I adore Dash and Ari so much, Melanie Harlow has put together a phenomenal novel. Who doesn’t love when a character gets a second chance to fall even harder for her best friend’s older brother, bonus he’s a Hollywood heartthrob!

I am a Melanie Harlow review team member, but I remain honest and genuine in my reviews.

Only in the movies does the Hollywood heartthrob fall for the small town diner waitress.

So when Dashiel Buckley returns to Cherry Tree Harbor for a wedding, I’m determined not to let my massive crush on my best friend’s older brother hijack my good sense.

(It happened once before. Do not recommend.)

But when my hand is injured, it’s Dash who steps in at the diner. The moment he realizes I can’t afford to fix my car, he takes care of it. And when he hears about the way my toxic ex treated me, he refuses to let it go.

Now it’s not just his blue eyes and sexy smile that have me swooning, it’s the way he wants to help me. Encourage me. Protect me.

I can’t resist.

Our text messages heat up. Our phone calls melt all my defenses. “Just friends” turns into “just once,” and “just once” becomes a distant memory. Night after night, he warms my bed, my body, and my heart.

But it can’t last.

Our dreams have us on two different paths–Dash wants the lights, camera, action of Hollywood, and I’ll always be a small town girl.

If only I could be his.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Dash and Ari are the main characters. Dash is the Buckley of this instalment, the brother who left Cherry Tree for a movie career. When we meet him you empathize with him right away, he’s been typecast and wants to pivot into a more serious role. That is not going as easily as he planned, and he’s back in town a bit early for his brother’s wedding to see if being home gives him that boost he needs. That boost comes instead from Ariana DeLuca. Ari is Mabel Buckely’s best friend and has loved Dash since she was young. When we meet her she is all embarrassed about Dash, specifically when she crawled into his bed at sixteen years old with seduction on her mind, and the gentleman Dash is he turned down her advances. I loved Ari and her determination, as she’s a professional chef set to inherit her parent’s diner but waits for nothing to be handed to her. She helps Dash with his bit of stunted emotions at the beginning of the story, by the end every reader will fall for yet another Buckley brother.
• Setting: Cherry Tree Harbor is in this wonderful world of Melanie Harlow’s Michigan. I loved that we are not too far from so many of her iconic settings and so we get this really wonderful Cloverleigh cameo in Small Town Swoon. Speaking of cameos, I see you Melanie with the reference to one of our fave bull riders Rhett Eaton (Elsie Silver fans will eat it up, or should I say drink it up).
• Pacing: I fell headfirst into this story and never wanted to come up for air. I love this town and its cast of characters. The story beats are timed very well, and I enjoyed how the third-act conflict was dealt with maturely. It felt like further proof that when they were young it was the right person at the wrong time, and now is their perfect time.
• Romance: I love this type of second-chance romance, the kind that feels so rewarding when it is so many years in the making. Ari had loved Dash for so long and never thought he’d look at her twice since the night she messed it all up. Rather it was Dash who admits he did always want Ari but believed he was not good enough for her when she was sixteen, and he was nineteen. Now all grown-ups both of them have palpable chemistry, the tension oozes off the page, and Melanie produced one of her steamiest books, each scene is the chef’s kiss (a chef’s pub for Ari). Their relationship conflict felt so real, and it makes me more bittersweet that we are nearing the end of our time in Cherry Tree Harbor.

Small Town Swoon receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story here.

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Thank you again to Melanie and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Melanie Harlow’s Small Town Swoon ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

It is bittersweet to be saying a final goodbye (again) to the Marked Men/Saints of Denver/Forever Marked world. I read Rule nearly eight years ago now and it was a book I read very early on in my romance discovery era so I am forever grateful for it being one of the books that made me the reader I am today. So I have adored these second-generation stories, rich with nuance for both old and new characters alike.

I am a Jay Crownover review team member, but I remain honest and genuine in my reviews.

She’s the only girl he’s ever loved.

Zowen Archer has been in love with Aston Wheeler for as long as he can remember.

