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Blog Tour – FAKING CHRISTMAS by Kerry Winfrey

Blog Tour – THIS SPELLS DISASTER by Tori Anne Martin

Blog Tour – Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

Book Tour Review – WHAT WOULD JANE AUSTEN DO? by Linda Corbett

Pub Day Review: THE ROOMMATE PACT by Allison Ashley

Review: ON THE SAVAGE SIDE by Tiffany McDaniel

Review: THE WILDERWOMEN by Ruth Emmie Lang

Review: CARRIE SOTO IS BACK by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Review: BEND TOWARD THE SUN by Jen Devon

Review: LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood

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About Me

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?

BOOKSTAGRAM

Thanks for the free ARC & #gifted ALC @berkleyroma

Thanks for the free ARC & #gifted ALC @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley & @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

🍁 Review - IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY 🍁

Author - Julie Olivia

Pub Date - 9/2/25

When we first meet Michelle, she is grieving the death of her mom and the end of her marriage. She has also just moved from Seattle to a small town in Vermont to temporarily run her parents’ B&B until her sister finishes school and takes over. Things start off awkwardly for Michelle because she has no idea how to run a B&B and isn’t good when it comes to interacting with the guests, or with people in general. The charm of the town, coupled with wonderful neighbors who truly want to help her, soon win her over and she settles in.

It also doesn’t hurt that her next door neighbor, Cliff, is a sexy single dad who has major Golden Retriever vibes, two fantastic daughters, and also happens to be a master baker.

I adored Cliff. He’s so charming and he’s an amazing dad. He’s also incredibly patient with Michelle, no matter how cold and awkward she sometimes comes across. I loved watching him break through her defenses and get her to open up to him.

The relationship is a slow burn, as Michelle and Cliff start off as friends & gradually become more. I thought the relationship was so well written & its progression felt very realistic.

Michelle is also on an emotional journey, processing both her grief & some unresolved feelings regarding her relationship with her mom. Being a part of this small Vermont community helps her reevaluate what she wants out of life and I was fully invested in her journey.

There’s so much to love about this book! It’s set in the 1990’s and gave me so much nostalgia for that time period. It’s also set in the fall and the charming, small town fall atmosphere was giving major Gilmore Girls vibes, which I loved.

The audiobook was perfect for immersive reading. It’s narrated by Blair Young, Emily Eiden, Alex Raby, & Sean Patrick Hopkins. This cast delivers a charming performance that really elevated my overall experience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - Since Cliff is a baker, what’s your favorite baked good?

AOTD - Right now I’m loving apple cider donuts!

Thanks to @hambright_pr, @EmilyRathAuthor, & @Kens

Thanks to @hambright_pr, @EmilyRathAuthor, & @Kensingtonbooks for the #gifted copy!

🏒 REVIEW - PUCKING STRONG 🏒

Author - Emily Rath

Pub Date - 8/26/25

While Pucking Strong is the fourth book in the Jacksonville Rays hockey romance series, it’s my first time reading Emily Rath’s books. I’ve been wanting to try her books so when I saw the books in this series work as standalones, I decided it was time. I’m so glad I did too because this book had my whole heart from start to finish!

Henrik is the Swedish star player on the Rays, while Teddy is a doctor for the team. Teddy has also had a crush on Henrik, dating back six years to when he was an intern. Henrik and Teddy are opposites, with Henrik being reserved yet protective, while Teddy is drama and chaos personified but in the most endearing way.

When a tragedy leaves Henrik’s young niece, Karolina, orphaned in Sweden and Henrik faces challenges securing custody because he’s single and a professional hockey player, Teddy proposes the perfect solution — he & Henrik should get married. Teddy doesn’t know how he’ll be able to hide his real feelings from Henrik, but all that matters is keeping Henrik & Karolina together.

I enjoy a marriage of convenience story, and the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding this one, combined with Teddy’s huge heart stepping up to help Henrik, just melted my heart.

I adored both Henrik and Teddy & was so invested in them as a couple. This is a slow burn though, not just because Teddy and Henrik are so focused on Karolina, but also because Henrik is demisexual. This is the first time I’ve read a romance with demisexuality, & I think Rath did a wonderful job handling it in such an authentic way.

