Tittle           : Holiday Romance 

Author        : Catherine Walsh

Pub Date    : October 04, 2022

Pages          : 354

My Rating   : ★★★★★

The Summary

When an unexpected snowstorm cancels their flight, Molly and Andrew are only trying to get back to Ireland for the holidays.

They are just buddies and have never experienced anything romantic. But every year for the previous ten, Molly has spent seven hours and fifteen minutes seated next to Andrew on the final flight before Christmas from Chicago to Dublin, sipping horrible airport wine and catching up on each other's lives. Despite the fact that the two friends are very different from one another, none of them has ever wanted to give up this holiday tradition.

The time is running out. Molly, however, always has a plan. It can't possibly go wrong as long as the extremely particular combination of cabs, airplanes, boats, and trains all arrive on schedule.

She is unaware that the cosmos may have other plans as the snow falls over the city and two pals who are positive their friendship is not meant to be.

My Review

From being friends to falling in love, two friends experienced a romantic relationship. There was never a dull moment, and I loved Andrew and Molly's connection so much!

It makes sense why everyone is raving about it this year. The setting is upbeat, festive enough to inspire holiday memories, yet softly romantic. I thought the concept was fantastic and could absolutely see a movie being produced of it.

I loved how relaxed and lively the overall tone was; it perfectly complemented the holiday spirit. Underneath the eroding love is the true tactile warmth of their ten-year friendship. The supporting cast members were enjoyable and well-written, and they had good banter.

It was wonderful fun to read the book. Before they understand they have been drawn to one another their entire lives, readers can learn more about them both and how they interact with one another thanks to this. This book is really for you if you prefer your stories to develop over a course while still giving you the necessary butterflies.

I simply can't express how much I like this book. It has many heartwarming moments, clever banter, and obnoxious siblings.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.

Tittle           : Cat Café Christmas 

Author        : Cody Gary

Pub Date    : October 04, 2022

Pages          : 400

My Rating   : ★★★★

The Summary

Kara Ingalls, a veterinarian and animal lover, wants a Christmas miracle. It was a dream come true to open the Meow and Furrever Cat Café in order to find loving homes for lovely, adoptable cats, but with more cats than customers, it's quickly becoming a nightmare. The café won't survive past the holidays if Kara can't find a way to turn a profit.

Ben Reese, a marketing expert, may be painfully perceptive and irksomely demanding, but when he comes up with a plan to make the café profitable by Christmas, Kara understands she'd be foolish to refuse his assistance. Even if he proves to be a great problem-solver and nerdy-hot, he can't manage fostering even one tiny cat. She needs to keep things professional between them while concentrating on rescuing the cafe.

Ben and Kara could find that by putting aside their disagreements and finding homes for all the cats by Christmas, they'll enjoy their own purr-fect holiday. . . together.

My Review

The snippets of adoptable animals that are shown at the start of each chapter are actually this book's best feature LOL because I love cats and was pulled to it due of its cat-themed title and cover.

A lovely kitty café's survival is vital to the story. Thanks to a cute but naughty kitten, Kara and Ben's uneasy attraction begins to become into something more. Even though Kara was a bit of a social outcast, I liked her. I didn't exactly feel a spark of love between them, but I did find some of their banter to be funny!

The language and storytelling are easy to follow and flow naturally. Although I wasn't especially impressed, I still felt this was a decent book to read and it matches the subject and tone of the book well. It was a timeless movie that was presented like a book.

Aside from the love we have for our feline friends, this is such a lovely story about love, new beginnings, friendship, goodness, compassion, and forgiveness. A lovely way to kick off the holiday season!

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.

Tittle           : Christmas After All (Happily Ever After All 1#)

Author        : Cece Louise

Pub Date    : November 08, 2022

Pages          : 216

My Rating   : ★★★★

The Summary

Melissa

Only Tucker James, the musician who composed a song about me after I rejected him in high school, makes me detest something more than Christmas.

He rose to fame. I earned notoriety.

This Christmas is shaping up to be one of the worst because Tucker will be returning to the area to perform at the yearly winter festival. Everyone in Halften is a fan of the country music icon who made our town famous.

everyone besides me

Tucker

I once wrote a song about the lady I had a crush on in high school that wasn't quite flattering.

It turned become my first hit at number one. This made her the target of ridicule in our community.

Now that I'm back in Halften, it's very obvious that Melissa Ellis wants nothing more than for me to leave her life for the holidays.

It will take a miracle for either of us to survive this holiday season uninjured, though, in a town this tiny.

My Review

This book has a second chance romance vibe and is written from two different points of view. This story of two people was so amazing and inspiring.

The setting and primary characters are introduced in the story's prologue. I appreciated that we experienced the entire scene rather than having a flashback to it later in the novel. It felt like a true beginning, and I was immediately sucked in. I could tell from the beginning of the story that it would be heartwarming. It provided in spades.

This story has a solid supporting cast and delightful small-town characters. The author did a fantastic job of keeping the characters' realism. Though the circumstances and timing of events were fortuitous, the characters' responses were more realistic than what we typically witness in these romances. The events were handled well enough for everyone to accept them, with the exception of a few minor details that appeared slightly odd.

The short running duration hinders character development somewhat, but it's still lighthearted, fluffy, and ideal for this time of year. This book was wonderful to read in advance of the Christmas season.

If you're just starting to create your holiday reading list or have one already, pick up this book. What a charming Christmas story!

I was given a free copy of this book by the author via BookSirens. All of my opinions are mine.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.

Tittle           : Leigh Makes Three

Author        : Grace Pearce

Pub Date    : October 01, 2022

Pages          : 282

My Rating   : ★★★★

The Summary

The proverbial "threes are better than two" is true, but Leigh Sullivan is not sure her twin brother would concur if he knew she had fallen for his closest friend, Wes Adams. But she wasn't to blame.

Of course, Leigh had a crush on Wes the entire time they were in college. He was a genuinely wonderful man, and being gorgeous, tall, and blond didn't hurt either. They had a lot in common. They even exchanged a private, inebriated kiss at a pool table that was never mentioned again. But until he entered her office as her brand-new coworker, five years after graduating from college, she hadn't given him much thought. Being around Wes constantly and attempting to deny the sexual tension between them is more difficult than she anticipated because Leigh's twin is getting married, which adds to her preoccupation with these thoughts.

Now, Leigh must engage in a battle within herself between her intellect and her heart, but isn't it true that the heart always triumphs? Now, Leigh must engage in a battle within herself between her intellect and her heart, but isn't it true that the heart always triumphs?

My Review

This book is great and exactly what I needed. The perfect blend of enticing and pleasant? And all I can say in conclusion is that this writer crafts some of the best and most authentic sexy scenes I've ever read.

I thought this book had the right pace, and I was totally absorbed from beginning to end. By relying on their feelings at the right time, Leigh and Wes were able to quickly overcome this. They obviously have a communication issue as well as some external issues they need to deal with.

The dialogue between the two main characters was excellent. They struggle, but they mostly succeed in masking their worry. I could feel their irritation too, and I wanted to scream at Owen to stop meddling with their lives.

It was a quick read with a tasty, light romance overall. Even a problem I noticed, I think you can still ignore it.

I freely left this review after receiving a copy for free from Booksirens.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.

Tittle           : Six Crimson Cranes (#1)

Author        : Elizabeth Lim

Pub Date    : July 06, 2021

Pages          : 481

My Rating   : ★★★

The Summary

The sole princess of Kiata, Shiori'anma, is hiding something. Her blood is infused with forbidden magic. Shiori usually manages to keep it under wraps, but on the morning of her wedding, she loses control. Her error initially appears to be a lucky break, preventing the wedding she never wanted. But Raikama, her stepmother, is also drawn to it.

The little princess is exiled by the witch Raikama, who also transforms her brothers into cranes. Shiori is warned not to discuss it with anyone because doing so will result in the death of one of her brothers.

Shiori, who is silent, wordless, and alone, searches for her brothers while learning of a sinister plot to take the crown. Only Shiori has the power to restore order to the kingdom, but in order to do it, she must put her faith in a paper bird, a fickle dragon, and the boy she battled so hard not to wed. And she must, at all costs, embrace the magic she has been trained to forswear throughout her existence.

My Review

A fantasy retelling of an Asian folktale, Six Crimson Cranes. The narrative shows a young royal facing unforeseen difficulties and learning to deal with them. The map is a beautiful work of art, and the cover is outstanding.

Unfortunately, I can't say that I'm completely certain of how I feel about this. It was simply a fantastic daydream for me. I'll confess that the story's unexpected turn set it apart from many other books of a similar genre I've read. That was really fantastic, for sure.

This book had a great beginning, but once the characters left the castle, the plot lost all meaning and the book started to drag. I also believed that the characters weren't given enough focus, even though that less time was spent on action. There were only a few cursory descriptions of the characters' motivations; there were no character-deep dives into what they were thinking.

My favorite part of the story was the unique and fascinating universe that Elizabeth Lim created. The beauty of the world is stunning. I enjoyed how the author created her world with wonderful detail. My interest is maintained by the magic system. I loved feeling so original, genuine, and unfiltered. I experienced a peculiar sense of belonging to that place and this story. It was an experience like no other.

Everything in the writing was outstanding. fascinating, seductive, and stunning. I found that the language is simply so gorgeous, and I thought it complemented the worldbuilding brilliantly. One of the main elements that I think everyone would agree on is that when people choose this kind of genre, they expect the world and how dreamy it is. And writing on the senses is something Elizabeth Lim excels at!

It clearly has a YA flavor, so if you're hoping for characters with more nuance and an intense relationship, this certainly isn't the book for you. However, this one is worth reading, especially since it's a unique YA reader fantasy!

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.

Tittle           : Not Here To Be Liked

Author        : Michelle Quach

Pub Date    : September 14, 2021

Pages          : 384

My Rating   : ★★★

The Summary

It wasn't in the plan to fall in love. Eliza Quan is certain that she will be chosen as the upcoming editor-in-chief of her school newspaper. She puts in a lot of effort, respects the truth, and has the most expertise. Star baseball player Len DiMartile is wounded, and it appears like he joined the newspaper merely to have something to do. Len is unsurprisingly chosen by the staff to be their new leader. Eliza is not currently here to be liked, despite the fact that they may respect her even though they don't particularly like her. She is here to triumph. But Eliza is liked by someone. A lot. It's unfortunate that the boy is preventing her from becoming editor-in-chief.

My Review

This book has a lot of potential, other from the fact that it wasn't really for me. But I'm trying to look at things both from my own and other people's viewpoints.

First of all, this was truly awesome. It was like the ultimate YA romcom contemporary, with the right amount of clichés, friends, and a heartwarming rivalry romance. This book was fun and simple to read, which is why I really liked it. I guess a movie may be made out of this book.

The complexity of the issues the book discussed pleased me as well. The book also touches on a variety of important topics. You have moments where race and the many experiences of race are mentioned without it turning into a drawn-out debate or the characters discussing oppression.

The only parts of this book that I didn't like were how the term "feminist" was used and how it was defined. It's encouraging to see women of this age make an impression in a stuffy environment. These young people, however, may not have fully understood that what they were supporting wasn't exactly feminism.

So, yes, I will admit that I became fairly furious, especially with the MC! Still, hey! I have to keep reminding myself that high school was just high school, with all the drama being drama. I mean, when we look back, this is how high school ought to have been. There must be a point in each person's life when they tend to think naively, but as they enter the real world, they realize that's not how things are done.

It is obvious that this book wants to educate readers and tell a thoughtful tale about how to live in a complex world that continuously raises the standard and seems to expect perfection, and I really appreciate that. However, I would prefer if the book avoided such serious subjects because of how it was executed, while still promoting diversity and focusing more on romance.

This book, in my opinion, is written with a younger readership in mind, and there isn't enough space in it for the more in-depth analysis that I personally would have like. All things considered, though, I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes YA contemporary.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.

Tittle           : You've Reached Sam

Author        : Dustin Thao

Pub Date    : November 09, 2021

Pages          : 296

My Rating   : ★★★

The Summary

When everything you love is on the line, how can you move on?

Julie, who is seventeen, has her entire future planned out: she will leave her little village with her lover Sam, go to college in the big city, and spend the summer in Japan. Then Sam passes away. Then everything is altered. Julie calls Sam's cellphone solely to hear his voicemail because she has to hear it one more time. Sam then takes the call.

If you were given a second chance to say farewell, what would you say?

My Review

This tale paints a fairly true portrait of loss. Every time I read about him and Julie, it actually hurt. I think it does a great job of examining loss. And being completely honest, however, I have no idea what to make of this one.

The idea has a lot of potential. The book's beginning and end were without a doubt its strongest points; regrettably, the middle did not nearly have the same impact on me. Maybe some of the phone conversations they would have were what confused me so much. Or possibly there are a lot of poorly done flashbacks? It was mostly fairly strange.

This book is short and written in a straightforward manner, so I virtually flew through it. Julie wasn't really a lovable heroine because of her impetuous, occasionally selfish behavior, which is all tied to how she is coping with her loss. Nevertheless, I enjoyed how honestly she was written.

Another thing I really appreciated was how the characters were able to sort of comfort one another as they dealt with the loss of their buddy. It shows that there will always be people at your side, so you don't have to go through sadness alone. They undoubtedly contributed significantly to the plot in my opinion because they stood out, had individual personalities, and were special. I felt appreciative to have them there.

It was undoubtedly far longer than it needed to be and, towards the middle, it began to sound the same. I truly think that this story may have been more profound and emotional if there had been an explanation for why things were happening the way they were. There were no explanations, so there was no opportunity to fill in the plot's gaps to deepen and build the story.

Nevertheless, reading it was still enjoyable. The epilogue and the last chapter are both very moving.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.