She’s perfect, except for the glaring fact that she fell in love with his best friend instead of him. For years, he loved her from afar with zero expectation. He told himself that as long as Aston was happy, his feelings for her didn’t matter.

However, Aston isn’t nearly as happy as she seems. And by the time Zowen figures things out, his life takes a drastic turn for the worse.

Now that Aston is single and laser-focused on making up for the lost time between the two of them, Zowen is doing everything in his power to avoid her. He’s convinced that if she never wanted him when he was at his very best, there is no chance in hell she could care about him now that he’s at his absolute worst.

He’s the only boy she’s willing to wait for.

Time has never been on Aston Wheeler’s side.

She spent too long pretending to be someone she was not. She lost herself in a first love that everyone, except her, thought was perfect. She wasted a lot of time trying to convince herself that she should be happy when she was anything but. She watched for years as the one person who made her feel like her true self drifted further and further away.

Finally, when she’s ready to reach out and grab the one-of-a-kind love that Zowen Archer has always silently promised her, it’s too late. Zowen is taken away, and when he reappears in her life, he makes it clear there’s no going back to whatever they might have been.

Good thing for Zowen that Aston is patient and doesn’t mind waiting for him to have a change of heart. It’s the least she can do after all the time he spent waiting for her.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Wayward Son’s leads are Zowen and Aston. Zowen is the son of Rome and Cora Archer, while Zowen’s parents are Poppy and Hudson Wheeler. I have been anticipating this story for a while as these characters have been on the sidelines of the other stories. Aston was Ry’s ex-girlfriend in Fortunate Son, so I only viewed her through his lens. Getting in her head is so rewarding, as you get to read the journey of a girl struggling to be her own person and get out from under the thumb of her mother. This is the perfect time to mention how much I commend Jay for how she has written the parents in this second-generation story. The characters we originally fell in love with all those years ago are flawed and so those flaws do not magically go away once they have children. They are not always the best parents, in many cases, they are not always aware of how they pass on their traumas to their children. It was so real to see this though and a risk of Jay’s that makes these stories shine. Zowen is what brings the heaviness to the start of the story, within the first chapter you see his prison sentence delivered after a tragic night of street racing. I also adored two side characters in particular and really hope Jay delivers on something for them!
• Setting: The story is predominately set in Los Angeles, California rather than the Denver we know and love. The space is really good though and we get to go on a very special journey with the couple while they are away from the prying eyes of family and friends. With Daire and Campbell out in California too it started to feel like a second home in the Marked Men universe. But do not worry there is some lovely quality time in Denver and it is there where Jay’s skill of balancing the nostalgia we readers have for the parent characters with their less-than-stellar parental sides.
• Pacing: I flew through this in about a night as from the prologue I was just hooked! It is hard to not devour this as I wanted happiness for both Zowen and Aston and I needed it as fast as humanly possible. I did find that the ending did not enthral me as much, but I was still very happy to have lots of time in the books with the wider cast of characters too.
• Romance: What can I say besides another epic romance from Jay! I loved Zowen and Aston, and as I alluded to before I got really attached to them rather quickly. Their chemistry was electric from the first chapter and I loved all their romantic scenes. This story does fall under a trope I find hit or miss and I was overall happy with how Jay executed it. What a beautiful second chance for Zowen and Aston, and a beautiful ending to the eight-year journey I have been on with the Marked Men characters.

Wayward Son receives 4.5/5 stars.

You can pick up the story here.

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Thank you again to Jay and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Jay Crownover’s Wayward Son ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I am nothing if not consistent, and I consistently love Katee Robert’s throuple novels so damn much. Midnight Ruin is phenomenal, I’ve read it twice through before writing this review. If you have not started this series yet I beg you to start with Neon Gods and let yourself be taken away on this rollercoaster of fast-paced political intrigue and toe-curlingly good romance.

I am a Katee Robert review team member, but I remain honest and genuine in my reviews.

Eurydice Dimitriou has always been the innocent sister, but she’s finally ready to step out of the long shadow cast by her powerful family…and the ex who shattered her heart. Perhaps rough hands on soft skin are exactly what she needs to forget her heartbreak once and for all?

Charon Ariti has been Hades’s right-hand man for years. He’s given everything to the lower city, but now he’s ready to take something for himself. He’s only too happy to give Eurydice a special kind of education…but is her heart really free enough to be claimed?

Orpheus Makos will do whatever it takes to make things right. Once the golden boy of the upper city, he’s now a shadow of his former self. He’ll do anything to get Eurydice back…even if it means she’s not coming into his arms alone. Three hearts. Three futures. Countless ways to get it wrong.

But with enemies slipping through Olympus’s faltering barrier to lay siege on the lower city, a trio of broken hearts will be the least of these would-be lovers’ worries…

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Eurydice, Charon, Orpheus – what a cast of lead characters for this instalment! All the Dimitriou sisters have my heart and so of course I was excited to get into Eurydice’s head. After only seeing her through predominately her sisters’ eyes, I loved getting to know this powerhouse character better. She is not as innocent as what meets the eye, which is perfect. Charon and Orpheus were perfect for her because they both brought something different. Charon
• Setting: Back to the underworld baby! We have not had a tried and true Underworld book since Neon Gods, since book one! I was so happy to be back over the River Styx. I know Katee has spoken about how this book was initially third and I am so happy things were switched around to make the long-awaited return to Underworld just hit perfectly!
• Pacing: What is so special about Katee and this series is just how well-balanced the political intrigue is against the relationships and the steamy scenes. Every chapter just makes you want to read the next one, and every instalment just ups the stakes in this world!
• Romance: Katee proves once again why they are just so damn good at writing throuples. The best triads show how the relationships just work as a group of three, not as pairs. I really liked how this was both a second-chance romance and a friend-to-lovers. So much of this series is more enemies-to-lovers so that was a lovely change of pace, I love when Katee throws in a few curve balls to the romance. The biggest one probably being the puppy play which I know Katee even said online came as a surprise while writing but my god it fits this story so well. Orpheus at his most submissive was the missing piece of the puzzle for Charon and Eurydice. Along with what a great take on that second chance that what made Eurydice and Orpheus not work originally really was that people were not their true authentic selves. So simply I say this book was hot and it gets steamy or should I say foggy rather quickly. A Katee Robert slow burn is fun every once in a while, but Katee is at their best when they write characters with so much tension and chemistry that it drips off the page.

Midnight Ruin receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

Shop Local | Amazon | Indigo

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Thank you again to Katee, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Raincoast for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Katee Robert’s Midnight Ruin ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

Did I dive into Keeping 13 basically one minute after finishing Binding 13, yup I definitely did! What a cliffhanger, maybe one of the most brutal I have read this year. This book wrecked me even harder than Binding 13, it had me bawling my eyes out.

Falling in love was the easy part. What comes next is the test. Johnny Kavanagh’s first, last, and only true love has always been rugby…until now. Following a devastating injury that has left him stripped of his beloved number 13 jersey, Johnny struggles to hold onto his dreams as they crumble around him. Lost and desperate, he sets his sights on unraveling the mystery of the girl with the midnight-blue eyes who haunts his every waking Shannon Lynch. But navigating the future, even together, isn’t as easy as it once seemed. Keeping secrets has never been a problem for Shannon. The life she was born into demands nothing less. After all, demons and evil men don’t just exist in fairytales―they exist in her world, too. Traumatized beyond repair after her return from Dublin and desperate to protect her little brothers, Shannon finds herself struggling like never before, barely keeping her head above water. Her walls are up and her trust is shaken, and only one boy has the ability to reach her heart. But when new truths come to light and old wounds are reopened, will love be enough to help them heal, or is their future forever broken?

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Johnny and Shannon have my heart! This book took all our characters on such an emotional journey. I want to ensure I do not spoil the events of this sequel, but I thought the worst was behind Shannon and her brothers Joey, Tahdg, Ollie, and Sean, but it was not. I will not get over the emotional wrecking ball that is this story and neither will Joey (I cannot wait to read Saving 6, I need to know that Joey and Aoife are going to be okay!). Chloe Walsh has pulled off what I love in an ensemble story when the side characters are so rich that you cannot wait to devour their stories too.
• Setting: This story is set in 2005 Ireland, in the small town of Ballylaggin and I had no idea just how attached I would get to this town and all the people in it. I love all the Irish slang and the early 2000s references. This small Irish town matches the heaviness of the book perfectly.
• Pacing: I read this book in a few days, back to back with Binding 13. It made me stay up late and get up early to read, which is always a good sign of just how much a book is enthralling me. I do feel the need to say that I still find this series too long and I will be interested to see how the lengths affect future instalments.
• Romance: I adore Shannon and Johnny and their relationship. This book features their physical relationship much more than the previous instalment. As they are given so many more moments to be alone together in their feelings. I adored the reformed gentleman Johnny, matched against the bolder Shannon who in falling in love with Johnny grew her confidence and willingness to ask not just for what she wanted, but what she deserved.

Keeping 13 receives four out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

Shop Local | Amazon | Indigo

Thank you again to Bloom and Raincoast for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and su

The post Chloe Walsh’s Keeping 13 Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

It is bittersweet to see The Edens come to an end. I have been such a fan of Devney’s for a long time, and this series just raised the bar. Indigo Ridge remains not just one of my favourite Devney Perry books but one of my favourite romance novels I have ever read. This was a perfect send-off to the world and the family that we love along with a beautiful story for characters I have been excited to see depicted for a while.

I am a Devney Perry review team member, but I remain honest and genuine in my reviews.

Vera Gallagher is chasing constant. For four years, her life was anything but normal. And the years before that she refuses to even remember. Dwelling on the past only hurts. Life is fragile, a lesson her mother taught her well. She’s determined not to waste a moment of her newfound freedom.

Maybe some would consider her crush on Mateo Eden wasted time. Maybe some would call her a fool for loving a man who hasn’t once dropped a crumb of interest her way. Still, to Vera, it’s Mateo or nothing.

He’s handsome. Charming. Witty. And he loves his family the way Vera loves—with her whole heart.

Maybe he’ll never notice her. Maybe she’s too damaged, too broken, to find that normal life she craves. Maybe her secrets will always keep them apart. But Vera will love him anyway. Whether Mateo realizes it or not.

An unrequited love, small town romance.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Matteo and Vera are the main characters of Sable Peak. From the minute I finished Crimson River I wanted Vera’s story, even more than I wanted Matteo’s. Devney is so good at building these heroines who have gone through tremendous loss, trauma, and adversity and they respond in ways that feel so human. Of course, Vera has moments of what feels like immaturity or she will close herself off, she’s been closed off from the wider world for so long. I loved her personal journey in this story. Matteo is hard not to love, this final Eden sibling has been someone I have been excited to read about since the early books. He’s a single dad and it was so heartwarming to see him grow from the hotheaded side character Matteo, into the father figure leading man. This would not be the last instalment without lots of character cameos, I am so happy that Deveny did so many family dinners and that we got insights not just into our favourite characters, but all their new little kids. Special shout-out to Anne and Harrison, the original Eden love story who are some of the best parents I’ve ever seen in romance, if you have not read the bonus epilogue it is a must!
• Setting: Quincy, Montana how I will miss you! This town with all of its different Edens in it, and its iconic settings from the Edens’ ranch to the Eloise Inn to Eden Coffee. This book similar to the last one also showcased the majesty of Montana’s landscape, and the book titles have all been odes to that as well what a wonderful touch. All of Devney’s books for the most part are set in Montana, but these feel like the biggest love letter to her homestate.
• Pacing: This book had some very interesting pacing as it tells a two-year story. I get why Devney decided to put all this time into Vera’s unrequited crush and Matteo’s time as a single dad. I also get that if she wrote more of the early parts of this book then it would have gotten even longer, maybe even way too long. It would have been interesting to read that stuff, but it was not make or break for me. I love the story we did get but be warned if you are not a fan of huge gaps and flash-forwarding in time.
• Romance: This romance had a really interesting structure, as for a good chunk of the book it is Vera who is holding this crush on Matteo. Her confronting him about it was a scene that had me rooting for her! Once they began to spend more time together we saw her grow to love baby Alaina which is always the best part of a single parent story. This book is very slow burn vibes, as glances and winks turn into touches and countless hours spent together. I loved this build-up and it all felt paced so perfectly. Plus of course, the steamy scenes are hot, Devney has always done a wonderful job writing these. What a lovely send-off to all the Edens couples!

