definitely, possibly, maybe

book 5 in the fire's edge series continues to propel the intricate story of the dragon clans forward. again focused on the american contingent, the ties between the companion series inferno rising series are there, and for maximum enjoyment i strongly recommend reading the series in publication order .  the protector focuses on lyndi chandall the sole female-born dragon shifter based with the huracan enforcers, and the beta of the team, gold dragon, levi rowtag. it is a well-known fact that female dragons are sterile and therefore can't mate, but in a world where the rules about dragon shifters are falling apart, the connection between levi and lyndi can't be denied.  from the moment they met 200 years ago, levi has known lyndi was his mate. but she mistook his reaction as a rebuff, and they've been at cross-purposes ever since. but as the situation around them grows desperate, levi can't deny the connection anymore. and lyndi can't resist giving into temptatio...

the second book in the albin academy series is just as deeply emotional as the first. just like this  features total opposites rian and damon joining forces to help a struggling student. they are from completely different backgrounds and do not expect to find the common ground and connection they discover as they work together. for a category romance, this novel packs in a lot of depth and feels into the shorter format. the slow burn really allows the love story to develop organically, and you really end up feeling the strength of the connection between the characters.  **just like this will publish on november 24, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/carina press (adores) in exchange with my honest review. 

the thing i enjoy about watson's stories is that they take place outside of the usual historical time periods, this sixteenth century highland tale is a delight. i'm a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers story, and twelfth knight's bride  is just the thing.  set over christmas, james and aileana have to come to terms with their marriage and each other, seriously these two have chemistry in spades. overall this story is sweet and lovely with just the perfect amount of spark.  **twelfth knight's bride will publish on november 17, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (scandalous) in exchange for an honest review.

the truth about dukes  is the latest installment in the rogues to riches series, and while it stands alone, it really is best read in concert with previous books in the series. our hero, robert rothmere, has epilepsy, or the falling sickness as it was known at the time. institutionalized by his father and forced to undergo so many inhumane treatments, when he is found to be alive by his brother he is brought back to society to take his rightful place as duke of rothhaven. because he is at constant risk of being declared incompetent, he decides he needs to marry a paragon for a wife, and he is drawn to constance wentworth. little does he know that her veneer of placidity hides the fact that they met as teens in the very asylum he was sent to, she was avoiding unpleasant family circumstances. she also harbors a scandalous secret. anyway, they overcome all odds, and it's a romance so everyone lives happily ever after. this lacked some real sparks for me, it's a quiet romance and a...

so while a lady's guide to mischief and mayhem is not solely a mystery, it's more mystery than romance. but in a way that really works for this victorian set novel. the blurb comps it to evie dunmore, but i think this is closer in feel and appeal to the veronica speedwell novels by deanna raybourn. it almost feels like these two main characters could continue to headline the series, though in that regard these books will follow the romance model and focus on a different set of characters for subsequent stories in the series. the main characters here, katherine bascomb and andrew eversham are at odds as a journalist and detective respectively. a series of murders has captured kate's interest and she feels it is her moral duty to warn others, especially women, of the crimes. but in the strait-laced society she inhabits, it is frowned upon for a woman to discuss unpleasant things.  eversham sees her more as a nuisance getting in the way of his investigation, he's not enti...

i'm used to marissa meyer writing more on the science fiction/fantasy spectrum, so i was intrigued by this contemporary story. but instant karma  does have a touch of fantasy. i'm just not sure the concept was executed successfully. one big issue is that the story appropriates indian/hindu culture, going so far as to have an illustrated cover that implies the main characters are persons of color when they're actually as white as can be.  i know there is debate about #ownvoices, but when a white author repeatedly uses diverse perspectives that do not reflect her own experience for her characters' voices that starts to feel exploitative. and maybe if the main character weren't so judgmental and more sympathetic this would all be less problematic, but plotwise it's where the book falls down.  that being said, the narration here is spot on. rebecca soler does a fantastic job voicing a diverse group of characters and does a great job of distinguishing their voices wi...

this latest entry into the heart of texas series is just as good as the ones that came before it. looking for a cowboy  finds quintessential good guy cooper owens finding love with tough-as-nails private investigator marlee. there's a connection there from the moment they meet, but marlee's suspicious of cooper's friends, so until they resolve that bit of misunderstanding, they can't move forward.  marlee's reasons for being suspicious are valid, but if she knew the harpers she'd know how off-base they were, because the family in these stories are just good, upstanding people. and once they realize what is going on and what she's looking to stop, they're all-in on helping her out.  the suspense and mystery here all unfold at a great pace, and the romance that blooms between the two characters is well done.  **looking for a cowboy will publish on october 27, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press in exchange f...

ever since i read the sneak peek chapter in   high heat , i’ve been waiting for   feel the fire . usually, i’m not one for second-chance romances, but there was something about the crackle of chemistry and resentment the characters had in the opening pages that made this one hard to resist.  one thing i loved is that the resentment piece isn’t long and drawn out. what blossoms between the characters isn’t a slow burn, in part because they did all that slow-burning off-page. tucker is a demisexual, but the deep, emotional connection he needs is already there with luis. it was always there, even though his life took him on an unintended path.  seeing the two characters figure out how to compromise and build a life they both want together made every moment worth it. it was nice to check in on earlier characters from the series, but luis and tucker are just perfection together and i loved every second of this read.  **feel the fire will publish on october 26, 2020. ...

i wasn't entirely sold on the concept for bane's choice , since i'm not really one for motorcycle club stories, but it also didn't feel like your usual motorcycle club romance rife with misogyny, so i decided to take a chance.  the vampire stuff i found interesting, the motorcycle club stuff felt extraneous but didn't bother me, but oh man did i dislike this heroine. like i'm all for standing up for yourself and being able to protect yourself from danger. but this dimwit was like oh there's a newly turned vampire who will be crazed with bloodlust and none of that matters because he is my patient. he's dead. he's a paranormal being who's vitals actually don't matter and he's going to kill you because you are food to him.  like there's being a badass and there's being stupid. and i thought ryan was totally stupid. she was so stupid that i just couldn't bring myself to care about anything related to her, which killed the romance ...

amy daws is back in the wait with me world, this time with a two career-driven people who find that maybe there is time in their lives for romance when a fake date evolves into real love.  over the course of the series we've had multiple opportunities to interact with dean. he's a little bit douchey, a little bit a hipster metrosexual type, but still somehow charming. and if the guy's best friends are lyndsey and kate, you know that there's got to be something special there. well take a number  pulls back the metaphorical curtain. and dean is a delight.  he finds his perfect counterpoint in norah. the uptight, obsessive-compulsive croinut baker who is intent on getting her donut shops out across the country.  together they make a perfect team, and their mutual fear of commitment and intimacy is challenged by how in sync they are with one another.  **take a number will publish on october 15, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of amy daws. keep readi...

food trucks, check.  enemies-to-lovers, check.  hawaiian setting, check. all the glorious food descriptions, check.  my best recommendation for reading simmer down  is to either eat a large meal before reading, or make sure you have snacks available. because you will be hungry.  smith's sophomore effort is a delightful read, the perfect bit of escapist fantasy that feels especially necessary when we're still stuck sheltering at home.  **simmer down will publish on october 13, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/penguin random house (berkley) in exchange for my honest review. 

i don't know if we can call blind heroine in the highlands a trope per se, but i've definitely read books with this casting before and i like them. a lot. amy jarecki continues to write these wonderfully nuanced romances with heroes who history has placed on the losing side, the highland laird is no exception.  but there's so much intrigue and political maneuvering in the setting that makes it the perfect backdrop for these swoony, romantic stories. every time she publishes one, i'm convinced it's the last one, we're looking at number 8 here. but if the lords of the highlands series continues, it's no hardship because these stories are just super enjoyable.  **the highland laird will publish on october 13, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/grand central publishing (forever) in exchange for my honest review. 

the vicar and the rake  is a steamy m/m historical that finds two former friends reconnecting in the most historical trope-y kind of way, and it's just amazing. the RAKE discovers the VICAR PASSED OUT with A FEVER in HIS GARDEN. it is AMAZING. beyond the tropey meet-cute or "remeet" cute, there is real substance to this story. what the characters have to overcome to really be together and their journey to happiness is well worth the read. and it's a lovely kick off to a series, introducing several intriguing characters.  **the vicar and the rake will publish on october 12, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/carina press in exchange for my honest review.   

