Category: Uncategorized

Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Okay, I’m going to say this here. Hard Nox, Jolie Vines’s newest release, is her steamiest book yet. I didn’t think it was possible after Ally’s story in Oh Baby, but she did it. Hard Nox is Marry the Scots 2.0. In other words, this is the next generation of the heroes and heroines of Vines’s first series about a brotherhood of Highlanders finding love in the hills of Scotland. It’s a favorite series of mine already, so it isn’t a hardship to fall for this new book. 

Hard Nox is Lennox McRae (Callum’s oldest son) and Isobel’s story (she’s the daughter of the McRae’s best friends, James and Beth Fitzroy). There is a bit of an age difference, but nothing that makes it taboo or forbidden. Isobel and Lennox have circled each other as they grew up, given their parents are best friends and Isobel’s brother, Sebastian, is Lennox’s best friend. However, one Christmas Isobel engages in a potentially dangerous race and Lennox rushes in to “save the day,” effectively noticing Isobel for the first time. That night, these two share a kiss, but confusion and life separate them for the next four years. The story takes up later when Lennox and Isobel are forced together through a series of events, and the two of them recognize a heavy attraction still beats between them. Will these two find their happy ending, or are they destined to remain friends?

At its heart, Hard Nox is really a story about trust and accepting your truth. Yes, Lennox and Isobel are steamy. These two are insatiable in the bedroom, and it’s surprising to read this face of  Vines in this book. From Storm the Castle (Lennox’s father, Calum’s story) until now, her romance writing has evolved, taking on more and more traits common in romance. Yet, I know that Lennox and Isobel drove this story; they whispered to Vines their $exual connection, and she made it so. This, however, isn’t the focus of the story; it’s more the surprise of Vines’s storytelling in this book, 

Instead, Hard Nox considers the messages we tell ourselves that create a truth that might be skewed. For some time, I’ve called it creating our own mythology that may or may not be grounded in truth. This is the case with the character of Isobel. She’s different in the sense that she struggles with learning and processing information, and her passion lies in restoring older vehicles and racing. She’s what we call more kinesthetic and less book-learned. Her problem lies in believing this is a deficiency as it doesn’t compare with other girls who aspire to a more traditional life. Through Isobel, Vines is challenging us to live in our own truth, to not compare ourselves to others, thinking there is only one way to exist. When Isobel finally realizes this truth, it opens her to the potentiality of a future with Lennox. That moment becomes the most beautiful part of Vines’s story. Isobel’s ability to revel in her truth is one of the strengths of this story. 

Like Isobel, Lennox must also confront a truth: finding his way in the world regardless of his father’s intent. For many people living in their early twenties, they struggle to find their place in life that both please themselves and their family. On leaving the military, Lennox feels this complication. He has a dream, but he fears his father’s disapproval of it. This creates an ennui in him that potentially derails him; however, through the development of his relationship with Isobel, Lennox becomes empowered, and he finds his voice. He stands in his truth as a way to embrace his future. This becomes the second strength and lesson of Hard Nox. 

Entertwined with her messages, Vines treats us to our favorite characters in the past. She provides updates enough to appease her fervent fans, but, as she has forthcoming books for the offspring of the Marry the Scots folks, those updates are minor. She clearly doesn’t want to spoil it for us. What this does is the equivalent of being wrapped in a warm blanket, given a cup of hot chocolate or tea, and sat by the fire. It’s like welcoming an old friend home. And this becomes the third strength of Hard Nox. 

Jolie Vines’s Hard Nox is the pleasantest of surprises because she welcomes us back to the McRaes and Fitzroys while showing us another side of her writing. This book continues to hold the secrets of this clan, and I’m excited for more of its secrets to be revealed. She leaves this book with the most epic of her epilogues, more surprising than the end of Wasp’s story in Picture This, if you can imagine. After reading Hard Nox, it seems to me that Vines has definitely hit her stride, and the potentiality for her future is bright. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There is nothing like reading a romance about a forbidden relationship. For me, I both hate turning the page while feeling a deep need to turn it. I know as the page turns more is revealed, and the hero and heroine are always one step away from discovery and the potential destruction of their relationship. When an author writes this type of romance well, you feel it deep in your stomach. It makes your heart race. It makes you feel alive as you progress through their story. Even more, what makes a forbidden relationship romance important is its resolution. For most of these types of romances, the characters realize their happy ending, and the tension you felt as you read the “misses” of their relationship is released into the happiness for the characters. Karina Halle’s The Younger Man (TYM) epitomizes this situation. 

Honestly, as I was reading TYM, it felt as though I was moving slowly through the pages. Halle does a brilliant job of slowly building the story between Thalia and Alejo. Yet, at the same time, she compels you forward. These characters are special for two very reasons. Here’s the deal:

• For me, Alejo is the true star of this book. Honestly, THE STAR. From the first chapter where we meet him, I fell. Vi Keeland wrote a book earlier in the year, All Grown Up. Like TYM, it’s an older woman/younger man taboo romance. What I found interesting about that book, as well as in The Younger Man, is the hero, who is obviously younger than the female, is more emotionally mature than the heroine who has many more years on him. It’s been astounding to read this type of hero. As Keeland did, Halle easily accomplishes this with Alejo’s background. It makes sense that he’s mature for a twenty-three/twenty-four-year-old. What I love about him is his ability to feed Thalia’s soul. He’s a lion in bed. When these two couple, it’s hot AF, like steam up your glasses hot. Yet, what Alejo does that I love in swoony heroes is he sees Thalia, and he feeds her emotional need. It’s this part of his character that I fell in love with the most. Yes, he’s an attractive, talented professional soccer player, but it’s his emotional depth and his ability to use that depth to help Thalia heal and find her strength again that is the highlight of this book. 
• Thalia. Halle crafts her character to remind her readers to live in their truth, I think. Thalia has endured loss in a variety of ways, and it has left her unmoored. It would be reductive to say that Alejo “completes” her or makes her less broken. Because that isn’t the reality that Halle is creating here. Instead, as she finds internal strength again through her career and with the inspiration of Alejo, Thalia heals. She holds the power over this; Alejo simply supports and recognizes her in a way that challenges her to see herself more distinctly. I think it’s Halle’s way of showing us that a true love inspires; it doesn’t fully define you.

As a reader, how do you know you should be reading Karina Halle’s The Younger Man? Well, this reader, for one, isn’t a soccer fan. I’m intrigued by it, but I don’t tune in to watch it. However, I was entranced with Halle’s storytelling of this world. I found myself looking up teams and players for reference. Secondly, I am interested in the older woman/younger man trope as I don’t see it written often enough. Given the breadth of age for romance readers, I find that we should read this trope more often. For me, finding yourself represented in romance seems essential. No, I’m not youthfully beautiful in my late 40s, but I recognize the struggle to determine my happiness and my future characterized in Thalia. That’s my intersection with her representation. I imagine there are plenty of women like me who would love to find some part of them in the characters or the story. And this sub-trope, I think, would go further to make that connection. Halle has written this well. Thalia and Alejo are 100% believable, and you can’t help but root for them as they struggle to find their happiness together. 

Yes, there were several times when, like one would do when watching a horror movie, I wanted to peek through my fingers at the page. I invested myself easily into Alejo and Thalia’s story because Halle insisted it be so with her storytelling. Knowing that pain would be a part of their romance, still, I forged ahead, and it has a huge payoff in the end. Halle has crafted a story in The Younger Man that forces us to recognize the truth that “love is love is love” whether it’s between an older woman and a younger man or whether it’s a love for ourselves. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

There is just something about Meghan March that makes you yearn for her next book. Anybody who has read her knows that her romances read like the best of book crack. Her latest book, the second book in the Legend trilogy, House of Scarlett, is no different. It’s more of what makes her books undeniable: sultry, action-packed, palpable romance. 

Starting up where The Fall of Legend, the first book of the trilogy, left off, we find Scarlett and Legend apart and struggling with it. However, Scarlett finds herself with a health scare, and this is enough for Legend to recognize the error of his ways. The House of Scarlett is the development of their journey towards each other. At the end of this book, though, as March does well, she leaves us with the possibility of it being broken. What makes House of Scarlett necessary? 

1. Scarlett. She’s everything you love in a heroine. She’s strong, and she knows who she is. At the very least, she is working towards realizing the best of herself. One of the things I love about Scarlett is her fallibility. She’s wealthy and beautiful and the epitome of womanhood, but she recognizes her privilege as an albatross around her neck. Instead, she wants messy. She aspires towards a life that is “lived in” instead of one that looks “picture perfect.” She’s real, and she’s a perfect match for Legend. 
2. Legend. He represents the messy that Scarlett needs in her life. He’s also more transparent with her emotionally in a way that he isn’t necessarily with his business partner, Marcus, or even his little “brother,” Bump. Yes, there are parts of his life that he hasn’t divulged to Scarlett, but, as the reader knows, this will be doled out eventually, and it will only add another level of intimacy between the two. Legend embodies strength, even when he’s worried over his potential future with Scarlett. 
3. Scarlett and Legend together. These two are “meant to be.” They are fiery, and their chemistry is palpable on the page. Together, they make sense even when they shouldn’t as they come from different backgrounds. But this is March’s genius right here. She loves creating “messy” heroes who become undone by the heroine, while their messy challenges the heroine. It’s a symbiotic relationship that excites March’s most rabid fans, and we find it here again in House of Scarlett.
4. The story. I really do think March is the queen of the cliffhanger. She loves to leave her readers guessing when they finish the book that they easily one-click for the next book. At least, that’s the case with me. House of Scarlett does this well. March leaves us with a doozy of an ending in this story, and it’s the perfect set-up for the third and final book of the trilogy. Of The Fall of Legend and House of Scarlett, this book is tamer than the first book as it reads like a story that is building a foundation for Scarlett and Legend’s love which seems necessary for the potential trials in book 3. As such, the action of this story lies in the danger of Scarlett’s stalker and Legend’s business decisions, along with Scarlett’s medical scare. This story is a build; it’s meant to engage us further into Scarlett and Legend’s journey toward their happy ending. 

House of Scarlett is effectively representative Meghan March romance. From its beginning until its end, you won’t want to put it down because it’s exciting, driven, $exy, and expressive. I loved every moment of it until the end when I expelled a deep breath because I had been holding my breath waiting for Scarlett and Legend’s lives to become messy. And Meghan March doesn’t disappoint. 

I’m impressed with those of you who wait until the trilogy is final. I have no control when it comes to Meghan March’s books. House of Scarlett is another hit, as far as I’m concerned. If you are waiting, more power to you, but this book is everything you love about Meghan March. 

P.S. As the best of romance universe builders, you find remnants of her other books in this trilogy. I LOVE this about MM.

In love and romance, 

Professor A

“Aly Martinez is one of the best in the business. You have to read her books.” –Meghan March, New York Times Bestselling author

Release, an all-new emotional, second chance romance standalone from USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez is coming January 5th and we have the incredible cover!

Growing up, Ramsey Stewart branded my soul in ways time could never heal.

At twelve, he asked me to be his girlfriend.

At thirteen, he gave me my first kiss.

By sixteen, we’d fallen in love, planned a future together, and had our eyes set on the horizon.

Love never fails, right?

But for Ramsey, it did.

Love failed him.

I failed him.

The entire world failed him.

At seventeen, Ramsey was convicted of killing the boy who assaulted me.

Move on, he wrote in his first and only letter from prison.

Start a new life, he urged.

I don’t love you anymore, he lied.

There was no such thing as giving up on Ramsey. Love may have been our curse, but he was mine—then, now, and forever.

So here I am, twelve long years later, waiting for a man I don’t even know to emerge from between the chain link gates.

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Cover Designed by: Hang Le

Photographer: Wander Aguiar Photography

Model: Zack Salaun

About Aly

Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her husband and four young children.

Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and olives. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.

She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.

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A reckless, obsessive soccer star. A forbidden affair that could ruin her career. The locker room has never been this steamy.

The Younger Man, an epic standalone forbidden age-gap sports romance, by New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle, is LIVE!

Starting over was her only option.

Forty-years old and still reeling from a public and painful divorce, Thalia Blackwood is looking for a fresh start, somewhere far away from her upside down life. When she’s offered a new job as the sports therapist for a football (soccer) team, she jumps at the chance. This is just what she needs to leave the heartbreak and shame of Manchester behind, trading it in for the warmth and hopeful vibrancy of Madrid.

He was her only desire.

Twenty-three year old Alejo Albarado is rising up the ranks in his career. As the charming forward for the Real Madrid team, Alejo’s life revolves around women, parties, and being a tabloid darling, that is until the new sports therapist joins the team.

Their passion could not be ignored.

What starts out as a strictly professional relationship between Thalia and the young Spanish player, slowly evolves into something more. Much more.

Their relationship was forbidden.

But their combustible chemistry and simmering sexual tension can only go so far—should Thalia give into Alejo’s advances, she’s at risk of not only losing her job, but succumbing to a much younger man will drag her through the spotlight again.

Alejo might be worth that risk.

Unless he breaks her heart in the process.

The Younger Man is a full-length standalone romance. Characters from Love, in English make a cameo in this book, however The Younger Man is intended to be read as a STANDALONE.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/TheYoungerManKH

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Meet Karina:

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

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THE REINDEER FALLS COLLECTION: VOLUME 1 by Jana Aston
Release Date: December 5th

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AVAILABLE NOW!!
FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
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Blurb:
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Welcome to Reindeer Falls.

Grab a mug of hot cocoa and a comfortable chair and enjoy all three novellas in the Reindeer Falls Collection in one volume.

The Boss Who Stole Christmas (Book 1)

Dear Santa,

Please bring me a new boss for Christmas. Mine is the worst. The worst, hidden in a six-foot-tall package of male perfection. It’d be easier if he looked like an old Scrooge, wouldn’t it? Nick Saint-Croix doesn’t look like an old scrooge. He’s hot as – um, never mind. Just bring me a new boss. Please.

Sincerely,
Holly Winter

If You Give a Jerk a Gingerbread (Book 2)

Dear Santa,

I do not want Keller James for Christmas. I will not fall for him, no matter how charming or irresistible or famous he is. I will not be swayed by his skills in the kitchen or by his British accent. I’m going to win the Great Gingerbread Bake-Off and no one is going to stand in my way. Not even Keller. All kisses are off. I mean all bets. All bets are off. And all his clothes. Grr, never mind. I’ll figure this out myself.

XOXO,
Ginger Winter

The One Night Stand Before Christmas (Book 3)

Dear Santa,

Please stop by my house and pick up your suit. If you thought I was going to run it to the dry cleaners for you after you left it on my bedroom floor, you’ve got another thought coming.

Best,
Noel Winter

About the Author:
Jana Aston likes cats, big coffee cups and books about billionaires who deflower virgins. She wrote her debut novel while fielding customer service calls about electrical bills, and she’s ever grateful for the fictional gynecologist in Wrong that readers embraced so much she was able to make working in her pajamas a reality. Jana’s novels have appeared on the NYT, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists, some multiple times. She likes multiples.

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House Of Scarlett

Release Date: December 10, 2019

About House of Scarlett:

New York Times bestselling author Meghan March continues the Legend Trilogy.

Gabriel Legend is unlike any other man I’ve ever met.

He came into my life like a hurricane, shattering all my assumptions and preconceived notions.

I wasn’t prepared for him. I wasn’t prepared for any of it.

But life doesn’t wait until you’re ready.

Whatever happens next, I know one thing for certain.

I will never be the same Scarlett I was before I met him.

House of Scarlett is the second book in the Legend Trilogy and should be read after The Fall of Legend, book one.

Add to your Goodreads TBR:

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Where to buy:

Website: http://meghanmarch.com/house-of-scarlett

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If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Fall of Legend, then download the book now.

Website: https://meghanmarch.com/the-fall-of-legend/

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About the author:

Making the jump from corporate lawyer to romance author was a leap of faith that New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Meghan March will never regret. With over thirty titles published, she has sold millions of books in nearly a dozen languages to fellow romance-lovers around the world. A nomad at heart, she can currently be found in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, living her happily ever after with her real-life alpha hero.

Sign up for Meghan’s newsletter and receive exclusive content that she saves for her subscribers: http://meghanmarch.com/subscribe

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FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | TWITTER | BOOKBUB

She doesn’t surrender to his kiss.
He doesn’t back down from a challenge.
It’s going to be a sensual fight … to the death.

Audition, a sexy and enthralling new standalone romance from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Wilde, is available now!

Read my 4 1/2 ⭐️ review here.

Blood and sweat. Bethany Lewis danced her way out of poverty. She’s a world class athlete… with a debt to pay.

Joshua North always gets what he wants. And the mercenary wants Bethany in his bed. He wants her beautiful little body bent to his will.

She doesn’t surrender to his kiss.
He doesn’t back down from a challenge.
It’s going to be a sensual fight … to the death.

Read today!

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Excerpt:

I open the door, expecting to see a couple of rough-hewn bastards fighting or training. They might even take a swing at me. We’re all a bunch of army bastards, more comfortable using our fists than our words.

Instead I’m struck by the sight of a body in motion, but not in violence.

She’s dancing. Grace. Strength. And completely inappropriate to this place—desire. It’s nothing so base as tits and ass, though I’m sure hers are lovely. No, it’s the sweep of her calf and the indent at her waist. The lift of her chin.

I could not be more shocked if I had been punched. Or shot.

It feels a little bit like being dunked in lava, watching her dance. I’m immobile in the doorframe of the warehouse. My sanity is one step behind me, utterly gone. I’m seeing visions. She can’t be real. I don’t even want her to be real. This kind of beauty doesn’t belong in the goddamn gutter. A pale pink leotard against the dinge-dark hollow. Satin ballet shoes pushing into the dirt. Slowly, very slowly, my sluggish mind searches the perimeter. Alone. We’re alone. If anyone had wanted to shoot me, they’d have had plenty of time. An eternity while I’d been staring.

Her spin slows, like a top that’s run out of momentum. Dark eyes meet mine. Surprise. A flash of something else—anger. She drops to flat feet. No longer a goddess, a blur. She becomes a woman. “No,” she says. Then again, “No,” with such force I glance behind me in case someone’s charging at her wielding a knife. The shipyard is empty. It’s only my company she’s objecting to.

Well, you can’t fault her for taste.

“Normally I have to say something for women to hate me,” I say, strolling into the warehouse, pretending my heart doesn’t thud at the sight of her lithe body. Pretending my cock isn’t a breath away from rock-hard. “I have to say something about their tits or their ass.”

Her eyes narrow, but she doesn’t seem particularly shocked by my crude language. No, she wouldn’t be. Not in this place. She would have heard much worse. “I told him no more guards.”

“You told who?”

“Who else?” she says. “Your boss.”

My boss? I work for the US government. My job is to drive around godforsaken deserts and pray I don’t get blown up by a bomb buried underground. If I play my cards right, I might move into special operations. That’s what was implied before I went on leave. Go along with what Caleb Lewis offers. Collect information. Report back.

It’s a chance to be somewhere other than the bottom rung. Maybe the only chance I’ll ever get. Which means I have no business being interested in this girl. She probably isn’t even eighteen. “My boss,” I repeat, my voice flat.

“Isn’t that why you’re here? To guard me?”

“Why don’t we do this—you dance again. I’ll stand here, but if anyone attacks you, I’ll just let them have at it. No bodyguards for you.”

She’s not amused. “The guards aren’t there to protect me. You’re here to keep me in the warehouse or keep me at home. Make sure I don’t wander away. Make sure I don’t talk to anyone.”

“You’re talking to me.”

“You tell Caleb we had a deal. And it doesn’t include some—” Her narrowed gaze sweeps down my body, as if she’s only now noticed that I have a body. “Some overmuscled asshole on steroids.”

I put my hand over my chest. “Direct hit. I’m wounded you think I’d resort to steroids. These muscles were earned the old-fashioned way, thank you very much.”

She snorts, which somehow sounds feminine and delicate. “I’m sure you do much worse things than steroids. And there is no way, absolutely no way, that you’re going to be my new guard, so tell Caleb he can forget it.”

“Would it put your mind at ease to know he didn’t send me?” Though I’m curious how he’s connected to her. We enlisted at the same time. Went through basic at the same time. We’ve never been close, really. When we both had leave, I was surprised he offered for me to hang out with him in New Orleans. I accepted because I have nowhere else to go. At the time I had no idea that I’d be approached by some special department to gather intel for them. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out Caleb’s into some bad shit.

“Right,” she says, unconvinced. “So you’re standing in the one warehouse that doesn’t contain anything illegal because…?”

“Total coincidence. I was looking for the illegal stuff.” Which means I have no business staying to chat with this woman, no matter how compelling she looks with that notch between her eyebrows. She looks goddamn fierce. “Honestly.”

A roll of her eyes. “Tell my brother he doesn’t need to waste time and energy watching me. I’m staying out of trouble.”

Her brother. Jesus. If she’s Caleb Lewis’s sister, then she’s not staying in trouble. It won’t be a clean shot that brings him down. It’ll be a grenade launcher that hits him—metaphorically speaking. Or literally speaking. Everyone in his vicinity will end up in jail or dead. That’s inevitable.

And she’s right here.

About Skye Warren

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.

Connect with Skye

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Website: http://www.skyewarren.com

About Amelia

Amelia Wilde wrote her first story when she was six years old, a narrative strongly inspired by The Polar Express. When she was nine she wrote her first novel-length work, all in one paragraph.

Now, Amelia is all about that love. Her romances feature unique, independent heroines and alpha heroes who are strong of heart and body. Readers have described her work as “emotional,” “intense,” “phenomenal,” and “like a child scribbled with a crayon,” which she takes as the highest praise.

Connect with Amelia

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Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love to read new authors. As my profile has grown, authors have reached out to me to consider reading their upcoming releases for an honest review. Morgan James is one such author. The first book I read from her is The Devil You Know. Honestly, I don’t read a lot of romantic suspense, but her book, along with a few others, has shown me that I actually love the sub-genre quite a bit. Now, she has a new romantic suspense, Unrequited Love. It’s part of a trilogy, I believe, and this first book has definitely grabbed my attention. 

The story follows Amelia and Jack. As a travel photographer, Amelia has seen many beautiful places and photographed them. However, she realizes that her life isn’t complete. She walked away from a marriage eight years ago to the love of her life when she felt betrayed by a decision he made, and she has struggled to move on relationally since then. She is also estranged from her father because he sided with her husband. The story begins when she finds out her father has died. Feeling as though she missed an opportunity to reconcile with him, Amelia agrees to attend the reading of his will. Her father sets a stipulation in his will that she must live for a time at his forthcoming mountain resort, Briarleigh, in order to inherit her trust. What she doesn’t know is that Jack, her ex-husband, plays a huge part in the building of Briarleigh. 

While there, Amelia receives threats from an unknown source. Not wanting to be deterred, she pushes forward until her life becomes endangered. In this first book, Jack and Amelia don’t meet until the end, and it sets off a cliffhanger that will keep you enthralled. Will Jack and Amelia reconcile and realize their undying love for each other, or will they let each other go again? Even more, who is the person endangering Amelia? Will Jack be able to protect her from the threat?

For the most part, Unrequited Love is a background novel for this trilogy. It is here that Monica James sets the story for the rest of the trilogy. She unveils the character of Amelia. In this book, James crafts a heroine who feels a bit stalled in life. She can’t seem to move forward romantically because her heart belongs to her ex, Jack. We see her struggle with her father’s death and the ramifications for not reconciling with him. This guilt drives her decisions, and we see her turmoil at realizing her father is gone. By the end of this book, we have a good idea of her as a character and her journey ahead. 

James doesn’t spend as much time developing Jack. We understand his love for Amelia, his relationship to her father, and his struggle with the future. One of the issues I had with Jack was his inability to remedy the issue with Amelia. He tells us multiple times that she’s the “love of his life.” Yet, he never pursues her. James doesn’t reveal why he never chased Amelia. Instead, he seems fine with the status quo, living without Amelia, and that confused me as a reader. His life’s decisions are clearly influenced by his love for her, yet he keeps his distance. 

When the book ends, you will find yourself at the edge of your seat because James leaves us with a doozy of a cliffhanger. It comes a bit from out of nowhere, but it will be interesting to read how she remedies the situation she’s created. Additionally, as she did with The Devil You Know, she has a tertiary character, the Watcher, who represents the threat to Amelia. She gives the Watcher chapters, so we understand his or her motivation for wanting to destroy Amelia. This seems to be Morgan James’s signature calling card, after reading this book and The Devil You Know. It’s an interesting stylistic choice and ensures we understand the motivation of the killer. Yet, I hope this isn’t something she does in every book, even if it’s an element of her style. 

If you love romantic suspense, then you will enjoy Unrequited Love. I know I am waiting patiently (almost) for the second book as I want more Amelia and Jack. While the chemistry is there, this book doesn’t give it time to build. I imagine it’s going to be a scorching page-turner once it hits.  

