Romantic Comedy Archives - The Litertarian

Book Review:: A Winter Wedding Adventure | Leonie Mack

This novel is exactly what it sounds like: an adventure set during wedding festivities in the winter.

A Winter Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack Book Cover

Neither Kira or Mattia are characters you might expect to be leads in a story like this, he is an Italian opera singer with extreme misophonia (irritation to certain sounds), she, a jaded adventure guide forced to work on weddings despite her long frosted over heart. Part of her job on this wedding is getting Mattia, one of the groomsmen, to the venue, which sounds straight-forward, but this is a rom-com, after all.

Through lots of mishaps and straight up disasters plaguing the pages, Mattia and Kira get to know each other’s true selves, underneath the baggage they carry from their pasts. It’s actually a surprisingly tender story, and I really enjoyed watching these two opposites attract so strongly.

Mattia is unlike maybe any character I’ve ever read. Almost neurotic, but only in certain ways, he’s extremely emotionally intelligent, which is useful skill around Kira, who is so guarded she’s started to think the walls she has up are just part of her personality at this point. They are so well matched and fun to read about, but of course, the shenanigans in the story are a little bit over the top.

For a true-blue rom-com, this novel does a great job. It’s quick, interesting, quirky, and, above all, quite romantic.

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:: A Winter Wedding Adventure (Wedding Adventures #2)
Author:: Leonie Mack
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Boldwood Books
Length:: 328 pages
Published:: September 2nd, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

An Italian Wedding Adventure | Leonie Mack
The Summer You Were Mine | Jill Francis
The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain | Hannah Brown

Book Review:: Love at First Sighting | Mallory Marlowe

Love at First Sighting is no ordinary romance. You might say…ahem…it’s out of this world.

Just kidding. It takes place on Earth. But it is tightly wrapped up in a mystery that has more at stake than broken hearts. It’s fun, it’s a little bit silly, it’s tender-hearted, and absolutely worth a read.

Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe Book Cover

Mallory Marlowe is also the author of Love and Other Conspiracy Theories, so I think she’s nicheing down into a pretty distinctive brand here, and I love that for her.

A close encounter of the romantic kind?

Come on. Pure gold.

El is an influencer who encounters something she cannot explain. An Unidentified Flying Object. Naturally, she livestreams it following her. Carter is the agent assigned to her case, but this time it’s different…because it’s the very same thing Carter saw the night his father died. Together they uncover the truth of what it really was up there.

So it’s a little cheesy, but this book will leave you with a full heart by the time you’re done turning pages. Carter’s story is tragic, and completely entwined in the plotline. It’s El’s background and profession that is honestly kind of hilarious. There is certainly some mild commentary about the career of an influencer, but when it comes up in the climax crisis, it just had me rolling.

The best part of this novel, as all romances should be, is the budding romance between El and Carter. Their connection is genuine and so sweet, and is what will bring me to pick up this book again in the future for a reread. It’s exciting, it’s action-packed, and it has a big, mushy, heart at it’s center. Can’t go wrong!

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:: Love at First Sighting
Author:: Mallory Marlowe
Genre:: Romantic Comedy Mystery
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 352 pages
Published:: August 12th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Sounds Like A Plan | Pamela Samuels Young & Dwayne Alexander Smith
Burn for Me | Ilona Andrews

Book Review:: Wes and Addie Had Their Chance | Bethany Turner

Another second chance love story out of Adelaide Springs. That place did their youth so bad the universe has conspired against it to bring all the little soulmates back together. Wes and Addie are just the latest to be struck (again) by cupid’s arrow. Of the two books I’ve read in this currently three book series, it is by far my favorite. The stakes are high, the histories are complicated, and they choose each other anyway.

Wes and Addie Had Their Chance by Bethany Turner Book Cover

He’s running for president, and she’s running from her problems. Wes once left his dream girl Addie at the alter and skipped town. It broke her. For years. Until she decided to let go of all that hurt and move on. Now hovering around 40, she’s widowed, unemployed (kind of), and recovering from an alcohol addiction, living back with her aging father in good ol’ Adelaide Springs. She’s seen Wes on TV. Who hasn’t? He’s the country’s most hopeful candidate for president in a long time, following in his once undisclosed father’s prestigious footsteps. He recently lost his perfect candidate’s wife to cancer and flies back to Adelaide Springs without telling anyone on his campaign team. Once more Wes and Addie are at the same place at the same time, and the profound love of their childhood has a long memory.

Okay, so I wasn’t expecting this book to be quite this good. I read Brynn and Sebastian awhile back and Brynn’s attitude and entire kerfuffle from the first book of the series kind of turned me off. However, this is a very grown up story of two people with many faults finding their way to forgiveness and love. How can you not love that?

My main complaints would be in how many elements seemed to mirror in this book and the first in the series, and how convenient certain things are set up in order for all of this to make sense, but hey, it’s a rom-com. It’s for fun.

I have to say I really liked the male narrator on the audio version of this novel, Patrick Zeller. He has a very deep and calm voice and I certainly believed he could be running for president. He did a great job with Wes’ character! Talon David was also great, but Patrick really stuck out to me, and I listen to a lot of audiobooks.

Also, the covers for this series are amazing. Seriously, look at them!

Ultimately, this book really gives me hope for future Bethany Turner books. I many even search out the Cole & Laila love story. The blurb actually sounds amazing. Okay Okay Turner, I hear you, I see you, I’ll read you again!

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:: Wes and Addie Had Their Chance (Adelaide Springs Love Stories #3)
Author:: Bethany Turner
Genre:: Small Town Romance
Publisher:: Thomas Nelson
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 48m
Audiobook Narrator:: Talon David, Patrick Zeller, and Bethany Turner
Published:: July 15th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Brave & The Reckless | Dilan Dyer
Game Point | Meg Jones
Writing Mr. Wrong | Kelley Armstrong

Book Review:: The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain | Hannah Brown

I admit I was expecting a lot less from The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain. The premise is fairly high concept, and I thought it would be another cheesy ‘throw-away’ summer vacation romance, but this new novel from Hannah Brown is so much more.

The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain by Hannah Brown Book Cover

When you hear someone has been engaged three times but never married, what do you think of them? Commitment-phobe? Too easily swept away by a little bit of romance? Indecisive? Not serious enough? It’s an embarrassing statistic (just ask Ross Gellar about his marital history), but unless you know the whole story, don’t be so quick to judge.

Relationships are complicated. We find people in different ways, and they can complement different sides of who we are. People also change and grow and need different things at different times in their lives. But when your third engagement blows up just days before the alter, even you might start to question what is wrong with you.

Oh Sybil, you beautiful soul. She is doing her best.

I really don’t want to spoil any of this story for you, so I won’t talk about the history of her love life except to say she has run into the latest of her three fiancées at a resort in Hawai’i and it leads to her confronting her past and learning to accept and love herself in a way she’s never been able to before.

This book is about growth and forgiveness. It’s about coming into your own, meeting yourself where you are, and understanding yourself in new ways. It’s an exploration of maturity and relationships and even mental wellness to some degree. It takes quite a bit to push me over the edge into top-tier territory, but Sybil Rain earned every last one of these five stars.

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:: The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain
Author:: Hannah Brown
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Forever
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 12h
Audiobook Narrator:: Cherami Leigh
Published:: June 24th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

What Happens in Amsterdam | Rachel Lynn Solomon
Hate Mail | Donna Marchetti
The Unhoneymooners | Christna Lauren

Book Review:: Planes, Trains, and All the Feels | Livy Hart

I feel it is my duty to leave a review of this book after seeing so many bad reviews. Who are you people?! I’ve read this book twice and adored it both times. I can be picky with my five stars, but this one earned them all!

Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart Book Cover

Planes, Trains, and All the Feels gave me that feeling of finding a diamond in the rough through the library stacks. I think it was a random ‘available now’ title on Libby when I was looking for something fun to read.

