shanthecitygirl's reviews
524 reviews

Ugh, I really wanted to like this more. The overall conceit here is really cute: two co-workers who otherwise have nothing in common bond over Wordle and fall in love. However, neither character was particularly interesting to me and I had a hard time rooting for them. Firstly, the MMC is incredibly flat. At the start, he is rude and silent but then suddenly becomes nicer because she asks without any struggle to change his ways? I don't buy it. Also, his characterization is so flat. The author has given him some interesting quirks (loves racecars, owns fish) but no motivation behind them (what got him into mechanics vs driving? Why does he keep tropical fish?). Instead, he is serves as a bland backdrop for the FMC's love/hate relationship with small-town life. Meanwhile, the FMC is totally lost about what she wants to do other than something "creative" and live in a big city. Then it turns out that she really loves taking care of older people, which seems more inline with her characterization and disposition than anything creative. I wish that had been the thing she stuck with instead of splitting her time between that and museums. The whole museum thing seemed designed to create a reason for her to leave town, and then she actually DOES like it but still bails on all her big city dreams to be with the most milquetoast man in Canada who was kind of a dick with her for not settling? Nah. It was one too many things.  Overall, I did find the writing charming and the side characters delightful but I do think this would have been served by the MMC POV to seal the deal about why he likes her and why its worth it for them to stay together. 

HBY has done it again. Just like every other one of Hannah's books, Out of the Woods is delicate, emotional, and feels unabashedly real. Featuring the best friend side-characters from Out on a Limb, Sarah and Caleb have been married since they were practically children and for the most part it's been happy. But when some personal setbacks bring up long-buried feelings, these two indoor cats join a week-long hiking trip to try and save the marriage they both dearly want. This book deals deeply with feelings of grief, guilt, and inadequacy, so if you are in a tender place right now you might want to tread carefully but also know that there are no more tender hands to hold you while you process big feelings than a HBY book. Drink this book: Enjoy with a really nice bottle of Champagne! 

Hello yes I continue to be feral for this series! Picking up where we left off, our MCs are now married and have to continue to collaborate to try and save the world. But of course, they are both secretly planning to betray each other and that is GUT WRENCHING! The internal POV work in the book is as strong if not stronger than the external conflict, but also the TWISTS! I spend the last 10% of this book waiting for either Alaric or Talasyn to discover the other one's plans, but then a totally different thing happens now I am going to slowly go insane until the next book is released.  Drink this Book: Enjoy with a Blanc de Noir Champagne and celebrate not being eaten by a dragon. 

This series continues to delight! Although I am usually a little skeptical of a classic YA love triangle, the way this one resolves makes it worth it. One hallmark of a good sequel to me is that all of the characters, not just the MCs, continue to grow and evolve and that is very nicely accomplished here. I enjoy the secondary romances, the ballroom drama, and the slow healing for the whole cast here. I am excited to see where book 3 takes us! Drink this book: Enjoy with an older vintage Bourdeaux and drink it slowly! 

This book is everything I wanted it to be. Scarlett is a college athlete recovering from an injury and the associated mental block. When her best friend discovers Scarlett shares the same sexual proclivities as her now-ex-boyfriend, she drunkenly suggests they hook up. What goes from there is deeply emotion and scorchingly hot. I know some people will say that this isn't as spicy as they expected, but what it lacks in volume of sex, it makes up for in the intensity of the negotiated kink and sheer desire between these two. Another thing I really enjoyed about this book is that is break from many of tried and true AH tropes (no evil science mentor!) while still paying homage to her classics. Drink this book: find the saltiest white wine you can, think Muscadet or Txakoli. 

This was a pleasant surprise! Eve is in a downward spiral in her life which culminates in her building a golem in her basement to take to her sister's wedding. I will note that while Eve does get a HEA at the end, the story here is far more about her personal growth and self-realization and less about romance. Please note that this book deals with some very heavy themes and scary situations so please read with care! Drink this book: While the temptation to pair this with a sterotypical kosher wine is there, I high recommend seeking out some of the less well know kosher reds for this read.  

This book is SO close. The overall story is beautiful and heartwarming and I loved all the characters including the side characters. The way this book handles the competing relationships is also tactful and made me smile. The place where this book struggles is in the flow of the writing. There are places where I lost track of what was happening from paragraph to paragraph. Keeping track of people in space was a challenge and unfortunately, it did detract from the beauty of the rest of the story. Drink this Book: Enjoy with a smoky syrah perfect for a Canadian winter or a Mexican feast. 

This series continues to delight! I was pleased that the plot of this one is so unique compared to the first one and the way this relationship evolves did it for me. It showcases one of the most underrated versions of the fated mates trope: they found out right away and have to figure out what that means for them. Alice and Luka forge their own path and we still have creepy cross-series plot to finish off. Drink this book: Enjoy with a bottle of Gruner Veltliner on a picnic! 

Eh. This was fine. It did grow on me. But when your FMC mentions how big her breasts are 3 times in the first couple of chapters, I knew I was in for situation. Also the secrets in this plot were obvious from the jump even though the author does their damnest to make it seem serious and secretive. The good news is, the MMC doesn't talk about his love interest like a teenage boy and I actually liked him a lot. Still, this was an unremarkable contemporary romance and I can't say I really recommend it. 

I was not sure what to expect here and it was a pleasantly surprised! Without her parents, Bristol Keats is trying to take care of her sisters by delivering pizzas and trying to sell her parents art. When a letter comes from a mysterious aunt offering to help, Bristol discovers the truth about her parents and is thrust into the wiley politics of the fae. I really enjoyed the world-building and Bristol's characterization, but it took me a bit to warm up to the romance of this book, but by the end I was becoming convinces. I do wish the core plot moved a bit quicker, but I also appreciate that not every romantasy has to end with a huge set piece to round out the story. I'm interested in seeing where this one goes! Drink this book: Enjoy with something floral and fruity like Muscat.