bookmarkedtbr's reviews
376 reviews

Listen, I went into this book knowing it was about a woman who ended up living with a p*rn star but I had zero idea about the entire business venture. Rosie Danan did an amazing job capturing these characters and writing about a cultural t*boo with grace.

The reactions to this book further prove the necessity of its existence. I've been reading romance for over 5 years and I've read it all from the YA crushes to the raunchiest er*tica, yet the scenes of Clara in the auditions and then during filming had me blushing and looking away. What about women's pleasure is society so scared of that we are conditioned to never talk or think about it? It was an eye opener not only for me personally, but also the wider romance genre and how we perceive and consume "spicy" content. 

I really love that throughout the entire story, Josh's profession is never seen as dirty or seedy. Even when Josh thinks that Clara is having second thoughts about sleeping together because of his profession, he assumes it's because she thinks he can only do those things in front of a camera, not that she's scared about STDs. This had to have been a very intentional choice on Rosie's part, and I applaud her for it. To debut with a book that is so s*x positive and still in 2024 incredibly progressive, is impressive and inspiring. 

This novel is both a well-crafted romance and a compelling look at s*x and pleasure in our current time.

Quotes:
-“Wild looks good on you,” Josh said, and this time when he put his hands on her he didn’t hold back.
-Offering to help her out had felt more like a religious calling than a job.
-All he knew was that he always wanted her to be happy. When she smiled or laughed, he felt powerful and good. If something hurt her, he wanted to Hulk smash.
-If Clara wasn’t careful, an evening like this could get her tipsy on its potential.
-The idea that Clara wasn’t desirable, wasn’t inherently lovable, made him irrationally furious. Josh didn’t claim extraordinary intelligence, but Everett Bloom was a first-degree fool.
-“I think you might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
-His molecules had rearranged to give him this shot at loving her.
-“Change always comes with a closing cost,” Naomi said. “But it’s still worth trying. Not because the odds are particularly good, mind you, but considering the alternative. There’s value in the struggle. Value in touching the raw and bloody parts of our souls, opening them up to the sunlight, and hoping they heal.”
-Tonight he would issue a proper declaration. One that...told Clara how she made him want to recite epic poems. If she’d let him, he’d do his best to lay cities at her feet, to sail for fourteen years only to find his way back to her bed.
-*insert chapter 35 to the end because the entire thing is incredible* going to make these as spoilers as it is the end of the book

-The very idea of loving Everett suddenly struck Clara as ridiculous. A wannabe rock star living off his daddy’s money who forgot to return her phone calls. She didn’t need Everett Bloom with his cleft chin and his Ray-Bans and his halfhearted apologies. What an embarrassing catalyst for her fall from grace. It’s amazing how wrong you can be about a person. About yourself.
-“I think you’re right.” Everett had eclipsed her ambition, her drive, her hunger, all of the things that she now loved most about herself. All the things Josh celebrated. “I think I loved my idea of love. Of passion and partnership. Of someone else’s hand in mine. My name on the lips of a man who wanted me. I craved certainty. The excitement and reassurance of knowing who I was coming home to at the end of the day.”
-Honestly, so what if people knew she’d invested in promoting women’s pleasure? For twenty-seven years she’d held a nearly perfect record, and all it had landed her was a life she could walk away from at the drop of a hat. Maybe it was her Wheaton blood, or falling head over heels for the last person she’d expected, but somehow, some way, Clara had finally developed a taste for scandal.
-Loving you is like sinking into a warm bath after a lifetime of feeling cold down to my bones.”
-“My love for you isn’t an addiction. Being with you doesn’t provide some warped sense of validation for my life. You were never a fling I had to get out of my system. Our love feels like . . . freedom. The kind people give their lives for.”
-He sat, stupefied at his good fortune. In a thousand lifetimes, he’d never get enough of Clara. Of her optimism and her nerve. Of her desperate kisses and faith that people were worth fighting for.
-“There are a lot of terrifying women in my life right now, but I don’t care,” Josh said. “Because when I look at you, Clara, it’s like a rabid beast inside me sits back on its haunches and sighs, Finally.

