I adore Christmas, which might seem odd considering my family doesn’t celebrate the holiday. I have no connection to the religious aspect, but the reason I love Christmas so much is because I felt isolated and miserable when I first moved to the United States as a child. Seattle seemed gloomy, dark, and wet compared to Singapore, and I hated everything about the city. Until December, when the city suddenly transformed into a magical place … Continue reading A Snowy Little Christmas by Fern Michaels, Tara Sheets, and Kate Clayborn →
CW/TW: Kidnapping, murder, stalking, the usual myriad evils of a serial killer. You know those paint by numbers pictures where number-by-number you recreate the Mona Lisa? The result is an imperfect version of a masterpiece. It’s not high art, but it’s still a satisfying exercise and, when framed, makes a lovely addition to a wall, even if only a bathroom wall. This novel is an imperfect version of a masterpiece, with a few wildcards thrown … Continue reading Safety Breach by Delores Fossen →
Esme Brett reviews romance on Instagram as @Feminist_Romance. She lives in New Zealand and is a devoted cat mother to Franklin. Her areas of expertise involve Buffy the Vampire Slayer, winged eyeliner, and red wine that’s less than 9 dollars. … Little Bridge is an idyllic island in the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, it’s also in the direct path of a category 5 hurricane. Most of the island population evacuate except for Bree Beckham, hottie Drew … Continue reading Guest Review: No Judgments by Meg Cabot →
Hard Chrome is a contemporary romance where a woman returns home after the death of her dad to take over his auto body shop. The shop also specializes in classic car restoration and repairs. Unfortunately, I realized early on this was going to be a perfect storm of “No thanks” due to rude and judgmental behavior from the protagonists that was offensive and reminded me too much of people I try to stay away from. … Continue reading Hard Chrome by Vanessa North →
Caution warnings: In MJ James’ debut Out of the Ashes, Alex Porter loses everything when the bookshop that he rebelled against his wealthy family to build goes up in flames. His overbearing mother insists that a fire marshall be called for, so Matt Fields has to drop everything and devote himself to the case, and Alex. I wanted to like Out of the Ashes. Queer mysteries are my wheelhouse, and I’m always looking for new … Continue reading Out of the Ashes by MJ James →
All I needed to know is that this book had a billionaire heroine with a smattering of enemies-to-lovers. I began repeatedly stalking NetGalley offerings. I checked daily for weeks before the gods took pity on me. Baby plots aren’t my bag, but I was willing to overlook that for the sake of A FREAKING BILLIONAIRE HEROINE. And honestly, the pregnancy plot doesn’t rank high on my issues with this book. Both the hero and heroine … Continue reading Lush Money by Angelina M. Lopez →
I was sold on this book when I heard it has a donut shop called Amazin’ Glazin’. Yes, sure, new small town romance by one of my favourite authors, whatever. But DONUTS, friends, are important. Unsurprisingly, the donut shop name is just one of the many things I fell in love with when I read Beautiful Dreamer, because I am thoroughly smitten with this book. Everyone in the tiny South Carolina coastal town of Dreamer’s … Continue reading Beautiful Dreamer by Melissa Brayden →
I love road trips (as long as I don’t have to drive or navigate or really do anything other than eat snacks and sing early 2000s pop music). But I really love road trip books: the forced and shared isolation, the constant of the interior space against the changing of the external, the stops along the way, and the road itself: what it means and what it makes possible. So with all my love of … Continue reading Along for the Ride by Mimi Grace →
This contemporary romance started out incredibly promising if you can overlook the initial setup of an intern/supervisor pairing. Rin is a statuesque heroine, who wears heels that bring her above 6’0”. She lives with a great group of girlfriends in New York in an unfathomably beautiful brownstone that no one her age could afford in real life. She’s an art nerd who really comes into her own and gains some confidence. However, that’s about all … Continue reading Piece of Work by Staci Hart →
A content warning before I begin: both the book and this review discuss depression, anxiety, and suicide. There is repeated mention of the male lead’s previous suicide attempt, and while it does not appear on the page, late in the book there is a flashback to his thoughts in that moment. It is my belief that these subjects are handled with the care they require. Fall is the third book in Kristen Callihan’s VIP series … Continue reading Fall by Kristen Callihan →
Jill Shalvis is one of my go-to “feel good” authors, so when I needed a lift I picked up The Lemon Sisters, and, man, it did not disappoint. This book was cathartic. It made me laugh and it made me cry, and it helped me let loose some of my own bottled-up feelings. I left this book feeling recharged and satisfied, which was exactly what I needed. The third book in the Wildstone series can … Continue reading The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis →
