REVIEW: Sunastara & The Venusian

 OUR REVIEW:

Admittedly space romance is wayyyyy outside of my reading comfort zone, but I really like Jess K Hardy's novels so I thought I'd give it a shot. And while it wasn't my favorite, I still enjoyed the challenge that it provided. The 'world' Sunny and Freddie inhabited required me tapping into my imagination but the romance they had didn't and I think that's why I could read past the things that didn't always click in my brain. The thing I've really enjoyed about Hardy's characters is that they tend to be older, more experienced characters and she continued with that in this novel too. 

Truth be told, this won't be everyone's jam, but I think many will really enjoy it; so if you're like me and you normally don't read space romance, maybe give it a shot and see what you think. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/3AD4nfX

SYNOPSIS:

On this deep space pleasure cruise, love is in the recycled air

As the hospitality specialist aboard an infamously debauched interstellar pleasure cruise, Sunastara Nex never mixes work with pleasure. But she knows more than most how little the universe cares for rules and order. For the most worlds-shattering one-night stand of her life just became the newest member of her crew.

Freddie is as gorgeous as she remembered, still unbearably tempting, and still very interested. Unfortunately, he’s also strictly off limits. Until he comes up with the wildest seduction strategy this side of the wormhole.

But while Sunny and Freddie hide their romance in a world of make-believe, a very real threat puts their ship and possibly the entire Known Universe at risk. Faced with the unknown, they’ll have to decide whether they’ll fight for a future together, or let the gravity of their pasts tear them apart.

REVIEW: Not in My Book by Katie Holt

REVIEW:

Not in My Book was a pleasant surprise--I went in totally blind, not knowing anything other than it looked like it would be a romcom. As you can see in the synopsis, we learn that Rosie and Aiden are taking a writing workshop and are mortal enemies. They're almost the caricature of enemies--narrowed eyes and sneering words--lots of zingers exchanged between them and you could just tell that all of that animosity was going to add up to some hot stuff later. It totally did. But in order to get there Rosie and Aiden had to be forced together, which happened thanks to their poor behavior and their exasperated professor. They were forced to co-write a novel together, despite the fact that they didn't write the same genres (and he actually detested romance, which is what she wrote). So in order to pass the class, they begrudgingly started writing and that's where the fun really began. As readers we got to see bits and pieces of their novel layered on top of their story--a fun addition--and got to see how much they mirrored each other.  We got to see Rosie and Aiden's love story mimicked in their shared writing; they got to know each other through the writing and because of their writing. 

I really enjoyed the set up of the story, as well as the story of Rosie taking a risk and moving to NYC to live her dream. I also appreciated that her move there wasn't easy and yet she was so determined that she pushed through as best as she could. If there was anything that didn't work as well as the other parts, it was the big break up scene-their blow up was so big and Rosie's decisions because of it were so hasty that I found it a smidge unbelievable. That being said, it wasn't a dealbreaker and I am looking forward to all the things Katie Holt writes next. 

 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/4d5hDqV

SYNOPSIS: 

The Hating Game meets Beach Read in this sexy and hilarious contemporary romance from a debut Peruvian-Tennessean voice.

Rosie, an idealistic and passionate Peruvian-American who has grown up without strong ties to her culture, leaves her Tennessee hometown to pursue her dream of making it in New York as a writer. But her plan is derailed when she ends up in class with her arch-nemesis and ex-crush, Aiden Huntington—an obnoxious, surly, and gorgeous literary fiction writer who doesn’t have much patience for the romance genre, or for Rosie.

Rosie and Aiden regularly go to verbal battle in workshop until their professor reaches her breaking point. She allows them to stay in her class on one condition: they must co-write a novel that blends their genres.

The reluctant writing duo can’t help but put pieces of themselves into their accidentally steamy novel, and as they slowly get to know each other, they try to put their differences aside. Meanwhile, their manuscript-in-progress provides an outlet for them to confess their feelings—and explore their attraction toward each other.

When Rosie and Aiden find themselves competing against each other for a potentially career-changing opportunity, the flames of old rivalry reignite, and their once-in-a-lifetime love story is once again at risk of being shelved—unless they can find a way to end the book on their own terms.
 

REVIEW: Mile High by Liz Tomforde

OUR REVIEW:

I've been seeing Mile High float around the book universe for a little while and decided this week was the week to give it a shot. I was intrigued by this one because I saw many reviews love it and yet the first few reviews of Goodreads seemed to not. I didn't let either of those sway me and jumped in. 

