scoodle42's reviews
758 reviews

Hiram and Ximena have a serendipitous meeting in the park, thanks to her dog Homer and the sparks are instant. Can you meet your soulmate on a whim?

This was a smooth and easy love story, where you got experience the couple in full and I loved every second of it. This book was engaging, captivating, and just plain good. The way you could feel and sense the chemistry is a testament to the author's amazing pen and storytelling ability. I love that this book took me on a journey with them. Two artists, showing each other the parts the rest of the world don't see, and falling deeper with every reveal. I love that Ximena was a dog mommy and then they became a family, lol. Hiram's constant support and encouragement gave me so many emotions, and Ximena's humor and heart were the stars of the show. The supporting cast was great--KB knows how to write a loving family. I love how Hiram and Ximena took their time, but still didn't hold back. They made space for one another and it was patient and intentional. Oh, and the Jareau cameo was nice too. Wonderful book.

Daevon and Nijea are gamers who follow each other's social media and unbeknownst to each other, both are harboring a secret crush. When Daevon says he's sending the weekend in her city, Nijea gets brave and offers to show him around. But Daevon surprises her with plans of his own.

This was such a cute story. Very sweet, but rooted in something we all recognize. I love the gamer aspect and the way the two of them really paid attention to each other. Daevon following her Twitter and doing the things she liked was a great date idea and I love when a man shows initiative. Nijea was a great character, reaching for her goals and independent to a fault, but accepting help with grace and embracing her family's love. I love that Daevon had just as big a crush on her as she had on him and saw her as the one to be cherished and sought after. They were pretty sexy too. I also loved how the story ended on a HEA that was real, with them navigating the long distance, but committed to staying together. Such a sweet story.

Selah is piecing her life back together after leaving an abusive relationship and using the SoulBlend app to find fun, casual dating partners to complete her list of new experiences. Then she meets her neighbor Greyson, owner and developer of SoulBlend who, after a failed marriage, believes in happily ever after for everyone else, but not for himself. And the two meet in an elevator, and the spark is instant.

This was a very sexy, sometimes irreverent, good time. It was so super cute and very fun. Selah is neurodivergent and risk averse, but so brave and so very aware. I loved her spirit, loved how playful and quirky she was. Her fears were real, and easy to understand and I loved to see her make strides. Greyson was the stuff book boyfriends are made of. Not just fine and smooth with his delivery, but self-aware and pretty emotionally intelligent. Watching him rebuild his faith in himself was very enjoyable. He falls first, it's very obvious and he is down bad--him and his dog, lol. I loved them blending families with their pets. The banter was really great. The book had short chapters and a really rhythmic cadence so it was an easy read. Selah and Greyson peeled back layers and I love how they got to know each other, learned each other, and fell into a comfortable routine with each other. I love the glimpses of Greyson's culture, and that the author provided a key. I also loved Selah's love of music and how it was so deeply personal to her. The incorporation of family and friends was pretty well done.

This book was super hot and Greyson's Dom energy paired with Selah's bratty personality was so good. I like the passion between them and love that it was so potent, and believable. They were overdosing on "good girl" just a tiny bit, but I still loved the way they connected physically. The edging, and the use of toys showed diversity in the sex scenes--I enjoyed that. And I enjoyed watching them fall apart for each other. The way Greyson fed her desires, indulged her, and kept himself unselfish was beautiful. I also love the way he was eager to learn from her; a good man knows what he doesn't know.

I will say that the internal monologues were sometimes a bit of a ramble, and there were places where I thought the showing vs. telling was off (places where the conversation was described instead of just writing the actual dialogue). Also, while I enjoyed the steady normalness that Greyson's friends offered, Selah's friend group sometimes felt like the author was trying too hard to make them "quirky,' or "eccentric." I didn't really vibe with them. Also, for Selah to be so risk averse and working so hard to create boundaries, her insistence on continuing to date (or at least using the app to date) seemed counterintuitive considering she wasn't having fun, and kept getting treated poorly. I found myself wondering why she bothered. The only other point of contention was the "fake girlfriend" angle for Greyson's ex's wedding. At that point, they were actively seeing each other. I didn't understand why they defined it as a "fake" date when they were actually dating. That part didn't make sense.

Overall, I enjoyed this so much and I love Selah and Greyson. Good job. Thank you to the author and Good Girls PR for the ARC and the opportunity to review

Prynceton is drawn to Safari, even though she's pregnant, even though he can have any woman he wants with far less complication, even though she has secrets in her eyes. He's pulled to her and he can't stay away, so there's no other choice but to fall, and make sure she falls with him.

Let's start this by saying Prynceton Masters is not well. In the head. Out of his mind in the best way. I had such a good time with him. Y'all know T'Lyn can write her a quick tempered hothead with a slick ass mouth. And Prynceton is HIM. He's wild and unhinged, but his love is true and it's real. He latched on to Safari and wanted to make her pain go away. We love a stepdaddy and he stepped UP, okay? I loved his protective edge, both about his brothers and about Safari and the baby. He didn't hesitate--he was intentional and made his presence known. And felt. And when he found out who hurt Safari and how, he was on GO. He didn't want her to be scared a second more than she had to, and that captured me.

Safari was a warrior. Fierce in her own way. Strong enough to withstand what she'd been through and brave enough to open herself up to feel Prynceton's love. She gave as good as she got, but she recognized family. I loved that this was the first real relationship for both of them. It balanced them in a way to be each other's first loves. I loved the way the Masters built a forcefield around her. Nan was the funniest character and the way she gave Safari twenty different names had me laughing out loud. This was a great read.

