Last year, I was going through a reading slump when I started Wrecking Ball, the first[image]
4.5 “Slow burning me” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you!!!!
Last year, I was going through a reading slump when I started Wrecking Ball, the first book in the Hard to Love series (P.S.: the series title is wrong, because these books are super easy to love). The same thing was happening when I decided to start Sledgehammer. The result was the same: I’m now cured.
I was going to wait to start this book until next week because I have other ARCs that needed my immediate attention due to their release dates, but all the books I’ve read for the past few days have failed to WOW me. Some I liked more, others less, but nothing stuck with me, even though other people have loved them.
That’s the thing about this reading business: subjectivity rules. Sometimes I have a hard time explaining why a story didn’t work for me. All the elements were there, but nothing did it for me. Other times, a simple story has this extra sparkle and I’m done for. Sledgehammer fits in this last category.
If you haven’t figured it out by now I am absolutely, irrevocably in love with this book.
[image]
To be completely honest, I went into this knowing I’d probably enjoy the heck out of it. The blurb is great. The first book was amazing. P. Dangelico has a whole Mariana Zapata vibe with her slow burn romances. So, yeah, it was a recipe for success. But the thing is, I didn’t just like it. I inhaled, breathed, lived and died with it. It gave me all the FEELS, to the point I had to take a break because I was hyperventilating. And I’ll tell you this. Although I loved, loved, looovveeedddd Amber, the guilty party here is Ethan Vaughn.
Ethan Freaking Vaughn.
[image]
Book boyfriend Ethan Vaughn was amazing. A-mazing. Everything I needed and a little more. The angst was alive and real and making my chest burn because this dude, the things this dude did, the way he spoke, the dirty talk, the proclamation of love…. Every-freaking-thing was perfection. I don’t care if you disagree. I don’t. He was it for me.
[image]
(view spoiler)[When he went all “I’m going to make it impossible for you to leave me” (in a not creepy way, I have to add, because out of context this might sound creepy), I swear my heart did a funny thing. I’m not joking. It just got to me in a way that it’s hard to explain.
Then, he went all “I wanted a little more time with you” because he needed “To show you how much I love you”, I nearly had a heart attack because nothing gets to me more than a man so desperately in love, and Ethan was desperately in love. It even made him stupid—because what he did was stupid. A little romantic, too. Stupidly romantic. Amber was totally right to be pissed, even though it broke my heart to see how devastated he was.
Finally, Ethan killed me and buried me with his love speech:
“I love you,” he says, his voice calm and steady while his eyes burn brightly with longing, my face still in his reverent hold. “And…” He exhale harshly. “And not the flowers and dinner on Valentine’s kind of love. It’s not soft or sweet. The way I love you is… is—“ His face twists in frustration. “It’s fucking painful. When you’re not near me I feel like Popovitch is sitting on my chest and I can’t breathe.” (hide spoiler)]
So, yeah. I’m dead. This guy killed me.
[image]
I don’t even care that the whole “I’ll post her bail and let her live with me” thing sounded a little weird. Does that even happen in real life? I’m not sure, but who cares? Because that landed them exactly where I needed them to be. Together. Living under the same roof. Getting to know each other, and OMG the slow burn. The “we don’t like each other” to the “we’re friends” to the “we can’t get enough of each other” gave me life. Slow burn is my thing. The more I read authors like P. Dangelico and Mariana Zapata, the more I’m convinced I want, need and will give all my money for hot, real and well-done slow burn.
Now, Amber… This chick was awesome. I knew I’d love her when I highlighted the first paragraph and wrote: “YES!!! VOIIIICEEE!” I know the concept of voice is a little hard to grasp (at least I have a hard time explaining it), but when it’s there, you just can’t miss it. It sort of hits you in the face and gives you pause. It happened here. I read one paragraph and I knew I’d love Amber because her voice got me. She was funny AF, loyal and smart. She was also surprisingly down to Earth considering everything that she had gone through. I couldn’t have asked for a better narrator for this story.
I don’t even know what to say about the romance without getting a little spoiler-y. I’ll just say that it developed exactly the way I’d hoped it would. There were tons of bantering, tons of heat, and it went through the three stages that will make a romance extra special for me: a little bit of animosity >> friendship >> love. And I also got a little The Hating Game by Sally Thorne vibe when it came to Ethan, so it was real perfection.
Aside from Ethan, Amber and their romance, I also loved the whole NFL vibe (I’m a fan) and all the side characters. I loved seeing Cam and Calvin living their happy ever after, getting a little bit more of Justin and meeting Amber’s little sis. I even teared up with a minor side character: the driver Ethan hired who’d been out of work for two years. Dude, that got me right in the feels.
This entire book got me right in the feels. It was fabulous. It was everything I wanted, and more than I needed. It’s the reason I’m going to be stalking this author until she releases her next book. P. Dangelico, get back to your computer and start writing your next story because I need it. Right now.
[image]
It's this simple:
[image]
Merged review:
[image]
4.5 “Slow burning me” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you!!!!
Last year, I was going through a reading slump when I started Wrecking Ball, the first book in the Hard to Love series (P.S.: the series title is wrong, because these books are super easy to love). The same thing was happening when I decided to start Sledgehammer. The result was the same: I’m now cured.
I was going to wait to start this book until next week because I have other ARCs that needed my immediate attention due to their release dates, but all the books I’ve read for the past few days have failed to WOW me. Some I liked more, others less, but nothing stuck with me, even though other people have loved them.
That’s the thing about this reading business: subjectivity rules. Sometimes I have a hard time explaining why a story didn’t work for me. All the elements were there, but nothing did it for me. Other times, a simple story has this extra sparkle and I’m done for. Sledgehammer fits in this last category.
If you haven’t figured it out by now I am absolutely, irrevocably in love with this book.
[image]
To be completely honest, I went into this knowing I’d probably enjoy the heck out of it. The blurb is great. The first book was amazing. P. Dangelico has a whole Mariana Zapata vibe with her slow burn romances. So, yeah, it was a recipe for success. But the thing is, I didn’t just like it. I inhaled, breathed, lived and died with it. It gave me all the FEELS, to the point I had to take a break because I was hyperventilating. And I’ll tell you this. Although I loved, loved, looovveeedddd Amber, the guilty party here is Ethan Vaughn.
Ethan Freaking Vaughn.
[image]
Book boyfriend Ethan Vaughn was amazing. A-mazing. Everything I needed and a little more. The angst was alive and real and making my chest burn because this dude, the things this dude did, the way he spoke, the dirty talk, the proclamation of love…. Every-freaking-thing was perfection. I don’t care if you disagree. I don’t. He was it for me.
[image]
(view spoiler)[When he went all “I’m going to make it impossible for you to leave me” (in a not creepy way, I have to add, because out of context this might sound creepy), I swear my heart did a funny thing. I’m not joking. It just got to me in a way that it’s hard to explain.
Then, he went all “I wanted a little more time with you” because he needed “To show you how much I love you”, I nearly had a heart attack because nothing gets to me more than a man so desperately in love, and Ethan was desperately in love. It even made him stupid—because what he did was stupid. A little romantic, too. Stupidly romantic. Amber was totally right to be pissed, even though it broke my heart to see how devastated he was.
Finally, Ethan killed me and buried me with his love speech:
“I love you,” he says, his voice calm and steady while his eyes burn brightly with longing, my face still in his reverent hold. “And…” He exhale harshly. “And not the flowers and dinner on Valentine’s kind of love. It’s not soft or sweet. The way I love you is… is—“ His face twists in frustration. “It’s fucking painful. When you’re not near me I feel like Popovitch is sitting on my chest and I can’t breathe.” (hide spoiler)]
So, yeah. I’m dead. This guy killed me.
[image]
I don’t even care that the whole “I’ll post her bail and let her live with me” thing sounded a little weird. Does that even happen in real life? I’m not sure, but who cares? Because that landed them exactly where I needed them to be. Together. Living under the same roof. Getting to know each other, and OMG the slow burn. The “we don’t like each other” to the “we’re friends” to the “we can’t get enough of each other” gave me life. Slow burn is my thing. The more I read authors like P. Dangelico and Mariana Zapata, the more I’m convinced I want, need and will give all my money for hot, real and well-done slow burn.
Now, Amber… This chick was awesome. I knew I’d love her when I highlighted the first paragraph and wrote: “YES!!! VOIIIICEEE!” I know the concept of voice is a little hard to grasp (at least I have a hard time explaining it), but when it’s there, you just can’t miss it. It sort of hits you in the face and gives you pause. It happened here. I read one paragraph and I knew I’d love Amber because her voice got me. She was funny AF, loyal and smart. She was also surprisingly down to Earth considering everything that she had gone through. I couldn’t have asked for a better narrator for this story.
I don’t even know what to say about the romance without getting a little spoiler-y. I’ll just say that it developed exactly the way I’d hoped it would. There were tons of bantering, tons of heat, and it went through the three stages that will make a romance extra special for me: a little bit of animosity >> friendship >> love. And I also got a little The Hating Game by Sally Thorne vibe when it came to Ethan, so it was real perfection.
Aside from Ethan, Amber and their romance, I also loved the whole NFL vibe (I’m a fan) and all the side characters. I loved seeing Cam and Calvin living their happy ever after, getting a little bit more of Justin and meeting Amber’s little sis. I even teared up with a minor side character: the driver Ethan hired who’d been out of work for two years. Dude, that got me right in the feels.
This entire book got me right in the feels. It was fabulous. It was everything I wanted, and more than I needed. It’s the reason I’m going to be stalking this author until she releases her next book. P. Dangelico, get back to your computer and start writing your next story because I need it. Right now.
I confess I was a little scared of starting this book because some of GR friends seemed to not have liked it at all[image]
4 “Big & Little Texas” Stars
I confess I was a little scared of starting this book because some of GR friends seemed to not have liked it at all, and though I always enjoy reading anything MZ writes, I hadn't LOVED her most recent releases as much as her previous work. On top of that, I've recentely read "The Wall..." in preparation for this book and OMG, THAT STORY IS STILL MY FAVORITE.
I'm glad to announce I LOVED this, too. Not as much as Aidan and Vanessa's love story, but Bianca and Zac's friendship was GOALS and, though the romantic chemistry was lacking a little, their overall chemistry wasn't. I loved them! I loved the slow burn. It was sooo slow and I'm always here for it. Yeah, again, there could've been a little more sexual tension there but I was so happy with all the time they spent together, doing silly things, rebuilding their friendship that I could look past it.
I was also super excited to see some familiar faces, especially since they were from my two favorite MZ books. It warmed my heart.
While I don't regret having waited a little more to read this, my fears weren't justified because this was really, really good!...more
It's been a long time since I've last requested an ARC, but when I saw reviewers were re[image]
4 “Be My Sunshine” Stars
ARC via NetGalley.
Thank you!!!!
It's been a long time since I've last requested an ARC, but when I saw reviewers were reading advanced copies of this book, I had to had it. I couldn't wait until August--not when the first book in the Bergman Brothers series stole my heart the way it did.
I'm honored I was given a chance to read this book before everyone else because it was the slow burn, sweet amazingness I needed.
Ren, the viking-looking hockey player with a sunshine smile, is one of the sweetest heros I've ever read about, and if there's something that always gets to me is a hero who is secretly in love with the heroine long before she realizes it. It melts my heart every single time.
Frankie is also amazing. She's an #Ownvoices representation of Austim and her character is simply great. There's so much strenght in her narrative, in her struggles and in the way she faces life. There was so much to like about her.
The romance was slow and slow (exactly the way I like it) and there was good chemistry between Frankie and Ren. I felt like the chemistry could've been a little stronger and I didn't exactly feel the same enthusiasm for this story as I did for Only When It's Us, but I still loved it. Honestly, I'm already dying to see what this author will write next because I'm quickly becoming a fan....more
There's a lot to like here: good writing, likable protagonists, great chemistry, slow burn, amazing dialogue, a beautif[image]
4.5 “Happy Ending” Stars
There's a lot to like here: good writing, likable protagonists, great chemistry, slow burn, amazing dialogue, a beautiful friendship between the MC and her BFF, family problems all around, and all the feels. This could've been a five-star book for me if it'd focused a little more on the romance, but I understand the importance of January's relationship with her father and how that was an essential part of her character and journey, so I can't complain too much. And those letters? There was definitely something in my eye while I was reading them.
So while this wasn't perfect, it was pretty amazing....more
Okay, so yes, let's get this out of the way first: I do realize this couple doesn't act like their age at all.[image]
4 “Charming and Maleficent” Stars
Okay, so yes, let's get this out of the way first: I do realize this couple doesn't act like their age at all. I mean, AT ALL, but for some reason I was able to ignore that and really, really enjoy this book. That reason is probably the amazing chemistry and slow-burn. What can I say? I'm a sucker for those.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story given the fact that there are clear problems with it. The age thing being one of them. Another is the fact that, even though he deserved it for being a grumpy man, I couldn't believe Ally thought she'd get away with how disrespecting she was to her client and (later) boss. It doesn't sound quite realistic for someone to act the way she did, but again....for some reason, I didn't care. I was still able to enjoy this a whole LOT because the bickering and no-we-won't/no-we-can't was sooooo amazing. I LOVED, LOVED their chemistry.
