So, I've been reading a TON of romance books. After years of not reading (thanks, English major), it feels really good to just read for fun and stay up late to finish books. Most of the romance books I've read I've been able to finish in a night (around 350 pages). However, I don't feel like I have a lot to say about each of the books individually because I think a lot of what makes a romance book 'good' or 'bad' is personal preference on how much romance, explicit sex, backstory, taboo, plot outside the romance etc more so than other genres like thrillers. Obviously, every book review is subjective, but I just feel like romance books are way more subjective than other book reviews. However, I still want to put them on the blog because I'm having just a really good time reading for fun and I think there's a whole world of shame around reading romance that should be dispelled (which is a whole other topic for a whole other day). So I decided to keep track of all the romance I read during a month and just put short reviews together all in one post. (EDIT: after actually keeping track and writing reviews for the month, this might need to turn into a weekly wrap up instead because this sucker is loooonnnngggg)
The Rise of Saint - Bella J
The Fall of Sin - Bella J
The Sins of Saint - Bella J
These are the 3 books of The Sins of Saint series by Bella J. Girl gets kidnapped by big bad business man hell bent on revenge. Books have a very 50 Shades knock off feel to them but I found the revenge plot interesting. The first book and first half of the second feature some very graphic questionable consent scenes which does improve as the series goes on. While reading, they reminded me of this video review by Amanda the Jedi of 365 Days movie on Netflix so maybe give that a watch before jumping into this very dark romance series
Just Like That - Cole McCade
M/M age gap romance. Not my favorite simply due to the fact that I didn't really understand why the characters wanted to be together. A former student returns as a TA for the teacher he had a crush on years ago and the story progresses from there. There are scenes where the two characters seem to work on understanding each other and looking past the facade they put up for the world but it just didn't come off as believable for me.
Country Nights - Winter Renshaw
I do love a grumpy man romance. Not exactly enemies to lovers, but pretty close. A house rental scam leaves the heroine at the hero's doorstep with no where to stay. He agrees to let her stay in exchange for helping him work on the ranch and personal growth for both parties starts from there. I enjoyed the way the heroine was able to slowly uncover the story behind the hero and how she brought out his softer side (eventually, after they were done bickering). I thought they got along well as co-workers on the ranch, got along well as friends, which led to them getting along really well as lovers. **Trigger warning for attempted sexual assault.
Birthday Girl - Penelope Douglas
Age gap romance - girl falls for her boyfriend's father. Not nearly as taboo as it may sound, I think Douglas does a good job at building and convincing the reader of the relationship as more than just some guy wanting a young trophy wife. I really appreciated how the characters take a break from each other to really figure out what they want which makes the romance, again, feel more developed.
The Deal - Elle Kennedy
This book was just one big *swoon* from start to finish for me. The heroine was raped at a party in high school, but years of counseling later and she is working on getting past the last hurdles from that event. Enter star of the hockey team hero who needs the heroine to tutor him. What starts out as a deal for both parties to get what they want ends up as two people being able to share their truths of their broken past and move forward together. I loved the fantastic consent in this book and the communication between the two characters when their relationship gets rocky was great as well.
Torn - Carian Cole
Tied - Carian Cole
Torn and Tied are the two books in the All Torn Up series. They can be read as stand alones and are connected loosely by the heros in both books being brothers. I would recommend reading both books, in order, but it isn't necessary.
Torn is an age-gap romance between a girl and her dad's best friend. This was a bit more taboo than Birthday Girl because she grew up calling him 'uncle' despite them not actually being blood related. The book has flashbacks of when she was growing up and he was babysitting her or teaching her to ride a bike so it did set off my 'eww' meter just a bit. I also felt like the relationship wasn't as well developed as in Birthday Girl so I wasn't quite convinced that these two people were meant to be together but there was a substantial break in the book where the two separate so they can figure out their feelings which was good.
Tied was my favorite of the two books in this series. The hero in this book is a lone wolf type who is mad at the world for ruining his perfect life back in high school. An accident followed by drugs, drinking, and more accidents has jaded the hero into being a recluse in his cabin in the woods. Until he finds a girl that had been kidnapped 11 years prior and saves her from her captor. She calls him her prince when everyone else in her life is trying to convince her to forget about him. The story picks up a few years later after she has gotten help readjusting to her life and is trying to figure out what she wants. The two characters are both incredibly straightforward in their interactions, understanding of each other's trauma, and both learning what type of person they want to be. Good consent in this one which I was worried about due to the subject matter.
