Ok this was fun! I’m always down for a quick novella and this one delivered! Sapphic, bodyguard, set at sea on a cruise ship! This series has been so Ok this was fun! I’m always down for a quick novella and this one delivered! Sapphic, bodyguard, set at sea on a cruise ship! This series has been so fun on audio in particular and this one was no different. ...more
2.5 stars. This just wasn’t great and never grabbed my attention. It sounded so good, I love a second chance romance, but this one just wasn’t it. Thi2.5 stars. This just wasn’t great and never grabbed my attention. It sounded so good, I love a second chance romance, but this one just wasn’t it. This author has been hit and miss for me in the past, so I was hoping this one was more of a hit.
Basically we follow two exes, they were childhood besties who fell in love and became an item, they split up after a European trip and went there separate ways. Now it’s a few years later and they both end up booking the same wine tour. Instead of splitting between chapters and getting the different character’s POVs, we don’t get the other MC’s POV until halfway through the book. I think it would have helped having it sooner. Lots of European adventures! The bit with them making a bet to see who could hook up with more people while on vacay together, and then having the deets of that playing through, was a choice…
I received an audio ALC from the publisher, all thoughts in this review are my own....more
This was so delicious and I only wish it was longer (since it’s novella length)! This is a twist on Medusa and Beauty and the Beast, it’s sapphic, we This was so delicious and I only wish it was longer (since it’s novella length)! This is a twist on Medusa and Beauty and the Beast, it’s sapphic, we have lethal women, a demoness, a human, a gothic castle, so many snakes. Stopppp, but also give me more. The audiobook was especially fantastic, it’s pretty much a graphic audio with sound effects and just an overall amazing delivery for the story....more
This was a super cute, class difference, sapphic, historical romance novella! It felt like it needed a bit more time with the characters, but it is a This was a super cute, class difference, sapphic, historical romance novella! It felt like it needed a bit more time with the characters, but it is a novella so I get it at the same time.
Molly is a former thief who has left that life behind and is working as a lady’s maid now. Alice is the very prim and proper companion to Molly’s employer when they meet. It drops you right into the story and I thought it was so cute and fun how they kept sneaking peeks at one another and felt so pulled to each other right away. The audiobook in particular was the perfect way to binge this novella!...more
Solid 3.5 stars! Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous is a new sapphic romance release about childhood best friends who have both gotten famous and Solid 3.5 stars! Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous is a new sapphic romance release about childhood best friends who have both gotten famous and are now back together again and I had such a good time with this one!
Katie and Wil grew up in their small town in Wisconsin and were childhood friends, their moms are even best friends. After high school they went their separate ways, Katie went on and became an A-list star and Wil stayed back. While Wil’s plans of becoming a lawyer didn’t pan out, she has become an online sensation when she started challenging herself to kiss 2 new people each week and film and post it on social media. Through the years, Wil and Katie have both thought about one another often and now they’re back in the same place spending time together and figuring out all their feelings!
While I mostly enjoyed this one, I do think it was too long and kinda would lag in some parts. The cats were both interesting but also felt like a lot of time was spent around describing their lives. ...more
Here We Go Again is my favorite read from Alison Cochrun! This is a sapphic, road trip, childhood besties turned enemies romance! It also handles lossHere We Go Again is my favorite read from Alison Cochrun! This is a sapphic, road trip, childhood besties turned enemies romance! It also handles loss, has two neurodiverse main characters, and includes demisexual rep.
This book is definitely emotional and deals with the loss (check CW below). But it’s also a beautiful healing story for Logan and Rosemary who were best friends as kids but had a falling out years ago. They were besties for 3 years, had 4 years of hating each other, 10 years without seeing one another or speaking, and now they’re back in the same town again. And pushed together even more when their beloved father figure, and former teacher, is dying and wants one last road trip with the 3 of them.
Logan is constantly referred to, and a self proclaimed, “f*ck boy”. She’s the type of person who always leaves first before ever being the one left. Rosemary was recently fired from her job as a teacher and has always prided herself in being prepared for everything. They are pushed together on this cross country road trip to Maine and have to tackle their feelings and what is still there between them along the way.
This was just a really lovely story, I enjoyed all of the characters and both the romance happening, as well as the found family story we get and this last journey with their beloved friend…the highs, lows, and everything in between. It felt so real and hits you in the feels. The audiobook in particular was so well done and highly recommend that!
