Better Than Revenge - E.J. Blaise

Better Than Revenge by E.J. Blaise

Author: E.J. Blaise
Genre: Contemporary Romance | College Romance | Sports Romance | Fake Dating
Publisher: Headline Eternal
Publication Date: August 25, 2026
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ⭐ 3.5/5

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Synopsis

Daniela Williams isn't interested in winning back the boyfriend who cheated on her. After discovering that not only was he seeing someone else, but that members of their swim team knew and never bothered to tell her, Daniela has something considerably more satisfying in mind.

Revenge.

Her plan involves Heath Belfort, a ridiculously handsome local surfer who also happens to be her ex's biggest swimming rival. Heath consistently beats him in the pool, refuses to rise to his taunts and is basically the perfect person for Daniela to fake date if she wants to make her ex miserable.

Heath agrees, with one condition. Daniela has to tutor him so he can pass his history class.

A few staged kisses and public appearances should be easy enough.

Except fake relationships have an unfortunate habit of developing very real feelings.

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My Thoughts

I had a fun time reading Better Than Revenge.

The premise immediately gave me the kind of petty revenge setup I can appreciate. Daniela discovers that her boyfriend cheated on her and, even worse, that their entire swim team apparently knew about it and nobody thought she deserved a heads-up.

Does she want him back?

Absolutely not.

Does she want a little revenge?

Well...

Enter Heath Belfort.

Heath was easily my favorite part of this book. This man has total golden retriever energy: sweet, patient, supportive and completely gone for Daniela practically from the beginning.

I couldn't help rooting for him.

The fake-dating arrangement was also a lot of fun, particularly as Heath kept putting genuine effort into making their supposedly fake relationship convincing. There were some great moments between them, and I especially enjoyed their banter whenever Daniela allowed herself to lower her defenses and actually enjoy being around him.

The book itself was incredibly easy to read, too. Despite being over 400 pages, I flew through it in a single sitting.

Daniela, however, was considerably more difficult for me to connect with.

I understood where many of her walls came from. Her upbringing and particularly her father's unhealthy obsession with athletic performance have left lasting effects, and I appreciated that the story actually addressed those issues rather than magically fixing everything once Daniela found a nice guy.

Her work with a nutritionist and the gradual process of beginning to heal were especially important parts of her character development.

At the same time, understanding why a character behaves a certain way doesn't necessarily mean I enjoy watching them do it.

Daniela could be unnecessarily harsh toward the people around her, and I particularly struggled with how she sometimes treated Heath and his friends. These were people who repeatedly welcomed her, included her and supported her, so there were moments when her reactions became more frustrating than sympathetic for me.

And poor Heath...

Sir was out there radiating golden retriever energy while occasionally getting emotionally smacked with a rolled-up newspaper. 

Because of that dynamic, I never became quite as invested in their romance as I wanted to be.

On the other hand, Daniela had the patience of a saint when it came to some of the OTHER people surrounding her.

Between toxic teammates, her manipulative ex and even her coach, the environment around her was exhausting. There were several occasions when I wondered how she hadn't simply thrown everyone into the swimming pool and walked away.

Watching her finally begin separating herself from that toxicity and becoming more open by the end of the story was satisfying. Even though I didn't always connect with her personality, I appreciated the growth she experienced and where her journey ultimately took her.

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Final Thoughts

Better Than Revenge was an entertaining and fast-paced college sports romance with a lovable golden-retriever hero, fake dating, swimming, tutoring, revenge and plenty of fun moments.

Heath was unquestionably the highlight for me, and the fake-dating setup delivered exactly the kind of entertainment I wanted from it.

Daniela was a more challenging character for me personally, and my difficulty connecting with some of her behavior prevented me from becoming completely invested in the romance. However, readers who particularly enjoy prickly or emotionally guarded heroines may have a very different experience with her.

It didn't completely win me over as a romance, but I still had a genuinely fun time reading it.

⭐ 3.5/5

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ARC Disclaimer

I received an advance reader copy of Better Than Revenge through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this copy did not influence my opinion of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

 

The Cozy Nook Bookshop - Jeannie Chin

 

The Cozy Nook Bookshop by Jeannie Chin 

Author: Jeannie Chin
Series: Heart’s Hope Crossing #1
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Publication Date: August 25, 2026
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Synopsis

After her relationship spectacularly falls apart, Emma Rogers-Li finds herself without her friends, her Manhattan apartment, or the savings her ex disappeared with.

Ready for a fresh start, she accepts a job managing a bookshop in Heart’s Hope Crossing, a quirky small town in Vermont where everyone seems to know everyone, and everyone is VERY interested in everyone else's business.

