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Making it a New Years resolution to update my blog more frequently cuz I’ve been MIA!

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Garrett Graham 🥺

“Look, I’m the DD tonight, but I’m offering to be more than just your driver. I’ll be your bodyguard, and your bartender, and most importantly, your friend. I promise to look out for you tonight, Wellsy.”

— The Deal, Elle Kennedy

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Me: *confuses real life with stuff I’ve read in books*

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books?? amazing. paperbacks?? soft, cozy, may fit in your pocket, cheap so you don’t feel bad for taking notes in them. hardcovers??? beautiful, pristine, ground you into the world they hold by making you grip them tighter, the stars of every bookshelf. ebooks?? convenient, cheap, always with you, a vast library that you can hold in your palm. new books?? crisp, the smell of wood, ideas waiting to imprint themselves upon the world. old books?? objects transcending history, sweet smelling, enriched by the hands that stroked their pages. books.

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Why is book insurance not a thing?? Pfft if my house burns down you think my top priority will be finding a new place to live? Nah man, the first place you’ll find me is at the bookstore trying to recreate my library

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This evening I read my favourite chapter of Ulysses in the bath and listened to my flatmate playing Debussy on the piano in her room. Feeling so calm and restful 🌙✨

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look, if I could sit in a cafe drinking coffee and reading my books all day while completely ignoring my surroundings, I would.

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A hannahgarrett novella would literally make me the happiest person on this planet

Sometimes we make all the wrong decisions, end up in all the wrong places, and still find exactly where we’re supposed to be. Conor’s my happy accident. My wrong place, wrong time, exactly right guy.

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Me, barely getting into reading: *reads every book I buy, not understanding how other readers have unread books on their shelves for so long*

Me, now: *buys books I don’t need yet want and still have them on my shelf two years later, telling myself I’ll get to them eventually*

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me @ any male fictional character with a sharp jawline, tragic backstory, and a soft spot only for his love interest:

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Book Review of Beautiful Boss by Christina Lauren

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 

Plot/Synopsis:  One Player tamed. One nerd girl satisfied. And one more major life decision to make. When Will fell for Hanna, her quirky sense of humor and fierce dedication to her career were part of the attraction. (Not to mention her coy newbie attitude toward sex and her willingness to let him teach her everything.) But when the job offers start rolling in for her—and oh, they do—Hanna has trouble deciding what she wants, where they should live, and how much she should burden Will with the decision. Magic between the sheets is only one part of a relationship...getting on the same page is quite another altogether.

My Thoughts: I am so happy we got to see Will and Hanna together in a novella. It was such an amazing novella and although I loved Will and Hanna in Beautiful Player, I fell in love with them EVEN MORE in this book! (how is that even possible?) But Will is just so gosh darn charming! I thought Hanna was going to annoy me in this book, but honestly I wasn’t which is kind of surprising? But I loved Hanna! The book opens up with their wedding which was very appreciated on my part. I also loved how much we could see Will’s love for Hanna because he was willing to do anything for Hanna in the blink of an eye. I also LOVED seeing the rest of the Beautiful gang. I can’t even express how much I love this friend group!

Final Thoughts: I seriously just fell for Will more in this book and it was really nice getting a glimpse into their newly-wed life and their relationship again. They are just so good for each other and complement each other so well. Their dynamic is so awesome and they just like to hang with each other without all these different barriers and it was just so heartwarming. Absolute heart eyes for this novella and it is for sure a must read! 

Check it out on Goodreads here and buy it on Amazon here 

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Book review of Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren 

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Plot/Synopsis:  When Ruby Miller’s boss announces he’s sending her on an extended business trip to New York City, she’s shocked. As one of the best and brightest young engineers in London, she knows she’s professionally up to the task. The part that’s throwing her is where she’ll be spending a month up close and personal working alongside—and staying in a hotel with—Niall Stella, her firm’s top urban planning executive and The Hottest Man Alive. Despite her ongoing crush, Ruby is certain Niall barely knows she’s alive…until their flirty overnight flight makes him sit up and take notice. Not one for letting loose and breaking rules, recently divorced Niall would describe himself as hopeless when it comes to women. But even he knows outgoing California-girl Ruby is a breath of fresh air. Once she makes it her mission to help the sexy Brit loosen his tie, there’s no turning back. Thousands of miles from London, it’s easy for the lovers to play pretend. But when the trip is over, will the relationship they’ve built up fall down?

My Thoughts: This book like all of the other books in this series was amazing! We first saw Niall in Beautiful Beloved as Max’s brother and he was such a sweet uncle to baby Annabel. I fell in love with Niall right then and there. Niall is this super uptight executive and has gotten out of a lifeless marriage, but doesn’t really have any intentions of finding someone new any time soon. Ruby is this bright, smart, and quirky American girl who is living in London as this bright engineer who is taking the engineering world by storm. She’s had a crush on Niall ever since she laid her eyes on him and this was such a funny story of them getting to know each other more and Ruby bringing Niall out of his shell. Although Niall is not my favorite Beautiful boy, but he sure is a great character. It took a while for me to fall for him because of his more uptight personality but I loved him and Ruby! Their romance was great and super heartwarming.

Final Thoughts: This was a really good book that is a must read if you like the Beautiful series and if you like tall and handsome British guys ;) Although I really liked this book it just didn’t completely resonate with me, so I gave it four stars but this is an awesome book! 

Check it out on Goodreads here and buy it on Amazon here 

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Can you tell I have a type??? I absolutely love doing these kinds of this or that’s

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Book review of On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

⭐⭐/5 

Premise/Synopsis:  Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare ... Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well - until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street, where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core. Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he's determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached. But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won't be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her . . . down to the very soul.

My Thoughts: I’m not sure where to even begin with this review. I was on the fence between two stars and three stars, but ended up giving it two stars. I think I’ll start with our heroine, Jocelyn. Jocelyn got on my nerves so many times and her internal monologue was such a bore. I get it that she has a very tragic past, but that past dictates every. single. decision of hers. And that’s all she thinks about for about 80% of the time. Jocelyn has a harsh/cold exterior because of her tragic past, but sometimes it gets to the extreme, and I was just like “girl, chill.” For example, she snaps at Braden when he calls her ‘babe’ and he just used it in a very casual tone *wtf*  She’s also immature until the very end which bothered me. I liked Braden, but definitely not a character that goes down in my book boyfriends list. I did like that Braden took Jocelyn out of her shell. He’s your typical alpha male who’s rich, but I feel like he lacked depth in some ways. There’s honestly not much that is very memorable about this book other than this one scene where he’s tickling her and something happens. The steam was good, but the scenes and book in general are not very well written so they were somewhat tame. I quite liked the side characters, but I’m not exactly sure if I want to read their book. The book also reminded me of a movie because we get flashbacks-I’m not sure what to call them-between Jocelyn and her therapist. The therapist did add to the plot because she pushed Jocelyn to go after her desires and I didn’t have much of a problem with the therapist. Also, Jocelyn didn’t show much character development and I really wanted her to so it was quite the letdown :( This book took me forever to finish too because once again, I couldn’t stand Jocelyn’s internal monologue. 

Cons: 

Jocelyn got on my nerves A LOT. The way she says “Jesus C” but says “oh God” and uses weird substitutes for curse words BOTHERED me. It’s one thing to not swear at all, but if you’re going to swear, do it the right way. 

The ending was very random, and the side character’s sickness was abrupt and unnecessary. Kind of seemed like the author just wanted to get it done and over with and it just brought a lot of unnecessary length to the book and drama. Not extremely well written. 

Final Thoughts: I will have to admit that this book was somewhat relatable at times and did make me laugh a few times. I really wish I liked this book more because it was recommended by an awesome friend and is also a cult classic in the romance community, but it was just a major letdown for me. Also, apparently this book had two editors, but what is up with the bad punctuation and wrong your/you’re??? The ending was just a ramble of emotions and it was just a mess that I had a hard time keeping track of. I usually really love angst at the end of the book and I love when the couple fights/breaks up at the end and get back together, but not in this case. It felt very forced and again, unnecessary. If you like a lot of drama in your romance, then I would recommend it, but it was just not the right one for me. 

I’m sorry that this post is such a mess! I just have a lot to say about this book and can’t put it all into words!

Buy it on Amazon here and check it out on Goodreads here

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goddamnitkastle presents: A thread of Kastle cliches we should have gotten/gotten more of but we were untimely robbed of them and I will probably not get over it any time soon

Source of original post linked here

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Romance Novels by Trope

@thymoss​ asked me for romance novel recs (that aren’t like….. Normal People lol) and I provide a list organized by trope!!! They’re both historical and contemporary with no real delineation but I don’t read ANY paranormal romance so I’m sorry if you’re into that.

Enemies-to-Lovers:

Anything You Can Do by R.S. Grey

It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas

Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas

All The Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan 

The Risk by Elle Kennedy

Down With Love by Kate Meader 

For the Duke’s Eyes Only by Lenora Bell

Friends-to-Lovers:

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren 

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary 

A Really Bad Idea by Jeannine Colette

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan 

Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne

The Earl Takes a Fancy by Lorraine Heath 

Rakes, Rogues, and Bad Boys:

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas (yes I’m the numero uno Sebastian St. Vincent stan and yes, his is the best written redemption arc I’ve ever come across)

A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare

The Rake by Suzanne Enoch

In Bed With the Devil by Lorraine Heath 

The Score by Elle Kennedy

The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna Shupe

Irresistibly Yours by Lauren Layne 

Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (aka the first Romance™️ novel I ever read at much too early an age and I hardcore SHIPPED Parker and Malcolm before I even knew what it was)

Not Quite a Lady by Loretta Chase

The Exact Opposite of Simpering Wallflowers:

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart by Sarah MacLean (aka the historical romance novel which made me Jenny Slate NASA scream more than any book ever)

Third Degree by Julie Cross

Going Under by S. Walden (serious trigger warning for rape though so keep that in mind)

The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore 

Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase 

Fake Relationship/Marriage of Convenience:

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

Marriage for One by Ella Maise

To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt

You Can Have Manhattan by P.Dangelico

The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas

The Deal by Elle Kennedy 

Second Chance Romance:

The Trouble with Love by Lauren Layne

Ghosted by J.M. Darhower

Getting Schooled by Emma Chase (the dog dies in this one so be prepared!!!!)

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren 

The Good Luck Charm by Helena Hunting

An Heiress to Remember by Maya Rodale

LBGT:

Hold Me by Courtney Milan 

The Soldier’s Scoundrel by Cat Sebastian 

A Fashionable Indulgence by K.J. Charles

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

Before You Say I Do by Clare Lydon 

Non-White Protagonists:

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai 

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

Trade Me by Courtney Milan 

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

Black Rainbow by J.J. McAvoy

Rebel by Beverly Jenkins

Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

Etc.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai 

Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare (aka the romance which made me cry more than any book ever)

Unclaimed by Courtney Milan

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham

Dare To Love A Duke by Eva Leigh

Illegally Yours by Kate Meader 

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole