April was another month of binging mostly romance looking for that strong mental hug. When I read these, I don’t tend to write enough of a review to bother sharing. Just a rating and a few sentences. So I’m bundling them up here for you! You are welcome! Also including a bonus March book that I didn’t post on TBR. BONUS!

No Strings by Lucy Bexley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Loved the characters and the humor. Some issues that I couldn’t get over with the plot but everything else, chef’s kiss.

Checking It Twice by Lucy Bexley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Love, love, loved it. All of it. Wish there were more.

A Little Bit Alexis by Lucy Bexley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Enjoyed it a lot. Interesting and engaging. A quick follow up to Checking it Twice (see above)

A Heart This Big by Cheyenne Blue

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Very enjoyable story and I loved the Aussie accent with the audiobook. So glad there are more by the author available through the library!

Breaking the Ice by K.R. Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I initially had this one tagged as LGBTQ and romance but had to remove those since there’s no content in this first book to justify them.

With that said, I loved this book. I was hooked right from the beginning and it kept my interest throughout. I enjoy watching hockey, even though I know virtually nothing about the rules or terminology. It didn’t matter at all. I was completely invested in the characters and action.

Thank goodness for recommendations by group members because I had never heard of this author, which is a shame. She’s a talented writer and I highly recommend Breaking the Ice.

Heart Failure by Chris Zett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


3.5 rounded up

I ended up liking this one quite a bit. Jess was a bit too much in the beginning but she became more believable for me later on. I liked Lena almost completely but her interactions with her mom – after 10 years of the same – weren’t believable either. But I loved Maggie. She was perfect.

By the time the book was wrapping up, I was mostly satisfied. It was a nice romance but there were a few things that bugged me. There seemed like there was too much going on. Too many things that could have grown to be bigger plot devices or story arcs but were just dropped in to enhance what was already there but didn’t get the coverage they probably deserved. Like Jess’s body image issues. There were some bits of information that we got over and over and some repeated words and phrases that stood out but those are things that bother me and not a lot of other people…

This was my first Zett book and I enjoyed it enough to try more. Because Hoopla and my public library are awesome!

Once Upon a Princess by Clare Lydon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


3.5 rounded down.

Was a nice read. Not great, not bad.

Shaken to the Core by Jae

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


3.5 rounded up

Much more of a historical novel than a historical romance but that was okay with me. I never really connected with either MC but did enjoy the earthquake and fire scenes a lot. I felt very much in the locations with them.

I do wish for a novel featuring Lucy though. I love me some Hamiltons!

The Devil in the White City. Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you’re super into architecture or Chicago history, you’ll love it. I, however, am not. I wanted mostly
H. H. Holmes and some World Fair. I still enjoyed some of the info but was bored much of the time.

Hearts in Motion by Miranda MacLeod

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So This one I didn’t even write any words on Goodreads. This was my third attempt at reading and I finally made it through. I enjoyed the story and the characters but some plot devices were a bit much. The amount of change the doctor does, personality-wise, in such a short amount of time seemed a bit of a stretch. I still ended up feeling satisfied at the end though.

Heart of Ice by T.B. Markinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Here’s another one that I left no words and only a rating. It was a fun ride with mostly likeable protagonists. I’m finding that I do like the age-gap trope much more than I ever thought I would. And Markinson and MacLeod have become definite faves for me so I’m up for trying anything they put out together.