Lucy Smoke: Hallowed Bones

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245303217-hallowed-bones

Book Blurb:

Four men. One girl. Five families accused of witchcraft. A dark secret they all hide.

Their souls are damaged, hiding secrets and harboring just as much hate as I am.

Ezra Bishop
Cameron Goode
Lyall Corey
Reyes Scott

And me. Haven Wardwell.

They are the monsters hidden in the shadows, but I am no novice when it comes to monsters.

We are all legacies, but there’s one grand difference between us. I am the first female witch born in four hundred years.

Now that I’m here, there’s no telling what the dark gods will ask for in return.

Death and ghosts haunt the corridors of Ipswich Academy. If I’m not careful, I might become one of them.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Witches *Paranormal *Dark romance *Slow Burn *Spice *Why Choose

*Family Secrets *Romantasy *Dark Acadamia *Magic *curse *shifter MMC *coming into power

*Cliffhanger *Spooky vibes *State Challenge Mass (repeat) *mystery 

Thoughts:

Haven (FMC) is 18 while she has been living with her aunt after the early demise of her parents, her aunt has been itching for the opportunity to ditch Haven at the first opportunity the only reason she's kept her this long was for selfish reasons.  Haven has been kicked out of several schools for weird things happening (not her fault as far as she knows) and now she is in a "this has to work out" situation since she can't keep living with her aunt and doesn't have anywhere else to go at the moment.

In comes her being dropped off at this old Gothic type academy near Salem Mass.  News to her is that her father donated a lot of money to this college and the money is now funding her to be able to go there as well.  

Haven has been struggling with very realistic nightmares since her parents death and even though she went to counseling sessions the dreams have become more frequent.

Haven hasn't had many friends especially recently so she is thrilled that she gets along so well with her room mate.  While at school she also meets up with 4 mysterious, handsome and wealthy guys that also attend the school and rumors surround them that they are witches... Haven will find out soon enough that the rumors are true and Ezra, Cameron, Lyall and Reyes are in the same coven... but they are in trouble.  

The founding families of this group are cursed, they are the last 4 remaining and they are in desparate need of a female witch for their line to continue... but no female witches have been born in any of their families in over 300 years... until now.

Problem is Haven's father never told her about his history, or her potential destiny, she knows nothing of magic, witches or anything in their world but since her powers have come in and she doesn't know how to use them things are escalating... she is scared and doesn't know what to do, but she also doesn't trust these 4 guys, she doesn't know them.

Will Haven learn to come into her powers?  Will she be able to grow to trust these guys?  She feels drawn to all of them in different ways... but that is also up in the air, she can't possibly be with all of them... or can she?

I enjoyed the dark, eerie setting it's perfect for spooky season reading.  The author does a good job with world building that has some depth but isn't too complicated at the same time.      

I thank the author and Netgalley for this ALC it's Dual narration with multiple Sarah Sampino, Corvin King, Grayson Owens, Michael Norman Johnson, and Stephen Dexter the narrators all did a great job with their parts and kept me invested in the story. 

I felt like it took ages for Haven to finally warm up to the fact that all the "odd" things happening around her might just be her powers coming in, I did get a bit frustrated that she was often running from one of the guys who were trying to help her... like girl stop running they want to help you figure this out and clearly dangerous things are happening in the area, safety in numbers!

I sometimes had a hard time remembering which male character's POV it was because to me the guys seemed to have similar personalities. 

I was hoping for more information on several things including the crime mystery happening, the relationships between the guys, and Haven finally learning more about their families shared past... hopefully we will get more of this in the next book. 

Have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Elise Faber: Small Town Big Storm

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245439450-small-town-big-storm

Book Blurb:

I’ve taken pucks to the face…

But nothing hits harder than hearing her call me Dad.

I return to Cedar Hollow for my father’s funeral. Not for forgiveness. Not for Poppy. And definitely not for the daughter I never knew was mine.

Poppy rebuilt her life without me—and she has every reason not to trust the man who left her behind.

But the moment I meet my little girl, everything changes. Walking away isn’t an option anymore.

They can warn her about me all they want. This time, I’m not leaving.

I’ll burn this town to the ground before I lose them again.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *2nd chance for romance *Sports romance (hockey) *single mom

*spice *grumpy x sunshine *secret pregnancy *found family *emotional baggage

Thoughts:

Storm (MMC) is a NHL player who is returning home in the off season to his small town for his father's funeral.  He is broody x 1 million and left his small town with no hopes of returning ages ago due to all of the bad memories with his father who was abusive.  

While back in town for what he thinks will be a short time thing he helps his brother fix up their childhood home and then he comes in contact with his teenage crush Poppy who he had a night to remember with... maybe since he's in town they can rekindle what they once had, but Poppy has a big secret.

Poppy (FMC) remembers their night together differently while she wanted to be with Storm he left town and she hasn't seen him since she tried to contact him multiple times after finding out she was pregnant, now she has been raising their child as a single mom and seeing him back in town brings up a lot of emotional baggage... if he leaves her again it could break her but she can't have him do that to her little girl. 

Storm is upset that something so life changing was with held from him for so long especially since his brother and father both knew... but he has a lot of time to make up for he wants to spend time with Poppy and get to know his daughter in whatever increments of time Poppy will allow him to have.  

Poppy is quickly falling for her daughter's father... but his job is in the off season right now, what happens when he returns to work and needs to travel, could they do long distance?  What if he leaves her again or he gets traded?  

Storm and his brother are both dealing with emotional baggage from growing up with a irresponsible dad and coming together to fix up their old home is bringing up a lot of feelings... and they don't do feelings.

Poppy has a great group of friends, Storm has fun team mates who come to town, Storm and Poppy's daughter is adorable.  Insert small town nosy neighbors, and diabolical geese who love to attack people and steal ice cream and you got yourself the starts of a cute new hockey series. 

The narrators Ivan Morea & Avery Caris did a great job with the story and they are probably how I ended up staying with this story.

I did like that Storm was working on mending his relationships with his brother, with Poppy and getting to know his daughter and that he 100% owned up to needing to be there for his daughter from the moment he knew she was his, his whole plan changed from leaving immediately to being the dad he never had and showing up.  

Some negatives for me:

*Storm spends so much of his time angry and brooding that I had a harder time liking him, he's angry about everything too long! 

*repetitive things like how much he loved her tiny red bikini... yes we get it what else do you like about her because it felt more like insta lust.

*There are so many characters coming into the story that I felt at times like I was dumped into the middle of a series but this is the first book in this series.

*The story wasn't necessarily bad it just didn't grab me like I hoped it would I didn't really feel a great connection with the lead characters, I was more interested in a budding relationship between Poppy's friend and Storm's Team mate. 

So I guess I'd say if you enjoy a small town hockey romance (with not much hockey), reconnections and second chance for romance you might enjoy this one! 

I do plan to check out more of this series as I liked the side characters 

Have you read this one?  What did you think?  

Elise Kennedy: Falling at the Barre

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241745381-falling-at-the-barre

Book Blurb:

Luca Bishop has one no dating until his first-grader graduates high school. Period.

Between running a growing auto body shop and solo-parenting, romance isn’t just off the table—it’s somewhere in the garage under a tarp. And with his schedule, it's time to hire a nanny.

Enter his daughter's gorgeous new dance teacher, who's also their next-door-neighbor. The one who smells like cinnamon.
Who makes his kid beam and who laughs like sunshine.

And who already feels like his—if only she weren’t leaving.

Ballet didn’t dump Olivia Maroo—it just stopped calling.

At 33, Olivia knows pliés won't pay the bills forever, but she’s not ready to hang up her pointe shoes just yet.

She just needs a few months to train for auditions, regroup, and totally not fall apart. So she returns to her hometown for the fall—where the maple syrup flows, the apple pie pancake breakfasts are elite, and the existential dread is pumpkin spice–flavored.

In exchange for ballet studio space, she agrees to teach at the local dance studio. It’s temporary. Chill. Fine.

...Until she accidentally volunteers to nanny for her most adorably chaotic student—who just so happens to live next door with her extremely hot, extremely off-limits single dad.

It has to be temporary.

But with cozy movie nights, cider-fueled slow dances, and a life she’s already half in love with, she’s not prepared for the kind of fall that changes everything.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Small town Romance *Single Dad *Mechanic MMC *Green flag MMC

*Balerina FMC *State Challenge Pennsylvania (repeat) *Spice *Nanny *Cozy read 

*Slow Burn *Neighbors --> more *Forced Proximity *Found Family *Banter *insta lust/love

*He falls first 

Thoughts:

After binge listening to books 3 and 4 in this series I was happy to continue the series this is book 5 in the Love in Fairwick Falls series even though the books connect together through characters they can be read as stand alones.  Coming back to this book was like visiting old friends and I love when I get invested in characters and they make appearances throughout the rest of the series.

Olivia (FMC) has returned home after her contract for the ballet company she works with hasn't been renewed she returns home to regroup and get herself together but she also has feelings of failure since everyone always placed a lot of pressure on her to do well especially herself.  Working as a professional dancer is not for the weak and she's used to the negativity and body image issues that goes along with it... but what is she going to do if she is no longer a dancer? 

Olivia staying with her mom and step father briefly ends up with a too good to be true offer from her child hood ballet teacher she is moving in with her boyfriend and is willing to let Olivia stay in her home... but there is a catch she needs to teach her childrens ballet groups at her dance studio... and surprise she needs to plan a fall dance for the upcoming festival great... she can do this.

Luca (MMC) is a devoted father everything he does is for his little girl including moving to a small town where the school takes her food allergy seriously.  Now with his auto shop busier than ever and working on moving the shop closer to home he really could use help... but where can he find someone he trusts to watch A.B. (Annabelle)? 

Luckily the answer lands right next door in the form of a beautiful woman, Olivia is sweet, caring, she has a great personality and his daughter already loves her since she is teaching her how to dance... win/win right?  Only how is he supposed to keep himself away from wanting more this is the first time he's actually wanted more since his daughters mother passed away several years earlier and he doesn't know how to deal with those emotions either.  Olivia is in trouble... because she may be falling for Luca but he's her boss, things could get awkward quick. 

Olivia and Luca are both dealing with their own feelings of worth as Olivia works through planning her life does she even want to keep dancing professionally?  She's only in her early 30s and has a few good years left but now that she's been around people who make her feel good about herself and cared for it might be harder to go back to the dancers world.  While Luca deals with feelings that he is not a good enough father and wanting to provide his daughter with the life he never had as a child including having a present parent.

Some drama arrives in the form of Luca's less than stellar mother coming around wanting handouts.  

I love how Olivia and Luca brought out the best in each other.  Luca even before they were officially together was protective and noticed the little things like a light going out on the porch that needed to be fixed. 

I also appreciated that A.B. was a main character right along with her dad and Olivia, she was such a sweet and whimsical little girl.

I received this as an ALC and thank the author and Netgalley for this book!  Narrators Aileen Bishop and Ryan Stone did a great job with this story! 

One thing that I wish would have been covered more was how Luca was going to handle his mother in the future, she really intruded on his life and expected way too much from him still giving guilt trips and threats and I would have liked to have seen him put up some additional boundaries.

This book was also a bit more insta lust/love, I'm not a big fan of "insta" but do appreciate that they were able to get to know each other a bit better before anything really happened between them.  

This was another enjoyable read for this series and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.  

If you enjoy a sweet and cozy small town romance with a single dad and found family vibes add this one to your list! 

Have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Roxie Ray: My Emergency Contact is a Wolf Shifter

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/254025739-my-emergency-contact-is-a-wolf-shifter

Book Blurb:

Zoey Yates doesn’t ask for help. She fixes things, handles things, and keeps a carefully maintained emotional perimeter around everything that matters. She has a plan, a parrot with a helpdesk vocabulary, and absolutely zero feelings about the wolf shifter she listed as her emergency contact after knowing him for approximately six hours.

Zero feelings. Completely fine.

The hospital called him anyway. He drove forty minutes in thirty-two. Now he’s in her apartment, cooking eggs she didn’t ask for, and her parrot—who has never liked anyone—has accepted a head scratch. Liam sits across the room, not beside her, because she hasn’t invited anything closer. He waits. He doesn’t push.

Zoey has spent her whole life being the person who shows up. She doesn’t have a protocol for someone who shows up for her.

She’s building one. Against her will. Slightly faster than planned.

Tropes:

*High Gravity ALC *Shifter Romance (wolf) *Strangers --> More *family drama

*Mental health rep *Animal side kick *Lone wolf MMC *Independant FMC

*one night stand to more *Spice *insta lust/love ish  *small town *protective MMC

Thoughts:

Zoey (FMC) has spent most of her life as the responsible one who takes care of things before they get out of control, due to this she is fiercely independant and doesn't like others stepping in for her to help, she is used to being in charge of her surroundings so when she finds herself in need of assistance while on vacation with some friends from work she doesn't let herself get close to many people and puts her hot new friend Liam as her emergency contact... it's just for the day it's not that big of a deal.

Liam and Zoey have what they both believe to be a one night stand. 

Zoey has moved into her new apartment and wakes up in the hospital after taking a fall hitting her head and going unconcious... they have contacted her "emergency contact" Liam and he actually shows up for her in order to be released from the hospital she needs someone responsible to monitor her over night, Liam is up for the job.

Zoey has a foul mouthed parrot, and a nosy but sweet kid neighbor who has charmed her way into Zoey's life... and now she has Liam who she isn't quite sure what to do with as she's not used to others taking care of her.  

Liam is a wolf shifter but left his pack when he was a teenager due to differences in how he should be able to live his life his father was abusive and his mother was complacent.  Zoey has her own deep seated issues with her mother and struggles with boundary related issues and sticking up for herself. 

I thought this would focus more on the shifter aspect but this focused more on Zoey and her learning to trust people, let safe people in, and set boundaries for others in her life.

I listened to the audio and I felt it was pretty long winded at times with repetitive things there are a lot of chapters that don't move the story forward much if at all and I don't think that the book needed to be this long a lot could be edited out without losing anything crucial for the story.  

While the story was cute and cozy, I didn't really feel much was happening most of the time and I thought of giving up on it a few times while listening because it just wasn't holding my interest I didn't see what the point was for Liam to be a shifter for the story other than for the parrot to shout "DOG" at him constantly.  

There isn't much world development on the shifter side and it was really just a real world romance meets a counseling session .  I did appreciate the mental health representation and I felt it was necessary for Zoey since she was a doormat to her mom.  

I was looking forward to listening to this one but unfortunately for me it just fell flat.  The narrators Sadie Provost & Jack Thompson were awesome and I don't know if I would have finished this one without them.  

Have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Elle Cosimano & Hannah Morrissey: Home for the Homicides

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244967410-home-for-the-homicides

Book Blurb:

'Tis the season . . . for murder.

When Special Agents Holly Frost and Mark Shepherd report to the idyllic town of Christmas to investigate a very less than idyllic murder, they’re in for more than the average whodunnit.

Welcome to Christmas, a town so cozy and charming it could be the backdrop of a Hallmark movie, where crime is never in season and it’s the holidays all year round. So when a tourist is found stabbed to death by an icicle in the middle of the town nativity scene, the local police are out of their depth—after all, how do you find a criminal in a town where crime doesn't exist?

The stakes are the whole town is relying on Holly and Mark to solve the crime before the annual Jingle Bell Jubilee festival (which naturally the town's entire economic survival relies on), plus, whichever of them cracks the case will receive a promotion to Major Crimes—and there's only one spot.

Holly and Mark are both on thin ice after screwing up on the job. This assignment is their one shot at redemption, if they can put aside their bitter rivalry. And of course, it's not only their jobs on the line, it's their hearts, too—regrets of their holiday party hookup last year haunt them like ghosts of Christmas past, so they both want to wrap up this rom-com gone wrong as quickly as possible. But with just twelve days until the festival, the countdown to catch a killer—without killing each other—is on.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Cozy Mystery *Enemies --> more *Small town romance *forced proximity

*one bed *Hallmark meets mystery *Spice *Christmas season *holiday town *work relationship

*police officers *Insta lust/love (ish) *Who dun it 

Thoughts:

Holly and Mark have a history together last year at the office christmas party they may have given into temptation in a closet... against Holly's better judgment it's not happening again especially since Mark got the promotion to Major Crimes that Holly wanted. 

Now Holly and Mark are both in trouble at work due to different reasons... and basically to set an example and because no one else can do it they are sent to a small town crime scene where the town could double as the set to a hallmark movie... these types of things don't happen in this town and the local law enforcement has requested assistance in the investigation.

They can do this they just need to get along and work together... only things start going wrong pretty much right away there is only one room at the Inn.  Solving this case means everything to both of them they need to wrap up the case to save their jobs, and with Christmas quickly approaching in this Christmas town it's important to everyone that the culprit gets caught before the big annual festival.

Naturally these two working so closely together rekindles something between them that they have a hard time resisting.

This book was like a hallmark movie and a cozy 💀 mystery had a baby, The jokes are fairly cheesy throughout and a lot of things that happen in this book were ridiculous, I thought it was a good time that had me laughing throughout... don't go into the book expecting things to be super serious, it's not.

Thank you to the authors and Netgalley for this ALC the narrators Angela Dawe, Colin Donnell and Patti Murin did a great job bringing this story to life.

The story is fast paced and added enough shady characters that it made it interesting to figure out which shady character was naughty this christmas.  

I enjoyed this one but here are some Negatives:

*Holly believes that everything Mark does is to get one over on her and get the promotion (he already has the promotion)

*comes off as a parody trying too hard

*Names are too corny, over the top cheesy/cringe dialogue

*Nothing really happened between the couple to make it feel like their feelings were as strong as they were, too insta lust/love

have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Ruby Fairchild: Between the Notes

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245371185-between-the-notes

Book Blurb:

One unforgettable night.
Two unforgettable men.
One heart caught between them.When Grace meets Ty, a cowboy with a dangerous smile and a taste for trouble, their one night together leaves a mark neither of them can shake.

Weeks later, she's stunned to see him again, and the spark between them reignites instantly. But just as Grace begins to believe it could mean something, Ty walks away.

