Emma Slate: Prospector's Peak

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250277601-prospector-s-peak

Book Blurb:

From Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Emma Slate comes the third book in the Saddles & Spurs Series She’s a virgin who just blew up her entire life.
He’s an ex-con cowboy biker who swore he’d never fall in love… until her.

**Poet’s Story**

OF COURSE. THE RASPY VOICE BELONGED TO A MUSCULAR MAN WEARING A COWBOY HAT.

I swerved off a mountain road into a ditch to avoid a moose. And then a rugged cowboy in a beast of a truck comes to my rescue.

Brooks Keel. The quiet loner at Elk Ridge. The cowboy-biker who looks devastatingly good on a horse and a motorcycle. Ex-con.

As a jobless twenty-three-year-old virgin, I have no business getting involved with a bad boy. But between his hard-won smiles and protective streak, my heart—and my body—hunger for him.

We’re in a chrysalis of paradise and Huckleberry Hill is starting to feel like home... But then the truth about Brooks’ MC past is revealed, and my world explodes. And now I don’t recognize the man I fell in love with. I don’t recognize my baby’s father.

Tropes:

*Dark Star Romance ALC *Cowboy Romance *Virgin FMC *Ex-con MMC *Ex-biker MMC 

*MMC with secret past *opposites attract *protective MMC *supportive MMC *bad boy MMC

*surprise pregnancy *Small town romance *found family *He falls first *Bookish FMC

*State Challenge Idaho (repeat) *insta lust/love *spice  (spice with red wings) *Age gap

Thoughts:

Poet (FMC) just made a huge life decision she quit her job in NYC and now without a clear direction of what to do next heads to Idaho to visit her friends who have recently returned home and are living their best lives with their own cowboys.  

On her way to the hotel she ends up in a ditch... naturally the person who comes to rescue her is hot as sin and dangerous to her heart.  Brooks (MMC) has been in town for a bit but has been on the reclusive side since arriving he works on the farm her friends family owns and keeps to himself.

But Poet is surprised to hear from everyone else he's been so stand offish since he isn't with her and even though she knows he's been in prison in the past she doesn't hold that against him... in fact she can't help but to fall for him harder because of the man he is trying to be now.

I enjoyed the first two books in this series and was happy to return to this small town cowboy romance for Poet's story.  I loved the found family elements to these books and how we're not only getting to know the 4 friends and the men in their lives but also their extended family and some of the townsfolk.  

I loved Poet's grandpa!  He seriously needs his own story!!

As Poet settles into her life post job loss and figures out what to do next she finds that everyone in this small community is willing to help her reach her goals and maybe the dream she felt was just out of reach will be reachable after all.

The closer she gets to Brooks the more she realizes that maybe she doesn't know him as well as she thought she did... and can she live with that?  Especially now that she has discovered that she is with child.

After an argument Poet goes off on her own and ends up in trouble but now it's not just her own life she is risking... she has to hold on for her baby and hope that she'll be found, during this time having plenty of time to think she realizes that if Brooks can put the past in the past she should as well he has accepted her flaws and she knows now that if given the chance she can love Brooks flaws and all too... Brooks please find your girl!  

I listened to this as an ALC and the cast did a beautiful job bringing this story to life! 

This was a cute addition to the series but did feel kind of similar (ish) to the first two books in the way that it was insta love with a surprise pregnancy... I am looking forward to the next book in the series but I'm at this point expecting the 4th book will go the same way.  

If you like a cozy small town, found family, cowboy romance add this one to your tbr but I would recommend reading them in order as other characters from the first 2 books are a big part of this book as well. 

Some things that I wasn't a huge fan of for this book:

*Poet just arrived in town and Brooks who just met this woman offers her money to fix her rental car... what?  $2,000 is a lot of money and he just gives it over 

*Poet and Brooks relationship is on the super fast forward setting --> like skipping right over everything goes straight to moving in together and love, then Poet hears some information that she didn't know about Brooks and is upset about it that she didn't know this about him... of course you didn't girl, you just met him 5 minutes ago!

