Category: Audiobook

ARC Review – Count Your Lucky Stars

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Sapphic Romance

Series: Written in the Stars #3

Heat Level: 🔥🔥

Release Date: February 1, 2022

Publisher: Avon

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

SYNOPSIS

Following Written in the Stars and Hang the Moon, national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur pens another steamy queer rom-com about former best friends who might be each other’s second chance at love…

Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much. But now her entire crew has found “the one” and she’s beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant—her childhood friend, her first love, her first… well, everything. It’s been ten years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.

Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married… and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.

When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person. Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love?

REVIEW

Margot is happy and content with the way things are. But things are changing and changing rapidly in Margot’s happy circle of friends. Where once there was game nights and casual hangouts, now it’s turned into a couples thing and Margot is feeling like the fifth wheel.

Doesn’t help that THE blast from the past shows up as you guess it…her best friends wedding planner. Olivia is the one, the one that got away that Margot still thinks about. They were best friends and were always together. Until one sweet hook up turned them from friends to lovers briefly and then to merely acquaintances. Because of their one time hookup and the miscommunication after, they haven’t seen each other in over a decade. Olivia got married to her high school sweetheart, but she is divorced now and on her own. Margot and Olivia find each other working closer together than ever before – will be they able to mend their friendship and possibly turn it into something more?

I loved Olivia in the previous books of the Written in the Stars series. She is such a fun and outgoing person and I love her personality. I was so excited for her to get her own story in Count Your Lucky Stars. What happened to make these two best friends who were inseparable suddenly without their best friend. The journey of why these two lost touch was so bittersweet.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Second chance romance is such a favorite trope of mine and I love the angst and tension that it brings. However, I do feel like I wasn’t fully invested in these two characters as a couple. I wanted to feel more for why they were separated and sadly I didn’t get that in Count Your Lucky Stars. I understand that Margot as a character was going through a lot of changes with it feeling like losing her friends because they were all in relationships, but she seemed very insecure and that’s not the vibe I got from her in the first two books.

I had the opportunity to listen to an audiobook of Count Your Lucky Stars which was narrated by Lauren Sweet. I felt like Lauren did an absolute tremendous job narrating the voices for both Olivia and Margot. I was laughing out loud at a lot of the dialogue in the book and definitely made me enjoy the book!

Overall, I really enjoyed the Written in the Stars series! While I didn’t really click with the characters of Count Your Lucky Stars, so many friends really loved this book.

Under One Roof ALC Review

~ Tej ~ Leave a comment

Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: The STEMinist Novellas #1

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: February 8, 2022 (audiobook)/May 3, 2022 (book)

Publisher: Berkley

I received a complimentary audiobook from the publisher.

SYNOPSIS

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new steamy, STEMinist novella….

A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis – it leads to combustion.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn….

As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight.

The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him…and the easier it is to love him.

To listen to Sadie and Hannah’s stories, look for the novellas Stuck with You and Below Zero, coming soon, available first on audio!

REVIEW

Under One Roof had so many of my favorite tropes all wrapped up in one amazing book including
-forced proximity
-roommates
-enemies-to-lovers
-slow burn
-bonding over grief
-strong women in STEM

Ever since I read The Love Hypothesis by Ali last year I have been a huge fan. Under One Roof had so many of the same characteristics that I love in Ali’s writing including lots of humor, longing and the 🔥🔥🔥. While Under One Roof was a novella, it never felt rushed or forced. I got a good sense of who Liam and Mara were and I was rooting for these two right from the beginning!

Audiobook:
Story: 5
Narration: 5
Overall: 5

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Under One Roof. Once I started listening, I had a hard time stopping! The audiobook was narrated by Emma Wilder and I feel like she did a wonderful job with voicing Mara as well as Liam and all other secondary characters. I could always tell if Mara was happy/irritated/sad or mad. And I was laughing out loud on more than one occasion!

If you’re looking for a sweet and sexy romance featuring a woman in STEM I would highly recommend Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood!

December Reads

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

I didn’t get a lot of reading done in December, but it was a very busy month so I’m not really surprised. Standouts for December included the Ice Planet Barbarians series, re-read of Fix Her Up and Every Summer After which releases in the spring. Hoping that 2022 will bring us a lot of amazing books 🙂

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey (re-read)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare (audiobook)

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (ARC)

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa (ARC)

Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon

Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score

November Reads

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

I can’t believe that the year is almost over – where did it go?? I feel like at times this year was moving at a snails pace and then bam – it’s already December! I need to start thinking about my top list of books in 2021 already! I’ve read so many amazing books this year. While I didn’t read a lot this month, the books that I did read were spectacular. Standouts include The Wedding Ringer, Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships and Duke, Actually!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday

The Wedding Ringer by Kerry Rea

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (re-read)

Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills (ARC)

Beach Read by Emily Henry (re-read)

Love, Lists and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder-Ruiz (ARC)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams (ARC)

Rating: 3 out of 5.

