Book Review: The Slow Burn by Ali Rosen
🐾🐾🐾🐾 — Some love stories aren’t rushed—they’re savored.
Review Date: January 18, 2026 | Release Date: January 27, 2026
The Slow Burn is a love letter to starting over—one plate of pasta, one shared glance, one unhurried choice at a time. Ali Rosen blends romance, food, and place into a story that feels both deeply comforting and quietly transformative.
Kit Roth arrives in Italy hollowed out by loss: a breakup, a burned-down restaurant, and a version of success that has turned to ash. What begins as a temporary escape—working in her best friend’s nonna’s kitchen—slowly becomes something far more grounding. Manciano isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a living, breathing force that reshapes Kit’s understanding of ambition, fulfillment, and what it means to belong.
Enter Nico Ruspoli, an olive oil producer whose calm presence and shared scars mirror Kit’s own journey. Their romance unfolds gently, rooted in routine and restraint rather than fireworks. This is chemistry built through shared meals, meaningful silences, and mutual respect—an emotional slow burn that feels earned at every turn.
What Rosen does exceptionally well is explore the tension between who we were and who we might become if we let ourselves choose differently. Food becomes a language of healing here: measuring less, tasting more, trusting instinct over perfection. The romance never overwhelms that message—it enhances it.
The Slow Burn is rich, atmospheric, and emotionally satisfying. It’s a reminder that sometimes the life you didn’t plan for—and the love you didn’t expect—can be the most nourishing of all.
Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: Chasing the Ring by Lauren Rowe
🐾🐾🐾🐾 — A runaway bride, a quarterback chasing more than a ring, and a vacation romance that refuses to stay temporary.
Review Date: January 18, 2026 | Release Date: January 27, 2026
Chasing the Ring is the kind of romance that feels like a deep exhale after heartbreak—sun-soaked, swoony, and unapologetically sexy, but grounded in real emotional growth. Lauren Rowe takes a high-stakes sports romance setup and flips it into something unexpectedly tender: a runaway bride who finally chooses herself, and an NFL quarterback who wants more than just the next win.
Iris Benedetto begins the story in spectacular fashion—her wedding implodes publicly, painfully, and very online. What follows isn’t just a rebound vacation; it’s a reclamation. Iris’s voice is sharp, funny, and disarmingly vulnerable as she sheds the version of herself shaped by other people’s expectations. Her impulsive decision to flee to Hawaii becomes the first brave step toward a life she actually wants.
Roman Maguire could’ve easily been written as the classic famous-athlete fantasy, but Rowe gives him depth and restraint. Yes, he’s successful and devastatingly charming, but he’s also thoughtful, deliberate, and motivated by something far more meaningful than fame: his son and the future he’s trying to build. The anonymity of the island allows Roman to just be—and the connection he forms with Iris is refreshingly mutual, playful, and honest.
The forced proximity setup is pure rom-com gold, and the chemistry between Iris and Roman sizzles from their very first interaction. What really elevates this story, though, is how seamlessly the spice is balanced with emotional stakes. The romance unfolds naturally, fueled by laughter, trust, and a growing sense that what started as “just for fun” might actually be something worth fighting for.
By the time real life intrudes—with secrets exposed and choices demanding consequences—Chasing the Ring asks a satisfying question: what happens when the fantasy ends, and do you still choose each other? The answer is heartfelt, hopeful, and deeply rewarding.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: A Shore Thing by Portia Macintosh
🐾🐾🐾🐾 — A fake island romance that turns into the real thing—no script required.
Review Date: January 18, 2026 | Release Date: January 26, 2026
Portia MacIntosh absolutely understands the magic formula of a rom-com: sharp banter, forced proximity, escalating chaos, and a romance that sneaks up on you when you least expect it. A Shore Thing delivers all of that with a glossy reality-TV twist and an irresistible island setting.
Cleo is firmly a behind-the-scenes woman—confident, controlled, and far more comfortable pulling strings than being on camera. Lockie, her infuriatingly charming co-casting producer, challenges her at every turn. Their clashing opinions and constant bickering make working together exhausting… and far more charged than either of them wants to admit.
When a tropical storm derails the launch of their hit dating show Welcome to Singledom, disaster strikes. With no contestants and cameras already rolling, Cleo and Lockie are forced to do the unthinkable: step in as a fake couple. Just for twenty-four hours. Just until the real singles arrive. Totally manageable… right?
