All Books Considered

Never Lasting by Angela Bourassa Blurb from Goodreads : A scorching-hot romance about what happens when you break a golden rule: Don’t get hooked on your hookup. When Lucy, a recent NYU law grad with plans to work abroad, and James, a caterer who dreams of opening a small-town restaurant, indulge in a summer fling, they know there’s an expiration date: They’ll be moving to opposite sides of the planet in six weeks. But is their fantasy sexcapade screwed when real feelings get in the way? Or do they let whatever is blossoming between them trump their career ambitions?   I liked this from the first page.  Fairly low drama, and the ending was perfect.  Lucy and James were great together and the story unfolded organically.  Will look for more from this author!  If you still haven't picked up an 831 Stories novel, what are you w...

Vacation Self (Big Fan #3) by Alexandra Romanoff Blurb from Goodreads : In the third book in the Big Fan series, love comes for Mischief band member Ramsey, a reformed rake. This is Maggie’s first real vacation in years. She’s checking into a tucked-away Vermont enclave that lists its lack of TVs as an amenity, and for once, she isn’t going to compulsively respond to work emails or drive back early to take on a last-minute florist job. All she wants is time to herself. But what she gets is a run-in with Ramsey, a notoriously hard-partying pop star who retreated to the woods as part of his recovery and is now spiraling about his own life in the aftermath of his best friend’s wedding. Are these two providing much-needed distraction to one another—or a disruption to each of their carefully mapped out plans for introspection? My Review: My love affair with 831 Stories and this series continues!  By the by, you ca...

Major Gift byTiffany Ezuma Blurb from Goodreads : The widow of a tech mogul is determined to give her wealth away—and keep one secret from the journalist tasked with telling her story. A hot new take on the billionaire romance. When Ndidi Davis’s husband unexpectedly dies, she’s left bereft—and with $2.1 billion in the bank. She channels her grief into launching a charitable foundation, but the endeavor is made more complicated by Geoffrey Campbell, an ambitious, perceptive journalist assigned to profile her philanthropic pursuit. Geoffrey’s reporting slowly uncovers Ndidi’s whole heart—and some parts of her past she’s worked hard to keep out of the public eye.   I didn't enjoy this as much as some other 831 Stories but it was still great!  It plays on something we have previously seen that has been converted from real life to fiction (th...

Found Time by Caroline Goldstein Blurb from Goodreads : A second-chance romance that questions whether a whirlwind, week-long love story can still stir something three decades later. In 1993, Lili and Reid lock eyes after a Jeff Buckley show at Sin-é in New York’s East Village. Their connection is immediate and intense—kicking off a steamy summer romance that cracks something open for both of them—but the pursuit of another passion cuts it short. Thirty years later, they’re both navigating midlife as single parents of teen girls when they cross paths once more. Can they find their way to each other through the complexities of adulthood better than they could during the relative simplicity of their youth?    My Review: It's truly unreal that every 831 Stories romance that I read is better than the last!  These are all SO good but the latest is my current favorite!  Not sure who there is involved...

Rooting Interest by Cat Disabato Blurb from Goodreads : For fans of will-they-won’t-they courtship and women’s sports, a queer romance that will leave you breathless until the final buzzer. When Jennifer Felix gets pulled off her NFL beat to cover the WNBA All-Star weekend, she doesn’t expect to find herself so taken with the sport, its fans, or one of its stars, crowd-favorite Natalie Czapski. But as they move past their rocky start in the press room, Felix has to decide if she’s going to risk putting her heart out there for a woman who claims to be married to the game. My Review: 831 Stories are must, automatic reads for me now and the latest is absolutely divine!  I read it on a plane and it transported me.  Perfect characters, story, progression, heat -- everything hit with this one!  Can't wait for more from this author and more 831 Stories!! Rooting Interest   comes out next week on ...

Grape Juice by Eliza Dumais Blurb from Goodreads : “The characters are just as vivid as the setting . . . an addictive contemporary that will delight hopeless romantics and armchair travelers alike.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review A gorgeous, seductive fiction debut from wine and dating columnist Eliza Dumais, about parsing romantic clarity amidst the mind-muddling effects of fermented grapes, the French language, and exhausting physical labor. Perfect for fans of Under the Tuscan Sun, French Kiss, and The Pairing. Alice is bored—romantically, professionally, creatively. So when her boss, a prominent wine importer, suggests she work a grape harvest in France, she sees it as a welcome opportunity to course-correct her apathy. Though Alice is plenty skeptical of the drink-pray-love premise, she begins to let her guard down when she finds herself picking riesling and practicing her French alongside a charming cast of...

Exit Lane by Erika Veurink, Narrated by Kellen Boyle and Hallie Ricardo Blurb from Goodreads : For fans of You, Again, One Day, and People We Meet on Vacation. After a post-graduation drive from Iowa City to NYC, Teddy and Marin have both had enough of each other to last the rest of their lives. But that doesn’t stop their paths from crossing over eight rocky years, punctuated by chance encounters and transatlantic visits, on a journey that eventually brings them right back to where it all started. My Review: This was my favorite 831 Stories to date!  It was such an amazing slow burn and did remind me of When Harry Met Sally in the best possible way. I was dying for Teddy and Marin to get together the entire book and this definitely went unexpected but delicious places.  So swoony and so hot! Definitely add this to your TBR -- excellent narration but I'm sure it's just as good a read as it was a listen! I absolute...

Square Waves by Alexandra Romanoff Blurb from Goodreads : From 831 Stories, the highly anticipated next book in the Big Fan series by Alexandra Romanoff, an enemies-to-lovers romance in which tabloid fodder mixes with a long-brewing rivalry. Cassidy is done moving through her life as the headline-making other woman. She’s paid for what she did as a young campaign intern in spades. After five years of working on anti-bullying initiatives in D.C., she returns to her hometown, Berkeley, to recalibrate—and she quickly falls into bed with her high-school nemesis Leon, the slacker to her try-hard. It’s just a one-night thing. That is, until they both find themselves helping their mutual friend Willa open her new ceramics studio and Cassidy sees Leon in a new light. If everyone’s misjudged her, is there a chance she’s underestimated him, too?   I absol...

Set Piece by Lana Schwartz Blurb from Goodreads : A chance encounter leaves a breakout TV star and no-nonsense bartender wanting more, but life gets in the way. They find each other again five years later, while working on a movie set—but is there room in their lives for this second chance at romance? Even one year ago, no one would have recognized Jack Felgate at a bar. But after his steamy breakout TV role, he's surprised to be swarmed by fans during a night out with friends. When the practical bartender CJ intervenes to fend off his admirers, he's grateful—and more than a little eager to stick around for an after-hours drink–turned–tryst. Five years later, Jack shows up to set for his starring role in (yet another?!) adaptation of The Great Gatsby only to find CJ is the film’s production designer. But neither of them is the same person they were back CJ is a single mom with a four-year-old, and Jack is a bon...