Henrik is slow to open up to intimacy, but as his emotional connection with Teddy grows, his walls gradually come down. I loved how patient Teddy was with him, & I thought their journey was so beautiful and definitely worth the wait!

The found family/team vibes were also wonderful & had me immediately binging Pucking Around because I wanted to get to know the other characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

❓QOTD - Have you read any new-to-you authors this year? Favorites?

✈️ PUB DAY FEATURE - IT HAD TO BE HIM ✈️

✈️ PUB DAY FEATURE - IT HAD TO BE HIM ✈️

Thanks so much to @readforeverpub #partner and @adibkhorram for this amazing book mail!

I was a big fan of Adib Khorram’s adult debut, I’ll Have What He’s Having, when it was released last year, so I can’t wait to read his latest book, It Had to Be Him, which releases today. It’s described as Heartstopper meets Eat Pray Love and is a spicy, second chance romance that follows two former classmates who unexpectedly reunite in Italy.

The book mail package also features a beautiful 2026 calendar from Workman Publishing that features 265 gorgeous photos of Italy and a copy of Grand European Journeys, a fantastic travel guide from Moon Travel Guides. It has been ten years since I visited and fell in love with Italy, so these items have me daydreaming about making a return visit!

Synopsis for It Had to Be Him:

Ramin Yazdani’s marriage proposal has just gone bottoms up: his ex dumped him in public for being boring. Bent on proving him wrong, Ramin books a spontaneous solo trip to Italy. When he runs into his high school crush while in a gelateria, however, his resolve to reinvent himself is put to the test.

Noah Bartlett’s in a rut. Since his divorce, he’s become a bit of a homebody. So when his ex-wife insists he join her and their son on an Italian holiday, Noah reluctantly agrees. But his reticence turns to excitement when he sees his former classmate, who’s aged just like a fine wine. As a teenager, Ramin fascinated him—and since Noah now knows that fascination was code for crush—all those feelings are quick to come rushing back.

Soon Ramin and Noah are tumbling headfirst into a relationship. Only Ramin fears Noah’s feelings won’t last without Ramin’s adventurous new persona—and Noah’s not sure he can be the supportive partner Ramin deserves. With the days counting down to the end of their trip, can their love last without the magic of Italy?

❓QOTD - If you could plan a trip to a destination of your choice right now, where would you go?

🍂 SEPTEMBER SPELLSTACK 🍂 🍁 Summer may be

🍂 SEPTEMBER SPELLSTACK 🍂

🍁 Summer may be coming to end, but our spellstacks are getting ready for the ‘ber months. 🍁⠀⠀
⠀

My September stack is filled with some of my favorite romance reads from recent years, plus one from my TBR that I’m hoping to get to soon.

S - Savor It by Tarah DeWitt
E - Ever After Always by Chloe Liese
P - Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
T - Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura
E - Everything for You by Chloe Liese
M - Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison
B - Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
E - Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
R - Ready or Not by Cara Bastone (TBR)

❓QOTD - What are some things you’re looking forward to this month?

⠀
Check out #SeptemberSpellStack25 for a look at all our S•E•P•T•E•M•B•E•R stackers, and if you see this, consider yourself challenged!⠀
⠀
Don’t forget to use #SeptemberSpellStack25 to join us, and DM @cynsfictionaddiction to jump into the last of our 2025 monthly SpellStack challenges.

📚 AUGUST WRAP-UP 📚 Hey book friends! I hope

📚 AUGUST WRAP-UP 📚

Hey book friends! I hope your September is off to a great start. Was August a good reading month for you?

I had another really solid reading month. I was able to finish 24 books, including almost all of the books from my list of August hopefuls, 2 more books from my 25 in 2025 challenge, and a couple of other older books that have been on my physical TBR for a while.

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. While I read a lot during my vacation, I was somewhat lazy about writing reviews. I have several reviews for new releases I still need to post from this list so stay tuned for most of those to hit my feed this week.

❓QOTD: How was your reading month? What were some of your favorite August reads?

