Mini Book Reviews – July 2023: What To Read & What To Skip

Welcome to my regular round up of mini book reviews for July 2023! There’s a book coming in August that everyone should read! Plus a few of my standard romance recommendations that you’re guaranteed to love.

In my list of mini book reviews, I include everything I’ve read recently that I finished.  I like to share both my five star reads and any misses to help you get a better idea of what you should read or might want to skip.

As always, I love to hear if you agree or disagree with my ratings! Let me know in the comments what you thought of my July 2023 mini book reviews.

 

 

 

The True Love Experiment

by Christina Lauren

I always get a teensy bit nervous when my favorite authors release a new book. What if it’s not as amazing as their others!? What if I’m disappointed? Thankfully Christina Lauren ALWAYS live up to expectations! The True Love Experiment is another smash.

A romance author takes on a version of “The Bachelorette” but finds herself more drawn to her producer than any of the men on her show! I am a sucker for The Bachelorette so putting a romance novelist (and all her favorite tropes) in that situation was a blast to read.

Fun Fact – If you snag the Target exclusive edition, you’ll get a bonus chapter!! | 5 Stars | Buy At Amazon | Buy At Target!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legends and Lattes

by Travis Baldree

Don’t scroll past because of this cover!! Yes, this book takes place in a high fantasy world, but it’s not the typical action adventure fantasy story you’d expect! This is essentially a small town women’s fiction / cozy romance and I couldn’t have been more surprised at how much I adored it!!

Now, I love fantasy so the setting didn’t take me by surprise. But I had no idea an author could take this type of world and turn it into a sweet story about a woman trying to simply start a new life as a cafe owner! You do not have to love fantasy to enjoy this, I promise! But if you do, the unique cast of characters and elements of high fantasy living will be a bonus. | 5 Stars | Buy At Amazon | Buy At Target

 

 

 

 

 

The Nanny

by Lana Ferguson

Bring on the STEAM!! This sexy romance novel has off the charts levels of sexual tension! The new nanny for an incredibly hot single dad is obsessed with her new boss but knows without a doubt nothing can come of it. Until she notices the way he starts to look longingly at her too.

One night though, she recognizes a mark on his body and realizes he was was her biggest supporter of her now-closed OnlyFans account…She’ll never risk the relationship she’s developing with the little girl to pursue him so she keeps their past a secret. It’s only a matter of time before he finds out and things turn all sorts of steamy!  4 Stars |  Buy At Amazon | Buy At Target

 

 

 

 

As always, I recommend using Libro.fm if you’re an audiobook listener!! Libro.fm directly supports indie bookstores, but costs the same as Amazon’s Audible! You can get 2 audiobooks for only $15 with my link and code CHOOSEINDIE.

 

 

Love, Theoretically

by Ali Hazelwood

I don’t know how she does it, but Ali Hazelwood writes one incredible STEM romance novel after another! Plus, they are EXCELLENT on audio!!

Elsie is grinding away in the horrifying world of adjunct professors when the opportunity of a lifetime comes up. Unfortunately, her nemesis and theoretical physicist hater is part of the hiring team. To complicate matters, he also turns out to be the older brother of the guy she’s fake dating…

These two are destined to clash, but he sees through her and challenges her in a way no one else has. When truths start to be revealed, they realize first impressions may not be quite accurate.  4 Stars  | Listen On Amazon | Listen On Libro.fm

 

 

 

 

Same Time Next Summer

by Annabel Monaghan

This popped up on my radar because I loved Monaghan’s last novel, Nora Goes Off Script! Normally I’m not a huge fan of second chance romances, but this completely charmed me!

Sam cautiously heads back to her family’s beach house with her fiancé to scope out a wedding venue and introduce him to the best parts of her life growing up. Shockingly, she discovers Wyatt is back too. The boy who broke her heart at 17 and hasn’t talked to her since…

As the summer progresses, Sam can’t help but feel there’s unfinished business between them. She’s hoping to get the closure she needs to move forward with Jack, but Wyatt opens her eyes to all the ways her life isn’t as perfect as she thinks.  4.5 Stars | Listen On Amazon | Listen On Libro.fm

 

 

 

 

eBooks:

 

 

Hello Stranger

by Katherine Center

Remember that potential disappointment I was talking about with my favorite authors’ new books earlier? It happened with this book. Sadly, Hello Stranger was lacking the emotional punch and deep connection I normally feel with Katherine Center’s part women’s fiction part romance novels.

Portrait artist, Sam, is astonished when she wakes up from brain surgery and discovers she can no longer see faces. The doctor’s assure her the condition will pass when swelling goes down, but she’s got a lifechanging competition in a few weeks and needs to be able to paint!

As she readjusts to this strange new life, two men weave their way into her heart in very different ways but she can’t get a handle on what she really wants. At the end of her rope, Sadie starts to reconsider her former aspirations, first impressions, and even her distant family and discovers some things are not as they seem.  | 3.5 Stars | Amazon | Buy At Target