THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. 

Hello sassy people! Today’s post is about Canadian Winter by Kimberly Ann! Thank you, Kimberly Ann and RMWB for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Genre: Romance, ARC

Publisher: Indie

Year: 2022

Nº of pages: 323

Is it on KU?: Yes!!!!!

Subgenres: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Single Parent, Small Town Romance, Widow Romance

Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 3/5 (sex on the page)

Spice scale: 2/5 🌶️🌶️

POP (Put Out Percentage): 55%

TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): This book is not added to Story Graphs

Main characters: Abraham, Grace

Main conflict: Abraham’s busy schedule makes him break a lot of promises and disappoint Grace and her kids.

Hero: Blah Hero

Heroine:

Pacing: Fast

Mood: Sloppy

Plot or character-driven: Character Driven

P.O.V.: Third person

Character development: Good

Diverse Cast: Nope

Read in: 2022

My Rate: ⭐⭐ 2/5 (This may sound harsh, but my rate is based on the quality of writing. This book was written in the third person, which made it harder and more confusing to read, being that 99,9% of the books I read are first-person (but that is just a personal preference). Also, I don’t know how else to describe this, if not by saying that it was stiff. I didn’t see much depth or emotion. And the plot was a bit weak for me. The major conflict was not major enough, in my opinion.

It made me sad, because this book had a lot of my favorite tropes, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations.)

Equality rate: ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 (It is honestly neutral. I like the widow point of view, I always like books like that. However, it was just not deep enough for me and I didn’t enjoy reading it much.)

Adjectives and general thoughts: Had a good premise, but the execution wasn’t good enough.

Authors Links

Book Tour Page – https://www.rmwbooks.com/kimbe…

Website – https://www.kimberlyannauthor….
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Kimberl…
Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/profil…
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Kimbe…
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kimb…
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@kimber…

Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

• I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
• I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing, and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

Pinterest: Ana en Noir

Facebook: Ana en Noir

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. 

Hello sassy people! Today’s post is about The Rake by L.J. Shen! Thank you, L.J. Shen and Social Butterfly PR for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Genre: Romance, ARC

Publisher: Indie

Year: 2022

Nº of pages: 467

Goodreads rate: 4,13

Is it on KU?: Yes

Subgenres: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Billionaire Romance, Pregnancy, Royal Romance

Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 4/5 (steamy)

Spice scale: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

POP (Put Out Percentage): 20%

TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Child Abuse, Grooming, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual Abuse/Rape

Main characters: Belle and Devon

Main conflicts: Huge trust issues and childhood trauma

Hero: Book Boyfriend, Delicious Hero, Sturn Brunch Daddy

Heroine: Boss Lady, Amazon

Pacing: Medium

Mood: Deep, Delicious, Heavy, Hot and complicated

Plot or character-driven: Mixed

P.O.V.: Double

Character development: Very deep

Diverse Cast: Nope

Read in: 2022

My Rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 

TW According to the author: This story contains subject matters some may find triggering, including child abuse and grooming. This book is not meant to make you feel comfortable and fuzzy inside. Please take this into consideration before starting it.

This was the best book I have ever read by L.J. Shen, and I’ve read many of them. This had the perfect balance between sweet, heavy, complicated, and delicious.

The author is a very good writer, and the way she built her characters in this book was amazing. They feel multilayered. They feel like real people, with real feelings and even more real pasts. And that is one thing I love about this author, how deep her character development is.

I LOVE Devon and his personality. He manages to be closed off and private, while also being funny and sarcastic, and not grumpy. I expected him to be super grumpy because of the prologue, but he has an amazing sense of humor and I love how he aligns with Belle and her sense of humor. Their private jokes and games are delightful and they deepen their relationship and connection, in the eyes of the reader.

And I love Belle, being strong, powerful, and stubborn, but also learning how to be vulnerable. I have to say that sometimes (actually many times), she makes dumb decisions, but I love that she is like that, wants to be the person to solve all her problems by herself.

The plot was a mix of action and character evolution and I always appreciate that, and all the mystery and plot twists made this reading experience even better.

Equality rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 

This book brings up very important and heavy topics, such as Child Abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual Abuse/Rape, Infertility, and Grooming. I truly believe these are important subjects that need to be talked about, not only in romance but everywhere.

To me, the most important part seems to be the Grooming narrative. The signs, the internal battle, the consequences. I had never read a book with this TW and it was mind-opening to see some things that might happen with girls and boys everywhere, but we don’t hear about it.

This book had many positive aspects like talking about Mental Health, Independence, Gender Roles, and Trauma.

My favorite parts of this book (and any book that deals with trauma survivors) are the reactions and reflections of the main characters to their trauma. Devon becomes claustrophobic, Belle has massive trust issues. I love how deep the author takes us into their mental health and their trauma.

I also love how independent she makes Belle, how “modern” their arrangement is, how mature and bold these two need to be, to admit and take action on the fact that they both want a child. (The fact that Devon really wants a baby makes me love him even more).

I love how they challenge gender roles by co-parenting (even if we all know that they will end up together), and how Belle is a powerful woman, with her own business and her own success, with no shame about her sexuality and she won’t give that up to be a mom.

Now, there are a few red flags here, that need to be addressed.

Like jealousy, from both sides, but especially Belle’s.

No communication between the couple.

How Devon tracks Belle down at some points of the book and forces her to have a bodyguard, without her permission (I know that it is to protect her, but it is still not great behavior)

And last, but definitely not least, how Devon is “cured” of his claustrophobia because of Belle and their baby. I kinda hate the narrative that the heroine is going to “heal” the hero, so I could be without that little tidbit.

But overall an amazing book, with very important and heavy topics, that I absolutely love.

Adjectives and general thoughts: Heavy and angsty, but that is L.J. Shen. But it was surprisingly not angsty between the couple and I loved that, they are fairly honest with each other and I appreciate that. 

Recommend this to people who have no Triggers, who enjoy a book that is heavy but delicious. And if you’ve read a book by L.J. Shen, you already know what to expect, in terms of angst. 

Fall in love with Emmabelle and Devon FREE in Kindle Unlimited today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3G5rgoY 

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TheRake

Add The Rake to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3Dp9J9H 

About LJ Shen

L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post and Amazon #1 best-selling author of contemporary, New Adult and YA romance. Her books have been sold to nineteen different countries.

She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.

Connect with L.J. Shen
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2OhSvp1 
Twitter: http://bit.ly/36ELHZc 
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2oMbFsu 
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2AIOiTo 
TikTok: https://bit.ly/3wDlGa7 

Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list:

http://bit.ly/36MnmAQ 
Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/ 

Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

• I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
• I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing, and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

Pinterest: Ana en Noir

Facebook: Ana en Noir

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. 

Hello sassy people! Today’s post is about The Last Eligible Billionaire by Pippa Grant! Thank you, Pippa Grant and Give Me Books PR for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Genre: Romance, ARC

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Year: 2022

Nº of pages: 372

Goodreads rate: 4,74

Is it on KU?: Yes

Subgenres: Contemporary, RomCom

Tropes: Billionaire Romance, Fake Relationship, Grumpy-Sunshine

Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 4/5 (steamy)

Spice scale: 2/5 🌶️🌶️

POP (Put Out Percentage): 53%

TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): No TW (According to StoryGraphs)

Main characters: Begonia and Hayes

Main conflict: Trust Issues

Hero: Grumpy, Sturn Brunch Daddy

Heroine: Father’s Daughter, Quirky

Pacing: Medium

Mood: Fun, Goofy, Sweet

Plot or character-driven: Character Driven

P.O.V.: Double

Character development: Deep

Diverse Cast: Secondary characters

Read in: 2022

My Rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5

As always, Pippa’s writing was amazing, funny, sweet and it hooked me from page 1, while also making me laugh out loud. And what I always trust to find in her stories is a very good, very deep character development. We know and understand the motivation of every single character in the book, while also having very unique and quirky personalities, that are just amazing.

