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    Hi, I am Alicia!

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    Hi, I'm Suzanne. Proofreader by day, book blogger by night, devourer of books 24/7. My reading tastes: Basically you name it, I probably like it. I read a lot of contemporary and historical, both adult and YA, and I've also been enjoying more and more fantasy lately. Hobbies include: buying and hoarding of books, rambling about books to anyone who will listen, and trying to recommend books to my family and friends whether they are readers or not - because seriously, how can you not love to read books?

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    Thanks to @readforeverpub and @hachetteaudio for t Thanks to @readforeverpub and @hachetteaudio for the #gifted e-arc and ALC! 🐶 Review - PUGS & KISSES 🐶 Author - Farrah Rochon Pub Date - 7/15/25 I had never read one of Farrah Rochon’s books before, but I grabbed Pugs & Kisses for review as soon as I saw it being marketed as perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez and Jasmine Guillory. I’m so glad I did too because this was just the cutest second chance romance I’ve read in a while! Evie Williams is a veterinarian who works at her fiancé’s animal. Well, she does until she walks into her house and finds him in bed with another woman. Now that she’s out of a job and minus a cheating fiancé, Evie stops in at an animal rescue shelter where she used to volunteer and unexpectedly runs into Bryson Mitchell, her college crush and the man who broke her heart years ago when he ghosted her. Bryson is back in town and now a famous veterinary surgeon, and he’s going to be working at the shelter too. I really enjoyed how Rochon wrote both of these characters. The feelings between Evie and Bryson are clearly still there, but there’s some hesitation because of what happened in the past. I loved how when they realize the shelter is in danger of closing though, they immediately pull together to try to save it, which provides them a chance to really get reacquainted with one another and eventually to have that much needed conversation about why Bryson ghosted Evie the way he did. They make a great team everywhere that it counts and I so wanted them to get that second chance. I also just adored that they were both dog parents. As a dog lover, I was just eating up all of the charming pets in this book! 🎧I read this one with my eyes and ears and thoroughly enjoyed the narration of Marissa Hampton. Her performance really highlighted the humor and the heartwarming qualities of the story and I enjoyed the distinctive voices she gave to the different characters. It was an entertaining listen. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ❓QOTD - Do you have any pets? AOTD - I have a black & white tuxedo cat named Ninja and a golden retriever named Winston.
    Berkley Romance Mystery Box - Thanks for the free Berkley Romance Mystery Box - Thanks for the free books @BerkleyRomance #berkleypartner! I was absolutely blown away to learn I had won one of these fantastic boxes from Berkley Romance’s recent mystery box giveaway. Thank you so much, Berkley Romance! I’m not a very good reel maker but I still wanted to at least attempt an unboxing video because the box is so cute, but most importantly, I want to share a brief synopsis of each of these books since they’re upcoming releases and they all sound amazing. Upcoming Releases Featured in Mystery Box: 🎭Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan (Pub Date: 8/5/2025) - A playwright must grapple with her difficult year and writer’s block while falling for the single dad living next door in this emotional debut. 🍁If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia (Pub Date: 9/2/2025) - Grab your favorite fall candle, cuddle into a comfy blanket, and travel back in time to 1997 in this cozy, slow-burn romance set in the autumn glow of small-town Vermont where two divorced characters find love again. 🤠Dust Storm by Maggie Gates (Pub Date: 10/7/2025) - A single dad rancher and a rich city girl bump heads - and more - in this cowboy romance in the popular Griffith Brothers series. 😈The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur (Pub Date: 10/21/2025) - A down-on-her-luck woman makes a deal to win back her ex-girlfriend, only to discover the woman of her dreams might be the devil she knows in this new paranormal romance. ⚡️Sparks Fly by Zakiya N. Jamal (Pub Date: 12/2/2025) - A late bloomer has an instant connection with a stranger at a sex club, only for their chance encounter to upend her life in this adult debut. ❓QOTD - Were any of these on your radar? Have you started making your Fall TBR yet?
    🏖️ JULY HOPEFULS 🏖️ Happy Monday, book 🏖️ JULY HOPEFULS 🏖️ Happy Monday, book friends! I hope your month has gotten off to a good start and that you had a nice weekend. I had a long weekend so I went ahead and put together my list of hopefuls for this month and started putting a dent in it. My July hopefuls list is of course an ambitious one, but it’s very heavy on romance books, which I usually fly through, plus I’ll be taking a week-long staycation later this month where I plan to get in lots of reading time, so we’ll see how it goes. There are several in my hopefuls list that were gifted, so I’ve tagged those publishers. Thanks so much to all of them! ♥ 📚 July Hopefuls (Physical Copies): 📚 ✨Heart Marks the Spot by Libby Hubscher ✨How to Sell a Romance by Alexa Martin ✨Relationship Goals by Brittany Kelley ✨Overruled by Lana Ferguson (Already read and reviewed - LOVED) ✨Pardon My Frenchie by Farrah Rochon ✨Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown ✨Forever Never by Lucy Score - (25 in 2025 book) ✨Playbook by Rebecca Jenshak - (25 in 2025 book) ✨The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware (Read, review coming this week) ✨Lights Out by Navessa Allen (Already read) ✨The Goldens by Lauren Wilson ✨The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain by Hannah Brown 🎧📱E-ARCs/ALCs: 📱🎧 ✨Cake by J. Bengtsson (Already read and reviewed) ✨A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna ✨Pugs & Kisses by Farrah Rochon (Read, review coming this week) ✨For the Record by Emma Lord (August arc) ✨Maid for Each Other by Lynn Painter (Currently reading) ✨Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum ✨Love is a War Song by Danica Nava ✨The Game is Afoot by Elise Bryant ✨Paris, Pumpkins, & Puns by Marion De Re ✨If Not for My Baby by Kate Golden ✨Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings (August arc) ✨Red Card by Maren Moore (August arc) ❓QOTD - What are some books you’re hoping to read in July? Do we have any in common?
    Thanks so much to @gallerybooks and @scoutpress fo Thanks so much to @gallerybooks and @scoutpress for the gifted copy. ⚓️ Review - THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 ⚓️ Author - Ruth Ware Pub Date - 7/19/16 Lo Blacklock is a travel journalist who has just landed a dream assignment, an all expenses paid trip aboard a boutique luxury cruise ship to cover its maiden voyage. Just before she’s scheduled to take the job, however, someone breaks in Lo’s home while she’s there, locking her in the bathroom while they go through her things. Lo chooses to go on the cruise ship assignment anyway, but is still clearly rattled by the burglary. The first night aboard the ship, Lo hears a woman scream and a large splash. When she looks outside, she is sure she sees a hand in the water, disappearing beneath the surface. Convinced someone has gone overboard, Lo reaches out to the crew but no one believes her. All guests and members of the crew are accounted for. Lo is convinced she’s right though and starts investigating on her own. Will she uncover something sinister or have her own recent experiences rattled her even more than originally thought? I love locked room thrillers and Ruth Ware is one of my go-to authors when I’m in the mood to read one. She does such an amazing job of capturing that feeling of being in a confined space, in this case the small cruise ship and its even smaller cabins, and how it can start to feel almost claustrophobic once that element of danger enters the scene. I also liked the added twist of not knowing if we could trust Lo. Has there really been a murder or are we following a woman who has been traumatized and really needs to talk to someone about her trauma? Even though I wasn’t sure I could trust Lo at first, I was still invested in following her to see if she was right or not. I would say that if you find the pacing a little slow at the beginning to just hang in there because at a certain point, things really take off and it becomes an intense and suspenseful ride to the end. I thought the beginning was a bit of a slow burn but ended up binge reading the book in a couple of sittings and loving all of the twists and turns. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ❓QOTD - What are you up to this weekend?