As she pieces her heart back together, a message lights up her phone - from Max. Genuine, confident and effortlessly captivating, he’s everything she thought she’d never find. With Max, love feels safe and true.

But when the past returns, Grace must choose between the life that feels right and the love she can't forget.

Love Triangle, Angst, Cowboy romance

Tropes:

*Love Triangle *spice *Cowboy MMC *Clean cut MMC *State Challenge Tennessee (repeat)

*One night stand to more *big family *drama *Age Gap *Musician MMC 

*12 recs by 12 friends book 4 selection

Thoughts:

This story starts out with a bang (haha)... anyways Grace who lives in London is in Tennessee visiting her family and attends a country music festival with her father where she runs into hot cowboy type Ty they both hit it off and end up having a one night stand the next morning Ty leaves and Grace takes it as it is one night of fun and done.

Grace returns home and life continues as usual until her best friend talks her into a double date at a place having a country music singer there for the night (knowing how much Grace loves country music).  While at there she's very surprised to see Ty her one night stand on stage... he is in fact a country music star that she loves... but she wasn't aware when they met because she listens to the music and doesn't follow what the musicians actually look like.

Grace on a date with Max at the time has a good night but nothing spectacular and leaves for home only to find that Ty has followed her, this is where they have a whirlwind weekend but Ty travels the world doing shows and has to go before too long.

Ty and Grace begin a long distance situationship mainly controlled by Ty and his time since she doesn't have his phone number... they have an amazing vacation together then just when Grace thinks things are going to the next stage of their relationship Ty breaks it off with no reason leaving Grace heartbroken... making her wonder how many other women has he been a "love them and leave them" kind of guy with.

Thankfully Grace's friend and Max who has recently moved to London for work are there to help put the pieces back together, Max is green flag boyfriend material, caring, supportive, present, and he doesn't make excuses for his poor behavior.  Soon she is in a stable and happy relationship with Max and bringing him home to meet her parents and extended family in Tennessee for thanksgiving.

This is where Ty shows back up throwing a wrench in Grace's life again trying to make claims that he made mistakes but he is willing to step up and be the man she needs if she still will have him.

Grace is torn between the fiery passionate relationship that wrecked her when it ended and safe, stable and sweet Max.  Who will she choose?  

This was recommended to me as part of my 12 recommendations by 12 friends challenge

While I enjoyed parts of this book and I'm sure that there are going to be lots of people who will like this book, I had a hard time with it due to the fact that I 100% didn't like Ty he manipulated her knowing how much she was starting to care about him and then tossed her out, he never gave her his phone number and treated her like some kind of secret... then he comes crawling back when she is with someone else in a stable relationship... that's a no from me.

I found myself yelling at my book for her to get away from Ty immediately, I get she wanted closure but she was in a good, caring and committed relationship with Max who treated her like a princess...Ty was a jerk to her and I was so mad at her for allowing him the time to "explain" himself... which wasn't even that great of an explanation to be honest... all the while Max was waiting for her to return to him which Grace told him she would and she just needed to hear what Ty had to say... girl no!  run!!! run fast!! 

Grace seemed younger than she was (I think she was supposed to be like 27) but I kept forgetting she was closer to thirty.  The book is fairly short (just over 200 pages) but she spends way too much time wallowing over her situationship ending with Ty... I know I sound harsh but I could see the whole thing coming from a mile away Ty is a charmer... 

I could say more but I don't want to give any spoilers  

Have you read this one?  What did you think?  

Danielle Garrett: Batter and Broomsticks

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246171210-batter-and-broomsticks

Book Blurb:

Nothing says “small-town journalism” like stumbling over a corpse.

The magic from the amplification stones is gone, and we have no idea where to find it, but by a stroke of luck, we meet a fairy who might.

Unfortunately, she’s got a problem of her own. The deal is simple we shut down the thief who’s been stealing botanicals from the fairy's sacred grove, and she’ll tell us what she knows.

Simple enough. Orion has his shiny Arcane Order badge, after all. Stopping a small-time plant thief should be all in a day’s work, with maybe enough time to spare for a late lunch at Whimzee’s.

But when we go to issue the official warning and retrieve the stolen goods, we walk into a crime scene.

Now we’re stuck solving a murder to honor our end of the bargain. But the deeper we dig, the more suspects we find.

The clock is ticking, the fairies are growing impatient, and we’re running out of time to get answers.

To catch a pair of thieves, first we’ll have to catch a killer.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Fantasy *Cozy Mystery *Magic *witches *magical beings *romance

*crime mystery *just kisses *amateur sleuth 

Thoughts:

Per usual with my requests for ALC's I didn't really do much research only briefly reading the blurb before requesting I somehow missed that this was book 9 in this series, even though it's later in the series I never felt lost so in that way I'm gathering it can potentially be read as a stand alone... but better to read in order as previous situations were mentioned throughout the book.