Shortly after arriving, Emma literally collides with Hunter Hall, the town's rather grumpy forest ranger. Normally, that wouldn't mean much, except Heart’s Hope Crossing has a local legend: couples who meet at that particular corner are destined to be together.

Emma and Hunter don't believe a word of it.

The rest of the town?

Oh, they're READY.

As Emma begins rebuilding her life, finding her place within the community and falling in love with the little town, she and Hunter discover that perhaps the locals aren't entirely wrong about the connection between them.

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My Thoughts

The Cozy Nook Bookshop was a likeable and incredibly bingeable read.

We have a small-town setting, a bookshop and a grumpy forest ranger MMC...

So yes. The vibes are there.

Emma arrives in Vermont after her ex completely blows up her previous life by stealing their savings and disappearing.

Great guy.

...NOT.

Taking over the management of a small-town bookshop gives Emma the opportunity to start again, and I really enjoyed watching her slowly rebuild her confidence. She's spent so much time having her choices affected by other people that seeing her find her voice and begin making decisions for herself was one of my favorite parts of her story.

Then there's Hunter.

He starts out as a proper grump, but naturally, there is considerably more underneath that gruff exterior. I liked both characters individually and enjoyed watching Hunter gradually open up as they got to know each other.

Of course, the residents of Heart’s Hope Crossing aren't particularly interested in waiting for that to happen naturally.

Because Emma and Hunter happen to collide at a particular corner when she arrives, and according to local superstition, that means they're soulmates.

Emma and Hunter: Absolutely not.

The town: WE HAVE ALREADY PLANNED YOUR FUTURE TOGETHER.

The meddling is STRONG in this one. 😂

Their chemistry worked for me, although I do think the actual romance developed a little too quickly. Everything happens within a relatively short period, which gave parts of their relationship an almost insta-love feeling.

Even when they finally have their big argument, everything is essentially resolved by the following day.

Guys...

You are allowed to stay mad at each other for more than 24 hours. 😂

I wouldn't have minded a little more time for the relationship to develop naturally, particularly because I liked Emma and Hunter together.

And then we need to discuss something important.

That cover lied to me.

Okay, perhaps that's slightly dramatic. But based on the adorable cover and bookshop setting, I went into this expecting an extremely sweet, super-cozy romance.

And then...

Hello, spice!!!

Woop, woop!

There's not a huge amount, but there is definitely more heat here than the cover had me expecting.

However, I have a MUCH more serious complaint about said cover.

There is a dog.

THE DOG DOES NOT BELONG TO THE MAIN CHARACTERS.

Excuse me?!

I feel slightly betrayed. :(

If you're putting an adorable dog on my romance cover, I expect that dog to receive appropriate page time. These are the rules I have just invented. 

I also had a small issue with the bookshop itself. Certain things involving the owner left me wondering how the poor shop had managed to function before Emma arrived. For a book with Bookshop literally in the title, I would have liked that part of the story to feel slightly stronger.

Still, the small-town atmosphere worked really well. Heart’s Hope Crossing is quirky, welcoming, nosy and absolutely determined to interfere in Emma and Hunter's lives, and that gave the story much of its charm.

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Final Thoughts

Overall, The Cozy Nook Bookshop was a fun, cozy-ish romance with plenty of small-town charm, a fresh start, a grumpy forest ranger, meddling townspeople, a little soulmate superstition and some unexpected spice.

The romance moved slightly faster than I personally prefer, and I would have loved a little more from the bookshop side of the story, but Emma's character growth and the overall atmosphere made this an easy and enjoyable read.

And I'm still demanding justice for the misleading cover dog.

3.5–3.75⭐, rounded up to 4⭐

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ARC Disclaimer

I received an advance reader copy of The Cozy Nook Bookshop through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this copy did not influence my opinion of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Frozen Secrets - Nichole Severn

Frozen Secrets by Nichole Severn

Author: Nichole Severn
Publisher: Harlequin – Romance
Publication Date: August 25, 2026
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

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Synopsis

Clearing her late father's name is the sole reason Winnie Hutton returns to the hometown she once left behind. Her father had been the town's respected police chief, but one unsolved cold case haunted the final years of his career and damaged his reputation.

While sorting through his belongings, Winnie discovers information connected to that same investigation and becomes determined to uncover the truth.

Unfortunately, doing so means working with the one person she never wanted to see again: her ex-fiancé, Adrial Tucker.

As Winnie and Adrial begin retracing her father's investigation, they uncover long-buried secrets, lies and corruption. It also quickly becomes clear that someone is willing to go to dangerous lengths to stop them from discovering what really happened.

But the cold case isn't the only piece of the past refusing to stay buried. Winnie and Adrial have plenty of unresolved history of their own, and some secrets may be much harder to forgive than others.

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My Thoughts

I have to say, after reading the synopsis, Frozen Secrets immediately caught my attention.

