Tag: 5-Star

Book Review:: The Tourist Attraction | Sarah Morgenthaler

Oh my gosh, what a feel-good sweet little romance novel we have here! The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler is such a fun story about an unlikely connection between a grumpy local and an exuberant out-of-towner.

The Tourist Attraction Sarah Morgenthaler Book Cover

Zoey has been saving up forever to travel to Alaska, and finally, she’s there. Her rich friend Lara convinced her to time her trip to coincide with her next visit to the resort in the small town of Moose Springs. Zoey has a long list of budget activities to keep her busy, and she makes fast friends with the handsome diner owner who is dead set against dating tourists.

The little town of Moose Springs Alaska is quirkier than most quirky small towns. Monotone tour guides, locals-only cinnamon rolls as big as your head, a spa that specializes in wildlife shaped designs for the nether regions…and don’t forget Ulysses, the bull moose with a strong attraction to yeasted dough. It’s an idyllic setting, especially within the state of Alaska, which is a whole world of its own.

I loved Graham Barnett. Yes, he was a grouch, but at the same time, he was more laid back and far funnier than most grouchy romance heroes. There was something so special about him. He hates running his diner, The Tourist Trap, and refuses to hire anyone to help him run it, but he also invents The Growly Bear custom cocktail and turns his favorite customers’ reindeer dogs into cute little reindeer. He hates tourists, but he’s also committed to making sure Zoey has a great experience in Alaska. Also, he calls her Zoey bear. Adorable. He’s an enigma in the best way possible.

Zoey is kind of the everywoman, if every woman is grouchy in the mornings, excited to experience as much as she can in the world on her own terms, and isn’t used to eating ground reindeer on the regular. She’s loyal and friendly, and sweetly oblivious – quite easy to love.

There are also plenty of side characters with lots of potential. The twins, Lara and her rich whosits and whatsits – the world Morgenthaler creates is just big enough to get really immersed.

I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Elise Arsenault, and I really recommend it – she really gives the characters a great voice.

I said it in the intro, but I’ll say it again – this is such a feel-good romantic comedy. I dare you to read it without a smile! If you’re looking for something to lift your spirits and tickle your flirty romance craving, this one is it! The characters are so endearing and they get into plenty of questionable situations. AND, it’s the start of a series, so if you like it, there’s even more where that came from!

Details

Title:: The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs Alaska #1)
Author:: Sarah Morgenthaler
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Length:: 352 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 36m
Audiobook Narrator:: Elise Arsenault
Audiobook Publisher:: Tantor Audio
Published:: May 5th, 2020
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Level:: 2

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Sarah Morgenthaler Author Website
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If you liked this, check out…

The Cheat Sheet/The Rule Book | Sarah Adams
Savor It | Tarah Dewitt
Hate Mail | Donna Marchetti
The Unhoneymooners | Christina Lauren

Book Review:: The Christmas Inn | Pamela Kelley

This might just be the coziest book I’ve ever read! The setting is a Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast during Christmas, and a vibrant cast of characters makes this one of the most wholesome holiday books possible.

The Christmas Inn Pamela Kelley Book Cover

After losing her job in New York City, Reily moves back home for a few weeks to help her mother run their B&B for the Christmas rush after her mother breaks her leg. The place has been in a steady decline for the past several years, but with Reily’s help as a content marketer, they work to make this holiday season special. Among those staying at the inn this year is Reily’s widowed high-school sweetheart and his son Luke, and Franny, an older woman who recently lost her sister, who is following a chain of nostalgic letters left to her.

What a beautiful little story we have here! I’ve never read anything by Pamela Kelley before, and I have to say, I’m adding her whole backlist to my TBR! This is the kind of story you can sink into – it transports you into another world and wraps you up in layers of feel-good story. There is romance, yes (we’ll get to that in a second), but what really makes this book shine is the overwhelming feeling of community – you could even call it Christmas spirit, I suppose. Beth and her little family are so kind-hearted and everyone is so open and willing to be present in any room they’re in. It just warms the soul on a level I don’t remember experiencing in another book in quite the same way.

We have two little romance stories going on here. My favorite was mama Beth! She’s been divorced a long time and has felt very discouraged in the dating scene ‘these days’ and has all but completely thrown in the towel, but when the hired help (Shawn) shows up to fix the damage in a few of the rooms at the inn, he’s handsome and kind and capable (and also divorced) – and brings his mama to the holiday festival!

Reily has been dating a big-shot lawyer named Jack in The City. He works long hours because he enjoys his job and has lots of ambition to one day make partner. They have both understood that it will be several more years, at least, of the same pace, before he will have more time to spend on anything else, including her. When she tells someone they’ve been together two years and they respond with an understandable ‘it must be serious’, Reily is surprised, which is…very telling. Spending more time in her hometown, and around the folks around the inn makes her realize how lonely her life in the city has become, and wonder if that kind of life is still the right choice for her. It begins to factor into her job search, as well. What does she really want her life to look like?

Overall, this felt like an immersive Hallmark movie of the best variety. I can see myself craving to read The Christmas Inn again in the future. I absolutely recommend it for anyone wanting to lean into the cozy vibes that come with the fall and winter seasons. There are also plenty of book recommendations in the book (how cool!). So glad I was chosen as an arc listener for the audio version of this title. Thank you to netgalley and the Macmillan Audio for providing the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Details

Title:: The Christmas Inn
Author:: Pamela Kelley
Genre:: Women’s Fiction
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 48m
Audiobook Narrator:: Stephanie Németh-Parker
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: September 24, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: #-Stars
Spice Rating:: 0

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Author Website
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If you liked this book, check out…

Funny Story | Emily Henry
Thank You for Listening | Julia Whelan

Book Review:: Amazing Grace Adams | Fran Littlewood

Have you ever had a bad day? Bad week really. Months, even. Or a decade, if we’re being honest. Grace has. And she’s kept it together, mostly, through most of it. But you can only hold together for so long once your vessel is cracked and leaking and you refuse to acknowledge it.

Amazing Grace Adams, Fran Littlewood, Book Cover, Book Review

Grace Adams is a mess. A perimenopausal, hot-flashy mess, stuck in a traffic jam that is preventing her from reaching her estranged daughter’s birthday party. Everything has gone wrong lately. Everything. And just maybe if Grace can deliver the custom inside-joke birthday cake she had made to the party she was never invited to, her daughter would forgive her. Her ex-husband might forgive her. Everything might take a step back in the right direction. But she can’t get there if she’s stuck in the misery of traffic until it’s over. So, as a hail-Mary last-ditch effort, she opens the door of her car and walks away from it. Right there, in the middle of traffic, and foots it the rest of the way to the bakery. This is only the first of many questionable decisions Grace makes that day.

The genius of this story is in the revelations. While the present Grace is on a frantic quest to fix everything she thinks she’s broken in one desperate grand gesture, we’re traced back through the steps that led her to such a desperate moment. The magical meeting of her eventual husband at a linguistics conference, their unconventional courtship and marriage, the family dramas they’re forced to navigate, the trials of new parentship, partnership, and beyond. Each petal is pulled back and back and back until we get to the real hurts that Grace and her family are struggling with. And they’re big ones. Heart shattering. I sobbed for…a long time…as I read through the last chapters. Right there on the couch, while my family watched TV. This book is devastating and beautiful and the writing is so lovely and clever. Here are some of the quotes I underlined:

A message that has made him fizz inside with what? Laughter?

She has doughy skin that makes her look like one of the pastries she’s selling.

Amazing Grace Adams Uncensored Book Cover, Fran Littlewood, Book Review
The uncensored cover.

They stand without speaking until the woman has moved past. As if in tacit agreement that their conversation is private, a secret between them.

If she could, she would walk out of any room that she was in.

Grace is hugging her knees to her chest and listening to the hypnotic suck and pull of the filter system.

This is a great book, and it was a pleasure to read. Fran Littlewood has delivered a story that is witty, passionate, and a little bit manic. It explores depths of love and forgiveness and grief that won’t soon be forgotten. I love all of it. The title, the cover, and the gift that is the prose.

I would recommend this book to women around Grace’s age. A woman who’s seen it all. Marriage, children, the chaos of it all, and the monotony of it too. The routine. The staleness. That, I think, is the audience who will get the most out of it. Who will understand her. But of course any fan of literary fiction might enjoy it. It’ll probably make you cry, so try not to go into it with a fragile heart.