Sable Peak receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story here.

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Thank you again to Devney and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Devney Perry’s Sable Peak ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I have been meaning to read this book for what feels like forever. I know fans more than just love this book but live and breathe it. I have always been intimidated by the length, I still am not fully sold that this book needed to be this long. What I am sold on is that I love Shannon and Johnny, and want the world for them both.

He wants to save her. She wants to hide. She’s damaged. He’s determined. Fate brought them together. Love binds them. Johnny Kavanagh has everything going for him. On the rugby pitch, he’s a force to be reckoned with, even plagued with a hidden injury. Everyone knows he’s heading straight for the top—but that means there’s no room for mistakes or distractions. Not even the shy new girl at Tommen College, the one with the sad eyes and hidden bruises. He needs to stay focused, keep his cool, and not let anything get in the way of the bigger picture.  Except before he knows it, this lonely girl has become his only picture. Life has never been easy for Shannon Lynch. Bullied and tortured, she arrives at Tommen College mid-way through the school year praying for a fresh start and desperate to shake off the demons that plague her. But when she meets the notorious Johnny Kavanagh on her first day, her plans to keep a low profile are at serious risk. As they fall into a complicated friendship and grapple with their undeniable chemistry, hidden pain and complicated secrets threaten to be their undoing—but Johnny won’t give up on Shannon. No matter what it might cost them both.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: I love Shannon Lynch and Johnny Kavanagh, and I totally get why you all do too. When we met Shannon, I was attached within the first few pages as I could not help but feel for this girl carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. After facing severe bullying at her public school, Shannon the only daughter in a family of multiple sons is able to go to a private school instead. This poor girl spends so much of this story helpless, yet I began to see the light in her as not just Johnny but her siblings and friends fill in the bright spots of her days. How does one not fall for Johnny Kavanagh, the high school rugby star is so endearing, charming, and caring. The cast of side characters really shines too, I know that there are books out about some, and others have books coming and I am invested to see what happens to everyone.
• Setting: The story is set in 2005 Ireland, in the small town of Ballylaggin. I did not know what to expect with the setting, and I loved it! I have learned some Irish slang, I am very thankful for the glossary that is included in this book. What the slang and the time period of almost twenty years ago do is it really transport you and further immerse you in the story.
• Pacing: This book is heavy, you need to look up content warnings and be cautious about the real-world themes it tackles. I knew about the topics this book would delve into, but I did not know how graphic some of the scenes would be. This book is not just heavy emotionally, it is heavy physically as it is just over 600 pages. I understand fans eat up every scene and love all this time with Shannon and Johnny. I did love most of their interactions, but some of the other chapters fell a bit flat when the two of them were not interacting. I really do think this book could have been a bit shorter, it really deters someone from starting this series when you see these huge books ahead of you.
• Romance: Johnny loves hard and falls fast and I adored reading every time he stepped up so quickly to defend her, while still being her greatest comforter. Shannon really struggles with her feelings, first, the idea that Johnny or anyone could love her this deeply is a foreign concept for her. Then once her own feelings develop she must navigate lying every day to the person she loves. What drove me through this book was getting to the revelations, I wanted Johnny and Shannon to communicate with each other in the most open way possible. While reading I had to remind myself of their age, which gives them a bit of a pass for struggling to communicate with one another for hundreds of pages. What is so special about this story though is the epicness of this love story. It has this deep overwhelming feeling that had me thinking about them constantly days after finishing this (along with propelling me to jump into Keeping 13 basically as I finished this one).

