Review: Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady

Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance 

ISBN: 9780593640845
Release Date: June 3, 2025
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion.

Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer.

Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other.

As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.

Battle of the Bookstores is an absolutely charming read. It’s bright, fun, sweet, and a love letter to readers. Author duo Ali Brady knocked it out of the park with this delightful story of rival bookstore managers falling in love.

Confession: Enemies-to-lovers isn’t my favorite trope. But watching Josie and Ryan trade barbs and go from enemies to friends to lovers? Utterly delightful. Ryan is the manager of a romance bookstore and he’s just about the perfect hero. He’s sweet, kind, and is a champion of the romance genre. I absolutely adored his bookstore, Happy Endings, and only wish it and the employees in it were real. Ryan has insecurities he hides and the biting comments from his rival, Josie, bring them out. Josie has a hard outer shell that hides her own insecurities. She runs a literary fiction bookstore and aspires to be a valued voice in those circles. While she turns her nose up at romance novels at the beginning, I enjoyed watching her move outside her comfort zone.

When the owner of both stores decides to combine them and make Josie and Ryan compete for who will be the last manager standing, the gloves come off. But what neither competitor knows is that they are each the other’s favorite person in the online bookseller community they’re a part of. Shades of You’ve Got Mail run through this story as Josie and Ryan spar in person then share hidden truths online.

Ryan and Josie are both easy to root for and their love story was a delight to watch unfold. The romance tropes are called out which makes it a lot of fun for fans of the genre. The authors mostly eschew false drama for more engaging, character-building moments. And I was just as if not more charmed by Ali Brady’s love letter to readers. Battle of the Bookstores knows and appreciates its audience and it shows in all the best ways. I finished Josie and Ryan’s story a well-satisfied reader and I am definitely looking forward to reading more Ali Brady books.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Romantic Suspense 

ISBN: 9781250370853
Release Date: May 27, 2025
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down three men preying on hikers in the Western Maryland mountains. Driving back, she pulled in at a convenience store—and walked right into a robbery in progress. One gunshot from a jittery thief was about to change her world.

After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead, so she moves back to her parents’ peaceful house in Heron’s Rest. As for the boyfriend who dumped her via text while she was in the hospital, good riddance.

She may be down, but she’s not out. So when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot, Sloan searches online for similar cases. She finds them, spread across three states. Men and women, old and young—the missing seem to have nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening.

Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. But it will take every ounce of endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case—and she's willing to risk her life again if that's what it takes to stop the horror.

A strong heroine coming back from a devastating injury, a handsome hero who is good with his hands, lots of home renovation, loving family members, a few adorable dogs, and villains who must be stopped – Hidden Nature has all the hallmarks of a classic Nora Roberts romantic suspense. I’ve been a fan of Nora Roberts for decades so it pains me to say that as much as I wanted to love this book, it isn’t up to her usual standards.

Sloan and Nash are likable protagonists. Sloan is recovering from a gunshot wound when she comes home to Heron’s Rest and she is determined to get her strength back. Roberts’s newsletter revealed that her starting point for this book was learning about the Natural Resources Police Department and honestly seeing Sloan’s job was one of the more interesting parts of the story. Nash left the high-powered world of Wall Street to become a contractor in Heron’s Rest. He’s strong and guarded, but incredibly kind and very supportive of his younger brother. Separately, our hero and heroine are entertaining, which is good because it takes quite a while for them to meet. Together, they are a solid couple whose romance is understated and honestly could use a bit more time and attention. The story dragged a bit until things started picking up with them so more time with the romance would have perked things up. And while I do love home renovation and have enjoyed it in many a Nora Roberts novel, it took over this story way too much for my liking.

Another couple is at the heart of Hidden Nature and that’s the villains, Clara and Sam. They are, in a word, creepy. Their mission is horrible and I didn’t love reading about it over and over when it didn’t feel like much new was added in the repetition. It felt like they had as much page time as Nash and Sloan, which just didn’t work for me (but your mileage may vary). Hidden Nature isn’t bad, but having read and loved the majority of Roberts’s work, it just doesn’t compare.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake

Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake
Series: Clover Lake, Book 1
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Female/Female Contemporary Romance 

ISBN: 978059381599
Release Date: May 13, 2025
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Once upon a time, Ramona Riley was a student at a prestigious art school, with dreams of landing in Hollywood as a costume designer to the stars. But after her father’s car accident, she had to quit and return to her small New Hampshire town, Clover Lake, to help take care of her younger sister. Twelve years later, Ramona is still working at the town’s café, all but given up on her dream. But when a big-budget romantic comedy comes to Clover Lake to film, she wonders if this could be her chance. There’s only one problem—Dylan Monroe, her first kiss and Hollywood’s favorite wild child—is the star.

Dylan Monroe has always lived an unconventional life, having famous rock icons for parents. But she wants to prove that she’s not some chaotic, talentless nepo baby, that she has actual skills, that she’s just a normal person. To do that, Dylan takes on a project at a charming lake town—she even works at the town’s café (very quaint), shadowing a local waitress there (very cute), and asks her to take Dylan around to do Normal People Things.

But Dylan soon realizes it’s not just some small-town waitress she’s getting to know—Ramona Riley is someone she’s met before, someone who remembers her even more vividly. Before long, however, reality hits them, and both women must decide if the spark between them can fan the flames of their individual dreams, or if it will extinguish their light.

As a teenager, Ramona Riley had to drop out of RISD and give up her dreams of being a costume designer to come home and help with her family. She doesn’t regret the choice she made, but with her little sister getting ready to go to college and her father doing just fine, Ramona is feeling a little lost. Then Dylan Monroe, Hollywood’s bad girl, comes into town. Dylan is the daughter of two famous musicians and grew up in a chaotic, neglectful environment. She’s looking to prove that she’s more than some nepo baby and is desperate to change her image. The role as a shy waitress in a queer romantic comedy is just the key. But Dylan has never had a normal life or worked a normal job. So when Ramona starts showing her the ropes, Dylan takes a chance on asking the cute girl if she can show her more. Sparks fly, but both women have old wounds that haven’t fully healed. Can a fling be enough to become something more or will they fizzle out when filming ends?

Ashley Herring Blake makes celebrity-in-a-small-town feel fresh in Dream On, Ramona Riley. Ramona and Dylan’s story is sweet, spicy, and wonderfully engaging.

Dylan and Ramona met one night long ago, at a turning point in both their lives. The sweetness of that memory is something they both hold dear and it’s an utterly charming beginning to their story. Ramona is hardworking and talented, but she’s in a rut. With her sister starting college she doesn’t know how to start chasing her dreams and feels it’s too late. Then the movie comes to town along with the costume designer she’s long looked up to and it seems like fate. But how to get on the set? Well, teaching the star of the movie how to waitress is a good start. I adored Ramona – she’s just plain easy to like – and wanted to see her find all the love and happiness that she deserved. But it’s Dylan who truly captured my heart. Dylan has a lot of privilege, sure, but she is so wounded and vulnerable that it broke my heart. She is wonderfully imperfect throughout this book, making a mess of things more than once. But she tries, she learns, and she grows and it’s oh, so lovely to see. I absolutely loved her and Ramona together. They have wonderful chemistry and are funny, sometimes dorky, and totally sexy together. I hated to put this book down because I was so wrapped up in their tale.

Dream On, Ramona Riley is the first book in Herring Blake’s Clover Lake series and I loved how charming, welcoming, and queer this town was. I adored spending time there and am very much looking to seeing more of it in April’s (Ramona’s best friend) book. And while you don’t have to have read the Bright Falls series, fans of Iris Kelly will enjoy hearing what everyone’s favorite redhead is up to. Ashley Herring Blake has never let me down and Dream On, Ramona Riley is no exception. I adored Dylan and Ramona’s story from first page to last and I cannot wait to read more Clover Lake stories.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa James

Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa James
Series: Accidental Brides, Book 2
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Historical Romance 

ISBN: 9780063347465
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible
Eloisa James Reading Order

Desperate after her Season comes to a spectacularly disastrous end, the Honorable Miss Clara Vetry jumps into a carriage hired to take a housekeeper to Scotland.

The laird of Castle CaerLaven has no interest in a wife, especially a love match—but when Caelan sees his new housekeeper, he changes his mind. Marriage to a delectable bookworm strikes him as a perfect arrangement.

To his surprise, Clara refuses his proposal once…and again…yet again.

When her true identity is revealed, and they’re forced to marry, Caelan realizes he has a far more crucial challenge.

He finally has Clara’s hand—but how will he ever win her heart?

After a scandal erupts when she fends off a lecherous member of the royal family, Clara Vetry is effectively banished from society. With a fair amount of freedom for the first time, what does she do? Run from her mother’s plan for her, take a carriage meant for a housekeeper, and travel to a castle in the Scottish Highlands of course. But neither Castle CaerLaven nor its owner are what Clara expect. The ridiculously handsome laird is a rough-around-the-edges widower and the castle itself is in desperate need of care. Clara isn’t sure what to do, but she’s determined to be adventurous and tackle the challenge in front of her. She’s got books and spirit, so nothing could go wrong. Unless her true identity is revealed, that is…

Hardly a Gentleman is a fun romance with characters who aren’t afraid to be earthy, messy, and honest. Clara and Caelan are delightful and their romance is bright and engaging.