*Poet had been a virgin until meeting Brooks and not on birth control believed that a pregnancy couldn't possibly occur because it was her time of the month 

*Poet wants to make it on her own but didn't do anything to find a job while she was working on her idea to open her own business... Brooks continued to pay for everything including a new car.  Poet is young, inexperienced with owning her own business and has no savings, it's good to have dreams but you gotta pay the bills too... I do wish I had people in my life like Poet has to help financially.

*Brooks had been with Poet like 3 days and was giving a spare key to her apartment to her friends without telling her, placed a tracking app on her and was calling her friends/family and telling them her business without talking to her first.

*even though the first two books in the series were also insta lust/love the stories just felt a bit more formed, this one felt more rushed and because of that Poet and Brooks didn't really fully click for me as a couple.

Have you read this one?  what did you think?  

Emberly Ash: The Frost Witch

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236197220-the-frost-witch

Book Blurb:

Witches are not born. They are made.

I died alone in a frostbitten forest. It was not heroic. I did not die defending an innocent or hunting to feed my loved ones. I died because I was stupid and cowardly. I died running away. And that would have been the end of my story. Until the witches found me and made me one of their own.

Outcast by her coven more than three hundred years after her resurrection, Koryn faces certain doom. Without her coven’s magic to sustain her, she will wither away to nothing. But earning back their trust means betraying the last living member of her family—the family whose downfall came at Koryn’s own hands.

Offered a bargain she cannot refuse…

Four hundred years ago, the gods sentenced the continent of Velora to death. Now Koryn must make a desperate final bid to save Velora—and herself—by passing each test posed at the Seven Gates. Nothing less will prove her worth to her coven or save her family.

To make matters worse, she finds herself bound against her will to Garrick the Red, a legendary bounty hunter with a secret that makes him not just her rival, but her bitter enemy. She does not need him to protect her—Koryn stands alone.

But when an adolescent dragon appears from the forest and declares herself Koryn’s familiar, her understanding of the world begins to shift. Koryn’s choices do not just affect her, but all the residents of a dying, desperate land.

Faced with a devastating choice…

For every gate she conquers, Koryn’s world grows more precarious. A deadly warrior turned bonded protector and forbidden lover. An adolescent dragon entrusted to her care. A powerful male from her past calling in a debt she is not ready to pay. And vengeful gods who demand their due, and force the frost witch to choose—her coven, her love, her dragon… or her soul.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC  *Witch FMC *Reverse Age gap *dangerous trials *Magic 

*Cursed lands *Fantasy *dragons *Familiar *Fae *Time Jumps *slow burn *Spice 

*Sets up for a second love interest for book 2 *ends in a cliffhanger *curvy FMC *one bed

*trigger warnings (check them)

Thoughts:

Koryn (FMC) is a witch she is 400 years old and happened to be born the very year the gods placed a curse on the land she was born on and has lived on for centuries.  The gods did make a way for Velora to be saved get through the seven gates with trials and the land will be fruitful again... easy enough?... not really years have passed and no one known has made it past the 5th gate, long gone are the days where there was a line up for the honor of being the one to break the curse so participants are few and far between these days.

In this world witches are made after they die and receive the powers in alignment with how they died, Koryn died cold in icy water and has the power of frost.  

Koryn was cast out of her coven and has been on her own for awhile now, she has been barely surviving (just like everyone else in these lands) and working on making enough coins to get off of this desolate land... only she knows this will just be temporary as a witch needs her coven to survive longer term they provide safety and are linked together when together they are more powerful... away from each other for long and their powers decrease and diminish.

Koryn moves from town to town never staying long in one place because people don't like witches and she would be a target, with decreased powers she doesn't need that on her back.  She is given an opportunity to rejoin her coven... if she can get through all 7 gates she will redeem herself and can come back... this at this point isn't that appealing since no one has done it.  She's been making some coins providing spells to people in need and just about has what she needs to leave this god forsaken place when the one person who would tie her here comes into play,

Koryn sees her last remaining relative (her sisters great great... etc... grand daughter) the rest of her family have long since left these lands.  Even though it was against the rules of her coven to have interactions with any family or humans in general she couldn't help herself and continued to check in all these years and make sure at least someone survived.  Unfortunately her great (great x a lot) niece is about to make a huge mistake her father is ill and she is about to go through the doors to compete in the trials... this is a known death sentence as no one has done it but she's determined before her niece can go through she places herself through the door and next thing she knows she is one of 7 competing members to get through the gates.

