Something Gained by Erin Fitzgerald Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.75/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Age gap

➮ Friends to lovers

➮ Single mom

➮ Reverse grumpy x sunshine

➮ Cinnamon roll MMC

Synopsis

My plans and dreams have been put aside in favor of survival. The cowboy who finds me walking home offers me a ride and food. He has demons of his own, stating he doesn't expect repayment as he understands the struggle. When my son and I are in danger, Jacob provides us shelter. Both of us are hiding dark pasts. After a lifetime of feeling like I'm not enough, the thought of not being enough for him scares me the most.

Best Quote From the Book

“With a little effort, I could pour all the anger, mistrust, and hurt into the snow to leave behind."

My Thoughts

The magic is back! I love the callbacks to the characters in the previous books. They still give Mark flack for how protective he is of Lana which was well-deserved. Both Jacob and Emily go to Ashley for therapy which is cute and very fitting. Fitzgerald is excellent and weaving the stories of characters together without making an overly complicated web. Not everyone has to know everyone incredibly well and she does this perfectly! That said, I would've loved to see at least a little cameo from Travis, not just Ashley.

I loved the character of an ass-grabbing old lady so much. There were truly moments where her boldness made me chuckle. She is one of a few side characters that bring a little bit of light to a much heavier story. Their inclusion is much needed. 

I will say, Erin... I hate you a little for killing off the cutie horse. That poor baby did nothing to deserve that pain and suffering. At least it actually propelled the story forward and gave Jacob the push he needed to confront his feelings. 

This story is absolutely filled to the brim with heartbreak and teary-eyed moments. I definitely sobbed more than a few times with all they went through. The trauma was so authentic. I am unbelievably amazed at Fitzgerald's ability to express raw and deep emotion through her storytelling. The way they had to work through it all and the setbacks they endured are very reflective of the real lives of people who went through challenging times. Fitzgerald creates characters with deep deep trauma and then actually makes them put in the work to grow and move on towards happiness. There is no fast-forwarding through Jacob and Emily's respective traumas, they confront it for the long term. 

By the end, I was incredibly happy for Emily's son Riley. He went through so much so young and he came out at the end all the better. The bond he creates with Jacob is so heart-warming and gave me the warm fuzzies. I really appreciate how while Emily is a single mom, she isn't desperate or trying to fling her responsibilities onto someone else. Riley isn't just a character that is there to be there. He gives depth and significance to the bond between Emily and Jacob. 

This book has some open-door spice. It does contribute to the plot and how the characters are growing. That said, it can probably be skipped without missing all too much. 

Overall this was another incredible cowboy romance. The characters and depth of the story are by far the best aspects. I loved the cameos from the characters in the earlier books. I highly advise looking at the trigger warnings before reading this book because there are many that can be very raw and deep for those with similar experiences. 

I received this book as an arc and am part of the author's arc team. My review is honest and voluntary

So Not My Mr. Wright by Evie Sterling Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.25/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Professor x student

➮ Age gap

➮ Fake dating

Synopsis

Fake-dating my hunky professor was not part of my story. He’s an older single dad. I vowed that for once, I’d become the heroine of my own fairytale. I drove my hot neighbor’s classic Cadillac into a cement barrier. It was accidental, but Micah didn’t agree. To avoid jail, I agreed to play his girlfriend while his family’s in town. That sounded harmless until I arrived at my neuroscience class and he was the teacher. Now I’m stuck in a faux relationship with my professor. I spend my days getting butterflies during his office hours, swooning over his cooking abilities, and feeling protective of his adorable son. A relationship between us is strictly forbidden by school rules. I feel guilty riding in his car, let alone sipping merlot with him. When flirting leads to kisses, we both know the situation is dangerous

Best Quote From the Book

“'You stormed the castle on the hill.' 'Stormed might not be the right word. With the shape that old car is in, it was more like I puttered up the road and hoped to reach the castle without having to hitchhike.'"

My Thoughts

This book was a very solid and sweet romance with some taboo elements. It is completely clean and wholesome. Evie Sterling is a master at creating sweet clean romances and this book is no exception. It is funny, authentic, gratifying, and very easy to read. The shorter nature of this book made it fly by easily. 

For the most part, their 16-year age gap shockingly didn't bother me that much. That said, when they were confronted with the consequences of their choices, the age gap and their professor-student relationship did feel a bit uncomfortable. They claim to be people who are trying to go about this ethically but barely consider that their power dynamic is not at all balanced and never will be. 

This book has amazing and adorable autistic representation through Micah's son. Sebastian is on the high-functioning end of the spectrum but never once does the book push away his autistic traits. Micah always wants to do his best for his son and make him as comfortable and accommodating as he can. It also portrays how people can have very different reactions to a child with autism and how that can lead to some very complicated and murky relationships. Having a brutally honest autistic character like Sebastian also propelled the story quite well. He was completely truthful about what he saw and felt which helped bring things to light for Clare and Micah. I loved this positive and realistic but not forceful example of autistic rep. I love seeing more and more books that include neurodivergent representation without expecting brownie points for it.

