Tag: 4.5 Stars Reviews

Review: Reel by Kennedy Ryan

Posted October 14, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Reel by Kennedy Ryan

Reviewer: Wena
Series: Hollywood Renaissance #1
Main Leads: Cannon Holt, Neevah Saint
Setting: United States, New York, New York City
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Tags: Workplace Romance, Actress Female Lead, Director Male Lead
Published On: June 8, 2021
Publisher: Scribechick Media, LLC
Format: Audio
Source: Purchased
Pages: 434
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Award-Winning Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kennedy Ryan launches a brand-new series with a Hollywood tale of wild ambition, artistic obsession, and unrelenting love.

One moment in the spotlight…

For months I stood by, an understudy waiting in the wings, preparing for my time to shine.

I never imagined he would watch in the audience that night.

Canon Holt.

Famous film director. Fascinating. Talented. Fine.

Before I could catch my breath, everything changed. I went from backstage Broadway to center stage Hollywood.

From being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on everyone’s lips.

Canon casts me in a star-studded Harlem Renaissance biopic, catapulting me into another stratosphere.

But stars shine brightest in the dead of night.

Forbidden attraction, scandal and circumstances beyond my control jeopardize my dream.

Could this one shot — the role of a lifetime, the love of a lifetime — cost me everything?

Kennedy Ryan is one of those authors that never fails to write the kind of books that I can’t put down. This book pulled me out of a reading slump and I was hooked right from the very beginning. This is another author that I wanted to introduce to Brenna and she read this book along with me and she enjoyed it as well and that makes me so happy. I knew that she would enjoy this one because Kennedy Ryan writes compelling stories about complex characters that really pull at your heartstrings and draws you so deeply into the story that the stories, along with the characters stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. Ryan also tends to write really heavy stories and so they’re not books that you can easily jump into but I’m happy to say that though the characters are put through the wringer in this one, I didn’t find this story to be quite as heavy as all of the others though it didn’t shy away from packing on the emotions.

Cannon and Neevah’s romance was a slow burn that came together so wonderfully and I very much enjoyed it. It was a moving story about two people that connected on a level that was hard to fight against and when they both stop fighting their feelings, their love for each other was too good. I thought that they were such great characters on their own but I really loved their dynamic together. Their stories weren’t easy but seeing them come to love and support each other was everything.

Neevah and Cannon meet when Neevah finally gets her break, an understudy stepping up when the lead actress goes down. It had taken so long for Neevah to finally get her break and when she nails the role, just as we all knew she would, she catches the eye of Cannon Holt, a film director. Meeting Cannon on that particular night really changed her life in more ways than one. When he casts her to be the lead in her first film, Neevah couldn’t predict that she’d find a role that was meant for her or that she’d fall in love with the man that cast her in the role.

Neevah was an interesting female lead and it was so easy to connect with her and with her story because a lot of her struggles, a lot of her worries, were all things that I struggled with at one point in time. It wasn’t hard to root for her and for her happiness because she was such a likable character. I rejoiced through her ups and I was sad through her downs. She had such a good head on her shoulders that I really enjoyed getting to know her. As good as she was, she wasn’t perfect and seeing her struggle with prioritizing her health and her work made her story all the more interesting. I loved seeing her learn to lean on Cannon and trust that he loved her the way that she deserved, even when she was embarrassed to show herself to him.

The romance between Cannon and Neevah was such a good one. Seeing them fall into their feelings and all the drama that comes with falling in love on set made for an interesting read. It definitely wasn’t boring. There was so much going on and so much to love that reading this book took no time at all. Kennedy Ryan did such a great job of putting words to paper that moved the hell out of me. I thought she did a great job of pulling string after string until the strings came together to tell a complete story of two complex but interesting characters and I’m so glad that I read this one. Cannon was fine as hell and seeing his grumpy ass fall for Neevah and then strive to support her and prove to her that he’s all in was such a good time. I loved all of him and loved the way that he loved Neevah.

This book was so good and I’m so glad that I read it. I definitely recommend.

