How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton

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For my July tbr new author prompt, I ended up choosing Dylan Newton. I had received How Sweet It Is as a gift shortly after it was released and have had it sitting on my shelf. This is technically not part of a series, but Dylan's second book released All Fired Up is about a character we meet in this book. I was able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt 2021 release.

Kate is the queen of HEAs, known for her event planning having the perfect "Aww" moment to make an event even more memorable. When a client cancels their wedding and she ends up with some free time, her friend convinces her to take on the planning for the new book release for the Knight of Nightmares, Drake. He's gearing up to release his 10th book and it's already been optioned for movie rights. Kate is hoping to expand her portfolio to increase her chances of winning a big award for her inudstry, but Drake is very low key. As Kate and Drake struggle to come to terms on what to do for the event, Drake finds a new muse in Kate and wants to spend more time with her to help finish a secret book.

This was really cute and as the title says, sweet. Now, going in I knew this was a traditionally published rom-com, so I was expecting more sweet with not too much steam. I thought it was well done and really a great change of pace after the darkness of Raze. Kate was just so bubbly and loved that when they have their meet cute she really gets thrown for a loop and doesn't start off picture perfect. Even though it was a little predictable, it was just feel good. I don't know, I don't have too much to say about it other than it is what it is and exactly as I expected. I enjoyed my time reading it and it's a solid 4-stars. I just don't really have much to gush about, but also nothing to really complain about.

A quick review, but really all it comes down to is that How Sweet It Is gave me what I wanted and met the expectations I had for it. If you enjoy the traditionally published rom-coms, definitely check it out. I though it was super cute and will definitely be interested in picking up the associated book when I'm in the mood for something like this in the future.

Have you read How Sweet It Is?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: How Sweet It Is, Dylan Newton, 4-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 352 pages, published in 2021, traditionally published

Raze by Tillie Cole

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This month the theme for the Smart Women Read Romance exclusive patreon review was contemporary dark romance. Raze won the poll. This is the first book in Tillie Cole's Scarred Souls series. I was able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt new to you author and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo prompt mafia.

Raze was taken as a young boy to live and fight in the Gulog, a Georgian prison with underground fights. It's been years since he was brought here and is known as 818, his prisoner number. When there's a prison break, all Raze knows is that he needs to return to New York City to get revenge against Alik. He can't remember much of his life after being drugged and completely isolated, but he carved into his cell Alik's name and address in case he ever got out. He comes across Kisa and instantly feels a protective instinct towards her. Kisa is the daughter to the head of the local Bratva and engaged to Alik. She is still mourning the death of her soulmate years after her is charged with killing her twin brother (and heir to the Bratva) and ends up dying in a bus crash. Kisa runs The Dungeon, the local underground fighting ring and when Raze joins to take out Alik, they find themselves thrown together more and more. Kisa struggles against the instant connection to Raze and starts to see pieces of her dead soulmate in him.

Alright, first off, let's just get this out of the way. I thought that Kisa was not a good heroine. There were times where she was okay and then she would turn around and make the silliest decision. It just didn't feel like she was actually aware of the peril her life could be in despite her saying it was. There were also a couple other people that made just as silly... alright, let's just say it... stupid decisions that I did not understand at all. Despite my frustrations, Raze and his storyline really made this book for me. I was so intrigued to learning more about him and to really see him work through what he experienced. Although, I do have to say that I feel like we spent a lot more time experiencing Kisa's trauma at the hands of Alik versus dealing with the trauma Raze went through. I also really wish that Alik was dealt with earlier in the book. Most of the plot dragged out getting to the fight between Alik and Raze. While it was nice to see him finally get his revenge, it also didn't feel as vindicating as I wanted it to be. I don't know, it just felt kind of like "that's it?" when he finally kills him.