What follows is a delicious mix of escalating tension, fake dating antics, and the kind of chemistry that refuses to stay scripted. Watching Cleo navigate being part of the drama she usually orchestrates is endlessly entertaining, while Lockie’s easy charm slowly reveals depth beneath the surface. Their enemies-to-lovers arc unfolds naturally, fueled by banter, shared vulnerability, and moments where the line between performance and reality starts to blur.
MacIntosh shines at blending humor with emotional beats. The island setting is sun-soaked and chaotic in the best way, while the reality-TV backdrop adds a clever layer of commentary about authenticity, perception, and what happens when the cameras stop rolling.
A Shore Thing is light, funny, and escapist—but it also delivers a satisfying emotional payoff that makes the romance feel earned. A perfect pick for readers who love fake dating, workplace rivals, and romances born out of absolute disaster.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: No Strings Attached by Christy McKellen
🐾🐾🐾🐾 — What starts as a no-strings fling in paradise might just turn into everything they never expected.
Review Date: January 17, 2026 | Release Date: January 23, 2026
No Strings Attached is a deliciously escapist rom-com that blends second-chance romance, luxe travel vibes, and just the right amount of emotional vulnerability. Set against the dreamy backdrop of Japan, Christy McKellen delivers a story that’s equal parts spicy holiday fling and heartfelt exploration of what happens when old feelings refuse to stay buried.
Chloe Dasher’s honeymoon plans may have imploded, but her decision to take the trip anyway feels instantly empowering. Enter Kit — her former college fling turned self-made billionaire — who just happens to be staying at the same impossibly romantic hotel while reeling from his own broken engagement. Their reunion crackles with unresolved chemistry, banter, and that delicious tension that comes from shared history.
The “revenge vacation” setup is pure rom-com gold. Chloe and Kit’s agreement to keep things casual feels logical, fun, and emotionally self-protective — which makes it all the more satisfying to watch those rules slowly unravel. McKellen excels at balancing heat with heart, giving readers flirty moments, indulgent settings, and quiet emotional beats that deepen the connection between these two.
What elevates this story beyond a simple holiday fling is the emotional honesty. Both characters are carrying heartbreak, and their journey isn’t just about rekindling attraction — it’s about learning to trust themselves again. Japan isn’t just a backdrop; it mirrors the story’s themes of reflection, healing, and fresh starts.
If you love destination romances, billionaire heroes with depth, and second-chance love stories that mix spice with genuine emotional payoff, No Strings Attached is a joyful, swoony escape you’ll want to savor.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review: Game Over by Bella North
🐾🐾🐾🐾 — A second-chance romance that proves sometimes losing everything is how you find home.
Review Date: January 17, 2026 | Release Date: January 22, 2026
Game Over is a heartfelt, quietly swoony romance about losing the life you planned—and finding something better when you least expect it. Bella North blends small-town ranch charm with sports romance angst, creating a story that feels grounded, emotional, and deeply satisfying.
Dylan Sullivan is reeling after a career-ending football injury, stuck in limbo and drowning his grief instead of facing it. Izzy Brooks is just as desperate, watching her world unravel as her grandfather sells the horses that have always been her home. Their lives collide in spectacular fashion after one drunken night—and a very impulsive purchase that leaves Dylan owning eighteen horses he doesn’t remember buying.
What follows is a delicious forced-proximity setup where Izzy becomes Dylan’s reluctant guide into ranch life. Their dynamic crackles with competitive banter, simmering attraction, and mutual frustration—especially as Dylan fumbles his way through chores he never imagined doing. Izzy’s toughness and quiet vulnerability balance Dylan’s lost-boy energy perfectly, and watching him slowly find purpose again through hard work and responsibility is deeply rewarding.
The romance unfolds at a natural, unhurried pace. Stolen moments in haylofts and long days working side by side give their connection room to breathe, making the emotional payoff feel earned rather than rushed. North excels at showing how love can grow from shared effort and trust, not just chemistry.
When Dylan’s chance to return to football threatens everything they’ve built, the story leans into its emotional core: choosing between who you were and who you’ve become. Game Over isn’t just about romance—it’s about redefining success, healing after loss, and realizing that sometimes the dream you didn’t plan for is the one that feels like home.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.