Romance Reviews: THE HOOKUP PLAN and LUCK & LAST RESORTS
Happy Friday! Well, we’ve made it through another week. Between work being busy and my son starting back to school (10th grade!) this week, I am so ready for the weekend. Today I’m back with a couple of romance reviews that I’m happy to share my thoughts on. This was my first time reading Farrah Rochon so I’ll definitely be looking to check out her backlist, and I was already a big fan of Sarah Grunder Ruiz after her wonderful debut so it was a real treat to get another new book from her.
The Hookup Plan Goodreads Author: Farrah Rochon
Publication Date: August 2, 2022
Publisher: Forever
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon was such a fun and sexy read. It follows London Kelley, a very successful pediatric surgeon who has been feeling stressed out lately and just needs to bring some balance and relaxation to her life. According to her best friends, what she really needs is a casual hookup – a night of fun but with no strings attached. No one is more shocked than London when the opportunity presents itself at her high school reunion in the form of Drew Sullivan, London’s high school arch nemesis and co-valedictorian.
I’m a big fan of the rivals-to-lovers trope so I was thoroughly entertained by the sparks that flew between London and Drew. It was hilarious learning about how competitive they were in high school and especially about how much Drew got under London’s skin. It’s clear that whatever their relationship was back then, they are definitely attracted to each other present day and that Drew might be exactly the stress relief London has been looking for.
It’s not smooth sailing for the two of them, however. In fact, it’s pretty darn rocky because it turns out that Drew isn’t just in town for the reunion. He works for a company that is evaluating the state of the hospital London works at to determine its future, particularly if it should be sold. London’s hospital is one that currently caters to lower income families, and she fears that what Drew and his company are doing could make it harder for those families to receive the care they need. Is London’s arch nemesis from high school still her arch nemesis or can she believe him when he says he’s a good guy? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
The Hookup Plan has a little something for everyone. There’s plenty of steamy scenes between London and Drew, but then there are also some fabulous female friendships as well as some heartwarming scenes between London and her young patients. It was just an all around fun and satisfying read and I highly recommend to fans of the rivals-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers tropes. 4 STARS.
Luck and Last Resorts (Love, Lists & Fancy Ships, #2) Goodreads
Author: Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Publication Date: August 9, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Love, Lists & Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz was one of my favorite romance reads from last year. Set aboard a luxury yacht, that book was sweet, witty, and just such a wonderful read. When I read it, I fell head over heels for the “found family” vibe of the yacht’s hilarious crew, particularly Nina and Ollie, two veteran crew members who bicker like an old married couple and just stole every scene they were in. Needless to say, I was overjoyed when I realized that there was going to be a sequel, Luck & Last Resorts, and that it features Nina and Ollie.
The relationship between Nina and Ollie had a big “are they or aren’t they a couple?” vibe in the first book so I was thrilled that the author really explored it in depth in Luck & Last Resorts. I was so thrilled when the novel opens with a grand gesture from Ollie. He declares his love for Nina and wants her to commit to being with him. He’s completely devoted to her, miserable when he isn’t around her, and has decided it’s time to wear his heart on his sleeve. Unfortunately, Nina isn’t so convinced. Yes, of course, she loves Ollie, but she’s a commitment-phobe at heart, has been hurt in the past, and only knows how to rely on herself. Letting someone, even Ollie, all the way in is just too hard for her to even think about.
Nina’s scenes with Ollie still have all the sexiness and fun, and of course the hilarious banter from the first book. However, there’s an angsty undertone throughout because Ollie has decided that if Nina isn’t ready to commit to him after all these years, he can’t do it anymore and he’s moving back to Ireland. I wanted to shake Nina but understood that she clearly needed to work through some things and figure out what and who she wanted in her life. Nina’s journey really drives a lot of the story and I was completely invested in it.
I also loved that the author used a dual timeline in this story. One timeline follows Nina and Ollie in the present as they work through their feelings for one another, while the other timeline takes us back to when they first met years ago and delivers a huge and unexpected plot twist that just made me love them even more.
I know I’m just rambling now, but I just love this series and all the characters so much. If you’re in the mood for a beautifully written romance novel that is both fun and flirty, but also emotional and angsty, and that will leave you with a full heart and a smile on your face, I highly recommend both books in this series. 4.5 STARS
Top Ten Tuesday: One-Word Reviews for the Last 10 Books I Read But Didn’t Review on the Blog
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is actually supposed to be Hilarious Book Titles, but I wasn’t feeling that one so I decided to revisit a topic from a few months ago that I really enjoyed – One-Word Reviews for the Last Ten Books I Read But Didn’t Review on the Blog. I’ve been really knocking out books from my own shelves this year, but I haven’t been spending much time reviewing them on this site. I like how this topic allows me to at least briefly share what else I’ve been reading lately.
One-Word Reviews for the Last Ten Books I Read But Didn’t Review on My Blog
1. BOOKED ON A FEELING by Jayci Lee – PREDICTABLE
2. AN OFFER FROM A GENTLEMAN by Julia Quinn – ANGSTY
3. THE DIAMOND EYE by Kate Quinn – DEADLY
4. EVERY SUMMER AFTER by Carley Fortune – NOSTALGIC
5. THE MISSED CONNECTION by Denise Williams – FUN
6. SOMETHING WILDER by Christina Lauren – UNEXPECTED
7. THE STEMINIST NOVELLAS by Ali Hazelwood – ADORABLE
8. UGLY LOVE by Colleen Hoover – HEARTWRENCHING
9. AFTER I DO by Taylor Jenkins Reid – RESONATES
10. THE HIDDEN ONE BY LINDA CASTILLO – TWISTY
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Question: Have your read any of these? How would you describe them in one word?