BULLSEYE.

This book is fun, flirty, jam packed with disaster with plenty of sparky romance, and a foundation of meaningful character conflict that you’ll feel all the way in your heart.

Cassidy and Luke are just trying to get home. Not their actual homes (which are in the Carolinas), but the proverbial home, the home of their origin, where their families await them. Neither is exactly eager to get there, but the tether of obligation is strong, and they both pull toward California. Unfortunately, their plane has to divert and they get stuck in a tiny town with only a handful of rental cars and…it’s one thing after another from there.

Needless to say, they start off on the wrong foot and only collaborate due to necessity. But as disaster after disaster befall them and they have to depend on one another, they learn more about each other, and something changes.

Can you call a book a slow burn if it technically takes place over only a few days? I don’t care. This book is a slow burn as both Cassidy and Luke’s walls come down and authenticity begins to bleed through. By the time they get to California, you’ll be swooning and pining and just as caught up in the thrill of it as they are.

When I logged this book on goodreads, my jaw was literally on the floor seeing so many reviews of people disliking or not even finishing this book! I don’t understand. The only thing I can think is that these people were all expecting a different genre entirely? I’ve read some bad romance novels. This is not one of them. Please, ignore the one-stars on this one. Give it a chance! It’s endearing and so worth it.

That’s it. That’s my case. Do with it what you will. And happy reading.

Details

Title:: Planes, Trains, and all the Feels
Author:: Livy Hart
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Entangled Trade
Length:: 352 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 52m
Audiobook Narrator:: Zura Johnson, James Cavenaugh
Published:: May 23rd, 2023
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Emergency Contact | Lauren Layne & Anthony Ledonne
The Proposal Project | Donna Marchetti
Not in My Book | Katie Holt

Book Review:: The Love Haters | Katherine Center

The Love Haters is one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and I was lucky enough to snag an early copy of it for review. In case you’re wondering why you might want to be an arc reader…that’s it. That’s the whole reason. (Except now I have a longer wait until her next release unless I, by some miracle, get the next one as an arc as well).

Now – before I get into the nitty gritty – this is not my favorite Katherine Center book I’ve read. In fact, I was a little annoyed with the main character for awhile. But when I tell you that by the end I was inside her body, living her experience, completely immersed…I mean I was in the water with her.

Five. Whole. Stars. All. Day. Long.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center Book Cover

Katie is a videographer on the brink of getting fired. The company is in crisis, and she needs a miracle to survive the layoffs. Then her colleague hands her one: filming a promo doc for his brother, who is in the coast guard. The only problem is…she can’t swim. Also, he only agreed because he thought his brother was coming to shoot it. Let’s just say the foot they get off on has wobbly sea legs.

Katie and I got off on a bad start.

She begins the book by lying her ass off in order to get a job. Sure, it’s standard practice in her industry, but she’s going to be filming with the US Coast Guard, rescuing people who have no other escape. And she can’t swim. She also has a paralyzing case of body insecurity that has her terrified of bathing suits and the fact that she’ll have to announce her weight to the helicopter pilots before she can get on one.

Whyyy.

Let’s just say it was a lot to overcome for Katie and I to get back to a proper understanding. Lol.

However.

The themes in this book are incredibly impactful, and all of this plays into the plot, too. So does the great Katherine Center get away with starting her book with a character we love to hate (okay, it’s not that serious but it was too good a play on words with the title here)? Ugh. Yes. Yes, she does.

Actually, if you are someone who struggles with body insecurity, I really think you should read this. The conclusions Katie comes to by the end about her body are very powerful and might just help your own perspective and your own journey to self-love.

This book is also about honesty, and family, and found family, and trust. It’s also about frigging heroic rescue divers who risk their lives every day to save others. It’s kind of epic.