❤️ 5 STARS ❤️

He Falls First by Jill Shalvis
Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe

🧡 4.5 STARS 🧡

Pucking Strong by Emily Rath (Review coming this week)
Love’s a Witch by Tricia O’Malley
Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De la Rosa
Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver (Review to come)
Red Card by Maren Moore
If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair
Forget Me Not by Stacy Williingham
Not Part of the Plan by Lucy Score
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia (Review coming this week)
Caught Up by Liz Tomforde (Review to come)

💛 4 STARS 💛

The Late-Night Witches by Auralee Wallace
The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner
Holding on to Chaos by Lucy Score
The Score by Elle Kennedy (Review to come)
Pucking Around by Emily Rath
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst (Review to come)
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (Review to come)
Finding Mr. July by Anna E. Collins (Review to come)
The Bachelor Cowboy by Jessica Clare (Review coming this week)

💚 3.5 STARS 💚

Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro
For the Record by Emma Lord

💙 3 STARS 💙

Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander

💜 2 STARS 💜

NONE

1 STAR or DNFs

NONE

Thanks to @gallerybooks #partner for the #gifted A

Thanks to @gallerybooks #partner for the #gifted ARC and to @simon.audio #partner for the gifted ALC.

✨Review - GOLD COAST DILEMMA ✨

Author - Nana Malone

Pub Date - 4/29/25

Gold Coast Dilemma is a fun rivals-to-lovers, workplace romance that follows Ofosua Addo and Cole Drake, who both work in the publishing industry. Years ago they met at a publishing party and really hit it off, but nothing came of the encounter because Ofosua is a Ghanian-American heiress who had already been promised to another. That relationship, however, literally falls apart on Ofosua’s wedding day, so the next time Cole and Ofosua encounter one another, it’s a very different scenario, although now Ofosua is focused on her career in publishing, and Cole is her rival at the publishing house where they both now work.

I enjoy a good rivals-to-lovers romance so I had a good time following Ofosua and Cole as they got reacquainted in this new environment. Sparks definitely fly between them as they initially butt heads on the job, but the more time they spend together, it becomes clear they have feelings for one another and I thought they had amazing chemistry.

I also liked that this story also explored some timely and relevant topics like racism, discrimination, classicism, and that it also featured a big personal journey for Ofosua as she is torn between living her life the way she wants to live it and the pressures of cultural traditions and the expectations of her parents.

I read with my eyes and ears and thought the audiobook was wonderful. Soneela Nankani and Tim Paige narrate and they really made Nana Malone’s writing, especially her banter, pop. It was a very entertaining listen!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - If you got dropped into the world of your current read, what would you be doing?

📚 CURRENTLY READING - The Haven Brothers series

📚 CURRENTLY READING - The Haven Brothers series 📚

Hey book friends! I hope you all had a great weekend. I’ve been taking advantage of the long holiday weekend here to binge-read the first two books in Claire Kingsley’s Haven Brothers romantic suspense series, which I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. I’m halfway through Obsession Falls and loving it so far!

Thanks so much to @sourcebookscasa #partner for the gifted books. Both books are available for purchase now!

❓QOTD - What’s your first read of September?

Thanks to @gallerybooks #partner for the #gifted A

Thanks to @gallerybooks #partner for the #gifted ARC and to @simon.audio #partner for the gifted ALC.

Review - LOVE’S A WITCH (The Scottish Charms #1)

Author - Tricia O’Malley

Pub Date - 8/26/25

Love’s a Witch is a witchy romantasy with the most perfect cozy vibes. It’s set in Briarhaven, Scotland, a small town filled with quirky characters that has also become a haven for its magical residents, thanks to Mayor Knox Douglas, who has transformed the town into a whimsical tourist destination. The last thing Knox needs in his town is a witch whose magic is completely out of whack, but that’s exactly what he gets when Sloane MacGregor returns to her hometown.

Sloane’s magic has just awakened now that she has turned 25 and she and her sisters return to Briarhaven at their grandmother’s request to try to break a curse that has plagued their family for hundreds of years. Sloane’s magic has obviously been impacted by the curse and she has no control over how it manifests. When the sisters arrive, the town is immediately hit by a magical snowstorm that just won’t stop. Their curse threatens to upset the haven that Knox has created, so he’s determined to get rid of them, which sets us up for a classic enemies-to-lovers romance when sparks immediately fly between Knox and Sloane.

This was such a fun read! I loved the chemistry between Knox and Sloane and looked forward to all of their scenes together, especially once they really start to open up to one another. I also adored Sloane’s grandmother, who was just such a fun presence in the book, and I love exploring the whole family dynamic of the MacGregor witches. If you like familiars in your witchy reads, you’ll also be in cuteness overload between Blue, the winged emberwolf pup, Haggis, a mini Highland cow, and Oswald the cat.

