Earl Grey Books

So after a few good weeks, my reading has started to slow down a little againbut I’m back on my contemporary romance train and I’m here to share with you my last five reads. So let’s jump right into this, shall we?

The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club #1) by Lyssa Kay Adams

I was desperate for a contemporary romance after having read other things for about a week when I decided to pick this one up. (Seriously, that’s how long I can survive without one right now!) I’d been holding out to read this for ~something~ and finally decided it was time. This is not something I often say about books, but the male friendship in this was downright adorable—it was probably my favourite thing. I just love the idea of these men reading romance novels and applying them to real life. The romance was also cute but I had some issues with it too—there were just some moments that felt a bit over the top for me and drew me out of the story. Part of this probably had to do with the fact that I’m not a big fan of second-chance romance, our-marriage-is-failing-but-we-have-to-fix-it kind of things but it was still a fun read. I’ll definitely be continuing with the series.

Here Is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan

I was so excited to see this one in a secondhand bookstore having been a huge fan of Sarah Crossan in the past. So much so that I read this the night I bought it in a single sitting. I went into this with relatively low expectations—I don’t really like adult literary fiction and the back said this was perfect for fans of Sally Rooney and etc. whom I’ve never been remotely interested in. I think my expectations ended up being pretty fair—I kind of hated the story itself which focuses on the aftermath of an affair, but I still really enjoyed the way Crossan writes her verse. There were some nice lines in there even if basically every character is abhorrent and I hated the lot of them. But it was a quick read, which was really what I needed this week.

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

This is another book I went into with low expectations—it was the first time I’d ever read Mariana Zapata and I was really unsure as to whether I’d like this at all. It completely blew me away. Right from the beginning I felt sucked into the story—I needed to know what had happened in Aurora’s past as well as where her new life would take her. It was honestly fantastic. The romance was adorable and just made me smile, which I honestly wouldn’t have guessed going into this. It also made me sob like a baby. There’s a storyline about Aurora’s mother who passed a number of years before the story starts and there was a lot in here about grief. I also lost my mum a few years back and the way Aurora experiences and speaks about her grief felt really hit me. I’d felt so much of that myself that it made me cry a lot. The things she learns about her grief and herself felt very close to things that I’ve learnt in the last few years and particularly in the last few months. I’m so glad I ended up picking this one up as it’s definitely been added to my favourite books of the year so far. I also have a vlog of me reading this, if you’re interested!

Make Your Art No Matter What by Beth Pickens

This was an old NetGalley ARC from last year—honestly proud of myself for actually getting through some of those lately but anyway. This is a pretty simple book going through a few different kinds of obstacles you might face as an artist—i.e. money, time, stress etc. and tips on how to deal with them. I think if you’ve done any kind of therapy even for a short period of time then you’ve probably come across most of the things Pickens suggests. There was really nothing I hadn’t heard of before, and while not new, at least Pickens’ suggestions are helpful and healthy. It is a beautifully put-together book and I’ll definitely be passing it on to other artists in my life.

Ever After Always (Bergman Brothers #3) by Chloe Liese

I adore Chloe Liese.—let’s just start there. Honestly, she’s one of my favourite authors because of the way she perfectly balances sweet moments, smut and banter and manages to always include disability representation in her books. Ever After Always is, admittedly, my least favourite of hers so far but only because I’ve loved the others so much. Like I said up in my review of Bromance Book Club, I’m not a fan of ‘let’s save our failing marriage!‘ types of romance—it’s just not the trope for me. But Aidan and Freya are adorable and the rest of the cast are so fantastic that it didn’t bore me half as much as it usually does. I’m just so incredibly excited for the next book—I’m 100% here for Rooney and Axel and everything that story is going to bring!

There we are. Have you read any of these? What have you been reading lately?