Rough & Tumble - Rhenna Morgan
Perfect mix of lovable bad boy and strong heroine. This is the first book in the Men of Haven series that follows the members of a brotherhood of misfits that love and support each other through their questionable business dealings. Plot outside the romance was a bit darker and mysterious which I liked. I also appreciated how caring yet dominate the hero was with out heroine as she figured out what she wanted. I loved how he supported her in her dreams and didn't turn into one of these 'I have enough money for both of us so you don't need to worry about it' sort of rich dudes. I love a good bickering couple and both the hero and heroine could give as good as they got which really helped push the narrative of him helping her out of her shell in order to embrace her true self.
Flirting with the Frenemy - Pippa Grant
So cute! Another frenemies to lovers situation, which is fast becoming my favorite trope. After both being dumped, the hero and heroine spend one night together before the situation gets complicated. Six months later, needing a date to her best friends wedding (who is marrying the brother of her ex), our heroine and hero reconnect. Working through both of their baggage against the fun backdrop of an annual pirate festival, these two are obviously head over heals in love but real world problems such as distance and past trauma get in the way.
Truth or Beard - Penny Reid
Don't let the cover throw you off, this is a cute and steamy romance. First in a series of books that follow the love lives of the Winston brothers, this is a frenemies to lovers story. Wanderlust heroine returns to her hometown to save up money before following her dreams of traveling the world and runs into our hero who is the twin of her high school crush. I loved how straightforward and gentlemanly the hero was with is feelings and his intentions. I found the conflict in the story very believable and it is something I think a lot of couples face (the solution to that conflict, not so much). The book is marketed as a romantic comedy and I completely agree. I'll be reading the rest of the series for sure.
Until Harry - L.A. Casey
This book is all about love and grief and how to go one living after losing a loved one. I really liked this story, but it was not the sunshine fun romance I thought it would be. The heroine returns to her hometown for the funeral of her beloved uncle. While there, she needs to face the demons of her past with her family as well with our hero who has his own past to work through. I felt the flashbacks to when they were growing up really helped amp up the emotion and angst in the book but it was never overdone. My heart was breaking for the two characters and all they had to go through in order to finally be back together so many years later.
The Real Thing - Melissa Foster
More small town romance? Yes please! Our hero is a big Hollywood action star coming back to his hometown to film a new movie as a romantic lead but he needs to clean up his play boy image. He enlists the help of our heroine to be his fake fiance given their past history growing up together. Having to keep up appearances for a few weeks while the filming is underway reveals true feelings that were pushed aside years ago.
Undeniable - Melanie Harlow
Small town enemies to lovers. Was a little frustrating how quickly the heroine let go of her anger toward the hero but overall was super cute. There were flashbacks filling the reader in on what happened so many years ago, but both characters still felt a bit flat for me. I thought the story overall was cute and well done, but I wish the characters had more depth.
IOU - Kristy Marie
Yet another grumpy hero that melts for our bubbly heroine and makes my heart melt in the process. Our hero is known around campus for giving out favors and handing out IOU's that he will cash in later. Our heroine is down on her luck and has no one else to turn to. Slowly the two of them break down each other's walls and get each other to open up. The growth from reluctant hero to friends to loves was fantastic and both characters were straightforward about their feelings. Good consent in this one as well.
Vicious - L J Shen
Vicious is often listed as a favorite bully romance and I can see why. Hello tortured bad boy central! I loved the strong heroine who stood up to Vicious for way longer than other bully romances I've read and actually gave Vicious time to reflect on what he wants and show her that he has changed.
Dear Enemy - Kristin Callihan
Another enemies to lovers / bully romance that felt like a lighter version of Vicious. Dear Enemy had the strong heroine who was very obviously still hurting from what the hero did to her while they were growing up together. The first half of the book was both characters coming to terms with their feelings and then the second half was a lot of working through their trust issues with the other. I love a good groveling scene and our hero laid it all out on the table for our heroine and I just melted.
Savage Beginnings - J. L. Beck and C. Hallman
Dark mafia romance with arranged marriage. I'm finding these sorts of plots to be just a fun, summer action movie type of plot and I don't really see them as romance. Sure, there's usually lots of explicit sex (often with iffy consent which isn't great) but I never feel convinced at the growing romance between the two characters. Savage Beginnings was no different with the heroine being sold by her father to rival mobster, our hero. Of course, the hero is planning to use the heroine to get revenge and the story progresses from there. I'm always intrigued by the plots synopsis for these books, but they usually fall flat for me in reality.
