Posted in Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA+

Don’t Miss: Love & Other Disasters

Can you cook your way into someone’s heart?

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and @netgalley for the complimentary digital copy for review.

Dahlia is looking to reinvent herself as a contestant on the popular cooking competition show, Chef’s Special. But she meets London, who is also a competitor and like no one she’s ever met before. When they announce their pronouns on national TV, London’s focus is pulled while trying to manage their family and the internet trolls that feel the need to comment. Dahlia and London grow closer and become support for each other as well as competitors.

Cooking competition shows are a favorite of mine, so it was fun to hear about the recipes and the fails/successes with the food and judging.

This is the first novel I’ve read with a nonbinary character and I loved it. I hope it becomes more commonplace. While there is transphobia and misgendering as a content warning, I love the way it was addressed in the story. Neither Dahlia and London were heteronormative and it was a refreshing take to see the interaction as the main story. The diversity in the cast of characters was phenomenal.

Posted in Contemporary Romance, RomCom

Don’t Miss: Maggie Moves On

Can you DIY your love life?

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the complimentary digital book for review.

YouTube star and house-flipper Maggie Nichols finds her next project in the little town of Kinship, Idaho. The sprawling Victorian Mansion comes with more than just the promise of a project of a lifetime. It also has its very own mystery. Plus, the cute landscaper, Silas Wright will make Maggie question all of her future plans. Can be be her Mr. Wright?

I love DIY shows! Seeing a project go from nothing to something spectacular is always so rewarding. So I was super excited to read this book. Maggie is a strong, independent character who knows what she wants. Enter Silas, who takes one look at Maggie and decides he can’t live without her. Really? Do things like that happen?

Silas was a dog with a bone and would not leave Maggie alone. It was actually kind of creepy at times. Thank goodness he had a cute sidekick in his dog Kevin. I may have been tempted to date Silas just for his dog!

Although the relationship seemed unnatural, it had a certain charm. I loved Dean, Cody and even the curmudgeonly Wallace! The banter between the characters made me chuckle. This was an enjoyable read overall!

Posted in Contemporary Romance

Don’t Miss: Birds of California

Do you believe in second chances?

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Netgalley for the complimentary digital copy for review.

Former teen TV actor Fiona St. James has kept hidden from the spotlight since the famous crash and burn that ended her career. Now years later, in the age of TV reboots, she is contacted to reprise her role. Meanwhile, Sam Fox, her TV brother learns his current show is being canceled. Sam is all for the reboot, but it’ll only happen if Fiona is on board. Can he convince her?

When I was starting this book, I thought I would be reading about the bad behavior of an actress, but it was so much more. Fiona’s character is deep and there are a lot of layers to her life even from when she was a teen. It actually made me sad and think of child stars like Britney Spears who had to grow up in the spotlight. How is it possible to know who wants to be with you for you or for your fame? 

Learning about Fiona’s past and present through Sam’s eyes was interesting. Fiona questioned his motivation for wanting to hang out and even had me questioning it.  

Letting us know that not everything on the surface or in the media is real or what it seems, this book was an impactful read!