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📚: Don’t Give a Cluck by Karigan Hale

Tropes:

👉 Small Town

👉 Strangers to Lovers

👉 Forced Proximity

TWs 😟: Mentions of awful parent

Main Takeaway 🏹: Tuft Swallow bird puns are the best

Synopsis 📜: Nix is a nomad who ends up in Tuft Swallow along her travels. She meets the local bookstore owner and sparks fly. Thayer has been helping run his grandparents bookstore for a while now but is contemplating going back to MIT to continue his architecture studies when Nix rolls into town.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: I’m seriously obsessed with this town and it’s cast of characters! Nix and Thayer’s banter was top notch and their chemistry was 🥵🥵

These two were so fun to read and I can’t wait to keep learning about this crazy town!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: Dirty Play by Lexi James

Tropes:

👉 Friends to Lovers

👉 Hockey

👉 Healthcare Worker FMC

TWs 😟: Mentions of sibling death

Main Takeaway 🏹: Two perfect puzzle pieces

Synopsis 📜: Cade has a troubled past he can’t forgive himself for and Gwen has parents who care more about their career than her. He tries to fight his feelings for his friend for a long time but when he finally gives in, he ends up pushing her away when he needs her the most.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: I enjoyed the buildup in this book! The characters clearly love each other from the beginning but they both have issues to work through to get to each other. Cade is such a lovable grump and when he finally has the chance to make up for his past mistakes, it’s the beginning of a much better existence for him (and Gwen)! When these two finally realize how they feel for each other, they are all in! I love a book with no third act breakup and this fit the bill!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: Never in My Wildest Dreams by Erika Kelly

Tropes:

👉 One Night Stand

👉 Surprise Pregnancy

👉 Pop Star FMC

TWs 😟: Mentions of career ending injury, mentions of cheating

Main Takeaway 🏹: Hellcat and Slick are 🔥

Synopsis 📜: Booker is being pressured to betray his morals for a big payday at work so he takes off to his cabin to regroup and figure out his next move. When he gets there, he finds a woman squatting in his space. Lorelei is a pop princess who was betrayed by her boyfriend, best friend, and mother so she finds a remote cabin to retreat to and figure out her life but she ends up in the wrong cabin but doesn’t realize it for three months when the owner of the cabin shows up just as a blizzard takes over the area. After the shock wears off of both of them and they spend some time together, they share a steamy night together before Booker disappears on her. Fast forward 2.5 years when they cross paths again as the best man and maid of honor at their best friend's wedding. Things have changed for both of them but Booker will have to make some serious decisions and changes to his life when he realizes what he’s been missing.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: The chemistry between these two is unreal! They banter from the very beginning and their nicknames for each other were perfect and not ones that I have ever read in a romance novel before, which was so refreshing. Their only problem is their inability to trust that they feel the same for each other. They both have issues from their past that they have to work through to get to each other fully and their journey is an amazing read!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: Flock and Roll by Vicki Hilton

Tropes:

👉 Friends to Lovers

👉 Small Town

👉 Slow Burn

TWs 😟:

Main Takeaway 🏹: A beautiful love story

Synopsis 📜: Brody is back in Tuft Swallow after his professional Hockey career was derailed by an injury to his leg. While he waits to see what will happen with his contract, he rediscovers his infatuation with his best friend’s sister, Ro. They had a difficult time resisting each other before he left for college and that has not changed in the years since he has been gone.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: This is a very slow burn! They dance around each other and their feelings for almost the entire book but the tension was delicious! Brody wants nothing more than to say something to his best friend about his feelings for his sister but Ro’s fears outweigh his desires. I appreciate that he takes the little information she gives him and respects it by not moving any further with their feelings but of course that doesn’t lead to a happy third act. This was a fun read and I’m still obsessed with this little town. If it existed in real life, I would move there tomorrow!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: If Only You Hurt by Stefanie Castro

Tropes:

👉 Friends to Lovers

👉 Surprise Pregnancy

👉 Mental Health Rep

TWs 😟: Gun violence and death, Miscarriage

Main Takeaway 🏹: A beautiful love story

Synopsis 📜: Grant and Laney have been best friends since birth and as they grow older so does their love for each other, until tragedy strikes and changes Laney’s life forever. Grant is there for her every step of the way as she works towards healing her mind from the trauma, all while keeping other secrets from everyone in her life.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: The depths of this story kept me intrigued throughout the entire story. Strange has an amazing talent with words to help the reader feel exactly what the character feels and these two characters were spellbinding.

[betsysbooknook]

📚: A Major Puck Up by Brittanee Nicole

Tropes:

👉 Single Dad

👉 Forbidden

👉 Hockey

TWs 😟: Child abandonment

Main Takeaway 🏹: I could not put this book down!

Synopsis 📜: Gavin Langfield has no desires to fall in love and start a family but when he meets Millie at a bar and they spend a mind blowing night together, that all changes for him. Until he sees her again and realizes she is his best friend’s daughter. His resolve to stay away from her doesn’t last long and they find themselves in a long distance situationship that ends horribly. When a baby girl shows up on Gavin’s doorstep, he gets everything he wanted with Millie only to have to handle it by himself. That is, until Millie shows up again and wants him and Viv to be her family.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: Brittanee has such a great way of weaving her books together and giving us all of the easter eggs from previous books. Gavin and Millie are super hot together and every time I thought I had the plot figured out, something else happened to change things up. Gavin as a daddy is super fun to read and I can’t blame Millie at all for changing her mind about a family with him so quickly after returning home to find him with a new little lady in his life. I enjoyed reading Millie’s character growth and seeing her become the woman she wants to be for Gavin and Vivi.

[betsysbooknook]

📚: Wild Crush by Kacey Shea

Tropes:

👉 Small Town

👉 Friends to Lovers

👉 Single Mom

TWs 😟: Getting together before divorce is finalized

Main Takeaway 🏹: Maeve finally gets the happy ending she deserves!

Synopsis 📜: Rainer has been in love with his best friend for as long as he has known her. So when her husband leaves her and their 3 kids, he has no hesitation in stepping and helping her manage being a single parent for longer than one of her no good husbands work trips. Maeve is blown away by him daily and finally able to breathe a bit. When her friends point out how attractive he is, she can’t help but notice and wonder how she could have been so blind for so many years.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: I have been wondering how Maeve and Rainer’s story would play out since she was already married but Kacey executed their love story so flawlessly! Rainer is the perfect book boyfriend and I was so mad at Maeve for breaking his heart for so long. But she is a good mom and did what she felt she had to do for her kids and that’s never going to be a bad choice in the moment.

[betsysbooknook]

📚: Forever Enough by Kelly Elliott

Tropes:

👉 Small Town

👉 Cowboy

👉 FMC in hiding

TWs 😟: off page physical and verbal abuse

Main Takeaway 🏹: Such a sweet love story

Synopsis 📜: Bradly comes home for Christmas to the family ranch, finding himself envious of his cousins happiness and contemplating his retirement from professional bull riding when he stumbles on a gorgeous woman singing in his family's barn.

McKenzie is trying to keep her location a secret from her abusive stepfather and mother, who are trying to get control of her inheritance from her father. She never expected to meet someone and fall in love so quickly, but Bradly sweeps her off her feet and makes life enjoyable again.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: This is the kind of love story I have always imagine for myself, minus the abuse. I love stories where the main characters fall in love so fast and so sure that they can’t imagine living life without each other from that first moment. The story was written well and the pacing felt perfect. I was, as always, very happy to not have a third act breakup!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: Tit Me with Your Best Shot by Chantel Roome

Tropes:

👉 Small Town

👉 He Falls First

👉 Older Main Characters

TWs 😟: genital destruction by goat (not MC), slight stalking of FMC

Main Takeaway 🏹: I want to live in this town

Synopsis 📜: Nick is an ex-MMA fighter turned rubber duck collector who has returned to Tufts Swallow to run a gym and coach. He didn’t expect to literally run into a woman who will become the love of his life. Tina runs a pizza and wings shop despite her mothers meddling tendencies of trying to find her a husband. She has no desire to get married or spend her life taking care of a man child but Nick might just change her mind on what a mature relationship can be.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: I seriously want to live in Tufts Swallow! The town is run by a goat for crying out loud! Tina is the most caring woman who says she doesn’t want to take care of anyone I’ve ever read and Nick might just be the man of my dreams! The way these two create a family together in the worst of circumstances was a great love story and the spice was amazing!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: Downpour by Maggie Gates

Tropes:

👉 Small Town

👉 Age Gap

👉 Disability Rep

TWs 😟: Traumatic injury depiction and recovery

Main Takeaway 🏹: A great depiction of real life and continuous healing

Synopsis 📜: Ray’s life changed forever in the span of 8 seconds. Now he’s dealing with a lifelong recovery from a paralyzing fall of a bull. He shuts everyone out and chases every new nurse/caregiver that’s sent his way. Until he meets Brooke. Brooke is a hot mess trying to survive life until she inherits her trust fund at 25. When she gets assigned to Ray’s case, she learns more about herself than she ever thought possible.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: I knew this book was going to be angsty and sad but these two delivered on the chemistry and spice as well! They both helped the other heal so beautifully and found something neither thought they could have!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: Gabriel & Skye

Tropes:

👉 Small Town

👉 Nanny

👉 Single Dad

TWs 😟: Parent abandoning their child

Main Takeaway 🏹: The spice is totally worth the wait

Synopsis 📜: Skye is spending the summer visiting her grandparents and brother before she starts her new teachers aide job in the fall. She gets a job as a nanny for her brother's best friend. Gabriel and his daughter were abandoned by his ex wife shortly after she was born and he has built a fortress around his heart that no one should be able to get through…except Skye!

Personal Thoughts 🤔: I loved this book! Gabriel and Skye were way hotter than I expected and the sprinkling of a daddy kink took this love story to a whole new level!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: The One I Left Behind by Piper Rayne

Tropes:

👉 Small Town

👉 Second Chance

👉 Single Mom

TWs 😟: Mentions of DV

Main Takeaway 🏹: Great premise but I wanted more

Synopsis 📜: Ben is back in his hometown after retiring from his professional football career and comes face to face with the one he left behind and her son. Gillian never thought he’d be back and now he will stop at nothing to win back her heart.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: I enjoyed this story! It has some of my favorite tropes and I wanted more of it! More detail, more angst, more tension, and more of the characters!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: That’s Cockatoo Much by Kristin Macqueen

Tropes:

👉 Small Town

👉 Second Chance

👉 Forced Proximity

TWs 😟:

Main Takeaway 🏹: A fun start to the series!

Synopsis 📜: Delilah never thought she’d return to her hometown after leaving in a hurry thinking her husband cheated on her. Now that she’s back, she’s having trouble resisting her hot husband and avoiding their past.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: I could have been Delilah in another life. I would have absolutely reacted the same way to finding out my husband cheated on me. And then I would have avoided talking to him about it when I returned to town. She’s so easy to understand but so is Jonah. He held onto hope and never stopped believing Delilah would return to him one day and that’s the kind of man every woman deserves! This story was so fun, despite the heartache and I can’t wait to learn more about this quirky little town.

[betsysbooknook]

📚: Bonus Game by Susan Renee

Tropes:

👉 Hockey

👉 Single Dad/Nanny

👉 Forced Proximity

TWs 😟: Mentions of child abandonment

Main Takeaway 🏹: I’m so sad this series is over!

Synopsis 📜: Zeke has been a single dad for years and has been relying on his parents to help with his daughter after her mother abandoned her. But his parents deserve to enjoy retirement so he decides to try and find a full time nanny. Enter Ada, a widow who Kinsley introduces him to. She is perfect for his daughter and she may just be perfect for him as well.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: I have absolutely loved this series (and everything else Susan has ever written) and Zeke did not disappoint. He tries so hard to handle everything life has thrown at him since his wife left them but he lights up like a Christmas tree the moment he meets Ada. I loved the way just meeting each other makes them both instantly happier in life and the relationship they both have with Elsie is adorable! I can’t wait to see what Susan has up her sleeves next for us!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: Wrecking Love by A. Winchester

Tropes:

👉 Wolf Shifters

👉 Second Chance Marriage

👉 Surprise Pregnancy

TWs 😟: Too many to list. Please see content warning at beginning of book or reach out with questions

Main Takeaway 🏹: A perfect book 2 to the series

Synopsis 📜: Killian is back in Cedar Harbor after three years but his past has followed him there in the form of a wolf hunter who wants to kill them all. Because he has returned, he is forced to face his past and his mental illness, neither of which he wants to do but he can’t seem to resist his wife and everything they went through.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: This book was 10000% worth the wait after Escaping Expectations changed the chemistry of my brain last year. Declan is a sexy lumbersnack but Killian is a sinful bounty hunter whose inner monologue and mental illness hit a little too close to home for me. I never expected to relate to a wolf shifting bounty hunter but here we are. Genevieve lived up to her personality from EE as well. I love her relationship with Nolan and Raven but learning about her life with Killian made her even more likable. She has been through more pain at the hands of her parents and religion than anyone should ever have to deal with and she is still a bright light throughout the book.

This world A. Winchester is building is absolutely becoming an obsession for me and I’m eternally grateful to have been here from the beginning and to be a part of her team for as long as she’ll have me!

[betsysbooknook]

📚: First Comes Forever by Kay Cove

Tropes:

👉 Millionaire

👉 Forced Proximity

👉 Friends to Lovers

TWs 😟: Infertility, miscarriage, mental health issues

Main Takeaway 🏹: Adam is a dream book boyfriend!

Synopsis 📜: Amani wants nothing more than to be a mom. She’s trying everything her doctor suggests and when she connects with Adam and they develop a stronger friendship, he offers to pay for her IVF treatment, among other things. As their summer romance turns into a true relationship, Adam wants to be more than just an uncle to the child they are hoping to create.

Personal Thoughts 🤔: Adam is swoonworthy! The lines that come out of this man’s mouth would make anyone attracted to men melt. And they don’t necessarily come off as cheesy. When it comes to Amani, this man is 100% genuine. I loved the growth of their relationship and Adam cemented himself in my book boyfriend hall of fame during the third act when he did what he had to do to help Amani heal even though it meant breaking his own heart in the process.

[betsysbooknook]

Hello Tumblr! Welcome to my book blog!

I am avid book reader and leave book reviews on several other platforms, it only makes sense to check out this space as well!

I’m all for readers reading whatever makes them happy and I don’t judge anyone for their book choices! I am a firm believer in not yucking someone else’s yum.

There are so many romance tropes I love to read but here is a list of my favorites:

Age Gap

Small Town

Cowboy

Surprise Pregnancy

Anything Taboo