Love in the Scottish Fall Forest by Beatrice Bradshaw Review

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Single dad

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Grumpy x sunshine

➮ Opposites attract

➮ Age gap

Synopsis

Gennie Rivers lives for the thrill, both on and off set. Her wildest stunt yet is a gig on a film set in Scotland. Nathan, hiding from a scandalous past as a pop star, is determined to protect his little daughter Abby from the spotlight at all costs. When financial troubles force the protective single dad to rent out his land, the last thing he needs is a daredevil disrupting his carefully constructed peace. Forced into close proximity at his rural estate, the grumpy Scot and the free spirit from LA can’t resist their magnetic attraction. With the ghosts of past hurt and betrayal lingering, they must decide if they’ll take the greatest leap of all – trusting each other. 

LGBTQ+ Representation

5/5 🌈

There were nice levels of inclusion of LGBTQ+ side characters. They are naturally woven into the story and being queer is a normal part of their identity just as any other trait would be. 

My Thoughts

This was definitely my favorite of the series. You can tell how Bradshaw has been honing her craft through the series and this is the beautiful result. It was a well-balanced story with enchanting characters. I quite enjoyed my time with it.

The one part of the book that wasn't my favorite is that there were almost too many beautiful descriptions. At times it felt a bit over-narrated. I'd love to see more moments of dialogue that are just purely the dialogue. 

I really appreciated how self-aware Gennie was throughout, especially at the beginning. It was refreshing to see a character who knows she needs character growth and knows how she feels in a clear way. Nathan is also pretty self-aware but not as strongly as she is. Also just having a strong FMC in general is something I will always appreciate. 

Speaking of lovely characters, this book definitely awakened a phase in me of enjoying funny/sweet children in books. Abby was such a delight and her unbridled optimism helped propel the plot when needed. Now I just want to read all of the single parent books I have (don't worry I am already getting this desire fulfilled). 

I want to applaud Bradshaw once again for including queer side characters in her stories. It is nice to see and is done in an artfully subtle way. As she mentioned to me, she doesn't want to appropriate stories but knows.

As always, the scenery throughout is so aptly described. It felt like I was there with the autumn leaves along with the characters (if only it were actually fall weather outside). This series has definitely made me want to plan a trip to Scotland to see the beauty for myself. 

Oh my gosh, the tension in this one was unmatched by the rest of the series. It had me absolutely eating it up! It was the perfect balance of will they won't they combined with moments of non-romantic bonding. 

I will keep this part brief to avoid spoilers but I need to note my favorite scene was by far when Gennie gave Daniel a piece of her mind. It was peak entertainment and wholeheartedly well-deserved. 

There is spice in this story so if that is not your thing, this is not the series for you. That said, the spice is much more artfully done than a lot of spice in romance books.  

I received this book as an arc from the author. My review is honest and voluntary

Something Sacrificed by Erin FitzGerald Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.75/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Cowboy romance

➮ Friends to lovers

➮ Single mom

➮ Angst/painful pasts

➮ Age gap

➮ He falls first

➮ Small town

Synopsis

Some people would call this a midlife crisis, but I know better. Pulling up my shallow roots, I decide on a whim to move from Texas to Montana, leaving what I've known for the past three decades. The woman I cross paths with is one I've known for 20 years, someone to whom I've grown close: My best friend's widow, Genesis, who's running the family ranch after her husband's tragic death. Startled by her unexpected appearance, I create a situation I can't seem to fix. But a bigger problem is that her ranch is under threat. Can I mend what I've broken and convince her not to make the biggest mistake of her life?

Best Quote From the Book

“I'm so angry with you-furious-stop trying to confuse me with your stupid wonderful lips."

My Thoughts

Oh gosh, where do I begin? Unsurprisingly, I totally adored this story. Bestie Erin, you did it again what can I say. Y'all nobody has emotional romance mastered the way she does, truly no one. I will try to keep this review from purely being a rant about how much I adore Erin and her stories but no promises!

I have admittedly been chatting with Erin a bit about this story as part of her arc and overall support team and I wanted to share a bit she told me about this story in particular as I totally noticed it myself while reading and it added exponentially to the emotional strength of this story. Will's story is inspired by one of her close friends who wasn't in this world long enough to get a happy ending of his own. This story is a gift to him that creates a happy ending that he deserves. I could absolutely tell while reading that this story had more of a personal touch than the others in the series. There is this unspoken depth to the characters that makes this one additionally hard-hitting. I'm honored to witness both a healing experience for Erin and a lovely ending for her dear friend. There were also just general moments where it was obvious that more of Erin's personal touches were shining through. For example, as a Food Network girlie myself, I could tell Erin actually watches those shows too. Those little sparks of her are what make the book feel special. 

Now that we've gotten the sappiness out of the way I can dive into my thoughts about the story itself. The way the characters are described is particularly beautiful. I could feel Genesis and Will's pure awe towards each other. It was refreshing to see two strong characters fall for each other. Neither of them pulled any punches. Their headstrong attitudes feed into the angst perfectly. I also love how the angst is prominent but doesn't come off as juvenile. 

There were a few moments that made me fall in love and Will and Genesis. These include Will's adorable happy dance, Willa's disaster sushi fascination, Jud's brutal honesty that he knows exactly what his mother is up to, and Genesis' moments where she stands up to Ford. Ford, all I will say is that I hope you continue to have the future you deserve (no spoilers here). I also want to shout out that I am so happy to see more of the softened version of Mark. He has absolutely rounded out as a person since being with Lana for an extended period. They are from Something Lost if you were unfamiliar. I am shocked at how well Erin incorporated characters from past books this time. Every time someone we recognize met Will, it was for a legitimate reason and didn't feel forced. 

This story most definitely includes spice scenes that are very spicy. If you don't like spice, I would suggest skipping this book. The spice was giving and most definitely had me blushing while reading. 

Overall if you couldn't tell, I adored this book. Everything about it hit and felt so authentic to Erin and the series as a whole. I will be sad to read the last book and conclude the series later this year so prepare for a sob fest when that happens. I will be constantly recommending this book and the series as a whole!

I received this book as part of the Erin Fitzgerald arc team. My review is honest and voluntary

Single Dad Billionaire Boss by Evie Sterling Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.75/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Single dad

➮ Age gap

➮ Billionaire

➮ Off limits

➮ Gumpy x sunshine

➮ Dual POV

Synopsis

Let’s be real, a single dad billionaire looking to hire a nanny: sign. me. up. What I didn’t sign up for was a man who looks like he stepped out of a romance novel. The complaint is: that he’s off-limits. We unexpectedly get snowed in together and both of us clearly feel the connection, but this can not happen. Reality begs me to resist. My heart wants to augment reality. 

Best Quote From the Book

“Life is not about worrying and mistrusting everyone, it's about going after and cherishing the things that matter. It's okay to be afraid, but not when it gets in the way of love."

My Thoughts

I do not tend to gravitate towards books with single parents. Often times the kid is in the way, annoying, or so rarely included it makes me wonder why they were even written into the story. This book had me praying that Zoe would be a cute and sweet kid. Thankfully, Zoe blew me away. For a 5 year old she has a lot of spunk and is incredibly funny and charismatic. A lot of her lines were my favorites in the whole book. I feel like we all need to approach life a little more like Zoe sometimes. There were times that her language skills did seem a bit above what I would expect for a 5-year-old which did take me out of the story for a brief period. 

Zoe was not the only character from this story I adored. Once I got to know Ella and Jacob I was quite enamored by them too. Truly I have never met characters with such a similar sense of humor to my own. Their jokes and quips had me laughing out loud. They have immaculate jokes from cover to cover. I also love how they write notes for each other. They are already excellent communicators who have experience tackling disagreements from the moment they met. 

As is the case with all of Evie's books, this one was on the shorter side. I basically read this whole book in one sitting (minus a lunch break). The beauty of the shorter style is that any parts of a story that may have dragged on are not included. 

This one is the first I have read of her billionaire bosses series. I love how even earlier on in her writing career Evie excels at writing sweet and funny romances. Of all of the books of hers I have read so far, this is one of the funniest. I would say the humor is on par with Fake Dating and Matchmaking 101. This story is also the one that I would say is most begging for a sequel. I could absolutely see the need for another story when Zoe is older. 

The only reason this book is not a 5-star is that it includes another rushed engagement. I would've preferred that instead of them getting engaged so fast, it was left off with Ella and Jacob simply dating. 

Ella is a social worker who has a special place in my heart. As a psychology major, I took a lot of classes related to social work. It was obvious that Evie did her research about how social workers build trust with kids and how ethics work in the profession. This realism made me love the story even more. 