A cold case, a second-chance romance and a small-town investigation?

That sounded like exactly my kind of read.

And the investigation was easily my favorite part of the story.

I enjoyed following Winnie and Adrial as they reopened the old case and began uncovering the secrets surrounding the investigation that had haunted her father for years. It also doesn't take particularly long before they realize that someone REALLY doesn't want them digging around in the past.

Or... was there more going on?

That question kept me engaged from beginning to end.

Unfortunately, the romance never really worked for me.

Without getting into spoilers, the more I learned about everything that had happened between Winnie and Adrial over the years, the harder I found it to root for them as a couple.

Second-chance romances already need to convince me that whatever separated two characters can genuinely be overcome. Here, though, there was so much emotional baggage between them that every new revelation seemed to make their relationship more complicated rather than making me want them back together.

I particularly struggled with the way Adrial's past relationship was handled.

Instead of reinforcing the idea that he had experienced two meaningful relationships at different points in his life, I often found myself questioning his feelings and motivations. Unfortunately, that made it even harder for me to become emotionally invested in the romance between him and Winnie.

And then we had the constant back-and-forth about their past and present relationship.

After a while, I was basically sitting there thinking...

Guys.

Maybe we don't need a second-chance romance quite yet.

Maybe we need a few good sessions of THERAPY first. 😭

Because there was A LOT to unpack.

The mystery itself remained enjoyable, and the danger surrounding their investigation gave the story enough suspense to keep me interested. However, I did find the final reveal fairly predictable, so unfortunately it didn't deliver the big surprise I had been hoping for.

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Final Thoughts

Overall, Frozen Secrets wasn't a bad book; it simply wasn't quite what I expected going into it.

The cold case, investigation, secrets and danger were easily the strongest parts for me, and I enjoyed trying to figure out exactly what had happened and why someone was so determined to keep the truth buried.

Unfortunately, the second-chance romance didn't work nearly as well for me, and since the relationship is such a significant part of the story, that ultimately affected my overall enjoyment.

I also think the book would have benefited from a clearer content warning regarding a deceased former partner. That's something I personally tend to avoid reading in romance, so I would have appreciated knowing about it beforehand.

If you're a romantic-suspense reader who enjoys cold cases, small-town secrets, danger and complicated second chances, this may work considerably better for you.

For me, though, the mystery won this particular mystery-romance battle.

⭐⭐⭐

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ARC Disclaimer

I received an advance reader copy of Frozen Secrets through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this copy did not influence my opinion of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin – Romance for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

 

Commander Daddy - Lizzie Sparks

Commander Daddy by Lizzie Sparks

Author: Lizzie Sparks
Format: eARC
Genre: Contemporary Romance | Romantic Suspense | Forced Proximity
Length: 156 pages
Publication Date: February 11, 2026
Rating: ⭐ 3.5/5

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Synopsis

After the death of her sister, Kayley is on the run with her baby, desperately trying to stay ahead of the dangerous people hunting them. When her car breaks down during a snowstorm in Timber Creek, help arrives in the rather intimidating form of Gavin Messer, an ex-Navy SEAL living on Wedding Cake Mountain.

Gavin takes Kayley and her sick baby into his home, offering them protection and somewhere safe to recover. Between forced proximity, one very large bed, and Gavin unexpectedly slipping into caretaker mode, their attraction doesn't take long to develop.

But the danger Kayley has been running from isn't far behind, and Gavin has no intention of letting anyone harm the woman and baby now under his protection.

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My Thoughts

Commander Daddy is pretty much exactly what the title and blurb promise.

About 150 pages of a smutty smut world... with just enough plot and danger thrown in so we know what's going on. :D

After losing her sister, Kayley is desperately trying to protect her baby while staying ahead of some very dangerous people. Then, because apparently this woman hasn't experienced enough problems already, her car breaks down in Timber Creek.

Luckily (or VERY luckily, depending on your perspective) she's rescued by Gavin, a rather sexy stranger-danger ex-Navy SEAL who takes her in, gives her somewhere safe to stay, and even helps care for her sick baby.

And from there?

Hot cocoa. Hot.
Massive bed. Double hot.
Forced proximity. x3 hot.
Protective mountain man. x4 hot.

Cough...

Things progress pretty much EXACTLY how you're imagining. :D

There is an actual plot happening between all the yummy times, though. The people hunting Kayley and her baby haven't disappeared, the danger continues getting closer, and eventually Gavin gets his opportunity to fully activate Daddy Protection Mode™.

Thank goodness Daddy Gavin is around to save the day.

Everything develops incredibly quickly, but with only around 150 pages, I expected that going in. This isn't trying to be an elaborate slow-burn romance or an intricately developed suspense novel. It's here to deliver forced proximity, danger, a protective hero, found-family vibes, plenty of spice, and some action along the way.

And ofc, who am I to say no to all of that? Hihi.

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Final Thoughts

Commander Daddy knows exactly what kind of book it wants to be and doesn't waste much time getting there.

It's short, fast, spicy, a little dangerous, and packed with protective mountain-man energy. If you picked it up because the title and premise made you think, “Well... this could be fun,” you're getting pretty much exactly what was advertised.

And I had fun with it.

⭐ 3.5/5

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ARC Disclaimer

I received an advance reader copy of Commander Daddy directly from the author in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this copy did not influence my opinion of the book.

Thank you to Lizzie Sparks for the opportunity to read and review Commander Daddy. All opinions are my own.

 

A Summer of Stars - Liana Cincotti

A Summer of Stars by Liana Cincotti 

Author: Liana Cincotti
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Format: eARC
Genre: Contemporary Romance | Sports Romance | Fake Dating
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5 rounded up)

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Synopsis

Years ago, tennis star Luna Aldridge and Hollywood actor Kieran Alexander met at an event and felt an immediate attraction. Unfortunately, one misunderstanding was all it took to turn that spark into years of mutual dislike, gossip, and not-so-friendly comments.

Now Luna is dealing with the fallout from a messy breakup that has left the public firmly convinced she's the villain. Rather than expose the details of her private life, she stays quiet and lets the rumors continue.

Kieran has an image problem of his own. He's preparing to promote a major romantic movie, but his reputation for short-lived relationships isn't exactly convincing audiences that he's Hollywood's newest romantic leading man.

Their PR teams come up with the perfect solution: Luna and Kieran will fake a relationship for the summer. Between red carpets, tennis tournaments, cameras, and carefully staged romantic moments, however, pretending becomes increasingly complicated when neither of them is quite sure which feelings are still fake.

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My Thoughts

Apparently, all it takes is one misunderstanding to turn instant attraction into years of mutual dislike, gossip, and petty comments.

And they say romance is dead... sheeshh. :D

I had SO much fun with the setup of A Summer of Stars. Luna and Kieran initially meet years before the main story, and there's an immediate spark between them. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding happens almost immediately afterward, and instead of anything developing between them, they end up seriously disliking each other.

Fast-forward a few years, and neither of them is having a particularly wonderful time in the court of public opinion.

Luna is dealing with the aftermath of a very messy breakup/divorce, and somehow she has been cast as the villain. She's an incredibly private person and refuses to drag the truth about her relationship through the media simply to repair her reputation, which unfortunately allows her ex to continue looking like a saint.

We'll call him Saint Satan. Seems appropriate.

Kieran, meanwhile, needs audiences to buy him as the romantic lead of his upcoming movie. The problem is that his real-life dating history isn't exactly screaming everlasting love. He's never had a particularly serious relationship and has developed a reputation for moving rather quickly from one woman to the next.

Naturally, their PR teams decide the obvious solution is to make these two people who can't stand each other fake date.

What could possibly go wrong?

The banter between Luna and Kieran was easily one of my favorite parts of the book. I especially loved watching all those supposedly performative moments gradually become harder to define. There are plenty of “I'm only doing this because we're supposed to look like a couple” situations that slowly turn into “Wait... did you actually do that for me?” Neither of them seems entirely certain when the line between fake and real begins disappearing, and that worked so well for me.

There was also plenty happening beyond the romance. We get Luna's tennis career, Kieran's movie promotion, PR madness, family drama, international travel, and of course Saint Satan deciding that perhaps he wants Luna back after all.

Sir. Your opportunity has expired. Please move along. Shoo, shoo.

The tennis aspect may not be a perfectly technical representation of professional tennis, and the author acknowledges taking some liberties with it, but honestly, I didn't care. I'm not reading a romance novel for tournament regulations. :D I loved having a professional tennis player as the FMC because it felt different from the sports romances I usually encounter, and traveling for Luna's career gave the story a fun international backdrop.

More than anything, though, Luna and Kieran worked for me as a couple. The chemistry was there, the banter was fun and I loved watching years of assumptions slowly fall apart as they finally got to know each other rather than the versions created by gossip, misunderstandings, and their public personas.

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Final Thoughts

A Summer of Stars was fun, refreshing, romantic, and ridiculously easy to enjoy. Fake dating, celebrity PR drama, tennis, great banter, an irritating ex, and two people desperately trying to convince themselves that everything they're feeling is purely for the cameras?

Yeah. I ate it up.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5 rounded up)

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ARC Disclaimer

I received an advance reader copy of A Summer of Stars in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this copy did not influence my opinion of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

 

Devil Inside - Clay McLeod Chapman

Devil Inside by Clay McLeod Chapman

Author: Clay McLeod Chapman
Publisher: MIRA / Harlequin Trade Publishing
Format: ARC
Genre: Horror | Horrormance | Paranormal | Dark Romance
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

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Synopsis

After a terrible accident nearly costs bike courier and adrenaline junkie Jordan his life, he wakes from a coma feeling distinctly different. Everything tastes like ash, he feels increasingly disconnected from the world around him, and sometimes the people he sees don't look entirely human anymore.

Then he meets Lilith.

Their connection is immediate, intense, and strange, but after one passionate night together, she disappears. When another woman eventually approaches Jordan claiming to be Lilith, despite having a completely different face, his already fragile sense of reality begins to unravel.

As Jordan becomes increasingly drawn to her, he has to decide just how much darkness he's willing to embrace for a connection unlike anything he's experienced before.

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My Thoughts

First things first... can we please talk about THAT COVER?

Because I'm not even going to pretend otherwise: I requested this book because of the cover. Purple and green are some of my favorite colors, and the second I saw it, I basically went, “Yep. I need that.”

So, five stars for the cover alone.

Unfortunately, the story itself didn't work quite as well for me, which was particularly disappointing because the premise sounded DELICIOUS.

Jordan is an adrenaline junkie who works as a bike courier and prides himself on making deliveries ridiculously fast. After accepting a particularly tight delivery and betting his friends that he can make it in time, things go horribly wrong when he collides with a car and nearly dies.

He survives, but after spending several days in a coma, something is clearly off. Jordan becomes withdrawn, feels almost dead inside, and begins seeing disturbing things in the people around him. Then he meets Lilith, and his already strange new reality becomes considerably more chaotic.

Their connection is immediate, intense, and very physical, but Lilith isn't exactly an ordinary woman. After their first encounter, she disappears, only for someone with an entirely different face to later claim that she is Lilith.

On paper?

SIGN. ME. UP!!!! Me and my other six personalities too!

In execution, however, I had a surprisingly difficult time connecting with the story.

Whenever Jordan and Lilith were together, I usually became interested again. Their encounters brought back some of the intensity, darkness, and weirdness that had initially attracted me to the premise. But whenever they separated and returned to their individual stories, I felt that intensity disappear.

After a while, it began to feel like the story was moving in circles. It would pull me back in, lose me, pull me back in again... and repeat. That stop-and-start feeling made the pacing difficult for me, especially because I kept waiting for the intensity of Jordan and Lilith's scenes together to carry over into the rest of the book.

Unfortunately, this also became a surprisingly difficult read for me to finish. I'm usually pretty quick when a story completely hooks me, but I kept putting this one down and ultimately took several days to get through it.

I really wanted to love it because the concept is wonderfully weird, dark, and intriguing. There were absolutely moments I enjoyed, particularly some of Jordan and Lilith's stranger interactions, but I never developed the connection with the characters or story that I needed.

I can easily see the particular brand of chaos here working much better for readers who click with the writing style. For me, though, this was one of those unfortunate cases where I loved the premise considerably more than the execution.

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Final Thoughts

Devil Inside had such an intriguing concept, combining near-death experiences, horror, possession, romance and plenty of weirdness into something that sounded completely up my alley.

While Jordan and Lilith's scenes together occasionally gave me the intensity I was looking for, the rest of the story struggled to hold my attention consistently. I wanted to be completely consumed by their strange, dark relationship, but ultimately I felt too disconnected from the story for that to happen.

Still...

Story: ⭐⭐⭐

Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Look, nobody said I couldn't have a separate rating system. :D

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ARC Disclaimer

I received an advance reader copy of Devil Inside in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this copy did not influence my opinion of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own. 

The Shadows That Listen - Louisa Carmody

The Shadows That Listen by Louisa Carmody 

Author: Louisa Carmody
Series: Angel Ruin #1
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group UK
Format: eBook / ARC
Genre: Dystopian Fantasy | Romantasy | Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: August 18, 2026
Rating: ⭐ 3.5/5

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Synopsis

Five years after angels and daemons arrived and changed the world forever, humanity is barely holding on. Strict rules keep the remaining population relatively safe, including a 6 p.m. curfew that no human wants to break once darkness falls.

Amara works for the Angel Intelligence Agency and knows better than most what waits outside. But when her longtime boyfriend, Jeremy, fails to return home before curfew, she refuses to simply wait for answers.

Her search brings her face-to-face with Nathaniel, a powerful and infuriating archangel who reluctantly agrees to protect her in exchange for something he needs. When they discover they're searching for the same mysterious man, the two are forced into an uneasy alliance that takes them beyond the relative safety of the city.

But the deeper Amara searches for Jeremy, the clearer it becomes that almost nothing about his disappearance, or the world she thought she understood, is quite what it seems.

