Review: Couples Retreat by Lorraine Brown*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. This review is being posted as part of the Couples Retreat blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: Couples Retreat
Author: Lorraine Brown
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Parentification, Parent Illness, Parent Divorce, Verbal Abuse From A Parent, References To Parent Death, References To Fertility Issues

Rating: 

Spice Level: ðŸŒ¶️🌶️ (Closed Door) 

Two writers. One pressing deadline. No time for romance...

Scarlett and Theo have one bestselling novel to their names: the psychological thriller they wrote together years ago. None of the books they've written separately have sold anywhere near as well...

Now at risk of being dropped by their respective publishers, their agent tells them that working together is the only way to save their careers and sends them off on a writers' retreat in the south of France.

It wouldn't be the worst way to spend a summer--except that they've accidentally been booked on a couples retreat instead, and spending so much time together stirs up some very inconvenient feelings!

With their careers on the line and a pressing deadline, romance is the last thing on their minds...

Beach Read meets The Proposal in this gorgeously escapist and wonderfully bookish romcom set in the south of France

Couples Retreat is the latest romcom from romance author Lorraine Brown. Fans of enemies to lovers, forced proximity and a good second chance romance, this is the book for you! Add in a gorgeous French Riviera setting, a couples retreat, two author main characters and palpable sexual tension and you’ve got Couples Retreat, the perfect feel-good beach read for 2024.

This was my first time reading anything from Lorraine Brown, despite all of her books being on my TBR list, but I was instantly hooked by the plot and read the entire book in a single sitting. I’m a sucker for a forced proximity book and thought the concept of two people with a complicated romantic history being stuck on a couples retreat was really intriguing and it certainly did not disappoint. The story was brilliantly paced and the vivid descriptions of the French Riviera setting made me feel like I was on holiday myself.

As the setup is that Scarlett and Theo are two authors trying to save their writing careers by writing another psychological thriller together, there was a wonderful bookish theme throughout the whole story. As a book blogger it was really interesting to see a bit of a behind the scenes of how a book is written, particularly when it’s a collaboration between two authors. I really wanted to read both their first book Little Boy Lost and the book they write over the course of the story! One brief moment I thought was particularly impactful was when the characters were exploring why they love books, sharing that they’ve used reading and creating stories since they were young as an escapism tool for managing challenging experiences. Scarlett says that books can take readers “out of their own problematic lives for a split second” and this really stuck with me as it’s something that I’m sure lots of readers like myself would agree with.

Scarlett was a fantastic relatable protagonist who I warmed to instantly. We see wonderful character growth in her over the course of the book, with Scarlett realising that it’s ok to put boundaries in place in order to put herself first for a change. Theo was another fantastic character and brilliant love interest who, like Scarlett, also has wonderful character growth as we see him begin to learn how to open up emotionally to others.

Scarlett and Theo had brilliant chemistry and their slow burn romance, full of almost kisses and palpable sexual tension, had me practically screaming at them to hurry up and kiss already. Although I don’t tend to be a fan of second chance romances, the way their relationship history was drip fed to us through the retreat’s activities was very compelling, particularly within the setup of the therapy sessions as Scarlett and Theo gradually open up to the wider group. This is a closed-door romance and although I thought I’d miss a spicy element to the story, it actually worked really well.

Although this is at heart a feel-good summer romance, it also doesn’t shy away from some hard-hitting topics which was great to see. I thought the exploration of parentification through Scarlett taking on a role as a surrogate mother to her younger siblings at the young age of just nine was particularly powerful. There is also brilliant panic attack representation in the early chapters of the book and seeing supportive friends looking after someone experiencing a panic attack really warmed my heart as an anxiety girl myself. Other important topics represented within the story include adults caring for their ill parents, the impact of adverse childhood experiences on adult relationships and attachments and, briefly through the side characters, fertility issues and IVF. With the story being set on a couples retreat the whole story is very therapy-positive which is brilliant to see as I think society generally shies away from discussing therapy and the benefits it can have.

If you are looking for a feel-good romance as your holiday read for 2024 which is packed full of your favourite tropes, look no further than Couples Retreat.


Review: When You Smile by Melissa Brayden*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: When You Smile
Author: Melissa Brayden
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Romance

Trigger warnings:  Death Of A Parent

Rating: 

Spice Level: ðŸŒ¶️🌶️🌶️ (Open Door) 

Have you ever had a crush on your babysitter? Taryn Ross sure did. Sixteen-year-old Charlotte was sophisticated, thoughtful, gorgeous, and fun. Taryn counted the minutes until they’d hang out. But Charlotte and her family moved away.