Details

Title:: Amazing Grace Adams
Author:: Fran Littlewood
Genre:: Literary Fiction
Publisher:: Henry Holt & Co.
Length:: 272 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 51m
Audiobook Narrator:: Claire Skinner
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: September 5th, 2023
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 1 (brief, not explicit)

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If you liked this, check out…

The Most Fun We Ever Had | Claire Lombardo
The Last Love Note | Emma Grey

Book Review:: PS: I Hate You | Lauren Connolly

A human life is fleeting. We only get so much time before we run out. Sometimes, there is no warning. Sometimes, you get a heads up that the end is inevitable. Either way, death is a reminder of our ticking clock, and often shines a spotlight on what is important, and what is not. This is a theme that has come up a lot in my reading this year, and it strikes home every time. Because we’re all alive, and one day, we won’t be. What are we going to do with the time we have?

PS: I Hate You Lauren Connolly Book Cover

Before Josh Sanderson died of cancer, he wrote some letters to those he left behind. To his mother, his grandmother, and his friends. But to his best friend Dominic and his sister Maddie, he left a task: travel to the last eight states he never got to visit using the coordinates he left, scatter some of his ashes there, and read the letter he left for each place – together. The only problem is, Dominic Perry is the reason Maddie fled PA for the west coast. If it were under any other circumstances, Maddie would’ve told them both to kick rocks, but Josh was the only person in the world who loved her, and she’ll do anything to read the letters he left.

I think my favorite part of the whole adventure was that Josh didn’t spell out his reasons for sending them on their quest, leaving Maddie to speculate what his intentions could possibly have been. She comes up with several theories along the way, each of them making her reconsider everything she thought she knew.

I was pulled in from the very beginning by Maddie’s snarky, heartbroken voice. Her backstory is devastating, and she’s developed unhealthy coping mechanisms to survive. In the depths of her grief, she clings to them harder than ever, but the journey through the eight destinations illuminates the need for changes.

Dominic is the strong silent type. Through so much of the book, all we really see from him are ‘looks’. He’s staring at her, he has a strange look on his face, you know the drill. It leaves a lot of room for the reader to project what they want him to be thinking, which is clever. The one complaint I have is that Connolly WAY overused the phrase ‘the man’, when referring to him, especially at the beginning.

The themes in his book are heavy, but it reads very much like a rom-com. There is plenty of banter to enjoy, and a lot of personal growth for our MC. There is a fun cast of friends which make me hope there might be another book featuring one of them (Tula?) still to come. This was my first Lauren Connolly book, and it certainly won’t be my last!

Thank you to Berkley & Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on December 3rd, 2024, but it is currently available for pre-order!

Details

Title:: PS: I Hate You
Author:: Lauren Connolly
Genre:: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 432 pages
Audio Length:: 10h
Audiobook Narrator:: TBA
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: December 3rd, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 4 (not erotica, but open door and explicit language)

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Lauren Connolly Romance Website
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If you liked this, check out…

Hate Mail | Donna Marchetti
Play Along | Liz Tomforde

Book Review:: Play Along | Liz Tomforde

Play Along is the 4th book in the Windy City spicy sports romance series by Liz Tomforde. If you’re a fan of sports romance, this series is a must read. Play Along lives up to the same meant-to-be, charged with heat romance, and it has the same deep heart healing running through it too.

Play Along Liz Tomforde Book Cover

Isaiah Rhodes (pro shortstop) and Kennedy Kay (an athletic physical therapist for his pro baseball team) met in a bathroom on a bad day for them both. Three years later, they get drunk as skunks and married in Vegas so Kennedy can feel some sense of power in her f*cked up family dynamic. The next morning the real world comes at them like the world’s worst hangover, and they realize that if Kennedy is really going to get what she wants (professionally), they’ll have to play out this marriage like it’s real for the whole baseball season. The only problem is Isaiah has a very real thing for Kennedy, and she is looking forward to having actual freedom for the first time in her life – which means D-I-V-O-R-C-E, A.S.A.P.

I love this series. Tomforde has built up a big ol’ cast of characters that are supportive and spunky and endearing and sprinkled throughout each other’s stories. Isaiah is the younger brother of Kai, the hero of my favorite book in the series, Caught Up. But man, Isaiah really gives Kai a run for his money. I’m honestly conflicted at this point on which to claim as my favorite, but in the end it doesn’t matter – they’re both (all) brilliant.

