Audiobook Review: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Title: The Dead Romantics
Author: Ashley Poston
Genre: Adult Contemporary / Romance / Paranormal
Publication Date: June 28th, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

“Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.
When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.
For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.
Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.
Romance is most certainly dead… but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.” (Goodreads)

This was probably one of the most unique romance books I have ever read to date. I feel like it will be hard top this when it comes to that category. For the most part, I liked this book but there were some things that led me to have a disconnect from the story.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Florence Day. She comes from a family of undertakers but decided that wasn’t for her and wanted to pursue writing. I did like learning about her family and they do take up a significant role in the book. Florence is dealing with the loss of her father and the grief that comes with it as well as being on a deadline for a book. It’s tough for her and it doesn’t help she can’t seem to write romance after the ending of her last relationship. The author paints a great picture of how a person’s life is never perfect and there are struggles and sometimes they just pile on and it’s hard to breathe. In this sense, and the grief, I did connect with Florence, but I also didn’t fully connect and when big plot twists happen it just didn’t grip me.

The other characters in this book were also nice to get to know as well. I don’t think that there were any that left me wanting more for. They weren’t flat, not even her dillweed of an ex.

The uniqueness of this story is that Florence sees ghosts and sometimes helps them move on. It wasn’t always easy for her to have this gift and in the past it had led to bullying. The ghost that unexpectedly showed up was a surprise but with a couple hints thrown out within a few scenes of them I knew where the book was going and predicted the end. It was still a nice ending but did lose it shock value.

Overall, this was a good book. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a different type of romance and one that is perfect for this season.

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Arc Review: Well Matched (Well Met #3) by Jen DeLuca

Title: Well Matched (Well Met #3)
Author: Jen DeLuca
Genre: Adult Contemporary / Romance
Publication Date: October 19th, 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an earc to review! All opinions are my own.

“An accidentally in-love rom-com filled with Renaissance Faire flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights.

Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.

Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire–a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what’s real and what’s been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.

As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch’s family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch’s girlfriend again…something that doesn’t feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans–and open her heart–for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.” (Goodreads)

I’m always worried about continuing on with a series because sometimes the next book just doesn’t live up to the hype. I loved Mitch from the beginning so I was really hoping this book would be good and guys, it didn’t let me down! I laughed and I cried. This author knows how to give me all the feelings.

The book is told in the perspective of April. In the first two books there isn’t much from her but I did like getting to know her better in this one. She is facing a lot of change when it comes to her daughter graduating high school and an ex-husband who left her who now wants to congratulate their daughter who he has never even met. No wonder she goes to a bar and runs into Mitch who rescues her from a guy who doesn’t understand the word no.

Even though this is a romance, there is a lot of development when it comes to April. I loved seeing her grow and realize that sometimes we just have to break free and do things we wouldn’t normally do or change our plans for something better.

Mitch is a sweetheart and I love him to pieces! I can’t ever get enough of him. We are used to seeing the confident side of him and this time around there is a more vulnerable side. In those moments it was easy to understand him and I seriously loved April for standing up for him when it came to his family belittling him about his job choice. There is nothing wrong with not getting a degree that pays more. Do what you love! Success shouldn’t be determined by how much money you make. Success is also weighed differently by person and if one person loves what they do than who cares! I’ve seen this type of thing in person and it just annoys me to no end.

Emily, Simon, Stacey, and Daniel are back as side characters and I always like seeing how their lives are going. Emily and April also share a great sibling bond.

When it comes to the romance of the book, I loved it all! The plot of fake dating is mentioned very early on when Mitch asks April to be his fake girlfriend for a family affair. The banter between them was hilarious. The book is just funny in general! It doesn’t take too long for them to realize that something is there between them and I liked the journey of them finding out together even if it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine. Relationships, even fake ones haha, have their obstacles. If you also like the “only one bed” trope then it’s just another reason for you to pick this one up!

Overall, this was another fantastic book to add to the series. I finished it in one day and stayed up way too late but it was just so hard to put down!

Arc Review: The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle

Title: The Royals Next Door
Author: Karina Halle
Genre: Adult Contemporary / Romance
Publication Date: August 31st, 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an earc to read in exchange for a review.

