Happy Tuesday, everyone!
How are you guys doing? I hope you've been reading lots of romance! In today's post, I have two reviews for you guys, one is a contemporary novella, and the other is a historical romance, that I wasn't entirely into. I also share some other books I read recently at the end of the post. I hope you find something to add to your TBRs!
ON HART'S BOARDWALK
by Samantha Young
by Samantha Young
Series: On Dublin Street #6.7
Genres: Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Genres: Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Publication Date: March 20th 2018
Source: ARC received for review purposes
Rating: ★★★★
I don't think I've talked about it enough, but Samantha Young's On Dublin Street is one of my all-time contemporary romance series. I have such fond memories of reading those books and discovering the OTPs that lay within. So, I was very happy to hear that she had written a novella, years into the future, featuring one of my favorite couples from the series. I loved this glimpse into Nate and Livia's relationship. They are both busy with their jobs, have two lovely daughters, and are leading a rather monotonous life. To make matters worse, Livia feels that Nate just isn't present in her life anymore as she would like. After the death of a friend, he's receded into himself, and doesn't open up to her. I'm not going to lie, it was a little hard to read about Nate and Olivia having marriage troubles, but it was also incredibly realistic. Let's face it, what marriage is ever 100% happy 24/7? So, I appreciated this look into the life after a happily ever after. Nate and Livia have to work hard to restore their marriage, and the first step towards that is going away from home to Hart's Boardwalk. This is the setting in Samantha Young's newest series, so this novella was a crossover. Besides loving reading about Nate and Livia mend their fractured marriage, I also loved meeting some of my favorite characters from that series. I particularly loved seeing Bailey and Vaughn! Anyways, this is a short novella, so I won't give everything away, but know that it's an emotional, beautiful and sexy story, just as every other book by Samantha Young.
by Caroline Linden
Series: The Wagers of Sin #1
Genres: Historical
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: February 27th 2018
Source: ARC received for review purposes
Rating: ★★★
I usually really love Caroline Linden's historical romances, but I was quite disappointed by My Once and Future Duke. Let me get to the positive aspects first. I really loved the idea of the heroine being a gambling queen. Sophie is a pro at cards, and is absolutely unapologetic about it. It was refreshing to have a heroine who wasn't part of London high society. She's fiery, independent, and does not let people walk all over her. I admired her absolute tenacity and strength throughout the book. Sophie was absolutely a character that I easily found myself rooting for. I also really enjoyed the friendships here. Sophie's friends could not be more different than her, but their dynamic was so interesting to me. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more about them in the subsequent books. Now, the hero himself, Jack, the Duke of Ware, wasn't the easiest for me to warm up to for some reason. For most of the book, he wasn't very comfortable showing his true self, and part of me felt like we never really got to see the man behind that tough exterior. I also think a reason why I wasn't entirely enamored with Jack was that he didn't stand out to me in any way. My attention was one hundred percent on Sophie. I just thought she deserved someone better. The chemistry was definitely there for me between the two of them, but like I think my lack of connection to Jack made it difficult for me to become invested in this ship. I wanted to see more banter, more scenes of them communicating and being themselves. I was expecting more from them because Caroline Linden has written some AMAZING romances in the past. Sophie and Jack's relationship simply didn't live up for me. All that being said, I still found the book to be quite entertaining since I managed to finish it, and I am quite eager to read the next book featuring one of Sophie's friend. Just the synopsis of An Earl Like You has me buzzing with excitement!
More Books I've Read
I'll be reviewing these closer to release date, but I had to quickly share my thoughts about them over here. These were all part of my most anticipated romances of the year and they were just so great. Brooklynaire was a book I've been waiting for for like ever - the romance between Nate and Becca has been building up since the first book in the series, and omg it was so worth the wait! The Kiss Quotient was also another book I was highly anticipating and it was just wonderful. It was sweet, sexy, a little awkward, but just absolutely perfect. I can't wait for it to be out in the world. A Princess In Theory was also absolutely wonderful. I'm not usually one for royalty romances because I think they tend to veer into cheesy territory, but this was lovely and smart and made me very happy. Hello Stranger was another hit for me from Lisa Kleypas. I swear, this woman can do no wrong in my eyes!
Have you read any books feature in this post? Tell me about some of your latest 4 or 5 star romance reads!
