Skip to main content

Book reviews for books read July 1st-6th

 

This first week of July, I read two ARCs. Then I read a few novellas. I finished reading Swati M.H.'s backlist with Momcom Vacation. I read another Jess Bryant book on my list. I had forgotten how much I love male-male romance. Jess has reminded me beautifully. 

Then I decided to have give in to my ADHD and read some stuff outside of my normal comfort zone. I kept seeing posts on social media about Unhinged. I was curious. When I looked and saw that it was in KU and only 80 pages, I decided to sate my curiosity and give it a try. You will see in my review that I as pleasantly surprised. I seriously admire the creativity necessary to make a door into a hero worth loving. Then I fell down a smutty rabbit hole. I have also been seeing a lot of hotwife and freeuse recs online. I had never read any, but I had picked up a few on the last Stuff Your Kindle day. They too were very short and I decided...why not? Though it's not something I would tackle in real life, I read a lot of things that wouldn't work in my real life. (See above-A DOOR!) They were a fun and smutty distraction from the day-to-day.

I am excited about July and the chance to make a dent in my TBR. Find something that makes you happy and read it today. Until next time, happy reading!

Wish I Didn’t Want You Back by S. Jones

ARC: Release Date-7/11/2025

#FakeRelationship #ForcedProximity #RunawayBride #SecondChance #SmallTown #ARC

This first-in-series book is written in first person from an alternating dual POV, can be read as a standalone, and ends with a HEA.

Harlow decides at the last minute that she cannot marry the man chosen by her father and makes a run for it. When she returns to the small town of Marcellus Falls, NY, and the lakeside cabin her mother left her, she is thrown back into proximity with the man she left 5 years before.

I love Harlow really comes into her own in this story. I love how she finally finds the courage to see her father for the man his is and break away. She learns to stand on her own and realizes what she really wants out of her life.  I love that Brooks is there to help and support her before he even realizes that he is doing it. His protective instincts toward Harlow are swoon-worthy. I adore that once they communicate with each other, secrets are revealed, truths are revealed, and their love is inevitable. Steamy times, tense plot moments, and powerful breaking free make this book one that is hard to put down. A beautiful second chance without a third act break up, it is a wonderful start to a new series.



The All-Inclusive (Jilted Brides Honeymoon Club #3) 

by Tawna Fenske

ARC: Release Date- 07/11/2025

#MMF #Virgin #WhyChoose #ARC

It is written in first person from alternating multiple POV. It can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. Readers may find the most enjoyment from reading the series in order as they will get to know the club, meet Sara’s friends, Eve & Camille, and meet Logan in previous books.

Sara and Trent were raised in a strict religious, Purity culture. It has influenced how they view sex, marriage, and family. Sara has learned from her friends that there are other views about all of these things. When Trent breaks their engagement and her heart, she is ready to explore options other than the future she originally envisioned. Throughout the book, she reclaims her sexuality as her own, coming into a new realization of love and what future she really wants to have. Trent has secrets. He loves Sara, but he realizes that he wants a future different from the one they had always planned. He and Sara each have their own journey in this story as they overcome the strict way they were raised and find happiness.

Logan is a character I fell in love with in the first 2 books. I am thrilled that he is able to find his own happy ending with Trent and Sara in this story. He is such an easy-going character, but he has had to do the work to get to that point. I loved how he treated Sara. His patience, tenderness, and true awe as he reveled in her was very special. His relationship with Trent was special in its own way. He was also incredibly patient with Trent. He was willing to help him yet let him find his own way to where they all needed to be.

This was a very steamy read with some emotional moments. I love how the author delivered a hot book with character development that was layered and complex. I love this series. I am kind of sad to see this book be the end of it. The best thing about books is that I can go back and read these books as often as I want. I am sure there will be many times I do just that.


Momcom Vacation by Jenni Bara, Brittanee Nicole, Daphne Elliot & Swati M.H.

#BonusContent #FamilySeries #RomanticComedy #Novella

Written in first person from multiple POV, this bonus novella follows each of the momcom couples a couple years down the road. It was really fun to read and see how each couple has taken their initial relationship and grown into it. The stress of weddings, growing families, and balancing obligations between work and life are hashed out in the Florida Keys. This was a steamy, feel-good add-on to a fun series. Found family is everything and Beckett proves once again that his crazy plans often pay off in the best way. Readers will get the most enjoyment from this novella if they have read the momcom series first.

Once Upon a Valentine (Once Upon a Holiday) 

by Jess Bryant

#Holiday #MM #OppositesAttract #Novella

Written in third person from an alternating dual POV, this can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA.

Julian is the controlled and put-together guy who has it all together. Branson is the partier, the playboy who uses excess to hide his pain and brokenness. They share a mutual attraction but resist each other. It made me so happy when Julian finally gave Bran the chance at a different future. Choosing to be with Julian was a commitment and I was so proud of Bran for the growth he has in this book. Julian made it possible with his unconditional love and care for Bran. This was a steamy, swoony novella without any third act break up. The story covers almost a year of time, but it never felt like it was jumping unnecessarily. This was my first MM book in a while. I forgot how much I enjoy them.