Binding 13 receives four out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

Shop Local | Amazon | Indigo

Thank you again to Bloom and Raincoast for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Chloe Walsh’s Binding 13 Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I adored Jasper and Sloane’s story the first time, the second time made me never want their road trip to end.

Two childhood friends. Two broken hearts. One impromptu road trip to get away from everything. That’s all this was supposed to be. Afterall, I’ve been living in the friend zone for years now.

But hockey heartthrob Jasper Gervais isn’t looking at me like a friend anymore. And he isn’t touching me like one either.

To his fans, he’s the handsome, talented athlete on TV. But to me he’s still the lost boy with sad eyes and a heart of gold.

The man I’ve loved in secret for years.

So when my life falls apart on my wedding day, it only makes sense that he’s the one to swoop in and save me. And when his world comes crashing down around him, I’m there to return the favor.

But the more time we spend alone, the more Jasper doesn’t feel like a friend at all. He feels like everything I’ve ever wanted and thought I could never have.

Our feelings aren’t straight forward though. They twist and turn around the pain of his past and the reality of my present.

Jasper Gervais acts like he wants me.

But after years of turning me away, he’s going to need to prove it.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: I love both Sloane and Jasper so much. When we meet Sloane she is about to embark on a trainwreck of a marriage to a man that would make her father happy but not herself. She’s been in love with Jasper since they met as kids and she’s learned to hide not just her feelings for him but just about all her other complexities from her family. This book is as much a journey for Sloane’s character as it is for her romance with Jasper. She learns that she does not have to settle or keep her fierce kindness and loyalty stuffed inside herself. Jasper is such a great hero too. He’s a hockey goalie in the NHL an elite athlete at the top of his game, while also still being that shy boy the Eatons adopted as their own. Jasper’s deep brothership with Beau and the other Eaton boys, and his father-son relationship with Harvey are some of the shining gems of this book.
• Setting: The story begins in Chestnut Springs, with Jasper and Sloane almost hiding at the Wishing Well ranch once she has gone full-on runaway bride. Then the two of them are presented with the chance to go on a road trip and who does not love this trope in a romance?! So many nights at hotels, that have only one room left with only one bed in them! Also Elsie Silver I see the Rose Hill cameo and of course, they go to Ruby Creek and visit Gold Rush Ranch. I found this part even more compelling in my second read-through, so much so that after this I went and binged the entire Gold Rush Ranch series.
• Pacing: This book is just so easy to get lost in, maybe it is the road trip vibes but this is one of Elsie’s easiest books to read in just a few sittings. I also find this one of her least rushed endings, which is a problem I usually run into with some of her books.
• Romance: Sloane and Jasper will melt your heart with their adorable friends finally telling each other that they have had deep romantic feelings for each other for years! For years without telling the other person. So when that combo hits you get toe-curling good smut, thanks again to the only one-bed trope. But the way they support each other against everything the world is throwing at them, you cannot help but feel so heartwarmed by this couple.

Powerless receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

Shop Local | Amazon | Indigo

Thank you again to Raincoast for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog.

The post Elsie Silver’s Powerless Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. I do think many others could love it but I just did not grow as attached to the characters as I would have liked. I also had some issues with the pacing and length of this second instalment.

The latest in the Maple Hills series follows two summer camp counselors who reconnect after a sizzling one-night stand.

Maple Hills students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts cross paths at a party celebrating the end of the academic year, where a drinking game results in them having a passionate one-night stand. Never one to overstay her welcome (or expect much from a man), Aurora slips away before Russ even has the chance to ask for her full name.

Imagine their surprise when they bump into each other on the first day of the summer camp where they are both counselors, hoping to escape their complicated home lives by spending the summer working. Russ hopes if he gets far enough away from Maple Hills, he can avoid dealing with the repercussions of his father’s gambling addiction, while Aurora is tired of craving attention from everyone around her, and wants to go back to the last place she truly felt at home.

Russ knows breaking the camp’s strict “no staff fraternizing” rule will have him heading back to Maple Hills before the summer is over, but unfortunately for him, Aurora has never been very good at caring about the rules. Will the two learn to peacefully coexist? Or did their one night together start a fire they can’t put out?

