The Hot Shot by Cynthia Gunderson

Rating:

4 Stars

Themes:

Romance, Short Story, Firefighter Romance, Single Parent

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is my first Gunderson book and I wasn’t prepared for how cute it would be. First of all Colton is sooo cute and having a single dad romance may become one of my new favourite tropes because it led to both some really cute parenting moments and also some vulnerability I don’t often see in other romances. Rachel having to teach the firefighters pickleball after playing a competition with them is both cute and funny, showing the reality of social media lifestyles since we know they can play but the clips for socials don't. I also loved the water fight moment as it showed a cute and fun moment between the characters in the moment and then with Rachel editing and sharing the content later it gives us that moment with Jake’s reaction before showing how easily things can spiral when shared. Overall, I could feel the chemistry between Rachel and Jake (which was great after my last book where I couldn’t sense any for 300 pages). The book also handles grief well and it was great to see healthy male friendships being portrayed through the camaraderie with the firefighting family. I thought the ending was done in a unique way, it’s like a movie montage but with quick, time jumping chapters so we can see the development of the romance without extra details.

Favourite Quote:

“The urge to say something inspiring or somehow reassure him that it will be okay hits, but I swallow it. I hate when people do that. Sure, people are resilient and time does dull old wounds, but telling someone to look at the bright side is almost never the right answer in my experience.”

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

Rating: Stars Themes: Short Story, Cosy Mystery Thoughts: Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had to read this book, seeing it was available, after reading Pipers Piping and Puppies last year. I did read it as a standalone (it’s not the first time I’ve read a series out of order and likely won’t be the last) I managed to follow along fine although I’m sure I’d have understood the relationship dynamics better had I read it in the correct order. I found the story great and as for the mystery I was guessing myself right the way through until Sam figured it out. Sam is a strong female main character who feels worth investing in so I may have to go search some more of the Heywood Herbalist series out. I enjoyed seeing Sam interact with her friends as they had great chemistry and it felt real, and also really liked Sam’s interactions with Doug as it added another layer of humanity to her and reality to the town. I would love ...

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

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

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