Amanda
It was fine - I love Olivia Dade's plus-sized heroines and their strong senses of self, but I just didn't buy the romance here. Not because of the age difference between the characters or anything, really, but it's a vacation fling, they've known each other not even two weeks and he's ready to quit his job and move several states away? Even assuming that wouldn't cause any issues with his work visa, that's a big change. I feel like Lucas needed more development as a character for that decision to make sense. All in all, this was a fun, goodhearted book, but I wanted it to show its work a little bit more for the plot and character decisions to feel earned.
(2021 Summer Romance Bingo: wardrobe malfunction, would also work for educator.)
I haven't read a lot of second-chance romance - nothing against it, really, but a lot of times the reason the couple didn't work before isn't adequately addressed/resolved for me. Here, I didn't have that problem and I really enjoyed this, particularly Lana's prickliness and independence. Bonus for a grumpy cat with a food name!
(2020 summer romance bingo: “set on island,” since Manhattan is an island. Would also work for “title is a pun,” I think, and maybe “meddling matchmakers.”)
Finished this a few days ago, completely forgot to review, whoops! First of all, marking a book set in the mid-90's as “historical fiction” hurts my soul in a very old-millennial way, but I think the rule of thumb for that is twenty years before the publication year, so it definitely fits, I'm just a crone. I really enjoyed this story, but I thought the pacing was just a little off - there was so much time spent on Ithaca that it seemed like the latter parts of the story didn't get as much focus/attention/development as I would've liked. This is one of my Book of the Month choices, and I hesitated on getting it because they described it as “inspirational,” which is usually code for religious, specifically Christian (sometimes specifically evangelical). Luckily, none of that here, just hurt people finding their way to each other and to making the best life they can together.
Liked it until the last 20% or so, when Daniel copies Samiah's keycard in order to get into the files he needs for his case. I understand why he did it but wow, what a good way to torpedo the career of someone you claim to care about/love. Of course, because this is a romance, it all works out for the best, but I feel like in reality, she'd face more consequences than a six-month probation and still being able to head their community relations team.. That was all wrapped up pretty quickly at the end, with a completely insufficient grovel by Daniel and Samiah talking herself into why it was okay for him to do what he did. This is the second book in a row I've read with the heroes keeping pretty major secrets from the heroines and the heroines forgiving them way too easily, and I have to say I'm not a fan. You all deserve better! At least a real apology!
I don't usually read category romances, and probably wouldn't have picked up this one, but it was recommended for romance bingo in the “stable romp” category, so why not? (Also, that cover is so good!!) Waaaaay too much setup for a subsequent book in the series in this one - something like an entire chapter is about the characters in that book, which I am not going to read and did not enjoy having all the exposition for that book crammed into this one. I liked the friends to lovers plot here, even though there was a fair bit of “you dopes, just talk to each other!” going on. Honestly, sometimes I find a little yelling at the characters fun, so that's not a bad thing. I didn't love the weird shaming of some of the other female characters for daring to have bigger breasts or wear makeup; I'm always here for a tomboy/less femme FMC, but miss me with that “not like other girls” business, please. Anyway, this was a perfectly enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours, even though I won't be reading the rest of this series.
(Random side note from a Dallas-area native: what luxury hotel are they staying at that's apparently in Dallas, but an easy drive to the Cowboys' stadium in Arlington?? Downtown Dallas is 25 minutes away without traffic, and Arlington is ... not known for its luxury accommodations, to say the least.)
(2021 Summer Romance Bingo: “stable romp,” would also work for friends to lovers, date auction, or fake dating)
(Probably 4.5, rounding down.) God, this book made me want to visit Seattle again. This was maybe a little bit insta-love for me, but I could suspend disbelief on that since they knew each other for ages. Very much enjoyed that there was none of the cliche “oh no, he's my best friend's brother/she's my sister's best friend” thing that happens in romance (but I haven't seen much of in reality). I just really liked these characters and their relationships felt realistic and lived-in to me - I absolutely believed that Annie and Darcy had been friends for ages. Brendon could've used a little bit more development but overall this was excellent.
(2021 Summer Romance Bingo: karaoke, would also work for tattoos, holiday that's not Christmas, or friends to lovers)
(Probably 2.5 stars, rounding down?) I was intrigued by the premise here but the writing/plot were just not as strong as I wanted them to be, unfortunately. The whole big thing about Clara's family being upper-class/socialites with a scandalous history was really underdeveloped - a lot of showing, not telling, and it never really goes anywhere. I don't think either of her parents ever appears on-page, and the book skips over any sort of reveal/confrontation with Clara's family and straight to a happy holiday dinner a couple of years later with both families, which seemed like a real cop-out after it was mentioned so often.
