No Axe to Grind by Annie Carlisle

Rating:

4 Stars

Themes:

Romance, Small Town, Dual POV, Grumpy/Sunshine

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I know Carlisle can do small town romances well but this one was a step up with the stuck in the cabin too. I loved the dogs and how well their characters shone through and it added to the snowy cabin days and the feeling of homeliness (despite being so far from Tessa’s home). I also really liked Tessa’s character with the clumsiness and jokes about romcoms, it made her feel so much like the kind of person I often am and know so many of. I did like Gage and the parts from his POV to help understand him more and I was rooting for them as a couple by the end too.

Favourite Quote:

“Because love doesn't come around every day. And when it does when it looks like a grumpy mountain man with kind eyes and chainsaw-carved furniture and dogs that fall in love with you instantly-you don't walk away.

You fight.

And this time, I'm going to fight.”

With thanks to Booksirens for my advanced digital copy of this book.

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

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Porn is Not Sex Ed! by Jessica Melendez

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

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