To say the last few weeks have been crazy in my personal life would be a massive understatement. I read 4 books, including one ARC and one novella though. Check out these reviews and add some good books to your TBR.
Happy Reading!
The Girlfriend Zone (Love and Hockey #4)
by Lauren Blakely
ARC: Release Date- 03/26/2025
#AgeGap #CinnamonRollHero #Forbidden #OneNightStand #Sports
#Workplace #ARC
Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this
book can be read as a standalone and ends in a HEA.
Miles Falcon is probably one of my favorite hockey heroes
ever. He is a caretaker with a heart that is huge. I adore his relationship
with his family and his teammates. His meet-cute with Leighton is beyond
adorable. He falls immediately. Sometimes you just know. A hot date with a one-night
stand comes to an abrupt halt when her relationship to Coach is revealed. That
doesn’t stop Miles. He pursues friendship with this young woman of his dreams
and waits patiently for the opportunity to make that more.
Leighton is incredible. I loved her resilience, her
strength, and even her insecurities. As a character dealing with hearing loss
in her daily life, I felt that her representation was beautifully handled. I
appreciated reading how she struggled in certain environments and how she coped
with the day-to-day difficulties. I adored how hard she fell for Miles.
These two are smoking hot. This was an emotional read where
they come to a place where they are both willing to fight for the love they
have with each other. I loved their quiet moments as much as I loved Miles’
dirty mouth and soft dom bedroom persona.
I loved this whole series, but Miles will keep a piece of my
heart.
Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy #1) by Callie Hart
#Fantasy #EnemiesToLovers #FatedMates #MorallyGrayHero #BookClub
Written in first person from Saeris’ POV, I expected this
first book in a planned trilogy to end in a cliffhanger. I will say that it did
not feel like a cliffhanger. Though things in the realm are a long way from
settled, and though Kingfisher and Saeris are definitely together, it was a
good place to pause this story. This is a LONG book. At over 600 pages, this
took me several chaotic life days to read.
Kingfisher and Saeris start out being really awful to each
other. Fisher is actually quite mean. Saeris is hard-headed and has a hard time
keeping her mouth from getting her into deeper trouble. There is a fair amount
of graphic depictions of vi0lenc3 in this book. Readers should consider the
trigger warnings before reading.
I loved the world the author created. I appreciated the many
kinds of fae and the different creatures that make up the realms. I thought the
idea of the quicksilver was fascinating and I really loved how that developed.
Readers learn more as Saeris learns and it felt like the world was unfolding a
page at a time. I adored the ultimate bond between Fisher and Saeris and how
that is both depicted and represented in their story. Their intimate scenes
were steamy while also artistic and emotional.
I felt like the first half of the book or so moved a little
slow. The author is setting up the realms, the gods, the idea of the
quicksilver, and the relationships that are central to the story. There is a
cast of secondary characters and villains that are slowly being developed along
the way. Carrion was a character that I really didn’t like in the beginning,
but he grew on me. Ren and Lorreth are lovable warriors. Fisher became more
likeable as the story progressed and I understood his motivations better.
Saeris matures and starts to truly find her way in the fae world. There is a
lot of information to pack in along with a complicated plot. There were a lot
of twists after the say 65% point that made me want to keep reading and find
out what was coming next.
This was a new-to-me author. I picked this up for a book
club even though I usually avoid incomplete series with a cliffhanger
potential. Ultimately, life severely impacted my reading time on this, and I
did not finish before the said book club. I had to make a decision, and in the end,
I chose to skip book club because I didn’t want the ending to be spoiled before
I got there. That was the right decision for me. The end was a series of twists
that I am glad I was blind to. I enjoyed
this read and I will be reading the next one when it comes. Maybe I will fit in
the audiobook as a reread before the second book.
Black Card Black by J.D. Midnight
#Erotica #Novella
Written in third person, this is not a romance per-se. I
feel like it does have a happy ending for Essie-but not for her with a partner
necessarily.
This was a smexy, hot read where the smut is the plot to a
certain degree. Essie is in an unhappy marriage in suburban Kentucky. She
realizes her husband is cheating and she takes the opportunity to call the
black card number for the adventure of a lifetime and a little revenge. I loved
the writing in the beginning as the author sets the scene of Essie’s state of
mind and the flatness of her life. It was lyrical. The ending was the ideal
revenge scene. I loved it.
This was a seriously hot book! Readers should consider the
author’s list of CWs before entering. This isn’t a book for everyone. That
said, this was palette cleanser perfection. To the author: I will be looking up
more of your work the next time I need a palette cleansing read.
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Just Like That (King Family #4) by Lena Hendrix
#FamilySeries #GrumpySunshine #SmallTown
Written in first person
from an alternating dual POV, this book does end in a HEA. Though the story
fully encapsulates the love story between Hazel and JP, this series is best
read in publication order due to ongoing plot points that spread across the
series.
JP has come across as very cold and calculating in previous
books. It was good for him to get a bit of a redemption story where readers can
see his trauma and pain as well as the defense mechanisms he has developed as a
result. Reading as he is at first baffled then smitten with Hazel was quite
fun. Hazel is a completely free spirit. She has always marched to the beat of
her own drummer, and I appreciated her confidence and her caring heart. They
have a mutual attraction that leads to some heat. Who knew JP would be such a
dirty talker? Little Teddy is an unlikely 7-year-old who is delightful.
This book deals with elements of grief, unexpected
parenthood, betrayal, secrets, and lies. The mystery and consequences of the
series are coming to light, and the family is drawn closer together as a
result. This was a fun read.
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