✨ Most of the stories we read, the FMC and MMC get married and live HEA. But here our story starts way later

✨ Love Wells Kept is story of Jackson and Kate, who have been happily married for 10 years with 2 kids. One terrible accident and Jackson loses his memory. The book is about then working together and trying to keep their love and marriage afloat

✨ I think Bailey Hannah captures the heartbreak of a woman whose husband suddenly doesn't remember her and her children very well. The confusion, frustration, struggle that Jackson goes through is also very well described. I was feeling so sad for both of them. Despite the heavy setting, the side characters and the kids bring a much needed lighter note. As this is the fifth book in the series other characters make appearances. But it can be read as a standalone as the author had cleverly used Jackson's amnesia to make sure reader catches up. The story did seem a little flat in the middle. The spice is also great - especially the hot tub action 😉

Trigger warnings - mentions miscarriage

✨ Thank you so much @booksparks and @baileyhannahwrites for this book. I took it with me on a train ride and didn't even realize how much time passed.

#src2026 #thebookodyssey #booktok #cowboyromance

✨ 10/10

Aaahh! I am still mesmerized by this one. I loved it!

Ramona has retired from her popstar career at 26. Now she is psych student at UCLA. Nick is 36, ready for his tenure. What happens when chemistry starts to brew between the Psych professor and student? 👀

Rachel Lynn Solomon has packed this one with sugar, spice and everything nice. My heart reaches out to Ramona. She is written so beautifully and detailed. Nick is greenest flag you'll ever read about. (Total Garrett Graham vibes but older and academic 🔥). The student professor tension is so high. I was giggling like a teen when I was reading their texts and emails.
Though I would have liked a little more of their interaction in college.

Such a HEALTHY, SPICY, SWEET love story of two adults navigating life.

I would like to read more of Rachel Lynn Solomon's books!

Thank you so much @booksparks !

#SRC2026 #booktok #mustread

✨ 9/10

I laughed out loud on the subway because of this book. It's funny, sweet and heart touching at the same time, with a flavor of spice and tension.

Quick synopsis - Cricket went viral, but in a bad way. To escape the trolls - virtual and the ones in her family, she goes to a winery, which also acts like a shelter for women who have seen the dark side of Internet and ai. She meets Heath, a single dad and the stay-in handyman of the house. Cricket finds friendship, love but more importantly confidence and self love 💕

My review - The topic is so sensitive but Pippa Grant has presented it in a humorous way while maintaining the sensitivity. The found family trope is so strong in this one. I think halfway into the book, I had started to consider the characters my family. 🤌

And the spice! First of all, I love a good tension between characters and this one delivers it. The alternating point of views kept me on the edge. It's a torture I like 😉. Then the actual spice is hot.

And in the end, when they both stand up for each other 😭 if I ever want a man written by a woman (who doesn't) I would like Pippa Grant to be one of the authors writing him.

The book felt a little slow at the halfway point but picked it up soon. Do read this one.

Author - @pippa.grant

#romancebooks #bookrecommendation

DNF’d.

I really loved Wicked Onyx by Debbie Cassidy - it’s a 10/10 acc to me and I definitely recommend it - but Lost and Stolen Gods just wasn’t the right fit for me.

I read almost 50% of the book, and there were some things I did enjoy. The fantasy world draws inspiration from Hindu mythology, and even if you’re unfamiliar with the mythological beings, the story does a good job explaining their powers. It also has a strong opening, and the physical copy is beautiful - especially the page edges.

What didn’t work for me was the romance between the leads. This romantasy includes a “binding,” which is similar to a mate bond, as well as a forced proximity setup, since the bound characters are required to stay in the same room and share a bed. For me, these elements felt a bit artificial and uncomfortable.

I think I would have enjoyed it more if the relationship had developed more naturally, or if the binding had felt more organic rather than being tied to the game.

✨ 10/10

I was in a 2-3 week reading slump and then not only was I able to finish this book in few days, I was crying towards the end. Dolly, you won my heart! 💞

If there was one word to describe Dolly, it would be a fixer. She fixes everything and everyone - she is there for her brother, her son, father, friends; sacrificing her dreams for them. And then she meets Stewart, the cold CEO-to-be, who needs to date a "nice" girl to improve his image.

Annabel Monaghan really nailed the writing for this book. I was hooked since page one, the writing sent me in an almost flow state of reading. The character Dolly is well thought. The side characters are great medium to highlight the lead characters.
Stewart is also great, but Dolly steals the show

Do read it! It's a must.

Thank you so much @annabelmonaghan for writing this beautiful book!

Thank you @booksparks for this copy 🫶

#SRC2026 #TheBookOdyssey

Okay, so this might be an unpopular opinion but Taming the Heart is not the book for me. I wanted to like it so bad but maybe, personally, now is not the time.

Taming the Heart by Elliot Rose is a steamy romance between the bull rider Beau and his new, younger marketing manager Sage. They are physically attracted to each other since their first meeting, but their relationship is taboo because he is married.

The actual plot and the spice commences in the second half. The first half was very descriptive and slow. I was expecting something, anything to happen but I was sadly disappointed there.

Moving on to the second half, this is where things get exciting - metaphorically and literally. ;) The spice is good but honestly at some places, it did not match the plot. There are some chapters where I felt it the author wanted to bring the two characters close by having a heart to heart, but last minute decided to change it into a smut scene. But still, second half gives much needed tension and action.

I liked Sage's sass and confidence but some more focus on her work would have been great. Maybe a little bit more about her upbringing, her perspective, her insecurities.

Also, Beau was almost a red flag. Almost seemed like labelling himself a victim when he could have turned things around for his divorce.

Honestly, if you want to read it just for tension and the fire, go for it. I would recommend to quickly reach the second half. 🔥

This was a gifted copy, and I am very grateful for it. Hopefully other books by the author work out for me.

✨ 8/10 ✨

Becca Seymour does it again. This is my second MM Romance of hers and I was not disappointed.

A rift takes away Pax from Earth to a different dystopian planet where an evil Queen uses humans as slaves. He becomes a freedom fighter but along the way meets this other general, a purple alien, who is also against the queen and apparently, his mate.

The plot is verywepo written. Despite it being a third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. I was able to pick up the themes very quickly. I liked the lead as well as the side characters - they are well planned, with back stories, humanizing them.
What I would have liked more is scenes between Pax and Varek - more of them bonding and being together.

But definitely go for it if you like MM, Alien dystopian romance with a slow burn.

I literally screamed NO at the book at the climax scene - I was that immersed into it 😂

Thank you @authorbeccaseymour and @hottreepublishing for this copy!

#mmromance #alienabduction #dystopian

8/10
Spice - 10/10 🔥🔥🔥

Can't go wrong with Rina Kent and her dark mafia romances. In her newest MM Romance, Kiss the Villain, we follow the story of Gareth, a student and his criminal law professor, Kayden. But wait, did I mention that they both are rivals and want to unalive 💀 each other?

The story is them going against each other but unable to resist the attraction that they both have for each other. They both are so possessive and so twisted, it's crazy ❤️‍🔥. The twist in the second half had my flabbers gasted , in a good way duh. The ending was good. The spice was 🤌

And the tropes - age gap, billionaire romance, student professor, dom-sub, coming out, touch him and die

Trigger warnings - gRape, non-consent kink, mentions of self harm, killing

Thank you so much @sourcebookscasa and @read_bloom for this copy! The glossy finish is 🫶

Author - @author_rina

Keywords : Mafia | Rina Kent | Age gap | Dark Romance | enemies to Lovers | MM romance

Blurb - My darkness meets a darker soul.

I’m a golden boy.
A genius law student, the heir to the Carson empire, and the dutiful son.
Or, at least, that's what it looks like from the outside.
Deep inside, I have the urge to set the world on fire.
I keep these impulses in check, rarely indulging in mayhem.
Until one night of debauchery backfires, and I'm caught by a villain.
I bury the entire ordeal with the rest of my skeletons.
That is, until that night walks into my classroom in the form of my new professor.
Kayden Lockwood.
A criminal who’s teaching criminal law.
I can't expose what he's done without unmasking my secret life.
What I can do, however, is force him to taste the poison he gave me.
In the clash of titans, Kayden and I break and crumble.
And I'm starting to realize this dangerous game may have no winners.

#harperperennialpartner

✨ 6/10

This one I would categorize as romance fiction, than a romcom, and you'll understand why soon.

Marc and Cassie are enemies (who have hooked up once in the past). Now they are forced to work together to plan the best party for their friends - Lucy and Russell. It has to be best because Russell does not have much time left.

Honestly, the book talks about death and how people cope with it. Especially the family and friends of cancer patients. Russell has decided not to take treatment and enjoy the rest of his life. It is such a delicate subject but the author has presented it beautifully.
The first half of the book is really heart warming. Cassie, as a character, is very well-written, very heart warming. Marc irritates you but in a you-know-he-means-well way.
The book is very slow paced. That's why things continue in the same manner in second half. It's only towards the end when something different takes place. If Marc and Cassie got to know some deeper stuff about each other in the middle of the book, it would have made their relationship even more impactful.

Author - @sarra_manning

Thank you so much @harperperennial for this gifted copy