Now a transfer student at Hillspoint University, Taryn is ready to officially come out when she runs into a familiar face at a party. Charlie, now a grad student, insists on walking a drunk Taryn home. To the detriment of Taryn’s heart (and libido), Charlie has only grown kinder (and hotter) with time.

Charlie Adler has a five-year plan: finish her MFA without any hiccups, figure out a timeline for her engagement, and become an acclaimed fiction writer. Easy, right? That is until Taryn shows up at Hillspoint and shakes up her world like a snow globe. This Taryn is different: soulful, brooding, and all grown up. Charlie’s never been attracted to a woman before, and isn’t dating your one-time charge against the rules? If only their toe-curling, mind-dulling, body-aching chemistry would calm the hell down.

When You Smile is the latest sapphic romance novel from author Melissa Brayden. This was my first time reading anything from the author but I was very quickly hooked into the story and fell completely in love with both Charlie and Taryn.

Charlie and Taryn were an adorable couple who totally captured my heart and their romantic scenes had me smiling from ear to ear. The strong communication and openness between the two of them was also brilliant to see portrayed within romantic fiction.

Both Charlie and Taryn were wonderful quirky protagonists. Despite the age gap they were both mature and it was great to see their passions (writing and photography respectively) explored within the story too. The portrayal of Charlie’s grief following the loss of her mother, who was a single parent, was a particular strength of the book. The side characters were also a highlight for me, particularly Caz and Sasha who were absolutely hilarious. I also loved Taryn’s parents and the way they instantly welcomed Charlie in like she was one of their own, giving her the family she had missed since the death of her mother.

This was a great book to read in Pride month as it focuses on Charlie’s sexuality awakening when she finds herself attracted to a woman for the first time. It really felt like this topic was generally handled with care and I liked the fact that Charlie and Taryn took their relationship slowly. Taryn had already come out as a lesbian prior to the start of the story but she was also inexperienced in WLW relationships which created a nice dynamic between the two of them. When we got to them, the spicy scenes were also well written and felt really realistic, especially for inexperienced characters, which I really loved.

I will say that I would have liked a little more exploration into Charlie’s sexuality as it felt like it went from ‘I was straight and now I’m a lesbian’, which is ultimately bisexual erasure and my pet-hate in books exploring sexuality awakening.

When You Smile was an easy five star book for me until the final quarter or so of the book. There was a third act breakup which did feel misaligned with the rest of the book and the relationship Taryn and Charlie had. Miscommunication and not working issues out like adults didn’t feel true to the characters we knew Taryn and Charlie to be so the choice to add conflict in this way didn’t sit right with me. I also didn’t like the direction they took Danny’s mum in either, it didn’t fit the tone of the rest of the story and felt like a poor attempt to add a bit of angst to the plot. All of this reduced the book to a four star for me but it doesn’t take away from the many strengths of the rest of the book.

Overall, When You Smile is a sweet and easy sapphic romance. It was my first Melissa Brayden read but won’t be my last.

Review: The Dance of Desire by Delphine Ross*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: The Dance of Desire
Author: Delphine Ross
Genre: Historical Romance

Trigger warnings:  Bigamy, Suicidal Thoughts, Sibling Death, Amputation

Rating: 

Spice Level: ðŸŒ¶️🌶️🌶️ (Open Door)

Best friends make bad spouses . . . and worse scandals.

When Angela Bartham of the notorious Bartham family is stranded at the altar on her wedding day, she's saved from ruin by her old friend Sunny, the Earl of Sunderland. He offers a startlingly generous proposition: a marriage of convenience that will last exactly one year. Long enough for society to stop gossiping. Long enough for the press to lose interest. Then they’ll quietly annul their unconsummated union.

Left without choices, Angela agrees. But Sunny is no longer the sweet but awkward boy she grew up with—and who once loved her. A mysterious trip abroad has transformed him into a surly, secretive beast of a man who can’t seem to stand the sight of her. Nor is Angela the romantic girl who once danced all night under the moon. She’s a heartbroken beauty trapped in a fake marriage that can’t end soon enough.

