Review: The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

February 23, 20232 Comments

Release date: March 14, 2023

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult.

She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs into the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she’d snuck out of.

Through the app, and after the joint agreement that they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie become partners in their respective searches for The One. They text each other about their dates, often scheduling them at the same restaurant so that if things don’t go well, the two of them can get tacos afterward.

Spoiler: they get a lot of tacos together.

Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off.

As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they each struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with.

Review:

I’m constantly searching for the perfect rom com and somehow this author always nails it. I was texting friends throughout this raving about how good the banter between Hallie and Jack was and I can’t even really explain how just how freaking good it is. The wit, the humor, the sniping back and forth with each other was just utter perfection. On top of all of that goodness you also get a bunch of fun tropes. These two go from a one night stand to friends to lovers to secret pining to fake dating to only one bed and if that sounds like too much it’s not it’s everything! Their relationship felt so believable from the start and their chemistry was off the charts. I may have even liked this just a teeny bit more than Mr. Wrong Number and I loved that one too. A must read for romance fans!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Audiobook Review: Off the Map by Trish Doller

February 22, 2023Leave a comment

Goodreads

Release date: March 7, 2023

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

On the road to love, you don’t need a GPS…

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love – if only they choose it.

Review:

I love this series so damn much! Each book has captivated me in some way and I just adore the authors style. I thought this was the sexiest of the series and maybe that’s because Carla and Eamon hook up pretty quickly but I wasn’t mad about it 😉 I’m not usually a fan of insta love but it kind of worked for me here, I think that’s because I believed in the connection between the two instantly myself. If you like books with romance, adventure, a grief element and humor this was really good. The audio narration by Sarah Naughton was amazing too, she brought Carla’s energy and passion to life so perfectly!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Review: The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

February 19, 2023Leave a comment

Goodreads

Release date: February 28, 2023

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

In this heart-fluttering romance by Kristina Forest, a shy bookworm enlists her charming neighbor to help her score a date, not knowing he’s the obscure author she’s been corresponding with.

Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming an editor of children’s books but has been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over e-mail turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won’t let herself entertain–until he ghosts her.

Months later, still crushed but determined to take charge of her life, Lily seeks a date to her sister’s wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, whom she feels drawn to for unexplainable reasons. Little does she know that Nick is an author–her favorite fantasy author.

Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and for pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet woman from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over e-mail months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but–not when he can’t get her off his mind.

Review:

This was super cute and felt like such a mature romance without many of the same old same old problems and issues. Yes, Nick lies about being the same person Lily emailed with but the way he handled it was so much better than I’ve seen in other books. I loved seeing these two bookworms together and they built a strong connection as friends that made me feel like they’ll have such a stable future together. Lily’s sisters were such great side characters and there were some other amazing secondary characters as well. I liked her sisters so much I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this could be the beginning of a new series. I did a combination of print and audio and Keylor Leigh and Malik Rashad were both incredible. It was my first time listening to both of them and they were so excellent I’ll be looking up some of their other work!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Review: Don’t Go Down There by Kiersten Modglin

February 15, 2023Leave a comment

Goodreads

Release date: February 28, 2023

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Spencer Edwards has a beautiful wife, two perfect children, and a sinister secret locked in his basement…

When Andi Edwards discovers her husband isn’t where he’s supposed to be and isn’t answering her calls or texts, a flurry of scenarios races through her mind.

Is he hurt?
Is he cheating?
Is he dead?

The truth, she soon finds out, is so much worse than she could’ve imagined.

As she struggles to make sense of her new and chilling reality, she must decide whether to stand by the man she loves and help protect him or walk away and let him pay for his sins.

With time running out, the secret in the basement becomes more dangerous, and the spine-chilling truth becomes clear: if she makes the wrong decision, she stands to lose much more than her marriage.

When their best laid plans come back to haunt them, what will Spencer and Andi be willing to sacrifice to survive?

Review:

This will be even trickier than usual to review and I say that every single time I write a KMod review, but it’s true! The whole plot is based on what is in the basement and it’s obviously a must to keep that a secret. But it’s a really good secret and what is down there has the power to change Andi and Spencer’s lives forever. There were some really solid and surprising twists here, especially as things escalated and got closer to the end. I didn’t see them coming and that’s always so fun as an avid thriller reader. If you like juicy and fast paced domestic thrillers this was a good one!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy.

Review: Gone Again by Minka Kent

February 12, 2023Leave a comment

Goodreads

Release date: March 7, 2023

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

In this novel of escalating fear and suspense by Washington Post and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Minka Kent, a secret from a woman’s past unearths a lifetime of lies. How long can she run from the past?

On her fortieth birthday, Celia Guest has reason to celebrate. She has a loving marriage, a beautiful Connecticut home, and treasured friends. Celia has everything she’s ever wanted. But among the cards and well-wishes, she discovers a disturbing note: You don’t deserve any of this.

Who could be so cruel, so resentful, so…knowing? Then, in the early morning hours, Celia vanishes without a trace.

As suspicions and concerns rise among Celia’s friends, her sister Genevieve, with whom she shares a fractured and troubling bond, starts to piece together a shattered life that Celia fled from once before. As a foundation of lies begins to crumble, a terrifying childhood secret Celia thought was dead and buried comes to light.

And this time, there’s no getting away from the truth.

Review:

Minka Kent is one of my trusted authors that I turn to when I’m in the mood for a fast paced and entertaining thriller. I liked the concept here and it’s told from sisters Celia and Gen’s POV in alternating timelines. It’s pacey and there’s lots of secrets being revealed throughout and I really enjoyed the majority. The ending did fall a little flat for me, I was expecting it to pack more of a punch but overall that aspect didn’t really take away from my enjoyment of the whole thing.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Review: Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot

February 11, 2023Leave a comment

Goodreads

Release date: February 21, 2023

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Two restaurant critics learn their opposing tastes might make for a five-star relationship in the next foodie romantic comedy from the author of Sadie on a Plate.

By day, Julie Zimmerman works as an executive assistant. After hours, she’s @JulieZeeEatsNYC, a social media restaurant reviewer with over fifty thousand followers. As much as she loves her self-employed side gig, what Julie really wants is to be a critic at a major newspaper, like the New York Scroll. The only thing worse than the Scroll’s rejection of her application is the fact that smarmy, social-media-averse society boy Bennett Richard Macalester Wright snagged her dream job.

While at the Central Park Food Festival, Julie confronts the annoyingly handsome Bennett about his outdated opinions on social media and posts the resulting video footage. Julie’s follower count soars—and so does the Scroll’s. Julie and Bennett grudgingly agree to partner up for a few reviews to further their buzz. Online buzz, obviously.

Over tapas, burgers, and more, Julie and Bennett connect over their shared love of food. But when the competitive fire between them turns extra spicy, they’ll have to decide how much heat their relationship can take.

Review:

Amanda Elliot is back with another interconnected but stand-alone read that is a must if you like foodie fiction combined with a romance. I will say the romance aspect was fairly light but it is there, it’s just more about Julie’s career and personal journey. She’s a food influencer but still has to work at her day job and dreams of the day she can follow her passion full time. The food descriptions were just delectable, everything sounded amazing and the author painted such a pretty picture of everything, seriously mouthwatering. Overall a really fun read especially if you like food, romance and a NYC setting.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Novelgossip

Month: February 2023

Review: The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

Audiobook Review: Off the Map by Trish Doller

Review: The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

Review: Don’t Go Down There by Kiersten Modglin

Review: Gone Again by Minka Kent

Review: Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot