Review: My Kind of Trouble by L.A. Schwartz*

 *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: My Kind Of Trouble
Author: L.A. Schwartz
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  References To A Fatal Car Accident, References To Parental Loss, References To Parental Abandonment, References To Alcoholism, Bullying Of Autistic Characters (By Parents, Schoolmates and Community Members), ABA Therapy (References To MMC Having It In The Past), Assault, Parental and Societal Homophobia, Moralistic Food Talk, Fat Phobia, References To Church Abuse Of Minors

Rating: ★★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Open Door)  

 Conwoman Harmony Hale has sold lies up and down California for years, never looking back at her crafty scams or one-night stands. Now she’s come to Brookville, California, with her sights set on its wealthy mayor—the man who stole her father’s music-streaming algorithm and ruined his life. Harmony is finally ready to take him down, with her trusty con of selling a nonexistent music festival. All she needs is the cooperation of the man who owns the potential festival site.

Autistic librarian and piano teacher Preston Jones spends his days fighting book challengers trying to shut down his library programs. He’s responsible for raising his selectively nonspeaking little sister and needs to focus on keeping his job. He doesn’t have time for a romance like the ones in his books—and certainly none for the brassy festival promoter who wants to use his land for her “Coachella North.” Preston sees things in black and white, and he sees Harmony—amazing curves, flashy smile, and all—as nothing but trouble.

But when Harmony promises to help him win the public over and save his youth programs, Preston finds himself wondering if this hustler with a heart of gold might be the someone he’s been waiting for. Soon things are getting steamy in the stacks, and with her con coming to a crescendo, Harmony needs to choose: revenge and running again or the happy ending she never saw coming.

My Kind of Trouble is the debut romance novel from author L.A. Schwartz. This is a steamy bookish enemies to lovers rom com which is a gender-swapped homage to The Music Man. Add in some truly brilliant autism rep, healthy relationships and a confident plus-sized FMC and you have My Kind of Trouble, an absolute must-read addition to the romance genre.

This is a truly captivating story, with the perfect amount of humour, sweet moments and steam. The novel is perfectly paced and I was so hooked that I read the entire thing in nearly a single sitting.

Harmony and Preston had brilliant chemistry and a really healthy relationship which we love to see. I’m a sucker for the ‘he falls first and harder’ trope and this was so well written. There is a third act breakup, which is to be expected given the plot point of Harmony’s hidden identity as a conwoman but there is a quick resolution. The spice was well written, well placed within the plot and felt really realistic.

Harmony was a cracker of a FMC. She was a confident and sure of herself force of nature who experiences such character growth over the course of the story. The way she finds both a family and a home in Brookville was beautiful. I loved that she was a confident, plus-sized FMC and that she’s a bit of a brilliant Robin Hood type character in the way she cons people who deserve it but makes sure to pay back anyone who is innocently caught up in her schemes.

As an autistic person who also finds solace in books, I absolutely adored Preston as a MMC and the authentic autism rep we had through both his character and the character of his younger sister Lacey was the highlight of the book for me.

Just how authentic the autism rep would be became clear in only the second chapter. Throughout the book we see stimming, hyper-focusing, sensory needs regarding food, references to autistic burnout, references to meltdowns, noise sensitivity, recovery from overstimulation and difficulties with change. It’s honestly some of the best autistic rep I’ve ever seen in a book of any genre.

There are references to ABA therapy, with it suggested to Preston for his younger autistic sister Lacey but this is firmly rejected immediately. The topic is also featured later in the book with Preston discussing his own experiences of it, but again this is portrayed in a rightfully negative light.

I loved the way Harmony researched autism to know how to best support her prospective partner. This total acceptance was so heartwarming to see as an autistic adult.

Overall, I just absolutely adored this book. It has been one of my standout reads of 2024 and is a truly brilliant debut novel from L.A. Schwartz. I’d highly recommend it to all fans of a good rom-com novel and anyone who likes to see really authentic autism rep in their books.

Review: Kindling by Bonnie Woods*

*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: Kindling
Author: Bonnie Woods
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  References To Parental Abandonment, References To Domestic Abuse, Absent Parent

Rating: ★★★★★

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

Sparks will fly, even without firewood… 🍂🍁🍂

A cosy autumnal retreat in the Scottish Highlands is the perfect escape for city girl, Harper… Until she is stranded in the forest with nowhere to stay.

Fraser, a gruff local woodcutter, reluctantly offers her his lumberjack’s cabin on one condition – she mustn’t distract him from his duties.

But Fraser is finding his beautiful guest annoyingly hard to ignore. And the way he chops firewood – dogged, powerful and precise – is distracting Harper too. Soon, as the flame-red leaves fall overhead, Harper and Fraser are both forced to wonder: Am I falling faster?

Kindling is a new autumnal romance from author Bonnie Woods. This is a cosy yet spicy grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity romance set against the backdrop of the beautiful rural Scottish highlands in all of their autumnal beauty. It’s the only book you need to read over the autumn months and will most definitely leave you feeling all fuzzy inside and desperate to book an autumnal getaway to Scotland.

I utterly adored this book and it’s one of my standout reads of all time, let alone just this year. The Scottish Highlands was the most perfect setting for this autumnal romance. The narrative was perfectly paced and I flew through the book as I simply couldn’t put it down.

Harper was a brilliant FMC who felt relatable. I absolutely loved the portrayal of Harper as a curvy FMC, particularly with the way that Fraser adored her curves. The way she is described in his POV was EVERYTHING. And the moment where he kisses her stretch marks? PERFECT.

Fraser is our ruggedly handsome MMC who is a definite contender for 2024’s book boyfriend of the year. Seriously, if you looked up the phrase swoon-worthy in a dictionary, you’d find a giant picture of Fraser. It’s almost like Bonnie Woods has seen how many lumberjack videos I’ve liked on TikTok!

Harper and Fraser had electric chemistry and really brought out the best in each other. Their flirting had me practically kicking my feet and giggling away and the way they pined for each other was EVERYTHING. This was also one of my favourite portrayals of the grumpy x sunshine trope I’ve ever read. Harper and Fraser were the definition of opposites attract: Harper is bubbly and truly sunshine personified whilst Fraser is brooding and mysterious, it worked beautifully. There was lots of spice and it was both fantastically written and fantastically placed throughout the narrative.

One of my favourite things about this book is how inclusive it is; there is just so much fabulous queer representation. There’s particularly amazing bisexual rep as our female protagonist Harper is bi. I loved the exploration of societal attitudes towards bisexuality, it’s such an important topic which was really well written. We also have brilliant lesbian and non-binary rep through some of the supporting characters and autism rep through Fraser’s nephew Sky.

Overall, Kindling is the only book you need to read over the autumn months. It’s one of my standout reads of 2024 and I can’t wait to see what comes next from Bonnie Woods.

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: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (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?

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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: When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein*

  *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 Grumpy Met Sunshine
Author: Charlotte Stein
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Parental Abuse, Childhood Poverty, Parental Alcoholism, Fatphobia

Rating: ★★★★ 

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

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Finding love was not the only goal . . .

When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can't imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.

And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute-as-hell ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.

But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item to satisfy a public ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. And now they have to decide: is their fake relationship all for show or something so real it might just give them their fairy-tale ending?

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is the latest novel from romance author Charlotte Stein and the (you guessed it!) grumpy x sunshine romance between grumpy retired footballer Alfie Harding and his sunshine-personified memoir ghostwriter Mabel Willicker.

This book is packed full of all of your favourite romance tropes. Our grumpy x sunshine pair end up in a fake-dating scenario after Mabel is caught by the paparazzi leaving Alfie’s house and this was really well executed. If you like the ‘Hates Everyone But You’ and ‘Touch Her and You Die’ tropes you will LOVE Alfie Harding as a swoon-worthy MMC who was fiercely protective over Mabel, even when they were ‘just friends’. BookTok is going to absolutely love this pair!

The narrative is packed full of witty-banter between Mabel and Alfie which had me laughing out loud. It did take me the first five chapters or so to settle into the story and get used to how fast paced the story was, particularly during conversations between Mabel and Alfie, but once I was there I was HOOKED.

This is a slow-burn romance but boy is it worth the wait. If you like a spicy romance with lots of sexual tension and great dirty talk, this is the book for you. I’d rate this as a 4 out of 5 on the spice scale as there are multiple open-door intimate scenes (and in a variety of locations – car and kitchen counter included!).

Mabel and Alfie were brilliant protagonists and their relationship felt really genuine, which is not always the case with celebrity romances. I love plus-size representation within romance books and Mabel was an absolute queen who was unapologetically her sunshine self. Alfie was a really complex character who I fell completely in love with. The chapters are interspersed with extracts from articles, social media posts and press interviews which add further detail to both our present-day story and Alfie’s backstory. It was really interesting to see how Alfie’s famous footballer public persona differed to his true self and this was well written. The shared childhood trauma Alfie and Mabel have was also well and respectfully written.

This book does have a HEA despite a third act breakup. I’m never a massive fan of third act breakups, especially ones linked to miscommunication, but it resolved itself well with a grand gesture that melted my heart.

