Contemporary Romance

Review: The Forever Girl by Jill Shalvis

02:00

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


Blurb

When Maze returns to Wildstone for the wedding of her estranged bff and the sister of her heart, it’s also a reunion of a once ragtag team of teenagers who had only each other until a tragedy tore them apart and scattered them wide.

Now as adults together again in the lake house, there are secrets and resentments mixed up in all the amazing childhood memories. Unexpectedly, they instantly fall back into their roles: Maze their reckless leader, Cat the den mother, Heather the beloved baby sister, and Walker, a man of mystery. 

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. 

Review

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

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Charlie Adhara

Review: Cry Wolf by Charlie Adhara

14:00

Title: Cry Wolf (Big Bad Wolf #5)
Author: Charlie Adhara
Genre / Themes: Shifters /Murder mystery
Release date: 18 Jan 2021 

Author's links: Website / Twitter/ Goodreads

My rating: 5 Stars

Blurb

Agent Cooper Dayton never thought anything could be harder than solving murders. Until he had to plan a wedding.

After taking down an old adversary, Agent Cooper Dayton of the Bureau of Special Investigations has earned a break. Not that planning a wedding to his sexy shifter partner, Oliver Park, is necessarily stress free, but it’s better than worrying about the ominous warning, delivered months ago, that Cooper’s life is in danger.

When he’s dragged to an event by his family, Cooper braces for an awkward evening, but instead finds himself in the middle of an ugly feud between Park’s ex and a rebel pack leader. What was supposed to be a quick outing turns into a full-blown murder investigation after the pack leader ends up dead, Park’s ex goes missing, and Cooper and Park are sent a series of disturbing wedding gifts that are somehow connected to it all.

The list of potential suspects is long, and with the bodies piling up, Cooper must turn to the one person he trusts the least: the villain he’s already put behind bars once and who has nothing to lose by lying and everything to gain if Cooper is out of the picture—for good. 

Review 

This is another great installment in the series and I loved everything about it - the romantic relationship, the suspense, the new insights we got into the wolf world. 

The book covers Cooper and Park getting for their wedding which any married person will tell is stressful in itself but add a murder investigation and things really hectic. I loved how much they cared for each other and wanted to be their best and to do their best to make their partner happy. It's really relationship goals for me. At the same time both of them continue to work through the traumas of their past and this is not easy for either of them. 

The mystery plot was intricate and engaging. I liked how it brought the past, present and future together. The mystery felt overwhelming at times, like a puzzle with too many pieces but in the the end I found its resolution fitting and satisfying.

We see more of Cooper's family and it was great, both his father and his brother are shown in a new light and it all reflects on Cooper, making him re-evaluate a lot of things about himself. We also meet more werewolves and the world around Park and Cooper just grows richer and fuller. 

Overall this is well written story, great romance and suspense plot, great side characters, great HEA. That said, I am curious how the series will continue. This doesn't read like the final book but more like a set for more stories in this world inhabited by humans and werewolves, at the same time the romantic relationship feels complete to me. I am wondering if another couple might take center stage in next installments (if there will be any).

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Contemporary Romance

Review: Second Chance on Cypress Lane by Reese Ryan

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Title: Second Chance on Cypress Lane 
(Holy Grove Island #1)
Author: Reese Ryan
Genre/Themes: Contemporary small town romance
Release Date: 1 Dec 2020

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Goodreads

My rating: 3 Stars


Blurb

When a romance gone wrong lands reporter Dakota Jones in the pages of the tabloids, her rising star crashes and burns. Instead of getting the weekend anchor job she'd been promised, she's promptly shown the door. Which leaves her one option: return home to lick her wounds, eat lemon meringue pie, and plot her comeback while actively avoiding the man who once broke her heart.

Dexter Roberts made a huge mistake when he walked away from Dakota, and he's regretted it ever since. So when Dakota returns to Holly Grove Island to regroup and decide what's next, Dex can't pass up the opportunity to win back the love of his life. Now he just needs to convince Dakota to give him a second chance. 

Review 

This is a second chance small town romance, book 1 in a series. It's my first read by this author and although it was nice, I didn't end up loving. There is nothing majorly wrong or problematic with this story. It's just slow, with a lot of going back and forth of the MCs in their decisions about the relationship.
I kept coming across minor stuff that annoyed me and it all added up and made frustrated.

The MCs were wildly in love as teenagers but split up when they went to college (it was dramatic and people and she never quite got over it). Now 15 years later she is back in her small hometown and they inevitable meet again and rekindle their relationship, first as friends, gradually back to lovers and long-term partners. 

I felt they acted too immature for people in their 30s, kept secrets and never talked openly and honestly until forced by outside circumstances to do it. Here is comes my issue with the main conflict and its reveal (she learned from someone else and confronted him). I hated how this played out, how quick she was to forgive him and the other party involved. It all could have been avoided if they had acted as adults from the start and talked things through. 

As a side note, the hero describes the heroine as "having curves at all the right places" is not quite the compliment he thinks he is. There was also the moment with sharing someone else's medical information which didn't feel right to me. I understand the good intentions behind it but it's still a matter of respecting people's privacy and it was violated in my opinion. 

As I said in the beginning it is all small things coming up here and there in the story but they added up making stealing some of the enjoyment I got from this story. 

On top of it all the ending was just too neat and too perfect for my liking. Yes, I want the HFN/HEA romance promises but the ending where everyone forgives everyone else and they all love and respect and care for each other and have no more issues to fix is not working that great for me. I guess it fits with the overall dreamy, escapist tone of the story which could be great for other readers but was not right for me. 

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#romanceclass

Review: Sweet on You by Carla de Guzman

01:09

Title: Sweet on You: A Filipino Christmas romance
Author: Carla de Guzman
Genre/Themes: Contemporary Christmas romance
Release Date: 19 Oct 2020

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

My rating: 4.5 Stars


Blurb

All’s fair in love and prank wars

For barista and café owner Sari Tomas, Christmas means parols, family and no-holds-barred karaoke contests. This year, though, a new neighbor is throwing a wrench in all her best-laid plans. The baker next door—“some fancy boy from Manila”—might have cute buns, but when he tries to poach her customers with cheap coffee and cheaper tactics, the competition is officially on.

And Baker Boy better be ready, because Sari never loses.

Foodie extraordinaire Gabriel Capras wants to prove to his dad that his career choice doesn’t make him any less a man. The Laneways might not be Manila, but the close-knit community is the perfect spot to grow his bakery into a thriving business. He wasn’t expecting a gorgeous adversary in the barista next door, but flirting with her makes his heart race, and it’s not just the caffeine.

It’s winner takes all this Christmas. And more than one competitor might just lose their heart for the holidays. 
 

Review 

I have been a fan of the #romanceclass books (romances in English by Filipino authors) for some time now and I was excited to read a Christmas story set in the Philippines. This was a true holiday treat for the soul and it also made me want to try all the Philippines sweets described in this book. 

This is a funny, low-angst enemies-to-lovers romance, rather rivals of sorts, that get into some friendly competition with some pranks to the amusement to everyone in their neighbourhood. 

There is a strong feel of a close-knit community of people caring for each other. I loved reading about the Filipino food and Christmas traditions and it never felt too much. Despite all the deserts Gabriel makes, the story never felt too sweet. 

The family issues both Sari and Gabriel had to deal with made them real people to me. Neither of them was perfect, they both had fears and insecurities, moments of doubts and confusion. All this was happening while both of them were trying to build a successful career of doing the thing they loved the - baking for im, making the perfect coffee blends for her. 

We get to see a lot of meddling family and well meaning friends, and despite the love and care, there was also some family tension and past hurts. I appreciate that her mum's fatphobia got called out and that is dad's patriarchal views were examined and ultimately over-turned. 

The romance itself worked perfectly for me. It was both magical, based on strong chemistry between Sari and Gabriel and also real and tender. I liked how their intimacy developed slowly over time as they became more open with each other. His admiration for her, both her personality and her body, her learning to trust him, getting to see herself as worthy of his love and giving back that love ad support to him, it was a beautiful thing to read. 

In short, this a perfect holiday romance for me to. I highly recommend it as bit sunshine in dark times. 

CW: fatphobia, misogyny

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British

Review: Division Bells by Iona Datt Sharma

04:37

 

Title: Division Bells 
Author: Iona Datt Sharma
Genre / Themes: m/m romance, British politics 
Release date: 13 October 2020

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Goodreads

My rating: 5 Stars


Blurb

In politics, love is a stranger…

It’s a bitterly cold winter in London and Jules Elwin has no idea what he’s doing. As the newest special adviser to a government minister, he’s drowning in arcane procedures and party politics, and the civil servant who’s supposed to be helping him is doing nothing of the sort. Ari is sarcastic, intolerant and has no time for a special adviser who’s only there because his father is a peer of the realm.

Jules is only one of Ari’s many problems. As well as nursemaiding a special adviser, he’s got to get a Bill through Parliament, keep his irrepressible minister happy and stop his esteemed colleagues from hiding alcohol in their filing cabinets. And there’s something else, too: a deep, unspoken grief, that’s consuming him like frost.


But despite everything, Ari sees the world around him clearly––and Jules has been waiting all of his life to be seen.


Review

This is a contemporary m/m romance between a civil servant and a spad (special advisor). I loved everything in this novella, the exquisite writing, the richly drawn characters, both main and secondary ones. The story is heavy with political and legal jargon which I didn't mind one bit because it is very much similar to my own professional life. 

The writing is most gorgeous and it gives a strong sense of place (London, the Parliament) and time. There is certain melancholy to both MCs, for different reasons and their romance was both understated and a most tender one. It's the kind of romance I love the most, one based on caring for the other, providing support and nourishment through though times. 

I am bit wary of the main conflict related to work of the MCs but I am willing to suspense belief and feel reassured that things worked out for the best for them. 

I would be happy read more romance by this author. 

Note: For those like me, who don't know it, Division Bell is the bell that rings to call members of the relevant chamber to vote 

CW for grief 

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