i'd read the previous two books in this series and felt like i should read the third, unwritten , even though this is more a spin-off than anything. i had liked tobias in that first go around. mel was fine, it was nice to get to know him better i guess.  this is a perfectly suitable sequel, i just thing with this whole series there's a lot of untapped potential. in the hands of a better writer this could be something amazing. but to while away a couple of hours this is determinedly fine.  **unwritten will publish on october 8, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of give me more books promotions in exchange for my honest review. keep reading for more information...

when declan meets sidney in the love study   he's immediately captivated by them. but they don't date. declan has a history that makes him less than promising as a potential love interest. he did leave his ex-fiancé standing at the altar. like left him standing at the altar. it was the right choice, and the exes are friends. but it's still something his friends delight in teasing him about.  it's not that declan has anything against marriage either. or commitment. it's just that maybe marriage as a construct isn't for him. sidney runs a popular youtube vlog and has an opportunity to tie in a sponsorship around declan's dating. and even though he's not sure about the dating thing, declan jumps at the opportunity to spend more time with them.  this story is cute and low-angst. the characters have some baggage to overcome, but the openness of their communication is so endearing. even when they are mixed up about each other, there is such a sweet kindness ab...

welcome back to the ren faire world of deluca's well met this time with a helping of you've got mail  on the side. in well played   stacey is shocked out of her rut by emily and simon's engagement, and so when she finds herself corresponding with her himbo hookup, dex, she is surprised by the depth of their connection.  there never seemed to be much more to him than sex appeal and muscles. but when summer comes around and it's time for the latest willow creek ren faire, stacey is shocked to realize that the man she'd been falling in love with from afar is someone she doesn't even know.  this is just another delight of a story. the mistaken identity, the setting and sweet moments we have with characters from the first book, it's all just so much fun to read.  **well played will publish on september 22, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/penguin random house (berkley) in exchange for my honest review. 

it's nice to be back in new york, seeing kip and scott from game changer navigate their committed relationship. and eric is a super fascinating hero, like he's so disciplined and grown up. it's like the opposite of chaotic trickster ilya, who makes a couple of delightful cameos in common goal  and okay i'm going to be honest i really kind of just wanted more ilya.  i enjoyed eric and kyle's story. i really did. i just wasn't transported by their story. i think maybe i'd have liked it better if kyle was part of the hockey world? but instead he was an art history major who moonlights as a bartender while working on a degree he's not interested in and had passing interest in kip but that obviously wasn't going anywhere.  kip and eric connect and kip is basically eric's tour guide on the gay side of life. and it's a perfectly good story. i liked it just fine. i just...i just didn't fall in love the way i loved heated rivalry  and that's ...

i was so excited to read furia  because it was set in argentina, i lived in buenos aires for three years as a child and it is always thrilling to see a different perspective of a place i somwhat know. what is real and what is just memory isn't teased out with fiction exactly, but still it's lovely to see familiar landmarks in a new light.  camila is a wonderfully compelling heroine. her fight and struggles to reach her dreams are a true joy to read. we need more of this kind of #latinx representation in literature. not just about the diaspora, but also about the ones who stayed.  **furia will publish on september 15, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/algonquin young readers in exchange for my honest review. 

n.b. i am linda's literary agent, so disclaimers about bias here.  blood rogue finds vampire charles towner at war with the person who has been his surrogate father. if that weren't enough, he's also tangled up with a too-smart-for-her-own-good human who also happens to be impervious to the memory-wiping abilities that vampires can usually use on humans to keep their existence secret.  if you like vampire stories with a little science-based fact thrown in for fun, this is the book for you. **blood rogue will publish on september 8, 2020. 

the second book in the stay a spell series finds us following a newer to us savoie sister. isadora was out of town during the events of  wolf gone wild . i'd been kind of rooting for violet and nico, or jules and ruben, but they will probably be last because there's so much history there that is worth building up. anyway, don't hex and drive  kicks off with a meet-disaster when devraj (our super special vampire hero, he's a stygorn and that means he's like super strong and has enhanced abilities) crashes his car into isadora's bike.  isadora is a conduit, and her abilities are mostly focused on healing. devraj happens to be in town to investigate some missing girls. and it's inevitable that isadora gets looped into the case.  i really enjoyed the interplay between isadora and devraj. from the get-go it was pretty clear that they were uniquely well-suited. it just took some time for isadora to get on board too.  this was just another delightful entry in this ...

i really enjoyed dunmore's debut, so had been looking forward to a rogue of one's own . while the romance aims to maintain its strong feminist attitudes, but inadvertently makes a couple of key representation errors. others have discussed this with more nuance, but it's worth noting that they exist.  diversity issues aside, this is an enjoyable read and a great continuation of the league of extraordinary women series. i enjoy the time period and love seeing romances where social justice issues are being addressed. though hopefully the author is more careful about recognizing what her strengths are.  **a rogue of one's own will publish september 1, 2020. i received an advance review copy courtesy of netgalley/penguin random house (berkley) in exchange of my honest review. 

written by co-owner of the ripped bodice, mad and bad: the real heroines of the regency  is a pop history collection that endeavors to shine a light on some of the influential figures of the regency period.  the prose is breezy and provides an engaging peek at historical figures that some romance readers will recognize from their appearances in historical romances. some sections focus on lesser known figures as well.  there's a section that tries to dive into diversity in this time period. we know that there were people of color in regency england, even though history has done its best to whitewash them. the problem with this section is that it lacks some real depth. partly it's because the format of the book doesn't allow for digging deeper, but also because it might be that the author isn't really the best person to do a deep dive into racial issues prevalent in the time period.  **mad and bad: the real heroines of the regency will publish on september 1, 2020. i r...

 this book is just an absolute delight. best laid plaids  is a debut post-wwi historical that finds two academics coming together and boom...chemistry. joachim comes to ainsley with the purpose of discrediting the fact that ainsley believes he talks to ghosts. he thinks it's likely some sort of mental illness. and while ainsley clearly suffers what we know of as adhd and generalized anxiety, the ghost thing is not part of that mental illness.  when ainsley realizes what joachim is out to do, he says brilliant, let me take you on a road trip and i'll prove it. because he does see and hear ghosts and they are actual present beings. the other thing he sets out to do is flirt his way into bed with joachim, because hello...all that chemistry.  it's hot and sexy and sweet and filthy between these two. just their entire relationship dynamic is a freaking delight and i loved every second of it. it's a marvellous debut and i can't wait to see more in the series. **best laid ...

one thing i love about adriana herrera's books is how voice-y the characters are. you are so easily drawn into their stories because their voice feels authentic and real. here to stay is no exception to this. julia and rocco are just total sparks when they are on the page together.  there's just so much to love about this story, about these characters. i mostly feel like hearts and exclamation points and fire emojis are all i need to express all you need to know about it going in. adriana is an auto-buy author for me at this point. her skills in writing authentic marginalized experiences and steamy, swoony stories are hard to compete with.  **here to stay will publish on august 25, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgally/carina press in exchange for my honest review. 

the wrong mr. darcy  is a pride & prejudice retelling that tries to sneak in some intersectionalities on race and gender as well as some socioeconomic commentary. all these weighty issues serve to weigh down the story so that it never quite lived up to the sparkling chemistry of the original.  it’s always a big ask to live up to the giant that is jane austen. perhaps because the plot is essentially the OG enemies-to-lovers, but the real charm of pride & prejudice lies in the details. and some of the retellings lack that flash of brilliance that comes with the dry wit and clever social commentary of the original.  this isn't going to blow anyone's mind is all. it's perfectly enjoyable, and a good way to pass the time for some feel-good fun.  **the wrong mr. darcy will publish on august 25, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press (griffin) in exchange for my honest review. 

i am the agent of record on this book, and i'm so happy it's finally out in the world. the revolutionary and the rogue  is so special to me. blake has worked so hard on this story, really working to get it into the best possible version of itself it could be.  but from the start it was these two characters who grabbed me. their world is on the brink, and their love is the last thing that either of them needs or wants. but that connection is too precious to not hold on to. when everything else is dark and falling apart, that's what we turn to, love. it's why in the depths of the pandemic we seek out romance.  love is love is love, and that's what henri and perrin are here for. and in that love, the love of country, the love for their friends, the love that they feel for each other, they find the truest, best part of themselves. and it's magic.  **the revolutionary and the rogue has been on my reading devices since many versions ago, but it publishes from entangle...

