Romance

Review of The Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore

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Synopsis:
The greatest love is the one you never expected to find

Daisy is fed up with being unlucky in love. And since Mayor Kelly declared her beloved flower shop cursed in one of his infamous visions, business has been slow.

Dream Harbor newcomer Elliot has been adjusting to small-town life following his own relationship turmoil. And until now he’s avoided the flower shop at all costs. If the mayor is correct, he doesn’t need any more bad luck in his life.

When he finds himself walking through the door of the Daisy Chain Flower Shop, he doesn’t expect it to be a life-changing moment. But as the petals blossom in the sunlight, might the unluckiest woman in Dream Harbor finally find that love comes when you’re least expecting it?

The Daisy Chain Flower Shop is a cozy romantic mystery with a fake relationship dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed.

Review:
“And one day you might meet someone who becomes your new favorite person and then hearing them laugh becomes your new favorite thing.” (Page 98)

I really liked Daisy. Yes, she’s been unlucky in love, but she can turn her own luck around, darn it! I also liked Elliot; so willing to blend into the background but so drawn to this girl that he’s willing to step in and help her change her fate. While there were some pseudo generation curses to work on, it was awesome seeing Daisy and Elliot bloom from protecting themselves and only caring about business to remembering what life and love can be like. It was very amusing to experience Daisy’s back and forth between whether or not she is cursed, and how such thoughts are laid to rest. I also love Goldie and how connected she was to Daisy and Elliot. The ending was absolutely perfect.

Although the stories are rather predictably happily ever after, I did very much love this story and look forward to reading more in Dream Harbor in the future.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Blind Date with a Book by Emily Kerr

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Synopsis:
A brand new Oxford-set summer romance inspired by Pride and Prejudice from award-winning author Emily Kerr.

For fans of enemies to lovers, forced proximity and book lovers!

Molly Bramble thought running a bookshop on a narrowboat would be a dream come true – until her biggest challenge turned out to be her new neighbour, Jack, a former city trader with a penchant for crashing boats and hearts.

When a “Blind Date with a Book” night goes awry, Molly finds herself reluctantly paired with Jack and his lack of literary knowledge. Will their rivalry over mooring fees and a missing sign lead to a sinking ship – or a love story with a plot twist?

As Molly and Jack navigate the choppy waters of romance, sabotage, and the occasional dog rescue, will their blossoming romance prove that sometimes the best stories are the ones we never see coming?

Review:
“It’s a truth universally acknowledged that first impressions shouldn’t necessarily be trusted.” (Page 355)

This was a perfect book to read as a few friends and I decided to read Pride and Prejudice this summer. The connections made throughout the book with Pride and Prejudice are absolutely fantastic, especially as they are meta. Molly and Jack are both easy to care about and want to see succeed, even if we spend most of the time looking from Molly’s perspective. Molly does come across as quite immature and lacking business sense/a business plan in a way that makes the reader, while wanting her to succeed, wonder if perhaps she isn’t cut out for being an entrepreneur. Hilda is absolutely lovely and the star of the show; I loved how much she matters to Molly, and how much others care for her as well. Liam definitely was infuriating and I was glad there was no true Lydia situation. While the female protagonists often seem to be very in need of saving and not stable on their own, I do quite like Kerr’s works.

All in all, I thought this was a delightful cozy romance retelling of Pride and Prejudice, and even gifted this to a friend for her birthday.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Magical Matcha Teashop by Natasha Bache

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Synopsis:
Welcome to Lavender Hollow… your next small town romance obsession!

Grace fled London with a broken engagement and a wedding dress she still hasn’t paid for. Max returned home with secrets of his own, and a painful past he’d much rather leave behind.

But neither expected to find magic hiding in a cup of matcha. Because in the sleepy village of Lavender Hollow, something unusual is brewing…

As Matcha Made in Heaven’s newest employee, Grace soon realises she has an extraordinary gift when customers start crying over their lattes and spilling secrets they never meant to share.

In the warmth of the cosy teashop, will Grace and Max discover that the best recipe for love might be one brewed together?

For fans of cozy fantasy romance, The Magical Matcha Teashop serves up the perfect blend of small-town charm, found family, spicy romance and just a sprinkle of magic.

Review:
“Maybe it’s not about what people think they want. Maybe it’s about offering them something they didn’t know they needed.” (Page 20)

“Sometimes, freedom comes disguised as a setback.” (Page 43)

This book was absolutely lovely. The way the matcha was really a star of the show made this book stand out; it wasn’t just a typical girl moves home to work at a local coffee shop book but something magical- in part due to the supernatural aspects. There were definitely sometimes that I found it very hard to resonate with Grace because she seemed very juvenile and unwilling to “adult”. The same could be said of Max and his lack of communication at times however I absolutely loved everything about Max and Grace; how they came together, and how their backgrounds both led them back to Lavender Hollow. One thing I, as an obvious bibliophile and book lover did not love was their bookshop rendezvous. The poor books! This book was a great blend of romance with past relationship drama mixed with a hint of paranormal that made my usual fantasy/romantasy self very happy. Grace and Max both have to really find themselves and what they want from their lives before they can have any sense of personal fulfilment and the ending was absolutely perfect.

There are many reminiscent feelings in this to the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore, though this series features supernatural whereas that is not. So if you want small town romance where everyone knows everyone, but you aren’t into magic, give that series a shot. If you are game for anything so long as there is some romance, read both!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Unveil by Greer Rivers

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Synopsis:
A dark Swan Lake retelling where the ‘villain’ steals the girl, set in a world of secret pacts, feuding families, and primal obsession.

He’s her curse, but she’s his salvation, and he’ll do anything to keep the ones he loves safe.

Rebellious ballerina Luna Bordeaux may be the darling of the New Orleans elite, but she’s destined to dance in her parents’ shadows. Her twenty-second birthday was supposed to be her escape. One last performance, one necessary breakup, then? Freedom.

Except her white knight of a boyfriend just proposed on stage.

And now her masked stalker has crashed the engagement party…

Orion Fury has protected Luna for years, counting the seconds until he can claim his future wife, honoring a vow made between their fathers decades ago. His discipline has only ever slipped once, but his enemy just crossed the line. All bets are off, and a night that began with a party ends in kidnapping and murder.

Now Luna is a stolen bride with blood on her slippers and a target on her back, trapped in the wilderness with the man who hunted her. But Orion isn’t the only predator in these woods, and the men coming for her will do anything to stop the Fury-Bordeaux alliance.

Her villain may be the one person she’s determined to hate, but is he the only one dangerous enough to keep her alive?


Review:
“Once again, I blame dark romance books, and maybe the fact this so-called “meet-cute” runs in the family.” (Page 122)

This book had me from the very beginning. Greatly paced with lots of action–both dangerous and dangerously romantic. I loved the Swan Lake tie in and the ballet, and how Luna wants to set herself apart from her mother. There are so many intricate thoughts and feelings of someone trying to find their place and not see themselves through another’s eyes or in another’s shadow that is very relatable. This book also touches on the serious topics of parental loss and mental health disorders, in a respectful and believable manner. As with previous Greer Rivers novels, I absolutely love Masque and that sort of masked connection–masterfully done. A mixture of Phantom of the Opera and Appalachian mountains/being in the outdoors was pure perfection. That being said, while this is a dark romance, there were some aspects that I didn’t personally resonate with regarding certain red bodily fluids. There was also a bit less build up/connection between Orion and Luna than most Tattered Curtain couples have, leaving a little too much potential Stockholm Syndrome. Regardless, a fabulous book, and great seeing the Tattered Curtain couples with their families a bit later in life.

I would recommend this book if you’d like a dark romantic Phantom of the Opera retelling, entwined with ballet (Swan Lake), mixed with the mafia where the villain gets the girl.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

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Synopsis:
ANTHONY’S STORY

This time the gossip columnists have it wrong. London’s most elusive bachelor Anthony Bridgerton hasn’t just decided to marry—he’s even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended’s older sister, Kate Sheffield—the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate’s the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams…

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands—and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate’s determined to protect her sister—but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony’s lips touch hers, she’s suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself…

Review:
I hadn’t been certain how I would like this book compared to the second season of the television show Bridgerton but this book far exceeded any expectation or preconceived notions I may have had. This book offered a depth to both Anthony and Kate that wasn’t seen within the television series. While some edits may have been made to make a more compelling visual story, there was a lot of changes of the how and why Anthony and Kate became acquainted.

I love how far reaching and gripping people find Lady Whistledown’s column enough to make their own judgements based on her say so instead of their own personal observations. Kate’s family isn’t the most well to do, and while her sister is a classical beauty Kate seems to forget that her own hobbies and interests can be just as intriguing to a potential suitor as her sister’s looks. I absolutely loved everything about how Kate came to meet the Bridgertons, and her banter with Anthony was always top tier. I also liked that when Kate found contradictory information from what she had originally assumed she was willing to own up to it and apologize.

Anthony himself has such depth and characterization that really doesn’t shine through in the television series. He is known to have a lot of responsibility because of his position as eldest male heir but while the television show series merely grazed that his father’s death effected him, the depth was far more pronounced and understood throughout this novel. Although female, I greatly empathize with the way Anthony viewed his father’s death, and had a very similar spiral myself at one point.

I love how well Anthony and Kate complement each other and help themselves to move past past traumas and face a bright future. I love how they challenge each other and encourage each other. This is by far my favourite of the Bridgerton books so far, and maintains my position of season 2 of Bridgerton being top tier (though maybe I’m biased due to how much they like horses–something taken from Daphne’s novel).

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves regency romance, enemies to lovers, and of course the Bridgerton television series.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of How to Negotiate With a Nightmare by Amy Boyles

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Synopsis:
In this cozy romantasy, the villain finally gets the girl.I have three problems:

One: The hot guy I met in the bushes (don’t ask) has magic so cold and dangerous it should come with a warning label.

Two: My family’s dragging me to a ball hosted by the Nightmare King—you know, the cruel monster who rules the dark half of town where the sun literally never rises.

Three: Turns out Hot Bush Guy and Nightmare King are the same person. And when our magic touches? We make flowers. Which would be romantic if I wasn’t supposed to be terrified of him.

Eryx Nightshade has spent ten years alone in his castle, haunted by a voice in his head that demands blood and revenge. Until I walked into his spell and the voice went from “destroy everyone” to “she’s pretty, don’t mess this up.”

Now he’s thrown a ball to find me. I’m trapped in pink tulle and sparkly sneakers. And every time we touch, our magic does things that shouldn’t be possible.

He thinks I’m his salvation.

I think he might be mine.

But I’m supposed to marry someone to save my family’s dying magic, and he’s got a revenge plot ten years in the making.

Falling for the Nightmare King wasn’t part of anyone’s plan.

Especially the nightmare’s.

Review:
“Sparkles don’t equal sweetness.” (Page 138)

This book did an amazing job of showing people with two very different types of trauma regarding having/being in relationships and what they had to do to overcome their biases. Usually instant attraction/fated mates/magical explosions are not a way to endear me to a relationship, but I think that for these particular two it was justified. As with all Boyles’ Seven Suitors books so far I would say it’s rather plot light/obvious but the story was well done. I actually much preferred seeing Chelsea have to really look insider herself and assess why she thinks so negatively about romantic relationships (not just short entanglements) to most of the work between Eryx and Chelsea. Nightmare was just so perfectly there–I couldn’t imagine the story without him. This story really had elements of so many fairy tales that I am not sure I could state which in particular she wanted to highlight; there’s obvious nods towards red riding hood, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast. All in all, a great light cozy fantasy book.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Ruthless Devotion by Rebecca Kenney

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Synopsis:
He was the other half of my soul—the mirror to my every dark desire. My destruction, my redemption, my salvation: my Heathcliff.

Cathy Earnshaw’s got the devil inside her—or at least that’s what the small, cultish community she’s spent her whole life trapped inside would say. She can sense death coming, and every loss sends her spiraling into a violent, uncontrollable episode of grief, wailing like a banshee across the swampy forests of the Lowcountry. With a secret as dark as hers, there’s no hope of relief, or escape, or finding someone with a chance of understanding.

Until she meets him.

Heathcliff’s got his own trauma, and a secret just as dangerous as Cathy’s. Stolen as a child, raised by necromancers, he’s the most forbidden sin she could ever imagine…and the most desperately tempting. Violent in his passions, tender in his affection, he feels like the other half of her soul, but even as they claw desperately to be together, the world seems just as determined to keep them apart.

Because it turns out their little Southern community was built long ago on a graveyard of lies…and every cult needs its sacrificial lamb.

Review:
“… his soul and mine were cut from the same shimmering fabric, hewn from the same rock, dipped from the same pool. Wherever souls come from, we share the same source.” (Page 274)

I wasn’t sure that anyone or anything could make the story of Wuthering Heights have Cathy and Heathcliff be redeemable characters that you would actually care about and not just think about as horrible people but Kenney did the impossible! There were a lot of changes to the original in family matters etc that I did wonder for the first 3/4 of the book why she decided to have this be a Wuthering Heights spin off and not let the story live on it’s own without the very flimsy connections but in the end it did make sense. In many ways I think this story stands as a Dark Modern Fantasy book of its own. There was an extra dimension to this retelling by mixing in religion and cult practices, with much thought given to how people can be persuaded to do things that might usually be against their better judgement or interests. This book also features a lot about death and what can go into mourning.

There are complicated family dynamics, lots of different types of magic, and a love that could not be separated even by death. If that sounds interesting to you, I’d highly recommend this book. Once I started it, I found it near impossible to put down, even though I didn’t really want it to end.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Valentine’s Slay by Navessa Allen

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Synopsis:
Roses are red, violets are blue, Emma’s not dead, and her gravedigger’s hot too. This Valentine’s Day, love claws its way out of the grave in #1 New York Times bestselling author Navessa Allen’s steamy and hilariously dark rom-com.

Louisiana gravedigger Noah Evans’s Valentine’s night shift takes an unexpected turn when his high school crush starts screaming from her freshly dug grave. Whoever tried to bury Emma six feet under is in for a nasty surprise—they should have checked for a pulse because she’s got unfinished business, starting with the hot gravedigger who just saved her life. As they unearth a deadly family conspiracy, Noah and Emma discover that old flames burn even hotter the second time around—especially when someone’s trying to kill them.

Navessa Allen’s Valentine’s Slay is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances, stories for star-crossed lovers and hopeless romantics. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s do it again.

Review:
This book is more a novella than a novel and is a good, quick read if you’re looking for something super spicy with a bit of grit and edge to it. Did I think things went a bit too fast? Yes, in parts. This is also an extremely short story in regards to doing the most you can with the least amount of characters possible, but having it make sense as to why there aren’t more people around. It’s a great dark romance with some very serious stuff going on in the background. The chemistry between the main characters was great, and the ending was just perfect. This is definitely one that will grip you from the first page, and leave you hoping for a happily ever after because damn, do they deserve one.

If you’re looking for a quick in between palate cleanser book of dark romance with quite a lot of spice, this is the book for you! If you just want some dark romance that involves graveyards, also the book for you!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️

*Added after original posting.
Forgot to mention that while an intriguing premise, given modern day practices for burial, it does seem incredibly unlikely that there wasn’t a layer of concrete involved. (Thank you for this knowledge, Stephen King’s Pet Semetary)

Review of The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

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Synopsis:
Can there be any greater challenge to London’s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?—Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1813

By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister—the lovely and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it’s all an elaborate ruse to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.

But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her . . . but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke . . . for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love.

Review:
“I don’t believe I have ever been condescended to by a woman before.”
She shrugged, “It was probably past time.” (Page 102)

I decided to give this book a shot as it was on kindle unlimited and I am waiting for the end of the fourth season of Bridgerton the television show to drop on the 26th. I was very pleasantly surprised as once I started I could not set this book down! I spent most of yesterday reading, finishing well into the early hours of the morning (thank goodness authors set their own hours and can sleep in!) The characters were so very different from the show, in good ways and bad. Violet has far more gumption and intention than her television counterpart; soft spoken about the marital act aside, she has whims and ways of controlling and manipulating the family that the children aren’t even aware of. The looks of the characters also very distinctly from the television show, with all the Bridgerton children having chestnut hair and various eye colours and Violet being fair haired with blue eyes. Simon himself also instigates more than the television show led one to believe. I loved the brotherhood of Anthony, Benedict and Colin and how Anthony was willing to go up against Simon all the time for his sister. I definitely hadn’t expected what actually happened at Lady Trowbridge’s ball, nor how Daphne actually learned more about the marital act.

I could write an entire compare and contrast of the two but in the end the most important thing to note is that the book absolutely enthralled me from the first page and I could not set it down. There was not any intimacy until deep within the novel which made it all the more alluring. Simon and Daphne had a far superior connection in the novel than the book, and I quite enjoyed the difference in Daphne’s personality and her understanding of men given her three older brothers. Daphne is far more witty and cutting than her television counterpart.

As with all things book to screen one has to almost consider them completely separate entities but this author will encourage you to read the first book in the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn, for if we are anything alike, you’ll be hooked.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Taking by Erin McCarthy

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Synopsis:
His gift is dark desire…

Nearly a century ago, Felix Leblanc made a deal with the demon of greed. Now he’s the most celebrated and powerful voodoo priest in New Orleans, able to enchant anything he wishes from wealthy, beautiful women. Until one client, beautiful and dangerous, brings his reign to a disastrous end, condemning Felix to servitude and a loveless eternity of never being wanted for himself.

In modern-day New Orleans, Heiress Regan Henry knows that passion can be an illusion, and she keeps her emotions in check, until she falls under the spell of the beguiling Felix LeBlanc. He knows that the rumors that her mansion is haunted are true, and that he’s the only one who can save her from the spirits residing there. But the only way he can do it is to sacrifice his last chance at redemption- or risk a love that could consign them both to an eternity of evil.

Review:
I absolutely loved this book. Felix was so easy to care about and want to learn more from. I absolutely adored how Regan learned to stand on her own feet and that she was willing to do whatever it took to make her own choices and not be trapped trying to be a puppet. The passion mixed in with the voodoo and past connections was truly perfection.

We have come to the continuation of paper book reviews (all previous to this posted in January were leftover kindle reviews from last year). This is a book I happened to grab from the dollar store while awaiting the call to pick someone up nearby. While I did like it, it likely isn’t one I’ll hold on to.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