First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize the purchase.

October Reads

~ Tej ~ 3 Comments

October came and went in the blink of an eye, it feels! I started off the month strong, but didn’t end up reading a lot this month. Work, Halloween, activities with my kiddos during the day kept me pretty busy! I did a lot of re-reads this month because that’s what I felt most like reading. Favorites books included The Rebel King by Kennedy Ryan and a re-read of The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan (moved my rating up from 4🌟 to 5🌟).

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The Rebel King by Kennedy Ryan

The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe (re-read)

The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan (re-read)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan

Well Matched by Jen Deluca (ARC)

A Perfect Equation by Elizabeth Everett (ARC)

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer (ARC)

September Reads

~ Tej ~ Leave a comment

September was such a busy busy month. While I read the most books in quite some time in August, it seems like I slowed way down and read maybe my fewest books in a month in September. My month started strong, but then I fell into a book slump. And I just felt like re-reading a lot – so that’s exactly what I did ☺ Favorites of this month include The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan (why did I wait so long to pick up this book?!) and Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (ARC)

Dear Enemy by Kristen Callihan (re-read via audiobook)

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (re-read via audiobook – ALC)

The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy (ARC)

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren (re-read)

The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka (ARC)

August Reads

~ Tej ~ 4 Comments

August was a really good reading month! Somehow I managed to read 11 books – which is the most I have read in a month this year. I think it was a combination of reading really good books, audiobooks and my kids being back in school that allowed me to read so much. Standouts from this month included Hook, Line, and Sinker from Tessa Bailey (which doesn’t release until next spring), Electric Idol by Katee Robert, Lease on Love by Falon Ballard (another spring release) and The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe which releases next month!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey (ARC)

The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe (ARC)

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas (reread via audiobook)

Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas (reread via audiobook)

Electric Idol by Katee Robert (ARC)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Witches Get Stitches by Juliette Cross (ARC)

Lease on Love by Falon Ballard (ARC)

A Lot Like Adios by Alexis Daria (ARC)

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (ARC)

Rating: 3 out of 5.

While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory (ARC)

Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas (ARC)

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

~ Tej ~ Leave a comment

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Time Travel/ F/F Romance

Release Date: June 1, 2021

Publisher: St Martin’s Press

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and audiobook from LibroFM

SYNOPSIS

From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks…

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.

REVIEW

Twenty-three year old August has just moved to New York City to go to college. She’s somehow able to secure a room in an apartment she’ll share with three other roommates and she got a job at the diner around the corner (thanks to her new roommates). And yet, she doesn’t feel like there’s a place for her…she often feels alone.

That is until one day she meets a girl on the subway. This girl is fun and bright and August can’t help but gravitate towards her. Every time August takes the Q train she manages to see Jane! Soon August is finding every reason to get on the train so she can see Jane. But what starts off as August meeting her dream girl, turns into a race in time to try to help Jane get back to the 1970’s. Turns out Jane is from the past and has been stuck on the Q train since the 1970’s. Will August be able to help Jane piece together her past so she can help her get back? And what about their budding relationship?

One Last Stop started off really strong for me. I loved getting to know August, her roommates and of course Jane. Their friendship was tentative and sweet and so swoony. But somewhere around the halfway mark, the book started to drag for me. I just felt like there was so much going on and the romance was always there, and yet also it took the back seat a lot.

I switched between listening to the audiobook and reading One Last Stop. The audiobook, narrated by Natalie Naudus was fantastic. Natalie did a wonderful job with the various characters and accents. And while I truly enjoyed the audiobook, the story itself wasn’t as enjoyable as I had hoped.

The writing by Casey McQuiston was beautiful as usual. Definitely add One Last Stop to your TBR if you are looking for a F/F romance with time travel aspects (think Loki) with sweet supporting characters to round out the story!

ARC Review – Love Next Door

~ Tej ~ Leave a comment

Love Next Door by Helena Hunting

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥

Series: Lakeside #1

Release Date: July 27, 2021

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

SYNOPSIS

When Dillion Stitch left her hometown, she had no intention of going back. But when her brother gets into trouble, Dillion reluctantly agrees to return home to take her place at the family business.