Katie and Hutch weren’t supposed to fall in love. In fact, his brother said he was a love hater. Katie was, too, after a bad break-up that continues to haunt her even now. But even when you’re set against it, you never know when you’ll find someone that fits you. Their road is not a straight-shot highway. It’s a winding road with unexpected road closures and mudslides and wildlife throwing kinks into the journey, but it’s a ride you won’t want to miss anyway.

As always, Katherine Center has achieved a book that is relatable, sweet, swoony, and will even make you chuckle. It will also make you clench your fists and threaten to throw your book across the room at some points, but that’s what five-star books do. They make you feel real feelings. You get invested.

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:: The Love Haters
Author:: Katherine Center
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Press
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 10h
Audiobook Narrator:: Patti Murin
Published:: May 20th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Rom-Commers | Katherine Center
Adam and Evie’s Matchmaking Tour | Nora Nguyen
The Paradise Problem | Christina Lauren

Book Review:: An Italian Wedding Adventure | Leonie Mack

Things don’t always go as we expect them to. Sometimes the wrong question at the wrong time can lead to heartbreak and humiliation. And sometimes, you get to face the past that has haunted you for years, even if you don’t want to.

An Italian Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack Book Cover

That is the case when Sophie’s new client wants to have a destination wedding at the top of a mountain. She knows who to ask for the expertise she needs, but hopes that the man who broke her heart no longer works there. After he rejected her impromptu marriage proposal years ago, she never fully recovered, and though she’s a professional and will do whatever it takes to serve her clients, she’s not sure she’ll have the strength to face Andreas again.

I really enjoyed this European vacation romance. The characters were fun and unique and I learned quite a bit about mountain climbing actually, which is always refreshing. I thought the conflict between the characters was authentic to their personalities and the romance and plot felt very natural. It’s quite an escape, traveling with the characters to the tops of mountains, relearning one another and making the most of the time they know they’ll have to spend together, even if it’s the last thing they want to do.

If you’re looking for a fun and flirty adventurous romance to pack on a summer trip this year, I think An Italian Wedding Adventure is a great option. It’s got heart, humor, and grand gestures that will melt your heart like a popsicle in the sun.

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:: An Italian Wedding Adventure
Author:: Leonie Mack
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Boldwood Books
Audio Length:: 9h
Audiobook Narrator:: Karen Cass
Published:: May 9th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The DNA Duology | Christina Lauren
Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake | Mazey Eddings
Catch & Keep | Erin Hahn

Book Review:: Birding with Benefits | Sarah T. Dubb

Is there anything better than having a hunky guy teach you a new hobby? Turns out hanging out in nature for hours at a time with a single, patient, and knowledgeable man can be highly erotic, which is not a good thing when the last thing you want to do is jump into a new relationship.

Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb Book Cover

Celeste was only trying to help a friend in a pinch when she accidentally signed herself up for a six-week bird-watching competition. She thought it was a one-night-fake-date-for-revenge-on-an-ex type of situation, when really John just needed a partner to sign up for the contest he’s hoping will help launch his new bird guiding business. Although it wasn’t what she had originally expected, Celeste still agrees to help him, so long as he doesn’t think her inexperience will hinder his chances.

This is not really a slow burn romance, but there are some scenes between Celeste and John that get the longing and the littlest intimacies so right. I swear you can feel the steam wafting off the pages. And when the spice finally arrives, honey, it is an Indian food buffet: strong, yummy, and a depth of flavor you just can’t get enough of!

These two have both been burned in past relationships and aren’t ready to pursue new romance. However, it becomes impossible to deny the chemistry that is pulling them together. They set rules for their arrangement, but they quickly get blurry as the attraction gets further and further out of hand.

Celeste has an adorably bubbly personality that others often tell her is ‘too much’, and John is quiet and often criticized for not pushing himself hard enough. This story pushes both characters to face these perceptions of themselves and I appreciated the character growth each undergoes.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was a great representation of the (young?) middle-age demographic with characters who have been through real, complex relationship issues. The bird-watching aspect was really unique and makes me want to slow down and listen to the natural music birdsong in my own backyard more often.

