The first half of January was marked by some cozy winter romances, and since it was snowing for 2 weeks here, the vibes were perfect!
Single All the Way by Kate Watson ★★
You know that feeling when you're watching a low-budget cringe-acting ChatGPT-made-the-script Hallmark movie, and you know deep in your heart that it's horrible, and yet you can't stop watching? That's how I felt reading this...
Look, I can't name even one good thing about this super short book, but damn if I didn't have fun at least 10% of the time and wanted to see how this train wreck would end. Plus, it's gonna be an excellent addition for my reading challenges 😂😂
She's a Super Special Snowflake Gifted Quirky Unappreciated girl, and only HE, the Super Special Snowflake Lawyer Rich Dude can see just how extra special she is...There's also insta-love, extra cringe converstaions, add in the ultra dramatic side-character developments so that the MC can have her HEA with the family that used to bully her.
P.S. They aren't enemies AT ALL. They are just mildly infuriated at each other for stealing parking spots and their "negative emotions" get resolved within a 20 minute conversation.
Season's Schemings by Katie Bailey ★★★★
If you're looking for a fake-dating, cozy, no spice, green flag romance, look no further because I binged this in one sitting and regret nothing.
"You deserve to be celebrated, deserve to be praised. Deserve to have all of those people look at you and talk to you with way more respect. And I'm pulling double duty as your husband to help you get everything you deserve."
These two are such nice people, and I rooted for them from the start ♥ I liked how they both treated each other with respect and did everything they could to help each other. The side characters were all mostly wonderful (except Maddie's mom, who I wanted to strangle at any given opportunity 🔪)
I'm definitely gonna be reading more of Katie Bailey because this was so so freaking cute 😍
Desire or Defense by Leah Brunner ★★★★
guysss I'm on a roll! After reading Season's Schemings and loving it, I was fully prepared for my next read to not reach the same potential BUTTTT I WAS SO WRONG
When comparing these two hockey romances, they only have one thing in common - THEY'RE BOTH SO GOOD ♥ Also hockey, but that's not the point 😂😂
While Season's Schemings was a bit on the lighter side, it had more banter and silliness; this one is a bit more serious. It's got two people dealing with very difficult situations - death of parents, taking care of a younger sibling, anger management issues, difficult childhood, and therapy sessions...Nothing was glazed over and I was so happy for that.
Also, there was one major point that I need to highlight - when Mitch was trying to get better and stop with all the violent outbursts, he insisted that he needed to get better ON HIS OWN, and not have Andie pull him out of those emotions every time. I appreciated that thought so much because too many romances encourage female characters to "fix" their partners and always be there when they need them.
Mitch did everything he could to get better and to have some methods to calm himself, whether or not Andie is around. While she was his inspiration and sometimes motivation, he realized he needed to fix this for himself and not just for her. It was such wonderful character development.
Andie was also so sweet and tried her best. She suddenly became her little brother's guardian and she did everything in her power to make her brother feel safe and loved. Such a sweet romance, I def recommend.
💬 Have you read any of these books? Do you have any no-spice hockey romance recs? 💬
0 Comments