2/5
I was going to give it 3 stars, but that PUBLIC proposal on LIVE TV took me out and not in a good way. I HATE public proposals, WHY do they have to always be there?? Especially since Elu HATES publicity, it was so out of character for him to do???? Hate it, hate it, hate it.
And OW drama was just weird. It's like the ex-wife was a real antagonist in the first 40%, being bitchy for no reason only to stop??? Out of nowhere??? So stupid.
And seeing as I haven't read the previous books in the series I was so lost about who each character was. There were way too many background characters I didn't give a fuck about, and it was hard to keep track of. It's not a good book to read as a standalone because there are too many characters that don't do anything and have no purpose to be in that story, but they're still there and I don't know them. And it was just so boring to read about them.
4.75/5
Tessa, Tessa, Tessa... You write a man with a filthy mouth who would do everything to provide for his girfl, even die for her, move heaven and the earth and expect me not to fall in love with him?
“You love her?” “I exist for her”
Jesus, talk about simp. He's there begging on his knees, crawling to be with her and humbling himself before her and loving every single moment. Because he's hers. WHERE ARE MEN LIKE THAT IN REAL LIFE?
Chloe was absolutely fantastic too, I loved her. She learned so much and gained independence and I loved to see it. And she loved Sig so much that she had to make the tough decisions for both of them.This book was absolutely fantastic and amazing.
The only critique I have is two-fold:
1) why didn't they just marry in Vegas, I've been thinking about this the whole time. That way it wouldn't be them the media would paint the villains, but their parents who stand in the way of true love.
2) I wish we saw their domestic bliss for longer than a short epilogue.
This book was fantastic. Pierre was a great addition, and the baseball/hockey players' game was amazing. I've been imagining “No, I don't dance” from High School Musical 2 during this chapter, lol, with Corrigan as Ryan and Skylar as Chad, hell-bent on being against him and his charms lmao. I can't wait for their book now!
Sig and Chloe were absolutely fantastic and I loved this book.
4.25/5
I enjoyed this book very much. Scheming brought them together and I loved it.
Ari and Russel were adorable together and I loved them working together to bring their bosses back together. And I loved Torrence and Seth together too, they were amazing together! I loved the scheming and partnering.
And I loved at the end where Torrence and Seth tried to get them together although I was convinced that they knew what was going on lmao.
I loved this book very much!
3/5
That book was mostly boring. I didn't care about either character except for Hazel, she was precious.
The jokes weren't funny to me at all, the story was meh although certainly not the worst. The ending just pissed me off. So he didn't tell her he pulled out as her manager, she found out from other people, ignored him and it was all done at 96%?? And the next chapter takes place a month later and they're suddenly okay? I hated that. Show, not tell. I hate when authors tell and not show.
Also the epilogue was so bad. Why almost every author thinks that being married and being a mother is a woman's happy ending - especially that nothing in the book indicated it? Sure, Fee loved Hazel and she was already a mother figure. And she loved Meyers. But nowhere in the book was it said that she wants to be his wife or give birth to his child. That was his fantasy, not hers, one he didn't even tell her. Seriously the whole epilogue is out of character, out of place, and completely unnecessary.
4.25/5
I loved this book although so many crucial moments were written from Arthur's point of view. I would have loved to hear from Lydia instead.
Every time they were intimate, it was from Arthur's point of view, every single big and small thing was from his point of view. And when Davis proposed, it cut off and went straight to Arthur again, how he felt about this etc.
This is one scene I would have loved to see Lydia's feelings - we never see what happened next. Did she tell him she's married to his brother instead? Did she tell him she's in love with Arthur? Did Jasper? How did she feel about it? A few weeks earlier she would have said yes, but what was her thought process now??? And later? Everyone acted like that never happened even though it must have been extremely awkward for all of them. Just... The book missed this because I feel like it hasn't been resolved.
Other than that, I loved the book so much, it was amazing. I loved Lydia and Arthur and the epilogue was so cute too. I love the fake dating trope and it was done excellently!
4,25/5
This was adorable. I really enjoyed this book. It might have been slightly too long in same places but I loved it.
I'm not a fan of public love confessions or anything like that so reading about Lucie telling everyone her dreams on a radio show as weird for me, I was waiting for the to hang up. But that's what I would have done. And later when Aiden and Lucie finally talked at the very end - I wouldn't have come to the radio station in the first place, but it felt very in character for both Lucie and Aiden.
I loved them. Both characters were amazing. Maya was a little mastermind. My favourite moment was when she said she hadn't found anyone who would compare to Aragorn. Same, kiddo. Absolutely same here.
I like how observant Aiden was and THE NOTE IN HIS GLOVE COMPARTMENT! The picnic! I loved that so much!
I'm glad that Lucie found him and they both finally accepted what was happening. It took Aidan longer (I hate third act breakups, why did it have to be here too) but they got there in the end.
Thank you, NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for providing me the ARC for my honest opinion.
2/5
I was honestly expecting him to know who she was. The entire thing about FMC being related to someone famous was unnecessary for me because I was waiting for the other shoe to drop the entire time. The smut was dry lol.
ALSO, nobody proofread this book, I'm sure, because at the beginning her sister was called Serena a pop star, and by the end, her name changed to Sabrina. Just... it's 24 pages of mediocre smut. The least the author could do is keep the damn name.
3,75/5
That was cute. A little too fluffy than what I expected for a mafia romance. It was my second mafia romance and I was expecting something more unhinged but it was still fun.
I have to admit: the synopsis didn't encourage me to read it. What did was someone on reddit describing the plot as “a mafia man asks his pretend wife to act like a complete idiot to fool his men” which is a much better way to market the book IMO.
Also ngl, I had trouble getting into the book as a Pole. See, I read the author's note about the Russian words, and “Malysh” sounds like Polish “Małysz” who is one of the (still) most popular Polish athletes (even though he's retired) so when I read it in the note all I could see is Adam małysz during ski jumping competition and a Polish commentator screaming “Fly, Adam, Fly!”
But I digress.
Regarding the author's note however, it's a complete bullshit because while I appreciated the thought, after reading it I think the author made a complete mistake. She defined “kukolka” and “milaya” which have been used once each, and “piroski” which have been used maybe twice or thrice.
But do you know what wor was missing from the mini dictionary? Pakhan.
Do you know how many times it has been used? 50. 50 times and there was no definition.
Apparently it means a crime boss. I had to google it.
All in all, the book was fun, I loved Nina pretending to be a complete imbecile and everyone buying that. BUT despite the supposed danger they were in, it felt like low stakes. I didn't feel like the danger was that bad, maybe because of the fluffy vibes??
PLUS The whole bookstakes place in a span of a few months. The author didn't convey it well: it felt like a few days at most. Seriously, the pacing of this book was unreal and not in a good way. Also the fact that they got married after 2 days was... No.
I also disliked how her intimacy issues got resolved at the very end, it was rushed and felt like his dick cured her fear. Seriously, that's not how it works and I disliked it too.
I'm going to leave this review with my favourite scene:
“Got it, kotik”
I close my eyes and shake my head. “You do not call a Russian pakhan “kitten”, Nina. I have an image to uphold here.”
She narrows her eyes at me, schools her features to embody seriousness, and touches my nose with her finger.
“My deadly kotik. Better?”
4/5
I really enjoyed it. Both Grace and Luke were fascinating and I loved their relationship - I wanted to punch Luke for what he said as well. I'd prefer a little more grovel, since he was antagonizing Grace in the present too, but it was still a great story. I loved how sneaky Denton was too.
I enjoyed their fights and arguments and their banter later on. Luke has such a dirty mouth too, I enjoyed it. The scene in solarium was definitely my favourite, although the scene in the library was hot too.
