Holiday Romance Wrap-Up Part 2

 Meet Me in Los Feliz - Kelly Reynolds

 

This romance follows Nora and Bowie as they both find themselves single over the holiday season.  Bowie used to date Nora's roomate's sister but after an amicable breakup, he's still invited to the family and friends holiday dinner.  There, he meets Nora and is smitten immediately.  But Bowie is a chronic-relationship guy and he wants to try a holiday-fling.  This works perfectly for Nora who is working as a nanny while pursuing her acting career and doesn't have time for relationships.  But even the most casual plans are no match for when feelings get involved. This was a good mix of cute and spicy, but for some reason the chemistry between Nora and Bowie wasn't clicking for me.  I could see all the points on the page but it was missing that extra little ~something~ and it is frustrating that I can't put my finger on what I was missing.  I felt their sexual chemistry more than their emotional one, but both were still a bit underwhelming.  I loved Nora and Bowie on their own and they did have great communication in their relationship.  The friend group surrounding our MCs was also great and I think we get a good balance of the MCs talking to their friends.  I was also surprised at how much outside-plot their was for a novella.  We get a good amount of plot from Nora's jobs, Bowie's jobs, and the friend group planning an event.  I picked this up based on some glowing recommendations on Instagram so I know folks are loving it - I just wish I was one of those people.

 

Santa Baby - Cassie Mint

This age-gap romance follows Jack and Clara.  Clara works at Jack's bar and lives in the apartment above it.  They both have a crush on the other, but neither thinks the other would reciprocate the feelings. But on Christmas Eve, when the bar is closed, they'll find out just how wrong they both are.  I almost didn't pick this up based on page length alone - only 62 pages - but I'm glad I read it.  This was a really solid short and spicy read and I loved how much character backstory Mint was able to fit in.  Ideally, I would have loved to have seen more scenes with Jack and Clara interacting at the bar - maybe even little flash backs over the course of the years Clara has worked for him.  I think seeing these scenes might have helped with my main issue of the pacing.  Both Clara and Jack have such a strong attraction/crush on the other but both of them think there's no way the other would be attracted to them because of their significant age gap. Then, once they do both confess their feelings, it is straight to bone-town and it felt like they suddenly knew a lot more about what each other liked in those activities than I found reasonable.  They did have great chemistry, I overall enjoyed the read, and I appreciated how the epilogue gives us their HEA despite the low page count.

From Cocktails to Sleighbells - Wren K Morris

This real-Santa romance follows Cole and Kris on Christmas night when Cole slipped sidewalk ice.  Kris scoops her up and, after a bit of misunderstanding and a light stabbing, he takes her back to his apartment to make sure she's feeling okay.  As they talk into the night, they give into their lust and find out that they both have more feelings for the other than they expect.  I loved the world building in this read.  My favorite thing about these real-Santa romances are how each author pictures the job of Santa and the whole operation behind the scenes.  I think this Kris might be my favorite romance-Santa and I loved some of the little details that Morris was able to squeeze in (such as his affinity for puns, even in sexy situations. I wish we had gotten more character development from Cole, she just felt a little underdeveloped compared to Kris.  Maybe it was Morris leaning more into the character development for Kris because of the fantasy elements. I did really love Cole and Kris together and thought their chemistry was fantastic.  There was one part of the sex scene that made me blush and after reading so many romances (most of which are open-door), I'm always pleasantly surprised when one catches me a little off guard like this one did. 

The Holidate Season - Multiple Authors

This short story collection contains 6 holiday romances.  This was a mix of standalone and series-adjacent stories and I much much preferred the standalone ones.  This was a pretty mixed bag for me, but I overall enjoyed the reading experience.  

Get Sleighed by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

"When my ex dumped me right before Christmas, I was left with a luxury, all-expense paid trip for two to Cabo—private jet and all. Somehow, my best friend roped me into giving away the other half of the trip as a contest prize on her podcast."

I enjoyed this, but something was missing for me between our MCs.  They do get off on the wrong foot and I don't think there was enough of them getting back on the right foot for me to really feel their connection.  I did like the overall premise and the scenes where their attraction gets the better of them have great chemistry. I do think the overall premise is fun, but this might have worked better for me as a longer novella where we could see some more of the vacation antics and feelings develop between our MCs. 

3/5

 

Christmas in Birdville by Jewel E. Ann

"Henry Bechtel’s mom is coming home for Christmas. Only, he lost the family house in a game of poker. Days before his mom’s arrival, he meets the new owner and seizes the opportunity to coerce her into letting him move back “home” for the holidays. What he doesn’t know is that she has questionable motives, too."

 This read like a Lifetime movie more than a Hallmark movie and was a heavier read than I was expecting.  TW/CWs for cancer, death of a parent, death of a child, death of a sibling, death of a spouse, and gambling addiction. Jewel E. Ann was the only author in this collection that I haven't read anything from previously so I'm not sure if this is her typical style/content or not.  I did really enjoy the character development and I thought the MCs had a great relationship that, while it developed quickly by nature of this being a short story, it felt very natural for their characters. The family lore behind the house and the connection between the MCs was really interesting.  My personal preference is for lighter romances so this was just a bit too heavy for me.  However, I think other readers who do enjoy this type of read would really enjoy this story.

3/5

The Lucky One by Sarina Bowen

"Finnish hockey player Ivo Halla is new in town. He can't speak the language, he can't understand the coach. Life is hell until he walks into an Italian cafe (thank God "pizza" is the same in Finnish and English) and falls for the waitress. He'd better learn the language soon, or she won't agree to date him."

This was an adorable romance and I loved the way the slow burn was handled. I think the language barrier is an interesting way to tackle this trope without it feeling too forced.  I also found the language learning to be really relatable and I can 100% remember being on a trip to Mexico with my high school Spanish class and getting that mental burn out. I really enjoyed Ivo's relationship dynamics with his teammates as well and how that changes over time as he gets settled in this new city.  I do think there was maybe a bit too much time to cover for a short story, but Bowen does handle the time jumps well so they weren't too disruptive overall.

5/5

 

First Holiday by Katee Robert

"After a year of turmoil, Hades and Persephone prepare for their first holiday together."

 I loved Neon Gods so I was interested to see Hades and Persephone again but this story really didn't do anything for me.  It felt incredibly bland and I didn't get anything that I loved in Neon Gods in this story.  While we do see Persephone go shopping at the Christmas Market and decorate the house, it didn't feel particularly Christmas-y. 

1/5

A Cloverleigh Farms Christmas by Melanie Harlow

"Christmas Eve at Cloverleigh Farms is even more exciting this year, thanks to a blizzard, a power outage, and a baby that wants to make a dramatic entrance."

 I loved the whole Cloverleigh Farms series and Harlow is an auto-buy author for me.  I liked that we're able to catch up with all the couples from the original series.  However, I think this story moved too quickly to really get much of a reunion feeling.  Also, we were focused on Meg's pregnancy which, since I'm not someone who really likes babies, didn't do much for my overall enjoyment. 

