Jeff Jarvis
I checked the audiobook version of this out from the library solely based on the preview text and the cover. It sounded like it would be a fun listen and I was treated with one of my fave books of the year so far. Overall, the story is probably more like 4.5 stars out of 5, but the narration of the audiobook adds on the extra 1/2 star. The whole last 1/4 of the book has so many great interactions between the main characters and friends that left me legit laughing out loud as I listened. All I will say is “Big Daddy” will leave you laughing and groaning at the same time.
This is one I will get from Audible for my personal library so I can listen to it again. It is a very sweet, low to no angst story with a nice long slow build to the first sex scene between the MCs. It is truly a fun listen; one that I highly recommend.
This was the book that I had been looking for for several years, one that digs deep into how evangelical Christians could back a political candidate who was diametrically opposed to them in every way. Unlike many political books that only look at the political side of the equation, this book looks at the spiritual side, what we as Christians are supposed to do, and how we are supposed to live and treat each other. I think it is important for us to look at how we got here so we hopefully can change the direction things are going. Most importantly, this book gave a clear view of how we as Christians should live in this world, not trying to gain and hold onto power, but striving to live like our Savior and looking forward to the world to come. This was eye-opening and is one that everyone who is a Christian that is wrapped up in this world of extremes should read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this new novel from Jennifer Dugan. One of the primary things that I look for when I am reading a new book is how the characters are developed over time and whether I feel any emotion for them. This story did an excellent job of character development to the point that I thoroughly disliked a couple of the characters and loved the main characters.
I have seen so many kids go through what June did, where their parents try to mold them and shape them into star athletes without letting them grow up and enjoy their teen years. I experienced some of that growing up as well and the author did an excellent job of portraying the father and the aspirations he placed on his kid.
I loved the relationship building that was done between Ivy and June. They were bitter enemies at the start due to one being an athlete and the other being a player. But their attraction was magnetic. When they kissed in the book, I could feel the love as I read it. I found myself hoping for them to work through their trials and come out on the other side.
I enjoyed that this was a sweet romance and was very well written.
I really enjoyed this book. The initial premise is a bit of a stretch (sending an email to your dead wife, but sending it to the wrong address), but it does take an interesting turn. I liked the progression and growth of the characters, which is always something I am looking for in a good book. The pace was a slow burn as Sarah and Lindsey get to know each other and become friends.
I tried to draw from my own experiences as Sarah was trying to deal with the grief of losing her wife and having to move on. I've seen that in my own family when my mother passed and my dad tried to keep going. I've also seen it with a friend who lost his wife. It was a frustrating section to read where Sarah pushes Lindsey away because of her guilt, but it was also understandable. I can only imagine how difficult it is to try to push on after losing a spouse. It is easy to look from the sidelines and think that the person should just get on with life when it is far more difficult. I think the author did a good job of covering those feelings of guilt and covering Sarah's recovery.
Overall, this was a very sweet novel and it is one I would recommend.
I love Gerri Hill's writing and The Great Charade is up with one of her best works. This is an instant classic for me. I was looking for a good Christmas romance to get me in the mood for the holidays and that is exactly what this one does.
—Spoilers Below—
I think one of the things that I liked the most that separates this story from other fake to real romances is that there was not a moment where everyone finds out the relationship was fake. That tends to be an angst point that many of these stories use to separate the couple until they can bring them back together. I liked that this did not happen in this story. The fake relationship developed into an attraction with lots of mind-blowing sex, while at the same time showing the couple growing close together. Nic bonded with Abby's mother and found a family that she had never had. Then when the fake relationship time was complete, Nic and Abby go their separate ways, but both realize something is missing. Abby finds that she has fallen in love and work at Nic's pace until she is ready to open up to her. It is a beautiful love story that I can guarantee I will come back to again, especially during the holidays.
4.5 stars...This would have been a full 5 stars for me if the events near the end dealing with trust issues had not happened.
