L-L-L-Little Reviews #74: March 2025

Here are the books I read this past month that were not part of scheduled reviews!

You, With a View by Jessica Joyce

You, with a View by Jessica Joyce
Narrator: Kyla Garcia
Published by Penguin Audio on July 11, 2023
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance
Length: 10:55
Source: the library
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads
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Also by this author: The Ex Vows
My Rating:

Two high school enemies must reunite for a road trip inspired by their grandparents’ broken engagement in this electric debut romance.
Noelle Shepherd is unemployed, living with her parents, and grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos of Gram and a smitten man, tucked alongside a love letter. She creates a TikTok to search for the mystery man, which goes viral, and she’s shocked when his grandson responds—a man who happens to be her high school nemesis, Theo Spencer.
Noelle refuses to let Theo’s annoying accomplishments in adulthood—or his sexy smirk—stand in the way of meeting his grandfather and unlocking the secrets he knew about her gram as a young woman. When she learns that their plans to elope were thwarted, Noelle decides to take the honeymoon road trip they planned but never got to carry out. There’s a catch, though: Paul, Theo’s grandfather, asks to come with her, and he insists that Theo join them.
It’ll be a miracle if they make it through the trip without Noelle throwing Theo out of the moving car—or the bed they end up sharing. As the miles tick by, the tension simmers hotter between them…until she discovers that Theo’s hiding a secret that could cause their tenuous relationship to end before it can restart.

My Review:

So I read The Ex Vows by this author last year and knew I wanted to get back to reading the other book I’d seen as well. When this became available through Libby, I downloaded it and listened. I really enjoyed this one too! I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was actually going on with Theo’s job. While I normally prefer dual POV, this is the type of story where doing just one side works for moving this story along perfectly for me. The enemies/former competitor relationship turned to friends/lovers was done perfectly. The attraction was palpable from the way the author wrote it. The banter was great, and the emotional aspect between Noel missing her grandmother, and Theo and his grandfather was perfect as well. There was a point in the story when the two of them had a fight, but instead of it being a ton of drama for drama’s sake, they were able to get past the fight and work it out. There was still something Theo was keeping back, even after Noel gave in and shared that she was currently unemployed. When his secret came out, the way Noel got upset with him for not sharing everything irritated me. Especially when he kind of explained why he didn’t tell her, and she still didn’t want to accept it. However, the way the author had the other people in her life kind of help her get to understanding why he did what he did and getting her to maybe be able to give him some grace, that was perfect, and put my rating up at a 4.5 instead of just 4 stars.

First and Tension (Summersweet Island #4) by Tara Sivec

First and Tension Series: Summersweet Island #4
by Tara Sivec
Narrator: Kelsey Navarro, Tim Paige
Published by Tantor Audio on February 22, 2022
Genres: Adult Sports Romance
Length: 09:40
Source: Publisher, the library
Format: Audiobook, Paperback
Goodreads
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Also in this series: Kiss My Putt , With This Fling , Spare Me
Also by this author: Futures and Frosting, Cocktales, Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words
My Rating:

Emily Flanagan has been living her dreams the last four years as a professional cheerleader for the Los Angeles Vipers, thousands of miles away from her tiny hometown of Summersweet Island, Virginia. She's got the world at the tips of her pom-poms...until she tells her boss to shove those pom-poms where the sun doesn't shine.
After spending her last night in California with her crush, Emily flies back home to Summersweet, resigned to run her parents' business, never to be heard from again. Besides, there's no use crying over a man who lives on the other side of the country, who she'll never see again.
Quinn Bagley is finally playing for a team that feels like a family, after years of playing with nothing but egos. What he's not happy about is that the woman who rocked his world turned out to be like every other crazy redhead he's encountered, wanting to use him for something. He just wants her to admit it was a game.
Except Emily Flanagan isn't the hotheaded, rude woman he thought. She's sweet, sexy, and fun. She makes him feel normal, she makes him laugh, and she makes him want more.
He's going to win her heart, even if he has to do it in overtime.
Contains mature themes.

My Review:

Okay, so I totally have read this whole series out of order, but I think this is the last one in the series that I haven’t read. While there was so much of the usual Tara Sivec stuff I loved, hilarious banter, crazy situations, wild friends and family – as well as town people, the beginning was a little slow for me. And then, I decided since I wasn’t having time to pick up my paperback copy I bought last year, I decided to get the audio from the library because I do really liked listening to her books. Now her ex-boyfriend/on again off again boyfriend is in this one, and he is from the book Spare Me in the series, so after getting this little bit with him now I want to go back and read that one again! I loved the texting conversations between Emily and Quinn, and laughed so hard on the day he followed her around trying to get her to take his dare, but then he turned and ran so fast when she mentioned needing a Sip & Bitch with her friends. I loved how all the significant others of her friends, and these are all the guys, were so into decorating with glitter and crafting. I want to hang out with these characters so bad!

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
Narrator: Kelsey Navarro Foster
Published by Spotify Audiobooks on October 1, 2024
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance
Length: 04:24
Source: Audible Plus
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads
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Also by this author: The Love Hypothesis, Under One Roof , Stuck with You
My Rating:

4 hours, 24 minutes
An enemies-to-lovers spicy romance set in the world of video gaming from the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis—available only in audio!
Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, a.k.a. her arch-nemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her–and Viola has no idea why.
When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.
But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.

My Review:

This was another fun novella from Hazelwood. Very steamy. A lot of the same storyline/issues as her other books, specifically the whole misunderstanding/miscommunication that led to her thinking he hated her because of the way he acted around her even when he really was in love with her but had reasons to stay away he thought. I did enjoy the whole video game aspect, based on a book series that sounded like one that would be a good read! There was still the author’s normal humorous characters and dialogue and banter as usual. One line about “being in good faith, but still going to bitch and moan about it” I loved because yeah, I’ll do what I’m supposed to, but might still complain. If you’re okay with the basically same storyline – but with new characters and a bit of a different setting, then you’ll enjoy this one too.

Voyager (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon

Voyager Series: Outlander #3
by Diana Gabaldon
Published by Dell on October 26, 1994
Genres: Adult Historical Romance
Pages: 1059
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
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Also in this series: The Spring Girls, Outlander , The Silence that Binds Us, Dragonfly in Amber
Also by this author: Outlander , Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other, Dragonfly in Amber
My Rating:

From the author of the breathtaking bestsellers Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, the extraordinary saga continues.
Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.
Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her...the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite—or forever doom—her timeless love.

My Review:

Technically I started this two years ago. But with new episodes out, and so many review books to read, I only got to this every once in a while. I finally finished the last 100-200 pages this year. What I love about reading the book AFTER I’ve watched the show, is that I can compare what the differences are without being mad like I am when I’ve read and loved a book before a movie or show comes out. So may of the differences were very interesting, and all added to the story that I love from the show. Some differences have to do with how Jenny treated. Claire when she came back, Claire actually meets Lord John Grey on the boat that she gets kind of kidnapped to treat the sickness, and Jamie gets caught by them as well! Other differences include an extra character on the island when Claire has to jump off the ship, as well as more with pirates and when they end up with the slave that they set free. Also in the book I think it was Grey who told Claire about Jamie’s son, and not Jamie himself. One thing that stayed basically the same, and I love that it was that way, was Fergus and Marsali’s wedding. The questions the priest asked about if she still wanted to marry him even though he was missing a hand, and then asking if he had another body part, and saying he couldn’t marry someone without that. I just finished rewatching season 4, so I think I’m ready to pick up book 4 and see how long it will take me to get through that one!

Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala

Arsenic and Adobo Series: Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #1
by Mia P. Manansala
Published by Berkley on May 4, 2021
Genres: Adult Cozy Mystery
Pages: 307
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads
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My Rating:

The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer….
When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.
With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

My Review:

I have wanted to read this for a long time. Of course the dachshund on the cover got me interested at first. I bought it from Book of the Month Club around the time it first came out. Then I gave it to my mom because I thought she would like to read it and I wasn’t sure when I was going to get to it. She gave it back to me without reading it. My thoughts about that could be a whole other post, and now I’ve got to go add a new discussion idea. I enjoyed the tiny bit of romance and how it played into the cultural tradition of aunties trying to set up all the young ones. I loved the food, and love that the author put recipes in the back, even though I know I’m too lazy to probably ever fix them, I’d love to go have someone who is a good cook make it for me! The mystery was good, several twists I didn’t see coming even if it was kind of obvious who the murderer probably was for the first person that died. My only complaint? Not enough of the dachshund, Longganisa, lol.

Constituent Service: A Third District Story by John Scalzi

Constituent Service: A Third District Story by John Scalzi
Narrator: Amber Benson
Published by Audible Originals on October 3, 2024
Genres: Adult Science Fiction
Length: 02:30
Source: Audible
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads
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Also by this author: The Kaiju Preservation Society, Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas, Lock In
My Rating:

The aliens are here . . . and they want municipal services!
Ashley Perrin is fresh out of college and starting a job as a community liaison for the Third District—the city’s only sector with more alien residents than humans. Ashley’s barely found where the paper clips are kept when she’s beset with constituent complaints–from too much noise at the Annual Lupidian Celebration Parade to a trip-and-fall chicken to a very particular type of alien hornet that threatens the very city itself.
And if that’s not terrifying enough, Ashley is next up at the office karaoke night.
It's Parks and Recreation meets the Federation of Planets in this fast and funny audio exclusive by Hugo Award winner and Audible best seller John Scalzi.

My Review:

I had just a little time while I was waiting on John Scalzi’s next book to be released so I fit this one in at the end of the week before spring break. It was a quick, fun story! Amber Benson does a good job narrating. There was a bit of talk about a sex store for aliens, and that played into the solution to the problem in the end, so I gave it a 1 flame rating. A quick fun listen if you enjoy Scalzi’s books!

Hold the Pickle (The Pickle Cousins #3) by J.J. Knight

Hold the Pickle: A Roommate Rom Com Series: The Pickle Cousins #3
by J.J. Knight
on March 14, 2025
Genres: Adult Romantic Comedy
Pages: 258
Source: Purchased
Format: Newsletter serial, Paperback
Goodreads
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Also in this series: Salty Pickle
Also by this author: Big Pickle: A Secret Boss Romantic Comedy, Hot Pickle, Tasty Mango
My Rating:

Sharing a one-bedroom studio apartment the size of a postage stamp with a sexy stranger is not my brightest idea.

I need sleep, not temptation.
I’m a first-year intern at South General Hospital, and when I’m not working twenty-four hour shifts of pure emergency room adrenaline, I need a bed. A good one.
This stranger and I already have a history. We got into such a brawl competing for the first apartment we both looked at that the manager kicked us both out. Nobody got it. Now there is only one furnished place left in our part of LA.
We both want it, so we strike a deal. We’ll share.
She gets the ultra-comfy mattress during the night while I’m at the hospital.It’s mine when she’s at work at her family’s deli chain.No problem, right?
Except one evening I get sent home early after a devastating shift, and it turns out Nadia knows a thing or two about handling a crisis. And once I sleep with her cuddled in my arms, I know I’m in trouble.
Because after we share the only bed in our place, there is no holding anything back.—Hold the Pickle is an unexpected roommate romantic comedy about a hot doctor, a deli worker, and the six cats she’s hiding under the bed. It’s a funny, steamy, heartfelt part of the Top 100 Pickleverse, but you do not have to read any other books before this one. You can begin your wild adventure with the Pickle family right here.

My Review:

So I actually started this one way back with the author’s newsletter last fall when she gave us a chapter a week! She did have some changes that she went back and redid the beginning, so it wasn’t until this past month it was complete. She usually doesn’t send the last few chapters in the newsletter, although she does send the Patreon members the e-book for free. But I adored the cover and the goodies in the box and ordered my own copy to finish it up. So I finished those last few chapters the last week of March. I’m more of a dog than a cat person, but the kittens were adorable in this and so they made for a fun addition to the book. The ending was good, not too dramatic, although maybe a tiny bit anticlimactic for me? But still I enjoyed it and can’t wait for more of the Pickle family! Here’s a picture of the book box that I got when I ordered it, and the link to order if you want it yourself: https://lovestorybox.com/products/hold-the-pickle-book-box

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