2/5

Have Yourself a Grumpy Little Christmas by Pippa Grant

"Trevor Stafford hates Christmas. But his best friend’s little sister, whom he stupidly agreed to take in as a temporary roommate when she got a new nannying gig down the street from him, loves it ... He’s had a crush on her for years, and there’s no amount of annoying holiday cheer that can cure him of his attraction. If anything, watching her in her natural element is making it worse." 

This was grumpy/sunshine perfection!  I've read a handful from Pippa Grant and I've really enjoyed them all and this was no exception.  I loved how easily Grant was able to incorporate the backstory and years of friendship so easily in such a short timeframe.  As much as I love grumpy/sunshine as a trope, I'll admit it can sometimes feel a bit over-the-top and turn the characters into caricatures.  However, I found each of them to have a realistic amount of grump and sunshine and they worked together so well.  This was my favorite story in the collection, hands down.

5/5

Wrapped Up in You - Talia Hibbert

This friends to lovers romance follows childhood friends Will and Abbie.  Will has returned to his home town for Christmas after quitting his acting career. His next goal: getting his childhood friend to fall in love with him.  Abbie is 2 years post-divorce from her abusive ex and she's finally starting to feel like herself again.  But when Will tells her he likes her, she starts to spiral.  The pining is mutual, but her anxiety is throwing Abbie for a loop. Luckily, Will knows his friend and when a blizzard blows in, he'll have the perfect opportunity to show her how he feels. I absolutely adored this read and I think it has some of the best communication I've read in romance.  I loved the amount of backstory Hibbert managed to fit into this novella and how that backstory was used to move the relationship forward. The whole story was Will and Abbie figuring out their feelings and getting on the same page, which was well done, but I would have preferred to see a scene or two of them going on a date.  I loved the integration of therapy into the story as a tool for the characters to use instead of an 'insta-fix' like it can come across at times. I loved the whole family dynamic, especially Abbie's brothers (and I especially loved that they weren't weirdly overly-protective of Abbie)

In The Event of Love - Courtney Kae

This FF romance follows event planner Morgan as she returns to her hometown to recover after her latest event crashed and burned in a very public manner.  While driving up to the mountain town of Fern Falls, Morgan's car spins off the road and she crashes into the one person she was hoping to avoid - her ex best friend Rachel.  Now that she's back in town and working with Rachel to save her family Christmas Tree Farm, and the town overall, the two women rekindle their friendship and more.  I absolutely adored this read and it is pretty much everything I want in a Christmas romance.  I loved the small town setting and how much the town and the other townsfolk were integral to the plot.  We get the stereotypical evil corporate entity trying to commercialize the quaint small town which I know some may find overdone or corny but I like it.  Moran and Rachel's backstory was well integrated throughout the first half of the story so it didn't feel like a big info-dump.  I also really liked how all parties involved - Morgan, Rachel, and others - all had grown as people in the years and could all apologize for their actions.  There was some really great character moments with Morgan where she would have a knee-jerk reaction to something and then we'd get her logically walking back from that huge reaction to a much more reasonable level. This was only from Morgan's POV and while I generally prefer dual-POV romances, I think it really worked since she had so much to work through on a personal level.  I loved the chemistry between Morgan and Rachel and really appreciated how their romance blended sweet moments with the spicy ones so it made them feel like a real couple who do the little cute things for each other as well. Overall, this was fantastic and had a set up for a second book following a different couple that I hope we get in the future because I'd love to return to Fern Falls.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC. Publication date was August 30, 2022

Tinsel & Tentacles - Kate McDarris

This MMF monster romance follows rockstar Barney, his manager Marci, and bodyguard Ryder. The three have worked together for years and are at the end of Barney's most recent tour in NYC at Christmas time. Barney's one wish, he says, is to see the Christmas Tree so Marci and Ryder hatch a plan to give Barney what he wants.  After a magical few hours together, they can feel something has changed between them and Barney's real Christmas wish - for Marcie and Ryder to be his - might just come true after all.  However, there is the one issue of his secret tentacles that could ruin everything before it even begins. This was a super cute read that really cranked up the heat at the end.  I loved the pre-romance relationship dynamic between our MCs and how naturally those relationships turned romantic. I do wish we would have gotten a bit more info from a world-building perspective in relation to Barney's tentacles that could have explained more about why he chose to keep them a secret or what other implications there might be. We alternate through all 3 MC's POVs which I liked.  However, the characters all sounded the same so there were multiple times where I got mixed up on which POV we were in. I also got confused with some of the physical blocking during the sex scenes but I find that happens more frequently with these MMF romances. I loved the amount of holiday cheer we get in this and it is a really low-angst read.

Holiday Romance Wrap-Up Part 1

 Cole - Ellie Devine

This MMF holiday romance is the first in the Naughty List series and follows Cole, Grant, and Arianna. Cole leaves his small town and travels to Chicago for Christmas so he doesn't have to spend another holiday with everyone asking when he was finally going to settle down with a nice girl.  Exploring the Christmas market, Arianna finds him and invites him to get a drink.  But when her husband, Grant, shows up mid-makeout session, Cole finds himself going home with both of them. What starts as just some fun between the three of them quickly turns into more but with Christmas fast approaching, Cole starts to wonder if this might be just a bit of Christmas magic that will wear off soon.  I absolutely loved this read from start to finish.  This read is *steamy*, with more sex scenes than I thought would be possible in a 295 page book - but that's what I was expecting based on what I've heard from other readers.  What I wasn't expecting was how much emotion and character growth we get packed into those same pages.  Devine does a great job at making all 3 of our MCs fully rounded characters, but Cole is obviously the main-main character.  I absolutely loved how much of a cinnamon roll Cole is and how Grant and Arianna make Cole feel safe enough to finally be able to be his true self.  

TW/CW: BDSM, homophobia, biphobia, 

 A Kiss for Santa - Mia Monroe

This MM romance follows Luca and Magnus aka Santa. The two met years prior when Magnus delivered gifts to Luca's parent's house.  The to have seen each other only a few times over the years, but the strong feelings are mutual.  This year, Magnus needs to find a spouse or give up his job as Santa. He hopes Luca shares his feelings and agrees to marry Magus, but that would mean giving up his life in the human realm. This was a really cute romance, but it did feel like it tried to fit too much plot into this novella.  Despite our two MCs both being attracted to the other for years, they never really talked much so now that they're finally spending time together a few days before Magnus needs to be married, this feels more like insta-love.  There's also a small plotline of the attempt to sabotage Christmas but that never felt fully developed mostly because of the shorter page length.  That being said, Monroe does a really great job building this alternate world of Santa's workshop that I absolutely would love to see more of. I really liked the scenes with Luca and Magnus together and I think their chemistry was fantastic. I do think Monroe does a good job of giving us a good amount of character development before the romance began so we had a good idea of who our MCs are. I loved the scenes between the MCs and their families as well.  This was only 134 pages so, again, there was just a lot of plot to fit in.  I did like all the elements we did have in the story, I just wanted more of them or more time to explore them more fully.  
 