i'm not exactly sure how i ended up with this book on my tbr. i think i maybe won a galley via the cancelled book expo arc lottery, but who knows. anyway, i enjoyed austenland  the movie, and kind of a big deal  was written by the same author, and seemed to share a similar love of books premise. so i figured it was worth a try.  and this is fine. i guess. the main character makes it hard to root for her, which is never my favorite. and there's something of a love triangle, which is also not my favorite. not feeling particularly compelled to like the main character made this harder to enjoy. but that just means it wasn't for me. i'm sure others will disagree.  **kind of a big deal will publish on august 25, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy netgalley/macmillan children's publishing group (roaring brook press) in exchange for my honest review. 

her aussie holiday  is a mash-up of the movie the holiday with fixer upper  vibes. cora and trent unexpectedly end up as strangers sharing a house. but there are two bedrooms. plenty of space. projects to do. and so what if cora looks like trent's ex? honestly that's the lamest bit of conflict ever conceived, partly because it just sounds so improbably, but the two leads have chemistry aplenty and there is enough emotional depth to the story that you can forgive the doppelganger thing.  this stands alone, but is technically book 2 in the series. and it's always nice to find familiar faces in stories like this, especially when you get little updates. all in all, it's an enjoyable summer read.  **her aussie holiday will publish on august 25, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishng (amara) in exchange for my honest review. 

ok, so i'm kind of sad i don't rep kelly, because this is totally the f/f sports romance i've been jonesing for. out on the ice  features two ice hockey players who are so in sync with each other it's just fantastic. like they have a dark moment, and miscommunicate a little bit, but at the same time they never actually stop communicating.  they both have baggage, and stuff to work on. but like they never stop working on themselves. it's so utterly refreshing. these two grown-up ladies having an adult romantic relationship and working through their stuff. it's low-angst but there are real emotional stakes and you can't help rooting for these two ultra likeable characters.  this was the perfect comfort read. it was sweet, it was fizzy, it was just all-around good.  **out on the ice will publish on august 24, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/carina press (adores) in exchange for my honest review. 

in better than people  two men who have, for the most part, given up on people, are astonished to find themselves drawn to one another and tumbling head over heels in love.  jack who has retreated from the world after heartbreak, is fiercely independent. he relies on no one, except his pack of pets who give him an outlet for all the nurturing and care he has to give the world. when he meets simon he realizes that the only way to approach this painfully shy yet utterly gorgeous man is by applying the same patience, care and understanding he does to his rescues.  simon is overwhelmed all the time. his social anxiety and selective mutism are crippling. but it's never going to go away. finding someone who allows him the time to get comfortable, someone who doesn't judge him, someone who desires him in spite of all the baggage—it's a rare gift.  this love story is sweet (though plenty sexy) and has surprising amounts of emotional depth. even in the shorter category format...

i am pretty much obsessed with the inferno rising and fire's edge series, so have been looking forward to the latest release. the blood king  basically picks up from where the rogue king left off. and the stakes for these characters only continues to get higher.  skylar amon thinks she's going to save her sister from an unwanted match when she shows up in the upstart blue dragon king's enclave. except kasia is happy and in love, and revealing her presence just made her a pawn in the political games that abound in the dragon shifter world.  ladon omarr makes no apologies for the things he's done and the things he has to do to cement his power. he's not doing it because he wants it, he doing it because he needs to. because he's the only person willing to stand up and make the difficult choices it takes to be a leader.  both skylar and ladon have protective streak a mile wide. and as they get to know each other, the fact that they are destined for each other become...

the latest installment in the hat trick series, trade deadline finds daniel "bellzie" bellamy back in his home state of florida, playing for his league-worst home team, after years of success and a stanley cup win. micah kelly has no idea if his childhood bestie remembers him. do you forget your first kiss? maybe if you end up being a straight hockey player you blackout the past. it can't hurt to go to a game. there's no way daniel will recognize micah.  except he does. and it turns out that bellzie is not straight. he's bi, and those feelings that were forgotten years ago? come blazing back into the present. micah can't believe his teenaged dreams are coming true. but all of this is new to daniel, and how can he trust that it will work out. especially when it looks like daniel's time with the home team will be short. these questions are all answered in a very satisfying way. i don't know if there are more installments planned in this series, but i ho...

while i am evie's lit agent, and i did see an earlier draft of he owns my heart , the final product is one evie developed on her own. i am still probably biased, so am just going to admit it.  when landon and toby find each other under some pretty seedy circumstances they don't expect the kind of connection that will bloom between them. toby is a kid on the streets doing what he must to protect his family and survive. he doesn't know what to do with landon's kindness. but he is uniquely suited to giving landon what he needs. one motel room becomes a haven, a safe place for both men to let down their guards and for both men to truly explore their desires.  evie always balances heartrending angst and emotional depth so deftly, and there are moments in this story where the stakes are so high, the problems the heroes must overcome so vast, that you worry for a minute that it might not all be all right. but trust me, this is a romance, and while there are still questions tha...

full disclosure: i am mariah's lit agent of record on this book. so biases abound. the roommate problem  is book 3 in the mile high happiness series. moira rossi has been a scene-stealer in the series since book 1, and it's just a delight to have her story unfold here. she's quirky and fun and just full of hope and sunshine. she wants to share her light with the world.  enter august, who is the thunder clouds to mo's sun. he's grumpy and set in his ways and he can't comprehend how someone like mo lives the way she does. and now they have to share an apartment.  but what the forced proximity reveals is that mo and august are meant for each other. they work as a couple because they balance each other out. and seeing how they figure that out is just delightful. **the roommate problem will publish on august 11, 2020. i received an advance reader copy from entangled publishing (lovestruck).

meg cabot’s latest,  no offense  has some charming leads and relatable yet quirky side characters. the dual-pov finds john and molly on opposite sides of a small town mystery, except that we are somehow supposed to find molly’s unfounded optimism and naïveté regarding human nature winsome, when mostly i thought she was a complete idiot.  the banter between molly and john is delightful, and he’s so charmingly awkward around her that i found myself laughing out loud at some of the ways they found themselves at cross-purposes.  it’s a fun escape, but don’t look for anything deep here.  **no offense will publish on august 11, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/harper collins in exchange for my honest review. 

the absolute pleasure of reading this delight of a story cannot be overstated. you had me at hola  finds a secretive telenovela star crossing paths with an up-and-coming soap star and all the fireworks happening.  their meet-cute is a total meet-disaster, but there's something between them from first bump. of course jasmine is coming off a bad break-up, and she's also a bit of a insta-relationship kind of girl. while ashton (or angel luis) is cautious about letting people in, having dealt with a violent stalker he's very cagey about his personal life.  so cagey that basically no one in the world knows about his secret son. a revelation that might not be handled well by jasmine. partly because in jasmine's world, everything is about familia. she would be lost without her primas.  bur once jasmine and ashton figure out how to communicate it's all magic. everything about this book was magic. i'm just obsessed with it.  **you had me at hola will publish on august 4,...

i was excited when i read the blurb for lobizona  and saw that it was partially based on argentinian myths and folklore. while i am not culturally argentinian, i lived in buenos aires for several years and have a soft spot for that messy south american country,  for manu azul, the messy country isn't actually the one her forebearer's came from, but rather the american soil she lives on that fails to protect her at every turn. the contemporary content is topical and highlights the struggles of so many south american immigrants in this country. the poor treatment and racism they face, and the lack of acknowledgement that the issues they were fleeing from were valid and yet america fails to offer safe harbor.  manu must find her own way forward, which is fraught with more danger than she could have expected. especially given all she learns about her own heritage.  **lobizona will publish on august 4, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. mart...

the love scam is part rom-com, part caper, and rake tarbell is the perfect hero for this kind of story. he's rich but also ridiculous, and when he gets caught up in lilith and claire's shenanigans, well zany things happen.  this story is fizzy and charming, but there's not a lot of substance here. the plot is fun, the cast engaging, but i personally prefer a bit more heft.  still the perfect book to read while relaxing by the pool. **the love scam will publish on august 4, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press in exchange for my honest review. 

