A delightful novel from a new voice in historical romance, The Very Definition of Love is one of my favorite histrom releases in recent years.

This is a classic wallflower and rake story in which she's ruined... so she kidnaps him to force an elopement. Alexander, the MMC, is a himbo of sorts but a sharp businessman who cares about others, and Harriet, the FMC, is a lover of words and a curvy bluestocking used to being the ugly duckling of her family.

The banter is good, as is the drama. There is heavy use of the miscommunication trope, so if you don't like it, you might not enjoy this story as much.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sharp banter sends sparks flying between a rough-around-the-edges gambling club owner and a young lady with eldest daughter energy in this historical romance.

I love the writing and the characters. If I were to given any notes, it'd be that I wanted more of Ginny and Gabriel, the main characters. Instead, we have POV chapters from the people who own/work at the boardinghouse where the MMC and FMC are staying.

I had completely forgotten I read the previous book in this series, and I have the same exact thoughts about this one. The chemistry between the hero and heroine is strong, and the dialogue's snappy, but I don't have any interest in the other POVs, which have a different, whimsical/silly tone. I understand this may be sacrilege; perhaps these are iconic characters featured through the series, but as a new reader approaching Game of Rogues as a standalone, you'll likely find yourself skipping pages to get back to the FMC and MMC.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve never read Emily Giffin before, though I know she’s a really popular chick lit author. The synopsis for Love You More strongly appealed to me, so I decided to pick it up. I can’t resist a second chance romance with longing.

However, you should know this falls more into the category of women’s lit. Yes, there is romance, but only at the very end do the pieces fall into place, and frankly, there aren’t enough scenes with the main characters where you could feel their chemistry. Instead, there’s time spent recounting her childhood, her relationship with her best friend, her relationship with her fiancé, etc.

This is a fast read, and the writing keeps the story moving, but it does come across matter-of-fact, leaving more yearning, angst, and feeling on the cutting room floor. There are also other aspects that could be trimmed to make up for this (some side characters, like several childhood friends, feel like unnecessary additions).

Love You More will make a great beach read that should appeal to a wide demographic of women, and it was a worthwhile way for me to pass the time.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I listened to the audiobook of this, which is narrated by the author.

As you might expect, this is a data-heavy read, with some stats you’re probably already familiar with and some that will likely be surprises. It all adds up to persuasive argument that much of the world remains biased against women in so many ways.

The author interjects with some personal anecdotes, and she has clearly imbued the narrative with her opinion, but I would have preferred more stories from affected women.

This book makes the FMC's medical condition almost her entire personality.

I love the representation here and the sympathetic look at how her condition affects her emotionally, mentally, and physically. However, she fixates on it and rearranges her life around it to the extreme, as I'm sure her best friend would say as well. The FMC even has very frequent internal dialogues with her dilators (yes, it's a thing). I wanted to get a better sense of her character outside of that, without diminishing her struggle, of course. You likely will want to scream "get over yourself!" and "get help!" while reading. Poor Harrison (the MMC).

Though Harrison's not without his faults - he's a mama's boy who doesn't stand up for anything and doesn't have much of a personality, either. I didn't feel a burning chemistry between Emma and Harrison.

The ending's also more abrupt than I'd like. More closure would have helped the story feel more complete. Overall, it comes across more as draft in need of some extra polish.

If you like second chance romance rom-coms, this one is readable and unique, although there may be frustrating aspects.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Disclaimer: I have not read any of the books in this series before, but I've heard good things, and I liked the synopsis. However, I think Love Wells Kept is probably best enjoyed after reading all of the previous installments. I feel like I was missing context that would have made parts more interesting or relevant as there's a big cast of characters that appear throughout.

I should also disclose that I haven't really read any cowboy romances. Personally, I'm not too sure I like the stereotypical silent cowboy and his devoted, bubbly wife with SAHM vibes. Kate supports Jackson through thick and thin while dealing with so much, and things do get better, but it's not a perfect ending (it's kind of rushed and doesn't do the best job of offering closure for Kate and Jackson). And then there are some very spicy scenes that seem incongruous with the angsty, tragic story,

As much as I love an emotional story, I don't think I'm the target audience for this one, but I do believe cowboy romance readers will love it.