Grumpy Jake by Melissa Blue is a delightful and tightly written novella (with a gorgeous cover!) about a kindergarten teacher developing a relationship with a student’s dad over a time period of about six months. There was actual guffawing coming from my direction and, granted I will acknowledge that I read it while drinking some spiked agua fresca which was more spike than agua fresca (my kingdom for a decent alcoholic agua de jamaica), I’m … Continue reading Grumpy Jake by Melissa Blue →
Blitzed is the third book in Alexa Martin’s Playbook series. I spent the entire time I was reading it thinking that it was the final book, but just so you don’t go into it with the same misconception: It’s not the final book! There is a fourth book, Snapped, to come. The heroine of Blitzed is Brynn, owner of HERS, a bar created predominantly for women. HERS has reached a level of fame that Brynn … Continue reading Blitzed by Alexa Martin →
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 →
I really, really love a contemporary romance that features an emotionally fluent hero and real conflict that’s handled with respect and intelligence. Sleepover by Serena Bell hit both these nails on the head, making it one of the best, most emotionally satisfying contemporary romances I’ve read this year. It’s also got some crazy-hot sex scenes which is a nice bonus. Sawyer Paulson and his son Jonah move into a Seattle suburb two years after the death of … Continue reading Sleepover by Serena Bell →
I’ve been a rom-com mood lately, a void that Hollywood (despite their plethora of Chrises) refuses to fill, so I picked up I Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting. It was described to me as a romantic comedy with a case of mistaken identity and a lot of sexy fireworks. The problem was, I wouldn’t say this book is actually very funny and some of the devices used to try and make it humorous didn’t work … Continue reading I Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting →
Special treat for your Monday: a beautiful cover to look at, and a book to one-click pre-order if the cover makes you as giddy as it did all of us! (Side note: is “OCPO” a thing, where you’re pre-ordering with a one-click frenzy so intense you bruise your one-click finger? Would that be OCK-PO? I think OCPO should be a thing.) You may have noticed a general excitement online regarding A Princess in Theory . I … Continue reading A Duke By Default by Alyssa Cole: Cover Reveal →
For me, knitting is a comfort activity. It stimulates me creatively, but the repetitive motions of knitting and purling are incredibly soothing. I don’t knit as much in the summer, but now that fall is upon us (at least, it is here), I want the cozy feeling of curling up with a movie and my latest knitting project. When I picked up The Knitting Diaries, I was hoping for the same feeling of coziness. Normally … Continue reading The Knitting Diaries by Debbie Macomber, Susan Mallery, and Christina Skye →
I was so, so excited for The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas. I mean, look at that cover! Look at it! When I was a kid, we watched three movies on rotation at every sleepover: Dirty Dancing, The Cutting Edge and, my favorite, The Bodyguard. That cover is clearly a reference to The Bodyguard and when I saw it I was light-headed with nostalgia. So I picked up the book and I was prepared to … Continue reading The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas →
Christina Lauren writes potato chip books for me. Or maybe a better analogy is pint of ice cream books because I’m neutral on chips but strongly in favor of ice cream. Regardless, once I start, I’m not putting the damn thing down till it’s done. Wicked Sexy Liar is no exception. It wasn’t my favorite in the Wild Seasons series or even my favorite Christina Lauren book, but I read it in one glorious sitting. … Continue reading Wicked Sexy Liar by Christina Lauren →
The cover for Scandal Never Sleeps by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake strongly suggests an erotic contemporary, which it is, but what surprised me is that it’s also very much a romantic suspense. It’s hard to classify this book–fans of hot contemporary romances featuring larger than life heroes will appreciate it, but so will fans of mystery-driven romantic suspense. The series centers around a group of successful, rich, sexy men who all call themselves The Perfect … Continue reading Scandal Never Sleeps by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake →
When I picked up The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert and read the back copy, I was little confused as to how an arranged marriage happens in a contemporary and how the consequences of it can be deadly. Since it mentioned a wealthy family, I assumed we were talking about another billionaire book. The cover was awesome though, so I snagged it. Then I read the first chapter, wherein the heroine, Callie Sheridan goes to spy … Continue reading The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert →
