G. Bianco, 2019
Get your gym shoes on and grab your headphones because Work It Out by Eva Siedler is out today (January 29th) which shows what happens when an actor meets his match while training for a new role! With the lead role in a huge action film up for grabs, actor Jake Newman has ninety days to get in shape. How does a man grow abs without the tabloids watching his every move? By sneaking off to a high-end health resort in his Arizona hometown to supersize his biceps…Thor style. Oh, and hope no one discovers the real reason he bailed from Los Angeles—or the teeny little health issue he’s hoping to keep from everyone. Especially his cute, sunshiny, and absolute hard-ass new trainer. Former gymnast Rayah Summers has poured everything she has into her desert a full-service resort that helps people transform their bodies and lifestyles. But a run of bad luck has her on the brink of bankruptcy —and the Hollywood hunk with insanely sexy dimples is all that’s standing between her and disaster. Now everything depends on her future, her roof over her head, and especially her trainers—who are more family than employees. Rayah can’t afford for anything to go wrong… and no one’s able to explain why Jake Newman keeps collapsing during even the lightest workouts. Now it’s a balance beam nightmare, with Rayah trying to keep her business afloat—all while managing her staff’s drama, keeping her celebrity client a secret, and not falling for him or his devilishly sexy grin. And it’s just a matter of time before Jake’s secrets threaten not only her dreams, but the chosen family she’s found… This novel wasn’t my favorite… it genuinely feels like the author just cut out classic romcom tropes and pasted them into this book without really fleshing them out at all. The insta-love felt too fast and more lusty than any true affection. Like honey, you can’t feel betrayed by a man you met 3 days ago. This isn’t Romeo and Juliet… None of the characters were all that likable, except for maybe Jake’s grandparents. Everyone else just felt like very flat characters with not much substance or that their personalities were almost bipolar/went from one extreme to the other. The amount of plot lines that just got thrown in a third of the way into the book with no background was very bizarre and made the main plot of the novel even more confusing, especially with the timeline of the novel. Literally, the first half of the book takes place over the course of like 3 days or something. The author attempts to add some depth to the novel by adding in a characters who have disorders or have dealt with domestic and/or sexual abuse, but the novel just gets so bogged down with frivolous plot lines in the beginning that by the time I got to the heavier topics, I wasn’t all that interested in the novel anymore. Overall, this book wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t blow me away either… *I received an ARC from Entangled Publishing in exchange for my honest opinion.
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One of my most anticipated reads of the year was It Takes A Rake by Anna Bennett and it did not disappoint! This third and final book in the Rogues to Lovers Series is the perfect historical romance book to add to your TBR! Since she was a girl, Miss Kitty Beckett has been adept at finding trouble: sneaking brandy, running away, and getting under the skin of the boy who, like her, was an apprentice to an architect. Now Kitty’s a talented heiress who can take a dry building plan and breathe life into it with her pencils and paints. Also? She can spot a rake at a hundred yards―and she won’t be tricked or charmed into marriage. Certainly not by a man who might interfere with her dreams. When Bellehaven Bay announces its first ever architectural design contest, she vows to win―with a little help from her childhood rival. Leo Lockland, a hardworking architect with a gift for numbers, has returned home after a few years in London, and he has secrets. The biggest? He’s been in love with Kitty since they were both apprentices. She refuses to give her heart to any man, but Leo’s determined to beat the odds―even if it means learning how to be a rake. Fortunately, Kitty’s willing to tutor him in the nuances of fashion, flirtation, and seduction in exchange for his help with the contest. But the whole plan would fall apart if she knew how he felt, so he’ll have to be very convincing. Leo proves to be a surprisingly quick study in the ballroom, on the beach, and in the bedchamber. Before long, he’s softening Kitty’s hard edges with his wicked words and kissing his way past all her defenses. Perhaps she’s a bit too skilled at teaching, because her lessons are threatening to backfire, putting her closely guarded heart in grave danger… As if I couldn’t adore Anna Bennett’s writing even more, Kitty’s story just solidified my love for this series! I absolutely adored this historical romance! Both Kitty and Leo were fabulous characters and I loved the trajectory of their story! From childhood nemeses to reluctant friends to lovers, I could not get enough of this book. And having it all set in Bellehaven Bay and having the Bellehaven Belles making