Here are four quickie reviews of books I’ve read recently.

Desert Island Duke by Kate Bateman

Shipwrecked on a tropical isle, Caroline ‘Caro’ Montgomery is furious to discover that her sole fellow castaway is her brother’s infuriating best friend, Maximillian Cavendish, the fourteenth duke of Hayworth.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stranded on a deserted island with your brother’s super hot friend? Sounds like it could be a lot of fun, and that’s exactly what this novella was. Between the two of them they had more than enough knowledge and gumption to make their stay on the island fairly comfortable and very memorable. The chemistry was just as striking as the lightning storm that hit their shelter, only it lasted way longer. This entire series is perfect for a deliciously delightful escape.

Genre: Historical Romance
Published: May 19, 2023
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Ruthless Rivals

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

A sweet Cinderella retelling, but with a Bachelor-style reality show twist.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This Cinderella retelling was such a sweet, sweet surprise in so many ways. Cindy was close to her step-family and that relationship didn’t pose yet another challenge for her. The writing style had me hooked right from the start. It was funny, fun, and highly emotional. I’m not a fan of the Bachelor style reality shows, but it worked for the context of this story. It might’ve been interesting and more rounded to see Henry’s thoughts as well. I really loved this delightful romance.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: August 3, 2021
Sensuality Rating: Subtle
Series: Meant to Be

If Only You by Chloe Liese

A longtime good girl and unapologetic bad boy score the love of their life when they least expect to in this swoony, slow-burn sports romance.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ What started out as a fake friendship felt pretty real right from the start. Sebastian desperately needed someone other than Ren in his life and Ziggy came in with no preconceived ideas about his reputation. She didn’t care about how he had behaved himself in the past, only what he does going forward. I really liked Sebastian. He was a lost soul who just needed to find the right anchor. And he gave Ziggy what she wanted most, to be seen and appreciated as an adult woman. The two of them underwent all the right changes, but what I missed was how these changes impacted their professional lives as well. This is a fun, steamy series with diverse characters and each book can be read on its own, but each book adds a new person to this boisterous family and it will make more sense to read them in order.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: April 11, 2023
Sensuality Rating: Hot
Series: Bergman Brothers

Tales of a Society Nothing by Shana Galen

Margaret’s assignment was to find a missing agent, who also happened to be her estranged husband.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ It was very clear right from the start that Maggie and Ambrose still had feelings for each other. Loving each other wasn’t the problem, it was Ambrose’s inability to see Maggie for who she really was. It took her leaving and him almost dying for them to realize that what they had should be saved and cherished. The action wasn’t as intense as in the previous books in this series, the second chance for these two was more front and center. I loved that epilogue. It tied the entire series together nicely and brought all our beloved spies back together. This is a wonderfully fun series if you like steamy historical romance with plenty of spy action.

Genre: Historical Romance
Published: November 14, 2023
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: The Royal Saboteurs

Hope you enjoyed these quickie reviews. Have you read any of these books yet?

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