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
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