Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Review: The Love Fix by Jill Shalvis

The Love Fix by Jill Shalvis
Series: Sunrise Cove, Book 8
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
The Love Fix cover
ISBN: 9780063353442
Release Date: June 24, 2025
Source: Author
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible
Jill Shalvis Reading Order

Lexi Clark’s life is falling apart around her, so when she’s summoned home to Sunrise Cove, the last thing she wants to do is face all the complications she left behind. Her past, her stepsister Ashley, and especially her infuriatingly gorgeous childhood nemesis-turned-crush Heath Bowman.

Yep, Lexi’s pretty sure being home again just might kill her. She’s an overachieving art appraiser who doesn’t believe in trust, love, or Happily Ever Afters. Free spirit Ashley, on the other hand, is so full of life it hurts to look at her. But Lexi can’t refuse Ashley’s plea to honor their late mother’s final wish to make amends with the people she’d wronged. So, on behalf of her estranged mother’s estate—and with Heath in tow as the executor—Lexi embarks on a road trip to repay all the people her gambling addicted mother owed money to.

Complicating everything are the feelings that well up for Lexi: for her mom, for Ashley, and most of all, for Heath. And for the record, she doesn’t like it, or the way he has of scaling the walls she’s built around her heart. The road trip shenanigans that ensue are both funny and heartbreaking, but Lexi finds something shocking along the way. Acceptance. Family. And unbelievably—if you ask Lexi anyway—love.

The Love Fix is a story of facing the past, lowering your walls, and moving forward into a brighter future. Jill Shalvis’s final Sunrise Cove novel has romance, humor, loving and nosy family members, and a cute animal – all what you’d expect from this series.

Lexi has returned to Sunrise Cove after years away to help settle her mother’s estate. Lexi has reason to be hurt and bitter about her mother’s neglect, but the journey she takes in delivering the letters her mother wrote brings her closer to two people. The Love Fix has two love stories: one familial, one romantic. I really liked seeing Lexi become close to her stepsister, Ashley. Ashley is cute as a button and overly eager to try and convince Lexi to stay and be a real family. She’s got the traditional Shalvis supporting character quirks and no boundaries but she’s genuinely kind so it’s sweet.

The other love story is the main draw of the book and that’s the romance between Lexi and Heath. Like Lexi, Heath has been hurt by a parent who should have protected him. He’s used to people only wanting him for what he can do for them so like Lexi it’s hard for him to let down his walls. He and Lexi have had chemistry for years so their fall into love was believable. The romance was a bit understated, but it was enjoyable.

For all its heavy themes, The Love Fix is a breezy summer read overall. Everyone in the story is likeable and it was easy to root for the characters. That being said, as a longtime Shalvis reader I will say it isn’t her most memorable story. I wanted to feel more depth to the characters and sometimes it was tell rather than show with them. Overall the story felt a little shallow but it’s good to pass the time with. You don’t have to be familiar with the Sunrise Cove series to read this book so if you’re looking for a good beach read, The Love Fix will hit the spot.



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

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Review: Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady

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