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My Thoughts

Oh boy, I have slightly complicated feelings about this one.

The world immediately caught my attention. Five years after angels and daemons arrived, humanity is essentially trying to survive in a world that no longer belongs to them. Humans live under strict rules, including a 6 p.m. curfew, because once darkness falls... well, you really don't want to be wandering around outside.

Amara works for the Angel Intelligence Agency and is well trained to handle herself in this new reality. She also has a longtime boyfriend, Jeremy, who proposes to her one morning. She turns him down, not because she doesn't love him, but because marriage simply isn't something she wants; and they both head off to work.

Except Jeremy never comes home.

As six o'clock approaches, Amara knows something is seriously wrong. Her search eventually takes her outside after curfew, where she fights her way through daemons and crosses paths with Nathaniel, an extremely powerful and equally infuriating archangel.

Nathaniel agrees to protect her because he wants something in return, and after accessing surveillance footage, they discover they're apparently searching for the same man: the person who “supposedly” took Jeremy.

And I'm emphasizing supposedly because absolutely nothing in this book is quite what it seems. Aaaand I MEAN IT!

From there, Amara and Nathaniel venture beyond the city searching for answers, and poor Amara is absolutely not prepared for some of the things she's eventually going to discover.

There was a lot I enjoyed about the story. The dystopian setting was interesting, I liked the mystery surrounding Jeremy's disappearance, and the combination of angels, daemons, danger, and Amara's uneasy partnership with Nathaniel gave the story plenty to work with. There are also some genuinely interesting revelations as everything begins to unravel.

My biggest issue, however, was the pacing. At times, it felt like the story was going around in circles. We'd get an intense sequence or an interesting discovery and I'd be completely invested again, only for the momentum to drop shortly afterward. It happened often enough that the book eventually started feeling longer than it needed to be.

I should probably also admit that I'm a HUGE fan of Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series, so apparently I have very strong opinions about my fictional archangels. 😂 I tried not to compare the two because they're obviously very different stories, but I do think being so attached to that series made it a little harder for me to completely fall into another world involving powerful angels, humans, danger and romance.

That said, I didn't dislike The Shadows That Listen at all. When the story was at its most intense, I genuinely enjoyed it, and there are some very good ideas behind this world and its mysteries. I just wish the momentum had been more consistent and some parts had been tightened up.

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Final Thoughts

The Shadows That Listen is an interesting start to the Angel Ruin series, with a fascinating dystopian world, angels and daemons, an uneasy alliance, plenty of secrets, and some revelations I definitely wasn't expecting.

The pacing prevented me from becoming as immersed as I'd hoped, but the world and larger mystery have plenty of potential. And if there's one lesson to take from this book, it's probably this: don't assume you know what's actually happening.

Because you probably don't. :D

⭐ 3.5/5

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ARC Disclaimer

I received an advance reader copy of The Shadows That Listen in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this copy did not influence my opinion of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Bake It 'Til You Make It - Kassie Jones

 

Bake It 'Til You Make It by Kassie Jones 

Author: Kassie Jones
Narrators: Autumn Mercer & Brandon Francis
Format: Audiobook / ALC
Published: August 5, 2026
Rating: ⭐ 3.75/5
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Baking Romance, Reality Competition Romance

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Synopsis

All Taylor Madden has ever wanted is to own a bakery filled with whimsical designs and unforgettable flavors. Landing a spot on America's Next Great Baker is her chance to make that dream a reality, even if her biggest competition is a cocky, annoyingly gorgeous distraction who smirks every time she slips up. Winning could mean a fresh start. Surviving him might be the bigger challenge.

Alexander Harrington only agreed to the competition to get his parents off his back, not to complicate things with the disaster-prone optimist who insists on making everything cute. She's not supposed to be his biggest obstacle, but the longer they're stuck in the kitchen together, the harder it is to remember he's meant to beat her... not fall for her.

The stakes are high, the ovens are hot and the cameras are rolling. But when the rivalry starts to taste like something sweeter, will either of them walk away with more than just the prize?

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My Thoughts

Bake It 'Til You Make It takes us behind the scenes of a baking reality competition where Taylor and Alexander are competing for very different reasons.

For Taylor, this is genuinely her dream. She wants her own bakery, and the competition could finally give her the opportunity to make that happen. Alexander's situation is considerably more complicated. His family owns a very successful restaurant business in Canada, and his father sees the competition as the perfect opportunity to win over an American audience before expanding into the US.

Alexander, however, has dreams of his own. He's working toward opening a restaurant independently from the family business, but with his father holding financial support over his head, participating in the competition isn't exactly optional.

I really enjoyed Alexander's development throughout the story. He enters the competition somewhat undercover, without revealing exactly who he is, and it takes him a few hit-and-miss rounds before he finally starts loosening up and actually enjoying himself.

Taylor, meanwhile, is basically a walking ray of sunshine. She's sweet, optimistic and incredibly easy for everyone around her to love, and Alexander never really stood a chance.

One of my favorite things about him was how protective he became of Taylor, particularly because it started well before they were actually together. Sir, you're supposed to be competing against her. Why are you already acting like that?

I also found the behind-the-scenes reality-show elements surprisingly interesting. I'm not much of a reality-TV person, but getting glimpses of the manipulation and arrangements happening away from the cameras added another layer to the competition. Let's just say everything isn't necessarily as fair as viewers might believe. Cough cough.

The reality-competition premise isn't particularly my usual thing, so there were some elements I didn't connect with quite as strongly. Still, the romance, characters and baking made this a very easy and entertaining listen.

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Audiobook Thoughts

The dual narration by Autumn Mercer and Brandon Francis worked well overall.

Brandon Francis was definitely the standout for me. I really enjoyed his performance as Alexander, and his voice suited the character incredibly well.

It took me a little longer to settle into Autumn Mercer's performance as Taylor. Her narration didn't immediately click with me at the beginning, but as the audiobook progressed, it grew on me considerably and I ultimately enjoyed listening to both narrators.

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Final Thoughts

Bake It 'Til You Make It was a sweet and entertaining romance set behind the scenes of a baking reality competition.

Taylor was such a ray of sunshine and incredibly easy to like, while Alexander's more complicated motivations and gradual character development made him an interesting counterpart. And I especially loved how protective he became of her long before their relationship developed into something more.

The reality-show aspect was also interesting. I'm not normally a big reality-TV person, but I enjoyed seeing some of what happens behind closed doors and discovering that certain parts of the competition weren't quite as fair as they appeared.

Overall, this was a fun romance with plenty of baking, reality-show drama, a sunshine heroine and a very protective hero. The reality competition setting isn't necessarily my usual preference, so I didn't connect with every aspect of the story, but I still had a really good time with it.

⭐ 3.75/5

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ALC Disclaimer

I received an advance listening copy of Bake It 'Til You Make It in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the opportunity to listen to and review this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Want Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make Me - Isabel Crowley

 

Want Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make Me

Author: Isabel Crowley
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Paranormal Romance | Horror | Fantasy
Format: eBook (ARC)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

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Synopsis

Hazel Lewis has survived a séance that went very, very wrong.

The man who hired her turned out to be a serial killer with a demonic contract, and the séance itself was a trap. Hazel escaped with her life, but not entirely unchanged.

A demon bite is spreading through her body, allowing pieces of the supernatural world to bleed into her reality. Even worse, the now dead serial killer is waiting for the opportunity to take over her body if Hazel dies.

Hoping to understand what's happening to her, and preferably keep everyone else out of the crossfire, Hazel retreats to an isolated house.

But isolation proves impossible.

There's a reporter looking for answers, an intriguing neighbor with secrets of his own, and something with glowing red eyes watching Hazel through her window at night.

The supernatural world Hazel thought she understood is much larger and darker than she realized and surviving it may require embracing the very thing she's becoming.

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My Thoughts

This was a bit of a mixed read for me because the premise is fantastic, but I don't think the execution consistently lived up to how interesting that premise was.

And considering this is Isabel Crowley's debut, there's definitely potential here.

A séance gone horribly wrong? A serial killer with a demonic contract? A demon bite that's changing our FMC? Said dead serial killer potentially waiting to take over her body?

YES.

Give me the weird demon shenanigans.

In fact, I initially picked this up expecting the romance to be the part that interested me most, but I ended up staying for the supernatural storyline instead.

I wanted to know exactly what was happening to Hazel, what the demon bite was doing to her, how much of the supernatural world existed beyond what she already knew, and perhaps most importantly, what she was becoming.

The first portion of the book worked particularly well for me.

I wouldn't necessarily describe it as outright scary horror, but it had a spooky, unsettling atmosphere that kept me curious. The séance and its aftermath immediately created an intriguing supernatural mystery, and I enjoyed watching Hazel begin to realize just how badly everything had gone wrong.

And then we were introduced to certain supernatural... elements.

Liga. Cough cough.

Moving on.

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Where It Lost Me

Unfortunately, once Hazel relocated to the remote house, I felt the story lose some of its momentum.

The pace slowed, but more importantly, the tension that had kept me engaged during the beginning seemed to fade with it.

And as that tension disappeared, so did some of my excitement.

That's ultimately my biggest issue with the book. The concept itself remained interesting, but I wasn't nearly as invested in the second half as I'd been in the first.

I kept wanting the story to recapture that slightly eerie, unpredictable feeling I'd enjoyed so much earlier.

The romance also didn't quite compensate for the slower sections. I originally expected it to be one of my main reasons for reading, but the supernatural plot consistently interested me more.

That isn't to say the romantic side completely failed for me. The spicy scenes were actually handled quite well, and there were elements of the romance I enjoyed. It simply wasn't strong enough, for me personally, to carry the portions where my interest in the larger story started slipping.

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Final Thoughts

Want Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make Me had a genuinely fantastic premise and a strong opening that immediately pulled me into Hazel's increasingly strange supernatural reality.

I loved the concept surrounding the séance, demonic contract, Hazel's transformation, and the larger supernatural world beginning to reveal itself around her.

Unfortunately, the pacing and tension became less consistent as the story progressed, and I never quite regained the same level of excitement I had during the first portion.

Still, this is a debut, and there were enough interesting ideas here that I'd be curious to see what Isabel Crowley does next.

Not a bad read by any means, just one where I loved the idea and first half considerably more than the overall execution.

⭐⭐⭐

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ARC Disclaimer

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore - Brittanee Nicole

Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore

Author: Brittanee Nicole
Series: Hope Harbor #2
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary Romance | Small-Town Romance
Format: eBook (ARC)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Synopsis

After a very public failed engagement, Penny Darling has had enough of real-life romance.

As the owner of Bonfire and Bliss Books, she's perfectly content surrounding herself with fictional love stories, pumpkin-spiced everything, and book boyfriends who can't break her heart.

Then her former high-school best friend, Jake “Monty” Montgomery, returns to Hope Harbor.

When Monty unexpectedly tells the town's resident busybodies that he's Penny's new boyfriend, the two find themselves fake dating, and co-hosting the town's Maple Festival.

But Monty has problems of his own. His latest book hasn't performed as hoped, and he desperately needs inspiration for his next story. Since Penny spends her life surrounded by romance novels, he asks her to teach him how to become the perfect romantic hero.

Fake dating. Romance lessons. Old feelings.

What could possibly go wrong?

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My Thoughts

I have a confession to make.

I may or may not have screamed a little when I was approved for this ARC because I had such a good time with Darling Daffodils Farm.

And somehow?

I think I liked this one even more.

Penny and Monty gave me two tropes I absolutely enjoy: friends-to-lovers and fake dating. More importantly, their existing history made the relationship work particularly well for me.

They were once incredibly close, drifted apart, and are now trying to find their way back into each other's lives. That history gave their romance a foundation before any of the fake-dating shenanigans even began.

And then there's Monty.

This man was an excellent fake boyfriend.

He's supportive, helpful, and always there when Penny needs him... while apparently hiding a considerably dirtier mind than I initially expected. 😂 That particular discovery was certainly entertaining.

I also wouldn't necessarily describe Monty as a “failed writer,” despite the premise. To me, he felt more like an author who had lost his inspiration or perhaps someone who hadn't yet figured out exactly what kind of story he was supposed to be writing.

Having Penny, a romance bookstore owner and devoted romance reader, teach him what makes a good romantic hero was such a fun setup. And considering he's simultaneously pretending to be her boyfriend, you can probably imagine how wonderfully complicated those lessons become.

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Penny's Journey

Penny was another highlight for me.

After what happened with her previous relationship, her confidence has understandably taken a hit. I really enjoyed watching her gradually rediscover that confidence and allow herself to become vulnerable again.

What I especially appreciated was her willingness to try.

She doesn't simply spend the entire story hiding from everything that scares her. She begins opening herself up to new experiences, taking chances, and figuring out what she actually wants.

Watching that happen alongside her developing relationship with Monty made their romance even more satisfying.

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Back in Hope Harbor

And, of course, we're back in Hope Harbor.

The quirky residents and small-town meddling that I enjoyed in Darling Daffodils Farm are still very much present, and they continue to make the town feel lively and welcoming.

This time, however, we also get all the cozy autumn goodness.

A bookstore, crisp fall weather, the Maple Festival, apple orchards, bonfires...

Basically, this book looked at every autumn romance aesthetic and said:

Yes. All of them. 

Hope Harbor is quickly becoming one of those fictional small towns I genuinely look forward to revisiting with each new installment.

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Final Thoughts

Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore took everything I enjoyed about the first Hope Harbor book and somehow worked even better for me.

Penny and Monty's history gave the friends-to-lovers romance emotional weight, the fake-dating setup was genuinely fun, and I loved watching Penny regain her confidence while Monty found his way forward as a writer.

Add the romance bookstore, autumn atmosphere, quirky small-town community, and one suspiciously talented fake boyfriend, and I was sold.

Book one was a 4-star read for me.

Book two?

Five stars.

And now I'm already waiting to see whose business Hope Harbor will meddle in next.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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ARC Disclaimer

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.