Romance Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Failure to Thrive by Katharine M. Sweet

A tender and emotionally charged second-chance romance, Failure to Thrive by Katharine M. Sweet is a cozy reminder that a new life of love can be found in unlikely places.

Following his release from prison after accidentally assaulting a cop, Russ wants nothing more than to keep his head down and get back on track, beginning with his job in the hospital cafeteria. When his first day is delayed by the sight of Aster Reign and her son Liam in obvious distress, his instinct to help them entangles him in their lives. It isn’t long before his generous nature leads […]

Review: The Third Act by Kathleen Brehony

A smart and touching tale of taking second chances and finding your people, The Third Act by Kathleen Brehony explores the rich possibilities of great love during a painful season of loss.

Shannon O’Connell is an accomplished and gracefully aging author, but a string of personal heartbreaks has left her in serious need of support. When a long battle with breast cancer claims one of her dearest friends, Linda, the tragedy brings together their decades-old group of girlfriends for a celebration of life at the O’Connell family’s seaside cottage resort.

Elizabeth Matthews may be an award-winning filmmaker, but her ageless […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-01-31T15:21:38+02:00January 31st, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: LGBTQI+ Book Reviews, Romance Book Reviews|

The Cleopatra Aspect Series Box Set by AJ Channing

A steamy trilogy of love triangles and dangerous ambitions, The Cleopatra Aspect Series Box Set by AJ Channing is a thrilling collection for fans of bad-boy romance.

Freshly graduated Tia Sanchez embarks on a luxurious vacation to Dubai with her friend Julia, but their experiences abroad couldn’t be more different, as they both learn about the hidden desires of powerful men. In the second installment, Tia strikes a beneficial bargain with a tall, dark, and wealthy hunk on the Amalfi Coast, but their sham marriage soon begins to feel like a prison, especially after she falls for her charming and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-11-18T17:47:37+02:00November 18th, 2024|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Romance Book Reviews|

Review: The Hotel Intrepid: Jack-of-all-Trades by Leo Peterson

A classic rebound romance with unexpected depth, The Hotel Intrepid: Jack-of-all-Trades by Leo Peterson is a contemporary mashup of cultural drama, noble deeds, and visceral desire.

Freshly liberated from a life doing what was expected, and free of her absent husband, Astrid launches herself into a fiery midlife obsession with Ty Machesney – an Italian stallion with an unbelievable backstory that ticks all her boxes. She tries to play it cool and casual, but when a charming, hotel-owning, sidearm-slinging hunk of a widower blows into her life at precisely the right time, it’s hard to refuse the hands of fate. […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-09-11T17:03:36+02:00September 11th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Romance Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: My Butterflies by B. Evans

An engrossing first novel in a new romance series, My Butterflies by B. Evans follows the slow-burn love story between Tessa and Jax, compelled like a magnet to be together, but circumstances keep them apart, while each has a past marked by grief.

Tessa has been on her university campus for a whole year already, but she has mostly kept to herself, but then she meets Jax. They have a lot in common, such as their love for rock music, but there is also something else that pushes them towards each other – an unbridled physical attraction, an unfathomable chemistry […]

Marina Dora Martino2024-10-15T10:42:31+02:00September 10th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: New Adult Book Reviews, Romance Book Reviews|

Stellar Harmony by Morgan Sterling

Morgan Sterling’s Stellar Harmony: A Celestial Love Story beautifully captures the unlikely romance between Langston, an astrophysics professor caught between the worlds of academia and his South Side Chicago roots, and Aurora, a talented musician healing from past betrayal.

Set among the lives of artists and fans, the couple’s story unfolds with an authenticity that speaks to the complexities of love, identity, and the pursuit of one’s passion. Through detailed scenes – from a charged open mic night that draws Langston into Aurora’s orbit to a tender moment of connection in Aunt Cecily’s art studio – Sterling crafts a narrative […]

Jeyran Main2024-04-15T17:40:57+02:00April 15th, 2024|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Romance Book Reviews|

Review: Sometimes You Just Know by Bill VanPatten

Sometimes You Just Know by Bill VanPatten is a tender, warmhearted work of LGBT romance that is unafraid to tackle challenging questions or pack emotional punches. With its closely observed realism, sensitively drawn characters, and highly believable dialogue, this is a beautifully naturalistic story of love and loss, which is in turns funny, surprising, and heartrending.

As the title suggests, the big theme of the novel is that of intuition, the strange way one can know something without consciously knowing the reason why. The novel is a careful examination of this idea in respect to love, death, and family – […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-05-11T12:34:12+02:00April 5th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: LGBTQI+ Book Reviews, Romance Book Reviews|

Review: Enigma Rose: First Love by S.E. Reynolds

Ghosts from the past collide with present desires of the flesh in Enigma Rose: First Love by S.E. Reynolds, a steamy and unpredictable slice of romance, bursting with passion.

Rose Umbra is building a new life, and finding new lovers, attempting to leave tragedies and secrets behind as the new owner of a small bookshop in the Virginia countryside. However, her murderous and manipulative ex-lover, Joshua Steadman, has begun gathering power in a nearby town, and it doesn’t take long for him to drop by and stir the pot.

As the new mayor of Chester, Virginia, Josh has regained a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-03-22T17:52:11+02:00February 10th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Romance Book Reviews|