Title: Astrid Parker Doesn't Care (Bright Falls #2)

Author: Ashley Herring Blake

Publication Date: 22 Nov2022

Genres: Small town f/f romance

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Instagram

This was lovely and fun and very, very queer.

This is a story of self-discovery and growing into your own self and coming out as queer later in life. As someone who is not queer myself, I don't feel knowledgeable enough to discuss how this was presented in the story. From an outsider's perspective, I liked seeing Ashley's journey and felt convinced in her happiness in the end of the book.

This is an opposites attract kind of kind of romance where a buttoned up, closed-off heroine meets am open and self-confident heroine. Both of them are in difficult stages in their lives, trying to hide the fact they are basically falling apart from everyone. For Astrid this means being perfect in everything - the perfect daughter, the perfect friend, the most successful designer. For Jordan it means not sharing her dreams and hopes and fears with her closest people anymore and finding a new direction in life.

Just like in book 1, I felt the characterisation was really good - both Jordan and Astrid stand out as real people to me.

I liked how well-rounded the whole story and how in synch all the different elements in it were - there is lots of humour and funny dialogue, great sexual tension, supporting friends (Astrid's) and family (Jordan's).

Astrid's relationship with her mother is especially fraught. They do reach some reconciliation but there is no magic cure - it takes time and effort on both sides.

I have mixed feelings re Jordan's ex-wife. I can't help but feel she is a terrible person. She did try to help Jordan but at the same time she was completely ignoring Jordan's wishes/boundaries, speaking and acting over her on numerous issue. Her actions were the nudge Jordan needed in her career but I just can't let go of all the hurt she caused her before.

Finally there is a bit I don't feel very competent to comment on but feel it should be mentions and it's about the language regarding gender and attraction used in this book. I felt there were one too many instances of "women and non-binary people". It is most often used by Jordan to describe the people she is attracted to but sometimes it read like equating non-binary people with women and I am not a fan of that. I could be reading things wrong but a couple of instances really stood out to me. I would recommend checking reviews by queer, especially non-binary and trans, readers for their take on these instances.

Iris' book is next and there was a whole plotline with her that I found unnecessary and superfluous to this book but still I am very much looking forward to her finding her own HEA/HFN.

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Title: Gouda Friends

Author: Cathy Yardley

Genre: Contemporary romance, friends to lover

Release date: 22 March 2022

Author Links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

I loved the first book in this series, Love, Comment, Subscribe, and I was excited to continue with the series set around a group of high school friends, 10 years after graduation.

This is such a lovely, comfy read. An enemies to lovers, starting from 'We shouldn't do this. It will mess up our friendship." going through "Ok, we do it only once to get it out our systems and then never talk about it again." to finally "You are the love of my life and want to be with you forever."

It was no smooth sailing for Josh and Tam but it was fun, with a touch of angst, and very satisfying in the end. We get to see more of their friends and I love all their interactions - the support, the casual joking, the serious talks about life goals and dreams, it was all amazing.

As usual, we meet a diverse cast and it feels natural and organic to the world of the MCs. Both Tam and Josh come from messed up families and the found family they build around themselves as adults is a thing of beauty.

My complaint has to do with the portrayal of the villains in the story. They were too stereotypical, cardboard figures of what the bad girl/guy should look like and act like. It was unnecessary, it didn't bring much to the story, it just felt like lazy, careless writing to me. Same goes for the constant negative talk about both Tam's and Josh' exes. There is no need to make them all sound like terrible people just to show how perfect Tam and Josh are for each other.

It is a minor thing in the overall story but it kept cropping up here and there and found it annoying and distracting.

On the plus side, like the previous book, here the MCs and the side characters felt really modern, involved in new professions - influencer, youtubers, social media managers, setting up ghost kitchen/delivery service. It was interesting to read, entertaining and I am definitely adding this series to my list of romances with uncommon/unusual professions. .

I would summarize this series as modern small town romance - a bit stereotypical, yet diverse, cosy and funny with awesome found family and friends.

