Tag Archive for: 4 Stars

These Summer Storms

These Summer StormsTitle: These Summer Storms
Author(s): Sarah MacLean
Genre(s): Romance
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 384
Length: 13h 17m
Narrator(s): Julia Whelan
Source: Owned
Reason(s): Book of the Month
Rating:
Spice: 2.5 Flames

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed reading THESE SUMMER STORMS. So much family drama and I loved it! I really loved Alice. I felt so much sadness and anger on her behalf because of how her family treated her. I’m glad she and her siblings made up as much as they could and learned to step outside of their parents’ shadows. I also really loved Jack. I loved the sexual tension between him and Alice. I’m glad that he could give her what she needed in a partner and chose her over the money.

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Play Nice

Play NiceTitle: Play Nice
Author(s): Rachel Harrison
Genre(s): Horror
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 336
Length: 10h 18m
Narrator(s): Alex Finke, Natasha Soudek
Source: Owned
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice: 2.5 Flames

My Thoughts

I’m so glad I decided to read PLAY NICE during the “spookiest” month of the year. It was a such a fun take on the haunted house trope. I loved the depth to the story, facing and conquering metaphorical and real demons. Even though Clio seems really selfish and a little bit narcissistic at the beginning, I loved her character arc. I also loved her tenacity and drive to find the truth. I also loved the little bit of romance between her a certain handsome neighbor. I’d give this 5 stars but I wanted a less vague ending in regards to Clio and her relationships.

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Part of Your World

Part of Your WorldTitle: Part of Your World
Author(s): Abby Jimenez
Series: Part of Your World #1
Genre(s): Romance
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 388
Length: 10h 5m
Narrator(s): Zachary Webber, Julia Whelan
Source: Library
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice: 2.5 Flames

My Thoughts

PART OF YOUR WORLD was a fun opposites attract romance. I loved the setting of Wahkon, Minnesota and all the animals, especially Barrack Ollama (iykyk). I loved the idea of a white collar woman getting drawn into a blue collar world. I loved both Alexis and Daniel, their chemistry, and banter.

Even though PART OF YOUR WORLD is mostly fluff, it dealt with some hard topics–physical and emotional abuse, interactions between different classes, the idea of love in all its forms. I loved the emphasis on mental health and therapy, and recognizing abuse in all its forms and learning to walk away.

Darling Girl

Darling GirlTitle: Darling Girl
Author(s): Liz Michalski
Genre(s): Retelling
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 341
Length: 11h 42m
Narrator(s): Elizabeth Knowelden
Source: Owned
Reason(s): BotM Backlist
Rating:
Spice: 2.5 Flames

My Thoughts

DARLING GIRL was a very interesting, dark twist on the story of Peter Pan by JM Barrie. I really enjoyed the topsy turvy nature of this story and flipping everything on its head. I thought the idea of Holly Darling looking for her daughter while trying to keep her son safe from what lurks in the shadows, windows, and wind was a fun concept.

At first, I thought Holly was selfish but as I learned more and more about the truth and what happened to her and her family, I realized that even though many of her decisions and actions were questionable, she did what she thought was best for her family. I liked her arc of character growth. I wish, however, she had done more in the story instead of relying on other people. The ending was a bit anticlimactic because of it. I also didn’t think she spent enough time with Christopher Cooke to warrant him being the love interest. I loved that he was, but I thought he needed more time and pages in the story.

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The Slowest Burn

The Slowest BurnTitle: The Slowest Burn
Author(s): Sarah Chamberlain
Genre(s): Romance
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 336
Length: 11h 12m
Narrator(s): Hunter Johns, Kate Handford
Source: Library
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice: 3 Flames

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed THE SLOWEST BURN. I loved both Ellie and Kieran, their chemistry, and banter. I loved that the story switched between Ellie and Kieran’s POVs. I thought it was a fun, spicy, enemies-to-lovers romance that dealt with some hard topics.

I really appreciated the look at grief from different perspectives and how messy it can be. I also loved the look at what it feels like to be a square peg in a round-hole family and never measuring up for the people who are supposed to love you. I loved the sense of found family, the look at neurodivergence, and the lesson of learning to love yourself the way you are.