Tag: romance reader

Book Review, Fiction, Romance

An Enchanting Case of Spirits by Melissa Holtz ~ Book Review

Morgan

Genre: Romance/Paranormal
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪.5

Ghosty books are quite often a miss for me, but this one was such a cozy lovely story. Alyssa’s friends drag her out to see a psychic for her 40th birthday. Alyssa initially hopes she’ll have a chance to communicate with her late husband, but finds instead that she awakens a latent power in herself to see ghosts. Panicked, she tries to enlist the help of Nick, an attractive detective who lives next door.

I liked all the elements of this story. The romance was a sweet, slow burn that frankly, I could have used more of. I wish it had been more of a focus of the story rather than the mystery. That said, I found the mystery unexpected and it was an interesting way to tie together all the characters (including the ghosts) and have them work toward a common goal.

Overall, I’d classify this one as fun and cozy but not terribly compelling. I’d consider picking up the second book in the series if I just want something light and easy.

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Book Review, Fiction, Romance

Yours for the Season by Emily Stone ~ Book Review

Morgan

Genre: Romance
My Rating: 🍪🍪.5

I was feeling ready for a light read so I picked up my first holiday romance of the year. In Yours for the Season, Mel’s ex, Finn, begs her to go on his family’s Christmas trip to Scotland with him and she…. says yes? From the get-go, I found her character hard to connect with because of that choice. She rationalizes it because she would otherwise be alone for the holidays. Call me crazy, but I’d much rather be alone.

The story bounces back and forth between their present day experience in Scotland and their past relationship. I enjoyed the parts set in the present. The forced proximity made for a cute build up of romance. Everything felt very cozy and festive with Finn’s family and I liked the holiday vibes.

The segments outlining Finn and Mel’s relationship when they were together didn’t do enough to make me care about them as a couple. There wasn’t enough chemistry for me to root for them and Finn’s decision to break up with her and the way he did it felt really poorly thought out.

This wasn’t a total loss because it did help me get in the holiday spirit, but there are other holiday romances that do a lot more.

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Buy Yours for the Season at an indie bookstore near you
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Book Review, Fiction, Romance

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver ~ Book Review

Morgan

My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪
Genre: Romance

When Kate got married, she gave up her dream of acting. Now newly divorced, she reaches out to her old talent agent only to connect with his son, Charlie, who has inherited the business and is looking for someone to act as a stand-in for the author of a new romance novel.

Josie Silver’s writing is always delightful. She creates characters and situations that are funny and quirky and believable and altogether a joy to read about. I loved getting to know Kate and watching the public instantly adore her as she steps out on the job. I could so easily see why she attracted such attention.

The first part of the book focuses on Kate’s acting job and it takes a bit of a turn later on. I definitely preferred the first half of the book, but Kate and the side characters – like her sister and daughter, kept the book fun.

Romance was not a big focus of the story. When the title says slow burn, it means it. That said, I liked seeing the banter and sparks between Charlie as they each navigate life and love post-divorce.

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Book Review, Fiction, Romance

Happy Medium by Sarah Adler ~ Book Review

Morgan

My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪
Genre: Romance

Gretchen’s profession is a con. She pretends to communicate with ghosts by meticulously researching her clients’ lives. When her wealthiest client hires her to investigate a haunting at a farm, the last thing Gretchen is expecting is Charlie, the farm’s hot owner, and an actual ghost.

The layers to this story were fun, with Gretchen adjusting to being able to actually see a ghost, Charlie constantly calling her out as a con, and the growing attraction between Gretchen and Charlie. I like that the ghost had an attitude and a tv obsession and just played out as another character, rather than a big paranormal mystery. I sometimes have trouble with ghost-y books, but this seemed fairly normal.

The setting of the farm, in a state of disrepair, and Gretchen slowly falling in love with farm life and wanting to help run it was so wholesome and I could perfectly visualize the setting and see what she enjoyed about it.

My one big issue with the book is how slow it was. Once Gretchen got to the farm, there wasn’t really anything new going on to keep me invested. Her romance with Charlie wasn’t all that exciting to me because of the constant on-again-off-again nature of him not trusting her. If it had been a bit shorter I think it would have bumped it up a star for me.

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Happy Medium on Goodreads
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Book Review, Fiction, Romance

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune ~ Book Review

Morgan

My Rating: 🍪🍪 🍪🍪
Genre: Romance

I was immediately on board with the premise of This Summer Will Be Different when Lucy arrives for her vacation on Prince Edward Island (PEI) and sleeps with a hot bartender only to find out he’s her best friend Bridget’s brother. Her chemistry with Felix is palpable and when their tryst is cut short I wanted to scream knowing the heat between them was going to be put on hold.

First of all, I recently watched the Anne of Green Gables movie for the first time so I was delighted by all the references to it throughout the book (although there were some spoilers!). The PEI setting was so picturesque and I lived for the memories of Lucy’s annual visits (during which she tries in vain to stay away from Felix). The narrative is split between these past summers and the present, when Bridget has unexpectedly fled to PEI days before her wedding and demanded that Lucy join her and Felix there.

I really enjoyed Lucy – she was fun and felt distinct enough to be believable. Her friendship with Bridget was very special and I loved seeing their closeness.

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This Summer Will Be Different on Goodreads
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Book Review, Romance

Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis ~ Book Review

Morgan

My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪
Genre: Romance

I’ve been a huge fan of Lia Louis’s previous books, but there was something lacking from Better Left Unsent. The premise was unusual and had a lot of promise: Millie writes down her thoughts, the ones she would never say out loud, in draft emails as a way of releasing them. One day, she finds that all her drafts were delivered. Millie is left to pick up the pieces of her life when her deepest thoughts have been shared with the exact people who were never supposed to see them.

Louis always writes wonderfully quirky and loveable characters, and this was no exception. Millie and her friends seem realistic in their quirks and I loved spending time with them. Although the romance was on the back burner for much of the book, I really enjoyed Jack and Millie’s chemistry. It was clear that they complemented each other wonderfully and I was so rooting for them.

The premise definitely did not feel deep enough to sustain the whole book. Millie’s constant need to clean up after herself/the emails got old pretty quickly and there wasn’t much else plot-wise to keep me hooked.

The loveable characters and promise of romance kept me reading, but the charm I expect from Louis’s books wasn’t sustained throughout.

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Book Review, Romance

The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner ~ Book Review

Morgan

My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪
Genre: Romance
Read if you liked: The Good Part

I saw this book compared to Josie Silver and Rebecca Serle and that perhaps set my expectations too high. Sadie’s life feels like it’s falling apart. She’s lost her job, her boyfriend, and her apartment and finds herself crashing in the spare bedroom of her brother’s childhood friend. With nothing to lose, she makes a wish to redo the last year of her life and low and behold, her wish is granted.

In an attempt to keep the “bad” things from happening to her all over again, Sadie finds herself censoring her words and actions and trying to fit into a mold she thinks will get her where she wants to go. I found this conceptually interesting, but it quickly felt repetitive and made me frustrated with her as a character.

The secondary characters in Sadie’s life were really lovely and interesting and the found-family she created around her ultimately helped her to figure out what was most important to her. I appreciated the way this journey helped Sadie to find herself and thought the premise was an interesting way to approach it (albeit, not a unique one).

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Book Review, Romance

You, With a View by Jessica Joyce ~ Book Review

Morgan

My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪
Genre: Romance
Read if you liked: Mrs. Nash’s Ashes

After Noelle loses her grandmother, she discovers photos and letters hinting at an old flame her grandmother had and never told her about. Noelle and her grandmother shared all their secrets, or so she thought, and she takes to TikTok for answers about the lost love she never knew about. Noelle is ultimately successful in tracking down Paul, only to discover that he’s the grandfather of her devastatingly handsome high school rival, Theo. Together, the three of them set off to take the road trip Paul never got to take with Noelle’s grandmother.

First of all, posting the info about her grandma without asking her family first felt weird to me, although Noelle seems to have issues telling the truth to people she cares about, so I guess that tracks. That part aside, I loved the premise of this story, Noelle’s unlikely friendship with Paul, and the way he told his story over the course of their travels through the letters he got from Noelle’s grandma.

The actual trip itself was pretty boring. It had so much potential, but it kept focusing on Noelle feeling guilty for not being honest about her life, Theo being in awe of her photography skills, and her going through comments on her TikToks. There wasn’t a whole lot of substance, particularly enough to make the romance feel realistic.

The concept behind this book was incredible and there certain relationships that I really enjoyed. I also love a ‘finding yourself road trip.’ The overall execution though, was lacking for me.

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Buy You, With a View at an indie bookstore near you
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Book Review, Fiction, Romance

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston ~ Book Review

Morgan

My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪
Genre: Romance

Florence spent a lot of time during her childhood at a funeral home – the family business, especially notable since she has the ability to see ghosts. When she returns home unexpectedly for her father’s funeral, she finds that the ghost of her hot new editor, Benji, has come with her.

I really loved the romance in this book. Florence and Benji have palpable chemistry, particularly impressive since he’s a ghost for most of the book, and I was holding my breath to see what would happen with the two of them. There’s a mystery swirling around Benji’s life and death and why he seems to be following Florence, and the exploration of it unfolded very naturally.

The book also included a storyline about Florence’s work as a ghostwriter for a well-known romance author and her struggle to come up with her next book following a brutal breakup.

This was such a lovely mix of eccentric family, romance, career, and grief (and a little bit of paranormal obviously) and it made for a well-rounded story that was unique and hard to stop reading. I loved the conclusion and how wonderfully everything came together.

Check out my bookstagram: @Treat.your.shelf
Buy The Dead Romantics at an indie bookstore near you
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Book Review, Fiction, Romance

Love, Holly by Emily Stone ~ Book Review

Morgan

My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪
Genre: Romance
Read if you liked: A Winter in New York

Holly takes part in a lonely-hearts letter writing program every holiday season – an opportunity for anonymous strangers to share their stories and their struggles at a time that can be particularly challenging. For Holly, it’s a time to reflect on her lost relationship with her sister following a car crash when she was driving. When she receives a letter from an older woman named Emma, Holly realizes she might be able to actually help her in person.

The whole premise here seemed kind of off to me since the whole point of the letters was that they were anonymous. Emma got over that point a little too quickly when Holly, a total stranger, showed up in her life, lied to her, and started trying to meddle. Holly was somewhat unremarkable to me as a main character, but that said, I loved all the other characters in her life who she surrounded herself with, and the found-family aspect of the book between Emma and Holly. Their relationship and bond was very special and I appreciated the way they learned from one another.

I really enjoyed the romance as well, from the initial electric chemistry between Holly and Jack when they first meet to the slow-burn rekindling in the present day. The complexity of their lives that kept them from fully embracing their connection felt realistic and kept me on my toes.

This was a cute, if predictable, read, but not my favorite by Emily Stone.

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