I’ve been reading a ton of holiday novellas for the JingleBooks bingo, and while I don’t feel like doing full reviews for each of them, I figured a few small reviews would be helpful for anyone looking for some post-Christmas reading – or for me next year! So here’s seven quick reviews! As a sidenote, all of the authors are Black, and the majority of the main characters (excepting Talia Hibbert’s book) are also Black. For three years, best friends Brianna and Carson have pretended to be in a relationship every Christmas in order to get his matchmaking mama offRead the Post
Review: Pining Over You – J.N. Welsh
Content warnings: When I saw this gorgeous cover in the author’s newsletter, I had to go check out this book. And, ok, this is like Christmas overload, but in a very good way. It’s a small-town, childhood friends, second-chance holiday romance. First off, we’ve got two characters named Sasha Merry and Rodney Chestnut (I KNOW). The Merrys run a family farm that includes a Christmas tree farm, bake shop and farm-to-table restaurant. Sasha’s been in love with the place and coming up with her own ideas for it since she was five years old, but getting her father to giveRead the Post
Review: Daddy Crush – A. Anders
Content warnings: Age gap isn’t one of my personal favorite tropes, but when it’s done really well, oof. After hearing all over Twitter how steamy this book was, I decided to check it out myself and I’m glad I did. “Chemistry with an older, more mature guy who knows what he’s doing in the bed and can talk filth? That’s the trifecta.” This is tropey goodness – besides the age gap (43 vs 25), they’re also neighbors, and they’ve got the grumpy/sunshine dynamic going on. Plus, the basis of the plot: a virgin heroine in need of sex lessons. JerushaRead the Post
Review: Party Favors – Erin McLellan
I adore this series. It’s adorable, kinky and sex-positive and I have loved every single one of these couples over the past year. This is the fourth in the holiday-themed series, and while it could be read as a stand-alone, you’d miss a lot of the backstory (and in-jokes) with the other couples. Amanda may be the disco ball heiress, but working for her family’s glassware company and getting roped into endless dates with eligible men picked out by her mother is anything but fun. She’d much rather be home in her pajamas texting with her friend Wren, who sheRead the Post
Review: Written in the Stars – Alexandria Bellefleur
Content warnings: First off, that cover is GORGEOUS. A Pride & Prejudice-inspired, fake-dating, grumpy/sunshine, opposites-attract wlw romance? Yes, please! It’s an absolutely delicious trope sundae and I absolutely gobbled this book up. “I think it’s nice,” Elle argued. “If you don’t believe in love, what’s left to believe in?” Darcy tongue poked against the inside of her cheek. “Sweet in theory, but a bit starry-eyed, don’t you think?” Was that a dig and a quip about her profession? “I’d rather be starry-eyed than jaded.” Sick of being set up by her dating app founder, one-true-love believing brother, Darcy lies andRead the Post
Review: The Duke Who Didn’t – Courtney Milan
Content warnings: TLDR: Look, it’s a surprise new Courtney Milan book in 2020. Go buy it, because trust me, you need it. I have sung the praises of Courtney Milan multiple times before, so it’s probably no surprise that I also absolutely loved this childhood friends to lovers book. It’s seriously a masterclass in fluffy banter, while also striking a careful balance with more serious matters (like revenge via a sauce empire, naturally). “The problem had never been how serious Jeremy was about her; it had been how serious she thought he was. She had to convince herself first. HowRead the Post
Review: Don’t Hex and Drive – Juliette Cross
Content warnings: The second in the Stay a Spell series, this book features Isadora, another one of the Savoie sisters. Like the rest of her sisters, she’s a witch, and she’s specifically a Conduit, which means she can heal people using her magic. Isadora is very much a homebody, content in her greenhouse and with her family and close circle of friends, partly because of her social anxiety. Her life revolves around gardening and selling potions at the family shop, and frankly, the only thing she thinks is missing is a dog. And then a hot vampire hits her bicycleRead the Post
Review: Here to Stay – Adriana Herrera
Content warnings: I’ve enjoyed every single one of Ms. Herrera’s books, and this one is no exception. From her love of NYC to her relatable characters to the FEELS, this book is a treat! Julia left her Dominican family in NYC to follow her boyfriend to Dallas… only for him to dump her and move back shortly afterwards. While her love life may be reeling, at least she loves her new job running an afterschool program for undocumented kids and their families as part of a department store’s charity foundation. But an IPO is on the horizon, and the board’sRead the Post
Review: Deal with the Devil – Kit Rocha
I’ve been reading Kit Rocha’s books for a long time, and there’s certain things I expect from them: amazing found families, strong and fierce heroines, and a nail-bitingly good plot. So it’s no surprise that their first traditionally published book has all that, plus the sunshine/grumpy trope, a post-apocalyptic road trip, and multiple discussions of whether various characters are psycho serial killers. “You nervous?” “Fuck, no. We’re gonna do absolutely impossible, totally illegal, questionably sane science? I’m pumped.” In post-flare Atlanta, there are basically two parts to the city – those controlled by TechCorps and patrolled by the Protectorate, orRead the Post
Review: A Touch of Stone and Snow – Milla Vane
Content warnings: I was absolutely blown away by the first book in the series and its angry, hurting characters, and expected more of the same from this book. Instead, I got an achingly sweet second-chance romance with kindhearted characters surrounded by a whole lot of awfulness, and it’s certainly one of the best books I’ll read this year. It takes a talented author to take what on its surface is a content-warning-filled barbarian fantasy romance – something inherently depressive and gory – and turn it into a hopeful, uplifting story. “For that was who Lizzan was. Who she would always be.Read the Post
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