this scavenger hunt story pits two rivals against each other and the rest of their senior class in a night that will change everything. today tonight tomorrow  finds rowan and neil—usually at the one and two spots in their class—having just learned that neil has come out on top in the valedictorian race.  rowan, therefore, has one last chance to beat him. every year the junior class organizes a citywide scavenger hunt called howl. and rowan wants to win. but when her classmates target her and neil, they find themselves teaming up, and along the way learning that there is more to their rival than they ever knew.  this is one of those young adult stories that perfectly captures the feelings of the end of high school. that sense that time is running out, but also the exhilarating feeling of everything that lies in wait just beyond the bend.  **today tonight tomorrow will publish on july 28, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/simon & schust...

i totally picked the friend scheme  up (or rather requested the book) based on the cover. something about it appealed to me. if i had known that it was a retelling of one of my least favorite shakespearan plays, maybe i'd have reconsidered.  i'm just not a huge romeo & juliet  fan, and i think because this is a retelling of a play, one of the literary conceits the author uses is a lot of dialogue. like a lot of dialogue. and it's fine, i guess, but i also find that this keeps the reader at some distance, and i generally prefer a mix of dialogue and inner thoughts and physical details to ground the story. and it's not that they were missing exactly, but...i don't know.  this might also be a retelling but let's just say that it doesn't end the way the original does. this isn't a tragedy. it's just surprisingly insubstantial at the end,  **the friend scheme will publish on july 28, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/macmil...

as the follow up to waite's the lady's guide to celestial mechanics , the care and feeding of waspish widows  is an excellent second entry in the feminine pursuits series.  agatha griffin, a widowed mother trying to keep her printing business afloat while taxes are on the rise and censorship is rampant. so when she finds a nest of bees in a warehouse it's a pretty big problem. so when penelope, a beautiful beekeeper, comes on the scene to help agatha get rid of the problem, the connection and friendship that blossoms between them is unexpected.  penelope has a long-absent husband, and england is ruled by a queen who is consumed by the idea of modesty so the women risk quite a bit in exploring their relationship further,  but what they find in each other is well worth it. this was so worth the read.  **the care and feeding of waspish widows will publish on july 28, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/harper collins (avon) in exchange for...

i adore jenny holiday. i love her on twitter. i love her books. even when she kills me with second-chance romances. paradise cove  is the kind of second chance romance i love though. it's about finding love after grief. i love stories that tackle this. there's something about breaking a character's heart and finding a way to rebuild it.  i adored this story. i was excited to get back to matchmaker bay, but seriously, i loved paradise cove  so much. nora and jack go through so much but at the end of the day what they find in each other is everything i love about romance.  just, do yourself a favor and pick up this series. or anything by jenny. honestly.  **paradise cove will publish on july 28, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/grand central publishing (forever) in exchange for my honest review. 

the mall  is like mallrats  in book form to some degree. so totally 90s in feel. the nostalgia is real. i'm not always a fan of stories that take place in the recent past. and in this case, i'm not convinced that it couldn't have worked in the here and now, except for the fact that the here and now is an insane pandemic where no one is hanging out at a mall and online shopping is the only game in town.  so for sweeping me away to the good old days, to the days where i spent time at the mall with my friends and we didn't have cell phones and social media to perform for, the mall  was the perfect escape.  **the mall will publish on july 28, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/wednesday books in exchange for my honest review. 

book two in the hotshot series, high heat , finds garrick recovering from the harrowing accident that served as the climax for book one. and so, it's less sexy firefighters and more about a man who is learning to live a new normal and accept a reality where he won't be able to perform the job he loves in the same way anymore. or really perform many tasks in the same way anymore. it's kind of heavy, and while the love story that he shares with rain is incredible, the support and compassion and true understanding between them is really lovely. it's at times overshadowed by the extent of injury garrick is recovering from. it's well worth the read, and i'm looking forward to the next book in the series. but i didn't enjoy it quite as much as book one, but it was still really good. i appreciated all the realism and all the amazing disability rep, i guess i don't know what i was really expecting. this wasn't quite it. **high heat will publish on july...