There were many things I enjoyed--hockey + romance + main characters of color were all wins for me. I honestly don't think I've read a hockey romance where mmc (Zanders) and fmc (Stevie) were both Black. That, of course, is probably my fault, but it was nice to have that diversity. I also enjoyed that the main male characters were self-aware and wholeheartedly advocated for therapy--what a nice surprise. And, I appreciated that the focus on family wasn't just about the biological ones, but also the ones we make. 

So Zanders and Stevie. Where to start? He's a man who loves casual hook ups, clothes, hockey, and his best friend. He comes off, initially, as arrogant and a smidge insufferable. Stevie? Stevie is his flight attendant on the private plane his team has chartered. She's a girl who loves her volunteer work, thrifting, and her brother. Immediately these two rub each other the wrong way and yet can't seem to keep their eyes off each other. As we spend more time with them, we get to see what they're really about--their insecurities, their hopes and dreams, and their fears and hurts. 

The more they see each other, the more intrigued they become, and eventually, they find that their accidental run ins whet their appetite for each other and they finally give in. The rest of the novel is reading about how they navigate this secret relationship, the obstacles they have to overcome, and the learning and healing they gain from being with each other. 

While this was a little on the long-ish side, it wasn't enough of a reason for me to not like it or not want to read more of the series; I'm curious about the other novels in this series and how she develops the themes she introduced in Mile High

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/4fNlMBO

SYNOPSIS:

ZANDERS

Chicago hockey isn't complete without me - everyone's favourite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night.

What I don't like is the new flight attendant on our team's private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I'll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she'll be begging to quit her job.

But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can't quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons, or if it's more than that.

STEVIE

I've been a flight attendant for years. I thought I'd seen it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again . . . no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be.

Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He loves his image, but I hate everything about it.

Everything but him.
 

REVIEW: Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson

OUR REVIEW:

These writers I love, they really have me going outside of my comfort zone these days and Lana Ferguson is no different. I really loved The Nanny and The Game Changer so anytime she publishes something, I jump on it. This time she's got me reading and imagining a romance with a Lochness Monster and a woman named Key. Here's what I appreciate about the way Ferguson does it: she sets things in a real place, with characters you can easily imagine being 'real', and she injects it all with humor and love and all of the other pathological things that romance requires. Then, and only then, does she nudge us into the direction of monsters. 

So while monster romance is really not my thing, I still found myself having fun with Lachlan and Key and their tension and history and all of the things that made them click. Admittedly, I did not always have the patience for their narrative, so sometimes I felt the urge to skim and I'm not really sure where or why that always happened, but there were places that just felt long. If you asked me now, which parts they were, I couldn't tell you, but as I was reading, I didn't always find it to be as consuming as I wanted it to be. That being noted, I still had fun reading it and felt satisfied when I put it down, so a solid 3.5 read for me.

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/48U5Yug

SYNOPSIS:

A woman discovers that not all monsters are her enemy—the opposite, in fact—in this new paranormal romance by Lana Ferguson, author of The Fake Mate.

Keyanna “Key” MacKay is used to secrets. Raised by a single father who never divulged his past, it’s only after his death that she finds herself thrust into the world he’d always refused to speak of. With just a childhood bedtime story about a monster that saved her father’s life and the name of her estranged grandmother to go off of, Key has no idea what she’ll find in Scotland. But repeating her father’s mistakes and being rescued by a gorgeous, angry Scotsman—who thinks she’s an idiot—is definitely the last thing she expects.

Lachlan Greer has his own secrets to keep, especially from the bonnie lass he pulls to safety from the slippery shore—a lass with captivating eyes and the last name he’s been taught not to trust. He’s looking for answers as well, and Key’s presence on the grounds they both now occupy presents a real problem. It’s even more troublesome when he gets a front row seat to the lukewarm welcome Key receives from her family; the strange powers she begins to develop; and the fierce determination she brings to every obstacle in her path. Things he shouldn’t care about, and someone he definitely doesn’t find wildly attractive.

When their secrets collide, it becomes clear that Lachlan could hold the answers Keyanna is after—and that she might also be the key to uncovering his. Up against time, mystery, and a centuries old curse, they’ll quickly discover that magic might not only be in fairy tales, and that love can be a real loch-mess.