bookishlychar's reviews
2218 reviews

Sugar by Mandi Beck

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Beau is the bad boy of country music. His girlfriend died several months ago, and since then he has gotten even worse. His label has fired him and his agent is looking for a new label to sign with. His agent turns to his friend Addy Mae and Hard Candy Records. She agrees to work with him, but Addy Mae is put in charge of babysitting him, ensuring he stays on the straight and narrow. As they spend more and more time together the tension between them grows and they know that at some point it has got to burst. Addy Mae doesn't know if the feelings Beau has is real, or if he is just a giant flirt. 

I unexpectedly loved this book. I thought this would be a simple enemies-to-lovers story, but the romance was solid making it a great read. Beau is a bad boy but falls head over heels for Addy Mae. The tension between these two could be cut with a knife and Mandi Beck writes it so well that you are seeking more. 

This was my first Mandi Beck book, but it will not be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this low-stakes, low-angst, high-tension romance. 

Read if you like: rockstar romance, bad boy & good girl, 

The Single Dad by Marni Mann

funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I thought Everly and Ford were great together. I did find that I missed some of the angst and yearning that I look for in my books. The circumstances of Everly applying to be the nanny were odd, and thought it didn't fit with the story. 

I did find it weird that Ford had been living for four years with support from his family only and suddenly needed a nanny.

I loved the premise of the story, but the execution just wasn't perfect for me. It was my first Marni Mann books, but it will not be my last. I want to see more of what she can write. 

Read if you like: single dad, nanny, boss and employee, age gap, friends to lovers

The Three Night Stand by Roxie Noir

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 

Javi and Madeline met at a bar 2 years ago that ended in a one-night stand Javi cannot stop thinking about. His life was not in a good place, just a short time out of addiction treatment, he had agreed not to make any changes in his life, so he left the next morning without a word. Flashforward two years and Javi is about to meet his mom’s new fiance and daughter. The daughter is none other than Madeline. Both try to stay away from each other, but when they cannot, they agree to have another couple of nights together before the wedding, and then leave it there. Of course, feelings come into play and they are stuck with what to do when you fall in love with someone that is becoming your step-sibling. 

 

Javi is a complicated guy who wants nothing more than to stop causing pain for his family. Having a long history of drug addiction has led to hurt of the ones he loves. Javi’s addiction issues were handled with a great deal of care, exploring the guilt and worry that exists for an addict, and also how it impacts different family members. Madeline was a complicated person, trying to manage her feelings while worrying that Javi didn’t want her enough for a relationship. I thought the banter between these two was great and they made me laugh many times throughout the book. 

 

Roxie Noir does a great job mixing complicated life with love, allowing the characters to find love even with flaws. Both characters are incredibly unsure of where they stand in their relationship. We also got throwbacks to other characters in this series and The Loveless Brothers. I loved seeing where everyone is at and seeing this found family gather together. 

 

Javi and Madeline are a great couple who bring laughs and sincerity. These two are a great couple that start as a one-night stand that leads to something more. I love Roxie’s writing and ability to get me to connect with the characters. Thank you to the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

Read if you like: one night stand, forbidden (becoming step-siblings), friends to lovers 

Delicate Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan

challenging emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

This book had a lot going on and I think there was just too much thrown into the story. I liked the different storylines, but I wished that they could have been broken down into more than one story. This was a mostly dual-perspective book, but a few times we had a different person's perspective and it seemed out of left field for me. I even looked to see if I was still reading the same book. It was confusing. 

I can see other people enjoying this book and series, but it just wasn't for me. 

The Act of Trusting by Lexi Bissen

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Camden is the captain of the soccer team and has grown bored of hooking up with a different girl every night. He is intrigued by a beauty he has never seen at a party, but she won't give him the time of day. Blaire struggles to trust, and Camden keeps coming back and building her trust. Allowing her to feel safe, is something she has had trouble with in the past. She must decide if she can open her heart to potential hurt, for something beautiful. 

This book was so heartbreaking and beautiful. This felt like it was a casual college romance, but it turned into so much more. It is about vulnerability, learning to open up and feeling safe and protected. 

I loved both Blaire and Camden. Blaire has been through so much pain in this world and has done the work to learn to trust again, and opened her heart to Camden. She was strong and did what she needed to do to piece herself back together. Camden is a pretty awesome guy too. He was patient and understanding, letting the relationship go at the pace Blaire needed. I loved him figuring out how to date from his mom and sister, as he hadn't done it before. 

Adding to the story is the cast of characters we are introduced to from Camden's teammates to Blaire's roommates and Camden's family we immersed ourselves in this world, leaving us wanting more of their stories. 

This is a beautiful friends-to-lovers story about learning to trust and love. I cannot wait to read more in this story. 

Read if you like: friends to lovers, virgin heroine, tragic past, college

Cash by Jessica Peterson

adventurous challenging funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Mollie returns to Lucky River Ranch after the death of her estranged father. She knows she is inheriting everything, she plans to sell the ranch and get out of town. She hasn't been back since her parents separated years ago. With some stipulations, and a grumpy ranch hand named Cash, things are not going her way. As Mollie gets to know the ranch and Cash, she feels herself more at home than she has in years. Even though her stay is supposed to be temporary, she starts to feel more than temporary feelings toward the ranch and Cash. 

