Category: Romance

Book Review:: Butcher & Blackbird | Brynne Weaver

Holy gee whiz. I requested this from the library because I was honestly not expecting to like it. I mean, serial k*ller romantic comedy? WTF?! How does it have such high ratings? Such a wide audience? What is happening!!

Y’all.
Y’ALL.
I loved it.

Butcher & Blackbird Brynne Weaver Book Cover Dark Romance

How in the world does this book work? Let me tell you: it’s a magic mix of comedic tone, high stakes, and deliciously slow burn romance.

Sloane and Rowan are straight up serial k*llers. They hunt and destroy the biggest scumbags in the country. They have monikers. And secret identities.

On one hunt, which happens just before the start of the novel, Sloane makes a mistake and gets locked in a cage. Luckily, Rowan was coming to hunt down the same guy and finds her there before she…expires. Yes, folks, he rescues her, the modern morbid damsel in distress. They get to talking shop, and a contest is proposed. Once a year, Rowan’s brother will pick out a sleezebag for them to end and whoever gets there first and does the job wins.

Don’t get me wrong, this shit is bloody and gruesome and horrific. Sloane is known for removing the eyes of her victims, for example, and they may or may not have been served a steaming plate of human by one of their targets. But with an impossibly light and hilarious tone, it fucking works. This is exactly the same genre as any other romantic comedy you can think of, except it’s probably better than a lot of them. It’s like that movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith. They’re doing all this badass shit, blowing shit up, as****inating targets, etc., but the movie is actually about their marriage. Same thing. How, Brynne Weaver. How?!

The romance is what shines in this book. Oh, it’s so juicy. Our two characters are in such high stakes situations whenever they see each other, and it makes for fast and strong trust bonding. It’s also spaced out over years, and there’s lots of longing and wondering and daydreaming and yearning and burning. Gah, the author just hits so many good notes. The nicknames, the symbolism, the ‘seeing’ of each other’s damage, the real, deep love. Extraordinary.

Also, the audiobook is the first true duet I think I’ve ever heard (and I listen to a lot of audiobooks). It’s fantastic, and I absolutely think it adds so much to the experience of the book. I don’t always recommend one format over another, but this time I really do. (Also, do you really want this hanging out on your shelves for OTHER PEOPLE TO SEE?! I’m not even trying to scar my children that way).

Literally what are you still doing reading this. Go find this book and give it a listen (check your library, if you’re not ready to commit yet). But the best part? IT’S A SERIES (with a glorious name, see below).

One warning though, while I wouldn’t say this is erotica by a long stretch, the scenes of intimacy there are could be described as…………..wild. intense. torturous? I mean it fits their characters, hey? But they’re certainly skippable if they’re too much for you (they were for me!). However, it is absolutely still worth reading even if you’re not into that!

Details

Title:: Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy #1)
Author:: Brynne Weaver
Genre:: Dark Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Independently Published
Length:: 360 pages
Audio Length:: 8h 43m
Audiobook Narrator:: Joe Arden & Lucy Rivers
Audiobook Publisher:: Blue Nose Publishing
Published:: August 14, 2023
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 12?

Linky Links!!

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Author Website
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[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

King of Wrath | Ana Huang
Burn for Me | Ilona Andrews
Not in Love | Ali Hazelwood

Book Review:: Book of the Month | Jennifer Probst

What do you do when you’re out of inspiration? F*ck off to North Carolina.

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst. Typography cover with silhouettes of the characters and book stacks.

Aspen fears she is a one hit wonder when her second and third books don’t earn out their advances after her bestselling debut. She’s under a lot of pressure to Make The Next One Count, and under the advice of her agent, she takes off to spend the summer with her sister on the North Carolina coast. The problem is she wrote that bestselling book after the biggest heartbreak of her life, and she hasn’t been able to tap into that same deep well of emotion ever since. She’s convinced another devastating heartbreak is the only way to tap into her potential again. Enter Brick, the sulky hotter-than-sin man who moved to town to take over his grandfather’s dying touring business and is a known heartbreaker. Everyone advises her against it, and he isn’t interested either, until she strikes up a deal he can’t refuse.

