Romance Trio – Love, Theoretically, The Sweetheart List, & A Love Catastrophe

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Narrator: Therese Plummer
Published by Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Random House Audio on June 13, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Length: 12 hours 33 minutes
Pages: 400
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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"The reigning queen of STEM romance."—The Washington Post

An Indie Next and Library Reads Pick!

Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain.
 
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
 
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he’s the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job.
 
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?

I liked this book! I believe that I enjoyed this one more than The Love Hypothesis, most likely because I went into this book with more realistic expectations. Elsie and Jack were great together and I loved academia’s role in the story. I felt like both of these characters grew over the course of the story and I thought it was great the way that Jack somehow really saw the real Elsie even though the rest of the world didn’t. The chemistry between this pair was amazing and I was totally invested in seeing them find a happily ever after together.

Elsie recently finished her Ph. D. as a theoretical physicist and is teaching as an adjunct professor. The pay is not good and the health insurance is non-existent, which is a problem for someone with type 1 Diabetes. She makes some extra money working as a fake girlfriend on an app and often fills that role with her best client Greg, who happens to have a brother named Jack. When she applies for a job that she really needs, she learns that Jack is actually the same man that authored a piece that has made things difficult for theoretical physicists.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Therese Plummer did a great job with the story. I have been a fan of this narrator for a long time and she did not disappoint in her performance in this book. I love the various voices that she uses for the cast of characters and I was impressed by the emotion that she was able to incorporate into her reading. I do believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of this story.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others. It was a great romance with a heavy STEM influence but more than that it was Elsie’s story. I loved getting to see Elsie start to stand up for what she wants and needs from those around her. I cannot wait to read more of this author’s work.

I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Penguin Random House Audio.

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Sweetheart List by Jill Shalvis
Narrator: Andi Arndt
Series: Sunrise Cove #4
Published by Avon Books, HarperAudio on June 13, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Length: 9 hours 8 minutes
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
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New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Sunrise Cove with a beguiling, lighthearted story about fresh starts, second chances and true love.

When Harper Shaw’s life falls apart, she knows it’s time for a change. She removes everything that doesn’t spark joy—from her soul-sucking job to eating kale to making lists—and sets off for the last place she was happy, Lake Tahoe (who wouldn’t feel good there, right?) to fulfill her dream of opening her own bakery.

With her Sugar Pine Bakery in between a tavern, owned by sexy, grumpy Bodie Campbell, and a bookstore, run by her new BFF, she feels a peace she’s never experienced since…well, forever.. Then she meets Ivy, a teenage runaway, who barrels into her heart. She sees a lot of herself in Ivy and takes her under her wing, but the teenager has secrets…

When those secrets explode, it changes Harper’s new world, and she’ll learn, it’s never too late to start over, it’s never too late to figure out your life, and best of all, it’s never too late to let yourself believe in love.

This was fantastic! I had a great time getting to know the characters in this story. Harper is ready to find some joy in her life when she moves to Sunrise Cove. She soon meets her landlord, Bodie, who also owns and runs the tavern next door. Her path also crosses a lost teenage girl named Ivy that she decides to take under her wing. I loved watching these characters open up to each other and wanted to see good things happen for each of them.

I have been a fan of Jill Shalvis’s writing for a long time and one thing that I know that I can always count on in her books is a cast of great characters. All of the characters in this story came alive on the page and I quickly became invested in their lives. I thought that Harper and Bodie were great together and I loved the chemistry that they shared. Ivy’s story was a bit of a surprise but I thought that it really added a lot to the story and showed the true strength of this group of characters.

I listened to the audiobook and Andi Arndt did a great job of bringing this story to life. I have been a fan of this narrator’s work for a very long time and I thought that she really shined in this book. I loved the voices that she used for the characters and I thought that she was able to add just the right amount of emotion to her reading. I think that her narration elevated this story to the next level.

I do recommend this book to others. This was a delightful book full of wonderful characters, a romance that I could get behind, and a teen at a crossroads. This is the fourth book in the Sunrise Cove series but it works well as a stand-alone. I cannot wait to read more from this talented author soon.

I received a review copy of this book from Avon Books and HarperAudio.

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Love Catastrophe by Helena Hunting
Published by Forever on June 13, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
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The fur is about to fly between a cheerful cat sitter and a grumpy hockey nerd in this hilarious and charming rom-com by the New York Times bestselling author of Meet Cute.

Kitty Hart has become internet famous as the Kitty Whisperer for her expertise on all things feline, and as a result, her cat-sitting business is booming. But lately, she has a terrible feeling that maybe her life isn’t quite going where it’s supposed to—especially after falling face-first into her newest client. Not exactly the best first impression.

Fortunately, Miles Thorn is just as bad at first impressions. Strike one: he doesn’t like cats, especially Prince Francis, the haughty and mischievous Sphynx his mom left in his care. Strike two: tackling Kitty to the floor in a misguided attempt to save the pet he continually calls “the gremlin.”

As awkwardness slides into attraction and things start to turn purr-sonal, will these two complete opposites ever be able to find their furry-tail ending?

This was fun! This is the first time that I have had the chance to read this author’s work and I must say that I am impressed. Kitty and Miles were great characters. I loved the chemistry that they shared and thought that they really had a lot of things in common. The fact that the story was packed with feline (and some canine) hijinx only added to the story’s charm. The story did have a few more ridiculous moments but I just embraced it and enjoyed the journey.

Kitty is the Kitty Whisperer. She has an online audience and caters to all things cat related. She runs a cat-sitting business and also helps out at her friend’s cat cafe. Her life revolves around cats even though she doesn’t have one of her own. Miles needs some help with his mother’s cat, Prince Francis, while she is in the hospital so he hires Kitty to help. The pair spend some time together and quickly learn that they have more in common than the need to care for a sphinx cat.

I will definitely be recommending this one! It was sometimes a bit silly but always a lot of fun. Both Kitty and Miles had some things that they needed to work through and I loved seeing them support one another. I hope to read more of Helena Hunting’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Forever.

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