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Showing posts with label romcom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romcom. Show all posts

Friday, March 7, 2025

Review: Barbarian Lover by Ruby Dixon

Barbarian Lover by Ruby Dixon

My Rating: 4 out of 5

"The third novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, an international publishing

phenomenon—now in a special print edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue!

Kira plans on remaining single on this alien planet—she doesn’t want a mate anyway. At least, that’s what she tells herself. But when Aehako comes along, everything changes. . . .

As one of the humans stranded on the ice planet, I should be happy that I have a new home. Human women are treasured here, and one alien in particular has made it clear that he’s interested in me. It’s hard to push away the sexy, flirtatious Aehako when I long to grab him by his horns and insist he take me to his furs.

But I’ve got a terrible secret—a few of them, actually. I’m convinced that Aehako can never love me if he knows the full truth. More worryingly, the aliens who abducted me are back, and thanks to the translator in my ear, they can find me. My presence here endangers everyone . . . but can I give up my new life and the man I desire more than anything? And will he even want me if he knows my secrets?"

My thoughts:

Another quick and enjoyable read thanks to Dixon’s playful and quirky humor. Some situations in this series are so absurd and awkward that they are laugh-out-loud, refreshingly funny. I skipped book two just to dive into Kira’s story because I thought the girl with the transmitter in her ear would have an interesting plot. My only small issue was that one major challenge Kira faced was resolved a little too conveniently for my taste, feeling a bit more like fantasy with “magic” than sci-fi. Still, I know I’ll be reading more of the author’s work in the future.

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Waiting on Wednesday (43)


For this Waiting on Wednesday, I picked Book Boyfriend by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Release Date: February 25, 2025

Book Summary:

Jennifer Worth lives to escape into the world of her favorite romantasy series Elytheum Courts, where the romance is sweeping and the men are brave, chivalrous . . . and winged. Newly single and craving connection,she travels to an immersive fan experience celebrating all things Elytheum, only to see the last face she expected—Scott Daniels, her work nemesis, whose disinterest in Jennifer’s favorite series and standoffishness have made their publishing jobs feel like a feuding fae court.

Except the Scott she encounters at the Elytheum Experience, in his secondhand cosplay outfit, is . . . different. Swaggering, flirtatious, confident. Unlucky in romance himself and inspired by Jennifer’s love for the swoonworthy men of Elytheum, Scott is determined to remake himself into the perfect book boyfriend.


My thoughts:


This sounds so cute! And hey, we romance book bloggers pretty much coined the term "Book Boyfriend." I feel like this is really going to cater to us. I’m loving all the geeky romance novels we’re getting lately! The heroines feel so much less cookie-cutter now, and I can actually relate to them. They’re doing things I only wish I had the free time to do—and it’s so fun to live vicariously through them!

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Waiting on Wednesday (42)

For this Waiting on Wednesday, I picked Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver.


Release Date: March 1, 2024

Book Summary:

She's always dreamed of her wedding day. And those dreams never included saying "I do" to a man she hates.

But when Tabitha's nephew's guardianship is contested, she decides she'll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy.

Rhys Dupris.

A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises―ones he won't talk about. In fact, Tabitha and Rhys barely talk at all.

Which would be fine, except when he's not talking, he's staring. And the way he looks at her is borderline indecent.

The tension between them has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation.


My thoughts:

Elsie Silver’s Wild Eyes was such a pleasant surprise for me as a contemporary romance—and it was laugh-out-loud funny to boot! While I was stuck cleaning my house this summer, I got to live vicariously through the plot, including trying to take a selfie with a bear (hilarious, right?).

After all the fun I had listening to the previous installment of the Rose Hill series, I’m so excited to see what’s next. Plus, I’m an absolute sucker for tropes like marriage of convenience!

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2024

New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2024





1) Abby Jimenez






2) Ilona Andrew




3) Elsie Silver






4) Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka





5) Meghan Quinn




6) Emily Henry




7) Jane L Rosen




8) Adam Allsuch Boardman




9) Dante Fabiero




10) Hannah Hillam



Tuesday, January 21, 2025

The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection

The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection



I hope all my bookish friends had a wonderful holiday season! 

Here are the books (quite an eccentric variety) that I received for Christmas. A huge shout-out to my TBTB Secret Santa for Burn For Me, Fuzzy Hygge, and Wedding Issues.





With giftcards that I received I also pre-ordered via Kindle:



And I physically purchased these via brick-and-mortar:




Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Waiting on Wednesday (40)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme originally created by Jill at Breaking the Spine and now hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings under the heading “Can’t Wait Wednesday” where bloggers share books they're excited for, that have yet to be released. I’m sticking with the original name “Waiting On Wednesday” because I like continuity.

For this Waiting on Wednesday, I picked Fan Service by Rosie Danan.

Release Date: March 11, 2024

Book Summary:

The truth is stranger than fan fiction in the next sexy paranormal rom-com from the beloved author of The Roommate.

The only place small-town outcast Alex Lawson fits in is the online fan forum she built for The Arcane Files, a long-running werewolf detective show. Her dedication to archiving fictional supernatural lore made her Internet-famous, even if she harbors a secret disdain for the show’s star, Devin Ashwood. (Never meet your heroes—sometimes they turn out to be The Worst.)

Ever since his show went off the air, Devin and his career have spiraled, but waking up naked in the woods outside his LA home with no memory of the night before is a new low. It must have been a coincidence that the once-in-a-century Wolf Blood Moon crested last night. The claws, fangs, and howling are a little more difficult to explain away. Desperate for answers, Devin finds Alex—the closest thing to an expert that exists. If only he could convince her to stop hating his guts long enough to help....

Once he makes her an offer she can’t refuse, these reluctant allies lower their guards trying to wrangle his inner beast. Unfortunately, getting up close and personal quickly comes back to bite them.

My Thoughts:

Oh, I can definitely relate to a character escaping the small-town blues through online fan forums! I think most girls growing up have that one favorite show or movie they just can't stop gushing over.

This sounds like such a fun team-up! And hey, I'm all for equal representation in fan service for us ladies-we're so often overlooked.

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2025

My Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2025




1) Say You’ll Remember Me




2) Deep End




3) Fan Service




4) Wild Side




5) First Time Caller




6) The Love Lyric






7) Shadow's Heart






8) The Listeners 





9) Sunrise On The Reaping 






10) Book Boyfriend






Thursday, January 11, 2024

Review: The Bromance Bookclub by Lyssa Kay Adams

 


The Bromance Bookclub by Lyssa Kay Adams


My Rating: 4 out 5

Review

“Oh my gosh, baseball is my default favorite sport. Stepping out of my comfort zone, I actually played softball for a while. But even before that, for as long as I can remember, my entire family spent weekends cheering for the Atlanta Braves on local TV stations. I have fond memories of sharing in the fans’ joy of victory and the agony of defeat. And as a Braves fangirl, of course, I couldn’t help but admire how handsome players like Chipper Jones, David Justice, John Smoltz, and Javy López were. This made me a natural fit for sports romances like ‘The Bromance Book Club.’”


The synopsis reads:


"The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife."


At first, I thought this would make a fun movie—part buddy comedy, part romcom—starring go-to leading men like Sebastian Stan, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, or Luke Owens. But the plot didn’t feature the fun hijinks surrounding the secret book club that I had hoped for. Overall, I expected more focus on the ‘bro’ dynamics, baseball, and the book club, but instead, the story ended up centering around the hero and heroine going back and forth about divorce—a lot. The heroine’s mommy and daddy issues were portrayed realistically, but I was looking for a more lighthearted romcom, and at times, this felt a bit heavy. I would read another book by the author or in this series, but not when I’m in the mood for something light. It wasn’t what I expected, but it wasn’t bad either.


Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Books on My Winter 2022-2023 To-Read List

 


Books on My Winter 2022-2023 To-Read List


Ah, winter. Nothing like getting cozy with your fav beverage and reading hygge style.

Here's the list of books I hope to read before the daffodils bloom. (No order.)