Maybe 3.5 stars? His Forbidden Touch was my first read from Shelly Thacker and is the third book part of her Stolen Brides series. This one I had highMaybe 3.5 stars? His Forbidden Touch was my first read from Shelly Thacker and is the third book part of her Stolen Brides series. This one I had high hopes for and it had a really great setup, but the middle kind of dragged and I wanted more.
We are dropped right into the action from the start with a battle between kingdoms. I will say the book definitely grabbed my attention right away. After seven years of fighting, and the loss of her brother, Princess Ciara’s father surrenders to the rival kingdom with a promise of Princess Ciara’s hand in marriage arranged as well.
Royce, a disgraced knight, is recalled from exile with a summon by the King. The King requests Royce to safely transport his daughter, Princess Ciara, to her betrothed unharmed, and in return he will return back Royce’s confiscated title and lands. Ciara and Royce end up traveling together which made for a fun spin on a road trip romance, we get lots of only one bed and them having to pretend they’re a married couple to stay at inns along the way as well.
The first half was a lot more interesting and engaging, it started to lag in the middle for me and while their romance was sweet, I just wanted a little bit more angst or forbidden-ness to it. I do always enjoy a bodyguard romance and the writing was fine, I’d check out more from this author in the future. ...more
Here We Go Again is my favorite read from Alison Cochrun! This is a sapphic, road trip, childhood besties turned enemies romance! It also handles lossHere We Go Again is my favorite read from Alison Cochrun! This is a sapphic, road trip, childhood besties turned enemies romance! It also handles loss, has two neurodiverse main characters, and includes demisexual rep.
This book is definitely emotional and deals with the loss (check CW below). But it’s also a beautiful healing story for Logan and Rosemary who were best friends as kids but had a falling out years ago. They were besties for 3 years, had 4 years of hating each other, 10 years without seeing one another or speaking, and now they’re back in the same town again. And pushed together even more when their beloved father figure, and former teacher, is dying and wants one last road trip with the 3 of them.
Logan is constantly referred to, and a self proclaimed, “f*ck boy”. She’s the type of person who always leaves first before ever being the one left. Rosemary was recently fired from her job as a teacher and has always prided herself in being prepared for everything. They are pushed together on this cross country road trip to Maine and have to tackle their feelings and what is still there between them along the way.
This was just a really lovely story, I enjoyed all of the characters and both the romance happening, as well as the found family story we get and this last journey with their beloved friend…the highs, lows, and everything in between. It felt so real and hits you in the feels. The audiobook in particular was so well done and highly recommend that!
CW: off page death of a parent due to overdose, on page death of a parental figure, loss, grief, cancer ...more
This one was a lot of fun! Basically the heroine finds some old letters and photos of her grandmother (when she was young) with a man who was definiteThis one was a lot of fun! Basically the heroine finds some old letters and photos of her grandmother (when she was young) with a man who was definitely not the man she ended up marrying. She recently lost her grandmother and they were super close, so she’s curious about this past of her grandmother she knew nothing about. Especially since they’re love letters that talk about eloping, so obviously someone who meant a lot to her grandmother. She takes to TikTok to see if anyone knows who the man is, it ends up going viral, and she finds an answer the next day (a bit far fetched but it works for the book lol). It happens that the man who answered is the grandson of the man in the photos and they just so happen to live nearby. They meet and the grandson is the heroine’s highschool rival/nemesis-lite.
They all end up going on a road trip together (her, him, and his grandfather) on the honeymoon road trip that her grandmother and the guy never took. Kinda weird but it works! lol Super cute romance, mixed in with some photography (her passion), his complications with his successful business, and her going through the feels of losing her grandmother and this secret of hers she never knew. The conflict wasn’t it for me, but the rest was super cute! I’ve read this and a holiday novella now from this author and have enjoyed both a lot! The ending was super cute too, definitely reminded me of a trend I’ve seen on reels/TikTok’s with couples....more
Emergency Contact was sooo cute and charming! I’ve enjoyed this author’s books over the years but this one was definitely my fav! This is a second chaEmergency Contact was sooo cute and charming! I’ve enjoyed this author’s books over the years but this one was definitely my fav! This is a second chance between a divorced couple as they go on an impromptu holiday roadtrip together!
