”He shakes his head. “I’ve thought of you every day and night. Desperate and suffocating . . .”
there’s something bewitching about stori4.25 stars
”He shakes his head. “I’ve thought of you every day and night. Desperate and suffocating . . .”
there’s something bewitching about stories bathed in musical atmospheres; the kind that hum softly at first, then rise with the full swell of a crescendo. and this was beautifully one of those books.
Imbued with the ghost of Hozier—his voice, his presence, his wild mane—Tom, a world-renowned musician with soul-heavy eyes, meets Clementine, a 24 year-old waitress with a soprano voice too majestic for the small town that raised her. she delayed her life for years; for her mother, for duty, for stability. the kind of girl who gives without asking. and then came a chance: background vocals on Tom’s U.S. tour. A ticket out. a first step toward living for herself.
their romance isn’t loud. and honestly, it doesn’t need to be—not necessarily with the entire rockstar arc. It thrives in proximity: backstage silences, glances that linger, the soft domesticity of tour life. he’s nearly a decade older, a renowned star, but never once makes her feel smaller for it. If anything, he listens more. gives more. leads not with ego, but with patience. and I absolutely adored him for that. there’s something deliciously tender about the way they fall; slowly, carefully, like they both understand how fragile it is to want. but they do. they want, even with their scars. and the beauty of it lies in how quietly it devastates with the third act breakup card.
I honestly couldn’t recommend this book enough. for every music lover and hopeless romantic dreamer — this one’s for you.
many thanks to International PRH for the free copy ...more
I can’t quite explain how much I loved this book — how it pulled me out of a reading slump just to drown me right back into another. I devou4.5 stars
I can’t quite explain how much I loved this book — how it pulled me out of a reading slump just to drown me right back into another. I devoured it in one sitting, and the moment I turned the last page, I wanted nothing more than to start it all over again. It was the kind of story that leaves you feeling a little bit full and a little bit hollow. the perfect emotional summer read.
maybe it was the little girl with her big heart, or the gentle, soft-spoken dad who quietly became one of my favorite MMCs. cinnamon roll dads are my kryptonite.
even though I don’t usually gravitate toward second chance romances (the ache is always too sharp) this one felt different. maybe because they both lived in the in-between. they tried to move on. they tried to love other people. they hurt, they healed, and they kept going. and maybe because the FMC didn’t wait around. at nineteen, she left — chose herself, her future, her peace leaving behind her loved ones including her first love. and I loved her all the more for it.
but still — the bond, the tension, the way they saw each other… it never really went away and it showed with how vibrant and candid it was transcribed through the narrative.
the family drama hit deep. the mystery around her abrupt disappearance kept me turning pages. and somehow, the heavy themes wove themselves into something soft, tender, and so incredibly human.
this wasn’t just a summer romance — it was a story that mattered. one I’ll carry for a long while.
many thanks to LoveNotesPR for the eARC & the author for the eARC ...more
”A charity case? I’ve spent years begging for a shred of Collins’s attention. I’m the one who’s always felt inferior and desperate. I wanted4.5 stars
”A charity case? I’ve spent years begging for a shred of Collins’s attention. I’m the one who’s always felt inferior and desperate. I wanted one thing from her—her—and Collins wanted nothing from me.”
her best friend’s brother. the one she’s spent years pretending to barely tolerate—cold glares, quick retorts, keeping him at arm’s length. But he’s never bought it, not for a second. not when he’s been quietly obsessed with her for years, and especially not now that she’s working as his assistant.
what follows is the kind of slow burn I live for: sharp banter that masks longing, tension thick enough to cut through, and a chemistry that only grows with every stolen glance and almost-touch. he flirts like he breathes—effortlessly—and she fights it with everything she has… until she can’t.
he’s charming, relentless in the best way, and turns out to be so much softer than expected. honestly? he’s climbed his way to the top of my book boyfriend list without even trying.
and returning to the Kensingtons family? It felt like stepping back into a familiar, chaotic kind of love. I didn’t realize how much I missed them until they were back on the page.
many thanks to the author and Valentine PR for providing an eARC in exchange of an honest review...more
Marriage of convenience? Cowboy? Age gap? Hell yeah. They’ve known. For years. And yet they never acted on it—until now. The tension was so thi3 stars
Marriage of convenience? Cowboy? Age gap? Hell yeah. They’ve known. For years. And yet they never acted on it—until now. The tension was so thick I could feel it. And the spice? Absolutely worth the wait.