    🎸 Review - CAKE 🎸 Author - J. Bengtsson Pu 🎸 Review - CAKE 🎸 Author - J. Bengtsson Pub Date - 5/14/2016 Thanks so much to @hambright_pr and @j._bengtsson for the gifted digital copy of this book! I’ve been loving rockstar romances lately and I think this one is a real standout! Jake McKallister might be a successful rockstar now, but he is the survivor of an unspeakable crime that still haunts him to this day. In many ways, music has saved his life and some days, it’s the only thing that gets him through. He knows he’s a broken man and that personal relationships really aren’t an option for him. That is, until he meets Casey Caldwell at a friend’s wedding. When she doesn’t treat him like a celebrity and instead immediately pranks him with the corniest of jokes, Jake laughs and lets his guard down for what feels like the first time in ages. I really enjoyed the way the author wrote these characters and was invested in Jake and Casey from this very first meeting. She is just such a breath of fresh air and seems to be exactly the kind of person Jake needs in his life. Casey point blank tells Jake, rockstar or not, she’s not going to sleep with him at the wedding so they spend the entire time chatting and getting to know each other. It was so sweet watching the two of them bond and I liked that they both just seemed more free to be themselves around each other than around anyone else. It became clear pretty quickly that they shared a special connection and that Casey might finally be the key to Jake fully healing from the trauma that has haunted him for so long. The story does take somewhat of a dark turn as Jake finally starts to open up about everything he went through, but I was so glad he had Casey and his family there to support him. There are definitely some heartbreaking moments, but the story definitely still has plenty of humor and romance to balance out those weightier moments. Cake is perfect for fans of the following tropes: 🛡️Tortured hero 🎸Rockstar ❤️‍🔥Soulmates 🥂Opposites attract 🎬Celebrity romance 🎀Girl next door 🤐Dark secret 🔪True crime 🖤Psychological romance ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 ❓QOTD - What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to? #HPRCake #JBengtsson #HambrightPR
    Thanks so much to @read_bloom for the gifted copy Thanks so much to @read_bloom for the gifted copy #partner. 🩵 Review - THE LAST SECOND CHANCE 🩵 Author - Lucy Score Pub Date - Originally published 1/21/16, re-released by Bloom 5/6/25 Lucy Score is one of my go-to authors when I’m in the mood for a small town romance, and I’ve really been enjoying her Blue Moon series. The Last Second Chance is the third book in the series, and this is Joey and Jax’s story. I’ve been waiting for this one because it’s a second chance romance and whatever happened to drive them apart has been hinted at in the earlier books, but I’ve been dying to know the full story. Joey and Jax were high school sweethearts, head over heels in love, but one night while out driving, they got into a horrific car accident that left Joey in the hospital. While Joey was still recovering, Jax abruptly left town and moved to Hollywood. Eight years later, he returns, a successful filmmaker, acting like no time has passed and looking to rekindle his romance with Joey. Joey hasn’t forgotten Jax and may still have strong feelings for him. Joey, however, most certainly has not forgiven him for the way he just abandoned her. Their story actually made me more emotionally than I was expecting it to because their past is just so heartbreaking. Of course this is still a romcom though so there are plenty of humorous moments along the way as Joey makes Jax work his butt off to earn her forgiveness. I loved that once he pulls his head out of his you-know-what, he’s willing to put in the work to try to win her back and has plenty of help from the townsfolk who also think he and Joey are meant to be together. Between all of the romcom shenanigans and some very heartfelt, paintul but necessary conversations about what really happened eight years ago, this book just had me feeling so many emotions and I was right there with the good people of Blue Moon rooting for Joey and Jax to find their way to a happy ending. If you like small towns, second chances, horse farms, and lovable, quirky characters, you should check out The Last Second Chance and the Blue Moon series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ❓QOTD - What are your favorite tropes?
    Thanks for the free book & #gifted ALC @berkleyrom Thanks for the free book & #gifted ALC @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley & @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner 🩷 Review - OVERRULED 🩷 Author - Lana Ferguson Pub Date - 7/1/25 Sparks fly between rival divorce lawyers both in the courtroom and between the sheets in Lana Ferguson’s new spicy romance novel, Overruled. Danica “Dani” Pierce has no interest in love, as experience has shown it to be nothing but a source of heartache. She is solely focused on her career, specifically on making partner at her law firm. She can’t believe her luck when she lands a career-making case, only to learn her nemesis, Ezra Hart, will be her opposing counsel on the case. Not only will he make it hard for her to win the case, but she’s also secretly sleeping with him, which makes things even more awkward. Ezra may have a winning record in the courtroom, but his charm has never worked on Dani. He wishes she would see him as more than the playboy she seems to think he is. I had such a good time with this book! Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope, and I loved the twist of Dani and Ezra having this secret “enemies with benefits” arrangement. Lana Ferguson always delivers when it comes to writing spicy scenes so Dani and Ezra’s arrangement was pure fun. Their chemistry was off the charts and their banter was hilarious, especially the nicknames they had for each other. Dani had black cat energy and I cackled every time Ezra called her Sour Patch! Aside from being fun and spicy, this story also had some nice depth to it. I really enjoyed watching Dani and Ezra gradually grow closer. Dani is so fiercely independent and afraid of letting herself be vulnerable with another person. I was rooting hard for her to get past that because it was easy to tell that Ezra could be worth the risk and that he was not the playboy she thought he was. 🎧I did an immersive read & thoroughly enjoyed the narration of Connor Crais & Samantha Summers, especially the way they made Ferguson’s banter pop off the page. I listened comfortably at 1.7x. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 ❓QOTD - If you had to pick an animal to describe your energy, what animal would you choose? AOTD - Most days I’m a panda. 😂
    🏖️ We can’t lie, we love JULY! 🏖️ Her 🏖️ We can’t lie, we love JULY! 🏖️ Here’s to the month of beaches, BBQs, and, of course, BOOKS with another round of our monthly spellstacks! Summer is in full swing here, and while I don’t have any big travel plans, I’ll be spending July hanging out with my family, and especially, spending time with my son before he starts college this fall. Books featured in my July bookstack: J - Jane and Edward by Melodie Edwards U - The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren L - Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood Y - You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria Check out #JulySpellStack25 for a look at all our J-U-L-Y stackers, and if you see this, consider yourself challenged! ❓QOTD - Do you have anything fun planned for the month of July? Don’t forget to use #JulySpellStack25 to join us, and DM @cynsfictionaddiction to jump into our upcoming 2025 monthly SpellStack challenges.
