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Review: Kindling by Bonnie Woods*

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: When You Smile by Melissa Brayden*

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

Trigger warnings: Death Of A Parent

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (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 Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer*

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: A Duke of One's Own by Emma Orchard*

*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 A Duke Of One's Own blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: A Duke Of One's Own
Author: Emma Orchard
Genre: Historical Romance

Trigger warnings: Guns, Blackmail, Death Of A Parent, References To War

Rating: ★★★★

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

Summer, 1816. A notorious rebel is about to meet her match...

Lady Georgiana Pendlebury is no stranger to breaking the rules of polite society. But when a so-called ‘friend’ invites her to a clandestine party, Georgiana is shocked to discover the event is more scandalous than even she could have imagined. So when a mysterious stranger offers help, she accepts, not realising their encounter will turn her life upside down.

Later that summer, Georgiana is invited to attend a house party at an infamous castle in Yorkshire. The gathering is a loosely veiled effort to arrange a marriage for the Duke of Northriding, who desperately needs an heir. Duke Gabriel Mauleverer has a terrible reputation as a rake, and Georgiana is happy to be a guest purely for the entertainment, but upon arrival, she is shocked to discover that the Duke is none other than the stranger who rescued her weeks earlier.

As the other ladies vie for the Duke’s attention, Georgiana is desperate to avoid their shocking secret getting out. But she finds herself caught, unable to avoid Gabriel’s gaze. Are they a threat to each other? Or could they be the answer to each other’s greatest desires?

A Duke Of One’s Own is the latest compelling regency romance from author Emma Orchard. Set in 1816, in the middle of the regency era, our story is packed full of all of your favourite regency romance tropes and is perfect for both seasoned regency readers and readers who are newer to the genre.

Emma Orchard is an incredible storyteller who had me hooked from the very first chapter. Her vivid descriptions made the Yorkshire coastal castle setting of Northriding Castle come alive on the page. The chapters set here felt very Gothic in style which I loved, and I was fascinated by all of the little secret passageways and doors which Gabriel was able to use to secretly visit Georgiana.

This is a lighter regency romance read which is perfect if you’re looking for something quick and steamy (no pun intended!). I easily read the whole book in a single sitting of a couple of hours thanks to how fast-paced and engaging the narrative was.

As previously stated, A Duke Of One’s Own is full of all of your favourite regency romance tropes and they are all wonderfully written. This includes an age gap romance between a virgin heroine and a brooding older Duke and a forced marriage as a result of these characters being found in a compromising situation.

Lady Georgiana Pendlebury, or Georgie as she’s known by her loved ones, is our feisty and headstrong debutante FMC. Our brooding, swoon-worthy silver fox MMC is Gabriel Mauleverer, the Duke of Northriding. The way Gabriel talked about Georgie was gorgeous and he fell first, and harder, which was really well portrayed within the story. I’m also a sucker for a good sickbed scene, especially when it’s the MMC taking care of the FMC, and this was wonderfully done within A Duke Of One’s Own. If I hadn’t already been head over heels in love with Gabriel by that point in the story, how he looked after Georgie would have done it.

Georgie and Gabriel had great chemistry and – especially for a miscommunication trope hater like myself -seeing such open and honest communication between the two of them was wonderful. We have lots of really hot spicy scenes throughout the book and they navigated the contrast of experience between Georgie as a virgin FMC and Gabriel as a more experienced and older MMC very well. Their great communication continued within their steamier encounters, particularly around consent and exploration of potential kinks, which was great to see within a regency romance.

A Duke Of One’s Own has great LGBTQIA+ representation within the story which was fantastic to see, especially as the representation came without any real comment outside of just total familial acceptance. Miss Spry – who was, to quote the book, Georgie’s aunts “sapphic companion” – was my favourite supporting character, particularly when she said to Georgie “You’re not a possession, though the law says you are”.

A Duke Of One’s Own is the second instalment of the The Runaway Heiress series but the story also works well as a standalone story and this was my introduction to the series. As I was reading I did find myself getting really interested in the backstory of Georgiana’s brother Hal and his wife Cassandra so I was really excited to see that they were the focus of the first book in the series (The Runaway Heiress) and it has gone straight onto my TBR. Within A Duke Of One’s Own we also get a little peek into the next instalment of the series (What the Lady Wants – due to be published in August 2024) through the introduction of the character of Isabella and I’m now highly anticipating the release of this next book.

Overall, A Duke Of One’s Own is a fantastic spicy regency romp, perfect when you want a lighter historical read which is still packed full of steam and romance. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the series has in store.

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: Her Forgotten Promise by Corin Burnside*

Title: Her Forgotten Promise
Author: Corin Burnside
Genre: Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings: Suicide, War, Death Of A Parent, Guns

Rating: ★★★★

A wartime secret. A journey to uncover the truth.

Claire has always had a special bond with her aunt Margaret, but she’s astonished when Margaret suddenly begins talking about a friend called Agnes, who Margaret met working as a WAAF in World War 2 – a past Claire had no idea about. Margaret and Agnes were best friends until Agnes started acting strangely, becoming secretive and distant. Then one morning, Agnes vanished and never returned home, leaving Margaret distraught.

Claire promises to delve back into the past and help discover what happened to Agnes. But Margaret’s memory is rapidly deteriorating, and apart from an old photograph of the two women, Agnes seems to have disappeared into thin air. Can Claire uncover Agnes’ story before it’s too late?