I love the depth that this series explores in each volume. They’re fairly long books compared to many in the genre, but still, I’m left wanting more (seriously, I had to look up if there is a fifth book in the series coming, and – rejoice – there is!). Both lead characters always get a robust backstory and very real conflicts and insecurities that they work through that gives them such depth and allows us to empathize with them deeply. In this case, Isaiah lost his mother at the age of thirteen and is dealing with some severe anxiety when triggered, and is also learning that it’s okay to be himself instead of the mask of humor and the relentless easy-going nature he forces himself to wear at all times. For Kennedy, she comes from a cold family who has never expressed love or affection for her and uses her like a pawn in their own schemes. She has trouble feeling important or worth anyone’s time, and has problems with physical touch. Through all the tropey gimmicks, these two come together to heal each other in all the right places.

If Liz Tomforde wrote ten books in this series, I would read them all. I trust that she can string together a story that I’ll care about no matter the context. She’s good at characters with heart, and they’re all living rent-free in my head. If you love that all-consuming possessive longing love feeling, you’d be hard pressed to find something better than this series. Pick it up! You won’t be sorry.

Details

Title:: Play Along
Author:: Liz Tomforde
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Golden Boy Publishing LLC
Length:: 272 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 32m
Audiobook Narrator:: Jacob Morgan & Samantha Brentmoor
Audiobook Publisher:: Golden Boy Publishing LLC
Published:: July 11th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Level:: 4 (open door, explicit language)

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Liz Tomforde Author Website
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If you liked this book, check out…

The Unhoneymooners | Christina Lauren
Savor It | Tarah DeWitt

Book Review:: Wildfire | Ilona Andrews

This is the third book in the Hidden Legacy series. If you’ve not read the first two books, please read this review of book one to convince you to read them 🙂 The review for White Hot (book two) can be found here.

Wildfire Ilona Andrews Book Cover

Nevada and Rogan have finally given into the inevitability that is their love. Now, it will be tested as Nevada is asked to investigate the disappearance of Rogan’s ex-fiancée Rynda’s husband. There are many unanswered questions about this case, and it starts to seem like it’s tying into the same conspiracy that’s been plaguing them all year. Rynda is a mess, and she leans on Rogan to help her and her kids through this difficult time. At the same time, Nevada has registered to become House Baylor in order to protect her family. With that comes new dangers. Everyone’s eyes are on her, and when she’s approached with interest by another truthseeker house, Rogan steps back to make sure Nevada’s vision isn’t clouded as she’s making decisions that will dictate the rest of her life.

The rest of this review will contain some spoilers, because I just have to gush about this incredible series. Just know this is an epic conclusion, and if you’ve read the first two books, the third will certainly not disappoint. Trust me, you’ll want to keep reading, because Catalina’s trilogy after this is leveled up still further. Please, please keep reading. They’re so.fucking.good.

This is such a skillful and satisfying conclusion to Nevada’s trilogy. While her relationship with Rogan is tested again and again, hope is never lost. There is no unnecessary stress, and the trust between the two is never broken. They are tested just enough to ensure the strength of their bond, which makes their partnership all the more unbreakable.

This is the kind of romance people read romance for. Nevada and Rogan have eyes only for each other, and the trust that’s been forged between them through fire and ice and everything in between as they’ve fought so hard to survive through the trials in these books translates to their personal relationship too. They trust each other. And they’ve absolutely earned the happy union that awaits them.

Rogan is a hero’s hero. He’s driven, determined, richer-than-god, and protective while never smothering. He admires and respects Nevada, and allows her to make her own decisions. And once she makes them, accepts them, regardless of his own feelings. There’s something about the intense stakes of this series and the payoff of the made-for-each-other romance that is just magical. I’ve never read anything quite so satisfying and justified as this series.

I can’t ever go longer than a handful of months before revisiting this series in some capacity. They are a comfort read for me, in every sense of the word. I’ve never read anything like them before, and I’m convinced they’ll never be matched in quite the same way by anything else.

Details

Title:: Wildfire (Hidden Legacy Book #3)
Author:: Ilona Andrews
Genre:: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 391 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 44m
Audiobook Narrator:: Renee Raudman
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: July 25th, 2017
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Level:: 3 (open door, infrequent)

Linky Links!!

