#39 [2026/CBR18] Bombshells by Sarina Bowen

I went through a phase some years ago where I read a lot of books by Sarina Bowen because I found them fun and entertaining. Recently, I was looking for good road trip books, and I looked her up again. I realized that I had missed a couple, and decided now was the time to do some catch up. I'm not sure if I intentionally skipped over Bombshells (2021) or I somehow missed it, but I was happy to find another Bowen book that I had not read.

Sylvie is from Canada. She is still grieving the recent death of her mother. She has a crush on one of the Brooklyn Bruiser stars who lived at her home when she was a teenager. And she has just joined the Brooklyn Women's Hockey team, the Bombshells. With almost no warning, Sylvie takes what she can and moves in with some fellow Bombshells players. The player she's had a crush on most of her life keeps her at arms length, but she meets another Bruisers player, Anton.

Anton is immediately transfixed by Sylvie, and they begin spending time together. They both teach a swim class to local youths, and they jog together. Their attraction is immediate and undeniable, and soon enough they give in to it. Sylvie is confused at first, but she's been slowly giving up on her crush for quite a while now, and Anton is irresistible. Anton was having a more difficult time because he felt like he was betraying his teammate.

So the two keep their trysts secret for a while until it becomes impossible. However, it all works out in the end.

There's not too much drama in this book. Sylvie does have to improve her performance on the ice, and the two share some fun times together. Anton is known as a playboy and he has to stop being scared of commitment before they stop keeping secrets. But for the most part, Sylvie and Anton are on the same page.

I have always enjoyed reading Bowen's novels, and this one was no different. I never get bored while I'm reading. However, I wasn't very interested in the dead mother leaving impenetrable "signs" via hairpin for Sylvie. I found it both annoying that Syvie's mother was controlling her daughter from the grave--and unbelievable. I also realize that Bowen needed a couple of obstacles to throw at Sylvie and Anton, but Sylvie's crush seemed a little bit of a stretch. It was a tricky balance to have Sylvie be hung up on someone else, but also hooking up with her happily ever after.

On the whole, though, I enjoyed this book.

#38 [2026/CBR18] Bound by Ali Hazelwood

I'm a sucker for all Ali Hazelwood books, so when I saw that she had a new novel out, I picked up the Audiobook without even thinking. Bound (2025) is apparently only available on Audiobook until October of this year, when it will be released in print with its partner book, Unbound. I'm assuming that Unbound is a continuation of Bound, but I'm not really sure.

Veronica "Vero" is a grad student who grew up with her con artist parents. She mostly did not follow in her parents' footsteps, but when she needed money, she began forging some old books and manuscripts for her boss. This brought her to the attention of Dr. Viktor Ashworth, a professor at her school. He kidnaps her and then offers her a million dollars to help him out with his own forgery. Vero agrees.

For months, Vero is driven to Viktor's museum/palace-like residence to work on the manuscript. After a couple of unusual incidents, she figures out that Viktor and his friends aren't quite human. It turns out that Viktor is hundreds of years old and is a Revenant (vampire). He can handle the sun with sunglasses, but that's because he's old and powerful. As the two work together, they begin to like each other more and more.

Viktor wanted Vero to fake a very old document that Viktor had written himself and contained the instructions for turning people into Revenants. He wanted her to change some of the instructions because there was a rogue Revenant killing people left and right, and he did not want him to have the knowledge to turn people.

One day, Vero is attacked as she is leaving Viktor's residence. Viktor saves her, and the two become a real couple. The finale takes place in Boston when the document is finished, and the Revenants lay a trap to find the bad guy. It doesn't quite work out the way they hoped, and Vero runs over there to try to help a friend that gets caught up in the mess. Vero is badly injured. When she wakes up, Viktor has turned her into a Revenant, and the book is over.

This is my least favorite Hazelwood book so far. I'm not that into paranormal stories anyway, but this did nothing for me. The romance was incredibly slow, the love interest's voice was very stodgy. In addition, the whole purpose of the forgery and the bad guy was undeveloped, with everything wrapping up very quickly in the end. 

I also couldn't help but compare it to complaints I've heard about Twilight. Viktor is centuries old and a professor, but interested in a young, graduate student. Before she is aware, he sneaks into her apartment and drinks her blood, so he can read her thoughts and keep track of her better. She told him in conversations that she did not want to be immortal, but he thought he felt something different from her in her thoughts. He also didn't want to lose her, so he turns her without any discussion. She is happy about this, so it's not a problem in the book, but I found it all more creepy than sexy.

Not for me. Unbound might be better, but it also might be the first Hazelwood book that I skip.

#31 [2026/CBR18] Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood

By this point, I will read any book by Ali Hazelwood, and I'm usually not disappointed. However, she's so prolific that her books often sneak up on me. As soon as I became aware of its existence, I put Two Can Play (2026) on hold at the library and just recently finished it.

Two Can Play feels very much like a Hazelwood romance novel, but it is also shorter than many of her novels--about 200 pages. The story is about two video game developers who work for rival companies. Viola is excited because her favorite book series is going to be adapted into a video game, and she desperately wants to work on it. The problem is that the developer wants both the company Viola works for as well as the warring video game company to work together.

There are a lot of personal conflicts between these two companies, but the only problem Viola has is with Jesse Andrews. Back when she was first applying for jobs, she interviewed with Jesse and his boss. At the time, Jesse worked for yet another company. Jesse's then-boss was inappropriate and sexist, and Viola walked out of the interview. Jesse was embarrassed by his boss's actions and caught up to Viola. He apologized for his boss and recommended another company that he thought would be a good fit for her.

It ended up being good advice because Viola is currently working at the company Jesse had recommended. The problem was that she often ran into him at various industry events and conventions, and he was always aloof and indifferent. She didn't understand why he disliked her, but it was unfortunate because for a short time, she'd had a little crush on him. The final straw was at a recent, Christmas wedding (his best friend and her cousin, or something, were getting married, so they were both there). He looked horrified and publicly refused to kiss her when they found themselves under the mistletoe. He abandoned her, stalking away without even a kiss on the cheek. This humiliated Viola and whatever was left of her crush officially died.

In order to facilitate the better relations between the two companies, the developer set up a ski retreat at a lodge in the mountains. This would be the test to see if the companies can work together and do the job. Suddenly, there is a lot of forced proximity between Viola and Jesse. Jesse continues to be perfectly polite and distant with her until he loses a drinking game and Viola helps him back to his room. It comes out that he liked her, but due to a misunderstanding when they first met, he thought Viola wanted nothing to do with him. 

It doesn't take much after that for the two to get closer and closer, with all of the action taking place during the retreat. 

Hazelwood does her normal thing where the couple is absolutely perfect for each other. Although it might not be realistic, it is satisfying to read. The misunderstanding felt a little unrealistic--especially that it lasted so long, but I was willing to buy it. I did appreciate that Hazelwood didn't throw a last-minute wrench into their relationship, but just let them get together without extra drama. 

Final summation: I liked Viola and Jesse and I was happy to see them together. I enjoyed this one.

#26 [2026/CBR18] Here's Looking At You by Mhairi McFarlane

After finishing Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane, I wanted more and started looking through McFarlane's novels to see if I'd missed any. I was happy to find Looking At You (2014), an older McFarlane novel that I hadn't read before. Looking At You was fine, but it did feel a little dated and is not on the top of my McFarlane list.

Anna Alessi is a history professor in England, forcing herself to go online dating in order to meet the one. She has mostly gotten over a traumatic history of intense bullying from what in America would be called her high school years. The book begins with Anna in high school. Her secret crush, James Fraser, asks if she wants to do a duet at the final school lip sync show. But he just leaves her on stage, laughs at her, and calls her an elephant while the rest of the school throws candies at her. It was premeditated and appallingly mean.

Now, many years later Anna has transformed herself into someone literally unrecognizable after losing about fifty pounds (not the best of tropes). She goes to her high school reunion for closure--or something. James Fraser and his friends are there, but they don't even know who she is. Shortly thereafter, Anna is helping out with a museum exhibition and James's company is brought on for some of the tech. Anna and James have to work together, and he still doesn't know who she is.

At first Anna is very prickly and defensive with James, which he doesn't understand. But slowly the two start getting along better. and even become friends. But one day, they go to Anna's place and James sees an old picture of Anna and the truth is out. James barely remembers what he did to her, and thinks she's making too big a deal out of it.

Eventually James understands how miserable Anna's life was in high school and properly apologizes. There are also some side stories with Anna's sister and James's wife.

I think its pretty gutsy to have a main character do something so mean in the very beginning of the book, and then bring him back as the romantic hero. The problem for me is that it didn't work. I know he was only sixteen and sixteen year old's are especially stupid with undeveloped brains. But there's a difference between stupid and cruel. And I never got the sense that James changed enough for me to really trust him. He consistently seemed low on the caring about other's feelings scale. And he didn't have any good relationships. He hated his best friend and coworkers and had nothing in common with his wife. He didn't know who he was. Even though he supposedly figured this out at the end of the book, he still went back to his wife before finally deciding he should stick with Anna. Their relationship didn't feel very romantic to me.

Anna was more sympathetic, but a lot of her character was just her looking to get married, which seemed a little tiresome. I'm also not a huge fan of the losing weight to become an entirely different, and very hot, person. I might have preferred if Anna had stayed the same and James had changed into a more substantive adult who noticed and cared about other people who weren't as hot as him. I love McFarlane, but I don't think this one aged as well as some of her others.

#24 [2026/CBR18] Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane

I've read many books by Mhairi McFarlane and really enjoyed most of them. So, when I saw she had a new book out, Cover Story (2025), I knew I was going to read it. McFarlane writes romance-centric novels but with more developed characters and storylines than you sometimes see in your flimsier romances. McFarlane is Scottish and her books take place in England, so there are a lot of Britishisms and other cultural references that sometimes fly over my head. I still enjoy reading them, though.

Bel is an investigative journalist working in a tiny satellite office in Manchester with her coworker Aaron and a rotating intern. The latest intern is Connor. Older than the usual intern, Connor has recently switched career tracks from finance to journalism. He's not happy about being up in Manchester, he recently dealt with a bout of depression, and he's unsure about his relationship with his girlfriend of five years. So, his first impression of Bel, Aaron, and the Manchester office is not positive, and he doesn't hide his feelings. Bel immediately labels Connor a snobby finance bro and wants nothing to do with him.

Bel hears from a source that the mayor is having inappropriate relationships with young women in his office. She decides to go undercover to befriend the woman who runs the AirBnB the mayor uses for his liaisons. When Connor stumbles into her at an inopportune time, he is roped into the undercover business as her boyfriend. 

As Connor and Bel work together, their relationship slowly thaws into a good working relationship and then into friends. Part of why this case is so important to Bel is that she recently fell into a similar trap with an older man at her previous work. Even worse, when she wizened up and left, he began stalking and harassing her.

Bel and Connor's romance is a very slow burn, but I liked their interactions and I didn't get bored while reading. I also thought McFarlane did well in explaining how Bel felt about the man at her previous work who was pretty nefarious. The guilt and blame she put on herself was tremendous, but I imagine a lot of women could relate.

Connor was dreamy, but he sometimes felt too good to be real. And speaking of realistic, almost every male character in this book was obsessed with Bel. We have Connor, of course; Bel's ex-boyfriend; Bel's office fling/stalker; co-worker Aaron; and even the mayor of Manchester as soon as he sees her. It was a little much, but didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel.

#21 [2026/CBR18] These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

I saw These Summer Storms (2025) by Sarah MacLean on NPR's Favorite Books List. I've never read anything by Sarah MacLean, but I'm a fan of romance novels, and this one seemed interesting enough. So I picked it up. Unfortunately, I found this one more disappointing than not. After a fun beginning, the plot did not feel believable, and I didn't like the characters. By the end of the book, I was curious how it was going to end, but I was also ready for it to be done.

Alice Storm hasn't seen her very rich family in five years. She is the daughter of a tech billionaire, Franklin Storm, who is egotistic, controlling, and unlikable. When she publicly outed her father's company for its bad practices regarding sexual harassment, her father told her to "get off his island." In all that time, Alice has not seen her mother, Elizabeth; her two older siblings Greta and Sam, and her youngest sibling Emily. She was cut off from all of the money and made her own way as an artist and art teacher in New York City.

But she has just received news that her father is dead from an accident, and she is on her way back to their private island off the coast of Rhode Island for his funeral/celebration of life. Her ex-fiance, Griffin, has just recently broken things off with no explanation. On the train, she sits next to a good-looking man who helps her get away from paparazzi and gives her a ride. They end up hooking up before she sneaks away in the morning.

Alice sails across the island to meet her mostly rude and obnoxious family--except for Emily, who is in a happy relationship and seems like a genuine, caring person. It doesn't take long before the guy Alice slept with the night before shows up at the island. He is Jack Dean, and her father's number two man at his company. Jack Dean is there to tell them about their father's wishes as far as the will is concerned and oversee/judge the process.

Franklin Storm gave most members of the family a personal letter with a task to fulfill. All members of the family must complete the task or none of them will get their inheritance. Greta must break off her years-long relationship with her father's bodyguard--a man she loves more than anything. Sam can only talk on even hours, and he has to clean and fix a bunch of things on the island. Alice did not get a letter at all, but she must stay on the island for the whole week. Even though Alice is now self sufficient and doesn't care about the money, she is facing incredible family pressure to stay. Emily did not receive instructions, and Elizabeth, their mother, was instructed to say one nice thing about Franklin every day and "tell the truth."

I'm pretty sure there is nothing remotely legal about this, but it also doesn't make a lot of sense. Greta is supposed to break up with the man she loves. Franklin is not a likable character, but it's still a mystery why he would do this to his daughter. The book says he doesn't like to share, but he's dead; he doesn't have to share. And wasn't he already sharing his favorite bodyguard when they were secretly, but not so secretly hooking up before he died. And Franklin liked his bodyguard. Why would he do this? Also, all Greta has to do is tell her beau everything that's happening. He can disappear until the end of the week, and people can think they broke up. Greta inherits the money, her bodyguard boyfriend comes back, and the problem is solved. This plotline drove me crazy.

Another big problem for me was that I didn't like Jack Dean. This book could have turned around for me if I had been into the love story. And when they first met on the train, he was really promising. But when they're on the island, they were always fighting. He never apologized or explained anything to her. He was constantly lying or withholding information, and I didn't trust him. He is too much like her father. The only thing they had going for each other was the physical attraction--not the best basis for a long-term relationship. Not my favorite book of the year.

#14 [2026/CBR18] Game Changer by Rachel Reid

Inspired by the new, hit television show Heated Rivalry (a show I've heard of but not seen), my book club decided to read a random, hockey-themed romance novel paired with a field trip to watch a hockey game. The random, hockey romance novel was not a huge hit, so I decided to skip it and go straight to the source material. When I looked up Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid, I discovered that it is actually Book 2 of a series. So, I decided to start at the beginning with Book 1: Game Changer (2024).

Kip Grady is 25 years old. He lives in New York City with his parents after getting his history degree. He works at a Smoothie shop while paying back his student loans and trying to decide what he wants to do with his life. Then, Scott Hunter walks in the door, looking for a blueberry smoothie on game day. Scott Hunter is the captain of the New York Admirals, the local, professional hockey team. The team had been going through a bit of a slump, so when the Admirals win that night, Scott comes back their next game day for his lucky blueberry smoothie.

Kip is very attracted to Scott, but Scott is not gay and he's a professional athlete. There's no way he would be interested in Kip, who is pretty low on self esteem at the moment. But then they run into each other again at a fancy party where Kip is hired on as waitstaff for the night. The two decide to go get a burger after the gala. 

And so it begins. Scott is actually gay, but he's deep in the closet because of the rampant homophobia surrounding hockey culture as he was growing up. FYI, I googled "gay NHL players" and found that the NHL is the only professional men's league to never have a current or former player come out as gay. I'm not positive this information is current or correct because I also saw somewhere that there was an  NHL prospect who did come out--inspired by these very books. Either way, it's safe to say that even today you would be courageous to come out while playing in the NHL. Tangent: Isn't it interesting that there are gay women all over professional women's sports, and it seems to be much more accepted?

Scott and Kip are both nice guys, who are young, incredibly hot, and very much into each other. They have a lot of sex, which is described in detail, over and over again. In some ways, their relationship is perfect. But the problem is that they have to keep it a secret. It really starts to wear on Kip because he is continually lying to his friends and family. Eventually, he even starts avoiding some of his friends because he doesn't want to lie to them. Scott doesn't want to lose Kip, but he feels stuck.

Eventually Scott does what needs to be done, and in a pretty dramatic fashion. And they live happily ever after.

I listened to this book, and although there were parts I liked, I don't think I'm going to continue on with the series. I thought the narrator did an okay job, but he had different voices for each character, which I found distracting. I especially disliked Kip's voice. I thought he sounded like a Neanderthal with a weird accent I couldn't place. I also thought this book had more sex than story. I liked Scott and Kip's meet cute and their first experiences with each other. But then it felt like a big chunk of the book was just enough storyline to get them to their next sex scene. It was actually refreshing when their relationship began struggling a little bit over the coming out issue. Maybe I'll try out the show, but I think I'll skip the rest of the books.

#9 [2026/CBR18] An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn

I've watched most of the Bridgerton series, and I generally find it entertaining. So, when the latest season became available on Netflix, I watched the first half of the season--everything that was available at the time. It is a Cinderella story, involving the second-oldest Bridgerton brother, Benedict (the spare). And I really liked it. I thought the chemistry between the two lead actors was great, and I found Benedict to be a charming, charismatic, and funny leading man.