I’m a little torn on this one, because I feel like it was executed well for what it is, but some of the premises got under my skin a little bit. The setting is idyllic and refreshing, but the gossip mongers in town make it sour. The romance between Aspen and Brick turns out to grow organically, but it’s set up under kind of a gross deal they strike up. A lot of things went a little too far over the top for me to give it a full five stars, but I would still recommend it to those who enjoy this genre.

I think my biggest gripe is actually with Aspen and her vice-grip on this idea of the suffering artist. That she can only make good art if her heart is in pieces on the floor. This belief is self-sabotaging and was frustrating to see her cling onto it for so damn long.

Once the romance got going, it was a really sweet story. These two characters had a real connection, and it was really nice to read. Their little adventures were so wholesome.

This was my first Jennifer Probst novel, but it looks like she’s quite prolific, and I’m excited to see what else she’s got on her backlist!

Note:: I received this title from netgalley & the publisher for free in exchange for a fair review.

Details

Title:: Book of the Month
Author:: Jennifer Probst
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Blue Box Press
Length:: 294 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 39m
Audiobook Narrator:: Alexander Cendese & Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
Audiobook Publisher:: Brilliance Audio
Published:: October 22nd, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
Spice Rating:: 3

Linky Links!!

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Author Website
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[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour | Nora Nguyen
The Slowest Burn | Sarah Chamberlain
Haunted Ever After | Jen DeLuca

Book Review:: Catch and Keep | Erin Hahn

She’s been fishing her whole life, but she’s finally ready to be caught.

This week I read a nice little palette cleanser romance, Erin Hahn’s new book Catch & Keep.

Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn Book Cover, Cute couple sitting at the end of a dock with a dog next to them. Fall foliage in the background. Illustrated.

When Maron’s boyfriend of a single year proposes in front of all her friends and family, she throws up on him and runs from California to Wisconsin, to the lake she grew up around. Her fishing mentor left her his old property (now in shambles), and she decided to tackle that project for awhile to get away from deuchetard. At the resort by the lake, Maron runs into his brother’s best friend, single-dad Josiah. Since the property is in worse shape than she thought, he lets her stay in one of the resort cabins in exchange for her running some fishing tours for their customers, a symbiotic relationship that leaves them spending quite a lot of time together.

I wonder how it ends, guys!

This is the only book I can remember…ever…wanting to give a half star rating to (on Fable, I did). I liked this book so much, except for one thing: the antagonistic characters were just too dumb (Ian and Kylie). If they would have been more realistic, I think this would have been a five-star read.

One of my favorite things about this story was how Maron fell for Jo’s kids, too. Maybe harder than she did for him. And Josiah is such a good dad. The way they fell into their relationship felt very natural and organic and I was all in for it.

The whole thing is kind of glazed in this film of escapism. It didn’t feel super realistic to me, more escapist. I think I’ve been reading too much romance! But it’s exactly what’s popular right now, for sure. It doesn’t look like this is technically part of a series, but I read the first book with characters mentioned in this one (Built to Last), and I have to say I liked this one far better. It was really nice. It’s also nice when you get an advanced readers copy of a book you already have on pre-order too 🙂

Erin Hahn, you have my thanks for this one, and I’ll certainly be keeping my eye on you!

Details

Title:: Catch and Keep
Author:: Erin Hahn
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 6m
Audiobook Narrator:: Zura Johnson & Michal Normal Johnson
Audiobook Publisher:: Spotify Audiobooks
Published:: October 15th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4.5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 3 (a few explicit scenes)

Linky Links!!

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Author Website
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[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

The Slowest Burn | Sarah Chamberlain
Wild Love | Elsie Silver
Business Casual | BK Borison
Play Along | Liz Tomforde

Book Review:: I Did Something Bad | Pyae Moe Thet War

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War is not your typical romance. There’s a dead guy in it, for one, not to mention a cover-up, a Vogue expose, and no shortage of commentary on illegal abortion in Myanmar, where the story takes place. I’d say it was one part romance, two parts murder conspiracy & complications thereof.

I Did Something Bad Pyae Moe Thet War Book Review. Figure of a woman in sunglasses, which are reflecting the portrait of a man.

