Format: ARC

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Berkley Publishing Group. In the wrestling ring, the Dragon faces off against the Ice Prince in a no holds match for the championship belt on live entertainment. Featuring a scrappy up and coming wrestler paired opposite the ruthlessly cold history-making champion, the path to glory and success seems so straightforward until feelings get involved, pun intended. Celine Ong’s debut novel Hold Me Like a Grudge is an entertaining and witty queer sports romance story full of the expected adrenaline-fueled fights, choreographed training arcs, and entertainment industry shenanigans one would expect in a wrestling focused rivals to lovers narrative. Yet beyond the spotlight and headlining matches, this book is so much more. Backed up by strong platonic and romantic chemistry, excellent character writing, and earnest themes of acceptance and found family, this book is equally punchy as it is endearingly wholesome, a well-rounded and amazing read! In the world of sports and live entertainment, professional wrestling is perhaps one of the most homoerotic sports out there and it’s slightly surprising there aren’t very many well-known MM romance books that are themed to the sport. Anyway, for those that are not…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by St. Martin’s Press. Love, guilt, judgement, and paranoia, all within the four walls that may or may not be alive and angry, You Did Nothing Wrong is psychological thriller and explores Elodie’s twisted descent into madness. C.G. Drews’s adult novel debut, rather than simply serving as a straightforward haunted house narrative, this book instead is a horror story of an entirely different monster. Compared to Drews’s past books that had a more paranormal and fantasy angle to their stories, You Did Nothing Wrong instead plays off the monsters in our head and the horrifying ways love and devotion can spiral into something dark and unrecognizable. While featuring Drews’s signature macabre metaphors and stylistic prose, this book is very different from past YA books for those that enjoyed their past books. Marketed as a pulse-pounding and clever take on the haunted house novel, I went into this book expecting something along the lines of Drews’s past books that mixed elements of paranormal horror with fantasy flair. As a strong cautionary disclaimer upfront, You Did Nothing Wrong is very different and was not at all what I was expecting. While…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. As a genre, contemporary romance has been crossed with just about every topic and premise under the sun. Romance with musical elements is nothing new, but Erin Connor’s take on the concept is uniquely distinctive thanks to its commitment to the metal band focus. Where most star-crossed romance novels have swoony and smooth vocals, this book features mosh pits, overstuffed tour vans, and adrenaline-fueled passion that can only be found in a hardcore battle of the bands music festival. Centered around a second chance romance storyline and forced proximity through professional work trope, Still Into You is a solid romance novel with a swoony romance and well-written music industry storylines that are far more developed and insightful than expected. I originally picked up this book based on the positive reception around Connor’s debut novel Unromance that I had never gotten around to reading when it was first published. Going into her second book blind, I was immediately impressed by Still Into You’s compelling music and band elements that go much further than typical for the romance genre (spent too long trying to…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Atria Books via Netgalley. A romance story across time mixed with traces of speculative fiction and fantasy, Amy Tordoff’s debut novel All We Have Is Time is an accessible story filled with interesting historical fiction snapshots spread over the course of four hundred years. Time-travelers and immortal beings are two common elements separately, but this book’s unorthodox cross of the two gives it a unique spin and for its characters, different repercussions from its genre’s norm. Easy to follow and generally fast-paced in nature, All We Have Is Time is a safe pick for historical romance readers, though those looking for a strong speculative fiction storyline or deeper introspective character work may find this book underwhelming and bland. Marketed for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, at first glance All We Have Is Time appears to fly too close to the sun with what is clearly one of its inspirations and at risk of being highly derivative. Both books feature a withdrawn female protagonist cursed by a fantasy being with immortality and walking through history a shadow of a person. Both books also feature a tragic…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Saturday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley. A fantasy-inspired historical fiction story based around one of Florence’s most tumultuous periods in the 15th century, Isabel Ibañez’s debut adult novel Graceless Heart is a romantasy book full of interesting ideas. It features a resilient and independent female main character in a patriarchal dominated era marked by a political power struggle as well as the flourishing of the arts. Beautifully written and full of Italian flavor, the book’s great potential is unfortunately hindered by its uncertain commitment to what it wants to be and inconsistent pacing. I struggled to stay invested in the somewhat sparse story for most of the read before it devolves into a haphazard third act. Cleverly set within one of the Republic of Florence’s most colorful historical periods, Graceless Heart’s biggest asset and noteworthy element is its homage to the Italian setting and the excitement of the Renaissance era that runs throughout the course of the book. From snippets of Italian phrases to its vibrantly described visuals, from the get-go, the book feels distinctive amongst the numerous romantasy/fantasy romance novels constantly being pushed out.…