Dawn's Book Reviews 3/24/25 Dawn's Book Reviews 3/24/25

Summer in the City by Alex Aster

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 1.5/5

Plot: 3/5

Primary Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Alex Aster comes her adult debut novel Summer in the City—a swoony, fast-paced rom-com set in New York City in which a screenwriter and a sexy tech CEO go from lovers to enemies and back to lovers again… Twenty-seven-year-old screenwriter Elle has the chance of a lifetime to write a big-budget movie set in New York City. The only problem? She’s had writer’s block for months, and her screenplay is due at the end of the summer. In a desperate attempt at inspiration, Elle ends up back in the city she swore she would never return to, in an apartment she could never afford (floor-to-ceiling windows, skyline views, and a new coffee shop to haunt included). It’s the perfect place to write her screenplay…until she realizes her new neighbor is tech “Billionaire Bachelor” Parker Warren, her stairwell hookup from two years ago. It’s been a lovers-to-enemies situation ever since. When seeing him again turns into a full night of hate-fueled writing, Elle realizes her enemy/twisted muse might just be the key to finishing her screenplay... if she can stand being around her polar opposite. She writes anonymously, and he’s on the cover of every business magazine. He frequents fancy red carpeted events, and she doesn’t like leaving her emotional support five block radius. One summer. One wall apart. He needs to fake a buzzy relationship during his company’s precarious acquisition. She needs to write a movie around a list of NYC locations. Both need a break from their unrelenting schedules, and a chance to rediscover the skyscraper glimmering, pizza crusted, sunlit charms of the city. Summers always end, and so will this agreement. It’s all pretend. Promise. Until it isn’t.

Dawn's Book Reviews 3/2/25 Dawn's Book Reviews 3/2/25

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall (Sisters of Shadow and Light #1)

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 1/5

Plot: 4/5

Primary Genre: Romantasy/Fantasy Romance

Blurb: A young witch cursed with sacrificing memories to cast spells must decide how much she’s willing to lose to save her town in this thrilling tale of magic, love, and self-discovery—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic. In the small town of Gold Springs, Calliope Petridi and her two sisters carefully guard the secret of their magic and the price they must pay to practice memories. The more powerful the magic, the greater the memory required. Luckily, all Calliope wants to do is forget. Forget the mother who left them without a trace. Forget the cracks in her relationships with her judgmental oldest sister, Thalia, and her distant middle sister, Eurydice. Forget about the very cost of her magic. And most of all, forget the way the love of her life shattered her heart two years ago. But when an ancient evil awakens in their town, the fragile thread that holds the sisters together breaks. As their magic slowly begins to fade, Calliope accidentally binds herself to an annoyingly handsome leader of a rival coven infamous for their ruthless pursuit of power. Battling a sizzling chemistry to a man she can't trust, Calliope needs to confront her sisters and the painful memories of her past, dark family secrets, and ancient magic in order to keep the town and all she loves safe. But will she have anything left of herself?

Dawn's Book Reviews 1/31/25 Dawn's Book Reviews 1/31/25

Brewing Up A Bad Boy by Katherine Garbera

Wicked Sisters #3

Rating: 3.75/5

Spice: 3

Primary Genre: Contemporary Romance

Plot: 4/5

Blurb: A tea shop owner good girl and a reformed microbrewer bad boy reunite in this wonderfully wicked love story.

Sometimes the second sip is sweetest.

In the cozy town of Birch Lake, tea shop owner Poppy Kitchener thought she’d left her mistakes, and her failed marriage, in the past. But when her ex-husband, Alistair Miller, turns up—as charming and irritatingly handsome as ever—those old feelings float to the surface. To top it off, he has a puzzling pretend they’re still married for his cousin’s wedding in exchange for a lucrative business deal with his family.

Easy enough, right? After all, this could be Poppy’s last chance to get closure, grow her business and use Alistair’s knowledge of microbrewing to help her finish that winning recipe for the tea competition.

But even after all this time, he still knows how to make her laugh. And he’s changed in ways that make Poppy wonder about the man he’s become… Can she trust this new Alistair with her heart, or will a second chance brew up disaster?

Dawn's Book Reviews 12/27/24 Dawn's Book Reviews 12/27/24

Satyr by Megan Mossgrove

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 1/5

Plot: 4/5

Primary Genre: Cozy fantasy

Blurb: "I just thought my life would be different." At 34, Elaine spends each day going through the motions---alone. When she learns of her father's passing, she puts her home up for sale, hoping it will give her the strength to abandon the city, its memories, and the ghosts of her dashed hopes. Like her mother "There’s no longer a reason to stay." But soon, Elaine wonders if reason may have agreed to split spices at the market. Tall, handsome, green, with a bone shaking laugh, and a glorious smile, the orc innkeeper seems set on wooing her, but he doesn’t know the depth of her heartache. Or the truth that could very well push him away.

"This one can still be good."

Innkeeper by day, smuggler by night, Satyr dreams of a future where he can keep the Aspen Inn afloat without skimming Arnell’s precious pearls—but too many rely on him for it to be a choice. When the pressure doubles and his separate lives bleed together, it’s all he can do to stop it from affecting the inn’s newest resident—the castle’s head chef, whose ribboned hair and solemn eyes betray more than she knows. With found family, life after loss, and a bit of hot chocolate, Satyr is a sweet, heart-achy, cozy romantasy about a chef that carries a mountain of grief, and the orc innkeeper who’s determined to carry her in turn.

Dawn's Book Reviews 12/5/24 Dawn's Book Reviews 12/5/24

Satan’s Affair by H.D. Carlton

Every Halloween, Satan’s Affair will come to you. We travel the country, offering terrifying haunted houses, thrilling rides and the tastiest food.

And with every passing town, I cleanse this world, one execution at a time.

I hide within the walls, casting my judgement for those that reek of evil, singing lullabies to their rotting souls. Once you’ve been chosen, there’s no escaping my henchmen–they cater to my every desire.

You can run and you can hide, but it only excites me.

Come. Take a walk through my dollhouse, where your screams will blend and your cute little pleas will go unanswered.

But I can’t promise it’ll be over quickly…

Dawn's Book Reviews 10/22/24 Dawn's Book Reviews 10/22/24

Coffee Break With The Billionaire by Holly Kerr

Rating: 3/5

Spice: 0/5

Primary Genre: Billionaire Romance/RomCom

Trigger Warnings: Alcohol use, bad parenting

Plot 3/5:

Billionaire heiress Fenella needs to go into hiding after her most recent, very public break up with her cheating ex. Where to? Her other ex’s (who’s a prince, by the way) remote town! Well, technically it’s a whole country. Fenella can’t get enough of the local coffee shop, Coffee For the Sole, and her pumpkin spice lattes. She also becomes interesting in the coffee shop owner, Silas, once she realizes there’s more to him than coffee beans.

Tropes:
• cinnamon roll hero
• friends-to-lovers
• small town
• opposites attract

Dawn's Book Reviews 10/18/24 Dawn's Book Reviews 10/18/24

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

Rating: 3.5/5

Spice: 2/5

Primary Genre: Holiday Romance

Trigger Warnings: I don’t really think that there are any, if you disagree let me know in the comments.

Favorite Quote:

‘You’re a big dog person, I take it.’

‘They’re better than people in every way.’

His laugh was low and deep and did absolutely nothing for her.

‘I agree.’

Plot 3/5:

Rich Georgia peach named Kira buys northeastern Christmas tree farm, although she is grumpy and hates Christmas. Very sweet guy named Bennett who’s home for the holidays tries to help her fix things that she doesn’t want any help fixing.

Dawn's Book Reviews 10/8/24 Dawn's Book Reviews 10/8/24

Monarch by Sophie Lark

Grimstone #2

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 2.5/5

Primary Genre: Romantic suspense

Trigger Warnings: Domestic violence, assault, alcohol use, drug use

Favorite Quote: I’m with you. I love you. I’ll protect you, I’ll take care of you. Carry me with you always and keep me in your heart. Because you are in mine.

Plot 5/5:

Elena is a 90 day fiance who had been desperately looking to leave Ukraine. She has just arrived in Grimstone, Oregon to marry her fiance Lorne. He’s a famous, wealthy thriller author. When they met in Ukraine he seemed like was a sweet, loving father and a kind/nerdy guy. Once she arrives, his behavior begins to change and not in a good way. Lorne is having a castle built for them to live in but there have been multiple construction delays so they are staying at the town’s historic hotel, The Monarch. The owner of the Monarch, Atlas, tries to protect Elena as Lorne get more twisted and vicious.

Dawn's Book Reviews 9/16/24 Dawn's Book Reviews 9/16/24

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner

Rating: 3

Spice: 0

Primary Genre: Romance

Trigger Warnings: Mention of terminal illness, abandonment, alchohol/prescription drug use, death of a family member/parent

Favorite Quote: Who knew romantic comedy was such a brutal sport?

Plot 3/5:

Slow burn, friends to lovers, closed door romance. And when I say slow burn, we’re talking the slowest. This story is about a girl and a guy who live in a small town in Colorado, have known each other since they were little kids, and are extremely close best friends.