I did an immersive read with this book and was captivated by the narration of Imogen Church and John Hartley. I loved their accents, which fit perfectly with what I was imagining while reading the physical arc, and I thought they were both just spot on when it came to capturing that cozy, whimsical feel of the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - Any fun weekend plans?

🍁📚 MY FALL IS BOOKED 📚🍁 Thanks to @be

🍁📚 MY FALL IS BOOKED 📚🍁

Thanks to @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley and @acebookspub for the free books. I’m putting together my Fall TBR now and all three of these are highly anticipated reads for me so I wanted to make sure they are on your radar as well, especially if you’re into witches, ghosts, or vampires!

Books Featured:

👻Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca, Boneyard Key #2 (Pub Date 9/9/25) - Clashing ghost tours lead to a sizzling romantic rivalry in the second romance in the new series from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.

🧛🏻‍♂️Road Trip with a Vampire, My Vampires #3 (Pub Date 10/14/25) - A vampire who can’t remember his past and a witch with secrets of her own hit the road in this zany, cross-country romantic comedy from beloved author Jenna Levine.

🧹Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood, Rewitched #2 (Pub Date 9/25/25) - Annie Wildwood is practically perfect in every witch way. Her life is a haze of pink, magic and impossibly high standards. But, when she is tasked with mentoring a troubled teenage witch with extraordinary powers, Annie’s charmed existence is quickly thrown into utter chaos.

Cute fall mug and bookmarks were purchased from @emilycromwelldesigns.

❓QOTD - What are some books you’re excited to read this fall? Are you ready for fall or are you wishing summer would stick around a bit longer?

🪶Birds and the Bees Collab 🪶 From flirty fe

🪶Birds and the Bees Collab 🪶

From flirty feels to full-on swoon, we’re here to tell you about the birds, the bees, and a whole lot of happily ever afters..

To see how we’re celebrating life and love in all its bookish glory, check out the hashtag #bfshappilyeverbookies

🌱🐝🩷🌻🪶🌻🩷🐝🌱

Today I’m sharing a stack of my favorite spicy romance books, plus slides with more information about each book, including tropes.

🐝 First Time Caller by B.K. Borison
🌱 Technically Yours by Denise Williams
🩷 Red Card by Maren Moore
🌻 Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
🐝 The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
🌱 Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
🩷 Book Lovers by Emily Henry
🌻 This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
🪶 Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
🐝 The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
🌱 The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
🩷 Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage
🌻 The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
🪶 You, With a View by Jessica Joyce
🐝 Story of My Life by Lucy Score
🌱 One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

❓QOTD - Have you read any of these? What are your favorite tropes?

🌱🐝🩷🌻🪶🌻🩷🐝🌱

This collab & more bookish community fun is hosted by the members of @bookends.friends 🫶🏻

#bookendsfriends #bookishcollab #bookstafriends #booklovers #bookishcommunity #bookishfun

Thanks for the free book & #gifted ALC @berkleyrom

Thanks for the free book & #gifted ALC @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley & @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

🌸 Review - GABRIELA AND HIS GRACE (Luna Sisters #3) 🌸

Author - Liana De la Rosa

Pub Date - 8/26/25

Gabriela (“Gabby”) is the youngest and most rebellious Luna sister, and she has something to prove, namely that she’s more than just a pretty face and a prize for her father to marry off to a suitable husband for political purposes.

When she has had her fill of British suitors pursuing her, Gabby decides it’s time to go home to Mexico. Maybe there’s something she can do to help her country since it is still embroiled in the conflict with Europe. She boards a ship and is not happy to find Sebastian Brooks, the Duke of Whitfield, is also traveling to Mexico. Gabby and Sebastian have a history of verbal sparring, and a bit of a love-hate relationship. Gabby is not thrilled to be stuck with him for 10 days, but that forced proximity is exactly what they need to realize their true feelings for one another.

As always, the author’s writing is wonderful. I enjoyed how the she threads the historical information of this time period throughout each book. It flows perfectly into each storyline and never feels like an info dump. I also love her character development and how authentically the relationships always progress.

I also loved the chemistry between Gabby and Sebastian! Their banter is so fun, and I liked that even when trading barbs, you could tell they really did respect one another. I also loved that Sebastian sees Gabby as she wants to be seen & that he steps up to defend her. I enjoyed getting to know these characters. There’s so much more than meets the eye with them both!

The audiobook is 12 hrs, 24 mins & it just flew by. I listened comfortably at 1.7x & Ruby Hunt’s narration was fantastic. The voices were distinct which made it easy to follow the different characters. Her spirited narration was great for Gabby’s sass, but she also perfectly captured the more vulnerable moments as well.

I’m sad the series is over but couldn’t have asked for a better ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - Any series you’re hoping to start or finish this year?

✨25 in 2025 Read #16 - QUICKSILVER by Callie Har

✨25 in 2025 Read #16 - QUICKSILVER by Callie Hart ✨

I have to admit that this romantasy is one I bought because of FOMO but then promptly set aside because I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype.

Saeris, the female main character, had me rooting for her right from the start. I love an underdog character and she really fit the bill. Growing up in poverty in a land where even the water is rationed, Saeris has turned to thievery just to survive. She’s brave, strong, clever, and stubborn, and she is also hiding the fact that she possesses powers she is still figuring out. When we meet her, Saeris has gotten herself into a world of trouble and the only way she escapes with her life is by accidentally opening a portal to another realm, specifically the Fae realm, right in the middle of a centuries old conflict that could easily get her killed.

Kingfisher is a fae warrior, and he’s just so grumpy and broody. He can get Saeris back home to her own realm, but he also has his own agenda, which is to try to use her powers to protect his own people. I love a broody MMC so I was a big fan of Kingfisher.

Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope, so I really enjoyed watching these two butt heads before they eventually acknowledge their attraction to one another. Between Saeris’ sarcasm and Kingfisher’s grumpy attitude, their banter is very entertaining, but I enjoyed the story even more as their relationship evolved into one of respect and cooperation.

The story itself is a wild, action-packed ride and I thought the worldbuilding was well done. I’m hoping we’ll get more details about the actual quicksilver element and about Saeris’ powers in the next book, but I’m pretty happy with what we got in this book.

I did think the pacing was a little uneven and specifically that the middle of the book felt like it started to drag, especially when compared to the first part of the book and to the final chapters. Even with that issue, I still thoroughly enjoyed Quicksilver and look forward to the next book in the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - What’s a book you have been avoiding for fear it wouldn’t live up to the hype?

🏒⚾️⛳️ SPORTS ROMANCE BOOK RECS 🏈🏀

🏒⚾️⛳️ SPORTS ROMANCE BOOK RECS 🏈🏀⚽️

Hey book friends! Are you a fan of sports romances or have you been looking to start your sports romance journey? I’ve been in my sports romance era for almost two years now and thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites so far. I seem to have read more hockey and football romances than any other sports, so I’ve done a slide each for those two sports, and then added a third slide for various other sports. I haven’t done specific spice ratings on the individual books, but if I’m remembering correctly, all of these have at least some open door spice in them.

🏒 HOCKEY ROMANCES 🏒

✨Kiss and Don’t Tell by Meghan Quinn
✨The Deal by Elle Kennedy
✨Behind the Bench by Jillian Arly
✨The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson
✨Powerless by Elsie Silver
✨Always Only You by Chloe Liese
✨Mile High by Liz Tomforde
✨Unsteady by Peyton Corinne
✨Consider Me by Becka Mack
✨The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey
✨The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy
✨The Bad Boy Rule by Maren Moore

🏈 AMERICAN FOOTBALL ROMANCES 🏈

✨The Rule Book by Sarah Adams
✨The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
✨Playbook by Rebecca Jenshak
✨Fumbled by Alexa Martin
✨The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon
✨Say You Swear by Meagan Brandy
✨Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills
✨First Down by Grace Reilly
✨Coach by Devney Perry
✨The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan
✨Too Hard to Forget by Tessa Bailey
✨The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

⚾️ OTHER SPORTS ROMANCES ⚽️

✨Red Card by Maren Moore (Rugby)
✨Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey (Golf)
✨Ride with Me by Simone Soltani (Formula One Racing)
✨Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan (Basketball)
✨Relationship Goals by Brittany Kelley (Soccer)
✨Deep End by Ali Hazelwood (Diving, Swimming)
✨Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner (Soccer)
✨Caught Up by Liz Tomforde (Baseball)
✨The Right Move by Liz Tomforde (Basketball)
✨The Path to Loving Him by Meghan Quinn (Baseball)
✨Burnout by Rebecca Jenshak (Motocross)
✨Homerun Proposal by Maren Moore (Baseball)

❓QOTD - Have you read any of these? Or do you have any other sports romance recs? I’m always looking for new books to check out.