Burn for You - J.T. Geissinger
Overall, pretty cute. This book is described as a Beauty and the Beast retelling and it feel a little short of that for me. Sure, the hero is nicknamed 'The Beast' and the heroine loves to read books, but other than that, I didn't really get any Beauty and the Beast vibes. I did love the heroine's tough girl southern charm. She owns a restaurant in New Orleans that has been getting a lot of attention and the hero hires her to cater an event for him. Sparks fly and he offers her a deal to marry him so he can secure his inheritance and she can have money that she desperately needs. I didn't find the main conflict - the hero's parents and his past - at all convincing and the resolution felt way too fast, neat, and clean.
Scandalous - L.J. Shen
Dark age gap romance. This is book 3 of the Sinners of Saint series and follows Trent Rexroth. He is a single dad, trying to do his best for his 4 year old daughter, help run a company, and find his daughter's mother who ran out on them 3 years ago. His life starts to get even more complicated when the 18 year old daughter of the coworker he hates starts working at the office. Everyone has secrets and secrets are always in danger of coming into the light. I'm finding that in order for age gap romances to really work for me, I need to be convinced that the two characters connect on a deeper level. This was not that book for me and it really felt like the hero really only liked the heroine because she was so good with his kid. This book was also explicit with the BDSM elements but the consent was always there - the two characters even talk about "safe, sane, and consensual". I did like how developed the conflict in the book was but the resolution was a little hand-wavy and happened mostly off the page and I wish we could have gotten more of the four friends banding together to save one of their own.
Tapping the Billionaire - Max Monroe
Loved it. This was a super fun and light-hearted romance (but not light on the steamy scenes). Our billionaire hero is the CEO of a dating app that both he and his head of marketing (our heroine) use anonymously. When he needs a date for an event, he chooses the heroine and sparks fly from there. The main conflict is realistic and handled well. There isn't any drama or power dynamics between the two at work and their romance honestly felt like they were meant to be. No family drama, no work drama, no scandals, just two people who really work well together. The description on Goodreads states "If you enjoy a good
swoon, a hearty laugh, witty banter, and some hot as f*@% f*@%ing, then
consider Georgia Cummings your Girl Friday and Kline Brooks your next
irresistible book boyfriend" and I 1000% agree. This is the first book in the Billionaire Bad Boys series and I'll be reading more for sure!
Beautifully Cruel - J.T. Geissinger
I got the feeling that this book was trying to be the typical mobster alpha male forced proximity book but didn't want to go too dark so the whole book felt like it was two books in one. At the beginning, our hero is a tall, dark, and handsome stranger who visits our heroine at the diner where she works. He is a true gentleman and the chemistry is off the charts. But when the two start negotiating what their relationship will look like, the big alpha male comes out and isn't taking no for an answer. It honestly feels like there are two characters. Not two sides of our hero, but two completely different people and that really wasn't working for me. Overall, I did like the characters and I'll read the second book in the series about the hero's brother, but there were just a few places where I would have liked a bit more nuance to the hero.
Rich Prick - Tijan
I almost DNF'd this book. The only thing that made me keep reading was the 4.18/5 rating on Goodreads. After finishing, I wish I had put it down and picked up a different book. The heroine was the only part of this book that worked for me, and even she wasn't 100%. Rich Prick follows high school dick Blaise and shy girl Aspen during the last few weeks of senior year and into the first month of college. Despite going to school together most of the year and even sharing some classes, Blaise doesn't notice Aspen until she sees him getting a BJ one night during a party. Then, for some reason, he becomes obsessed with her. He's a royal jerk who is always getting into fights and has a hair trigger temper. She's a shy girl who prefers to be camping alone and there's nothing but insta-love keeping the two together from what I can tell. There is family drama on both sides but that also isn't well explained and I was left at the end a bit confused about what was happening there. This book felt like it should have been 2 books but instead, the plot points got trimmed down so it could be one book. The writing wasn't working for me, I had to read whole pages over because I couldn't keep track of who was talking to who or where everyone was in the scene. There was a big blow up moment about half way through the book that had ramifications that should have been happening all throughout the story but didn't show up until the 80% mark and then got cleared up by the end of the book. The overall plot in general was interesting, but the way the book was written and the way the plot points were structured just wasn't for me.