While you would think that they would be working together to get through these gates right away you can see that's not how it's going to go at all... but something surprising happens during the first trial while another opponant savagely takes one of the 7 out on a climb, when Koryn has the same opportunity to do so she instead saves her opponents life... the god of this gate then binds them together until the debt is repaid. 

Next thing you know Koryn once alone has a partner in this a man who is devistatingly handsome and good with his sword... but their lives are tied together.  

Along this journey they grow closer together, protect each other, he teaches her how to protect herself better since she has always been considered "soft" for a witch.

They also come across something Koryn has never seen... a dragon who wants to be her familiar, she wasn't even aware at this point that dragons still existed since the curse caused most living things that could flee to flee.  

Along the journey between gates they have more to worry about than just the dangerous terrain and even if they make it to the next gate there is no telling if they will make it through the trial that the god has chosen for them.

After a slow burn that would drive anyone wild... some other factors come into play that change the course of their journey and the bond they had been building, but will they be strong enough to get through this trial too?  

The narrator did a good job with the story and was easy to understand/follow thank you to Netgalley and the author for this ALC! 

I liked the premise of this story well enough and enjoyed it enough to want to read the rest of the series but here are some negative things that I found with this book:

*I found it odd that a 400 year old witch still hadn't mastered her powers and was taking advice from people who were not witches and did not have powers to help hone her powers this led to frequently bringing up that she was "weak" for a witch... come on girl, come into your power and show them who's boss! ... when her power does come she doesn't know how to control it (still) 

*there were some inconsistencies (maybe I missed something... totally possible) but it was said a few times that witches didn't need to eat... but then later in the book she was starving and looking forward to the food provided from the next pre-gate temple.

*I thought there would be a bit more to the trials... they were kind of lack luster for the effort it took to get to the different gates.

*I think that maybe too much was thrown into this book, it goes back and forth between present and different events in Koryn's past but nothing is fully told, like we don't even know yet how she ended up alone in icy waters that led to her change into a witch... maybe this is in book 2

*there were a lot of repetitive things in the story like the discussions of her powers weakening without her coven's support.

*She keeps bringing up her shriveled dead heart but is super emotional about everything

*I think that less plot points could have helped this story feel more put together, I do plan to read the next book eventually so will see what else comes together in the next book.

Have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Kimberly Lemming: That Time I got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion At A Werewolf

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60865821-that-time-i-got-drunk-and-yeeted-a-love-potion-at-a-werewolf

Book Blurb:

Anyone else ever thrown a drink at someone's head, only to miss entirely and hit a stranger behind them? Then have that stranger fall madly in love with you because it turned out that drink you threw was a love potion? No, just me? Well damn.

Dealing with a pirate ship full of demons that just moved into town was hard enough. Now on top of it, I have to convince a werewolf that I'm not his fated mate, he's just drugged. Easier said than done.

Though I have to say, having a gorgeous man show up and do all of your chores while telling you you're beautiful isn't the worst thing to happen to a girl.

Tropes:

*Fantasy *Romantasy *Werewolf MMC *Paranormal *Dual POV *Spice

*Golden Retriever MMC *Protective MMC *Insta Love *Shifter MMC *Rom-Com

*Fated Mates  *Banter  *knotting *tenticle play (check the triggers) *possessive MMC

*multiple different creatures in this world 

*Check your trigger warnings

Thoughts:

I saw this series awhile ago and I know this is the second one in the series (I haven't read the first one yet) but I didn't have a hard time figuring out what was going on.  

Brie (FMC) out at the local bar ends up being harassed by a guy who isn't taking no for an answer... trying to force a drink on her she finally just lets him have it throwing the drink back only for it to hit a stranger Felix (MMC) next thing you know he is all about Brie... seriously he says they are fated mates what!?? How hard was this guy hit?  