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Reviews: UPGRADE & THE BOOK EATERS
Hey everyone! I hope you all had a nice weekend. I’m back today with something I haven’t shared in a while, sci-fi/fantasy reviews! I think I’m finally starting to get over my pandemic aversion of all books that were somewhat dark in theme, and I’m happy to share my thoughts on these two new releases. Blake Crouch is one of my favorite sci-fi authors so I was thrilled that my inner mood reader finally decided it was time to dive in to his latest. Sunyi Dean’s is her debut, and after reading this book, I can’t wait to read more from her!
Upgrade Goodreads Author: Blake Crouch
Publication Date: July 12, 2022
Publisher: Random House/Ballantine Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
What I love about Blake Crouch’s novels is that I can always count on him for an action-packed, mind blowing read that will completely absorb me from the moment I read that first page. Crouch’s latest sci-fi thriller Upgrade delivers in a big way.
Set in the near future, the story follows Logan Ramsay, a federal agent who works for the Gene Protection Agency or GPA. The GPA was formed after a genetic modification project that was meant to save our species goes terribly wrong and instead leads to famine and mass death. The project was headed up by Logan’s mother, and he has joined the GPA in hopes of preventing similar incidents from ever happening again. When the novel opens, Logan is following up on a tip about an illegal genetics lab. Almost as soon as he enters the lab, he is hit with a bomb. It’s not just any bomb though, as Logan realizes soon after waking up in the hospital. No, this bomb contained a genetic upgrade and Logan can feel himself starting to transform into a much enhanced version of himself.
I very much enjoyed the way this story unfolds. It was fascinating to watch Logan’s transformation and what he’s able to do now that he has been “upgraded.” I also found the story riveting as Logan encounters a few others who have also been upgraded but who are not on his side when it comes to the need for caution regarding genetic research and modification. These encounters are an action-packed adrenaline rush and made for a fast-paced read. It was also mind blowing when it is revealed who is responsible for these genetic upgrades and what their intentions are if they are not stopped.
Aside from the fascinating science and the thrilling action scenes, I also enjoyed that the story had a more personal element to it when it comes to Logan. Logan is a really likeable guy that I couldn’t help but root for. He’s smart, well versed in genetics and genetic modification and the associated dangers of going too far, and he also has a huge conscience. With his GPA job, he’s trying so hard to atone for what he sees as his mother’s sins, and I thought that was very noble of him.
I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll stop here and just say that if you’re in the mood for an action-packed sci-fi thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat but also leave you with plenty of food for thought regarding science, ethics, and the future of our species, Upgrade is the book for you! 4.5 STARS
The Book Eaters Goodreads
Author: Sunyi Dean
Publication Date: August 2, 2022
Publisher: Tor Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I first became interested in reading The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean when I read somewhere that the author was interested in crafting a unique vampire story, something that hadn’t already been done to death. Dean succeeds too because The Book Eaters is, by far, one of the most unique vampire stories I’ve ever read. For that matter, it’s also one of the most unique fantasy novels I’ve read in a long time.
The story takes us deep into the world of book eaters, a species who can pass for humans with the exception of their diet. Rather than eat food and drink water, they rely on eating books for sustenance. The author does an incredible job with creating this world, showing us what the eaters get from the kinds of books they eat. Whatever books they eat are immediately committed to memory, and the eaters have a definite “taste” preference when it comes to things like glossy vs. non-glossy pages, etc.
The book eaters also have a real problem on their hands because their species is dying off. Very few females are ever born, and so in an effort to stave off extinction, the few females who are born are raised to eat only fairy tales in order to groom them all to become wives and mothers. Arrangements are made, and basically, as soon as each female gives birth to a child and it is weaned from her, she is then sent on to fulfill her next arrangement and get pregnant again.
The story follows Devon Fairweather, a young book eater who has been forced into motherhood, hates the oppressive nature of the life she is being forced to live, and ultimately wants out of it. Devon sees the especially cruel nature of her world when Cai, one of the babies she gives birth to, is considered to be a monster. Cai is one of those few babies who are born to book eaters, that instead of existing on a diet of books, they exist on a diet of brains, thus leaving behind a trail of bodies whenever they feed. The elders in Devon’s family want to get rid of Cai, and Devon is not having it, which spurs her into motion and propels the overall action of the book.
I don’t want to give away any more details because this unique story is best experienced knowing as little as possible going in. I did occasionally have to re-read pages to really understand the worldbuilding and the relationships between various people Devon encounters throughout the book, but I think that was more of a me issue than anything wrong with the writing itself.
Devon was a fascinating character to me. I’d classify her as morally gray in the sense that she makes a lot of hard choices when it comes to doing what she feels is right to ensure Cai’s survival. I loved her mama bear instincts though and, as a mom myself, was 100% on board for her doing whatever it takes for the child she loves so much. I also loved the way the author has the story unfold through dual timelines, one with Devon as a child and the other after she becomes a mother. It really illuminated the oppressive nature of the book eater world, and that oppression of women and their bodies resonated all the more with me after what has happened with Roe v. Wade this year.
I highly recommend The Book Eaters to anyone who is a fan of vampire stories, and also to anyone who enjoys thought provoking, action packed dark urban fantasies with fascinating morally gray characters. 4 STARS