Amanda

Ugh, this book was so good - I wish there had been more Fluffy and Gigi, because both of those characters are absolute delights, but that's a minor nitpick in a book that had me grinning all the way through and yelling in my head at Dani “you love him, you goofball, just admit it!” I loved grumpy-on-the-outside romance-novel-reading Zaf (and the cameo by [b:Tempest 35068495 Tempest (Old West, #3) Beverly Jenkins https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501935222l/35068495.SY75.jpg 56363953] and Beverly Jenkins!) and Dani was such an excellent character, all bravado on the outside and just a little bit of insecurity inside. I think the treatment of anxiety was really good, as someone who deals with that myself, I loved the reference to Dani having cramps (seriously, normalize periods in romance novels), and Dani's bisexuality just being a thing about her, not an issue. I want to live in the world of this book.(2020 summer romance bingo: happily ever after. Would also work for a loose “set on an island,” but I think that's all?)

It was fine, I guess? Not my favorite Courtney Milan, but that's not surprising, considering it's her first novel. I liked how much Ned was involved in it, and it oddly seemed like he was more developed as a character than Gareth, who I really didn't care for throughout a good portion of the book. I'm all for a buttoned-up hero, but he was just kind of a jackass. I wish there'd been a little more depth to Jenny's character, too, or maybe even a friend or something for her - it really didn't seem like she had anyone else in the world besides her clients, and I know that's part of her backstory, but she's been in London twelve years and doesn't know anyone? Anyway, not entirely my thing, but certainly not bad at all. Probably you should start with [b:The Duchess War 13489919 The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister, #1) Courtney Milan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1363009176l/13489919.SY75.jpg 19028791] if you want to read Courtney Milan, though.(2020 summer romance bingo: psychics/telekinesis. Would work for a generous interpretation of “set on an island,” and more traditionally for secret identity, title is a pun, or debut novel.)

This was unexpectedly delightful in the best way - I don't read a lot of contemporary romance where the characters are mafia/motorcycle club/various “sexy” members of the underworld, but I picked this book up a while ago when it was free for Kindle and it was a perfect fit for bingo this year. There's not a whole lot of focus on the bootlegger drama, and when it does take more of the plot later in the book it's resolved fairly quickly and without a lot of angst. Though Javier does beat up and kidnap a couple of the bad guys, and there's a big battle/brawl/showdown at the end that culminates in Hannah holding the big bad at gunpoint, if any of that is a problem.

Most of the book is Javier and Hannah getting to know each other and Hannah coming into her own as the leader of the Hawkins organization. There's really not a lot of conflict between Hannah and Javier, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, so I wouldn't call this anything like enemies-to-lovers, more like rivals-to-lovers? I would've liked to see a bit more of the character's lives or relationships aside from the arranged marriage - the two scenes where Javier runs into his ex at the store and Hannah visits the basement beauty parlor with her sister and friend were great, and I wish there was a little more about each of those relationships, especially about what went wrong in Javier's first marriage, which was a little underdeveloped to me. Having said all that, this was a lot of fun and extremely sexy. Even though settings like this aren't quite my thing, I'm definitely keeping an eye out for this author.

(2020 summer romance bingo: bootleggers. Would work for “there's only one bed” or ice cream as well.)

3.5 stars, rounding up. A note to start: like I said in my review of [b:Brazen and the Beast 40221961 Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #2) Sarah MacLean https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543966730l/40221961.SY75.jpg 57373068], the premise of this entire series is absolutely bonkers, but really, is it any more unrealistic than the idea of historical England being just crawling with handsome, ripped, socially aware dukes and earls? Anyway. I read this for “villain's love story,” and it definitely does qualify for that, though I think I lost a bit of the context by not having read the first book in this series. There's enough filled in here and in Brazen and the Beast to get the backstory, I think, but you might be a little confused if you only read this one. I LOVED Grace and I wish the book had shown a little bit more of her life in Covent Garden (and again, I need a novella about Zeva to go with the one about Nora, please). I got some major “Harlots” vibes from those sections and wanted more - Grace was pretty solitary outside of her brothers and I would've liked to see more women around her. I did love the scene in the Garden with the women doing laundry, though - that was probably my favorite in the book. I'm glad I read these two books and I'm actually interested again to see what Sarah MacLean's new series is like. (2020 summer romance bingo: “villain's love story.” Would also work for “set on island,” loosely, “secret identity,” “broken nose only makes them more handsome,” and maybe “midsummer ball.”)

