marytidbury's reviews
421 reviews

Slap Shot Surprise by Melanie Harlow

adventurous funny relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I loved this book, one of my favourite tropes is accidental pregnancy and this one was done so well! 
I loved Mabel and Joe so so much, they were so cute together. 
Joe is a professional hockey player in Chicago and Mabel is a museum curator in the small town of Cherry Tree Harbor. They meet on a plane where Mabel spills her guts about everything she hasn’t done in her life as she thinks the plane is going to crash. The ones Joe ends up clinging onto is the fact that she’s never had an O at the hands of a man or a one night stand, and those are 2 things he’ll happily tick off her list, but lo and behold as soon as the plane lands she disappears completely embarrassed to have just spilled her guts to a total stranger. So it’s a total surprise when they both end up at the same wedding and they just can’t deny their attraction to one another. 
I loved the chemistry and tension these two had. I loved the little gestures from Joe and how much he cared for Mabel. And also seeing how much he realises that he loves both Mabel and how excited he is to meet their little baby. 
It was such a cute fun read, and I loved seeing the other couples from the series with their families as well as seeing Gianni who’s Joe’s older brother and his wife Ellie from the Cloverleigh Farms next gen series!

The Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

oh my god. This book will forever be imbedded into my memory for all the right reasons. Lana’s story is tragic and yes she’s a serial killer but you understand why and you support her (it’s fiction)! I loved her personality and how she carried herself. I loved Logan as well he’s an FBI profiler and little does he know he is hunting down Lana🤭 but I love how passionate he was to do his job and how he fought to make things right. 

The whole thing had me gripped from start to finish and I didn’t want it to end! There was so much tension and secrecy that just had me wanting more! 

These two loved each other so much and they really showed it throughout the story in their own ways. They are soulmates through and through.

I’m so annoyed I didn’t read this sooner, but now I’m wishing I could read it for the first time all over again!

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson

challenging funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Pumpkin Spice and Not So Nice by Becky Monson

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Fall With Me by Brooke Montgomery

challenging funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

adventurous challenging emotional funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A perfect cosy, autumnal read packed full of witchy magical goodness.
I love reading about witches and magical creatures in a real world setting. And this really ticked all the boxes for me.
It was funny and the spice was so good! I love Mariel and Oz, they had an element of dislike to lovers to them which I loved. Watching them tip toe around each other and figure out their feelings had me giddy. And how Oz helped Mariel realise her worth as well as helping her realise just how powerful she is! I adored her nature magic!
I also loved the mysterious goings on around Glimmer Falls. 

Worth Every Penny by Rae Ryder

challenging emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

if you’re a fan of TL Swan then you will love this book like I did! There was so much tension between Kate and Nico, that builds and builds until they can’t hold back anymore. Nico is Kate’s older brother’s best friend so there is this forbiddeness to it as well that makes it so much better. 

Kate used to have a crush on Nico when she was younger but when a tragedy happens and Nico flys off to America for 8 years, Kate is adamant that she hates him. But then he returns and buys her families hotel chain from her brother and suddenly they’re thrust together again with him being her boss. 

I genuinely loved these two so much. I liked how bold Kate is and how she knew her worth.

But I also loved how Nico fell for her, and would do anything for her! Although I do think he should’ve grovelled a bit more! 

I also really enjoyed this back storyline that was a bit of a mystery and trying to connect the dots at the end!

Overall I think this was a great debut novel from Rae Ryder and I’m excited to see where this series leads.

Close Knit by Kels Stone

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

there’s always a part of me when starting a new series that’s scared that I’m not going to like it. But I needn’t of worried about that with this one as Kels and Denise never disappoint!

I found that Daphne and Cameron’s story was so beautifully written. I loved how at the forefront of this book was mental health and how important it is to look after yourself, and also the importance of speaking out and raising awareness of it. And it’s ok not to be ok. 

Cameron is a football player who plays for a London team in the premier league, and Daphne is a knitting influencer who openly struggles with Anxiety and is currently on a yes year. They meet eachother in a San Francisco hotel after Cameron was running away from the paparazzi, he stumbles into a booth where she’s casually knitting away. They begin flirting and one thing leads to another and they end up in Cameron’s room. They leave eachother with only the nicknames they gave themselves, Duck and Goose. It’d be wild if a month later they both end up living in the same apartment complex in London, right?

I adored these two together. I loved the friendship they built and how Daphne held we Cameron open up and allow in not only her but his teammates as well. They had this delicious tension between them and their chemistry was off the charts. 

Daphne is unapologetically herself, she battles with her anxiety but she works through it and comes out stronger and I love her so much.

Cameron, bless his soul, he’s struggling massively after some awful things happened to him at his old club. But seeing him open up and better himself was beautiful and had me melting. This man deserves protection at all costs and I’m glad he found his place with Lyndhurst!

I’m honestly so excited to read the rest of this series as it releases. The Hastings family is going to have me in a chokehold I just know it!

P.S. You're Intolerable by Julia Wolf

challenging emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Billionaire, work place romance where the MMC is a total simp for his assistant? Sign me up! Then you add in the fact she’s pregnant with another man’s baby (no cheating, he’s a dead beat), the cute little gestures this man does had me swooning!
I loved Catherine and Elliot, I loved their working relationship before things developed. The tension between them was glorious and they had so much chemistry! The way he cares for her and loves her and her daughter Joey, and claims them as his!?! Stooopp I was melted into a puddle on the floor! If you love accidental pregnancy where the MMC isn’t the bio dad then this is 100% the book for you!

First Down by Grace Reilly

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! A cute, fun college sports romance with fake dating? A perfect combo!

Bex is trying and failing at getting her cheating ex boyfriend to leave her alone, so when she’s a frat party and he won’t take no for an answer she kisses the hot guy she first saw when he walked through the door, not knowing that he is in fact her ex’s new teammate on the college football team James. He’s transferred to McKee university for his senior year and he’s sworn off women after a bad experience and is hoping for a fresh start where his sole focus is football and winning the championship. However he just can’t stop thinking about that kiss with Bex. So when it turns out she’s in his nightmare of a writing class that he can’t seem to pass, they come to a mutually beneficial partnership. She’ll tutor him if he fake dates her.

I honestly loved Bex and James, they had such a lovable, flirty friendship that eased so well into a relationship. They had so much chemistry and were so cute together!