Lazy book reviews: chapter 34

Fall is here! I’m going to do some comfort re-reads and get to some longer books I have been waiting to start.

~✨📚✨~

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My Scorned Best Friend
by Piper Rayne

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After they got over the mistakes of the past, I really liked Clara and Xavier together. It was the getting there that was a bit of a struggle… Second chance romances are so hit-or-miss due to the circumstances of the “first try” – and the reasons for these two not talking after being the best of friends for so long were pretty immature and unnecessary in my opinion.

I’m glad that their loved ones (aside from Presley) were pushing them together because their feelings were so obvious. They worked out their issues & hurts and committed to being there for each other. They found a way to make their life plans fit together. The grandmas didn’t feel as present in this one, but their meddling was just as funny as always. I also really enjoyed the little previews of Mandi and Noah’s story!

~🏈💔📚~

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Off With Her Head: Three Thousand Years of Demonizing Women in Power
by Eleanor Herman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We are not interested in hearing their stories because nothing is more alarming to the patriarchy than a fed up woman speaking the truth about misogyny.

I really enjoyed how this book was organized into different topics that explored how the patriarchy aims to keep women below men, both in history and right now. Three of my favourite chapters were “The Dangers of Female Hormones,” “She’s a Witch and Other Monsters,” and “She’s a Bitch and Other Animals.” The maddening amount of misogynistic ideas that have persisted throughout the centuries of history (and are still around today) were examined, and then suggestions were presented on how to begin dismantling this system in the final chapter.

~👸🏼🗣🧙🏼‍♀️~

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Do You Take This Man
by Denise Williams

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I liked RJ and Lear’s story well enough, but I didn’t love it. The romance tropes were overplayed at times. It was pretty formulaic and basic, which made the progress of their romance very predictable and not overly interesting. It was nice to see them work through things together and grow closer over time. I would have enjoyed it more if they had started showing a softening towards each other sooner, as the “enemies” mean-spirited vibe went on for a bit too long despite how well they were working together at the weddings.

~👰🏾💐💍~

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Offside with #55 review

Throughout this entire series, I couldn’t help but laugh at the minor amount of hockey knowledge that went into writing these books. I’m pretty sure that every book featured a Fury player scoring within the first minute of the game… Thankfully these stories weren’t really about the hockey games and were instead focused on the romantic relationships that developed, with many of the players finding their perfect matches.

~🏒🐕📋~

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Offside with #55
by Piper Rayne

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Kane and Jana’s book was an okay end to the series, but I wish there would have been more punch to their story after all the build-up and glimpses at how fiery their relationship was. It felt like they spent all of their energy on petty arguments and trying to ignore real feelings instead of things that really mattered. With that said, I’m glad they helped each other work through some heavy emotional baggage and figure out what type of future they wanted. They ended up being really good together!

I really liked Kane in the previous books, and that appreciation deepened in this story, especially with his role as coach as he supported & pushed all the players to be better on and off the ice. I really liked his backstory too. Same with his dog! Jana grew on me throughout the book as she started to open up and admit her true feelings. The change in their opinions at the end isn’t what I was hoping for, but I’m sure there are people who will feel represented by it. Leaving this story for last in the series was a good choice, as the chemistry between these two was obvious and it was fun to wait to see how they would fall for each other!

This series was enjoyable overall, with a couple books standing out more than the others. The cast of characters was really nice, with a great found family vibe among the team members and their partners. The bonus scenes through Piper Rayne’s newsletter were worth the read to have a bit more info about the last three couples, with the final one showing everyone after a five year jump but feeling a bit anticlimactic. These books weren’t heavy on hockey (and it’s clear that the authors don’t know much about it), so anyone who likes interconnected romances with plenty of heart & humor can definitely still enjoy this series.

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Love on the Brain review

Science nerds falling in love should really be a bigger romance novel sub-genre so that I could have an endless supply of books to choose from!

~🍩🧠🐱~

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Love on the Brain
by Ali Hazelwood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really adored Levi and Bee’s story! His tongue-tied, stoic pining was so obvious (except to Bee) and led to some interesting misunderstandings and hilarious internal dialogue on Bee’s part. The animosity that she thought existed between them was the biggest barrier to them getting together sooner, aside from working together on a big NASA project. There were also many little mysterious mishaps throughout the book that culminated in a more exciting ending than I was expecting when I first started the book, so that was fun too!

Bee and Levi sure took their sweet time to get together, but it was worth the wait to watch Levi yearn for her and give Bee time to figure out the deeper reasons for her hesitation. It was really sweet that Levi recognized that Bee would head for the hills if he revealed his true feelings too soon, and thankfully it all worked out in the end and a few bumps along the way.

I see a lot of people complaining about the ~sameness~ of Hazelwood’s novels, but it doesn’t bother me – if this is her jam, I’ll continue to read and enjoy her books! Not every author has to fully break the mould every time to write enjoyable novels. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The main highlights for me were the “tension” (aka deep love) between Levi and Bee, the dark soul of Bee’s research assistant Rocío, the nerdy love of Star Wars and Marie Curie, the You’ve Got Mail feel of the Twitter DMs side plot, and all scenes with Félicette & Schrödinger. This is definitely a fitting read for anyone who likes the non-conventional path toward romance with plenty of tension, cool women in STEM, fun supporting characters, and nerdy science talk.

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Would You Rather review

This was a case of “Rayna saw an illustrated cover and was intrigued”. After reading the synopsis I wanted to read this book even more! I am so glad it caught my eye, as this story was thoroughly enjoyable and I had a great day flying through this audiobook. It was also cool to read two romance novels featuring organ transplants so close together – check out Unlikely Match for another cute story!

~🍗💍💊~

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Would You Rather
by Allison Ashley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The sweetness and steam in Noah and Mia’s story was ~everything~. Their friends to lovers arc was so enjoyable, and I loved watching them slowly reveal their true feelings, learning more about their backstory, and every scene involving their would you rather questions.

The romance between these two was really sweet – and inevitable. They were clearly into each other despite trying to ignore the pull to each other that had been present for years. There was such a deep & unspoken understanding that existed between them. It was obvious they were meant to be together – and their loved ones could see it too! This created some quite funny scenes, especially with the supporting & background characters weighing in on their relationship.

Both Mia and Noah had a lot to work through due to emotional & life-changing events. I was really happy to see them encourage each other through their personal growth throughout the book as they sorted out what they needed to be happy. The introspection and healing that happened towards the end of the book was needed in order for them to be all in for their life together.

The heavier aspects of grief, illness, and secrets were handled so nicely and given the perfect amount of attention to be a big part of the story & character development, as well as relatable to many readers. There was also a nice balance provided with the humor, humanity, and steam featured in many scenes throughout the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it all in one sitting – it is definitely worth the read!

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Second Shot with #76 review

I read all three of the remaining Hockey Hotties books really quickly, and as I said in my previous review of Warner’s story, I was a bit disappointed. This was my fave of the three, but I’m hoping I enjoy future Piper Rayne projects much more.

~🌴💘🏒~

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Second Shot with #76
by Piper Rayne

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ande and Cory were my favourite couple in the novella featuring their tropical vacation, so I’m glad their book ended up being my favourite of the second half of this series. They had a deep understanding of each other, even while denying true feelings and working through personal stuff. I liked how effortless their connection was and that they only had eyes for each other when they were together.

I feel like there is often some form of lying involved with a second chance romance, and that is often what prevents me from enjoying these stories more. I don’t blame Ande for guarding her heart after what she experienced with her previous partner and after seeing all the headlines about Cory’s reputation, but I really wish she would have communicated more openly with him and avoided a lot of the mess that prevented them from growing closer much sooner. Thankfully Cory was a great guy about it all and was very understanding about the circumstances, which allowed them to get over the drama and move on together.

That all being said, I could have done without the drama that Ande’s sister added to what would already have been enough baggage for Ande to have to work through without the scheming that resulted from her sister getting involved.

I’m glad the focus was mostly on Ande and Cory falling for each other – their relationship developed in a really sweet way. There were also plenty of entertaining scenes featuring his Florida Fury teammates to add lightness and fun to the story!

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Sneaking Around With #34 review

As you’ll see from this review and those for the next two books, I didn’t jive with the second half of this series as much as the first. I still enjoyed the stories featuring the Florida Fury players and their partners, but I didn’t end up enjoying this series nearly as much as I loved The Baileys or as much as I am liking The Greenes.

~🏒💔🏨~

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Sneaking Around With #34
by Piper Rayne

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

I’m sad I didn’t like Warner and Imogen’s story more after waiting to have more details about the rift between them, as well as to see what would happen between Warner and Ford. The outcome wasn’t what I was hoping for, but the ending of how things played out was nice. Warner is one of my favourite leads so far with a compelling backstory and heart of gold, so it sucks a bit that his book wasn’t better.

There was a lot of tension between these two from the very beginning of the novel. It took some time to work out their issues and sort out how to be together. They ended up being really cute together, and I would have liked to have more of that at the end of the book and not have to rely on their supporting roles in the next two books to see more scenes of them together & happy.

The drama from their past got a bit old after what felt like the hundredth time of Ford telling Warner to stay away from Imogen. Especially once all the details of their backstory were revealed. Hurt feelings made sense of course considering the circumstances, but the lack of truthfulness and communication for so long was pretty ridiculous. I’m glad they worked it all out though, as I liked their dynamic among all the other hockey players and their partners.

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Bet on It review

This novel contained many of the things I love to find in a romance book: descriptions of enjoying delicious food, finding supportive friends, meddling elderly relatives, stipulations regarding a relationship, and undeniable chemistry.

~👵🏻🍑💅🏻~

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Bet on It
by Jodie Slaughter

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

There was plenty of sweetness, charm, and steam in this romance, but what I appreciated most was the focus on personal growth, mental health, and finding people who love your entire self. Aja and Walker fit together so well. They took it slow as their relationship developed, and I really enjoyed seeing them work through their personal struggles as well as opening up and relying on each other.

There are a few things I could be picky about with this book, but my biggest complaint is how much the “bingo bet” does not factor into the story for long. I was hoping for more antics, humor, and tension surrounding this pact based on the book’s synopsis, but it turned out that the bet wasn’t that big of a deal and didn’t last long. Not horribly disappointing, but the book could’ve been marketed differently.

The supporting characters were fun and were featured just enough to show how you can create your circle of caring loved ones, while still keeping the focus on Aja and Walker. Their friends and Walker’s grandmother added depth and humor to the book and also helped push the plot along.

Aja and Walker were great together, fitting so well into each other’s lives. They are a great example of “making it work” for love, as well as putting in the work to make a relationship a true partnership.

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