Review: June First - Jennifer Hartmann - May 2022 There's something special about settling into your favorite reading spot with a chunky book that you just know is going to wreck you in the best possible way. For me, that's usually the bus—my sacred space where I can lose myself completely in a story without interruption. When I picked up June First by Jennifer Hartmann, I knew I was in for exactly that kind of read. Jennifer Hartmann has become one of my go-to authors for a reason. She brings this raw edginess to her new adult romances that keeps me coming back, and this book absolutely delivered on that promise. The story opens with six-year-old Brant and his best friend Theo, two little boys living next door to each other with their whole lives ahead of them. Then tragedy strikes—Brant's parents are killed, and he moves in with Theo's family just as baby June arrives home from the hospital. From that very first moment Brant lays eyes on her, she becomes his light i...

Review: When Gracie Met the Grump - Mariana Zapata - September 2022 For months, this chunky tome had been giving me the stink eye from my bookshelf, practically screaming "Read me!" But I'll admit, I was intimidated. Mariana Zapata has earned her reputation as the undisputed Queen of Slowburn Romance, and her books don't mess around – we're talking 600+ pages of pure, unadulterated tension before our leads even hold hands properly. True to form, When Gracie Met the Grump delivers exactly what Mariana Zapata fans expect: approximately 500 pages of sizzling foreplay, razor-sharp banter, and chemistry so thick you could cut it with a knife, before finally – finally – letting our characters crash together in the last 100 pages. And you know what? It works. Mariana Zapata's writing style is so engaging that the slowburn never feels like a drag. She's mastered the art of making readers desperate for that payoff. This particular story offers a fun twist on the ty...

Title: The Last Time Series: The Last Ever #2 Author: Anna Bloom Genre: Contemporary Romance Tropes: Second Chance at Love, Forbidden Relationship Grumpy/Sunshine, Found Family, Medical Drama Release Date: April 26, 2025 BLURB “He swore he wouldn’t fall. She never expected to want him to.” OLIVIA Boxing Day was supposed to be spent with my children. Instead, I was alone in a hotel bar, drowning in heartbreak while my ex played happy families with his new girlfriend. And then he walked in. Dr. Ryan Simmonds—arrogant, guarded, and too damn gorgeous for his own good. He was supposed to be a one-night escape, nothing more. ✔ Not my sister’s heart surgeon. ✔ Not the man making my children laugh. ✔ And definitely not someone I could fall for when my world is already crumbling. RYAN I don’t get involved. Not after my fiancée left me for my brother. But Olivia Brown is a complication I never saw coming. ✔ She’s fierce, exhausted, and willing to fight the world for her sister. ✔ ...

Title: The Drummer's Heart Author: Penelope Ward Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance Tropes: Rockstar Hero/"My Wife"/Small Town Close Proximity/Slow Burn/One Bed Release Date: February 23, 2025 BLURB From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE novel… Don’t say her name. That was the one rule my bandmates followed, because they knew how much it messed me up to think about her, especially on tour. My ex, Nicole. The one who got away and the woman who still owned every piece of my heart. After our divorce, I threw myself into the rock scene, trying to forget my heartbreak. Three years after we split, a phone call from Nicole changed everything. She told me her grandmother wasn’t doing well. Mimi was still family to me, and she apparently had one wish before dying: to spend time with us—Nicole and me. With Mimi’s caretaker away on vacation, it would be the ideal time for us to move in with her for a couple of weeks. Of course, I ...

Review: All Rhodes Lead Here - Mariana Zapata - April 2021 This book and others from this author have been on my TBR bookshelf for a while and I kept putting it off as readers had talked about how Mariana Zapata was the Queen of slow-burn romance and more often books that are all about slow-burn are the other sort of slow - slow paced and boring as nothing happens. However, that was not the case in All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata, as this book seemed to hold its own as though the romance was slow-burn and didn't happen till near the end of the book, the storyline was good enough that it carried most of the book. The book starts with our female MC finally standing up for herself and breaking free of the bonds she had for the past fourteen years. She has packed up, booked an Air BNB, and headed back to her hometown in the mountains of Colorado. When Aurora arrives, she discovers things aren't quite as they seem as the owner of the house doesn't know anything about her ...

Vampires of the Black Oak Marie-Claude Bourque (Vampires of the Black Oak, #1-3) Publication date: October 22nd 2024 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance Meet the vampires of the Black Oak: a powerful order of modern-day warrior fighting evil to protect the ones they love. Three vampire romances now together in this third installment in the Order of the Black Oak – Collection “… a nanural master of the slow-burn…” Book 1: A VAMPIRE’S SPELL: A Witch-Vampire Slow-Burn Paranormal Romance A guilt-ridden legacy vampire teams with a powerful witch to protect their city from a crazed scientist seeking immortality. Book 2: A VAMPIRE’S SIN: An Enemies to Lovers Slow-Burn Paranormal Romance An immortal Montreal vampire teams with an ambitious real estate tycoon to rescue her kid sister from a child-trafficking ring run by a pack of daemons. Book 3: A VAMPIRE’S SOUL: A Friends to Lovers Slow-Burn Paranormal Romance When a female vampire teams up with a faithful immortal friend to e...

Review: Never Forget You - Fiona Lucas - September 2022 I was left in two minds after reading this book as it was one of my favorite tropes and one of those soulmates/true love, once-in-a-lifetime love stories but at the same time, I had picked it up as the back seemed like it would be emotional and the book boasted an emotional journey which I had hinted possible crying in spots and that was what I happened to be in the mood for. Unfortunately, this book didn't make me cry or tear up but it was a #meetcute romance love story, one of those once-in-a-lifetime love reads where despite obstacles and time passing, you know that these two people are just supposed to be together. The book starts with Lilli and Ben who meet each other in London in a secret garden and spend the next 3 hours together. Ben wishes he could stay longer, but for the next year, he is about to embark on his big trip around the world. The pair make a goal to meet each other at the church, a year from now. One year...

Fallen Raven Audiobook Diana A. Hicks (Raven Duet, #1) Publication date: September 21st 2023 Genres: Adult, Romance Now a 2023 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Romance – Contemporary genre! “Diana A. Hicks painted a slow-burn romance balanced on the dark edge of danger…Fallen Raven will capture the minds of readers who enjoy Mafia political romances with plenty of action to entertain them.” – Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Seventeen-year-old Aurora Vitali didn’t have the best life in Las Vegas, but it was a place to call home. When her father scores a win after so many fails, he abruptly moves the whole family to the Upper East Side in New York City. Aurora is quickly seduced by the glitz and glamour of her new world, where designer clothes, limos, and beach parties are the norm. Her first day at their elite school, she meets Enzo Alfera, one of the royals. He’s rich, gorgeous, and so dangerous. The magnetic pull she feels when he’s near is absolutely irresistible. S...

      Review: Made in Korea - Sarah Suk - May 2021 I was in two minds about this book as I did manage to finish it but it still felt not quite right for me as the book starts with Valerie who has a K-beauty business at school run from her locker with her cousin Charlie. They have done well and this is Valerie's senior year and she thinks this will help her college applications and her dream is also to take her Nana to Paris, France with the money she has earned. Things are going well until new hottie Wes comes along and ends up creating a business of his selling Crown Tiger merchandise and this becomes a competition for Valerie. The thing too is that Wes is more personable than Valerie but he too is driven as he wants to go to Music School and since his parents don't agree, he has to earn the money himself. You can tell that this book is set up for the pair to have a relationship, but it is a very very slow burn as they don't show sparks together until almost near the ...