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️++

There has always been this generational divide. I tell my nineteen-year-old son that one of the arguments against evolution is the continuous divide. Humanity doesn’t seem to change much in its thoughts about changes between generations. The reality is that there isn’t much. Colleen Hoover’s newest book, Regretting You, illustrates this brilliantly. The story follows a mother and daughter, Morgan and Clara. As Clara falls in love, Hoover weaves her mother’s story around it to illustrate their similarities when the two believe they are so different. As their stories progress, you can’t help but note their parallels. The difference, though, lies in their choices, their decisions. Clara represents the choice that her mother did not make for herself at Clara’s age. And the price is an emotionally tawdry journey towards self-discovery, second chances, and forgiveness. 

So…I’ve asked this question in past reviews. How do you know that a romance book is “good?” Obviously, this is determined by the reader. How did you connect with the characters? Did the story flow? Was the reading seamless? For me, as I’ve mentioned in prior reviews, good in a romance manifests itself in my emotional upheaval. Does the book bring out the most intense emotions in me? Do I suspend my disbelief of the storyline to find myself represented in the characters? If the answers are “yes,” then the romance finds its place on my list of top reads. Regretting You is this such read. 

What is it about Regretting You? First of all, I have a confession (I tend to do this quite a bit in my reviews, as I’m a relatively new romance reader): this is my first Colleen Hoover story. I’ve known about her for several months after attending Book Bonanza, but I hadn’t been able to read her yet as I’m constantly reading ARCs and writing reviews (along with my day job of teaching college students the art of college writing). I have several of her books in my Kindle library, awaiting my heart. When Regretting You fell into my lap, I died a little. Receiving an ARC for this monster of a writer (her reputation precedes her) was a gift, a blessing. It was also an opportunity to fall into her words. And fall I did. 

This read is the type of book that you want to put down, throw it at the wall, stomp on it, but you can’t because it compels you forward almost against your will. I began it during the daytime and fought with myself over it. I wanted to read it but didn’t want to read it because the story is such that it burrows under your skin, shooting you in the heart with its revelations and truths. When I put it down, that first day, to go to sleep as it was nearing the morning hours, I didn’t sleep. The essence of this book mulled through my brain, and I slept restlessly. If you’re wondering if all of this is “good,” the answer is yes. For me, this is the type of writing that excites me because it’s a torment. I want the stories I read to push me, compel me to feel. If not, then its truth isn’t powerful enough. 

In order to feel the power of writing, I need to find myself in the story. Where did this occur in Regretting You? Smack dab in the character of Morgan. No, I did not have a teen pregnancy. Yes, I did marry my high school sweetheart (and divorce him three years later), and yes, I have a teenaged, albeit a young adult, son (from my second husband). Like her, in the past two years, I’ve struggled to rewrite myself, to find who I am without my son as the center of my life. Like Morgan, my identity was shaken, as he graduated and became a college student. It’s Morgan’s truth that connected with my soul, and, as her journey progresses in the story, it’s her story that coerced me forward. The genius of Hoover’s story lies in the relationship between Morgan and her daughter, Clara. Setting them up as bookends is the key to understanding Regretting You because I saw Morgan’s past remedied in her daughter’s present. Clara embodies the “should have” of Morgan’s life. Through Morgan’s sacrifice of self for husband and daughter, Clara is able to live the alternative of her mother’s life. I think that’s a parental truth that we hate to consider: how often we push our children to live a better life than our own. Yet, our mistakes, our choices, as we see in this story, simply make us stronger, able to bear the weight of life. Morgan’s journey illustrates this beautifully in Hoover’s book. 

Yes, Colleen Hoover is a writer of romance. However, Regretting You transcends genres in that it’s YA, romance, and literary fiction all in one. It’s more than the romances of Morgan and Clara; in fact, in my opinion, the romances of the women with the men in their lives are tertiary to the journeys of Morgan and Clara towards self-discovery. Yes, falling in love plays a part in their stories, but the true romance of Regretting You lies in the relationship between mother and daughter. Here is the power and the truth of the story, as Morgan and Clara grow apart and then heal, stronger together than they ever were separated. In acceptance of generational differences, in recognizing their impenetrable bond, Hoover’s brilliance shines. Regretting You burrowed into my soul and found its place because it’s a challenge for acceptance, forgiveness, and a true love, not necessarily found with a significant other, but found in a familial bond.

In love and romance,

Professor A