I lost respect for Cate when she immediately pushed Rachel away when the news report came out revealing her secret when she was growing up. There was no discussion, just an automatic blaming of Rachel. This took a lot of enjoyment out of the story for me. I know angst is something that is prevalent in romance novels and in some cases it is ok. I just did not like it in this book. The main characters were building a good relationship and in 1 moment, everything fell apart. Cate's ex was a piece of trash, yet she immediately took what he was saying as truth and threw away the relationship she was building. Later on, Cate was supposedly so heartbroken over what had happened. If she had taken a few minutes to talk to Rachel instead of putting up her protective wall, she would have realized what was happening. Instead, she chose to throw it away. If this section had not been in the book, it would have been a 5 star favorite of mine.
I enjoyed NerdCrush, although the main romantic trope is one that I have grown not to enjoy as much. I loved the fact that the couple was interracial and that it focused on someone that was not the most popular person. As someone who is shy, isolated, and not the center of attention, I could relate and found that the story did a good job of portraying the fears Ramona has. The trope that I didn't enjoy is the lack of communication. While it is understandable for a young woman to be afraid of not being liked, of putting herself out there to possibly be turned down. But as she got to know and befriended Caleb, I don't know why she felt so scared to tell him that she was the one that was emailing him. It makes the story longer, but I kept wanting her to tell him how she felt. Maybe that is what the author wants the reader to feel. If so, it worked. I've just found so many romances where a lack of communication keeps the story going.
Overall, the story is very well written and the narration for the audiobook is great. There were a few times that she mispronounced a name, but this didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story. I would definitely recommend this to a younger audience looking for a sweet romance.
Georgia Beers is my favorite WLW author and one of my faves overall. I'm used to her longer novels, but she proves with Triple Dog Dare that she is even better with novellas. In such a short amount of time, she developed all of the characters, not just the two main characters, to where you feel like you know them and you care about them. Even the dog she has in the story has a personality that you grow to love. There are no sex scenes in this short work, but I never felt like I missed it. The characters were so loveable and the attraction and love story that she builds between Sasha and Kennedy is so good that a sex scene isn't needed. This story will warm you to the core over the holidays and is one that I'm adding to my favorites list to listen to every Christmas season.
4.5 out of 5. This is definitely one of the longest slow burns I've ever read or listened to. Every step of the way is a breaking down of each main character's defenses until they finally express their feelings for each other, which doesn't happen until nearly the end of the book. I kept wanting it to happen quicker, but at the same time, the build was so good that it was worth the wait. This is a very sweet romance that is well worth checking out.
I had a hard time with the beginning of this book, specifically Lucy. Her bitterness toward the Westmoores is understandable to a degree, but the nastiness that she conveys toward the surviving children almost made me not want to finish this book. I did not like her character at all. I'm glad there was a turn-around in her attitude that occurred, but she had to be hit over the head several times before it sunk in how much of an a-hole she was being.
This book was a bit nostalgic due to how long ago it was written. Having just been released as an audiobook in 2022, it was fun to listen for older references, like VCR's, answering machines, no mention of cell phones, etc. Even the story not ending with a proposal was interesting since this was before legalization of same sex marriages. So that made the book have a sharp contrast to many books written today.
I enjoyed the overall story of a woman discovering herself in her 30's. I didn't much care for the Ben character much. I know why he was in the story, but I didn't like the way he made moves on Melanie and then was hurt when he finds that she isn't what he thought. I just didn't like his character. I also didn't much care for Melanie's cousin, especially when she finds that Melanie is gay. She says some very sharp and hurtful things that seem to have been forgiven way too easily.
Melanie and Taylor's relationship was enjoyable to follow. It was a nice slow burn as the couple get closer and as Melanie deals with the feelings she never expected. It was a sweet romance and one I will listen to again.
This review is for the audiobook version.