To avoid the chattering crowds, Angela and Sunny flee London to spend their year of marriage in Paris. But what they don’t take into consideration is that emotions aren’t particularly rational . . . especially when there’s only one bed in the gothic feline-laden chateau they’re stuck inside near the Bois de Boulogne. Forced proximity reveals hidden depths, turning their marriage of convenience into a messy affair of the heart. Will Angela and Sunny's dance of desire come to an end, destroying everything they hold dear—including their friendship?

The Dance Of Desire is the latest historical romance by author Delphine Ross. Set during the nineteenth century, this Beauty and the Beast inspired story is a fantastic marriage of convenience romance between a ballet-dancing beauty and a beastly brooding earl.

This is a charming and generally light-hearted slow-burn romance told through a split POV third person narrative. The story was well paced, although I would have liked a little bit more relationship building as most of this were lost to the side-plots. I loved the gothic French chateau setting with it’s secret passageways.

The Dance Of Desire which is full of all of your favourite romance tropes and they are all wonderfully written. On top of the marriage of convenience trope and the grumpy/sunshine dynamic you can expect from a Beauty and the Beast inspired story, the chateau has only one bed (although they have a ‘we’ll only sleep in it at different times’ arrangement), there are 'Touch Her And You Die' moments and Angela and Sunny are also (estranged) childhood best friends to enemies to lovers.

This is the second book in the Muses of Scandal series but the books work as standalone stories and can be read out of series order. This was my first time reading anything from Delphine Ross but I was hooked on her engaging writing style so now plan to catch up on the first book in the story.

Angela was a sweet FMC whose love for ballet added a really nice touch to the story, although I was expecting there to be more ballet content than there actually was. She was young and quite naïve but matured over the course of the story. It did take me a little while to warm to Sunny as the MMC due to his grumpy nature and childish urge for revenge, simply because the woman he loved had rejected him, but by the end of the story I really liked him. His backstory, that being the reason he’s become this brooding beastly earl, was really interesting. There was also some good lesbian representation within the story and Helene was one of my favourite characters.

Overall, The Dance Of Desire is a charming, light-hearted historical romance, perfect for fans of Beauty and the Beast and fairytale retellings.

Review: The War Artist by Jan Casey*

 *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: The War Artist
Author: Jan Casey
Genre: Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings:  War, Bombs, (Assumed) Death Of A Spouse

Rating:  

‘Excuse me,’ the man interrupted her as if there was absolutely nothing she could say to comfort him. ‘I have to get on with my digging.’ Then he stabbed violently at her sketchbook with his finger. ‘Get it all down,’ he snarled. ‘Every single disgusting, pathetic detail. And shove it in their faces.’

London, 1940 Following a chance meeting with her former teacher, young painter Sybil Paige wins a coveted assignment from the War Artists' Advisory Committee, and so begins her journey across the length and breadth of the country, sketching everything from airfields and assembly lines to farms and factories.

Sometimes it’s milkmaids and poultry keepers, brave and hopeful; sometimes it’s the harrowed faces of those digging through the rubble to find their loved ones and livelihoods. But armed with her sketchbook, Sybil captures it all, determined to tell the stories of the thousands of women fighting their own battles on the home front. Above all, she wants the voices of her subjects to shine through.

But amidst the scenes of despair and courage, the one picture Sybil cannot paint and yet cannot purge from her brain, no matter how hard she tries, is the image of a woman folded into a chair, the crumpled telegram about her missing husband clasped in her hand. Because a self-portrait, Sybil well knows, requires the artist to find her own voice.

With each new commission, Sybil grows in confidence. But, like the many people she meets and sketches, she fears the future: will it bring hope or heartbreak?

The War Artist is the latest novel from historical fiction author Jan Casey. After reading and reviewing her last book The Letter Reader last year (click here to read my review), I was highly anticipating the release of The War Artist and it certainly did not disappoint.

The War Artist would be perfect for anyone wanting an easy and more light-hearted World War Two historical fiction read. The narrative was very well paced, covering Sybil’s experiences throughout the majority of the war. Jan Casey has a really engaging writing style and her storytelling immerses you in the story. I also liked the choice to have characters speaking with the local dialects of the different places Sybil visits, such as Cornwall, which really helped you to feel immersed in the story and its many settings. I do, however, wish the book had been slightly longer and covered Sybil’s work at Nuremberg as that could have been really interesting so it was a shame that this was missing from the story.

As always with Jan Casey, the history was clearly very well researched. Despite considering myself well read around the Second World War, I’d not heard of the War Artists' Advisory Committee (WAAC) before so I found the exploration of their work to be truly fascinating. I also liked the authentic touch of including redactions within letters, in accordance with censorship within the war.

Sybil was a likeable protagonist and the exploration of her mourning the loss of her husband, who was missing in action, was particularly powerful. I also enjoyed the romantic subplot she had. The theme of strong female friendships was really well explored within the book. Sybil has a fantastic friendship with Ellen and Blanche, strengthened by their shared passion for art. She also had a fantastic relationship with Dame Lily, her old art professor turned friend.

Overall, The War Artist is an interesting, enjoyable and easy historical fiction read. 

Review: The Quit List by Katie Bailey*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: The Quit List
Author: Katie Bailey
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Text

Rating: 

Spice Level: ðŸŒ¶️ (Only Kisses)

He quit believing in love a long time ago. She won't quit until she finds the One... and he's everything she's NOT looking for.

Holly Greene is on a mission to find her happily ever after. And her journey to love does not include a detour to Bad Boy Bartenderville, population Jax Grainger.

Jax may be witty, smart-mouthed, and handsome, but he’s the kind of guy who views love as a four-letter word… and the last thing Holly needs is to waste any more time.

She’s in her seeking Prince Charming era, not her playboy villain era.

But after he saves her from the world’s worst date, Holly sees an opportunity: Jax may not check any of the boxes on her list, but he’s the perfect person to help her find a man who does.

All she has to do is stick to the plan—and stay out of the sexy bartender’s arms.

Easy peasy lemon sque... Oops.

The Quit List is the latest low spice romance novel from author Katie Bailey. This was my first time reading anything from the author and it was a cute generally low-angst easy read, perfect for the summer months.

Told through a dual POV narrative, The Quit List explores the dating coach trope as unlucky in love Holly seeks help finding ‘the one’ from bartender turned wilderness mountain man Jax. Holly and Jax had brilliant banter which added a nice element to the story as we followed them from strangers to friends to lovers. I’m a sucker for a ‘Screw It’ moment and there’s a brilliant one that I went absolutely nuts for. There’s also an ‘Only One Tent’ moment which is a great variation on the typical ‘Only One Bed’ trope.

Holly was a likeable FMC who I was really rooting for. But I did find that she generally read as a younger character than she actually was. Jax was my personal favourite character (bartender AND rugged mountain man? YES PLEASE) and I loved seeing his growth over the course of the book, becoming someone who was open to love and understood that he deserved to be loved. The way he takes care of Holly throughout the story was wonderful to see.

However, the main thing that I think let the book down was the fact that the narrative skips over the majority of their time in the wilderness, which is where most of their relationship building happens. We’re told afterwards how significant it was for their relationship and how it gave them the opportunity to really get to know each other on both a personal and romantic level, but as readers we’re not given the opportunity to witness this. Taking us out of these scenes really impacted on how emotionally connected we were to the characters and their relationship, particularly when we’ve already skipped over other important relationship building scenes such as when Jax dropped Holly off at her house. These frequent jumps forward in the timeline and abrupt endings to chapters did also affect the flow of the narrative which made it less engaging overall.

We do also have to go through a good 70% of the book before we get any real romance. I do like a slow burn romance but I will admit that this started to really drag. Personally, I think the narrative would have worked better had we got to the wilderness section much earlier. That would also have given us the additional page space needed for the relationship building scenes to have been explored in greater depth.

If you are looking for a cute low-angst romance which is packed full of your favourite tropes without any spice, you will like The Quit List.

Review: The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer*

 *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: The Paris Agent
Author: Kelly Rimmer
Genre: Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings:  War, Guns, Bombs, Torture, Executions

Rating: 

Twenty-five years after the end of the year, ageing British SOE operative Noah Ainsworth is reflecting on the secret agent who saved his life when a mission went wrong during his perilous, exhilarating years in occupied France. He never knew her real name, nor whether she survived war.

His daughter Charlotte begins a search for answers. What follows is the story of Fleur and Chloe, two otherwise ordinary women who in 1943 are called up by the SOE for deployment in Frances. Taking enormous risks with very little information or resources, the women have no idea they're at the mercy of a double agent within their ranks who's causing chaos.

As Charlotte's search for answers continues, new suspicions are raised about the identity of the double agent, with unsettling clues pointing to her father.