Her Forgotten Promise is the debut novel from author Corin Burnside. It is a beautiful story of love and loss which is as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming. Our story is told through a dual-timeline narrative, moving between 2014 and the 1940s, as Claire tries to uncover the mystery of where Agnes went once her aunt Margaret lost contact with her during the war.

To say that this is Corin Burnside’s debut work is truly amazing. She has a real gift for storytelling and her vivid descriptions made the rural French setting come alive on the page and had me fully immersed within the story. The narrative is perfectly paced, the writing flows effortlessly and the history was also clearly very well researched. I’m really looking forward to seeing more from her as an author, she’s earnt hirself a firm place on my ‘Authors To Watch’ list!

From the synopsis I was not expecting a beautiful sapphic romance to be at the centre of the story and I’m a big fan of LGBTQIA+ representation within historical fiction so this was a pleasant surprise. Although I will say that omitting Agnes and Margaret’s romance from the marketing of the book did feel like an example of ‘history will say they were… roommates’ meme! Their friends to lovers love story was so beautiful that I thought it was a shame it was not shouted about in the synopsis and marketing.

Her Forgotten Promise is full of strong female characters who were all beautifully written with lots of depth to them. Agnes was a fantastic character with admiral courage, strength and tenacity. Through her I think Corin Burnside perfectly portrayed the incredible courage of the female SOE agents operating within the German-occupied countries during the war. I also loved Margaret as a character and thought she was fantastically written as both a young woman and an elderly woman. I did find myself struggling initially to warm to Claire, confused as to why she’d neglected to visit an elderly woman who had played such an important role in her life, but this began to change as the novel progressed and I ended up really enjoying her chapters.

One of my only criticisms would be that there were too many coincidences driving the plot which made it feel unrealistic at times. I also felt that the plot point surrounding Claire’s ex-husband and his new partner unnecessarily took our focus away from Agnes and Margaret. Whilst it did give us good mental health representation through the portrayal of Claire’s experiences of panic attacks, it largely felt rather pointless and like it would have been better to simply say she was recently divorced and leave it at that.

Overall, Her Forgotten Promise is a fantastic debut historical fiction novel from Corin Burnside which combines themes of love, loss and courage into a fast-paced story about SOE work in wartime France. It is a must-read for fans of historical fiction.

Review: Stolen Kiss by Spencer Greene*

Title: Stolen Kiss
Author: Spencer Greene
Genre: Romance / LGBTQ+ Fiction

Trigger warnings: Sexual Harassment, Transphobia, Misgendering, Death Of A Partner

Rating: ★★★★

When Anna Nelson finds herself newly single, unemployed and apartment-less, she reluctantly returns to her hometown of Trenton, Virginia. Whilst in a local dive bar run by an old friend, Anna meets a beautiful stranger named Louise and their instant chemistry leads to them sharing a passionate stolen kiss before parting ways. But when Anna reluctantly returns to her family home, she comes face to face with Louise again and is shocked to learn that Louise is her brother Clay’s new girlfriend. Anna and Louise are then forced to ignore their attraction to each other and supress their growing feelings.

I tend to typically avoid books which are centered around the cheating/unfaithfulness trope but the combination of instant attraction and forbidden love really drew me into the plot so I decided to put my reservations to one side and I’m so glad I did.

Stolen Kiss is told through a dual POV narrative, with chapters alternating between the different perspectives of Anna and Louise. This was really well executed and the insight into the thoughts, feelings and background of both women it gave us really added depth to their characters and made us really want to root for their relationship.

Anna and Louise were incredible instantly-likeable protagonists with off the charts chemistry who both have real depth to them. I loved how unapologetically herself Anna was and through the character of Louise we were given a beautiful exploration of grief and the difficulty of allowing yourself to be vulnerable enough to open your heart to a new relationship following the death of a partner.

We also had some really strong supporting characters through Rachel, George and Louise’s Mum (who is an absolute gem). I’d really love further books on this gang as I feel they have so much more to give and it would be lovely to see some of the potential relationships hinted at towards the end of the story play out.

As you would expect from an LGBTQIA+ romance, Stolen Kiss has a really diverse set of characters and we have lesbian, bisexual, gay and non-binary representation. There’s a great coming out scene and we get some wonderful spicy scenes which were some of my favourite I’ve read in queer romances.

I liked the simple choice to set the story around the holidays. The description of the Christmas market made me fall in love with the fictional town of Trenton and it added a real cosy element to the story.

In Anna and Clay’s parents, Spencer Greene has successfully written two of the most intentionally unlikeable characters I’ve ever come across, which is no mean feat. They honestly have no redeeming qualities whatsoever and I felt myself tense up whenever they entered a scene, in the knowledge that it wouldn’t be too long before something vile and homophobic came out of their mouths. I did like the choice to give the parents no reprieve and focus more on the characters cutting ties and focusing on their found family instead as this isn’t something I’ve seen a lot of in other stories despite it ultimately often being the reality for LGBTQIA+ people with unaccepting families.

Towards the end of the book there is a twist involving the character of Clay and I will say that this was something I predicted very early on and I’m in two minds of whether or not I think it was a necessary twist.

I would also have liked an epilogue to give some closure on how their relationship played out. They do have a real whirlwind romance so it would be really interesting to get some insight on how their relationship is months or even years down the line.

Overall, Stolen Kiss is a strong, heart-warming queer romance which is hot and flirtatious from the first chapter and very difficult to put down. It would be the perfect holiday read.

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