Yours For the Season by Emily Stone

 

4*

This lovely second chance romance is what I’ve come to expect from Emily Stone. My only complaint is that the entire plot is based around a huge case of miscommunication and false assumptions. Being that’s one of my romance pet peeves, I had to focus on other aspects of this emotionally-charged story, which was easy given how well Stone writes about family dynamics, creates characters who are full of complexities and goodness, and describes locations so well that you can easily be transported there. If I take any lessons from this story, it’s that we should focus on the love we share, have honesty and transparency in relationships, and be willing to grant forgiveness. If you are looking for a Christmas romance that tugs at your heartstrings but leaves you hopeful, I highly recommend Yours for the Season.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Dell through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Big Nick Energy by Kristen Bailey

 

5*

Bailey has become one of my absolute go-to favorites for charming Christmas romances with a bit of spice. Her latest offering, Big Nick Energy, which takes place in and celebrates my favorite city, London, is a combo of love triangle, second chance romance, and grumpy/sunshine with a kind, thoughtful and hot tree farmer (New Nick) and a former college love (Old Nick) who broke Kay’s heart. When she runs into him 10 years later, she wonders if fate has a hand in it. Yet, there’s also this handsome grump who doesn’t get her jokes and seems to be lacking in holiday spirit. However, the more time she spends with him, she realizes that first impressions are misleading. Lucky for her, she has guidance and encouragement from her beloved Nana, who is in the early stages of dementia, her zany friend Lucy, and her colleagues at the library where she works to help her see things clearly.

If you love closed door romances with a load of humor (cue the Christmas tree netting fiasco meet-cute), set in the most magical city during the winter holidays, and you haven’t yet discovered Bailey’s books, now’s your chance. You won’t be disappointed.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Storm Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

 

5*

Once again, Lynn Painter has written a swoonworthy young adult romance that grabs you from the first chapter and holds your attention right until the end. I think it’s my new favorite Painter novel. Childhood friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Dani and Alec as they cautiously, sometimes painfully, navigate their second chance at a romantic relationship when they reconnect as seniors in high school. They both believe that they were ghosted after Dani stopped visiting Minnesota each summer and their weekly coded postcards also stopped coming. So, they’re understandably angry and very cautious about resuming their friendship, let alone a romance. In the intervening 5 years, nerdy Alec has had a major glow-up and has every appearance of being one of the obnoxious jocks Dani has learned to steer clear of. However, when they accidently fall into a fake relationship, it gives them the closeness and time to discover how much they’ve both changed but, more importantly, how they’re still the same at heart.

If you’re looking for a young adult novel that isn’t too angsty, has some steamy kisses, and features main characters who act their age, you can’t go wrong with Fake Skating. If you’re a fan of hockey romance, this YA version of the trope won’t disappoint. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Simon & Schuster BYR through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Christmas Wishes and Irish Kisses by Debbie Johnson

 

5*

I always look forward to Debbie Johnson’s books, and this one didn’t disappoint. Life has been pretty rough for me these past few years, and this delightful second chance, childhood friends to lovers, small town romance was the pick-me-up I desperately needed. Liam and Ellie are both lovely people who never got the opportunity to turn their friendship into something more, letting 20+ years pass before they were reunited at Christmas in the small Cornish town where they grew up. Ellie is dealing with baggage she’s carried with her since she was uprooted from Cornwall and moved to the U.S., believing that her father didn’t want her. Liam, despite dealing with profound grief, has been busy raising his children and growing a profitable business empire. During the Christmas season, they’re thrown together on numerous occasions, and the spark that never fully ignited in their teens, roars to life with a couple of steamy kisses, but will they both be able to move beyond their pain and insecurities to acknowledge their feelings for each other? Read this charming Christmas tale to find out. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Storm Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A Mannequin for Christmas by Timothy Janovsky

 

4*

Since Mannequin is one of my favorite movies, I was eager to read Janovsky’s gay version of the awkward window dresser whose wish for the perfect man comes true. Janovsky’s story does not disappoint. Henry is lonely, disillusioned from past relationships gone bad, suffering from social anxiety, and desperately trying to save his Great Aunt Isla’s vintage store. Aidan, with his charm, naïveté, and sense of wonder, is the perfect foil for Henry. Set in a small New Jersey beach town at Christmas, it has all the earmarks of a Hallmark movie (a theme that runs throughout the book) with a little bit of spice. It’s low angst, full of humor, and a perfect gift for readers to give themselves during the holidays. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver

 

3*

It takes something special to hold my attention, and although I’m a fan of Silver’s previous books, I struggled to get through this one. Yes, the title is Slow Burn Summer, but it seemed more about lack of forward momentum that would keep me engaged than about the buildup of a tepid romance. The chemistry between Kate and Charlie was the opposite of explosive, so much so that I didn’t remember the one s#x scene between them that came late in the book. I also didn’t care for Silver’s choice of third person narration because it created a sense of unnecessary distance between this reader and the main characters. There are other aspects of the story that disappointed me, but are hard to describe without spoilers. So, I’ll just leave it that it wasn’t the book for me, but I think it’ll find its audience.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Dell through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley

  

5*

What an amazing, fantastical, beautiful story! When the Tides Held the Moon is a multi-genre masterpiece. It’s a gay romance, a historical fiction novel set in 1911 NYC, focusing on Coney Island, a fantasy featuring a merman dubbed Rio, and a window into our country’s abysmal history of xenophobia, racism, classism, eugenics, and organized crime. I chose this book to fulfill a reading challenge prompt of an illustrated book, and the ink drawings scattered throughout are gorgeous renderings of the cast of characters (members of a freak show) who populate the book. This oddball assortment of carnival sideshow attractions (or the dehumanizing term “exhibits” coined by their unscrupulous boss Sam Morgan) welcomes fellow misfit Benny Caldera into their chosen family after he helps capture the merman who will live in the elaborate tank he created. Benny has spent his entire life being rejected for who he is: an asthmatic, brown-skinned, Puerto Rican gay man whose self-esteem has plummeted as a result of loss and unwarranted hatred. It isn’t until he befriends and is championed by Rio that he finds the strength to stand up for himself and defend the people who he has grown close to. When tragedy strikes, will he be able to save those he’s come to love and save himself as well?

If you like gay romance, romantasy, and a glimpse into the spectacular, yet also sordid and corrupt underbelly of early 20th-century NYC, you’ll love this phenomenal, magical novel. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Erewhon Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Tags: #romance, #romantasy, #HistoricalFiction, #fantasy, #dualpov, NYC, #NY, #ConeyIsland, #Freakshows, #immigration, #mermen/maids, #xenophobia, #racism, #eugenics, #LGBTQ, #GayRomance, #MMRomance, #cleanRomance, #Slowburn, #ChosenFamily

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

 

5*

Katherine Center has done it again! Her love stories never disappoint. In The Love Haters, commercial videographer Katie finds herself in Key West after her supervisor Cole asks her to take over a project he doesn’t want while also helping her save her job as the company is laying off almost half the staff. The assignment? To create a Coast Guard recruitment film that highlights the excitement of the job. The added benefit? Cole’s estranged older brother Hutch, a gorgeous rescue swimmer who is far from the taciturn, love-hating Mr. Perfect his jealous brother makes him out to be. As Katie spends her days taking swim lessons from Hutch, being entertained by his eccentric and loving honorary Aunt Rue and her hilarious crew of Golden Gals, and being enthusiastically assaulted by his Great Dane George Bailey, she and Hutch grow closer. However, this is more than a sweet romance with a few steamy kisses. It’s also a story of Katie’s journey towards self-love after a lifetime of hating everything about her body. With the help of her best friend Beanie, who is well-acquainted with self-help books, and the sincere compliments from both Hutch and Rue, Katie finally recognizes how damaging her negative self-talk has been.

Center does a wonderful job of showing all types of love while also keeping readers on the edge of their seats as a hurricane brews. There is humor, heartfelt moments, harrowing water rescue, and so much more. Fans of Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, and Beth O’Leary will love this one. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

 

5*

I loved this story. Two emotionally-damaged people who have been betrayed by negligent, abusive parents and unscrupulous bosses, find a connection and acceptance that neither expected. Although, on the surface, their goals seem to be working against each other, the growing feelings they have for each other can’t be denied. I love how Hazelwood portrayed Rue’s autism and Eli’s innate understanding of her neurodivergency and needs. He’s the perfect book boyfriend who not only accepts her uniqueness, but also gives her the support and protection she’s never had. I also enjoyed Rue’s relationship with her best friend, Tisha.

If you enjoy frenemies to lovers romances with an element of mystery mixed with corporate greed, you’ll enjoy this latest offering from Hazelwood. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

5*

I’m so glad I finally got around to reading this, especially since I love all the other books of Henry’s I’ve read. It’s a second chance romance between 2 frenemies who met in college and, apart from one romantic evening at a frat party, spent their time either ignoring each other or arguing over the merits of romance fiction (hers) and serious literature (his). Fast forward eight years, and they’re both successful novelists, their works mirroring their outlooks on life and love. January is still reeling over her beloved father’s sudden passing and subsequent betrayal and Gus is struggling to make sense of his abusive childhood and his mother’s harmful decisions and untimely death. When they make a bet over who can write and publish a book in the other’s genre, agreeing to introduce each other to the process they use to craft their stories, neither expects the strong, steamy bond that forms between them. Can these two damaged souls defy the odds and find their happily ever after?

Beach Read has some of the most beautiful, wildly romantic dialogue I’ve ever read. Despite Gus’s reticence and grumpy exterior, he has a heart of gold, is so emotionally vulnerable and brave, and is a wonderful book boyfriend. Who doesn’t love a guy who holds you tight and kisses away your tears when you’re upset? Although January is the romance writer who believes in happy endings (“I’d started publishing romance because I wanted to dwell in my happiest moments, in the safe place my parents’ love had always been. I’d been so comforted by books with the promise of a happy ending, and I’d wanted to give someone else that same gift.”), it’s Gus (“writing to try to understand something horrible that had happened to him”) who has the best lines. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.