First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison

 Rating: 4.5/5

(Spoiler Warning)

    This book gave me cute and cozy vibes. I absolutely fell in love with Lucie and her daughter, Maya. Their mother-daughter relationship was everything. I was hesitant to read this due to the mixed reviews I was seeing, but I'm glad that didn't deter me. I even recommended this book to my sister. Her taste in books is strictly Colleen Hoover, but I feel she would love this. 

    First-Time Caller is about a radio host of a romance show, Aiden, who's fallen out of the idea of love, and a mom who's given up on the whole dating scene, Lucie. When Lucie's daughter calls the show in hopes of getting advice for her mom, it ends up giving Lucie a new chance to love. She's invited to be a part of the show with Aiden and soon gets opportunities to go on dates and find love. But, of course, this wouldn't be a romance book without the moody guy falling in love with her against his better judgment. Safe to say they end up falling for each other without even realizing it.

    One of my favorite parts of this book is that the side characters were great without being too much to override the main plot. You still got to see the main characters' relationships with everyone without it taking away from their love story. Really, this book was such a cute and easy read that I could see myself possibly reading it again in the future. If you are looking for your next read to have forced proximity, workplace romance, a single mom, and grumpy/sunshine tropes, then this book is it!

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

 Rating: 3.5/5 stars

(Spoiler Warning)

    To start out, I did enjoy reading this book. I gave it 3.5 stars because some of the topics were difficult for me to read, but it wasn't the love story that I would have liked. I had high expectations for this book since so many others have been reading it and giving great reviews. It was overall a good book, just not the best romance for me personally.

    This book is a long-distance romance. The two characters try to date while not being able to visit as much as they would like. They both struggle with their money, which is realistic to a tee. I just wish it was more cheesy romance scenes, but this is not that type of book. They have their own issues they have to face. The woman deals with family troubles, and the man faces financial/business ones. The book has them flying out to one another often, but when they are together it's almost bittersweet knowing they won't be able to see each other for a while in between trips. I just wish I could wave a magic wand and make it so they could stay together throughout the entire book. There was some spice, but it wasn't over the top at all and could definitely be skipped without affecting the story. On the plus side, the main guy is a veterinarian and is described as "Rhysand from ACOTAR". That part really got me, and believe me when I say I ran into my book group chat with a picture of that line! Although this is a more realistic love story and not a rom-com, just keep that in mind.

    So, for me, it just wasn't the perfect book. That's just for me, though. If you want a book that isn't far-fetched or unrealistic and are looking for a long-distance romance, then this is for you. I feel like this book definitely leans towards a more mature audience, with adult topics (ex: dementia). It wasn't hard to read, and the writing was great; it just wasn't the story for me. I don't see myself rereading it in the future. Again still a wonderful book that I'm glad I read, and if the overall summary of the story is what you're looking for, then it would be a great fit for your next read!

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

Rating: 4/5 stars

(Spoiler Warning)

    So let's jump in, or should I say. . . dive in! This was my first time reading a book by Ali Hazelwood, and I was not disappointed. I have seen this book all over my socials, so I decided to give it a read. It was overall a good book, but I will say that the beginning was a little bit of a struggle for me to start. Although, once I got past the first couple chapters I was hooked. I finished reading in about four days.

    The book was about a diver and a swimmer who get into a sort of agreement. They both have a specific kink that lined up with each other. The only issue is that the guy is the fresh ex-boyfriend of her teammate, so she has a bit of a struggle juggling her feelings about him and feeling guilty. To top it off she's been having an issue diving after a big injury caused a mental block. Not only is she trying to figure out her love life and what she "needs", but she also has to go to therapy to help herself get out of the rut she's in. 

    This book was on the spicy end absolutely. The author opens the book with a small warning about the book and how it has the topics of kinks and power exchange. I was a bit iffy about starting it due to this. My types of books are usually slow burns that are a bit "vanilla", so this definitely was out of my comfort zone. Or so I thought! It opened up a whole new world for me, but in a smooth way. Since one of the main plots in this book is about the characters' kinks, I will say there's no skipping the spicier scenes. It did have a lot of detailed spice and it was well written. As in it helped with the story, not took away from it.

    I actually ended up enjoying this book a lot. It was spicy, but it also was so cozy to read. Both the main characters grow with each other and open up to each other. It was sort of a "he fell first" in a way, even though he did have a girlfriend. But this book was all about trust. Trust in the book, trust in the author, and trust between the two characters. 

    Deep End by Ali Hazelwood would be a great book to read if you're looking for your next spicy romance. However, if you wanna skip the spicy scenes, I probably wouldn't recommend his book for you. Overall I gave it 4/5 stars, and I definitely will remember this book and maybe in the future might give it another read!

A Little About Myself

     Hello, my name is Shea, and I love to read! I wanted to create this blog in hopes that it makes more people eager to get into reading. All it took for me was one TikTok, and now I read every day. I first started out reading fantasy. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas was what got me into it all. It then drew me into reading more fantasy books like The Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy, the Fourth Wing series by Rebecca Yarros, Quicksilver by Callie Hart, The Lightlark Saga by Alex Aster, and many more! It then transitioned from reading strictly fantasy, to reading some romance books! 

    This blog will mostly focus on my own personal reviews of books. Just remember that my opinions may differ from others, but don't let what I say ever deter you from reading! I am someone who loves a good enemies-to-lovers with forced proximity. Recently, I got into reading rom-coms as well. I will say the number one issue I have with any book is the writing style. If it's too choppy, it makes it difficult for me to finish reading. It also sped up/rushed plots, but I'll get into all that when I write my reviews. 

    Since I'm reviewing books, I will also be putting in small summaries of the book to go off of. With that said, it means that there will be a chance of spoilers for the book. If you have no trouble with spoilers, read ahead! (I will make sure to mark the beginning of my posts with a spoiler warning!)

    I wanted to write here what my star ratings mean so you get a better idea of what each star means. I rate my books from 1-5 stars. 

• A 5 star rating for me is a book I couldn't put down. It was a book that was so captivating that I never stalled in reading and I would pick up and read over and over again after.
• A 4-star rating is a really good book. I had a great time reading it, and I will remember it. Although I probably won't reread it as I would a 5 star.
• A 3-star rating is an okay read. It wasn't the best, and it wasn't the worst. I might have had a harder time reading this and had to take breaks during.
• A 2-star rating was a struggle to read. It might've been a rushed plot or not the best writing style. I could have liked the story, but the way it was written made it very difficult to finish.
• A 1-star rating was either a DNF (do not finish) or close to it. I try very hard to get through every book I've picked up, but if it's a 1-star then it was not only hard to read but also a story I couldn't get into or love. (I very rarely, if ever, give a 1 star)

    I also will do halves on stars so I can put a 4.5 or 3.5 for a book that rests in the middle of my rating.

    Since I am new to this all I ask is to give me shot. Might take me a couple trys to get into the groove of things, but eventually I hope to become a successful book blogger/reviewer. One of my goals is to create enough of a following where I could get accepted to do book tours and ARC reviews for authors and help them grow their books! So thank you to everyone who was able to read through this post and thank you for giving me a chance!