katiedermody's reviews
1947 reviews

The five short stories in this compilation feature musicians and all intertwine to some degree. I read this directly after finals when my brain was tired and I already forget details. I do recall enjoying the stories as I read them, though.

This one was cute too! The last three were definitely better than the first two, and this was a nice way to round things out. It was very well rounded as far as telling the whole story, the couple having a bit more of a set up and history, and a bit more time with them together post initial hookup. She's a freelance comic artist on a deadline, who keeps finding handmade ornaments left for her. She has a crush on her upstairs neighbor and there's a party on the top floor (costume theme: Only Santas in the Building; host: an aging former songwriter...those were the two main little references I assumed were to Only Murders in the Building that I caught, but it was just enough), and mistletoe happens. I like this author and am looking forward to her book coming out next year, so this was a nice little teaser in a way. 

I really liked this one! I think it's my favorite of the bunch so far, with only one left to go. The author's one of my two faves of the group, so it makes sense. For a short story, it spanned over a week but didn't feel rushed, contained a bunch of events that brought the leads together over and over (he's a firefighter and she's having a run of bad luck), the spice was good, and though the ending was a little wham bam thank you mam, made sense in a way that wrapped it up well. 

This third story was short and cute. I really like Olivia Dade so I figured I'd enjoy this one and I did. They're colleagues, adjunct professors who take on a short term seasonal job as marketing elves in a giant decommissioned weinie-mobile, now unfortunately painted to look like a minced meat roll but mostly just resembling a schlong. She's liked him for a while but thinks he's gotten together with her best friend, until the two of them are stuck in the truck overnight on the highway. A little bit of spice, a little bit of the fat rep I love from this author. 

This second short story, I didn't like as much as the first. It was fine, and decently spicy, but the whole thing felt a little insta-lovey/he falls first/man obsessed but not totally in a good way. I like all three of those tropes at times but it felt forced in a story this length and I also am not a huge fan of this author so thos tracks. Was fine, and it could have had potential as a full novel, but hoping the rest will be better. I did appreciate that she was a redhead and a single mom, and that he was a big guy, though. 

This first short story in the collection was fun, cute, emotional, and featured a dude just super gone for the woman, which I always seem to enjoy. They've been friends literally since birth, grew up together (she was closer to his sister's age) and now they get snowed in before Christmas and have to deal with something that happened four months ago. A bit of spice right at the end. 

I have really been enjoying this series so far and this was no exception. This one even had me wanting to cry at one point (I didn't, but it was close). Dallas and Wilhelmina (Hemi, Wills, Willy) end up in a fake dating situation that continues to snowball. They've known each other since kindergarten and she has bad memories attached to their youth that include him, so now that she's been working PR for his hockey team he's been driving her nuts. What she doesn't know is he's in love with her, has been for years, and there's more to the story from their past (he is so incredibly gone for her, it's adorable). Their chemistry ends up being electric, and we get some good spice (the bonus epilogue too!). The third act breakup is heartbreaking because they're both idiots but they needed to figure it out. The breadcrumbs left for future books in the series have me excited and I'm pretty sure I've predicted at least three more couples, if not four. 

I enjoyed this holiday addition to the Lauren Blakely universe. I've actually been looking forward to this story since it was teased in two different connected series already. Wilder and Fable gave us fake dating, a douchey ex to beat at Christmas themed competitions, a holiday wedding to attend, a precocious 11 year old daughter (his), and more. He's a billionaire, and there were definitely a few things that mad me roll my eyes as far as spending and lifestyle, even though he supposedly came from nothing. Overall, it was a decent quick spicy holiday romance and did tease the next book in the hockey season right at the end, so we'll see how that plays out. 

I enjoyed this holiday novel from Ashley Herring Blake, like I have all of her books. I don't know that it's a standout favorite for me from her but not because there was anything I disliked; in face, it had a lot of things I really liked about it. It's a second chance romance, and that's swiftly becoming one of my favorite tropes. Brighton (Bright) and Charlotte (Lola) grew up together, were best friends turned lovers, and we're supposed to get married until things fell apart. That was five years ago and they haven't spoken since, but Charlotte's string quartet goes home with one member to their small town, and Brighton goes home with her best friend and owner of the bar where she works after having given up music for a few reasons. What they don't know until they're face to face is that their two friends are sisters and now they're staying in the same house for two weeks. There's the aspect similar to enemies to lovers that I enjoy about second romance, where they're opposing one another because one or both are angry and/or hurt. There's also the mutual pining I love, especially as they try to remain in denial about the feelings that remain or have cropped up again. Then add on ridiculous Christmas singles activities they get thrown into and an amazing found family (the Cheery Queeries) in an ideal queer friendly mountain town? Plus some snowed in moments, characters who were musicians, and a gorgeous Leni Kauffman cover? Yep, this had some really great elements and kept my attention, and there's even a chance I'd read it again someday. For some reason I just wasn't quite as captivated by it as other books from from this author, and I'm not sure why. It may just be a simple case of I love other books by her more (which happens and is fine), but part of me wonders if that is because I read it during a pain flare and wasn't able to enjoy myself to the fullest, and if I would like it even more after a second read. Regardless, it was a new holiday release I was really looking forward to and I'm glad I got a chance to read it (the holds list was super long so I wasn't sure if I'd get it before Christmas or not). If you liked the author's other series, you'll probably like this one too. I don't know if there were connections with that series, but I do know from the sneak peak for her next book that it exists in the same world, at least, so that makes me wonder if I missed something in this one. 

This was one of the options for a book club this month and it wasn't picked but I've always wanted/intended to read more Olivia Dade books, so I read it anyways even tho it is book 2 in a series. I'm not sure it mattered because it was a pretty insular story, taking place primarily during a two week vacation the FMC takes at a resort on an island in Florida for her 40th, where she meets a 26 year old former professional tennis player who now coaches at the resort. They have such a great meet cute, the way her larger size is part of the story was wonderful (he's so over the moon for all of her but there's also discussions of ableism, fatphobic treatment by men and doctors, etc. so it all felt genuine and not too pie in the sky). I've also been on a sports romance kick and it's very rarely tennis so it was interesting to throw another sport into the mix (I'm not a sports person in life but I love them as a romance reader). The two of them have to figure out if they're really compatible, she has to deal with hang ups from previous relationships and assumptions she makes because of the age difference, and he needs to figure out what he wants from life since he's a tad aimless after having to retire from playing earlier than he wanted to. The chronic pain and injury rep was appreciated, the caretaking was lovely, and the spice was there but not super explicit, so I think readers who don't mind sex in books but don't want it SPICY can still enjoy it. Definitely going to go back and read book 1 now, and then book 3!