“An ordinary summer goes royally awry when a prince and princess move next door, bringing their handsome bodyguard with them, from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.

Piper Evans: elementary school teacher by day–avid romance reader and anonymous podcaster by night. She lives a quiet, reclusive life, taking care of her mother, who struggles with mental illness, avoiding her regrettable ex, who bartends in town, and trying to make inroads in the tight-knit island community that still sees her, five years in, as an outsider.

And she’s happy with how things are–really–until British royals rent the property next to hers and their brooding bodyguard decides she’s a security threat. Piper quickly realizes that one person’s fairy tale is an ordinary woman’s nightmare as a media frenzy takes over the island and each run-in with Harrison Cole is hotter and more confusing than the last. But beneath Harrison’s no-nonsense exterior lies a soft heart, one that could tempt a woman who’s sworn off attachments into believing in white knights.

But when Piper finds herself smack in the middle of a royal scandal that rocks the island she’ll need more than Harrison’s strong arms to shield her–she’ll have to do a little rescuing herself. With careers, hearts, and friendships on the line, Piper and Harrison will have to decide what they’re willing to give up for a chance at their own happily ever after.” (Goodreads)

I wanted to pick this one up after seeing the cover on Instagram. I love illustrated covers and this was no different. It’s beautiful! I will say that I had a hard time connecting to the characters and I don’t think this has anything to do with the book. There are a lot of good things to say about this book.

There is something about royalty life that intrigues people and I can definitely see commonalities between the fictional characters in this book and the actual royal family. I always like reading about different fictional royalty families because authors do a great job of making them stand out from others. Monica and Eddie were good characters and it’s a shame what the media does to people. The media has a way of digging about and creating chaos that doesn’t even involve them. It’s utter madness but its something that is prevalent in our own world and not just the fictional ones.

The main character of the book and neighbor to the royal party is Piper. She is an elementary school teacher who’s hobby is all about romance novels and has her own podcast for it. It’s nice to read about bibliophiles. Her passion for romance is kept under the radar as with many people who read the genre. It definitely has it’s stereotypes and the book brings the conversation into light.

Besides all that, she also helps to take care of her mom who deals with neurological issues. It’s not often I read about mother-daughter bonds but I’m glad it was included because it’s very sweet.

The love interest, Harrison Cole, is a jack-of-all-trades and takes his job quite seriously. He may start off standoffish but he does open up. I can’t say that I ever liked him that much but I think that just stems from not being able to connect from the book in general.

When it came to the plot, it’s filled with romance, plot twists, and growing friendships. The romance is on the steamier side which makes sense for the topic that centers around stereotypes of the romance genre. I don’t have a problem with it but it’s just not what I like about romance books and I know others won’t have this issue. I did like the friendship more and I’m glad there was an epilogue to nicely wrap everything up since it is a standalone.

Overall, this was a good book and I can see a lot of people liking this one.

Arc Review: Wait For It by Jenn McKinlay

Title: Wait For It
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Genre: Adult Contemporary / Romance
Publication Date: August 10th, 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: ⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an earc to review. All opinions are my own.

“A woman looking for a new lease on life moves to Arizona where she rents a guest house on a gorgeous property with a mysterious owner–a man who teaches her about resilience, courage, and ultimately true love, in this funny, bighearted novel about hope and healing from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.

Stuck in a dreary Boston winter, Annabelle Martin would like nothing more than to run away from her current life. She’s not even thirty years old, twice-divorced, and has just dodged a marriage proposal… from her ex-husband. When she’s offered her dream job as creative director at a cutting-edge graphic design studio in Phoenix, she jumps at the opportunity to start over.

When she arrives in the Valley of the Sun, Annabelle is instantly intrigued by her anonymous landlord. Based on the cranky, handwritten notes Nick Daire leaves her, she assumes he is an old, rich curmudgeon. Annabelle is shocked when she finally meets Nick and discovers that he’s her age and uses a wheelchair. Nick suffered from a stroke a year ago, and while there’s no physical reason for him not to recover, he is struggling to overcome the paralyzing fear that has kept him a prisoner in his own home.

Despite her promise to herself not to get involved, Annabelle finds herself irresistibly drawn to Nick. And soon she wonders if she and Nick might help each other find the courage to embrace life, happiness, and true love.” (Goodreads)

***All quotes used could be changed before book is published***

I love a good cover and that is the big reason for requesting this title. I loved the colors of it! Even though the blurb was promising enough, I didn’t like this one as much as I thought I would and inevitably it became one of those “it was okay” books.

This book is told with two point-of-views: Nick and Annabelle. Annabelle is trying to take advice from her friend and move on and away from her first ex-husband who uses her as a clutch to help improve himself in areas he lacks, i.e. social events. She moves from Boston to Phoenix and becomes a graphic designer for her friend. Nick is 35 years-old and suffered from a stroke. He is still not 100% and his trainer thinks he is holding himself back and suggests seeing a therapist or psychiatrist for help. Nick also comes from a hard background which involves parents on drugs and foster care.

I will say that I preferred Annabelle’s perspective more as Nick’s felt poorly written. I don’t know of any 35 year-old who would say something like, “He was just such a Boy Scout about these things that I liked to get him all aggro with my knuckle dragger comments.” I also felt that it’s kind of rude to play your friend like that with comments you don’t believe in because Nick says himself that he isn’t misogynistic but then says some questionable things like, “I’m not a very good sharer,” or “And until this thing between us is dusted and done, you’re mine.” While Annabelle eats it up but also calls out others when it comes to their misogynistic behavior. Maybe I’m wrong about this but it just sat poorly with me.

The relationship in the book doesn’t happen until around the 50% mark. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for development and the romance between them really lacked because of it. I liked the banter in the beginning before they met that happened by note and wish there was just more build-up or something. *Spoiler*——– By the end of the book they are already on the marriage talk after only knowing each other for a very short time—–*End of Spoiler*

The side characters were pretty good and did like reading about them when they showed up. I do think that Annabelle’s friend used her in a way even though her friend was the one trying to tell her to stop fixing people.

There are many plot points/topics that are discussed throughout the book, i.e. estranged sibling, drug abuse, parental death, a sleazy dillweed at work, and so on. Just like with the underdeveloped relationship, this left for a few of the topics to feel like more dramatics/filler to just keep everything going without giving them the page time they really needed to be discussed.

Overall, this was okay. It wasn’t very memorable even if there were some decent parts to it. A lot of it just left me feeling unsatisfied.

Goodreads Monday: The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle (5/31/21)

Hello Readers!

Goodreads Monday is hosted by Lauren’s Page Turners. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off.

Title: The Royals Next Door
Author: Karina Halle
Genre: Adult Contemporary / Romance
Publication Date: August 31st, 2021
Publisher: Berkley

“An ordinary summer goes royally awry when a prince and princess move next door, bringing their handsome bodyguard with them, from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.

Piper Evans: elementary school teacher by day–avid romance reader and anonymous podcaster by night. She lives a quiet, reclusive life, taking care of her mother, who struggles with mental illness, avoiding her regrettable ex, who bartends in town, and trying to make inroads in the tight-knit island community that still sees her, five years in, as an outsider.

And she’s happy with how things are–really–until British royals rent the property next to hers and their brooding bodyguard decides she’s a security threat. Piper quickly realizes that one person’s fairy tale is an ordinary woman’s nightmare as a media frenzy takes over the island and each run-in with Harrison Cole is hotter and more confusing than the last. But beneath Harrison’s no-nonsense exterior lies a soft heart, one that could tempt a woman who’s sworn off attachments into believing in white knights.

But when Piper finds herself smack in the middle of a royal scandal that rocks the island she’ll need more than Harrison’s strong arms to shield her–she’ll have to do a little rescuing herself. With careers, hearts, and friendships on the line, Piper and Harrison will have to decide what they’re willing to give up for a chance at their own happily ever after.” (Goodreads)

I first saw this cover on Instagram awhile ago and I immediately added it to my tbr. I’m so glad I was approved on Netgalley! I will be starting it today and I can’t wait to see where the story goes.

Does this one sound like something you would read?

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