Susan’s Book Blog

This beauty is now released into the world! Well, in the US. The UK release is tomorrow Sept 1! Please go pick it up, you won’t regret it!  You can read my original review of it HERE ! 

Paris Daillencourt Is About To Crumble by Alexis Hall Pub Date: Nov 1, 2022 🍰  3.5 stars out of 5 🍰   Despite having been warned that this book wasn’t a romance or a romcom (those are debatable) and that the anxiety rep was intense, I still feel underprepared for what this book was. (Not that I even *know* what it was.) I feel almost unable to assess it properly after just one read-through. My opinion of it changed drastically several times while reading as I adjusted and readjusted my expectations. I’m not sure I can give a coherent or meaningful opinion on it right now. I’m also not sure I want to reread it so…  🤷🏻‍♀️  But I’ll do my best to come up with a review that says more than “…it was okay?”  The TV show characters are all back and even more enjoyable than the first go-round (in Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake), in my opinion. The on-set animosity between host Grace Forsythe and producer Jennifer Hallett is great. Not really sure why but I enjoyed th...

The Scottish Boy   by Alex de Campi  published by Unbound in May 2020 🏰 5 stars out of 5 🏰  The story starts in 1333 and I wasn’t sure what to expect from a novel that takes place that long ago. But the style is simple and straightforward. (I’ve read medieval-era stories by other authors who tried to mimic antiquated language and it was extremely distracting.) I found the story compelling from the very beginning. The MC Harry is a pretty likable guy from the start. He is 19 and fresh off missing the battle of Halidon Hill due to the death of his mother. He has been itching to go to war to prove himself and avenge his father’s death at the battle of Bannockburn. Harry learns very quickly what war is really like when he’s taken on a raid and watches his fellow knights strike down unarmed citizens, struggling to understand the pointless brutality and cruelty. Being a knight isn’t at all what he thought it would be. Where’s the chivalry? The justice? He dislikes the way the...

  Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade Pub date: Nov 15, 2022 🇸🇪 4.5 stars out of 5 🇸🇪  This one starts out with a bang. (Insert juvenile snickering.) In the very first scene, Peter and Maria are indulging in what she thinks is going to be a one-night stand and what he’s hoping could turn into more. But she takes off before he wakes up. The next day they unexpectedly meet up again when they arrive at their auditions for the TV show Gods of the Gates. And of course they’re both cast for the roles they auditioned for. Roles that will require them to play opposite one another. As a couple. On an island. For a role on a show that’s guaranteed to run for several years. YIKES. That’s awkward. The way this plays out wasn’t at all what I’d expected. The story is told mostly chronologically but with some jumps backward here and there. The six years Peter and Maria spend working together on the show just breeze by in the first 30% of the book. It’s only after that the romance really begins. ...

  A Taste of Gold and Iron   by Alexandra Rowland Pub Date: Aug 30, 2022 🪙 4.5 stars out of 5 🪙  This book really hits the ground running. It introduces the main character and his complicated situation in a blazing info dump of a first chapter. It took me a while to get the hang of things, especially who was who among the cast members.  (But I’m not very used to reading fantasy.) This is one of those books that gets better and better as it goes on - the way the plot thickens and the romance develops, it was hard to put down. I really fell in love with the characters and they definitely kept me turning pages. I was surprised to discover so much humor in the book. It’s a serious tone for most of it but some of the characters are pretty funny - one in particular was especially enjoyable. It was far more character-driven than I’d expected. And the pace was surprisingly swift for such a long book. I liked Prince Kadou from the start. He’s sweet, sensitive, dutiful, and ...

Heat Wave by TJ Klune Released July 19, 2022 TorTeen 🔥 5 stars out of 5 🔥  Heat Wave is the third and final book in the series and I don’t think I have a single complaint about it. It was perfect. It was exciting, dramatic, tense, sweet, tender, romantic, riveting, and completely hilarious.  It was so good to see Nick and Seth again. Nick is every bit as funny and adorable and in love with Seth as he’s always been. I loved seeing more of Nick & Seth’s relationship in this. They’ve definitely grown a bit as people and their relationship has as well. They are so sweet and deserve all the best things in the world. Two cinnamon rolls who have been by each other’s side for so long that, even though they’re teenagers, you still have a good feeling about them being together for the long haul.  The plot was excellent. I liked where it went and how it developed. There was confusion and intrigue and mystery and I loved every minute of trying to guess what was going on. I thou...

