Review Roundup Autumn 2024 – Part 1

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Autumn 2024. Beware of spoilers! Title: How to Help a Hungry Werewolf Author: Charlotte Stein Series: The Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures #1 Much thanks to Charlotte Stein, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review. So funny and charming! I loved spending time with Cassie and Seth. However, I can believe some readers may find this kind …

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Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

Title: Hotel of Secrets Author: Diana Biller Series: n/a Loose ends but overall great Much thanks to Diana Biller, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a great book! I liked it better than Brightest Star in Paris. Just a few small issues with it: 1. It got long and could have been slimmed and trimmed (e.g., their sex scene was waaaay too long, I skipped …

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A Counterfeit Wife by Paullett Golden

Title: A Counterfeit Wife Author: Paullett Golden Series: Sirens #1 Bloated and rather unbelievable, but still charming Much thanks to the author, who provided a free copy (and excellent conversation) in exchange for an honest review. Good news: I enjoyed Trevor and J’non’s romance!* Bad news: the narrative’s middle was incredibly bloated, and I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the ending. *And unfortunately, the good news has a caveat—I don’t mean for “I enjoyed Trevor and J’non’s romance” to refer to …

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The Brightest Star in Paris by Diana Biller

Title: The Brightest Star in Paris Author: Diana Biller Series: Moore Family Saga #2 genre-confused, otherwise great! I would like to thank Diana Biller, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a great book, but holy mackerel it was long. *compares to other random romances* Okay, it wasn’t freakishly long, but it definitely FELT long. Probably could have stood to trim a few dozen pages. The …

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A Touch of Romance by Paullett Golden

Title: A Touch of Romance Author: Paullett Golden Series: Romantic Encounters #2 Slow start but satisfying Thank you very much to Paullett Golden, who provided me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Jules and Leila meet at a writer’s retreat hosted by mutual friends. Randomly paired together for an activity, they don’t expect to like each other much, and when instead sparks fly, no one is more surprised than they are. But Jules, of humble means, had …

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The Heir and the Enchantress by Paullett Golden

Title: The Heir and the Enchantress Author: Paullett Golden Series: The Enchantresses #5 Fantastic characters more than compensate for the tired plot Much thanks to the author, who provided me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I admit, I wasn’t as excited for Aunt Hazel’s story as I’d been for the others, mostly because I had a hard time imagining her as anything other than Aunt Hazel. But to my surprise, when I dove into this …

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Tempt Me with Diamonds by Jane Feather

Title: Tempt Me with Diamonds Author: Jane Feather Series: London Jewels Trilogy #1 Could have been better with different characters Thank you to Jane Feather, Kensington Books/Zebra, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review a couple years ago. Yes, a couple years ago I had tried to read the ARC so I could review it, but I hadn’t liked the characters and hadn’t had the patience to persevere to the end, …

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The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller

Title: The Widow of Rose House Author: Diana Biller Series: n/a A humorous debut romance—and a ghost story too I would like to thank Diana Biller, St. Martin’s Press/Griffin, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I devoured this book. Started it late in the evening and would have had it finished before noon the following day if other obligations hadn’t demanded my attention. I still finished it within 24 hours. …

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The Baron and the Enchantress by Paullett Golden

Title: The Baron and the Enchantress Author: Paullett Golden Series: Enchantresses #3 Got a bit long, otherwise a beautiful story My thanks to Paullett Golden, who asked me to read a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This was typical Golden (Is it too early to start saying “classic” Golden?)—a well-told, heartfelt story with endearing characters, deep themes, historical detail, bittersweet irony, and humor. The only real issue, in my eyes, was the length. I …

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The Duke and the Enchantress by Paullett Golden

Title: The Duke and the Enchantress Author: Paullett Golden Series: The Enchantresses #2 Wonderfully complex characters, minor narrative issues My thanks to Paullett Golden, who asked me to read a free copy of her novel in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t like Charlotte or Drake as they were portrayed in the first book. I thought she was a whiny woe-is-me brat and he was an obnoxious, selfish asshole. I was very curious about this second book, because I …

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