 A Merry Little Meet Cute - Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

This holiday romance follows Bee and Nolan as they film a historical romance movie for the Hope Channel.  Bee is a successful plus-sized adult film star with a dedicated fan following on her ClosedDoor account - and Nolan is one of those fans.  Nolan is doing this movie in hopes of rehabbing his bad-boy image from his years as a boyband member.  Things between Nolan and Bee heat up quickly and they soon find themselves keeping their budding relationship a secret.  But when a Hollywood gossip reporter finds the set, their situation becomes more complicated and if the truth of Bee's identity and their relationship is revealed, it might end this budding romance before it has a chance. I absolutely loved everything about this read!  The characters were fantastic and everyone was so unique and well-established that I could keep them all straight.  Bee and Nolan had such great chemistry that really went beyond the physical attraction.  I really enjoyed that we got enough background on the two of them to sort of explain the insta-love feelings that happened over the course of a week.  By far my favorite thing is that Bee's sex work was not the speedbump in the relationship that I was expecting.  Sure, her and Nolan do have to work out their relationship around her main job, but Nolan already knows who she is from the moment he sees her so it wasn't a big secret and he wasn't expecting her to quit that part of her job for him.  I loved the behind the scenes of shooting this low-budget movie and how much character development these extra scenes gave us.  This was a bit of a longer read at 418 pages but I was having so much fun in this world that I didn't mind at all.

TW/CW: mental health (bipolar disorder) of a parent, death of a spouse, death of a parent, fatphobia

 Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC

Publication date was September 20, 2022

 

The Mistletoe Motive - Chloe Liese

 

This enemies to lovers romance follows Gabby and Jonathan.  The two co-manage a bookstore together and have butted heads over the past year with their different management philosophies. But when the bookstore owners tell them that this holiday season will be the make or break time, Gabby refuses to lose the place that has become so special to her.  She proposes a wager that whichever of them sell the most books will be able to keep their job at the store.  At first, she's sure she'll win but as the competition continues, Gabby is sure Jonathan has some tricks up his sleeves.  Afterall, there wouldn't be any other reason for him to be nice or even flirt with her ... would there? This is my first Chloe Liese read and it will certainly not be my last.  I absolutely adored this read from start to finish, top to bottom.  Gabby and Jonathan were such well developed characters and I really liked how they worked to be friendly first.  This was told from only Gabby's POV, which did bother me a little in the beginning.  However, this is the first single POV romance that I've read where I think the single POV was the right decision.  I think Liese had such a fine balance between Gabby's mis-reading of certain situations but showing enough of Jonathan to the reader that we could see what he was thinking without actually being in his POV.  This is a bit of a slow burn romance and Gabby is specifically identified as demisexual and I think that since we had to see them go from butting heads to working together as friends before we got any overly romantic moments was really great.  I also loved Gabby's friends and how understanding and supportive they were.  This was also a low-angst read which I always appreciate.  There was plenty of potential for this to have two really big miscommunication moments but our characters actually talked to each other and knew each other well enough that they were able to discard their initial negative knee-jerk reaction.

 

Santa Daddy: Naughty or Nice - Hannah Murray

This romance follows Nick and Rebecca.  She's been his assistant for 3 years but she finally quit when she realized the job was taking up too much of her time and she didn't have a personal life.  Nick is shocked and disappointed for multiple reasons - she's his best assistant ever and he's been lusting after her for years. Little does Nick know that Rebecca is also attracted to him and the two share the same proclivity for BDSM.  Later that night, they happen to run into each other during a kinky Christmas party and now that they aren't employer/employee they're able to live out their fantasies. I liked this read, but I do prefer more Christmas in my Christmas romances.  This could have been the exact same story set on a random Tuesday and I like some more of that Christmas magic feeling.  But putting aside my own desire for more holiday cheer, this was a pretty fun and steamy read.  This reads more like an insta-love because while our MCs did work together for 3 years, we don't see any of those years on page.  They do both come to the realization that they'd developed feelings while working together so I guess it isn't ~techinically~ insta-love but it sure feels like it.  I also wanted some more character details from both of our MCs.  Outside of their shared kinky side, I don't think much else was given to the reader.  I fully acknowledge that I might have been expecting too much out of a 170 page novella - I understand that there's only so much plot and character development that can fit in those pages and novellas aren't my go-to reading length.  So I would recommend this for readers who want a well done BDSM novella with some holiday elements. The chemistry between Nick and Rebecca was spectacular and I loved how the BDSM elements were handled from the initial negotiations to safewords being used and respected, to aftercare. 

The Toy King - Adriana Herrera

This is the second book in The Toy Runners series and follows Valente and Kessina.  Valente is on a run delivering toys and finds out that his father wants him to pick up Kessina and bring her back home to marry his brother.  Valente is initially annoyed with this surprise duty - until he walks in on her using one of the adult toys she designed. The two have a mutual attraction but have to leave before the snow storm outside gets worse.  They didn't make it out in time and end up stranded by the storm in the middle of the Andes for 2 nights.  Luckily, Valente's vehicle is well stocked for emergencies ... now they just need to find the best way to pass the time.  I read the first book in this series last year and I really loved the world building that Herrera did and this book is no exception.  I think a lot of the little details were great and I loved how easily the reader is able to settle into this world.  I thought Valente and Kessina were great together and really felt like they were kindred spirits.  This read is 85% sexy-times but there still managed to fit in a good amount of character exploration which I appreciated.  Another low-angst read that was just great.

 Small Packages - Drea Braddock

 This novella follows Bex and Matthew.  Bex is a navel intelligence officer and she's autistic.  Matthew is an engineer working for NOAA and he has some physical traits that makes dating challenging.  What starts out as a one night stand quickly develops into a relationship as the two find friendship, comfort, and lots of steamy time.  However, as their relationship progresses, Bex realizes Matthew doesn't let her touch him below the belt, she begins to worry he's keeping secrets that could ruin their relationship right as it is starting.  I really liked this read, but I do think it tried to cram in way too much into the 108 pages.  This takes place over the course of a few months and because of this, we get a lot of summarizing of events that I would have loved to see on page.  I did love the chemistry and connection between the characters and how we got to see them hanging out and having fun outside of the bedroom.  I also liked how we saw Bex's autism treated in a few different ways throughout this shorter read (acceptance and adoration by Matthew and her friends, not so nicely by other characters) so it didn't feel like a one-dimensional character trait.  We get a good amount of side characters as well which I always like since it gave us a little different perspective.  I loved that Matthew wasn't 'fixed' by love but rather Bex accepts that part of him and they have a supportive and open discussion.  There was a lot of great communication in this read and while the main conflict is due to Matthew not being able to communicate in the moment, I think they still come together in the end really well.

 

The Naughty, The Nice, and The Nanny - Willa Nash

 This is the first book in The Holiday Brothers series and follows eldest brother Maddox and Natalie.  Natalie is a last-minute replacement nanny for Maddox and when they meet she immediately recognizes him from high school and the massive crush she had on him.  He's now a divorced, single dad to a spunky 7 year old daughter and he's looking to move back home to Boseman, MT.  The job is only for a week but when Natalie takes on all the challenges of the Holiday family without batting an eye, she feels like she's been a part of the family for years.  This was such a fun romance and I loved Maddox and Natalie.  Obviously, with the story taking place over the course of a week, this is solid insta-love territory.  However, the characters did have some backstory and since Maddox had been married previously, it felt like he could identify his feelings for Natalie faster because he could compare them to his ex-wife. We get a good amount of side characters and while Boseman, MT I think would not qualify as a typical small-town romance, we do get a lot of the typical small town romance vibes.  I also loved that Maddox's daughter wasn't one of those extra-cutesy kids that show up in a lot of romance books - she reminded me of some kids I babysat for back in the day. I would have liked some more scenes with Maddox and Natalie together, just the two of them to help flesh out their relationship a bit. 

Little Red House - Liv Andersson

 

This mystery follows Connie after the death of her adoptive mother, Eve.  Eve left the majority of her wealth and Vermont estate to Connie's twin sister Lisa while Connie got a little red house in New Mexico where Eve's daughter disappeared years ago.  Eve had never mentioned New Mexico or this house to Connie or Lisa but Eve's will has a long list of rules both daughters must follow and the two chalk it up to just another one of Eve's cruel psychological games that they grew up with.  But once Connie arrives at the house she finds a mysterious caretaker living in her back yard and a string of murders that no one in town wants to talk about.  As Connie starts to ask around town about these murders, she finds that these crimes and Eve might be more intertwined than she originally thought. 

TW/CW: death of a parent, suicide, sexual assault, psychological abuse, child abuse

I loved this twisty, dark read.  This story starts off a little messed up and pretty much just gets darker as it goes along and I was 100% on board for that journey.  From the title and cover, I wasn't expecting this to get as dark as it did.  This is not the darkest book I've ever read, and a lot of the worst stuff is done off page, but the whole book had a really great creep factor and twisty reveals.  I read through a few reviews after I finished and one said that this felt like a limited series on HBO and I very much agree with this.  

I really enjoyed the dual timeline of this read, especially since we know of the connection before Connie does.  This allows the reader to start guessing about connections and Eve's motivations before Connie can start piecing things together - which is always fun for me with these mysteries. We also get to see two versions of the same town and there are numerous overlaps between Eve and Connie's stories. We also get two sides of Eve - one from her timeline and the other from Connie's reflections on Eve as a parent.  I also liked how each timeline had their own core mystery that ended up being connected.  Sometimes these dual timeline mysteries can feel like watching two characters take the exact same steps, but in this case there wasn't a whole lot of overlap in the main mysteries (Eve looking for her daughter, Connie investigating murders).  Of course, the two timelines do converge but it didn't feel repetitive when the story flipped back and forth. 

This book is full with complex, often unlikeable characters which I'm finding is my preference with these gritty, darker mysteries. I loved the way the townfolk treat Connie as an outsider where they are generally polite, but also everyone tells her that she'd be better off leaving for various reasons.  Connie does her best to integrate into this town and she slowly does find some sort of community in this town.  This is contrasted by Eve's visit where she was more concerned about finding her daughter than with making friends in this town. We didn't get a lot of fluffy details about the side characters, but the details we do get are pretty significant and again highlight the horror under the surface of this town.  I also enjoyed how the characters we see aren't overly concerned with being liked.  Eve, Connie, and the side characters were all unapologetic and weren't interested in sugar coating anything.  This type of character dynamic made for an interesting mystery read because while the puzzle pieces we do get are few and far between, it made each step forward in the investigation feel like a real win. 

This is one of those mysteries where there are a lot of plot conveniences that, in hindsight, maybe don't feel entirely 'realistic'.  There are some reviews out there that point these instances out as something that they didn't like.  For me, however, I wasn't bothered by these because of the way the whole story was built up in layers.  One non-spoilery example is that no one in the town wants to talk to Connie about these murders, but yet many people would give her little tidbits of information - just enough for her to research and further the plot.  Is this dynamic a little strange?  Sure.  Did it bother me?  Nope.  Andersson spends a lot of time slowly exposing the underbelly of this town and, by the time we finish with the end reveals, it did feel like everything made sense in this world and I could understand why these characters didn't want to talk to Connie. 

Going back to my opening comment about this feeling like a limed HBO series, the reveals and solution to the mystery do lean toward the dramatic and there are specific examples where I do question how believable that situation would be. However, Andersson does a good job addressing and explaining the more over-the-top scenarios on the page.  That being said, I was fully invested while I was reading and these thoughts only really came once I finished the book and was gathering my thoughts for this review.  A lot of my enjoyment of these mystery/thriller books come from being surprised at some (or all) of the reveals and this book certainly hit that mark.  Andersson has done such a great job of building up the layers of this mystery between the two timelines and by the end, I was itching to see how it all comes together.  There were a number of loose threads that came together at the end and I really think it worked on all fronts.  I also loved the way some of the reveals answered one question, but then also caused other questions to be raised immediately. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and had a great time.  I loved how dark and sinister the story got and how this little town was the perfect backdrop for this creepy story.  Sure, some of the plot points and reveals might lean a bit too far into coincidental-territory for some, but I had such a fun time reading and I was so invested in the story that it didn't bother me at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC

Expected publication date is December 6, 2022

Romance Wrap-Up November 2022

 Tempt - Melanie Harlow

This is the 4th book in the Cloverleigh Farms Next Generation series and we're following Millie and Zach.  Millie is a wedding planner and at the opening, finds herself stuck an extra night in Manhattan.  When Zach rescues her from a creep at the hotel bar, their chemistry is explosive but have to go back to their very different lives after a steamy one night together.  Weeks later, they run into each other again at Millie's ex-boyfriend's wedding that she's planning ... and Zach is her ex's dad.  I absolutely loved this story from beginning to end and I always love being back in Cloverleigh Farms.  This story had a few key parts that really could have gone badly - but Harlow pulled them all off expertly.  From the age gap, to the ex-boyfriend aspect, to the question of kids - I really thought Harlow was able to craft a genuine and authentic character growth on all sides.  This was also a lust to love sort of situation and that type of scenario can be really hit or miss with me.  Often times, those reads end up feeling like there wasn't enough time for the characters to actually develop a deeper connection before the end of the book happens.  In this case, the story takes place over the course of months and we're able to see that progression on page.  Of course, we get a good number of scenes with other Cloverleigh Farms characters who we know and love which is always a plus.  I loved Millie's relationship with her sisters and Zach's relationship with his friends.  It felt like Harlow wanted to make sure these were extremely well developed and whole characters so that we'd understand how they end up overcoming these pretty big speedbumps in their relationship. They both had fully developed lives outside of the relationship and those other friendships/work goals/etc did not get diminished by the romance.  All around, Harlow hit it out of the park again.