So, in the end, while I can see why some of my friends rated this so low, I still found a lot to like about this story. My advice? Give it a shot and see what you think....more
I read this for the first time a long time ago and I ended up not rating it for some reason, so this is officia[image]
4 “Tattoos and Motorcycle” Stars
I read this for the first time a long time ago and I ended up not rating it for some reason, so this is officially mys second read. I still enjoyed this A LOT, but it's safe to say this is problematic at times because of some of the Dex's actions and reactions. At times, Iris showed a back bone, but there were other times she tried too hard to justify what he did. I wished she hadn't.
In the end, I still loved the slooowwww burn that only Zapata can write....more
Oh, hello, surprisingly awesome book with a trope that isn't exactly my favorite but was unique and so well d[image]
4.5 “Second Chance Surprise” Stars
Oh, hello, surprisingly awesome book with a trope that isn't exactly my favorite but was unique and so well done I had to love it!
I don't know what I was expecting when I started this, but I certainly didn't think I'd love this as much as I did. I'm usually not the biggest fan of books about couples that are already together, because I like that feeling you get when reading about people falling in love for the first time, but this felt like that in a way. The main characters are engaged but their communication problems are so big that they've started hating each other, and the story is all about how they go from that to falling in love again. It's an awesome and hilarious ride. I laughed out loud many times. On the other hand, this book also spoke to me in a personal level because of the problems they were facing. So, yeah...it not only entertained me but also made me think about things. Oh, and let's not forget the slow burn. It was amazing! This book was amazing, so go read it.
Again, the comfort of going back to a favorite author.... I've been a fan of Kristen Callihan for a while. Her VIP s[image]
4 “Childhood enemies” Stars
Again, the comfort of going back to a favorite author.... I've been a fan of Kristen Callihan for a while. Her VIP series is one of my favorites, and though this isn't as good as the first two titles in that series, it's still pretty great. In truth, this concept (a slow burn childhood enemies romance) in the hands of one of my favorite romance writers had already guaranteed this to be a winner. It was a quick read with good romance and it came out in the perfect moment. Nothing better than forgetting how the world outside is on fire by losing oneself in a book like this....more
That feeling when you come back to a favorite author and remember why you fell in love with her writing in the first place. [image]
4 “The angst” Stars
That feeling when you come back to a favorite author and remember why you fell in love with her writing in the first place. This was SO good (maybe even better than the first? can't decide). The angst in part 3 really grabbed me. I need more books with this level of angst. Recommendations, please? ...more
I've been a fan of Kristen Callihan for a long time, and while some parts of this book reminded me of why I liked[image]
3.5 "Cute but not great" stars
I've been a fan of Kristen Callihan for a long time, and while some parts of this book reminded me of why I liked her writing so much, this wasn't her best work IMO. I liked the chemistry between the characters just fine, but there was something missing. It was good, but it wasn't great (and great is what I normally get from her)....more
This book was good, but it could've been better if it'd focused more on the romance and less on...everything els[image]
3.5 "More romance scenes" stars
This book was good, but it could've been better if it'd focused more on the romance and less on...everything else. At times, I felt there was too much going on and the narrative got a little confusing. Because of that, we didn't get as many scenes between the hero and heroine. I also wanted more time with the dog--he was barely present and I LOVE dogs. Overall, it was funny (though I missed some of the cultural jokes/references) and the slow burn romance was good, but it would've been great if the author had spent more time developing it....more
The writing was as addictive as the last book I read from this author, and that quality is what makes me rate th[image]
4 “Addictive fake dating” Stars
The writing was as addictive as the last book I read from this author, and that quality is what makes me rate this high, even though there are some problematic aspects to the story (especially some of Nic's behavior). Having said that, I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters and the slow burn quality to their romance. I also loved the relationship between Demi and her girlfriends. They were ALWAYS there for each other and there was no drama between them, which was great to see for a change....more
I'm not a huge fan of the 'married couple getting a second chance' trope, but this one kept me interested. The sto[image]
3.5 "Troubled marriage" stars
I'm not a huge fan of the 'married couple getting a second chance' trope, but this one kept me interested. The story was at timse a little unbelievable--I didn't really understand how such explosive chemistry could still be alive when the rest of the marriage was crumbling that bad--but there were plenty of sweet moments between them that balanced that out. My biggest problem, though, was Dominic and how he didn't seem to really understand or learn his lesson. His action toward the end of the book sort of undid his progress and left me with a bad taste, especially since he was forgiven for it so easily.
