Category: Book Review

Off the Map by Trish Doller | Book Review

Posted May 29, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

Off the Map by Trish Doller
Series: Beck Sisters #3
Narrator: Sarah Naughton
Published by Macmillan Audio, St Martin's Griffin on March 7, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 272
Format: Audiobook ARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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On the road to love, you don't need a GPS...

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love - if only they choose it.

I will spit it out right now: I did not like this book at all. Maybe it’s because I haven’t read the first two books in the series, but I don’t think that’s it. I don’t think that seeing these characters as secondary characters in someone else’s love story would make me like them more. They both are just sucky people, and since I’m a character driven reader I knew this would most likely go downhill really fast. I listened to this book, though, and I always end up hanging in there longer than I otherwise would have if I’d been reading the book on my own. Sarah Naughton did a very good job reading this book, and the Irish accents were perfect. I loved listening to her. And that, my friend, is why I finished this book at all.

I love road trip books, and two people trekking through Ireland gave me Leap Year vibes. You know, the movie with Amy Adams? One of my top favorite movies ever. And that’s why I jumped into this series with the final book. I needed a Leap Year feeling! It was my mistake for elevating my hopes way too high but, even so, Carla and Eamon suck. They are so irresponsible and see no problem with dragging their feet to their friends’ wedding so they can go on adventures and sleep together a lot. Like. Come on and put your pants on, you idiots, the wedding is waiting for you!! Carla’s personality was also pretty crummy. She has absolutely no tact, and I didn’t find it to be funny or endearing. She’s just rude. Eamon was a jerk. And the fact that their “relationship” just screamed of a string of one-night stands gave me no depth or development. They start getting it on within the first few pages of the book, and I didn’t get it. There’s no romance there, and the spicy scenes were prominent. The story was all over the place for me.

I’ve read multiple reviews saying that the first two books in this series are totally different from this one, and that some people had whiplash from the spice level and lack of emotional depth that they had assumed they’d get again going into this final book. That gives me hope that I might like those, so I will give them a try because I usually like Trish Doller’s writing. Luckily this is not my first book of hers, and luckily I have reviewer friends I trust, or I might have decided to not give her another chance. That cover sure is cute, though, and I did like the scene from the book that’s been illustrated for us. It actually might have been the only scene I liked? lol. Oops.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross | Book Review

Posted May 22, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Series: Letters of Enchantment #1
Also in this series: Ruthless Vows
Published by Wednesday Books on April 4, 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Historical Fiction
Pages: 357
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
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After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again…

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands – that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper – an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

Finalllllllyyyyyy I am out of my book slump! I’ve seen this cover around and seen the glowing reviews, but it’s classified as YA which tends to not draw me in anymore so I’d held off on giving it too much attention. But then one day, in the middle of a months-long book slump, I wanted something so uniquely different from anything I’ve ever read. And Divine Rivals fit the bill! First off, it doesn’t feel YA at all. There’s this sweeping romance that feels very mature and like it can stand the test of time. It definitely gives the historical fiction vibes I love so much, with the way the characters dress, the cars, the old money, etc. but it’s set in a completely different world from ours and there’s a hint of magic and a system of Gods and Goddesses that throws it into the historical fantasy genre. I took a little while to get my bearings and really feel invested, but then I quickly became obsessed and binged both books back to back.

I don’t want to spoil anything about what initially connects our two main characters, but it’s unique and magical and I loved these two together. I loved watching them navigate the twists and turns of their relationship, revelations popping up all the time. Roman is such a sweetheart, and I love how deeply he felt. I loved Iris’s bravery and tenacity. Both are very talented writers, and a large chunk of this novel is pieces they’ve each written. I’ve never read a book like this, and I thought it was so interesting. I really enjoyed the ins and outs of the mystical war between a God and a Goddess, and the people who worshipped them by choosing a side to fight for. And yes, I mean literally fight. There is war in this book that mirrors WW2. There’s soldiers and trenches and bombs, grenades, some magical weapons, death, lost and missing family/friends, and imprisonment. Magic adds layers of complexity to it. I loved the supporting characters and the found family aspects. Iris makes two great friends, Attie and Marisol, and I loved their relationships with each other. There’s a sweet little cat who makes her way safely and happily out of book 2, so fear not for her as you read!

All in all, Divine Rivals is unique and exciting. It’s magical, heartwarming, heartbreaking, swoony, and it kept me biting my nails and on the edge of my seat into the wee hours of multiple mornings. The writing is absolutely beautiful. I love how Rebecca Ross crafted this story, and the words she chose. There are some powerful messages of hope, love, resiliency, and never giving up. Fair warning, this book ends on a major cliffhanger and you will absolutely want to dive right into Ruthless Vows as soon as you finish. I’m so glad I had access to it right away, as I was not expecting this and ended up throwing my reading schedule out the window to read it next! You’ll find my 5-star review of that book in the coming weeks. I highly recommend both books!

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren | Book Review

Posted May 15, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
on May 14, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Edelweiss)
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Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents — his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.

I was so, so excited for this book. If you know me, you know that The Unhoneymooners is one of my favorite books ever and I was so excited for another fake dating CLo book set in a tropical location. The Paradise Problem seriously had all the makings of a favorite book for me, but I ended up being so disappointed in it. Here are a few of my very unorganized thoughts on this book so I can move on and away from this.

I hated how Anna was portrayed (like is she really this dumb and hopeless?). I am so tired of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and that’s what the authors tried so hard to have her be. The romance felt too rooted in lust, and this has way more steam in it than I’m used to in Christina Lauren’s more recent releases. There’s also way more language than I’m used to from them. I hated the main dude’s entire family. The family drama was seriously so over-the-top. What poor little rich people. I loved the setting. This could have been so good, but they took everything I loved from The Unhoneymooners and did a complete 180. Oh, and it is so jam packed with modern pop culture references that will not age well at all. This ended up being my biggest bookish disappointment of 2024.

Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison | Book Review

Posted May 8, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison
Series: Lovelight #3
Also in this series: In the Weeds, Business Casual
Published by Berkley on August 30, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 335
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Layla Dupree has given up on love.

She’s waded through all of the fish in the sea, each one more disappointing than the last. Apparently owning the bakery at Inglewild’s most romantic destination does not help one’s love life—despite her best efforts. All she wants is a partner who gives her butterflies, not someone who ghosts her at dinner and leaves her with the check.

Good thing Caleb Alvarez has the perfect solution.

After saving Layla from another date gone bad, he has a simple proposition: One month of no-strings dating. He’ll do his best to renew her faith in men while she rates his dating game. It’s a win-win situation. All the benefits of dating, without the added pressure of feelings and unmet expectations.

But there’s one ingredient they haven’t considered. The chemistry between them is red hot and the urge to take things to the next level is more tempting than Layla’s double fudge mocha brownies.

Will the heat between them boil over? Or will it be another case of mixed signals?

Mixed Signals is a sweet and steamy small-town romance. Our story features a bashful man who can rock a Hawaiian shirt, a hopeful and dreamy bakery owner, enough sweets to give you a cavity, and your favorite Inglewild residents. Mixed Signals is a standalone romance and the third book in the Lovelight series, a collection of interconnected novels.

I know I’ve sung Lovelight’s praises for years now, and this book will be no different. I love this small town and all the people who live in it. I love B.K. Borison’s writing. I love the romances she gives us, the special moments, the swoons. She’s an auto-buy author for me for sure. In this book we have Layla the baker and Caleb, the guy who no substitute teaches because he was fired by the police department for being too sweet. lol. So you’ve got pastries as a love language and a golden retriever who will capture the moon for his beloved. What more could anyone want?

Ok, so we’ve got Layla. She’s been very unlucky in her dating life, which I can absolutely relate to. I can confidently say that there are not many people out there who have dated as many frogs as I have. Anyway, I felt for Layla. She’s so sweet and she deserves someone who will treat her right and love her with his entire soul. And that’s Caleb! He’s been in love with her forever, and he shows her by going to her bakery every morning to order a croissant just so he has the opportunity to talk to her. Are you melting yet? Of course, she has no clue because she’s been burned so many times that he heart is guarded behind a very thick wall. He runs into her one day after her most recent horrible date, and they commiserate about their awful dating lives. Caleb comes up with an idea to date each other for one month as a mutually beneficial, no-strings-attached partnership of sorts. He will show her how she deserves to be treated, and she will critique his dating abilities and offer suggestions for improvements (if she has any–and how could she??).

Caleb’s and Layla’s chemistry is off the charts. Maybe it’s easier to date someone when you’re not supposed to be emotionally invested in them, but they sink into this very sweet friendship very quickly. I loved their dates and their conversations. I loved watching Caleb fall more and more for Layla, and I loved watching Layla slowly let him start tearing down her walls. They are the sweetest couple, and they both value what they have because it’s something they’ve wanted for so long. I swooned and smiled and my eyes turned into hearts for them.

AHHHH this series. I will never not tell someone to read it. I am annoying about it. I am clearly crummy at book recommendations because I’ll tell you to read these no matter what you preferred genre is. Oh, you like sci-fi? Read the Lovelight books. You’re a mystery fan? Read the Lovelight books. You don’t like romance? Wellllllllllll you’ll love the Lovelight books. I know this is book #3, but I accidentally reviewed these out of order so I am still mourning the fact that the series is over. I read these in order and I recommend that you do, too. I always love catching up with previous couples and B.K.’s writing just gets better and better!

The Gilded Heiress by Joanna Shupe | Book Review

Posted May 1, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 3 Comments

The Gilded Heiress by Joanna Shupe
Published by Avon on August 26, 2025
Genres: Historical Romance, Retelling, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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From USA Today bestselling author Joanna Shupe comes a spicy Anastasia story full of secrets and betrayal, set among the glittering streets of New York City's Gilded Age.

In 1880 a baby was stolen from the wealthiest family in America. Though no ransom was ever demanded, the Pendelton family never gave up hope . . . and their reward became the stuff of legend.

After being raised in a children’s asylum, Josie Smith ends up on the streets and quickly learns how to take care of herself. Her singing voice draws crowds on every corner, and she’ll stop at nothing to become famous and travel the world, loved and adored by all. Maybe then she won’t think about the family who gave her away as an infant.

Leo Hardy isn’t afraid to use his charm and wits to make a fast buck, especially with a mother and five siblings to support. When he stumbles upon a beautiful young woman singing on the street, Leo notices her striking resemblance to the infamous missing baby’s mother, Mrs. Thomas Pendelton. The Hardys lost everything thanks to the Pendeltons, and once Leo sees Josie, he seizes the opportunity to settle the score. All he needs to do is pull off the biggest swindle of his career.

As the two are catapulted into Knickerbocker High Society, they grow closer to their goal, as well as to each other. But secrets can only stay hidden for so long. Soon the truth unfolds, and both Josie and Leo must separate what’s real from what’s just gilding.

Long story short, The Gilded Heiress was not for me. I was very excited about an Anastasia retelling in New York, but the magic this could have been was lost to a very creepy male protagonist. And I mean very creepy. A conman finds an 18-year-old girl, 10 years his junior (ew), who he thinks he can pass off as the missing daughter of a family he dreams of getting his revenge against. He exploits her love of singing and promises to make her dreams come true before lying and scheming his way into her heart… and her bed. He says it’s love, but I never believed him. He holds her future in his hands, thereby essentially making her do whatever he wants. She set ground rules and boundaries before they entered into their partnership, and he began disregarding them almost immediately. He took her away from her home to New York where she became 100% dependent on him and he relished that fact. He locked her in the house they were staying at so he could go off galavanting all night and then got mad at her that she snuck out. The way he spoke to her was manipulative and predatory. His unfiltered inner thoughts were even more repulsive. Nobody needs to be in this guy’s head. When the romance started to gain momentum, I wanted to run in and rescue her. There was nothing sexy or swoony about any of this for me. All I saw was a 28-year-old man taking advantage of an 18-year-old girl by dangling her dream in front of her nose like a carrot.

I should have just DNFed when I got to the very detailed (and honestly uncomfortably written for my taste) threesome in chapter 2 that I’ve been trying to scrub out of my brain since I finished the book weeks ago. Our hero made law enforcement mad, so he ran to his friend’s brothel and OF COURSE the only way she could hide him was to throw him into bed with two women who could take turns sitting on his face so the police officer wouldn’t recognize him when he barged into the room. I didn’t sign up for this! I continued because I love the movie Anastasia. I know that this storyline sounds very similar to the movie, but the big uncomfortable difference here is the age gap (in the movie they’re only a couple years apart) and the fact that this guy seems predatory. That’s not how the movie is. I continued because I wanted to see how things ended, but if anything this book has just ruined the movie for me because now I’ll be thinking about it the next time I watch it. I know people love Joanna Shupe, which is why I own 6 of her other books. This was my first full-length novel of hers (I read and loved a Christmas novella of hers, Miracle on Ladies’ Mile, last year) and I truly, truly hope her other books are not like this one.