No Broken Beast - Nicole Snow
This is the third book in the Heroes of Heart's Edge series and follows Leo and Clarissa on their second chance romance. They were young and in love eight years ago before tragedy struck the town of Heart's Edge and Clarissa left. Leo is now the town legend and outcast called Nine who many people in the town blame for what happened. When Clarissa's sister goes missing, Clarissa returns to Heart's Edge with her 8 year old son who has the same striking eyes as Leo. While this is a standalone as far as the romance pair is concerned, the suspense plot is a continuation of the events from the first two books so I would recommend reading these books in order. Snow does a good job giving a quick synopsis of the past events that we learned about in previous books and then this book dives deeper into Leo's backstory. I'm not usually a fan of second chance romances because I never find them to be detailed enough in the couple overcoming what previously broke them apart, but in this case it was really outside forces that kept Leo and Clarissa apart. They do end up explaining, apologizing, and forgiving for their own actions but the overall threat to the relationship was exterior. Because of this, I do feel like the reader missed out on a good portion of their romance since it happened in the past (although we do get some flashbacks). It really felt like they basically picked back up where they left off but I was left a bit in the dark. There's a pretty big emphasis on found family in this story and I liked the focus on Leo's mental recovery after his very rough upbringing.
Sweatpants Season - Danielle Allen
This story follows Akila and Carlos - they meet during a photography class and have instant chemistry. Only problem is that Carlos is 1/3 of a podcast called Date Night which gives dating and relationship advise that skews misogynistic. Akila, a loud and proud feminist, wrote an article lambasting the podcast and the culture it promotes. When she finds out that Carlos is involved, she immediately labels him as trash but the more the two work together, the more Akila can't help but develop feelings for him and the more she struggles with following her own moral code. I thought the premise was interesting - feminist vs alleged playboy podcaster - but I didn't find it as complex as I would have liked and I think the main reason for that is Akila. I really liked her as a character - super driven, smart, witty, strong - but she was super judgemental when it came to the podcast and Carlos. I understand her being disappointed in him and I would have hated it if she pushed her values aside to be with him, but she barely ever gave him a chance to explain his perspective on the situation. She also often devolved quickly to name calling and being mean instead of having genuine conversations about these topics. She came across very much as someone who has their mind 100% made up and anyone who doesn't agree is a moron and should be told as much. For most of the book, I was convinced Akila and Carlos wouldn't end up together (which is a shame because their chemistry was off the charts!) despite me knowing better considering this is a romance so of course they'd end up together. I really loved Akila's friends and Carlos for calling her out on her judgements but also respecting her feelings - they basically helped her look at the issue from different sides and consider what some nuances might be. I really liked the plot and their relationship build up, just that any time the podcast was brought up I would brace myself for some comment from Akila and I just wanted her and Carlos to get back to the sexual tension already.
Bittersweet - Sarina Bowen
This is the first book in the True North series and follows aspiring chef Audrey and grumpy farmer Griff. The two shared a few nights together in college and never thought they'd see each other again until Audrey shows up at Griff's farm offering to buy his apples for the fancy Boston restaurant group she works for. Despite the time that had passed, the chemistry between the two is still sparking and they quickly pick up where they left off. But Audrey has big plans to own a restaurant in the big city and Griff is heading up his family farm in Vermont so their future isn't so easily figured out. This is a really good grumpy vs sunshine book which is one of my favorite tropes. I think it was really great that these two had a bit of history which helped them start off on the right foot together. It was super obvious that they had chemistry for days and I was happy they embraced it instead of trying to fight against it for most of the book. I loved Griff's family and how Audrey fit right in with them. I thought the conflict with Audrey's mom and how she grew up was really unique for a romance since most of the ones I've read usually have the hero's family be distant. I also appreciated how Griff knew about Audrey's insecurities about their relationship and he went out of his way to not only tell her how he felt, but made sure he showed everyone around them how much he cared about her. They were super cute together and I loved the slight teasing they would give each other. I do wish Audrey had a friend that we could see her talking about Griff with to get some outside perspective on her side.
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