Nadine

More book reviews coming in hot! I have read many over the last month after a bit of a lull so let’s jump in!

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

Ok, so I mostly do like Tessa Bailey books. Her characters are always fun, and I did enjoy this one. However, there was a spicy scene in this one that was not my jam at all. Like it took this book from being a 4 down to like a 2.5 for me. Which is sad, as it had potential. Golf is so boring to me, but she really made it seem fun and like I should give it a try. And I liked that this wasn’t following the usual romcom track with the third act breakup over miscommunication. The banter was fun, and the other spicy bits were alright…but that one scene? Just no.

Bottom Line: Read with caution lol

This Used to Be Us by Renee Carlino

I am not sure how I want to rate this book, I have so many thoughts! First off, I really appreciated characters in their 40s, I read so many with the main characters in their 20s. This is a second chance romance, so you know what you are going into when you start it. Dani and Alex are getting divorced, they have a messy, heartbreaking history and two sons they are trying to do right by, so I understand and found interesting their arrangement with the shared home and nesting apartment. There were times I didn’t really care for either character, but they came back around for me. Bits of the book dragged in the mundane, but I did feel like I got to know everyone really well and see the complicated depth there. I LOVED the bits of writing in the albums we got to see, and the overall flow of the book.

But then we got to near the end and it took a turn. And I am not sure how I feel about that turn!?!? I didn’t love it. I wish it was different. I can appreciate that it didn’t go where I thought the book was heading. But again, it wasn’t my favorite either. I am curious to hear what you think if you have read it!

Bottom Line: Read it.

This one comes out July 9, 2024

**I received a copy of This Used to Be Us from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley

This book stirred in my heart. It makes me want to be more intentional in my home with our habits and how we handle certain things. I didn’t love everything the author said, I definitely read these types of books with my own discernment. And I felt like half the book he was trying to prove some point that he is one of us, with a messy imperfect house. It was a point that was made over and over. I appreciate it once, but it got sort of repetitive. But again, it stirred in me and I think the book was written with good intention.

Bottom Line: Read it, take what you want from it and let the idea stir your heart.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

I absolutely love Abby Jimenez and devoured this book in less than 24 hours. I could not stop. I laughed, I teared up, it was just so good. Justin has to be one of the best book boyfriends ever. He was so funny, strong, charming, and so sweet. Him stepping in to take care of his siblings? Swoon. Emma has such a painful past, and watching her grow and deal with it throughout the book was heart warming. I love that her and Maddie ended up on an island for some of the book, and it being a metaphor for how Emma lives her life. There were so many details like this sprinkled throughout, And OMG the baby racoon scene? I was howling!!! I love all the side characters; Justin’s mom, aunt and siblings, Maddie, Justin’s friends, they were all so good.

Bottom Line: Read it!!

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

I love to jump into a good Mary Kay Andrews, and this one delivers. I thought I was picking up a cute beach read and it turned into a murder mystery in the best way possible. There are a lot of characters in this book to keep up with, as we have an entire hotel staff and some guests, but it was all laid out well and easy to keep up with, as the book will constantly hold your attention. I really liked Traci and some of the other side characters in the book. I saw many things coming and predicted several things that were going to happen, but I was slightly off on a few things…so I love when a book gets me like that.

I switch between an ebook and audio book for this read. The audio is done from one of my favorite narrators and she really added to the overall experience for me while consuming this one and I definitely did nearly 90% on audio! I couldn’t stop and had to know what was going on. Highly recommend putting this on your summer reading list!

Bottom Line: Read it!

Releases May 7, 2024

**I received a copy of Summers at the Saint from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

To Have and To Scold by Valerie Pepper

This was a fun little spicy novella from Valerie Pepper! When Reese realizes that the guy that ghosted her after her best night ever is on the island and part of her friend’s planned trip…she is not pleased. Derrek is ready for a second chance after the night he left, but is it too late? Lots of fun banter as these two work together to help their friends plan a wedding in a tropical paradise. As with novellas, I am always left wanting more from the characters, but it was a fun, albeit short, ride!

Their Last Resort by RS Grey

I love an RS Grey novel, so I was excited to jump into this one. I loved the island vibe and the setting of a hotel where we get to see all the ins and outs of the day to day running it along side Paige and Cole. I loved the personality differences, and the side characters of the other staff members. The banter was always fresh and funny, a signature of RS Grey that always has me coming back. I will say, the pacing of this one felt slightly off. There was a lot of tension and build up and then I felt like it was over too soon. But that is sort of how a slow burn is supposed to go, and slow burn this was!

I really liked Cole’s character a lot. I wish we got a few more chapters from his POV. Paige was alright, but very immature. Maybe because I am 40, I might be further removed from the dating in my 20s, but it just seemed to me that she made some very rash/emotional decisions and was immature overall.