One very small aspect I didn’t love was the main conflict. I believe it to be a kind of a cliche to have a hero who is emotionally incapable of saying that he loves the heroine and having his parents say “I saw how you looked at her”. However, I do believe that Pippa brought some innovation to this cliche, by making the word love not to be enough, and making the heroine a very strong woman who is not going to settle and is not going to be with someone who can’t love them the way they deserve.

It gets extra points in my score because:

1- Begonia sleeps on the floor on the first night, and not Hayes, which was a very cool way to break a cliche.

2- She mentions Brazilian food correctly! And she is right, the foods she talked about are delicious: Picanha, Pão de Queijo, and fried bananas… 😋

Equality rate: ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5

The book brings a lot of mental health and emotional trauma to the table. We have very mature conversations and thoughts about consent, and making intentions clear, however, they don’t talk about feelings and their communication about important things is very lacking.

I love that Pippa’s main narrative in a lot of her books is being yourself, accepting yourself, and finding someone who loves you for who you are, which may seem like a cliche, but is a very important narrative. And I love how strong she made Begonia, in her journey for independence and acceptance of herself.

However, I thought the whole premise of “The Last Single Billionaire in the world” was a bit absurd, and not entirely necessary. I did enjoy the comment “And he’s not, for the record. There are like, three single women billionaires who are in their thirties and forties, and is anyone talking about them? No. Fucking two-faced twats.” This is a nice sentiment, but I don’t love that the whole world, in this book, is concerned with this one single billionaire guy, like do people really care about this? I hope not.

But I did understand her premise, Begonia doesn’t care about his money, and I appreciate that even if she doesn’t care, she accepts what he offers her, that is a much more realistic stand, like who doesn’t love gifts?

I just thought that his money, and especially the fact that he blackmailed her into their agreement, made their power dynamic a bit dangerous in my eyes. Nothing super alarming, but not the most awesome way to start things.

And last but not least, they fall in love incredibly quickly and I don’t love that. I think they could have been together for longer than 2 weeks before they fell in love.

So overall, from an Equality rate standpoint, this book has some positive points, some negative points, but overall is very neutral.

Adjectives and general thoughts: Funny and sweet, with the signature quirkiness of Pippa Grant’s characters

Recommend this to People who like a rom-com with well-developed characters. Readers of Meghan Quinn and Sally Thorne are likely to enjoy this one.

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59634109-the-last-eligible-billionaire
 

PURCHASE LINKS

US: https://amzn.to/3M8jsqK
UK: https://amzn.to/3BNBSIj
CA: https://amzn.to/3pcvFRi
AU: https://amzn.to/3BU7Qmn
 
Free in Kindle Unlimited

Coming soon in a special print edition

AUTHOR BIO

Pippa Grant is a USA Today Bestselling author who writes romantic comedies that will make tears run down your leg. When she’s not reading, writing or sleeping, she’s being crowned employee of the month as a stay-at-home mom and housewife trying to prepare her adorable demon spawn to be productive members of society, all the while fantasizing about long walks on the beach with hot chocolate chip cookies.

AUTHOR LINKS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pippagrantromance
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThePipsquad
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ReadPippa
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/pippagrant
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pippa-grant
Website: http://www.pippagrant.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/pippa.grant
Verve Romance: https://ververomance.com/app/PippaGrant
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMd1s3S6C

Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

• I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
• I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing, and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

Pinterest: Ana en Noir

Facebook: Ana en Noir

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. 

Hello sassy people! Today’s post is about Group Therapy by B.B. Easton! Thank you, B.B. Easton and Social Butterfly PR for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Genre: Romance, ARC

Publisher: Art by Easton

Year: 2022

Nº of pages: 280

Goodreads rate: 4,35

Tropes: British mc, Curvy heroine, Forbidden relationship, Mental Health, Psychologist-client, Rom-Com, Writers in Romance

Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 4/5 (steamy)

TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): No content Warnings According to StoryGraph

Main characters: Lou (Luna) and Thomas

Pacing: Medium

Mood: Deep, Delicious, Fun, Hilarious, Hot and complicated, Sweet

Hero: Sturn Brunch Daddy

Plot or character-driven: Character Driven

P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.

Character development: Deep

Read in: 2022

My Rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 

To be honest, it was 5 stars up until de last few chapters when all the madness started. Despite being hilarious, this book has a humor very “How I Met Your Mother” like, with parts that are very real, and parts that are a bit absurd and unrealistic, which is not exactly my favorite type of humor. This was the only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars, because otherwise, it’s beautifully written and delicious.

Also, this was an unconventional rom-com, and I LOVE that. Normally rom coms are very cute and sweet and light, but this book manages to use heavy subjects lightly, using humor to talk about very important things. 

Feminist rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 

I love the deep mental health dive this book has, not only on Thomas but pretty much on every single character. This can not be used as an example of what therapy is like, however, I do believe that this book brings a lot of very useful advice and insight to mental health in a very fun and entertaining way, and any book that deals with this subject gets a good feminist rate out of me. 

Adjectives and general thoughts: Delicious, hilarious, insightful, and deep

Recommend this to anyone who loves rom coms with steam and amazing heroines!

Connect with BB
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2U7mjc0
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2FOmhgA
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2FM0MwF
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2OCobn9
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2TZZeE0
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2V6MFaA
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2I3Bc86

Stay up to date with BB by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2DUGa3m

https://www.artbyeaston.com/

Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

• I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
• I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing, and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

Pinterest: Ana en Noir

Facebook: Ana en Noir

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. 

Hello sassy people! Today’s post is about Lockdown on London Lane by Beth Reekles! Thank you, Beth Reekles and NetGalley for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Genre: ARC, New Adult, Romance, Women’s Fiction

Publisher: Wattpad Books

Year: 2022

Nº of pages: 352

Goodreads rate: 3,75

Tropes: COVID Quarantine Romance, Mixed race couple, One-night stand, Relationship in trouble

Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 2/5 closed-door (kissing and sex is implied)

TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Alcohol, Outing

Main conflict: We have: 

1 couple in a one night stand

1 couple is separated 

1 long term couple

1 new relationship couple 

A group of friends

And we get to see what confinement does to all of them!

Pacing: Medium 

Mood: Deep, Delicious, Fun, Hilarious, Important, Sweet

Plot or character-driven: Character Driven

P.O.V.: Multiple P.O.V.

Character development: Good (it didn’t dive deep into their pasts or the reasons for their actions, but being a book with multiple stories and POVs, it worked really well, and the amount of context the author provided was great, giving balance to the whole story, not too deep but also not too shallow)

Diverse Cast: Yes! People of different cultures, skin colors, and sexual orientations

Read in: 2022

My Rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 To be honest, when I saw “from the author of “Kissing Booth” on the cover I thought “Oh my God what did I sign up for” but 3 paragraphs in I was already hooked! I loved this book! The diversity of situations, all the very deep and very personal deliberations was incredibly interesting. This book is almost a study of human relationships, we need companionship and community, but that doesn’t mean we can be locked in a room with our partners or our best friends 24/7. I loved the need for alone time and independence that happened to all the characters. Also, the comparison between situations, what happens in closed quarters with a couple that’s together for a long time, compared to a couple that’s together for 1 month, to a couple that was a one night stand. This was extremely funny and entertaining while also giving me plenty of food for thought, which makes this the best kind of book for me. This was going to be 5 stars read up until chapter 44 (the second to last chapter) because I needed a HEA, this was honestly the only reason it didn’t get 5 stars. Now, I understand why it happened what happened, it made sense for the book, but even thinking about it makes my heart squeeze, so I couldn’t give it 5 anymore.  

Feminist rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 This book, like I mentioned before, was a study in relationships, and I have to say, most of them were really healthy. It talks about communication, independence, respect, compromise, roles inside the household, things we keep hidden from our partners and so much more. Also, this was a very diverse cast and I loved that!

Adjectives and general thoughts: Deep, real, incredibly interesting, funny, and sweet

Recommend this to people who like analyzing things (at least for me this book was perfect for that) but also someone who likes an incredibly real read, that makes a very sad and anxious situation light and fun, without taking away its severy.

Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

• I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
• I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing, and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

Pinterest: Ana en Noir

Facebook: Ana en Noir