This audiobook is wonderful and checks so many boxes for me. I love the noirish nature of the women going back and forth telling the story of their relationship and occasionally breaking from the story to chide the listener for their voyeuristic nature. The story covers the heartbreak of a woman that was cheated on and her plan for revenge that turns her life upside down. Allie Shae did a fantastic job of giving each character their own voice that was easy to listen to and follow who was speaking. This one is going to the top of my favorites list and I will definitely be listening again soon.
I did not like this book the way so many others seem to. I have enjoyed other Melissa Tereze romances before, but this one just did not click with me. I was really enjoying the beginning of the novel as Cate and Harper got together, but I found the last third of the book to be repetitive. There are constant communication issues where one character overthinks the heck out of something small, lots of having to reassure the other that they are so happy, repetition of things from the beginning of the story (“I wasn't looking for a relationship when I moved here, etc.). There were times I wanted to shake each one of them to snap out of their past relationships and realize that if they don't then they will lose the perfect person that is right in front of them. I found all of this to be frustrating and not enjoyable.
I've been a fan of Melissa Brayden's more recent work, but am just getting around to reading some of her earlier works. Kiss the Girl is one of my new favorites. It goes beyond the cookie-cutter formula that a lot of lesfic novels follow. This story includes so many different parts that blend together so well.
Brooklyn has grown up never knowing the family that gave her away at birth and has never experienced the love of parents, having been passed through the system until she reached adulthood. Her heart is hardened to love until she meets Jessica, who happens to be the head of a competing advertising company. The two companies are competing against each other for a large contract. Throw in that Brooklyn's birth mother makes contact and Brookyn's world is turned upside down. Having learned to shut others out, she is not good with relationships. All of this mixes together to make a fascinating read.
I loved that there were times that the story went in a different direction that I expected. After having read hundreds of lesfic novels, it feels like it is easy to predict what will happen (not that it makes reading those less fun). But this book was a nice change of pace from that. For example, when it is found out Jessica was not responsible for the pitch proposal being stolen, the formula would be for everything to be good between Jessica and Brooklyn. But instead, Brooklyn ends the relationship because she can't deal with the possibility of something else bad happening in the future.
This is going on my Favorites shelf to come back to in the future. It is smart, witty, and has lots of twists that I enjoy in a story. You can never go wrong with a Melissa Brayden book and this one is at the top of the list.
This is the first Hallmark Publishing audiobook I have listened to. It had a very similar feel and tone to watching a Hallmark movie, which was a definite plus for it. This story could easily be made into a movie that would play well on Hallmark.
I very much enjoyed the character development, especially of Althea. It was interesting to watch her relearn her roots and come to the conclusion that the lifestyle she had in New York was not where she needed to be. Having been raised in the South, I could relate to the small town feel that the author created. I loved Granda and her sassy mouth as well as her caring words. Jack was a mysterious character throughout. I kept wondering if he had ulterior motives, but was glad to see that he didn't.
This is a sweet and clean romance that is very enjoyable. Anyone that loves Hallmark movies will enjoy this story.
I was provided with an advanced listening copy in exchange for my fair and unbiased review.
I very much enjoyed this first offering from Jennet Alexander. I was a bit concerned going in due to the average ratings that I was seeing, but I'm glad I took a chance and came to my own conclusions about the book.
I liked the development of Lilah and Noa as characters as they got to know each other while on set and slowly began to loosen up. I enjoyed the stalker mystery that was tied into the book which gave an additional plot point apart from the budding relationship. The narration really added to the enjoyment of the story. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it quite as much without the different voices from the narrator.
I found this to be a very enjoyable story and one that I would come back to and listen to again at a future time.
I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
The entire Year in Paradise series overall was good, but the last few books were very light on romance and sex. December Wishes as just ok as a conclusion. I enjoyed it jumping around from couple to couple that we have seen in previous books. There just wasn't a lot of meat to the story for me. I was thinking there might be a hot Christmas romance or even something leading up to romance on New Year's Eve to round out the year. So I was disappointed in not getting more of a wrap-up with some of the characters and no Christmas romance. I was just expecting more from the concluding book than was delivered.
