Ughhhh. I'm so mad at myself. Today is December 29 and I *thought* I'd already written and posted a review about Christina Lauren's In A Holidaze many many weeks ago and it turns out...I didn't. I chalk this up to being in the crazy times of COVID teaching. GAHHHH. Anyway, please don't let this less than specific review deter you from grabbing this novel. This novel is a stand out in their most recent publications because it's just so different. It has all the warmth and humor that is typical of their novels but it's also got this Groundhog's Day vibe that made it so very different than anything I've read of theirs, or anyone, in a while. It was interesting to see the adjustments Mae made each time her week/day restarted and how she ended it. I enjoyed the premise--a multifamily gathering, the magic of the holidays, the magic of her plight, and her long suffering love story.
One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.
But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.
The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.
Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” (Helen Hoang, author of The Bride Test) hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.
It's been a while since I've tried to categorize my favorites but I'm feeling brave and thought I'd give it a go. If you click on the book cover, it'll take you to Amazon where you can read reviews and/or purchase the novel. If you go to our REVIEWS page, you'll find our review.
FAVORITE YA novels:
Ginger Scott is always a favorite--she just nails the YA experience--and Emma Lord was a new to me writer and I just fell in love with her characters. Both novels in this Emma Scott series are excellent but the one below, is one that'll take you on a ride.
FAVORITE Literary Fiction (with a love story):
Tiffanie DeBartolo is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE writers and now I know I am also enamored with Rebecca Serle and Alice Archer.
FAVORITE duets or series:
Jewel E. Ann was a new to me + highly recommended author and her Transcend Series was epic; Kate Stewart had me on the edge of my seat with the Ravenhood Series; Laurelin Paige killed it in the Slay Series; Sierra Simone killed ME with her prose and storytelling (as per usual) in the Thornchapel Series; Alexa Martin has the best romcom football series that hits so real I die from happiness whenever the latest book in the Playbook Series pops up on my Kindle; and Kennedy Ryan can slay me, heal me, and give me something to think about and All The King's Men has continued that trend.
FAVORITE flying under the radar novel:
Snowed In by Navessa Allen was one of my favorites by a new to me author.
FAVORITE novels that I COULD NOT GET ENOUGH OF:
Rich Boy by Kylie Scott just grabbed my attention in its pure sense of no way would this ever happen and Karina Halle's The Forbidden Man had an age gap that I really appreciated and Staci Hart's Star Bright was imaginative and unexpected. All three of these novels were impossible to put down and unforgettable.
FAVORITE historical romances:
Pretty much anything by Kerrigan Byrne but here's the most recent one I read and loved, All Scot and Bothered + an anthology that'll introduce you to other writers, Duke I'd Like to F:
FAVORITE Psychological fiction:
Alessandra Torre writes novels that I consume in an unhealthy fashion ...and I'm okay with it. Every Last Secret is her most recent novel that I read in one sitting.
....and that concludes this year's FAVORITES. There were lots of contenders but I really tried to narrow it down to the novels that were truly unforgettable.
"A love story with teeth and claws. I dare you not to fall in love with Cillian Fitzpatrick." - USA Today bestselling author, Parker S. Huntington
The Villain, an all-new twisted modern day Greek tragedy from USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author L.J. Shen is available now!
OUR REVIEW:
Shel: The Villain is one of those novels that practically reads itself. I opened the first page out of a desire to lose myself in a fictional world and I don't think I moved from my spot for hours. I was completely enthralled with the story of Persephone and Cillian--our next couple in the Boston Belles series. Court: SAME GIRL< SAME! I think that happens to me every time I open an LJ Shen book though, so I was very excited to read this!