CW: off page death of a parent due to overdose, on page death of a parental figure, loss, grief, cancer ...more
The Kings of Italy series is so fun so when I saw a novella was added to the series, well I had to read it! This is a mm novella that takes place in tThe Kings of Italy series is so fun so when I saw a novella was added to the series, well I had to read it! This is a mm novella that takes place in the series at the same time as some events in the 4th book (Mafia Target), so having read that book at least will make the most sense. You’ll even have seen Theo and Nikolai as side characters in Mafia Target and you get Giulio and Alessio appearances in this novella.
So Mafia Devil is a quick novella, with insta love between an Italian clothing designer and a Russian mafia boss. It was fun seeing how Nikolai just goes for it right away when he sees what he wants (aka when he sees Theo). Lots of steam and fun between these two! But Nikolai definitely keeps secrets, or just doesn’t share exactly who he is, so that leads to tension once Theo finds out. Some moments were a little over the top and the amount of times Theo thinks “red flag” with things Nikolai does was a little overplayed. But all in all, a quick fun novella, just not a fav in the series for me!...more
Truly, Madly, Deeply is the newest release from Alexandria Bellefleur and I loved this one so much! This has a cinnamon roll nerdy hero, a grumpy heroTruly, Madly, Deeply is the newest release from Alexandria Bellefleur and I loved this one so much! This has a cinnamon roll nerdy hero, a grumpy heroine, and bisexual rep (both characters).
Truly is a historical romance author and everyone thinks she’s an expert on all things happily-ever-afters. She gets invited to be a co-guest on a podcast about relationship advice and kinda shows up on the worst day possible. Right before showing up for the podcast she found her fiancé cheating on her, found out her happily-in-love parents are taking a break from their 30+ year marriage, and her thoughts on romance overall have been shaken to say the least. Her co-guest on the podcast is a divorce lawyer who is there to bring the “realist” look to relationship advice while she brings the “romantic” tips. It doesn’t go so well. ...more
So I remember reading an ARC of this author’s debut book, A Brush with Love, 3 years ago and liking it. I haven’t kept up with their releases since buSo I remember reading an ARC of this author’s debut book, A Brush with Love, 3 years ago and liking it. I haven’t kept up with their releases since but this one sounded so good and when I got the audio ALC, I was excited to jump in! The premise and the cover all looked and sounded so good, but sadly this book was just a miss for me.
This is a sapphic, opposites attract, forced proximity romance between Opal and Pepper. Basically Opal wins the lottery but her life doesn’t really get better. Everyone is coming out of the woodwork for a handout now, and since she’s a bleeding heart she just keeps saying yes. So to save herself, and her money, she ends up purchasing a failing flower farm in North Carolina! Her hopes for isolation there don’t go well either when Pepper shows up claiming to own the farm and they soon find themselves both living there.
I just never got invested in the main characters as people on their own, let alone as a couple. The conversations and actions all just felt so cliche and forced. I don’t know, maybe this author just isn’t for me.
I received an audio ALC from the publisher via NetGalley, all thoughts in this review are my own. ...more
This is the 3rd book I’ve read from this author now and this one is my least fav of those. This still had moments I really enjoyed, especially in regaThis is the 3rd book I’ve read from this author now and this one is my least fav of those. This still had moments I really enjoyed, especially in regard to the found family and the friend group…so strong! This was just mostly low angst and chill and that just wasn’t the type of read I was gravitating toward when I read it. So probably a me thing of why this didn’t hit right for me.
Basically we have a highschool basketball coach, ace spectrum rep, foster parenting/family situation, lessons or practice for dating. ...more
Serpentine Valentine is a dark academia, sapphic, Medusa retelling from Giana Darling and this book was soo good! This felt so different from other boSerpentine Valentine is a dark academia, sapphic, Medusa retelling from Giana Darling and this book was soo good! This felt so different from other books Giana has written, but at the same time it felt like such a Giana book (if that makes any sense ...more
4.5 stars! This series just keeps getting better and better! Any Duke in a Storm is the newest installment to Amalie Howard’s Daring Dukes series and 4.5 stars! This series just keeps getting better and better! Any Duke in a Storm is the newest installment to Amalie Howard’s Daring Dukes series and I devoured this one! High seas, nonstop adventure, badass spy heroine, pirates, smugglers, fast paced plot, demi/pansexual rep for heroine, he falls first, forced proximity, found family (amazing side characters), secrets, intrigue, and just all the fun times throughout the Caribbean.
I’ve really enjoyed the diversity in this series, with the characters and the setting. And all the books have just been so solid! Basically she’s a spy who has been deep in a mission posed as a pirate captain, all while trying to catch a leader of smugglers. The only thing I could say is that it was a little too long, but otherwise this is fast paced, high seas, all the adventure, and chemistry!