Turns out this drink was a love potion oops!  Now Felix is at Brie's place taking care of her and helping with chores, he is so charming she can't help but fall for him but are the feelings he's feeling real?  or just part of the love potion spell?  What happens when it wears off will he just leave her like most people do?

Brie loves cheese and makes it on her farm... Our Guy Felix is lactose intolerant!  

While Brie, with the help of some friends, tries to help figure out how to end the spell she comes to the conclusion that maybe the only way to help the new man in her life is to get so much closer.  This gets spicy, it is a shorter book and definately an insta love but it works for the story since there is a "love potion" involved. 

When women from the village begin to disappear Felix, Brie and their friends come together to try to figure out who is behind it... but will they be able to figure out what's going on before more women disappear?  

Was this a super detailed romantasy with epic world building and character back stories --> no

Was it ridiculous at times --> yes 

This book gave me exactly what I wanted from it I wasn't expecting anything too serious I was looking for a light, fluffy and fun read and that's what this was.  

Negatives for some people:

--> there was not much world building

--> The spice is too spicy/too much of the book

--> Humor was not where it's at

--> not much plot

--> the plot that was there was ridiculous

--> not enough chemistry between the leads

--> Ridiculous 

Have you read this one?  what did you think?  

Brandon Barrows: The Darker The Night

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222446329-the-darker-the-night

Book Blurb:

Matt Allen knew it wouldn’t be easy convincing his ex-wife Lilly that their son should have a chance to live with his dad, at least for a little while. He’s been gone four years, but he’s back now. The divorce had been bitter, so of course Lilly is dead set against the idea.

Except… Now she’s just dead, and Matt is the prime suspect.

Only he and the real killer know he’s innocent.

Tropes:

*Mystery *crime fiction *💀 Mystery *Wrong Man Accused *Everyman Protagonist

*Intergenerational trauma *Relatable Family Ties *State Challenge Michigan

*whodunit *noir vibes *Femme fatale 

Thoughts:

When Matt Allen returned to Michigan to see his son after 4 years living away in Boston he had hoped to have the chance to be there for his son in a way that he hadn't been able to previously... 4 years is a long time of just screen time and hoping that his ex-wife Lilly would be willing to allow at least partial custody he shows up with high expectations.

A lot has changed... but one thing hasn't Lilly she's still sinking her claws into unsuspecting men, he knows how hard she is to resist he was in her clutches once and the divorce was hard on both of them... but she seemed to land on her feet just fine with a wealthy new husband shortly after their divorce seems like she didn't even let the ink dry on their paperwork.

Matt and Lilly have a checkered past she did humiliate him by cheating on him with a line of men but Matt is looking towards the future and hopes that Lilly will give him the chance to spend more time with their son.  Before he even gets a chance to really talk to her about it she ends up dead... and he is the prime suspect.

Matt determined to clear his own name begins his own investigations and discovers that Lilly while he knew she wasn't an angel has been up to shady business... including continuing to go thru men after her 2nd husband had a suspicious accident (leading to his early demise) her most recent man has a temper... but he isn't the only one who had something against Lilly.  

While Matt's back in town we're introduced to his ex Lilly, their son, His best friend and sister in-law Sheila and her husband Steve along with a line up of others that have their own motives where Lilly being gone would benefit them.

When more people begin to turn up dead... Matt knows that his time to find out who is behind this is limited what if he's next?  

We as the reader are with Matt so we know he isn't the true suspect but this mystery kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to find out who it could be and just when I thought I knew who the true suspect was another twist came showing that maybe it wasn't them at all... but if not then who did it?

I truly enjoyed this book, I love a good mystery that truly makes you think it could be anyone so it's that much more surprising to find out who it is at the end!  

Have you read this one?  What did you think?  

J.T. Geissinger: Penpal

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60192737-pen-pal

book blurb:

The first letter arrived the day my husband was buried. It was postmarked from the state penitentiary, and contained a single sentence:

I’ll wait forever if I have to.

It was signed by Dante, a man I didn’t know.

Out of simple curiosity, I wrote back to ask him what exactly he was waiting for. His reply?

You.

I told the mystery man he had the wrong girl. He said he didn’t. I said we’d never met, but he said I was wrong.

We went back and forth, exchanging letters every week that grew increasingly more intimate. Then one day, the letters stopped. When I found out why, it was already too late.

Dante was at my doorstep.

And nothing on earth could have prepared me for what happened next.

Tropes:

*Dark Romance *Strangers --> More *Grief  *Widower (FMC) *paranormal elements

*12 recs by 12 friends challenge book 2/12  *suspense *Mystery *Thriller *Spice

*State Challenge Washington (repeat) *unreliable narrator *protective MMC *he falls first

*Check your trigger warnings (there are several)  

Thoughts:

So if you read the blurb... forget the blurb -->

Kayla is dealing with a lot of stress her husband recently passed away tragically and since then between the leaky roof, trying to find funds to survive and getting limited responses from her inquiry's for a handy man... the first guy said there is nothing wrong with the electrical but if that's the case why do the lights flicker?  Why is the doorbell ringing with no one at the door?  Why is there a burning smell from the laundry room and why does the tv keep flicking on and then shutting off randomly?  Now to top all that off she has a grumpy roofer Aiden at her place... too bad he's so handsome she's lonely and a hot mess at the moment and random letter shows up from her very new inmate penpal named Dante who she doesn't know but apparently knows her (?)

Kayla decides to fire Aiden shortly after hiring him but since the universe seems to be working against her in all things she runs into him at a local bar in town... she's not sure why but she feels drawn to him anyways it's almost magnetic like it was meant to be even though they don't share too much she does find out he lives above the bar and she's not sure why she chooses to rush to his place and into his arms when she thinks someone has broken into her home but she's here now and he invites her in with open arms.

Aiden begins helping Kayla with some home repair situations and even gets his friend to come over and place in an alarm system for safety.  Kayla isn't sure why but lately the two people she feels safe to talk to are two people she doesn't even know... the brooding but hot AF roofer Aiden, and Dante her prison admirer who she shouldn't write to but keeps writing to anyways.  

Our FMC is an unreliable narrator and she discusses throughout the story that she feels that some of her memories are missing, could this be due to her current mental state, while she begins to feel that it might be wise of her to find a therapist she seems to have a bigger problem in the way that there are unexplained noises in her home and she feels like she's being watched a man and child she doesn't know keep appearing in her yard but disappearing before she can make contact, and the special coin that her husband always had on his person keeps moving around to different areas... what is going on?  

Kayla and Aiden have a fast paced hot and heavy (like can't keep their hands off of each other) relationship but most of their interactions don't involve deep discussions this also adds to the element of mystery to the story as this story is told from Kayla's side and we don't fully know Aiden's story we do know he spent some time in prison in the past and he has a dream of building his own home but due to limited time and funds the project hasn't gotten far.  

Kayla's world continues to spiral further out of control and the only time she feels safe is with Aiden but he has decided to keep his distance until she can get "clarity" about what she wants and who she is, he is falling for her and fast but doesn't want to continue if she doesn't know what she wants, she is still wearing another man's ring and if she still has feelings for her husband he doesn't want to interfere.  Kayla is keeping secrets still as she hasn't told Aiden that her husband passed away only that he is gone.

Kayla receives help from some surprising sources her inmate penpal, a random tarot card reader and her housekeeper who has continued to come to clean weekly and has helped her begin to see that maybe she doesn't need a therapist... but probably needs some kind of ghost whisperer or something... she no longer is ruling out ghosts being in her home there is too much going on to not believe she is being haunted at this point but what do they want from her? Is it her husband?  How can she help him to move on?

As Kayla begins to find out what is happening in her life and the puzzle pieces fit into place will she be able to handle it?  Or will this cause her to life to spiral further into chaos?  

This book takes you on a journey through Kayla's life as she knows it after the loss of her husband, it has a mystery element, paranormal, and a romance that if she would let herself have it could last through her entire life and into the next one.  

I enjoyed this story over all but some of the spicy scenes were over the top (for me) (and the nick names were questionable) I would have liked to see the relationship build in other ways between Kayla and Aiden it seemed to be mostly intense spicy time chemistry. There were a few triggers that were harder for me to read through so make sure that you check yours prior to reading. 

This book had some twists and kept the eery feeling throughout it reminded me of a few movies I've seen in the past (I won't name them but if you've read the book you probably know the ones I'm talking about) which led me to kind of see things were leading to the conclusion that it had but even though I was kind of expecting it I still got emotional anyways.  

This has been on my TBR list for awhile and when my friend recommended it for my challenge I was excited to get to this one (finally).  I do think that you should go into this book with an open mind if you decide to read it as it does twist around a bit before landing on a more solid ground.  

Have you read this one?  what did you think?  

Honey Phillips: Perfect Pucking Orc

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/247557793-perfect-pucking-orc

Book Blurb:

He controls everything—except her.

As captain of the Emerald Enforcers, Tarmek Stonefist is disciplined, controlled, and ruthlessly organized—on the ice and off it. Chaos has no place in his world.

Then free-spirited artist Edie Anderson crashes into his carefully ordered life and turns it upside down. She’s impulsive, emotional, and completely uninterested in schedules.

She challenges him. Tempts him. And the more he tries to regain control, the faster he feels it slipping away.

Perfect order. Perfect chaos.
Perfectly pucking dangerous.

The Orc Hockey League is a cozy-spicy monster romance series where fierce orc athletes rule the ice, rivalries run hot, and love hits harder than a body check. Each book can be read as a standalone and ends with a happily ever after.

Tropes:

*Orc MMC x Human FMC *Sports Romance (hockey) *opposites attract *tidy MMC

*Messy FMC *spice *Pierced 👇 MMC *cozy monster romance *state challenge NY (repeat)

*Grumpy MMC but soft for her *he falls first *forced proximity *snow storm *grumpy/sunshine

Thoughts:

Book 1 Emerald Enforcers

Tarmek Stonefist (MMC) likes everything to be in the right place, he has many routines and he follows them perfectly, even his laces to his skates need to be aligned properly, he is single he lives alone and he has his career as the captain of the local hockey team what more could he want?

Edie (FMC) is everything Tarmek worries about... she is chaos in the form of a human female she is messy, disorganized and has the audacity to come into his space and touch his things... how dare she!  He is also going to have to deal with her for an unknown length of time since she's been hired to paint murals in the arena.

Edie goes with the flow she is an artist and free spirit she lives in a camper and travels when she wants never staying in one place too long, she doesn't want to grow attached to anyone/anything and wear out her welcome... so when she starts to feel closer to the people in this town it scares her... growing attached to people who could potentially leave her is something she can't deal with.

Tarmek is worried about Edie she has been staying in her RV in the parking lot of the arena but it looks like it needs a lot of work... is the heat even working?  One evening he's at the arena late and knows there is a snow storm brewing and all his team mates have left early he checks on Edie only to find her frozen in her RV... the heat isn't working this won't do at all.

Next thing you know he is doing what he never imagined he would do he brings Edie home with him she is now in his home disorganizing his organized life and... the weirdest part about it is he doesn't mind... could this be his fated mate?  He's heard about them growing up but never expected to have one to call his very own.

While this was a cute cozy read, it was really repetitive and the plot wasn't that deep basically every chapter discussed Tarmek's organized life style and how Edie came in like a tornado and rearranged his life it briefly throughout mentions bits of their childhood like Edie grew up in foster care but there were inconsistencies over (what age) when her mother dropped her off.  Tarmek's family life was chaotic as well but it doesn't go into great detail only that his dad was a bit of a hot head and his mom just dealt with it. 

Where I loved Tarmek he was a green flag, teddy bear MMC.  I grew frustrated with Edie she knew that he like order and had his systems and she went out of her way (especially at the very beginning) to mess with his things... like you just met this man and she was stealing food off of his plate at a restaurant and rearranging his things, even after he invited her to stay with him during the storm she was being a chaos goblin and moving his things around, not cool he's letting you stay with him and he is feeding you and keeping you warm how about at least trying to work with his system.

I liked the premise of an Orc hockey team and it seems that other books in this series are from different authors so I would like to check out the rest of the series eventually, there isn't really much hockey going on in this book occasionally they have practice and there are brief mentions of a few games but other than that it's just Tarmek allowing tornado Edie to rearrange his organized life.  

Edie constantly had one foot out of the door so that kind of bothered me as well, Tarmek even after he told her how he felt she ran... again, and by that point I was frustrated for him he was trying to give her space "to think" gave her space in his home for her art and now he has to fight too hard to keep her and she wanted him to fight for her... how bout meeting him half way! 

Anyways I'm team Tarmek!  

This was a fun take on the hockey romance I just didn't fully feel the chemistry between these two, I do plan to check out the next in the series and see how that goes.

As a side note --> I was surprised he had a pierced ding dong that seemed kind of out of character for orderly organized Tarmek and didn't really add anything to the story.  

Have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Marissa Eller: Left On Read

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/232794089-left-on-read

Book Blurb:

In this rivals-to-lovers romcom from Marissa Eller, overachiever Murphy wants one thing: to be the top student in her school. So when a student who could beat her turns up, she tries to keep her eyes on her own paper… and off this infuriatingly perfect boy.

School is everything to Murphy—literally everything, since she’s missed out on all of the Traditional High School Things in pursuit of academic success. Her senior year is going to be perfect, and so is she... because she's pushing herself to her physical and mental limit. All she needs to do is ignore her mounting anxiety! Which is probably clinical! La la la!

But Hayes—her ultrasmart, ultra-annoying rival for valedictorian—is making her year far less perfect than she imagined.

He's after that top spot, and he doesn’t care who he has to shove outside. But when Murphy and Hayes are paired up for a group project on student mental health, Murphy discovers that he might be the only one who understands what she’s going through. The burnout. The self-doubt. The unrelenting grind. Together, they can stand up to the pressures of academia, family, and the way most traveled... if they partner up in more ways than one.

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Enemies --> More *High school romance *high stress *class rivals

*Mental health representation *State Challenge North Carolina *long term grudge 

*Single POV *good friend group *age appropriate YA 

Thoughts:

Have you ever been looking forward to something for... forever and once you have it it's not as great as you thought it would be?  

That is what Nova (FMC) is dealing with her senior year of high school, she is in a special school for academics where the high schoolers also work on taking college classes she's known for a long time she wants to be a professor of literature and she has put this certain professor on a pedestal only the professor is unenthusiastic about the course spends long hours on her phone while playing movies, answers 0 questions and isn't preparing anyone in this course for anything... to top things off her nemesis in all academic related things Hayes is in this class with her.

Hayes has pressure put on him by his parents who want him to be a doctor like them, but he is more of a numbers guy... would they even allow him to pursue a degree in what he actually wants to do?  

Hayes (MMC) is not as bad as Nova initially thought he was while he has been her rival in the past he is charming and can win over a crowd way easier, and it doesn't help that he has a handsome face what's up with that?  can't he have horrible acne or something?  But he has been surprising her in unexpected ways he notices when she needs space and tells everyone in class how brilliant she is with this subject and she might be just what they all need to succeed.

Next thing you know Nova is teaming up with Hayes and it's getting harder to resist that she's feeling more drawn to him.  But she has been hurt in the past and doesn't want to repeat that... Hayes has hurt her in the past too he could just as easily do it again and they are both up for class president again and he won last time! 

While the leads get closer together they are not really shown doing much more than studying together and going to a county fair that gets cut short by Nova's migraine, so we don't really see much of them "together" as a real couple.

Nova at times is shown as immature and a bit over the top dramatic and then she will be incredibly mature and able to lead a group of college students in a study session. 

I felt everything that did wrap up wrapped up quickly and at least one of the bigger plot points was just kind of left open ended.  I would have liked just a little more depth to the characters I didn't fully feel invested at times with the characters or their relationship due to just knowing surface level basics about them.  

This was a cute YA read both leads are struggling with high stress placed on them by themselves and in the MMC's case his parents as well.  The rivals in school aspect reminded me of the show "Never Have I Ever."

I appreciated the leads working together to try to help get appropriate mental health services set up for future students setting their sights on higher academic goals.

I understand that I am not the target audience for this book and believe that middle school/high school kids looking for an age appropriate romance might enjoy this one.  

The narrator did a great job bringing this story to life! 

have you read this one?  What did you think?