Category: Book Recommendations

ARC Review The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn

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The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Level: 🔥

Release Date: April 7, 2026

Publisher: Berkley Romance

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

SYNOPSIS

A woman tests the limits of her so-called amicable divorce when she flies to Paris for the destination wedding of her former sister-in-law, only to butt heads with the deliciously gruff best man, in a poignant and romantic novel from Kate Clayborn.

Physician Layla Bailey has spent over a year telling herself she’s moved on from a painful but amicable divorce from her college sweetheart. Staying friends with her ex seemed like the mature thing to do, but when Layla is invited to her former sister-in-law’s destination wedding in Paris—where Layla once spent her own romantic honeymoon—she knows her commitment to maturity might be her worst enemy…especially since her ex isn’t attending alone.

The only thing that could make the week more difficult is getting through it without the distraction of the wedding…. But when what Layla thought was a harmless conversation about the choices of her younger self leads to the bride getting cold feet, Layla finds herself facing down the groom’s mysterious, taciturn best man, Griffin, who will do anything to make sure this wedding happens.

Since she broke it, Griff demands she help him fix it. Going along with his plan to alleviate the engaged couple’s doubts seems like Layla’s best chance at maintaining a good relationship with a family she once called her own. But as she learns more about the past heartbreak that’s driving Griff to help his friend, she gets closer and closer to confronting the true depth of her own pain…while finding herself more and more willing to risk it all again for Griff.

REVIEW

What happens when your former sister-in-law invites you to her wedding and you end up forming a strange alliance with the best man who is rude (and okay handsome) to make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch? Yep, that’s the premise of The Paris Match and I loved every second of this messy, sweet, chaotic and very romantic book.

Kate Clayborn’s books are typically very character driven and we really get to know each and every character in The Paris Match. Right off the bat, I fell in love with Layla’s character. She was self assured and confident…but willing to go back to a wedding with her former in-laws? Oof,that’s a lot to unpack there. And then we meet Griffin who is gruff, rude and comes across as arrogant. But he’s battling his own internal demons. These characters were so complex and I loved the way Kate wove this story around them all while centering it around Paris – the city of Love.

I really enjoyed The Paris Match and it very well might be my favorite Kate Clayborn novel. The romance was so sweet and never felt rushed or insta-love. I loved the themes of becoming more self aware of who you are and learning to forgive yourself.

Overall, 4.5 stars.

p.s. favorite words from this book: lightning, fae-prince, amicable (iykyk)

Favorite Audiobooks of 2025

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***Thank you PRHAudio and LibroFM for the free listener copies

I love listening to audiobooks any chance I can get. I listen to them on my walks and runs, when I’m doing chores around the house and especially on long commutes. They make any task I’m doing fly by and that much more enjoyable! The audiobooks in this post were some of my favorites from 2025. I loved the narration, the writing style and the way they were able to transport me into a whole new world.

I feel like fantasy is done so well on audio and I couldn’t read The Ragpicker King and Every Spiral of Fate fast enough. Romance books on audio are my favorite and I loved the ones here! Promise Me Sunshine and Sounds Like Love were constantly bringing me to tears while Deep End was making me blush and Flirting with Disaster had me in all my feels!

These books were all five star reads for me. I listened to The Knight and the Moth exclusively but the others I tandem read/listened to and that’s probably my favorite way of reading a book. Alchemised crushed me completely, while The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy had me laughing out loud. I highly recommend each and every one of these books!

**Problematic Summer Romance and Watch Me were borrowed from my local public library.

Spotlight – Save Me by Mona Kasten

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Save Me by Mona Kasten

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance / New Adult

Series: Maxton Hall #1

Release Date: July 1, 2025

Publisher: Berkley

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

If you were a fan of Maxton Hall (which I absolutely was), you will most likely end up loving Save Me! The tv adaptation followed so closely along with the books and I love that for us! I’m excited to read the next book in the series (and not gonna lie the next season of the series as well!).


SYNOPSIS

The first book in the international bestselling Maxton Hall series—now an Amazon Prime streaming series—in English for the first time.

They come from different worlds, and yet they are meant for each other.

Money, glamour, luxury, power—Ruby Bell couldn’t be less interested in these things if she tried. After being awarded a scholarship to one of England’s most prestigious and expensive private schools, Maxton Hall, all she wants is to keep her head down, work hard, and get accepted to Oxford. She keeps her distance from everyone, especially the arrogant, rich, and extremely handsome James Beaufort, ringleader of the school’s party boys.