Final Rating

4.5 out of 5

Hollywood Renaissance Series

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Review: Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

Posted June 16, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

Series: Psy-Changelings #22, Psy-Changeling Trinity #7
Main Leads: Remy Denier, Auden Scott
Setting: United States, Tennessee, Sunset Falls
Tags: Changeling Hero, Psy Heroine, Past Trauma, Abuse, Set in the Future
Genres: Romance, Paranormal
Published On: July 23, 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 400
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into a family dark with shadowy secrets, as the world of the Psy hangs on the edge of a final catastrophic collapse…

Daughter of two ruthless high-gradient telepaths, Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted or expected, even before her brain injury. Her thoughts are scattered, her memories fuzzy—or just terrifyingly blank. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby…a baby she has no recollection of conceiving and who draws an abnormal intensity of notice from her dead mother’s closest associates.

Leopard alpha Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect. Protect his pack, protect his allies… and protect the mysterious woman who has become a most unlikely neighbor. With eerie eyes that see too much and a scent that alters in ways disturbing and impossible, Auden Scott is the enemy…but nothing about this strange Psy is what it seems, Remi’s feline heart as fascinated by her as the human half of his soul.

Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death…

This is the eighth book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity’s series and I have so much love for this book. I enjoyed the heck out of Resonance Surge but I adored this book more.

Auden and Remi were great characters and seeing them fall in love with each other was a lot of fun. Their chemistry together was off the charts and even though it took them a long time to actually get together, I enjoyed seeing them just being together. Seeing Auden come and trust Remi and Remi giving in to the need to protect Auden even if he didn’t exactly know why he felt so strongly about protecting and being around her.

I’m a Changeling girl so seeing Remi with his pack had me all swoony. It’s hard to pick which member of his pack that I like the most because I adored all of them, even the little cute cubs that we see from time to time. The strength of the love that Remi has for everyone in his pack was just too sweet. In previous books, you hear about Remi and his pack and the fragile nature of his still pretty new pack but to see it up front and center was all the more great. The wealth of love that Remi has for his pack is returned to him from every member of his pack and it just had me in my feels at every turn because awwww…

Auden’s story and her struggles with trying to remember everything that was done to her hurt my heart. She had been through so much and seeing her try to tackle the plans that her parents left for her, made especially hard cause she didn’t even know what those plans were. All she knew was that she needed to stop letting herself be drugged so that she can protect the baby that she carried. As time passed, she knew that she wouldn’t have been able to fight this fight alone so aligning herself with Remi was a good move for her because the changelings are nothing if not protective and loyal as shit. When they finally stop circling each other and just let themselves love each other made me so happy.

One of my favorite things in this book was seeing so many familiar faces. In most of the previous books, we do get to see little snippets of characters from the previous book but I noticed so many more in this one. From Aden and the Arrows to Lucas and hearing about Hawke and seeing Kaleb and Silver and just…EVERYBODY was a fun ride for me. I adore this series so much and I miss a lot of the older characters so I eat up every mention that we get. We got a lot in this one and I loved it so much.

I definitely recommend this book if you’re in the mood for smart storytelling with compelling characters and some paranormal magic thrown in. Nalini Singh is such a great writer and she created a world that I absolutely adore and this latest addition was such a winner for me.

Psy-Changelings Series

Psy-Changeling Trinity Series

4.5 out of 5

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Review: Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

Posted June 12, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

Series: Hidden Legacy #5
Also in this Series: Burn for Me, White Hot, Wildfire, Diamond Fire, Sapphire Flames
Main Leads: Catalina Baylor, Alessandro Sagredo
Setting: United States, Texas, Houston
Tropes: Murder Mystery, Childhood Trauma, Second Chance Romance
Genres: Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Published On: August 25, 2020
Publisher: Avon
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 392
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

As Prime magic users, Catalina Baylor and her sisters have extraordinary powers—powers their ruthless grandmother would love to control. Catalina can earn her family some protection working as deputy to the Warden of Texas, overseeing breaches of magic law in the state, but that has risks as well. When House Baylor is under attack and monsters haunt her every step, Catalina is forced to rely on handsome, dangerous Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who crushed her heart.

The nightmare that Alessandro has fought since childhood has come roaring back to life, but now Catalina is under threat. Not even his lifelong quest for revenge will stop him from keeping her safe, even if every battle could be his last. Because Catalina won’t rest until she stops the use of the illicit, power-granting serum that’s tearing their world apart.

This book starts about six months after the last book, Sapphire Flames, ends. Catalina is busy. She’s running the family business, taking care of Deputy Warden business, and nursing a broken heart from Alessandro leaving. She’s bad, she’s sad, and just a little bit mad. When Felix Morton is murdered, Catalina is assigned to the case. This new case has also brought Alessandro back in town because Felix’s father hired him to kill whoever killed his son. That means that Catalina and Alessandro are back together again and Catalina is not even a little bit happy about that fact.

Seeing these two back in action was a lot of fun even though Alessandro being back in town and his complete turnaround made me make this face…

He wins me over of course but I still had an attitude in the beginning. There’s a lot going on in this story and I won’t lie, seeing Catalina and Alessandro piece things together while Catalina is trying to hold Alessandro at arms length and Alessandro wanting to protect Catalina even though he knows that he completely messed up and trying to protect and love her anyway had me all eager to see their love story come together. In terms of time, this book takes place over the course of a few days so if I stop to think about it, the make up between Alessandro and Catalina happened too quick but let’s not think too closely about that. I still enjoyed this book a lot.

I like that Catalina is a different heroine than Nevada is. I even like the differences between Mad Rogan and Alessandro and even though I like Nevada and Rogan more, I really enjoy reading about Catalina and Alessandro. Their teamwork is a lot of fun and I love how smart the two of them are. They’re fiercely loyal to their loved ones and have their own set of charms that are compelling as hell. I love that Catalina is smart as a whip and has a soft touch to her style.

The case of Felix Morton’s murder gets Catalina and Alessandro entangled in some shit and seeing it open threads and expose some truths made for an interesting ride. The Andrews writing duo is second to none in writing compelling stories with colorful characters that really bring the story together. I loved seeing the Baylors and everyone else and I’m mighty curious about who Arabella will end up with. Andrews does a great job of stringing the character along, keeping them invested in what was going on and that was definitely the case with this book. I love this series so much and am so happy that I can still enjoy it and have things to look forward to. This is a definite recommend.

Hidden Legacy Series

4.5 out of 5

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Review: Wildfire by Ilona Andrews

Posted June 5, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Wildfire by Ilona Andrews

Series: Hidden Legacy #3
Also in this Series: Burn for Me, White Hot
Main Leads: Nevada Baylor, Connor “Mad” Rogan
Setting: United States, Texas, Houston
Tags: Super Powers, Family Drama, Strong Female Lead
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Published On: July 25, 2017
Publisher: Avon
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 391
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Nevada Baylor can’t decide which is more frustrating—harnessing her truthseeker abilities or dealing with Connor “Mad” Rogan and their evolving relationship. Yes, the billionaire Prime is helping her navigate the complex magical world in which she’s become a crucial player—and sometimes a pawn—but she also has to deal with his ex-fiancée, whose husband has disappeared, and whose damsel-in-distress act is wearing very, very thin.

Rogan faces his own challenges, too, as Nevada’s magical rank has made her a desirable match for other Primes. Controlling his immense powers is child’s play next to controlling his conflicting emotions. And now he and Nevada are confronted by a new threat within her own family. Can they face this together? Or is their world about to go up in smoke?

Wildfire is book 3 in the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews and it’s the last book in Nevada’s trilogy of books. Everything that Nevada and Rogan have been fighting against since book 1 is still in the background of what is happening front and center in their lives. Nevada’s latest client is Rogan’s ex-fiancee and she hired Nevada to help find her missing husband.

The very last person that Nevada wants to spend time around is the woman that almost married her boyfriend but how could Nevada say no to someone who desperately needs help? The deeper that Nevada digs into this case, the more shady shit she finds and everything pretty much link back to the bigger fight that started in Book 1. So Nevada and Rogan are investigating different things but their cases keep bringing them back together.

On top of that, Nevada’s magic is getting stronger and stronger. She’s learning more about what she can do and her family is too. What a freaking powerhouse family she has. From Catalina to Arabella (damn girl) to freaking Leon, they’re going to be pretty legit once they each come into their own. I loved the dynamics between each family member. They fight fiercely but man do they come together like no other when they’re needed. Hell, even when they come together for the greater good, they fight like animals. Haha, they’re so great.

Nevada was pretty legit in the first book but in the third book, she’s come full circle and I loved her so much in this book. She handled the whole Rynda thing a lot better than I would have. I wouldn’t have been nearly as understanding and patient as Nevada was. One of my favorite quotes from the series is when she tells Rynda.

“If you continue to rely on others for that security, you will never find it. You’re a Prime, a woman, and a mother. Make yourself secure. Take charge of yourself. My circle work my be shaky and crooked, by it’s mine. I taught myself how to do it by studying books and now I’m using it. I didn’t ask Rogan to draw it for me, because I didn’t have to.”

Like I said, I wouldn’t have been nearly as patient and understanding with Rynda had I been in Nevada’s shoes but I love how loyal Rogan’s people were to him, but also to Nevada. When she said the above, I was all like…

I’m super sad that this book ends the series because holy crap, there was so much goodness in this one. Everything that I wanted to happen in this book, happened. Seeing more of Catalina, Leon and Arabella using their magic made me one happy camper. There were plenty of shocks and surprises that had my mouth dropping all over the place. This writing duo worked their magic once again and I ate every word up. I’m not ready to say goodbye to this world so I’m hoping against hope that we’ll see a spin off series that feature Nevada’s family. I’d love to see Catalina and the Italian Stallion that tested her. I’d love to see Leon’s future, as well as Arabella because holy shit, Arabella!! I laughed so much when Arabella shows up to kick ass and Nevada is like, “Mom is gonna kill me. Mom is gonna kill us. We can never go home.” Hahaha, oh this book was so good.

There’s a lot to love in this book. The action, the adventure, the romance between Rogan and Nevada was everything. Seeing them work through their issues had me all up in my feels. I loved how strong they were on their own but how they were even stronger together. I loved that Rogan put Nevada first every single time and I loved that Nevada loved Connor and how much faith they had in each other.

This series was such a fun reading adventure and I’m not all okay with the fact that I’m done with it. What am I even going to do with the rest of my life?

If you’re looking for a magical reading adventure that will hit all of your happy buttons, pick this series up because it’s the bomb. For real.

Hidden Legacy Series

4.5 out of 5

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Review: Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren

Posted May 22, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Love & Other Words

Main Leads: Macy Sorensen, Elliot Petropoulos
Setting: United States, California, Berkley
Tropes: First Love, Second Chance Romance, Traumatic Past
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Published On: April 10, 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 433
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The heart may hide, but it never forgets.

The first women’s fiction novel from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Autoboyography, Dating You / Hating You).

Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.

But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos—the first and only love of her life—the careful bubble she’s constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy’s entire world—growing from her gangly teen friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother…only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.

Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco reading books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.

This was my second read of 2025 and it left an impression that has stayed with me ever since. This was also a buddy read that I did with my daughter and we both liked this book a lot more than our book club book so we were glad to have left The Mirror behind. It had been a long time since I was so moved by a book that I stayed up late into the night reading. This book did wonders in bringing my reading mojo back because I have not stopping reading ever since.

This story follows our main characters, Macy Sorensen and Elliot Petropoulos as they grow in love. We first meet them as kids when Macy and her Dad move into their summer home right next door to Elliot’s family and she sees Elliot for the first time reading in her closet. Now even though Macy and her Dad don’t live at that house year round, they return often to visit and get a break from the city so Elliot and Macy become best friends and every time they’re together, they spent a lot of time reading in her closet. As the years pass, their relationship changes as well. First love springs forth that grows into a deep love that stays with them even after they’re torn apart and Macy doesn’t return to the house. Theirs is a love that transcends space and time and eleven years later, they run into each other again and the love that Macy tried to move on from starts to creep up again and she’s forced to deal with the feelings she’s spent so much time and energy in running from.

Macy was a pretty great heroine. The more that I got to know of her, the more I loved her. Even when I didn’t understand why she avoiding Elliot the way that she was, I didn’t hate her and though there were times when I was a little frustrated that she stayed with Sean even when she knew that she didn’t love him, even then I didn’t hate her. Macy was someone who was used to loss and when she finally decided to break free from a loveless relationship and deal with the only love she’s ever known, I cheered for her because I understood that she has dealt with a lot of loss so seeing her taking back the things she had ran away from felt like a huge deal.

Holy cow, Elliot was the kind of love everyone wishes for. He was kind, he was smart, he was steady, and the way that he loved Macy was exactly the kind of love that fairytales are made of. When Macy comes back into his life after more than a decade, the way that he made himself available to her in every single way had me in a pile of goo at his feet. He really loved himself some Macy Sorensen and seeing him devoted to being part of her life and so grateful that he was a part of hers was just swoonworthy. He fought hard for the love that he knew they both deserved. Seeing what their separation did to him over the years was hard to read but never once did I doubt that he belonged with Macy and that Macy belonged with him. Their romance and their love was what girls dream of and seeing theirs play out, seeing them fight to be together again as they were in the present and not them in the past made this entire book all the more special.

The writing was fantastic and I thought Christina Lauren did such a great job of telling a complex story with a lot of heart. The plot twist completely threw me because I wasn’t expecting that to happen, I wasn’t expecting to be as heartbroken as I was when it comes out but holy cow, that scene where Macy is sitting in the house after all those years of never going back, seeing her deal with the guilt of the last time that she was there, ahhh, I was a ball of wrecked emotions.

My only gripe about the book is what happened to Elliot that broke him and Macy. It didn’t sit right with me that it was sort of glazed over, unfinished. What that girl did to him, while he was that drunk, didn’t sit right with me. Not when we find out that it happened but also that nothing was ever explained about the aftermath. Even Elliot’s attitude when he’s explaining it to Macy, how he says, “But come on, was it so bad that you cut me out for eleven years without a discussion?” didn’t sit right with me because it doesn’t acknowledge the very real harm that girl caused so that was a bit of a let down.

While that was a very huge ding to my enjoyment, I still really loved Elliot and Macy’s story (if I don’t think about that too hard) and I was so satisfied with the way their romance ended. This story does first love and second chance romance really well and I’m really glad that I read it. It was a good story to read with my daughter and it gave us much to discuss which was also a lot of fun so I’m happy with this book.

4.5 out of 5

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Review: The Score by Elle Kennedy

Posted May 20, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Score by Elle Kennedy

Reviewer: Wena
Series: Off Campus #3
Also Reviewed in this Series: The Deal, The Mistake
Main Leads: Dean Di Laurentis, Allie Hayes
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tags: Hockey Player, College Setting, He Fell First, Hate to Love, Friends with Benefits
Published On: January 11, 2016
Publisher: Bloom Books
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 384
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A New York Times bestseller! Get ready for another binge-worthy romance from international bestselling author Elle Kennedy.

He knows how to score, on and off the ice…

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she’s going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over…

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.

Re-reading this series has been a lot of fun and reacquainting myself with Dean Di Laurentis has been interesting. His antics in both Garrett and Logan’s books this time around were meh to me but I respect that my boy wanted what he wanted and wasn’t ashamed for wanting it. My love for this guy hasn’t dimmed though because reading this book this time around was just as much fun as it was the other times that I’ve read it. I think this is my most re-read book of the series. Yes, I love it that much. Horn ball Dean and no nonsense Allie were just as great this time around.

Dean is a rich boy that is used to getting whatever he wants whenever he wants so him wanting Hannah’s best friend Allie and Allie rejecting him at every turn made for such a fun read because when they finally hook up and Dean imprints on Allie, I knew that shenanigans were about to go down. Elle Kennedy doesn’t disappoint in the humbling of Dean through Allie Hayes. I wish I could say that Dean was fun through the entire book but he really pissed me off a lot in this re-read. The way that he handles the hard times annoyed the shit out of me. The way that he proved Allie’s Dad right annoyed the ever loving shit out of me and on that note, the whole thing with Beau…I wasn’t a fan of that. I didn’t feel like it was necessary to do that to Dean just so that he would grow up. But it is what it is. Oh and don’t even get me started about Dean not showing up to Allie’s show. Grrr.

This time around, Allie was the superstar for me. I loved her. She was so down to earth and a great person inside and out that it was hard to not root for her. Her inner strength was admirable too. She was a lot of fun to get to know and seeing her come into her feelings for Dean and then be the only person in his life that held him accountable for the stupid shit that he did made me love her all the more. She had a lot going on but she just handled her business and didn’t let her circumstances keep her down or make her do stupid shit. She was caring and she felt what she felt and I just really liked her.

The romance between Dean and Allie wasn’t perfect but I do love them together. The bathtub scene still cracks me up every time I read it and the humor was just as fun as the romance was steamy and after all is said and done, this book is just as compelling at the last two books in this series were and there’s a lot of really great things to recommend it so if you’re in the mood for a steamy romance with great characters that know how to keep the laughs coming, read this one. It’s good, I promise.

Off Campus Series

4.5 out of 5

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Review: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Posted May 15, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Reviewer: Wena
Series: Off Campus #1
Main Leads: Garrett Graham, Hannah Wells
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tags: Hockey Player, College Setting, Fake Dating, Tragic Pasts, Tutor Girl, Heavy Themes
Published On: February 24, 2015
Publisher: Bloom Books
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 360
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy… Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date. …and it’s going to be oh so good!

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

I read this book so long ago and wondered if it would hold up if read in 2025 and while there are some things that have aged the book, my enjoyment didn’t change. It took me no time at all to finish a re-read of this book and I’m thrilled that my enjoyment held up because I really do adore these characters.

Garrett plays hockey for Briar U and is one of the popular guys on campus. Hannah is a musician that studies hard and gets good grades. She has a huge crush on Justin but is too shy to talk to him so when she’s the only person in class that aces a test, Garrett offers to exchange talents with her so that they can both get what they want. Garrett wants a better grade in the class and Hannah wants Justin. So they agree to help each other out and of course they fall for each other.

Elle Kennedy does a great job of writing fun stories with steamy romances and characters that really leap off the pages. Garrett and Hannah were both such complex but charming characters that it wasn’t hard at all to root for them. There’s a great balance of all the emotions in this one. There’s humor, there’s sweet moments, and there’s depth. I remember when I first read this one, I wasn’t expecting the depth but I was glad that we got it. My heart softened so much seeing Garrett, the man who is used to getting whatever he wants, struggle with the changes in his life that came with Hannah. I loved that those struggles didn’t last long and I also really loved seeing Garrett go soft for Hannah at every turn. He had such a fun personality that the arrogance wasn’t off-putting.

Hannah was a huge highlight in the story for me. I loved that she didn’t let Garrett get away with anything. I loved that she kept him on his toes and that she was such an introvert. She was the complete opposite of Garrett and I really enjoyed seeing her blossom under his care. The difference in the way that she was with Garrett and then with Justin made me happy because I was rooting for her and Garrett.

Their romance was both fun and emotional for me. I cried a lot (again) when they first started sleeping together because the care that Garrett showed her was so sweet and seeing Hannah come into her own, seeing her become more and more confident made me so damn happy. Seeing the both of them become sure of their feelings for each other is what romance is all about. There was a lot to love about this book and all these years later, I still recommend this to everyone that I know. I still love the heck out of this book, these characters, and I always love being in this world. I loved both of the main leads on their own but I loved them all the more together. They completed each other and reading this story was like being a part of their story so do I recommend? Absolutely.

Off Campus Series

4.5 out of 5

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Review: The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

Posted May 13, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The True Love Experiment

Series: DNA Duo #2
Also in this Series: The Soulmate Equation
Main Leads: Felicity “Fizzy” Chen, Connor Prince
Setting: United States, California, San Diego
Tags: Romance Novelist Female Lead, Single Dad, Secret Romance
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Published On: May 16, 2023
Publisher: Gallery Books
Format: Audio
Source: Purchased
Pages: 409
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.

Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.

Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?

Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.

The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.

The True Love Experiment is the second book in the DNA Duo series by Christina Lauren and it is Fizzy’s book! Fizzy was such a delight in the first book that I was thrilled to find out that we were getting her story in this book. She was such a fun character that I knew having her front and center for an entire book was going to be a lot of fun, and I wasn’t wrong.

Fizzy Chen is all about the hook up. She’s not against finding true love, she just hasn’t felt anything more than lust. She loves love, so much so, that she’s made a career out of it. She’s a romance novelist that hasn’t been in love and it’s starting to feel like she’s living a lie, especially cause her job is to sell love to her readers. Fizzy was such a fantastic female lead. She was bright, she was kind, and she had such a good head on her shoulders that to know her was to love her. She was also funny as hell and was a huge reason I laughed so much while reading.

Connor Prince is a San Diego film maker that loves his job and is really good at his job. When his boss comes to him and tells him that in order to keep that job he loves, he has to make a reality show and make it a success. Reality shows are not Connor’s cup of tea, nor are they part of his expertise. But he ain’t no quitter so when he comes across Felicity Chen, he’s intrigued but more than that, he thinks she’d make a great main character in the reality show that he needs to make. When she tells him that she’d only do it if he fulfills every item on her list, he sets about…completing that list. He’s also a single father who loves his kid and works hard to be the kind of father she deserves. He was the kind of hero that matched well to Fizzy’s bright personality.

The chemistry between Connor and Fizzy was pretty great. They were such a good fit and seeing them fall in love was a lot of fun. Being part of their journey, seeing them become such a solid team made for an entertaining read. Their romance was sweet at the same time that it was steamy. The entire book was such a fun ride. There was a lot of laugh, a lot of support from the other characters, and the story itself was fun and interesting. I even loved seeing all of the contestants that Connor found for Fizzy. It was all just more to love.

I really liked this book. I loved the main characters, the side characters, the story, the romance…all of it. The story was well written and the pacing of the story never dragged so I was never bored. Christina Lauren did a really good job with this story and even though I did really enjoy The Soulmate Equation, I liked this book so much more. This was a fantastic romance from beginning to end. It was such a feel good romance that it took me no time at all to read. I definitely recommend this book if you’re in the mood for a contemporary romance that warms you up from the inside out. This is a really good book.

DNA Duo Series

4.5 out of 5

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Review: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Posted May 6, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Reviewer: Wena
Series: The Kiss Quotient #1
Main Leads: Stella Lane, Michael Larsen
Setting: United States, California, Silicon Valley
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Tags: Fake Dating, Autistic Female Lead, Asian Romance, Male Escort Main Lead
Published On: June 5, 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 323
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there’s not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he’s making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…

The book starts off with our heroine, Stella Lane, having dinner with her parents and her Mom mentioning the fact that she would like grandchildren soon so that has Stella thinking. When a colleague at work brings up her lack of successful dating, Stella figures she needs to hire someone to teach her how to be good at having sex. Stella has Asperger’s and that makes things hard for her because her mind won’t turn off and she says the wrong thing and her partner always gets turned off and so she’s learned some things to get through sex but she doesn’t ever enjoy it herself. She needs professional help and that is when we meet my boo thang, Michael Phan.

Michael Phan is a dead ringer for Daniel Henney, much to his chagrin but it’s helped him in his undercover gig as a male escort so he can’t complain too much. He’s got his reasons for the way that his life turned out and while he doesn’t have regrets, he sometimes has them. He holds himself to a set of rules, a code of ethics, if you will that keeps his professional and his personal life separate. All of those rules seem to have gone right out the window with his latest client, Stella Lane because he’s breaking rules left and right.

Stella hires Michael to help her be more comfortable with sex…only, their first night together, they don’t get past second base so plans change and before either of them know what’s what, Michael and Stella are teaching each other all about love and intimacy. Stella can’t help her personality any more than Michael can help his financial situation. The more time that they spend together, the more they have to fight from falling in love with each other. Stella doesn’t think anyone would love her and all of her quirks while Michael feels the shame of his secret life-threatening to overwhelm the ever living shit out of him.