I liked the story - I haven't read the previous one in the series but it works perfectly well as a standalone since I didn't have to read the previous book to understand this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lark Maitland for the ARC for my honest review (as late as it is).
4.75/5
This book was so good???
I missed Evie and Trystan. They are amazing. And the plot of this book was fantastic. Now the only thing I hate is that we have to wait for the third book at least another year when I want to find out the ending now. And now I learned that there's a 4th book too???
I loved Gideon although I wish this book only had Evie and The Villain's povs. I think while Gideon and Becky were amazing, their povs weren't that necessary (perhaps not counting the epilogue which was very interesting and now I have QUESTIONS).
I hope everything ends well on the third book - and that Evie and Trystan will have their happy ending.
4.75/5
I really enjoyed it.
I was surprised Tamsyn was the FMC at first but I loved her as the time went on. Bowen I loved since the beginning and I was so excited to read his book!
And time travel! It might not be my favourite trope but this book made me like it, ngl.
I loved how Bowen and Tamsyn stuck together and we're a team, instead of being resentful toward each other as I feared. I love how they had each other's back through it all.
I hate the love/lust athe first sight so I was annoyed that this book had it but I guess it kind of helped that they were mostly chatting and messaging each other for the first year instead after meeting instead of meeting each other? Idk, it helped I guess.
Bowen's grandmother was amazing and I loved her and how she helped them in the end. Annie was fantastic and she was definitely my favourite. I loved all the shenanigans Bowen and Tam got themselves into!
What I didn't like is how the Declan stuff just got resolved at the end “just because”. I hoped they would help him, but I hoped we would get a real solution to his problems - otherwise what was it all for? Bowen was still traumatised and for nothing?? Come on, Erin could have done better instead of bringing him back for a happy ending.
3.75/5
Wow, I can't believe this was the last book in the series. I mean I get it, with what happened to Belissama - but I'm still disappointed. Since the first book I was hoping for Gareth and Linden story, his character development and their reconciliation. I mean even in the 3rd book he was still hopelessly in love with her, and I enjoyed his growth. And I loved Linden in the first book and I was hoping for the second chance romance between those two. So I'm disappointed we won't get it.
Now for Dasha and Ivy... I don't get how Ivy could get Dasha back so quickly with no hesitation, after how much she didn't want to in the previous book. It was too quick for me and Sasha didn't grovel enough - her grovel was mostly off page which I didn't like.
And while I understand that this story needed to be written from Dasha's point of view, I hoped to get Ivy's perspective instead, since the previous book. So that's probably why my rating is lower as well.
All in all I enjoyed this book. It wasn't my favourite in the series (and I can't believe it's the last book - I mean what about Gareth??? And the entire town, I'm gonna miss it!) but it wasn't bad.
3.75/5
That was a cute story, I enjoyed it. Didn't love it (especially by the end), but I enjoyed it.
The characters were interesting, especially Róisín. She was a little tornado and I loved her. Niall was great too and I felt so sorry for him regarding his backstory!
I was a little annoyed with Cordelia by the end though. The third act breakup was so unnecessary and I knew it was coming - I knew as soon as the main couple got together by 60% mark. I mean seriously, it's like authors can't write happy couples at all. I would have preferred the domestcity and them figuring out the long-distance instead of the drama we've got.
The ex fiancee was so bad, I'm glad that Niall finally told her off!
I enjoyed the story. the setting was incredible and now I want to be one of the tourists and go to Ireland!
4,25/5
Such a wholesome Christams romance!
I love Martha Waters's books and when she announced the contemporary Christmas romance, I had faith she could do it with no problem and I'd love it - and I was right. The characters were loveable, the plot was fantastic, I truly enjoyed this book. SOmething about books set in England warms my heart and I loved this one.
