It was very much a week of hits and misses. I read two great rom coms (The Bookworm’s Guide to Dating and In a Holidaze) that really hit the spot. Both are fun, feel good reads with minimal angst and maximum banter. I also read two books that missed the mark in a big way, earning a rare 2-star rating from me (check out the bottom row). We’ll probably talk more about my rating system once this storm of new releases settles down a bit, but a book really has to jump the shark to earn it from me. While I dole out 3-star ratings on a weekly basis, 2 stars means there was more bad than good. On the plus side, I’ve been prepping for next week’s monster of a release week and there’s a lot of good stuff on the way soon!
If you read my Teaser Tuesday post (found here), you know that there are A LOT more exciting books on the way next week. I’ll have reviews going up throughout the week!
If you missed any of this week’s reviews, I’ve got the blurb and rating for each below. There’s also a link to my list of The 10 October Releases I’m Most Excited About and this week’s Deals and Steals list.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Banter-filled fun
What I wanted for my birthday: Books.
What I got for my birthday: my brother’s best friend playing matchmaker.
Let it be known that I, Kinsley Lane, am one hundred percent against being set up with somebody.
And I’m one thousand percent sure that Josh Carter is not the man to find me a boyfriend.
I mean, if I’m so great, why isn’t he the one dating me? (For the record, I don’t know the answer. That’s just what the guy on the internet asked.)
Still, I’ll humor him. If I go on his little dates, he’ll teach my bookish, introverted self how not to be totally, completely, utterly, unforgivably awkward on every single one of them.
And all I have to do is fall in love with one of the lovely gentlemen he’s serving up for me on a silver platter—all of whom fit my very specific guidelines.
Simple, right?
It would be.
If only I could stop falling for Josh.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3lgnAqu
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Feel good fun
Love Actually meets Groundhog Day in the quintessential holiday romance by the New York Times bestselling author of The Honey-Don’t List.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.
But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.
The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.
Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” (Helen Hoang, author of The Bride Test) hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2TMwi46
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Emotional and sexy
Rule #1 Hands off my kid sister’s best friend
Rule #2 See rule number one
Rule #3 Seriously, don’t even think about touching Luna
Luna is my new room mate. My very off limits room mate. My gorgeous, feisty, painfully tempting room mate.
I try to keep my distance. To ignore her soft laugh, her intense eyes, her sweet smile.
And that groan, the one she makes over her morning coffee–Alright, the sassy college student is driving me out of my mind.
I can still keep my hands off her.
I double down on my rules. Draw that line between friends and lovers.
Then she kisses me.
And, suddenly, it’s obvious.
There’s no way in hell I can resist her.
The Rule Breaker is a standalone best friend’s brother romance with a feisty college student heroine, a brooding tattoo artist hero, and enough heat to melt your Kindle. Come see why readers say “no one writes broken bad boys like Crystal Kaswell.”
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/33uzFlA
⭐️⭐️ Hot mess
The fiery new romance from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L.A. Casey—can Noah unlock her memories…and find true love?
When Noah Ainsley wakes up in a hospital room with no recollection of how she got there, all she knows is that she needs to see Elliot, the love of her life. Then she learns the horrifying truth: her short-term memory has been destroyed by a car accident . She and Elliot broke up five years ago. And now she’s married to Anderson, a man she doesn’t even recognise.
In an instant Noah’s world is turned on its head. All she wants is Elliot by her side, but it’s clear Anderson is hurt by her rejection. Can she really have fallen in love with this stranger? Nothing makes sense—and when even Elliot refuses to answer her questions, Noah is left feeling all alone.
But as her memories slowly return, Noah begins to wonder if she’s been wrong to shut Anderson out—and wrong to put all her trust in Elliot. The ex she loves and the husband she doesn’t remember hold the keys to her past. And when the truth is finally revealed, which future will Noah’s heart choose?
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/30yAeZK
⭐️⭐️ (Mostly) bad
The first rule about a casual hookup is to have an exit plan.
No strings. No attachments. Get in, get out—euphemism intended.
The lesser known second rule?
Make sure your casual hookup isn’t about to become your wedding planner.
Yeah. Long story.
The wedding was going to be a fake. The only catch was nobody could know. Not even my wedding planner.
Now the wedding planner thinks I’m the world’s biggest bastard. She thinks I’m in love with the woman I’m supposed to marry. She thinks a lot of things, but she doesn’t know the truth.
She’s got no idea she’s going to fall for me by the time this thing is over.
She’s got no idea our little hookup wasn’t meaningless. Not to me, at least.
And worst? She thinks she’s safe around me. She thinks I’m off the market, that there can’t be a repeat because there’s someone else.
There’s nobody else. Just her. And ever since the first taste, I knew she was all there’d ever be.
Author’s Note: Don’t run away from the ultimate playboy. He’s ready to fake marry you so hard . She’s sweet and sassy, he’s over the top in everything. They’re a match made in fake marriage history.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FhdKFp
The 10 October Releases I’m Most Excited About
Update: Eight of these are now sitting on my Kindle, and I might need to go hide in my reading cave for a while!!!!
October brings so many exciting releases, with new books by some of my favorite authors as well as a few whose work I’m just getting acquainted with. There are plenty of books that I’m looking forward to reading, but these are the ten that I want to devour as soon as possible. Whether they’re written by an author whose past work makes any new releases one-click worthy or feature a blurb that sounds particularly enticing, these are my most anticipated October releases. Check out the complete list here.
Want to know more about the books that are releasing in October? You can check out my complete October release calendar here.
This Week’s Deals and Steals
New week, new deals!!! There continue to be a ton of great freebies and deals out there on Kindle books, so get clicking and load up your eReader! These low/no price books are the perfect way to try out new-to-you authors without breaking the bank.
They’re sorted into four lists – freebies, 99 cents, $1.99 and $2.99 or more. These deals change daily, so grab them while you can! Fair warning: I might add new deals as I see them, but only remove expired deals once a week and they sometimes go fast. Check out the complete list here.
Jeeves Reads Romance 
I haven’t read an Emma Hart in a long while, I might just have to change that – love how this one sounds.
~ Corina | The Brown Eyed Bookworm
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Yes, I haven’t been loving her books recently (they’ve just felt very rushed), but this one was back to the Hart I used to know and love.
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