Thanks to the author and SocialButterflyPR for the ARC

Publication date was November 21, 2022 

 

Mistakes Were Made - Meryl Wilsner

This age-gap, forbidden, FF romance follows Cassie and Erin.  The two women meet one evening at a bar away from Cassie's college.  They have an instant connection and after getting hot and heavy in the car, both are ready to leave it as a one-night stand.  However, when Cassie shows up at breakfast the next day as Erin's daughter's guest, things only begin to get complicated.  Both women agree they shouldn't continue to see each other, given the circumstances, but their connection is impossible to ignore.  As they spend more time together when Cassie comes to visit over winter break, they'll both have to decide if they want to have something more and if their relationship is worth the fallout that will inevitably come.  I really enjoyed this read and I loved Cassie and Erin together as well as their own characters.  I was also not expecting this book to have as many sex scenes as it does - but they had a really great variety of situations so I'm not complaining. While I generally enjoy forbidden romances, I often have the same problem where I get some pretty strong secondhand embarrassment from all the awkward situations that arise.  I did feel like we had some fantastic character development as well as relationship development and I could really see proof that their romance was moving beyond the purely physical - although it did take a little longer than I normally like to get there so I was a bit worried around the middle that the emotional connection wasn't ramping up as quickly.  I also enjoyed that the inevitable conflict with Erin's daughter (who is also Cassie's best friend) was handled in a bit of a different way than we normally see with these 'forbidden' romance stories.  Overall, this was a really fun and steamy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC

Publication date was October 11, 2022

 

 Built to Last - Erin Hahn

TW/CW: abusive/neglectful parents, alcohol abuse, infidelity (not MCs), 

This second chance, friends to lovers romance follows Shelby and Cameron.  The two were child actor co-stars on a TV show but when outside pressures killed their clandestine romance, they go their separate ways for 10 years.  Shelby now works for her dad's business restoring and flipping old homes and Cameron is a documentary film maker for National Geographic.  Neither plan to return in front of the camera, but when their other co-star (and Shelby's ex), Lyle, comes to them with a plan for a home restoration TV show Shelby and Cameron agree to try a pilot episode.  Working together again bring back a lot of old feelings and history but Shelby and Cameron are both different people than when they were 18 and their new friendship turns into something more - despite Lyle's best attempts at sabotage.  This was a fantastic read and I absolutely loved it from beginning to end.  It feels like Hahn reached into my brain and wrote this book specifically to hit everything I love in a romance.  Shelby and Cameron are interesting, complex, and sincere characters with great support side characters.  The set up of the story and past history between them feels so natural that I could be 100% on board with their second-chance romance.  Shelby and Cameron have sizzling hot chemistry but they could never quite figure out how to actually be together.  I thought this was going to be the main conflict in the relationship - complete with multiple misunderstandings.  However, I was so excited when they actually talked to each other very early on in the story and continued to have good communication throughout the story.  The main source of conflict comes from outside of the relationship, which I always prefer because it usually makes for a low-angst read (and I would categorize this as low angst).  I really loved the side characters and how they were all very well developed and the friendships between them and our main couple felt very fleshed out.  For anyone who really loves these HGTV-esque romances, I think this one will really hit the spot as well - I loved how much behind the scenes we get and since Shelby and Cameron grew up as child actors, they have a pretty interesting view of the whole process that I don't see very often. 

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC

Publication date was October 18, 2022

The Wrong Bridesmaid - Lauren Landish

This opposites-attract romance follows Wyatt and Hazel.  Wyatt left his hometown of Cold Springs years ago to get away from his influential family and the pressures that came with the last name Ford. Now he's back in town for his younger brother's wedding and not all is well in Cold Springs.  Hazel has lived in Cold Springs her whole life and as a result, she doesn't easily trust anyone with the last name Ford.  The chemistry between them is undeniable, however, they come from two very different sides of Cold Springs.  But as Wyatt discovers what his scheming uncle has been up to in the last few years, he realizes that he can't leave this town - or the people - behind again.  I overall really enjoyed this romance and I liked the twists we got on the usual small town corruption plot.  I loved Wyatt and Hazel on their own, but even better as a duo. They have great chemistry but my favorite scenes were them working together to solve a problem.  There are a ton of great side characters also and the town itself has a ton of personality which I always love in a small town setting.  I had some minor issues with the set-up of how, exactly, the Ford family and Cold Springs were intertwined.  There were some moments that felt conflicting and made me pause for a moment.  I also felt some of the wording in the sex scenes just felt awkward and the phrases chosen for certain acts or bodily fluids I just don't think work for me in a serious and romantic setting.  But overall, this was really fun and I always seem to enjoy Landish's stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC

Publication date was October 25, 2022

 

 Ship Wrecked - Olivia Dade

 This is the third book in the Spoiler Alert series and follows actors Maria and Peter.  After a one night stand, the two find themselves filming together on an isolated island for 6 years.  Despite their chemistry, they agree to stay friends only while filming.  However, once those 6 years are over, they finally have the chance to deepen their friendship into something more.  But adjusting to life together off of the little island may be more difficult than they both expect. Dade does a fantastic job closing out this series and I really enjoyed this romance.  It ended up being more emotionally charged than the first 2 in the series and I think that was due to this book taking place over 6 years so we see a lot of character development.  I loved Maria and Peter and found them both such interesting characters and they had so many layers to work through to finally be together.  I loved that we got a few cameos from the characters in the other books and the epilogue was absolutely fabulous.  As always, I loved the fat rep in this book, even more so that both of our main characters are fat and the amount of lusty descriptions from both of them about the other are fantastic. This is a longer romance at 413 pages, but considering we had 6 years to cover and a whole lot of character growth to get through I think all of that length is needed.  That being said, the pacing was a little hit and miss for me.  There were times where it felt like it dragged and then times where it felt way too fast.  I do think Dade did a great job giving the reader glimpses of Peter and Maria over that 6 year period to help with this, but I think having that big of a time jump is just hard all around.  I did like how we see their first year together and then we time-jump and the story moves forward from there so we have pretty solid footing with these characters before the jump.  

TW/CW: death of a parent, adoption, forced dieting (attempted)

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC

Publication date was November 15, 2022

 Marlowe Banks, Redesigned - Jacqueline Firkins

 This celebrity romance follows Marlowe and Angus.  Marlowe is a production assistant on a popular TV show starring Angus.  Marlowe ended up in LA after her latest costume show in NYC was shredded by critics and she ended her engagement.  She's now content to exist behind the scenes as she tries to figure out her next move.  But when a wardrobe mix-up causes Marlowe to be in a scene of the show, the cameras (and audience) catch something between Marlowe and Angus.  As the two work together more, they both realize they have more to offer than what you first see. Overall, I liked this read but it didn't quite hit the spot for me.  On NetGalley, it is listed as romance/women's fiction and I do think that is an appropriate listing.  This is a story with a full romance plot arc and there is 100% a HEA for the couple.  However, it felt to me more like Marlowe's story of finding herself again and that just so happened to include a romance with Angus rather than this being a story about Marlowe and Angus's romance. This is also only told through Marlowe's POV which, again, makes it feel more like her story. All that aside, I did enjoy the building of Angus and Marlowe's relationship and how much fun they were together.  I'm a bit of a hard sell on celebrity romances because of the inevitable conflict of one person being more ok with being in the public eye than the other but I think this one really worked that balance out well.  The conflict, as well as the resolution, felt natural to the characters and that made all the difference.  Angus was such an interesting character, I really wish we would have gotten his POV more.  I loved Marlowe's character and think Firkins finds the balance well between quirky character and over-the-top caricature.

 Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC

Publication date was  October 25, 2022

 

 

 

Netherkind - Greg Chapman

 

This fantasy-horror follows Thomas who has to eat human flesh to survive.  On the outside, he seems like a regular human, but when he feeds, he absorbs qualities of that person.  He thinks he's the only one of his kind until a woman appears in his apartment complex one day.  He soon finds himself beneath the human city and is introduced to a whole society filled with "Fleshers" like him.  Only, his kind aren't the only ones out there and there's a war brewing. 

TW/CW: child endangerment, child abandonment, body horror, cannibalism 

I'll say right at the top that this is not my usual read.  When I requested this book on NetGalley, it was only listed as a horror and thus I thought it would really lean into the quasi-cannibalism of these creatures.  However, these creatures ended up having a much more complex societal structure than I was expecting and there was a good amount of political machinations going on as well.  We even get some supernatural/magical elements which again upped the fantasy percentage for me.  We start out the story in solid horror territory but it quickly turns into a more fantasy-heavy read.  Since I don't like reading fantasy (I prefer to watch fantasy TV/movies), this story did lose me just a smidge in the middle.  However, it won me back over in the last 25%. I do think this is a fantasy with substantial horror undertones, but I would list it as a fantasy first and foremost. 

I really loved the characters in this ... except for Thomas.  I didn't particularly dislike him, but I was pretty meh about him and his journey.  He felt very much like a reader stand in since he didn't know anything about these other creatures or their dynamics.  I can understand the plot reasons why he wouldn't know anything and would need to have everything explained to him, but it ended up feeling like he was pretty devoid of any defining characteristics.  I would have preferred Thomas taking a more active role in the plot and maybe doing some investigation/research on his own.  I found the other characters to be really interesting and well developed for side characters.  Sure, we didn't know every detail of their backstories, but Chapman gave the reader their wants/desires/weaknesses which made them really fun to read about.  

The horror elements were pretty solidly body horror with a dash of cannibalism.  The opening 10% is pretty heavy on the blood and gore of Thomas's life and how he feeds and then transforms.  However, I did then find that the middle section from 25%-75% was lighter on the horror and really leaned into the fantasy elements.  But that last 75% we get some really fantastic descriptions and scenes that I absolutely loved.  I didn't find any of the scenes particularly overly-descriptive (but I know that line will be different for everyone).  I found Chapman's descriptions of these more visceral scenes to be really well planned out and always felt like they had a reason to be more graphic - usually for plot or character development. 

The fantasy elements were a bit hit and miss for me - but again, fantasy is not my genre.  I absolutely loved the world-building and lore that Chapman managed to fit into this 303 page read.  I thought everything was really well laid out and we learned about this new world in layers so it never felt overwhelming. We have 3 pretty significant groups of conflicting beings (plus another one on the fringe and a couple humans thrown in the mix) so there's a lot of ground to cover.  However, Chapman did a great job of rotating through these different sections of the story so the reader is consistently reminded of the dynamics at play.  There is a plot line that gets a little too far-out for me and I found myself re-reading those sections a couple of times before I felt like I understood what was going on.  Because of this, I did feel like the end reveal in regards to those moments didn't quite hit as hard as it might for other readers because I was a little confused and felt like I was out of the loop just a little bit. 

Overall, this was a pretty fun read but it did lean a bit more toward fantasy than I personally like.  That being said, I still enjoyed it and loved the world building, side characters, and horror elements.  

Thanks NetGalley and Crossroad Press for the ARC

Publication date was May 28, 2022

Originally published May 6, 2019 by Omnium Gatherum

Suburban Hell - Maureen Kilmer

 

When Amy Foster moved out of Chicago to one of the nearby suburbs, she was pleasantly surprised at how quickly she settled in - especially after finding her friend group of Liz, Jess, and Melissa. The four women find solidarity in eschewing certain suburbia cliches and during their monthly wine night.  On one of these wine nights, the friends go into Liz's backyard to christen their soon to be clubhouse, the She Shed.  Only instead of bestowing blessings, the group starts to feel like they may have unearthed something sinister.  This feeling is heightened when Liz starts acting strange and other strange occurrences start happening. Now Amy, Jess, and Melissa must fight to save Liz and the neighborhood they've come to love. 

I really enjoyed the whole neighborhood/cul-de-sac setting and how much it added to the story.  This was a really fun read and I can see this being a good vacation read.  It takes place over summer vacation so we get lots of interactions with the neighbors through block parties, the neighborhood pool, and the annual ice cream social.  Being able to see the characters and their families in this setting really helped strengthen the stakes of the story because we see first hand what these characters would lose.  We also get some lore and background of how this neighborhood came to be, which was an interesting tangent to go down.  I've felt with some other books set in suburbia that the setting was more of an afterthought, but in this case I really think the neighborhood shines and I can't really see this story unfolding in any other setting.

I loved the characters and their friend group dynamic.  I found all 3 of our main-ish characters to be really well developed and distinct from one another.  The story is told from Amy's POV, but she does spend a lot of time with Jess and Melissa.  Kilmer did a fantastic job of giving concrete character traits and emotional layers to each character.  I also loved how the group dynamic really hinged on each of the characters being themselves and how they each brought something unique to the friend group.  Of course, when it comes to this type of setting, I think most readers would expect certain character types to live in this neighborhood.  And while we do see those stereotypes in the story, Kilmer gave enough details to our main friend group to ensure they stood out from the crowd.  I do wish we had gotten a bit more of the four friends together before the main plot kicked off because Liz was the one friend who I didn't feel had a lot of detail to her character.  But that might be on purpose because we do hear throughout the story that they didn't realize how much they missed Liz since she was always sort of in the background, even in their small group. 

I went into this book unsure of where the line would be drawn - this could have easily gone full horror but it stayed more in the fun, vacation read territory.  It reminded me a lot of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, because we're following Amy who is trying to convince her friends and husband that something potentially supernatural is going on but they don't take her seriously at first.  We get some really great creepy moments that I absolutely loved - the robot vacuum scene will forever be a favorite - and I think there was some decent building of tension through these moments.  However, I do think that the book missed the mark just a bit when it came to finding the right balance between the supernatural and the everyday.  I get that Amy has other responsibilities and can't just sit around reading exorcism books all day but it felt like the scales were tipped toward making the mundane suburbia plot points feel more important.  This balance might be tweaked a bit for the final copy (I read an ARC) or maybe other readers feel differently, but it just irked me a tiny bit. 

I did feel like the pacing was a little uneven and I wished there was more escalation to the supernatural events that we get.  My favorite part of these sort of 'is it supernatural or does a character have an over-active imagination' plots is having the reader question the reality of the story.  I want to be reading along and sort of question the reality of the situation myself - or find myself agreeing with a point a character makes that I hadn't thought of before.  This slow escalation and flip flopping is really fun for me and I think it builds to a really great, natural climax to the story.  In this case, however, I felt like Kilmer tried to inject some of that dynamic but it didn't quite work for me.  I found that there was such a drastic initial change to Liz that it was obvious something weird was going on.  Now, the book description doesn't try to hide the fact that something supernatural is going on, so maybe it isn't fair for me to be looking for that type of slow build up in the first place. On the other hand, I didn't feel like the stakes were fully fleshed out past the small friend group.  It felt very much like "if we don't do this, we'll lose Liz forever" but I was really expecting there to be more of a threat to their families or the neighborhood as a whole. Again, maybe this book was just too lighthearted to really double down on the stakes there and we do have a little bit of a "if we don't fix this, we'll have to move away and we'll never see each other again" moment, but I just wanted more.

Overall, this was a really fun read and I would recommend picking it up as a vacation read.  I love the setting, characters, and where the book chose to draw the horror line.  I did find the pacing and escalation pattern a little unsatisfying, but I might be asking for a little too much there.  

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC

Publication date was August 30, 2022

The Dark Between the Trees - Fiona Barnett

 

This folk-horror follows 2 groups of people as they find themselves in a mysterious forest. In 1643, a group of soldiers are ambushed and the survivors flee into the nearby Moresby Wood.  A few of the soldiers know of the wood's rumored history filled with witchcraft and unnatural creatures.  Of the group of survivors, only 2 survive to tell the tale of what happened in Moresby Wood.  In current day, a group of 5 researchers enter Moresby Wood in search of evidence to what happened to that group of soldiers. They bring maps, GPS units, mobile phones, and other equipment in order to be prepared for their journey.  Only, they aren't prepared for what the wood has in store for them.

The setting and lore was the real key of this story for me and I thought both were fantastic.  I was expecting this read to be more of a creeping gradual horror but we know almost immediately that something isn't right in Moresby Wood and I absolutely loved it.  I did find some of the supernatural scenes to be a little vague and I wasn't entirely sure what was going on but that made sense because the characters had no real idea what was going on. I also loved how both sets of characters - 1693 and present day - were sharing theories/rumors/ghost stories about what is going on in the wood.  There was a nice mix of the supernatural threats with some realistic environmental hardships that really built up well over the course of the book.  I thought I knew where the lore was going, but I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong.  On NetGalley, the description said this book was perfect for fans of The Ritual and The Descent.  I can see elements of both those movies in this story but I feel like it is much closer to The Ritual with the eerie forest, tense friend group, and unique supernatural-ish element.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline aspect but I do wish the book was a little longer in order to more fully flesh out both sides of the story.  The story is split pretty much 50/50 between the soldiers in 1643 and the researchers in present day. The events in the two timelines somewhat mirror each other, which leads to a really fun dynamic for the reader. I also thought it was interesting to see the differences between the 1693 story and what the present day characters know based on historical texts.  I was pretty equally interested in both timelines which is always a good sign.  I also liked how the two timelines, while very similar, did have their own individual elements that highlighted the tense situation the characters were in. 

Where this book lost me a bit was with all the characters.  I found this to be a pretty short read at around 300 pages and since it was split pretty evenly between the two timelines, there just wasn't a lot of room for all the characters and relationships.  I'm more of a character-focused reader which is why I think I like these isolated mystery/horror reads so much.  I was really excited to see how this setting impacted the characters and their interactions.  And while we did get those scenes, they weren't as impactful to read because I didn't feel like the initial character relationships were sufficiently fleshed out. I knew the ranks and surface relationships between the characters, but I wanted more depth.  I felt this way about the character groups in both timelines.  I really think if this book was just a little longer and there was more time setting up the group dynamic before things start going off the rails then I would have really been able to sink into the story more.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the narration style of this read.  The story was told from a 3rd person POV that alternated being closer to one character and then farther away so the reader could get information from other characters.  It wasn't technically headhopping, but it gave me that same feeling while reading of not being completely settled in the narration.  I did read an ARC so this could potentially be fixed in the final copy but I think this would come down to personal preference. For me, the narration choices to be more removed from our main-ish character just meant that I had a harder time settling into the story and with these characters.

Overall, I really liked the premise and setting of this read, but I wanted some tweaks in order to be more connected to the characters. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion publishing for the ARC.  

Expected publication date is October 11, 2022.

Daphne - Josh Malerman

 

This horror story follows Kit Lamb during her last summer before college. She's on her school's basketball team and on the night before the big game, one of the other players tells a ghost story about Daphne to the team.  There are different versions of Daphne's story - some say she was murdered, some say she was a murderer - but the main theme is that if you think about her, she will come and kill you.  After hearing this story, Kit can't stop thinking about Daphne.  And once her teammates start dying one by one, Kit begins to suspect Daphne might be real after all.  Now, Kit is determined to find the truth behind the legend and learn to face her own fears before its too late. 

TW/CW: child abduction, child murder, cannibalism, suicide, anxiety, body horror

I've really enjoyed all of my past Malerman reads, but this one started out a little rough.  Looking back, I just think the point he chose to start the story at was not the most interesting and ended up making the pacing feel really disjointed.  However, once the kills start, they don't stop and this turned into a really great read.  I did read an ARC copy, so there's a chance some of this could change in the final version.  The story opens at the end of the big game and has Kit thinking about Daphne and her inner monologue does a great job at showing the reader how nervous and anxious she is about Daphne.  Only one problem: the reader doesn't have any context to who Daphne is or why Kit is thinking about her.  Now, of course, if you read the book description, you would have an idea but the lack of story context was really throwing me off.  The reader then gets filled in via flashback but this pacing and structure just didn't work for me. Once we get past this awkward beginning, I really enjoyed the pacing and structure for the rest of the story.

I really loved the Daphne myth and how it evolved over the course of the book.  Having it be a ghost story at a sleepover really made it feel universal because I think many people will have a similar ghost story in their area.  I also enjoyed having the main characters be older and having this play between them thinking ghosts aren't real but also all sort of believing in them.  At first, I thought this would just be a regular sort of vague ghost story, but I was really pleased with how detailed the story got and how we could see it change as it was told.  Daphne's myth also got a lot darker than I was expecting which I appreciated.

Anxiety is a big theme in the book and I thought making Daphne be a sort of mirror for that worked really well.  In the acknowledgements at the end, Malerman talks a bit about his own anxiety journey and how some of that is reflected in Kit.  We see a wide range of Kit's anxiety and her coping strategies and the narrative style in these sections really reflects her mental state.  These sections, especially her journal entries, feel very stream of consciousness but there's this constant reminder of Daphne that comes through and it really feels like she pops up in Kit's mind.  I struggle with anxiety at times, but not at the level that Kit does and I think the narrative style choices do a great job of letting readers into that struggle who might not otherwise understand the feeling. There are one or two brief moments where Kit thinks that if she committed suicide that she wouldn't have to live with this anxiety anymore so that may be upsetting to folks who

 Despite these characters being in high school, I don't think they necessarily read like they're that young.  This book really has Malerman's voice in the prose and I really enjoy his writing style.  However, for readers who really like the characters to feel very realistic and have distinct voices, I don't think this would necessarily fit that category.  Because Malerman's voice is so present, it feels like the story is being told by someone watching these characters from above so there is a level of disconnect.  While we do get some inner monologue and some of Kit's journal entries, I didn't feel like these differed enough from character to character and they had the same tone as the overall description narration. This is 100% a personal preference thing and while I do normally prefer when the author sort of disappears and lets the characters shine, I do think Malerman is one exception for me.

The kills in this were great and we get a good number of them on-page.  There's a slight escalation with each death in either timing, place, or brutality that works really well to up the tension.  As the story progresses and more bodies drop, there's this frantic aspect to the police investigation and town overall and it was such a great way to keep up the pacing. 

The ending was a bit abrupt, which I normally don't like, but in this case, I didn't mind.  It felt like the puzzle pieces came together early enough that there was sufficient time for the resolution to play out.  I also think the main questions got answered enough that the usual post-climax reflection/info dump wasn't necessary. There were a few details that, at first, I thought didn't get fleshed out enough but upon reflection I could answer all the questions I had. There are a number of threads that come together really well at the end and I think they wrap the whole story up nicely.

Overall, this was a fantastic read.  Got off to a bit of a slow start, but once the story picked up, it really went full speed ahead.  Great myth, great kills, and excellent building of tension as the story went on.

Thanks NetGalley and Del Ray books for the ARC

Expected publication date is September 20, 2022

Romance Wrap-Up 9/1/22 to 9/15/22

 The Rivals of Casper Road - Roan Parrish

 This M/M romance is the fourth in the Garnet Run series and follows Bram and Zachary.  Bram is new to town and is renting a house on Casper Road across the street from Zachary.  When Bram finds out that Casper Road hold an annual Halloween decorating contest and that Zachary is the reigning champion, the two strike up a prank war that gets increasingly flirtatious.  When one prank turns into a kiss that turns into more, the two men have to decide how to handle this relationship that neither of them was expecting. I've read the first book in this series and loved it.  The others are on my TBR but when this came across my NetGalley page, I couldn't pass it up!  I've read other romances with the decoration competition plot but they've all been Christmas-themed.  I'm not much for Halloween, specifically, but I really loved all the autumnal vibes of this book. I really loved both Bram and Zachary as their own characters and thought they had some really developed characterization for a somewhat shorter romance (288 pages).  Their pasts do play a role in their current relationship but they aren't some big dark secrets which I appreciated.  However, as much as I liked each of them, I didn't quite buy into their relationship and I think that's more to do with the way these two sort of just fell together.  So much of their relationship felt a little overly coincidental and I wanted to feel them both having a bit more initiative on the page. I love a good slow burn but this didn't quite hit that mark for me in that way.  I did find that in the later stages of the book and their relationship, they both had a much more active role in their decision making and then I was completely on board.  I loved the side characters and we do get to see all of the couples from the other books in the series.  This was pretty low angst and just all around a cozy fall romance. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.  Expected publication date is September 27, 2022

Spoiler Alert - Olivia Dade

This is the first book in the Spoiler Alert series and follows Marcus and April.  Marcus plays the lead on the biggest TV show - Gods of the Gates - and he writes fanfiction for the same show under a fake name.  April also writes fanfiction as well as crafts cosplays based on the show. After one of her cosplay pictures goes viral on Twitter, Marcus invites April out to dinner.  They both expected this to be a one time dinner, but they didn't expect the chemistry to be working out quite so well.  But when Marcus finds out April is his fanfiction best friend, he is stuck between his two lives and trying to figure out how to not lose April. I really enjoyed this read and loved Marcus and April.  I'm not the biggest fan of celebrity romances unless both partners are involved in the celebrity world which was part of the reason I put off reading this book for so long.  However, I've recently read a number of Dade's backlist and I loved them so I finally gave this a chance.  I did appreciate how the celebrity aspect was not really the central conflict in the story (although it was related) and a lot of the typical 'celebrity romance' scenes were included but much less of a focus in the story (like a run-in with paparazzi).  I also never really got into fanfiction (I didn't know it was a thing until my 20s, lol) so I wasn't entirely connecting with that aspect either but I think Dade does a great job of introducing/explaining it in a way that still allowed non-fanfiction readers into the story.  April and Marcus are such well developed and deep characters that I was completely on board with their romance.  I loved how they each had their own struggles and the other person never tried to fix the issues, they were just supportive.  I did like how both characters would have moments where they would have a knee-jerk reaction to something the other said and immediately assume the worst but then would talk it out and realize they were jumping to conclusions - I just really loved that level of communication. 

TW/CW: fatphobia

Decker: Changing the Play - Kayley Loring and Connor Crais

 This USA Football romance follows NFL quarterback Decker and the new owner of his team, Hannah.  After Hannah's estranged father dies unexpectedly, she finds out he left his football team to her.  She's determined to learn about the business before making any snap decisions.  However, leaning the ropes is made harder with the entire city of Boston watching (and commenting). Decker is the city's golden boy and while he has left his "Decker the Panty Wrecker" ways behind him, he isn't going to let Hannah walk all over this team no matter how much he likes seeing her walk in her tight pencil skirts.  This has a great balance of fun and flirty banter with some super steamy scenes. I really liked how both of our characters are a bit older (upper 30s) so they are generally confident in what they want and are both at a turning point in their careers. I did feel like most of the book was Hannah and Decker acting on their physical attraction and I do wish we had a few more scenes with some emotional connection between the two of them.  I loved the side characters and hope Loring and Crais team up to write more romances following the other players.  I also really enjoyed how much football was in this football romance.  Since Hannah is learning how to manage an NFL team from the ground up, she has to learn about the game as well as the business side.  I think the authors do a great job of incorporating those details in a way that would be accessible even if you've never watched a single football game.  It also doesn't hurt that some of these football lessons end up with Hannah and Decker falling into bed together.  It was refreshing to have the conflict be something other than he's her player/she's his boss

 TW/CW: grief, loss of a parent, estranged parent relationship

 

When in Rome - Sarah Adams

 

This small town, celebrity romance follows Amelia and Noah.  Weeks away from an international tour, pop star  Amelia needs a break.  Taking a cue from Audrey Hepburn classic Roman Holiday, she heads out to the nearest Rome to her - Rome, Kentucky. Her car ends up breaking down on Noah's front lawn and the grumpy baker offers his guest room for the night.  An unexpected long wait to get her car fixed leaves Amelia staying with Noah longer than both expected.  They both are guarded at the beginning, but as they spend more time together, their walls come down and they both see different sides of the other as their feelings grow.  But with Amelia leaving on tour and Noah's past history with bad long distance relationships, the two might just be doomed from the beginning.  This was perfection!  I absolutely loved every aspect of this romance - the slow burn tension, the small town setting, the grumpy/sunshine balance, the character development, the sizzling chemistry, and especially the communication!  This was a lot lower angst than I was expecting but still had great emotional depth and I felt like when these two finally get together that they'd be together for the long haul. I mentioned above that I don't love celebrity romances but since Amelia was trying to escape from her celebrity life, most of the book was not focused on her pop star status.  This might just be my favorite grumpy/sunshine romance because the characters had so much more depth besides just being grumpy or sunshine.  I really hope Adams writes more stories focusing on this town (maybe Noah's sisters?) because I loved the full cast of characters and this little community of Rome, Kentucky. 

TW/CW: death of a parent, infidelity (in past relationship, not MCs)

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC. 

Expected publication date is September 20, 2022