I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
Almost a year ago I read my first Jenny Holiday book, Three Little Words and really fell in love with her writing style. I was so excited when I was able to read an ARC of the first book in the new Matchmaker Bay series, Mermaid Inn.
Jenny’s writing is always a lot of fun! I was laughing along with the characters, but also feeling the nostalgia that Eve had with Moonflower Bay and her various relationship with the people of the town.
Eve Abbott has returned to Moonflower Bay after being away for the past decade. Eve would visit every summer and stay with her great-aunt Lucille and fell in love with the charming town and a boy named Sawyer too. After having her heart broken by Sawyer when they were teenagers, Eve left and hasn’t been back. She now finds herself the owner of the Mermaid Inn and doesn’t quite know how she feels about the town and all of the people in it – specifically the Chief of police Sawyer.
I love a second chance romance and Eve and Sawyer had such great chemistry. The memories of the town and memories of Sawyer are interwoven so tightly in Eve’s mind that she is having a hard separating the two. I felt so deeply for both of these characters. They each had their own reasons for acting the way that they did, but missed it out on so much time together.
It did take me a bit to really get into Mermaid Inn, but I feel that sometimes that happens when an author is setting up the characters and plot for a series. The secondary characters were well rounded and added so much to this wonderful story. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series!
I first was recommended Day of the Duchess while listening to the Read Me Romance podcast. Tessa Bailey was discussing married couples in romance novels and recommended this book. Over the past year, I have come to the realization that I love romances that deal with married couples. Marriage of convenience has always been one of my favorite tropes, but I am also loving romances that deal with couples who have been married and how they navigate through the highs of marriage and the lows of marriage.
Sarah MacLean is a fairly new author to me, but I like her style of writing. Over the past year I have read two Sarah MacLean books, Brazen and the Beast and Wicked and the Wallflower and I enjoyed both of them. I have quite a few of her backlist books still left to read, but decided to dive in to The Day of the Duchess
In The Day of the Duchess, our main character Seraphina has returned to England (from America) and plans on opening her own pub. Problem is, she’s still married and therefore anything that she owns is outright her husband’s. That’s right Seraphina is still married to the Duke of Haven, Malcolm Bevingstoke. Therefore, in order to achieve her dream of owning her own pub she must divorce the duke. I love a second chance romance and this story had the perfect elements of it. The flashbacks in the past intersecting with what was happening currently were so wonderfully placed.
Sarah MacLean has a wonderful way with words and I always feel the perfect amount of angst when reading her books. The Day of the Duchess was no exception. There were so many moments when tears were silently falling down my face because of the complicated relationship between Malcolm and Sera.
I loved seeing Sera with all of her sisters. I read this story out of order, but it can be read fine as a standalone. Now I can’t wait to go back and read the other Soiled S’s stories (especially Caleb & Sesily 😍)!
Overall I really enjoyed this book. There were parts of the book that didn’t exactly sit right with me, which had me knocking down a star.
Hi readers! Do you listen to audiobooks? I will admit that prior to joining the book community I had maybe listened to two audiobooks and wasn’t really sure why so many people enjoyed them.
Let me tell you – that has all changed in the past year. I absolutely love listening to audiobooks now. I listen to audiobooks when I’m taking a walk or working out. I listen to audiobooks when I’m doing mundane chores around the house like washing dishes or tidying up. And I always have an audiobook going when I’m on long commutes.
I feel like sometimes a lot of people are weirded out by the notion of listening to a romance book on audio, but honestly I love it. Sure you might feel the need to lower the volume on your headphones when a particular sexy scene is playing, but I don’t find that it takes away or distracts me from the audiobook.
I do feel like the narrator of an audiobook really adds to the experience for me. If i’m not really feeling the narrator then I usually will stop listening completely and switch over to reading instead. Other times I wish the book would never end because I love the narration.
Who are your favorite narrators? I really enjoy listening to books narrated by Erin Mallon, Susannah Nixon, Zachary Webber, Jason Clarke and Jacob Morgan. I’ll leave a few of my favorite audiobook recommendations below and would love to hear which audiobooks are your favorites!
The Hating Game by Sally | Thorne Narrated by Katie Schorr
I first read The Hating Game and completely fell in love the enemies to lovers story involving co-workers Josh and Lucy. I decided to listen to the audiobook a few months later and loved the narration by Katie Schorr. If you love a great enemies to lovers romance please run to get the audio!
Hooking Up by Helena Hunting | Narrated by Jacob Morgan and Muffy Newton
If you haven’t listened to an audiobook narrated by Jacob Morgan, please change that ASAP! Jacob Morgan and Muffy Newton do such a wonderful job narrating Lexington and Amalie in this audiobook. This book is one of my favorites and I listened to the audiobook on a re-read and enjoyed it so much. If you want a steamy but super sweet love story then this is the book!
Man Hands by Tanya Eby and Sarina Bowen | Narrated by Luke Daniels and Erin Mallon
When a friend recommended that I listen to Man Hands and then gifted it to me I knew that it was going to be a great audiobook. I can honestly say that this is maybe my favorite audiobook. I was laughing right from the beginning and didn’t stop pretty much until the book ended. I loved the sizzling chemistry between Tom and Brynn! Even though I was laughing so hard throughout a majority of the book, the tender, sweet moments really had me sighing and rooting for these two.
Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen | Narrated by Zachary Webber, Virgina Rose and Joe Hempel
I actually started with the book in audiobook format and immediately fell in love with the voices of Nate and Rebecca. I also really appreciated that the past scenes were narrated by Joe Hempel. It made the transition between past and present seamless. I am a huge fan of Zachary Webber and as always he does a wonderful job bringing Nate to life. But I also really loved Virginia Rose as Rebecca! I could immediately tell when Rebecca was excited or doubtful (one of my favorite scenes was when she had a bit too much alcohol to drink!)
Do you love to read book series? And if so, do you have to start from book #1? I absolutely love book series, but I don’t necessarily have to read them in order. I love reading the blurb of the book and choosing the one that I am currently in the mood for.
I have definitely been binging on Sarina Bowen’s backlist recently (everything from her Brooklyn Bruisers to the her Man Hands series) and decided to listen to the audiobook of Fireworks (book #6 in the True North series). I have read book #1, Bittersweet in the series (I really enjoyed that book) and didn’t feel like I had to read all of the others in order to read Fireworks. It definitely is a standalone in the series. Below is my audiobook review.
Audiobook: Story: 5 Narration: 5 Overall: 5
Every time I pick up a new Sarina Bowen book, I am blown away. I loved everything about Fireworks! Skye and Benito’s love story was perfectly woven between the past and the present with bits of suspense that kept me on my toes.
Skye is currently out of a job. She kind of sort of drew a phallic figure on TV while doing a weather forecast and her network has given her some vacation time to use up ASAP. Skye’s step-sister asks her to come to Vermont for a little trip and that’s where the suspense portion of the book sets in. I don’t want to spoil the rest of the story, so I’ll just say that I loved the set up to get Skye to Vermont and how the rest of the story played out.
Skye and Benito have the kind of love story that makes me swoon. This is definitely a second chance romance, but I loved the slow way their relationship started out and the circumstances that brought them together. They knew each other twelve years ago, but they haven’t spoken to each other since. Second chance romances are my favorite trope and I loved the connection between Skye and Benito. These two had so much sizzling chemistry and you could see the fireworks go off when they were together.
Skye is my favorite kind of heroine. She is strong and independent and so very brave. I loved Benito’s character. He is quite simply … perfect. I don’t know even know how to describe Benito without smiling. He is kind and sweet and only wants happiness for Skye. So much history between these two and I loved the way the past was woven in with the present to paint an overall big picture.
I loved loved loved listening to the audiobook of Fireworks. The audiobook was narrated by Susannah Jones and Zachary Webber and both of these narrators were absolutely perfect. Susannah Jones has such a great voice for audiobooks. I could feel when Skye was nervous or excited and there was so much enthusiasm in her performance. Zachary Webber is always such a great narrator and his voice was perfect for Benito. These two were a great combination for Fireworks and I hope they narrate as a team more often!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from TastyBookPR
Do you have a favorite author? Or one who you always auto-buy? Prior to learning about ARC’s I would scrounge author’s websites to see what book was coming up soon and then one-click on Amazon 😊. Lauren Layne has been an auto-buy author for a few years now 💕
After reading Passion on Park Avenue and Love on Lexington Avenue I couldn’t wait to read Clarke and Audrey’s story. Lauren Layne did not disappoint in bringing us the perfect book to end this series. What started off as three women meeting under the most unusual circumstance – at a funeral for the man that they were all very intimate with (wife, mistress and girlfriend) – turned in to three friends who eventually found the right man for them.
