by Kristen Bailey, Review 21 of 2024
I was so glad to see another fun holiday rom-com from Kristen Bailey after listening to Five Gold Rings last year. There’s something so charming about Bailey’s signature style and it’s perfectly suited for cozy holiday romps. The extremely questionable workplace romance aside, the banter, goofy set ups, and sweet cast of characters make this a fun seasonal read.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
by Laura J Mayo, Review 18 of 2024
This Cinderella retelling puts one Theo, one of the wicked step-sisters in the spotlight and boy is it delightful. Theo is messy and complicated in a way that fantasy romance leads rarely get to be. I listened to the audio version of this and the narration was well done. If you’re a fan of fairytale retellings, the Assistant to the Villain Series, fairy/regency romance this one will tickle you. I’ll be waiting for more in this series!
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
by Melissa Wiesner, Review 17 of 2023
The Second Chance Year is the ideal rom com for the upcoming holiday break if you’re looking for something light and heartwarming to end the year. We begin the story with Sadie, a down on her luck pastry chef, wishing to re-do her particularly terrible year on New Year’s Eve. Good news for Sadie because, unlike for the rest of us, there’s magic at play. When Sadie uses her unexpected fresh start to attempt to undo all the things she thought went wrong, it goes exactly as you, the reader may already expect.
Will there be an almost unbearable amount of baking similes? Yes. Will you want to use magic to strangle her sometimes? Also, yes. Was this adorable and cute and simple and nice for those of us coming to the end of a challenging year? Yes!
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!
Categories: Romance, Fiction, Humor, Magical Realism
Content Warning: Sexual Assault, Emotional Abuse
by Scarlett St. Clair, Review 9 of 2023
This unexpectedly spicy, little fairy tale retelling has left me with conflicted feelings. I laughed, I cringed, I blushed. It shares the problematic romantic origin of Beauty and the Beast but I loved that the female lead is definitely a force to be reckoned with. The narration was a little distracting at times because the narrators had very different accents. Overall though, I enjoyed the mystery aspect, the nods to multiple fairy tales, and the fast pace. I would recommend it to my spicy book loving friends.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!
Content warning: Sexual content, Violence, Toxic relationship