Barbara Rachel's Reviews

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace My rating: 5 of 5 stars really enjoyed I really liked reading this book—it was highly entertaining with tons of humor, had hockey, steamy romance, what more could I want?  It was very spicy so if that’s not your thing, this book is probably not for you, but I really enjoyed it. The struggles that each of the main characters went through was really engaging. One thing I didn’t like was that Robbie and Bobby had such similar names — I would get confused as to who we were talking about. But maybe that was just me. Otherwise— loved it.  One trigger warning: body dysmorphia and body shaming. Also to know: it is the 1st in a 3 book series. 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 🏒 #sportyRomCom #CharactersThatNeedThearpy #ContemporaryRomance #HockeyRomance

 I loved this series. I had read Conventionally Yours and I remembered I really enjoyed reading it but I forgot how addictive Annabeth Albert’s writing is! She writes so seamlessly—all I can say is #goals to that. These MM military romances are not for those that like a modest story — these books have an extra spicy 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ content level. I read a book a day until I was done with the entire series and if you enjoy MM romance, I highly recommend these books. Each book touches on issues with sensitive topics including PTSD, so be sure to read the content warnings in the introductions. #🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈  I read the entire series in a few days. 🌶️  — 5 alarm spice — do not read if you do not enjoy explicit intimacy  🏷️ trigger warning: PTSD #ContemporaryRomance #romcom #ExMilitaryRomance #LGBTQ+ #ExtraSpicyRomCom

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey My rating: 4 of 5 stars A second grade teacher takes a vacation at the beach with her brother and there is a dead body in their rental. Enter a bounty hunter who is ex-police and some fairly primal chemistry between teacher and hunter and a mystery to be solved in the background… I really enjoyed this. Read it in a day and a half. It was funny, very very spicy - as expected from Tessa Bailey.  Okay so this book seems to have Bailey’s fans divided. I was actually surprised by some of the negative reviews. To me it was just a Tessa Bailey with some Ali Hazelwood elements thrown in - without the STEM. Some people found the age gap and class difference “cringe.” Whatever - it was fun to read a romcom mystery. I enjoyed it. So I guess if you don’t want your goodie-two-shoes teacher attracted to danger and you want your male lead clean cut and not 9 years older than your female lead - don’t read this book. Or be prepared to ...

A few pre-spoiler notes: Read. This. Book.  Loved it. I love everything Olivia Dade writes, even her newsletter emails because she makes me smile and I need more of that, believe me.  It takes place on the eastern shore so - that was so fun for all of us that live or have lived locally in D.C., as I do. This is bodice ripping spicy 🌶️ so if that is not your cup of tea, best move on. It is a slow burn but it gets there. Several times.  There is a rather unusual fetish of some adjacent characters, but it leads to so much hilarity, bring it on I say.  Okay I never do spoilers but this book had my favorite line of the year so far, and it is kind of a big reveal line so if you do not want a spoiler. Stop. Don’t read further. ⚠️ ______________ A for sale sign that reads. “1 Broken 🖤. No need to buy. It’s always been yours. I’m so sorry.”  Come on Olivia Dade?!? How is one supposed to continue read the remaining 20 odd pages through never ending tears? Okay this is m...

  Another page-turner from Savannah Lee - I could not put this book down. It helped that I was anticipating book two in the Clover Pack Series since the moment I finished Midnight Mated.   Book two finds half-ling (shifter-fae) Rowan learning more about herself and her past - and becoming more powerful in the process. No spoilers here but if you are back to find out if the romance between Rowan and the brooding shifter Callan is going to progress - you will not be disappointed. The story delves more deeply into the faerie realm and there are more character introductions along the way. It was fast paced with in-depth world building while keeping the action moving on the conflict between Rowan and her enemies.  The book was entertaining, spicy, and I definitely recommend it and the series. I particularly appreciate a fantasy romance that is not so complicated with overblown world building that I cannot keep track of who is who. It is just the right balance of telling the st...

Heat Wave by T.J. Klune My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was the #audible version. Up front, let me just get to it - this is more of a love letter to the series than a real review. So if you are looking for a real critical review - move on to someone else.  As an ADHD reader I love feeling seen in the characters I read and Nicholas Bell (also known as the Extraordinary, Guardian) has a brain much like my own. I love him for it. He is messy, and almost annoying except he is so endearing. This is really the book where he comes of age and grows. #ADHDonthePage #WhyAreWeThisWay. We return to NovaCity for this YA, LGBTQ+, superhero fantasy (The Extraordinaries Series) finale. I do not like to give spoilers    so I feel like I cannot say too much about the plot here. My recommendation is if you read the first 2 books - read this. It was fantastic.  Part of my #ADHD life is accepting I do not like to finish anything and when I do not w...

The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves My rating: 5 of 5 stars Detective Matthew Venn returns to lead his team as they investigate the mysterious death of a celebrity adventurer who had recently returned to his childhood home in Devon. Twists and turns abound in this tale of a sailor who comes to a violent end.  I really have enjoyed this series, and the 3rd book was no exception. Matthew Venn finds himself back in a community he visited as a child and once again among the Brethren, the strict fundamentalist community of his youth.    The setting is a bleak coastal town where making a living is hard going. During the course of the investigation, the town is beset by storms that add to the tension of this tight-knit village already fractured by religious prejudices, class divisions and a variety of financial wins and losses.  Detective Venn is my favorite part of this series - brooding, awkward and shaped by his childhood among the ...