Another thing that bothered me was the way the villain was portrayed in this story. He should have just been a slimy character in action, but the main thing that was focused on in ever encounter with him was his eating habits and his weight. It was almost like all villains are known to be overweight or something? I don’t know, it rubbed me the wrong way. I have never been offended by anything from this author previously, so I hope this character was a one off.

Bottom Line: Overall, it was a fun read to kick off summer! I had a hard time putting it down, and finished it in less than 24 hours.

**I received an ARC copy from the author and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

More book reviews coming at you! Read some good ones in here, and one really terrible one! My site was down for a little while, and I got behind…so my apologies.

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

I absolutely loved  Yasmen and Josiah’s story. It was perfect, and messy, and heartbreaking. I really loved that we get an older couple (and by older I mean like my age lol) who had some complicated things happen that lead to a divorce and we get to see them trying to navigate that while still having unresolved feelings. Owning a restaurant together and co-parenting added some complex layers. It was so beautifully written and there was so much character growth throughout the book for more than just our main characters. I loved all of Yasmen and Josiah’s friends, and their children as well. Kennedy Ryan writes grief in such a beautiful, haunting way. She did such a great job covering mental health and how we all deal with feelings differently. I don’t always love a second change romance, but this one was done right.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Atomic Habits by James Clear

This book is straight forward and offers practical advice on how to start making habits to achieve your goals. I already knew some about habit stacking and other advice he offers in the book, but it was done in a way that was motivating and got me thinking about rearranging a few things I do to be more consistent. He talks about taking small steps and being 1% better each day, which is a great reminder that good habits take time to form and the key is to stay consistent and keep showing up for yourself.

Bottom Line: Read it if you are looking for some motivation.

Mr Wrong Number by Lynn Painter

I love a forced proximity and off limits plotline, and this delivers both! Throw in a wrong number? Yes!! This was such a fun book. I really loved Olivia’s positive outlook on life, even when hers is quite the mess at times. I laughed several times throughout this one and it just flowed well for me.

Bottom Line: Read it!

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

I had fun reading Mr Wrong Number, so I immediately hopped on another Lynn Painter book. This one has a fake dating trope wrapped in it, which I always find fun! Jack and Hallie hook up at Jack’s brother’s wedding, but become fast friends after. They then make a bet with each other to find someone through a dating app. They share stories from their dates with each other and have a lot of fun together. The banter is so good. Then they fake date each other for a weekend, and sparks fly! Another fun read from Lynn Painter and can’t wait to read more.

Bottom Line: Read it.

The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle

Listen, I love a good Rebecca Serle book. I do. But this ain’t it. I made the mistake of listening to the audio copy of this book. Rebecca herself narrates, and that is the first thing wrong for me. She writes so beautifully, but her narration is terrible! She had a such an emotionless, monotone voice throughout the whole book. She honestly sounded bored with herself. She should have had someone else read this for her.

The plot was a good idea, getting to have the “dinner with anyone dead or alive,” but it just didn’t deliver like I wanted it to. Past that, I hated most of the characters of the book. Especially the main character, Sabrina. I didn’t get her obsession with Tobias at all. You never really feel a real connection with them, and you can see all the mistakes and red flags she makes with him coming a mile away. Her best friend Jessica is the only one with a decent head on her shoulders, but even their relationship is rocky. I am not sure why Audrey is at the dinner at all? It felt like a random part of the book.

And here comes a major spoiler alert, so if you haven’t read it and still want to after everything I said, then stop reading here.

Did you stop if you want to read this? Ok here comes the spoiler…..what in the world is the actual point of this book if Tobias is actually dead too?!?!?! Like what???? I was so pissed when I found that out, I literally almost quit reading. But like a train wreck, I had to look on to see where it was all going. It really made this book even more dumb and pointless. I am so glad this wasn’t my first book by this author, because I genuinely like her others. But this is not it and I cannot recommend you read it.

Bottom Line: Pass

The Rom Commers by Katherine Center

I LOVE Katherine Center, she has become a must read for me over the years. This book is everything I wanted it to be! We have the forced proximity trope, which I love. You definitely feel the tension between Emma and Charlie. Emma was so determined to succeed in what was basically a suicide mission from her company. They expect her to fail. She remained strong and positive throughout. I loved the side story with Emma’s little sister and her father. Overall, I laughed and this book was so heartwarming. I love the way Katherine Center writes. Could not put this one down!