This starts out with Rosella, a witch who can speak with animals, receiving a late night visit from her owl friend who is distressed that there is a Pixie caught in a trap in the woods several miles away, feeling she needs to help she wakes up her boyfriend Orion and they rush to the rescue.

Once there on scene they realize that there is more going on than they originally thought and that the Pixies are all upset and nervous about someone who has been coming into their homelands and not only poaching endangered resources but also trapping pixies.  Rosella and Orion who had been working on a case to find out why the magic is gone from the amplification stone finds that one of the pixies might have some information... but it will cost them catching the person setting traps and stealing from the forest.

Tracking down this thief uncovers additional shadyness as they end up at the suspects home and find him deceased of unatural causes and shortly before the police arrive.  Now they not only have a smuggling operation but a murder mystery... but who could be behind this whole situation?

Orion and Rosella are sweet together as they work to solve this case and steal kisses along the way.  While Orion is good at his job it is getting a bit old going anywhere the order sends him on missions and maybe it would be nice to settle down in one spot.

Rosella wants to help but perhaps burns the candle at both ends trying to help Orion with the case and work at her families bakery where she has recently been tasked with training a new employee... like she has time for that!

This was a cute cozy mystery that kept me interested in the story, I liked the lead and side characters and loved the element of magic where Rosella could speak with the animals.  I think that I may have enjoyed this slightly more if I had read the previous books first as I do feel that I missed a chunk of back story and getting to know you elements by dropping in so late in the series. 

The story had enough shady characters throughout so that I wasn't entirely sure who the real suspect was until the very end so I appreciated that aspect.  

This was single narration by Kelsey Navarro Foster and she did great with all the characters the voices were clear and it made it easy to do some house chores and still follow along.  

If you're looking for a low stakes, cozy mystery this might be the vibes your looking for.  I do plan to check out more in this series.  

Have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Fiona Buttercup: The Pumpkin Bride

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250503112-the-pumpkin-bride

Book Blurb:

Some curses just need a cozy fire, a little magic, and a second chance to break them.

A cursed knight.
Sir Bram Duncan was once a knight of legend in Harvest Hollow—until the whim of a jealous prince and the trickery of an autumn sprite turned him into the hulking orc Jask Bone-Cracker, and tethered him to Grimroot Farm. For three long, lonely years, he’s hidden his monstrous form and the truth of what happened the night he lost everything, including his true love, Princess Marigold.

A runaway princess.
Fleeing an arranged marriage to the vain and intolerable Prince Crispin, Marigold finds a safe haven when she stumbles across Jask’s charmed pumpkin farm deep in the forest. Sensing glimmers of gentleness—and a surprising talent for baking—beneath the grumpy orc’s imposing exterior, she begins to feel a familiar longing she believed dead when her Bram disappeared.

One true love.
As magic stirs and pies are baked, truths about Jask’s curse begin to surface. But curses don’t break easily, and wronged princes don’t capitulate. As their peace is threatened, Jask and Marigold must decide: cling to the lies that protect them, or risk everything for a love that could set them free.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Romantasy *Curse *Magic *Fairy tale retelling  *Shrek vibes *fantasy

*grumpy x sunshine *Beauty and the beast vibes *Hidden identity *One True Love

*Childhood sweethearts *secrets *Spice *Cozy read *Fall vibes *Second chance romance

Thoughts:

Sir Bram Duncan is many things handsome, charming, a fighter and loyal... unfortunately his loyalty to the prince didn't get him far.  Prince Crispin promised to give him a title if he obtained some items for him... only instead of a title he got cursed by the Autumn Sprite, unfairly since he answered the riddle right but the Prince ordered the Sprite to curse him anyways, now instead of being able to make a name for himself to return home to his one true love he's tied to Grimroot Farm as an Orc life as he knows it is over.

Princess Marigold has been a shell of her former self since the news that the love her life passed away while serving the prince... since she'll most likely never love again she figures she might as well help her family by gaining a powerful alliance in marriage so when Prince Crispin offers for her hand she agrees... only he is terrible and plotting evil things and she can't go through with it her only choice is to run for safety until she can notify her family of the nefarious plans.

Fleeing in the night she ends up on Bram's farm only he is no longer the Bram she once knew he is big, grumpy and growly and now known as Jask Bone-Cracker, there is a way to break the curse but Bram/Jask was so upset at the time of the curse he didn't hear the sprite or how to lift it... what he did hear was that telling anyone he knew that he was Bram would have deadly consequences as they would lose their life.  

Seeing Marigold again after all these years is the sunshine he's been missing from his life, but he needs to push her away for her own safety, and to protect his heart he's already lost her once he can't deal with losing her all over again.

Only Marigold is stubborn and doesn't leave, she's not afraid of him as Jask and attempts to get closer to him and she's surprised to find that Jask is kind, thoughtful, protective, he's a care taker and he has a loving heart even though he doesn't see it in himself... she's only felt like this with one other man Bram... but if her parents the king and queen wouldn't allow her to be with a knight what would they think if they knew she wanted to be with an orc.

Bram is terrified of his secret getting out he would be destroyed if anything happened to his one true love Marigold... but he also doesn't want her in the arms of his nemesis Prince Crispin.

Can they ever have true happiness with this curse looming over their heads, and the evil Prince still searching for her?  

This was such a cute romantasy it mixed a bit of Shrek with The Princess Bride, Beauty and the Beast and Rumplestiltskin with enough new elements to make it a fun whimsical story all on it's own.

Bram continued to attempt to push Marigold away because he loved her so much for her own safety but Marigold continued to find reasons to stay with him, it was really sweet watching Jask the Orc let his walls down to let love into his life again, and Marigold proved time and time again that she truly could love Bram/Jask in all forms of himself.  

Narrators Will Watt and Moira Quirk were amazing with this magical story!

If you are looking for a fun fall read check this one out.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this ALC.

Have you read this one?  what did you think? 

Maggie Sims: Duke's Diversion

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222441398-duke-s-diversion

Book Blurb:

He wears a disguise to discover the truth. She wears one to keep secrets.

Transformed from pub manager to the Duke of Rutland overnight, Xander Whitcomb sees a chance to help the working class through his seat in the House of Lords. But first and foremost, he must learn his newfound role to navigate the peculiar rules of the Ton and circumvent an unexpected marriage contract to a titled lady he’s never met.

Lady Evelyn Allen, betrothed to the late Duke of Rutland as part of a familial alliance, finds herself at the whim of his successor’s willingness to honor the betrothal. More importantly, she must ascertain whether she wants him to honor it. Masquerading as a maid in his household seems like the perfect cover to take stock of the stranger who holds her fate in his hands.

When Xander discovers his new and rather fetching maid understands the ins and outs of London society, he requests her assistance. As teaching leads to moonlit dancing and passion, Evelyn is trapped in a web of lies. She’s neither maid nor duchess, merely the duke’s diversion.

Tropes:

*Historical romance *secrets *Hidden identity *former bartender MMC --> new Duke

*Arranged marriage (sort of) *lessons  *Employer/Employee *spice *Fish out of water

Thoughts:

Xander Whitcomb (MMC) is a tavern manager until he receives some life changing news... a distant relative has passed away unexpectedly and he is now the closest male relative in line to be the new Duke of Rutland, he doesn't know anything about being a Duke he's a hard worker but he's used to doing the work himself... not telling others what to do.

Lady Evelyn Allen (FMC) had been betrothed to the former Duke of Rutland but since he has passed away her father has decided to offer her hand in marriage to the new Duke... but she's no longer as young and naive as she once was, she accepted the former Duke's offer without really knowing who he was as a person... and it turns out that he wasn't a good person the more she got to know him the more she realized that their dreams and goals did not align.

Evie not wanting to be in another arranged marriage with a man she doesn't know decides to take matters into her own hands and with the help of her favorite aunt gets hired as a member of the new Duke's household as a maid... what better way to see a mans personality than to see how he treats his staff.

Evie now working closer than ever to her husband to be ends up making a bigger impression than she initially planned to and the Duke has enlisted her to help him with his correspondance in the evening and other things... Xander is out of his element and needs all the help he can get and appreciates the company of this beautiful maid he feels drawn to but knows that he shouldn't with his new station in life.

Evie finds Xander to be kind, fair, loyal and devistatingly handsome... only problem now is that while falling for him as her alter ego the maid she has been pushing off telling him the truth, she knows he has had poor experiences in the past with members of the ton and even though she didn't do this with any nefarious thoughts in mind she knows the longer she puts off telling him the truth the harder it will be.

Evie just needs a little more time... but she finds too soon that time has run out will her budding relationship with the Duke be over before it really even began?

I got a bit confused when several other characters came into the book I'm sure they have their own books so I'll have to check those out too.

This was a short and sweet hidden identity historical romance, I did find myself shouting at Evie to tell him the truth already!! 

I enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC copy 💓

Have you read this one?  What did you think?  

