I read The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore by Laurie Gilmore a little while ago, but I’ve been saving this review because… well, some books just deserve a proper gush. This one was every bit as sweet, comforting, and quietly empowering as I hoped.
Think: hidden messages tucked inside well-loved books, a charming fisherman with a long-standing crush, and a heroine who begins to see that her ‘ordinary’ life might actually be something special. Hazel and Noah’s scavenger hunt through Dream Harbor delivers heart, humour, and a slow-burn romance that absolutely hits the spot.
If you adored The Pumpkin Spice Café, this next slice of Dream Harbor life is just as satisfying—and yes, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is already queued up on my shelf. 📖💛
QOTD: Have you read this series? If not, are you a fan of ridiculously overly sweet small town settings? Or do you prefer a bit less kitsch tweeness and a bit more grit and reality?
#TheCinnamonBunBookstore #DreamHarbor #CosyMystery #RomanceReaders #Bookish #OppositesAttract #SmallTownRomance #Bookstagram
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🎩 Victorian Spice! 🌶️🌶️🌶️
We need to talk about Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters. I recently reread this to review it, and I can really see why it’s a modern classic.
Victorian sapphic yearning? Theatre girls, forbidden love, first heartbreak? Yes please.
Nan’s journey from oyster parlour to the London stage is rich with drama, identity, and emotional intensity. The romance is gorgeously complicated, the spice is moderate-but-powerful 🌶️ and the gender performance theme? 🤌
It dragged a little in the second half, but I didn’t mind. Still a solid 4 stars from me.
If you’re into historical LGBTQ+ fiction with heart, heat, and heartbreak—this one’s for you.
QOTD: Do you enjoy romance more when it simmers in secret—or burns out in the open? ❤🔥
#TippingTheVelvet #SarahWaters #QueerReads #HistoricalRomance #BookReview #SapphicFiction #LGBTQ #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #Bookish
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So I may have fallen headfirst into another hockey romance… and I regret nothing. 🏒🔥
Pucking Around With a Grumpy Billionaire by Haley Storm is hitting all the right spots: grumpy NHL bad boy + small-town nurse + forced proximity = absolute catnip. The banter? Excellent. The tension? Delicious. Easton Hunter? Unreasonably hot.
#HockeyRomance #GrumpySunshine #SmallTownLove #RomanceReads #CurrentlyReading #PuckingAroundWithAGrumpyBillionaire #SpicyBooks #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #Bookish @HaleyStormRomance
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Last year I developed a FIERCE obsession with the Lady Eleanor Swift cosy mystery series. Book 1 was okay, but book two was 🤌. I gave it ★★★★★ because honestly? This series is pure 1920s cosy mystery joy, and this one hit all the right notes.
There’s a masked ball, a murder, and Eleanor’s current love interest caught red-handed (literally—with a candlestick, no less). The plot is a bit bonkers in the best way, but that’s half the fun. It leans hard into the cosy tropes and somehow makes them feel fresh, cheeky, and completely addictive.
💃 Murder at a Masquerade
🔍 Amateur Sleuth Chaos
🎭 High Society Shenanigans
🧁 Tea, Cake & A Side of Scandal
🐶 Bulldog Sidekick (Gladstone is elite)
🕵️♂️ Grumpy Inspector Slow Burn
🧠 Slightly Too Much Foreshadowing (but you’ll love it)
Also, Clifford. The butler. The MVP of the series. Witty, dry, loyal, and 100% done with Eleanor’s antics at all times. This book is basically a murder mystery wrapped in champagne bubbles, and I devoured it. Add an adorable canine companion and clearly I was going to be obsessed!
If you’re in the mood for something light, sharp, and gleefully dramatic—go queue this one up. Preferably with biscuits.
Check out the full review on my blog (I`ll post the link in my stories!)
#Bookstagram #MysteryBooks #CozyMystery #HistoricalFiction #AmateurSleuth #Whodunit #BookReview #Bibliophile #Bookish
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The Viscount Who Loved Me still stands out as one of my favourite Bridgerton books. Not quite a five star read, but close. It’s such a great mix of romance, rivalry, and Regency chaos. Solid ★★★★☆ with a 🌶️🌶️ spice rating—ideal if you love enemies to lovers and slow burns with sharp banter.
Anthony Bridgerton is on a mission to marry for convenience—not love. Kate Sheffield? Not having it. What follows is a sizzling, banter-filled battle of wills that blossoms into one of the most iconic slow-burns in historical romance.
💘 Enemies to Lovers
🏡 Forced Proximity
🏑 Pall Mall (a.k.a. Regency croquet with emotional damage)
💬 Witty Banter Goals
👩❤️👨 He falls hard. She makes him work for it.
🌸 Less spice than the Netflix series, but ALL the chemistry.
A classic romance full of heart, humour, and high society hijinks. If you loved the Bridgerton show, the book gives you deeper character insight—and yes, the Pall Mall scene is even better in print.
Check out my full review on the blog (I`ll post the link in my stories!).
#Bridgerton #JuliaQuinn #EnemiesToLovers #RegencyRomance #Bookstagram #RomanceReader #BookReview
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After a reading ban in March while I finished writing Nightshade, April was a huge relief! More than I’ve managed in a month for ages 😮 Mixed bag, a couple of huge disappointments- the first REAL DUD in the Lady Eleanor Swift series, so bad I almost DNF! Some hidden gems too 💚📚
QOTD: How many books did you read in April?
#Bookish #ReadingWrapUp #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #Bookworm #AmReading
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The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde was a 3.5/5 ⭐️ read for me an a bit of a disappointment.
Gritty magic, monster politics, and a desperate thief? I was sold. This urban romantasy throws you into a post-apocalyptic New York dripping with eerie atmosphere and danger around every corner.
Kierse is a scrappy, chaotic heroine you root for. Graves is the grumpy, brooding warlock who almost gives the romance what it needs. The worldbuilding? Delicious. The pacing and chemistry? A bit undercooked. But honestly?
🌟 Bonus points for just being so damn beautiful. This cover is everything. 🌿🖤
🧵 Think:
• Grumpy/Sunshine
• Forced Alliance
• Heist Gone Wrong
• Found Family Potential
• One sexy, simmering warlock with secrets
🌶️ Spice level: basically none. Some hints and tension, but if you`re here for steam, this one`s more sizzle than scorch.
I’ll still grab book two — the world has so much potential, and I want more from these characters. Just please, let that slow burn actually burn next time.
Check out my full review on the blog: https://briarblack.com/the-wren-in-the-holly-library-ka-linde/
QOTD: Last book that REALLY didn`t live up to the hype for you?
#Romantasy #UrbanFantasy #TheWrenInTheHollyLibrary #KALinde #BookReview #GrumpySunshine #FantasyRomance #ThatCoverAlone
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When the postman rocks up with an accidental purchase and all work stops…
QOTD: paint it or leave it white? AND if paint, green or gold?
#Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #Shelfie #Bookish #Bookworm #BookLover #RomanceReads
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Writing a book is a labour of love. Editing one… kinda feels like Dante added an extra circle just for you 🤯 Today was a fiddly day of fact checking, tightening for pacing improvements and WAY too much time on Pinterest looking at witchy cottage Inspo … even though we only visit the witchy cottage once… I’m just really loving the earthy cottagecore vibes 🤣 #RomanceBooks #RomanticSuspense #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #RomanceGirlies #CottageCore #AmWriting
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