Unhinged by Vera Valentine

#Novella #Paranormal #Shifter

I may be a little Unhinged, but this was a fun read.

Written in first person from the perspective of the door (Drys), this standalone novella ends with a HEA.

Tana is in danger. Her door is aware of it and his protective instincts are on point. Thanks to some divine intervention from his Greek god father, the door is given the key to communicate with Tana and help her- as long as she helps him become a man. She must trust his dream persona and do something special to make it happen though.

When I saw this book mentioned on social media, I wasn't sure how an author could make it work. After seeing it several times, I looked, and I realized that it was in KU and only 80 pages long. At that point, I decided I would give it a shot and sate my curiosity. I am impressed. The blurb tells you exactly what to expect in the story. The long list of content warnings fills in some extra details and were honestly pretty funny. The author was able to craft a complete story in a short book, and she created a scenario that was believable in a paranormal, suspension of belief, sense. Steamy with a hint of danger, what stood out to me was the care that Tana and Drys show each other throughout the story. Surprisingly, given the popularity of this book, I found two pronoun tense inconsistencies (in chapter 11, page 45) where sentences flipped between first and third person. I would have thought those would have been caught and updated by now. That said, I found this to be an enjoyable and entertaining read, and I very much appreciated the creativity of the author's mind who thought of it.


The Freeuse Caping Slut (Hotwife Holidays #4) 

by Lacey Cross

#hotwife #freeuse #shortstory #erotica

Written in first person from the h POV, this is an erotica story featuring hotwifing and freeuse with men outside a married couple. It can be read as a standalone and is a fast and steamy read.

In this story, the hubby surprises his wife with a freeuse night with his six friends on a camping trip. They had previously engaged in a hotwifing lifestyle, and she was thrilled with the surprise. They have a sweet reconnection after. A steamy, completely smutty read.



Hotwife Shared in Team Building (Slutty Wife Kiara) 

by Kassia White

#hotwife #freeuse #shortstory #erotica

Written in first person from the h POV, this is an erotica story featuring hotwifing and freeuse with men outside a married couple. It can be read as a standalone and is a fast and steamy read.

In this story, Kiara is made available for her boss and co-workers for a teambuilding weekend. (14 men in all) It is written in reflection as she tells her husband about her weekend, and they reconnect after. Smutty reading fun.


Hotwife Shared with His Friends (Slutty Wife Kiara) 

by Kassia White

#hotwife #freeuse #shortstory #erotica #MFMM

Written in first person from the h POV, this is an erotica story featuring hotwifing and freeuse with men outside a married couple. It can be read as a standalone and is a fast and steamy read.

In this story, Kiara’s husband brings home two of his friends for a MFMM night of sharing. Kiara has been with both friends before. Then she and her husband reconnect together after. A quick, smutty read.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Book reviews for books read May 3rd - May 10th

  Happy weekend!  I read two ARCs this week. They were both very different and both very good. Marika Ray's new book is going to be the perfect summer read. Take it to the lake or the beach and fully enjoy the quirky romance between Maple and Holt. I promise you will adore the meddling seniors along the way. Then I read an arc by a debut author and it knocked  my socks off. When was the last time you got a book hangover from a brand new author? Yeah, it is a rare thing but it happened to me this week.  Check my reviews and add these to your TBR. You wont be sorry. Until next time, happy reading. Anchored by Marika Ray ARC: Release Date- 05/13/2025 #FakeRelationship #ForcedProximity #SmallTown #SecondChance #ARC I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an advance reader copy of the book. This standalone is written in first person from an alternating dual POV and ends with a HEA. Maple (32) is having a crisis of confidence due to many factors when sh...

Best Reads of 2024

 It is 2025! It feels like 2024 flew by.  This year's "best of" list is a little different.  In part this is due to time constraints and in part due to the fact that some trope categories have a LOT of excellent reads.  I just could not narrow them down to even eight for the graphics. I obviously have my favorite tropes, as this list will tell you. If you don't see a trope here on this list, it may be that I read one and it just wasn't quite a five star read for me. Most of the books I read are either four or five star reads. I have found what I like, and I tend to stick to it. You can search the labels on the main page of my blog or search in the general search bar to pull up books from another category and read my reviews. If a book is on this list, it was a five star read for me. That means I loved it, I found no major flaws in timeline, editing, or characters, and I would want to read it again. The links I am including are for Amazon out of ease, but several o...

Book reviews for books read May 11th-25th

  I read three ARCs and 2 books from my TBR in the last 2 weeks. I feel good about that considering that life at home has been pretty full lately. May has been an excellent reading month for me. There are so many good releases right now, it is impossible for me to keep up. These are all worth adding to your TBR. Check my reviews and add them to your list. Until next time, happy reading. Built To Last (Park Avenue Promise #3) by Lexi Blake ARC: Release Date- 05/27/2025 #EnemiesToLovers #Celebrity #Workplace  #ARC I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an advance reader copy of the book. This is the third book in the series, and it is written in first person from Harper’s POV. This book is driven heavily by dialogue, and I personally did not miss having the male POV. Though it fully contains the love story of Harper and Reid, I think readers will gain the most value from reading this series in order. The friendship and found family relationship between Ivy, ...