Overall, When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a gorgeous romance read, perfect for reading around Valentines Day. I’ve been absolutely hooked on Charlotte Stein’s writing and can’t wait to read more of her books.

Review: Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones*

*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. This review is being posted as part of the Make You Mine This Christmas blog tour organised by Hodder & Stoughton.

Title: Make You Mine This Christmas
Author: Lizzie Huxley-Jones
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Romance / Holiday Romance
Trigger warnings:  -
Rating: ★★★★

It's the golden rule of pretending to be someone's girlfriend: don't fall for their sister.

After a year from hell, Haf is ready to blow off steam at a Christmas party: a kind stranger, a few too many drinks and suddenly she's kissing Christopher under the mistletoe - in front of his ex-girlfriend.

The next day the news is out that they're apparently a couple, madly in love and coming to Oxlea to spend the festive season with Christopher's family. But Haf doesn't have better holiday plans and to save her new friend from embarrassment, she agrees to pretend to be Christopher's girlfriend for Christmas.

It has the makings of a hilarious anecdote they'll be telling for years. Until Haf meets Christopher's sister: the mysterious, magnetic and utterly irresistible Kit. Maybe love was waiting for Haf in this quiet little town all along ... 

Make You Mine This Christmas is the latest heartwarming novel from author Lizzie Huxley-Jones and the must-read queer rom-com of this festive season.

The plot is packed full of all of your favourite romance tropes set against the backdrop of a snowy UK Christmas. Although a fake dating plot is at the forefront of the story, we also have a fantastic queer meet cute in a bookshop and the forbidden love trope is explored through Haf’s attraction to her fake boyfriend’s sister Kit. Lizzie Huxley-Jones has a really engaging writing style which you can just sink into like a big hug and I read the entire book in one sitting. I just couldn’t get enough!

I loved how much representation we had within the story and this is really something which I think sets Make You Mine This Christmas apart from other books. This includes neurodivergent, disability and chronic pain rep, a curvy and body-positive FMC and a range of LGBTQIA+ representation including characters who were non-binary, bisexual and lesbian.

This book is perfect if you want a really Christmas-heavy read packed full of festive cheer to cosy up with this holiday season. It really gave off Hallmark-movie vibes with everything from questionable Christmas jumpers and handmade decorations to kisses under the mistletoe and a cosy community Christmas fair with real (albeit unpredictable) reindeer.

One of the things which stood out within the story was how loveable and relatable all of the characters were. Haf was a truly fantastic protagonist and, as someone who was diagnosed as autistic in adulthood, I loved that she was written as an autistic character whose autism had been missed but probably explained a lot of the aspects of her character. This representation is so important and really made me feel seen so I want to thank Lizzie Huxley-Jones for including this in the story. Haf’s fake-boyfriend Christopher was a total sweetheart and, whilst being mindful of avoiding spoilers where possible, I loved the journey his character went on towards starting to advocate more for his wants and dreams rather than feeling like he has to confirm to the expectations set of him. I honestly don’t know where to begin with talking about how much I loved Kit’s character. I fell in love with her the minute we met her in the bookshop and this love only grew the more we got to know her. Her relationship with her brother felt like a really authentic sibling relationship and, as I’ve already said, I thought her disability and linked chronic pain were really well portrayed and some of the best disabled representation I’ve seen in any book. The romantic and sexual tension between Haf and Kit was well-written, as were the (spoiler alert) romantic and spicier scenes when we got to them. If anything, one thing I would have liked in way of improving the narrative was if we’d had even more stolen romantic moments between Haf and Kit to build up their romance gradually. Although it’s a slow burn prior to their first kiss, after that it feels like we go from 0-100 and I would have liked a few more stolen kisses here and there to increase the tension even further by the time we get to the spicier moments.

We also have a fantastic cast of supporting characters and I loved every single one of them, from Laurel the fake boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend to the queer meet-cute obsessed bookseller and the ever-present Bryn. Ambrose, Haf’s flatmate and best friend, had to be my favourite though and they made me laugh out loud almost every chapter with their witty remarks and hilarious use of twitter polls. I loved that although Ambrose was non-binary, they weren’t defined by their gender identity and aside from use of they/them pronouns throughout the narrative, their gender identity was only referenced briefly and the focus was more on their other character traits.

Overall, Make You Mine This Christmas is a charming festive sapphic romance packed full of Christmas spirit, witty characters, laugh-out-loud moments, cute romantic scenes and truly incredible disabled and LGBTQIA+ representation. It’s a must-read this Christmas.

Review: One Sweet Holiday by Lucy 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: One Sweet Holiday
Author: Lucy Day
Genre: Holiday Romance

Trigger warnings:  Death of a Family Member, Emotional Abuse

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door) 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…unless you’re me.

Hold the hayrides, keep your cocoa, and don’t put me within a country mile of mistletoe. This year, Christmas means chaos. My sister’s getting married and I—Gwen Griffin, perfectionist extraordinaire—will make sure her wedding is flawless. That includes doing the impossible: finding myself a wedding date. But in my tiny hometown of Jasmine Falls, South Carolina, I’ll have better luck winning the lottery.

I may be awesome at running my cafe, but I’m terrible at men. And after my last epic breakup, everyone in town knows it. That’s why I need a plus-one—even a fake one—so that when my sister gets married, everyone’s attention is on her, where it belongs.

The guy next door is perfect for the job. Gorgeous and charming, Logan Fyfe is only here for a few weeks. He’s also a hot Scottish bazillionaire who’s totally out of my league—so my risk of falling into a relationship with him? Less than zero.

Pretending to date Logan is the perfect plan—until it isn’t. Beneath his devilish smirk and delicious brogue is a big-hearted man who makes me feel the one thing I never believed to be true—that I’m enough, just the way I am.

With the wedding approaching, there’s nothing fake about my feelings anymore. When he slips his arm around my waist and whispers into my ear? Yeah, I’m a goner.

We may be worlds apart, but I’m done pretending. It’s time to get real…even if it means risking my heart. 

One Sweet Holiday is a new cute small-town festive romance novel from author Lucy Day. It’s the latest instalment in her Jasmine Falls Love Stories series but each book can be read as a standalone and has a guaranteed happily ever after. This was my first festive read of 2023 and boy has it got me in the Christmas spirit!

Our story is told through a dual POV and this worked so well in the story. I loved seeing instant attraction experienced by both Gwen and Logan and explored in their respective chapters. I also loved the banter between the two of them. The forced proximity was explored in a different way to the typical bed/room/house sharing that you might typically see through Logan moving next door to Gwen and this really made the story feel more realistic.

One of the things that I think sets One Sweet Holiday apart from other romance novels is the fact that the characters aren’t who you might typically see in this genre. Both protagonists are in their 30s and this makes their relationship feel so much more mature. On top of this, Gwen was the curvy queen that I’ve always wanted in a festive romance protagonist. I loved that the book celebrated body positivity by acknowledging her size and it being one of the things that attracted Logan to her. The way Logan talked about her curves and meeting her for the first time just made me melt.

If you are after male romantic interest who is the definition of swoon-worthy and will make you fall in love with him instantly, look no further than Logan Fyfe. He is a complete gentleman who is so respectful of Gwen and it was amazing to read. At one point in the story I worried that the miscommunication trope I have a vengeance against would rear it’s ugly head but Logan being the mature man he was any chance of this was eliminated immediately. I loved how supportive Logan was of Gwen, he had an absolute heart of gold.

The book also provided an unexpected but really interesting commentary on mental wellbeing and avoiding burnout which is so relevant to so many adult readers. The bakery setting added a really different angle to the story and we love a female entrepreneur who gives off total girl boss vibes! The family drama for both characters was also really interesting and it was great to be able to see how they tackle it as couple who are still in the early stages of a relationship.

One of the things that did take away from this being a 5* read for me was that the ending felt rushed. I felt that Gwen and Logan were owed a little more depth to their happy ending so this was a shame. I would like to be able to return to their story, ideally in a sequel but even just briefly as passing minor characters in a later book set in Jasmine Falls just to check in with them and see where they’ve ended up.

I will also say that the fake dating trope felt misplaced within this story. There was instant attraction and a blossoming relationship so having them fake dating for the sake of appeasing Gwen’s mother, who (potential spoiler alert) wasn’t appeased by it anyway, felt like an unnecessary way to add in an additional trope. I think the story was enough on it’s own as a small-town forced-proximity instant-attraction story. It’s also interesting that the book is marketed as an opposites-attract story when I found that Gwen and Logan were actually pretty similar apart from being from different countries. But this is more of an issue with the marketing rather than the story itself so it hasn’t impacted on the star rating for me.

This is a closed-door romance and whilst I fully respect that and recognise that not everyone wants spice in their romance novels, I do wish we’d been given a little bit more and had even just the indication that sex had taken place. Instead, it was very much completely glossed over aside from some passionate kissing and this felt unrealistic.

These things aside, I still absolutely loved the story and it was the perfect Hallmark-movie style romance to get me in the festive spirit. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants an easy christmassy read, packed full of sweet moments, witty banter and relatable characters.

One Sweet Holiday will be published on 6th November 2023.