Tag: Canada

Book Review:: Only Between Us | Ellie K. Wilde

Fans of a great sports romance, buckle up – book two in Ellie K. Wilde’s Oakwood Bay series is here! Only Between Us is the steamy love story between pro footballer Brooks Attwood and a sassy Siena Pippen who is much more than she appears.

Only Between Us by Ellie K. Wilde Book Cover

I feel like Ellie K. Wilde understands what people want out of a sports romance novel. There is lots of personal conflict, coming of age themes, lots and lots of spice, and a protectiveness that comes with someone conditioned to be on a team. Once the girl is on yours, that’s it.

All of those boxes were ticked in this book, and well. Bad boy Brooks is grappling with the wind down of his career. He’s got his eyes set on his old team and will do anything to score a contract with them. What they want is for him to show he’s settled down in his personal life, because the press he’s gotten from prior escapades is a big distraction. When he literally runs into Siena on the practice field and a photo of them goes viral, he proposes a mutual deal: pretend to be in a serious, stable relationship and he gets what he needs, and she gets the attention she needs to keep her business afloat awhile longer.

Siena’s had a hard life. The parents that raised her are not her real parents, and when her dad leaves her his bait shop, she’ll do anything she can to keep it open. But she’s been burned by a football star before, and she is not interested in getting involved with another one.

They both have trust issues, and healing those together is one of my favorite things to find in a sports romance. It just hits in all the feels.

If sports romance is your thing, hey, you’re going to love this. And if you haven’t really delved into any yet…try it! I was so pleasantly surprised. They’re immersive and indulgent and a great little escape. If you like spice, you’re going to love these!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Only Between Us (Oakwood Bay #2)
Author:: Ellie K. Wilde
Genre:: Sports Romance
Publisher:: Atria
Length:: 416 pages
Audio Length:: 14h
Audiobook Narrator:: TBA
Published:: July 8th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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If you liked this book, check out…

Only In Your Dreams | Ellie K. Wilde
The Graham Effect | Elle Kennedy
Play Along | Liz Tomforde

Book Review:: Gloves Off | Stephanie Archer

Fan of sports romance? Stephanie Archer should be on your list! Gloves Off is the fourth book in her Vancouver Storm series. The Fake Out, the second book in this series, is still one of my all-time favorites of the genre. This is the story of Alexei, the enforcer of the Vancouver Storm, and Georgia, one of the team’s doctors.

Gloves Off Stephanie Archer Book Cover

Alexei’s days left with the team are numbered: he’s aging out and his body is starting to feel it. That means his Canadian citizenship, and his parents’, is at risk. The funding for Georgia’s charity program to rehabilitate young sports players and keep them doing what they love is drying up. She’s got a heavy inheritance coming her way, but to access it, she has to get married. Despite their mutual loathing, Alexei & Georgia agree to help one another the only way possible…get hitched!

There is no question that Stephanie Archer can tell a great story. I loved so much of Alexei & Georgia’s romance, but I really struggle with the marriage of convenience trope, and that’s where my biggest hangup was in this book.

We start off with a couple of quick opening chapters that is a play by play of exactly why each character needs to get married and why their past relationships have sucked, and nothing else. It didn’t feel very authentic – I could see the scaffolding of story structure too opaquely and I found myself rolling my eyes a little bit. I guess there’s nothing wrong with it, and many people would probably tell you that’s better than the alternative, but I found myself craving a little bit more.

Despite the clumsy start, once the plot takes off, Gloves Off was easier to enjoy. Alexei & Georgia did not get off on the wrong foot, and they’d insulted each other just enough to not make either of them want to change that. But when the layers start peeling back, it’s impossible for them not to fall together.

I really love the little oddball things that make you fall deeper in love with the characters. In this case, the friendship bracelets, the bunnies, the obsession with a teenaged tv show…these are the things that I meant when I said I wanted more at the start instead of feeling a little too much wham-bam-thank-you-ma’amed. It is in there, you just have to work for it a little bit!