Khin, a freelance journalist, has been offered the job that could make her career (so far): writing the cover story of Tyler Tun for Vogue. He’s a global mega-star actor, and he’s filming a new movie in Myanmar with his best friend Mai. She’s to shadow him for two months, and if she can get a major break for the piece, she’s all but guaranteed a lead journalist job for Vogue Singapore. As a recent divorcee, the opportunity is too good to pass on. When she meets him, she can tell he’s hiding something, but they get on well enough. Then on the first day of shooting, Khin is approached by a drunkard ‘white guy’ who assaults her. She shoves a monogrammed pen in his ear and drops him off a bridge. Tyler finds her and steps in to help at the last minute, and she somehow talks him into pretending nothing happened. When the police show up on set the next day, they team up to get the story straight.

To be honest, it felt like this book was a little confused. I’m not sure what exactly it’s trying to be. It reminded me in some ways of Finlay Donovan is Killing It, except the stakes didn’t really seem that high, and it didn’t have a really high degree of humor. There were detectives, but they were pretty despicable. It was a little odd that they seemed almost more concerned with the article she’d previously written about outlawed abortions than the dead guy in the lake. The romance wasn’t incredibly strong either. I liked Tyler, but nothing about their connection felt very profound.

I was lucky to receive this title as an advanced listeners copy through netgalley from the publisher. I will say I especially enjoyed the voice she chose for Tyler, but I kind of hated the voice she chose for best friend Mai. It wasn’t enough to detract from the story though.

Overall it was an entertaining story, it just didn’t blow me away in any of the several categories it spanned. I’m not really sure what kind of reader I would recommend it to.

Details

Title:: I Did Something Bad
Author:: Pyae Moe Thet War
Genre:: Romance/Thriller?
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 47m
Audiobook Narrator:: Jacqui Bardelang
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: October 8th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

Linky Links!!

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Author Website
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[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Double Exposure | Elissa R. Sloan
Finaly Donovan Is Killing It | Elle Cosimano

Book Review:: Wish I Were Here | Melissa Wiesner

I looooooooved this book. In Wish I Were Here there is adventure, humor, drama, a heist, heart, community and the smidgiest smidge of magical realism that made it an experience I won’t soon forget.

Wish I Were Here by Melissa Miesner Book Cover

Catherine has it all. The life she’s dreamed of her entire childhood. A place of her own, every aspect of her life within her control, and she’s about to start the career of her dreams: a tenure track role in the mathematics department of the university. But when she shows up for orientation, she’s told there was a problem with her paperwork. Turns out, none of her forms of ID are valid. She’s not in the system & will lose everything she clings to so desperately for if she can’t get it fixed, and fast. With the help of her disorganized but compassionate doorman with connections all around the city, it’s a race against time to save her job.

Catherine and Luca are a perfect match for a romance novel. She craves organization almost to a point of pathology and that ranks low on Luca’s priority list. His actions shout at her to stay away, but there is something about him that she can’t deny she’s drawn to. He’s an excellent problem solver and Catherine happens to have a lot of problems that need solving at the moment!

Let’s talk about Luca Morelli. Oh my. Dream boat. This guy is Catherine’s nightmare, having so much in common with her literal clown of a father, but folks, he takes the time to dance with old ladies in the lobby, run them on their errands, listen to their stories, shows up every week to family dinners, and goes out of his way to help everyone every time. He’s a tatted-up teddy bear. He’s a keeper.

Kitty Cat (as the real ones call her) has quite the journey to traverse over the course of the novel. She’s got an identity crisis (literally), her father’s lost (another) job, and she learns about her mother for the first time in her 30 years of life, who might just be the answer to unlock everything else.

Not to mention the cast of side characters in this book are all fun, endearing, and incredibly special. The community aspect of this book is truly aspirational.

The romance in this book felt so…pure. It’s completely organic and hopeful and sweet and gah I just loved every bit of it. The personal journey Catherine goes on reminds me of the best Katherine Center books. This one blew me away. I got an arc copy from netgalley and the publisher, but before I was even halfway through I knew I was going to need a copy for myself to keep on my shelves. Absolutely wonderful. What are you waiting for?!

Details

Title:: Wish I Were Here
Author:: Melissa Wiesner
Genre:: Romance
Publisher:: Forever
Length:: 368 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 23m
Audiobook Narrator:: Helen Laser
Audiobook Publisher:: Forever
Published:: October 15th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

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Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Hello Stranger | Katherine Center
PS I Hate You | Lauren Connolly

Book Review:: A Not-So Holiday Paradise | Gracie Ruth Mitchell

Molly’s had a crush on her big brother’s best friend forever, but she hasn’t seen him in years. Now that her family is planning to visit him at a stop on their cruise vacation, she’s trying to play it cool. But mom’s matchmaking goes awry when a tropical storm moves in leaving Molly stranded on an island with Beckett without her seizure medication.

A Not-So Holiday Paradise by Gracie Ruth Mitchell Book Cover

I really like the inclusion of Molly’s condition, epilepsy. The author has the same condition, and it nice to see an authentic portrayal. It certainly added a level of conflict into the story, knowing she was without her medication while stranded.

(This paragraph contains spoilers) I also really appreciated that when the feelings were sparking at the end, they didn’t just immediately live happily ever after. They waited to make sure the feelings were genuine before committing or jumping in or making any big decisions.

The thing I’m finding about most ‘sweet’ romances, including this one, is how dang innocent they are. Sometimes it feels like the characters are significantly younger than they are. It’s just something that tends to be a pet peeve of mine. It’s not that there’s no spice, it’s that they just genuinely feel a little immature as people. Like extra responsible teenagers kind of. That’s the vibe I tend to get.

As far as this being a holiday book, I’d say that vibe was not very prominent. There is some Christmas decorating going on, but this is more of a beach/vacation book than a holiday one, I’d say.

Details

Title:: A Not-So Holiday Paradise
Author:: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Genre:: Holiday Romance
Publisher:: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Length:: 242 pages
Audio Length:: 7h 57m
Audiobook Narrator:: Rylee Kuberra & John Rogers
Audiobook Publisher:: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Published:: November 16th, 2022
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars
Spice Rating:: 0.5 (Longing and Kisses)

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

It’s All Relative | Rachel Magee
How To Hide in Plain Sight | Emma Noyes

Book Review:: Before We Were Us | Denise Hunter

Life is good. After struggling through so much of life, you’ve finally found the place you belong, and the one who is meant to stand by your side. Then, in the blink of an eye, all the memories of discovering these things are wiped from your mind. Before We Were Us is the story of Lauren Wentworth, who fell from a ladder and lost an entire, formative, summer.

Before We Were Us Denise Hunter Book Cover. New Hampshire Latefront in fall foliage.

As a new college graduate, Lauren took a job as the manager of a tourist lodge in New Hampshire as a condition to winner her dream job in Boston: being a bona fide party planner at one of the most prestigious firms in New England. It’s her chance to prove her capabilities to her future employer and she won’t let anything get in the way of the future she’s dreamed of for so long. Except one day she wakes up in the hospital and finds that four months have passed since her last memory, and suddenly the owner’s son she couldn’t stand is saying that somehow they’ve been in a loving relationship all summer long. The two realities are impossible to reconcile in her head, and she’s unsure if she wants to regain her lost memories.

Jonah, her almost fiancée, is devastated. Just on the cusp of their happily ever after, the woman he loves is suddenly all but repulsed by him. He steps back, gives her the space she desperately needs, and waits for her. All he can hope for is that she’ll remember their time together, but when nothing changes even weeks after her injury, he isn’t sure what their future might hold.

What a concept! I think a premise like this naturally tugs at our human heartstrings. Memory is fallible, and so deeply, deeply personal. You can’t convey to another person exactly how something felt, or how it affected you. Even journals probably couldn’t evoke the same feelings if you don’t have the memory to accompany it. You can try. Lord knows, we all try. That’s what literature is. Poetry, and music too…all art in its various shapes forms strives to capture and convey human emotion.

This is a very strong story with many moments of sweetness and heartbreak and necessary, if reluctant, soul searching. There are strong examples of family with themes of overcoming hardships and long-held grievances. Jonah was exemplary in his role as supportive, loving partner. Finding out that Thomas Nelson is a Christian publisher is not surprising. Though I wouldn’t say this book is blatantly religious, but it does serve as a good example of what I imagine a healthy religious practitioner should look like. It’s not a story about characters making conflict-ridden choices, but rather navigating difficult circumstances with all the nuance it entails.

Any reader, especially of romance, might enjoy this story. I know I did. I was lucky enough to be chosen as an advanced listener by netgalley and the publisher. The narrator, Kim Churchill, did a wonderful job.