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Ilona Andrews Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Haunted Ever After | Jen DeLuca
In the Likely Event | Rebecca Yarros

Book Review:: White Hot | Ilona Andrews

This is book 2 in the Hidden Legacy series. If you haven’t read book one yet (Burn for Me), peek a few reasons why you should in my review here.

White Hot Ilona Andrews Book Cover Hidden Legacy Series Book Two

Nevada is back to business as usual after the explosive experience of hunting down Adam Pierce – until Cornelius Harrison turns up on her doorstep, begging for help to discover the truth about the violent death of his wife, Nari. After reviewing the ME report, Nevada knows taking this job would spell nothing but trouble for her and her family, but she can’t say no. She wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if she turned him and his young daughter away. Her instincts prove true as the first day of investigation leads to the death of her primary suspect, and the universe conspiring to-quite literally-throw her back into Connor Rogan’s magnetism. He is investigating the circumstances of Nari’s death for his own reasons, and, at Cornelius’ grief-stricken insistence, they’re teaming up again to get to the root of the crime.

Once again we are in for a ride of non-stop action and drama sprinkled with genuine moments of connection and the quirky humor that is so special about this series. Cornelius is hyper-focused on his revenge, which both compels and complicates the plot in unexpected ways.

In this installment, Nevada is forced to re-evaluate her opinion of Connor Rogan when she sees how authentic his pain is for the people lost in this conflict. She learns so much more about him and his past, and they’re able to truly connect for the first time. He’s not a psychopath, he’s just guarded and driven as hell. He is the Baylor’s filthy rich protector, and goddamn it’s hot. The slow burn romance we longed for in book one is finally realized, and it only gets better from here!

He smiled at me. It was the kind of smile that blazed a trail from your heart to your mind and popped into your head the next time you wondered why you put up with a man who made you want to punch things.

Nevada and Rogan bicker and challenge each other constantly, and it is their respect for one another that always keeps it civil and brings them back together. They are cut from the same cloth. They’re both relentless and dedicated and will do anything to save the ones they love – even each other.

What sets this series apart so well to me are the side characters. Both Nevada and Rogan have people on their teams that add so much color to the story. Bug the crazy-intense and hilarious computer specialist, Dr. Arias, his dedicated personal physician, the entire Baylor family including the gear-head grandmother, the sassy youngest sister Arabella, the know-it-all sister Catalina, the down-but-never-out cousin Leon, and the steadfast and reliable cousin Bern.

Burn for Me was a good book. This one is great, and it’s only the stepping-stone to something even better.

Details

Title:: White Hot (Hidden Legacy Book #2)
Author:: Ilona Andrews
Genre:: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 389 pages
Audio Length:: 13h 18m
Audiobook Narrator:: Renee Raudman
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: May 30th, 2017
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Level:: 3 (open door, infrequent)

Linky Links!!

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

If you liked this book, check out…

The Midnight Feast | Lucy Foley
In the Likely Event | Rebecca Yarros

Book Reviews:: Burn for Me | Ilona Andrews

The Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews is one of my favorites of all time. Since the summer of 2022 when I first read these books, I’ve read them probably 10 times each (that’s six books, they’re all amazing). They’re something special, and I’m going to try to convince you to give this urban fantasy series a chance.

Burn for Me Ilona Andrews Book Cover Hidden Legacy Series Book One, Burning Carnation Flower

Nevada Baylor is a private investigator who can tell who’s lying. It’s her magic. Subtle, but accurate AF. She uses it to solve cases and earn good money for her large family that’s been struggling since the death of her father. She is steadfast and reliable – she wears responsibility on her sleeve like an albatross. In order to keep the company afloat during difficult times, she had to mortgage the company to Montgomery Enterprises, a larger PI firm in the greater Houston area who owns the Baylor Investigative Agency as one of its subsidiaries. Now, they’re calling in a mandatory case that will more than likely end in flames – locate the bad-boy wannabe Adam Pierce, a man who can burn whatever he wants with his prime status magic, and bring him back to his powerful family. Nevermind he doesn’t want to be found, after he incinerated a bank and killed two police officers. But Nevada can’t refuse or her family will lose everything. She must take on the case, and pray she makes it out alive.