🌸 MINI REVIEWS - BLUE MOON SERIES 🌸 Thanks

🌸 MINI REVIEWS - BLUE MOON SERIES 🌸

Thanks to @read_bloom for the gifted copies. I’ve been loving each book in Lucy Score’s Blue Moon small town romantic comedy series. I binged these in just a couple of sittings and finished each book with a smile on my face.

Not Part of the Plan (First published 4/10/17; re-released 7/8/25)

This installment follows Niko, a sexy motorcycle-riding photographer from New York, and Emma, Blue Moon’s feisty brewery manager. who is Niko’s opposite in every way. Niko has a reputation for being a bad boy, while Emma is the kind of woman men want to settle down with. At first Emma is unimpressed with Niko and his charming ways, but when she realizes that he is trying to figure out what is missing in his life and in his photography, Emma can’t resist trying to help him figure it out. The chemistry between Niko and Emma is off the charts, no matter how hard Emma tries to keep the walls up that she has had around her since ending her last relationship, and it was fun watching Niko eventually get her to let her guard down and then watching their relationship develop the more they got to know and trust one another. Not Part of the Plan delivered all of the laughs and spicy content I’ve come to expect in this series, but also has a level of emotional depth to it that had me rooting for these characters so hard. This is my favorite Blue Moon book so far! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Holding on to Chaos (First published 9/25/17; re-released 8/5/25)

Eva is a romance author, who is prone to getting into accidents and finding chaos, and yet she has still manages to charm Donovan (“Sheriff Sexy”), who freely admits he would love to date her. Eva is hesitant, particularly because of the weird planetary alignment situation that has caused the townspeople to act crazier than usual. Is the sheriff saying what he’s saying because he really feels it, or is the planetary chaos making him act out of character? I loved their chemistry, and I also loved how patient the Sheriff was with Eva. Also fun is that Eva is trying to keep her writing career a secret. Good luck keeping a secret in Blue Moon! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - What are you reading this weekend?

📔 THRILLER THURSDAY - FORGET ME NOT 📔 Thank

📔 THRILLER THURSDAY - FORGET ME NOT 📔

Thanks to @minotaur_books #partner for the great PR package and ARC and thanks to @macmillan.audio #macaudio2025 for the gifted ALC.

Review - FORGET ME NOT

Author - Stacy Willingham

Pub Date - 8/26/25

Stacy Willingham is one of my favorite thriller authors so I was excited to dive into her latest, Forget Me Not and wow, it did not disappoint!

Claire is an investigative journalist who is haunted by a missing person’s case, that of her sister, Natalie, who disappeared 22 year ago. When Claire loses her job and is called to come back home and help care for her estranged mother, Claire decides to take a summer job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine vineyard about an hour from where she grew up in coastal South Carolina and it also happens to be the last place Natalie worked before she disappeared.
There she discovers an old diary written by one of the vineyard’s owners and starts reading it.

What starts out as a typical diary soon takes adark and twisted turn as the pages begin to describe a farm that sounds almost cult-like and then gives details about various unsolved crimes in the area. Claire becomes obsessed with the diary’s contents and with trying to figure out if her sister’s disappearance could possibly be related.

I really enjoyed everything about this fast paced thriller. The beautiful isolated vineyard setting really adds to the atmospheric nature of the story, and contrasts with Galloway Farm’s s dark past, and I thought the author did a fantastic job of using the diary entries & Claire’s experiences to build suspense and create tension. This was such an addictive and truly haunting read and it kept me guessing until the end. I binged this book in a couple of sittings and have been thinking about it nonstop ever since I finished it.

The audiobook was narrated by Karissa Vacker and Helen Laser, and they are both just outstanding. Their narration perfectly captures the atmospheric quality of Willingham’s writing, made Claire all the more sympathetic, and was definitely one of the reasons why I binged this book so quickly.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - Last book you couldn’t stop thinking about?

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