It Had to be You is a Mr. and Mrs. Smith style romance novel about two assassins who fall in love while also trying to kill each other. It’s a book that I loved, but will either work really, really well for someone or not at all. Neither of the main characters, Jonathan or Eva, are good people—they are both contract killers so that shouldn’t be a surprise—and I think some readers will struggle with … Continue reading It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier →
The first book in this series is not perfect, but I read it because I enjoyed the interplay between the main characters. For book two, the same happened: great interplay between the main characters but then things fell apart beyond that. Calladia Cunnington is the mayor’s daughter and the mayor has clear expectations for how Calladia should behave, expectations which do not include wearing athleisure and enjoying a casual brawl. Moments after book one ends, … Continue reading A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley →
Man, I should have known better. Venus Merriwell was annoying as hell in the first book, but she was less annoying in the second, so I did hold out hope that she would be an interesting protagonist in her book. Alas! Alack! Woe! She was not. I still read the whole thing, though. Venus Merriwell’s great passion in life is the orphanage that she runs with her partners. They need to expand and with a … Continue reading Never Wager with a Wallflower by Virginia Heath →
With the exception of Laura Griffin and Rachel Reid, I don’t really do multiple reviews for an author. Well, I need to add a third name to that list: Alice Coldbreath. I reviewed Wed by Proxy as it scratched an itch that I didn’t know could be scratched. I have now worked my way through most of the Brides of Karadok series and despite loving every single book (they’re all so unique in their premises … Continue reading An Inconvenient Vow by Alice Coldbreath →
Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat is a stand-alone contemporary romance by the author of A Holly Jolly Diwali, which Elyse reviewed. Holly Jolly Diwali introduced Niki Randhawa, a young woman who had spent her life trying to be the perfect daughter. Jasmine and Jake rock the Boat puts the focus on Jasmine, Niki’s wild sister, who sees herself as a constant disappointment to her parents. I read Jasmine and Jake without having read Holly … Continue reading Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat by Sonya Lalli →
Two Wrongs Make a Right is inspired, very loosely, by Much Ado About Nothing. It lacks most of the conflict of the play, but has its own charm. What you really need to know is that this is a cute book with neurodivergent characters and a fake-dating romance that is endearing if not fully believable. For each thing I liked about this book there was something I felt grumpy about. Here we go! Our heroes … Continue reading Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese →
Season Two of Bridgerton is here and we have thoughts! In the second season, a widow and her two daughters, acerbic spinster Kate and her sociable younger sister Edwina, spend the last of their funds to travel from Bombay to London, and find Edwina a husband. Anthony, the head of the Bridgerton clan, thinks Edwina would be the perfect wife for a quiet, unromantic life; he just has to convince Edwina’s sister to stop hating … Continue reading Kiki and Shana watched Bridgerton 2 →
Catch is a romance set in Bodega Bay, one of my favorite places. In fact I read some of this in Bodega Bay by complete coincidence. So I was primed to like this contemporary romance and I was not disappointed. I also found that this romance, which deals with pain and rejection, family of both blood and choice, and growing up with an alcoholic parent, touched me in personal ways that I only understood when … Continue reading Catch: A Love Story by Tracy Ewens →
Along Came A Lady is ridiculous, but initially I found it to be ridiculous fun. This Regency romance pits an etiquette teacher against a stubborn miner in a “Pygmalion” type story with a battle of wits and wills, plus a dash of “The Prince and the Pauper” and a smidgen of Poldark. Alas, the story went off the rails at around the 75% mark and soon began making even less sense than it did at … Continue reading Along Came a Lady by Christi Caldwell →
The Wrong Marquess is a Regency-set romance between sought-after bachelor Brandon, the Marquess of Hullworth, and Elodie Parrish, a 25-year old spinster who is waiting for her childhood friend, George, to propose to her. While the story managed to use some of my least favourite tropes in some very clever ways, it also contained an incredibly frustrating love triangle that extended so far into the book that I really questioned Elodie’s judgment. Brandon is the … Continue reading The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret →
Hana Khan Carries On is part epistolary, part coming of age story, and all heart. Hana, aka AnaBGR, an aspiring broadcast producer, podcaster, and storyteller, is struggling on several fronts. There’s the difficulty in breaking into broadcast in general, there’s her racist boss who presumes to be #woke, her family’s struggling restaurant, plus her sister’s risky pregnancy. What she definitely did NOT need on this list was Mr. Silver Shades to come sauntering in with … Continue reading Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin →
