illstoptheworldandreadwithyou's reviews
736 reviews

Early twenty-something, acroyoga influencer Orie Lennox is feeling stuck. She’s not quite sure what her grand plans are for the rest of her life; her acroyoga business with her sister is fine but not something she’s especially passionate about; and her longterm boyfriend doesn’t exactly give her butterflies (and maybe never did). 

 

When she sees an open audition for Survivor, her all-time favorite show, she submits an application without a second thought. She expects the opportunity to be for both herself and her sister, but as it turns out, the producers want her to come on the show solo. 

 

And there’s a romantic twist to this Survivor spinoff that Orie is not expecting. 

 

I found Orie, who is described by a fellow contestant as “look[ing] like a cross between a butterfly and a golden retriever,” to be very relatable. She’s in that “now what?” just out of college phase. She’s adorable, bubbly, and has anxiety that knocks her off-kilter. She’s determined, intelligent, and passionate. She just has to open herself up enough to acknowledge what she’s truly passionate about. 

 

There are romantic elements to this one, but there are also a strong character growth arc and fierce friendships that are developed in that pressure-cooker environment in Fiji. Ultimately, it’s about not being confined by preconceived notions, facing your fears, and finding yourself (plus falling in love). 

 

I was fortunate to have advance copies of both the ebook and the audiobook.  Brittany Pressley’s narration is fantastic. She really captures Orie’s personality, and I enjoyed her vocal choices for the other characters as well. 

 

5⭐️ 

 

I received an advance copy of the book from Wednesday Books and an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own. 

Former high school sweethearts Molly Marks and Seth Rubinstein reconnect at their 15 year high school reunion. He’s a sunshiny, serial monogamist, hopeless romantic, divorce lawyer. She’s a cynical romcom screenwriter who still carries trauma from her parents’ divorce. After a drunken, post-party hookup, the two make a bet on the outcomes of five couples over the next five years. They choose four pairs from their pool of classmates. And the fifth pair? Well, that would be Molly and Seth themselves.

Oh my heart—I absolutely loved this one. It’s a case of right person, wrong time between two opposites—an introvert and an extrovert—located in different cities—Chicago and Los Angeles—with delicious banter, longterm pining, and delectable heat, set over a five-year period.

I ate up the dual POV audiobook, narrated Christine Lakin and Tim Paige. They captured the humor, attraction, heat, and heartache flawlessly.

5⭐️

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

On the eve of their company sale, the execs of a tech startup head to Miami for their annual corporate retreat filled with dinners, dancing, and team-building. Nothing brings employees closer together than mandatory recreational activities, right? 

 

Well, nothing, that is, except for maybe the cover-up / homegrown investigation into the disappearance of one of their colleagues the first night of the trip. 

 

This one is told through the multiple POVs of the overworked, highly paid players (plus the lowly executive/personal assistant, Madison), so in addition to the business and interpersonal dramatics, we get personal background on all the main players as well. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of who’s hooking up with whom, who backstabbed whom, who’s lying, all the petty grievances along the way, and the secrets behind the scenes. Grab that popcorn, folks, there’s plenty of drama. 

 

The audiobook has 5⭐️ narration from January LaVoy. Her narration had me hooked, and it was easy to follow which character was speaking based on her vocal choices. 

 

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own. 

Peter Kent, the new Duke of Stanhope who hails from—gasp!—New Orleans, Louisiana, needs to rapidly improve his reputation. He wants custody of his half-siblings, Freddie and Lu, and let’s just say that between his American roots and his political stance, among other things, he is not the most approved of member of the ton. When he turns to Lady Selina Ravenscroft for help, she decides the fastest way to improve his standing is to secure him a proper wife. 

 

Selina is beloved by the ton, but her reputation would be dashed if her cohorts discovered that she is behind the circulating library that has—ahem—made some more enlightening reads available to women. 

 

Here’s the rub, though: despite her multiple attempts at matchmaking Peter to the ladies of the ton, none of those relationships seem to take. As unfortunate as it seems, Selina discovers that she, in fact, may be Peter’s perfect match. Oh bother. 

 

He needs his status bolstered, but allying with her, and her potentially destructive secret, may cause an even greater downfall. 

 

I adore Alexandra Vasti’s writing; I found myself wearing an irrepressible grin while reading this one; and I just love Peter’s half-siblings, Freddie and Lu. 

 

Peter and Selina’s banter is delicious and their chemistry is fantastic. The stories surrounding the other ladies of the ton whom Selina attempts to matchmake with Peter only enhance the humor of the story. 

 

There is a bit of a change in tone once Peter and Selina do get together. Things become more serious as the decision regarding Freddie and Lu’s guardianship grows closer. 

 

It all works out in the end, though, and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. 

 

 4.75⭐️ 

 

I received an advance copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own. 

 This one is utterly delectable and totally bingeable. 

 

When Greek millionaire Nikolas Christou meets British tattoo artist Aria Granger by chance at his mother’s hotel, he’s a goner. He needs to figure out a way to keep her in his life, so he concocts a plan to get to know her. He’ll pay her to fake date him during an upcoming annual trip with friends to Spain. She’ll protect him from unwanted advances while he gets to spend time with her. It’s a win-win in his mind, but Nik has never been in a relationship. And Aria? Well, she’s sworn them off. 

 

He’s a bit of a Golden Retriever. She has a tough exterior but a big, gushy heart. 

 

And their chemistry is 🔥🔥🔥. 

 

At a glance: 

I highly recommend listening to this one on audio, especially to hear the phrases that Nik murmurs to Aria in Greek. Rooke Kingston and Harvey Fuller nail these characters. I loved their accents.
 
4.75⭐️
 
I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Dreamscape Media. All review opinions are my own.

Set during the Civil War with a mix of paranormal and fantasy creatures, The Dangerous Ones centers around Jerusalem, a former slave and Saint with preternatural strength and agility, and Alexei, a 300-year-old vampire fighting alongside the Union Army. After being enslaved under a vampire and watching her family be murdered, Jerusalem has a deep-seated hatred for all vampires, but, after a year of training with and fighting alongside Alexei, he’s the exception for her. 

 

And Alexei? He loves that tiny Saint. 

 

The premise is fascinating, and Jerusalem and Alexei are such strong characters. 

 

Between the war, the blossoming love story, and Jerusalem’s desire to take out the vampire and its family that destroyed her own, there is a lot going on in the book. But sometimes when there’s so much going on, it feels like not everything is as developed as it could be, and that was the case for me here. 

 

I was fortunate to have advance copies of both the ebook and the audiobook. Angel Pean’s narration was spot-on for me. Her accents for Jerusalem and fellow Saints Odessa and Gael were believable, and I liked her voice for Alexei. Jay Ben Markson’s 1863 voice for Alexei worked for me, but I would have liked to have heard Alexei have more of a Russian accent in the flashbacks. Markson’s Southern accent for Jerusalem unfortunately did not fit the character for me. 

 

I received an advance copy of the ebook from Wednesday Books and advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio, both via NetGalley. All review opinions are my own. 

 What was supposed to be a one-night stand—but appears to have the potential for more—turns into an unexpected workplace romance in Ali Hazelwood’s Not in Love. 

 

Rue Siebert is dedicated to her biotech engineering job and to her mentor, the head of Kline, her employer. It may not be the fullest life, but she has her science, a few friends, and her plants. And whenever she feels the need for additional outlets, she uses apps to seek out one-time only hookups. 

 

And that’s just fine—really, it is—until one of the men she with whom she matches shows up at her work as one of the business partners at a firm that wants to take over Kline and to dethrone Rue’s beloved mentor. 

 

Eli wants Kline and its tech, but he also wants Rue. He feels a connection with her, and he wants more. He’s not just attracted to her; he likes her and wants to get to know her. 

 

At a glance: 

 
My enjoyment of the book grew as Rue and Eli spent more and more time together. I especially loved the last third of the book. 

Fair warning: this feels emotionally heavier than Hazelwood’s previous works. I highlighted multiple passages of dialogue and snippets of the characters’ internal monologues that ripped my heart wide open.
  
I received an advance copy of the book from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

The Winston Brothers series meets paranormal romance in this new Wolf Brothers series from Smartypants Romance.

Green Valley becomes Moonlight Valley. The Winstons become the Boones, and they're now a family of werewolves. (Shh...it's a secret. Only wolves are supposed to know about other wolves.) As it turns out, though, wolves may not be the only shifters in town....

Truth or Wolf is a retelling of Penny Reid's Truth or Beard, so if you're a big fan of Jess and Duane's story (+shifters!), this one may be a good fit for you. It has many of the beats from the original with just enough changes to make it different.

I'm such a big fan of Truth or Beard that I kept looking for those similarities, though, and it's hard for a retelling to live up to the original. 

While this is a fun book, it wasn't an out-of-the-park hit for me.

3.5⭐️ 

I received an advance copy from Smartypants Romance. All review opinions are my own.

This urban fantasy, set mainly in Chicago, follows Dymitr in his quest to meet with Baba Jaga. First he harvests an enchanted flower. Then he strikes a bargain with Ala, a cursed zmora: the enchanted flower needed to break her curse in exchange for her aid tracking down Baba Jaga. Along the way, Nikodem, a strzygi, joins them. The clock is ticking on their quest, though; once it dies, the flower loses the power to break Ala’s curse. 

 

It took me a little bit to get my bearings with what was going on, but I was quickly engrossed in the story. It’s a short novella (4 hours 37 minutes on audio), and by the time Nikodem enters the fray in the storyline, I was fully hooked. 

 

I don’t want to reveal too much here but be aware that there are some violent—and somewhat gory—moments along the way as well as a touch of romance. 

 

The three narrators, Helen Laser, James Fouhey, and Tim Campbell, made the audiobook a more immersive experience. There are Polish, Slavic, and American accents utilized in the story, so if you have difficulty understanding accented speech without a visual component, the print version may be the way to go. Personally, the accents and vocal choices enhanced the experience for me. I got swept up in the audiobook and did not want to pause it or put it down. 

 

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own. 

When Robin Dunn discovers her boyfriend is cheating on her, she confronts him in their home and then hightails it out of there, but where should she stay? Sharing a home with her ex’s bear-of-a-cousin seems as a good a place as any. 

And when that ex comes back wanting her attention again? Well, of course she’s going to fabricate a relationship and trip into fake dating that bear-of-a-cousin. 

He may almost be the height of a standing grizzly bear, but he’s more teddy bear on the inside after all.

I loved this one, y’all. Arthur is an unassuming sweetheart; Robin is a strong, independent FMC; and I adored watching him take care of her in little ways and seeing her let him.

And once they get past some unfortunate kissing encounters, their chemistry skyrockets. (*stops to fan self*)

At a glance:
- Ex-military, aviation mechanic FMC with a hearing aid
- Postman MMC
- Small town (Penny Reid’s Green Valley, TN)
- Cousin’s ex
- Roommates
- Grump/sunshine
- Fake dating
- Kissing lessons
- He falls first

I love how Lauren Connolly interweaves characters from the Penny Reid and Smartypants Romance Universe seamlessly into her Green Valley Heroes books. It feels like the same Green Valley I fell in love with while reading the Winston Brothers series.

5⭐️

I can’t wait to read what Connolly writes next.

I received an advance copy of the book from Smartypants Romance. All review opinions are my own.