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Another sweet, light-angst romance from Aurora Rey. For sure one of my go-to romance authors. Mira and Dylan were such a sweet pairing and it was SO NICE to have a Black woman as a main character!

Hard Pressed really does have it all, as far as I'm concerned. A lovely not-quite-enemies to lovers story with protagonists that have great chemistry, realistic expectations, and practice adult communication (mostly) skills. And I liked the way the book ended. After chatting with some other folks about epilogue fails, it was a nice bonus to have an ending I felt fine with.

I haven't read the book that features Rowan and Audrey but, even though they were present throughout Hard Pressed, I didn't feel like I was missing anything or hit with loads of backstory that wasn't crucial to this book.

I feel good recommending Hard Pressed to all the wlw romance readers out there.

Thanks to BSB and NetGalley for helping to feed my Aurora Rey addiction.

The newest Jae book was a huge hit for me. A nice, long character-driven enemies to lovers story. I love Jae's slow-burn books so much. There were some very interesting aspects of this one that I enjoyed learning about. One thing about Jae's books is that I always learn something.

Honestly, it wasn't a perfect read for me because of some of the same things that have stood out in other Jae books but Winter and Hannah made me fall in love with them and everything else faded away. The stuff that stood out and pulled me a little bit out of the story were repeated phrases that didn't feel natural (like repeated use of "professional cuddler" or eye color, stuff like that.)

All that being said, Just a Touch Away has a spot on my re-read list, for sure. And don't forget the free short bonus scene, The Welcome Party. It's adorable.

I love Karis Walsh books. She's probably my number one go-to author now because I know I'm going to enjoy getting to know the characters, diving into the story, and have a great time with the humor.

I finished With a Minor in Murder a few days ago but got sick and couldn't get to the reviewing part of the ARC deal until today. But I STILL miss Clare and Libby. I loved getting to know them both separately and as a couple. And Cappy! I came to adore her, too.

With a Minor in Murder is a sweet romance mixed with some gruesome murders and a nice little mystery. I'm going to keep this review short because I'm still not feeling 100% but suffice it to say that I will read this one again - even though I know who the killer is. Also the mystery was nicely done, too. I was caught off guard by the reveal and totally suspected someone else. I love when that happens.

So a huge thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for hooking me up but an even bigger thanks to Karis Walsh for creating such lovely worlds for me to escape to. Very much looking forward to the next one.

After such a good experience with [b:Serendipity|61439347|Serendipity|Kris Bryant|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657789771l/61439347.SY75.jpg|96972009], I decided to find another Bryant book to read. And then I remembered that I had Forever in my TBR from NetGalley. I'm a mood reader so sometimes it takes me a long time to be in the right mental space to read certain books. I stop and start books a lot...

Full disclosure: I've never watched any of the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows because I don't care for the idea of a bunch of people vying for the attention/affection of a single person in such a way. It makes me feel bad for the group of folks who are competing for that one person. And all of my bad feelings about those shows came out while reading Forever. But the relationship between Lauren and Savannah was a nice journey and made all the other stuff worth it. They had good chemistry and their interactions felt genuine and drew me in.

I almost forgot to mention that I nearly quit reading the book immediately because it's done in first person POV and I wasn't really feeling it. (mood reader, remember? Anything could set me off...) and while I do wish I had gotten more of Lauren's side of things, Savannah did a fine job. I'm glad I took a breath and kept on going.

I'm discovering with each of Bryant's books that she has a knack for capturing the essence of her characters. They feel real, the interact in realistic ways, and they make me want to get to know them and cheer for them. And miss them when I'm done with the story.

I'd go 3.5 if Goodreads allowed it but rounding up because I enjoyed Lauren and Savannah so much.

Big thanks to BSB and NetGalley for helping to feed my addiction.

Once I saw this was a mystery, I hesitated a bit before requesting it from NetGalley. I've read the first three books in the Hunter series and barely made it through [b:Angel Fire|22245090|Angel Fire (Hunter, #4)|Gerri Hill|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1434526311l/22245090.SY75.jpg|41619823] so I normally avoid anything other than Hill's stand-alone romances. I'm not sure what pushed me over the edge to click that "request" button, but I'm glad I did.

I love some broken characters (which says a lot about my early dating choices) and fell in love with both Haley and Carter. The mystery was pretty good, too. I feel like the romance was well balanced with the murdery goodness so I got enough of both to make me a satisfied reader.

I feel confident in recommending this one to all those Gerri Hill fans out there who enjoy either her mysteries or the romances.

Thanks to Bella and NetGalley - I appreciate the chance to read Timber Falls!

Oh how I loved this book. So much.

I was hopping from one romance to another trying to find something to grab my attention. I had just DNF'd two books - one at 35% - and was starting to get frustrated. Then I saw Beyond the Blue and remembered that it's an ARC that I'm clearly overdue for reviewing. So I tapped the cover and got into it. And didn't want to put it down.

Morgan and Mei are beautifully flawed characters who fit with each other and made me fall in love with them. There was just enough angst to keep the edge there for me and so much love that I found myself smiling regularly. I loved them together.

This was my first exposure to TJ O'Shea but I totally dug her writing style and voice. Really, really. I tend to keep my expectations pretty low when reading a new author (whether a debut book or just a new to me author) but there's no need for that with Ms. O'Shea. As soon as her next book comes out, I'm there for it.

Thanks go out to Bella Books and NetGalley for this great romance and for introducing me to a talented author!

I wanted to love this book so much. I mean, THREE DOGS?! And three RESCUE dogs?! I have two rescue dogs and a rescue cat - how could I not fall in love with this? The chemistry between Perry and Ming was pretty good, and there could have been lots of great interactions dealing with their differing views on dealing with the challenges of life, but that's not what happened.

One of my biggest pet peeves in wlw books - or any book, really - is angst or drama completely based on non-communication. And the way it was handled in this book was just too much for me to get over. It became unbelievable to me that the big secret had never been discussed and that ruined it for me. There were other aspects that bugged me but the not talking to each other was the biggest thing.

I've enjoyed other offerings from D. Jackson Leigh and I'll absolutely dive into the next book she writes but this one wasn't my cup of tea. I bounced back and forth between 2 and 3 stars but settled on 2 due to the level of frustration I felt while reading.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

So happy I took a chance on this new Vali book. I really did love it. I would give it 4.5 if I could but rounded up.

My joy with Ali Vali books over the years has been hit and miss so, while I usually grab galleys of her books when I see them, I always go into them with, well, not the highest expectations. Writer's Block was a definite hit. And it'll for sure go on my re-read pile and likely my funk reading list.

What I loved: the humor, the chemistry, the peripheral characters, and the journals. What I didn't love: the way the conflict between the protagonists was handled. I can't really say more without giving spoilers but I'm not a fan of lack of communication as conflict. But I loved everything else enough to just go with the flow.

Wyatt and Hayley were great together and I actually was a little sad when I finished the book because I had a fun time hanging out with everyone. I forgot to mention that this book is smoking hot with the sex scenes. this is one of those that you probably don't want to read in public. Lordy.

Big thanks to Bold Strokes and NetGalley for the ARC!