Tag: SMP

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!

The Devil in Her Bed ARC Review

~ Tej ~ 2 Comments

The Devil in Her Bed by Kerrigan Byrne

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Genre: Historical Romance

Series: Devil You Know #3

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: March 9, 2021

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

SYNOPSIS

He lives in secret service to the Crown—a man of duty, deception, and an undeniable attraction to a woman who threatens to tear his whole world apart.

They call him the Devil of Dorset. He stands alone, a man of undeniable power. Moving in and out of shadows, back alleys and ballrooms, he is unstoppable and one of the Crown’s most dangerous weapons. However, when he sets his sights on the undeniably beautiful Countess of Mont Claire, Francesca Cavendish, he doesn’t realize that he has met a match like no other.

TRUE LOVE WEARS NO DISGUISE

Francesca is a countess by day and stalks her prey—those responsible for the death of her family—by night. What she does not expect is to be thrown into the path of the devil himself, the Earl of Devlin. She has secrets of her own and he seems determined to lay them bare. Can her heart survive finding the love of her life and losing him when all is revealed?

REVIEW

Lady Francesca is out for one thing and one thing only – revenge. After her family was massacred the only thing that kept her going was the end goal – to kill everyone that ever harmed her family. Chandler – also known as the Devil of Dorset has his own secrets and for now he’s after one thing – Lady Francesca. When both of them realize that they are after the same goal – will their attraction to one another cause issues for them?

I loved the relationship between Francesca and Chandler. They had so much simmering sexual tension between them and I enjoyed how raw their attraction was to one another. In a sense The Devil in Her Bed was also a fated mates romance, and I loved how Francesca and Chandler’s past was intertwined with their future. The suspenseful parts of the book also had me hooked and I loved the way everything played out.

It was great to see how every single one of these characters came together for the last book in the series. I only wish there was an epilogue!

Audiobook:

Story: 4
Narration: 5
Overall: 4.5

I am a fan of Derek Perkins and he did a wonderful job narrating The Devil in Her Bed. I could always tell when either Chandler or Francesca was happy, mad, frustrated or sad. He always does a great job conveying the different emotions in the characters in the book. And his accents were always so good!! I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and I think it definitely amplified how much I enjoyed The Devil in Her Bed.

If you’re looking for a suspenseful, sweet and sexy romance definitely give the Devil You Know series a try!

Float Plan ARC Review

~ Tej ~ 5 Comments

Float Plan by Trish Doller

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction

Release Date: March 2, 2021

Heat Level: 🔥

SYNOPSIS

Critically acclaimed author Trish Doller’s unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself…

Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.

But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.

In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn’t mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.

REVIEW

Anna has been dealing with grief in her own way after the loss of her fiancee Ben. Her mom and sister are worried about her – worried that Anna is going through the motions, but not really living her life.

Anna and Ben were planning a trip on his sailboat to the Caribbean islands, but Anna had forgot about the trip. When a reminder alerted her of the trip, Anna decides on going on the sailboat solo. Sailing alone is hard, harder than Anna anticipated and after a few rough days Anna hires Keane – a sweet professional sailor.

I absolutely adored Float Plan. The writing by Trish Doller is brilliant and immediately once I started reading I was highlighting passages. Both Anna and Keane are characters who have faced so much in the past they are processing their own grief separately and together throughout their journey.

I loved how Doller was able to describe the various islands and mechanisms of sailing without it feeling overwhelming. I honestly felt as if I was on the boat with Keane and Anna, sailing through the Caribbean sea. The other characters we meet and the relationships that Anna and Keane have with them were so very special and I never felt as if a character was there as a filler.

Anna’s journey of self discovery was captured so perfectly in Float Plan. I was holding back tears towards the end of the book. And although this book is categorized as a romance, it was so much more than that. The romance between Keane and Anna was there, but was so was companionship, understanding and so much love. I’m looking forward to reading more by Trish Doller.

CW: Suicide, loss of limb

All Scot and Bothered ARC Review

~ Tej ~ Leave a comment

All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Genre: Historical Romance

Heat Rating: 🔥🔥

Series: Devil You Know #2

Release Date: September 29, 2020

Cassius Ramsay deals in black and white. Either you’re innocent or guilty and he persecutes you as such. Being Lord Chief Justice of the High Court it is his duty after all. Ramsay also happens to be the half brother of Piers the Duke of Redmayne. Ramsay has been on occasion in the same vicinity of Cecelia and finds himself watching her and a growing attraction to her.

Although part of the Red Rogues along with Alexandra and Francesca, Cecelia felt deep loneliness and sadness growing up. She was an orphan and the person she had thought was her father treated her so cruelly. She suddenly finds herself owner of a gambling establishment – an establishment that Chief Justice Ramsay wants nothing more than destroy. When Cecelia’s life becomes endangered, Ramsay has no choice but to keep her safe while they figure out who is trying to destroy her establishment and hurt her in the process.

I had a hard time feeling the chemistry between Ramsay and Cecelia. There was simply too much going on in the plot for me to fully enjoy their romance. The last quarter of the book dragged for me, and I honestly had a hard time staying interested in the story.

I really enjoyed How to Love a Duke in Ten Days, and although All Scot and Bothered fell short for me, I am looking forward to Francesca’s book – The Devil in Her Bed.

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