Dawn's Book Reviews 3/30/25 Dawn's Book Reviews 3/30/25

New Releases April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025 Book Releases - No lie! These books look like they need to be added to your TBR

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 3/12/25 Dawn's Book Reviews 3/12/25

Elphie: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire

Blurb: What happened to young Elphaba before her witchy powers took hold in Wicked? Almost 30 years after the publication of the original novel, for the first time Gregory Maguire reveals the story of prickly young Elphie, the future Wicked Witch of the West—setting the stage for the blockbuster international phenomenon that is The Musical.

Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character in adult life. But she is always a one-off, from her infancy; Elphie is the riveting coming-of-age story of a very peculiar and relatable young girl.

Young Elphie is shaped and molded by the behaviors of her promiscuous mother, Melena, and her pious father, Frex. She suffers ordinary childhood jealousies when her sister, saintly Nessarose, and brother, junior felon Shell, arrive. She first encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears. She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education, haphazard though it must be—until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Galinda.

Elphie is destined to be a witch; she bears the markings from childhood—most evidently in her green skin but more obscurely and profoundly in her cunning and perhaps amoral behaviors, as she seeks to make do, to slip by, to sneak out, to endure, and to aspire.

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

Teasing His Tiger by Tanya Lynn

Rating: 3.5/5

Spice: 4/5

Primary Genre: Hockey Romance

Trigger Warnings: See author’s website

Favorite Quote: See - The Dedication. IYKYK.

Plot 3/5:

An older man (MMC Mark) hasn’t gotten back into the game since his wife passed away from cancer several years ago. A divorced and traumatized 30 year old (FMC Rebecca) is trying to recover from the emotional damage of her marriage. Halloween night Mark and Rebecca encounter each other at a special sort of club. It’s obsession at first sight for Mark but Rebecca has a roster and she isn’t sure she even wants Mark to be on it. That won’t stop Mark from keeping a very close eye on her. From her window.

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 10/9/24 Dawn's Book Reviews 10/9/24

Toxic Obsession by J.A. Owenby

Rating: 4.5/5

Spice: 4/5

Primary Genre: Dark Romance

Trigger Warnings: Suicide and suicide pacts, child sexual abuse (not on the page), Dub-con, Non-con, Knife play, Anal play & Plugs, Violence, Revenge, Sensory Depriving, Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Gun Violence, Degradation, Breath Play, Grooming, Mental Health, Reference to School Shooting

Favorite Quote: He’s just a boy. Make sure he actually deserves you instead of trying to convince everyone you deserve him. You have nothing to prove, girl.

Plot 5/5:

Wynter is finally leaving home to head to Whitmore College. She can’t wait to leave her difficult past behind and start fresh. She meets Quinn and he’s determined to make her fall for him. Little does she know, he thinks that she’s responsible for his twin sister’s death and he’s out for revenge. But you know what they say, there’s three versions of the truth. Yours, mine and the truth.

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 9/10/24 Dawn's Book Reviews 9/10/24

09/10/2024 Book Releases

New book release for 09-10-2024 that look like they're going to be some must adds to your TBR

Dawn's Book Reviews 9/3/24 Dawn's Book Reviews 9/3/24

Book Releases I’m Excited For This Week

So many great book releases today! There is lots of Romantasy, fantasy, witchy romance, all of the fall vibes. This isn’t every book being released this week, just a few that I found interesting. I’m linking the Amazon pages to the book covers in case something catches your eye.