Bottom Line: Read

**I received a copy of The Rom Commers from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Crave Me by Cecy Robinson

I didn’t realize this was a series when I picked it up, and I hate I started with book 3 because I loved the O’Brien family and I have to go back and read the others now! With that said, you could totally just read this one, you don’t need their backstory to enjoy it. And enjoy it I did!!! Oh Wren and Evan. Wren is such a strong leading lady. Having lots of brothers, she has to be! What happened in her past is so heart breaking and you can tell how it changed her. And Evan has all kinds of layers. I loved how he takes care of his employees and Wren. He has a past as well.

When things heat up as someone from Wren’s past tries to threaten everything, it gets really interesting. The book is paced so well and makes for a believable relationship. I definitely cannot wait to read more from this series.

Bottom Line: Read

R.S. Grey has a new book out today, and I wanted to do a special post just for it’s release! Fighting Words. Go download it right now, I’ll wait……Ok. got it??

This one was so good! The tropes! Some of my favorites all rolled into one book, yes please!!!

-Forced Proximity

-Enemies to Lovers

-Grumpy/Sunshine

-Workplace Romance

Summer is an editor who is assigned a mission that everyone thinks she will fail. Get Nathaniel to write the third book in his trilogy. She heads to the cutest little town in England, that was giving me major The Holiday vibes. Such a cozy setting with the snow, the cute little town, and the wonderful townspeople that we get to meet along the way.

The problem? Nate has writers block and is a major grump. The one downfall of the small town, there is nowhere for Summer to stay, but at Nate’s house! Hello, awkward! The perfect set up for banter to ensue! And we all know RS Grey is the queen of banter!

I really loved the way that Summer and Nate’s relationship was mirrored in the love triangle that was going on in Nate’s series, such a fun detail to follow. We really get to know about both their backgrounds and get to know them as characters. Their arguments seem so realistic and well fleshed out.

Overall, highly recommend this book! It was a such a fun read, and I couldn’t put it down! Like all of RS Grey’s books, I devoured in less than 24 hours.

**I received an ARC copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinion are my own.**

Book reviews coming in hot! I read a few nonfiction books this month, two books with a magical element to it, started out the month strong! I was definitely ready for a change after binging Christmas books for about two months straight!

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Sometimes I have a hard time rating and reviewing memoirs. Generally, the writing and depth is often lacking in them. But these are real people telling their life stories, so it just hits different in a way. The beginning of this one was a little all over the place, and it sort of read more like a young girls diary in a way? I already knew a lot of the things that Britney shared, and it makes me so sad for her to hear her recalling of how the press and people in her life treated her. It is truly appalling and I feel for her. It is Britney’s life and her stories, so who am I to say that it could have gone deeper, shared more etc. She gets to chose how much she wants to share and writes her own narrative now. I enjoyed listening to this on audio, and if you were ever a fan….I suggest picking it up.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

One of my favorite authors suggested reading this, so I immediately got it from the library! This is a “one of them is famous’ troup, which is always fun. Chani meets Gabe for an interview after spending years crushing on him. Lucky her! They spend 72 hours together and then don’t see each other for 10 years. Well, except that one time. The book bounces back and forth in time, and there are blog posts and articles scattered in between. It made for an interesting read. I wish we got to know more about Gabe and why he was so angsty. I feel like while we saw character growth, there wasn’t a lot of depth? Perhaps since they really only spent about 6 days together for the entire book. Chani’s ex was a true POS and I did like that storyline. I also LOVED Ollie! I think he was my favorite character. Overall, I quite enjoyed this one, but ended up giving it only three stars. The last 15% of the book is where so much happens and its all rushed. And the great article that the whole book was written around, wasn’t all that great in my opinion.

Bottom Line: I enjoyed listening to this on audio, it was a quick and easy read.

Me by Elton John

Elton John has lead such a fascinating life. He lays it all out in this book, the good and the bad…and it was so engaging the entire read through. I did this on audio, as I like to do with nonfiction and especially celebrity books. I loved listening to his stories about other artists that he got to work with and/or be friends with throughout his life. He talks about his addictions and disorders, his struggle to get clean, the love of his life. What a redemption story. This is one of the best celebrity books I have read.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

I always find the premise of Serle’s novels so interesting. Her writing style always captures me right in. This is another of those books where there is an unrealistic element to it, but it works for me. What a concept…know exactly how long every relationship you have will last. There were some twists and secrets in this one that I didn’t see coming and made yell WHAT??? My one hang up with the book is I am not entirely sure that Daphne really grows throughout the book. I can’t really say anything without giving things away, but if you have read this, I would love to talk about it! Still, Serle’s novels have become must reads for me.