Details

Title:: Before We Were Us
Author:: Denise Hunter
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Thomas Nelson
Length:: 304 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 9m
Audiobook Narrator:: Kim Churchill
Audiobook Publisher:: Thomas Nelson
Published:: September 10th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
Spice Rating:: 1 (smooches only)

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

It’s All Relative | Rachel Magee
Hello Stranger | Katherine Center
Funny Story | Emily Henry

Book Review:: Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour | Nora Nguyen

(You’ll have to forgive me for not knowing the way to type the correct characters for the Vietnamese names/words in this review – I wish I did, it’s so beautiful!)

Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour Nora Nguyen Book Cover

Evie’s Auntie Hao leaves her San Franscisco row house to Evie in her will, with the condition that she goes on the flagship matchmaking tour of the new, exclusive, Love Yeu company. It’s three weeks in her father’s home country of Vietnam, a place Evie never got to visit with Auntie Hao, as they had once dreamed of. With her career as a poet in a stagnant lull, and a recent betrayal in her romantic relationship, she has nothing to lose. Adam is Love Yeu’s CMO, having left a lucrative job in business to help get his sister’s matchmaking tour business off on the right foot. After a disaster of a previous relationship, love is the last thing he’s looking for, but his sister convinces him to join the tour anyway, so he can get firsthand experience of the company’s offerings.

Adam’s family is wealthy and very traditional. Patriarchy is very rampant in the family culture, and everyone is expected to play their role. In contrast, Evie lives largely on a whim. Above all, she is free. It attracts Adam immediately, and holds his attention, even when he tries to talk himself out of it.

Vietnam sounds incredible. The wild(er)ness, the history, the people, the food; Nguyen’s writing makes the tour experiences pop off the page. In a book about a matchmaking tour there is obviously quite a large cast of characters required. I found myself skimming over some of the dense character scenes, because I knew most of them weren’t playing a crucial role. I didn’t care much about the extraneous characters. The ones who did stick out though, were beautifully complex and compelling, especially our two leads.

One character I didn’t jive with was Ruby, Adam’s sister. At the beginning she seemed okay, she was the one who got Adam to agree to go on the matchmaking tour, however, she quickly changed her tune when he started actually getting something out of it. She was the great Reversing Ruby, with a heavy side of Negative Nancy thrown in. And I didn’t care much for her overall, even given the third act revelations about her.

The themes were well integrated and supported by backstory, however, I felt like it could have probably been shorter. Some things felt revisited a few too many times, or a little too blatantly. Overall though, the story was done very well.

This book is a great escape. Beautiful scenery, lots of heart, growth, and passion. Definitely worth your time!

This is an arc review & my honest opinions.

Details

Title:: Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour
Author:: Nora Nguyen
Genre:: Romance
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 304 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 45m
Audiobook Narrator:: Ewan Chung & Viet Thanh Nguyen
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: September 24th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Summertime Punchline | Betty Corrello
PS I Hate You | Lauren Connolly
Sunshine & Spice | Aurora Palit

Book Review:: The Christmas Dog Sitters | Lucy Mitchell

Some books are hits, and some are just misses, and unfortunately, this one was the latter for me.

The Christmas Dog Sitters Lucy Mitchell Book Cover

When Rachel’s sister is going away with her new husband on a 3-week vacation, she asks her to come to their English manor to dog-sit their misbehaved dog Humphrey. Her family insists she takes her aging grandfather to care for while she’s there. She’s been struggling to cope with the death of her best friend and roommate, and her love life has been in shambles as well. This may just be the holiday season that will change everything.

I may have been in the wrong space to read this one, but it felt like a pretty bad Hallmark movie. A lot of the conflict was incredibly high drama, some of which was recycled several times, which bothered me (how many times are we supposed to be interested with the dog running away? Like, maybe two? Not four, five, six…I lost count). I was really looking forward to the romance, but that storyline might have been my least favorite of them all. I didn’t feel like there was a lot of support there to justify a lot of what happened. Ben seemed to do a 180 personality-wise, and why? Just so he could be the ‘grumpy’ half of grumpy/sunshine? That’s how it seemed to me. Her family was pretty wretched, except her grandfather. Also, the audiobook narrator didn’t help with the over-the-top drama. Some of the voices were exaggerated to the point of silliness in some cases (Fiona comes to mind).

I did like the grief plotlines. It integrated a lot of the characters together in a common feeling and tangle the relationships up a little bit. That was the part of this book that shined the brightest for me.