-

The Paris Agent is the latest emotionally compelling historical fiction novel from author Kelly Rimmer. This was my first time reading anything from Kelly Rimmer but her captivating storytelling had me hooked from the prologue and it is easily one of my favourite reads of 2024 so far.

The story is told through a well-paced dual timeline, set between France during the Second World War and England in the 1970s. The earlier timeline was particularly interesting, weaving together the stories of different female SOE operatives through multiple first person POVs. It was really interesting to see how their stories overlapped and how they linked to the later timeline where Charlotte is trying to piece together her father’s wartime experiences.

The history was clearly meticulously researched and you are fully immersed into the time period and the story by Kelly Rimmer’s captivating writing style. Whilst being mindful of avoiding spoilers, at times the story had me absolutely bawling my eyes out, which is testament to her storytelling ability.

In Josie (referred to through her operational name Chloe) and Elouise (referred to through her operational name Fleur) we have two courageous female protagonists who were based on the real heroic women who worked for the SOE during the war. As you may be able to tell, there are lots of code names to keep track of but that helped to make the narrative feel really authentic to the time period. Charlotte was another fantastic protagonist whose relationship with her Dad, and determination to support him, was wonderful to see.

Within the story there is fantastic chronic illness representation through the character of Josie. This is not something I’ve seen before within WW2 historical fiction but it was fascinating to see how chronic illness was managed during wartime. We also had some LGBTQIA+ representation which was great to see.

Overall, The Paris Agent is a really powerful and compelling piece of historical fiction which is truly going to stay with me for a long time. It’s a must-read for fans of the genre and one of my standout books of 2024 so far.

Review: The Girl with the Red Hair by Imogen Matthews*

 *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: The Girl With The Red Hair
Author: Imogen Matthews
Genre: Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings:  War, Antisemitism, Guns

Rating:  

My heart thrashes inside my chest as I watch my best friend get dragged away by German soldiers. I run towards her, begging them to stop, but then I see the gun. ‘No, please!’ I shout as panicked tears stream down my face. ‘Don’t hurt her!’ I’m the only one left who can save her…

1942, Amsterdam. The Nazi occupation has shattered the lives of inseparable best friends Hannie and Sonja. The canals and rainy cobbled streets they once strolled down are now patrolled by soldiers day and night, who arrest people at will and beat those who resist.

Hannie can’t stand by and watch the lives of the innocent be destroyed by the evil occupiers. At great danger to herself, she joins the underground resistance, where she meets the charming and mysterious Jan. She covers her bright red hair to avoid detection by the Nazis while distributing fake IDs. And she makes a promise to Sonja and her little sister Maya, who are Jewish – she will hide them and keep them safe, no matter the cost.

But as the German grip on the country tightens with each passing day, Sonja’s worst fears come true when members of her family are taken prisoner. With Jan by her side, Hannie goes undercover as a nurse to try to free them. But she’s devastated when she discovers they’ve been taken to a concentration camp in the isolated far east of the country. Is she too late to save them?

And when Sonja goes missing, Hannie is terrified the worst has happened – has someone betrayed her best friend? Hannie knows her most dangerous task is now ahead of her. Can Hannie save Sonja, and will she have to make the biggest sacrifice of all to bring her home?

-

The Girl With The Red Hair is the latest historical fiction novel from author Imogen Matthews and the second instalment of her ‘The Dutch Girls’ series. I read and reviewed the first book of the series ‘The Girl From The Resistance’ last year (click here to read my review) so was excited to see what this next book had in store. I was also excited to see that it focused on the story of Hannie Schaft, a real Dutch resistance fighter during the Second World War whose story I’ve always found really interesting.

The story flowed well overall and was well paced. I read the entire book in one sitting, particularly flying through the action-packed second half. There’s also more tension in this book compared to the first book in the series, which is well written and at times had me on the edge of my seat.

I did find that, like Imogen Matthews’ other books, The Girl With The Red Hair does read as more of a YA historical fiction novel, both through the plot and the linguistic choices. For this reason I think this would best suit teenage readers of the genre or older readers who want something less hard-hitting.

Hannie was a courageous and strong female protagonist who really grew into herself as the story progressed. Within this book we also get to revisit Trudi and other familiar members of the resistance from the first book in the series ‘The Girl From The Resistance’ which was a nice addition. I did unfortunately struggled to warm to the character of Sonja, Hannie’s best friend, at all. She was naïve and repeatedly put herself and others in danger, ignoring the warnings of others. This did do a good job of highlighting Hannie’s loyalty as she sticks by her friend and continues to support her throughout this. I would say though that I don’t quite understand why the marketing of this book focuses so heavily on Sonja when the majority of the plot focuses more on Hannie protecting Sonja’s sister Maya.

Unfortunately, the ending of The Girl With The Red Hair really let the rest of the book down. The narrative ends very abruptly, bypassing the fact that the real Hannie Schaft was arrested and executed in the last months of the war. This is discussed in the author’s afterword but not in the story itself. Although this choice may have been made to retain the book’s overall vibe of being a less hard-hitting historical read, this really didn’t sit right with me. I strongly believe that in choosing to write about real heroic individuals from the Second World War – or from any other time period in history – authors have a responsibility to honour their memory and tell their full story. Not including the fact that she was ultimately murdered by the Nazis does not honour Hannie’s memory so this was really disappointing and reduced the book from a 4* to a 3* read for me.

Overall, The Girl With The Red Hair is a well written and easy to read historical fiction novel and a good continuation of the ‘The Dutch Girls’ series. I’d especially recommend it to younger readers who want to learn more about the work of the Dutch resistance during the Nazi occupation.

Review: At First Spite by Olivia Dade*

 *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: At First Spite
Author: Olivia Dade
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Clinical Depression, Sibling Parentification, Grief, Death Of A Sibling, Death Of A Young Child (references to past event, not directly featured)

Rating: 

Spice Level: ðŸŒ¶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Explicit Open Door)

There's a fine line between love and hate . . .
When Athena's fiancé ends their engagement, she has no choice but to move into the Spite House she recklessly bought him as a wedding gift. Which is a real problem, for many reasons: the house is only ten feet wide. Her ex's home is literally attached to hers. And Dr. Matthew Vine the Freaking Third - the uptight, judgy jerk who convinced his younger brother to leave her - is living on her other side, only a four-foot alley away.

If she has to see Matthew every time she looks out her windows, she might as well have a little fun with the situation. By, say, playing erotic audiobooks at top volume with those windows open. Unfortunately, loathing Matthew proves more difficult than anticipated. He helps her move. He listens. And he's kind of hot . . . ?

Matthew may not regret breaking up his brother's engagement, but he does regret what it's done to Athena. And now he'll help her however he can. If that means enduring nightly steamy story hours, so be it. And if that means watching Athena through their windows a bit too often and caring about her a bit too much. . . . well, nothing can come of it. She'll never forgive him. Even if she did, how could he ever tell his younger brother that he wants the very same woman he pushed him to leave?

-

At First Spite is the latest romance novel from bestselling author Olivia Dade and the first instalment of her new Harlot’s Bay series. This was my first time reading anything from this author and I was enticed by the ex’s brother and forced proximity plotline but unfortunately the story missed the mark for me.

To start with the aspects of the story I enjoyed, I loved that Athena was a curvy FMC. It’s always refreshing to see plus size representation within romance novels, especially in cases like this where the character’s size was not central to the plot. The only real references to her size where when Matthew was talking about how sexy she was which was refreshing. There were also some interesting supporting characters which were a nice inclusion.

I do want to also praise the powerful portrayal of depression we have within At First Spite, which was the highlight of the book for me. I really enjoyed how Matthew looked after Athena through her depression (particularly the bath scene – until it was ruined when he started to take advantage but more on that later) and it was interesting to see both POVs through this period.

I also generally liked the choice to make Matthew, our MMC, a virgin. I have a real love/hate relationship with the use of any kind of virgin trope within romance novels but this was one of the first times I’ve come across it used with the MMC instead of the FMC so this was nice to see. Generally, it was well portrayed although this was all lost when Athena talked about being excited to “plant her flag”. We wouldn’t accept this if it was a MMC talking about a FMC so it shouldn’t be acceptable here.

The primary aspect of the story I struggled with was that our protagonist Athena felt very immature and read more like a teenager than a woman in their late thirties. This could also be said for her ex-fiancé Johnny. The whole premise of Athena getting engaged to a man after just two months and then her fiancé breaking up with her just because his brother told him to felt very immature and not something you’d expect to see from two characters with more life experience. But it was particularly Athena’s revenge schemes against Matthew that felt very juvenile and made it hard to warm to her character. She also makes a lot of pop culture references which got very tedious very quickly.

As mentioned previously, I also had concerns about the ending to the bath scene. (Spoiler alert – in order to discuss my concerns with this scene fully spoilers will be necessary.) The scene starts with Matthew looking after Athena during a depressive episode. Athena is very vulnerable in this moment as not only is she in emotional distress, she’s also naked and being washed as she’s unable to manage this independently. But although her POV discusses her feeling safe with Matthew and emphasises that he’s not taking advantage of her, he kisses her. This really feels like he is fact taking advantage of her and her vulnerability in that moment yet it’s romanticised by the author and this really did not sit right with me.

On the topic of consent issues, I also want to flag the issues with the choice to play very spicy monster audiobooks out loud for the whole town to hear. Forcing people to hear content of a very explicit nature without consenting to it is not acceptable and not the grand gesture Olivia Dade clearly thought it was.

I also didn’t get on with how privileged Athena was. The premise of having our protagonist down on her luck and struggling to make ends meet could have been really interesting but instead we had a protagonist who could fall back on her rich parents who could wave away any financial problems at the drop of a hat.

Overall, At First Spite was really disappointing despite featuring some promising tropes.

Review: Three Hearts Hideaway by Luna Day*

 *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: Three Hearts Hideaway
Author: Luna Day
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Verbal Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Kink Shaming, Slut Shaming, Physical Violence, Gambling Addiction, Narcissistic Behaviour

Rating: 

Spice Level: ðŸŒ¶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Explicit & Plentiful Open Door)

When Ava stumbles into sleepy Little Greenfield with nothing but a suitcase and humiliating voice message on her phone, the last thing she expects to find is Roman—a tattooed B&B owner who offers her a place to stay.

After dumping her narcissistic boyfriend and running away from the embarrassment he caused her, she needs to focus on herself. It’s up to her to puzzle out what she truly desires in a partner, and the sparks flying between her and Roman—and his broody best friend Logan—are too tempting to pass up.

But when her past comes knocking, it’s hard not to crumble to the familiar cycle of cruelty, even when things feel so right in this small town—with both these men.

Could Roman and Logan be her soulmates? Or will Ava prove she’s exactly what her ex says she is? A deviant.

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Three Hearts Hideaway is the spicy fast burn debut contemporary romance from author Luna Day. It’s a sizzling fast burn why choose MFM romance with off the charts spice and a really sex positive theme, which is absolutely brilliant to see. I absolutely devoured this book in a single sitting and loved every aspect of the strangers to lovers to found family story.

Ava was a brilliant, sexy and strong-willed FMC whose resilience and eventual self-love and self-empowerment will really empower female readers. I saw another Goodreads reviewer say they couldn’t decide if they wanted to be Ava or date Ava and I couldn’t agree more.

We also get to enjoy two swoon-worthy MMCs and I fell in love with both of them. Roman was a brilliant golden retriever boyfriend and Logan a brooding and grumpy alpha; you truly get the best of both worlds with this two absolute hunks. Ava had sizzling chemistry with both of them and the three of them complemented each other really well. Their open communication was also a breath of fresh air to see within a romance novel and there’s no third act breakup in the story.

This is a fast-paced quick read which is predominately made up of spicy scenes and let me tell you they are HOT. There’s a real variety of scenes with the three partners exploring a range of kinks and the book is packed full of blush-inducing dirty talk.

There is potentially triggering content including kink shaming, slut shaming, verbal abuse and emotional abuse, all from a narcissistic partner/ex-partner (please see a full list of triggers at the top of this review). This was well explored and I loved that we got to see Ava start to process this trauma and get to a place of self-love. This is a really sex positive book and over the course of the story Ava starts to really understand what she wants and needs physically and emotionally from a sexual/romantic relationship and she also starts to feel confident enough to communicate this within said relationship. There’s a real theme of overcoming shame culture which is really excellent to see within romance fiction.

I loved the charming Canadian small town setting of Little Greenfield. I really didn’t feel ready to part with it by the end of the book so would love to return in some capacity in a later book from the author.

You will love Three Hearts Hideaway if you fancy a light-hearted read which is the perfect combo of sweet and spicy. This is a brilliant debut from Luna Day and I can’t wait to read more from her. In fact I’m off now to read Three Hearts Hideaway again (and probably again); I just can’t get enough.

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