There’s a little bit of suspension of disbelief necessary here, but if you can get past all that, the love story underneath is really sweet and swoony. Alexei is a big tough grump, and seeing the softer side of a man like him always melts you right into a puddle, amiright?

If you just finished up Liz Tomforde’s Windy City series and are looking for something new to quench your thirst for hot athletes falling in love, give Vancouver Storm a try!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Gloves Off (Vancouver Storm #4)
Author:: Stephanie Archer
Genre:: Sports Romance
Publisher:: Dell
Length:: 464 pages
Published:: June 17th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

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If you liked this book, check out…

Play Along | Liz Tomforde
Unloved | Peyton Corinne
Only in Your Dreams | Ellie K. Wilde
The Graham Effect | Elle Kennedy

Book Review:: Wild Side | Elsie Silver

Buckle in for the third trip around the Rose Hill sun – it’s a heart-wrenching one!

Wild Side by Elsie Silver Book Cover

There was a lot of healing in Wild Eyes with Skylar, but healing is the very heart of Wild Side. It begins with the death of Tabitha’s sister, who is Rhys’ tenant. She was a drug addict and mother to a young son. She did alright for awhile, but old habits die hard and she started living a life full of lies. When she died unexpectedly, Tabitha is shocked to discover she wanted Rhys to be the guardian of her son instead of her own sister. So begins one of the most awkward and tense relationships ever.

It’s a wild premise, but the execution of this story is perfection. If I’ve come to know one thing about Elsie Silver’s writing, it’s that she can spin a tale, and she absolutely did these characters justice.

I found the tone of this book far more somber than the two previous. There’s some cutesy romance stuff included (of course), but overall the themes are darker and more serious than what we’ve seen elsewhere in this series. The way the characters and their backstories play off the current situation is a thing to be studied. Rhys and his background, especially, explains everything about why he’s unable to walk away from a woman so hostile toward him in the beginning. Honestly, it’s perfect. And the way both of them are hyper-focused on the good of the boy left behind will get you every time.

I read there is only one more Rose Hill book left (out this September), and that makes me sad. However, I already know it’ll be a banger. This series has been something truly special, and Wild Side is a big piece of that feeling. Read it. Love it. Repeat.

Details

Title:: Wild Side (Rose Hill #3)
Author:: Elsie Silver
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Bloom Books
Length:: 443 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 17m
Audiobook Narrator:: Jason Clarke & Samantha Brentmoor
Published:: March 4th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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If you liked this book, check out…

Wild Love | Elsie Silver
Wild Eyes | Elsie Silver
Play Along | Liz Tomforde
PS I Hate You | Lauren Connolly
Overruled | Lana Ferguson

Book Review:: Wild Eyes | Elsie Silver

What I wouldn’t do to live in a place as beautiful and idyllic as Rose Hill. The first book in this Elsie Silver series is Wild Love, an absolute banger about Rosie and Ford. Wild Eyes is about Rosie’s brother and Ford’s best friend, one in the same man by the name of West Belmont.

Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver Book Cover

West is a single dad minding his own business on his horse ranch in rural Canada. Down the road, his best friend built a recording studio, and when one of his artists shows up early, his sister offers his guest house for her stay. West doesn’t mind, he’s a pretty easy-going guy, but when his new tenant turns out to be Skylar Stone, the world’s current biggest country pop star, things get complicated. Skylar is struggling with bone-deep anxiety and no sense of the ‘real world’, and West is struggling to keep her out of his head.

Oh, my heart. This is a story about a young woman holing up somewhere to take inventory of her hurts and heal them, and the man who sees her, helps her, and holds space for her to do so.

West has two kids, a boy who doesn’t talk much and a spitfire of a little girl who reminds me of my own son. He’s the father we wish everyone could have. He loves his kids for who they are and would do anything for them. That’s how West loves. He accepts all the imperfections, admires the things that make people unique. He sees people. It’s his superpower. For Skylar, no one ever sees her, or asks her what she wants. They think they already know her and don’t bother digging further than that.

