They couldn’t be more different, but wild-at-heart (and in bed) Rose and sweet-but-square Tyler have to make it through a romantic Valentine’s weekend to win the prize at the end – all while proving they’re certainly, definitely,really not the perfect match the dating app proclaims them to be… right?
Rose I went to my bestieโs over-the-top Valentineโs Day event alone, and when the first person I meet is straight-laced Tyler, I know Iโm leaving alone, too. Heโs all buttoned-up with nary a tattoo in sight, and he does mathโฆfor fun. In other words, definitely not my type. But when a dating app proclaims him my Perfect Match and offers up a pot of prize money if we spend a romantic weekend together, complete with an all-expenses paid luxury hotel and couples activities galore, I donโt need love as a motivatorโthat money will help save my fledgling, and failing, graphic design business. Now Tyler is looking at me like Iโm the perfect box of chocolates, talking about indulging in one last fling before he settles down. Suddenly, Iโm thinking Mr. All-Wrong-For-Me might be the perfect Mr. Right-Now.
Tyler I went to a Valentineโs Day singlesโ event looking for love and left with Rose, whose vivacious attitude and sunset-hued hair sets her apart from every woman Iโve ever dated. Even if her curvy body stirs up a wilder side in me Iโve always kept under wraps, sheโs definitely not what Iโm looking for in a long-term partnerโฆ or so I thought. But somewhere between hiking with goats, getting our nails painted, and Roseโs lessons on new and inventive ways to share our heart-shaped bed, Iโm wondering if she might be just what I never knew I always needed. But when sheโs determined to part when our wild weekend is done, how can I convince her we might be a perfect match after all?
TL;DR:This opposites-attract romance was comforting, sweet and swoony! Rose and Tyler were ridiculously adorable together and I loved the feeling of safety and comfort that was present at the start of what’s obviously meant to be a healthy and loving relationship. Also, consent is so sexy and this was full of it! ๐Read this if you’re into opposites attract, straight-laced & shy accountant types X chaotic ‘act first, think later’ & confident artist types, “good boy” (mild) praise kink, and sweet, soft and steamy romance. This was a good fun time!
Lizzie has made endless mistakes. Kitchen fires, pyramid schemes, bangs (of the hair and human variety), you name it, sheโs done itโฆ and made a mess of it too. One mistake sheโs never made is letting anyone get closer to her than a single hook-up. But after losing yet another bakery job due to her uncontrolled ADHD, she breaks her cardinal rule and has a two-night-stand that changes everything.
Once burned, twice shy, Rake has given up on relationships. And feelings. And any form of intimacy for that matter. Yet something about charming, chaotic Lizzie has him lowering his guard. For two nights, that is. Then itโs back home to Australia and far away from the pesky feelings Lizzie pulls from him. But when Lizzie tells him sheโs got an unexpected bun in the oven, heโll do whatever it takes to be a part of his childโs lifeโฆ except be emotionally vulnerable, obviously. Heโs never going to make that mistake again.
Through a series of mishaps, totally โplatonicโ single bed sharing, and an underground erotic baking scheme, Lizzie and Rake learn that even the biggest mistakes can have the most beautiful consequences.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Internalised ableism, sexual assault, on-page cheating recounted, unplanned pregnancy, abortion discussed, pregnancy, sex on-page
TL;DR:It took me long enough to pick this up (silly panda) but I’m so glad I finally read it because wow! I feel emotionally drained and invigorated at the same time and just thinking about these two has my heart squeezing with ALL THE FEELS. Prepare to be taken on an emotional ride! Edding’s writing radiated warmth, joy and comfort which is what made this so delightful to read. These characters are so personable and real and aside from the swoontastic romance, I appreciated how the author showed us what it’s like to live with a neurodivergent brain. I would definitely recommend this for those who are looking for a well-written romance that has the potential to make you laugh, swoon, and cry (in the best way, obviously)!
Sheโs the wife he never wantedโฆand the weakness he never saw coming.
Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.
Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally. The billionaire CEO never planned to marryโ
until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows.
Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy. It doesnโt matter how beautiful or charming she is. He’ll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal. Thereโs only one problem: now that he has her…he can’t bring himself to let her go.
***
Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.
Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her familyโs ticket into the highest echelons of high society.Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.
While the rude, elusive Dante isn’t her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty. Craving his touch was never part of the plan. Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
King of Wrath is a steamy billionaire/arranged marriage romance. It contains explicit sexual content, profanity, and mild violence. Recommended for mature readers only.
*This review was first posted to Goodreads in January 2023*
TL;DR:Was this particularly new in any way? No. Did I have a fun time reading it anyway? Absolutely, yes. I haven’t read a marriage-of-convenience book in a while and while this billionaire romance isn’t normally one that I gravitate to often, I’ve been enjoying my fair share of them in the last few months! I enjoyed the dynamic between Vivian and Dante and found their romance pretty entertaining. This was also not as petty and drama-filled as I thought it would be but it had just the right amount of angst to keep me interested.
Evelyn St. James isnโt the kind of woman you forget.
Beckett Porter certainly hasnโt. One incredible weekend in Maine, and heโs officially a man distracted. Heโs not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings. He knows how it goes. But Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He canโt stop thinking about her laugh. Her hand pressed flat against his chest. Her smiling mouth at his neck.
Also, her eyes. And her legs.
So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he isโฆ confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon: social media influencer Evelyn St. James. When she disappears again, Beckett resolves to finally forget her and move on.
But Evelyn St. James has a problem.
Feeling disconnected from her work and increasingly unhappy, sheโs trying to find her way back to something real. She returns to the last place she was happy, Lovelight Farms and the tiny town of Inglewild.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two incredible nights with.
Nothing at all.
In The Weeds is a sweet and steamy second-chance romance about finding your happiness. It features a grumpy farmer, a no-nonsense social media influencer, a small town of busybodies, and four very cute kittens. In The Weeds is a standalone romance and is part of the Lovelight series.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Social anxiety
*This review was first posted to Goodreads in December 2022*
TL;DR:This dual-pov second-chance romance was a delightful slow-burn as Beckett and Evie learn more about each other but also about themselves. Beckett is absolutely the perfect book boyfriend and that plant-daddy really had me swooning! If you loved him in the first book with his kittens, then you’ll definitely love him more now because not only do we get to see him with more animals, we get to see him come out of his shell in full simphood glory! It was swoontastic! ๐ This was a great second book in this series and I can’t wait to continue on to the next.
Twelve years ago, Jules Savoie ended her relationship with the vampire overlord of New Orleans, Ruben Dubois. For good reasons. A woman in power must often make sacrifices to protect others. She knows the truth of it down to her aching heart.
When Ruben watches his best friend Devraj get married, a stinging realization hits him hardโฆheโs done waiting. They say time heals all wounds. In this case, it merely sharpened the pain and made one fact crystal clear. Jules Savoie is his soulmate, and nothing would keep him from her. Not anymore.
Forced to work side by side to fight for the werewolf cause, they campaign together at covens from New Orleans to London. The reignited spark burns hotter than ever before. But when a power-hungry vampire sets his predatory sights on Jules, will their love be strong enough against black magic? Or will he lose her again? And this time, maybeโฆfor good.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Violence, on-page sex (including orgy scenes, MCs do not participate), drugging, kidnapping, torture, assault, sexist behaviour
*This review was first posted to Goodreads in December 2022*
TL;DR:You know how I said that Always Practice Safe Hex was my favourite book in this series? Well, I lied, cos it’s just been ousted by Resting Witch Face (sorry Gareth and Livvy, you’ll always be faves though)! Ruben and Jules are E V E R Y T H I N G!!! These two were so incredibly precious and sweet and beyond deserving of their HEAโwhat a journey they went through to get to where they are in this book. I loved their story so much!
Livvy Savoie is a people person. Not only does she have the magical gift of persuasion, but her natural charisma charms everyone she meets. She hasnโt met a person she didnโt like. Until her annoyingly brilliant competitor walks through the door. No matter how hard she denies it, loathing isnโt the only emotion she feels for him.
Grim reaper Gareth Blackwater is rarely, if ever, moved beyond his broody, stoic state. But the witch heโs partnered with in the public relations contest is destroying his peace of mind. Heโs convinced that the flesh-melting attraction he feels for her is merely her witchy magic at work.
But forced proximity proves there is more than magic sparking between them. Livvy learns this enigmatic grimโs abilities are beyond any supernatural she has ever known. And when Livvy becomes the obsessive target of a dangerous wizard, Gareth proves just how powerful he truly is. Because no one is going to hurt his Lavinia.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Sexual harrassment (on-page), sexual assault (on-page), child abuse, light BDSM
*This review was first posted to Goodreads on November 2022*
TL;DR:This series honestly keeps getting better and this group of supernaturals feels more like family with every book I read and I WANT MORE. These books definitely play into the paranormal romance ‘mate’ trope but I love the way Juliette Cross writes it. There’s so much tenderness, heart and emotional vulnerability in these characters and their romance that it makes it easy to fall in love with them and to root for their HEA. Livvy and Gareth were absolute FIRE! ๐ฅต Their tension and chemistry were so intense that I was sure my Kindle would malfunction! ๐ I loved every moment of their story and their playlist was absolute PERFECTION and suited them to a T!
Special thanks to Meghan Quinn and her team for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
A LONG TIME COMING, a brand new sexy, friends-to-lovers standalone romance from USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn, is Now Available in all formats, including the illustrated hardcover edition!
Get ready to fall in love with this unassuming, smoking hot billionaire and his beautiful, quirky best friend heโs destined for! One-click your copy of this sexy, laugh-out-loud romance full of charm and heat today!
Sheโs the intriguing and utterly lust-worthy little sister of his best friend. Heโs the adorably hot guy sheโs crushed on for a decade. Theyโve never crossed that line, but now theyโre snowed in together on an adult film setโand the cameras are rolling.
Nick has always wanted to check playing Santa off his struggling actor bucket list. But when he arrives at the gig to find people, well, filling each other’s stockings, it’s obvious he missed the small print: the job is Christmas porn, and he’s the grand finale. And his director and co-star? The off-limits sister of his best friend.
Holly lives a double life: quiet and conservative at home, brassy and bossy at her secret work in adult films. When Nick shows up on set she expects disaster, but thereโs a hunger in his eyes as he watches her take charge on set, and theyโre both eager to let their attraction take fireโfor the sake of work, of course.
When an approaching snowstorm sends the crew home, itโs up to Nick and Holly to save her movie, and they agree to indulge for just one night. But when dirty talk and a decade of longing lead to deeper conversations and cozy cuddling, theyโll start to wonder if the Christmas miracle they make together can last all year long.
Authorโs note: Santa, Baby is a steamy and sweet novella (about half the length of a typical romance) full of big feelings and filthy, dirty-talking sex. In its pages you’ll find a brother’s-best-friend romance full of sex-positivity, a totally besotted hero, and lots of sparkling Christmas spiritโall with an empowering HEA.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Toxic family relationships (controlling and close-minded parents), parental abandonment recounted, parent with depression and addiction
This was a cute, sexy and sex-positive holiday romance with plenty of fun tropes including brother’s best friend romance, grumpy/sunshine, getting snowed-in and staying stuck together (oop, we love it)! ๐ It was a take on romance featuring the adult entertainment industry that I’ve never read before and I found that refreshing. If you’re looking for a steamy read to add to your holiday romance list, this should definitely get on there!
I thought the story was well-written and the characters were well-developed for a novella. Nick is the happy-go-lucky Christmas-loving guy spreading holiday cheer everywhere he goes and in contrast, Holly is a bit of a quiet grinch who dislikes the holiday because of her toxic relationship with her close-minded and controlling family. There has always been an attraction between them that they’ve never acted upon as her brother is Nick’s bestie, so it’s a major shock that the quiet girl he’s always been curious about is directing the adult film he’s been hired for. It’s clear that their perceptions of each other are so different to what they’re like IRL and I loved seeing Nick and Holly get to know each other away from the connection that ties them together, Holly’s douchenugget of a brother. He is so encouraging and supportive of Holly and I loved how he showed her that she deserves to be surrounded by people who appreciate her and make her happy. The way he gave her the kind of Christmas she’s always dreamed of was so swoony and their steamy scenes were fireโthere was definitely no lack of chemistry between them! But mixed in with the dirty-talking sex scenes were plenty of heartfelt and intimate moments that were very sweet and balanced the romance nicely!
A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloomโs dreams.
In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm sheโs loved since she was a kid, she enters a contest with instafamous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. Thereโs just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Onlyโฆ there is no boyfriend.
Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just came home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Parental abandonment, parental infidelity recounted, alcohol abuse mentioned, grief & loss depiction, death of a parent recounted
This would be a great addition to your holiday romance reading lists because it’s perfectly atmospheric and the romance is sweet with a little bit of steam. This is for those who enjoy soft friends-to-lovers romances with cute heart-fluttering fake-dating moments! Though I didn’t end up loving this as much as I thought I would, I still thought this was a solid debut from Borison and I get why it’s so well-loved. ๐
The small-town and Lovelight Farms setting was great and the atmosphere perfectly captured the transition from fall to Thanksgiving to full-blown winter! Borison also did a great job of capturing little bits of small-town life full of nosy but well-meaning neighbourhood friendlies and though I wanted a bit more of it, I still really enjoyed the interactions we got between them and our MCs! I adored the side characters and what they brought to the story, especially Beckett, Layla and Dane. I think the difficulty I had was that I didn’t fully connect with either Stella or Luka and I didn’t feel the stakes of their fake-dating romance. The story is told from one POV, which already isn’t my favourite, but I was also pretty on the fence about Stella. She’s hardworking and ambitious but she’s also incredibly stubborn, gets in her own way and made frustrating decisions. I understood her fears but she also kept putting herself back in toxic situations, and not to sound too harsh, but I thought a lot of the sadness she felt was of her own making. This was especially true when it came to Luka and the “conflict”ย reallyย frustrated me! ๐คฆ๐ปโโ๏ธ Sadly, while I thought Luka was adorable, and I loved his gleeful geekiness and how he would do practically anything for Stella, he felt flat and it made me wish even more that we got his POV!
His grumpy neighbor needs some holiday sunshineโฆ
Gideon Holiday is the perfect neighbor. Need a cup of sugar? Spare folding chair? Extra batteries? Heโs always ready to help. And heโs waited years for his hot, grumpy, silver fox neighbor, Paul, to need him. For anything. But this December, Gideon would be happy if he could just get the Scrooge-like Paul on board with the neighborhood holiday lights fundraiser.
Paul Frost has no intention of decking his halls or blazing any Yule logs. Even if his spunky bowtie-clad neighbor does look perfect for unwrapping, Paul would prefer to hide away until December is done. But when his beloved younger brother announces an unexpected visit, Paul needs all the trimmings for a festive homecomingโand fast.
Luckily, Gideon is there with a color-coded plan to save Christmas. Soon Paulโs hanging lights, trimming trees, and rolling out cookies. And steaming up his new flannel sheets with Gideon. How did that happen?
Itโll take some winter magic to preserve their happiness and keep these rival neighbors together longer than one holiday season.
The Geek Who Saved Christmas is a low-angst m/m holiday romance with a guaranteed happy ending. This grumpy/sunshine, neighbors-to-lovers, found family tale features two heroes in their forties figuring out that maybe their sexily-ever-after was right next door the whole time. It stands alone and is not connected to any of the authorโs other universes. However, it does contain a heaping helping of the same emotions and steamy moments readers have come to expect!
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Death of parents recounted, off-page, childhood family trauma recounted, toxic family relationships
This was a cute, sweet and festive grumpy-sunshine MM romance and it was absolutely full of holiday activities and spirit! There’s so much shopping, sentimental talks about holiday memories, and of course, all the Christmas decorating! As much as I enjoyed this one though, I didn’t feel particularly strongly about much of itโit was well-written and enjoyable, and I liked our MCs but I also didn’t feel an abundance of chemistry and at times felt a bit bored, which made the book seem very long.
I loved that Gideon and Paul are in their 40s and that the story delves into the aspects that make it a tough time of year for both of them. I think it’s a good reminder that not everyone has good memories and experiences of the holiday season for various reasons, but it’s also a heartwarming story about finding happiness and showing appreciation for your loved ones. Despite their personality differences, Gideon is the sunshine to Paul’s grump they’re both lonely and don’t have big or caring families to spend the holidays with. Both of their stories broke my heart but it was put back together again by seeing them allow each other into their lives by being emotionally vulnerable. I think one of my main grips would be the communication aspect. They eventually get it together, and I appreciate that there was no major blowout (this is a low-angst romance after all!), but they were so open with everything else and I wished they’d been straight about their feelings too. This book was like a Hallmark romance but with steam (not overly explicit) and the HEA was sweet and satisfying!
Do you read holiday romances and have you read any of these or are they on your TBR? If you have any holiday romance reccos, please share!
Violet Savoie has a plan. A dream, rather. To open her own tattoo shop, which caters to supernaturals in need of permanent charms. As a powerful Seer, she has the potent magic to cast every kind of spell. Except the kind to give werewolves control over their beastly side. And her business partner Nico needs help in the worst kind of way.
Nico Cruz has a secret. A motive, rather. To subtly stalk and seduce Violet until she finally recognizes they are fated to be together. Ever since their heated encounter in Austin on New Yearโs Eve two years earlier, heโs been dying to get his handsโand his tongueโback on her body. He knows a woman like Violet canโt be courted in the usual way. Luckily, Nico has no scruples about misbehaving to get what he wants.
But when his former pack roams into town, and an old friend is far too interested in Violet, his focus shifts to the threat venturing into his territory. Nico may come across as the quiet, broody one, but the intruders are about to regret stepping foot in New Orleans. And when Violet goes missing, no charm or spell can keep Nicoโs wolf at bay.
Notoriously bad at peopling, Isadora Savoie spends most of her time in the greenhouse or at the local animal shelter, using her Conduit powers of growth and healing. Content to remain in the background of the Savoie sister shenanigans, sheโs reluctantly roped into the mystery of missing neighborhood girls. Now, sheโs partnered with a flashy, flirty vampire to find them before itโs too late.
Devraj Kumar has seen and done it all. Three hundred years roaming the earth as a Stygorn โ a legendary vampire warrior who operates in the shadows โ has its perks. But ennui has set in. That is, until he has a run-in โ literally โ with an intriguing witch while on a new assignment in New Orleans. Fascinated by her resistance to his charms, Devraj canโt help but push her buttons in an effort to get to know the shy witch. Fortunately for him, sheโs been recruited by the Lord of Vampires to assist Devraj on the case.
Between a Bollywood marathon, supernatural dating app, secret package, and sexy driving instruction, Isadora is in over her head. And Devraj? After just one taste, heโs playing for keeps.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Social anxiety, panic attack, amaxophobia (fear of driving/being in a car)
dinipandareads 