Tag: Grumpy/Shunshine

Midnight Duet | Jen Comfort

Posted 03/21/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Midnight Duet | Jen Comfort
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Star Rating: 4 Stars
Spice Level: 4 Flames
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
Funny Feelings | Tarah DeWitt
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Star Rating: 4 Stars
Spice Level: 3.5 Flames
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 […]

What Is Love? | Jen Comfort

Posted 03/07/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
What Is Love? | Jen Comfort
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Star Rating: 4 Stars
Spice Level: 4 Flames
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 […]

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands | Heather Fawcett

Posted 02/29/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands | Heather Fawcett
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Star Rating: 4 Stars
Spice Level: 2 Flames
Series: Emily Wilde #2
Published by Del Rey on 01/16/2024
Format: Kindle (340 pages)
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Heather Fawcett has done it again. She successfully created a new fantasy wonderland filled with Fae, both deadly and delightful, and then sent Emily and Wendell on a quest that kept me turning pages until the wee hours of the morning. One of the things I enjoyed most about the first book was the way the story was told in a journal-like format. Thankfully not much has changed, and we still get to experience the story through Emily’s detailed journal entries. The events of this book take place about a year after the end of book 1. Emily is […]

Savor It | Tarah DeWitt

Posted 02/25/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Savor It | Tarah DeWitt
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Star Rating: 5 Stars
Spice Level: 4 Flames
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 […]

A Kilt for Christmas | Tricia O’Malley

Posted 12/22/2023 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
A Kilt for Christmas | Tricia O’Malley
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Star Rating: 3.5 Stars
Spice Level: 3 Flames
Series: Enchanted Highlands #3
Published by Lovewrite Publishing on 10/24/2023
Format: Kindle (240 pages)
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This was my first read by Tricia, and it definitely won’t be my last. The story was cute & well-written. MMC, West, was smart, nerdy, sweet & 100% swoon-worthy. FMC, Maisie, was quirky, strong-willed, relatable & adorably grumpy. The addition of magic & Scottish folklore was chef’s kiss, but I’m just not a huge fan of insta-love. Which is why I only gave this 3 stars. I need a little more will they/won’t they to tick all my boxes. I’d say this is a solid 3.5-star read. Well worth the time, just not my favorite trope.

Loathe to Love You | Ali Hazelwood

Posted 09/03/2023 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Loathe to Love You | Ali Hazelwood
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Star Rating: 3 Stars
Spice Level: 3.5 Flames
Series: The STEMinist Novellas
Published by Berkley on 01/03/2023
Format: Kindle (382 pages)
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‘Loathe to Love You’ is comprised of a trio of STEMinist novellas: Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn… ❖ UNDER ONE ROOF ❖ A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis—it leads to combustion. As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not […]