Voracious Romance Reader • Honest Reviewer
Now that's what I call a HOT slow burn! This was delicious, every minute of it. After loving Wilde's debut, I was so excited to check out the followup, featuring a couple we were teased about in the series starter. While I've read (and loved) plenty of playboy-tamed romances in the past, I've never read... Continue Reading →
Three strikes, and... Grey is officially off my one-click list. There was a time when Grey was one of my favorite rom com authors - if not my #1 - so it is REALLY disappointing to acknowledge how bland and generic this was. This 3-star rating leans more towards a 2 than a 4, and... Continue Reading →
I've been loving this sweet and swoony series, but I'll admit that I was a little nervous about this particular installment - and I ended up enjoying it much more than expected! We've gotten to know this group of friends pretty well throughout this series of interconnected standalones, so I had already formed some opinions... Continue Reading →
It's always an amazing feeling when one of my highly anticipated reads meets my very high expectations, but to have it far surpass them? SPECTACULAR. After reading and loving Mile High, I was really nervous going into this, sort of a strange mix of excitement and dread that it wouldn't be able to live up... Continue Reading →
After hearing nothing but praise for this hero-centric series, I knew that I had to give it a try - and I’m glad that I did! Not only did the tone feel rich and authentic, but it’s also rare to find a romance that is exclusively told from the male perspective. It was quick and... Continue Reading →
From the moment we met this couple on the page together, I knew this love story was going to be something special. The TENSION snaps and crackles immediately, and it's obvious that there is both a lot of love and HURT between them. This (anti)hero is perhaps the most "broken" man I've ever rooted for... Continue Reading →
What a gorgeous love story! This is EASILY my favorite of Clayborn's romances (so far), and the bar was already pretty high. I loved the instant zap of connection I felt towards these characters, from those awkward first encounters to the subtle shifts in their relationship. I loved this grumpy hero - a man who... Continue Reading →
There was bound to be a miss in this otherwise-fantastic series at some point, and... this is it, unfortunately. I could tell something was off from the first chapter, when these two were (off-page) banging within the first few minutes of me picking up the book. We miss the initial banter and spark of attraction... Continue Reading →
It was surprisingly easy to put together this list, because the forced proximity and sexual tension that arise from roommates situations in romance books is often deliciously addictive. When you stick two very different people together, there's always some friction, and I love the build as they find their way together. There are also so... Continue Reading →
I'm torn between 4 and 5 stars, but the ending had me absolutely SWOONING, so I'm choosing to round up. There's a lot to love about this room-ance - a strangers to roommates to friends to lovers slow burn with fun, slightly off-kilter vibes and a hero whose feelings I wanted to figure out. The... Continue Reading →
What I love about Winter Renshaw is that I never know what I'm going to get; each book is wholly unique, and the journey is always unpredictable. That's definitely the case with this one as well, which certainly didn't progress in the way I expected. The premise was engaging, the story moved quickly, and the... Continue Reading →
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ From the moment we met this couple on the page together, I knew this love story was going to be something special. The TENSION snaps and crackles immediately, and it's obvious that there is both a lot of love and HURT between them. This (anti)hero is perhaps the most "broken" man I've ever rooted... Continue Reading →
Putting a whole new spin on one of my favorite tropes, I loved that this fake relationship romance felt fresh and different. This couple moves in together and enters a fake relationship as complete strangers undergoing an experiment, which added a level of unpredictability and interest to the beloved trope. There's a great opposites attract... Continue Reading →
As 2022 comes to a close, I’m celebrating my 20 favorite romance novels of the year, and Next of Kin was such an unexpected delight! On a night when nothing on my TBR was calling my name, I stumbled upon this newly-released debut. I'd never heard of the book, but the cover was adorable and... Continue Reading →
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What a gorgeous love story! This is EASILY my favorite of Clayborn's romances (so far), and the bar was already pretty high. I loved the instant zap of connection I felt towards these characters, from those awkward first encounters to the subtle shifts in their relationship. I loved this grumpy hero - a man... Continue Reading →
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It was great to be back in Knockemout - this sequel did NOT disappoint! I think I liked it better than the first one, and that was very tough competition. There was just something immensely compelling about this wounded and vulnerable hero; he's a genuinely good guy who is in a dark place, and... Continue Reading →
As 2022 comes to a close, I’m celebrating my 20 favorite romance novels of the year, and one of my top picks is the playboy tamed romance, Hook, Line, and Sinker. I'll admit to being very hesitant to dive into this romance initially. Friends to lovers romances where the hero is a manhoe are not... Continue Reading →
As 2022 comes to a close, I’m celebrating my 20 favorite romance novels of the year, and this debut surprised me in the best of ways - I loved it from start to finish. It's a great romance with a side of women's fiction, and the storyline felt fresh and authentic. Plus, roommates to lovers... Continue Reading →
As 2022 comes to a close, I’m celebrating my 20 favorite romance novels of the year, and Heartless is definitely one of them. When it comes to these lists, I try my best to honor 20 different authors, but I honestly could not choose between the first two books in Elsie Silver's Chestnut Springs series.... Continue Reading →
It's a mini review! I'm clearing out my review queue of all the books I can't seem to convince myself to finish, for one reason or another. That doesn't mean these are negative reviews, it simply means that something isn't compelling me to keep reading at the moment. Maybe I'll go back to them another... Continue Reading →
So bingeable, with a hero who is the sweetest man underneath his frosty exterior, this made for the perfect introduction to this small town series. Yes, I skipped right to the book with the tropes I was most interested in, lol, and I have no regrets. It's clear that the series is tied together enough... Continue Reading →
My first Ana Huang, and it was a good one! I can see why this author has become so popular - this was soapy and spicy, with a compelling marriage of convenience/forced engagement romance that develops between two strangers who are not very enthusiastic about the arrangement. Their relationship is a slow burn, especially emotionally,... Continue Reading →
The tension snaps and crackles, sparking off the page in such a delicious way - I could FEEL the unresolved issues between these two, and I couldn't wait for them to figure things out. As a certified second chance romance hater (but big fan of DeWitt's work), I was both excited and nervous to dig... Continue Reading →
Hogle recently released her third novel (her third 5-star read for me!), and it's got me thinking about the book that started my love for her work - You Deserve Each Other. It has such a unique concept, and the execution is so, so good. Sort of like enemies to lovers dialed up a notch,... Continue Reading →
"I’ve had to work so goddamn hard for those smiles, and now I’m fucking greedy for them. And nothing has changed, not really. I just want you worse. And it hurts." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The tension snaps and crackles, sparking off the page in such a delicious way - I could FEEL the unresolved issues between these... Continue Reading →
This was quick and bingeable, but ultimately a little unfulfilling. Bromberg is a one-click author for me, someone who delivers 5-star reads time and time again. So there was a lot of good stuff going on - some great sexual tension, an engaging meet cute, and a romance that mixes light and sexy moments with... Continue Reading →
From the Embers is enjoying a sudden surge in popularity, and I'm very happy about that... because it was one of my Top 20 of 2021 picks! In case you missed my review at the time, I'm sharing it again now. I still think back on the book very fondly, and hope many new readers... Continue Reading →
It's always a little terrifying to read the sophomore effort from an author whose debut you loved, hoping that it will live up to the weight of expectation. And, honestly, this didn't at first. The beginning is MUCH weaker than the second half, and it takes awhile to find its footing - but it definitely... Continue Reading →
I've been putting off writing this review because I really had to mull over how I wanted to rate it. The book is not bad, but it was not at all a successful reading experience for me. For some reason, McFarlane's books continue to be marketed as rom coms, with cute covers and blurbs that... Continue Reading →
You know what? I liked it, but I also think it should've (and could've) been about 200 pages shorter. Zapata is known as the queen of slow burn romance, and I love the way she writes the subtle shifts in relationship dynamics, these tiny moments that build up the intimacy. That's all still here in... Continue Reading →
This didn't quite live up to the hype for me, but I can see why fans of friends to lovers romances would eat it up. One of my favorite tropes is marriage of convenience, so I was cautiously optimistic that this would be the rare friends to lovers scenario that would resonate with me. And... Continue Reading →
Sometimes it takes a second chance to get things right, and the result is even sweeter because of the struggle. I'm talking about the couple in this book (which I LOVED!), but I'm also referring to my own reading experience. Back when this first released, I tried jumping into the series without reading the first... Continue Reading →
It started off strong, but my interest had fizzled by the end. This is something a little different from Quinn, though it still feels like one of her steamy rom coms. I really enjoyed the first 30ish%, with its crackling chemistry and TONS of sexual tension. Our hero is intense and loyal to a fault,... Continue Reading →
Intelligent, lighthearted, and full of romance, this was exactly what I was hoping for... though I wouldn't have minded some steam, lol! It's my first from the author, so I wasn't sure if the vibe would be more women's fiction or romance, but it ended up being a great combination of the two. The romance... Continue Reading →
An EASY 5-star rating for me - I loved it! When I stumbled upon this debut romance, I had zero expectations, so I couldn't have predicted the level of SWOONS or the plethora of heartfelt moments. I've never read a storyline quite like this one, and the near-constant forced proximity made for a book that... Continue Reading →
We all need a sexy nerd like this one in our lives - this hero is adorable... and also kind of a caveman. I loved him, and I loved this refreshingly low angst rom com from start to finish. While the whole Summersweet series has been great, this is easily one of my favorite installments.... Continue Reading →
I went in expecting Life As We Know It in book form, and that's what I got - so I can't really complain. Though this was shorter and more surface-level than I was hoping, I did like the overall story and it was easy to binge in one sitting. If you've watched the classic rom... Continue Reading →
It's been awhile since I've enjoyed a college romance this much, but Marie did such a great job of making these characters relatable... even if the storyline is a little unusual! I've been loving Marie's lighthearted romances recently, so I decided to check out the one that always puzzled me: IOU. Yeah, the storyline is... Continue Reading →
We're already halfway through 2022, so I'm taking the time to reflect back on my 15 favorite books of the year so far. A debut that surprised me in the best of ways, I loved Lease on Love from start to finish. It's a great romance with a side of women's fiction, and the storyline... Continue Reading →
We're already halfway through 2022, so I'm taking the time to reflect back on my 15 favorite books of the year so far. If you'd asked me six months ago, this probably wouldn't have been the Meghan Quinn book that I expected to make this list! She is an excellent writer who usually has a... Continue Reading →
A sexy single dad who is a genuinely nice guy, but also kind of a possessive caveman? Yeah, that works for me! This hero steals the show with his combination of sweet and alpha/businessman and caveman, but I also loved the vibrant heroine who has unexpected sides of her own. The two make for a... Continue Reading →
I finally took the plunge, and this absolutely lives up to the hype - I ADORED it! This one's for those readers who have the patience to follow little breadcrumbs scattered throughout the story, tiny moments of romance that slowly (SLOWLY) build into something truly beautiful. I loved that build in intimacy, the steps that... Continue Reading →
With crackling chemistry and a sexy doctor you'll want to kiss one minute and smack the next, this accidental pregnancy romance hooked me in IMMEDIATELY. I always love strangers to lovers romances, and this adds an element of enemies to lovers that was pure delight. These two don't know anything about each other, but the... Continue Reading →
I finally, FINALLY, moved this up to the top of my TBR, and it made my love for the rest of the series come rushing back to me - one of my all-time favorites. Often, when you've been anticipating reading a book for so long, you build up unrealistic expectations that it has no chance... Continue Reading →
WOW! I wasn't sure that I was going to like this smooth-talking player at the start, but I was feeling the swoons in such a MAJOR way by the end. This book is a JOURNEY; a slow tearing down of walls and insecurities. MQ carefully navigates the complexities of a hero who honestly doesn't know... Continue Reading →
It took all of five minutes for me to realize that I was going to love this debut author's work, and love it I did. This was excellent - light, swoony, and slow-burning, with depth that sneaks up on you and a focus on mental health. I adored the roommates to lovers dynamic, and this... Continue Reading →
This is one of my MOST anticipated reads of the year, because this author's debut was one of the best things I read in 2021! Elena Armas took the romance community by storm with her slow-burning debut, The Spanish Love Deception. I absolutely adored it! The American Roommate Experiment will definitely read as a standalone,... Continue Reading →
Jeeves Reads Romance 