Business Casual by B.K. Borison | Book Review

Posted March 6, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

Business Casual by B.K. Borison
Series: Lovelight #4
Also in this series: In the Weeds, Mixed Signals
Published by Berkley on July 16, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
Add to Goodreads

Two opposites will find out if one night together is enough to get each other out of their systems in the final book in the beloved Lovelight series.

Nova Porter isn’t looking for love, and she certainly has no explanation for her attraction to buttoned-up, three-piece-suit-wearing investment banker Charlie Milford. Maybe it’s his charm? Or maybe it’s his determination to help her fledgling business however he can. Either way, she’s distracted every time he’s around. With her new tattoo studio set to open in her hometown of Inglewild, she doesn’t have time for frivolous flirtations.

In an effort to get Charlie out of her system once and for all, Nova offers a proposition. One night. No strings. They’ll kick their uncomfortable attraction to the curb and return to their respective responsibilities. But their explosive night together scatters their expectations like fallen leaves. And with Charlie in town as the temporary head of Lovelight Farms, Nova can’t quite avoid him.

And Charlie? Well, Charlie knows a good investment when he sees one. He’s hoping he can convince Nova he’s worth some of her time.

The Lovelight series captured my heart with the first book, Lovelight Farms, and has held on through the rest of the books. I love Inglewild and these characters so much, and it was so hard to crack this final book open because I was not (and never will be) ready to say goodbye. This friend group is the stuff of dreams. I love all of them, and I have loved reading their stories. Business Casual is all about Charlie and Nova, and I adored them! Charlie in particular has been a character I’ve enjoyed throughout the series, and I loved getting to know him better. I have trouble with no-strings-attached hook-ups, so I was a bit worried about this love story. But it was so good. I loved how Nova and Charlie worked together to figure out what they each wanted in life, both individually and together. I loved reading about how they worked through their stuff and tackled hard things together. There were some deeper, heavier issues sprinkled throughout the book that were well done and made the final reward that much sweeter. Their banter was on point, and their love gave me all the feelings I want from a romance novel. The vulnerability they both show warmed my heart and made me ache for them. These two will grow old and grey together, I just know it.

The thing I love so much about this series is how cozy and heartwarming it is. These books are like a cozy blanket and a cold day or a cuddle with the softest kitten. They just make me smile, and I love how interconnected the stories are. You can read them all as a standalone, but you’re not going to want to do that. You’re going to want to read them in order and fall in love as they do. I loved checking in with everyone from the previous books, and the author did the most amazing job wrapping up everything for everyone. I’m sad to say goodbye to these characters and this cute little town, but I know I will be back for a visit soon. This is a highly re-readable series! If you’re looking for a comfy, cozy small town romance series with the best cast of characters ever, it’s right here!

Top Ten Funny Things Book Characters Have Said

Posted March 3, 2025 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 10 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is about things that book characters have said. Maybe a character said something really profound or romantic or hilarious or heartbreaking. You could share witty one-liners, mic-drop moments, snippets of funny dialogue between multiple characters, catchphrases, quotes that have become a part of pop culture–like “May the odds be ever in your favor.”, etc. I’ve decided to go with funny things! Some of them are conversations and some are just funny one-liners.

1. “There’s no such thing as an old maid.”
“Wh-what would you call a middle-aged lady who’s never married?”
“A woman with standards?”
― Lisa Kleypas, Chasing Cassandra

2. “Did you . . . Did you just kiss me?” He sounded puzzled, and maybe a little out of breath. His lips were full and plump and . . . Kissed. There was simply no way Olive could get away with denying what she had just done.
Still, it was worth a try.
“Nope.”
Surprisingly, it seemed to work.
“Ah. Okay, then.” Carlsen nodded and turned around, looking vaguely disoriented. He took a couple of steps down the hallway, reached the water fountain—maybe where he’d been headed in the first place.
Olive was starting to believe that she might actually be off the hook when he halted and turned back with a skeptical expression.
“Are you sure?”
― Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis

3. “She laid a row of cushions down the center of the bed, carefully dividing it into two sides: His, and hers.
“Is that truly supposed to stop me?” He fell back on the bed, on his side-peering over the pillow wall at her with amusement. “I fully intended to have my wicked way with you. But now there’s this cushion, so…”
She burrowed under the coverlet, drawing it up to her neck.
“Now that you mention it,” he went on, “I dinna know how this strategy escaped Napoleon’s notice. If only he’d erected a barricade of feathers and fabric, we Highlanders wouldna have known how to get over it.”
“I don’t expect the pillows to keep you out,” she said. “They’re merely a guard against anything accidental happening.”
“Ah.” He drew out the syllable. “We canna have any accidental happenings.”
“Exactly. I might roll over in the night, and I know how you feel about cuddling. I should hate to take advantage of you.”
“Minx.”
― Tessa Dare, When a Scot Ties the Knot

4. “Wounded male pride has caused the world more destruction than the Black Death and the Great Flood put together.”
― Tessa Dare, The Wallflower Wager

5. “I have four uniforms, but only one f–ing flight jacket, and I”—punch—“hate”—punch—“sewing!”
― Rebecca Yarros, Onyx Storm

6. “You can count the number of cricket chirps per second to calculate the outside temperature.”
“Unless the outside is on fire,” Caz said. “How fast do they chirp if it’s all on fire?”
― Sarah Beth Durst, The Spellshop

7. “What’s it like having a twin?”
“What’s it’s like not having a twin?” I reply, and he laughs.
“Touché.”
― Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners

8. “Google career options for tired girls who still want to afford their nice apartment.”
― Catherine Walsh, Holiday Romance

9. “There may be plenty of fish in the sea, but most of those fish are bottom-dwellers with weird lanterns hanging off the front of their faces.”
― B.K. Borison, Mixed Signals

10. “Technically, I went to bed at 10 pm, but in girl-with-a-Kindle time, it was actually closer to 2 am,”
― Cindy Steel, Faking Christmas

I hope you laughed at some of these!
What’s the funniest book you’ve ever read? I could use some laughs!

My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine | Book Review

Posted February 27, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
Series: My Vampires #1
Narrator: Gilli Messer
Published by Berkley on August 29, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 341
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
Add to Goodreads

True love is at stake in this charming, debut romantic comedy.

Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it’s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she’s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch—only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.

Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn’t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they’re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren’t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean...

Cassie’s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.

That was one hot mess! Most of this book was cringeworthy for me. Frederick is such a simp, and Cassie has pretty much no redeeming qualities. I found Frederick’s lack of understanding of the modern world to be endearing, and his proper behaviors and mannerisms were amusing. He was cute in a Leopold from Kate & Leopold kind of way (although he’s no Hugh Jackman). I did not like Cassie, though. Her constant surprise that he likes her drove me nuts. “Who me? Little old me? I’m nothing special, how could he like me?” Over and over again. She was constantly begging for compliments and not believing any of them. A person would have to be dumber than a rock to not know that a guy like Frederick is in love with them. And I have no idea why he loved her either. Like, he just fell in love with her for no reason other than that she was there and he was incredibly isolated. He would have fallen in love with anyone. There was no romantic development, no world-building, no vampire lore, and no real depth to this story. I know nothing interesting about any of these characters. The dialogue is so cheesy and over the top. The major conflict was cartoonish and ridiculous.

I did like the epistolatory aspects of the story. Frederick and Cassie talk through written notes for a while because of their differing sleeping schedules, and the letters were fun for a time.

Audio notes: The narration was horrible. Frederick sounds irritatingly posh with an American accent, even though he’s British. His mother, also British, actually has a British accent and sounds like a high and mighty snob. Cassie sounds like a child. And then Reginald, Frederick’s frenemy, sounds like some empty-headed frat boy.

Bottom line, this book is a train wreck. And I couldn’t look away, hence the two stars instead of one. lol.

Top Ten Books Set in Another Time

Posted February 24, 2025 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 22 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is “Books Set in Another Time”. These books can be historical, futuristic, alternate universes, time travel, etc. You could also share the titles of books set in other worlds, where timing is not measured by our world’s standards. I was going to narrow this topic down more for my list today, but then I thought it would be fun to have a little of everything! These are some of my favorite books set in another time!

A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
Desert Island Duke by Kate Bateman
Never Blow a Kiss by Lindsay Lovise
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Degrees of Wrong by Anna Scarlett

What’s your favorite book set in another time?
Have you read any of my favorites? If not, I highly recommend them!
See you next month! (How is it that March starts this week??)

First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison | Book Review

Posted February 20, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
Series: Heartstrings #1
Also in this series: And Now, Back to You
Published by Berkley on February 11, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 441
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
Add to Goodreads
Buy on Amazon

A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.

I love the movie Sleepless in Seattle, so I was very excited to read this book once I found out it’s inspired by the movie! And I loved it. While it felt very long in some places, I so enjoyed my time with these characters. Lucie is one of the coolest heroines I’ve read about in a while. She knows her worth and she knows that she’s created the perfect life for herself. She’s got the cutest daughter, Maya (who I adored), and she’s found more family in Maya’s dad, Grayson, and his husband, Matteo. I love that Lucie and Grayson stayed best friends after discovering they weren’t a love match and that Matteo loves Lucie and Maya just as much as Grayson does. The four of them have the sweetest familial bond, and I want to adopt them all. They live next door to each other, with a gate that links their backyards. They are together all the time, loving each other, supporting each other, and laughing together constantly. Lucie works as a mechanic at an auto shop and works with some of the sweetest father figures, who are all protective of her and have her best interests at heart. She knows she doesn’t need anything else to complete her life, but it would be so nice to have someone to share it with. When Maya phones in to a late-night radio show devoted to love and romance to ask for advice on finding a boyfriend for Lucie, she sets in motion the cutest love story ever. And this love story goes viral. I was riveted right along with the greater population of Baltimore, Maryland as I watched these two lovebirds try to deny that Lucie found her one true love the night Maya called him.

Aiden is very jaded and grumpy and doesn’t believe in love. He hates his job and he’s a loner with a small social circle. Maya charms him (and his boss, Maggie), and before he knows it he’s sharing his tiny booth with Lucie herself as they try to find her “road to love”. His and Lucie’s banter is fantastic. She’s the sunshine to his storm cloud, and he can’t help but give in to her call for a friend. As she goes on crummy dates and is harassed by the public, he realizes more and more how much he cares about her. And he’s not too happy about it at first. lol. But we can all see what’s happening. Everyone listening to them on the air three nights a week can feel the tension and hear the sizzling chemistry these two have together. And it was so much fun watching them figure it out. There’s some speed bumps along the way, and some deeper issues that they need to work through (Aiden in particular), but the romance feels so realistic. I loved watching Aiden’s character develop and change from who he was at the beginning of the book to who he became at the end. B.K. Borison is so good at weaving humor in with more serious issues. It’s a lovely balance, and keeps her stories rooted in reality while also providing the magic that I crave in a romance novel. The spicy scenes were a bit more than I’m used to from this author and, as I said at the beginning, this book was longer than it needed to be. But other than those two things, this was such a great book for me. I’d love to see it adapted for film someday! B.K. Borison is one of my favorite authors, and I’m so happy that the Lovelight series wasn’t a one-hit wonder for me. I can’t wait for her next book!