Variation by Rebecca Yarros

A contemporary romance about the summer a celebrated dancer returns home and unearths years of family secrets with the Coast Guard rescue swimmer she never forgot.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Once I started, it was hard to put down. I took every free moment I had to finish this as fast as possible, but I also wanted to stay longer in the story. It was an emotional, beautiful, compelling story about broken hearts, second chances, dreams, and family pressures, with unexpected twists and heartwarming moments.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: November 19, 2024
Sensuality Rating: Warm

You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Sophie Sullivan

All bets are off when a single-minded photographer and a professional hockey player are forced to spend a week together on his sister’s Christmas tree farm.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ A beautiful story about Christmas bringing family and friends together, sparking an unexpected second chance at romance for Maisie and Nick. The thing I enjoyed most about this book was the family dynamics and the fun they had together. Nick couldn’t help but be drawn into that warmth. Maisie exuded a sunny happiness that was infectious, except for the times where she butted heads with her mother. Those moments were quite heavy and made me feel sad for Maisie. Nick had a lot of anxiety riding him hard about his career and his future. It was lovely to read a romance with a hockey player who wasn’t a player. I liked their sweet, slow-building romance and how they so desperately tried to stop any feelings from developing. This book was a quick, easy, fun read. I can recommend it if you like second chances, family, and Christmas.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: September 23, 2025
Sensuality Rating: Warm

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ I found Margaret’s story and the way she revealed things to Alice really interesting. I had my suspicions as time went on, but I was never sure (and also not always right). The fact that the story was told solely from Alice’s viewpoint, with only Hayden’s sparse comments about his interviews, made everything more mysterious. Alice and Hayden’s pasts and their own present family issues were cleverly mixed with the details of Margaret’s colourful history. This book is for you if you like a slow developing romance between rivals, intertwined with painful past events.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: April 22, 2025
Sensuality Rating: Warm

Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery

A twisty, tender, and wise look at how secrets can transform the powerful—and sometimes problematic—bond between mothers and daughters.

⭐⭐⭐ This was a very messy, complex situation that left lasting impressions with the four women. It had a very soap opera feel. I cried a little with every interaction between Victoria and Ava. These characters certainly were hit by a lot of heavy revelations one after the other. The little bit of romance between Victoria and Javiar felt like an afterthought and definitely was not pivotal or necessary to the story, which makes this book more woman’s fiction than romance. I do think these women each had very distinct personalities and motivations and their own bit of character growth. This book also ended kind of abruptly, like most of Susan Mallery’s books. It would have been nice to see a bit of what the “after” looked like.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: November 4, 2025
Sensuality Rating: Subtle