Shel: This couple was just as exasperating and fun to read as I hoped they would be. Cillian was the most perfectly delicious jerk--exactly as I remembered from Hunter and Sailor's novel. Reading his transformation from icy prick to the perfect fit for Persephone was at times infuriating, at times completely satisfying, and at all times absorbing. Getting to the bottom of who he really was/is was 100% worth the wait. Meanwhile, Persephone was adorable and principled and fantastically stubborn and her heart was just so huge. She was the partner Kill needed and the balance and steadiness and steely backbone she continued to show just really made me adore her. Court: THANK GOODNESS we have both of their point of view! I really enjoyed reading from Cillian's point of view, and realllllly enjoyed the insight into his friends with their poker games and we get their conversations and thoughts, and just how all of the friends continually have each other's back. No matter what. I cannot wait to see who falls next, and how, but I am definitely enjoying this ride!
Shel: While I suspect that not all of the other heroines in this series will be as much of a steel magnolia as Persephone, and I'll love the fire and sass that the others will bring, I really appreciate how much of a fairy tale princess she seemed to be. Taking a step back, this whole novel seems like a really modern fairy tale--a villain and a down on her luck princess strike up a deal, drama ensues, and then we all live happily ever after. Court: Absolutely. It was a lot of fun, definitely escapist with how much of a you know what he is for a good bit there (sorry, I'm not normally so light on what I'm thinking, but I'm tired and not really feeling editing for the Zon tonight...!)
Shel: So.Much.Fun. Court: Yes. The writing is really great, and I love when Hunter says it'll be fun watching him get his heart stolen by this girl, and boy, what a wild and lovely ride it was. I read this so fast. It makes me so happy, even though at times I wished I could slow down and savor it a little more. But, I am happy to report I could not, and I hope you can't put it down either!
Shel: Loved it!
Cruel. Coldblooded. Hades in a Brioni suit. Cillian Fitzpatrick has been dubbed every wicked thing on planet earth. To the media, he is The Villain. To me, he is the man who (reluctantly) saved my life. Now I need him to do me another, small solid. Bail me out of the mess my husband got me into. What’s a hundred grand to one of the wealthiest men in America, anyway? Only Cillian doesn’t hand out free favors. The price for the money, it turns out, is my freedom. Now I’m the eldest Fitzpatrick brother’s little toy. To play, to mold, to break. Too bad Cillian forgot one, tiny detail. Persephone wasn’t only the goddess of spring; she was also the queen of death. He thinks I’ll buckle under the weight of his mind games. He is about to find out the most lethal poison is also the sweetest.
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3lWU0pT Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TheVillain Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3757c81 Audible: http://adbl.co/3npfKvW
Add The Villain to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/LJVillianGR
For more information, join L.J. Shen’s reader group: http://bit.ly/2lTnonw Stay up to date on all release news. Follow L.J. Shen on Instagram: https://bit.ly/LJShenIG
Excerpt
I leaned against the doorframe, hands tucked in my front pockets, and observed. It took her three minutes to notice me. Another two to lift her jaw off the floor, straighten her spine, and turn scarlet. Our eyes met across the room, and that nagging murmur in my chest happened again.
Get that checked. If you drop dead from a heart attack at forty, you’ll have no one else to blame. She winced, looking like I physically slapped her.
“Mr. Fitzpatrick.”
“Miss Penrose.”
“Veitch,” she corrected, just to spite me.
“Not for long,” I noted dryly. “A word?”
“I know many. My favorite one right now is—leave.”
“You want to hear me out.” I cracked my knuckles. “Now say goodbye to your little friends.”
She looked back and forth between the kids and me, then turned and murmured something to the teacher next to her, and hurried my way, dunking her head down. “What are you doing here?”
She closed the door behind her, whisper-shouting.
I’ve been asking myself the same question since bailing on Keith and his snooze-fest speech. What the hell was I doing here?
About L.J. Shen L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post and Amazon #1 best-selling author of contemporary, New Adult and YA romance. Her books have been sold to twenty different countries.
She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.
Connect with L.J. Shen Facebook: http://bit.ly/2OhSvp1 Twitter: http://bit.ly/36ELHZc Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2oMbFsu Instagram: http://bit.ly/2AIOiTo Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list: http://bit.ly/36MnmAQ Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/
This is my first novel by Emily Henry. I've kinda watched her progress through various social media channels from afar and when I had a chance to read one of her novels, I grabbed it.
The short version of this review is that ultimately I enjoyed it.
Longer version?
It took me a while to warm to it. I think my main problem was the cover and blurb made this seem like a really light fun read. There are aspects that are humorous but I'm not sure I'd call this a light romance. It seems more apt to say that this novel is light on comedy and heavy on delving into emotions and backstory and really looking at two writers' process when the words are flowing and there's a deadline. And there's nothing wrong with that, it just wasn't what I expected.
Once I settled into the novel, I enjoyed the back and forth between Gus and January. I enjoyed the intermingling of their writing research and their love story. Admittedly, sometimes I felt it went a little long in certain areas and Gus kinda seemed like the cliched emo guy in a romance, but I still felt satisfied by the end.
I think if I hadn't gone into this novel wanting a light read, I wouldn't have felt so disconnected from it from the start--I'm glad that I stuck with it because I definitely would like to check out more from Emily Henry.
A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.
Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.
They're polar opposites.
In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.
Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.
You Were There Too was a novel that I stopped and started over the course of several months--I think it took me so long because I knew it was going to hurt at some point...and it did, at several points. To be quite honest, there were points when I wanted to throw in the towel on this novel and this couple, they were in some ways so frustratingly real that I felt too much about their lives and yet there was that hint of being fictional that kept me wanting to read to see how it was all going to be resolved.
I realize I'm not selling this as hard as it deserves--it's well written and packs an emotional punch. For a reader who likes realistic-ish romance, a touch of something magical, and an emotional release, this novel is a prime choice.
SYNOPSIS: Mia Graydon's life looks picket-fence perfect; she has the house, her loving husband, and dreams of starting a family. But she has other dreams too—unexplained, recurring ones starring the same man. Still, she doesn’t think much of it, until a relocation to small-town Pennsylvania brings her face to face with the stranger she has been dreaming about for years. And this man harbors a jaw-dropping secret of his own—he's been dreaming of her too.
Determined to understand, Mia and this not-so-stranger search for answers. But when diving into their pasts begins to unravel her life in the present, Mia emerges with a single question—what if?
To marry or not to marry Boston’s favorite villain?
The Villain, an all-new dark and decadent love story from USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author L.J. Shen is available now!
Cruel. Coldblooded. Hades in a Brioni suit. Cillian Fitzpatrick has been dubbed every wicked thing on planet earth. To the media, he is The Villain. To me, he is the man who (reluctantly) saved my life. Now I need him to do me another, small solid. Bail me out of the mess my husband got me into. What’s a hundred grand to one of the wealthiest men in America, anyway? Only Cillian doesn’t hand out free favors. The price for the money, it turns out, is my freedom. Now I’m the eldest Fitzpatrick brother’s little toy. To play, to mold, to break. Too bad Cillian forgot one, tiny detail. Persephone wasn’t only the goddess of spring; she was also the queen of death. He thinks I’ll buckle under the weight of his mind games. He is about to find out the most lethal poison is also the sweetest.
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3lWU0pT Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TheVillain Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3757c81
Add The Villain to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/LJVillianGR
For more information, join L.J. Shen’s reader group: http://bit.ly/2lTnonw Stay up to date on all release news. Follow L.J. Shen on Instagram: https://bit.ly/LJShenIG
About L.J. Shen L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post and Amazon #1 best-selling author of contemporary, New Adult and YA romance. Her books have been sold to twenty different countries.
She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.
Connect with L.J. Shen Facebook: http://bit.ly/2OhSvp1 Twitter: http://bit.ly/36ELHZc Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2oMbFsu Instagram: http://bit.ly/2AIOiTo Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list: http://bit.ly/36MnmAQ Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/
Shel: Surely Christina Lauren wanted us to conjure up Chip and Joanna Gaines when we were reading about Melissa and Rusty, right? I mean sure the fictional versions were terrible to each other behind the cameras and only nice when they were in public, but isn't that what so many people suspect about the Gaines? That there is no way that they're as fun and sweet and loving as they appear to be?! The fictional version definitely opens up the fantastical possibilities of just how horrible reality tv stars can be. And while Melissa and Rusty weren't the main focus of this novel, they sure were an interesting side show to read about...and they definitely made me feel for their assistants, Carey and James. Court: These types of stories do make you wonder, especially when some reality stars whose last name starts with K always ends up being true of the rumors, it is somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine to read this trope due to that exact reason. And then...the author's ability to really make a manipulative bunch and whoa...I saw this train wreck going off the rails and what a ride it was.
Shel: This enemies to lovers, work place romance had the romantic comedy feel that we've come to associate with Christina Lauren. The mishaps and inner monologues of these characters provided many smiles but the thing that really stood out to me was Carey's storyline. Her history with Melissa and Rusty and why she stayed with them, despite their obvious willingness to take advantage of her was not what I expected at all. Court: Nope. Not me either. I really liked her story, and her character because she is still true to herself and really using all of the tools that we sometimes forget we have to be able to grow as a person. She got herself where she needed to be with therapy, and self affirmation, and just trying to grow up and take control and be assertive and I really like how that was all written.
Shel: The Honey-Don't List will make you smile while making you wonder what really does happen behind the scenes of those famous HGTV stars. Court: We really flew through this one and definitely don't miss any of Christina Lauren's releases these days so check this one out too!
SYNOPSIS:Carey Duncan has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.
James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.
Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…
From the “hilariously zany and heartfelt” (Booklist) Christina Lauren comes a romantic comedy that proves if it’s broke, you might as well fix it.
Dear Enemy is a fun enemies to lovers, slow burn that was the perfect distraction from the crazy times that we are currently living in. I found myself eager to be in the world of Macon and Delilah and their history of burns and barbs. Delilah had such a sharp tongue and a quick trigger with her insults that I found I was either cheering her, laughing, or cringing at how filterless she could be. As sympathetic as I was to her hurts, the more I got to know Macon, I found myself equally sympathetic to his plight too. (SIDE NOTE--Macon, rhymes with bacon....still not sure about that name! but I got past it). I actually found that I felt more for Macon the more I read. He had a lot going on in that back story and his current day life was not all sweet and perfect and yet he found a way to brave through it all to push for something with Delilah. As they rounded the curve from their past interactions to dealing with each other in the present, and finding that they've grown and are actually good for and with each other, I found myself just loving what was happening. The secondary plotlines were fun...the cooking was to die for...and I was genuinely sad to see the ending of this novel.
This is the first Kristen Callihan novel I've read and I am excited that she has a backlist for me to go through. Grab this novel and enjoy!
SYNOPSIS: As kids, they hated each other. Macon Saint was beautiful, but despite his name, Delilah knew he was the devil. That he dated her slightly evil sister, Samantha, was no picnic either. When they broke up, it was a dream come true: Delilah never had to see him again.
Ten years later, her old enemy sends a text.
Delilah’s sister has stolen a valuable heirloom from Macon, now a rising Hollywood star, and he intends to collect his due. One problem: Sam has skipped town.
Sparks still sizzle between Macon and Delilah, only this heat feels alarmingly like unwanted attraction. But Delilah is desperate to keep her weak-hearted mother from learning of her sister’s theft. So she proposes a deal: she’ll pay off the debt by being Macon’s personal chef and assistant.
It’s a recipe for disaster, but Macon can’t stop himself from accepting. Even though Delilah clearly hates him, there’s something about her that feels like home. Besides, they’re no longer kids, and what once was a bitter rivalry has the potential to be something sweeter. Something like forever.