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Aurora and Russ are the protagonists of Wildfire. Russ is a hockey player at Maple Hills, while Aurora is another student he meets at a party before the end of the semester. They both get summer jobs at the same summer camp after a hookup at that end-of-semester party. I did enjoy their individual journeys, as both characters go through great character development. They both have issues with parents and I liked how Hannah Grace depicted these storylines. I know many readers loved the camp’s found family but I did not find myself attached to these new characters in any way.
• Setting: I will be honest that I did not enjoy the summer camp setting. I was really attached to the college setting of Icebreaker. My favourite parts of the novel were the beginning sections that featured the end of the college year. I do plan to keep reading, I heard murmurings that the next book is back at the college. I do think the summer camp would make this a good summer read rather than it coming out in the middle of fall.
• Pacing: I did find this story a bit too long. I never find it a good sign when a book is not hooking me back in and simply it was not. The middle chunk between the one-night stand and their giving into their feelings felt like it took forever. I hate to admit this but it put me in a reading slump for a week or two. I don’t want to take it out on this book too much. I adored so many scenes but others just had me skimming through.
• Romance: This couple is very wholesome, while still bringing some decent heat. I just wish you did not have to wait so much of the story for it, I liked the pace of those scenes better in Icebreaker. So many of the most heartfelt scenes were when the characters were together as a couple. Russ was such a great support for Aurora, and I totally understand why so many readers love this couple. They are misscommunicators and that is just not something I particularly like. Simply the strong parts of this book are strong, the weak parts are weak – which puts my review somewhere in the middle.

Wildfire receives three out of five stars.

Thank you again to Hannah Grace and the S&S team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Hannah Grace’s Wildfire ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

Karina never misses! I knew this retelling was in good hands because I knew she could definitely deliver something equally spooky and steamy. If you are looking for a smutty read this spooky season look no further.

I am a Karina Halle review team member, but I remain honest and genuine in my reviews.

From the New York Times bestselling author of River of Shadows and A Ship of Bones and Teeth comes a smutty spooky dark academia gothic romance retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, where Kat Van Tassel doesn’t have to choose between Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane, and there are worse things haunting them than the Headless Horseman.

Ever since she was a child, Kat Van Tassel knew that her parents had arranged for her to marry her best friend, Brom Bones, when she became of age. That was until Brom mysteriously vanished from the secretive village of Sleepy Hollow when he was just a teenager.
Now, at nineteen, Kat is fulfilling the tradition of attending Sleepy Hollow Institute, a shadowy and prestigious school that is run by her powerful family. There she starts to fall for her new teacher, the enigmatic, smart, and much older Ichabod Crane, whose fascination with dark magic and the occult brings out a new side of Kat—in more ways than one.
Until Brom Bones suddenly appears in her class. Her childhood friend doesn’t remember what happened to him in the four years that he’s been gone, all he knows is that he’s back in Sleepy Hollow for good. The only problem is, he’s not the same man that Kat knew. Cocky and brash as a youth, this Brom is violent and prone to bouts of madness. It doesn’t help that his reappearance coincides with gruesome decapitations that are plaguing the town, with rumors swirling about a vengeful ghost called The Headless Horseman.
Determined to get to the bottom of the murders and Brom’s volatility, Crane takes Brom under his wing to study him, and they begin to grow close, just as they do with Kat. But the more that the threesome submits to their sexual desires on the path to the truth, the more dangerous Sleepy Hollow becomes.  The Headless Horseman might claim them as his next victims…if something even more terrifying doesn’t get to them first.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Our heroine Katrina Van Tassel was the perfect point of view character. She is just as naive as the reader about what Sleepy Hollow holds and I loved seeing points of the mystery unfold through her eyes. Her heroes, are Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones and in Karina’s story, she will not have to choose one over the other. Crane is a professor, specifically the newest professor at Sleepy Hollow’s academy and he was probably my favourite part of this book. His character was so interesting and I loved how hard he fought to protect not just Katrina, but Brom. Brom is not just Katrina’s childhood friend but her betrothed. Crane has his own history with Brom, something I cannot wait to explore more in the sequel. Brom is complicated and I really did not know what to think of him except for he better be okay!
• Setting: This story is set in Sleepy Hollow and I loved all the spooky vibes! The story begins with Katrina heading off to the Sleepy Hollow Academy which has the best dark academia and gothic vibes. Some of the scenes here were absolutely terrifying, especially Crane’s scenes overnight. I loved finding out more about the school, and all the teachers and students within it.
• Pacing: From the first few pages I was hooked on Hollow. I started it Sunday night read as much as I could and got up early before work on Monday to finish it. I always find Karina’s pacing so compelling and I loved where she took the story. This book ended in the perfect spot and has made me just die with want for more.
• Romance: What initially intrigued me about this book was that it would be Karina Halle’s first MMF romance. This first instalment only really plays with MF and MM as Karina builds all the character relationships, and so no complaints from me I like how all of it is developing. Needless to say, this book is so smutty and I ate it all up. Katrina and Crane are that professor/student dynamic that I am always a sucker for with a nice eleven-year age gap. Crane and Brom’s relationship while only given a few glimpses I cannot wait to see how it develops. Karina did such a good job illustrating how Katrina will be the glue in this triad and now I must just wait patiently for what I know will be a delicious payoff.