This was the book I didn't even realize I've been waiting for since I moved from reading mostly YA to mostly Romance. The amount of nostalgia I felt while reading a book that I've never read before and doesn't represent my life at all is astonishing. I was falling in love with a new story and new characters while also re-experiencing the love I found for books as I met the Gallagher Girls a lifetime ago. I'm honestly emotional just typing that. 

This story was adventurous, funny, and full of hope. The characters were fantastic and I need more of them asap. The story pulled me along effortlessly, making me wonder what would happen next and when the other shoe would drop. Because despite the high stakes Ally Carter created at the beginning, if you know anything about her books, you know there's always a twist coming. And boy, I enjoyed the ride. 

I had nothing to do with the creation of this story, yet it somehow feels like the story of my heart? It feels like a love letter to all of the Gallagher Girls that grew up and found their places in the world, but kept a small piece of their heart full of the courage and connection they found in the halls of the Gallagher Academy. 

This book was cute. Very lighthearted and a few giggles. I enjoyed it as a little breather between heavier books that I’ve been reading. It’s very pregnancy-focused which made me think about how many OVs I read that don’t really talk about that component even though that’s supposed to be the drive to even form packs. The conflict itself was light and it was easy to breeze through this book. It did a good job at what it set out to do, but I’m not sure this will make it to my reread rotation. 

This book really threw me in the deep end (literally and emotionally) right from the beginning. My heart ached for Emma and the utter hopelessness, longing, and loneliness that she started this book with. I wanted to give her the biggest hug and tell her everything was going to be okay. It was such a pleasure watching as that became true. 

I read this book in a day because every time I went to put it down to do something else, I wouldn't stop thinking about it until I picked it back up. I was so engrossed in their story, I didn't even realize that so much of the day had passed by, until I finished and saw that it was 10pm! 

Things I Loved:
-The group texts were so funny. I could read an entire novella of them.
-When the guys found Emma in her car, I was screeching. Especially when Zane showed up in his...outfit. 
-Not Gunnar running into the house and into that scene!!! I gasped.
-Getting a deep look into each of the alphas individually was amazing and so necessary. Ari Wright does a fantastic job rounding out all of her characters and making them come alive. I feel like I could run into any of these pack members in real life. 
-The constant reassurance the guys gave Emma was honestly healing. To be so loved and adored and cherished??? We can only hope to receive such open and true love.

Things I would have loved to see:
-Theo apologizing to Emma. I know their relationship isn't the focus of this book, but since Theo is a character we fell in love with during another book, a bit of groveling from him (and his pack, honestly) would have been appreciated.
-I wanted to see the baby!! I kept waiting for the baby to be mentioned at the end, but alas. It just felt like such a big deal at the beginning that Meg was pregnant and then there wasn't any closure.
-There were a few loose emotional ends with the guys. Some of their emotional journey was implied, especially at the end, and I don't know, it just felt like a scene was missing?

Overall, I give this book 5 stars because I literally couldn't put it down. The characters, the emotions, and the story progression were so enthralling, I just had to keep reading. Watching 4 strangers come together because of their need to care for and love one woman was truly special to watch unfold. 

FMC
Emma - teacher, full of light and energy, incredibly optimistic, a bit of a klutz, caring and open hearted

MMCs
Knox - loner Mountain Man, wants someone to love but doesn't believe he's worth it, cuts wood for the fireplace by hand with his shirt open
Gunnar - hockey player on the same team as Emma's brother, dates around, grieving his mother, scared to let anyone in
Micah - firefighter in a small mountain town, strong physically & emotionally, supportive, caring, selfless
Zane - suggestive TikTok chef, easygoing, confident, wants to be a part of something bigger than himself

High spice rating, going through a heat, MMFMM group, some MM

Quotes:
-For once, I want someone to need me so much they can’t fathom not having me.
-Kissing Emma is ten-thousand volts, electrifying my blood. It’s remembering what it’s like to want. And wish. And maybe, for a second, believe.
-But with Emma? She smiles, and my soul snaps to attention. She laughs, and my lungs stop working.
-“I am rapidly devolving into an absolute simp.”
-“You feel so good, Em. I think I’ve been missing you since before I even met you.”
-I belong wherever she needs me.