Details

Title:: Birding with Benefits
Author:: Sarah T. Dubb
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Gallery Books
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 57m
Audiobook Narrator:: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw & Evan Sibley
Audiobook Publisher:: Simon & Schuster Audio
Published:: June 4th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
Spice Rating:: 4

If you liked this book, check out…

The Rom-Commers | Katherine Center
The Paradise Problem | Christina Lauren
Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake | Mazey Eddings

Book Review:: The Proposal Project | Donna Marchetti

I don’t know how I stumbled across Donna Marchetti’s first book, Hate Mail, but it was one of the most memorable romances I read last year. When I saw she had a new book coming out this year, I jumped at the chance to read it.

The Proposal Project by Donna Marchetti Book Cover

The premise is two people with a mutual friend-couple who got off on the wrong foot team up to make said friend-couple’s proposal something to remember. That’s right, both the man and woman want to propose to each other, unbeknownst to the other, but certainly beknownst (ha) by our two lead characters, Pricilla and Oliver. Planning the perfect proposal is about more than just making her best friend’s day special for Priscilla, this is the moment she hopes will launch her new event planning business. Having to work with and trust Oliver was not on her bingo card, and neither was having to fake date him in order not to spoil their schemes.

Romantic comedies can be hit and miss for me. Often they veer over the line from cute and playful into cliche and annoying, but Marchetti, in both books I’ve read so far, seems to know exactly where the line is and bends it to her will. Cheesy? A little. Unbelievable? No. And the deeper character moments fill the gaps between mishaps with heart and tenderness that wins me over every time.

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:: The Proposal Project
Author:: Donna Marchetti
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Harper Collins | One More Chapter
Length:: 384 pages
Published:: June 27th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Hate Mail | Donna Marchetti
Not in My Book | Katie Holt
Exes & O’s | Amy Lea

Book Review:: Any Trope But You | Victoria Levine

Oh tragic personal crisis – Oh handsome brawny hunk in the woods who can right any wrong with his handsome brawny-ness! Any Trope But You is a mostly lightweight romantic comedy that will walk you through the set up for The Next Great American Romance, because despite trying to run away from romance novels entirely, the main character Margot is literally walking into one.

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine Book Cover

It’s a cute story, yes, and if you really love romantic comedies, you’ll probably like this one. It just wasn’t my favorite.

The one thing I do applaud here is the inclusion of characters with disabilities and chronic pain, characters who need full-time carers and have unpredictable health patterns. Both of the main characters have family members they feel responsible for, and I think the topic is handled very well (without one of the characters actually being one of the disabled themselves…somehow the lead characters are always the normies).

That being said, I think my main complaint here is that given the sincerity of the themes implied by those circumstances, this novel leans far too heavily in the almost-stupid romantic comedy hijinks. Of course, we’re expecting to go through a long list of cliched tropes (hey-it’s in the title), but I think it was the air-headedness required for Margot to fall into all of them that bugged me. Was it her actual personality? Eh. The two sides of her just didn’t seem to match up very well for me.

The romance, however, seemed quite genuine once it got going (given that the first of the tropes was dumbfounding-attraction at first sight), and by the end I didn’t need any further convincing that it had legs to stand on once they got into the ‘real world’. Also, the spicy scenes in this book were particularly good, in my personal estimation.

The themes, as well, are valuable. Throw yourself into new experiences, pick yourself back up when the world knocks you down, don’t erase yourself within the needs of others, and, of course, you’ll always find your true love once you hit rock bottom and decide to take a spontaneous trip to Alaska in hopes of rearranging your entire life!

I wish I could give this book a higher rating, but with issues previously discussed and some elements of the ending that also felt a little too convenient in a way that put a bad taste in my mouth, this is sitting at three stars from me.

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:: Any Trope But You
Author:: Victoria Lavine
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Atria Books
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 17m
Audiobook Narrator:: Tim Paige & Jesse Vilinsky
Audiobook Publisher:: Simon & Schuster Audio
Published:: April 1st, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars