Review: The Flatshare

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't sure what to expect from Beth O'Leary's "The Flatshare," but it turned out to be an excellent read that I highly recommend. This book is so much more than just a romance; it also tackles a number of weighty issues including emotional abuse, the importance of self-care, the bonds of friendship, and tricky family dynamics, among others.

When I first started reading, I thought the female main character, Tiffy, would turn out to be nothing more than a sweet, lovable goofball. In some ways she was those things, but as I got to know her character better over the course of the story, I came to realize that she was far more complex than that. She did a good job of hiding it even from herself, but she had quite a bit of emotional trauma to overcome thanks to her ex-boyfriend, Justin. I really appreciated the fact that Tiffy recognized she needed help (even if it took some prodding from her friend Mo) and actually took the time to work on herself before jumping into another relationship. If she hadn't, I don't think she would have been able to make any new relationship work, even if it was with a guy as great as Leon. And after everything Tiffy went through with Justin, she really deserved to find someone like Leon who would support her instead of tearing her down.

Leon, the male lead character, was also a really interesting, complex character with several issues of his own to overcome. The situation with his brother Richie, in particular, was tragic, and I really felt for both of them as they struggled through it. I loved that Leon continued to stand up for his brother no matter what. As for Richie, he was a great secondary character and I wouldn't mind seeing him get a story of his own in the future. It would be interesting to see what happens to him now that his circumstances have changed so dramatically.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: You May Kiss the Duke

You May Kiss the Duke by Charis Michaels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"You May Kiss the Duke" was quite an enjoyable read. This book stood very well on its own and I didn't feel lost at all even though I haven't read the earlier books in the series yet. All of the characters were well-developed and likeable, and I particularly enjoyed the banter between Stoker and Sabine. I also loved that Sabine was such a strong heroine. She knew her own mind and wasn't afraid to tell Stoker what she wanted. As for Stoker, I admired how hard he worked to overcome the difficulties of his childhood, as well as his determination to protect Sabine while still respecting her boundaries.

This was the first book I've read by Charis Michaels, but it definitely won't be the last. I plan to go back and read the others in this series and also look forward to seeing what Ms. Michaels plans to write next.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: A Sinful Duke she can't Refuse: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel

A Sinful Duke she can't Refuse: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel by Olivia Bennet
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a tricky review to write. I liked the main characters of "A Sinful Duke She Can't Refuse" and thought that Isabella and Emmanuel seemed like a good fit for each other. I also liked the plot for about the first two-thirds of the book. I thought that Isabella and Emmanuel's courtship was really sweet, the mystery was engaging, and even though we knew who the bad guys were, their motivations remained a mystery to me.

Unfortunately, the last third of the book seemed to fall apart very quickly IMO. These bad guys were just SO dumb! Their motivations became very clear, very quickly, and certainly greed has led to murder many times before, so that part was fine. However, I was really bothered by a number of things. First, there was the fact that Isabella's father decided to bring his steward, Chandler, along to the house party, and the steward then socialized with the others like he was any other invited guest. There was an obvious class divide problem that was not addressed; would a working-class steward really be allowed to socialize with not only his employer, but a duke and his family too? Also, my understanding is that one of a steward's duties was to look after an estate while the landowner was away. Lord Gefferton could possibly have justified bringing Chandler along if he needed his assistance in "conducting business" while at the house party, but even so, I can't figure out why Chandler would have participated in the social events. Additionally, if Gefferton and Chandler were so worried about Emmanuel recognizing Chandler from the events of his youth, it seems like they would have wanted to keep the two men apart, not keep putting them together. That just provided more opportunity for something about Chandler to jog Emmanuel's memory.

Then there was the "big confrontation" at the end of the book. I found it to be completely ridiculous and unbelievable that the entire family, women included, went traipsing along, unarmed, to confront the bad guys. Why would they want to give Chandler and his men the opportunity to take more hostages? Fortunately for them, they survived this encounter because the members of Chandler's gang made such terrible criminals. Not once, not twice, but THREE times they allowed one of the women to walk up to them and just snatch the guns out of their hands. REALLY?

Speaking of Chandler's gang, where did he find these men and what exactly did he promise them in exchange for their help? Was he hiding a secret stash of cash somewhere? It's tough to imagine that he would still have money put away from when Lord Gefferton paid him to steal the jewelry from Emmanuel's parents. The only "ransom" that was requested was a pardon for Chandler; the other gang members would not have received money or anything else in exchange for Isabella's safe return. If Chandler wasn't paying them, what was in it for the other men?

Overall, it's safe to say that this was not my favorite Olivia Bennet book. I would still give her next book a shot, however.

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Rogue of Fifth Avenue

The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The Rogue of Fifth Avenue" is the first book I've read by Joanna Shupe, but it certainly won't be the last. I really enjoyed the well-developed characters and engaging plot, as well as the setting in Gilded Age New York City. I don't remember reading any other books set in that time period, so it was very interesting for me to learn more about it. I also found the plot details related to Mrs. Porter's criminal case to be quite intriguing. It's funny how some things about our justice system have remained the same over time, while some things were so incredibly different at the time this story would have taken place!

The book's main characters, Frank and Mamie, were incredibly likable, as were Mamie's younger sisters, Florence and Justine. I particularly enjoyed the banter between Frank and Mamie, and their chemistry was electric from their first encounter. I couldn't help but root for them to find a way to be together despite the challenges they faced.

I look forward to reading Justine and Florence's books when they are released!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Just One of the Groomsmen

Just One of the Groomsmen by Cindi Madsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Just One of the Groomsmen" was overall a very cute book with likeable characters. I was slightly annoyed by the characters' accents, however; sometimes they had them, but sometimes they didn't, even within the same sentence or paragraph. This is especially true of Addie's Nonna Lucia with her Italian accent, but some of the characters' Southern accents seemed to be sporadic as well. (Why would they drop the "g" at the end of one word but not at the end of the one RIGHT AFTER IT?) To be fair, I read an ARC of this book, so it is entirely possible that this is an issue that will be fixed in the final edition of the book, but Nonna Lucia's speech was especially frustrating to me. It just didn't make sense to me that she could speak perfect English most of the time, then all of a sudden seem to have a strong accent and drop/misuse verbs, etc.

I also found myself growing somewhat annoyed towards the end of the book because it seemed like most of the problems between Addie and Tucker could have been solved with an honest conversation. I like a grand gesture as much as anybody, but things never should have needed to go that far. I thought that both of their insecurities were perfectly understandable, and I can also understand that they were both afraid of what might happen if their relationship changed, but they were lifelong best friends. They really should not have had as much trouble communicating with each other as they did.

Still, I would read more books by this author, especially if there are future books planned for the remaining single guys in this group of friends (Ford and Easton). The interactions between the core group of friends were a lot of fun and I wouldn't mind seeing more of them.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Plus One

The Plus One by Sophia Money-Coutts
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"The Plus One" was a cute but kind of predictable read. There were a lot of "Britishisms" in the text, which is to be expected given that the author is British, but it was mildly frustrating to me to have to stop reading and Google various words/phrases to understand the references. One example is that the author kept referring to "Ocado," which is apparently an online grocery store in England. This really isn't the author's fault, but it may have been a good idea for the publisher to consider changing the reference to a store more familiar to American readers, or even just the generic "online grocery store," prior to releasing the book in the U.S. ("Ocado" was not the only example, but it is the one I noticed most often, and probably the easiest reference to fix.)

I also thought that the book's ending was kind of abrupt. I would have liked to see more of Polly's relationship with her ultimate "plus one" develop. I predicted that Polly would end up with this person from fairly early on in the story, and I was really looking forward to seeing them as a couple. Unfortunately, by the time they actually got together, the book was basically over.

Overall, this book was enjoyably fluffy but not a keeper for me.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Red, White & Royal Blue

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was a bit nervous to read Casey McQuiston's "Red, White & Royal Blue" because of its many positive reviews and author endorsements, but thankfully, it more than lived up to the hype. This really is as good a book as people say it is, and I highly recommend it. I loved the book's humor and all of the laugh out loud moments, but there were also a number of serious moments that nearly brought me to tears. I also enjoyed the unusual style of narration in the second person, which made me feel more connected to the characters. Finally, the world building in this story was incredible. I wish the real world was a little bit more like the one depicted in the book!

Alex and Henry were lovable and incredibly well-developed characters, and so were all of the secondary characters (particularly June, Nora, and Zahra). I felt like I got to know Alex a little better than Henry because the narration primarily seemed to be from Alex's perspective, but Henry still came across very vividly and realistically. I think a lot of that was due to the emails that were incorporated into the story. They allowed readers to see what was going on inside both Alex's and Henry's heads as the story was unfolding around them.

I would love to see Nora and June get stories of their own in the future. Also, Zahra seems to have found her HEA already, but perhaps a novella from her perspective that parallels the events of this book might be an interesting companion story? It would be very interesting to see how her relationship developed alongside Henry and Alex's. At any rate, I look forward to reading whatever Casey McQuiston chooses to write next!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Earl Next Door

The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have to admit I was kind of disappointed with Amelia Grey's "The Earl Next Door." The premise was very interesting and I expected to love the book based on that alone, but in the end, there were a few too many things that bothered me for one reason or another. For example, some of the language seemed too modern to me, such as an acquaintance being described as "into" something rather than "interested in" it. There were also sentences and, in a few cases, entire paragraphs that didn't make any sense at all, but since I read an ARC, I would hope that those issues will be cleaned up prior to publication.

There were a few other things that didn't make sense to me, such as the location of the girls' school founded by Adeline and her friends. Early in the book, it is explained that the school's location in London's St. James neighborhood was chosen specifically because it was away from the ton's homes in Mayfair. Somehow, though, it manages to be right next door to an earl's house, with the earl's aunt and one of his aunt's friends also living on the same street. That seems like an awful lot of members of the ton in the neighborhood to me!

It also bothered me that Adeline and her friends called Lyon by his first name from the very beginning. They did not have a prior acquaintance with him, and even if they had, it was improper. Forms of address were among the most basic rules of etiquette that they all should have been taught from early childhood, so this seems like a major oversight, especially given how concerned all of the ladies were about propriety because they were representing the school in society.

Overall, this story was kind of boring and predictable, but the characters were all fairly likeable, so I still plan to give the next book in the series a try. Hopefully I will find it a bit more enjoyable than this one.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Smitten by the Brit

Smitten by the Brit by Melonie Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Smitten by the Brit" was super cute and I liked it even better than the first book in this series. Theo and Bonnie were great secondary characters in "Getting Hot with the Scot," but I found them to be even more likeable as the stars of this book. There were certainly obstacles for them to overcome on the way to their HEA, but I found it impossible not to root for them to find a way to be together.

Both Theo and Bonnie were sympathetic and well-developed characters. I really felt for Theo because there was so much pressure on him to take care of his family, their estates, and everyone who depended on the estates for their livelihoods. To my modern American sensibilities, it seemed like such an antiquated way of thinking; these were the sorts of expectations one might have had of an 18th or 19th century duke, but surely not today, right? However, tradition was clearly still very important to Theo's family and others of his social class in England. I had to admire Theo for trying so hard to do the right thing even if it meant giving up his chance at happiness with Bonnie. Thankfully, he was able to find an alternative solution in the end so that the two of them could be together.

As for Bonnie, it was a lot of fun watching her come out of her shell over the course of the story. I hated seeing her basically be Gabe's doormat in the first book. She made so many sacrifices for him and didn't deserve the way he took her for granted. I loved that Bonnie was able to rediscover her passion for writing and figure out a way to pursue it as a career. Bonnie's efforts to explore in other parts of her life also led to some wonderful laugh out loud scenes, particularly the one with the popsicles in the bridal shop. I will never be able to look at a popsicle (or a fruit roll up) the same way again!

At any rate, I am very much looking forward to book #3 in this series, which will feature Cassie and Bonnie's friend Sadie, the aspiring actress. I really hope there are plans for Ana and Delaney to get books of their own after that! I have enjoyed getting to know each of these girls with their distinct personalities, and really appreciate how much they love and support each other through thick and thin. (I wouldn't complain about a book featuring Theo's sister Tabitha either...)

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Bride Test

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I didn't think it was possible, but I loved "The Bride Test" even more than I loved "The Kiss Quotient." This book features amazingly realistic, complex, relatable characters and made me feel emotions from across the spectrum. One minute I was laughing out loud (I don't think I will ever look at a meat cleaver the same way again!), and the next I was crying (sometimes happy tears, sometimes sad). I didn't want to put the book down because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

I'm not on the autism spectrum, but I do have mild social anxiety, so I found it incredibly easy to relate to certain aspects of Khai's personality. For example, I loved that Khai reads books at weddings; I have done the exact same thing myself. I found Esme's character to be incredibly relatable too because of her feelings of inadequacy and never being good enough. These are universal struggles regardless of who you are or where you're from. It just goes to show that deep down, we're not so different from one another. We may perceive the world differently, but we're all human beings with the same hopes and fears. That's not such a bad message to take away from a book.

I especially enjoyed the brief glimpses we got of characters from "The Kiss Quotient," and I loved that Quan played such an important role in Khai and Esme's story. I really hope there are plans for Quan to get his own HEA! Whoever is featured in the next book, if Helen Hoang writes it, I will be one of the first in line to read it!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Little Teashop on Main

The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not quite sure where to start with this review because there is a LOT going on in "The Little Teashop on Main." There were a lot of characters, almost all of whom served as narrators at various points in the book, and the story moves through a number of different time periods. Frankly, it was all kind of confusing and hard to keep track of at times. I wish there had been one single narrator for the whole book because it might have made the story seem less disjointed.

Also, based on the back cover description, I thought the book would focus on Zoe, Emily, and Shannon, the three little girls who became best friends through tea party play dates, but I feel like more time was actually spent on two of their parents (Zoe's mother Alex and Shannon's father Mack) and their mutual childhood friend Jack. As a result, I didn't feel like I got to know Zoe very much at all. Emily and Shannon seemed to be better developed characters, but neither was especially likeable. Emily seemed like she needed professional help, and I really wish one of her friends had tried to get her to see a counselor. Shannon could probably have used a counselor too, though for different reasons. I hated the way she treated Jack, although Jack must not have minded it because he never hesitated to come running whenever she snapped her fingers.

The plot itself was OK and certainly kept me turning the pages, mostly because I wanted to find out which of the girls was going to die. (This is not a spoiler, as it is revealed in the book's prologue that one of the girls has passed away.) Otherwise, the book is kind of predictable.

Overall, I have very mixed feelings about this book. It seems like Jodi Thomas was aiming for something of a Debbie Macomber or Emily March/Geralyn Dawson vibe, but IMO this book wasn't quite up to their standards. It was by no means a terrible book, but neither did it earn a place on my keeper shelf. I would probably give another Jodi Thomas book a try in the future, though.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Bridal Boot Camp

Bridal Boot Camp by Meg Cabot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Bridal Boot Camp" was a short, though fun and sweet, introduction to Meg Cabot's upcoming Little Bridge Island series set in the Florida Keys. The main characters in this novella, Roberta and Ryan, were both very likeable, but I wish the story had been a bit longer so that we could have learned more about them and gotten to see their relationship develop. Hopefully these two will show up again in future Little Bridge Island stories so that we can see how they're doing.

One of my favorite vacations ever was in the Keys, and I loved feeling like I was back there once again thanks to this story. I look forward to reading more of this series when the first full-length novel is published later this year.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Getting Hot with the Scot

Getting Hot with the Scot by Melonie Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Getting Hot with the Scot" was a fun, sweet, and sexy story, and an excellent debut novel for first-time author Melonie Johnson. Both of the main characters were well-developed and likeable, and the secondary characters were delightful as well. I particularly appreciated the fact that the female main character, Cassie, was a big fan of romance novels and did not hide that fact, even at work. Using her love for romance novels as part of the literacy campaign she developed seemed like a great idea to me!

I'm generally not a fan of lie-of-omission plots, but I thought the trope was handled relatively well here. Logan's reasons for hiding things from Cassie were at least understandable, though that didn't necessarily make them right. It bothered me a little bit that he didn't even try to figure out another way to boost his website's numbers besides using the footage of Cassie from the prank at Edinburgh Castle, though I guess the point was that he needed an excuse to spend more time with her, and "romancing" her into signing the release seemed like his best option. Logan's unresolved feelings relating to his father's death probably played into his handling of the situation as well because he was afraid that if Cassie knew the truth, he would end up losing someone else he cared about.

At any rate, I enjoyed Cassie and Logan's story very much and look forward to reading the next book in this series.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Highland Crown

Highland Crown by May McGoldrick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"Highland Crown" was undeniably a well-written book, and I liked that there were aspects of real Scottish history interwoven with the story. Unfortunately, the pace of the book seemed kind of slow to me, especially in the first half. It didn't seem like very much happened aside from a few key events, and the main plotline didn't advance much at all. The second half of the book seemed better paced and I found it to be somewhat more interesting, but the end of the book really irritated me. There was a lot of foreshadowing leading up to the "big reveal" of Cinaed's parentage, but I hate that it didn't take place until so late in the story. There wasn't enough time left in the book for much of a reaction from the characters, and in the end, that made this entire first book seem like it was just an extended prologue for the next two books in the trilogy.