If you really like goofy high-drama stories, you might enjoy it. In my opinion, there are far better holiday stories to invest your time into.

I did get an advanced listening copy from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Details

Title:: The Christmas Dog Sitters
Author:: Lucy Mitchell
Genre:: Holiday Romance
Publisher:: Bloodhound Books
Length:: 292 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 3m
Audiobook Narrator:: Charlie Albers
Audiobook Publisher:: Dreamscape Media
Published:: September 19th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 2-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

The Christmas Inn | Pamela Kelley

Book Review:: The Slowest Burn | Sarah Chamberlin

So you like to read romance…lucky for you, I’ve found your next favorite romance author. Do you enjoy authors like Tarah Dewitt, Katherine Center, Sarah Adams, and Abby Jimenez? Go ahead and add Sarah Chamberlain to the list, because you’ve stumbled onto the review one of my favorite romance reads of 2024. I can save you a few minutes of reading by telling you to just buy it. This is one you’re going to want to chronicle on your bookshelves at home. It’s so good. But if you still want the deetz, I got you.

The Slowest Burn Sarah Chamberlain Book Cover

Ellie is a cookbook ghostwriter living in the cottage house of her dead husband’s parents. He died three years ago, leaving her a widow in her late twenties. Since then, she’s thrown herself into her work, saving money to eventually buy her own place and get back on her feet. Unfortunately, the client of her latest project is less than genial. In fact, he’s all but openly hostile. She’s got the writing & cooking skills she needs to do a great job, but she can’t write a book in this guy’s voice unless she knows…literally anything…about him. Kieran recently won a prestigious televised cooking contest and his agent is looking to capitalize on the flash of fame. Putting out a cookbook is the obvious step forward, except it feels like schoolwork, and Kieran has never been good at that. In fact, he’s been exceptionally bad at it, and this project is stirring up a lot of old insecurities.

Oh, but this book is delicious. There is something in reading about food, even if it’s food you’d never want to eat yourself. Happy croissants? I can get behind that. A blood orange and duck confit salad? Yeah, that’s not going into my mouth. But reading about it? I mean, it’s sexy. It’s sexy when someone takes such care in choosing and preparing ingredients to assemble a bite that will do pleasant things in your mouth. Food is romance (or at least it can be, and in this book, trust me, it is).

But I haven’t even gotten to the swoony bits yet! Let’s take the title, The Slowest Burn. I mean, with a title and a cover like that (LOOK HOW PRETTY IT IS), you just know you’re in for a treat, and Chamberlain did not disappoint.

What is it we love about a slow burn romance? The longing. The intimacy of getting to know someone so completely before jumping in the sack, right? The deep and honest friendship with possibility that simmers and fizzles just underneath every interaction. Check. Check. Check.

Ellie and Kieran are both misunderstood. They each have trauma from their formidable years that shaped them into what they currently are: functioning adults with relationship issues (aren’t we all). Through the forced proximity of the cookbook project, which they both need to do well, their layers of armor weaken around each other as they connect over the food they’re creating together. A true bond forms between them that emulsifies into something simply irresistible.

Both main characters have depth and realistic internal conflict they need to work through. Ellie needs to work on enforcing boundaries, and Kieran has always been too much for most people to handle and is a little too eager to employ his coping mechanisms.

But it’s not all about the romance! There are many other types of relationships explored in these pages: professional, familial (siblings, parents, in-laws), and friendships. Themes of grief are discussed as well as learning disabilities. The FMC is plus sized, the MMC isn’t super tall, both are simply integrated into the characterization and not flouted around just to be ‘Inclusive’. So much good stuff to chew on in this book!

I read this book as an advanced listening copy from the publisher & netgalley. I devour audiobooks like Ellie devours frites, and this one was no exception. Both narrators did a great job. Occasionally I could hear a few mouth sounds from Hunter Johns, but to be honest, I actually liked that. *blushes*

So in conclusion, this book is amazing, and you all should read it. Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.

Details

Title:: The Slowest Burn
Author:: Sarah Chamberlain
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Griffin
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 12m
Audiobook Narrator:: Hunter Johns & Kate Handford
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: September 24th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 3

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Savor It | Tarah Dewitt
PS I Hate You | Lauren Connolly