Month: August 2021

Item: The Love Hypothesis
Rating: 5
Author: Jana

Top Ten Book Boyfriends

Posted August 30, 2021 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 27 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is fictional crushes. I had eye surgery last Friday, and can’t see and am recovering so I am re-posting my book boyfriends TTT from 4 years ago! All my picks still ring true, and I’ve also got a million more I could add. Maybe I’m alone in this (I know I’m not alone in this), but I fall a little in love with some of the guys from the books I read. It’s not even hard. So here are some of my favorite book boyfriends (because I have more than 10… sorry, not sorry) that still give me the swoons 4 years later.

1. Rhysand from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

Then I would have torn apart the world to get you back.

He’s powerful, protective, handsome, loyal, sensuous, and darkly firm, yet caring. And the things he says to Feyre make me swoon every single time.

2. Thomas Cresswell from the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Sarah J. Maas

He’s so dapper and intelligent and forward thinking. And he’s so sweet and silly and loyal and has the driest humor. He’s so protective of Audrey Rose, it just makes me melt. AND READ WHAT HE SAYS:

For there are no limits to the stars, their numbers infinite. Which is precisely why I measure my love for you by the stars. An amount too boundless to count.

3. Étienne St.Clair from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Basically he’s just loving and romantic. I don’t think he’s super cute in my mind, but his personality and who he is makes him the ideal boyfriend.

4. Carswell Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

He’s snarky and egotistical, but also funny and sweet. Major crushing going on over here.

5. Malyen Oretsev (a.k.a Mal) from the Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

He was Alina’s best friend before they fell in love, and it’s so sweet to hear about their relationship. I just want a Mal for myself! And read this swoony thing he says:

“I’ve walked half the length of Ravka for you, and I’d do it again and again and again just to be with you, just to starve with you and freeze with you and hear you complain about hard cheese every day. So don’t tell me we don’t belong together.”

6. Lucien Vanserra from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

I have always loved Lucien’s friendship with Feyre. It’s so sweet. I love that he falls in love with all he can, no matter what anyone thinks. He feels very deeply. He’s very loyal to those he cares about, and he’s super snarky and witty. I love his sarcasm. Plus, he’s super handsome regardless of his scars and russet eye.

7. Cassian from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

Ok, ok… I’m trying to not make everything about the ACOTAR men, but it seems to be happening. Cassian is super powerful. He has wings, so he can fly me anywhere I want. He’s super confident and cocky, which I don’t always like, but he doesn’t go overboard with it.

8. Jaxon Tyrus Rafferty (a.k.a Rafe) from the Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson

He’s noble and wonderful!

9. W.W. Hale the Fifth from the Heist Society series by Ally Carter

The gorgeous best friend. He ad Kat have the best tension, and I love their shenanigans. He’s rich and classy, and is always looking out for Kat. His previous life goes to show how unlikely a candidate he is for Kat’s crew, but he fits in so well because you can tell how much he cares for her.

10. Sam from the Newsoul trilogy by Jodi Meadows

This guy is Mr. Perfect, in my book. Because he’s been reincarnated so many times, he’s extremely smart, talented, and mature. He’s unbelievably caring and considerate. He adores Ana and helps her figure out that she’s worth so much more than her birth mother has been telling her her whole life. And he’s musical. Like really, he is an amazing musician. He made me melt a little.

Who are your fictional crushes?

Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

Posted August 23, 2021 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 16 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! You know that feeling you get when you finish a book and then just sit and ponder how wonderful it was? Maybe you just loved the world. Maybe you loved the excitement or the love story or the way that it just sucked you in and wouldn’t let go. Maybe a book was just so, so special because you read it at exactly the right time in your life. These kinds of books were made for this week’s topic: Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time. Every single book on my list today is extremely important to me and really shaped who I am as a reader. I wish I could relive reading them for the first time and capture the same feelings I did when I read them originally!

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
This is the book that made me love reading again. I loved reading as a child, but then required reading in school made me see reading as a chore. I hated it for many, many years. I was in my first year of college when someone brought Twilight to my color theory class and analyzed the color symbolism in the cover for a class presentation. Nobody had ever heard of this book. lol. But then I heard about it again and again… and then I bought it and binged it with my mom like I’ve never done before! And a reader was re-born.

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco
I was CAPTIVATED and could not stop reading this one. The atmosphere, the writing, the characters. It was exactly what I needed at the time.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
There’s a twist that scrambled my entire brain and I loved it.

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
This book changed my life.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
This book made me fall in love with contemporary romance. Up to this point, I would never read it. Now it’s all I read!

Catherine and the Pirate by Karen Hawkins
This was my first pirate romance, and it put me on the course to read so many more of them. And it’s still my favorite, but I’m scared to read it again because what if the magic is gone!?

Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone
My FAVORITE audiobook. I loved it so much, and just grinned the entire time!

Christmas at Frozen Falls by Kiley Dunbar
The most magical Christmas novel of all time and I want to feel like I’m reading it for the first time forever.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
It’s perfect, and it was the perfect read at the perfect time for me. I devoured it and have looked for more like it ever since.

The Gem Thief by Sian Ann Bessey
It’s beautiful and fun and intriguing and everything I love in a heist-type story.

Which books do you wish you could read again for the first time?

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood | Book Review

Posted August 12, 2021 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 4 Comments

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Published by Berkley on September 14, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

So. I’m really not the best at reviewing books I absolutely loved because I don’t have many words! We all know I love fake dating romances, and I loved the idea of a STEM romance because science is cool and I really love and miss Big Bang Theory (and no, this isn’t like that per se, it’s just got super smart people spouting off science facts). Anyway, I immediately gravitated toward The Love Hypothesis because it sounded fresh and funny and unique. It was all those things and more! As always, my main points are bolded.

1. This book is so, so nerdy and I loved it. The people are a little awkward and extremely smart. There’s strong women in science, and I loved learning a little bit about the challenges women face in this field. Every chapter starts off with one of Olive’s hilarious little scientific hypotheses about love and life, each one teasing a bit about what’s coming up in that chapter. These made it very hard to stop reading because I’d get to the end of the chapter and decide to read and then BOOM. I’m intrigued again and must continue reading. Very clever. A lot of the book takes place on campus in the labs, and I thought it was such a fun setting with people working late and running experiments because science doesn’t wait for people to sleep or eat. There’s lots of science talk, there’s a science convention and people get all excited about presenting posters and attending talks and it’s all just so much fun. It reminded me a bit of Ross’s paleontology convention from Friends, just no Barbados.

2. Olive is sweet and strong. She’s smart and strong and totally dedicated to her cancer research. She’s looking for a lab that will accept her the following year so she can continue her testing with better equipment and proper funding. It matters more to her than pretty much anything. Everyone she’s ever loved has died, so she’s very reluctant to get too close to anyone except her two best friends. Relationships are scary and also a little confusing for her. It takes her a while to sort through her feelings and figure things out, and I loved watching her grow and evolve.

3. Dr. Carlsen (Adam) is a dreamboat. He’s seen as rude and lacking in compassion. He’s hard on his grad students, but it’s because he wants them to succeed. He’s super sexy and thoughtful and protective of those he cares about. He’s sarcastic, flirty, suave, and all the things I love in a hero. Olive is a little inexperienced in the love department, and there’s a scene where he puts all of his focus on taking care of her. Consent and comfort are so important to him, and the entire scene was him making sure she was ok. It just melted me, and I’ve never read another scene quite like this one.

4. The chemistry between Olive and Adam is insane. These two can throw the banter back and forth forever and get me laughing, but they can also build up a level of tension that makes you squirmy. There’s an age gap of about 8-9 years between these two, so Olive loves to make fun of him for being old. She also loves to make fun of his healthy eating habits. He likes to tease her about her love of sugar and poor taste in food. But then there’s a scene where Olive’s best friend kind of forces her to kiss Adam after he’s just pushed a car out of the road and is all sweaty, and wow. And then there’s a scene at the department picnic where Olive has no choice but to coat his muscley back in sunscreen (poor girl), and wow. Their relationship is sweet and spicy and tender, and I just love them.

5. Olive’s best friends, Anh and Malcolm, made me so happy. They are both scientists and work together, although their research is all different. Anh is the loyal best friend, who also mothers Olive and makes sure she doesn’t get skin cancer. Malcolm is Olive’s roommate, and he’s pretty much made of rainbows and sunshine. They love to discuss hot men and other fun things. I would love to be a part of this friend group. Adam’s friend, Holden, is another favorite character of mine. He gives great advice, really cares about his people, and is so happy all the time.

6. There’s some deeper issues at play that run throughout the story, including the #MeToo movement. All were treated with sensitivity and respect.

7. There’s so, so much humor! I actually laughed out loud at one point, which never happens to me. I’ve been known to smile or silently laugh, but this was an actual audible laugh that startled me.

8. The writing is also spot on, and flowed so nicely that the pages practically turned on their own.

All in all, this is a stunning debut for Ali Hazelwood. Strong women in science, a sexy doctor hero who values and supports those women, hilarious banter, strong friendships, and a very sweet love story all wrapped up into a glittery, sugary package. What’s not to love? I highly recommend The Love Hypothesis, and cannot wait to see what Ali Hazelwood does next!

Top Ten Secondary Characters Who Need Their Own Book

Posted August 9, 2021 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 11 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is on secondary or side characters who need their own books. I’ll admit, this was a struggle for me because I don’t really remember side characters (you will soon see that I’m also really bad at names)… but I did my best!

1. Khamsin’s young male assistant from The Winter King by C.L. Wilson
I cannot for the life of me remember this kid’s name, but he was so cute and so brave. I want him to grow up and get a book where he falls in love.

2. Easton’s twin sister from the Moose Springs, Alaska series by Sarah Morgenthaler
I actually think the fourth book is going to be hers… but I don’t know for sure so here we go.

3. Bailey’s younger sister, Josie, from Hotshot Doc by R.S. Grey
Josie is probably my favorite “kid” in an adult romance ever. She’s a spunky teen who deserves a cute YA romance novel.

4. Olive’s best friend, Anh, from The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
She’s hilarious, and I want her love story.

5. Jess’s best friend, Fizzy, from The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
She’s everything I love in a heroine!

6. Naomi’s mother in law, Deborah Rose, from You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
This woman. I both hate and love her, and I want her origin story.

7. Birdie’s Aunt Mona from Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
Can we please have an adult romance for her?? She is mid-thirties, an artist, lives in an old theater that she has re-purposed as an art studio, and cosplays every day. Seriously, she sews intricate costumes inspired by people in history and pop culture and has a huge collection of wigs, not to mention an entire rainbow of make-up to select from to complete her daily looks.

8. The celebrity narrator and his cute wife from Heidi’s Guide to Four-Letter Words by Tara Sivec
I want a prequel novel about how these two fell in love. They’re adorable.

9. Sylvie’s best friend, Nari, from Christmas At Frozen Falls by Kiley Dunbar
She’s a travel blogger! I want to go on some adventures with her.

10. Olive’s twin sister, Ami, from The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
We get to know her a little bit, but I want more!

So there you have it! Do you agree with any of my picks?
Which secondary characters do you love and want to read more about them?