Hollow receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story here.

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Thank you again to Karin and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Karina Halle’s Hollow ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I didn’t know we were getting more books in this series! I jumped to review this when I saw the sign-up. Nashville Neighborhood is such a guilty pleasure series for me. I adore this smutty culdesack so damn much.

What are you supposed to do when your best friend’s little sister—a classic good girl—asks you to help her go bad?

You should say no.

You shouldn’t pretend to date her so she can piss off her parents.

You definitely shouldn’t agree to take her virginity and show her all the experiences she’s been missing out on.

And you really shouldn’t keep it a secret from her brother, the one who’s your best friend and business partner.

But I don’t always make the best choices. In fact, I can be kind of a dick sometimes.

And I know if I don’t do it, someone else will . . . and I can’t have that. If anything, it means I get to be the good guy for once.

I just wasn’t prepared for how gifted this good girl would be at going bad.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: I never though Nikki Sloane woudl give us Preston’s story. He is Cassidy’s ex from the first book, The Doctor, the ex who cheated on her and then had to deal with his ex-girlfriend and father falling for each other. Preston has done so much growing up though, and I loved Nikki’s depiction of this guy who is always trying to be the best version of himself. It was so sad when he didn’t think he was enough for Sydney. She is Colin’s sister, you should remember him from the prevous installment The Frat Boy. Sydney is the most innocent character in one of these stories yet. She has super controling partents and she started to fake date Preston to push her parents to the brink. I loved how she grew over the story, and took more control of her life, grasping for it back from her parents. Sidenote I loved seeing Cassidy and Dr. Lowe living a full life together in the background of this story.
• Setting: Everyone’s favourite neighbourhood in Nashville is back! Most of the story bounces between Preston and Sydney’s houses as they have their summer fling. Preston lives with his father still, Dr. Lowe and I love how no matter what book in this series you read you are guaranteed a sexy pool scene.
• Pacing: This book just like all the others in the series is such a fun quick read. I know we are at the end of the summer, but this is the series you should binge before Labor Day. I think it is worth escaping into the fantasies of all these stories.
• Romance: I adore this falling for my best friend’s little sister because I am giving her sex lessons story. This story opens with the clear directive from Colin, stay away from my little sister. We have a bit of a time jump between Preston and Sydney’s first kiss and then so many years later they cannot keep their hands off each other. I loved the concept of their lessons and each one of those scenes was incredibly delicous. Nikki Sloane does a good job in these books of getting a reader emotionally invested in a relationship along what is truly some of the hottest sex scenes. Loved this instalment and would love to see more!

The Good Girl receives four out of five stars.

You can pick up the story here.

Thank you again to Nikki and Team Valentine PR for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Nikki Sloane’s The Good Girl ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.