The Lodge by Kayla Olson is a romantic wintertime escape. Set in a Vermont ski resort, it hits the spot for your cozy romance itch in the dark days of winter.
Alix Morgan is an entertainment writer who just landed the gig of a lifetime: ghostwriting the memoir of Sebastian Green, one of the front men of the boy band called True North. The band was once the most popular in the world, but ultimately broke up after one of the members disappeared. Needing some space from her roommate to focus on her tight deadline, the publisher (via Sebastian himself) puts Alix up at a posh Vermont resort. She’s having trouble communicating with Sebastian, and her next-door neighbor offers her ski lessons, so in between days of intense work, Alix strikes up an unlikely friendship with him. It doesn’t take long for it to turn into more, but both of them have secrets, and it’s only a matter of time before they come to light and change everything.
The best part of this book was the falling. Ooo, the sparks between Alix and Tyler (the ski instructor) were red hot and plentiful. I felt like their connection was authentic and romantic and all the things you want from a romance novel.
I struggled a little bit with the cheesiness of the plot. I think it’s inherent a lot of times in a celebrity romance. It was well crafted as far as character backstories and everything fitting together well in a puzzle sense for an impactful climax, but for me it’s hard to escape the fan fiction vibe in this genre. I think I’ve only read one celebrity romance that didn’t give me that aftertaste (When in Rome by Sarah Adams), but if celebrity romance is your thing, I think you’ll love this one.
Details
Title:: The Lodge Author:: Kayla Olson Genre:: Romance Publisher:: Atria Books Length::352 pages Audio Length::9h Audiobook Narrator:: Andi Arndt, Graham Halstead & Gilli Messer Audiobook Publisher:: Simon & Schuster Audio Published:: January 7th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars
Do you believe in life after love? Specifically, once your (ex)husband of more than a decade turns out to be sleeping with someone who pretended to be your friend…the whole time? Or maybe after the woman you’ve been seeing more than two years dumps you after your first couple’s counseling session and starts dating your brother three months later? Meet the two heroes of Yours Truly, the second installment of the Part of Your World series by Abby Jimenez.
Jacob is starting a new job at the hospital as an ER doctor where Briana Ortiz is the frontrunner for the director position. He has high anxiety, especially social anxiety, and he’s not the best with making friends. No one at the new hospital likes him. He’s the odd man out, and Briana is convinced that he’s come for the job she wants. When he stumbles into the supply closet where Briana is sobbing after another ER visit from her brother (who has failing kidneys), something changes between them. In order to apologize for the incident that got them off on the wrong foot, Jacob decides to write her a letter, knowing it will be much easier to communicate clearly that way for him. A new friendship is born. Letters turn into texting which turn into phone calls which turn into a friendship which quickly morphs into a fake dating situation Jacob accidentally created trying to reassure his family he’s fine about his ex and his brother now announcing their engagement!
I have to say, Abby Jimenez is great at crafting characters that fundamentally fit together. It’s no question that Briana and Jacob belong together and will be very happy together forevermore. In this case, Jacob’s family has direct experience not only with medical issues like her brother’s, but specifically a kidney transplant, so he knows intimately how she must be feeling at this difficult time of her life. And her brother grew up with a lot of anxiety, so she knows how much of an effect it has on Jacob’s every.single.day life. He is quiet, but his family is loud and extroverted, like Briana. Vice versa, Briana is extroverted and overtly friendly (if not vengeful), and her brother is more reserved. They’re both doctors. They’re both pet owners and outdoorsy. It doesn’t get more synchronous than that!
Their love story is sweet and convincing and swoon-worthy.
However…
I didn’t like that Jacob was involved with Briana’s brother’s kidney donation. It really gave me the ick early because it felt like this was something that was going to taint whatever chance at a genuine relationship they might develop. There’s no way around how much complication that adds to the situation. It really caused me a lot of stress as I read, thinking it would ruin the book for me if it was used as a point of drama later in the book. (SPOILER:: All said and done, it ended up fine, mostly because she found out immediately what was happening.)
I also started to feel by the end of this book that the author was telling us far too much about how the characters were feeling. She does a great job already of crafting situations that exhibit and justify the complexity and depth of their feelings, so I felt like the constant “I loved this”‘s were unnecessary as often as they were used. Sometimes, supporting character voice? Okay. Constantly? Please give me some credit as a reader that I can figure out what’s going on here.
