter egg to see a cameo from another super popular LJ Shen character in this book, tying them all into the same universe. I’m excited to see where we head to next in this world.
Thank you to The Author Agency & L.J. Shen for the ARC opportunity!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
Described as Charlie's Angels meets the White Lotus, Maneater is a fun, sexy, summer romp in the Florida Keys where a pair of Mavens (think Angels) have been dispatched to get to the bottom of who has been sabotaging a high end exclusive resort. This book is so much fun. The chemistry between the Josie and Rowan is absolutely electric, and we get right down to *ahem* business straight out of the gate.
Maneater is the first book of The Mavens series, and I can already tell I'm going to need them all. I must extend a round of applause for this cover, she's gorgeous and different. The callback to pulp detective novels is perfect for this story. Having the case to solve provided a nice backdrop for the love story between Josie and Rowan. She's a baddie of the first order, and he's been pining for her for longer than she realizes. Something I have always enjoyed about Morgan Elizabeth's writing is her strong female characters and friendships. Don't we all want to be part of a Morgan Elizabeth girl gang? The group chat would be lit... not doubt about it.
I am ready for another adventure with the Mavens, and to learn more about the mysterious Gabriel behind them all.
Thank you to Morgan Elizabeth and her team for the ARC opportunity!
Well, Actually is my first exposure to Mazey Eddings's writing, and I'm an instant fan. The sass, the spite, the snark, the spice...it's everything I love. I snickered, laughed out loud, and got choked up within the same page at times. Mazey has a special talent that cuts right to the heart, and stole my breath with just how seen I felt in Eva's characterization. It can be a little jarring to read thoughts you've had in your own head about yourself coming from a character in a book, but it's also reassuring to know you're not the only one who has struggled, doubted, wondered all the things. It felt healing to see Rylie fight for their connection despite how Eva had behaved in the name of self protection.
I fell in love with Eva and Rylie equally through this story. She's so protective of her peace that she's walled herself off behind her acerbic wit and intelligence, and he's swung so far from the damaged frat bro he was in college to the podcast host attempting to help men leave toxic masculinity behind.Their journey back together is quite the ride!
There's some really great positive mental health representation in this book. Rylie has been putting in work in therapy and trying to come to terms with his own traumas, and the way he opens that door for Eva to walk through with him... talk about swoony! Rylie Cooper is a communication king, and it's super hot.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, & Mazey Eddings for the ARC review opportunity.
Hard Count by Ginger Walls is book 4 of the Newhouse University series. These are interconnected standalone sports romances featuring the college athletes at Newhouse University in Alabama. The first three books featured members of the baseball team, and now we're transitioning over to football with a familiar face. Nash Pierce is the older brother of Sydney (the FMC of Foul Territory), and the starting quarterback for Newhouse. He's coming back for his senior season looking for redemption from a loss at the championships last year. Drew Prescott is the estranged daughter of his head coach, and she's grown up with football in her blood and a keen eye for patterns and statistics.
If you're in the mood for something low angst, sweet, and steamy, Nash Pierce is your man. Once he's in, he is allll in. 3rd act breakup? He could never. He's a top tier book boyfriend candidate, and his desire to take care of Drew is super hot. He's always looking out for her, encouraging her, and he gives great banter to boot. Drew is dear to my heart with her fierce independence and determination. These two are couple goals. The sexual tension, the spice, the heart, it's all here, but the thing that stands out for me the most is the healthy, open communication. It's not something I've read often, because couple drama is a straightforward story point a lot of the times, but Ginger Walls did something special here. The conflict in the story is outside of the Nash and Drew's relationship, and their coming together helps them process and get through it all.
Thanks to Ginger Walls and her team for the chance to ARC read this book. I've loved every story in the Newhouse University series, and definitely recommend them all.
If you're in the mood for something low angst, sweet, and steamy, Nash Pierce is your man. Once he's in, he is allll in. 3rd act breakup? He could never. He's a top tier book boyfriend candidate, and his desire to take care of Drew is super hot. He's always looking out for her, encouraging her, and he gives great banter to boot. Drew is dear to my heart with her fierce independence and determination. These two are couple goals. The sexual tension, the spice, the heart, it's all here, but the thing that stands out for me the most is the healthy, open communication. It's not something I've read often, because couple drama is a straightforward story point a lot of the times, but Ginger Walls did something special here. The conflict in the story is outside of the Nash and Drew's relationship, and their coming together helps them process and get through it all.
Thanks to Ginger Walls and her team for the chance to ARC read this book. I've loved every story in the Newhouse University series, and definitely recommend them all.