Another thing I really didn't like was the set-up for Raze's one friend, 392. I was really hoping that we would get to see his book 2nd (and at that point intrigued enough to read his book). Now spoiler alert, but 392 is caught again and forced to fight Raze. For Raze to get revenge against Alik, he has to kill his only friend! I did not like that and honestly, that was the most upsetting part of the book to me. I also didn't like how many times we saw our heroine assaulted. I mean it continues throughout the book and even gets badly assaulted right before the big fight, which is the climax of the book. Also it was very wordy and went into a lot more detail than I'm comfortable with. It's not triggering to me, but it just feels very yucky. That paired with her stupid choices that leads to things escalating was just so exasperating for me.

So, at this point I'm not sure if I will be picking up more in this series. I'm not saying never, but I think with the almost glorified rape scenes it's not something I'm going to gravitate too. From the live show it seems that Tillie Cole can be pretty polarizing, so we'll see what happens. There's just too many other mafia romances out there I want to try. Like I said though, I'm not writing her or this series off.

Have you read Raze?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Raze, Tillie Cole, 3.5 stars, 0 days, eBook, 256 pages, published in 2014, indie published

Flawless by Elsie Silver

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One of my most anticipated releases for 2022 is the spin-off series from Elsie Silver's Gold Rush Ranch series. The first book in her Chestnut Springs series, Flawless, came out June 24th and I've been waiting for the chance to pick it up! I was able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt author rec and Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo prompt dance.

Rhett is one of the top bull riders on the circuit and getting older. After mentioning he doesn't like milk around a hot microphone, his biggest sponsor, a dairy company, pulls away. As his reputation gets twisted in the media, his agent assigns new agent Summer to be his "babysitter." Summer is actually his agent's daughter and is only joining the company to help her father out since she feels indebted to him. When Summer pushes past Rhett's boundaries by being herself, they quickly find themselves succumbing to the spark between them. As the season continues and Rhett finds himself injured, Summer and Rhett struggle to come to terms on what the future is for their relationship.

Elsie freaking does it again. First off, Rhett is one smooth yet dirty talkin' cowboy and I am here for it. Elsie always does such a good job with her heroes really being all in for their heroines and here is not exceptions. There's a slightly different vibe with this book, just it still felt just as cozy and soul-warming as Gold Rush Ranch. Here we get more of the media and public aspect of bull riding and I really loved the way that she really showed how much of a sport it is. I have grown up farm/ranch adjacent so I have been to quite a few different rodeos. It's really crazy seeing it all come down to 8 seconds and I think Elsie did a great job really portraying the mindset of a bull rider in all aspects of their life.

Summer really was such a strong heroine and I was so heartbroken to hear about her horrible relationship with her step-mother and sister. I think the only thing that could've thrown this over the top was maybe her sister reaching out or being open to them working on establishing a better relationship in the future. As someone with some strained familial relationships, it just would've been that extra little pizazz to give Summer hope in that area. Her father was great though and I loved that he fired her so she could go and find a job that really fit her passions.

Another gush fest from me for Elsie Silver! I'm so happy to be reading her spin-off series and can't wait to see the other brothers (and maybe Jasper [grumpy hockey goalie anyone?]) get their HEAs and I think the next book it tentatively set to release in October. It feels far away, but I know it'll be here sooner than we know. If you haven't read Elsie Silver, I couldn't recommend her more. She had my favorite contemporary romance of 2021 and I need more people to read her books so we can gush together!

Have you read Flawless?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Flawless, Elsie Silver, 5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 428 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Romance Takeover Readathon Light v. Dark TBR

Update: My Wrap Up is posted!!

 Time for the next round of the Romance Takeover Readathon! This readathon is organized by Jenn at The Book Refuge. She is mashing it together with her older readathon that was Light vs Dark. There is a lot of pieces at play for this readathon, so the best bet would be to check out Jenn's announcement video for all the details for the different factions and way to build your bingo board. It will run August 1st through the 7th. The hosts are Jenn, Crystal, Jessen, Rachel, Christi and Caitlin.

Above is the bingo board I created. As we are reaching the beginning of August, it's time for me to really start finishing up my reading challenges. The one I'm hoping to mostly finish during this readathon is the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo. Since I have just a few prompts, I tried to focus on books that would help me finish out that and chose from the available light and gray prompts for this readathon. I put them on my bingo board at random. I am mostly a mood reader, so this is a stricter tbr than I usually do, but there's a lot going on in August so if I don't want to feel rushed at the end of the month I want to get through my reading challenge prompts as soon as possible. Below, the top few books are what I plan on picking up the rest are hopefuls.

💡 Walking in Fire by Cathryn Cade - should cover foodie, paranormal and possibly age gap

💡 The STEMinist Novellas series by Ali Hazelwood - should cover rom com, forced proximity, friends to lovers, 2nd chance and/or work place

💡 Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau - should cover celebrity and foodie

💡 Never Sweeter by Charlotte Stein - should cover sports, plus-sized, new adult and virgin hero

💡 Touched to the Heart by Elsa Winckler - should cover sports and billionaire

💡 Gaslight Hades by Grace Draven - should cover fantasy and 2nd chance

💡 Whispers on the Wind by Donna Fletcher - should cover historical and possibly paranormal

Hopefully I'll get to the first couple books, I'm particularly excited excited for Walking in Fire. I could end up picking up other books, especially once other participants start posting their tbrs. I'm excited to participate though and am hoping to get at least one bingo!

Will you be participating in the Romance Takeover Readathon Light v. Dark?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

The Lady Chosen by Stephanie Laurens

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The regular Rake Appreciation Society book for July is The Lady Chosen by Stephanie Laurens. This is the first book in her Bastion Club series. If you haven't heard of RAS, it's hosted by Jenn and Crystal. I was able to use this to cover prompts for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo for high tea and Summer of Swoon for no people on the cover on board 2.

Tristan, the Earl of Trentham, is at the new club him and other former military men are creating. He is overseeing the renovations at the residence and has found himself entranced by the lady next door. Leonara plans to run into the new owner after being harassed by a solicitor to buy her uncle's place, two failed break-ins and being personally attacked. She approaches Tristan not sure if he was the man behind the situation. Tristan is not, but being a former military spy, he steps in to take point on the investigation. As the newly minted Earl, he is also looking for a wife. In his mind he had pictured a stereotypical debutante, but as they spend more time together, he can't see anyone other than Leonara as his Countess.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this. I did switch to from the eBook to the audio about 40% in because I was running out of time to get it done before the live show. I think that was a good option in the end because I was able to speed it up a little bit and get through the slower parts. What brings this up from a 3-star to a 3.5 is the relationship between Tristan and Leonara. I know that there are downfalls with this book, but in my mind this is a romance and the main factors for my rating should be focused on the romance itself. I loved Tristan and how much he really pushed to be with Leonara. He fell first and really couldn't stay away from her as much as he tried. I did wish that Leonara didn't fight him as much as she did and I did get a little frustrated that she pushed him away for so long (after seducing him). That's why I'd give their relationship a 4-star. The tension was great between them and I 100% understand why people talk about the steamy scenes that Stephanie is able to craft.

With the small issues I had with their relationship and then the mystery not feeling worth the risk, I had to give this another ding rating wise. I wasn't able to figure out what the mystery was, but I feel like partly because it was so out there. Then we get an elder neighbor matron that ends up dying and after all this strife what the attacker was after was so, not really worth it. I don't know, it just didn't feel like the risk met the reward. If it was going to be that much I wish that the mystery was a little more pushed and really kept up the tension in that area.

I'm excited to finally pick up a Stephanie Lauren. She's been on my tbr for a while and I know that her Cynster series is highly popular (and has a lot of spin-offs). I definitely want to continue this and start her other series. She also has a lot of gorgeous stepbacks so I'd love to collect physical copies of her books as well. We'll see when I can get to them though.

Have you read The Lady Chosen?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Lady Chosen, Stephanie Laurens, 3.5 stars, 2 days, audiobook, 440 pages, published in 2003, traditionally published