But Nevada isn’t the only one looking for Pierce. Connor Rogan, one of the most powerful prime level magic users in the world, is looking for him too. The last thing Nevada wants is to get involved in magic-user politics, but she’s getting nowhere on her own, and Rogan may be the only one who can help her finish the job. Nevada and Rogan must work backward to find the why behind Adam’s masquerades, so they can anticipate his next moves and save Houston from the heat of his power. But as they dig deeper, they realize Adam is tangled up in a conspiracy that is far greater than they realized.

Not only are these books action packed with compelling mystery and time-sensitive stakes, but the characters are well-rounded and the cast as a whole is so darned loveable. Nevada and her family each have their strengths that combine well to make their agency work, and they continue to develop as the series progresses. They’re a quirky family, but they are bound by deep love, and they’ll do anything for each other.

The world in this series is a twist on our own. Earth, but with a magical twist. Early in the twentieth century, scientists distilled the Osiris Serum, which, when taken, either kills the recipient, warps them (don’t ask!), or gives them enormous magical abilities which are passed down through generations. This has led to the development of magical families, called Houses. These magical elite scheme for generations to hone the magical abilities of their offspring, all in want of more power in society. Their matches are rarely for love, so when they are, it’s often a sacrifice.

Burn For Me Ilona Andrews Original Book Cover, Models

Underneath the investigation, this is a love story, though I’m not sure Burn for Me can technically be classified as a romance (just don’t tell that to the first cover, lol). There is a little bit of spice, but if you’re one who doesn’t prefer it, or needs to skip it for some reason, the spicy scenes are separate enough from the narrative that the story still works well. One of my favorite scenes in this first book is not spicy, but Nevada and Rogan are trapped for a time in a confined space, and the humor and tenderness of it is just perfection.

I am convinced that just about every type of reader could enjoy this series, and I’m so glad the first trilogy got new covers because the first ones, the old-school bodice rippers, don’t reflect the depth within the pages.

I wish I could pluck out and distill the feelings reading this series gives me and share it with you, because if you could experience it, you wouldn’t hesitate to pick it up. I’ve read these books again and again (and again), and I only fall more in love every time I get to revisit them. They’ve become my ultimate comfort read, and lucky for me, I get six (and a half) volumes to relish. That’s a lot of comfort.

But seriously Ilona & Andrew – when are you going to grace us with a trilogy for Arabella?! (And Leon!) You could write a hundred books in this series, and I, for one, would eat them ALL up. Bravo!

Details

Title:: Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy Book #1)
Author:: Ilona Andrews
Genre:: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 382 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 46m
Audiobook Narrator:: Renee Raudman
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: October 28th, 2014
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Level:: 2 (just a hint, descriptive)

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Ilona Andrews Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [Mass Market Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

In the Likely Event | Rebecca Yarros
The Midnight Feast | Lucy Foley

Book Review:: Business Casual | B.K. Borison

I received this book as an e-arc for review by the publisher via netgalley, but only a handful of chapters in, I added the paperback (and the rest of the series) to my cart. Already I trusted the writing enough to know this was going to be amazing, and it was exactly the wholesome fulfilling romance I was hoping for.

Business Casual BK Borison Book Cover

Nova Porter is overwhelmed with the launching of her very own tattoo shop in her hometown of Inglewild. She’s drowning in paperwork, to-do tasks, and responsibility. She needs a release. When fun-loving New Yorker and obnoxious flirt Charlie asks her to dance at the wedding they’re both attending, she thinks he might be just the thing to help. But a proposition was the last thing he expected from Nova, and (adorable) awkwardness kills the moment. But now Charlie knows she’s interested in that kind of relationship, and that changes everything.

Nova is a spunky, hard-working woman setting out on her own to make her dreams come true in the hometown that just feels right. She has regular dinners with her supportive family, and knows everyone in town. She knows she can handle it, but also – can she actually handle it? Charlie comes from an upper-class broken family with a father that makes him feel like he’s only as good as what he can accomplish, and that he’s not even good at that. He’s gotten to know Inglewild through his half-sister, Stella, who runs a Christmas tree farm there, and it makes him feel whole in a way he’s never experienced before, but he still feels like he doesn’t quite belong.