I think I'm suffering a slight book hangover after loving [b:Xeni 53133786 Xeni (Loose Ends #2) Rebekah Weatherspoon https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570276619l/53133786.SX50_SY75.jpg 73607459] as much as I did, because this was just a little bit of a letdown - I still enjoyed it, but the pacing was somewhat off for me, with the slowish burn of the romance and then everything happening with Reid's job and the scandal in the last 50 or so pages. I loved Meg and her journey as a character from being somewhat passive and avoiding conflict to learning how to fight in a productive way. Since this is entirely from Meg's POV (and first-person), so Reid is a little less developed as a character for me, though that late reveal does clarify things a little. The writing was overall excellent, and I also loved how much attention was paid to Meg's friendships and the relationships between the female characters as well (actually, now that I think about it, Reid is really the only significant male character, which is not a complaint). This book (combined with [a:Ruby Lang 13495728 Ruby Lang https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493417079p2/13495728.jpg]'s Uptown trilogy) really made me want to visit New York again. Maybe someday that'll be possible.Edited to add that I really appreciated that Meg had cramps in this book - I know romance novels are fantasy but that little note of realism was well-done and uncommon. More of it please!(2020 summer romance bingo: dad jokes. Would work for set on island or ice cream as well)

Second in a series, but you absolutely do not need to read the first for this to make sense - though since the first is [b:Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny 41712479 Rafe A Buff Male Nanny (Loose Ends #1) Rebekah Weatherspoon https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1536086084l/41712479.SY75.jpg 65058784], you may want to regardless, considering that title is amazing. This book is a completely different tone from the first Rebekah Weatherspoon book I read ([b:Haven 34745311 Haven (Beards & Bondage, #1) Rebekah Weatherspoon https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491009828l/34745311.SY75.jpg 55936047]), and this is more along the lines of what I enjoy - much less angst, no murders at all, but still excellent heat and, of course, HEA. I love Xeni and Mason and I loved just how much they like each other, which makes for excellent banter throughout (nothing wrong with a good enemies-to-lovers, but this was just FUN). I basically read this over a weekend, and it's candy-colored and sweet and just delightful escapism all the way around. (Plus, cover love, I mean seriously.)(2020 summer romance bingo: dumped at a wedding. Would work for so many squares - apple orchard, meddling matchmakers, protagonist plays instrument that's not guitar/piano, possibly ice cream or secret identity...)

This BOOK, oh my god. I read the last 10% with a massive grin on my face, it was just so delightful and perfect and sweet. I love how well the characters are defined, even the minor ones like Quinn or Jaxon, I love Liz's brother and grandparents, everyone in this book is so well-written and realistic-feeling - the antagonist is a little flatter, but I'm okay with that, honestly. I don't need a big helping of empathy for her, considering how she treats Liz. Content warnings here: homophobia, forced outing, racism (verbal, no slurs that I recall), deceased parent (before book starts), chronic illness

I don't know if I have much more to say about this book, except even if this doesn't seem like your thing, you should still read it. It was so much fun and just what everyone needs in the middle of These Uncertain Times. It will clear your skin, water your crops, and bake you a delicious cake.

(2020 summer romance bingo: “protagonist plays an instrument that's not guitar or piano,” would also work for “cover has a large piece of jewelry” if you count drawn-on crowns, and for “debut novel.”)

Solid romance/general fiction - it really does straddle the line a bit, because there's almost as much about January coming to terms with her dad's death and reconciling who he was with who she thought he was, which is all very well-handled and a good exploration of grief and disillusionment. I do just have to say, however, write as beautifully as you want in letters to your daughter about CHEATING ON YOUR WIFE WHO HAS CANCER, you're still cheating on your wife who has cancer, justify it however you like, you're garbage, sorry about it.

I really enjoyed the dialogue in this book, especially the banter between January and Gus as they get to know each other early on. Some of the drama late in the book with Gus's ex-wife coming back and January kind of spiraling out as a result seemed a little bit unnecessary, but other than that I liked this a lot and the development of the romance was really natural and fun.

(2020 summer romance bingo: “protagonist smells uniquely like themselves,” though really, once you're looking for it, almost every romance has a description or two that would qualify for this square. Would also work for “I'm on a boat,” and maybe for “dad jokes.”)

Probably 4.5 stars, rounding down. I had never heard of this book, even though it's a pretty recent release, and I wonder if it's because it could be classified as general fiction instead of romance. (Definitely not saying general fiction is better than romance, just that they're marketed differently.) This is definitely a romance, though, and one I really enjoyed - content warnings here minor character death, force-feeding, police violence, physical abuse, characters in jail, so this is definitely a little more intense than a lot of things I like, but it never got overwhelmingly dark to me.

It's fairly angsty, but again, not dark, and the only real criticism I have is that the slow burn of it all got just a bit repetitive by the end, but overall, I thought this was a really well-told story of flawed people growing and finding their way to each other. It's probably not for you if religious characters are a problem (though I wouldn't call this “inspirational,” the male MC is a priest), but otherwise, I really recommend it.

(2020 summer romance bingo: suffragettes. Other options it would work for: “set on an island,” loosely, or debut novel.)

I haven't read a lot of second-chance romance - nothing against it, really, but a lot of times the reason the couple didn't work before isn't adequately addressed/resolved for me. Here, I didn't have that problem and I really enjoyed this, particularly Lana's prickliness and independence. Bonus for a grumpy cat with a food name!

(2020 summer romance bingo: “set on island,” since Manhattan is an island. Would also work for “title is a pun,” I think, and maybe “meddling matchmakers.”)

A perfectly charming historical romance - set in the Georgian era, which is a little earlier time period than most of the historicals I read, so it was a bit of an adjustment to envision the characters with powdered wigs and panniers, but that's not too big of a deal. This is the fifth in a series and I haven't read any of the others, but I don't think I really lost out on anything despite that. This was just a pleasant world to escape to for a few hours, with mostly likable characters who mostly like each other, and no huge drama or conflict. Even the Big Secret is kind of silly and resolved in one conversation, so this is what you'd call a low-conflict book, which I enjoy very much in These Uncertain Times.

(2020 summer romance bingo: “their nose was broken once but it only makes them more handsome.” Could work for “set on island,” technically, since it's in England, or “meddling matchmakers,” but the ball in this book is in April, so sadly no midsummer ball.)

I stand by what I said in my placeholder review that there needs to be a novella about Nik and Nora - regency lesbians! Named NIK and NORA, come on! This has to happen.

Anyway, this is my first Sarah MacLean in quite some time; she was one of the first authors I read when I was getting into romance years ago, but her recent books haven't been clicking with me, so I probably wouldn't have picked this up if not for romance bingo. I'm glad I did, because I really liked the heroine (and again, this book needed more Nora as well). I liked that Hattie was plus-size and tall - as a person like that myself, generally romance heroines are one or the other (or neither), but not all of the above, so I enjoyed that. I also liked that Hattie and Nora pointed out how ridiculous the nickname “Beast” is and that it wasn't used very much, because it is ridiculous.

There were a couple of plot issues that keep me from giving this five stars: 1) the whole premise of the series, with three illegitimate sons all born the same day and forced to battle to become the heir, is just bonkers, but this is historical romance, so... 2) I know it mentions that Hattie's family is preoccupied and doesn't pay much attention to her, but you think they might notice if she just disappeared and was in a coma for at least several days? Anyway. Overall, I enjoyed this, which was a pleasant surprise, and I'll probably read the next book in the series for bingo if my library ever gets it.

(2020 summer romance bingo: violet eyes. Would also work for “I'm on a boat” and bootleggers. Maybe “midsummer ball,” but I honestly am not sure what time of year the ball in this book takes place.)

This was the slowest of slow burns, which was a little frustrating when the reason for the slowness was mostly that the two main characters didn't just talk to each other - this wasn't really a problem for most of the book, but when Jo going to her nephew's baseball games and becoming friends with Emma's sister became a whole Thing that led to them not talking for a while, I got annoyed, because that doesn't seem like a thing that would be a big deal, and especially not if Jo had just mentioned it at first (also Emma's silent treatment over it was ridiculous). That's more of a pacing/plotting issue, and I don't want it to get away from the major takeaway on this book for me, which is that it was very well-written and a lot of fun. I really liked the characters and I was cheering for them to figure things out and get together.

(2020 summer romance bingo: debut novel. Could also work for “large piece of jewelry on cover,” ice cream, or possibly meddling matchmakers.)

3.5 stars, rounding down. If this were the sort of thing I liked, I would probably have really liked this! I don't dislike it at all, but I'm just not big into science fiction combined with romance, so I wouldn't have picked this up if not for the Ripped Bodice Summer Romance Bingo. I liked the crew/found family situation here, especially the backstory about Tess and Jax. The alternating between first-person for Tess and occasional dips into third-person for Shade's POV was kind of an odd choice - while it didn't really bother me too much, I'm not sure why the author made that decision.

Extra half a star for Bonk the space cat and his self-cleaning litter box. Between that and Tess's birth-control injection that apparently lasts a decade, this might be a pretty decent dystopia, all things considered. (That's a joke, I don't want to live in a dystopia, whoops we already do.)

(2020 summer romance bingo: “the final frontier,” could also work for “I'm on a boat,” I think, since it's a spaceship. Other possibilities: secret identity, maybe a generous interpretation of bootleggers.)

Content warnings right up front: death of parent (on-page via flashback, fairly detailed description), death by fire, sexual abuse in a character's past (vague flashbacks), abusive parent (emotional/verbal, physical once), abusive spouse (emotional/verbal), gaslighting/manipulating/threatening abuser, victim not being believed about sexual abuse If you want details about any of those, message me and I'll do the best I can to provide more info.

So despite all the content warnings above, this was actually an extremely fun read! I loved Liya and all her friends, and I'm so glad that there's going to be another book in this series (about Preeti, and I hope there's a third for Sana). I really liked the enemies-to-friends-to-love slow burn and how Liya and Jay both had their own issues to work through trusting each other. It got a little repetitive in the middle, with Liya pushing Jay away over and over, but it was definitely understandable considering her history. Jay was a little less developed as a character for me and definitely less complex, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Basically, I just liked both of these characters a lot, I loved the setting (I haven't read a lot of books set in Texas) and their friends/family members (except Liya's dad, who is the second most reprehensible person in this book), and even though I knew how things were going to end, I was still rooting for them and anxious to see how everything would work out in the end, which I think is the mark of a good romance. I could nitpick about a couple of things, like Jay's lawyer stuff and travel time between Houston and Dallas, but why? This was delightful and I can't wait for more from this author!

(2020 summer romance bingo: meddling matchmakers, would also work for ice cream or debut novel.)

Oh my god, this was such a fun book and reading it made me so happy. It's more of a rom-com than a straight-up romance, though I need to qualify that with some content notes that are possible spoilers, so Tiffy's prior relationship was at least emotionally abusive, and her ex shows up several times, occasionally violently (though she's not assaulted). Her recovery/processing of all that is a pretty major plot point, and she has occasional flashbacks. So the book doesn't entirely avoid heavy topics, but there's a general tone of optimism that makes especially Tiffy's chapters really enjoyable to read. The chapters are alternating first-person POV and Leon's style is very different from Tiffy's - short sentences, very few pronouns, no quotation marks. It's a little bit of an adjustment but I didn't find it too hard to get used to after the first couple of chapters. Everything came together in this book in such a satisfying way and I can't recommend it highly enough.

(2020 summer romance bingo: “there was only one bed,” could also work for “I'm on a boat” or “set on island,” defining both of those generously. Would also work for healthcare professional, debut novel, and “protagonist smells uniquely like themselves.”)

It was fine, I guess? Very much the first in a series - a lot of setup for the protagonists in the rest of the series and all that. Both main characters here felt a little underwritten, especially the male lead. Why is he friends with these two other nobles who are so much younger than he is, besides the fact that this is the first in a series? I didn't think a lot about his character was that well-established, but I did like how his perspective changed after understanding Cassandra's background and everything she'd been through. Cassandra was a little bit more developed, and a heroine I hadn't read before, which was nice.

(2020 summer romance bingo: title is a pun, would also work for secret identity, maybe villain's love story and/or protagonist smells uniquely like themselves.)

(Disclosure: the author is a friend.) The only thing wrong with this book is that it's too short - I wanted more! This was a sweet story about moving on from the mistakes of the past, dealing with long-term grief (no on-page deaths, if that's an issue for anyone), and Manhattan real estate. Plus dumplings and ice cream, both of which I am now craving. I wanted a little more of the MC's families, especially Ty's sister, and the eventual resolution to the main conflict over the garden is a little overly convenient, but those are minor nitpicks in an otherwise delightful book.

(2020 summer romance bingo: ice cream, would also work for “set on island” or “meddling matchmakers,” I think.)

Okay, coming back after a few days to review this a little more in depth - the backstory/connection between these two characters is nothing I've seen in any other romance and was handled really well, I think. I learned a lot about medicine in this era, which was, unsurprisingly, misogynist and terrible. I hadn't reread any of the Brothers Sinister series in quite a while, so while I recognized the references to previous characters/events, they didn't really have a lot of meaning to me at this point. Which is a long way of saying I think you could read this without reading [b:The Duchess War 13489919 The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister, #1) Courtney Milan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1363009176l/13489919.SY75.jpg 19028791], but you should read The Duchess War anyway, it's so good. This is quick and sweet and oddly educational, and I recommend it.(2020 summer romance bingo: health care professional, probably wouldn't have worked for anything else besides HEA.)