Throughout Passion on Park Avenue and Love on Lexingon Avenue, you saw snippets of Clarke and Audrey and how close they were. I loved their friendship so much and was just waiting until these two realized they had feelings for one another 💏
Audrey is having a hard time moving on from the death of her supposed boyfriend. She’s heartbroken for what she could have had and also doubts herself in choosing the right person. Marriage is completely off the table…that is until Clarke tells his mom Audrey and him are engaged 💍
I love a fake relationship trope so much and LL did such a good job with not only a fake relationship but friends to lovers as well. Clarke and Audrey are under the assumption that they’ll stay friends while being fake engaged, but as lines start to blur it is becoming harder to maintain a distance and not truly act as an engaged couple.
I loved this book so much and I think that Marriage on Madison Avenue was the perfect book to end this wonderful series ❤️
I received a complimentary advance title of this book from the publisher.
When I read Fix Her Up last year I knew that I had to immediately read more of Tessa Bailey. I loved her grumpy alpha heroes with hearts of gold and was looking forward to Love Her or Lose Her. But sadly I was left feeling a bit disappointed after reading this book. I hard a hart time finding the connection between Dominic and Rosie.
Rosie and Dominic have been married for a few years, but are struggling with their failing marriage. The only time the two of them seem to be on the same page is if they are getting intimate with one another. Rosie finally has enough and decides that she needs time apart from Dominic.
This couple had so much history shared between them. They met in middle school and have been together ever since. Sometimes it feels like when you’ve been with a person so long, you don’t know how to be “alone” anymore and I really felt for Rosie. She needs time and space alone to shine by herself and that was very hard for Dominic to give to her. I really appreciated the fact that this couple chose to go to marriage counseling. That’s something that’s not often discussed in romance books, and I liked that this couple had real struggles and had a professional help them through their troubles.
I did enjoy the girl gang between Bethany, Georgie and Rosie and the Just Us League! But at times I was more invested in their story line than the one between Dominic and Rosie. The set up for the final book in the series is laid down in Love Her or Lose Her and I’m interested in what that story line will be when it is released.
2019 was a great reading year for me! I created my bookstagram and ended up adding so many books to my TBR and a lot of those were excellent reads. I ended up reading 119 books and out of those 36 were five star reads for me. I’m listing my top 15 because let’s be honest – it’s way too hard to narrow it down to 10. Here’s mini reviews for the books that I keep going back to 💕
Wicked and the Wallflower and Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean I read Wicked and the Wallflower first and it was my first Sarah MacLean book. I loved the setup to the Barknuckle Bastards and the love story between Devil and Felicity was EVERYTHING. Just the same, I also loved Hattie and Whit in Brazen and the Beast! I can’t wait for the third book in the series which is Grace’s story Daring the Duke
Fix Her UP by Tessa Bailey When I first started reading this book, I wasn’t expecting such a hot and sizzling book! The cover definitely fooled me! Georgie and Travis had so much chemistry and this book combined my favorite tropes: fake dating and childhood friends. Also – who here loves a grumpy hero? Travis was the perfect broody alpha male to Georgie’s sweet sunshiny self
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams I’ll be honest, I was a bet hesitant to pick up this book because there was so much hype surrounding it. I am so glad I ended up reading this book because it was so refreshing. A group of men who form a book club and read romance novels to help them manage their relationships? Yes please!! Loved Gavin and Thea and their complicated, married relationship.
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn Kate Clayborn has such a unique writing style. Her writing is almost poetic and there were parts of this book that had me so emotional. Love Lettering is a romance novel, but also a book that delves deeper into our insecurities with love, of being loved for who we are and how sacred the bonds of friendship are at various stages in our lives. I received a complimentary physical copy of this book from the publisher.
The Deal by Elle Kennedy I literally re-read this book two more times after initially reading it as part of a buddy read on bookstagram. Garret + Hannah were so perfectly matched for each other and I loved their slow realization that they were perfect for each other. Garret being the “bad boy” and Hannah having to help him with his grades in exchange for him teaching her how to rope in a football player was the perfect set up. I love this book so much and if you haven’t read it yet – what are you waiting for!
The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez What can I say except that whatever Abby Jimenez writes, I will always be the first one to auto-buy her books. The Friend Zone had so much angst and I read it well into the night and simply could not put it down. This book discuses some heavier issues like infertility and the loss of a loved one, but it was done so well. It had the perfect amount of humor from Kristen and Josh is seriously book boyfriend material. The follow up to The Friend Zone, The Happily Ever After Playlist releases later this year and is Sloan’s story.