Being back in Pearl Lake after all these years feels familiar, but also brings a few surprises. She’s quick to notice that someone new has shown up at the cottage next door. Dillion gets more than an eyeful when she goes to check out the newcomer and meets Donovan “Van” Firestone—her beloved neighbor’s grandson—in all his unclothed glory.

Having gotten off to a rocky start, it’s not long before they begin bickering with each other all over town. All that back and forth inevitably sparks an undeniable attraction. But Dillion’s family has issues, Van’s family resents him, and neither Dillion nor Van feels truly at ease in the small town. For these Pearl Lake exiles, home isn’t just where the heart is—it’s where things get complicated.

REVIEW

Dillion Stitch is back in Pearl Lake. Not really where she’d like to be, but after a series of circumstances all happen at once, she’s needed back home to help her family with their business. Dillion couldn’t wait to get out of the small town life and severed a lot of connections on her way out of Pearl Lake. Will she be able to handle small town life again where everyone is up in each other’s business?

Donovan Firestone has his own reasons for escaping to Pearl Lake. At first he was only coming to manage his grandmother’s estate. But soon he’s planning on staying a while. He doesn’t realize that Dillion and his grandma were close and that she has been keeping up with the estate when his beloved grandmother passed. These two don’t exactly hit it off, but soon they’re in each others spaces more and more often. Will they eventually act on their passion?

I really enjoyed Love Next Door. Having grown up in a small town myself, I remember thinking that I couldn’t wait to leave. I didn’t end up going very far and still visit often and am so grateful for small town living! I also really related to Dillion as being the eldest sibling and really having to take charge of situations sometimes. Family life can be hectic and lovely at the same time and I love how Helena showcased those circumstances.

Van and Dillion had such great chemistry and I loved their sparks right from the beginning. Yes they both make mistakes, but their open and honest communication really added to their relationship. They truly were there for one another and I adored them.

I’m looking forward to the next book in the series – hopefully it’s Teagan’s story.

ARC Review – When Stars Collide

~ Tej ~ Leave a comment

When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction

Heat Rating: 🔥

Series: Chicago Stars #9

Release Date: June 29, 2021

I received a complimentary copy and of this book from the publisher.

SYNOPSIS

Olivia Shore, international opera superstar, is a driven diva with a passion for perfection, a craving for justice, too many secrets—and a monumental grudge against the egotistical, lowbrow jock she’s been stuck with.

It’s Mozart meets Monday Night Football as the temperamental soprano and stubborn jock embark on a nationwide tour promoting a luxury watch brand. Along the way, the combatants will engage in soul-searching and trash talk, backstage drama and, for sure, a quarterback pass. But they’ll also face trouble as threatening letters, haunting photographs, and a series of dangerous encounters complicate their lives. Is it the work of an overzealous fan or something more sinister?

This is the emotional journey of a brilliant woman whose career is everything and a talented man who’ll never be happy with second place.  Tender and funny, passionate and insightful, this irresistible romantic adventure proves that anything can happen…when two superstars collide.

REVIEW

What happens when two stars from opposite spectrums collide? Renowned opera singer Olivia and NFL football quarterback Thad are both brand ambassadors for an upscale watch. Immediately they start off on the wrong foot. Olivia doesn’t want anything to do with jock Thad. Thad thinks Olivia is an uptight diva after she repeatedly freezes him out.

But the more time Thad and Olivia spend with one another, the more they realize how much they like each other. But soon enough Olivia’s life is being threatened and protective quarterback Thad will go to any length to keep Olivia safe. How long can these two before their passion ignites. And once that happens, how can they realistically make a relationship work between the two of them? They are both career driven and independent personalities.

I have read each and every single one of the Chicago Stars books and love the world that SEP has created! It was so much fun revisiting with some of the characters that we loved in previous books. I do feel like I had a harder time connecting with Thad and Olivia as a couple in When Stars Collide. There was often so much other stuff happening in the story and I wanted just a little more of their romance.

Audiobook:
Story: 3
Narration: 4
Overall: 3

The audiobook of When Stars Collide was narrated by Nicole Poole and I truly enjoyed the audiobook! I was laughing along Olivia and Thad while listening to Nicole narrate both of their voices. She did a wonderful job expressing each characters feeling and I won’t hesitate to pick up another audiobook narrated by Nicole!

While not my favorite book out of the series, When Stars Collide had a ton of fun and hilarious moments thrown in with some mystery and suspense to round it out!