Tell Me to Stop - Charlotte Byrd
Hated it. Probably my fault for not realizing it was the first in a 6 book series but for a 300+ page romance book, I was expecting a lot more romance. Our heroine receives a mysterious check in the mail for the exact amount to pay off her student loans. After 30ish pages (30ish!) of back and forth with her friend, she finally deposits it and pays off her loans. The sender of the check then invites her to meet him and tells her in order to repay her debt, she would need to stay with him for the next 365 days. She says no, runs back to her apartment, has some drama with her mom, and eventually agrees to meet him for dinner and that's where the book ends. There is a flash-forward scene in middle where we see the hero and heroine in bed together, but it honestly felt like a teaser to get us to read the next book in hopes that maybe there will be actual romance in that one. I won't bother.
Accidental Hero - Nicole Snow
Loved it. Our heroine is an art teacher and has a crush on one of her student's dad who likes her back. After an interaction with a date gone bad, the hero steps in and saves the heroine and the two keep running into each other from there. Family drama on her side, gang drama on his side. I loved the chemistry between the two characters and I especially loved how they came together to solve their problems. There wasn't a big dramatic breakup because one of them had to go be all broody and try to solve their problems on their own. Only downside was the kid who skipped like 3 grades and was a 10 year old 8th grader didn't come off as realistic to me. Sure, she's smart enough to skip 3 grades and is more mature because her dad treats her like an adult, but I would think she still would act like a 10 year old at times.
Bad Habit - Charleigh Rose
This is a solid meh book. It starts off pretty problematic with our 14 year old heroine trying to seduce the 18 year old hero (her brother's best friend) and he is into it but knows it is wrong. They get interrupted before it goes any farther and then the book jumps 3 years ahead. The hero has returned home after being gone for those 3 years and the heroine is just graduating high school. Let the angst begin! Overall, just about everything in this book was a little flat. The writing, the characters, the plot, the stakes, etc. I think the overall plot points were interesting but just not executed well. The hero keeps making remarks about how the heroine betrayed him, but it doesn't really seem like he's all that upset about it to the magnitude that he should be. I really think this book would have benefited from being aged up about 4 years. Have the first contact be when they are 18 and 22, then flash forward to when they are 21 and 25 and I think the plot points, sex scenes, and general attitudes of the characters would feel much more appropriate.
The Player Next Door - K.A. Tucker
Loved it. Small town enemies to lovers romance where our heroine returns to her home town after about 10 years away only to find the guy who broke her heart in high school lives next door. I found the characters in this book to be very relatable and complicated in a believable way. There's one scene where the hero is asking what the heroine wants and she doesn't know exactly because she doesn't want to take him back but she also doesn't want him to see anyone else and I just loved the way the whole scene was written. There's family drama in this one as well and I found the conflict to be really interesting and realistic in how hard it was to solve. I also liked how the heroine didn't immediately trust the hero and only after he showed her how much he'd changed did she finally let down her walls.
The Hunter - L.J. Shen
This is the 3rd LJ Shen book I've read this month and I feel like they are all very similar. They all seem to be shades of angry bad boy needs to be corralled by sassy good girl. She makes him a little good, he makes her a little bad, they fall in love and live happily ever after together while not really changing their outer selves to the world. I really liked the premise of this book which is that our hero has a sex tape leak and his father hires our heroine to live with him for 6 months to keep him sober and celibate while the hero learns how to be an adult and work at the family business. I thought the heroine in this book was really interesting and I was really rooting for her to reach her dream of making it to the Olympic team in archery. I really appreciated her having something in her life other than the hero. At first, I was worried by the synopsis that she was just a shy book nerd that would spend all day inside reading and that's why she was picked to keep an eye on the hero. But in reality, she was so focused on meeting her other goals that she never even entertained the idea of boys. I have a bit of a love/hate with the ending. I loved how the two characters get back together at the end in a grand romantic gesture. However, I hated the reveal about the true reason why she was chosen to watch over him. It really felt like that reveal took away agency from both characters which I didn't enjoy.
