Category: Adult Fiction

How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James | Book Review

Posted July 20, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James
Series: Would-Be Wallflowers #1
Published by Avon on March 29, 2022
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Miss Cleopatra Lewis is about to be launched in society by her aristocratic grandfather. But since she has no intention of marrying, she visits a costume emporium specifically to order unflattering dresses guaranteed to put off any prospective suitors.

Powerful and charismatic Jacob Astor Addison is in London, acquiring businesses to add to his theatrical holdings in America—as well as buying an emerald for a young lady back in Boston. He's furious when a she-devil masquerading as an English lady steals Quimby's Costume Emporium from under his nose.

Jake strikes a devil's bargain, offering to design her “wallflower wardrobe” and giving Cleo the chance to design his. Cleo can't resist the fun of clothing the rough-hewn American in feathers and flowers. And somehow in the middle of their lively competition, Jake becomes her closest friend.

It isn't until Cleo becomes the toast of all society that Jake realizes she's stolen his fiercely guarded heart. But unlike the noblemen at her feet, he doesn't belong in her refined and cultured world.

Caught between the demands of honor and desire, Jake would give up everything to be with the woman he loves—if she'll have him!

Historical romance might just be my favorite genre, which is so surprising to me! I loved it as a teen, and it was actually my first adult romance genre so maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised! I’ve been discovering a lot of new-to-me authors in this genre over the last year, and this year I’m rediscovering Eloisa James. I read a fairytale retelling of hers a couple years ago and enjoyed it, but I never picked up anything else by her until I received How to Be A Wallflower for review. I was looking for more books for lovers of Lisa Kleypas and fell down a bit of a rabbit hole that led to me finding out that Eloisa and Lisa are friends, and that they love each other’s writing! That got me even more excited to jump back in to Eloisa’s titles and I’m so glad I did! Right after I finished this one I read another one of hers, and both were so much fun! I’m hopeful I’ve found another author to love! As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Right off the bat I knew I’d like Cleo. She’s a spicy spitfire, and I loved watching her put people in their place. I loved her personality. Not every lady would take pride in being the owner of a company that makes commodes (toilets), but she does! Her mother pushed the boundaries of society and lived her best life, and Cleo is following in her footsteps now. She doesn’t care that she doesn’t fit in, she just owns who she is and loves herself. She has no interest in settling down with a man and handing everything she’s worked for over to him, so she sets out to become a wallflower–someone no man would pay any attention to. She designs the most unattractive wardrobe for herself and is ready to blend in while she joins her grandfather in London. But no, she will pay for her own lodging because she’s an independent woman. She’s reluctant to start a relationship with Jake because her mom couldn’t commit to just one man and Cleo doesn’t want to hurt him. I loved this unconventional role reversal, and I just loved her!

2. Jacob Astor Addison, rugged American businessman, wants to buy a clothing shop and take it to America to change the world of theater. I loved Jake, too. He’s so burly and strong and he won a fight with a bear, for crying out loud. An actual bear in the wild. He falls very quickly, and boy does he have it bad for Cleo. Like so, so bad. He loves her so much that he’s willing to parade about London in the brightest colors and the boldest prints because she helped design his wardrobe for him. He insists on moving to her floor at the hotel she’s staying at so he can make sure she’s safe (since she lives there alone). And yes, he rents out the entire floor so it’s just the two of them. In their own suites. He befriends her grandpa. He worms his way right into her heart and patiently allows her to fall a little, back away, fall a little more, get scared, and ultimately fall head over heels, all on her own time.

3. I loved the friendship these two form on their way to love. They sit around and have stimulating conversations over meals. The banter is amazing. They are such wonderful communicators, and we know how that makes me soar. They’re both so open with their fears and emotions and wants, and they get to know one another on a very deep level. It just felt like this romance was built on a stronger foundation than many others in this genre.

4. The romance is just amazing. The pining on his part, and the trepidation on her part. The things he thinks about her and says to her face had me swooning. I loved that Jake let Cleo drive the romance at her own speed. They kissed when she wanted it. They did… *ahem* other things on her terms. He respects her feelings and her wishes, and is such a flirty cinnamon roll gentleman that he left me weak in the knees. The story is just so romantic.

5. The entire story is very sweet and low stakes, which was so refreshing. There was little to no angst, no big miscommunications or misunderstandings, no villains. Just two people working their way to each other.

6. I loved the supporting characters. All of them.

7. The humor! Perhaps parts of this story are a little outlandish and unbelievable, but I didn’t care! I loved the humor, and had so much fun reading this.

