Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe

Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe -- 352 pages

Los Angeles social media influencer El Martin seems to live the perfect aesthetic life. But what El wants more than anything is to find something real to make her heart race in a way it hasn’t in years. She doesn’t expect that feeling to come from capturing footage of an unidentified flying . . . thing, much less from the charming Man in Black who keeps following her around.

Agent Carter Brody is trying his best to keep the Private Intelligence Sector afloat by dragging their hopelessly out-of-date office into this century, even though what he really wants to do is follow in his father’s footsteps identifying and hiding extraterrestrial sightings. He gets his chance after being assigned to El’s case and is stopped in his tracks not only by her ingenuity and confidence, but also by the unnerving coincidence of how her sighting looks eerily like what he saw right before a family tragedy.

The deeper El and Carter fall into the mystery, the harder it is for them to ignore their growing chemistry, as their own alien feelings become dangerously terrestrial.

The Bride by Julie Garwood

The Bride by Julie Garwood -- 352 pages

By edict of the king, the mighty Scottish laird Alec Kincaid must take an English bride. When he encounters Jamie, the feisty and beautiful daughter of Baron Jamison, he immediately selects her, determined to touch, tame, and possess her forever.

But Jamie has vowed to never surrender to this fierce highland barbarian. He is everything she had been warned against—an arrogant scoundrel whose rough good looks hint at savage pleasures. And though his scorching kisses fire her blood, she brazenly resists him…until one rapturous moment quells their clash of wills, and something far more dangerous than desire threatens to conquer her completely.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

 

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson, 369 pages, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

This was my first time reading a book by Brandon Sanderson and I definitely need to read more! The writing style was very fun and I love how whimsical this book was. I think I just love pirate adventures too!

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

The Scorched Throne #1, 515 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic outlawed; its royal family murdered down to the last child. At least, that’s what Sylvia wants people to believe.

The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.

In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.

A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.

Review

This is based on Egyptian mythology so that was very cool! Sylvia is a strong main character and her internal conflicts are very real and raw. It can get a little confusing but I wasn't too bothered by it. The very slow burn enemies-to-lovers(?) thing was also done really well and I liked that it was mostly a subplot. I am really excited for the second book!

Happy Place by Emily Henry

Happy Place by Emily Henry -- 400 pages

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t. They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends. Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?

A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan

 

A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan, 336 pages, ⭐⭐⭐

Remy and Alicia, a couple of insecure service workers, are not particularly happy together--but they are bound by a shared obsession with Jen, a beautiful former co-worker of Remy’s who now seems to be following her bliss as a globe-trotting jewelry designer. In and outside the bedroom, Remy and Alicia's entire relationship revolves around fantasies of Jen, whose every Instagram caption, outfit, and New Age mantra they know by heart.

Imagine their confused excitement when they run into Jen, in the flesh, and she invites them on a surfing trip to the Hamptons with her wealthy boyfriend and their group. Once there, Remy and Alicia try (a little too hard) to fit into Jen’s exalted social circle, but violent desire and class resentment bubble beneath the surface of this beach-side paradise, threatening to erupt. As small disturbances escalate into outright horror, Remy and Alicia tumble into an uncanny alternate reality, one shaped by their most unspeakable, deviant, and intoxicating fantasies. Is this what “self-actualization” looks like?

This started out as like "weird girl fiction" but then in the third act became a monster horror book and I' honestly not mad about it! 

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez -- 416 pages

There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong...unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be. Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.

We'll Prescribe You A Cat

 We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida (translated by E. Madison Shimoda) // 297 pgs

⭐⭐⭐

Tucked away on the fifth floor of an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can be found only by people who are struggling in their lives and who genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, and occasionally challenging yet endearing cats. As the clinic’s patients grapple with their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.

--

Lately I've loved reading the "Japanese + Cats" genre of books; they're short and cozy, and I'll love anything about cats. This one did not disappoint in that aspect. It's super cute and simple, though I do wish it was a bit longer. The concept of going to a magical doctor that gives you a cat to fix all your problems is super fun, though it did get a bit repetitive. The last little vignette tried to build up more narratively, but did leave me a little longing. Overall, not bad, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce -- 399 pages

Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago.

With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized.

What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.

As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.

Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong

Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong -- 336 pages

Gemma hasn’t written in years, but post-divorce, she dove back into writing romance. When her proposal didn’t sell, she became convinced it was because no one wanted her nice-guy heroes and decided to write an absolute Mr. Wrong…based on her first crush, Mason Moretti, now a star hockey player. She’s sure no one will make the connection between her highland laird and an NHL enforcer. Of course, someone does, and her secret is out. 

Mason is going through some drama of his own as an aging hockey player, and when his “reunion-cute” with Gemma goes viral, he proposes some media-worthy fake dating to help her book. Which is so sweet and not at all to help solve his own image problem. Gemma reluctantly agrees. Mason convinces Gemma to go away with him so she can finish her overdue second book while giving him anti-asshole lessons. And if he really just wants to get time away with her, that’s not a bad move, right? Or is it? 

I was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

 I was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones, 373 pages, ⭐⭐⭐

Lamesa, Texas, July 1989

It’s the summer before senior year for best friends Tolly Driver and Amber Dennison. They’re not in the marching band, they’re not in the FFA – they don’t really count. Amber’s the only Native student in town, and Tolly’s only on the radar due to his father’s recent death.

This is all about to change.

Bodies are going to be dropping fast in this small West Texas town. For a few unbearably hot days that will resonate through the decades and even get made into a TV movie, Tolly and Amber will be famous. Notorious even. Finally, everyone will know their names.

This is Stephen Graham Jones x-raying the slasher genre, interrogating its motivations over the shoulder and in the voice of the killer itself – from a town he did some growing up in, in a year he was also seventeen.

The kills will be poignant, the jokes will hurt, and the violence will be endearing. Everything’s turned around for Tolly, for Amber – for all of Lamesa, Texas.

2.5 rounded up

I am soooooo torn on this review because on one hand I thought that the plot was very fun and unique but on the other hand the writing style was just abysmal. I felt like I took double the time it would normally take to finish a book of this length solely because I was getting lost in the writing (in a bad way). There is so much rambling. I know Stephen King is the go to when someone talks about rambling authors but he has nothing on this SGJ book. I've read The Only Good Indians and I didn't find this problem so I'm not sure if it was a creative decision for this specific narrator?

Scotch on the Rocks by Elliot Fletcher

Scotch on the Rocks by Elliot Fletcher -- 384 pages

The Macabe Brother Rule Book (according to Juniper Ross):

Don’t look at a Macabe brother. Don’t talk to a Macabe brother. Don’t even think about a Macabe brother. It’s pretty tough for June to follow her own rules, considering one brother is in love with her best friend, one is her ex-fiancé, and one … well, one is super-hot, small-town hero Callum Macabe. But when Callum seems to be popping up everywhere, especially when Juniper is at her most vulnerable, it’s hard not to imagine just how good breaking a rule might feel.

Indiscretion by Vi Keeland

Indiscretion by Vi Keeland -- 339 pages

The first time I met Dawson Reed, we wound up in bed. The problem was, neither of us knew the other were there. When I woke up in the middle of the night and found a stranger next to me, instinct kicked in and I attacked the intruder. Only it turned out, the man wasn’t an intruder at all.
Dawson had rented this cabin, too. Apparently, a system glitch allowed a duplicate booking. We’d soon find out we were in town for the same wedding, and Dawson was the groomsman I’d been warned about. He was as tall, dark and jaw-droppingly gorgeous as my best friend had described. Though she was also right when she’d said you two will hate each other. When daylight rolled around, Dawson and I attempted to straighten out the mess we found ourselves in. But it proved to be more difficult than we initially thought. Since it was a holiday weekend, there wasn’t a single room available for more than fifty miles. I suppose things could be worse than sharing a cabin for a weekend with a handsome man you despise. Like maybe him winding up being your new boss?

Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton & Rebecca Podos

Homegrown Magic - 368 pages

Jamie Pacton & Rebecca Podos

Summary (From Goodreads)

A delightful queer romantic fantasy full of friends-to-lovers chemistry, found family, rival family drama, and cozy garden magic from two acclaimed YA authors making their debut in the adult space.

Yael Clauneck is the only scion of an obscenely wealthy banking family with its fingers in every pie in the realm. They’re on the precipice of a predetermined life when they flee their own graduation party, galloping away in search of…well, they’re not sure, but maybe the chance to feel like life can still be a grand adventure.

Margot Greenwillow—talented plant witch, tea lover, and greenhouse owner—has never felt further from adventure in her life. She’s been desperately trying to keep what remains of her family's magic remedies business afloat. So when her childhood friend and former crush, Yael, rides back into her life, she’s shocked. But perhaps this could be a good thing. After all, Margot could use an assistant in the greenhouses.

Yael has no experience or, honestly, practical skills, but they’re delighted to accept. They can lay low for a while, flirting with Margot while they figure out what to do next. Meanwhile, Margot has plans of her own—but plans are notoriously unreliable things, unlikely to survive a swiftly blooming mutual attraction, not to mention the machinations of parents determined to get their heir back . . . no matter the cost.

Review

I came for the nonbinary representation and friends-to-lovers dynamic; I stayed for the excellent worldbuilding and cottage-core aesthetic.  I've always been a fan of the quieter, more "mundane" uses for magic, and a heartbreak-healing strawberry jam fits the bill perfectly!  The pacing is a bit more relaxed, as tends to be the case for books in the "cozy" style of a given genre, and the detailed descriptions paint a vibrant picture of a magical world.  

The Situation by Adriana Locke

The Situation by Adriana Locke -- 278 pages

I’ve learned the hard way—don’t be reckless with anything, least of all my heart. But after one too many vodka sodas, saying yes to a much younger, devastatingly smooth stranger for one wild night seems like the perfect way to forget my brutal divorce. I even gave him a fake name. What could go wrong? You’d be surprised. Because instead of being my spicy little secret, Tate is now the chief marketing officer at my new job. He’s determined to prove our night together was only the beginning—and he has the tools to do it. Chiseled jaw. Washboard abs. Effortless charm. He knows exactly how to get under my skin, melt my defenses, and keep me coming back for more. I wanted a one-night stand. Instead, I got a full-blown situation. I should run and protect myself. But when he looks at me like I’m his whole world, I’m not sure I remember how.

The Merger by Adriana Locke

The Merger by Adriana Locke -- 306 pages

Crushes are harmless—unless they involve your best friend’s grumpy, off-limits brother. Gannon Brewer is the epitome of my type. He’s at least ten years older than me, emotionally unavailable, and highly disagreeable—a walking red flag in a tailored suit. But do I listen to that? No. In fact, when his office plants start dying, I convince myself that I can ignore the pheromones and save the philodendron.

Now I’m in his office every week, dodging sinful smirks and heated stares, reminding myself to reach for the watering can—not him. But one late-night “ivy incident” changes everything. Suddenly, we’re sneaking around, indulging in a steamy, forbidden fling that’s supposed to be nothing more than (a lot of) fun. After all, he swears he’ll never fall in love. I assure him that I only want one thing, and it’s not his heart. But the closer we get, the more lines we blur, and the harder it becomes to keep our promises … Especially when the secret I’m keeping threatens to shatter everything.

Dead End Tunnel by Nick Roberts

 

Dead End Tunnel by Nick Roberts, 194 pages, ⭐⭐⭐

Maverick Hall has spent years trying to forget the chilling events of his thirteenth birthday in the summer of 1999. That fateful night, he and his best friends ventured through a seemingly innocuous tunnel on their bikes — a journey from which not all of them returned.

Now, as an adult, Maverick is haunted by a sinister force that compels him to return to his old neighborhood, a place shadowed by secrets, deceit, and an unsettling sense of death. Drawn back against his better judgment, he must face the dark forces that have lurked in waiting, eager for his return. As Maverick confronts the shadows of his past, he finds himself entangled in a web of mystery that threatens not only his sanity but his very survival.

This harrowing tale of memory, fear, and the power of the unseen delves deep into the heart of a nightmare that refuses to be forgotten, beckoning Maverick to resolve the terrifying mystery that has haunted him for decades.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood -- 384 pages

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through - and he's a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can't stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him. Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business - one that plays for keeps.

The Third Parent by Elias Witherow

 

The Third Parent by Elias Witherow, 273 pages, ⭐⭐⭐

No one knows where he came from. No one knows what he wants. No one dares ask about his strange physical abnormalities. For a quiet suburban neighborhood, things are about to change. And it starts with a knock at the door. Follow his rules. Don't call the police. Listen to his lessons. That's what Jack and his family were told. Held captive in their own house, they must face a growing storm of mental and physical trauma as they try to just stay alive. But even if Jack can survive the horror of his childhood, will his tormentor ever leave him alone? And who is he really? Who is Tommy Taffy?

This story was originally posted online and then I think extended and published into this book? I've read the online story before and thought it was fine. I did like this version more up until about the 3/4 mark where things just got a bit...weird. 

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune -- 320 pages

They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart. Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.

For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.

When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past. Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever. Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.