I loved the heck out of this story. I loved Stella. I loved Michael. I loved both of their families and I seriously could not get enough. I know that I love a story when I keep texting Holly in between scenes, explaining to her in detail why I’m loving the book so much. I texted Holly a lot while reading this book.

I loved Hoang’s writing style. I thought that the way she wrote Stella’s character, her struggles with being autistic and just the way that her personality was, it felt authentic and it was written in a way that I completely got what Stella was going through, what she was thinking and I just got it. I really, really loved Stella and how her moral compass was planted firmly in what she thought was right. I loved seeing her love Michael and I loved whenever she changed the plan because when she secretly changed the plan to seduce Michael, my heart sighed ever so happily. She was just a freaking great heroine that I loved oh so much.

Stella made the book fantastic but the addition of Michael Phan? OMG. I completely adored him. His devotion to his family, to his cousins, to his Mom’s business and just everything. The wealth of love coming from this man had me from the jump. I loved seeing him fall in love with Stella. From his confusion over what was happening to his crush and then to him realizing he was in love with her? OMG, so stinkin’ good.

For me, this book was a complete romance. I enjoyed every single minute of this book and I’m super anxious for the next book to come out. Helen Hoang did so well with this book and seriously, if you’ve been on the fence about reading this book, don’t be. You have no reason to fear you won’t enjoy this book. I have every confidence that you’ll love it.

4.5 out of 5

The Kiss Quotient Series

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Review: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Posted May 5, 2025 by Wena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Reviewer: Wena
Series: Psy-Changelings #1
Main Leads: Lucas Hunter, Sascha Duncan
Setting: United States, California, San Francisco
Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Tags: Pack Alpha, Opposites Attract, Shapeshifter Romance
Published On: September 5, 2006
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 334
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Dive into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind—and none of the heart . . .

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”—the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was . . .

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy co-existence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her.

Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation . . .

It’s AANHPI Month in the States so we’re going to try to feature as many AANHPI authors as we can this month because representation matters! I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to introduce the girls (well, Chloe and Jenna since Brenna only reads contemporaries right now) to Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changelings Series. Nalini Singh is one of my favoritest authors and she writes incredible paranormal romances that hit all of my happy buttons.

Slave to Sensation is the first book in her Psy-Changelings Series and it is a book that is near and dear to me because this book was my introduction to this world and to…Judd Lauren. To Kaleb Krychek. To Hawke Snow. To Aden Kai. And to so many more characters that I love the heck out of. This is one of the few ongoing series that I’m still reading and the adventure starts here.

Lucas Hunter and Sascha Duncan were compelling characters that were interesting on their own but they were magic together. Their romance was steamy as hell and Lucas was sexy as hell. The way that he had me blushing like a school girl and jealous of Sascha should be studied because I’m not a school girl nor am I one to blush but for Lucas? Yes. I blush for Lucas. I really loved Lucas but I also really liked Sascha. Her struggles with hiding her emotions that were getting closer and closer to simmering right over the top with every interaction with Lucas had me hooked. I really liked learning about the different aspects of this world. The Psy’s, the Changelings, and though we don’t get very much interactions from the humans, I enjoyed learning that they were there and they shared the world with all of these gifted people and that we might get to read their stories as well.

Now if you’re new to this world, there will be some confusion as you’re learning the world and the characters but I promise, it gets better and Nalini Singh’s writing is worth pushing through. This book is a fantastic read and you’ll meet and fall in love with so many people and you’ll come to care so much about Lucas and Sascha and the set up for the rest of the books is done well, done in a way that will make you curious and want to continue on. Nalini Singh does a really good job of stringing storylines together and giving readers something to come back to.

Lucas and Sascha’s story was pretty fantastic and I definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for an interesting world to fall in to. There’s much to love in this book and Lucas and Sascha are only a small part. It’s been a lot of fun getting to know these characters and fall in love with the world as a whole so yeah, read this series!

4.5 out of 5

Psy-Changelings Series

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