All in all, I highly recommend this book and am excited to continue with the series! I took a little detour and went to an older release, My American Duchess, because I heard it’s the love story of Jake’s best friend, Merry. I loved her so much in this book that I absolutely had to go read her story. It was amazing, and my review should be up in the next few weeks! I can’t wait to read more from Eloisa James!

You, with a View by Jessica Joyce | Book Review

Posted July 14, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 3 Comments

You, With a View by Jessica Joyce
Published by Berkley on July 11, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Two high school enemies must reunite for a road trip inspired by their grandparents’ broken engagement in this electric debut romance.

Noelle Shepherd is unemployed, living with her parents, and grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos of Gram and a smitten man, tucked alongside a love letter. She creates a TikTok to search for the mystery man, which goes viral, and she’s shocked when his grandson responds—a man who happens to be her high school nemesis, Theo Spencer.

Noelle refuses to let Theo’s annoying accomplishments in adulthood—or his sexy smirk—stand in the way of meeting his grandfather and unlocking the secrets he knew about her gram as a young woman. When she learns that their plans to elope were thwarted, Noelle decides to take the honeymoon road trip they planned but never got to carry out. There’s a catch, though: Paul, Theo’s grandfather, asks to come with her, and he insists that Theo join them.

It’ll be a miracle if they make it through the trip without Noelle throwing Theo out of the moving car—or the bed they end up sharing. As the miles tick by, the tension simmers hotter between them…until she discovers that Theo’s hiding a secret that could cause their tenuous relationship to end before it can restart.

I’ve been very excited for Jessica Joyce’s debut ever since I found her on Twitter and thought she was hilarious. Seriously, she is so much fun to follow. And I have her to thank for my love of Lisa Kleypas, as she forced me to read the Ravenels and then I binged nearly everything Lisa wrote right after. I almost didn’t even write this review because I like the author so much and would never want to hurt feelings, but I just didn’t enjoy this book. There are parts of it I loved, but I came away from it all with a general sense of not liking it. This makes me so sad. But, since I received this for review I feel I need to share my thoughts.

What I loved:
– Grandpa Paul. I love him so, so much. He completely stole my heart and I read this book for him. I miss my grandpa a lot, so I kind of adopted this one as my own. I think he is the sweetest, most adorable, most heartwarming character I’ve ever read about.
– I loved the relationship between Grandpa Paul and Theo. So, so sweet.
– I loved the story of Grandpa Paul and Kat, Noelle’s grandmother. I loved reading about their romance and the times they shared together. The memories warmed my heart. I loved the idea of incorporating their story into this book, and centering a road trip around the honeymoon Kat and Paul planned to go on together. I’m sad they never got to, and instead went their separate ways.
– I loved the idea of Noelle and Theo coming together to take Grandpa Paul on this trip and then falling in love along the way. I loved the idea of the grandkids ending up together through learning about their grandparents. What a special, magical idea!
– I loved all the photography love, and how the author was able to put into words how much an artist falls in love with their craft.
– I loved the found family aspects of this book, and the way that Grandpa Paul essentially adopted Noelle. He stayed strong for her through her mourning, even though I’m sure it hurt him to know Kat was gone, too. It made me teary to think of him embracing Noelle even though she was born because his first love married someone else. The fact that he could process all of this and come out with only smiles and love made me love him even more.

What I didn’t love:
– Ok, why is there a cell phone camera on the cover? This book is about documenting a special trip through photos and videos, and includes one professional photographer and one who hopes to become one. Why the heck is an iPhone on the cover? It should be one of the professional cameras they take on the trip!
– I didn’t like that the main trope in this is enemies to lovers. When you’re dealing with loss and grief, I don’t also want to deal with the opposition that comes with this trope. There’s a lot of bickering, which we all know gets on my nerves quickly. Friends to lovers or second chance would have been so much better. Or even just let Noelle and Theo meet up for the first time and discover that they’re connected by their grandparents. Even meeting on an online dating site would have been better than this.
– I can’t say that I really liked Noelle or Theo, both individually and together. Even though they’re nearly 30 years old, they act like teenagers with not a lot of depth to them.
– Noelle and Theo didn’t really have the deep, emotional connection that I wanted. There’s not much development of their relationship in the present day. They knew and hated each other ten years ago. Why is that enough of a foundation to build a relationship on when so much has changed since then? There was no build-up or excitement. How do we go from bickering like teenagers to falling in love? It was all physical for them. They’d rather use their stolen moments while Paul is sleeping to be physically intimate than emotionally intimate, and it didn’t work for me. This trip is emotional for Noelle. She’s going through a lot. She’s vulnerable, and I wanted them to spend more time talking than having sex. To me it felt like Noelle was more interested in feeling good in the moment than in developing real feelings for Theo, and is seemed like Theo wanted to make her feel good physically because he didn’t want to take the time to help her process her grief. I know people grieve and fall in love differently, but this isn’t romance to me. I was never swooning or swept off my feet.
– Honestly, I would have preferred to read about Paul’s story with Kat through his own storytelling and flashbacks (or just take me there in real time) than to see it as a backdrop to Noelle’s and Theo’s story. When you compare the two, his story is just so much better and feels more real to me than theirs feels.
– Maybe it’s the travel bug in me, but I wanted more road trip details. I wanted more location descriptions, more info on the things they saw and did, etc. I wanted to be immersed in the settings.
– There actually isn’t much of a plot. We’ve got letters between Paul and Kathleen and we’ve got sex scenes. There’s nothing to really hold on to when the book is over.

So there you have it. I loved the idea of this story, but the execution just didn’t work for me in the end. Grandpa Paul saved everything and kept me reading because his character was a balm for my heart that I didn’t know I needed. I’ll probably always remember him. The rest of this book, not so much.

Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley | Book Review

Posted June 8, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

Ciao for Now by Kate Bromley
Published by Graydon House on June 6, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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When an American interning at a fashion house in Rome butts heads with her professor's surly son, sparks fly!

With her thirties rapidly approaching and a mountain of student debt looming over her, Violet Luciano’s dream of finishing design school and working in fashion has cost her everything. So when she lands an internship at an up-and-coming fashion brand in Rome, she brings her A game to Italy. With nothing left to lose, Violet plans to win the competition among the interns for the ultimate prize—a job at a New York label.

But when a coffee run goes wrong and Violet accidentally destroys a stranger’s laptop, all of the apology Americanos in the world won’t help her. Because it turns out that the man from the café is Matteo, her professor’s eternally grumpy son, who thinks she’s a clumsy American…and maybe a stalker. Their animosity (and undeniable chemistry) grows as together they’re forced to face a summer of chic parties, adventures through Rome and sharing a home…with the person they can’t stand the most.

The more time she spends with him, the more distracted she finds herself. With her chance to win the competition slipping out of her grasp, Violet has to decide whether to say ciao to Matteo—or ciao to her dreams.

I loooooove books set in Italy, so when I saw the title of Ciao for Now my eyebrows immediately shot up and I was interested. I loved the idea of a fashion intern falling for her boss’s grumpy son, and I also really liked the idea of an almost-30-year-old college student. Most college romances involve characters in their early twenties (or maybe 18/19), so I was excited to meet Violet. Ciao for Now also has multiple tropes that I love: grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and a mild enemies to lovers (just how I like it). While there were a few things that prevented this book from being a brand new favorite of mine, I did enjoy many parts of it and ultimately enjoyed my reading experience. I had so much fun walking the streets of Rome and riding the waves in Capri.

1. Right off the bat, I knew I was going to simply adore Violet’s best friend, Marco. He is a shining, shimmering sunbeam and I could not get enough of him. He’s one of the three interns in this design competition, and I would have been happy if there was no romance at all and the story just focused on him and his friendship with Violet. His snark and humor and personality shot off the page and into my heart, and he was definitely the most dynamic and interesting person in this book. I need a best friend named Marco.

2. Marco and Violet arrive in Rome together and almost immediately Matt enters the scene with one of the cutest and most embarrassing meet-cutes I’ve read. I seriously had so much second-hand embarrassment for Violet, who stumbles and ultimately destroys Matt’s laptop in a cafe. They sit and chat for a while, and the banter was off the charts. My grin was as huge as Marco’s as I read the interactions between Violet and Matt. It was so electric and exciting. Shortly after this unfortunate (yet delightful) encounter, we discover that Matt is the son of Violet’s boss and they will be living in the same house for the entirety of Violet’s one-month stay in Italy. Neither one of them is very happy about it.

3. After the initial meet-cute, though, Violet’s and Matt’s chemistry fizzled and I never got fully back on board with the two of them. What started out as exciting and sexy kind of spiraled down into… well, not much of anything. They really just don’t like each other and I never understood why. Did they not like each other just so the book could be marketed as the ever popular enemies-to-lovers trope? I mean yes, Violet accidentally destroyed his laptop and he lost a lot of his work (he’s a writer for a popular sexy space TV show) but he never gets mad at her for it. He’s actually way nicer than anyone would expect. Because he was so nice, Violet has no reason to hate him. She caused all the problems and he was nice about it. lol. I actually had no idea this was supposed to be enemies-to-lovers. I thought they left the cafe happy to have met, and I assumed they would be happy to run into each other again. This mutual hatred came out of nowhere for me.

4. While Violet and Matt do have some great moments together and some really fun banter, I didn’t feel like the romance was strong enough. These two also seem much younger than the 29 (Violet) and 32 (Matt), neither one of them acted mature enough to convince me they were the ages they were supposed to be. Violet in particular grated on my nerves. Yes, she’s going through a growing phase in her life but she just came off as selfish and immature. We learn about Matt’s past, which I think was supposed to add depth to his character and explain why he’s so surly, but I didn’t buy it. I think their lack of maturity made the inevitable third-act break-up much more dramatic than it needed to be.

5. BUT. I loved the friendships in this book, and that’s what propelled my reading forward. I’ve already mentioned Marco, but there’s also Holly, the third intern. I really liked her, and she gets a cute little side romance that I found myself wishing was the main romance because she is so likeable and the guy is pretty swoony. Violet also becomes close friends with Mina, an employee at the design firm. Mina introduces her to a group of other women who work in fashion, and they have the coolest support system and friendship. Then there’s the woman who own the fabric shop down the street, who has so much wisdom and gives great advice. And Violet’s boss was amazing! She’s like the opposite of Miranda Priestly, with her brightly colored flowing dresses, her bubbly enthusiasm, and her propensity to rain showers of compliments and affection down on everyone around her. Ciao for Now has the strongest cast of secondary characters ever–possibly the strongest cast I’ve ever read about.

6. Italy delivered for me. I loved when the characters were sightseeing, and found it to be so much more entertaining than all the fashion talk. Violet, Marco, and Holly take the city by storm for an assignment and visit so many touristy spots in Rome that I’ve been to, so I could picture everything in my mind so perfectly. Violet and Matt go on a weekend trip to Capri and stay in what sounds like the most magical oceanfront hotel in existence. I loved the descriptions of all the scenery and the things they did. The characters spend time walking the streets and sitting on the balcony working in the evenings. I loved these parts of the story the most.

So all in all, I enjoyed Ciao for Now! I really think my only problem with it was that I didn’t like the two main characters, so the romance didn’t work for me. Sometimes I skimmed their long discussions because I didn’t care about them. But I loved the secondary characters so much that I felt so many happy feelings while reading. Kate Bromley did such a great job with the cast of characters and their friendships and banter and love for one another, and she did such an amazing job writing about Italy that I didn’t even care that the main characters and their journey to find love didn’t work for me. And honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to say that before. So I’m surprised and happy to say I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a kind of Devil Wears Prada-esque fashion story set in Italy, with a slew of characters to fall in love with.

Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson | Book Review

Posted May 18, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 3 Comments

Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson
Published by Thomas Nelson on May 16, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Mail)
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From Park Avenue to the Parks Department—the world’s most beloved social media star is about to get a rude awakening.

With her millions of followers, Cat Cranwell is adored around the world. But when an app partnership goes very, very wrong, Cat suddenly finds herself shunned from the community that not only fed her soul all these years but paid her bills. When Cat’s closest living relative, Uncle Terry, offers her a position on his staff at a small national park in Montana to get away from the city, Cat hesitantly accepts the opportunity.

What she doesn’t realize is that as the new social media strategist her goal is to save Kannery National Park from being absorbed into Glacier National Park by boosting the number of visitors. And at least one of her new colleagues—namely, handsome and rugged ranger Zaiah Hudson—thinks social media is the root of everything that’s wrong with the world. Written with bestselling author Melissa Ferguson’s signature wit and charm, this romantic comedy of opposites attract is full of hilarious romp and a romance that will melt readers’ hearts.

As soon as I read the back cover synopsis for Famous for a Living, I knew it had the potential to be a book I would love. I loved the idea of a heroine who runs away to a small national park and finds love along the way. Outdoorsy settings are some of my favorites, and I was eager to jump in. While I enjoyed parts, Famous for a Living fell short for me and my overall feelings upon finishing were of disappointment.

This is a not the national park rom-com I was looking for. There’s a little wit and a little romance, but I think it would better serve the author and the book itself if Famous for a Living were marketed as women’s fiction. People looking for a romance will be disappointed. There’s inklings of a romance and some small flirtations here and there, but the romance doesn’t have much of a focus until the last 20ish% of the book. Because of this, I didn’t feel any chemistry with the main couple once they did finally decide to pursue a relationship. There was no time spent developing the romantic aspects of the story or even really allowing the characters time to get to know one another. More focus is placed on Cat’s journey of discovering that there’s more to life than social media, setting your phone aside, and living life in the moment. This is a great lesson to learn, but it’s one I didn’t personally need. I’m not on social media much and have never bought into the idea of influencers, social media celebrities, viral videos, sponsored posts, etc. I just follow my friends. I’ve never felt a person’s follower count determines how important their views and opinions are, and I’m not more likely to believe in something or buy something because a stranger on the Internet told me to. When I was first pitched Famous for a Living, I didn’t realize how much of an emphasis would be placed on social media so that was disappointing. It felt ranty and preachy at times.

I loved the idea of the setting, but I wanted so much more from it. I wanted more descriptions and for the place to feel special. I really liked Mina (Cat’s roommate), but I think she’s the only character I cared about. I appreciated Cat’s willingness to try and find balance in her life, but I didn’t like her from the moment I met her. She is devoted to social media, something that I cannot understand, is completely out of touch with reality, and I feel like she only learned something because she was put in the most ideal situation to do so. She went from being a famous social media influencer to… still being on social media. She’s super insecure and I just never connected with or felt bad for her. Her development throughout the book was weak as well. Zaiah never felt like a main character to me, and his backstory was meh. He’s pretty bland and boring, and faded into the background of the rest of the characters for me. I also didn’t love the writing style. There’s lots of short, choppy sentences and nothing was written in a way that grabbed me and made me want to continue flowing through the pages. Reading this was a chore.

All in all, this was a miss for me. I enjoyed Mina’s character, but other than that I didn’t enjoy Famous for a Living and will not be recommending it as a romance. If you’re looking for a women’s fiction title about an influencer on a journey of self-discovery you might like this, but be prepared to be inundated with a lot talk of social media.

The Portrait by Emilia Kelly | Book Review

Posted March 16, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 4 Comments

The Portrait by Emilia Kelly
Published by Self on September 13, 2022
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 305
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
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For fans of Kate Morton and Daphne Du Maurier comes the tale of a woman enchanted by the past until it threatens her future. The Portrait is a captivating debut filled with new love, old secrets, and a mysterious missing woman, all set against the vibrancy of 19th-century London and the construction of the Crystal Palace.

"Atmospheric and gripping, The Portrait deftly weaves Victorian details, Brontë-esque romance, and riveting suspense." -Emily Inouye Huey, author of Beneath the Wide Silk Sky

Every work of art tells a story. And every story has its secrets.

London, 1850. Iris Sheffield has plenty of people to worry about in her life: Hope, the ailing younger sister for whom Iris feels responsible. Winston, Iris's fiancé, who is consumed with his work. And James, the handsome but arrogant artist painting Iris’s portrait, with whom she is forced to spend countless, awkward hours.

But when Iris finds the diary and photograph of a mysterious young woman, she can’t stop wondering who the woman is and what has become of her. The more questions Iris asks, the more she suspects someone does not want her to discover the answers.

Exploring themes of sisterly bonds, familial obligations, and the lengths we go to for those we love, The Portrait illustrates the surprising and frightening ways a work of art can tell a story.

The Portrait was a surprise for me! I was immediately drawn to the beautiful book cover, and then the synopsis grabbed me and I had to dive in right then. I love Gothic stories, told in the style of Daphne Du Maurier, but I will admit to being concerned that her name was mentioned in this synopsis just because those are big shoes to fill! But I really loved this, and can see readers of her work enjoying The Portrait as well.

It’s been a week or so since I finished The Portrait, and I keep thinking about it. The atmosphere was slightly ominous and mysterious without keeping me up at night with the lights on, but just enough that I craved getting back to it when I wasn’t reading. I minored in art history in undergrad, so I loved all the discussions surrounding art and portraiture. I loved brooding James, and the quiet attraction he feels for Iris. The stolen glances and the unspoken thoughts felt dangerous and utterly romantic, in a very subtle way. There’s a mystery that gripped me and held on until the exciting climax at the end. The writing is beautiful and enchanting. I found myself getting lost in the words as they floated around, enveloping me in a cozy blanket to protect me from the chill of the story. Honestly, I was intoxicatingly captivated and remember that feeling I had while reading more than the elements of the story itself. It felt like a dream, and it’s hard to really describe my thoughts because of it.

I highly recommend this to those who are looking for an atmospheric mystery with a subtle hint of romance, steeped in art and secrets. It’s for those who want to feel a little unsettled, but not scared. Emilia Kelly is an author to watch, for sure!