Meh. I wanted more of a bigger picture about Black parenting and adoption in America, and this was mostly just the author's experiences (which I know is what a memoir is, but a little more perspective about how other people go through this would've been good). Also, for someone who talks constantly about feeling judged or looked down on by others for adopting, she sure spends a lot of time judging other people, especially her children's birth mother and other foster parents, so much so that she decides their adoptions should be closed - no contact with their older siblings or mother, because she disapproves of the foster homes the older kids are in. That decision was mind-boggling to me and I really considered DNF-ing the book at that point. The writing is fine, and the story is interesting enough, but sad to say, I just didn't really like the author enough to enjoy this book. I don't have to agree with all your decisions when I'm reading a memoir, but I should at least like you as a person, I think.

This is my first Rebekah Weatherspoon somehow and I really enjoyed it, even though it's first-person present narration, which isn't my favorite style. Even with the alternating POV, I felt Claudia was a little bit underdeveloped as a character; it feels like the book spent more time in Shep's head than hers, and there's not a lot of backstory about her except that her parents are dead and she works in fashion in New York. I also felt like the ending was a little bit abrupt, though I'm extremely glad that it didn't resolve the long-distance situation by having Claudia give up her career to live in the woods full-time, which would've been "throw the phone across the room" territory for me. I really enjoyed the development of their relationship and I'll definitely be reading more by this author!

(2020 summer romance bingo: accidentally in the wilderness, probably wouldn't have worked for anything else besides HEA.)

I didn't mean to read this in one sitting, but oops. Also, I didn't realize until I opened the ebook from the library that it was a novella, which is not at all a bad thing, but just an FYI. KJ Charles might be my current favorite historical romance author and I could've read another hundred pages or so of this story quite happily. The secret identity surprised me but everything worked out in a delightfully twisty way.

(2020 summer romance bingo: secret identity, could have also maybe worked for “there was only one bed,” if you define bed as bedroom, and I'd argue for “villain's love story” as well.)

Enjoyed this way more than I was expecting to (even after all the positive reviews). I was also raised evangelical in north Texas, so I identified with a lot of the earlier parts of the book. Jessica seems like an excellent hang and I admire the hell out of her for being so honest in this and making it through some truly awful experiences. John Mayer can jump off a cliff.

Writing was better than [b:Not the Girl You Marry 44082130 Not the Girl You Marry Andie J. Christopher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550779727l/44082130.SX50.jpg 68549157], and I found these characters more engaging and complex than in that book, but the plot here just didn't make much sense to me - I know the author is (or was?) an attorney, but if she ever practiced criminal law, I'd be surprised. As a defense attorney, it really got in the way of my enjoyment of the book, because 1) at the beginning, it talks a lot about this big case of hers and the complaining witness backing out at the last minute, which definitely happens, but then ... she just shrugs and goes to Vegas? It's never brought up again, not even in a sidebar "oh, it's too bad we had to dismiss this case" type of way, and maybe it's meant to show she's burnt out, but it's odd to spend that much time on it at first and then never mention it again. 2) A big huge motivating factor for her in this is to get a fellowship and pay off her loans, which I totally understand but also ... income-based repayment is a thing and so is public service loan forgiveness. I have a ton of loans myself, and they're a lot, but this just seemed like a sort of cliche thing to be a motivation (especially because, again, Vegas trip). 3) This is the most minor, but there's an aside about how she hates having to offer plea bargains, because she'd rather have people face trial and be put away for a long time. Which, ugh gross, but also, people go away for long periods of time after plea bargains as well, and felony case loads are big enough that most cases are resolved by plea, so a DA who insisted on taking everything to trial wouldn't last very long. All of that probably isn't that big a deal if you're not me, but unfortunately I am me, and it did interfere with my enjoyment. I expected to like this more than I did, which is kind of a bummer, because I do like the premise (fake marriage is one of my favorites and so is mutual pining), but I certainly didn't hate it. Kind of like the movies it's based (loosely) on, it's a good way to spend an afternoon but maybe not something that'll stick in your mind for a long time. But In These Times, sometimes that's all that's needed, a little bit of distraction and relaxation.

It was fine - I love Olivia Dade's plus-sized heroines and their strong senses of self, but I just didn't buy the romance here. Not because of the age difference between the characters or anything, really, but it's a vacation fling, they've known each other not even two weeks and he's ready to quit his job and move several states away? Even assuming that wouldn't cause any issues with his work visa, that's a big change. I feel like Lucas needed more development as a character for that decision to make sense. All in all, this was a fun, goodhearted book, but I wanted it to show its work a little bit more for the plot and character decisions to feel earned.

(2021 Summer Romance Bingo: wardrobe malfunction, would also work for educator.)