Katherine is an ambitious NYC attorney who is seen as prickly and often referred to as a grinch and a workaholic. But she doesn’t care at all, she just wants to make partner. It’s two days before Christmas when Katherine gets hit by a car leaving work during a snowstorm. She ends up getting diagnosed with a concussion and must be monitored for 48 hours. The hospital makes it all worse when they call her emergency contact who still happens to be her ex-husband Tom! Tom loves Christmas time and is ready to leave the city to head home to Chicago for Christmas and to propose to his new girlfriend when he gets the call from the hospital. Next thing he knows, he’s taking Katherine back home with him for Christmas! Along the way, they get kicked off a plane, try to take a train, try to rent a car, get bus tickets, end up robbed, and end the trip with a ride from a truck driver.
This was just bonkers and entertaining in the best way! Katherine and Tom are hilarious together and they had me laughing often. This book is also co-written with the author’s husband which I feel like is even more fun! I loved the discussion about the double standard with prickly, unlikeable heroines getting hate vs loving unlikeable heroes. Katherine didn’t always hate Christmas, she had a lot of memories with her beloved, late father (those moments totally had me with tears in my eyes). This was just super sweet and fun and charming! No steam in this one, I don’t even think we get kissing, but I loved seeing the HEA!
I received an audio ALC from NetGalley, all thoughts in this review are my own!...more
Watch Your Mouth is book 2 in the Kings of the Ice series by Kandi Steiner. This is a sports romance (hockey), opposites attract, forced proximity, roWatch Your Mouth is book 2 in the Kings of the Ice series by Kandi Steiner. This is a sports romance (hockey), opposites attract, forced proximity, road trip, teammate’s little sister, age gap (he’s 31, she’s 22) romance!
“One night. One balmy, rowdy night of chaos. That was all it took for Grace Tanev to turn my entire world inside out.”
I loved the first book in the series and was looking forward to this one! It has some of my fav tropes and Jaxson and Grace definitely bring the steam. This one did kind of drag for me in the middle, and while I liked certain parts of the story I just wasn’t super loving it all the way through the read. I wanted more hockey action and less of the road trip.
Basically Jaxson, aka “Brittzy”, is a professional hockey player and he falls for his teammate’s sister, Grace. Grace’s brother Vince is the hero of book 1 in this series. Jaxson first meets Grace when she is in a relationship, but she’s super flirty and loves to tease him. After a breakup, she shows up at her brother’s house and Jaxson says they can take off on a road trip together. They end up spending the summer traveling together and growing closer. These two definitely bring the steamy times! I liked all the appearances of Vince and Maven (the couple of book 1) and how she does daily videos of sharing something good. I’m very excited for book 3 which is a grumpy/sunshine, single dad/nanny romance with one of the hockey players!
Thanks to Valentine PR for an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own. Watch Your Mouth is out October 27, 2023!...more
So I expected to like this one a lot more than I did sadly. This ended up just being okay, but I am still interested in checking out the next in the sSo I expected to like this one a lot more than I did sadly. This ended up just being okay, but I am still interested in checking out the next in the series. I just could never really get into this one or the characters. Basically the heroine Cinnamon, whose family owns a spices farm, ends up accidentally saving a demon, then finds out the goddess they all believe in is actually not good and they set off on an adventure together to save the world. This kind of gave similar vibes as Legends and Lattes, but steamy with even some light BDSM. So it gives cozy fantasy but smutty. ...more
The Happy Ever After Playlist is the second book following The Friend Zone, while a stand-alone this series does following a friend group and we do seThe Happy Ever After Playlist is the second book following The Friend Zone, while a stand-alone this series does following a friend group and we do see the heroine of this book in that one.
This story starts off with Sloan getting a traffic ticket for saving a dog. It’s the anniversary of the loss of her fiancé from two years prior and while driving she ended up saving a dog after almost hitting him. She falls in love with the cute dog and after multiple times trying to contact the dog’s owner, she decides to just keep him for herself. Two weeks later Jason, the dog owner, finally contacts her wanting his dog back! Jason has been in Australia for work and since he didn’t have cell service, he is just now finding out about his dog Tucker being lost. He and Sloan end up texting back and forth, and she even offers to watch Tucker for the next couple weeks Jason will still be working in Australia.
