When I signed up to read Not a Fairy Tale, I was really excited about it. Celebrity scandal, “awkward wardrobe malfunction,” hot stunt man? Sounds great to me. But no. I hate to say this about any book, but it was completely unmemorable. I found myself skimming more than reading and I had a hard time convincing myself to come back to the book each day. It’s even harder to write a review about an … Continue reading Not a Fairy Tale by Romy Sommer→
This book showed me that I can really like contemporaries. I’ve been bouncing off them as the conflicts kept feeling too contrived . For this one, the reviews made me curious so I had grabbed a copy before the RITAs that I hadn’t read yet. Once I started reading, I was squeezing in as many chapters as I could when I had time. I loved how Teague and Callie’s story was one in the midst … Continue reading The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert→
You might have heard that Google is feeding its artificial intelligence romance novels to enable it to move from its stiff, factual communication style to something more realistic and conversational. Let’s hope that this novel isn’t on the menu, because it would not help the machine seem more human. The story itself is lightweight – more of a sketch of a story than an actual story. Guy from California comes to Twee Wee Town with … Continue reading A Cold Creek Christmas Story by RaeAnne Thayne→
Maybe I shouldn’t have read the three books in this series that come before this book? But because I like to read series in order and the first book had been sitting on my bookshelf for months, I thought I would read the others before I read and reviewed this one. My main problems with this book are the same I had with the others in the series. But first let me tell you what … Continue reading Love After All by Jaci Burton→
“Milk,” Mimi suggested. “Soaks up some of the sweetness.” Falling for Mr. Wrong by Lizzie Shane, is a finalist for Best Mid-Length Contemporary. It is the third book in Shane’s Reality Romance series. Book two, Romancing Miss Right, is also a finalist in this category. Caitlyn is the winner of the reality television show Marrying Mr. Perfect. In accordance with her contract with the show, she returns home after the final episode is filmed and is … Continue reading Falling for Mister Wrong by Lizzie Shane→
TL;DR: If you want to pretend that you’re getting fuzzy warm equality feels, but actually like stereotyping gay men, this is an A+ gold star book. The story is competent. There are cute moments. It’s hot. I get why this is a RITA finalist and why there are a bunch of squeeing reviews on Amazon. If you’re at all remotely anywhere on the queer spectrum, or, you know, if you’re an actual ally? You might … Continue reading Him by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen→
I don’t usually read small town romances—though Nicholas Sparks’ stuff will call to me every once in a sick-in-bed while. Yeah, I’m more of an international beach paradise or big city setting kinda girl. But when I want cozy comfort…. Ironically, the cover of Dances Under the Harvest Moon is what caught me, as the couple totally resembled Sandra Bullock (Love!) and Harry Connick Jr. (Yum!) from Hope Floats. And flu or not, sometimes you’re in … Continue reading Dances Under the Harvest Moon by Joanne Rock→
While Wes is now sort of “don’t ask, don’t tell” out to his hockey teammates and coaches at college, he was only really coming to terms with his sexuality when he was eighteen and crushing hard on his best friend at hockey camp. Absolutely desperate for an excuse to touch him, he made a drunken bet and subsequently freaked out after he and his best friend fooled around one very memorable time. Feeling horribly guilty, … Continue reading Him by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen→
I find it hard to enjoy a book when the writing style distracts me from paying attention to the story. If I hadn’t committed to reviewing this book for the RITA Challenge, I don’t think I would have made it past chapter two. Be warned, this is not a book for readers who value logic or crisp writing. The first few chapters contained a catalog of style and grammar pet peeves and errors: clunky, run-on … Continue reading Tempting the Knight by Heidi Rice→
The members of the Gray family are the owners and operators of Espresso Cosmetics. The late Mrs. Gray founded the company; her widower and children now run it. This is Lola’s story. She’s the youngest of the family. Her siblings are the company’s C-level executives; she’s been the spokesmodel for the company since her teens (she’s now in her 20s). She is not a very good spokesmodel. People who see her ads think she’s a … Continue reading Heated Moments by Phyllis Bourne→
I picked up “Toward the Sunrise” fully expecting to enjoy it, but ended up wanting to hurl my Kindle into the ocean like a frisbee of rage. On its face, this is actually a well crafted novella with strong characters, emotional nuance, and a premise that seemed almost tailored to bring me joy. I genuinely believe that most people who read this will rate it highly—as the other SBTB reader who reviewed it did—but I … Continue reading Toward the Sunrise by Elizabeth Camden→