  So it's Pub Day for Alexis Hall's newest, Husband Material . (To read my early review of it, click here .)  I gave this book 2.5 stars out of 5. And I know I'm not alone in my feelings about this book, though the majority of reviewers seem to have no problems with it. I had thought about laying out more specifically and with evidence all the ways and reasons this book bothered me but at this point I’m pretty done with it. It broke my heart and I’m tired of thinking about it. I will just say that I heartily disagree with any and all 5 star reviews and any declarations of “it’s perfect!!”  I genuinely think that many of these readers have gone in already knowing they were going to give the book a stellar rating regardless of what they read.  That said, I stand by my previous rating and review. I’m not disappointed that they didn’t end up married, even though it felt a little bait-and-switch-y. I’m disappointed that Alexis Hall wrote what he did and thought it depicte...

  Husband Material  by Alexis Hall pub date Aug 2, 2022 Sourcebooks Casablanca  ⛪️ 2.5 stars out of 5 ⛪️  I am a HUGE fan not only of this book’s series predecessor, Boyfriend Material , but of Alexis Hall’s work in general. Literally everything of his I’ve read, I have loved. His writing style, his amazing characters, his facility with language and wordplay, his deep understanding (and inclusion) of complex social issues, these are all huge draws for me. I love everything he writes and trust him as a writer more than anyone I have ever read. I had ZERO doubts about this book. I was so excited to get to revisit one of my favorite fictional couples, Luc & Oliver - especially under the guise of seeing them move their relationship forward. Look at the cover! That title! They’re tying the knot! This is going to be wonderful! I thought. This book is cruel. Nothing about it makes sense. Does Alexis Hall hate us? Did he resent having to write this? I don’t know. I don’t...

 It’s Pub Day for THREE amazing titles! The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee The Bodyguard by Katherine Center  I loved each of these books very much - some of my favorites of the year - and highly recommend them all. The links to my original reviews of them are above - click the titles and check them out!  Let me know what you think if you pick them up!

  Ever since I discovered that Funko Pop made cars (well, a few, anyway) I had the idea of possibly turning one into the vintage Mustang that Penny rented for them to drive across America in Wayward Son. I didn’t know if it would be possible but I wanted to try so I did a little googling. The Funko Pop I used for this project was originally a piece for wrestler Eddie Guerrero. I figured the car looked vintage enough to pass, and everything else I could figure out later. Well, the first step was removing Eddie, which proved slightly more difficult than I’d hoped. I was wiggling him to see just how attached he was to the seat and he SNAPPED OFF AT THE ANKLES. 😳 Oops. So I grabbed some pliers and pulled out his boots. Done. (Sorry, Eddie.) (I ended up filling the holes in the seat with clay.) The car they drive in Wayward Son is a 1968 Mustang in Tahoe Turquoise, as seen below.  I didn’t feel the need to go all out with super accurate detail, especially seeing as how the car its...

  The Sizzle Paradox by Lily Menon This book is out TODAY! Read my full review of it HERE 📋 🗒 📊 👩🏼‍🏫  Cute, fairly run-of-the-mill contemporary romance. The writing is a little cheesy and so is the basic premise but it’s also charming and the love story is sweet. I liked the academic setting and I loved Lyric & Kian’s friendship. I was definitely rooting for them! I thought how the story came to a head in the final parts of the third act was well done and compelling. The grand gesture was sweet and the epilogue was so great. dual POV academic setting friends to lovers fake dating  “we need to get it out of our systems” Very cute and enjoyable! 3.5 stars out of 5 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the digital arc.

  American Royalty   by Tracey Livesay This book is out TODAY! Read my full review of it  HERE . 👑  👑  👑  In theory, this is right up my alley. I love royal romances! I was excited that it was an interracial couple, intrigued by the similarities to Harry & Meghan. But in practice, I was bored stiff. Major yawn. I could not get into this. I ended up DNFing at 50%. I wanted to like the characters but never did, just didn’t enjoy the story, and thought the technical aspect of the writing could stand some improvement. It felt a little rudimentary and didn’t do anything to elevate the material. There were no romantic parts in the first half of the book and the sexy parts were… weird. I never got to a point where I wanted to root for these people to get together. Once they started having a sexual relationship, I still couldn’t understand why they were interested in one another. Circling back to the royal comparisons, if The Royal We gave us Will & K...