Tag: New Adult (Page 1 of 48)

BOOK REVIEW: Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love #2) by Ali Hazelwood

November 14, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love #2)
by Ali Hazelwood
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.

But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.

Review:

Problematic Summer Romance was an older brother’s best friend, age gap romance that was so much fun! And while I didn’t enjoy the first book in this series, I definitely did with this one! The way the past and the present were woven together was done beautifully! The characters were so easy to adore! Maya was fierce and sassy. And Conor was so multifaceted and effortless to love. And the destination wedding made me desperately want to travel to Italy!

“You okay?” I ask, cautious.
“Yeah.” A deep inhale. “Yeah. I just wanted to listen to you exist.”

But of course, my favorite thing about this story was the romance. The angst and tension constantly thrumming between them was addictive. And when they did cross the line time and again, it was hot! Plus that ending, awwww, I loved the happily ever after! Also, the soccer scene was probably my favorite nonromantic scene, I laughed so hard! And while I listened to the audiobook, the narrators weren’t my favorite. But I enjoyed listening to this story enough that I didn’t reach for my kindle.

“Since the first day I met you, you have been the best thing in my life. And you weren’t even in it.”

BOOK REVIEW: The Nicest Thing (Southern U O’Brien Brothers #5) by Cookie O’Gorman

November 5, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

The Nicest Thing (Southern U OBrien Brothers #5)
by Cookie O'Gorman
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Romance author seeks fake husband.

I told one lie. A lie of omission, but it may cost me my writing career—which can't happen. I need the money from book sales to save my grandma, the woman who raised me, or she'll be kicked out of senior living.

That's why I accept Finn's offer—even when I know I shouldn't.

Best friend wants to pretend.

Finn O'Brien is smart, kind, too gorgeous for his own good. He's a nice guy, a gentleman, and he's always had my back. When Finn finds out I'm in trouble, he steps in to save the day.

I've been secretly in love with my best friend for years—but he's also my roommate's little brother, four years younger than me, and so off-limits.

I won't risk losing him.

But as Finn and I attend author events, we end up sharing a bed. Will we stay just friends? Or will I finally tell Finn the truth?

He was always my endgame.

This new adult sports romance features two best friends, one marriage of convenience, fake romance, and a sexy set of brothers guaranteed to make you swoon.

Review:

The Nicest Thing was a fake marriage of convenience that was so much fun. With sports and friends to lovers mixed together, this story was beyond easy to devour. So if you’re needing a romance that is beyond adorable, with a little steam, and two characters that love the book world as much as us, then this is your book!

“Gorgeous, Curvy Romance Author Seeks Fake Husband.”

Rose wanted a husband to do book reels with, and after lying in an interview that she was married she found herself stuck. When her bestie Finn volunteered to be her fake husband, Rose seemed floored. Finn and Rose had only ever been friends, and he was four years younger. While they were both clueless that the other one wanted them, it was entertaining watching them both find their way to their happily ever after!

I wanted to be used.
By her.
In any way, every way.

Finn was a cinnamon roll who had no problem laying it all out there. He had his eyes on the prize, and knew that Rose was his forever. I loved how supportive he was of her, and that he was one of her biggest fans! But I have to say that this book shocked me. In the previous books, Rose came across as confident and I loved her older vibe. But in this story we got to see all of her insecurities and the struggles she faced within her own head. I just wanted to hug her!

Finn never seemed to notice, but pieces of him were in all my books. Some of my heroes’ best lines were things Finn had said to me.

Once they both agreed to their fake marriage, I was clapping my hands with joy! Finn charmed his way into my heart, and I loved how their moments together had so much tension. It left me begging for them to truly cross that line to more. So with only one bed, steamy moments, sleepy confessions, and slow dances, I fell in love right along with Finn and Rose!

He was good at everything. Casual touches that set my skin on fire? Check. Flirtatious glances that made me feel like the sexiest woman in the room even though I knew I wasn’t? Check. Kind words that embedded themselves deeply into my heart? Check.

Finn and Rose were so effortless to love! Their journey had me laughing but I loved how it had touching emotional moments too. When you mix that with jealousy, friendship, book club time, and more, I adored their story! And while this was the final book about the O’Brien brothers, I can’t wait for us to read Emmy and Seaver’s story down the road. I hope she makes him work for it and grovel like no other lol!!!!

“Love is worth the risk.”

BOOK REVIEWS: Kiss Now, Lie Later (Rival Love #1) & For Now, Not Forever (Rival Love #2) by C.W. Farnsworth

February 12, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

Kiss Now, Lie Later Not Forever (Rival Love #1)
by C.W. Farnsworth
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
She’s from one town…

I've heard a lot of things about Alleghany’s quarterback. Weston Cole is popular, conceited, and arrogant. Most importantly, he’s spent the past three years steadily dismantling my family’s football legacy. I should hate him. And I did. Until I ran into him freshman year and discovered he’s also complicated. Considerate. Captivating. When our paths cross again senior year, that awareness becomes more dangerous than his suggestive smirk. Hating him was easy…before I knew him.

…and he’s from the other.

No girl in Glenmont is more untouchable than Maeve Stevens. She lives across enemy lines. Her father is their head football coach. Her twin brother is their quarterback. But one conversation with Maeve makes me forget about the bitter, decades-long rivalry between our two towns. Makes me forget there’s a team of guys relying on me to lead them to another victory. A few forbidden kisses, and there’s only one thing I want to fight for. Her.

Review:

Kiss Now, Lie Later was a forbidden young adult sports romance that captured my heart. With town rivalry, friendships, first love, and fabulous angst, this book was impossible to put down. Maeve and Weston’s meet cute at the party was adorable, and I loved how they could be themselves around each other. What started off as a very slow, tentative friendship turned into something so much more.

Only one thought crosses my mind as I make the short journey through the rapidly falling drops of water.
That I hope the possibilities between Wes and me always feel this limitless.

Maeve and Weston had so many beautiful moments, and underneath it all was this fabulous tension. So with trust, practicing together, and pushing each other to be better, I fell in love right along with them. Be prepared to have your heart hurt, but the epilogue at the end jumped years into the future and I closed this book so happy!

For Now, Not Forever (Rival Love #2)
by C.W. Farnsworth
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
One boy. One girl. Two feuding towns.

LIAM

At some point, summer became my least favorite season. It begins the build toward the inevitable highs and lows of football. Losing isn’t a trait anyone looks for in a quarterback, and I never won when it mattered. Arlington University was supposed to be a fresh start. But infamy isn’t easily forgotten— especially when everyone knows my twin sister is dating my biggest rival. Constant reminders of their relationship have me just as on edge about Alleghany as I was in high school. Spending a weekend sleeping across the hall from Natalie Jacobs doesn’t help. The popular, pretty blonde didn’t just celebrate each of my defeats—she literally led the cheer against me. Just my luck the last girl who should pique my interest is also the only one who ever has.

NATALIE

Spending the summer back in Alleghany, dealing with my parents’ problems, is the last place I want to be. I jump at the chance to spend a weekend away, visiting a college friend. I’m not expecting to know anyone else visiting her cottage on the Cape, much less come face-to-face with Glenmont’s infamous former quarterback. Not-so affectionately known as Sergeant Stevens on my side of the lake, Liam is still every bit the stoic, serious rule-follower I watched bark orders on the field for four years. Sure, he’s nice to look at—especially shirtless—but that’s where any interest begins and ends. The one thing Liam and I agree on is the rivalry between our hometowns isn’t a surpassable boundary. And if we did allow ourselves to cross it, it would only be for now…not forever.

Review:

For Now, Not Forever was a new adult sports romance that was so easy to get lost in. And you definitely want to read Kiss Now, Lie Later before this one. We get introduced to Liam and Natalie, plus we get to see the couple from that book in this story too! This is my second book by C.W. Farnsworth, and I will definitely be bingeing the rest of her backlist!

Maybe there’s only so long you can be consumed by something before you risk letting it consume you.

Liam had so much resentment and bitterness eating away at his heart. For always playing second fiddle to his twin sister’s boyfriend, Weston Cole. And then there was Natalie, who seemed to be drowning at times from her home life. From an almost meet cute to the most awkward meet cute, I never knew what was going to happen next. These two people definitely kept me on my toes. With banter that had barbs, jealousy that will have you screaming and clapping, hope that shined brightly, and beautiful confessions, I devoured this story. That angst was done so well. The sexual tension had me wanting to push them together. And the happily ever after left me smiling!

“You’re perfect,” he tells me. “Fucking perfect.” He sounds annoyed about it. Angry, almost.
“I’m the furthest thing from perfect.”
“Not to me.”

BOOK REVIEWS: Beneath His Stars & In Her Space (The Stars Duet #1 & #2) by Amie Knight

January 23, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

Beneath His Stars (The Stars Duet #1)
by Amie Knight
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
I met Adam Nova under the twinkling lights of a nighttime sky.
He was hiding, but that gorgeous boy didn’t belong in the dark.
Nevertheless it was where he lived; a different world than mine.
I was Livingston Montgomery, Southern debutante.
With the world at my fingertips, I was well on my way to being another spoiled socialite.
But I didn’t want money.
I didn’t want social status.
I wanted him; tattoos, sarcastic smirk, bad boy reputation and all.
It didn’t matter that he was from the wrong side of the tracks.
It didn’t matter that my family forbade me from seeing him.
I just wanted to be Beneath His Stars.

Review:

Beneath His Stars was a young adult, star-crossed romance that so sweet. I loved watching the tentative friendship blossom between Adam and Liv. But they were from different areas of life. No one from her world would accept him, even if those in his would. So as they grow closer, under the stars, I loved how their beautiful moments together were hidden away. For just the two of them. And watching this slow burn, first love blossom was so captivating. But make sure you have the next book in the duology on hand, because that ending was brutal.

A star was realized.
A dream was born.
But even stars and dreams die.

In Her Space (The Stars Duet #2)
by Amie Knight
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
I was reunited with Livingston Montgomery in the broad sunshine of a Carolina morning, right where she belonged; in the light.
It’d been too long since I’d seen her face.
She had changed, but so had I.
I was Adam Nova, reformed bad boy. Now, successful business man.
I had it all, except for the one person I’d always wanted, and now I was back to claim her.
She was living in the shadows, just a shell of the former girl I knew.
But it didn’t matter that she tried to hide from me in the dark.
I’d follow her into the deepest depths of hell.
I just wanted to be In Her Space.

Review:

In Her Space took us ten years into the future, and the emotions within these pages was intense. This was the final book in The Stars Duet, and it definitely can’t be read as a standalone. I loved watching Adam and Liv fight for their happily ever after. They hit so many road bumps along the way. Not only because of those that surrounded them, but also by keeping stuff from one another. Adam could be his own worst enemy at times. But with heartfelt tattoos, secrets, all of the drama, and a climatic ending, this book was a lot of fun to listen too. Especially since we got a look at the happily ever after down the road that was so beautiful!

“Close your eyes, Nova,” I whispered to her.
She looked over at me and grinned. “Why?”
“Because you can’t dream with your eyes open.”

BOOK REVIEW: A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

January 1, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. And it’s been foretold that such magic will unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she has sworn to protect.

Review:

It was the wanting that made my life hard. If I could only stop wanting, perhaps I might find some happiness in what I had.

A Fate Inked in Blood was a Viking romantasy that was so effortless to love. With a forbidden relationship, a world that was so easy to get lost in, and characters that you’ll be rooting for or against, I adored this book. If you’re looking for a romantasy that has some action, twists, and a slow burn romance, definitely put this one on your tbr.

“Not all scars we earn are skin- deep, Freya Born- in- Fire.” He loosened his grip, my hand sliding through his. Though my scarred palm was numb, I swore I felt his fingers trail across it, and the sensation caused me to shiver. “There is no less honor in them.”

From the moment Bjorn showed up on the page I was a goner. I already liked Freya, she was fierce and I loved how she wouldn’t give up. Even if I did struggle when she let those who were supposed to love her, walk over her. But the connection between Bjorn and Frey was everything. There was definitely some insta-lust, but I loved how it was forced into a slow burn. Their forbidden relationship was done beautifully. And I have so many thoughts on how the story unfolded, but I think it’s best to discover it for yourself!

“It is hard to keep one’s wits when faced with a woman as beautiful as the sight of shore to a man who has been lost at sea.”

With secrets, friendship, battles, traitors, angst, and love, A Fate Inked in Blood was mesmerizing. This story kept me hooked while I alternated between listening and reading on my Kindle. I’m glad I did that because I would have pronounced so many of the names wrong lol. The only hiccup I had was towards the end of the book there was a lot of steam. Usually I want all the steam, but it felt like it kept going on when I just wanted to get back to the story. But with that ending, I’m counting down till the next book releases. We’re left struggling a little, but at the same time it’s the perfect waiting spot. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I liked him. Liked how he was both terrifyingly ruthless and heartbreakingly kind. Liked how he made me laugh and how his wit kept me on my toes. Liked the way I felt not just safe in his presence, but strong. I wanted to be close to him, and I was terrified of how my feelings might grow if I kept feeding that want.
Talk to him.