I decided to read An Offer From a Gentleman (2001) by Julia Quinn while I waited for the rest of the show to come out. My enthusiasm for the show rolled over into the book, and I enjoyed listening to it. I finished the book before finally watching the last half of the show. Although there were a number of changes made for the adaptation, the basics of the two stories are the same.

Sophie Becket (Baek on the show) is an illegitimate child of the Earl of Penwood and a housemaid. After Sophie's mother died when she was young, she was brought to the Earl's estate. The Earl never paid much attention to her, but he saw that she was well-cared for and educated. When Sophie was still young, the Earl remarried and brought his new wife and two new step-daughters home. The new wife detested that she had to accept and deal with a bastard child from another relationship and treated Sophie horribly. Still things weren't too bad until the Earl unexpectedly died. At that point, the Earl's wife basically turned Sophie into an unpaid, overworked maid.

One day Sophie borrows an old dress and some shoes from Lady Penwood and sneaks into a costume party at Bridgerton House. While there, she meets and enchants/is enchanted by Benedict Bridgerton. However, at midnight, when the masks are supposed to come off, Sophie flees back to Penwood House. The story continues with Benedict trying to find the mystery woman in silver, and Sophie kicked out of  Penwood house when Lady Penwood discovers that she had been at the costume party.

Now that I've both read and seen this Bridgerton story, my favorite part is the first half of the television version. The book was fine, but you could tell that it was written a while ago because television Benedict was often more appealing. In the book, Benedict was enraged that Sophie refused to be his mistress. He also told her he would have her put in jail for stealing if she didn't accompany him to London. He threatened her "for her own good" of course, but it made me dislike him. In contrast, the television Benedict was much more understanding.

And I enjoyed the first half because it included the two meeting at the dance, which was very sweet. It also included their time at "My Cottage," which felt something like a fairy tale. The second half of the show had some good parts, but it felt a little more drawn out.

On the whole, this was a fun read and I enjoyed comparing the book to the television show. I generally prefer to read the book before seeing the adaptation, but I don't think it mattered much in this case.

#6 [2026/CBR18] Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Shortly after I finished Bride by Ali Hazelwood, the second book in this world: Mate (2025), became available. So, I quickly read that one as well. In many ways, Mate is very similar to Bride in that it is a love story involving weres, humans, and vampyres.

We meet Serena at the end of Bride. She is best friends with Bride's protagonist, and she'd been kidnapped because she was half-were and half human--something heretofore unheard of in this world. At the very end of Bride, Koen Alexander, the Alpha wolf of the Northwest pack runs into Serena, and it is immediately clear that she is his mate.

We discover Serena at the beginning of Mate as she runs for her life from a vampyre. It turns out that Serena had been feeling very ill, and after talking to some Were doctors, she thought she was dying. Instead of telling anyone (like her best friend), Serena decides her best course of action is to hide up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere and suffer through the night sweats on her own. Koen shows up just in the nick of time to save her, and he takes her back to his home. 

But now that Serena is back among the living with Koen, it is harder for her to hide her symptoms. The two primary things keeping Serena and Koen apart are Serena's belief that she's dying and the pack law that the Alpha remain celibate. Koen cannot be with Serena, even though they are mates. And if he steps down as Alpha, there will be a power vacuum that may destroy the pack.

I enjoyed Bride much more than Mate for a number of reasons. First, Koen acted disinterested in Serena for a big portion of the book. It didn't feel very romantic to me. Second, I couldn't understand why Serena was so secretive about her sickness. She didn't want her friend to worry about her, but her friend is going to suffer a lot more if Serena showed up dead with no warning.

I was pretty certain early on that Serena was in heat (or something like that). Although it's pretty funny that all the male doctors had no idea what was going on, how did everyone around her not understand what was happening? Once it was figured out, Koen seemed to know all about it and exactly what to do. Also, how often does this happen? Is Serena effectively incapacitated for months at a time every year? Twice a year?

I was also frustrated with the, "Koen can't have a romantic partner storyline". We already know this isn't necessary because the Alpha in Bride has a mate with no issues. And people can be used as bait whether you're officially sleeping with them or not. It felt like an artificial block in order to keep the story going.

This was still a quick read, and generally kept my attention. However, I preferred Bride, and I do hope that Hazelwood takes a break from paranormal and goes back to my favorite type of her books.

#5 [2026/CBR18] A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

I saw A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping (2025) by Sangu Mandanna on NPR's Favorite Books List. Books with witches and whatnot are not usually my thing, but I've found some good books on NPR and I didn't want to be too close-minded. So, I got the audiobook from my library for a low commitment read while commuting.

If I had to describe this book in four words, I would say it is quiet, sweet, uplifting, and funny. At the beginning of the book, Sera Swan is a teenager with a promising amount of magical powers. She helps her great-aunt Jasmine run an enchanted Inn in Lancashire. But when Jasmine dies unexpectedly out in the garden, Sera desperately resurrects her with a forbidden spell--accidentally bringing back the skeletal remains of a long-dead rooster at the same time.

The resurrection spell Sera used sapped her of most of her magical powers. To make matters worse, Sera was kicked out of the witch's guild for breaking their magic rules. Fast-forward fifteen years, and Sera is now thirty years old. She and her aunt are struggling to keep the Inn from falling apart with the little dribble of magic Sera has left. She is desperate to find a way to get her magic back, but she can get no help from the Guild.

The Inn and its inhabitants gave me a strong Gilmore Girls vibe. The Inn is full of quirky characters who have found a home and support each other. These include a young man who dresses as a knight and Sera's young cousin--whose parents don't have much interest in him. In addition to the undead rooster, there is a sly fox--an old witch who was turned into a fox when one of her spells backfired.  Sera has an old spell that protects the Inn from people with bad intentions, but lets those in need come straight to her.

One day, Luke Larsen and his young sister, Posy, show up at the Inn. Posy has proven a challenge to their parents because she is both magical and autistic. She doesn't care to hide her magic, and her parents have sloughed her off onto Luke. Luke is a magical witch and historian, and he has some of the knowledge Sera needs to get her magic back. Luke is also good looking and so relieved to find a place that values Posy for who she is.

The antagonist in this book is a power-hungry older witch (wizard?) who has great influence in the Guild. He is the one who was behind Sera getting kicked out of the Guild, and he truly becomes evil as the story continues. He also comes from an old, established witch family and is very snobby about Sera's Indian heritage and her lack of connections.

Sera and Luke begin a quiet romance as they help each other. The book ends with the strong message that being yourself and caring about the people you love is more important than anything else. I found this book sweet and memorable. My only complaint, if any, was that I listened to this book on Audiobook, and I found it easy for my attention to drift off as I listened. However, on the whole, I enjoyed this book, and I loved what it stood for.

#4 [2026/CBR18] Bride by Ali Hazelwood

I realize that Ali Hazelwood does not write perfect books, but I find them highly entertaining and I usually go out of my way to read them. However, I've never had much interest in paranormal romance novels with vampires, werewolves, and the like. So, when I first heard that Hazelwood was branching out of her normal STEM romance novels, I figured I would skip them. But then I ran out of things to read, and I decided they were worth a try after all.

I started with Bride (2024) by Hazelwood because that's the one that became available at my library first. Fortunately, it also turned out to be the first book in this world, and I accidentally read them in the right order.

Misery Lark is a vampyre and a crack computer programmer who is living incognito in the human world. She had a pretty rough childhood. When she was only 10 years old, her father sent her off to be used as collateral to keep the peace between humans and vampyres. Having grown up with humans, and used by her father, she doesn't feel much connection to vampyres.

The one person Misery cares about more than anyone is her best friend, a human woman named Sabrina. Sabrina was thrown in with Misery when they were young girls--as someone who could ease her loneliness and perhaps help her behave. The two became incredibly close, but a couple weeks ago, Sabrina went missing without a word. Misery is desperate to find her friend, when she finds a scribbled note in Sabrina's place that says: "L. Moreland". It just so happens that her father asks Misery to marry Lowe Moreland, the Alpha of the nearby Were clan, as part of a peace deal. He obviously cares nothing for his daughter's happiness or safety, and only cares what he can get from her. But Misery thinks the L. Moreland must relate to Lowe, and he must have something to do with Sabrina's disappearance. She agrees to marry him in a desperate attempt to find her friend.

Weres and vampyres are lifelong enemies, and Misery doesn't have an easy time of it in the beginning. Fortunately, she's used to insults and being a loner, and Lowe is fair--even if he avoids her like the plague. As her time continues there, Misery makes herself useful, and she and Lowe start working together. Misery also grows closer with Lowe's young, half-sister, Ana.

There's a lot going on in this book. First, Misery and Lowe are falling for each other. Sabrina needs to be found. Killers are coming after both Misery and little Ana. And there is a lot of politics between vampyes, weres, and humans.

I know I am not big on fantastical creatures, but on the whole I liked this book. Did I sometimes wish we could just have normal people? Yes. But it wasn't too distracting. And humans don't have "mates" like Weres, which certainly helps push the romance forward. There was good chemistry between Lowe and Misery; I liked them together. However, my favorite part of the book was the humor, including Misery's sarcastic sense of humor. I found myself laughing a lot.

Was this a gateway book into more paranormal romance for me? Probably not, but it was a fun diversion.

#3 [2026/CBR18] The Favorites by Layne Fargo

I saw The Favorites (2025) by Layne Fargo on some year-end, best-of lists and decided it was worth a try. It is a story loosely based on Wuthering Heights, written in the style of Daisy Jones & The Six, and based on the the competitive sport of ice dancing. Pairs figure skating was one of my favorite Olympic sports to watch back in the day, so I figured a book about ice dancing could be interesting.

Katarina Shaw was obsessed with ice dancing ever since she was a kid, watching Sheila Lin win the Gold medal at the Olympics. And even though Kat lived on the outskirts of a small, midwestern town without all of the resources many ice dancers employ, Kat was determined to succeed. And then she met Heath Rocha, a loner foster kid, at the rink, and the two were inseparable. Heath learned how to skate for Kat, and their connection made them a great ice dancing couple.

Heath and Kat faced a ton of obstacles. After Kat's father died unexpectedly, Kat's drug addict brother made their lives difficult. They had no money for coaching, costumes, or choreography, but their talent got them noticed. When Sheila Lin invites Kat and Heath to Los Angeles for coaching at her private academy, Kat jumps at the chance and drags Heath along with her.

Sheila had twins back in the day, and her prodigy are now looking to follow in her gold-medal footsteps. Bella and Garrett are everything Kat and Heath are not. They have all of the privilege and pressure that come with being the children of Sheila Lin. And there are other ice dancing couples, too, all training together and fighting for supremacy.

This story is told as an unauthorized documentary, ten years after something "scandalous" had occurred in the ice dancing world, involving Kat and Heath. The book uses interviews and descriptions of footage from that time. This is interspersed with Kat's description of her side of the story.

I thought this was a fun book, and I had a good time with it. I have read Wuthering Heights, but it was too long ago. I don't remember it well enough to compare the plots. However, Fargo seemed to do a good job in capturing the intensity and drama of ice dancing, as well as the intensity of Kat and Heath's often unhealthy relationship. My only complaint is that it sometimes felt a little repetitive. Countless times, Kat and Heath came into a competition on top, only for something to go wrong during the final dance. I began expecting it.

I just started watching Glitter and Gold last night, Netflix's special on the top ice dancing couples going to the 2026 Olympics. I was interested in the show because of The Favorites, and what I've seen so far definitely fits with the drama in the book. Ice dancing couples are breaking up and switching partners constantly, including switching nationalities in order to compete. The last Olympic gold medalist ditched his partner to start ice dancing with the woman whose partner was banned from the sport because of alleged sexual assault. Two of the top couples train at the same rink. And because the judging is, in part, subjective, it increases the tension even more.

To sum up: I enjoyed the book, and I will probably be watching some Olympic ice dancing shortly.

#44 [2025/CBR17] First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison

I found First-Time Caller (2025) by B.K. Borison on my library's list of popular and available audio books. This one sounded cute and I started it with high hopes. And it started out really well. Unfortunately, I kind of lost interest in the middle and the end of the book. It wasn't bad, but the characters didn't seem real, and I didn't find it very romantic.

Aiden Valentine is the host of Heartstrings, a call-in radio show where he dispenses relationship advice. Although he's not really qualified for this kind of thing on any level, he likes to talk to people, and his name fits the bill. However, lately, Aiden has become more cynical. He's tired of hearing petty complaints from people in unhappy relationships.

Then one night a young girl named Maya calls. She says her mother doesn't date, and she's worried about her. Lucie Stone, finding her daughter up and on the phone in the middle of the night gets on the line. And she and Aiden start talking. These first couple chapters were my favorite in the book. Aiden and Lucie have great chemistry, and it was fun to listen to.

When Aiden and Lucie's conversation goes viral, the show decides to have Lucie on as a recurring guest as they find dates for her. Lucie begins this journey with high expectations, but the first couple of dates are remarkably bad. At the same time, she's spending more and more time with Aiden. It is inevitable that at some point, they have to address the growing attraction. But Aiden grew up with a mother who was constantly fighting cancer, and it messed with his ability to have relationships. He keeps pushing Lucie away with flimsy excuses that only hurt her.

Like I said before, I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. Unfortunately, it let me down a bit as I read. My biggest complaint is the relationship between Aiden and Lucie. I felt like Lucie was constantly putting herself out there, and Aiden would alternate between pushing her away and being weirdly touchy feely for simple coworkers. Honestly, it kind of creeped me out. 

In addition, the characters didn't feel real to me. Lucie is a mechanic, which is a very interesting job for a woman. But there was nothing on how she became a mechanic or even got interested in cars. She seems to have zero interest in cars outside of her job. Also, her garage sends her out with a tow truck one time in this book, and she just happens to pick up Aiden's car, which just happened to break down. I'm pretty sure mechanics do not routinely also become tow truck drivers. Maybe in tiny towns, but this takes place in Baltimore. Lucie's daughter, Maya, also felt more like a mascot than a real daughter. 

Finally, and I am nitpicking here. Lucie is a single mother who works full time and is too busy for anything for herself. Yet she suddenly spends hours night after night talking at a radio station. I hope she was getting paid for this because her time commitment was enormous. When was she getting any sleep?

The beginning of this book set my expectations very high, but I was let down in the end. This was not a bad romance, but I got frustrated in the middle and it left me wanting more. 

#40 [2025/CBR17] Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

CBR17Bingo: "G"

I'm a fan of Emily Henry, and I've read most of her books, so when I saw she had a new one out: Great Big Beautiful Life (2025), I knew I would be reading it eventually. I thought this was an interesting read, although it's not my favorite book by Henry.

Alice Scott is a journalist waiting for her big break. Hayden Anderson is a pulitzer-prize winning non-fiction writer who is often grumpy. The two end up on Little Crescent Island vying for a job. Margaret Ives is eighty years old and wants either Alice or Hayden to write a book telling her story. She was born to one of the wealthiest families in the nation, every move she made was covered by the press. Then she married one of the most famous singers of the time, only for him to die shortly thereafter in a car accident. And then she disappeared. She was a fascinating enigma, and everyone in the country would buy a book about her life.

Margaret Ives has decided to talk with both Alice and Hayden for one month. They will submit a sample and a plan, and she will decide who will get the job. Alice and Hayden sign an NDA that keeps them from even discussing Margaret with each other.

However, Little Crescent Island is a very small place, and the two keep running into each other. There's really only one coffee shop, they are staying at the same hotel, and there's not much else to do. Hayden is very grumpy and closed off and Alice is sunny and optimistic. 

It doesn't take long for attraction to take hold, but the looming deadline and the fact that only one of them gets the job hinders their budding relationship. In the end, there are a couple of surprising reveals as we hear the rest of Margaret's story. Both Hayden and Alice have to grow a little bit, but it all ends well in the end.

Like I said before, this book was not one of my favorites by Henry. First, I was not particularly interested in Margaret's story, especially at the beginning. It felt like a departure from the romance that I really wanted to read about. Second, the romance between Alice and Hayden didn't do much for me. I did want to see them together, but Hayden was a little too aloof. I also felt like their relationship involved a lot of almost hooking up, but not doing it because of the writing project. It began to feel repetitive. I wanted more feeling, but it could also have been the mood I was in when I read it. 

I always enjoy Henry, and I will continue reading her books, but this one was not one of my favorites.

#32 [2025/CBR17] Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

CBR17Bingo - "Favorite" because Ali Hazelwood is a favorite author of mine, and I read all of her books.

I have read all of Ali Hazelwood's women-in-STEM romance novels. I tend to read them very quickly because they're well written, interesting, and fun to read. Occasionally the characters or plot have me shaking my head a little bit, but the books are so enjoyable I don't mind.

Problematic Summer Romance (2025) is Hazelwood's latest novel, and it has all the trademarks of her brand. The book was easy and fun to read, and the characters have intense, amazing chemistry and are suitable for no one else. 

Maya Killgore is 23 years old and a graduate student in England. She is the much younger sister of Eli Killgore, the main character in Not in Love. Eli's best friend and co-owner of their very successful biotech firm is Conor Harkness, and he is 38 years old. Conor never paid any attention to Maya until he unexpectedly comes to her rescue when he happens to be nearby in Europe. The two have immediate attraction, but Conor does not want to be romantically involved in the  much younger sister of his best friend. However, they become very close friends and talk all the time. One night, they both pretty much lose control, and Conor guiltily breaks off contact with Maya. Maya is devastated.

It is months later that Maya's brother Eli and his bride, Rue, are getting married in Taormina, Italy. It's a beautiful week-long, destination wedding. And, of course, both Maya and Conor are attending. It is during this week that Maya and Conor are forced into close enough proximity that Conor's aloofness is truly tested.

This book had everything that Hazelwood's romances usually have, and it was well written. However, I could not enjoy it as much as her previous books. I had a hard time getting over the age difference. Hazelwood went out of her way to say that Conor was not even aware of Maya until she was in her 20's, so there was definitely no grooming going on. But it still felt a little gross to me. I'm not necessarily against big age gaps, but early twenties and not out of school feels very young. Also, I had some relationships with older men when I was in my twenties, and they were not a good fit. This book brought me back to those uncomfortable times that were certainly not romance-novel worthy. I sometimes wished she would just end up with someone else.

In addition, Maya spent a lot of time trying to convince Conor to be with her, which is not my favorite dynamic. If I'm living vicariously through this romance, I don't want the heroine to be constantly rejected. In short, even though this book was well written and entertaining, it was probably my least favorite of the Hazelwood books I've read.

#27 [2025/CBR17] Murder for the Modern Girl by Kendall Kulper

CBR17Bingo: "Borrow" - because I borrowed it from the library.

Murder for the Modern Girl (2022) by Kendall Kulper is another book I picked up after it was recommended to me by someone in my local book club. I thought it was original and unique. It was a quick read and kept my interest. Although there are fantastical elements to a couple of the characters in this book, the story still felt grounded. In fact, the fantastical elements really made the characters more interesting, and they added something to the story.

Ruby is 18 years old. We first see her when she is in disguise in a cheap bar, about to put poison in a man's drink. It is 1928 Chicago, and Ruby has a special talent. She can read minds. She's recently been using this talent to find men who are truly bad, but the system is too broken to find them and throw them in jail. And she kills them. Quite often, Ruby's act will save the life of another woman or women. Ruby justifies her actions because the justice system is a mess and often doesn't protect those in need.

Ruby is a fun character with a very progressive and modern take on life. She is very smart and independent, and she is very close with her father, who works for the city of Chicago. Ruby's father is in the midst of dealing with a couple different groups of gangsters.

Guy is a young man who works in a morgue. He can barely talk to people, he is easily overlooked and discounted. Although Guy spends his nights cleaning the morgue, he is also very smart and intuitive. He sees some of the bodies killed by Ruby and notices a trend. But even more interesting, Guy is in the morgue because he wants to befriend one of the doctors there. Guy is a shapeshifter. He can change his appearance at whim--although it is physically difficult. He is desperate for more information about his condition and hopes the doctor can help him.

Guy and Ruby are thrown together. Because she can see into minds, she can tell who Guy is no matter  what persona he arrives in. They work well together. However, Guy is still looking for the killer--which is Ruby--and that puts a damper on their relationship. Throw in a lot of drama and violence from the fighting gangsters who don't want Ruby's father involved, and there is a lot going on in this book.

Like I wrote above, I did enjoy this book. Ruby is a fun, resourceful character who is loyal to those she loves, and thinks outside the box. The setting was fun, and Guy was a very sympathetic character. It was good seeing them together. My only complaint is that I was a little weirded out by how comfortable Ruby was with killing people. I know they were bad and "deserved" it, but an eighteen-year-old calmly ending life after life after life was disconcerting. She was a serial killer, and never had any qualms. It's easier to overlook multiple murders in a book, but I was imagining this lady out in the world today.

#23 [2025/CBR17] Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

CBR17Bingo - "N" for "Not Another Love Song"

I found Not Another Love Song (2024) by Julie Soto through my book club. We didn't actually choose this one for book club, but another book clubber highly recommended it. This piqued my curiosity, and I was able to get it almost immediately on Audiobook. This is a young-adult romance, which I generally enjoyed. Although it wasn't my favorite, the emphasis on music throughout the story made it feel unique.

Gwen Jackson is a child prodigy and self-taught violinist. She has a job at the Manhattan Pops Orchestra, which she really enjoys. Her mentor, Mable, a woman at her music store who introduced her to the violin, wishes that Gwen had set her sights higher--going to Juilliard instead of settling for a middling professional orchestra.

Xander is a "rockstar" cellist, who is part of a rock band with classical instruments called Thorn and Roses. He is the object of many adoring fans. Gwen and Xander first meet when Gwen is playing a gig at a wedding with her roommate. After a miscommunication, she is required to play the cello in front of Xander, who just happens to be in the bridal party. Her musical ability as well as her ability to transpose her violin music to cello music captures Xander's attention.

Xander also just happens to have joined the Manhattan Pops orchestra even though he doesn't seem to like it or fit in at all. But that just means more opportunities for Xander and Gwen to run into each other. Eventually, they try playing together and, not unexpectedly, make beautiful music together. With all that mutual attraction, spending all that time together, and bonding over music, they inevitably end up together. 

This book also has a lot of drama. The orchestra is losing money, so they move Gwen to first chair--partly to advertise their hotshot, youngest first-chair ever. They also use Xander and Gwen's relationship to promote their orchestra. In addition, Xander is the previous first chair's son, and he is very bitter at not being made first chair himself. In any case, there is a lot of strain on their relationship. 

I played the clarinet in various school bands from sixth grade through college. And I really enjoyed creating music with a large group of people. Even though I did not have the talent nor dedication to pursue it professionally, I did love it. So, this book was partly fun for me because I could vicariously live the dream of the professional musician. I really enjoyed Gwen's job, and how the music was important to the plot. This helped elevate a book where Gwen and Xander's relationship might have been more frustrating without the music. Xander was often silent and uncommunicative and could come across as immature and annoying. Also, most of their problems simply stemmed from the fact that, although they were having a lot of sex, Gwen and Xander barely talked about anything important. But the music made it better.

#20 [2025/CBR17] The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

CBR17Bingo: Green (for the green cover)

By now I've read a number of books by Christina Lauren*, and they've been a little hit or miss for me. But it hasn't stopped me from continuing to read their novels--always hoping for the best. The Paradise Problem (2024) wasn't my absolute favorite book from them, but it's up there and I had a good time.

When Anna Green was pre-med in college, she was desperate for housing. A friend of hers hooked her up with Liam "West" Weston. If they got married, they could live in subsidized student, married housing, which would help them both. It was all in name only, the two had opposite schedules, and they barely saw each other. When Liam moved on after graduating, Anna did not think much about the marriage or Liam.

But four years later, Liam gets back in touch--and Anna happens to be at a new low. She decided to pursue art rather than go to medical school. She's just been fired by the gross, teenage son of her bosses at the corner convenience store, and she's desperate for money. Liam tells Anna that they never actually got divorced (he didn't hide this, Anna was just remarkably unobservant and never looks at paper work). Now Liam's younger sister is getting married on a remote, exotic private island. His family thinks he's actually married to Anna, and she has to come to the wedding to keep up appearances. Most importantly, Liam is the heir to a giant supermarket franchise, but his grandfather put in this will that Liam can't get his inheritance until he's been married for five years. Thus, the two need to go to the festivities on the island and make it look like they're a real couple. Anna doesn't have much of a choice, and she agrees.

One of the most fun parts of this book was the wish fulfillment of getting all the clothes and pampering that was necessary to join insanely rich people on an amazing vacation. And then Anna gets to go on that vacation. It doesn't hurt that Anna and Liam--when they actually spend time together--are intensely attracted to each other. They can't deny each other for long.

There were other parts to the story, including how Anna fits in with a bunch of rich snobs, Liam's history with his family, as well as the growing relationship between Anna and Liam. Maybe the premise is a little crazy if you think about it for too long, but I really had fun with this one. Recommended.

*Christina Lauren are the two first names of two writers who write together.

#19 [2025/CBR17] The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

CBR17Bingo: Red (for the red in the cover)

I can't remember now how I found The Rom-Commers (2024) by Katherine Center, but I was probably just browsing my library's catalog looking for an available Audiobook to listen to on my commute. This was an occasionally fun "rom-com" that played on some of the tropes of the genre for its own purposes. However, this wasn't one of my favorites because the relationship wasn't very memorable.

Emma Wheeler is a talented writer who lives in the Northwest and is the sole caretaker of her father after a climbing accident while her younger sister finishes school. She's pretty much given up on her dreams of becoming a famous screenwriter because of her circumstances.

But when an ex-boyfriend from high school (who is now gay) asks Emma to come to Los Angeles for six weeks to rewrite a romantic comedy screenplay, she might just have a second chance. Charlie Yates is a famous, celebrated screenwriter who has just written the aforementioned, terrible screenplay. Emma is one of his biggest fans, but once she reads the screenplay, she knows it needs a ton of work. In fact, she is horrified by all of it.

Unfortunately for both Emma and Charlie, Emma's ex-boyfriend didn't tell Charlie anything about bringing another writer in to help him with his screenplay--let alone warn Charlie that Emma would be staying at his house. Their meet cute involves Charlie being remarkably rude, and Emma storming off. Eventually, the two are convinced to work with each other. 

Emma is still not happy, though. Charlie doesn't even believe in love. He only wrote the screenplay as a vehicle for the studio head's mistress, so the studio head will greenlight a project he actually cares about. Emma takes it upon herself to teach Charlie about love. It's not surprising that after spending a lot of time together, the two start liking each other. It is definitely a slow burn.

In the end, Emma sucks it up and tells Charlie how she feels. I admire Emma here because she didn't pussyfoot around and allow misunderstandings and unspoken feelings to rule the day. Unfortunately, Charlie rudely rejects her. We find out later that it's because he thinks his cancer is back and doesn't want to force Emma into another caretaker role. I see where he's coming from, but honesty is more important here. I was also very annoyed at the author when I thought I read this whole, stupid book just to find out he has cancer at the end. (I should have known better. It was a false alarm.)

There were some fun parts in this novel. I enjoyed when Emma met Meryl Streep, and some of Hollywood glamour was interesting. On the whole, though, this one didn't really stick with me. But it was pleasant enough.

#15 [2025/CBR17] Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood is churning out her feminist STEM romance novels so fast, that I'm barely keeping up. As soon as I discover another one is out, then I join the long waitlist at the library. Deep End (2025) did not disappoint. I loved that the book took place at Stanford with student athletes. I thought the story was interesting, and the chemistry between the leads was great. Was it a perfect book? No, but I enjoyed reading it and would give it four out of five stars.

Scarlett Vandemeer, who goes by Vandy, is a diver at Stanford. She can be a little reclusive and awkward. Penelope is one of the stars of the diving team. She's gorgeous and seems to have everything--including Lukas, the Swedish superstar swimmer who already has Olympic medals. But when Penelope confides in Vandy that she wants to break up with Lukas because he's into BDSM, and she feels they're not compatible sexually, Vandy confesses that she's also into BDSM, and tries to advise Penelope.

Penelope and Lukas do break up. When Penelope is drunk at a party, she tells Lukas and Vandy they should hook up because they're both into the same things. At the time, this is just an awkward situation to work around, but neither Lukas nor Vandy forget. When they continue to find themselves together, their mutual attraction is undeniable.

Vandy really likes Lukas, but she does not want to hook up with her friend's ex-boyfriend. Eventually, she gives in to her attraction, but she's not comfortable telling Penelope about it. This continues while they both compete in swimming and diving and get even closer to each other. Vandy and Lukas are a very good couple. Their main problem is that Vandy keeps pushing him away because of Penelope. Eventually this all comes to a head, and everyone lives happily ever after. 

First, I enjoyed that the main characters in this novel were athletes. It felt a little different from Hazelwood's other books, and it was interesting to see what the life of an elite student athlete was like. Second, I thought Vandy and Lukas had great chemistry. I read some reviews on Goodreads that were complaining that the book was not very kinky after Hazelwood warned of kink at the beginning of the book. I would agree that it felt lightly kinky. But having read Hazelwood's other books, this felt like a natural progression after the mild introduction of control in Not in Love. On the whole, I enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to reading her next one.