Week of August 11, 2025

Hello from Idaho! My oldest daughter, Maddie, turned 29 this week, and I hadn’t seen her since March, which is far too long a stretch to go without seeing her gorgeous face. So, somewhat spontaneously, I booked a ticket and hightailed it out west. Flying from Philadelphia to Boise is always a full day (nothing flies direct, so there are multiple airports and lots of waiting involved) so there was plenty of time for reading. The first two books below I actually read on that first travel day, and I loved them both. And when in Idaho, you’ve got to go to the rodeo, right? So we did that one night which spurred (no pun intended) me to re-read the last book of the week. It was hot out here — 100 degrees plus for a few days — so Maddie and I spent the first few days indoors. She’s an avid crafter and crocheter and I’m a reader, of course, so we’d be on opposite ends of the couch engaged in our respective solo activities, but doing them together. We baked some bread, cooked together, shopped, giggled and overall had a great week. It’s hard to be 2500 miles away from your kids, especially when they’re really fun humans. But I’m so grateful for this time we had!

• As always, here’s my rating scale for your information:

  ⭐️ Did not like this book, would not recommend. Lots of errors, plot holes, not worth the effort to read, most likely didn’t finish. But I’m giving this author a single star for making the effort to publish a book. Not everyone’s even gotten that far, so yay for you.

  ⭐️⭐️ Didn’t really like it, multiple issues with style, plot, syntax or characters. Most likely forced myself to finish it. Would consider other books by the same author but I might have to be convinced.

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Enjoyed the book. Perhaps there were issues with plot or style but it was an enjoyable read. I could see recommending it if it were of a specific genre or trope or series. Most of what I read could easily fall into this category and I’d be a happy camper.

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a good book. Like a really good book. I will think about this book when I’m finished, and there’s a really good chance I’ll buy it for my personal library if it was a KU read. I’d recommend it to other readers of the same genre or trope. I’ll definitely search out other books by this author, probably as soon as I’m finished reading.

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wow. Just wow. Amazing book, amazing story. If there were flaws in the book I’m completely overlooking them because in my mind the book was sheer perfection. I didn’t want the book to end and I’m immediately adding it to my favorites and my re-read pile. And if there’s an audio version I might have to buy that, too. I have a book hangover, I miss the characters, and I feel actual, physical loss in my life when this book is finished.

Thanks for joining me this week! Let’s dive in!

1. Long Way Home, by Nicky James ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

   Kindle Unlimited, 310 pages.

   Genre/tropes: MM romance, military/PTSD, second chance

   Nicky James is a new author for me, and this book was really great. I fell hard for Owen and Gavin, and I teared up so many times during this book. Their discovery of each other and their exploration of their initial feelings was so well written, it gave me goosebumps. Gavin was such a lovable character and his willingness to be so open about his feelings was so refreshing. Similarly, Owen’s desperate need to stay guarded due to his own past experience with bullying at the hands of kids like Gavin made their romance even sweeter.

   When Gavin’s world gets turned upside down by his own family’s (surprising) homophobia and he’s forced away from Owen and into the military “for his own good,” it was just a heartbreaking scenario. The book follows a lot of Gavin’s military service and leads the reader down the inevitable spiral into depression and PTSD, and it was handled really well in my opinion. That part of the book may not resonate with some readers as it really veers completely off the romance trope and into the real drama of wartime, but I felt it fit for the story. The underlying theme that they fell in love at such an early age and were forced apart through no fault of their own and therefore couldn’t get over the loss of the relationship was tortuous but necessary. Owen grew into a strong and independent young man who asserted himself in both his professional and personal life and I loved that about him. And Gavin’s abandonment and being forced back into the closet led him down a path that just shattered him personally. It was almost as if the two of them switched places as they matured, and Owen became the confident care giver while Gavin was the shattered, closeted man that needed help. There’s no way either of them could have been a whole person with anyone except the other - this was a true destiny tale, especially with the cards that they were dealt.

   Despite the years of separation and stress these two men had to deal with, there was no doubt they would end up together. They were the definition of soulmates, and the author made that abundantly clear from the beginning. There was no getting over each other, no moving on, no forgetting. This book was just so sweet in that sense and tortuous in others. I absolutely loved it.

2. Look the Part, by Jewel E. Ann ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

   Kindle Unlimited, 380 pages.

   Genre/tropes: Contemporary romance, second chance, enemies to lovers

   OK, the first sentence of the book almost had be doubting my sanity about continuing to read: “Heidi gave me a son and then I killed her.” What am I getting into here? Jewel E. Ann writes such well developed characters that I had to continue. And I’m so glad I did. I absolutely loved this book. I loved the feeling and depth she wrote into these characters.

   Flint is so flawed. Yes, he drove drunk and rolled his car with his wife and 2 year old son inside and she died. Yes, he’s been punishing himself for 10 years after not serving any jail time for that event. He’s convinced the rest of his life on this earth is merely to exist for the benefit of his autistic son Harrison, and not exist for himself. Not live at all since Heidi was denied that same chance. He denied her that chance. So when he rents an office to Ellen, the music therapist, upstairs from his own office and she becomes a distraction in more ways than one, Flint starts to lose the structure and discipline that he has so rigidly put in place for himself and for his son.

   When we are first introduced to Ellen, we aren’t sure what to make of her. She hums, she seems flighty yet stylish, quirky (pet rats?) and the constant touching and flirty-ness. It’s not until almost the 2nd half of the book that we really start to understand her true nature and the reasoning behind a lot of her personality traits. But by that time, Flint has already started to fall for her since Harrison has already started to open up to her. And when we see Ellen start to recite to herself “I want this life” over and over when she’s with Flint and Harrison, it becomes evident that she’s head over heels for everything he can offer her and vice versa.

   This is a good version of a redemption story. I loved everything about this book and would happily put this at or near the top of Jewel E. Ann’s books in my opinion. If you’re a fan of hers, for sure add this one to the list.

3. Pushing the Limits, Riley Hart ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

   Kindle Unlimited, 239 pages.

   Genre/tropes: MM romance, friends to lovers, forbidden romance

   This is book 2 in the ‘Secrets Kept’ series. I read book 1 earlier this year and I enjoyed it, and the characters of Hutch and Ryder enter into this book superfluously as friends of Isaac’s. Each book can certainly be read alone. But in this book, Lane and Isaac are stepbrothers from the age of 14, when Isaac realizes almost immediately that his feelings for Lane are more than brotherly. Lane tells Isaac that he’s straight so Isaac is forced to stifle his feelings and distance himself from Lane for self-preservation purposes. Fast forward to when the boys are thirty years old, and Lane reveals he’s pansexual and in a relationship with a man, and Isaac nearly loses his mind with jealousy and anger.

   Isaac and Lane finally have a moment where Lane, a serial relationship-ist, confides to Isaac, that he doesn’t think he’ll ever find “his person” and Isaac can’t hold back his feelings any longer and kisses Lane. It’s then that Lane realizes that the deep connection he’s felt with Isaac since they were 14 years old is the reason he can’t find anyone else to fulfill that need: it’s been Isaac all along. The realization and subsequent blooming relationship is the best part of the book. The angst leading up to this point is good, although it’s hard to see Isaac flounder around and for Lane to not see what’s been in front of him for all these years.

   The stepbrother trope is somewhat cliche and can be bothersome, but the conversation that Isaac has with his father at the end of the book is very sweet and revealing. I like to (naively) think that all parents could be so open-minded about allowing their kids to find love, no matter where if may be. If MM romance is your thing, Riley Hart rarely disappoints.

4. The Things We Do for Love, by Kristin Hannah ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

   Kindle Unlimited, 466 pages

   Genre/tropes: Contemporary fiction, romance, second chance, found family

   I don’t think I’ll ever NOT give a Kristin Hannah book a 5⭐️ rating. This book was so fulfilling. Angie and Conlan lost their way in the marriage after several miscarriages, the death of a baby, and then the abrupt loss of a potential adopted baby after the birth mother changed her mind. They divorced and Angie moved home to piece herself back together and help her mother and sisters save the family restaurant. Enter honor high school student Lauren, who needed a job to help her wayward mother make ends meet. Angie has far too much love to give and recognizes the need that Lauren has for a maternal figure in her life, and the two form a strong friendship while Lauren is working as a waitress in the family restaurant.

   When Lauren turns up pregnant a few months later just as Angie and her ex-husband Con start to re-discover each other without the pressure of potential pregnancy looming over them, this delicate new balance is threatened. But when Lauren’s mother abandons her, saying she had already raised her own “mistake” and wasn’t about to help Lauren raise hers, Angie can’t let Lauren flounder alone in the world and takes her in despite her family’s strong objections. Ultimately, Lauren and Con realize that the child they’ve always longed for came in the form of a scared and abandoned 17 year old pregnant girl and not in the form of an infant. This is a true found family story for both the parents and the child and it’s very satisfying. Loved it.

5. Running Feral, by Erin Russel ⭐️⭐️.5

   Kindle Unlimited, 321 pages

   Genre/tropes: MM romance, organized crime, hurt/comfort, forced proximity, age gap

   Lots of tropes in this one. This is book #3 in the Possum Hollow series of books. I was looking forward to seeing how Gunnar and Tobias would get together. Their 14 year age gap is a little troubling, as is Tobias’ traumatic past with Eamon, but somehow he and Gunnar are able to overcome that in a remarkably short amount of time. I’m not sure reality had anything to do with the creation of this book, but it is a work of fiction after all. Suspended disbelief is necessary in a lot of ways, but I found the rape trauma and sudden death of Tobias’ abuser to be far too tidy to overlook in any real way. This one didn’t really work for me.

6. Beautifully Unexpected, by Lily Morton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

   Kindle Unlimited, 222 pages.

   Genre/tropes: MM romance, friends to lovers

   I absolutely love British humor. There’s something so refreshing and honest about the way Brits talk to and about each other and I love it. The banter in this book between Magnus and Laurie was *chefs kiss* perfect and made the book fly by. Magnus is a married to his work as a barrister and has no interest in settling down in a (gasp) relationship. And when he meets Laurie, the brother of the neighbor across the hall who also happens to be the twin brother of his best friend from university, a budding friendship forms. Laurie starts interjecting himself into Magnus’ life and surprisingly, Magnus enjoys his company. It’s only a matter of time before the two of them start up a physical relationship, seeing as they’re both gay and single, but neither would admit that feelings have entered the equation. As with any book, there has to be some form of conflict and once that rears its head, the two struggle to come to terms with whether or not they will pursue anything together and admit their feelings or go their separate ways. All in all, though, this was a quick read and I could hear the accents in my head as I read the book. I enjoyed it a lot.

7. Reckless, by Elsie Silver ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

   Kindle Unlimited, 466 pages

   Genre/tropes: Contemporary romance, small town

   This book was just as good as I remember, maybe even better actually. I read the entire Chestnut Springs series in April of 2024 and this was one of my favorites then, too. Theo Silva is a fabulous character, and it was great to read this again. Seeing him tame Winter Hamilton and settle her mind and spirit into the role of wife and mother while still keeping his own immensely appealing masculine self focused and dedicated is what good romance fiction writing is all about. Honestly, this is just one of the best there is. And reading this while I was out here in rodeo country was just what I needed. It was a perfect way to end my week in Idaho!

That’s it for this week! As always, you can keep up with all of my reading on my Goodreads if you want to. https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12921106-karen

Love, Karen