definitely, possibly, maybe

i've read books 1 and 3 of the royally series and really enjoyed them. and queen lenora is a compelling presence. royally yours  functions as a prequel and tells her story. and it's a beautiful story. i loved lenora and edward together. and it was also so bittersweet. because you know how their story ends beyond the end of the novel. and that's the tricky thing about prequels i think. if you know too much going in, it can color your view of what happens. but it's still a beautiful love story. you get swept up into the story so quickly and i read this in one sitting. **royally yours will publish on october 30, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of social butterfly pr in exchange for my honest review. keep reading for more information.

after suffering a horrific trauma, ellie carter runs away from her life and sets up shop in a tiny town in cornwall. new tides   opens on this moment, but jumps ahead pretty quickly. it's several years later and ellie still suffers from panic attacks and keeps the world at arm's length. when her favorite author asks to become her client they strike up a correspondence. when ellie finally works up the courage to meet in person she's horrified to realize the person she believed was olivia wren, was a guy named owen.in spite of her skittishness, she is compelled to seek owen out. and slowly she begins to open herself up to the world she shut herself away from. and owen recognizes that she is traumatized and is gentle and willing to take things at ellie's pace. because of the level of trauma ellie suffered this is a slow burn, and it takes a lot of work for ellie and owen to find a way forward together. **new t...

i enjoyed the wayward wallflowers, and first earl i see tonight  kicks off the new debutante diaries series from anna bennett. bennett's writing is always enjoyable and i really liked both fiona and gray as characters. i'm just not sure they're well-served in this story. other reviewers have called out the inconsistencies in the plot and secondary characters, but these things don't mean that this book isn't enjoyable. it is. like i said, fiona and gray are characters you can't help but root for. and so, even if they deserve something better in terms of plot, the one they have still gets them to happily ever after, and isn't that the point? **first earl i see tonight will publish on october 30, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press in exchange for my honest review.

part of me felt like i was thrust into the middle of a long-standing series, and had no idea what was going on in the darkest star . it seems like there's a story before, and that story before informs the story now in so many ways. but even though you have this niggling feeling. and yet, this is fully enjoyable as a standalone. the story really starts when evie meets luc. because the day she meets him is the day he stops staying away. even still he doesn't tell evie the whole truth, and you know that he's holding back. at least you suspect what it is, but it's really quite amazing when the truth comes out. basically, evie and luc have this incredible journey and it's worth going along for the ride. **the darkest star by jennifer armentrout  will publish on october 30, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press. 

sometimes i read these category romances and while some aspects of the settings have changed, namely the technology, but books like beauty and the greek billionaire are blasts from the past. this could have been one of my grandmother's harlequin books.in fact,  i'm one hundred percent positive, it was one of my grandmother's harlequin books. and i don't mean that in a plagiarized, bad way. it's just that the whole vibe of this book reminds me of a harlequin presents. and i love it. it's kind of trope-y and predictable, but in the best possible ways. marianna and nico are just perfect for each other. her optimism and whimsy and smarts are the perfect counterpoints to his pessimism and practicality and distrust. everything about them shouldn't work but does. because in his heart of hearts, nico craves the whimsey and his shattered heart can only heal with the kind of faith a person like marianna can give him. that's what makes these...

zach piper escapes a lifetime of emotional abuse when he leave behind the cult run by his father. from the moment he meets cameron cronin something about him calls to him. he trusts cameron. he knows that he could love cameron. even before he had the words for his sexuality he's always known that he was gay. but he's also lived a life sheltered from modern technology, modern problems, modern beliefs. so zach has a lot to learn. cameron knows he wants to protect zach. he loves zach, but is afraid to be in love with zach. his previous relationship experience deeply scarred him. his partner was emotionally, physically and sexually abusive and it took him a long time to recognize this. and he still feels unworthy and at fault. and he's afraid to trust his own feelings for zach, and afraid to trust zach with his feelings. this is a slow burn. cameron tries to keep things platonic, but zach pushes at this boundary. he might have been sheltered. and cameron ...

after the jump, you know what to do...

this is the second book titled big stick  that i've read in the last month. the first one didn't really do it for me, but this one i liked much better. we met nick in previous breakaway books, and he finds his match in jodie, a big-hearted, chatterbox who lives life believing things will work out for the best. as a single mom, her relentless optimism is pure defense mechanism. but the more time she spends in nick's company, the more she realizes that his grouchy personality hides a big old softie at heart. the guys on the chicago aces are seriously the best. they're broody and sweet and i just love them. and there's always new teammates who have stories waiting in the wings. they're all basically one-click buys. **big stick published on october 23, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/random house publishing group (loveswept) in exchange for my honest review. 