CW: alcoholism (off page), messed up families, cheating, online smear campaign

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Title: Delilah Green Doesn't Care (Bright Falls #1)

Author: Ashley Herring Blake

Publication Date: 22 Feb 2022

Genres: Small town f/f romance

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Instagram

CW: death of parents (in the past), family neglect (in the past), cheating (in the past)

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Title: The Forever Girl (Wildstone #6)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Date of publication: 12 Jan 2021

Genre / Themes: Contemporary Romance / Small town 

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 3,5 Stars

Life has changed all four of them in immeasurable ways. Maze and Cat must decide if they can rebuild their friendship, and Maze discovers her long-held attraction to Walker hasn’t faded with the years but has only grown stronger. 

I haven't read the previous books in the series but this works perfectly as standalone. I'd say this story fall between romance and women's fiction - there is a central love story and a HEA but also a lot of time and focus is dedicated to the other characters (found family of the MCs).

I enjoyed the world Jill Shalvis, one were friendships and family matter, where people try to do their best despite the circumstances, where they make mistakes and take wrong turn along the way but are ultimately led by kindness. We get usual dose of pets and babies, mostly for comic relief without overshadowing the romance. 

On the negative side, I felt too much of the conflict was based on misunderstanding. I realise why the Maze ad Walker couldn't discuss things openly from the start. The trauma of their childhood is a serious one that has marked them and it was not easy for them to overcome their fears and to see themselves as worthy of love. 

There were some unexpected plot twists which I liked even though the story more or less went in the direction I expected it to go from the start. It's this familiarity, knowing what is coming, that makes these books comfort reads for me. 

I found this to be a comforting, hopeful story, making me buy the romance between the MCs, leaving me convinced they are right for each other and are good for each other and can make each other happy. It's this hopefulness, the promise of a better future together, that's the reason I read romance.

CW: Child abuse, neglect (in the past), fire, lost of a loved one

Title: Second Chance on Cypress Lane 

Title: Firework (True North #6) 

Author: Sarina Bowen

Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance

Release Date: 13 Nov 2018

Author's links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

My rating: 4 Stars

Blurb

Skye Copeland is on paid leave from her broadcasting job after accidentally drawing a pecker on the traffic map.

Review

Newly divorced, Avery Hart returns home to Wildwood eager to take on her dream opportunity and transform her family’s dive bar into her own bakery. The contractor for hire isn’t just a master with his hands—he’s big, built, and wears a tool belt like nobody’s business. Despite being an ex-con, Trace Hutton is irresistible. Too bad he’d never go for someone as inexperienced as Avery.

Trace needs to focus on the job at hand, not daydream about smearing icing all over the sexy baker…and licking it off. This job is the key to getting his construction company back on its feet after his time in prison. Besides, no one deserves a fresh start more than Avery, and she certainly won’t get that with him.

After a delectable night of passion (and pie), Trace craves something more. But he’ll be damned if he’ll let his checkered past crush her dreams. And as Avery starts to realize how Trace fulfills more than just her physical needs, she struggles with whether to let her history decide her future, or explore the wild new possibilities of forever…

Review 

I loved the first book in the series, Forbidden Fling, and this one is just as good - a moving, sexy, heart-warming romance in a small town setting.

I really like what the author is doing with this series, building a great small town community and populating with the most amazing and intriguing characters. We get the feel-good, heart-warming atmosphere of small-town romance with the added edge of really complex characters, struggling with their past trying to move forward and ultimately falling in love. 

I really loved the heroine here. Avery married young her high school sweetheart but their marriage soon turned loveless and she ended back in her hometown, divorced and trying to get a fresh start. I liked the twist of her having been married, yet being very much inexperienced both sexually and romantically. She was understandably cautious with men but couldn't resist falling for Trace. I loved how determined to succeed, personally and professionally she was. 

Trace was a great character as well, an ex-con, a ladies' man trying to stay away from Avery because he didn't think he was good enough for her. He had a lot of going on in his life and falling (and trying to stay away from) Avery who on top of everything was his current boss was a complication he didn't need.

They had great chemistry and the sexual attraction was there from the start but nothing happened easily for them. The conflict they had to overcome in order to be together felt very real and the way they bumbled their way into a relationship was fitting to their characters - imperfect, a little lost, a lot hesitant because of their pasts but also hopeful and willing to give love a chance. There were no magical solutions to their personal and professional troubles but hard work and concentrated effort made things work for them.

Both Avery and Trace have a lot going on in their lives when they met each other - both trying to get back on their feet, dealing with difficult family issues (though neither of them was on their own) and both reluctant to enter a relationship and yet unable to resist the attraction between them. 

I enjoyed the complex, even slightly convoluted plot and feel it helped bring out all the best/worst qualities of the characters making the reader see them as real people and not just  as figments of the author's imagination.

Wild Kisses is sweet and sexy, real and deeply romantic, definitely a recommended read for me. 

Title: Keepsake (True North #3)
Author: Sarina Bowen
Genre: Contemporary romance, Small-town
Release Date: 25 Oct 2016

Author's links:
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads
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My rating: 5 Stars



There's a first time for everything.

Lark Wainwright used to be fearless. Her life was a series of adventures, each one more exhilarating than the last. But her recent overseas adventure was one too many. Now she’s home and in one piece. Mostly. But her nights are filled with terror.

When her best friend offers her a stay at the orchard in exchange for help at the farmers’ markets, Lark jumps at the chance to spend fall in Vermont. But her nightmares don’t stop. Desperate to keep her fragile state a secret, she relies on the most soft-spoken resident of the Shipley Farm to soothe her when her dreams prove too much.

Zachariah is a survivor, too. It’s been four years since he was tossed aside by the polygamist cult where he grew up. He’s found a peaceful existence on the Shipley’s farm, picking apples and fixing machinery. But getting thrown away by your own people at nineteen leaves a mark on a guy. He doesn’t always know what to make of a world where movie quotes are the primary means of communication. Before hitchhiking to Vermont, he’d never watched TV or spoken on the phone.

Actually, there are a lot of things he’s never done.

Zach and Lark slowly grow to trust one another. One night they become even closer than they’d planned. But Lark may still be too broken to trust anyone. When she pushes Zach away, he will have to prove to himself that he's good for much more than farm labor.

Review

This is the third book in Sarina Bowen's True North series of small town romances set in Vermont and in it we return the Shipley's farm which was the setting of book 1.

While I was not a huge fan of Bittersweet and quite enjoyed Steadfast (Jude's story) and I absolutely loved Zachariah and Lark in Keepsake. We met Zach in the first book, and was taken with him right away - a virgin hero raised in cult, who was cast away and is now trying to make it in the world on his own. I couldn't wait to read more about him and his story delivered and then some.

Zach is as perfect as one can be while also being very real - hard working, hard loving, loyal and honest and all too good looking. It's easy to overdo his lack of knowledge of the real world and fall in the traps of presenting him as way too naive/sheltered. Luckily, this was not the case. Zach had missed iconic moments of history and lacked most of pop culture knowledge but he was not totally clueless about sex and sexual attraction and he has managed to fit in the world rather well.

He is a complex character who made mistakes but genuinely wanted to help, to be useful, to be needed and loved, such a universal human emotion. He had his own abandonment issues to deal with together with the feelings of doubt and insecurity of not being good enough.

And Lark was wonderful too. She was Zach's opposite in so many ways - world savvy, experienced but when they met she was lost and confused and lived in fear. Her issues and the consequences of her ordeal in Guatemala were far more serious that anyone thought. They all missed the signs of how shaken up she really was, she was good at hiding and pretending. Even with Zach. I appreciate how her PTSD was presented and treated as a serious issue, not downplayed or used just for thrills. love can't cure and can't solve all. It took a lot of effort and time but the end result made it worth it.

My only quibble is with the epilogue. While I love me a good epilogue, it felt superfluous here, didn't really add anything significant to the story. Still, it did hint at potential new stories in the series and I hope Sarina Bowen will get to write them. 

Blurb

If she has her way ...

Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her ...

He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him ...

Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind of nice ...

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work ...

Jill Shalvis is my favourite author when it comes to sweet and sexy small town romances. And her Holiday stories always leave me at a happy place. This one was no different.