This is an example of a story that works well because of character (not to belittle the idyllic setting, which was also amazing). Nova and Charlie are perfectly suited, but their character and backstory drive the conflict. If Charlie was with someone else, it wouldn’t have the same ending. If Nova was with someone else, it wouldn’t have the same inciting incident. They are so thoughtfully designed to create this engaging story full of so much longing, and a resolution that doesn’t leave you feeling damaged, but with a bigger heart than you had before.

I adored Charlie. He’s that not-a-puppy-anymore aged golden retriever pup at the shelter who was abandoned by his family and just looking for someone to tell him what a good boy he is. And he’s a good boy. He’s such a good boy. I dare you not to fall for him right along with Nova.

This is the fourth book in the Lovelight Farms series by BK Borison. Each volume corresponds to one of the seasons, and Business Casual is centered around fall. Nova and Charlie both find themselves on the Harvest Festival committee and work together to help the town make it a great event.

Business Casual is a feel-good read. You get that warm fuzzy feeling all the way through. Now that I’ve turned the last page, I have that book hangover feeling, like I just want to hold on a little bit longer. Luckily, there are three other books in the series I get to dive into next! If you’re looking for your next romance fix, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Details

Title:: Business Casual (Lovelight Book #4)
Author:: B.K. Borison
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 384 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 37m
Audiobook Narrator:: Pippa Jayne & Benjamin D. Walker
Audiobook Publisher:: Dreamscape Media
Published:: July 16th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Level:: 4 (open door, frequent)

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Author Website
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Book Review:: The Most Fun We Ever Had | Claire Lombardo

This isn’t a book you read for entertainment. This is the type of book you read to remind yourself what it is to be human. To connect on another level to humanity itself. To recognize little pieces of yourself in the stories of others: the bright pieces, and the dark ones too. It teaches you things you don’t even realize you’re learning. It’s not a surface level book – it reaches deep parts of you that are often forgotten or neglected. It’s a revelation.

The Most Fun We Ever Had Claire Lombardo Book Cover

The tangled web of emotional turmoil within the Sorenson family is taut with tension. The steadfast love between Marilyn and David produced four beautiful daughters who are grown now and living their own lives. Wendy, the girl who was always too much as a child grew into a woman all too acquainted with grief. Violet, the good girl, has a picture-perfect life complete with two point five kids and a loving husband. Liza, the third child often forgotten in the chaos of her two older sisters, is still struggling to find purpose. And Grace, the baby, is being crushed by great expectations pressured by the weight of the family who all came before her. But when a fifteen-year-old secret walks back into their lives, the effects ripple through them all, bringing many old hurts and hidden feelings to a much-needed reckoning.

Lives are shaped by the butterfly effect. One little moment leads to the next, leads to the next. On and on we go. An overheard and misunderstood conversation can plant the seed that sets roots of anxiety and doubt deep in the psyche of a young girl. An avoided occasion can set long-burning embers of animosity to light that sizzle and pop for decades. Actions have consequences, and they won’t always be the ones you expect to confront.

The narrative is presented in a constant flow of the now and the before, exploring family experiences from multiple sides, because when things happen in a family, it isn’t only about one person. Everything affects everyone, to different degrees. Not only did I find it engaging all the way through, by the time we arrived at certain landmarks in the family history, I found myself simultaneously surprised and satisfied. We’re given so much context to understand the complex feelings between the family members. It feels real. It feels like the Sorenson’s are out there somewhere, having lived these lives we get to read about.

I don’t even know how you write a book this bold and beautiful. The complexity that is the Sorenson family is at once romantic and heartbreaking and tender and sometimes so cliche in a way that is simply human nature. Children are born with personalities, and they will cause tension and conflict and love and joy too. This family isn’t broken, but it isn’t perfect either. They are bound by love, in both the best and worst ways, and Lombardo highlights them both with skilled artistry.

I loved this book in the most surprising way, and I will cherish this experience of reading it for the first time as long as I can, because I know it won’t be the last.

Details

Title:: The Most Fun We Ever Had
Author:: Claire Lombardo
Genre:: Literary Fiction
Publisher:: Doubleday
Length:: 532 pages
Audio Length:: 20h 33m
Audiobook Narrator:: Emily Rankin
Audiobook Publisher:: Random House Audio
Published:: June 25th, 2019
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

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

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