I also felt like both leads were really flat/underdeveloped, unfortunately. I wanted more insight into Clara and why she would go from getting a PhD and having a job lined up to trashing all that to move across the country to live with her longtime crush. Like, what? I'm not opposed to characters making big decisions that seem out of character, but give me something to work with here. Josh didn't seem to grow or change a lot either. I was thinking about what was missing from the book this morning, and I realized that neither of the main characters have friends, really - Clara works with her aunt's PR firm, and they both talk with Naomi (mostly about the project), but that's it. There's no other characters that they really talk with or vent to or anything like that, which I think makes them come off more one-dimensional. They're either alone or with each other, basically, and there's no other facets of their personality that might be shown if they interact more with other characters.
Finally, aaaaaaahh please consult a lawyer before writing a legal subplot into your romance! So the big thing is that Clara is working on the re-election campaign for the Los Angeles district attorney. She appears to be running on some type of reform platform (I think, it's not really clear), and Josh gathers a bunch of evidence about the Big Bad Porn Company committing labor law violations (wrongful termination, sexual harassment, unsafe work environment) and refusing to hire people who've worked on Josh and Clara's project. He gives all that info to the DA, she files charges just before the election, and gets re-elected, while the company and CEO are found "guilty," and Josh goes to work for the DA as an "expert witness." Everyone's happy, right? Except that's not how any of this works! Labor law violations are not criminal offenses (for the most part, but none of these are). Refusing to hire someone because they're working with a competitor isn't nice, but it's not a crime, either. The district attorney doesn't investigate stuff like this - it'd be the state Department of Labor or maybe something federal, but sure as hell not the county DA. If the company was found "guilty" (not the term but okay), there would be fines, not jail/prison time. Expert witnesses don't work for the district attorney's office - for obvious reasons, it's a huge fucking conflict of interest, any competent defense attorney would tear them apart. Experts have to be independent so they don't torpedo their credibility. (Also expert witnesses need actual expertise in things like psychiatry/law/medicine.) She could maybe have meant a victim advocate, because DA's offices do employ those, but that's extremely different from an expert witness. None of that probably matters too much to anyone who's not an attorney, but it honestly just took me out of the last quarter or so of the book, and it wouldn't have been hard at all to run by a lawyer and change up. Just sloppy and no need for it to be.
Also, this book needed more Naomi.
The slow burn was a little bit too slow for me in this one, which isn't something I usually say. I also feel like the book took too long to reveal the source of Jasmine's commitment issues (though to be fair, they were alluded to throughout). I really liked how everything wasn't completely perfect at the end, but Jasmine and Rahul were both trying. This isn't quite as delightful as the Brown Sisters series, but it's Talia Hibbert and she won't let you down.
(2021 Summer Romance Bingo: friends to lovers.)
Probably 3.5, rounding up. Loved the fat representation - numbers aren't given (yay), but it's pretty clear that April is definitely fat, not just a little chubby, which is refreshing. I enjoyed the excerpts from chat logs and fics between chapters as well, but the main conflicts here were from people just not telling each other things, which is my least favorite type of dramatic tension. Still love Olivia Dade and I'm excited for the next one in this series!
(3.5, rounding up.) This is a rom-com that really qualifies as a rom-com - it was actually funny enough that I laughed out loud. It looks like this was originally published in 2013, and there are a few things that haven't aged all that well, like a relationship between a 17-year-old and an adult man (mentioned, not seen) that's supposed to be comedic but wasn't, and some transphobic-sounding comments about a lesbian contestant in the town beauty pageant but nothing egregious enough to make me stop reading. This was really cute and sweet, but I have to downgrade a bit for it being completely fade-to-black on anything besides kissing - I'm fine with varying heat levels but I like at least some heat, you know? I loved Friday's voice as a narrator and the backdrop of a union organization drive (though I did think some things were wrapped up a little too neatly in the end). I don't know if I would've picked this up if not for romance bingo this year, since small-town isn't really my thing, but this is a fun little standalone romance.
(2021 Summer Romance Bingo: down on its luck small town, would also work for educator, karaoke, or wardrobe malfunction.)
Loved this takeoff on #planebae or whatever it was (remember planes?). I also really appreciated the depiction of anxiety/agoraphobia/PTSD while still keeping this light and fun.
Not sure if this is another book hangover from how much I loved [b:Take a Hint, Dani Brown 49976087 Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters, #2) Talia Hibbert https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572990974l/49976087.SY75.jpg 72583521], but this was ... fine? I certainly didn't hate it, but it didn't really ever click with me, which is a shame, considering the librarian and academia angles. The whole conflict with Victoria's department head didn't really go anywhere and seemed to wrap itself up with a little bit of a deus ex machina at the end. I also didn't really care for how all the growth/change seemed to be on Victoria's side - while I do like a cinnamon roll of a hero, things just seem more evenly matched when both characters need to work on themselves to be a good match for each other. This certainly wasn't unpleasant at all, but I had been looking forward to reading it and it just didn't quite meet my expectations. (Also, maybe this is a little nitpicky, but the book could definitely have used another copy-edit, there were enough typos and grammar errors that it got distracting by the end.) (2020 summer romance bingo: apple orchard. Would maybe work for meddling matchmakers, but I think that's all.)
