Weekly Recap Swoon-Town
What a week it’s been folks! I am in between jobs, and spent the week doing the thing I love most in the entire world (other than eating cheese) reading ALL the romances. I read a little of everything this week: shifters, mafia men, emotionally closed off Dukes, ex-pro baseball players. This club truly has it all. I only had one read of the entire week that was 2/5, the rest were (in my very humble opinion) really freaking great!
Okay okay, enjoy.
Captive Wilderness by J.E. McDonald (Free with KU)
Well this was a very fun highly suspenseful fated mates shifter romance I did not know I was going to love so much! A self exiled bear shifter Kane and a bobcat shifter Brooke who has been “collared” end up finding each other in the middle of the northern Canadian wilderness as hunters are after her. Oh and she goes into heat when she’s hiding away in Kane’s Cabin. This is the first in the Goldenlach Ridge Shifter Series and I am super excited for how this series continues.
With This Fling by Tara Sivec (Free with KU)
I have gobbled up each book in Tara’s Summersweet Island series, loving each couple she has written and Y’ALL this is about Birdie and Wren’s hot mom! Damn this was actually SO freaking great. If you like hot tattooed men who have a kink for caretaking, and strong women that have kinda shouldered it all forever, this by god is going to get your motor running. I LOVED the genuine connection between Laura and Dean, the banter, the humour and the legitimately hot asf sex scenes, this one might be one of my all time favourites of the entire bunch.
The Curveball by Megan Cousins (Free with KU)
I’ve been slowly getting into MLB this year (thank you AppleTV+) and Megan was promoting her debut release on twitter with a video of a dugout clearing brawl, and you know what Iam clearly her demographic. What I also found out is that this book is about an ex pro pitcher and a fictionalized ESPN baseball show producer with PCOS and chronic pain. I have inflammatory PCOS and my god the rep in this book spoke directly to my (often times) beleaguered soul. Jake and Penelope were pretty freaking adorable from the get go, and refused to leave the spot they decided to take up in my heart. This is a closed door, low angst sweet romance that I kind of loved?! Looking forward for more from Megan.
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Look, I have Jonathan Bailey brain rot alright? I can’t stop. It is relentless. I truly can barely function. So I grabbed Pen and Colin’s book because, reasons. And my god what a freaking let down. I loved the idea, and the execution was just such a let down. And what is it with JQ and her hero’s getting a little rough with their love interests?! I dunno, woof. Let’s hope whenever the TV series catches up things are different, and better.
The Viscount and the Vixen by Lorraine Heath
I don’t even remember how I stumbled upon this one, might have been r/HistoricalRomance or maybe just some mutuals on Goodreads, whatever doesn’t matter. This book was good. It was well plotted, and the relationship between Portia and Locke was very lovely, and very sex positive, I did not see the 3rd act tension and conflict coming and it did take me a little out of the story (if I’m being honest). But Heath more than redeems both her love interests, in what I can safely say was a REALLY great romance and marriage of convenience.
A Scoundrel of Her Own by Stacy Reid
Stacy might be the standout new to me author this year. Her historical romances are SO freaking swoony and dreamy. This one is SO wonderful and gave me a mix of Marrying Winterborne and The Highwayman (in truly the best freaking ways). This is one of those I’ve loved you since we were children, social class divides, star crossed soul mates love that just had me in a freaking chokehold right from the prologue. Niall and Fifi, are just so gone for each other, and watching them come together and then become separated and learning what Niall has done to make himself “worthy” of her will touch even the coldest of hearts. I freaking loved this, and know it’s going to become a comfort read.
Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard (eARC)
This ARC was so enjoyable. We’ve got everything: fake fiancés, a group of women who freaking rock, hilarious banter, and a historical take on Pretty Woman. Y’all say no more. This was FANTASTIC and I am super excited for folks to get their mitts on this when its out in July! Want more? Check out my mostly spoiler free review here.
Thirsty by Mia Hopkins
Ooooh y’all this book. This freaking book. This is book 1 in the Eastside Brewery series and follows formerly incarcerated gang member Salvador ”Ghost” Rosas, trying to figure out himself and life outside of prison and gang life. And Vanessa Velasco a single mom who is begrudgingly offering Sal housing while he gets back on his feet. This book was SO great and while it was a HEA, it does end of a bit of a cliff-hanger for a secondary storyline that I assume is going to thread itself through the remaining two books. Also its hot as hell and my god these two are also legit best friends and the genuine intimacy Mia created between them was really really special. I can’t wait to see how the rest of these Rosas men figure their sh*t out.
Brutal Vows by J.T. Geissinger (Free with KU)
This is the final (FINAL) book in her Queens & Monsters mafia romance series and y’all was this everything or what?! Oh Homer, I fell in love with him in Riley and Mal’s book, and was dying to find out how his story of an arranged marriage was going to work out. From the get go, it was CLEAR that it was never going to be Homer and Lili riding off into the sunset, but rather deeply hurt Reyna. Oof these two with the WILD sexual tension and witty banter and genuine love and trust. Especially when they first get together and he FINALLY sees the absolute horror her previous relationship wrote all over her body. We love a sensitive murderous psycho.