I ate up this books! Jessica Peterson drew me in with the grumpy cowboy and made me love the entire ranch. 

Cash is grumpy and set in his ways, but beneath that grumpy exterior, you see just how much he cares for everyone and wants to protect them. I loved seeing Mollie truly become comfortable at the ranch breaking down Cash's walls and getting him to see she is not the spoiled princess he thought. The tension and banter between these two were perfect, letting us see the fine line between hate and love. 

This is the beginning of a series that takes place on the ranch and Jessica Peterson set it up perfectly, wish the next book was here already. If you want a spicy, cowboy, enemies-to-lovers romance, this is the perfect one for you.

Read if you like: cowboy romance, enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, 

Can't Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan

funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 

Lexi’s life changed when her father died three years ago. Forced to drop out of college and take up two jobs to pay back debts, and take care of her grieving mother, she is looking for some fun. That fun lands directly in her lap, when her terrible waitressing leads her her fake dating Will. A single fake date, a misunderstanding among friends and now they are fake engaged and her life is taking a turn since it turns out Will is uber-rich Will Grand. Not only that, Will is interested in Lexi and convinces her to carry on with the fake engagement, and date. All these dates create feelings Lexi didn’t expect and wondering if she can fall in love and open her heart like her mother did. 

 

Lexi and Will’s story held a lot of humour, grief and pain. Will was 100% boyfriend goals. His empathy and acceptance of Lexi and everything she had gone through was great. Even more, I loved how he built Lexi up and got her to believe that she was the amazing person that he saw. I enjoyed Lexi’s character so much. She was strong and independent, not wanting anything given to her. She works hard and has been struggling through it. 

 

I thought this was a great story. Sophie Sullivan created a great story with humour allowing you to connect with the characters. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

Read if you like: fake engagement, friends to lovers, insta-love 

Dating the Defensive Back by Lisa Suzanne

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the first book in the Nash Brothers series. Grayson Nash has moved to Vegas to play football for the Aces. The team brother is coaching, and his younger brother plays for. He meets an intriguing woman at the bar and takes her to his hotel for a one-night stand. It is so much more than that though, he finds himself wanting to know more about her and see her again. The woman introduces herself as Cookie. Grayson's best friend asks him to check on his kid sister, who has just broken up with her boyfriend. He hasn't seen her forever and goes to check on her at work. Imagine his surprise when he finds out Cookie is little Ava Maxwell. Ava's ex won't leave her alone, and Grayson can't believe she didn't tell him that she was Ava. Ava convinces Greyson to fake date her to keep her ex off her back, but both cannot deny the real chemistry they feel. With everything going on, the ex, the brother, the drama, can they be together? 

Grayson and Ava had some firey chemistry. From their first meeting to their HEA, they were perfectly matched for each other. I loved seeing the two of them together, but I felt that sometimes Ava was wise beyond her years and Grayson was emotionally stunted. There is a third-act break-up in this, and I felt for Ava with this. I generally hate third-act break-ups, but this one didn't annoy me, and Greyson can grovel like no other. 

I thought that Lisa Suzanne did a great job writing the world of the Nash brothers and the family, making me want to read about the other two brothers. 

Read if you like: brother's best friend, fake dating, forced proximity, one night stand, virgin heroine, age gap

Consolation by Corinne Michaels

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I read both books in this duet back-to-back, and I finished both in less than 24 hours. Natalie's husband died while she was pregnant. She felt broken and barely able to move forward. Now her daughter has been born and her husband's best friend, Liam, has moved to town and is helping her wrap up all her husband's affairs. She didn't expect to find herself a widow before she was 30, and she didn't expect to start having feelings for Liam. Now Natalie must decide if she loves Liam or if it was one night.

Natalie is such a strong and courageous woman. She went through so many things, and though she didn't feel she could truly live, she put her daughter ahead of all and continued to move forward. She has an internal struggle through so much of the book. Is she allowed to move forward after her husband's death, and even more, should she move forward with her husband's best friend? I understood and felt her struggle. Liam was so amazing. He was patient, and kind. I loved, not only his relationship with Natalie but his relationship with her daughter.

This book was so heartbreaking. I started crying in the prologue, and then so many times after. There were many times that I laughed, loved the chemistry and cried. Corinne Michaels did a great job writing characters that you loved, and so much emotion and drama. I felt so connected to these characters and am still thinking of them days later.

This book ends on a cliffhanger that made me gasp. I immediately picked up Conviction after reading the last word in this book.

Note - this rating is for both books in this series as a whole, as they have a cliffhanger and were read one right after the other.

Conviction by Corinne Michaels

challenging emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This story picks up right where the previous book left off. The second part of this duet had even more heart and feeling than the first and I did not think it was possible. There was so much emotion and feeling, and I felt like I was right there with Natalie and Liam.

Liam was trying to do the right thing, but it was breaking Natalie. I felt for her all over again.

When Aaron showed up again, I wanted to punch him. Him lying about the affair, and all the other stuff with Brittany put Natalie through the wringer and left her floundering. Liam was trying to be the good guy but didn't want to interfere with a family being together.

Though this story was heartbreaking, the end of this book worked out exactly how it should have.