Book reviews for September 1st through September 9th

I am off to a slow start with September.  So far I have read two ARCs and two books from my TBR (both new-to-me-authors).  The two arcs are both releasing this week. Check out my reviews and add them to your TBR.  I loved both of them.  I also really enjoyed the two new authors.  I met Elizabeth O'Roark at Book Bonanza 2022 after Jana Aston told me I needed to read her books.  I am sorry I waited this long, and I am excited to read more.  I think I picked up the book by Andie Long when it was free or on sale at some point.  I just loved the cover and the premise.  The book was a wonderful surprise with layers I did not expect.  I would love to read more of the series.  They are not currently in Kindle Unlimited, so I will be watching for more sales by this author.

I need to get to reading, and I hope my reviews help grow your TBR.

Happy reading!

 Best Frenemies by Max Monroe

ARC: Release Date- 09/16/2023

#EnemiesToLovers #ForcedProximity #OppositesAttract #Fling #ARC

5 STARS

This standalone romance is written in first person from an alternating dual POV and ends with a HEA. 

Katy and Mack teach next door to each other at a private NYC elementary school. Mack teaches music and Katie teaches math.   While Mack is an easygoing, smiley, go-with-the-flow kind of guy. Katy is type A and believes in planning and order. They rub each other the wrong way and often find themselves on each other’s nerves.

I don't want to share spoilers, so let me try to say all the things I loved. Witty banter, sizzling chemistry, and likeable characters made this a joy to read. Mack is a wonderful character. I loved how positive he is. I loved that he probably loved Katy a long time before he realized it. Katy was like my soul sister. Her struggle with perfectionism and pleasing people was very relatable.  I also really appreciated how the authors helped the reader understand how their very different upbringings shaped their personalities. 

I loved how they settle into domesticity and become friendly after a rough start.  The relationship they build is special. They form a friendship before they ever take it to the physical level. Their intimate moments are hot and emotional. Mack is an all-in kind of guy who keeps faith and patience to win Katy to his side.

With a few easter eggs, cameos from our favorite billionaires, and all the laughs and romantic moments I expect from this author duo, this was everything I needed in my first read for the month of September. 

Junkie: A Strangers to Lovers Sports Romance 

by J.D. Hollyfield

ARC: Re-release Date- 09/14/2023

#Sports #RomanticSuspense #HealingLove #ARC

5 STARS

The author is re-releasing this book in September 2023.  It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV and ends with a HEA.  Though it was originally part of the Driven world series, it can absolutely be read as a standalone.

Set in the worlds of both high-speed illegal street racing and official track racing, this book is full of heart pounding action.  Luna makes decisions that are not legal to survive until one of those decisions lands her in a lot of trouble. Cash is at the top of his racing career and reaching for the next big goal.  Underneath it all, they are both broken souls that need each other to heal and move forward in their lives.  What starts as hot chemistry and sassy banter quickly becomes more.  With both characters loving a good adrenaline rush, I just knew their seggsy times would be good.  They absolutely are. 

I loved the way Cash kind of bumbles a bit around Luna.  He rambles and it is beyond cute.  Luna is seriously tough.  What she wants and what she believes she can have are incredibly far apart.  It is up to Cash to show her adoration, patience, and love to build her trust.  He wants to give her all her dreams.  At the same time, I love how Luna takes care of Cash in ways he never realized he needed.  This was a compelling read that I stayed up way too late to finish.  I couldn’t put it down.  (Everyone should go to work on 3.5 hours of sleep sometimes, right?) I think this is only the second or third book I have ever read set in the world of racing.  I believe the author captures the sport in a way that made me a lot more interested in it.

Trigger Warning: This book contains violence, death, threat of rape, murder,  torture, and discussions of child neglect in h's past.

A Deal With The Devil (The Grumpy Devils #1) 

by Elizabeth O'Roark

#Workplace #GrumpyHero #EnemiesToLovers #SlowBurn

5 STARS

This is my first book by this author and it has been on my TRB for well over a year.  It can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.  It is written in first person from Tali's POV. Readers who grab the bonus epilogue do get  a couple of chapters from Hayes' POV.

I purchased this book without reading the blurb based on a recommendation by author Jana Aston when I met her and this author at Book Bonanza 2022.  I don't read many single POV books, but I believe it was necessary to this story and I didn't mind it.  Readers see Hayes through Tali's eyes and as her perception of him changes, so does the reader's.  I have questions about why Hayes does some of the things he does in the book, but those are not answered.  Yet having his POV for that part of the story could have made him unlikeable.

Tali is a spitfire.  I love how she banters with Hayes.  I adore how she takes care of him, and encourages him to take better care of himself.  Meanwhile, her personal life is in shambles.  Family drama, grief over the loss of her father, and an ex that she cannot avoid are a few of the things that consume her day to day life.  The girl has baggage and is a master of the art f avoidance related to it.  I love how much her character grows through her relationship with Hayes and through the book.  Hayes is an interesting character.  he is grumpy, bitter, sad, and pursuing pleasure as a means of escape.  His character unfolds and readers gradually learn how he got to that place in his life and what drives him.  I really appreciated the way he was written.  I loved how he gains vulnerability as Tali really learns who he is.  The bonus epilogue with the two chapters from his POV is very revealing to what some of his earlier thoughts might have been.  It takes a while for them to become physical, but when they do it is steamy and romantic.  

This book was extremely well written and it moved me through the gamut of emotions as I read. The characters and their drama felt realistic.  The pace of their story was perfect.  It takes them time to build their happy ending. Though this was my first book by this author, I am certainly going to be reading more and I am excited about it.

A Vampire Wants A Wife (Supernatural Dating Agency #1) 

by Andie M. Long

#Paranormal #Vampire #FatedMates #RomanticComedy

5 STARS

I picked up this book almost a year ago and I finally got to read it. This new-to-me author has a witty writing style and a dry sense of humor that I really enjoyed. It is the first book in an interconnected series and can be read as a standalone. It is written in first person from an alternating dual POV and ends with a HEA.

Theo (126) is a vampire who's metaphorical biological clock is ticking. He wants a family so he decides he needs some assistance finding a wife. Shelley (26) is s a little lonely herself but is successfully running a dating agency when she receives Theo's application. I liked Shelley's sense of humor and eventual acceptance of the supernatural world around her. I loved Theo's gentle vampire soul. He wants love so bad and it was very sweet.

There were so many laugh out loud moments for me while reading this book. I liked that there were also serious themes within the story. Dark humor, some steamy scenes, and a plot full of surprises made this a truly enjoyable read. I really loved the author's style and the wittiness of her characters' dialogue.