Happy weekend! It has been a busy couple of weeks but I managed to read 6 books. Two ARCs, and four books from my TBR. I have been working on reading the backlist of Swati M.H., and managed to read all but one of her books prior to assisting her at the HEA Reader Event in Indianapolis on June 7th. Then I joyfully read two ARCs, both over 400 pages. Then I needed something a little different. I needed to break away from traditional, contemporary romance and was able to fit in a paranormal rom com and a monster romance. Now I am back to ARCs.
There are so many good books to read. I am exceedingly grateful to the authors who have written and are writing books that suck me into their imaginary worlds. Thank you authors for giving me a way to escape reality for a little while and guaranteeing me that happy ending.
Till next time, happy reading.
Arches by Cathryn Lyons
ARC: Release Date- 06/10/2025
#Fling #SingleDad #HealingLove #ARC
I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving
an advance reader copy of the book. Written in third person from an alternating
dual POV, this can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.
After meeting Ross and Zander in Heartstrings, I was excited
for them to find their HEA together. It wasn’t an easy one though. Each of them
has suffered past hurts and are dragging their baggage with them. Xander is a
single dad to an adorable 6-year-old boy named Petey. Ross is an independent,
career-driven, commitment-averse force of nature. What they cannot deny is the
magnetic chemistry that pulls them together. What begins as a no strings summer
fling quickly involves more feelings than either one is prepared to address.
I loved the heat between them. They can’t keep their hands off each other. Ross is so driven by hurt and anger and biases based on the reality she knows it prevents her from seeing the truth of reality in front of her at times. Xander is enamored with Ross and justifiably afraid she could crush his heart. There are secrets, twists, and heartaches along the way to healing and forgiveness in this book. I adore how the author deals with grief, guilt, and trauma, and that it ultimately makes these characters stronger once they lean on each other. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and their history. The writing was superb. As only the second book by this author, I continue to be impressed with her talent at bringing deep, complicated stories to life.
The Overtime Kiss (Love and Hockey #5)
by Lauren Blakely
ARC: Release Date- 06/18/2025
#RunawayBride #SingleDad #Nanny #Sports #ARC
This book is written in first person from
an alternating dual point of view, can be read as a standalone, and ends with a
HEA.
Sabrina, 25, is a skating coach and has a ton of baggage
from her parents when she becomes a runaway bride. Tyler, 32. is a single dad
of Luna, 10, and Parker, 8. He has a good relationship with his ex as a co-parent,
and I appreciated that there was no extra drama there like there's sometimes is
There’s an intense chemistry and attraction between Sabrina
and Tyler- leading to many steamy scenes as they progress through Sabrina's
list. They learned to communicate with each other; and I loved that. I really
liked how determined and focused Sabrina is on achieving her goals. I
understood her struggle with perfectionism and how hard those habits are to
break. I loved how Tyler treats Sabrina like a queen. He likes her for who she
is and doesn’t ask her to change. He supports her whole-heartedly. I appreciated
that they have some romantic and touching moments along with their steamy times.
They only have a little wobble on the
way to their HEA, but the grand gesture was perfect.
This was a read that made me smile and swoon. I highly
recommend it.
Kismet in the Sky (Fated Love #1) by Swati M.H.
#Debut #Workplace
Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this
debut novel is a standalone and ends with a HEA.
I began reading books by this author nearly two years ago.
Now I am working through her backlist, and it was a joy to read her debut
novel. It is always interesting to me
how an author develops over time. Bothe the voice and the writing changes as
they learn. Reading this, I was pleased to see that this author had her strong
voice and beautiful writing style even in her very first book. Her characters
are realistic, complex, and flawed. I adored that many of her characters are of
Indian descent and their culture and family values are prominent in the story.
Her debut novel already had all that in place.
I loved Avni. At 24,
she is determined, independent, hard-working, and smart. She has known grief
and guilt, and they have shaped her as a person, and even more as the oldest
daughter to her immigrant parents. Her
parents were adorable. Pa’s matchmaking attempts made me giggle. He was so
earnest! The flip side is the parental determination that Avni find a nice
Indian boy and the inherent bias against whites. Though I could see why their
bias was there, I was glad that they did give Clark a chance and that the most
important thing was that their daughter was happy and loved. Clark is
successful, despite being raised by a single mom after divorce. I think he is
about eight years older than Avni. He has had his own share of sadness and in
that he also has a secret that almost costs him Avni and their future.
I adored the chemistry and the push-pull between the characters. Clark worships Avni and I loved seeing her have that from a partner as well as seeing Clark willing to give her that. Intimate moments as well as the desire and the fight to not give in leading up to them made this a delicious read. This is an excellent debut into the romance world, and it was a pleasure to read and see where one of my favorite authors began.
Surrender To the Stars (Fated Love #2) by Swati M.H.
#EnemiesToLovers #Workplace
#Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this
can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. Note that both MCs in this
book have a connection to Avni, the FMC from book one, however the author dies
a good job of making this a standalone in its own right.
Vik (33) is tall, dark, and handsome. He is also in the
middle of a pediatric orthopedic fellowship when this book takes off in chapter
one. Cousin to Avni from book one, he is of Indian descent and his culture and
family ties are an important aspect to his character. Cassie (27) is Avni’s BFF and a NICU nurse
who is passionate about her profession. She is definitely not interested in the
player named Vik and does her best to avoid him. Spoiler alert: she fails.
I really loved Cassie’s character. She wants a long-term commitment
but her fear of having her heart broken again is really preventing her from
having it. Vik is not interested in a relationship at all, but when it comes to
Cassie, he can’t want anything else. This was a “he falls first” book that has
the hero pulling out all stops to win the girl. Cassie allows herself to be
vulnerable to Vik and that is a true turning point in their relationship.
Batshift Crazy (New Orleans Nocturnes #7)
by Carrie Pulkinen
#Paranormal #FatedMates #Vampire #Shifter
Written in third person from an alternating dual POV, this
can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.
Gaston, the oldest vampire in the Orleans parish, finally
gets his HEA in this laugh out loud novel. I have loved his gentlemanly ways,
his failure to get modern idioms correct, and his aged wisdom from the very
first book in this series. Reading as he falls hard for his soulmate (again)
was a beautiful thing. Maeve believes she is the last bat shifter in New
Orleans, until Gaston shows up at her bat sanctuary. I adored her feisty
spirit. She is a good heart who embraced the changes that enter her life with
Gaston with only a little effort. I loved their chemistry and the spicy times
between them.
This was a laugh-out-loud read with hot times and a
suspenseful plot mixed in. It was
wonderful to see characters from previous books play a role in Maeve and
Gaston’s forever. I forgot how much I adored this series. This was a wonderful
addition.
Wed to Jack Frost (Arranged Monster Mates #10)
by Layla Fae
#ArrangedMarriage #BDSM #Virgin #Holiday #Fantasy
Written in first person from an alternating dual POV, this
can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.
Book 10 of this series features a domme/sub relationship as
Scarlett is able to give Jack exactly what he needs in the bedroom. I loved
that Jack is monster-man enough to let Scarlett be the leader in the
relationship. That role suits both of them and it works. This was especially
fun with their size difference.
Set during the Yule holiday season, this book is all about
found family and acceptance. Though Scarlett did not have a happy childhood, I
am thrilled that Jack supports and loves her for who she is. This was a steamy
monster romance with a surprising hero/heroine dynamic.
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