The Worst Best Man - Lucy Score
Loved it. Super cute slight enemies to lovers story. Our heroine is the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding and the hero is the best man. They get off to a rocky start and the heroine doesn't easily forgive. However, after working together to save the wedding from impending doom, the two get together. He's one of the city's most eligible bachelors and the COO of a large company and she's a part time student who helps small businesses. Just like a typical heroine, she doesn't get blinded by the celebrity and calls the hero on his BS when needed. I really liked the relationship between not only the two main characters, but also the best friends and the heroine's family. I felt all the characters were really well fleshed out and detailed. I also liked how the heroine gets called out by her friend about her attitude and how she's treating the hero. I find in a lot of books, it is the hero that needs to come groveling back and make amends, but in this case both sides made mistakes and the heroine learns that sometimes forgiving and moving on is better than holding a grudge.
Melt for You - J.T. Geissinger
100% pure swoon. Slow burn frenemies to lovers. Our heroine is a self described ugly duckling who has been crushing on the CEO at her work for years. Our hero is a Scottish rugby player who is her neighbor for a few months. They strike up a deal where he is going to help her get the guy and antics ensue. The chemistry between the two characters was impeccable. The hero is charming, rough, and caring. The heroine is witty, sharp, and vulnerable. The two are a match made in heaven. The one part of this book I wasn't quite loving was the fact that the heroine describes herself as fat, and while the hero does help her start exercising and dropping some pounds, he insists from the beginning that she has a warped body image. It does come out that the heroine's mother and sister are both model-thin and no actual clothing sizes were mentioned so I'm not sure if this was a plus-sized heroine or if this was an Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada sort of situation. The romance was super slow burn and they really built up a good friendship for the first 3/4 of the book.
Menace - J.M. Darhower
Grievous - J.M. Darhower
These two books are the Scarlet Scars series and is the story of mob boss Lorenzo and sex worker Morgan. After a chance encounter, the two strike up a strange friendship. Lorenzo isn't the typical mob boss, at least on the inside. Sure, he's ruthless, decisive, and more than a little crazy at times, but he is also witty, caring, and complex. He isn't the typical alpha male mob boss that shows up in a lot of mafia romances. He's also blind in one eye due to an injury and his disability comes into play in the story. Morgan is a down on her luck sex worker who plays everything close to the vest. She has a secret and is working with the police in some investigation. She is smart, resourceful, and strong but also sad, closed off, and angry. Lorenzo and Morgan fit together just right and their unconventional relationship is fantastic. Neither seems to be interested in it being anything more than what it is and they both have outside threats they're focusing on. The romance is pretty slow burn but picks up in the beginning half of the second book (but the sex happens pretty quickly in the first) but not in a typical romance sort of way. Hallmark channel movie romance this is not. It really is just two puzzle pieces that look broken on the oustide coming together as a whole. The books have their comedic relief elements - mostly Lorenzo's brother and his henchmen - and isn't as dark as most other mafia romances. There is a third POV in the books of a little girl, about 5 years old, who is kidnapped and those scenes can be pretty hard to read. There's also a good bit of abuse in the second half of the second book that is hard to get through, but of course there's a happy ending.
Brandon - Melody Anne
This is the third book in the Anderson Billionaires series and follows Brandon Anderson and Chloe Hitman. Chloe is a perfectionist chef and owner of a local restaurant and Brandon is an air force pilot turned electrician. They team up to help Brandon's uncle and brothers finish renovating a local veterans center. A previous one night stand left both wanting more, and Brandon seems all in but Chloe promised herself to never be in a long term relationship because relationships are never perfect and she's a perfectionist. I loved the scenes with Brandon and Chloe just being together in the kitchen making breakfast, out at dinner together, and walking around the town. I thought they had an undeniable chemistry and their personalities seemed to really click. However, I did not believe for a second that Chloe, who was so adamant about never wanting a long term relationship because she's a perfectionist, would go down without a fight. She put up a bit of resistance at the beginning and didn't want to label their relationship until almost the end of the book which is in line with her values, but I was expecting to have a big break up or a big fight. The perfectionist part seemed way too important to her personality and lifestyle and it felt like she just tossed it away like it was no big deal. I didn't really see anything Brandon did as convincing her that she could be with him long term and anytime she brought up her fears to her friends about waking up one day and being bored they basically said "yeah, maybe that will happen, but what if it doesn't" which is one argument but didn't feel strong enough to change Chloe's mind. I needed another 100 pages of Chloe and Brandon really figuring out their relationship past the honeymoon phase. I needed them to get in a big fight and work through it together, proving to Chloe that relationships get messy but are worth fighting for. **Brandon comes out 10/20/2020. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC**
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