danae is maybe wound a little bit tight. she conditionally got the promotion she'd been angling for, she's leading a boat tour-slash-teambuilding exercise with her colleagues for a week, and the captain of the ship isn't responding to her emails. to be fair to josh, danae sends a lot of emails. but he did the whole corporate world thing and the whole marriage and divorce thing and now wants to spend his days on the open sea.  he doesn't expect to connect with the inflexible woman who's been hounding him with final updates to their cruise schedule. but when she lets down her guard, danae is warm and charming. when he gets her to slow down she can appreciate that there is beauty and peace in not always striving. and josh learns that not all commitment is a bad thing, and there is something to be said about tying yourself to the person who sparks joy every time you see them.  sailing at sunset  is a lovely, sweet romance. **sailing at sunset will publish on july 21, 20...

i was so looking forward to more than maybe . but i was also really nervous because i loved you'd be mine . and you just never know with second books. and i still don't know. because i certainly loved luke and vada and their relationship, but maybe this book wasn't quite for me.  but as much as i love books about music, i think i love books that are about the making of music. the way sound and words play together to make music on the page. this book was about music, but about songs and bands and stuff i actually find really boring. i don't listen to music this way. i don't hear lyrics. i feel things when i listen to music. the words to a song don't matter to me as much as the way i feel about it. so i don't remember the names to songs or the bands that played them. i would never identify people based on songs, and i think the issue is that using that as a descriptor makes it hard as a reader who doesn't have the same musical knowledge nor the interest. i...

dirty tactics  tackles the best friend's younger sister trope in steamy style, and reagan and zac have all kinds of chemistry. i have no objection to that, at all. i think there's all sorts of interesting conflicts to be had when you have all sorts of history and some real stakes in that friendships are not something people want to give up on or endanger. friend breakups are worse than romance breakups, after all. this story was more character-driven than plot-driven, and it makes sense, but here's the thing. i am just not a flashback fan. and there were enough of them here that just pulled me out of the action. i don't see the point of "showing" me a whole scene that isn't actually pushing the plot forward. i don't know. this is a very personal pet peeve, and comes into play with books like this, where the characters have a lot of history.  **dirty tactics will publish on july 20, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/carina pr...

at first, i thought this was a second chance romance, but the reality is that rachel and beckett were enemies back in their high school days. and they did some pretty terrible things to each other. the goodbye guy  has them reuniting and learning that maybe underneath it all, they had more in common than they realized. and the spark of attraction is pretty flammable. i really enjoyed the romance here, the conflict between the characters and what pushed them together and pulled them apart was entirely relatable and real. if i have one complaint it's that beckett's complaints about his family were valid, and somehow he still ended up being the one to apologize for that.  yes, maybe he took things the wrong way, but that his family signed a deal without his input about the project he was in charge of, it was completely out of line. and so it was hard to see characters i'd previously enjoyed be such smug jerks.  luckily family isn't the entire focus of this, so, for the mos...

i picked this up as a palate cleanser to the heir affair , and it seriously hit the spot. everything about a sweet mess is charming. the two leads, aubrey and landon are just so, so adorable.  aubrey has worked hard to build up her small business, a bakery. when a food critic is accidentally served a specialty cake, it leads to him writing a terrible review. but his code of ethics prevents him from just retracting the piece.  but before the disastrous review is published, aubrey meets landon at a bar. and they have one intense, incredible night together.  when landon's review publishes, aubrey is devastated. when he realizes that the review he dashed up to fulfill a deadline hurt the woman he couldn't stop thinking about he knows he has to do something.  so he comes up with a plan. a plan that puts them in close proximity. and they just sizzle together.  everything about this book, i loved. it's just an absolute delicacy! **a sweet mess will publish on july 14,...

this queer superhero story is truly a fun read. set in a world where there are folks with x-men like abilities, in the extraordinaries , nick bell is a shadow star stan. he writes fan fiction loosely based on his favorite extraordinary and if it's a romance with a character based loosely on himself, well, it's his prerogative. nick also is still reeling from the loss of his mother. plus he has to deal with his adhd wreaking havoc with his concentration and occasionally his life. and his overprotective dad. and his annoying ex-whatever.  with the school year starting he's hoping he can finally get more time with his best friend seth, but seth is just as distant and preoccupied as he was all summer. and then nick meets shadow star in person. and it's like he knows him. but shadow star's battles with pyro storm (the villain, particularly in nick's fanfic universe) are getting bigger and more and more dangerous. and when nick has an encounter with pyro storm, it...