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received an ARC copy of Expiration Dates from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

There is something about Ashley Poston’s writing that really sucks me in. Usually I am not a fan of books that have a magical element to them that isn’t real life…and yet she makes it work for me every time! Clementine’s raw emotions are felt throughout this book, and it goes so much deeper than your usual romcom. I really liked all the side characters and the friction between Clementine and Iwan. This book is beautifully written and you feel everything. Loved!!!!

Bottom Line: Read it!

Coming in with some more book reviews! I was fully into all the Christmas books! But I do have some that aren’t if that isn’t your thing. I have a few more ARC copies of Christmas books that I didn’t get to last month. I am trying to decide if I am going to get to them soon or not. Most that I read this year were disappointing in that they weren’t super Christmasy at all. So we shall see. Here we go!

Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews

I absolutely loved the way that the little area of NYC was written in this book. It seemed whimsical and dreamy and all the neighbors were so nice and friendly. And I have to call BS on that, because I don’t know anywhere in NYC that you can park Spammy and plug up somewhere and have all these connections for showers, food, etc. But in the spirit of Christmas I am going with it. It felt magical. I can always count on Mary Kay Andrews to bring a solid read.

Bottom Line: Read it

**I received a copy of Bright Lights, Big Christmas from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Winter in New York by Josie Silver

Oh this book! I loved it so much. I loved how the story went back and forth between the present and Iris’s mother’s past with Santos to allow us to understand what started this whole chain of events with the Belotti secret recipe. I loved all the characters in this book, the families, the tradition. Watching Iris and Gio meet and their relationship grow, it was all timed so well. My only gripe is with Iris’s lies. Why did there have to be so many? You know exactly how it is all going to come crashing down on her. But I still enjoyed the ride anyways. One of my favorite holiday reads this year for sure! Warning, you are going to want some gelato while reading this one!

Bottom Line: Read it.

One Margarita by Kerry Evelyn

I enjoyed the small town setting of this read. I liked the atmosphere of the two family restaurants and the history between our main characters. However, I felt like there were way too many side characters to keep up with!!! I think some were merged from another series from the author, which is great if you have read all her books. But I have to admit, even if I had, I doubt I still would have been able to keep them all straight. Which lead me to skimming some of the conversation between them all, because it was just a bit much. Also. While I can appreciate that it is a clean romance, all the kissing talk was a little immature for characters who are almost 30 years old. Their whole relationship track was weird in general and reminded me more of a high school relationship. I would have just preferred fade to dark scenes than talk of kissing someone silly or senseless or whatever terms were used. Over and over again. Pass. Both characters have their own issues, one with OCD and one with ADHD…so it was interesting to see their personalities come together.

Bottom Line: This wasn’t super Christmas-y to me, and the cheesiness of the kisses and immaturity of our characters left me wanting something different. It passed the time fine, but I was ready to move on to something else.

I received a copy of One Margarita from BookSiren in exchange for my review. All opinions are my I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

I am trying to decide how I want to rate this book. I like Mary Beth Keane’s writing, but I felt like this story moved a little to slow for me. And honestly, when I look over the book as a whole, there is not a whole lot going on. I enjoyed it while reading, but it did take me awhile to get through. I liked Malcom as a character, but also was mad at him a little bit, because he is selfish. And Jess, I never really connected to her at all in the story, and so I didn’t relate to anything she did. I found her selfish as well, especially when others become involved. (I will leave it there as to not to spoil, but if you read, you will know what I mean.) And then without giving away the ending I will just say that I felt neither character really grew or changed in the end. I did enjoy the side characters and the town.

Bottom Line: I could take this or leave it.

The Grumps Guide to Chaos by Valerie Pepper

Valerie Pepper became one of my favorite new authors of 2023. I read four of her books and I have enjoyed them all so much! If you are looking for spicy, witty romance…this is your girl.

Ok, and now that I have gushed about the author, let’s talk about the third, oldest, grumpiest Joseph brother…Will! Oh, Will. There were times I wanted to slap both of these characters who are so set in their ways and focused on their pasts. But that makes a good read, right? You want to be passionate about them and their choices. I liked that both characters were in their late 30s, it made it more relatable to me. Getting to build on all the characters we know and love from the first two books, and getting to know what happened with Will and the mom connects the dots with all the brothers. I love to read some family drama. And Tori had some of her own as well. Her story was fascinating with changing her career, coming home and trying something new. That was badass! I love how she just fit right in with the group of ladies we have all come to love. And I am going to miss this little Talladega town. Please, Valerie, keep writing small Alabama town romance! I may never look at Noccalula Falls the same after reading this book either. IYKYK.

We have second chance, lots and lots of steam, he falls first, firefighter/baker/innkeeper, forced proximity, one night to get it out of system, anxiety disorder, small town romance, so much. So good.

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received an advanced copy of The Grump’s Guide to Chaos from the author in exchange for a voluntary review. **