december ‘23 book reviews
it’s been a loooong year and all of our book’s pages dog-eared (if you don’t know this reference, please do me a solid and listen here). it’s been quite the year in the book department and this month will be no different. without further ado…
ruthless vows by rebecca ross
rating: 5/5
synopsis: in the breathtaking sequel to divine rivals, roman finds himself trapped on the wrong side of the war under dacre’s clutches. without his memories, he becomes dacre’s war correspondent, spreading his side of the story. iris on the other hand is beside herself and worried about where roman is when she starts writing him letters again using the enchanted typewriters that link them together. slowly his memories start to return and roman quickly learns he’s in a precarious situation. unbeknownst to anyone else, roman has the power to share dacre’s movements with iris to help enva’s cause. as dacre’s front closes on oath, iris and roman’s words are more important than ever.
review: after finishing divine rivals earlier in the year, i was itching for more of iris and roman’s story. i fell in love with these two characters through their words, just like they did with one another. i loved that the roles were reversed in this sequel, iris knew who she was talking to but roman did not when they wrote letters - it made their love story that much sweeter. there were parts of this book that felt a little slower but we’re caught up in more of the war than we were with book 1. and at the end of this very sweet sequel we find that love does conquer all.
the fury by alex michaelides
rating: 5/5
synopsis: part mystery, part love story, the fury follows famous actress lana farrar and her close friends on a greek island. she invites her group here as an escape but a murder takes place that leaves everyone questioning how well they know one another. as we, the reader, learn about each character’s potential motives, it feels as if we’re getting further from the truth, until it’s revealed in the last few chapters.. buckle up for a wild ride!
review: thank you netgalley for this arc copy of the fury! in classic alex michaelides fashion, we’re met with intrigue, plot twists and stellar storytelling. the greeks famously mix together love and tragedy in epic stories and the fury is no different. i love how michaelides shares the story from a first person perspective and brings the reader in. it’s like a one on one conversation with elliot that makes you want to turn the page. we’re told the same story a few times with each telling revealing more about the characters and the facts of the murder. i am always amazed at how masterfully storylines can be woven and this was an incredibly fun read. i can’t wait to buy this in january when it comes out!
the wedding people by alison espach
rating: 5/5
synopsis: do you ever feel more comfortable telling complete strangers the honest to god truth? that’s lila and phoebe in a nutshell. lila is starting her wedding week in rhode island when phoebe runs into her in the hotel elevator. lila asks phoebe what side of the family she’s on and phoebe says she’d not here for the wedding but to kill herself. brutual honesty. lila complains this will ruin her wedding week and before phoebe even knows it, she becomes intwined with the wedding people.
review: i have never read such dark humor and utterly enjoyed it! this was a fantastic story about being so completely alone you say fuck it and spill your guts to strangers. lila and phoebe are open with one another in a way that you’d expect lifelong friends to be. phoebe decides not to kill herself when she overhears the mother of the bride giving a truly heinous speech. she throws up her cat’s pills that she ingested and decides she wants to know more about the wedding people. i can’t wait to purchase this when it comes out in 2024, thank you netgalley for the advanced reader copy!
the house in the pines by ana reyes
rating: 3.5/5
synopsis: maya is a twenty-something gal living in boston with her caring boyfriend when she stumbles across a disturbing youtube video. in it, a woman drops dead in a diner in maya’s hometown. what concerns maya is the guy sitting across from the woman — frank. frank was an older guy that maya dated years ago and this isn’t the first time someone has dropped dead while talking to him. back in high school, it happened to maya’s best friend aubrey. armed with fuzzy memories of what happened back then, maya starts to uncover more of the mystery surrounding frank.
review: i looooved that this book did not go where i expected it to! i was truly blindsided with the ending. i picked the house in the pines up in an airport when i *gasp* ran out of books during a trip. however, i did find myself becoming uninterested about halfway through, right up until it started to click what was going on. with no spoilers, maya’s fuzzy memories were alarming and confusing to follow along in the story, because we get a split pov between high school maya and present day maya. i wished the author would have denoted past & present, but it did help shape the confusing nature of what was going on. an intriguing read, i’m glad i picked it up!
distress signals by catherine ryan howard
rating: 5/5
synopsis: adam is confused and shocked when his girlfriend sarah doesn’t return from a business trip as expected one thursday in august. his confusion turns into dread when her passport is returned with the note: i’m sorry — s. contacting friends and family, adam learns that sarah wasn’t actually on a business trip but a cruise with another man! the more adam pulls at the threads here, the more entangled he becomes. another woman disappeared under eerily similar circumstances the year before. and cruise related crimes don’t seem to be uncommon! murky maritime law has made investigating these crimes nearly impossible, making it easier for a killer to be lurking among the passengers.
review: i read a catherine ryan howard book during quarantine in 2020 and was immediately entranced. this book is no different. the pace was exciting and made you want to put on your detective hat and get to the bottom of it. it’s twisty and turny and you don’t know who to trust — be suspicious of all! told from a few different perspectives, the story leaves you wondering until the very last page.
a winter in new york by josie silver
rating: 3/5
synopsis: when iris stumbles across an old time gelateria in new york city, less than a year since she made the move from london, she feels immediately drawn to it — though it could be because her mother kept a photo of it with the recipe to the tasty treat. what’re the chances? when she returns and meets the cute owner, she learns the most unfortunate news. the patriarch of the family is in the hospital and cannot remember the recipe. he’s the only one who knows it and it’s stayed in the family for nearly 100 years. torn with this secret, iris — a chef — offers to help find the recipe, falling in love not only with handsome gio but with his larger than life family. will this secret threaten to ruin their relationship?
review: yes, it’s hallmarky but it’s christmas time! this was the feel good, cutesy book you’d hope it to be and while it did feel like a warm hug, i have some qualms. i felt the ending was way too rushed and one of the side stories (why iris left london in the first place) was completely underdone. there was no real conflict in the third act and it all ended happily ever after (which it should, duh) but i was hoping for a little more drama!
daisy haites: the great undoing by jessa hastings
review: 5/5
synopsis: daisy haites is in a bit of a complicated position. she’s dating a cop while her brother is the most notorious gang lord in london. she’s also dating someone while in love with someone else — christian hemmes. the three (daisy, christian and tiller, the cop) tango around one another while daisy navigates her strained relationship with her brother julian, who seems to be entangled with none other than the infamous magnolia parks herself. sounds like a lot but if you’ve read the other three books in the series, your mind is spinning!!!
review: i think what i love most about jessa hastings books is how she intertwines the two love stories — bj & magnolia and christian & daisy — we get tidbits from the other perspective through two seamless books. it’s truly amazing. this series is MY great undoing!!!! we learn more about julian’s perspective - how he really feels being with magnolia because let’s face it, the girl gets everyone to fall in love with her. how he keeps a calm and cool exterior while sporting massive feelings is beyond me, but i love the inner monologues!! and as much as we focus in on julian, the story is also about daisy and christian and how they find their way back to one another, much like magnolia and bj. when christian finally confessed his love, i gasped and re-read that passage like 20 times. ms. hastings you are terribly good at pulling on the heartstrings.
magnolia parks: the long way home by jessa hastings
rating: 5/5
synopsis: after nearly a year in new york city magnolia parks is back where she belongs in london, for the time being anyways. she’s visiting for her father’s wedding to her nanny (ugh long story) and she’s a bit nervous to see her long-time love bj. so to combat the anxiety she does what any socialite would do and find a stand-in boytoy to play with. none other than the most powerful gang lord in london (and all of england really) julian haites. they’s having fun but they’re not “together” and no feelings are involved (until they are). and bj totally doesn’t care (until he does). and it goes on like this for about 500 pages until the two finally budge and confront one another…
review: in this installment of the magnolia parks series, we learn a bit more about why bj and magnolia are indeed two star-crossed lovers. a bit of trauma bonds, innit? sorry, that was my lame excuse at british humor. i’m obsessed with the two characters and their seriously messed up way of loving one another. it’s toxic and so deliciously good. i never want this series to end.
reckless by elsie silver
rating: 4.5/5
synopsis: winter is ready to be rid of her toxic ex-husband and needs something to get lost in for just one second of her perfectly planned life. when theo silva prances into her life and basically oozes sex, she sees her distraction. after one fun, tequila-fueled night, winter finds a positive pregnancy test and a missing theo. worse than that, he texts her “thanks for letting me know” when she tells him she’s pregnant. yikes! but, a little over a year later, he shows up. consistently. can she even trust him now?
review: like all things elsie silver, she knocks the romance out of the park! i love winter and theo because they are total opposites - where he’s fire, she’s ice. when he is calm, cool and collected, she’s ready to fly off the handle. however, i hated that the excuse for why he didn’t know he had a daughter was because of a phone issue, but i loved that he showed up as soon as he knew. they’re a lovable duo to route for! i also really love the bonus chapters with harvey!!
in a holidaze by christina lauren
rating: 3.5/5
synopsis: mae jones looks forward to christmas every year because she and her family, and their close family friends, visit a cabin in utah for a week and soak up being with each other. mae has had the biggest crush on her childhood friend andrew for as long as she can remember but nothing has ever come of it. when a groundhog day-like phenomenon occurs, mae finds herself reliving the week in the cabin and gets a chance at true happiness by letting her guards down and being honest with her feelings.
review: everything you’d want in a cozy holiday romance - very hallmark-esque! i loved mae and andrew’s flirty friendship and when it grew into more. the whole “living the same day” felt a little weird at first but i liked that she got over it after a few days. the found family trope was also very cute in this!
daisy haites by jessa hastings
rating: 4.5/5
synopsis: in book two of the magnolia parks universe, daisy haites and her powerful brother julian rule the arms black market in london. nothing is off limits to them, including the people in their lives. when daisy starts to fall for the handsome christian hemmes, while he’s in love with magnolia fucking parks, it all really starts to go to shit.
review: toxic. toxic. toxic. no real plot, shady characters, unrealistic romances and i ate every word up. it’s such a fun and frilly universe, and i love unplugging with a book like this. the guys are crazy overprotective (she’s mine, hands off) and the girls play with guys hearts like it’s a fucking instrument. this felt a tad long but i can’t wait for book 3!
powerless by elsie silver
rating: 5/5
synopsis: in the third installment of the chestnut springs series, jasper gervais is a star hockey player going through a bit of a rough patch. he hasn’t been on his a-game lately. what’s worse? his childhood best friend, sloane, is about to marry a total asshole. until, she decides it would be a big mistake and jasper is the one to provide the getaway car. suddenly, the pair are alone for the first time in a long time and the walls they’ve built up are slowly, painfully slowly, starting to crack. could they actually have a shot at something here?
review: i love each new chestnut springs novel a bit more than the last!!! jasper is brooding, strong and possessive as hell. and it’s hot. sloane has been put down her whole life and jasper is the only one who’s truly understood her. and now, he’s saying things that are confusing her. like he has the same feelings that she’s had for years!! the chemistry between them is so different than that of summer/rhett and cade/willa. hats off to elsie silver for making these stories so distinct!
heartless by elsie silver
rating: 5/5
synopsis: cade eaton is a thirty-eight-year-old rancher who busts his ass to provide for his son, luke. as a single dad, it’s a one man show since his wife left. when he reluctantly decides to get a nanny, in waltzes (or rather, storms in like a hurricane) willa grant, a fiery redhead with quick wit and a bit of a filthy mouth. when luke and willa form an unbreakable bond, cade begins to see her in a different light. and it’s weird because she’s his nanny and only twenty-five for god’s sake. as tempting as it is to give into her charm, cade promises to be the responsible one, until he can’t take it anymore.
review: i have to say, i really love this chestnut springs series! each book is a standalone but the characters are interconnected. in heartless, we follow single dad (and hot cowboy) cade eaton and willa grant, he new nanny for his son. at first they’re at each other’s throats, but soon, they can’t keep their hands off each other. it’s an age gap, grumpy sunshine book that is just so well done. a lot of the time, i find myself cringing at steamy romances like this but the banter, the character growth and quick chapters make this so lovable!
things we’ve lost and found by ally williams
rating: 2/5
synopsis: when annabel gets stuck in an elevator before a really big job interview, she panics just slightly thinking she’s about to botch the opportunity. stuck in the lift with her, to her surprise, is a super hot and tall guy. he’s in a suit with the top buttons undone and he looks gooood. too bad annabel swore off men (she’s been cheated on thrice before). they go on their separate ways once service resumes and annabel doesn’t give it any thought, until he winds up in her building with the polka dot bow she lost and a proposition to be friends with benefits. no strings attached. no feelings. no more broken hearts. annabel’s intrigued and decides to say yes, only to learn she’s about to fall in deep.
review: i received a free advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. and in my honest review, i don’t think this book was for me. charlie, the elevator guy, is taking care of his sick mother with his older brother and sister-in-law. we get no resolution at the end of the book and it seems like just a side story where the mother repeatedly gets lost in a bar (she has dementia). annabel and charlie’s fwb deal is a sham from the beginning - he totally has feelings for her and treats it like a relationship then tells her it isn’t. the work drama for annabel was a little out of left field and i felt she could’ve formed a great relationship with her boss without the conflict (she’s a talented graphic designer!) the spice was good but i just can’t with being called “baby” every other sentence. there wasn’t a ton of character development and they both fell a little flat for me. i wish i liked this one more!