Elise Kennedy: Unexpectedly Bookish

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209373297-unexpectedly-bookish

Book Blurb:

REED
After years in corporate architecture that stifled his creativity, Reed Berry is moving to Fairwick Falls and chasing his dream: opening a cozy bookstore.
His plan? Design a bookstore that sparks wonder and a love of reading on a shoestring budget.
The hitch? Pearl Bishop—his new assistant, and the human embodiment of a "Do Not Touch" sign. She's all dark eyeliner, piercings, and attitude sharp enough to cut glass. And Reed? He's sunshine and golden retriever charm, which seems to make her want to throw him out the nearest window.
Good thing he has his anonymous, late-night confidant—impossibly_bookish—to escape to.
His steamy, secret online crush gets him in ways Pearl never would.

PEARL
Pearl Bishop is nobody's idea of a sweet, small-town girl. She's all death metal tattoos, piercings, and black lipstick—a girl who's perfected the art of keeping people at a distance.
Especially good guys like Reed Berry.
He's her brother's best friend, her new boss, temporary roommate, and the poster boy for annoyingly cheerful. But the way he looks at her? Like she's the only woman who exists? It's messing with her carefully crafted armor.
But Pearl's got bigger problems, like scraping together enough cash to start her allergen-free bakeryand dodging her nosy neighbor, who is hell-bent on stopping both the bookstore and her bakery with permit red tape.
The only person who sees past her sarcasm and ink-stained armor is her online confidant,hemingway_cansuckit—a guy she's been swapping filthy, flirty messages with for months.
The man she's been falling for, text by text.
The man she's agreed to finally meet in person.
...What could go wrong?

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Small town romance *brothers best friend *Black Cat FMC 

*Golden retreiver MMC *Texting/hidden identity *You've got mail vibes 

*Plus Size FMC *Virgin MMC *forced proximity *temporary room mates *Autism Rep

*hallmark meets spice *State challenge Pennsylvania (repeat) *opposites attract

*Reverse grumpy x sunshine *Romcom

Thoughts:

Part of a series but can be read as a stand alone

After finishing up book 3 in this series I had to start book 4 I was able to grab this as an ALC from netgalley and thank the author and Netgalley for this opportunity for an early listen copy!

Reed (MMC) is a ray of sunshine he is so sweet and looks for the positive side of everything life has to offer including the fact that he has more recently been diagnosed with autism.  After his parents moved away he has decided that he's going to do something he wants to do and has been looking for the perfect space to place his dream book store.  He has been working as an architect like his step father but he never really felt it was his calling he just wanted to belong.

Pearl (FMC) has her guard up about everything, she pretends she doesn't care but really cares so much especially about her brother and her neice.  She lives with her brother and is happy to help with her neice where she can including picking her up for school and making sure she stays away from foods that she's allergic to by learning to make gluten free items that her neice can enjoy.  

Reed has always felt out of place, he's quirky and has always felt like the people closest to him feel he's "too much."  He has had a crush on his best friends sister since their school days but that's a hopeless cause since she doesn't like him at all... and makes it very clear every time she sees him.  Thankfully he has an online friend that he has been chatting with for months she is becoming so much more than just a friend though... maybe one day he'll work up the nerve to ask to meet.

Pearl's brother and neice go out of state for the summer and he has decided to let his best friend Reed stay at their house while he's waiting for his business and apartment to be ready... just what she needs Ray of sunshine Reed in her personal space... only he's not as bad as she originally thought, he's caring and supportive, he notices things others don't about her and she's beginning to feel more for him than she should.

Pearl agrees to work with Reed to help him get his store up and running he needs the help, and she could use the extra money, naturally they get closer together during this time.  But by getting closer together they begin to feel guilty about having feelings for each other since they have a relationship with their alter egos online (not knowing they have been chatting with each other)... up until the big reveal it had me wondering when they were going to find out! 

This was such a cute small town romance, I enjoyed the opposites attract vibes and loved the fun side plot of the secret online persona's (very you've got mail) both falling for each other's personalities before they even realized it while also falling for each other in real life.

I liked reading about how both characters had their flaws but I loved how they both accepted each other where they were at neither wanting to change anything about the other one, they both needed that after growing up feeling the insecurities they both had, and it was so sweet to see them grow together and show that the right person will love you flaws and all. 

Loved seeing cameos from the sisters of the previous book and how their story played out in this book, and always enjoy the small town quirky characters... including the grumpy witch of a neighbor. 

Reed was a super sweet green flag boyfriend material but extra naughty in the bedroom.

I enjoyed the narrators Rachel Danes and Grayson Owens who brought the story to life beautifully!

I would say that it has a 3rd act break up and I didn't feel it fit the characters who had been really supportive and communicated well all throughout the story with each other up until that point.

I will be checking out the rest of this series!  so good.

Have you read this one?  What did you think?