Also the final complications between the two of them before the H(appliy)E(ver)A(fter) soured things a little bit. All 100% understandable, but still.
Sigh.
All in all, I couldn’t quite give it five stars.
I’m looking forward to reading the third book in this series finally. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Just for the Summer. I’m hoping for a Part of Your World level romance epic, but gosh, that’ll be hard to beat!
Details
Title:: Yours Truly (Part of Your World #2) Author:: Abby Jimenez Genre:: Contemporary Romance Publisher:: Forever Length::416 pages Audio Length::11h 23m Audiobook Narrator:: Kyla Garcia, Zachary Webber Audiobook Publisher:: Forever Published:: April 11th, 2023 The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars Spice Rating:: 2
So, like, romantic suspense is a thing?! If this book is good representation of that, this might be my new favorite genre! Oh my gosh, the mystery, the danger, the intrigue! I was hooked in early on and I was happy to let it reel me all the way in.
When Ridley’s sister disappeared, she started living double. She had to experience the world twice as much, in honor of the life her sister didn’t get to live. She lives life out of the back of her van, traveling the country recording true crime podcasts. She’s good at her job because she can empathize with the grieving family’s and has a bone-deep interest in finding sickos and getting justice for their crimes.
Of course she has been researching the disappearance of her own sister, and she believes it wasn’t just an isolated incident. Her next project is investigating the failed kidnapping of a woman Ridley believes was her sister’s killer’s first victim. When she rolls into town, she finds the victim’s brother is a sheriff, and overprotective at that, which won’t make things easy for her.
First of all, the construction. When an author crafts her characters to fundamentally fit, and then throws in a dramatic question that not only justifies but also inherently creates conflict for story between them, it’s like friggin magic, and Cowles has done it in All the Missing Pieces.
Come on! A crime podcaster and a cop? Both with family members who were victims of the same type of crime? Their goals don’t only align, they’re exactly the same, but there’s so much room for tension and conflict and that’s👏🏼what👏🏼we👏🏼live👏🏼for👏🏼
It’s spicy too, did I mention? *blushes*
We’ve got an active investigation, plenty of suspects, old secrets resurfacing, hot bods, sexual tension, and sparks a-flying. There is real danger, protective instincts, and cute animal sidekicks with quirks that make you go aww. Seriously, I loved every word, and I can’t wait to read more exactly like this. Everyone drop me some recs!
I am so grateful I got to listen to an advanced copy of this title through the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.
Details
Title:: All the Missing Pieces (Shady Cove #1) Author:: Catherine Cowles Genre:: Romantic Suspense Publisher:: Sourcebooks Casablanca Length::384 pages Audio Length::10h 50m Audiobook Narrator:: Andi Arndt, Sebastian York Audiobook Publisher:: Dreamscape Media Published:: January 7th, 2025 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars Spice Rating:: 3
Oh, this is a good one. You want a yummy, rivals-to-lovers modern romance that’ll take your breath away? Grab Not in My Book, a phenomenal debut by Katie Holt, and thank me later.
Rosie and Aiden have been in the same NYU writing workshop for the past two years. He writes lit fic, she writes romance. And they got off on the wrong foot. They both take enormous pleasure in critiquing each other’s work to within an inch of its life, until it comes to a breaking point and they’re forced to write something together or get kicked out of the class.
They’re marketing this book with a comp for Beach Read, my favorite Emily Henry book, and I have to say…I see that. It’s Gus and January: the college years. The romance, once it gets popping, is electric, and it gets spicy as hell. It isn’t a fast thing though. I wouldn’t exactly call it a slow burn, but she makes us wait for the good stuff, and I loved every minute of it!
This book has a story within a story, with excerpts of the book the two characters are tasked with writing between all the chapters. At first I didn’t think it added much to the experience, but by the middle I was eating those up too.
Both Rosie and Aiden are great characters. They have depth and history and goals and desires…I really found myself caring about them early on, and I love how their story ended *swoon*. Rosie had quite a big group of friends, and I wonder if this will turn into a stand-alone style series.
I am so thankful to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to review this one. It was a pleasure!
Details
Title:: Not in My Book Author:: Katie Holt Genre:: Contemporary Romance Publisher:: Alcove Press Length::320 pages Audio Length::11h 30m Audiobook Narrator:: Frankie Corzo Audiobook Publisher:: Recorded Books Published:: December 10th, 2024 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars Spice Rating:: 4
There are good contemporary romance novels, and then there are novels like this one that blow the rest of them out of the water. This is the only Abby Jimenez title I’ve read so far, but it is clear that she is on a level with Emily Henry and Katherine Center (the two queens, as far as I’m concerned).
This book finds Alexis stranded in a tiny town on her way home from a family funeral. There she meets a helpful (and handsome) stranger who helps her, and they spend an unexpected night of bliss together. She’s in the middle of the fallout of a messy breakup at home, and she’s not in a good place to start anything new, especially not with the small town bumpkin she has fireworks with. She is a Montgomery, and an heir to their ultra-posh reputation of medical patrons in her big city hospital. She can’t abandon that. She and Daniel have no future. She knows this, he knows this, but she keeps showing up in town every spare moment she has.
Oh, the well-structured drama! Every single complication in this book is justified and used to the greatest dramatic degree. This book had me gripped from chapter one and it was an emotional roller coaster from there. If you’re looking for a book to really get swept up in, this is the one I would recommend.
I think a part of why it works so well is that Alexis and Daniel are kind of the same. They both have these extensive family histories they are tied to, and though Daniel isn’t as concerned with leaving his behind, Alexis can’t ask him to do it since she knows what it means.
The romance in this book is hot and steamy and sizzling and what’s another word for hot? Sexy. And magnetic. The pull between these two is undeniable and heartbreaking and hopeful and lovely.
Did I mention the audiobook is narrated by another queen – Julia Whelan? Yeah. Just, yeah.
As an aspiring writer myself, this book is awe-inspiring. I can only hope to write a book so immaculately structured myself someday. Incredible, Abby. I can’t wait to read more!
Details
Title:: Part of Your World Author:: Abby Jimenez Genre:: Contemporary Romance Publisher:: Forever Length::389 pages Audio Length::10h 5m Audiobook Narrator:: Julia Whelan & Zachary Webber Audiobook Publisher:: Forever Published:: April 19th, 2022 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars Spice Rating:: 3
Better Than Friends by Jill Shalvis has all the ingredients for a real romance banger. Second-chance romance, enemies-to-lovers, (kind of) forbidden romance, mystery, drama, accidents, freakish storms that move in to leave the characters stranded…the pages are jam packed with tropey delight, but it doesn’t feel all that tropey. It feels like a beautiful story of real heartbreak and crisis and healing and falling in love, even when you don’t mean to.
The only home Olive ever really knew was with the Turner family. Her own parents were flaky at best, and she found real connection with her best friend Katie, and even her twin brother Noah. But after a tragic accident after graduation, Olive fled her hometown in a rush of shame and guilt. Now years later, her best friend needs her. Her husband was in a terrible accident that’s left him in a coma. Despite wanting to keep as far away from Noah as possible, she returns home and naturally, runs into him constantly.
This story really drew me in from the beginning with such a complex and intriguing backstory between all of the characters that had be turning pages for more. Turns out Olive and Noah had a little bit of history back in the day, and the sparks are still smoldering! The two main characters are MFEO (made for each other). Their conflicts complement one another and their traumas can really only be healed by each other, too.
It’s not only a romance, but a novel of self-discovery. Olive has a complicated history with her own parents, and it turns out they’re actually missing, which adds an interesting plot element to all the sparks trying to ignite all over the place. There are some deep themes that tug at your heart strings and keep your mind turning over them long after you finish reading.
Jill Shalvis is a new author for me, but it looks like she’s quite prolific! I’m really looking forward to reading more of her work, because this one was a major win for me!
Note:: I was given a copy of this book by the publisher & netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.
Listen up people, I’ve found some essential holiday romance reading here for you. Emergency Contact is a hilarious holiday rom-com second chance romance with a planes-trains-and-automobiles style plot you won’t want to miss.
Katherine is thisclose to having everything she’s been working for since her father died on Christmas ten years ago – making partner at her law firm. She’s sacrificed everything for it: friendships, vacations, even her marriage. The call should be coming any minute now…when she gets into a car crash in a cab outside of her office. Unfortunately, she never updated her emergency contact information, so who do they call but Tom, the ex-husband, who happens to be on his way to the airport to spend Christmas with his family in Chicago – and to pop the question on Christmas Eve to his perky new girlfriend. Katie has no one else to help her change her bandages and make sure she’s following concussion protocol (interrupt her sleep, etc.) for the following 48 hours, so despite their ill feelings for one another, he decides to drag her along to family Christmas in Chicago. Their trip is doomed, however, and they have one problem after another on their race to get there before midnight on Christmas Eve. Through every setback, as annoying and just typical as they each are to each other, they start to unpack the issues that drove them apart and leave them both wondering if the new path they’re on is the one they really want.
Oh my gosh, this is the perfect holiday romance. Katherine is a self-described grinch, while Tom enjoys the holidays, usually with his big family in their idyllic house in Chicago every year. They’re largely opposites, but they can’t hide that innate attraction. They split up because Katherine was far too obsessed with work, trying to make partner in order to accomplish the dream her father had for her. Tom felt invisible, even though he understood that she was chasing so hard for the father she lost to cancer before they ever met. He had a life plan. He wanted kids, the house in the suburbs…he had a spreadsheet, and Katie was no longer on it. But when he sees her there in the hospital bed, with no one to call and acting like her usual aggravating self, he can’t just walk away.
These two bicker with the best of them. They’re snarky and rude, and they each give as good as they get. And despite their outward hostilities, there are little moments where they are able to really communicate, and several signs from the universe that maybe the future they’re supposed to have is right in front of them.
Obviously this one got me right in the feels. I loved it. I can’t remember ever enjoying a holiday romance as much as I did this one. It was both a romance and a non-stop adventure (what could possibly happen next?!). The rapport the characters had with one another was loaded from the beginning, and believe me, they didn’t just fall together immediately. Every inch was earned.
The whole story was done well. Were parts of it a little cheesy? Of course, but that’s part of its charm. Also there’s no sex, which makes it inclusive for just about every reader.
If you need a little more holiday spirit in your TBR, add Emergency Contact. It’ll leave a smile on your face others might just mistake for holiday cheer.
Let’s get this out of the way up front. This book was rated entirely on *vibes*. Is it perfect? No (and it has more faults than most of my five star reads). But should you read it? Absolutely, yes.
Emily is having a quarter life crisis. She’s finished college in a degree she regrets, and is working in a small town on Prince Edward Island because the rent is cheap and she found a job in an auto shop that pays her just enough to make some progress on those pesky student loans. But she’s not passionate about anything. She wants to find passion. She wants to find her dream job.
The thing is, she’s entirely insufferable. Her attitude is perpetually under-satisfied, always looking for the greener grass, no matter what is in front of her. She sees her college friend group thriving on their individual paths, but she’s floundering and has no direction, and she doesn’t even like those friends that much anymore.
BUT — starting from a place of discontentedness leaves lots of room for growth, and the more room for growth, the more powerful an impact for the ending. Even though some of the threads of this story got kind of muddled from the 50-75% point (ish), the resolution made up for every other complaint I was holding onto as I read. The opening was also awesome, you just have to have a little faith that things will pay off by the time all is said and done.
It may also help that John is essentially my husband. Car guy, mechanic, racer, (yes those are all different), not a big talker, hunky, sweet when it counts, confident, steadfast, funny. I loved their relationship, but it’s a little hard to see his side of it with how misaligned they appear to be.
The most sand-chewing part for me is that she’s creating this life she actually really really loves in PEI, with or without John, but she’s still just got it lodged in her head that she needs something better, that there’s always something better. It may be the plight of Gen Z, at least a little bit. The idealistic social media generation. Y’all. Take a big breath and say it with me *gratitude*.
Like I said, in the end this book was absolutely worth it, with valuable themes I think many will embrace or relate to. I was sure this was going to be three stars, but then it just blew me away in the end. I cried several well-earned tears. Sleeper hit! Surprise gem! Diamond in the rough! Five stars from me!
This was a netgalley arc read. I was provided a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
Details
Title:: A Five Letter Word for Love Author:: Amy James Genre:: Romance Publisher:: Avon Length::368 pages Audio Length::9h 33m Audiobook Narrator:: Kate Koster Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio Published:: December 3rd, 2024 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars Spice Rating:: 1
One of the common ingredients in a holiday romance is a character who doesn’t like Christmas. Well Charlotte takes that to the extreme. As a young child she starred in a holiday romance film that continues to haunt her as an adult. This year, with talks of a reboot, she flies off to the UK to spend the holiday season with her sister.
Graham doesn’t care much about Christmas one way or the other, he is only focused on keeping his ancestral home running, and the holidays are a big part of that. It’s an old English estate, and every dollar since his father died has been a struggle. They meet when Charlotte and her sister visit an event at the place, Eden Priory, and Charlotte realizes it is the place her formative movie was filmed. Rom-Com magic happens and Graham is giving Charlotte a ride home. Now an artist, they strike a deal that she will paint a few landscapes for their giftshop.
I feel like the summary of this book doesn’t really do it justice. I’ve been trying to come up with ways to spruce it up for ten minutes, but the plot just is what it is. It’s a vehicle for these two awesome characters to fall in love. That’s not to say it’s a throw away plot, just that it’s hard to summarize concisely.
The best part of this book is the easy banter. Oh goodness, I found myself smiling so much during this book. Charlotte is unapologetic in her disgruntled holiday persona, and Graham is happy to oblige her. The romance that builds between them is so satisfying and natural. Perfect rom-com material!
The story goes deeper than that though. Both of them have old wounds to heal, Graham’s about his father and his responsibility/hero complex, Charlotte about her holiday past and even past relationships. Nothing feels forced (except maybe the inciting incident), it’s just really good storytelling.
This is absolutely a holiday romance you can get lost in this season. There is something special about the genre of holiday romance, and I really recommend this one! My other favorites are linked below! I hope you find something so yummy to escape into this holiday season!
Details
Title:: Christmas is All Around Author:: Martha Waters Genre:: Holiday Romance Publisher:: Atria Books Length::304 pages Audio Length::8h 56m Audiobook Narrator:: Nikki Massoud Audiobook Publisher:: Simon & Schuster Audio Published:: October 22nd, 2024 The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Under Loch and Key is a new Berkley paranormal romance release that will have you wrapped up in so many elements that are intrinsically interesting: family secrets, Celtic mythology, cryptids, curses, a generations-old family feud… Then you add in some really well executed romance ‘ingredients’, and you’ve got yourself a damn good book.
Keyanna MacKay travels to her father’s homeland of Scotland to spread his ashes and to meet her family on his side for the first time. A falling-out occurred when he moved to America before Key was born, so she isn’t sure what to expect. What she finds is a grumpy farmhand who calls her stupid two-seconds after meeting her (when he saves her from falling into the loch) and an unwelcoming grandmother. Key is all but ready to give up on her hope of connecting with her family when she does fall in the loch, and discovers an ancient, impossible secret about both herself, and the hunky farmhand, Lachlan. After that, she can’t leave until she gets to the bottom of the generations-old mystery.
First of all, bravo to the title. What a play on words while directly including the names of the two main characters. Color me impressed. There’s something special about a good title, and this one has it.
Let’s start with the romance.
Keyanna and Lachlan don’t get off to the best start (see above). And with their constant run-ins and a harmless prank, it gets close to EtL (enemies to lovers) territory. And ladies and gentlemen, these two have chemistry! Steamy, sexy chemistry. The force pulling them together is kinetic and so satisfying. Be forewarned that it does creep a little over the line into monster porn (lol) in two of the scenes, but the rest of them are everything, so I can forgive 😉
what about the plot?
Behind the romance is a mystery. We know Lachlan is hiding something early on through his POV chapters, but we don’t find out what it is until Keyanna does. Layers unfold just enough at a time to keep us readers tantalized with new facets to the story. There are secrets being kept on all sides, and Key is…you guessed it, the key to fitting all the pieces together (see what I mean about word play?). This is so much more than a romance, it’s a family saga, a mystery, and a literal legend.
If you’re looking for a new romance to escape into, this one is well worth your time!
Note:: I received an arc copy of this title from the publisher & netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Details
Title:: Under Loch and Key Author:: Lana Ferguson Genre:: Paranormal Romance Publisher:: Berkley Length::416 pages Audio Length::13h Audiobook Narrator:: Samantha Summers & Flint Park Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio Published:: December 3rd, 2024 The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars Spice Rating:: 3