The two of them are so well matched. Skylar is in a place where she needs the peace and quiet ranch life offers, she needs the wide-open spaces and quiet to make some mistakes that won’t be broadcast to the masses. She needs someone to notice her for her, to show that they genuinely care, even if it’s hard to accept.

Boy, this Rose Hill series is one to sink deep into, I’m telling you. The concepts are a little tropey or corny maybe if you’re looking to be critical, but the way Elsie Silver crafts a story and creates romance in the most imperfect but beautiful of people…it’s stunning work. When you pick one up it’s impossible to put back down. Wild Eyes is another must-read for anyone who is craving a little bit of hopeless romance. They do get quite spicy, but hey, that’s half the fun!

Details

Title:: Wild Eyes (Rose Hill #2)
Author:: Elsie Silver
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Bloom Books
Length:: 464 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 26m
Audiobook Narrator:: Teddy Hamilton & Savannah Peachwood
Published:: September 3rd, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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If you liked this book, check out…

Play Along | Liz Tomforde
Ghosted | Sarah Ready
Perfect Fit | Clare Gilmore
When Alec Met Evie | Jenny Proctor
Wild Love | Elsie Silver
Wild Side | Elsie Silver

Book Review:: A Five Letter Word for Love | Amy James

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.

A Five Letter Word for Love by Amy James Book Cover. Cute world word puzzle with the could embracing to the side

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

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If you liked this book, check out…

Let’s Call A Truce | Amy Buchanan
Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour | Nore Nguyen
Summertime Punchline | Betty Corrello

Book Review:: Heartless Hunter | Kristen Ciccarelli

The world is a dangerous place when you have to hide who you are from everyone. Especially when you throw yourself into danger in order to save others.

Heartless Hunter Kristen Ciccarelli Book Cover

Rune is a witch in a land that burns them. The kingdom once run by three witch sister queens has been taken over by a rebellion, and they’re hunting down every last witch to purge them. Rune, keeping her own powers carefully hidden behind a fashionista facade, is helping other witches escape the realm. To do the job better, she courts powerful men at court for information. When the witch she’s been looking for for years is captured, she takes the biggest risk yet and pursues the most dangerous man in the realm – her best friend’s brother, one of the most ruthless Blood Guard members. But there are other magical elements at play, and both Rune and Gideon have everything to lose.

If you’re looking for your next romantasy read, look no further. This one has every juicy element you’ll love. High stakes, heroes, (low spice) romance, twists, risks, secrets, and lore. There’s a reason it’s so popular!

The whole thing is structured so well from the beginning – Gideon and Rune both have reasons that make the courtship, though highly unlikely, inevitable. Neither one of them are stupid or insufferable, but they come at life with strong biases that compel their actions in ways that make perfect sense for their character while continuing to complicate the story.

The least likely element of the story, to me, were everyone’s ages, lol. I mean, every character is so young! New Adult, for sure.

I am dying to read the next book, which comes out in February. If you’re impatient, you might want to add this to your 2025 TBR 😉

Details

Title:: Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth #1)
Author:: Kristen Ciccarelli
Genre:: Fantasy
Publisher:: Wednesday Books
Length:: 416 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 8m
Audiobook Narrator:: Grace Gray
Audiobook Publisher:: Listening Library
Published:: February 20, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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If you liked this book, check out…

Divine Rivals | Rebecca Ross
Burn for Me | Ilona Andrews

Book Review:: The Haunting of Maddy Clare | Simone St. James

What a perfect read for spooky season-a historical ghost story mystery, The Haunting of Maddy Clare.

The Haunting of Maddy Clare Simone St. James Book Cover. A decrepit barn with the sun setting behind it and a murder of crows surrounding it.

Ms. Sarah Piper is recruited by an eccentric world war veteran needing an assistant for his latest project: hunting a ghost who’s been haunting an old barn. He’s an academic writer searching for solid proof of the otherworldly, and Sarah rapidly agrees. The spirit is very much alive, and vengeful, especially of men. Sarah turns into an integral part of the investigation into what happened to Maddy Clare, and how they might be able to help her spirit settle.