Both characters are great, and I enjoyed getting to know them and I was rooting for them the whole time - though I wish we got an epilogue to see how things are going on a couple of months later. Because of the lack of the epilogue if felt like happy for now instead of a happy ending - I'd love to see what else is in store for them. Did Charlotte move to London at the end and expanded her business there? She could technically work from anywhere. Are they doing long-distance instead? How are things going on on that front? Did Graham join the non-profit like he wanted? What's happening with the house? I feel like there are too many questions unanswered, so unless Martha is going to write a sequel, the epilogue should be here.
That's why I couldn't rate this higher. It feels like an open ending, hopeful but open. I don't know; I would love to have all the questions answered.
The book was amazing though and I'll be reading more of Martha Waters should she write anything else.
Thank you to NetGalley, headline, and Martha Waters for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
2,75/5
As much as I like Beauty and the Beats retelling, this was not it. The references were too obvious (I mean, really, her name was Bellamy and his nickname was Beast? And she wasn't allowed to go to the west wing? Please be more original). I like it when the references are subtle and tasteful, Those just smacked me in the head with a pan. I mean I'm actually surprised that Bellamy didn't compare this setting to Beauty and the Beast tbh.
The characters were interesting to the point. I lost all interest around the 90% mark when he sent her away, And then SHE had to go back to get back with him? Fuck that. He should have been the one to grovel, she didn't do anything wring in that scene.
Also, those best friends? The worst friends ever. First, they come in uninvited, then kick her out of her own room to have sex in HER bed - and instead of apologizing they laugh at her, and then, instead of allowing her to move on and support her they just push her to be with the guy that pushed her away? No, fuck them. If they were my friends I'd drop them so fast for not respecting my boundaries. Come on, she deserved better. And I didn't even like her that much!
The AI was just weird. it's not Jarvis! Stop trying to make him like Jarvis! It took me out of the story so fast in the beginning I had a hard time to actually get into the story.
3,75/5
I quite enjoyed it, although I wish it was written better.
I liked both Penelope and Phillipe, they were interesting characters - especially Phillipe's backstory with the Reign of Terror, which I've never seen in the regency romance before. But the relationship was lacking something, I didn't immediately cheer for them.
With Phillippe calling Penelope “a dear child” at the Fayre it seemed weird to me that he would be suddenly so in love with her - especially considering such an age gap between them. And the first half of the book was quite boring tbh, there were too many descriptions for me and not enough plot going forward - and at the end it was too rushed. I wished we saw more of stolen moments between Penelope and Philippe during the house party, as well as more chapters from Philippe's point of view. I wished for his pov especially after his uncle told Penelope the story of Phillipe and his father - I wondered what Phillipe thought and felt during that time, and perhaps that he could confide in Penelope?
So while the book was interesting and the plot was intriguing, the writing and execution could be better. I expected more tbh.
4/5
I really enjoyed it, which I was aurprised by. Emily EHnry's book are hit and miss for me so I'm glad I enjoyed it.
The first 10% broke me tbh. The exes were so fucking annoying and entitled and I HATED them. I felt so sad for Daphne and Miles! So I love that at the end, Petra and Peter split. Karma is real!
I loved the relationship between Daphne and Miles. Miles seemed to be down bad for Daphne since the beginning, and I wish we've gotten his pov as well. He seems so sweet! And he cares so much!
It had less elements of the fake relationship than what I expected, but I liked it regardless. It was a good story. Emotional and engaging.
Although I wish we didn't have the third act breakup. Seriously, Miles should have said WHY he disappeared, instead of letting Daphne assume he was with Petra. Come on, TALK! I hate a misunderstanding! So I couldn't give more than 4 stars. But I liked the story very much. And I loved how we've come a full circle: at the beginning, Daphne loved when her ex told the story of how they fell in love and got together. In the end, Miles knew how much Daphne loved telling their story instead. I loved that.
4/5
Coral is a performer who dresses as a mermaid, who got her own show in a hotel. MMC, a real estate developer is in trouble because of an interview. He's smitten with her since the moment they've met at the airport.
I enjoyed the book. The writing was a little corny at times, but it wasn't horrible. I liked the relationship between Coral and Jamie, even if the insta-love/insta-lust made my eyes roll. But I liked their banter. And the fact that the main character is a mermaid-performer? My inner child was screeching with excitement.
Honestly I was afraid this would have an open ending, since they didn't start to fake date until 52%, but I'm glad they figured their shit out and this book has a happy ending.
Thank you, NetGalley and Sugar Beaver Books for providing me the ARC for an honest review.
1/5, dnfed at 46%.
This was a failure.
I hated it so much. The female main character was so naive and STUPID and DESPERATE I hated it. Oh my god. Her EGGS CHIRPED?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? And that's the internal monologue of a 30 year old woman? It read like she was 15! Jesus CHrist, that was so cringe and horrible.
SHe was so DESPERATE to have a baby and I get it but she did not ONCE think of a sperm donor? To just go to the clinic? NOTHING? Seriously?
And THEN she acted like she was a naive virgin who doesn't know ANYTHING about sex. Seriously, she's supposed to be 30-year-old woman who already slept with men before and the author had her buy 200 condoms for a date because she couldn't choose? Are you serious? In what way is this funny or smart of well-written? It's not. And then she was so overwhelmed by vibrators as if she couldn't just order one online? No, Nick had to follow her into the store and make fun of her! Jesus, he too acts like he's 16 immature asshole when he's supposed to be 38. What the fuck.
And the fact that Sam asks her sister about EVERYTHING like she couldn't think for herself? Hell no! I hated it.
The book is written horribly, the characters are flat and immature despite being supposed to be in their 30s, the plot is just boring. I was disappointed.
This is the second book from the author I read this year and it's gonna be the last. It's not for me.
1/5
Honestly? I'm disgusted. Well, maybe “disgusted” is too strong a word, but I hated it.
The writing was cringe and awful. The dialogue was forced, especially the one during their first time together. It was just awful. The character development seemed forced, just to be there, but the characters weren't driven by anything, really. The grief and ptsd weren't well written and explored. The characters were immature, childish, and boring.
The author tried to do too much and too little simultaneously. There were so many sideplots that went nowhere, and the revelations later that had no basis in the story earlier. Oh, so Alyssa called the school. And? Where did it come from? There was nothing suggesting that she would do that. At all. ALSO, I think that if Nick actually painted his best friends who died, THAT would be a good character development. Because that would show that he's moving on, but celebrates their lives and while he misses them, he decided to live. Because they couldn't.
I just hated this book so much. Seriosyly, a chicken and baked potatoes? I should have dnfed it at page 1.
4.5/5
That was an excellent read, one I thoroughly enjoyed.
Dorian was a great main hero, grumpy but not really, powerful and charismatic. Caro was sassy, strong, independent, but also lovely. She wasn't a damsel in distress but she also wasn't nagging about not needing a man which was refreshing. I also LOVE that she was 30. There aren't enough romance novels (especially Regency ones) with heroines that age. Also, she was working class! I loved it!
There were so many plotlines, all interconnected and well done: the cheating of his late wife, lover investigation, secret identity... I loved how the plot intertwined. I was interested all the way through.
I loved Dorian and Caro's relationship, although I kinda wish that her father got his due. And that we saw on screen how his mother finally accepted her.
Now, this book is the first in the series. And the series is called Bluestocking Booksellers which means the next books will be about her cousins and while I'm excited, I can't help but also be disappointed. I know Oliver will probably end up with Constance, based on their meeting in this book, although I would LOVE to read about Oliver and Althea instead. Something about the man being in an arranged betrothal with a woman who became his friend, and when she eloped, being forced into a betrothal with her sister fascinates me. And it also sounds as though she lowkey hates him? I need to read their book now. Something about enemies to loves in an arranged betrothal/marriage, while he was supposed to marry her sister (but isn't in love with his former fiance) scratches my brain the right way. I'm fascinated. I need their book now!