During the last week of the month, I managed to read four books. Two ARCs, a book club book, and an erotica book that I kept seeing on social media. Two of the authors were new-to-me authors. All were interesting reads. I am very excited to attend book club and hear the different takes on "Hello, Stranger" by Katherine Center. Jade West's "The Naughty List" was delightfully smutty. "Elderwood Sound" by Annie Dyer provided one of the most amazing series wrap books ever. I hate to leave Puffin Bay behind. "Changing the Play" by Emily Silver allowed Derek to have a full redemption from the guy we knew from previous books. It was a busy week personally and a wonderful week of reading.
Until next time, happy reading!
Elderwood Sound (Puffin Bay #8) by Annie Dyer
ARC: Release Date-04/01/2025
#Celebrity #FriendsToLovers #SmallTown #ARC
This is written in first person from an alternating dual POV
and ends with a HEA. Though Caleb and Zoey’s story stands alone, this book
wraps this series in the most perfect way and readers will have the most
enjoyment by reading the series in publication order.
Caleb and Zoey first meet as teenagers. They quickly formed
a deep friendship that survived and thrived as they became adults with all the
ups and downs that go with that. I loved that though they have always had
feelings for each other, they each recognized that the timing was off to admit
them. Now, 14 years later, the timing is finally right. But not until a fake
relationship becomes very, very real.
I adored Zoey and Caleb. I loved how honest they are about
everything but their feelings. Once they admit that, all the doors are open to
their happiness. It has been interesting reading through this series as Caleb
went from a teenager to a self-assured man. His steamy times with Zoey are hot
and special. There are a few twists along the way, but I loved that there is no
third act break up for these two as they waited so long to be together.
This was the perfect end to a wonderful series. It revisited
past characters with a glimpse of their lives after their stories were
finished. I loved that Amelie and Roman had the first book in this series and
Roman’s son Caleb has the last. It allowed Roman and Amelie to play an
important role in this book as they have played in Caleb’s life. The epilogue?
It almost made me cry. What a perfect tribute to this wonderful town that I feel
has become a part of me and the people who live there! If you are looking for a series to read, this
is the one. Grab it.
Changing the Play by Emily Silver
ARC: Release Date- 04/11/2025
#SingleDad #SingleMom #ARC
Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this
ends with a HEA. Though it can be read as a standalone, readers may find the
most enjoyment reading this between the Denver Mountain Lions and the Black
Diamonds series.
Derek wasn’t the best guy when he played in the NFL. Having
his son changed everything. When he meets Sutton, he is a very different guy than
he used to be. He is devoted to his son and is trying to make a positive difference
coaching high school football.
Sutton is an ER nurse and a single mom. She is a good person,
and she is pleasantly surprised when the hottie with the cute little boy
pursues her.
These two fall fast for each other. Then their story takes
place over several months as they learn to blend their two small families into
a larger happy one. I loved the steam, the humor, and the low angst of their
story. Now I feel like I need to go back and reread some of the other books
again.
Hello, Stranger by Katherine Center
#DisabledMC #LoveTriangle #BookClub
Written in first person from Sadie’s POV, this is a
standalone that ends with a HEA. I read this for a local book club, and it was
a buddy read with a co-worker. It was my first book by this author, and I
enjoyed her writing style. Though there is a romantic theme, I would classify
this more as chick lit than romance.
This book was one that the singular POV was critically
important to the success of the story. Readers meet Sadie and know her through
only her perception. That sometimes makes her feel self-centered as a character,
but as people we are self-centered to a large degree. Sadie experiences a
non-convulsive seizure that eventually leads to face-blindness, and as she
wades through the aftermath it is entirely from her perception of reality. The
people she meets, the events that happen, are all from her limited POV. One of the results of this is that readers
never get a clear description of any of the characters. With Sadie’s face blind
condition, we do not even get a clear picture of what she looks like. I did
miss that, though I understand why it had to be that way.
Her (somewhat fantastical) relationship with Dr. Addison and
the very real friendship she forms with Joe lead to (kind of) a love triangle. Her
stepsister is a truly evil villain. Her family life is a mess. Honestly, Sadie
is a bit of a mess even before the story gets started. She is insistent on
doing things on her own, yet she is failing without the aid of others in her
life. There is no heat to the romance aspect of the book. The focus is on Sadie coming to realizations
about herself that allow her to grow enough to be part of a romantic relationship.
There is a significant focus on confirmation bias, seeing
what one expects to see, believing what one wants to believe, and having all of
that turned upside down. That made this an interesting book. The writing itself
was well done. The pacing was just right. Using Sadie and her face blind
condition allowed the author to go deep with the exploration of the way our
expectations often influence our reality.
The Naughty List (Naughty & Naughtier #1) by Jade West
#Erotica #Escort #Holiday (?)
This is not a romance, so there is no HEA. It is a book that
covers a LOT of sexual situations as Ella gets into sex work in an online pay-for-proposal
platform with her “Holly” persona. It is
set during the holiday season, though I am not sure I would classify it as a holiday
book per se.
Each chapter gets smuttier. This was an explicit read that
explores a whole boat load of kink. If you are wondering if you might like to
read a certain kink, you can just flip through this book to try them out and
decide. There were several that I confirmed were just not for me. And that’s
OK. I am sure they are exactly what someone else might be looking for. The only
plot to this one is Ella regaining her self-confidence after being dumped by
her cheating ex and dragging herself from poverty to a comfortable existence
with her new job.
Written in first person from Ella’s POV, this was a smutty
read that worked well as a palette cleanser.
Readers should consider the content warning before reading
this one.
Here are the kinks explored:
Kink List
🌶️
BDSM
🌶️
Role play
🌶️
Praise
🌶️
Degradation
🌶️
Stretching
🌶️
Foot fetish
🌶️
Period play
🌶️
Fisting
🌶️Sex
toys
🌶️
DP, DVP
🌶️
MF, MMF, MFF, MFMMMMMMM
🌶️
CNC
🌶️
A LOT of anal
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