Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Winging It With You

Title: Winging It With You
Author: Chip Pons
Release Date: June 10, 2025
About this Book: Here
Source: Local library then local bookstore.
Would I buy it as a gift for others? Yes, yes, yes.

My Thoughts:

I think many of us have stayed in a relationship because it felt routine, it felt safe and it was what we were used to. Some of us maybe also made ourselves smaller, less loud and different in order to keep that comfort with us.

And when that comfort gets taken away? It can lead to some slightly irrational decisions and then questioning those decisions.

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: The Entanglement of Rival Wizards

Title: The Entanglement of Rival Wizards
Author: Sara Raasch
Series: Magic and Romance
Release Date: August 26, 2025
About this Book: Here
Source: Local bookstore.
Would I buy it as a gift for others? Absolutely. It’s so good.

My Thoughts:
Cause of my bruised heel? Me kicking my feet into the arm of the couch while reading.

I loved this book more than most words can say which is why it’s taken me days to figure out it out.

Sara Raasch creates characters I can’t help but immediately fall in love with, whether they are the central characters in the book or background characters who are amazing. This book, my third of hers, and the first in a new series is no exception to that rule. This book was partly inspired by Critical Role which just made me fall in love with it even more.

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: On Her Terms

Title: On Her Terms
Author: Amy Spalding
Series: Out in Hollywood
Release Date: February 25, 2025
About this Book: Here
Source: Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Would I buy it? I’m just waiting for the whole series to come out in hopes there will a boxset or special editions.

God, I love that there’s romance with people who are older than 22. I love it so much. I love it even more because it’s sapphic, and has both lesbian and bi rep for its main characters, and diverse representation amongst the background characters.

I took a while to read this, simply because I love this series so much, and rushing through it makes me super sad while I wait for the next book. It really does. Amy Spalding is a special writer who is on my auto-read list.

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Just Our Luck

Title: Just Our Luck
Author: Denise Williams
Series: N/A
About this Book: Sybil Sweet has always been lucky, but lately she can’t catch a break. After years of bouncing from job to job in search of something that feels right and from man to man in search of something special, Sybil is worried that she’s the directionless, floundering daughter her family thinks she is. All she really wants now is a little financial stability and carb comfort. Lucky for her, she’s got just enough in the bank to buy a lottery ticket, and the late-night donut store is open.

Kiran Anderson put his dreams of becoming a doctor on hold to take over running his family’s bakery, and after fighting a losing battle to save the place, he’s exhausted, broke, and no closer to getting back to school. But when a whirlwind of a woman sweeps in late one night, flirty energy gives way to more…until she runs out, leaving behind her winning lottery ticket.

Lucky for Kiran, his attempt to return the ticket looks like a grand romantic gesture and goes viral, sending sales through the roof. In an effort to keep the store afloat and to convince Sybil’s family she can make good relationship choices, they agree to fake a relationship for three months. Even with hundreds of millions of dollars, finding each other might end up being the sweetest bit of luck for both of them. 

My Thoughts:

This book made me feel good, and to a certain extent, it also made me feel seen. I know what it’s like to be considered dumb, flaky, and a failure. Sometimes it takes some time to get to who you’re meant to be and where you’re meant to be, especially if you have undiagnosed ADHD, and especially if you don’t have someone who believes in you. Especially if you don’t believe in yourself.

I empathize so much with Sybil. She tries her best constantly, but sometimes can’t keep on track and as much as he tries it seems like no one really notices how much she is actually trying. She’s become a funny footnote in her family’s story next to someone who seems perfect.

Kiran is stuck being the person he thinks he should be, rather than who he wants to be, and doing what he thinks he should do, rather than what he can do for himself. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a major sweetheart, but through much of the book I kind of wanted to shake him and tell him to open his eyes. That being said, the two of them do seem to have a better understanding of each other than they initially thought.

There is a host of background characters in this who are amazing, and deserve their own stories.

Denise Williams is always a must-read for me, and should be for you too.

Book List 2025 · Lists · Reviews

Review: Go Luck Yourself

Title: Nightmare Before Kissmas
Author: Sara Raasch
Series: Royals and Romance
About this Book: Here
Source: My local library.
Would I buy it? Abso-freaking-lutely.

My Thoguhts: Sara Raasch gave Kris his own book. I screamed. I shouted. I kicked my legs in glee.

This is not the same Kris you meet in Nightmare Before Kissmas, this is more mischievous version who plays pranks on people who aren’t his brother Coal. And I love him for it.

He also loves a private study space. Can’t blame him there.

This book sure has a somewhat explosive beginning and I am most definitely not going to complain about that either.

Kris is easy to identify with, unsure of what he wants to do with his life and finding himself on the path of what’s expected of him instead of leaning into his likely dream.

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Book List 2025 · Lists · Reviews

Review: Nightmare Before Kissmas

Title: Nightmare Before Kissmas
Author: Sara Raasch
Series: Royals and Romance
About this Book: Here
Source: My local library.
Would I buy it? Abso-freaking-lutely. Just waiting for the money to do so.

My Thoughts:

These characters were so completely and utterly easy to fall in love with.

Nicholas aka Coal is grumpy, sad, and completely hilarious and easy to love. He is not dedicated to anything except his brother and the seeming destruction of his life including kissing a hot as hell stranger behind a bar. He is the epitome of longing, constantly thinking about this strange, mysterious bar worker. He loves Christmas, in the same way that I love the winter holidays, when it’s filled with memories of family, of giving and warmth and joy, and less about competition in giving the best present, or who can win in the corporate world.

Hex. What can I say about Hex? I adore him? He’s lowkey hilarious and no one would expect it from him which is actually somehow even better. He wears CORSET VESTS. I adore a man that cares about fashion. His angst became my angst, his jokes made me laugh out loud and god, the love he feels for his holiday and family just made me want to swoon.

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

Title: Nine Liars
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: Truly Devious
About this book: Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.

Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an axe.

The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.

Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Finding Mr. Write
Author: Kelley Armstrong
About this Book: This is a romance novel by Kelley Armstrong! KELLEY ARMSTRONG! Raise the wicked alarms. Daphne, the MFC, is a writer who struggles to get her book published under her own name. Her sci-fi, adventure novel.

Sounds familiar? It should be, because this happens a lot. So what does she do? She uses a pseudonym and then hires someone to be Zane Remington, author and outdoors person.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and honestly? I cannot wait for Writing Mr. Wrong.

Also, please note if you are Canadian, and reading this, Kelley Armstrong is Canadian, and the link above will lead you to your local independent bookstore to purchase. I gain nothing from putting that link there aside from the knowledge that I am hopefully helping people support their local businesses.

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: At Her Service by Amy Spalding

Title: At Her Service
Author: Amy Spalding
Series: Out in Hollywood

About this Book: This book is queer joy and sapphic love, along with some character building and growth. This book is about Max, who you would have met in For Her Consideration if you read that book (also great). She, like many people, is unsatisfied with her career progression and trying to get ahead. She’s also trying to get the girl, in a way.

You’ll recognize familiar names and faces from the previous book as well.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and honestly? Loved it.

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Book List 2025 · Reviews

Review: All Rhodes Lead Here

Title: All Rhodes Lead Here
Author: Mariana Zapata
Series: N/A
About this Book: Aurora De La Torre, or Ora to her friends, knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn’t going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be.

But after breaking up with her longtime, famous musician boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway just might cure it, too.

Only Tobias Rhodes didn’t rent out the apartment to her, rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.

My Thoughts:

Amos Rhodes is a national treasure and I would fight tooth and nail for him, I just want that to be mad clear. He’s a good kid, a great kid even and I love how different he is from Tobias in manner, and how much he can get under his father’s skin, especially by bringing in someone who will become a big love for Tobias.

This book takes place in a small town surrounded by gorgeous scenery and sometimes dangerous hiking trails. It will make you wish you had a camera and the same surroundings and maybe even want to get out and hike a little while taking photos.

The characters are as different as can be (Tobias kind of gave me Luke Danes vibes), and I am a sucker for Grumpy/Sunshine so it’s not surprising that I ended up loving this book.

That being said if you are hoping for a quick romance you won’t find this here. This book satisfyingly takes the two through an awesome getting to know you stage and a slow burn before allowing them to get together.

And as with all romances we are not without conflict.