Overall, this was a positive experience judging how I've managed to finish it even if the trope wasn't my favorite to start with....more
I'm not broken! There are still books that make my heart sing out there. Books that were written for me with the[image]
4.5 “Slow burn sweetness” Stars
I'm not broken! There are still books that make my heart sing out there. Books that were written for me with their slow burn amaziness and their funny banter and their sizzling chemistry. And this book, this amazing little book that I hadn't heard about until today though it's been out since 2018 is one of those hidden gems. I had a sappy smile on my face from the first page and I didn't drop it until the end (only because I was too busy sighing in bliss). The entire romance is perfection and so was the way the author portrayed the main character and his struggle. I just...I really loved this and I hope you'll give yourself a chance to fall in love with it, too....more
This was a fun and hyper sexy read. There were plenty of hot scenes (a[image]
3.5 "I don't want your money" stars
Hey, look at this! I liked a book! :-)
This was a fun and hyper sexy read. There were plenty of hot scenes (a little too much for me) and dirty talking , a heroine that wasn't a saint and didn't want to be, a hero that was attractive but wasn't the hottest guy EVER and had other things going for him. The drama with both their families was interesting and handled well enough. The chemistry was there from the first to the last scene. It wasn't slow burn, but it still managed to keep me intrigued, so I'd recommend it. One thing for sure, it was the best book I've read so far in 2020....more
The taboo part of this book was interesting and an addictive read. The "romance" part, though, was highly disfuncti[image]
2 "Disfunctional & Taboo AF
The taboo part of this book was interesting and an addictive read. The "romance" part, though, was highly disfunctional considering how the author chose to end this. Expect consent to be ignored and highly disfunctional situations to be overlooked. I would've rated this higher based on the first 50% if the last 50% hadn't been such a mess.
After a handful of DNF's (didn't even bother to add them here), this is what I get. In case you're wondering how my year has been reading wise....more
We have two books here: the first part with teen Eleanor & Grey and the second part with adult Eleanor & Grey.
The f[image]
3.5 "Great first part" stars
We have two books here: the first part with teen Eleanor & Grey and the second part with adult Eleanor & Grey.
The first part was great! It made me cry really hard. It had the best parents-child relationship ever, and it warmed my heart and then broke it into tiny little pieces later. It showed a beautiful romance story about teens supporting each other and going through tough times together and being cute.
The second part was not so great...*sad face* I didn't mind the feeling that I had read that book before as much as I minded the fact that Grey treated Eleanor as if she was just a passing memory. I understand that he was grieving his wife, but the love he had for the mother of his children made it feel like Eleanor was second best. I was sad for her.
So while I really, really liked the first part (it made me cry hard, so how couldn't I?), I wasn't much of a fan of the second part....more
Looking for angst? You'll find it in spades here. This book is angst on steroids. At times, this was physically painful t[image]
3.5 "Painful AF" stars
Looking for angst? You'll find it in spades here. This book is angst on steroids. At times, this was physically painful to read, but there were some beautiful parts, too. The slow burn was another winner. And the heroine? She made me think of how easy it is to judge someone for one mistake without considering how the consequences of that mistake might be the biggest punishment that person will ever have. The heroine's pain was real and it bled through the pages, and it was impossible for me not to feel for her. The only reason I'm not rating this higher is because the hero's actions were mostly problematic--which is sort of funny because the heroine first described him as someone who was the kind of good people don't believe still exist in the word. Well, to be fair, she was talking about the version of him before the big tragedy, so maybe the fact that he was such a jerk after speaks of how much pain he was in? Confusing, I know. I'd probably rate it higher if I didn't feel like I had to "punish" the hero a little bit for some of his actions. I almost wish this had a different, less happy ending, but I still think it was an addictive, painful, sexy and important story....more
Though this was a enemies-to-lovers slow burn romance and it was pretty addictive, the hero was a little t[image]
3.5 "Addictive but problematic" stars
Though this was a enemies-to-lovers slow burn romance and it was pretty addictive, the hero was a little too problematic for me. I love a good brooding alpha but Ben went too far sometimes. Emmy, on the other hand, was a great character. I loved her personality and her voice. She was a truly fun narrator. I'm also curious to see what will happen with Nick and Jesse, Ben's best friends, so I'll definitely be back to read more books in the series....more
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