Author: baltimorebibliophile

Title: Love & Other Disasters

Author: Anita Kelly

Publisher: Forever

Publication date: January 18th, 2022

384 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

The first openly nonbinary contestant on America’s favorite cooking show falls for their clumsy competitor in this delicious romantic comedy debut “that is both fantastically fun and crack your heart wide open vulnerable.” (Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate)

Recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, Dahlia Woodson is ready to reinvent herself on the popular reality competition show Chef’s Special. Too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying—not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. Still, she’s focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money.

After announcing their pronouns on national television, London Parker has enough on their mind without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. They’re there to prove the trolls—including a fellow contestant and their dad—wrong, and falling in love was never part of the plan.

As London and Dahlia get closer, reality starts to fall away. Goodbye, guilt about divorce, anxiety about uncertain futures, and stress from transphobia. Hello, hilarious shenanigans on set, wedding crashing, and spontaneous dips into the Pacific. But as the finale draws near, Dahlia and London’s steamy relationship starts to feel the heat both in and outside the kitchen—and they must figure out if they have the right ingredients for a happily ever after.

Review

I’ve come to love cooking/baking show books because the combination of tasty recipes, competition, and romance is so alluring. Dahlia is recovering from a divorce and trying to find her way in the world and decides to go on the cooking show so she can win enough money to pay her rent. London loves cooking and they want to use the money to start a charity – and they are going on the show openly nonbinary, much to their father’s dismay.

Dahlia and London are the perfect grump/sunshine trope in a diverse gender identity romance. The storyline is beautiful and is told in dual POV so you can get a glimpse into both worlds – and the crush they both have on the other is adorable even before they get together. I also respect the conversation around the nonbinary identity and the struggle those who identify that way have with family, friends, and society. London goes through a whole issue with their father, even though they have been out for years. Dahlia also goes through a tough time and the growth between the two is well done.

Highly recommend this romance, it reminded me a lot of The Charm Offensive – not the same setting but a similar romance style with identity and mental health/growth.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: A History of Wild Places

Author: Shea Ernshaw

Publisher: Atria Books

Publication date: December 7th, 2021

368 pages

4.5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Hired by families as a last resort, he requires only a single object to find the person who has vanished. When he takes on the case of Maggie St. James—a well-known author of dark, macabre children’s books—he’s led to a place many believed to be only a legend.

Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn’t exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it… he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.

Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis’s abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there’s a risk of bringing a disease—rot—into Pastoral. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn’t as safe as they believed—and that darkness takes many forms.

Hauntingly beautiful, hypnotic, and bewitching, A History of Wild Places is a story about fairy tales, our fear of the dark, and losing yourself within the wilderness of your mind.

Review

A History of Wild Places is a spooky adult mystery/thriller combo that immediately hooks the reader with excellent, emotive writing and a fascinating psychological plot. Told in multiple POVs from Travis, Calla, Bee, and Theo, readers enter the world of Pastoral – a self contained compound in the woods that is hit by a disease called rot and their leader doesn’t allow them to leave the confines of the community.

I started this book at night before bed and don’t recommend you do that because it is so spooky! Definitely read it, but read it during the bright light of day! There is also just a smidge of magic in the storyline which was surprising and welcome. The characters are so thoughtfully written with interesting backstories but the true hallmark of this book is the writing Shea Ernshaw brings to the table.

I can’t even bring up a criticism for this book because it amazed me. I truly enjoyed the experience and the journey Ernshaw took me on.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: If This Gets Out

Authors: Sophie Gonzales, Cale Dietrich

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication date: December 7th, 2022

416 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturday, one of the biggest acts in America. Along with their bandmates, Angel Phan and Jon Braxton, the four are teen heartbreakers in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, cracks are starting to form: their once-easy rapport is straining under the pressures of fame, and Ruben confides in Zach that he’s feeling smothered by management’s pressure to stay in the closet.

On a whirlwind tour through Europe, with both an unrelenting schedule and minimal supervision, Ruben and Zach come to rely on each other more and more, and their already close friendship evolves into a romance. But when they decide they’re ready to tell their fans and live freely, Zach and Ruben start to truly realize that they will never have the support of their management. How can they hold tight to each other when the whole world seems to want to come between them?

Review

Sophie Gonzales has been a solid hit for me so far and If This Gets Out just continues the streak. I love that her books feature LGBTQ representation and bring up honest and raw moments for young adults dealing with life or growing up in that minority. I also swear this was written with One Direction in mind but I’m sure the authors would never admit to that.

Ruben and Zach are bandmates and best friends. Ruben is gay and out, to everyone but their millions of fans. Zach is straight… he thinks. Until a drunken night when they hook up and Zach’s world is thrown into question. When they start dating, their recording company does everything they can to separate them. On top of that, their other 2 band members are going through their own quiet issues with the spot light where the recording company controls everything about their lives.

I absolutely adored Ruben and Zach, especially Zach as he comes to terms with his sexuality and coming out to family and friends while in the spotlight with the band. I related so hard to that as I recently went on that journey myself, and it’s so important for these stories to be told in the YA genre. There are a lot of serious topics tackled here, so definitely check out triggers warnings before you read – it isn’t a light and fluffy rom com – it’s so much more than that.

I highly recommend this one and can’t say enough good things about it. Go read it.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review

Happy reading, folks!

I have no confidence I will stick to this TBR, but it somehow helps me to create a TBR for the semblance of control until just utterly ignoring it throughout the month and reading whatever the hell I want. I just have so many books I want to read and more come out every week and I keep getting more books from Netgalley to read so it’s really just a crapshoot at any given time what I’m going to read. I hope to read at least one adult fantasy book this month, but I’m not going to include it in my official TBR because I have no idea which one I will want to read.

I have been working more on reading library books, but now I’m not reading any physical books I own so that’s becoming a problem. The feminine urge to ignore my physical TBR is real.

PHYSICAL

1. Dreams Lie Beneath, Rebecca Ross
2. All These Bodies, Kendare Blake
3. The Vanishing Deep, Astrid Scholte

EBOOK

1. Tess of the Road (Tess of the Road #1), Rachel Hartman
2. The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith
3. When You Get the Chance, Emma Lord

ARCS

1. In the Serpent’s Wake (Tess of the Road #2), Rachel Hartman
2. All of Us Villains (All of Us Villains #1), Amanda Foody
3. Mother of All (Women’s War #3), Jenna Glass
4. Golden Boys (Golden Boys #1), Phil Stamper
5. A River Enchanted (Elements of Cadence #1), Rebecca Ross
6. Full Flight, Ashley Schumacher
7. The One True Me and You, Remi K. England
8. A Far Wilder Magic, Allison Saft
9. Daughter, Kate McLaughlin
10. The Suite Spot, Trish Doller
11. Kamila Knows Best, Farah Heron
12. Always Jane, Jenn Bennett

AUDIO

1. Opposite of Always, Justin Reynolds
2. Small Favors, Erin A. Craig
3. Skin of the Sea (Skin of the Sea #1), Natasha Bowen

Happy reading, folks!

One month into this year already and I was back on my bullshit barely reading anything on the TBR that I set for this month.

But I don’t care. I had a good month of reading and I read whatever felt right as the time came up. It may have been more smutty KU books than normal or even expected – but we’re going with the flow in 2022 fam and I’m eating it up. In fact, my first book of February is a smutty KU book too and I have no regrets. Gotta get my money’s worth, ya know?

That being said, I read 23 books this month – and one of those was a reread. After Twisted Hate came out I just needed to read Twisted Love again because I missed Alex in my life. I have several five star reads after starting off the year with a string of 3 star reads so I’m quite pleased with the turnaround. I would say All the Feels was my favorite book this month because the body positivity spoke to me deeply, and it was also just fantastic in general. My least favorite was The Locker Room, I actually wanted to throw my phone across the room for the second half. Her second in the series was better, but I’m still wary about really diving in.

Check back tomorrow to see what I very loosely plan to read in February!

PHYSICAL

1. The Best Laid Plans, Cameron Lund – 3/5 stars
2. Rise Up From the Embers (Set Fire to the Gods #2), Sara Raasch – 4/5 stars
3. All the Feels (Spoiler Alert #2), Olivia Dade – 5/5 stars

EBOOKS

1. Brutal Prince (Brutal Birthright #1), Sophie Lark – 3/5 stars
2. The Locker Room (The Brentwood Boys #1), Meghan Quinn – 3/5 stars
3. There Are No Saints (Sinners #1), Sophie Lark – 3/5 stars
4. The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires #1), Lauren Asher – 4.5/5 stars
5. The Dugout (The Brentwood Boys #2), Meghan Quinn – 4/5 stars
6. Honey Trap (The Guild #1), Tate James – 5/5 stars
7. Baby and the Late Night Howlers (Sweetverse #1), Kathryn Moon – 5/5 stars
8. Twisted Hate (Twisted #3), Ana Huang – 4/5 stars
9. Twisted Love (Twisted #1), Ana Huang – 4/5 stars

ARCS

1. The Ballerinas, Rachel Kapelke-Dale – 3/5 stars
2. Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, Meg Long – 4/5 stars
3. Lucky Leap Day, Ann Marie Walker – 4/5 stars
4. Edgewood, Kristen Ciccarelli – 5/5 stars
5. How to Love Your Neighbor, Sophie Sullivan – 4/5 stars
6. Love & Other Disasters, Anita Kelly – 4/5 stars
7. Love at First Spite, Anna E. Collins – 4/5 stars
8. These Deadly Games, Diana Urban – 4/5 stars
9. As Seen on TV, Meredith Schorr – 4/5 stars

AUDIO

1. The Fastest Way to Fall, Denise Williams – 5/5 stars
2. It Will End Like This, Kyra Leigh – 3/5 stars

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Count Your Lucky Stars (Written in the Stars #3)

Author: Alexandria Bellefleur

Publisher: Avon

Publication date: February 1st, 2022

384 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much. But now her entire crew has found “the one” and she’s beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant—her childhood friend, her first love, her first… well, everything. It’s been ten years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.

Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married… and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.

When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person. Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love? 

Review

Last in Alexandria Bellefleur’s series, Count Your Lucky Stars follows Margot as she reunites with her best friend (and brief lover) from high school, Olivia. Olivia is newly divorced from her high school boyfriend and working as a wedding planner in Seattle. They’ve never spoken about the week they spent together in high school and eventually grew apart until running back into each other for Brendon’s wedding.

Margot is the character you end up knowing the least about by this book. She’s been in the background of the last two books and is known for her no bullshit attitude. But watching her friends pair up and get engaged/married is making her feel like she is unlucky in love. I loved Olivia, but I do feel like there should have been more build up in the relationship before they jumped back to sleeping together. It’s like they didn’t have enough of a conversation about their past until giving in again.

I wouldn’t say this one was my favorite of the series, but it was still a great love story with second chance, friends to lovers and follows Brendon’s wedding so there’s a bunch of cameos from the other books’ main characters. I will definitely continue reading the author’s books but I wish there was just a bit more in this book than there was.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Hang the Moon (Written in the Stars #2)

Author: Alexandria Bellefleur

Publisher: Avon

Publication date: May 25th, 2021

384 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

In a delightful follow-up to Written in the Stars, Alexandria Bellefleur delivers another #ownvoices queer rom-com about a hopeless romantic who vows to show his childhood crush that romance isn’t dead by recreating iconic dates from his favorite films…

Brendon Lowell loves love. It’s why he created a dating app to help people find their one true pairing and why he’s convinced “the one” is out there, even if he hasn’t met her yet. Or… has he? When his sister’s best friend turns up in Seattle unexpectedly, Brendon jumps at the chance to hang out with her. He’s crushed on Annie since they were kids, and the stars have finally aligned, putting them in the same city at the same time.

Annie booked a spur-of-the-moment trip to Seattle to spend time with friends before moving across the globe. She’s not looking for love, especially with her best friend’s brother. Annie remembers Brendon as a sweet, dorky kid. Except, the 6-foot-4 man who shows up at her door is a certified Hot Nerd and Annie… wants him? Oh yes.

Getting involved would be a terrible idea—her stay is temporary and he wants forever—but when Brendon learns Annie has given up on dating, he’s determined to prove that romance is real. Taking cues from his favorite rom-coms, Brendon plans to woo her with elaborate dates straight out of Nora Ephron’s playbook. The clock is ticking on Annie’s time in Seattle, and Brendon’s starting to realize romance isn’t just flowers and chocolate. But maybe real love doesn’t need to be as perfect as the movies… as long as you think your partner hung the moon.

Review

“The way I see it, you can’t rush something you want to last forever.”

Alexandria Bellefleur, Hang the Moon

Okay sibling’s best friend is one of my favorite tropes out there. I love watching feelings of barely contained annoyance or friendship evolve into an intimate attraction over time with some spicy additions. I’ve never personally felt attraction to a friend’s brother but I fall in love with these books every time and Hang the Moon is no different.

Brendon is a romantic who is looking for the other half of his OTP and is desperate to find it like his sister did. When Annie, his sister’s best friend and long time crush, arrives unexpectedly for a visit his crush is renewed and he sets out to win her over. But Annie is only there for a short trip before moving to Europe for work and isn’t looking for a relationship, no matter how much she is now attracted to Brendon.

First off, my favorite part about Brendon is how his sweet personality and romantic side turns into a dominant force in the bedroom. Steamy, steamy, steamy. He is the perfect combination to melt Annie’s shell and show her what life can be like when you share it with someone else, even if it is someone you’ve known since you were a kid. There are also funny scenes, like the ferris wheel!! I was laughing out loud during this book.

Next up is the final in the series, Count Your Lucky Stars, coming out soon!

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Written in the Stars (Written in the Stars #1)

Author: Alexandria Bellefleur

Publisher: Avon

Publication date: November 10th, 2020

384 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice, a charming #ownvoices queer rom-com debut about a free-spirited social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with an uptight actuary until New Year’s Eve—with results not even the stars could predict!

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy… a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle’s new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because… awkward.

When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship.

But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

Review

“Elle loved herself, but what a feeling it must be, being loved by someone else exactly as you are, quirks and warts and all. She wouldn’t know.” 

Alexandria Bellefleur, Written in the Stars

Written in the Stars features an opposites attract, fake dating, and sapphic love story and it was amazing. Elle is a social media astrologer who wears her heart on her sleeves and has no filter. Darcy is an actuary, incredibly buttoned up and proper. When the two meet on a blind date, it’s clear how different they are and it doesn’t go well. But when Darcy needs to convince her brother she’s dating, she hatches a plan to fake dating with Elle and get her brother off her back for awhile. What she doesn’t see coming is actually falling for Elle.

After recently coming out as bisexual, I’ve been really gravitating towards love stories that feature bisexual characters so I can see more of myself represented and so far it’s been amazing. Most characters in this book are on the LGBTQIAP spectrum somewhere so it’s great with representation. It also includes several fairly steamy open door scenes for those of you who like/don’t like that in their books.

I can’t say enough about how cute I thought this one was, and I am looking forward to continuing reading the series. Next up is Hang the Moon!

Happy reading, folks!

Title: These Deadly Games

Author: Diana Urban

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication date: February 1st, 2022

416 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Let’s play a game.

You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies. If you call the police, she dies. If you tell your parents or anyone else, she dies.

Are you ready?

When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a video of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call.

But then Crystal realizes each task is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. But if she refuses to play, the kidnapper will kill her sister. Is someone trying to take her team out of the running for a gaming tournament? Or have they uncovered a secret from their past, and wants them to pay for what they did…

As Crystal makes the impossible choices between her friends and her sister, she must uncover the truth and find a way to outplay the kidnapper… before it’s too late.

Review

These Deadly Games is a new YA thriller based on revenge, guilt, secrets, and lies. Crystal and her friends play an online video game and are preparing for a big tournament. But Crystal’s younger sister gets captured and is forced by the kidnapper to play games in order to get her back. But these games are dangerous and endanger all of Crystal’s friends. She must figure out who is before it’s too late.

I was very much intrigued throughout this book because it’s very fast paced and there is always action. Some of the twists and turns were pretty easy to figure out but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the book. There was also a psychological twist and plot line that was very well done for being an aside to the main premise and plot of the book. I felt bad for Crystal throughout the book as she was being forced to jump through these hoops and make terribly difficult decisions.

The tone of this book was very much YA, from the characters to the video games to the puzzles the bad guy put together for Crystal to solve. However, the consequences to the puzzles and the overall goal of the villain is incredibly dark and not always fitting with the YA genre. The police involvement and investigation at the end is also fairly unbelievable in my opinion.

I will definitely read more of Diana Urban’s work in the future, These Deadly Games is an excellent sophomore novel.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: How to Love Your Neighbor

Author: Sophie Sullivan

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication date: January 18th, 2022

352 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Enemies-to-lovers meets HGTV in this frothy, effervescent romantic comedy from Sophie Sullivan, author of Ten Rules for Faking It.

Interior Design School? Check. Cute house to fix up? Check.

Sexy, grumpy neighbor who is going to get in the way of your plans? Check. Unfortunately.

Grace Travis has it all figured out. In between finishing school and working a million odd jobs, she’ll get her degree and her dream job. Most importantly, she’ll have a place to belong, something her harsh mother could never make. When an opportunity to fix up—and live in—a little house on the beach comes along, Grace is all in. Until her biggest roadblock moves in next door.

Noah Jansen knows how to make a deal. As a real estate developer, he knows when he’s found something special. Something he could even call home. Provided he can expand by taking over the house next door–the house with the combative and beautiful woman living in it.

With the rules for being neighborly going out the window, Grace and Noah are in an all-out feud. But sometimes, your nemesis can show you that home is always where the heart is.

Review

Companion novel to Ten Rules for Faking it, How to Love Your Neighbor is an enemies to lovers romance where Noah wants to buy the house next to his so he can expand his yard and get a feature in a magazine. The problem? The owner doesn’t want to sell. Grace just wants to live in and fix up her grandparent’s (who she never met) house but is financially challenged.Sparks fly as Noah tries to convince Grace, but turns into a feud when his attempts land wrong.

I enjoyed this even more than Ten Rules for Faking It. Grace is the sunshine, self sufficient, hard working woman and Noah is the spoiled, rich guy who is learning how to do things for himself. It is an opposites attract romance but they both teach other other something so it’s not just the woman teaching the man which is such a positive. There are some difficult topics addressed because both Noah and Grace have parent issues. I also loved seeing Chris and Everly again and I do hope Wes gets his book next.

I’ve been on a romance kick and this one definitely was what I was looking for. It was just missing a little something to take it to a 5 star rating, but definitely recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin’s and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review/

Happy reading, folks!