    📚 MESSY MONDAY - JUNE WRAP UP 📚 I’ll be s 📚 MESSY MONDAY - JUNE WRAP UP 📚 I’ll be sharing my July hopefuls sometime in the next day or so, but for today, here’s my June wrap-up. The company I work for does half day Fridays all summer long so I get quite a bit of extra reading time during those months. I read 22 books in June. Most were arcs but I also added two pretty thick books off my physical TBR, Quicksilver and Binding 13. With the exception of one book I DNFed after starting it three different times throughout the month and giving up each time, I really enjoyed everything I read, so I’d say it was a pretty good month. My photo features all of the physical copies I read, but I also read a few e-arcs and listened to several audiobooks as well. I got into such a groove with my reading that I got behind on my reviews so several of these reviews will be posting throughout the week. ❓QOTD: How was your reading month? What were some of your favorite June reads? ❤️ 5 STARS ❤️ My Friends by Fredrik Backman Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel 🧡 4.5 STARS 🧡 The Love Fix by Jill Shalvis Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn 💛 4 STARS 💛 Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler The Last Second Chance by Lucy Score The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware Gold Coast Dilemma Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell Quicksilver by Callie Hart Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage Gloves Off by Stephanie Archer Seas the Dating Coach by Laura Langa Total Dreamboat by Katelyn Doyle 💚 3.5 STARS 💚 NONE 💙 3 STARS 💙 NONE 💜 2 or 1 STARS, or DNFs 💜 The Berry Pickers - DNF for now, may try again #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #books #bookish #booksbooksbooks #booklover #bookworm #booksta #moodreader #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #igreads #igbooks #coverlove #booknerd #booksreadinjune #junewrapup #bookrecommendations
    🩷 Match Your Bookmark Monday & What This Week 🩷 Is Match Your Bookmark Monday a thing? If not, it should be! I’m obsessed with the color palette in this “Cozy Up with a Good Book” bookmark from @EmilyCromwellDesigns so I thought it would be fun to see if I could make a matching bookstack from the books on my shelves. I think I got pretty close! Books Featured: 💙How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes 💗Let’s Call Her Barbie by Renee Rosen 💚Wild Side by Elsie Silver 🩷Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood 💛Too Hard to Forget by Tessa Bailey 🧡This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan 💜Catching Feelings by Maren Moore — WHAT THIS WEEK — I honestly don’t have too much going on this week. It’s a short work week because of the 4th of July holiday but we don’t really have any big plans for that. We might do some grilling but otherwise I’ll just be taking advantage of the long weekend to get in some extra reading and review writing time. ✨What I’m Reading - I’m reading Overruled, Rose in Chains, and Cake this week. ✨What I’m Watching - Honestly nothing. I can’t even remember the last time I watched anything. ✨What I’m Listening to - My hold for the audiobook of Lights Out just became available so I’m starting that tonight. ✨What I’m Snacking on Lately - Popcorn and the occasional Snickers bar. ❓QOTD - Answer one of the above prompts.
    ✨25 in 2025 Read #12 - BELLADONNA by Adalyn Grac ✨25 in 2025 Read #12 - BELLADONNA by Adalyn Grace ✨ I don’t read much YA these days, but Belladonna is one that had caught my attention and I’m glad I read it because I ended up really enjoying it. I loved the unique premise of the story, particularly that of Signa, this girl who is unable to die even though death seems to be all around her and even when she actively seeks it out by ingesting poison. I also loved that Death is an actual character in the story, a shadowy alluring presence who is never far from Signa’s side. When the story opens, Death has entered Signa’s home and killed her parents and all of their friends during a party. Signa, who is an infant at the time, is the sole survivor. Every family member Signa is then sent to live with also dies, leaving Signa angry and resentful of Death because she just wants somewhere she can call home. Signa fascinated me because she clearly has some kind of powers that protect her from dying as well as a most unique relationship with the character of Death. When Signa moves in with her last living relatives and soon realizes that someone is trying to kill her cousin, she confronts Death because she’s tired of losing her family. She gets Death to agree to help her figure out who is after her cousin and he also agrees to help her understand her powers, which brings Signa closer to Death than she has ever been before and she finds herself drawn to him. I enjoyed that Belladonna was part mystery, part slow-burn paranormal romance with atmospheric Gothic vibes. I thought that kept things interesting and I loved all of the unexpected twists and turns as Signa and Death set out to find the would-be killer, and I also really enjoyed the character growth of Signa as we watch her grow from a vulnerable lonely child to a young woman who is ready to embrace and learn more about her mysterious powers. I wasn’t entirely sure if I would be into a romance where one of the characters was Death but the author sold me on it and I’m looking forward to continuing the series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ❓QOTD - What are you reading this weekend?
    📫 Forever Friday - Hannah Brown Book Mail 📫 📫 Forever Friday - Hannah Brown Book Mail 📫 Thanks so much to @readforeverpub for this fun bookmail. Hannah Brown’s latest book The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain just came out this week and I’ve been seeing some great reviews for it, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to read it, along with Hannah’s debut novel, Mistakes We Never Made. 🩵Synopsis for Mistakes We Never Made: An epic coastal road-trip gives two lifelong rivals a second chance at love in this debut novel from The Bachelorette star and New York Times bestselling author Hannah Brown. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry, MISTAKES WE NEVER MADE reminds us it’s never too late to risk falling in love, because being true to your heart is never a mistake. 🩷 Synopsis for The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain: Forgetting Sarah Marshall meets Anyone But You in this novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown. Sybil can’t wait to escape to a tropical paradise, all expenses paid. Well, technically the expenses were paid—last year, when she was supposed to honeymoon in Hawaii with her then-fiancé, Jamie. But she nearly plunges backwards into the infinity pool when she sees Jamie there, too… Desperate to save face in front of the ex who broke her heart at the altar, Sybil accidentally-on-purpose blurts out that she’s vacationing with her boyfriend. But what starts as a harmless lie soon spirals into an ex-fiancé fiasco when Sebastian—the second of Sybil’s three failed engagements—pops by, fresh off a photography gig… Sybil does her best to juggle two ex-fiancés. But it’s becoming clear that her past of broken promises must be reckoned with once and for all—including that first fiancé, Liam, the one she never talks about . . . Is the notorious free-spirit, life-of-the-party, runaway bride Sybil Rain ready to heal from her three past engagements and make room in her heart for a fourth and final chance at love? ❓QOTD - Do you have any fun weekend plans?
    Thanks to @simon.audio for the #gifted audiobook. Thanks to @simon.audio for the #gifted audiobook. #partner (Physical copy was purchased by me) ✨ Review - MY FRIENDS ✨ Author - Fredrik Backman Pub Date - 5/6/25 I always find Fredrik Backman’s books hard to review because I feel like I never have the words to express how special they are. His latest book, My Friends, is an incredibly moving story that is at times heartbreaking, but also filled with warmth and humor. One thing Backman does so well is he always makes me care deeply for his characters, to the extent that I’ll still vividly remember them years after reading one of his books. Louisa is an 18 year old artist whose best friend has recently died. Both were orphans in the foster system, so now Louisa is alone. She meets a man in an alley, not realizing he’s a famous artist. She tells him about her favorite painting, not realizing he’s the artist and the painting is of his best friends. When the artist dies, his friend Ted finds Louisa and gives the painting, the start of a life changing journey for her. Louisa confesses to Ted she’s homeless and he offers to help her sell the painting. As they travel by train to make that happen, Ted and Louisa bond & he tells her the full story of the friends in the painting - Ted, Joar, Ali, and “the artist” - and just how important they were to each other. We see flashbacks of their lives, which were often so hard, they were almost painful to read in some cases. The teens’ friendships were such a beautiful contrast to all of the ugliness that surrounded them & I was so invested in their story, as was Louisa, who prodded Ted to continue every time he paused. I adored the bond between Ted and Louisa. They were so funny and in tune with one another, like Louisa had found her people. If you know me, you know I love the found family trope & with My Friends, I feel like Backman has written the ultimate found family story. As heartbreaking as the story could be at times, there’s a beautiful underlying message about the power of friendship & having people believe in you. Marin Ireland narrates the audiobook & turns in a phenomenal performance that had me feeling all the emotions! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ❓Last 5 star read?
    Thanks to @hambright_pr and @jillshalvis for the # Thanks to @hambright_pr and @jillshalvis for the #gifted review copy! 🩷 Review - THE LOVE FIX 🩷 Author - Jill Shalvis Pub Date - 6/24/25 Lexi Clark hasn’t been back to Sunrise Cove since she was a child. Her mother Daisy’s gambling addiction drove their family apart back then and Lexi moved away with her father. The Lexi we meet when the story opens has since been fired from her job, cheated on, and has put walls up around her heart. Lexi has now reluctantly returned at the request of her stepsister Ashley to fulfill the last request of Daisy, who passed away a year ago. Shortly before her death, Daisy won the lottery and as a way to thank some people who helped her when her life hit rock bottom, she has divided the winnings into six envelopes and wants Lexi and Ashley to deliver them together, one a week until they’re all delivered. I started to get emotional as soon as I realized what Daisy was really trying to do with this seemingly odd request. I loved watching the sisters bond as they carried out Daisy’s wishes and how what starts out as a trip Lexi didn’t really even want to make turns into such a journey of healing for her. In addition to allowing her to bond with her stepsister, coming home allows Lexi to reconnect with Heath, her childhood rival now something more. Their romance is a slow burn, but every interaction between them is just perfect. Heath has grown up to be this charming guy, and whether Lexi wants to admit it or not, she can’t get enough of him, even if he drives her crazy. While he may like to tease her, Heath understands all she has been through and is incredibly patient with her. I loved the two of them together and was really rooting for both he and Ashley to knock all of those walls down around Lexi’s heart so that she could have the relationships she had been denying herself by closing herself off for so many years. The Love Fix is the eighth and final book in Jill Shalvis’ Sunrise Cove series, and while I’m sad to see it end, Shalvis ends the series on a beautiful note, filled with warmth, humor, love, and family. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 ❓QOTD - Jill Shalvis is one of my auto-buy authors. Who are some of yours?
    Thanks to @readforeverpub and @hachetteaudio for t Thanks to @readforeverpub and @hachetteaudio for the #gifted book and ALC! #partner 💜 Review - WRITING MR. WRONG 💜 Author - Kelley Armstrong Pub Date - 6/24/25 Writing Mr. Wrong immediately appealed to me in that it’s both a hockey romance and it’s a book about books. Gemma is a romance author and when we meet her, she is promoting her debut novel, a novel where she has written the male lead to be a jerk, inspired by her first crush in high school, Mason Moretti, a now famous but aging hockey player. When the cover art for the book is revealed, a mean girl from high school who now happens to anchor a talk show offers to help Gemma promote her book. What she doesn’t tell Gemma is that she recognizes Mason and because she clearly hasn’t outgrown her mean girl ways, decides to blindside Gemma on live TV by inviting Mason to her show as well. Mason catches on to what Ms. Mean Girl is up to, thankfully, manages to turn what could have been a nightmare into a public lovefest for himself and Gemma instead, which then leads to their publicists suggesting some fake dating might help both of their careers. I had such a good time with this story! I love fake dating and a second chance romance, and since Gemma and Mason clearly still had feelings of some sort for one another, I was dying to know what happened between them in high school to inspire Gemma to put him in her book the way she did. I also loved that Mason read Gemma’s book since he knew he had inspired the male main character and that he actually learned from it. I already loved Gemma from the start, after learning that she was divorced and now making it on her own as an author, but Mason really stepped it up with some amazing character growth. I just really enjoyed the way Armstrong wrote this relationship. They supported each other as they figured things out. It felt very healthy and had me rooting for them as a couple all the more. Patricia Santomasso & Sean Patrick Hopkins narrate the audiobook and I enjoyed their performances because they really had me feeling the chemistry and the history between Gemma & Mason. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ❓QOTD - Do you enjoy books about books? Have a favorite?
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