She’s the kind of FMC I love reading: unfiltered, slightly unhinged, and never shrinking herself to fit anyone’s expectations. I especially appreciated that she didn’t wait around for him her whole life. She had partners, she had a life, and she owned it—no guilt, no shame.
It wasn’t just desire, it was years of repressed wanting finally catching fire. And when it did? It burned.
That being said… I do have a problem with the author’s writing style—especially the way she transitions from one scene to another. It felt choppy at times, and I caught myself zoning out more than once, unsure how we even got from point A to B.
many thanks to Luna Literary and the author for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review...more
”as long as she lets me grow old with her, she can say any damn thing she wants.”
he’s her older sister’s ex… and everyone in the family i3.5 stars
”as long as she lets me grow old with her, she can say any damn thing she wants.”
he’s her older sister’s ex… and everyone in the family is convinced she was the reason he left their vacation home ten years ago without a word. just a few apologies after.
well, they were right—but not for the reasons they think. And definitely not because she scared him off with her sharp tongue.
ten years later, they meet again while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. and somewhere between the altitude and the tension, it becomes clear that their animosity was always hiding something else. but they can’t be together—because even though her sister is married now, she’s still convinced he was her one true love.
this was an Elizabeth O’Roark romance through and through: the forbidden angle, the emotional messiness, the impossible-to-ignore chemistry. I devoured it in one sitting.
many thanks to Valentine PR and the author for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
“It’s called getting Thrashed. they’re the Thrashers, and what they do is they choose someone to take under their wing, hang out with, chea
4 stars
“It’s called getting Thrashed. they’re the Thrashers, and what they do is they choose someone to take under their wing, hang out with, cheat off their homework—whatever, and then they Thrash them.”[…] “It means they ruin them. dump them in the garbage, publicly humiliate them. It happened to me freshman year.”
the author stepped away from her predilected genre to explore darker terrain, and what a ride it was. she traded romance for a thriller pulsing with unease, where every page felt like a dare, every revelation more chilling than the last.
set against the backdrop of a high school shadowed by cruelty, we follow a group of friends who were accused of a pattern of tormenting their peers—a ritual that became infamously known as “being Thrashed.” the story orbits around the aftermath of a classmate’s apparent suicide, a tragedy that refuses to stay buried.
narrated solely through Jodi’s perspective and interspersed with haunting diary entries, the structure itself felt like a slow unraveling. it was refreshing, almost intimate, how the limited point of view mirrored the fog of memory and guilt.
what starts as a mystery quickly veers into murkier territory: a blend of the paranormal and the psychological, where reality warps and truths are never quite what they seem. the pace was electric, the plot laced with jaw-dropping twists that left me reeling. just when i thought i had pieced the puzzle together, the final twist knocked the air out of me.
i closed the book with my pulse still racing, caught between horror and awe. whatever genre she chooses next, i’ll be there, waiting—because this proved she can do it all.
”that’s what it was about. It wasn’t just saying we loved each other—it was showing it. Choosing each other, through all the hard.”
If earl4 stars
”that’s what it was about. It wasn’t just saying we loved each other—it was showing it. Choosing each other, through all the hard.”
If early 2000s romcoms raised you, this book is definitely for you. It carried that familiar sparkle—the banter, the charm, the comforting rhythm—but it also carried something heavier. something that will settle quietly in your chest and stay there.
Ruby was the kind of heroine I loved immediately. her warmth, her awkwardness, the way she tried so hard to stay whole despite everything. I felt her loneliness, her longing, the ache of wanting to be touched without fear.
then there was Griffin. he wasn’t just the brooding hockey player or the twin she didn’t expect to fall for—he was so much more. I loved that he didn’t try to fix her. he met her where she was. he didn’t pull her out of the dark; he sat beside her in it. their chemistry wasn’t loud or rushed—it built slowly, in the glances, in the jokes, in the quiet.
but this wasn’t just a love story. It was about grief, too. about family wounds that don’t close cleanly. Griffin’s fractured relationship with his twin and Ruby’s past… and when that unraveled, I had to put the book down and breathe. It hurt. but it mattered.
I came in looking for the comfort of a romcom. I left carrying something heavier, something better. a story about healing, not fixing. about being seen, even in your brokenness.
and I’d read it all over again.
many thanks to the author and netgalley for the eARC ...more
❛❛she was the love of my life. I’d loved her then, and I loved her still.❜❜
returning to Tlikum felt like revisiting a memory i didn’t k 4.5 stars
❛❛she was the love of my life. I’d loved her then, and I loved her still.❜❜
returning to Tlikum felt like revisiting a memory i didn’t know i’d missed. the mischievous squirrels, the Haven, Bailey’s warmth and Miles’s quiet presence. this small town is stitched with comfort, familiar faces, and the kind of softness only a well-built fictional world can offer.
Melanie was a breath of fresh air; fierce, unyielding, and crudely human. and finally, Luke’s story, the one i’ve been waiting for since book three in the Bailey series, unfolded with all the ache and tenderness i hoped for. their romance curved into a second-chance slowburn with a soupçon of mutual pining and unspoken jealousy, i especially appreciated how it never relied on tired dual-timeline formulas. instead, their shared past was an undercurrent, quietly informing the present rather than overtaking it. that restraint was surprisingly refreshing.
i also found myself drawn to the suspense distilled into the story, the thriller thread offered glimpses into the mind of the culprit through his perspective but without ever revealing too much. we were placed inside his head, yet kept at arm’s length. it was unnerving and fascinating all at once, and brilliantly executed.
another comforting yet layered installment from one of my favorite authors—each book feels like a return, and this one in particular reminded me why i keep coming back.
❦ many thanks to the author for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! ❦...more
❛❛ Paisley Deville was at my mercy, and I was going to let her hurt for as long as I could.❜❜
dark, suspenseful, and utterly consuming, I d4 stars
❛❛ Paisley Deville was at my mercy, and I was going to let her hurt for as long as I could.❜❜
dark, suspenseful, and utterly consuming, I devoured this in one breath.
Paisley’s story is one that claws at you, laced with a lingering ache. i can only hope she finds the ending she deserves, that the mystery around Rubi is finally elucidated, granting everyone the peace they so desperately seek.
i adored the male lead in the prequel, but here? i despised him. the narrative made sure of that. what he did to presley was unforgivable, yet i can already feel the weight of his impending redemption arc. whether he earns it is another story entirely.
in the meantime, Paisley is etching herself into my list of favorite heroines; resilient, unyielding, a force unto herself. this book was a whirlwind, fast-paced and impossible to put down, culminating in a cliffhanger that rattled my bones. i need the next installment like i need air.
many thanks to the author for providing and e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
❛❛ “some would say we’re written in the stars.” the corner of his mouth curves up. “yeah, I think we are.❜❜
an MMF romance that was ev4.75 stars
❛❛ “some would say we’re written in the stars.” the corner of his mouth curves up. “yeah, I think we are.❜❜
an MMF romance that was everything and more; achingly tender, undeniably passionate, and so beautifully crafted that I wanted to inhale it in one sitting. the authors’ plume is addictive, each word pulling me deeper into a story that wasn’t just about fiery attraction but about love in all its complexity.
what I adored most was how their relationship wasn’t just a vehicle for steamy bi representation; there was depth, so much of it. glimpses into their pasts painted a full, intricate picture of what they meant to one another, of the unspoken ties that bound them even in absence.
Stephen and Chance stood at the antipodes of each other, personality-wise : Stephen, all warmth and light, the one who has always worn his heart on his sleeve.. Chance , quiet and tormented, his past a heavy burden, his queerness something he struggled to claim. they were rivals on the ice for four years, enemies on the surface but never truly at odds; not with the way their tension simmered, masked as animosity. and then, after years apart, fate brought them back to the one person who had always been right in the middle of them, the glue that held them together.
Presley.
she disappeared four years ago, vanished without a trace, leaving them in the dark about her whereabouts, her reasons. now, she’s back, burdened with responsibility, the legal guardian of her niece and nephew. and suddenly, it’s not just about them anymore. both men must set aside their unresolved feelings, their history, their fears, and stand beside her.
i love when children in romance books aren’t just props but become catalysts, weaving their way into the love story in a way that feels natural, essential. here, the author mastered that element perfectly. every character, every dynamic, every choice carried weight.
and in the end, it was impossible not to fall in love with all of them. a new comfort read, without a doubt.
many thanks to The Author Agency & the author for providing and e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
from as long as i can remember, words have always flowed effortlessly whenever i tried to write a revi4.5 stars
”but hey, a bad dad is a bad dad.”
from as long as i can remember, words have always flowed effortlessly whenever i tried to write a review. but Gifted and Talented has proven to be my most challenging yet; perhaps because of the characters’ complexity, the plot’s layered diversity, or the tangled, conflicting relationships that unfold within its pages.
at its core, this is a story about three siblings, bound by blood yet fractured in ways only family can be. Meredith, who built an empire on a fraudulent app, her success now threatened by an ex-boyfriend journalist poised to expose her. Arthur, the eldest, a married politician navigating a polyamorous relationship while still tethered, irrevocably, to his wife. and the youngest, their father’s golden child—Eilidth—a former ballerina whose dreams were shattered by an accident that forced her into the rigid embrace of corporate life, right beside their patriarch.
their father’s death is the catalyst, the moment that sets everything into motion, yet the story is less about what happens and more about how they dissolve. told through shifting perspectives and an arsenal of writing styles, this novel is a masterclass in narrative craftsmanship. Olivie Blake’s penmanship is anything but orthodox; it demands attention, forces you to linger on every syllable, every carefully chosen word.
but beyond its literary prowess, this is a book driven by characters. or more accurately, daddy issues. the brilliance of it lies in how it captures the subtle yet seismic ways siblings can grow up under the same roof, share the same parents, and yet; experience entirely different versions of the people who raised them.
Blake caricatures this phenomenon with precision, braiding in threads of magical realism and just the right soupçon of family drama. it’s messy, it’s intricate, it’s painfully human. and maybe that’s why it’s so difficult to review; because how do you encapsulate a book that isn’t just a story, but an examination of the bonds that define and destroy us in equal measure?
and thanks to Tor for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review...more
“I love you so fucking much, Lucy Rae. My love for you is the kind that only comes once in a lifetime. I’ve been so lost without you.”
Lu3.5 stars
“I love you so fucking much, Lucy Rae. My love for you is the kind that only comes once in a lifetime. I’ve been so lost without you.”
Lucy never expected to find herself spending the summer in the Hamptons as Callahan’s personal chef, especially considering he’s her ex’s brother. but what starts as a job quickly turns into something much more complicated. he’s intense, possessive, and completely taken with her. yet, despite the history between them, there’s no unnecessary drama; just pure, undeniable chemistry.
Callahan is the kind of man who gives without hesitation, showering Lucy in luxury, but more importantly, in unwavering attention. and Lucy? she’s too determined to simply be kept. she works tirelessly to support her family even when they don’t ask her to, pouring her passion into every dish she creates. when Callahan pushes her to share her talent with the world—teaching him to cook on camera—it’s clear his devotion goes beyond desire.
the romance is scorching, the tension electric, even though the pacing was a bit rushed to my opinion which diminished a iota the enjoyment for me.
many thanks to valentine PR and the author for providing and eARC in exchange for an honest review ...more
❛❛ Amelia is like a ray of sunlight, the kind you long for after a rainy night. She brightens your day with one single smile.❜❜
some st 4.5 stars
❛❛ Amelia is like a ray of sunlight, the kind you long for after a rainy night. She brightens your day with one single smile.❜❜
some stories don’t just tell a romance; they build a home within their pages. this debut novel was one of them : a beautifully written, comforting read that nestled itself into my heart.
“I’d never leave. I’d live in her world forever.”
Amelia is 24, carrying a weight far heavier than most her age, raising her three younger siblings with a quiet strength that demands admiration. Aaron is her landlord, but that title barely scratches the surface of who he becomes in her life. he’s there when exhaustion presses too hard, when sickness takes its toll, when she needs someone without ever having to ask. he cares; not just in grand gestures but in the small, unspoken ways that mean everything.