When Ruby discovers a scandalous secret about the Beauforts, she is suddenly on James’s radar. It only gets worse when James is forced to work with her to plan the school’s annual gala. Yet the more time they spend together, the more they realize they share much more than they thought.

Falling for James Beaufort was never part of her plan, yet Ruby can’t help but let her feelings sweep her away. But James must make a decision for will he choose what’s expected of him, or what he feels for her?

King of Envy by Ana Huang – ARC Review

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King of Envy by Ana Huang

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Kings of Sin #5

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: April 29, 2025

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

SYNOPSIS

He had everything he could’ve wanted…except her.

Dangerous. Powerful. Reclusive.

Vuk Markovic is notorious for shunning human interactions. The scarred billionaire rarely talks, and he has no interest in relationships outside his small but trusted circle.

His only exception? Her . The beauty to his beast, the object of his obsession.

He saw her first. He wanted her first. But now, she’s engaged to his oldest friend—and the closer the wedding looms, the more he’s torn between loyalty and desire.

She should be his…and he might just risk it all to have her.

***
Beautiful. Successful. Glamorous.

To the world, supermodel Ayana Kidane leads the perfect life. Her career has skyrocketed, and she’s engaged to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors.

What people don’t know is that the engagement is only a business arrangement. He gets his inheritance when they marry; she gets the money she needs to leave her abusive agency.

Pretending to be in love should be easy—until she finds herself increasingly drawn to her fiancé’s enigmatic best man.

Vuk thrills and terrifies her in equal measure. She knows she should stay away, but when her wedding is thrown into chaos, he’s the only person she finds comfort in…

Until his past catches up with them and threatens everything they love.

REVIEW

What you can expect to find in King of Envy:
-forbidden romance
-slow burn
-angsty/swoony
-he falls first
-forced proximity
-messy/complicated relationships
-broody, morally gray hero

I love love LOVE when Ana Huang writes a broody, morally gray hero. Those books are way up there as favorites from Ana Huang (ahem: King of King of Pride, King of Greed, Twisted Love) and King of Envy has moved way up the rankings as one of my favorite Ana Huang romance book.

I can’t help but really enjoy books that are on the messier side and King of Envy was definitely MESSY but in the best way. Vuk falling for his best friends fiancee?? Only he doesn’t realize it’s a marriage of convenience situation that isn’t out of love. GAH the angst in this book was on another level! I could not stop turning the pages.

Ayana and Vuk had so much chemistry. Right off the bat they were making me laugh with their banter. I loved how sensitive Ayana was towards Vuk. Their shared back stories/trauma made them a stronger couple and I loved that. And Vuk always putting Ayana’s needs first – yes, we love a man who YEARNS and Vuk was definitely yearning 🥹.

The suspense part of the storyline had me hooked. I never had a clue of who the “bad guy” was until I was to that part of the book! I’m not always big into suspenseful romance, but Ana Huang does it so well.

Easily a 5⭐️ read for me! I truly cannot wait for the next book (eek!).

p.s. I love that even though this was one of Ana’s angstier romances – the classic humor was still there and there were moments that literally had me laughing out loud!

Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T.

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Happy Friday! I realize that I’ve been blogging for a few years, but don’t really do a weekly recap. I love reading about weekly recaps on Instagram & TikTok so thought I’d start sharing one on my blog as well. I’d like to try getting back into blogging more. I love this space and shouting about the books I love or am excited to read. Here’s a weekly R.E.P.O.R.T with mostly bookish things but some non-bookish things as well!

(R)eading: I just finished Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven. This is the book that my book club picked as their next read. I enjoyed this book as the premise was unique – two people who love each other in every lifetime, but are destined to die at each others hands before their 18th birthday. While I loved 3/4 of the book, the last bit lost me and dropped down a rating. Still enjoyable, but a bit disjointed at the end.

(E)ating: brussell sprouts at bookclub this past weekend! Why can I never get them to taste as good at home.

(P)laying: just did a reread of Book Lovers by Emily Henry on audio. I am such a huge fan of Julia Whelan and remembered why I loved this book so much. I am way too excited for Great Big Beautiful Life (although I’ve been seeing mixed reviews) & felt like a reread of an older EmHen book.

(O)bsessing: over wanting to cut my hair into a bob. I’m not quite there yet, but I feel like later this year I’ll finally take the plunge and cut a good chunk of my hair off. My hair now is down to my lower back and I’ve been contemplating letting my gray hair grow out as well as cutting it short. I’m getting closer every day…

(R)ecommending: I finished Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone and gah it was so good. Yes it was a story about grief, but also the loveliness of everyday life and I loved listening to the audio for it {gifted by PRHaudio}. Also recommending the film Past Lives. It released a few years ago but I only recently got around to watching it and loved it so much. I’ve been thinking about it since I finished it a week or so ago.

(T)reating: myself to a manicure. I love getting my nails done – it’s my “me time” and I love the feeling of getting my nails done. I recently started getting my nails done regularly a few years ago and it’s such a treat. Loving my spring themed nails.

So that’s a little about this weekly wrap up. What did you think about this weekly r.e.p.o.r.t.? I’d love to know what you’ve been reading or recommending as well!

ARC Review First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison

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First-Time Caller by BK Borison

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Heartstrings #1

Heat Level: 🔥🔥

Release Date: February 11, 2025

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

SYNOPSIS

A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she’s as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending… even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.

REVIEW

okay first of all – he wears a thin gold chain 🫦 AND he keeps a list of her favorite things 🫠

I finished First-Time Caller a few months ago and I’m still thinking about it. I loved everything about this book. Single parent romances can be hit and miss for me, but B.K. Borison knew what she was doing with First-Time Caller. I loved loved loved Aiden + Lucie. If you’re looking for…

-forced proximity
-slow burn
-strangers to friends to lovers
-single mom
-found family/family bond
-tension
-she wants magic and love x he doesn’t believe in that
-she’s a mechanic

Okay hear me out – didn’t realize I was going to love this so much until I read it in First Time Caller…he has a gold chain and plays with it when he’s nervous or anxious – gah!!! (brought me back to Connell and his chain from Normal People). Okay…moving on now

THIS BOOK. This book was so so so good. I read Business Casual last year and didn’t think that BK Borison could top that, but she did. I have not watched Sleepless in Seattle (maybe I need to?) so I’m not sure how to compare this book to that movie, but I will say that I was hooked right from the beginning. I loved the dynamics with all the characters in this book. From Lucie and her ex (also baby daddy) to Aiden and his co-worker/best friend Jackson. Every person in this book had an important role to play and I appreciate that none of them were there just for the sake of it.

And the relationship between Aiden and Lucie 🥹 I loved the banter and tension between these two. Ugh. This is one of those books that I wanted to fly through and at the same time I didn’t want it to end. These two were just so good for one another.

If you are a fan of audiobooks, I highly recommend listening to First-Time Caller. I had an opportunity to listen to the audiobook and it was phenomenal. I feel like E.J. Bingham and Hathaway Lee did such an amazing job bringing life to Aiden and Lucie! I seriously enjoyed this audiobook rendition so much.

Only gripe with First-Time Caller … I didn’t want it to end.

Absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series! BK Borison is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

I would recommend you add this book to your tbr!

ARC Review – Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

~ Tej ~ 1 Comment

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Sports Romance

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: February 4, 2025

Publisher: Berkley

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

Deep End (aka Whet) by Ali Hazelwood releases in less than 2 weeks! I loved this spicy, swoony and angsty romance. As with all of Ali’s books I ended up reading this book in less than 2 days. I could not put it down once I started it. It was a bit messy 👀 and definitely much spicier than her previous books, BUT I loved it and clearly could not get enough. I could happily live in the Ali-verse and look forward to her next book 🥰

SYNOPSIS

A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water…

REVIEW

What you can expect to find in Deep End:
-diver x swimmer
-he falls first
-new adult college romance
-sports romance x STEM
-🌶🌶🌶 (BDSM)
-he speaks another language
–messy drama (which I loooove)
-cameos from a past favorite couple

Scarlett Vandermeer loves her life at Stanford. She’s a collegiate diver and loves her team and her coach, but she can’t seem to get past the yips she’s been experiencing since a diving accident. Between diving and applying to med schools, Scarlett doesn’t have time for much else – especially not a relationship.

Lukas Blomqvist thrives on control and discipline. Scarlett hasn’t shared more than a few words with him and couldn’t imagine having anything in common with the world champion. When Scarlett happens to run into Lukas Blomqvist and hear a well guarded secret she realizes they might have more things in common that she never would have guessed. Things like their love of science, getting ready for med school and their shared tastes in the bedroom.

What starts out as temporary soon starts to become something more. But their relationship involves people they love and care about and soon it’s not so cut and dry. Will they find a way to make their complicated relationship work?

As with other Ali Hazelwood books, I finished this book within a matter of two days. I couldn’t stop reading about Scarlett and Lukas. And not only Lukas and Scarlett, but their relationships with their friends and teammates was such a huge part of this book. As usual there were some hilariously funny scenes that had me cracking up. I loved how much Scarlett grew as a character in Deep End – those scenes were so relatable.

This book was definitely one of Ali’s spicier books 🌶🌶. Ali knows how to bring the heat and I loved how intimate Lukas and Scarlett were. Yes there was physical intimacy, but also their emotional intimacy.

I highly enjoyed Deep End and rated it 4.5 stars!

Cannot wait for all the special editions with WHET💦

Favorite Books of 2024

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2024 was a great reading year. But it was also a year filled with quite a few reading slumps. While I did read a lot of new books, I also ended up reading backlists and quite a few re-reads as well.

I ended the year having read a total of 103 books. I didn’t do a top 10 or top 20 list this year, but rather a compilation of my favorite reads based on sub-genre. I did include 2 arcs {thank you Berkley Romance for the gifted copies} that aren’t released until 2025 – Deep End by Ali Hazelwood and First-Time Caller by BK Borison. I loved both and highly recommend them!

**I read a majority of these books as advanced reader copies courtesy of the publishers. Thank you Berkley Romance, Bloom Books, LibroFM, PRHAudio, SimonTeen, Dutton for the gifted copies**

I read quite a few amazing rom-coms this year! The Risk was a re-read, but I ended up loving it more the second time around. The Love of my After Life was amazing on audio {thank you PRH Audio for the gifted copy}. First Time Caller and Deep End are releasing in 2025 {thank you Berkley for the gifted arcs}.

If there’s one thing about me – it’s that I absolutely love a good book that makes me cry, especially when the story resonates with my own experiences and emotions, drawing me into its world and leaving a lasting impression on my heart. LOVED these books!

I read so many good fantasy books this year and these were a few of my favorites. Overall a great romantasy reading year.

This was the year I started reading more dark romances and I enjoyed them! Definitely not a sub-genre for everyone, but I’m looking forward to reading more dark romances.

So many amazing books that I read in 2024 and I can’t wait to see what books will make my favorites list in 2025.

Did we happen to read any of the same books? What were your favorite books of 2024?

God of Malice by Rina Kent Review

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God of Malice by Rina Kent

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Series: Legacy of Gods #1

Genre: Dark Romance

Heat Level: 🌶🌶🌶

SYNOPSIS

I caught the attention of a monster.
I didn’t ask for it.
Didn’t even see it coming.
But the moment I do, it’s too late.
Killian Carson is a predator wrapped in sophisticated charm.
He’s cold-blooded, manipulative, and savage.
The worst part is that no one sees his devil side.
I do.
And that will cost me everything.
I run, but the thing about monsters?
They always chase.

This book is not a conventional romance and contains themes that aren’t to everyone’s liking. Please check the author’s note before reading.

REVIEW

I started God of Malice without reading Rina’s backlist. There are a lot of characters and I was a bit lost. This book is super intense & the opening scene alone left me 😳. I definitely had to put it down because I wasn’t ready for it. That being said, I went back to the beginning and read God of Malice and fell in love with Killian + Glyndon.

YES, Killian is absolutely unhinged. But also – I found myself laughing out loud a lot. And his gradual fall for Glyndon – gah! I loved how gone he was for her when initially he just wanted her for the sake of having her. And Glyndon – she’s so tough and was going through so many emotions over her relationship with Killian. I adored the way these two tried to fight their feeling for one another and ended up falling so hard.

I have so many scenes throughout this book highlighted! The banter between Killian and Glydon was *chefs kiss* I was constantly laughing or had a huge grin on my face.

No, these books aren’t for everyone. Know going in that there are a lot of content/trigger warnings. That being said – I’m really enjoying Rina Kent and can’t wait to read more of this series!

Review – The Wedding People by Alison Espach

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The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Genre: Literary Fiction

Release Date: July 30, 2024

I received a complimentary audiobook from LibroFM

SYNOPSIS

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help us start anew.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamt of coming for years―she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe―which makes it that much more surprising when the women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns uproariously, absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is a look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined―and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

REVIEW

I have been telling everyone I know to read The Wedding People, and I could have sworn I wrote a review, but I guess not.

This book…it was so heartbreakingly beautiful. I don’t even want to recap the book because I feel like it’s best to go in blind. Be forwarned that there are heavy subjects covered in this book. But the author has a way of making something so sad and horrifying also beautiful.

I listened to the audiobook from start to finish and Helen Laser did an amazing job portraying Phoebe. There was more than one occasion where I had goosebumps and/or there were tears streaming down my face.

The Wedding People isn’t my usual genre (romance books), even so I loved this book and can’t say enough good things about it!