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren This is probably the only book that I literally read in one sitting. I started one morning and did not stop reading until I was finished with it. I was laughing so hard and yet the chemistry between Ethan and Olive was sizzling. Although this is a closed door romance, I didn’t necessarily miss the heat and loved the witty banter and the fake relationship trope between Ethan and Olive.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne I read this book from the library and then re-read it by way of audiobook a few months later and I still loved this book just as much the second time. I will admit, enemies to lover is a favorite trope of mine and Josh and Lucy have SO MUCH hate for one another. And yet the sexual chemistry was sizzling off the page. The Hating Game had the perfect amount of angst, steam and sweetness.
Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren A few friends had recommended me The Wild Season Series by Christina Lauren and when I found the books at half price books I snatched them up and couldn’t wait to read them. Compared to a lot of the newer CLo books which are mainly closed door, this one was had a lot of steam but it tied in so well with the book. I loved the intimate side of Mia and Ansel’s relationship, as well as how they awkwardly navigate their new relationship. I felt so much for these characters and I loved Mia so much! Ansel was such a sweet and caring boyfriend, but I admired Mia’s backbone and independence while navigating her life. Great set up to this sizzling series.
Pucked Off by Helena Hunting Pucked Off surprised me in the best way. I was figuring Lance’s story was going to be about reforming him and his bad boy image, but it was so much more than that. It had a lot of heavier content and yet the love story between Poppy and Lance was so freakin sweet. Poppy was the ray of sunshine through Lance’s darkness and she was such a warm and extremely likable character. I honestly cannot put into words how much I absolutely loved loved loved this book.
The Simple Wild by KA Tucker Where do I even start with this book? I put off reading this book for so long and then once I read it I completely fell in love with Calla, Jonah, Wren, Agnes and all of Alaska. I love a great book that has not only character development, but stories that seem so real that they can’t help but tug on your heartstrings. Calla’s journey to Alaska to meet her father does all of those things. The chemistry between Jonah and Calla was so amazing. As soon as these two have their first scene together, you are rooting for them to end up together. I loved the witty banter between these two. I hated Jonah and yet I also loved his personality and the way he would needle Calla. I can’t wait for the next book in the series Wild at Heart which releases in March!
Hooking Up by Helena Hunting After reading the first book in the series, I didn’t really know what to expect with Lexington. But the chemistry between Lexington and Amalie was scorching hot and I LOVED it. Although Amalie was vulnerable after her she found out her smarmy husband was cheating on her, I loved how she busted out of her shell after ditching him. Lexington is the perfect book boyfriend and he shows so much tenderness with Amalie. I could not get enough of these two. The book had so much heat (lots of sexy times), but also just as much heart.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown This book was so refreshingly beautiful and I absolutely loved it. The story follows Chloe Brown, who is ready to make a change and start living a bit dangerously. You see, Chloe is chronically ill and she’s had it with being careful all the time. Number one on her list is moving out of her parents house and in to her own place and that’s where her path crosses with Red Morgan, the superintendent of the building she is renting. I loved the banter between Red and Chloe! Chloe is so buttoned up (see what I did there) and Red is the opposite of her. He’s sexy, rides a motorcycle and has multiple tattoos. These two had such a lovely friendship that slowly morphed into something more. Both of these characters have their own complex issues, but I love the way they communicated. They didn’t let a miscommunication or misunderstanding get in their way (for too long at least). I quite simply loved everything about this book!
Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren After reading Sweet Filthy Boy I immediately dived into Dirty Rowdy Thing and I was definitely NOT disappointed. The love(or is it lust)/hate relationship between these Harlow and Finn was so much fun to read! There was always this intense sexual undercurrent when the two of them were on the same page together. What starts out as a fling between two people who don’t even really like each other turns in to so much more. I love it that Christina Lauren is able to do that – weave these emotional connections to family and friends in an otherwise sizzling romance. Perhaps that’s why I always look forward to reading their books. Perhaps my favorite Christina Lauren book
I guess I’m doing it then and starting a blog! Eekk! This is so exciting and slightly terrifying at the same time.
I have honestly loved learning about book publishing, the process of obtaining advanced reader copies and making genuine lasting relationships with publicists and other book friends so much last year.
It’s been almost a year since I started my Instagram/bookstagram page (Readaholic19), and I wanted another place where I can talk about about my love of (romance) books!
Readaholic Book Reviews 