The other thing that bothered me about the "secret" of Cinaed's parentage is that it seemed like basically everyone else he met in Scotland knew about it before Cinaed did. How is it possible that no one ever mentioned his supposed "parents" to him before his uncle told him the story? If they didn't know, what exactly was it about Cinaed that everyone found compelling enough to earn him the nickname "Son of Scotland"? Sure, he was a handsome guy, but he wasn't rich or powerful, and his belief that he had earned their respect just for smuggling weapons into Scotland for the anti-English resistance fighters was flimsy, at best.

In addition, I was really not a fan of the "insta-love" between Isabella and Cinaed. How could they possibly have developed feelings for each other before they had even known each other for 12 hours? Finally, Cinaed's recovery after his fever was nothing short of miraculous. Somehow he was up and around almost immediately after waking up, and later that same day he was able to make love to Isabella too. How is it possible that he was physically capable of those feats? Shouldn't he have been weak after being unconscious and not eating through four or so days of fever? As for Isabella, as his doctor shouldn't she have advised him to rest and recover, not exert himself with strenuous activity?

At any rate, I was kind of disappointed with this book overall, but I am still giving it 3 stars because, as noted above, it was very well-written, and the aspects based in actual Scottish history were interesting. I'm not sure at this point if I will continue with the series.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: No Other Duke But You

No Other Duke But You by Valerie Bowman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While it was for the most part an enjoyable romp, several aspects of the plot of Valerie Bowman's "No Other Duke but You" came across as rather silly and far-fetched to me. I liked the first half of the book well enough, but the story went off the rails a bit when the idea of a love potion was introduced. It strained credulity that so many people, who otherwise seemed to be relatively sane and level-headed, would actually believe that a love potion could work.

I was also frustrated with the book because it seemed that the main thing keeping Delilah and Thomas apart was the fact that neither of them would admit their romantic feelings to the other. A single honest conversation would have allowed them to settle things between them and avoided a lot of drama and heartache. I can understand why Thomas was afraid to tell Delilah he loved her before the love potion debacle, but afterwards, there was really no reason for him to have delayed telling her the truth for so long. Delilah's hesitation was slightly more understandable because she thought Thomas only cared for her because of the potion, but even so, if she had made the first move, he probably would have confessed that he had loved her all along. They still would have had to deal with Delilah's mother and Lord Hilton's scheming, but that would have been a lot less of a problem if Thomas and Delilah had already been engaged by then.

In spite of the above frustrations, I have rated the book 4 stars because the main characters were both very likeable, and I enjoyed catching up with the couples from earlier books in the series. Overall, while "No Other Duke but You" was not my favorite book of the series, it was still a nice enough way to wrap things up and say goodbye to these characters. I look forward to seeing what Ms. Bowman plans to write next.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: A Prince on Paper

A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved "A Prince on Paper" every bit as much as I have the previous installments in Alyssa Cole's wonderful Reluctant Royals series. I was intrigued by both Nya and Johan upon first meeting them in book #1, and have been looking forward to getting to know them better ever since. Their story definitely did not disappoint!

Both Johan and Nya were complex, well-developed characters who experienced a tremendous amount of growth over the course of the story. They brought out the best in each other and helped each other learn to do things that scared them, in spite of the fear. As a result, Nya really came out of her shell, overcoming the emotional abuse inflicted upon her by her father for years. As for Johan, there turned out to be so much more to him than met the eye. Far from being a callous playboy, he was a protective, loving, deeply emotional man who tried his best to make the world a better place. He learned to live with the fear of losing the people he loves because the joy of having them in his life was worth the risk.

Overall, I have enjoyed the world Alyssa Cole created in this series immensely. I will be sad to leave these characters behind, but if this really is the end, I'm happy that we got to check in with so many of the couples one last time. For the record, and just in case Ms. Cole might someday see this, I wouldn't mind reading a few more books or novellas set in this world. For example, it seems like there might be a story to be told about Njaza's King Sanyu and his Thesoloian bride. Maybe there's a story out there for Johan's sibling Lukas as well? That could be VERY interesting, indeed!

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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