cameos in the story makes this novel even more delightful! Honestly, Leo might be my new favorite book boyfriend! His unwavering love for Kitty was so adorable and quite a few scenes had me fanning my face! The way both Kitty and Leo grew in this story both with their own insecurities and in their feeling for one another, was so enjoyable to read about and I was so sad to have this book end. Whether you’re reading this as a standalone novel or reentering Bellehaven Bay, this novel is perfect for any fans of historical romance! *I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest opinion. Listen, I know almost everyone has already read/reviewed Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score, but I still wanted to share my review of it because hey why not! Lucian Rollins is a lean, mean vengeance-seeking mogul. On a quest to erase his father’s mark on the family name, he spends every waking minute pulling strings and building an indestructible empire. The more money and power he amasses, the safer he is from threats. Except when it comes to the feisty small-town librarian that keeps him up at night… Sloane Walton is a spitfire determined to carry on her father’s quest for justice. She’ll do that just as soon as she figures out exactly what the man she hates did to—or for—her family. Bonded by an old, dark secret from the past and the dislike they now share for each other, Sloane trusts Lucian about as far as she can throw his designer-suited body. When bickering accidentally turns to foreplay, these two find themselves not quite regretting their steamy one-night stand. Once those flames are fanned, it seems impossible to put them out again. But with Sloane ready to start a family and Lucian refusing to even consider the idea of marriage and kids, these enemies-to-lovers are stuck at an impasse. Broken men break women. It’s what Lucian believes, what he’s witnessed, and he’s not going to take that chance with Sloane. He’d rather live a life of solitude than put her in danger. But he learns the hard way that leaving her means leaving her unprotected from other threats. It’s the second time he’s ruthlessly cut her out of his life. There’s no way she’s going to give him a third chance. He’s just going to have to make one for himself. While this book wasn’t my favorite of the Knockemout Books, I still adored Lucian and Sloane’s story! The miscommunication between Sloane and Lucian and their stubbornness about hating each other for 20+ years over what was basically a misunderstanding seemed a little dragged out in the beginning; however, that didn’t stop me from both laughing and tearing up at certain moments of this book. And ultimately, I think Lucy Score did a great job of wrapping up the plot lines in this series and giving Sloane and Lucian the happy ending they deserved! This was a great read once again from Lucy Score and I cannot wait to read more of her books in the future! Jayne Denker kicks off 2024 with the release of her newest romcom, Hedging Your Bets. What was my first read of the new year ended up being just what I needed to start 2024 off right! Gillian has been happily divorced for several years and, after trying a few dating apps, prefers to stay that way. Navigating her way through dates with fat shamers and lackluster men has left her with no desire to do anything other than work in her garden in her spare time. Noah West has just moved to Willow Cove. After a rough breakup that leaves him looking to get far away, he relocates to the same small town he spent summers in as a teen—and moves right next door to Gillian. A big believer in minimalist design and that the best kind of plants are non-flowering, he knows as soon as he meets his neighbor that they are going to clash on just about everything. Now if only he could keep his eyes off her too. When a gardening contest brings out the competition in Gillian and Noah, dueling plant arrangements and fiery banter ensues. But is it possible that beneath all their differences, they might just be perfect for each other? I really related to Gillian’s struggle with online dating and her desire for a real connection with someone (although unfortunately for me, I do *not* have a hot new neighbor that I can pine over lol) but I loved how Denker shows the realities of the modern dating world in a humorous, but also sobering light. Denker also does a good job of giving a snippet of what it’s like to end a relationship when there’s a child involved. It’s not gone into great detail, but even the little bits of Noah grappling with missing Aiden shows more realities when dating. I also really enjoyed the small-town trope mixed in with enemies-to-lovers! It’s a classic, but not overdone, story aspect that I will never get enough of! If you’re a fan of fade-to-black romances then I highly recommend this book enough! *I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest opinion. Renée Ahdieh’s The Beautiful Series comes to its conclusion today (December 5th) with the release of the fourth book in the quartet. The Ruined picks up where its predecessor left off and drops readers right back into the world of the Fae and other supernatural beings! The Sylvan Vale and the Sylvan Wyld are at war. Now that the unsteady truce between them has been broken, lines must be drawn. In an effort to protect the weakened Winter Court, Bastien rallies powerful allies and friends in New Orleans to come to their aid. Meanwhile, under protection alongside her injured mother in the Summer Court, Celine is uncertain of whom to trust. She cannot get word to Bastien, and does not understand why he has not returned. When she realizes war between the fey courts is imminent, she journeys with Ali in an effort to find the time traveling mirror and change their fate. But when Celine’s rivals realize Bastien has rallied his allies in the mortal world, they decide to take the fight to him. I honestly felt my expectations for this novel were pretty moderate, but unfortunately, the book ended up falling a bit flat. I liked how fast-paced the story was and how easy it was to fall into the plot again. I also enjoyed seeing all of our favorite characters again and seeing how the events in The Righteous would all combine into a masterful conclusion. However, there wasn’t any clear ending to certain plot lines and half of the minor characters became completely obsolete as the story went on. The story got bogged down with so many random bits of plot that nothing seemed fleshed out enough to leave any real impact on me as a reader. I feel like this book could’ve been much longer and allowed for a more robust story with a great ensemble cast of characters rather than trying to squeeze so much plot into 400 pages and casting aside what could’ve been amazing subplots for the sake of a bizarre and semi-inconclusive ending. I can understand what Ahdieh was trying to achieve with this book and the themes of love, loss, trust, and sacrifice; however, I feel like many fans of this series, including myself, would’ve preferred a more adventurous, thrilling, and more romantic ending for a book that is branded as a YA vampire/supernatural fantasy romance. While I enjoyed my time with this series, I was just hoping for this story to play out in a different way. Ahdieh had the potential to create a wonderful conclusion to this ethereal series, but I ended up finishing the series with way more questions than answers. *I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Rebecca Yarros’s dragon riding fantasy romance novel Fourth Wing. And while there are probably a gazillion reviews about this book already, I’m going to dogpile on with another gushing review because yes, this book deserves it! Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise. Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret. Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die. I don’t even know where to begin with this review because I’m trying to think of stuff that hasn’t already been said… Ok I’ll just start with this: if you haven’t read this book yet, GO AND READ IT NOW!! I absolutely adored this romantasy book and BookTok had it right when they said this book was addictive and a smash hit, because it is both of those things and more! I went into this book completely blind and I’m really happy I did honestly! Every plot twist and development just heightened the already amazing book and I was so engrossed in Violet’s story from chapter one. Aside from the fantasy aspects of this book (including the badass dragons), the romance in this book was so lovely to read. There was also a healthy dose of villains and amazing side characters to help round out this phenomenal book. I laughed, I cried, and I gasped soooo many times while reading this book that I’m immediately about to go and pick up the second book and continue reading because I’m so obsessed with this story and invested in these characters. If you don’t trust BookTok, then trust me when I say that this book is a must read! I’ve read my fair share of fantasy/romantasy books and this one is just a delightfully delicious read! It's almost the holiday season and David Valdes is delivering with his new book which came out on November 7th! If you’re looking for a cute YA holiday romcom, then Finding My Elf is the book for you! Escaping to NYU for college didn’t turn out the way Cameron planned—he’s about to lose his scholarship and he still hasn’t found anyone he can call his “people.” When he gets home for winter break, he’s so desperate to avoid talking with his dad that he takes the first acting job he can get—as a mall elf. Despite how Scroogey he feels, the plus side is that there’s a cash prize for the most festive of Santa’s helpers. But the competition is fierce—especially from fellow elf Marco. Christmas spirit oozes out of his veins. At first Cam is determined to see him as nothing but a rival, but as they spend more time together, Cam starts to second-guess himself. What if he’s finally found his people here—in the fakest consumerist nightmare place on Earth, where he least expected it? This book was a cute and quick Christmas-themed read, but I felt like it was missing something to give it more depth. I know it’s a YA novel and maybe I wasn't in the target demographic, but Cameron was kind of annoying in the beginning of the novel for me and some of the plot felt underdeveloped. That being said, I was very invested to see who would win the Mall Elf competition and found the book easy to read! This book did have all of the Christmas-y vibes so if you’re looking for a holiday read, then look no further! *I received an ARC from Epic Reads in exchange for my honest opinion. Ali Hazelwood has quickly risen to prominence in the romance world, but now she's taking her first dip into the YA world with her newest romance. Check & Mate, which comes out on November 7th, is the new book you *need* to add to your TBR, whether you’ve read one of Hazelwood’s books or not. Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess. Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist.... As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…) I honestly shouldn’t be too surprised that Ali Hazelwood’s YA debut was a smash hit! Brimming with her usual witty and diverse characters, amazing dialogue, a swoon-worthy romance, and nerdiness galore, this novel not only makes me want to learn more about chess, but also reminds me why I love reading and learning about different hobbies and interests! This story had everything from funny side characters, a relatable sibling dynamic, a bit of struggles for Mallory, and an overcoming of fears and doubts for our main character in order to learn how to live life on her own terms. While I think this novel might be geared towards an upper YA/New Adult audience, this novel perfectly blended the angst of growing up with finding yourself which made the book that much more relatable. Fans of Hazelwood will adore this book just as much as her past adult romances and if you haven’t read any of her prior books, then this book is a great place to start! Overall, I loved this book and cannot recommend it enough! *I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion. I’m probably the last person to read this book but IT WAS SO GOOD THAT YOU’RE GETTING A REVIEW ANYWAY! Honestly, I’ve become such a big fan of Ali Hazelwood that I’m shocked I haven’t made time to read Love Theoretically sooner, but here we are. The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills. Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job. Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice? I ADORED this book! Another top tier read by Ali Hazelwood!! I absolutely loved Elsie and Jack and their nerdiness! The setting of academia filled with politicking in the background was really interesting and I loved learning a bit more about the different disciplines of physics. Both Elsie and Jack have amazing character development as they help each other realize past mistakes and how they have developed coping mechanisms for them. Both grow to be better people and seeing them fall in love in the process is amazing. Filled with the usual one liners and banter we all love from Hazelwood (and a few Easter eggs from past novels!), this book is a must read! I know it’s not even Halloween yet, but we can start talking about Christmas books… right? Anyway this Tana Stone book, which is aptly titled Christmas with an Alien, which comes out on October 30th was definitely an interesting way to kick off the holiday reading season! The weeks leading to Christmas are not Caroline’s favorite. The personal shopping department where she works is insanely busy and the clients have crazy requests. Plus, this is her first holiday after a bad breakup. When her last client of the day is a gorgeous, blue-skinned alien, she isn’t too surprised. After all, everyone knows that aliens are real since a species of interstellar warriors revealed themselves. What does startle Caroline is that Griff isn’t looking for unique Christmas presents. He’s on Earth to find a mate. Although she agrees to help him, finding a bride for an alien isn’t easy, especially when word gets out that the hottie is on the market. Between the alien-obsessed women swiping right on his new dating profiles and the paparazzi dogging them, Griff is no closer to finding a bride. He is much closer to his personal shopper, though. If only she didn’t think loyal guys were as much of a fantasy as flying reindeer. Can Griff melt the ice in Caroline’s heart and convince her that good things do come in big, blue packages? The whole reason I read this book was because I thought the concept of an alien romance set around Christmas was way too interesting of a topic to pass up. And if there’s one word to describe this book, it’s “interesting”! Do not expect heavy plot lines or a lot of background into the alien culture and lore going into this book, because you’re not really gonna get it. You’ll get just enough info to help you understand that this giant blue alien needs a bride and that’s about it. If you’re looking for a fluffy (and kinda steamy) Christmas binge-read that doesn’t have too much substance and has a linear and straightforward plot, then this is the novel for you. *I received an ARC from Literally Yours PR in exchange for my honest opinion. |
AuthorHi! My name is Elisa and my bookshelf is quite literally overflowing! Join me in my journey of reading as many books as humanly possible! Archives
February 2023
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