I received this book as part of the Haylingsbookstorm street team for Evie Sterling. My review is honest and voluntary

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

Something Lost by Erin Fitzgerald Review

 

5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Grumpy x sunshine

➮ Small-town romance

➮ Single dad

➮ Secret admirer 

➮ Age gap

➮ Dual pov

➮ Cowboy

Synopsis

When the Senator said he'd send an aide to draft a counter to the proposed pipeline that would bisect his ranch, the last thing more expected was Lana. The pull to her is stronger than he'd like. Lana's past is shadowy. He wonders if it's the reason she wants to leave DC. When a tragic accident results in a terrible misunderstanding, both of their lives are torn apart. Mark realizes some people don't want them together. Is it possible the biggest obstacle between him and happiness... is himself?

Best Quote From the Book

“Loving someone is easy at first, because you see only the best. Real love has history. It's practiced and chosen. It sees the ugly things and stays anyway."

My Thoughts

My first 5-star read of the year! I don't think I will be forgetting this cast of characters any time soon. My favorites are Mark's sons and his housekeeper Julie. They are incredibly amusing and endearing. 

Many times in this book I was cracking a smile because of funny or cute moments. Beyond just Mark and Lana, all of the characters are excellent at being naturally funny and comedic timing. Especially how absolutely nobody in this book is subtle about pushing Mark and Lana together. If only Mark weren't so stubbornly dumb this book would've been around 100 or more pages shorter. That said, I would not desire to miss out on anything that unfolded.

This book is long. I wish this book was shorter just so I could reach a satisfying conclusion faster. Even so, there isn't a moment I would cut out. I was flat-out drinking up the drama like it was the perfect daytime tv soap opera with a cowboy twist. 

Even if this is a 5-star read, there are a few small things that bothered me that seem worth addressing. Mark abandons Lana for almost 2 years I believe. If he was simply willing to communicate so much frustration could've been avoided. There is also a child in this book who would absolutely have fetal alcohol syndrome but that isn't mentioned at all. Despite the mother drinking heavily up to 4 months in, the baby is allegedly perfectly healthy. 

This book does include spice scenes. That said, the dirty jokes sprinkled throughout are actually quite funny.  In addition please look up a full list of trigger warnings before picking up this book because it dives into a lot of potentially triggering topics. 

I received this book as part of a release team. My review is completely voluntary.

Twisted Games by Ana Huang Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Princess x bodyguard

➮ Dual pov

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Age-gap

Synopsis

Rhys Larsen is a stoic bodyguard who has vowed to never get emotionally involved with his clients. That was until he met Bridget von Ascheberg... a rebellious and stubborn princess. Bridget desires freedom, and Rhys desires her. Their love could tear her whole kingdom apart.

Best Quote From the Book

“ I came back despite knowing the torture I’d have to go through because I can’t stay away from you. Even when you’re not there, you’re everywhere. In my head, in my lungs, in my fucking soul."

My Thoughts

Of all of the girls in the series I know of so far, Bridget is by far my favorite. She is so fun, spunky, and determined. As I mentioned in my Twisted Love review, I adore Brdget's character and attitude. Hence, I thoroughly enjoyed her story because it meant I got more from her. The royalty drama she brings is also a nice change of pace from Ava's story.

Yet another protective guy! Similar to Alex, Rhys would move mountains for Bridget if he thought it would make her life easier. There are lots of times his protectiveness bothers Bridget but it is really just how he shows he cares. There is one scene in particular involving an at-home festival and it is honestly one of my favorite scenes from the entire series. Rhys is a lot easier to root for compared to Alex. He truly is the embodiment of "if he wanted to he would."

Rhys amused me frequently during his many attempts to remain stoic. Unsurprisingly, Birdget's openness rubs off on him and he often fails dramatic to keep his stoic and cold persona active while around her. 

My rating decreased a bit because of a very confusing last-minute plot twist. I am all for books not ending as a reader expects them to, but I genuinely lost complete track of what was going on and the various relationships between the different characters. It sucked me out of the reading experience and led to me just feeling as though the book didn't know how to wrap itself up. 

As a warning, this book is very spicy. Many chapters are unskippable with this content. If those kinds of scenes are not your preference, this series is not the one for you. 

Overall, I will always be a fan of a book that has Bridget as one of the characters. I can say with confidence she is one of my favorite characters of 2023. I look forward to seeing if she will have any notable roles in the rest of the series. Rhys was very charming and caring towards Bridget which was nice to see. The royal drama plotline helped differentiate this story from Twisted Love. It is truly a series of interconnected standalones.