I received an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own!...more
Two of a Kind is a sapphic, holiday novella with forced proximity (snowed in), angst, and filled with lots of tension and emotions!
Hazel and Quinn heaTwo of a Kind is a sapphic, holiday novella with forced proximity (snowed in), angst, and filled with lots of tension and emotions!
Hazel and Quinn head to a cabin to spend the holidays with their college friend group. They had a history together in the past, and are also still grieving over the loss of one of their mutual friends, who Hazel was also engaged to.
This one ended up being okay for me. It is a short KU read, it does have miscommunication for the plot and it felt drawn out but then rushed at the end.
This one ended up being okay for me! I read another holiday romance from this author that I enjoyed more (The Lights on Knockbridge Lane). This is basThis one ended up being okay for me! I read another holiday romance from this author that I enjoyed more (The Lights on Knockbridge Lane). This is basically the setup of swapping homes for the holidays, which I thought was fun. We also get two different romances in here, a mm one and a sapphic one.
I felt like the story was just too long and did have a lot going on that made it hard to connect with it fully. Not terrible, but just not a favorite. It is on hoopla though and the audio was good! ...more
It’s a Fabulous Life is a sapphic, holiday retelling of It’s a Wonderful Life!
Bailey is so excited to get out of town for a long-awaited vacation to NIt’s a Fabulous Life is a sapphic, holiday retelling of It’s a Wonderful Life!
Bailey is so excited to get out of town for a long-awaited vacation to New York City, but plans change when the person who was taking over her leadership role for the town’s Winter Wonderland festival has a medical emergency. She’s not looking forward to staying in her small town but decides to jump in and help for the sake of her friends and family. It all seems less terrible when she runs into her highschool crush Maria!
Maria and Bailey knew one another in highschool and have a bit of a history with a shared kiss and prom. They definitely have different wants since Maria wants to stay in their small town, while Bailey wants to leave as fast as she can. Just like the original story, Bailey is very grumpy and hates a lot about her life and small town and comes to appreciate it in the end. I do think this was a long one and with Bailey’s complaints it feels longer. But for being a sapphic retelling of this movie, it has its fun moments and nods! The audio is on hoopla and I liked the narrators....more
So I was told to read Unwanted before the next book in the series comes out in a few days. So I grabbed the audio off of hoopla and jumped in!
This isSo I was told to read Unwanted before the next book in the series comes out in a few days. So I grabbed the audio off of hoopla and jumped in!
This is the first book in a series that will be following foster siblings who grew up in the system in L.A. and became their own family. In this book we follow Arlo and Frankie and get their mm, second chance romance. The story starts with Frankie dropping off Arlo at a drug rehab and driving off, Arlo thinks Frankie will be there for him when he gets out but he doesn’t see him again for 4 years.
Frankie moved away to Seattle to start fresh but he ends up getting a call from back home that his brother gets injured and has lost his hearing. Frankie returns home and runs into Arlo. Arlo is a little apprehensive about Frankie returning, he hasn’t seen him in years and he’s been doing really well out of rehab. Arlo now runs a gym that is a safe place for fellow recovering addicts and he’s worried the feelings and emotions of being around Frankie again will lead him to relapse.
I’ve read a handful of books from this author now and while this one wasn’t a favorite, it still had some good moments. I wasn’t super sold by the characters in this one, I felt like we needed more time spent with them, but I am intrigued with some of the other characters we meet, including the next book which is going to be MMM. I did think it was fun that this book is connected to Ache, Frankie works for Jordan and we see Gael in the story as well. ...more
The Christmas Swap is a new, sapphic, holiday romance. This one ended up being okay for me, I’ve read better with this same setup. Basically this has The Christmas Swap is a new, sapphic, holiday romance. This one ended up being okay for me, I’ve read better with this same setup. Basically this has Margot fake dating a guy and even goes back home with him for his family’s Christmas, but then she falls for his sister, Ellie!
This one moves quickly but I never really felt a connection with the characters or plot. It was just okay. The audio is on hoopla and Libby, so there is that. Nothing terrible about it but nothing that stood out either. ...more
This one I expected to enjoy more. It’s a sapphic, holiday romance novella, that includes a baking competition, and is set in Scotland, with grumpy/suThis one I expected to enjoy more. It’s a sapphic, holiday romance novella, that includes a baking competition, and is set in Scotland, with grumpy/sunshine vibes. It was just okay for me and never really captured my attention. The characters and plot kind of felt forgetful even when I was reading. The audio is on hoopla though!...more
Christi (christireadsalot)
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