What is there not to love about this book? Okay, the subject matter is pretty dark. Maddy Clare was horrifically traumatized before she died, and that subject matter is very heavy. I feel like it was brought to justice in the end though, which helps to pacify the discomfort of reading about such difficult events.

I loved the mid-century setting, the ghost hunting characters being respectable (albeit damaged) gentlemen, the supernatural phenomena, the ongoing mystery, and the slow burning romance that simmers beneath it all. I ate it up. I can see myself returning to this book every fall in the future. What a way to set the tone for the season!

What is your favorite ghostly mystery book?

Details

Title:: The Haunting of Maddy Clare
Author:: Simone St. James
Genre:: Historical Ghost Mystery
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 318 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 45m
Audiobook Narrator:: Billie Fulford-Brown
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: October 4th, 2022
The Litertarian Rating:: #-Stars
Spice Rating:: 2.5?

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If you liked this book, check out…

Haunted Ever After | Jen DeLuca (ghost story rom-com)
Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen (murder mystery)
The Truth About the Devlins | Lisa Scottoline (murder mystery)

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?

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Author Website
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If you liked this book, check out…

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

Book Review:: Sunshine and Spice | Aurora Palit

The grass is always greener on the other side, but when you take the time to look around, you just might realize the blessings that surround you right where you are.

Sunshine and Spice, Aurora Palit, Book Cover, Book Review

Naomi recently struck out on her own as a brand consultant and is struggling to make ends meet. She is out of money and needs to win a redesign contract for a local Indian-Canadian bazaar or she might have to reevaluate everything. She has Indian heritage, but has never been engrossed in the Bengali culture, and it makes her self-conscious in a place that is so culturally vibrant. Meanwhile, Dev, the middle son of the bazaar owner, is dodging prospective wives sent by the matchmaker his mother hired. He has no interest in marriage, based on the experience he’s observed from the men in his own family. Soon, it becomes clear that he and Naomi could help each other. She could pretend to be a match for him, chasing away any others, and he could help her with decisions that would make the redesign feel authentic.

Dev feels suffocated by the Bengali culture his family celebrates. Large dinners and festivals that Naomi finds fascinating are standard fare for Dev, and he is critical of the way his father and brother have treated the women in their family. If that is his only option for marriage, he would rather never marry. But try telling that to his mother. He feels rebellious toward the pressure and control he’s feeling from his family – he just wants to be left alone.

Naomi’s mother left her culture behind once Naomi was born. She felt her family trying to control her and her decisions and cut herself and her daughter off from them by moving to a small rural town and marrying a white man. Naomi didn’t go to school with people who looked like her, and she didn’t eat Indian food at home growing up. As an adult she finds herself craving some of that culture, and soaks up every bit of it she gets to experience with Dev.

I enjoyed this story quite a lot. It was well plotted, giving the book constant forward momentum, and the characters were interesting. I don’t know much about Indian culture, and it was really interesting to read about it in the context of this book. Dev’s weekly big family dinners seem amazing. Like Naomi, I’d love to experience that sometime!

It is the personal dilemmas that drive the book, but the romance was nice too. Even though it is called Sunshine and Spice, I wasn’t really expecting it to be spicy. I guess the matchmaker/arranged marriage element made me think maybe it would be more modest, but there is definitely some spice later in the book.

This is a story about finding your roots and embracing your blessings. It’s about finding out who you want to be, even if it’s almost exactly the opposite of what you always thought it was. It’s about following your heart and deep connection. It’s about hard work and paving your own way. It is a rich tapestry of themes, layered with flavor and spice, just like almost any meal in traditional Indian cooking.

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for providing an arc copy in exchange for an honest review. I’m so glad I got to read this one!

Details

Title:: Sunshine and Spice
Author:: Aurora Palit
Genre:: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 2336 pages
Audio Length:: 9h
Audiobook Narrator:: Soneela Nankani & Imran Sheikh
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: September 10th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
Spice Rating:: 4 (not erotica, but open door and explicit language)

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Aurora Palit Author Website
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[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this, check out…

The Kiss Quotient | Helen Hoang
Haunted Ever After | Jen DeLuca