“You saved me, Aaron.” I whisper. “You saved me first, Amelia.” He whispers back.”
the narrative curved into a friends to lovers, slow burn, forced proximity arcs that simmer and ache in the best way. and then, there are the children. i have such a soft spot for kids in romance, and here, they weren’t just a detail; they were the heart of it. the way they loved aaron, how he loved them back, made amelia’s world shift before she even realized it. love wasn’t just in longing glances or stolen moments, it was in football matches, in laughter around the dinner table, in the quiet understanding that this, all of it, was something worth holding onto.
this wasn’t just a love story; it was a story of finding home in a person. and when amelia and aaron finally let themselves have that, their happily ever after felt as warm and inevitable as a sunrise.
many thanks to the author for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review ...more
It’s been a while since a prequel completely stole my attention, but this one did just that. I didn’t expect to be so deeply invested in just 4 stars
It’s been a while since a prequel completely stole my attention, but this one did just that. I didn’t expect to be so deeply invested in just 80 pages, yet here I am, already searching for answers and craving more.
this is a gripping and atmospheric introduction to what I can only assume will be a dark, twisted, and utterly consuming series. the tension is palpable, the intrigue undeniable. Hawkes and Paisley’s story holds the promise of something raw and electrifying, but it’s the mystery surrounding Paisley’s best friend’s disappearance that lingers in the shadows, demanding to be unraveled.
I’m both excited and unnerved to see where this journey leads, because if these first pages are any indication, what comes next will be nothing short of a rollercoaster.
many thanks to the author from providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more
“I can’t promise I’ll be perfect. In fact, I know I’ll be everything but.” […] “but if you let me, I will love you with every fucked-up
4.5 stars
“I can’t promise I’ll be perfect. In fact, I know I’ll be everything but.” […] “but if you let me, I will love you with every fucked-up piece of who I am,”
Mia, a renowned pop star with a voice that commands the world’s stage, and Aleks, a hokey player who lets no one past his meticulously built shield, have been in each other’s vicinity since they were sixteen. he was the boy her parents took in, the one who kept everyone at arm’s length; except when it came to her, always her.
when a PR stunt forces them into a fabricated relationship, what was once engulfed beneath years of restraint begins to resurface. i was rooting for the lingering glances, the tension humming between them, but most importantly the quiet devotion neither ever dared to name. pretending was supposed to be easy. but how do you fake something that has always felt inevitable?
this novel is an exquisite portrayal of love restrained and love realized; of longing curved into a slowburn(ish) friends to lovers’ arc. i personally adored the sharp-witted side characters, the moments of aching tenderness, and to finish in apotheosis; the delicious romance that unfoldes like a held breath finally released.
a must-read for those who crave the kind of love that was always meant to be !
many thanks to Good Girls PR from providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
”she calms the storm in my head. the blood in my veins.”
before diving into For Wrath and Redemption, I had my apprehensions, but to say4.5 stars.
”she calms the storm in my head. the blood in my veins.”
before diving into For Wrath and Redemption, I had my apprehensions, but to say it took me by surprise would be an euphemism. I devoured this beast of a book in mere hours.
the narrative was the perfect balance of taboo, forbidden desire, and characters who are beautifully damaged, toxic, and utterly self-destructive; the kind of chaos that had me hanging on every word from start to finish. If I had to resume it in one word? addictive.
Claire, the female lead, was hired as Jonah’s PR manager after some compromising images of him were leaked, an already complicated task made even trickier by the fact that Jonah wasn’t just any client; he was a member of a world-famous band. their first encounters were absolute fiascos but with time they learned that they had more in common than either of them expected.
both characters were tormented with their own ghosts and past traumas, forced to exorcise their anterior demons as they forged their relationship. i especially appreciated how the storyline poetically depicted them as soulmates with how their darkness felt intertwined—distinct yet deeply connected—. and how they simply saw and understood each other in ways no one else could.
I loved their chemistry, the push-and-pull tension of their dynamic, and most of all, the rawness of their journey; not just in their highs, but in their lowest moments, too.
many thanks to The Author Agency from providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more