Romance Book and Audiobook Reviews and Deals
Spare Me by Tara Sivec Romantic Comedy. Book 6 in the Summersweet Island Series. Can stand alone. “A nerd fell in love with a nut job, and that’s some Summersweet Island, magical fairy-tale shit you just don’t mess with.” That quote describes The Summersweet Island Series by Tara Sivec perfectly. Every time I go back to the Island for a… Read More
I love reading about books that take place in the book world, especially the romance book world. So I’ve started compiling a list of books that have authors, publishers, editors, agents, or bookstore owners as main characters. I also may include books where a book has inspired the romance. I have a few that are stuck in my head and… Read More
So Not Meant To Be by Meghan Quinn Narrated by Aaron Shedlock and Stella Hunter Despite not being marked as a series, So Not Meant to Be by Meghan Quinn is best read after A Not So Meet Cute. The couple in this book are each siblings of the couple in the first book, so they are VERY related, though… Read More
Something Wilder by Christina Lauren Narrated by Patti Murin and Jon Root Standalone Romantic Suspense/Adventure I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren. So when I heard they were releasing a treasure hunt romance a la Raiders of the Lost Ark, I was totally here for it. Something Wilder is part second-chance romance, part adventure, and it sounded so unique… Read More
June 2022 Review Recap June 2022 Book & Audiobook Release Recap June was a big release month, and I did a lot of audiobook listening. I’m trying to listen to as many of the hyped books as I can to see if they live up to the hype. I listened to one of my all-time favorite books last month, Mary… Read More
Book Lovers by Emily Henry Narrated by Julia Whelan Standalone Romance Book Lovers by Emily Henry has almost a unanimous 5-star rating from romance book bloggers and authors who I trust very much. I pick up any rom-com about the book world I can find, so this was naturally right up my alley. But I’ll be honest, while I really… Read More
The Girl Next Door by Emma Hart Narrated by Kale Williams and Avery Reid I grabbed The Girl Next Door by Emma Hart when it was on sale from Chirp because A-I like Emma Hart, and B-my legal first name is Ivie, and in audio, it’s kind of cool hearing my name. (Especially when a hot guy moans it. 😉… Read More
Hidden Waters (Tattered and Torn Book 3) by Catherine Cowles Narrated by Sebastian York and Ava Erickson Romantic Suspense. Can stand alone but I recommend reading the first two first. Catherine Cowles is one of the few authors I read without even looking at the blurb. Every single book is filled with suspense, romance, family, friendship, and lots of excitement…. Read More
Just the Two of Us by Jo Wilde Narrated by Harriet Fraser and Alex Hyde-White Standalone. When I first picked up Just The Two of Us by Jo Wilde, it seemed right up my alley. I was divorced after 29 years right before the pandemic, and lockdown sort of brought us back together in a sense. I know I am… Read More
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau Narrated by Caitlin Kinnunen Women’s Fiction. 1970s. Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is my favorite book so far this year! It’s a character-based coming-of-age story from the POV of 14-year-old Mary Jane in 1975. Make no mistake though, this is an adult book. I was 8 in 1975, but with two older sisters,… Read More
A Not So Meet Cute by Meghan Quinn Narrated by Ava Erickson and Aaron Shedlock Romantic Comedy. Stands alone but there is a follow-up related book. Meghan Quinn has always been a favorite of mine so I try not to miss any releases. But sadly I missed A Not So Meet Cute back in November and decided to catch… Read More
Royally Remembered by Emma Chase A Royally Series Companion Novella. Does Not Stand Alone. Royally Remembered by Emma Chase is a royally series companion novella – a collection of short stories that take place before, during, and after the four full-length books (Royally Screwed, Royally Matched, Royally Endowed, and Royally Yours). I started to read this on the way out… Read More
Wow, May was one of my best reading months in YEARS! Plus I got to go to Passioncon from Passionflix, so all-in-all it was a great month! You can see my Passioncon quick recaps here, here and here (TikTok), or you can check out the photos on my instagram. These are the reviews I posted in the month of May: The… Read More
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid Narrated by Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, and Robin Miles Standalone partially historic Hollywood novel. Women’s fiction. I listened to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid on the flights to and from Los Angeles. I was crying so hard at one point the girl next to me… Read More
By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate Standalone Romance/Women’s Fiction I love books that take place in the romance book world, so I grabbed By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate as soon as I saw it. I recommend you don’t read the blurb on this one, and I’m going to keep the review very short (for me) so as… Read More
Seatmate (Love Lines Book 3) by Cara Bastone Narrated by Amanda Ronconi, Zachary Webber, Josh Hurley, Carol Monda, Corey Allen, Allyson Johnson, Eric Yves Garcia, Tanya Eby, and Dina Pearlman Made for audio. Completely stands alone. Clean Romcom. The first two audiobooks in the Love Lines series, Call Me Maybe and Sweet Talk by Cara Bastone made the top of… Read More
Flirting with Fifty by Jane Porter ARC provided by Berkley via Net Galley. Releases 5/24/22. “She didn’t need a man telling her what to do, or where to be, or what time to be home. She didn’t want to ask for permission to meet friends, see a movie, or take a barre class. She was turning fifty at the end… Read More
The Reunion by Meghan Quinn Narrated by Lidia Dornet, Teddy Hamilton, Laurie West, Rock Engle, CJ Bloom, and Stephen Borne The One Night is a prequel, but The Reunion can stand alone. Family life fiction/Romance. Meghan Quinn has always been a top 5 author for me. I’ve never met a Meghan Quinn book I didn’t love. Until now. I wanted… Read More
Much Ado About You by Samantha Young Narrated by Imani Jade Powers Standalone Contemporary Romance I’ve enjoyed Samantha Young’s books for 10 years, but it’s been a while since I read her. Much Ado About You was just the kind of feel-good book I like to read, so it seemed like it would be the perfect book to get back… Read More
Gossamer in the Darkness by Kristen Ashley Fantasyland 5.5. Fantasy Romance. Can Stand alone but better if read in order. Though it took me a long time to finally try, The Fantasyland Series by Kristen Ashley is one of my all-time favorite series. So I can’t tell you how excited I was to hear that Kit wrote another book in… Read More
April was the month I got back into reading! I love my audiobooks, but it’s been really nice to read books again. So nice, in fact, that I bought myself the newest Kindle Paperwhite. After the Mother’s Day sale and my trade-in, it only came out to $59 and I didn’t realize how much faster, bigger, and easier to read… Read More
The Ravenhood by Kate Stewart Flock, Exodus and Finish Line by Kate Stewart, Narrated by Maxine Mitchell and Joe Arden “My greatest hope is to be in all-consuming love. My biggest fear is to be in all-consuming love.” Though Kate Stewart does not write my usual lighter romance, several of her angsty romances have ended up being some of my… Read More
The Other Half of The Grave: A Night Huntress Novel by Jeaniene Frost A Retelling of Halfway to the Grave in the male POV. I *think* you can read this first, but you will want to continue the series, as this does not stand alone. Paranormal Romance. Back in 2008/2009, I was reading all the paranormal romance I could get… Read More
With This Fling (Summersweet Island #5) by Tara Sivec Romantic comedy with an older couple. Can stand alone but you should read them all. I’ve been Summersweetened. Just when I thought I couldn’t love Tara Sivec any more, she goes and writes a book about a woman my age (54) with a hot 57-year-old who are still so fun… Read More
