Tag: Forced Proximity

Midnight Duet | Jen Comfort

Posted 03/21/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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Published by Montlake on 01/10/2023
Format: Kindle (347 pages)
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Erika Greene (Phantom reference #1) was once a Tony-nominated Broadway star, and playing Fantine in Les Misérables was her crowning achievement. A diva at heart, Erika loved performing. She loved being in the spotlight, she loved being adored by her fans, and she especially loved being the center of attention. But all that disappeared after a tragic accident left her face badly scarred (Phantom reference #2), her reputation ruined, and her career over. While Erika is recovering in the hospital, she learns she’s inherited an early-twentieth-century theater from her late grandmother, and it’s in Paris…Nevada. Feeling like a […]

Funny Feelings | Tarah DeWitt

Posted 03/17/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on 05/02/2023
Format: Kindle (311 pages)
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Farley Jones is a lot of things. But ask anyone, and the first thing they will tell you is, that she is funny. Like really, REALLY funny. But booking gigs as a woman in comedy is hard. Especially when you’re crass, high-maintenance, and have no filter—consequences be damned. Meyer Harrigan was once a very successful standup comedian. He retired from comedy when he unexpectedly became a single dad and the sole caregiver to his daughter, Hazel. It’s Hazel’s 7th birthday, and things aren’t going well. A freak rainstorm tears through LA, ruining her perfect water park party plans. Every […]

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 […]

Rootbound | Tarah DeWitt

Posted 03/10/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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All-Time Favorite
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on 05/02/2023
Format: Kindle (336 pages)
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Tait and Henry’s relationship is so wholesome and healthy—from strangers to friends to lovers. I loved everything about them. Tait is creative, strong, and independent. Henry is patient, loyal, and gentile. Both carry baggage they’ve needed to put down for much too long. But this book is so much more than Tait and Henry’s romance. This book is about facing your fears, finding your footing, breaking through the limitations you’ve imposed on yourself, opening your heart, untangling your roots, and finally letting yourself grow. “When you buy a new plant, you often have to cut the roots when […]

What Is Love? | Jen Comfort

Posted 03/07/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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Published by Montlake on 04/01/2024
Format: Kindle (345 pages)
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I have always loved all things trivia — my husband and I fell in love going to “nerd” trivia at our favorite bar — and let me tell you, What is Love? by Jen Comfort just took trivia to a whole other level. Theodore “Teddy” Ferguson III is an Oxford-educated professor of geography and geoscience at Princeton University. He likes to play it safe and loves a good schedule; consistency is his middle name. Maxine Hart is a skydiving, video game loving, public school dropout. She has horrible ADHD and lives by the seat of her pants; chaos is her […]

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, […]

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 […]

The Ballad of Never After | Stephanie Garber

Posted 01/28/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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All-Time Favorite
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #2
Published by Flatiron Books on 09/13/2022
Format: Kindle (406 pages)
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Written review coming soon…

Caraval | Stephanie Garber

Posted 01/14/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

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All-Time Favorite
Series: Caraval #1
Published by Flatiron Books on 01/31/2017
Format: Kindle (407 pages)
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This was a “stay up until 4am because I couldn’t put it down” book. I absolutely loved it! Think Cirque du Soleil meets “The Night Circus” with a splash of “Alice in Wonderland”; but make it dark & a little twisted. UGH!!! So, so, so, so good! I didn’t know this series was a prequel to the “Once Upon a Broken Heart” series. I started to tuck into OUABH, and something made me stop 2 pages in & look online to see if I should read Caraval first. Everything I could find (while avoiding spoilers) said yes, read […]