Rhythm thought she had the perfect relationship. But now the fame is going to his head and she's feeling neglected and disrespected. On a whim, she has a one night stand with Channing, and finds herself drawn to him. And he's ready and willing. But he's closer to her ex man than she knows.

So in typical Kimberly Brown fashion, this was written very well. You felt Rhythm's struggle to give her boyfriend the benefit of the doubt and the sadness in her when she realized she couldn't anymore. You also felt Channing's single minded focus and his resolve to live his life on his own terms. He decided what he wanted and went after it, in every aspect, Rhythm included. I loved his character simply because I love when a man is self-aware and intentional. He made his presence known and made sure it was felt. Rhythm fell a little flat for me only because she was obviously smart and worldly, but still seemed naive when it came to the expectations of her man and relationship. It felt like some of the things that took her by surprise, she should have expected to happen, imo. Also there are places where she's unsure about her direction romantically, which I understood, but it felt like the book was trying to give love triangle vibes which aren't my personal preference. Still very enjoyable because of the author.

Kasyre Masters just wants to be treated like a grown man. He wants to make his music and his own decisions. While signing autographs after a successful show, he's swept away by a woman. But then someone tries to hurt him, and he loses track of her. But not for long.

Let me say that I love the way Kasyre matured from beginning of the story to the end. He showed and proved. He did misstep at the end by not telling Dior about his issues, but at least she found out AFTER he resolved it. I loved the way he loved on Ari and adjusted because Dior was a mother. He was focused on what he wanted the entire time. He wasn't flighty or inconsistent or overly pressed in that clingy way. He was a great character and the mistakes he made were ones that given his age, you could understand. Dior was so well rounded. I liked her relationship with her daughter and father. And I liked how she kept the peace until she couldn't, and focused on Ari's comfort. Even when dealing with Constance she remained poised, but got her point across. The Masters family was a great supporting cast and I loved the way this story unfolded. 

The only thing that gave me pause was Kasyre's age. I don't mind an age gap at all, and the size of the gap wasn't an issue either. But 21 is still so young to me, so unsure. Maybe *my* age is making 21 feel so young to me but legal age doesn't mean you're an adult in my mind and he made so many permanent decisions to be only two years out of his teens. Dating a woman 31 felt like too much. I think if she were a couple of years younger or he was a few years older, you would still get the gap but I'd feel more comfortable with it. I still loved the book though.

Ren is back in her small hometown, checking in with family. She meets Dominique in a hotel bar and they have a one night stand. Dominique is a true romantic who knows she's found someone special in Ren, but Ren can't afford to get involved and she definitely won't stay. But then she finds out she and Dominique will be seeing each other again, whether she wants it or not.

This book had a good premise, but it fell flat in some places for me. Ren, although honest about situation, still could have treated Dominique with more care and I didn't like how she behaved. She made it up at the end, but by then I was barely rooting for them anymore. I loved Dom's belief in love and her romantic ways but she was a little too flighty; I thought her character needed more balance. The family drama overshadowed the romance of this in a lot of places and the reconciliation of Ren and her family didn't come with any acknowledgement of the mistreatment she faced for her sexuality or any acknowledgement of that being the reason she went away and stayed away and I felt like that was hanging. Overall, it was okay.

Young Elijah has a thing for Winifred. But Winnie has a calm life, a son in college, friends and her job. The last thing she needs is a man 12 years her junior. But Elijah doesn't give up easily, and he proves to be the missing piece Winifred didn't know she wanted.

Shoutout to my romcom queen, Nicole Falls! As a member of her Patreon I got to see this story come alive in real time and I love the sweet and funny way it unfolded. Elijah was so gentle, but so very firm. He was a grown man, who knew what he wanted and he stood on that the whole way. I love his consistency--it was the maturity his character needed and he glowed with it. He catered to Winifred, relaxed her, took care of her, yes--but he held no pretense and never stopped applying the pressure. Consistency is key and the author is smart enough to channel the needs of a woman in Winifred's position. Winnie held her own and imparted her wisdom without being overbearing. She lived her experience, but she didn't lord it over Elijah or leverage it against him. It was such a fun and gentle story and the two of them were as funny as they were passionate. The family issues and the struggles connecting them strengthened them and gave the story great emotional weight. I rooted for my man Elijah the whole way, lol. Loved it.

Gabe and Winter reunite in their hometown over Christmas, and the both of them are just glad to fall into something familiar after life pulled them away and then took them through it. But with both harboring secret feelings, can there finally be more?

Friends to lovers for the holidays is always a satisfying go-to and this was no different. Lots of family activity, good natured nosiness and Hallmark vibes. Gabe and Winter did dance around each other a little too much for me, but it was all normal to this kind of plot so I tried to be patient with it. Gabe having to work his way back after abandoning the friendship gave it some drama, and made some moments more interesting. Their secret fling and the fallout was unexpected but it fit in, although the aftermath felt awkward for such good friends. But it all worked out and I was glad Winter got what she needed after a let down like she had. The sweet holiday doting and vulnerability put some good heft into the story and it was sweet in a lot of places.

Tempest is celebrating her success and catering a platinum package dinner with a personal chef. But her friend has to cancel, leaving her to have dinner alone, except for the attractive chef cooking it.

I loved this short. Rilzy is really good in this lane. This was sexy and slow, even though the story wasn't that long. That's a talented pen. I like the way Russ took his time Tempest, and Tempest had the space she needed to feel comfortable and make her move. I love the way they conversed with each other, the way they moved with each other. Dinner and dessert. And left the door open for more. Very well done.