Clara is a bookworm who knows what she wants and takes things in stride when she comes to CaerLaven and things aren’t what she expected. Caelan is the opposite of the refined men she’s been told she should like. He’s kind of a hot mess at first but he’s kind and takes care of his people, which makes him instantly endearing. He and Clara have excellent chemistry, and I liked that this story was different because both of them were kinda messy. Caelan is a widower and though he loved his wife, she wasn’t the match for him. Unfortunately for him, most of the village believes he’s still deeply in mourning. Clara, while attracted to Caelan, doesn’t want to be second to someone whose heart belongs to another. What follows is a love story that is sprightly, fairly low drama, and features a host of delightful secondary characters who help our hero and heroine get where they need to be.

Hardly a Gentleman is the second book in Eloisa James’s Accidental Brides series but you don’t have to have read Viscount in Love in order to enjoy this story. All in all, Caelan and Clara’s story is a delightful romp with zany, bookish characters and a romance that makes the pages of the story fly by.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Archangel’s Ascension by Nalini Singh

Archangel’s Ascension by Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter, Book 17
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Male/Male Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy 

ISBN: 9780593550038
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible
Nalini Singh Reading Order

Aodhan and Illium. Adi and Blue. Sparkle and Bluebell. Friends become lovers, their future a wild unknown.

Finally reunited in New York, they must now learn to navigate the monumental shift in their relationship. But for these two members of Archangel Raphael’s legendary Seven, there is no time to rest. As they investigate a case for the Tower that echoes the darkness from Aodhan’s past, they will be forced to confront not only the scars that mark them both, but the promise of a vast power that flickers in Illium.

The threat of ascension has haunted and troubled Aodhan’s Blue for too long, the forces of change immutable and without mercy...and uncaring of Illium’s fierce wish to remain part of the Seven. Change is a constant in an immortal’s life, and this new horizon will bring with it both terrible heartbreak and a joy extraordinary enough to reverberate through time…

Archangel’s Ascension is a breathtakingly romantic story of friends who have become lovers who are now becoming something even more, something that will stand strong and true through millennia. Nalini Singh completes Aodhan and Illium’s love story in a romance that is tender and achingly beautiful.

Archangel’s Ascension picks up where Archange’s Light - the beginning of Adi and Blue’s romance – left off. Singh takes readers back and forth from the present into the far future as the two men’s lives change and grow together. That Bluebell and Sparkle were made for each other, are meant to be best friends and partners, is never in question. But Illium still has fears he needs to confront, buried wounds from abandonment both intentional and not from those he holds close. And Aodhan…artist, warrior, and survivor, still bears scars from his imprisonment and assault. A case he and Illium take on brings those memories to the forefront and helps Aodhan move his healing forward. What makes this story special to me is how tender and open Illium and Aodhan are with each other. There are so many layers to their love that it makes scenes with them captivating. There are countless romantic moments but also ones of brightness and fun, showing the lightness between the two that comes from their centuries of causing mischief together.

Adi and Blue are the heart of this story, but their hearts contain so many others beloved by fans of the Guild Hunter series. I loved seeing their relationships with their loved ones, from Raphael and the rest of the Seven to the vampires, angels, and mortals who have made this series so wonderful. There’s so much depth to the world and that’s in large part to the connections between all the characters. What the future brings I don’t want to spoil, though the title and everything leading up to this book do tell readers what they’re in for. But uncovering when and how things happen and what goes into it was such a joy that I’m going to avoid spoiling the experience. Suffice it to say that Singh makes the journey a rewarding one and I was enthralled every step of the way. And while this book would make the perfect end chapter the Guild Hunter series, never fear that we’re saying goodbye to the characters we love. Singh has written that the series will continue and I very much look forward to more of this world.

Archangel’s Ascension is a gorgeous story that filled my heart with joy. The completion of Aodhan and Illium’s romance was worth the wait and their love story is one I can’t wait to be swept away by again and again.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows

Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows
Series: Oaks Sisters, Book 1
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance 

ISBN: 9780063416161
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Millie was never one to take the expected path. She's an entomologist who loves her job as a natural science curator, inspiring museum visitors every day. It's her dream to take a larger role in the planning of her department, so when a director position opens up, she is determined not to let anything distract her from her goals. Especially her grumpy coworker with his permanent scowl, electric blue eyes, and nerdy astronomy ties.

. . . Not that she’s spent much time noticing any of those things.

Finn doesn’t mean to glare at everyone, but he’s juggling his role at the museum, navigating the grief of losing his sister, attempting to make his nieces smile, and trying not to ruin dinner for the fifth night in a row. He can't afford to let anything slip, and certainly doesn't need anything more on his plate. Millie literally stumbling into him with her bright smile and sunny optimism, is the last thing he needs.

They want nothing to do with each other. But with Finn on the interview committee, avoidance is impossible. And Millie soon realizes it's one thing when a job is on the line. It's quite another when it's her heart.

Give Me Butterflies is an absolutely charming romance. Millie and Finn are sweet, smart, and absolutely made for other which makes it easy to root for their happily ever after.

Millie was once mentally battered down by an abusive boyfriend but now she’s standing strong and isn’t letting anyone mess with her sunny disposition. She’s a successful entomologist and is up for a director position at her museum – her dream job. But on the day of her first interview, she runs into the head of the astronomy department and things do not go well. Finn is grumpy, glowering, and her total opposite…or so she thinks. Finn may seem like a thundercloud at first, but actually he’s just a guy going through a really difficult time. He lost his sister and is now guardian to his nieces, who he loves with all his heart but is afraid of falling short as their new parent.

Jillian Meadows makes it easy to adore Millie, Finn, and the twins, Eloise and Avery. All of them are kind and loving people doing their best. The girls are absolutely sweet as can be and I loved how quickly Millie established a relationship with them separate from hers with Finn. For all that Give Me Butterflies deals with some heavy themes, Meadows makes the book feel light and airy. It’s a low-drama romance as Millie and Finn go from friends to lovers and sometimes you just need a solid love story without false drama in the third act. There’s tension, of course, but Meadows keeps things mostly organic as the story goes on.

Give Me Butterflies is the first book in the Oaks Sisters series and I cannot wait to see more of Millie’s family. I loved the Oaks and Millie’s friends, enjoyed how they welcomed Finn and the girls into their circle with open arms and hearts. All in all, Finn and Millie’s romance was a delight and I am very much looking forward to the next Oaks Sisters tale.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Fan Service by Rosie Danan

Fan Service by Rosie Danan
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Paranormal Romance 

ISBN: 9780593437162
Release Date: March 11, 2025
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

The only place small-town outcast Alex Lawson fits in is the online fan forum she built for The Arcane Files, a long-running werewolf detective show. Her dedication to archiving fictional supernatural lore made her Internet-famous, even if she harbors a secret disdain for the show’s star, Devin Ashwood. (Never meet your heroes—sometimes they turn out to be The Worst.)

Ever since his show went off the air, Devin and his career have spiraled, but waking up naked in the woods outside his LA home with no memory of the night before is a new low. It must have been a coincidence that the once-in-a-century Wolf Blood Moon crested last night. The claws, fangs, and howling are a little more difficult to explain away. Desperate for answers, Devin finds Alex—the closest thing to an expert that exists. If only he could convince her to stop hating his guts long enough to help....

Devin Ashwood was a former child star turned heartthrob on his long-running supernatural show. Now he’s forty-two, washed up, and desperate to try and get the show rebooted. His life isn’t going his way…then he finds out he may have been turned into a werewolf. What’s a wolfman to do? The only thing he can do in this wild situation: track down the moderator of the most extensive fan forum The Arcane Files had and seek their guidance. Alex Lawson had her childhood crush on Devin quashed when she met him as a teenager. The fact that he shows up in her hometown wanting her help is laughable. Until truth turns out to be stranger than fiction. Now they need to use her knowledge to help Devin learn to control his wolf. But Devin isn’t the only one with lessons to learn…

Fan Service is a love letter to fandoms wrapped up in a chaotic (in a good way) romance. I admit, I had mixed feelings about this book in the beginning but Rosie Danan pulled me in over the course of the story and I was loving it by the end.

Devin is kind of insufferable at first. He’s desperate to revive his career but he’s also just plain shallow. Alex is prickly and stand-offish which makes sense given how she’s still bullied in her town even as an adult. The first half of Fan Service was a bit slow for me because the characters and even their wacky situation didn’t really draw me in (unusual for me with Danan’s writing). That being said, the story seriously picked up at the halfway point and I fell in love with Alex and Devin. Yes, Devin is desperate and wants to be loved but as he starts becoming more human (ironic given his situation) he becomes an endearing hero who is messy and more complex than he seems at first. There are parts of his story that simply broke my heart. Alex pushes people away but Devin barrels through her walls and I loved seeing her come into her own. She’s strong, smart, and cares so much that it was delightful to see her find someone she could learn to lean on as well.

Devin’s journey into controlling his werewolf side was highly entertaining. I loved that Alex was able to use her vast knowledge of the Arcane Files fandom to help him. Equally engaging was the romance. Once things picked up between Devin and Alex, Danan turned up the heat in delicious ways. The result was a sensual, sweet, and fun romance. So while I struggled with Fan Service in the first half, I still enjoyed the second half so much that I recommend the book.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More