I’m So Not Over You is a m/m contemporary romance about two men living in Boston who rekindle a relationship during a “fake dating’ weekend. I had a hard time connecting with the story, but Shana liked it a little bit better. Tropes include second chance romance, a wedding, fake dating, and ‘there’s only one bed’, and we know those are gold for a lot of readers! Unfortunately, it also has problems with the structure … Continue reading I’m So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson →
Off Script is a Hollywood enemies-to-lovers romance, where the heroine has good reason to hate the dude she’s fake dating. She forgave him, but I couldn’t. Jada is an actress who’s been struggling to land another role since getting kicked off a tv show for a love triangle with a co-star. Her luck changes when she’s cast as the sidekick friend in a time travel romance. The only problem? Her character’s BFF is played by … Continue reading Off Script by Ashley Marie →
Content warnings: Loss of a parent, post-partum depression Donut Fall in Love is a funny, flirty, foodie romance which deals with themes of grief and family in a very honest and thoughtful way. I liked the way that it explored serious themes and messy family dynamics while still being a fun, sweet, and often light-hearted read. Ryan Kwok is an actor whose abs regularly trend on Twitter. His most recent film was a flop, and … Continue reading Donut Fall In Love by Jackie Lau →
I have been talking about wanting to read D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding for ages! Tara has been very patient with my desperation to read this book. A lesbian rom com about a wedding reality show? Girl, sign me up! Anticipating a book for years usually leads to crushing disappointment, but this book lived up to the hype for me. It’s so good, y’all! Tara, what did you think? Tara: Patient, *snort*. Shana, you … Continue reading D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins →
The Donut Trap is a New Adult romance with strong coming of age themes. Jasmine’s parents sacrificed and suffered so that their children would have better lives, but at times, Jasmine feels like she and her brother are the sacrifices. They feel bowed down under a weight of expectation and obligation, and the result is that they both resort to hiding important parts of their lives from their parents. A year or so after finishing … Continue reading The Donut Trap by Julie Tieu →
The Professor Next Door is the third book in Jackie Lau’s Cider Bar Sisters series, and it stands alone, though it’s a bit more fun if you have already met Nicole’s friends. Like all the other stories in this series, it will make you want to go to Toronto and eat your entire body weight in desserts. Seriously, the food porn in these books is next level. Jackie Lau appears to subscribe to the idea … Continue reading The Professor Next Door by Jackie Lau →
I should know better by now than to start a Courtney Milan novel in the evening before I have to work in the morning. I renew my membership of the Bad Decisions Book Club every single time. The Devil Comes Courting was no exception to this rule. Grayson Hunter wants to build a telegraph from Shanghai to the USA, but to do this he will need someone to invent a Chinese telegraphic code. He comes … Continue reading The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan →
The Ex Talk is an enemies-to-lovers fake relationship romance set in the world of public radio. It is also something of a belated coming of age story. Shay Goldstein has been working at Pacific Public Radio for ten years, beginning as the ‘wunderkind’ intern, and rising to the role of producer of the station’s flagship show, Puget Sounds. She loves public radio for its ability to tell stories that connect personally with listeners, and for … Continue reading The Ex Talk by Rachel Solomon →
CW/TW: The hero’s client is a piece of work, who sexually harrasses his assistant, among many, many other women. This happens off the page, but we do see the fall out, and it isn’t handled as well as it could be. Proceed with caution. The Way You Hold Me is a gentle, low-tension, second chance romance between publicist Skye Palmer and crisis manager Garrett Steele. They dated ten years ago, but then Garrett’s mother died, … Continue reading The Way You Hold Me by Elle Wright →
Content warning: racism, including the extra messy and painful kind that comes from people who love you and really ought to know better… The Duke Who Didn’t is a complete delight. It’s a low-tension friends-to-lovers story set in a small English village over the course of three very busy days. (All Chloe’s days are busy.) The village is notable for two things – first, it has a very high population of Chinese, half Chinese, and … Continue reading The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan →
I should couch this review with the admission that I am the biggest scaredy cat. I don’t usually read romance thrillers, let alone straight ahead thrillers with only a little bit of lovin. Not only do I need to be promised a happy ending, I also want the beginning and middle to be fairly cheerful and absent of conflict. I am, admittedly, a bit ridiculous, but yes, I would prefer to be wrapped up in … Continue reading When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole →
