Book Reviews: Recent Romance Reads

I read 3 more romances! Here’s what I thought of them.

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

This was the perfect book to kick of my 2021 reading with! This was a really fun, sweet, and steamy romance that I absolutely fell in love with.

This has two of my all time favorite tropes – enemies to lovers and fake dating. And both were executed flawlessly in here! I loved that the enemies to lovers portion wasn’t too heavy and that you really got to see their progression from enemies to friends to lovers. It all felt so realistic and believable and by the end I was desperately rooting for their HEA.

The fake dating in here added so much amazing tension and created the cutest moments. I loved that we got both characters POVs so we got to see scenes from both their perspectives. The chemistry between the main characters was fantastic and the steamy scenes were absolute perfection. *chefs kiss*

I absolutely cannot wait for the next book following the brother and best friend of Darcy! Alexandria Bellefleur is definitely a new romance author I want to read everything from!

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

Goodreads Page

Omg I loved this so much 😭❤ It was such an amazing, swoony romance! This book quickly shot it’s way onto my favorites list.

This follows a workaholic professor who wants nothing more than to reach tenure. But she learns that cuts are being made and the career she loves might be on the line. In an effort to let lose, she finds herself at a bar and falling for man she barely knows. Turns out he is also the person holding her careers future. Now she must decide what is most important to her.

I was blown away by how wonderfully this book was balanced. This had a lot of moving parts that easily could have caused this to go very wrong. But Denise Williams managed to make this swoony, impactful, and light-hearted all at the same time.

I think there are a lot of 20/30-somethings out there that will really related to Naya’s journey throughout this book. She is struggling with trauma, work-life balance, and figuring out what she wants out of life. I really loved reading from her perspective. She is definitely a new favorite character of mine. I wasn’t expecting to relate to her as much as I did.

I could not stop fawning over this amazing romance. I may have squealed more than once. The chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts amazing. I was rooting for them from their very first interaction.

Overall this is a new favorite adult romance. I can’t wait to read more from Denise Williams in the future!

Trigger warnings for abusive relationships and attempted sexual assault.

If It’s Only Love (Boys of Jackson Harbor #6) by Lexi Ryan

Goodreads Page

Unfortunately this series didn’t wrap up on the best note for me. I enjoyed the chemistry between these characters, the family, and of course Jackson Harbor itself. And really liked the second chance romance aspect. But sadly this book some avenues that I personally didn’t love

First the good – this series as a whole feels so warm and inviting. I love Jackson Harbor and returning this amazing family. I grew really attached to these characters throughout this series.

There were certain parts of this romance that totally pulled me in. Their chemistry was absolutely amazing and I loved the “past” chapters sprinkled in with all the missed chances. This was a second chance romance done just the way I like! I really believed in their connection and was pulling for them to find a way to make it work.

Now the not so good. One of my qualms with this series as a whole is it feels a little too much at times. There’s so much drama tossed in and I want it pulled back slightly. And unfortunately in this books case, the “too much” point was hit with my least favorite trope of all time: surprise pregnancy. Top that with ample amounts of cheating and I just wasn’t a huge fan.

So overall this was kind of a roller coaster reading experience. Some parts I really enjoyed but then others had me hard cringing… I’m glad I wrapped up this series though! And definitely still plan to check out more Lexi Ryan books in the future.

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