I still need to read the first book this new series but starting with the second one was no mistake either. It was so much fun and full of all the warm feeling and cosiness and friendship and the good of humanity in general that I associate with Christmas time. What made me really happy about this story that it did use the Christmas theme (strongly and with a touch of humour) without overdoing it. We don't get the perfect happy biological family but rather the right circle of friends and loved one who stick for one another through bad times and good ones and make the Holidays really special.

The heroine, Willa, was just adorable. Quirky and insecure, dealing with the consequences of a rough childhood by caring for everybody (humans and animals alike), going out of her way to help others, to bring joy and happiness in their lives.

The hero, Keane, like all Ms Shalvis' heroes, was close to perfect. He did have to make up for past mistakes but his present behaviour more than compensated for his carelessness in the past. He is working man and despite having a family unlike Willa. he was just as lonely as her.

I loved the character growth both of them had to go through in the story. There was a sort of reversal of roles which I found refreshing. She started as someone looking for love and long-term commitment while he was convinced he was no relationship material. Somehow along the road she ended up with doubts about her ability to be with someone for the long haul (she did think she wasn't good enough and that made me so sad) and he developed the idea that building a home with her and spending his life here with her was the right thing for him.

The chemistry between Willa and Keane was great and the love scenes - smoking hot. There was the usual circle of great friends (hers in this case) and their interactions both playful and concerned - were nicely done and fun to read.

There will more books in the series coming soon - a novella, One Snowy Night by the end of 2016 and a full-length novel, Accidentally on Purpose, early 2017 and I can't wait to read them both.

Purchase links: Kindle / iBooks / Nook / Paperback / GooglePlay / Kobo / BAM

Synopsis

If she has her way . . .

Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her . . .

He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him . . .

Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind of nice . . .

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work . . .

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

“You want to come upstairs, Willa?”

What she wanted was to put her hands back on his chest now that she knew it was as hard as it looked. Instead she gripped either side of her seat with white knuckles. “Of course not.”

“I think you do. I think you want something else too.”

“What I want,” she said as coolly as she could, “is dinner as promised.”

“Liar,” he chided softly.

“Well that’s just rude, calling your date a liar.”

“So it is a date.” His tone was very male and very smug. It should’ve pissed her off but instead it did something hot and erotic to her insides.

Clearly knowing it, he smiled at her and then dragged his teeth over his lower lip as he contemplated her.

Gah. She wanted to do that. And she wanted to do more too. She wanted him shockingly badly and suddenly she couldn’t remember why she shouldn’t. She tried to access her thought processes on the subject but her brain hiccupped and froze. Which surely was the only reason she let go of the death grip on her seat, slid her fingers into his hair, and . . . brushed her mouth over his.

He didn’t move, not a single muscle, but when she pulled back, his eyes had gone dark as night, piercing her with their intensity.

“Don’t read that the wrong way,” she whispered.

“Is there a wrong way to take it when a beautiful woman kisses you?”

Purchase links: Kindle / iBooks / Nook / Paperback / GooglePlay / Kobo / BAM

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My rating: 4.5 stars

Review

Blurb

Title: Nobody but You (Cedar Ridge #3)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Date of publication: 29 March 2016
Genre / Themes: Small town romance

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
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My rating: 3 Stars

Synopsis

SOMETIMES YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN…

After an overseas mission goes wrong, Army Special Forces officer Jacob Kincaid knows where he must go to make things right: back home to the tiny town of Cedar Ridge, Colorado. All he needs to scrub away his painful past is fresh mountain air, a lakeside cabin, and quiet solitude. But what he discovers is a gorgeous woman living on a boat at his dock.

Sophie Marren has nowhere else to go. She’s broke, intermittently seasick, and fighting a serious attraction to the brooding, dishy, I’m-too-sexy-for-myself guy who’s now claiming her dock. Something about Jacob’s dark intensity makes her want to tease—and tempt—him beyond measure. Neither one wants to give any ground . . . until they realize the only true home they have is with each other.

Review

I was curious to read Jacob's story from the start of this series but things got even more exciting in the previous book, which was about his twin brother. And I also have a big soft spot for war heroes, so I couldn't wait to meet Jacob.

His unexpected romantic affair was really sweet and very emotional at the same time. It took both Jacob and Sophie by surprise and neither of them it as anything long-term until it was too late for either of them to back away. 

I liked Sophie, her determination and decisiveness to go forward with her life on her own coupled with her occasional clumsiness and total obliviousness, were mostly adorable. AT times they felt too much - she seemed immature and childish to me, especially in her anger towards her ex and his flings. I understand and sympathize with her anger and hurt but her tricks and vengeance felt petty and really beneath her. 

A thing a like about Jill Shalvis' series in general is the sense of friendship and brotherhood/sisterhood she creates among the characters. I love their banter, the friendly teasing and ultimately their loyalty to one another and the sense that your family/close friends always have your back and accept you as you are. I expected this to have a more central role here, especially with Jacob and Hud being twins but I found it missing. 

We saw a lot of the brothers and their sister but for me it lacked the familiar warm feeling of community, their partners made just a few brief appearances. I wished we saw more of all of the characters coming together. Kenna's love life also caught me by surprise and it felt a bit rushed and out of place.

Overall, this story is a nice addition to the series, with a hero whom I greatly enjoyed and heroine who was cute but also a bit annoying. The romance and chemistry between Jacob and Sophie were strong and heart-warming.

Synopsis

Bailey Moore has an agenda: skiing in the Roc
kies, exploring castles in Europe, ballroom dancing in Argentina. Now that she has a second lease on life, she's determined not to miss a thing. What she doesn't realize is that item #1 comes with a six-foot-one ski god hot enough to melt a polar ice cap. She doesn't want to miss out on him either, but Hudson Kincaid isn't the type of guy to love and let go. And as gorgeous as Cedar Ridge is, she's not planning to stick around.

As head of ski patrol at his family's resort, Hud thinks he's seen it all. But never has he run into someone like Bailey. She might look delicate, but her attitude is all firecracker. And her infectious joy touches something deep within him that he's been missing far too long. Now he'll just have to convince Bailey to take a chance on her biggest adventure yet . . . something rare and all kinds of wonderful.

Review 

I needed a comfort read and as usual, Jill Shalvis' romances came to the rescue. My Kind of Wonderful (in the second book in her latest series, Cedar Ridge, set in a mountain ski resort, a setting the works great for me.

This story had so many of may favourite tropes in romance - a heroine who is fragile on the outside but all tough and determined on the inside, a hero who is protective and caring, loving fiercely his family and friends but pretty clueless when it comes to his personal life.

The story touches of serious issues (serious illness), family obligations and support, moving one, accepting the past with your mistakes and really, really looking to the future.

Bailey was a great heroine, a woman trying to find her place because up to now she has been forced to look on life from the sides and make no plans for the future. She has a list of things to do but then life happens and she has to quickly adapt her list. I love how fierce and determined she was. The way she went about being honest about her feelings for Hud, not playing games, acting coy or clingy was touching and real.

Hudson was a complex character on his own. He carried so much guilt and burden on his shoulders, yet he always took time to help the other, to be there for his family and friends. Life had thought him not the rely on anyone, even the family he so dearly loved. It took him quite a while to accept the change of plans life threw at them. He did not think there was a place for a woman in his life (and heart) but Bailey surprised him and took residence in his world without really asking.

The romance was hot and tender at the same time. It started as one time thing which soon became a few more times till the forever kind of relationship. The road to Bailey and Hud's HEA was not that easy though. The constant going back and forth, especially on the part of Hud, got tiresome and annoying towards the end. I wanted him to realise what he had and what he needed in life so much sooner but alas, he just needing some more prodding and good natured ribbing by his siblings to get the picture.

I absolutely love the family dynamics Ms Shalvis builds in her stories - there so much fun and love and warmth and caring about each other - which makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Overall, after loving the first book in the Cedar Ridge series, Second Chance Summer (review), I really enjoyed this one too. It hit all the right buttons for me and left me happy with a smile on my face. A recommended read for Ms Shalvis' fans and any other lovers of contemporary romance.

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My rating: 4 stars

Add to Goodreads

My rating: 4 Stars