Okay, when I say slowburn, I mean this book is SLOWBURN. Dibs follows Olivia 6 months after a rattling divorce as she goes on a work training trip notorious for hook-ups. Enter Adam, the incredibly attractive guy that her roommate has called dibs on, but who seems much more interested in Olivia.
But after Olivia’s divorce, she’s understandably loathe to trust again, and Adam is reeling from his own personal trials. Both of the characters are likable and definitely have the kind of chemistry that makes you hardcore want to will them together immediately. The slowburn is thick with tension, and ultimately leads to a satisfying ending, but there were times I found Olivia’s self-doubt and their interactions just a little repetitive.
Overall though, a solid romantic read that walks the line of steam, and one I would definitely recommend to fans of slow burn contemporary romances.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Whew. There is nothing that makes me want to shove characters together (in the best way) like slowburn.
After loving It Ends with Us, I was super excited to read another by Colleen Hoover, but this one really didn’t work for me.
This story is told from dual POV (with Tate’s in the present and Miles’ in the past) as Tate and Miles start a benefits-only relationship. And, as always, Hoover’s writing drew me in immediately, and kept me flying through the pages, but on the whole, Tate and Miles’ relationship just didn’t work for me. Although Miles was clear up front that he was only in it for sex, Tate knew from the start that she wanted more than that. Not only that, but Miles was, in general, kind of a jerk to her, and she was always making excuses for him.
I feel like we got Miles’ backstory through his POV as also a kind of way of saying “oh but he’s not really a jerk at heart.” But… still, that didn’t really smooth things over for me, and his backstory didn’t hold my interest as much. Overall, if you’re a big Colleen Hoover fan, I might give it a look, but I can’t really say I was rooting for Miles and Tate in this one.
I picked up The Future Bride by J.G MacLeod as the winner of my little free library contest when it totally hooked me with the tagline, “For adventure. For love. For kilts. (And strong gin)” and I absolutely love when a book is exactly what I think it’s going to be.
This is like a lighter, more fun Highlander. Brigid is a spunky, present-day barista (with martial arts skills) thrown into old Scotland, and she does not back down from the rough and tumble highlander life. The story moves really fast and I couldn’t believe I inhaled it in two days! I liked the interactions between
Brigid and Ferghus and found the portrayal of the old Scottish Gaelic language and culture really interesting. My only real critique was that I wish Brigid had been a little smarter/stronger in the final act. Overall though, really enjoyed this fun, romantic read and would totally recommend for anyone looking for a romcom twist on Highlander!
Told in third person omniscient and set roughly in the 19th century, Deliver Me by Reda Amirah follows Nour’s escape from her cruel fiancé in Egypt to her life in a friendly music troupe in England, and her relationship with the rakish Lord Thomas.
Told in short scenes in a narrative-driven style, this novella moves very quickly. While I’m not really a huge fan of third person omniscient in general, (I feel like the characters are often kept at arm’s length instead of the immersive feel of other POVs), I definitely found myself drawn into the story, and I thought the plot had a good flow.
I thought Nour was definitely a strong and likeable character, but Thomas wasn’t my favorite with his possessive playboy noble attitude. He and Nour have a stymied lust-at-first-sight relationship that I was pretty dubious of at first, but I did like seeing their relationship grow as the book went on.
I ended up reading this book in one evening, and I found the fast-paced story definitely kept me turning pages. There is mention of rape and scenes of physical abuse, but the steam level is on the lower side. If you’re a fan of narrative-driven romance, then I definitely think it’s worth the read!
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Recommended for fans of quick, narrative-driven romance.
So, this was an interesting book. I was totally intrigued by the premise. MC goes to secret fantasy island to search for her missing sister and is drawn in by the handsome and off-limits owner of the island. Throw in a little paranormal mystery, and get me some popcorn, because I was Ready for this one.
While I thought the audiobook narration was very good, and the plot definitely kept me guessing right up the end, I have to say, I was a little thrown off by the main characters. Overall, even though I got that they are super lusty and attracted to one another, I didn’t really feel a connection between them otherwise. The MC oscillates between “I must find my sister but Rook is so hot but he’s such an asshole” pretty repetitively, and I feel like I didn’t really see a whole lot of growth in their relationship throughout. I was totally ready for an enemies to lovers plot, or even just enemies with a connection and benefits kind of thing… but really they just seemed kind of angry with each other most of the time, and I found myself not really enjoying their interactions. Maybe there’s more character growth in the sequels, or it could just be a personal preference, but I didn’t particularly like either of the MCs.
However, the plot still definitely kept my attention and the writing was smooth. There were a lot of questions being raised and answered that I did not see coming, and I thought the paranormal tension was a refreshing addition that I wasn’t really expecting. This is a short snappy book, and I would recommend this to readers looking for a “enemies with sexual tension with a side of paranormal. Also, just a head’s up, there’s a lot of language, so if angry F-bombs make you cringe, this one’s not for you. (3.5/5 stars)
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ½
Thumb’s side for this one.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review! And thanks so much for reading!
Hayley Reese Chow 