Super fluffy second-chance romance with magic! Solid three stars because I wanted more chemistry between the leads, but this was a perfect October vacation read.
Georgette Heyer, minus the anti-Semitism, and with extra bonus gay romance! This book is a delight from start to finish (more so once you get the names of all the minor characters in order) and I hope there are plans for a sequel, because I love this lighter and less murder-y KJ Charles.
(Update 4/7/21: reread, loved it even more, pretty sure this is one of my favorite romances of any subgenre. So good.)
This BOOK, oh my god. I read the last 10% with a massive grin on my face, it was just so delightful and perfect and sweet. I love how well the characters are defined, even the minor ones like Quinn or Jaxon, I love Liz's brother and grandparents, everyone in this book is so well-written and realistic-feeling - the antagonist is a little flatter, but I'm okay with that, honestly. I don't need a big helping of empathy for her, considering how she treats Liz. Content warnings here: homophobia, forced outing, racism (verbal, no slurs that I recall), deceased parent (before book starts), chronic illness
I don't know if I have much more to say about this book, except even if this doesn't seem like your thing, you should still read it. It was so much fun and just what everyone needs in the middle of These Uncertain Times. It will clear your skin, water your crops, and bake you a delicious cake.
(2020 summer romance bingo: “protagonist plays an instrument that's not guitar or piano,” would also work for “cover has a large piece of jewelry” if you count drawn-on crowns, and for “debut novel.”)
Finishing this for bingo reasons, but it's like 85% of the book and they just now got to the made-up country that Makeda is possibly princess of. I don't mind a slow burn but the pacing here was bizarre, with most of the time spent on a cargo ship and a ton of interchangeable characters (except the dude that's clearly setup for a third book in this series). This just absolutely did not click for me and I would probably have DNFed under non-bingo circumstances.
Adding after finishing this one: woof. The pacing is even more bizarre once they get to Ibarania, with a completely out of left field resolution to the princess/inheritance situation, and absolutely no denouement or even an epilogue. Just really weird and by far my least favorite Alyssa Cole.
(2022 Summer Romance Bingo: takes place in made-up country.)
Again, longer review to follow, but “defense lawyer” for Summer Romance Bingo. Loving this series!!
This doesn't look terrible, but I cannot do lawyer romance and also the MMC has the same name as a very close relative, so nah
I was already planning to read more KJ Charles and now I'm definitely going to - I have [b:The Magpie Lord 34715150 The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies, #1) K.J. Charles https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490703800i/34715150.SY75.jpg 24803707] next in line for summer romance bingo and I bought [b:Proper English 44420645 Proper English K.J. Charles https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554298689i/44420645.SY75.jpg 68974183] last month, I just can't figure out a way to make it work for bingo. Anyway! I think I would've enjoyed this more if I'd read the first book in the series beforehand, but that's on me and not the book. As it is, I had to spend a little more time than I liked early on figuring out who all the characters were and how they were related. That didn't really detract from my enjoyment of this, though - I loved the premise and the conflict was fascinating and not one that's easily resolved.(2019 summer romance bingo: on the page atheist; can't think of another square it'd fit well in, except the free space/HEA)
Fascinating history of Dallas - the people who the streets and buildings are named after are actual people in this book. I would love an updated version, since this is just about 40 years old and a lot has happened since then.
2.5 stars, rounding up. Needs some serious content warnings - nothing graphic, but stuff you probably wouldn't expect from a book billed as a sweet romance. CWs here: the MMC is a widower whose first wife died in a mass shooting at their church (off page), and the FMC has sickle cell anemia and a life expectancy of roughly ten additional years. The latter of those isn't really discussed in much detail, which seems like a pretty big issue that's just skipped over to get to the HEA, considering the effect it will have on their future life together. I didn't get much chemistry from the characters, and even though this is a “clean” romance (verging on inspirational), I want some more connection than they had here. Loved the setting and the story about Maya returning home, and of course the cover!
(3.5, rounding up) I love the narrative voice of this book - I really want to go have a drink with Gina Pazcoguin now and get even more backstage-at-the-ballet stories. I wish the narrative had been a little more sequential, since I'm not familiar with her career and as a result I wasn't really sure what happened when, which isn't the biggest deal, but did get a little confusing at times. I also wanted a little more about everything that happened with the former director and some of the male dancers, which is all alluded to but not really directly addressed. Despite all that, I really did enjoy this! It was gossipy and fun and not at all taking itself seriously. Super-fast read and definitely worth the time.
Oh my god, so good and so incredibly hot. Completely different from [b:Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake 55533831 Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (Winner Bakes All, #1) Alexis Hall https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1610495934l/55533831.SY75.jpg 86199564] and [b:Boyfriend Material 50225678 Boyfriend Material (Boyfriend Material, #1) Alexis Hall https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575987260l/50225678.SX50.jpg 73590298], in heat level and overall tone, but I just love Alexis Hall's writing. If there's a writing equivalent of “I'd listen to them read the phone book,” that's how I feel about him.