They hit their stride as a fake couple almost seamlessly. I loved seeing them play house together and just, fit. They naturally played well into each other's lives and stories. Especially with Sebastian in the mix, they got along quite well. The trust they built and how they meshed together was so sweet to see. 

I feel like their story didn't hit quite the way I wanted it to because the repercussions were shockingly minimal in the long run. People who would care suddenly and conveniently didn't care anymore. They didn't have to struggle with the taboo of their relationship for all that long at all. It was just boom, it's all okay, happily ever after. There was a lot of rising action and conflict with no crescendo. 

Overall if you are looking for a cute and sweet age-gap romance book with a cute kid, this is the book for you. I would've loved a bit more from the conflict inherent in the story. Even so, the characters and funny moments easily make up for it

I received this book as part of a haylingsbookstorm arc and street team. My review is honest and voluntary

The Trouble With Love and Ink by Harriet Ashford Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Fake dating

➮ Slow burn

➮ Office romance

Synopsis

Emily Lane was supposed to be on vacation but is instead meeting a new hire who steals the position meant for her. Needing an escape, Emily takes on her sister's calligraphy company, which fits her skills quite well. The only caveat to this arrangement is that she has to pretend to be her sister. This was all going well until she discovered her client's brother was Beckett Atteridge, the office promotion thief. He will keep her identity secret on one condition: she is his fake date at the wedding in Costa Rica. As lines are blurred between real and fake, the vacation will either become as escape or a heartbreak. 

Best Quote From the Book

“But when [my pen] finally connected with the page, that's when the magic happened. Heavy strokes going down followed by the lightest of up strokes. It reminded me of  following music in choir. Every downstroke belted a proud fortissimo, and every upstroke sang a delicate, hushed pianissimo."

LGBTQ+ Representation

3/5 🌈

While not at all prominent in the story, there is a small mention of a gay couple amongst the bridal party. They are portrayed as very fun and kind. Everyone is totally chill and accepting of it. 

My Thoughts

I am shocked with how I genuinely have nothing negative to say about this book. There is always at least one thing I can critique in all of my reviews. That will not be happening here. This book is absolutely wonderful from cover to cover. 

From literally the second page, I was completely hooked on the story. It was nearly impossible to put down, I took every stolen minute to read the book, even standing in line at the store. For a debut novel, this book blew it out of the water completely! 

Ashford's writing style is naturally very witty. At times that can end up being rather grating, but not here. It just feels very natural and easily funny. There were so many moments I was legitimately laughing at this book. I kind of felt like a teenage schoolgirl giggling and kicking my feet at their dynamic and romance. There is one funny moment that involves aggressively floating that I want to shout out as a moment to look out for. The humor was exactly the kind I like with lots of inside jokes and references to each other. 

Both Emily and Beck are such endearing characters. Emily and I have a passion for calligraphy and letting. Having that in common with the FMC just added even more value to the story. I will also give a lot of love to Beck for his character design, meaningful tattoos, and casual elegance. We all have to appreciate a man who knows how to dress well and doesn't make a huge deal out of it. 

Ashford gives a lot of subtle and not-so-subtle nods to her home state of Texas. This includes Buc-ee's among other Texas staples. I admire how she puts herself into her book without literally just basing the FMC entirely on herself. It can be a difficult balance to incorporate special author's touches without making it overly personal. Especially for a debut novel, this line was totally respected.

I will note this book has a few spicy scenes, they are open-door. Don't bother skipping them; they add so much to the plot and give another peek into the characters. If you are uncomfortable with any spice, this book is one to skip. 

I am absolutely ecstatic that this book has a nearly non-ruined vacation. They don't have to run away entirely due to tragedy. They actually communicate and address things as they come up in a very supportive way. 

This was an absolutely smashing debut novel. This was the easiest 5-star I've given in years. Zero complaints. Go, run, and preorder this book so that you experience the magic and humor that is Emily and Beck. This hidden gem deserves to become a bestseller ASAP!

I received this book as part of a haylingsbookstorm arc team. My review is honest and voluntary

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

2.75/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Black and grey morality

➮ Book about books

➮ Unreliable narrator

Synopsis

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars, but Athena’s a literary darling, and June didn’t get a paperback release. When June witnesses Athena’s death, she acts on impulse and she steals Athena’s experimental novel about the contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during WWI. So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song including an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this story deserve to be told, whoever the teller is? June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, but evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. 

Best Quote From the Book

“Reading lets us live in someone else’s shoes. Literature builds bridges; it makes our world larger, not smaller."

LGBTQ+ Representation

2/5 🌈

Athena is referred to as vaguely queer. I want to iterate that this is a completely valid identity and does not take away from the LGBTQ+ community so no negativity is needed. I would've loved to see this aspect of her character come into play more throughout the story. 

My Thoughts

This book is the cornerstone of the unreliable narrator trope. June is incredibly delusional and cannot be trusted. As the story progresses, she goes further and further off the deep end. It got to the point I could hardly stand to finish the book. June is just so insufferable the important message of the book just falls by the wayside as I was blinded by my distaste for her character. I acknowledge that June is not supposed to be likable, but rarely do I feel prickly about and character and June hit that mark. 

This book takes a powerful stance in terms of the state of the literary world and the inherent racism within it. I admire Kuang's strength it took to express such a bold viewpoint. That said, it did feel like Kuang made this book overly personal. It morphed into a misguided perspective on racism in the form of self-insert fanfiction. A lot of the criticism of Kuang's other works is thrown into the narrative of this one. 

I went into this book as blindly as I could given this book's popularity. In a way, I wish I hadn't. This book would've had more value to me if while reading it I was taking it as more of a literary commentary instead of a narrative. My perspective while reading definitely negatively impacted my rating of the book because my ratings are based almost purely on my enjoyment while reading. 

Overall, if this book lost its last portion where June becomes insane in her delusions to the point of neuroticism, this story would be a lot easier to get through and still get the message. I highly respect this book for its commentary aspects, especially in terms of what would slide in the publishing industry as it stands today. I recommend reading it for those involved in the publishing industry or highly interested in it. If that is not you, the annoyance you will feel while reading is not worth the hype.

Love on the Scottish Spring Isle by Beatrice Bradshaw Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Runaway bride

➮ Dual POV

➮ International romance

➮ Travel romance

➮ Forced proximity

Synopsis

April is a runaway bride who escapes to a Scottish Isle. When she is there she runs into Euan MacLeod, a Scottish surf instructor, bartender, and infamous womanizer with a long streak of one-night-stands. Yearning for a chance at freedom April wants one of his one-night-stands. But Euan has to risk more than his beloved camper van. Will their vacation fling become an anchoring love?

Best Quote From the Book

“He kissed her hair. It was the color of  Saorsa's sand, her eyes the color of the ocean. She looked and tasted as if she were made of this isle. The place he loved most in all the world."

LGBTQ+ Representation

4/5 🌈

This book has a lot of wonderful LGBTQ+ representation sprinkled throughout the end portion of the book. I noticed a non-binary best friend, an advertisement with two fathers, and an old lesbian couple. All of these instances of representation were brought up casually and positively. 

My Thoughts

This book has an absolutely beautiful setting! I want to visit that island and see all of the amazing scenery in the book. I am impressed with how well Bradshaw wove the scenery seamlessly into the story. She is linguistically talented for this reason alone. 

My second favorite part of this book after the setting is how this book allows both main characters to grow on their own. In so many romance books the love interests only grow in the presence of the other person or do not grow at all. April and Euan learn and decide how they want their lives to proceed separately from one another. I want to see more of this!

There was one part that I did find a tad bit cringy. This is a personal grievance/ick of mine that I did not realize I had until now. April referred to Euan's butt as his peach emoji. I feel like especially in a book with spice, we are all adults here and can call body parts by their proper names.

The nicknames they both gave each other were so fun and clever. It reminded me of all of the various nicknames I have given my friends over the years. Their banter overall was quite good and funny to read.

During my reading experience, I was reading this book with a thunderstorm outside as I got to the scene with a thunderstorm. I can say this highly elevated my reading journey. It was so vibey and cool to feel extra connected to the book. I already felt connected to the setting through the writing, this just took it to another level. If you happen to be able to have the same experience, you will understand. 

I will note this book has multiple explicit sex scenes. The author has stated that she is a big advocate for sexual liberation and conveys such in her books. That said, these scenes can be skipped without missing too much plot if spicy scenes are not your cup of tea.  There is also a spicy bonus chapter available for anyone who enjoys that content. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The setting is immersive and gorgeous above all else. April and Euan's banter is amusing and flows well. Both April and Euan grow on their own which adds a lot of value to their commitment. I cannot wait to dive into future books by Beatrice Bradshaw. 

I received this book as an arc from Book Sirens. My review is honest and voluntary

Crushing on the Grumpy Best Man by Lila Marlow

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.25/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Grumpy x sunshine

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Opposites attract

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Dual POV

Synopsis

In an attempt to make peace, Max Waltons invites Jessa on a cruise back to Europe after her best friend and his brother's wedding. At the wedding, they butt heads a lot. Now that they are stuck on a cruise together, will they be able to play house and get along?

My Thoughts

This book is pretty much the definition of short and sweet. It is naturally very fast-paced. I enjoyed a fun vacationy read to get me in the warm weather mood. I would've loved to see the book slow down the pace a bit. 

It really felt like the characters barely knew each other and were suddenly in love. Readers don't get to know the characters all that much beyond their attraction. Particularly, I would've liked to see more of them before the wedding. Perhaps the other books in the series would help with that.

My favorite part of this book by far is all of the scenes where they have to play house with Emil. The little one is just so cute and sweet. He propelled the plot a lot simply by existing. 

I am a bit sad that the ruined vacation trope happened again in this book. This is really just my request for people to be able to have a nice vacation in a book. That said, I will forgive it this time because this book did need the conflict. I liked how the conflict was handled. 

Overall if you want a short, sweet, lighthearted, and vacationy read, this book is for you. It is a spice-free enemies-to-lovers story. I would've liked to see it be a tad bit longer but I appreciate that it trims out unnecessary parts of the story. 

I received this book as part of a haylingsbookstorm arc team. My review is honest and voluntary