2017 April Favorites

April gave us four really fantastic reads. Click the image to purchase or read our reviews to find out more.

Just Like That by Nicola Rendell

"But you know what? Funny is great but if a romantic comedy doesn't have heart, doesn't have give me the 'warm fuzzies' it fails, in my mind. Just Like That has such a great balance of humor and heart--as much as I laughed with these characters, I swooned at the fantastically sweet and romantic and alpha Russ and the equally sweet and charmingly adorable Penny. The way their romance grew from one night to one week to happily ever after added depth and sexiness to this lighthearted novel. " (From our review.)

Mister Romance by Leisa Rayven

"Mister Romance wasn't anything like I thought it would be and I suspect readers who've read more about male escorts than I have, it'll feel fresh. Not only does Leisa Rayven write something that is romantic, I've neglected to point out that she does so with a lot of humor and tenderness..." (From our Review.)

 

180 Seconds by Jessica Park

"I don't know enough to know if this was a hard novel to write, though I don't know how Jessica Park wrote this and emerged emotionally unscathed; but I do know that as tough as it was to read (emotion-wise), sometimes, it was worth every second of my time; I only wish I had more time with these characters because now their story is over. " (From our review.)

Before I Ever Met You by Karina Halle

"It's been a while since I've started and finished a full length novel in one day but I was completely captivated by Jackie and Will's story and I just could not put it down. " (From our review.)


As I sit here contemplating that another school year is coming to an end as I'm scheduling reviews all the way through August, I continue to marvel about the concept of time. Sometimes I feel like it moves at snail's pace but when I step back and look at how quickly it goes, I feel a little panicky, especially the older I get.  But enough of that...you want to know what we're up to and things we're seeing in the blogging world.

 A few trends that are continuing to persist are:

• the duology/trilogies that writers are putting out. So far, we've really enjoyed what's being produced and while we do find ourselves pondering the reasons behind this uptick, we're by no means complaining. 
• the writing duos -- and again, we're the ones reaping the benefits here so keep on doing what you're doing!
• the emphasis on athletes (keep those coming)
• more and more diverse characters (LOVE this and want it not to be a "trend" but the norm)
• the modernization of fairy tales (we've only read a few but we see more and more coming out)
• single parents (yes!)

All in all, we love when writers change things up and give us something new to think about and read and we're looking forward to not only reading in our comfort zones but to explore what else is out there. May is looking like a promising reading month and we know we'll have quite a list of favorites for you! Until then, happy reading!