Category: ARC Review

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank | Megan Bannen

Posted 04/07/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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All-Time Favorite
Series: Hart and Mercy #2
Published by Orbit on 07/02/2024
Format: DRC (464 pages)
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Did I drop everything to read this book the second I was approved for the ARC? Yes, yes, I did. Did I lose countless hours of sleep finishing it faster than I should? Also, yes. Did I enjoy every single second of this story? 100% YES! The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was hands down my favorite read of 2023. Hart and Mercy destroyed my heart, put the shattered pieces back together better than before, and then lovingly wrapped me in the softest blanket while handing me a mug of hot cocoa. When I saw ‘The Undermining of […]

Lips Like Sugar | Jess K. Hardy

Posted 03/28/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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Series: Bluebird Basin #2
Published by Pinkity Publishing on 03/28/2024
Format: DRC (364 pages)
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Jess K. Hardy has done something miraculous. She made me love Cole Sanderson more than I already loved Matthew Madigan. I was sure it couldn’t be done, but alas, here we are. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I want to live in Red Falls. It has small-town energy, beautiful scenery, a delicious bakery, a fantastic bar named Jimmy O’Callaghan’s Irish Public House (with a jukebox), and insanely hot 50-some-odd-year-old rockstars. What’s not to love? Cole Sanderson is the epitome of the ‘golden retriever’ MMC, and I’m pretty sure my heart grew three sizes while reading […]

Just Don’t Call Me Yours | Heather Garvin

Posted 03/14/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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All-Time Favorite
Series: Just Yours #1
Published by Tuskan Publishing on 03/15/2024
Format: DRC (315 pages)
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Well, color me shocked. I didn’t think I liked the rockstar romance trope, but apparently, I was very, VERY wrong. Jackson Phillips may come off as a sarcastic, uncaring, rockstar playboy, but deep down, he’s a loyal, loving, tender-hearted teddy bear. And he loves to play the guitar—like, a lot. All Jackson wants is to be in a band and go on tour. However, Jackson’s dad thinks he’d be throwing his life away and vehemently disapproves of Jackson’s musical dreams. So Jackson is begrudgingly attending his first semester at the University of South Florida with his best friend, Matt. But […]

Given Our History | Kristyn J. Miller

Posted 03/03/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on 08/27/2024
Format: DRC (336 pages)
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Seventeen years of friendship. Thirteen years of loving each other. Six years of heartache. And one year to finally get it right. Teddy and Clara meet one rainy afternoon at a summer camp for homeschooled kids. Their friendship is forged over a game of Trivial Pursuit, a 3-legged race, a sprained ankle, and a can of Pepsi. Phone numbers are exchanged, many phone calls are made, mixed CDs are burned, and The Long-Distance History Club is formed — two adorably nerdy kids who quickly become best friends. I was not expecting this to be such an angsty, wonderful, […]

Savor It | Tarah DeWitt

Posted 02/25/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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All-Time Favorite
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on 05/21/2024
Format: DRC (331 pages)
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Hold on, I have to stop crying before I can continue… OK. DEAR GODS. Where do I even begin? Sage & Fisher. My heart will never be the same. I laughed, I cried, I laughed while crying, and I cried while laughing. The last two are very different, but equally amazing emotional states. Sage & Fisher are EVERYTHING. Relationship goals, friend goals, found family goals, small town goals, adopted animal goals – just – ALL. THE. GOALS. I have not loved or been moved by a book this much in a very long time. Sage Byrd has lived […]

The Rom-Commers | Katherine Center

Posted 02/22/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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Published by St. Martin’s Press on 06/11/2024
Format: DRC (321 pages)
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This was my first book by Katherine Center, and it will definitely not be my last. I was hooked from the first page and voraciously devoured Emma & Charlie’s story. I was pleasantly surprised how Center effortlessly spun a fun and epic love story but managed to sprinkle in bits of tragedy, hardship, and perseverance. The more somber moments didn’t detract from the levity of the story. They, in fact, made it better; more believable & real. Just two wonderfully flawed characters, trying their best to deal with the tragedies of their past. All while hoping for a […]

Right Where We Left Us | Jen Devon

Posted 02/15/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on 06/18/2024
Format: DRC (359 pages)
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Temperance & Duncan fell deeply in love when they were 18. They spent one secret, inseparable summer together and then a plethora of insanely crappy things happened that inevitably led to their breakup. In the 14ish years since, whenever they entered each other’s orbit, they were drawn together like magnets. But years of miscommunication, misunderstanding, and guilt meant they never could get it right. Now, Duncan is helping build his family’s winery, and Temperance is a pediatrician at a local clinic. When Duncan’s brother proposes to Temperance’s best friend, the couple who has tried to deny their feelings […]

Eternal, Everywhere, With You | Sherry Rossman

Posted 02/11/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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Published by Darwin House on 02/04/2024
Format: DRC (245 pages)
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I have to say, I was immediately attracted to the cover of this book. It is absolutely gorgeous. I would hang that sucker on my wall in a heartbeat and call it art. 10/10 cover. Then I read the synopsis, and it sucked me in further. Totally sealed the deal. Time travel, romance, mystery, fantasy & memory loss? Sign. Me. Up. I was excited to dig in. Overall, I enjoyed the characters, and the story, but as I read two things became glaringly obvious: 1) Most of the time I had no idea what was going on; and […]