Publisher: Berkley

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
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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.

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)
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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!

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson | Book Review

Posted January 23, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 8 Comments

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson
Narrator: Flint Park, Samantha Summers
Published by Berkley on December 3, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 416
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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A woman discovers that not all monsters are her enemy—the opposite, in fact—in this new paranormal romance by Lana Ferguson, author of The Fake Mate.

Keyanna “Key” MacKay is used to secrets. Raised by a single father who never divulged his past, it’s only after his death that she finds herself thrust into the world he’d always refused to speak of. With just a childhood bedtime story about a monster that saved her father’s life and the name of her estranged grandmother to go off of, Key has no idea what she’ll find in Scotland. But repeating her father’s mistakes and being rescued by a gorgeous, angry Scotsman—who thinks she’s an idiot—is definitely the last thing she expects.

Lachlan Greer has his own secrets to keep, especially from the bonnie lass he pulls to safety from the slippery shore—a lass with captivating eyes and the last name he’s been taught not to trust. He’s looking for answers as well, and Key’s presence on the grounds they both now occupy presents a real problem. It’s even more troublesome when he gets a front row seat to the lukewarm welcome Key receives from her family; the strange powers she begins to develop; and the fierce determination she brings to every obstacle in her path. Things he shouldn’t care about, and someone he definitely doesn’t find wildly attractive.

When their secrets collide, it becomes clear that Lachlan could hold the answers Keyanna is after—and that she might also be the key to uncovering his. Up against time, mystery, and a centuries old curse, they’ll quickly discover that magic might not only be in fairy tales, and that love can be a real loch-mess.

I love cryptids, but I really love the Loch Ness Monster. Nessie is my favorite legend, and one of my biggest bucket list items is to go sit on the shores of Loch Ness for a few weeks and try to spot her myself. This is the first romance I’ve ever seen that centers on Nessie, so I was very excited to read it! The blurb is pretty vague, so as not to spoil anything, so I will also be vague! We meet Keyanna, still mourning the loss of her father. He had never shared much about his growing up years with her, and they never went to Scotland together to visit her family. His dying wish was for her to return and spread his ashes at Loch Ness. While there, she meets her grandparents and other extended family. She doesn’t get the warmest welcome from her grandma, but the rest of her family quickly embraces her. She also meets Lachlan, who works on her family’s property even though he hates the entire family. Their meeting is cold, but there’s also a small spark of intrigue. As he and Key get to know one another better, secrets are revealed on both sides and feelings grow.

The book starts off really strong, but the middle two thirds of this book really dragged for me. I was very intrigued by the mystery, the dangerous loch, the family secrets, the magic, and folklore, but I’m not going to lie… this was a slog to get through at times. We spend a lot of time in both characters’ heads while they sift through their feelings, worries, concerns, etc. It got quite repetitive, because their thoughts mirrored each others’. I really loved Lachlan. He’s a grumpy cinnamon roll, who has been very hurt in the past and is alone in this world. He doesn’t know where his future will take him. He’s very loyal and sweet and his ability to love deeply tugged at my heartstrings because of all the heartbreak he’s endured. Key was meh for me. She came off as both very smart and very dumb at times. She pretends to be humble, which is a pet peeve of mine. But I liked them together, and I was pulling for them the entire way through. I also liked Key’s cute grandpa and her grandma grew on me by the end.

The romance didn’t do it for me, and it’s kind of hard to explain. I think it’s a combination of the audio and the kind of romance this is. The blurb doesn’t specifically call this book a monster romance even though, in hindsight, the cover and blurb hint at it very heavily. Still, though, the monster romance genre is different than a romance with humans who are not fully human. I guess I was expecting the same kind of situation as a vampire or werewolf romance. But I avoid “monster romance”. It’s just not my thing, and I didn’t realize that’s what I was getting with this one. Many monster romances I read about have some spicy elements that I don’t find appealing. The spice level in this book is not what I expect from books with covers that look like this one. The scenes are much longer (some of them are 20+ minutes long in the audiobook), more intense, more detailed, and contain word choices that made me uncomfortable. Perhaps listening to the audiobook magnified everything. The audio is done in a true duet style. Lachlan and Key narrate their own chapters, but the narrators also read all the lines of dialogue for the character they’re portraying. It sounds like a movie. I love when books are done like this, but not necessarily during spicy scenes. I felt like I was sitting in the bedroom while these two go it on. I ended up fast forwarding through all the spicy scenes, which helped me really enjoy the rest of the story.

I actually wish there was no romance in this at all and that Key and Lachlan were just friends who maybe fell in love in an epilogue or something. Their relationship is what I would consider to be “forbidden”, but it’s also insta-love and I had a hard time wrapping my head around how they were able to open up and trust each other so quickly when history shows them that they shouldn’t have. I would have preferred a stronger focus on the lore, history, magic system, mystery, etc. I love medieval folklore and magic and really enjoyed learning the history of two dueling Scottish families and how their history has continued to spread mystery throughout this area of Scotland up to the present day. I loved the parts where someone discovered something important or a revelation was made. There’s some suspense and searching and I loved all of that. I loved the descriptions of Scotland and the loch and I loved exploring a medieval castle. I loved Nessie. But then, circling back to the issue of pacing, things dragged a lot in between the parts I loved. The major climax happened with an hour still left in the book and I remember wondering what they heck they were going to do with with last hour. This book was extremely long and it wasn’t necessary. I wish everything had been tightened up more so momentum wasn’t lost. I will also note that there’s more swearing in this book than I’m used to, and found it to be distracting.

Bottom line, there were parts of this I really loved and parts that I skipped entirely. I wish I had been more aware of what I was getting into with this book (although, it’s Nessie so I’m sure I would have read it anyway), but I made it work for me by skipping the parts I wasn’t interested in and ended up really enjoying the story I got as a result. I even got emotional at times because of some sweet family moments and some swoony things Lachlan said. I don’t think I’ll be reading more books by this author, though, because the storytelling didn’t work for me.

Audio notes: Flint Park is a dream. I went to look for more audiobooks he’s read, and this is the only one! I could listen to him forever. He’s got the most delicious Scottish accent, and he reads with such emotion. He can sound so tender, but then he’s also got this rough growly voice that made me shiver. He did such an amazing job. Samantha Summers was not my favorite. She’d try to sound flirty and squeaky and was overly perky. And when Keyanna got mad or emotional, Samantha’s over-the-top crying voice or yelling voice grated on me. The final hour and a half also seemed to have some production issues with sound getting very loud and very quiet. I kept having to adjust my volume every few minutes.

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison | Book Review

Posted August 18, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison
Series: Lovelight #2
Also in this series: Business Casual, Mixed Signals
Published by Berkley on July 13, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 334
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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A grumpy farmer and a no-nonsense social media influencer have another chance at love in this charming romantic comedy.

Evelyn St. James isn’t the kind of woman you forget. Beckett Porter certainly hasn’t. One incredible weekend in Maine, and he’s officially a man distracted. He’s not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings, but Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He can’t stop thinking about her laugh. Her hand pressed flat against his chest. Her smiling mouth at his neck.

So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he is…confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon. When Evie disappears again, Beckett resolves to finally move on.

But Evie, who has been feeling disconnected from her work and increasingly dissatisfied with life online, is trying to find her way back to something real. She returns to the last place she was Lovelight Farms and the tiny town of Inglewild. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two incredible nights with.

*happy sigh* The Lovelight series is quickly becoming a cozy favorite of mine. I adored Lovelight Farms when I read it last Christmas, and In the Weeds is even better! Evie and Beckett get their second chance at love, and I enjoyed their journey. Readers met Evie in the first book, as she was the social media influencer who highlighted Lovelight Farms at Christmastime. It was mentioned at that time that she and Beckett had had a steamy night together recently, which made for an awkward surprise reunion when she showed up at the farm. Just like that night in the hotel room, she disappeared on Beckett without a word after she had enough info for her piece on Lovelight Farms. In the Weeds begins with a flashback to that fateful one-night stand, where readers get all the juicy details of what happened between the two of them.

Spring has sprung in Inglewild, and I loved seeing the flowers bloom and tagging along on planting days on the farm. I’m happy to report that Beckett’s adorable kittens are still babies who rule the farm and have Beckett whipped. I fell in love with this broody farmer in the first book. There’s just something about a man who loves to rescue animals, and I suggest you prepare to melt over a sweet little duckling in this book. I enjoyed getting to know Beckett more, and I loved Evie as well! Evie is experiencing some major burnout with her job and is feeling a little lost in her life. When her assistant asks her to name the last place she felt truly happy, Lovelight Farms immediately flashed across her mind. So, of course, she returns… not really knowing why. She and Beckett run into each other right when she arrives and finds out there’s no place in the entire town for her to stay and Beckett, being the gentleman that he is, offers her one of the spare rooms in his house. She moves into his house and back into his heart. There’s so many feelings between these two, my goodness. The romance in this story feels so real and raw. It is a very slow burn, dripping with angst and I loved it. They both have a lot to work through personally, as well as together. Their nights drinking tea together on his porch, their mornings skirting feelings around the kitchen, and their not-so-secret longing for one another was delicious. I just loved watching them work through their emotions and their feelings.

Inglewild is the most amazing town. The gossip phone tree, activated when anything interesting happens, made me giggle. The supporting characters, some of whom are instrumental in getting these two together, warmed my heart. Everyone is ready, willing, and eager to lend a helping hand whenever needed, whether it be to offer baking advice or help warm someone up who fell in a freezing lake. I loved seeing Stella and Luka again, as well as Layla. These three, plus Beckett, own Lovelight Farms together and I love this supportive found family of friends. If one of them is out stress digging in the fields in the middle of the night, the rest of them will climb out of bed and bring shovels and coffee to dig together in silence. If someone is camped out on the floor of their kitchen feeling sad, at least one of them is bound to show up and sit on the floor with them. The friendships in this series make my heart ache in the best possible way.

As with the first book, I love B.K. Borison’s writing. Her descriptions of the scenery and the goings on at the farm made me feel like I was there. She writes the best love stories and characters you’re sure to fall in love with. I’ve already read the next book in this series because I could not pull myself away from this cozy world she’s created. I’d like to stay here forever!

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.