the end of an era is upon us and another fantastic series concludes with reveling in sin . i so enjoyed lincoln and whitney's up and down, twisty, second-chance love story. these are two people who have to overcome so many odds to be together. absolutely no one is rooting for them. except they are rooting for each other. and finally they are trusting in the love that they've shared for over a decade. and once they let it free, it's crazy how strong it is. how much it can overcome. the world can be on fire, and still lincoln and whitney will endure. their love proves itself indestructible. i loved this couple. i loved this series. it's an absolutely addictive, super enjoyable read. **reveling in sin will publish on october 23, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of meghan march in exchange for my honest review. 

when scott hunter's on-ice slump ends after getting a smoothie, he is superstitious enough to come back for more. good luck charms are a game changer in hockey. the flirtatious banter with the sexy barista, kip is just an added bonus. soon scott finds ways to spend more time with kip in and out of the coffee shop. except, scott isn't actually out, so they spend all their time in scott's apartment. kip's already had one relationship go south where he wasn't enough for his partner and he refuses to be someone else's dirty little secret. he understands the pressures of scott's career and he loves the time they spend together, but he also wants more. he's entitled to more. this story was both sexy and sweet. both guys are characters you can't help rooting for, and you want them to figure things out so badly even though you totally understand both their sides in the conflict. i loved the romance, it was just the right blend of steamy and emotional,...

you know the drill...

the butterfly bride  is freddie's story and the third installment of the advertisements for love series. what makes this series unique is that the protagonists are black women making lives for themselves in regency london.  it's not an easy life, but all things considered, as the illegitimate daughter of a duke, freddie doesn't have it so bad. and yet, with her father recently remarried, and her closest friends too, she wants marriage for herself. so she vows to select a groom for christmas. she's had offers. and lord hartwell, is just the guy to help her rule them out.  nevermind their attraction. he doesn't think she wants to be the stepmother to his four daughters. she doesn't want to be someone's second choice. she knows he is still in love with his dead wife and there is no competing with that. but hartwell is unwilling to approve these suitors easily. he doesn't actually want to let freddie go.  and freddie is under some th...

the breakaway series ends with off the ice , justin's story. when we last saw justin, he was regretting signing on to do a dating reality show. and as the novel opens, he's finally breaking things off from his contractually obligated fiancée. the season is over, and the team has won the stanley cup. and justin retreats to a ranch he bought in the middle of nowhere wyoming. when he makes friends with his closest neighbor, he initially thinks he might have found the one person in america who wouldn't recognize him. she does, but she's kind enough to pretend. once they get the identity crisis stuff out of the way, they form a fast friendship that quickly expands into benefits. meghan is happy to spend her summer days and nights with the hot bachelor hockey player, even though she has no expectations that it will go anywhere. she's a widowed mom, and celebrity chaos isn't what she wants for her kid. (never mind that her kid kind of wants to be a celebrity.) ju...

final day wraps up the wired & dangerous trilogy, although it feels weird to call it a trilogy when this book is novella length, there are enough loose ends that more could happen in this world. but it seems as if maybe the publisher lost enthusiasm? from surveying goodreads it seems like there was some drama with the author so maybe that impacted sales. anyway, you're looking for a review not publishing industry analysis. erick lee has a thing about hit men. and when tarr turned up to save jock and fiona in darkest night  he wanted to know why? why did he knock erick out? why did he save the day? he's a mercenary. a cold-blooded killer. but tarr is also more. because of the hit he made to save jock, tarr is now a target. and he becomes someone erick is helping. and even worse, he's someone erick is drawn to. tarr doesn't pretend to be something he's not. he's not the bad guy with a heart of gold. there is no false altruism...

keep reading after the jump.

the thing is, from the description i was hesitant. but part of me wondered, how could this premise actually work? how could this get through editorial and marketing and sales at a publisher and have no one say, maybe now isn't the right time to publish a book with such horrible sexual dynamics? it doesn't matter how much consent is implied, these two characters essentially prostitute themselves for their jobs. you can't get beyond that. the sex becomes their job and neither of them really enjoys it. i mean, maybe they get their rocks off, but it's angry and resentful and not good. i'm not sure why this was tagged as romance or as women's fiction, because this is not a romance, and the main character here is a man, which makes it not women's fiction. mr. nice guy is full of hateful characters doing hateful things, which is generally how i describe literary fiction so there's that. i think this book should come with a buyer beware, it's packaged...

i love ellie kemper in unbreakable kimmy schmidt  and in the office . so in the vein of mindy kaling's two books, my squirrel days  feels very familiar. but i don't think this is a bad thing. ellie is a refreshing voice, her stories are funny and quirky and feel innocent and sweet in a way she can only pull off. her appeal is in her positivity too, and given the current state of the world, it's always nice to have memoirs like this to fall back on. it helps too that ellie and i are close in age to each other, her childhood memories remind me of mine. at the end of the day, this was the exact read i thought it would be, enjoyable, sweet, funny. it's exactly what i wanted. **my squirrel days will publish on october 9, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/scribner in exchange for my honest review. 

book two in the kinky spurs trilogy has middle brother chase finding his forever with his best friend's little sister, harper. they have to work for it though. when the novel opens, harper is on the verge of leaving town to fulfill her las vegas dreams of opening her own restaurant. chase, realizing she's committed to leaving, can't let her go without first indulging in the chemistry they've been hiding from. he's been raised to put others dreams before his, and this noble streak is a core part of his character. i really love stories where the conflict isn't about whether or not the characters love each other, but more about how will the characters love each other and make things work. that's what we have in sweet-loving cowboy . figuring out what they really want of life and how to get it is what stymies both harper and chase, but when they figure it all out, it's so deeply satisfying. **sweet-loving cowboy will publish on october 9, 2018. i recei...

in a game of chance , meg marshall has a plan, break into x-tech, find jack richards and figure out how someone stole her code. things go haywire when she runs into jack chance, a guy who claims to be a private investigator, looking into the same problems she is. meg doesn't trust him, but is also ridiculously attracted to him. and somehow finds herself in a ridiculous partnership with a guy she wants to jump but wouldn't trust with anything. she's right not to trust jack chance, since he happens to be jack richards. but he is actually looking into the same things she is. and they do have a marvelous connection. i'm not sure i understood jack's ethical issues or the problems he and meg were solving but it doesn't matter, the chemistry between the characters is what makes the story here. not the actual plot of what they are doing. **a game of chance will publish on october 8, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishi...

we met connor in sliding home , the veteran player of the indiana bobcats, a 27-year-old catcher with creaky knees. in hard and fast ,  he's got some serious family drama, his publicist sister, sophia is a huge b, and his younger sister cassie has a history of mental health problems and he is very protective of her. when the team publicist, gia, who he happened to kiss at a new year's eve party a year ago, asks to spotlight him on some interviews he is wary of the press. he doesn't want to let people see the fissures of his family life. after years of dealing with his evil sister he doesn't think much of people trying to spin a situation. this disdain seems to reflect on gia, but what he struggles to express is that he is the one who feels unworthy. why would gia lie about him, since he is so worthless. but she hears it as, gia is a worthless liar and how could he ever love her. once they finally figure out how to communicate things get on the right track, but thi...

the single dad arrangement  is a quick enjoyable read, tilly is a party princess and she's hired by killian to arrange and lead his daughter's birthday party. from the moment he opens the door to let tilly in, he's hooked. it's a kid's birthday party, so nothing inappropriate happens, until afterward. killian lets tilly know that he will be there, at home, should she find herself by his address. tilly isn't going to take him up on it, except the chemistry is so explosive. so what if her boss would be pissed about the whole thing? she only means it to be a one night stand. except that in no time it's a relationship. tilly and killian can't get enough of each other. and when they have to overcome some obstacles, it's pretty clear that their love will conquer all. this is light and frothy with minimal angst. **the single dad arrangement will publish on october 4, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of candi kane pr in exchange fo...

it's a day early for scheduling reasons. and it's the big confrontation...

my husband and i do not read similar books, like at all. even what we would consider our favorites in classic literature varies greatly. and we're both former english majors with degrees in publishing. reading heresy , i thought this is one book he would really like. and lest you think that because he would like it i would not, i'm here to tell you that isn't true. i don't know if the political climate that is so toxic to women made this read feel so empowering, but it certainly helped. this book is part western adventure and part friendship drama and in all its parts it's so good. i loved garet parker and hattie lacoeur, i loved joan and stella, i loved claire, even dorcas, as much as she is an antagonist, she's worthy of admiration and is another example of indomitable woman. these women are complicated, good and bad, kind and petty, but that's what makes them so fascinating. one of my favorite things about the narrative is that it's not straight...

lush japanese mythology lays the foundation for shadow of the fox , a new fantasy series from julie kawaga. i honestly loved the serting, and the lush descriptions. i loved the japanese terminology because it made it feel more authentic even though at times there were so many characters with so many honorifics i was maybe a little confused. but this book started out slow for me, because the first chapter relates an event that's so disconnected to a huge part of the narrative that i had a hard time connecting to the first person switch from suki to yumeko and then later again to tatsumi. sometimes narrative frames like this don't work for me, because when i pull up these books on my e-reader i have no idea what they're going to be about. i don't usually remember back cover copy. so when i start reading something that's one thing, only for it to become another, i am challenged to stick with it. but eventually you get caught up in the fantasy and story, and you w...