What a great week of reading! Now that I’m back at work full time, I find myself being more selective with what books I’m reading because my time is way more limited (and I don’t have time to read books I don’t love). I LOVE binge-reading books, but my weeks just don’t allow me to do as much binge-reading right now. I’m sure once I get back into a new rhythm, I’ll be good to go, but until then, I’ll just have to keep chugging along 🙂

I read 6 books last week, all 4 or 5 star reads! Several of the books I read this week were first-time authors for me, and I love finding new authors with books that I adored.

Just a reminder, my rating scale is as follows:
Five-star: I LOVED this book and would highly recommend it to anyone that asked me for a recommendation. I believe the writing is quality, the characters are so loveable that you can’t help but love their story, and the plot has little or no gaps in my opinion. A five-star book often results in a re-read because I loved it so much.
Four-star: I really liked this book and would recommend it to most readers. The writing is good, the character development is great, and the plot has just a few areas that I think needed more development.
Three-star: I liked this book. I wouldn’t necessarily re-read it again, but I didn’t stop reading because I felt compelled to find out what happened. There might be errors or other editorial complaints.
Two-star: This book was not for me. I couldn’t get into it for whatever reason. There were likely many things that turned me off, including but not limited to: a poor choice in POV, character development, flow, energy, attention grabbing, etc. I would not recommend this book to my friends.
One-star: Likely, a one-star is a DNF book for me. There were too many problems. Would not recommend this book to anyone.

Over the Moon by K.K. Allen

Blurb

“My secrets have always kept me safe…until he saw my truth.”

Kingston Scott is the most eligible bachelor in professional football, a charming rebel on and off the field. He’s also in desperate need of an attitude adjustment.

After a reckless night puts him behind bars, he’s sentenced to coach football at a sleepaway camp in the middle of nowhere. He’s not sure he’ll survive an entire month of torture…until he sees her. The intoxicating woman with the silver moon eyes, the reserved smile, and the past she’s determined to keep hidden.

♥♥♥

Silver Livingston is the resident nurse at Camp Dakota, a beautiful temptress on and off the clock. She’s also a forbidden mystery to all who know her.

After a decade of living in the shadows of the safe haven she’s created, she receives news that threatens her perfect façade. Silver isn’t sure what to do next… and then she sees him. The new arrival with the body of a god, a flashy smile, and evergreen eyes that burn straight through to her core.

Now, Silver isn’t sure which threat to fear most—the irresistible man she knows she must deny or the inevitable head-on collision with her past.

Rating: 4 Stars

Kingston is a grumpy teddy bear and I absolutely adored the magnetism between him and Silver. This story had such a unique plot, some seriously heavy life stuff, and STEAM.

These two both have pains in their past that are still haunting them and continue to impact their current relationships.

For Silver, her sense of belonging and her ability to get close to people are constantly challenging her. For Kingston, it’s his ability to let go of his past and his desire to be brave enough to be who is in the present.

There’s some heavy romance, some serious intimacy, and a few twists and turns along the way.

Favorite quote:

“It’s just a reminder for me that things don’t always work out the way we expect for them to. And with every new phase, our situations change, we change, and it’s important to let go of standards we held ourselves to at a time when our lives were different. Sometimes, we just need to reevaluate our priorities, you know?”

A beat of silence passes between us, along with a sense of calm. “I like that perspective,” he says. “I guess the same goes for the standards others hold us to and prioritizing how much we care about those things too.”

Exit through Tortuga Bay

I received an ARC of Exit through Tortuga Bay by Alicia Crofton, and you can read my honest review here!

Stud Muffin by Jiffy Kate

Blurb

It’s hard to get revenge without getting a rap sheet. After Tempest Cassidy walks in on her husband banging her high school nemesis, her whole world gets turned upside down. She goes from being known as the Duchess of Muffins to the town crazy. Her new MO: revenge. Eventually, Tempest grows weary being arrested. Yet what choice does she have? If she’s not angry, then she’s simply . . . sad.

Just as she decides to get her life back on track, in walks Cage Erickson, the new bouncer at the local strip club. He’s scary-handsome and the polar opposite of her ex. She’s attracted to him, but she’s not looking for a rebound. He’s attracted to her, but he’s not looking for a serious relationship. So, they agree to be friends.

But when lines get blurred in the friend zone, will they both get burned? Or will it be a TKO?

‘Stud Muffin’ is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book#2 in the Fighting For Love series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Rating: 4 Stars

This book made me LAUGH OUT LOUD. Tempest is a feisty heroine who is dealt a serious crappy hand. Her jerk ex-husband didn’t desire or deserve all of her fiery passion, so thank goodness Cage Erickson did.

Cage is running away from the shadow of who he used to be, but when he arrives in Tennessee, he realizes there is life for him outside the ring. The future he chased for many years turns out to be something he was fighting for, for all the wrong reasons.

With a healthy dose of Southern charm (bless your heart), religious guilt, and some great side characters, these two find out what happens when you let go of the future you thought you wanted and embrace where life takes you instead.

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey

Blurb

Rosie and Dominic Vega are the perfect couple: high school sweethearts, best friends, madly in love. Well, they used to be anyway. Now Rosie’s lucky to get a caveman grunt from the ex-soldier every time she walks in the door. Dom is faithful and a great provider, but the man she fell in love with ten years ago is nowhere to be found. When her girlfriends encourage Rosie to demand more out of life and pursue her dream of opening a restaurant, she decides to demand more out of love, too. Three words: marriage boot camp. 

Never in a million years did Rosie believe her stoic, too-manly-to-emote husband would actually agree to relationship rehab with a weed-smoking hippie. Dom talking about feelings? Sitting on pillows? Communing with nature? Learning love languages? Nope. But to her surprise, he’s all in, and it forces her to admit her own role in their cracked foundation. As they complete one ridiculous—yet surprisingly helpful—assignment after another, their remodeled relationship gets stronger than ever. Except just as they’re getting back on track, Rosie discovers Dom has a secret… and it could demolish everything.

Rating: 5 Stars

Holy hot. This book was possibly the steamiest book I’ve ever read. I love the rich history between these two main characters. Somehow, they lost themselves within their marriage, and anyone who has been married for any number of years knows exactly what this feels like.

Through therapy, some weirdo homework assignments, love languages, and a no-sex policy, Dom and Rosie work through some deeply rooted pains. They learn to talk to each other. They learn to communicate. They re-learn and re-meet who each other is in the present day. And, it might make a world of difference, or they might not make it…. it’s just how life goes. Read this book to find out.

This book made me think about all the ways that I think, feel, and react in my own marriage. There are always two sides to a story, and this was a beautiful reminder to pursue your partner through the good times, the bad times, when things are hard, and when you’re chasing your dreams.

This was my first Tessa Bailey read (and no one is surprised that this is book 2 in a 3 book series… mid-series reader forever), and I can’t wait to dive back into her writing for more!

Shipped by Angie Hockman

Blurb

The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game in this witty, clever, and swoonworthy novel following a workaholic marketing manager who is forced to go on a cruise with her arch-nemesis when they’re up for the same promotion.

Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when she’s shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it.

The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although they’ve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend.

Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos—best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands…together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard.

With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because what’s the point of working all the time if you never actually live?

Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne, Shipped is a fresh and engaging rom-com that celebrates the power of second chances and the magic of new beginnings.

Rating: 5 Stars

Ugh. The blurb for this book is perfection. The Hating Game meets The Unhoneymooners (see below!).

Henley is a workaholic, to-do lister who doesn’t know how to stop pursuing her goals, to the point where it blinds her to the important things in her life, namely family and friends. (Favorite quote: Career ambitions. Grad school. Student loans. The vague, persistent headache that is adulting. But mostly career.)

On the other side, Graeme has just gone through the most devastating loss of his only parent, leaving an executive level corporate job in order to take a step back and examine what’s really important to him.

GOOD NEWS. They’re up for the same promotion!

While they approach the promotion in their own ways, Graeme’s presence on this trip helps Henley to see outside her very narrow perspective, and he ends up being exactly what she needs in order to submit her proposal. The best part? He freaking SUPPORTS HER IDEA BECAUSE IT’S A STINKING GOOD ONE.

And, in the end, the happily ever after is SO MUCH BETTER because of how much he cares for her.

SERIOUSLY. READ THIS BOOK.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Blurb

The honeymoon of a lifetime . . . with her sworn enemy

Olive is always unlucky; her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. While she’s about to marry her dream man, Olive is forced to play nice with her nemesis: the best man, Ethan.

Yet Olive’s luck may be on the turn . . . When the entire wedding – except for Olive and Ethan – gets food poisoning, there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs. Putting their mutual hatred aside, Olive and Ethan head for paradise. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him spirals out of control.

Forced to play loving newlyweds, she and Ethan find themselves in closer proximity than they ever expected. Soon, Olive finds that maybe she doesn’t mind pretending. In fact, she’s beginning to feel kind of . . . lucky.

Rating: 5 Stars

CHRISTINA LAUREN FREAKIN’ WENT THERE WITH THIS ONE.

It was cringeworthy. It was swoony. I cheered. I cried. I was SO ANXIOUS. And of course, I experienced that heart-eyes emoji feeling.

You know how they say that hate and love are really close to the same emotion?? Olive and Ethan suffer from lote… or have…. (love+hate). They love to hate each other and hate to love each other. Literally. For YEARS.

You read the blurb, the whole wedding gets sick except these two, they jet off to Hawaii on a really cheap plane. Olive discovers things she likes about Ethan. Ethan discovers things he doesn’t hate about Olive. And around literally every corner in this fake relationship is something getting in their way. Miscommunications. Ex-girlfriends. New bosses. Resort staff that can’t know their real identities.

And yet, fate. These two bond, to the point of actually enjoying their week together. 10 whole days on the island, but how do their lives adjust when they get home?

Well, it works, for about 14 days. They are homebodies together (a.k.a. this is my dream couple situation because I RELATE). It all blows up when Ethan takes his brother’s side, and Ami takes her husband’s side, and Olive is left to stand on her own, without her twin or her boyfriend, for the first time in her life. And guess what? She thrives. She let’s go of her belief about her luck, a.k.a. that she’s unlucky, and she reflects on her work and her personal life in a way that she never has before. She takes the reins. She learned to stand on her own, to be open to her feelings, to own her happiness, and it made all the difference in the world.

Read this story. Seriously. It’s a good one.

What are you reading this week? Let me know in the comments!