I adored this one! The way this starts off as an epistolary relationship was so good and fun. Once Jason and Sloan do finally see one anther in person, their relationship moves fast but it was just so believable and I didn’t even blink an eye! They are both popular in their own rights, Jason is actually a famous musician (Sloan doesn’t know until they meet in person) and Sloan was a popular blogger with her blog, “The Huntsman’s Wife”. I really liked the first half of the story more! The second half started to drag and I wasn’t a fan of the hero’s pulling away/choices with the 3rd act breakup. ...more
Accidental Attachment is a standalone, contemporary romance from Max Monroe and this one was so fun! I had heard good things about this one and was exAccidental Attachment is a standalone, contemporary romance from Max Monroe and this one was so fun! I had heard good things about this one and was excited to try it out too. The heroine is an author who accidentally sends her new editor she has been crushing on a fanfic book she wrote about her fantasy of them instead of the book she was supposed to send in. And then he loves it and wants to work on the editing of the project with her! ...more
Last Light is a standalone romance from Claire Kent but it does exist in the same post-apocalyptic world of her Kindled series. I was reading and loviLast Light is a standalone romance from Claire Kent but it does exist in the same post-apocalyptic world of her Kindled series. I was reading and loving that series and noticed we meet Travis & Layne in those books so I was so curious to go back and read their story! If you love post apocalyptic romances, road trip, age gap, and survival stories…this delivers and is so good!
This post-apocalyptical romance read (and Kindled series) is set in the near future after a global catastrophe. In this world, Earth was hit by an asteroid 5 years in the past and it not only wiped out an entire continent but it has since wreaked havoc on the environment, economies, population, and governments around the world. Now living in a post-apocalyptic world, daily life is dangerous and isolating for those remaining.
The story opens with Layne and Travis running into one another while both our surviving. They realize they actually lived in the same town before the Impact, he worked as car mechanic and she was living with her grandparents. Even though they knew one another in the past, Layne is rightfully cautious and wary of others, especially men in this dangerous new reality. So when Travis offers for them to travel together, Layne says no and they go their separate ways. They end up running into one another a bit later and he comes to her aide during sticky situation with drunk strangers. They start traveling together and Layne shows him a warning note she found about Fort Knox, a place where many of the remaining people from their town went to.
I loved this road trip, survival romance! The tension between Layne and Travis is so heightened with both them trying to survive, sharing beds together, and just all the sexual tension growing as well! Travis feels like he’s “too old” for Layne and is so surprised when she wants him to make her feel something good for a change. ...more
Absolutely obsessed! I had high hopes for Powerless going in, the second book (Heartless) in this series by Elise Silver was a top read of 2022 for meAbsolutely obsessed! I had high hopes for Powerless going in, the second book (Heartless) in this series by Elise Silver was a top read of 2022 for me. And Jasper and Sloane absolutely blew me away and I feel in love with their story! This is the perfect childhood best friends to lovers. This is small town (set in Canada), sports romance (he’s a professional hockey goalie, she’s a prima ballerina), and delivers on alllll the mutual pining.
“The sky is blue. The grass is green. And I’ve loved Jasper Gervais from the first day I laid eyes on him.”
The story starts off with Sloane actually engaged and about to marry someone else! But after some news about her fiancé on their wedding day comes to her attention, she ends up becoming a runaway bride so-to-speak when she ditches her groom (for good reason) and flees on her wedding day. She realized, too late, that she was marrying for duty to her father. Her father wanted her to marry a man who’d help further his financial interests, instead of what would make Sloane happy. Plus the guy was a piece-of-work and gave her an easy out! With the help of her best friend Jasper and the Eaton family (she’s their cousin), Sloane flees her own wedding. We then get soooo much Sloane and Jasper time and I was honestly eating it up!
Sloane grew up spending her summers at the Wishing Well Ranch with the Eatons (she’s a cousin to Violet, Cade, Rhett, and Beau). When she was just 10, Sloane met Jasper for the first time, a broody abandoned teen boy the Eaton family took in. I loved seeing how the Eaton family embraced Jasper as “one of their own” and gave him a new home. Sloane and Jasper became best friends quickly and I just loved their friendship! The protectiveness and caring they both have for one another is everything. Jasper has trauma from his childhood, being abandoned by his parents and the tragic death of his sister, I really felt for him and the anxiety he has because of those past events. I loved the way Sloane is there for him through all of his dark times and then how he has been there for her too. This man stops in the middle of breaking her out of her sham of a wedding to help her remove her shoes and rubs her sore feet! They definitely take refuge in one another and I just loved their connection. The angst and the mutual pining was everything and I was so ready for these 2 to get together! And then when they do, ...more
Dotted Lines is the 5th and final book in the Runaway series by Devney Perry. This was the last series I needed to read to be caught up on Devney PerrDotted Lines is the 5th and final book in the Runaway series by Devney Perry. This was the last series I needed to read to be caught up on Devney Perry’s backlist and I had such a great time! I love the premise of this series so much: “one car, one cross-country road trip, five stories about six runaways finally finding home!” In the author’s note it says how this series was inspired by her love for The Boxcar Children series and wondering whatever happened to those kids once they were adults. I loved those books growing up too and was so excited for this series because of that!
Clara and her son August take a roadtrip in the red Cadillac, ready to take it from Arizona to California to drop it off to its original owner Karson. And it becomes Clara and Karson’s second chance romance!
Almost the first 50% of the book is the flashbacks to when they were teens and first met and lived together in the junkyard in California. Clara secretly crushed on Karson for a while and they finally got their own little teen love story before going separate ways. Clara and her twin Aria went to Las Vegas once they were 18, with Aria eventually ending up in Oregon and Clara ending up in Arizona. After the flashbacks we get to see Karson being surprised by Clara, and her son August in tow, when they show up with the Cadillac. It’s been 12 years since they saw one another and they definitely have a lot to catch up on.
This was a sweet second chance. I wanted a bit more time in the present day and was surprised with how much of the book the flashbacks took up. With all the kids who ended up living in the junkyard, Karson and Clara had rough lives and things they were escaping as teens. We do get to see them in present day to back to the junkyard. I loved the epilogue, 23 years later and we get to see all the junkyard friends and their partners together! Seeing all the couples from the series, hearing about all their children, and getting to see the red Cadillac living on with the next generation was so sweet and fun! This was a great series to binge and follow the Cadillac’s journey with all of these characters!...more
Quarter Miles is the third book in the Runaway series by Devney Perry. I love the premise of this series so much: “one car, one cross-country road triQuarter Miles is the third book in the Runaway series by Devney Perry. I love the premise of this series so much: “one car, one cross-country road trip, five stories about six runaways finally finding home!” In the author’s note it says how this series was inspired by her love for The Boxcar Children series and wondering whatever happened to those kids once they were adults. I loved those books growing up too and was so excited for this series because of that!
This sweet friends to lovers romance filled with all the longing and pining is my favorite in the series yet! Katherine takes over the red Cadillac and is ready for her road trip from Montana to Oregon to see childhood friend, Aria, and drop the car off to her. Kat has lived and worked at the Greer resort and ranch in Montana since arriving when she was 18. They took her into their family and love her like one of their own and she’s worked her way up to general manager of the resort as well. She has been secretly pining for Cash Greer for years, even though he only looks at her as a friend. When Kat sees him bring a date to family dinner, she realizes she wants a break and jumps at the chance for the roadtrip to Oregon. But when Cash hears about the trip last minute, he invites himself along.
I love a roadtrip romance and this one delivered on that, all the time on the road was so much fun to see. I loved that Kat and Cash have been friends for over a decade and roommates for the last 5 years, you could just tell all the history between them but also get to see all the things they still don’t know about one another unfold on the trip. We get to see Cash start to realize he has feelings for her on the trip and sees her as more. The title comes into play because they use a quarter on the trip to help make decisions along the way. At one of their stops, Cash kisses Kat to prove to himself there isn’t a spark between them, but then realizes that is far from the truth! We get a mention of the Clover Chapel, which makes an appearance in another Devney Perry book. Kat used the roadtrip to start questioning her future and starts to really think about not staying in Montana forever. I really loved these 2 together, all the tension and angst and the surprises along the way were so good and just added to the story....more
Wild Highway is the second book in the Runaway series by Devney Perry. I love the premise of this series so much: “one car, one cross-country road triWild Highway is the second book in the Runaway series by Devney Perry. I love the premise of this series so much: “one car, one cross-country road trip, five stories about six runaways finally finding home!” In the author’s note it says how this series was inspired by her love for The Boxcar Children series and wondering whatever happened to those kids once they were adults. I loved those books growing up too and was so excited for this series because of that!
I love how this series follows the same car but a different person from a friend group who grew up together in a junkyard in California. At the end of book 1 we saw Gemma getting the red convertible from her friend Londyn who stayed in West Virginia. Gemma recently sold her cosmetics company in Boston and wants to take over the road trip to California. She decides she’ll use the road trip to figure out her next move and also who she wants to be. While on the trip she decides to take a detour and stops in Montana to visit her childhood friend Katherine. Gemma left behind Montana and Katherine 11 years ago without saying goodbye, she wants to go back to apologize and she also runs into Easton, someone else she left behind in Montana…
Easton’s family owns the resort and ranch where Gemma goes back to. They became friends in the past when she and Katherine first arrived there, before sharing a passionate night together right before she left Montana behind. Easton works on the ranch still and we get to see lots of close proximity time between him and Gemma. After a few days there, Gemma begs Katherine for a temporary job at the resort because she’s going bonkers without a job or something to do. She starts helping out with the reception desk and takes some horseback riding lessons from Easton. He is pissed at her at first and still hurt from her leaving after their passionate together years ago without a goodbye. Easton is convinced she won’t stay long and even bets her on it, she wants to prove him wrong so when his family gives her a cabin through the holidays she decides to stay for the 3 months to prove him wrong.
This book was less of the road trip, we got more of a road trip in the first book so I was expecting a little bit more time of that here. Instead we had Gemma detouring and arriving in Montana real quick in the beginning of the story. I did enjoy the second chance romance between Gemma and Easton. He has hurt feelings and is guarded against Gemma at first for good reason, she left so suddenly 11 years ago and he hasn’t forgotten. I thought that it would take longer for Katherine to forgive Gemma for ditching her all those years ago as well, but that relationship was actually mended really fast. I was glad their friendship got better and I’m excited for Kat’s journey with the car next! We do get to hear about some of Gemma’s tough past before she moved to the junkyard. The ending did feel rushed, we went from Easton & Gemma conflicted to a wrapped up HEA really fast and I wanted a little bit more time there. ...more
3.5 stars/rounded up. Runaway Road is the first book in the Runaway series by Devney Perry. I’ve been binging and catching up with all of her series l3.5 stars/rounded up. Runaway Road is the first book in the Runaway series by Devney Perry. I’ve been binging and catching up with all of her series lately and this is the last one I need to read to be caught up on her Devney Perry backlist, before moving to her Willa Nash pen name. I love the premise of this series so much: “one car, one cross-country road trip, five stories about six runaways finally finding home!” In the author’s note it says how this series was inspired by her love for The Boxcar Children series and wondering whatever happened to those kids once they were adults. I loved those books growing up too and was so excited for this series because of that!
Londyn is 29, newly divorced, and ready to runaway from Boston and ditch her old life. Londyn has felt like she’s always been on the run and never felt at home, she ran away from home at 16 when her parents were more interested in drugs than their daughter. She met her now-best friend who was living in a junkyard with other kids and Londyn spent 2 years living in the back of the Cadillac in the junkyard. Now it’s just her and her 1964 red Cadillac DeVille convertible and the road! Londyn wants to find herself again and also make her way to California to drop off the car to one of her old friends, and fellow runaways. But along the way life has other plans in store for her and after car trouble she ends up stuck in West Virginia.
She ends up in the small town of Summers, West Virginia and meets the local car garage mechanic/owner, Brooks. Brooks came to her rescue and towed her car to his shop and then ends up being her neighbor while she’s staying at the only motel in town. The town is small and they run into one another a lot and start to become friends. They know the relationship has a time limit because she isn’t staying forever and it’s definitely a slow burn. Brooks has a teenage son that he co-parents with his ex-wife, they were teen parents in highschool. There is a little bit of suspense thrown in here, which was easy to see who was behind some of the things happening. But otherwise the relationship and romance is low angst and just low key/chill vibes. There is some fun scenes on his boat on the lake. ...more
3.5 stars. Laila’s best friend Kirsten is getting married in Las Vegas, and of course she wants her bestie there for her big day. The only problem is 3.5 stars. Laila’s best friend Kirsten is getting married in Las Vegas, and of course she wants her bestie there for her big day. The only problem is flights have been canceled all across the east coast because of a major snowstorm. Laila and Henry, her best friend’s dad, end up road-tripping to Vegas together and it’s their romance!
Laila and Henry get off to a rough start when she’s holding a grudge against the fact that he wasn’t really around in her best friend’s life for the past 10 years (because he took a better job in England) and then he also tells her that he is going to Vegas to cancel the wedding (since Kirsten and her guy have known one another for only 2 months and shouldn’t be getting married). After a lot of banter, they actually get to know one another on the trip and feelings start to fly. Laila is convinced she was bad at dating and wants to explore more of her sexuality, but when she asks Henry for help, he tries to keep the distance between them. Of course on the road trip with close quarters and sharing of beds, these 2 start to explore more.
This was a fun novella. Age gap (he’s 39, she’s 21), hero is British and a doctor/surgeon, best friend’s dad romance. I liked the first half of the story more with the road trip shenanigans: their roadtrip playlist, gas station snacks and stops, dive bar, sharing of 1 bed, steamy times in the car. Once they get to Vegas it kind of started to slip downhill for me and I wasn’t a fan of her best friend/his daughter. All in all, mostly cute and short read on KU....more
Christi (christireadsalot)
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