Reviewing the Unreviewed: January 2022 (Part I)

Posted May 28, 2022 by Kim in Reviews / 2 Comments

Reviewing the Unreviewed

Yes, January 2022. You read that right. I’m trying to make up for lost time here, folks, so I’m re-upping an old post format I haven’t used since February 2020.

While you wouldn’t know it from looking at my blog because I’ve barely posted any reviews this year, I’ve actually been doing A LOT of reading. (If you want real-time updates, you should definitely follow me on Goodreads and/or Instagram.) I’ve just been the actual worst at finding the time to post reviews here. I like the idea of sharing a more complete experience on the blog and I really like not just having all of my reviews live on Goodreads. So, we’re going to try this out.

Fair warning — some of these reviews will be really short. Like, shorter than the book’s blurb short. It might look a little weird, but I want to keep my review archive with Ultimate Book Blogger going, so bear with me.

Now, let’s get on with it!

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Reviewing the Unreviewed: January 2022 (Part I)The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Publication date: February 28, 2016
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Audiobook, eBook
Narrator: Callie Dalton
How I got it: I bought it!
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
My rating:

Vanessa Mazur knows she's doing the right thing. She shouldn't feel bad for quitting. Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she's beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn't find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He's asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

My Thoughts

I’d intended for this to be my last read of 2021, but I got sidetracked with non-reading things. Instead, it’s my first book of 2022, which feels even more right. Talk about kicking my reading year off on the best note possible. Van and Aiden are everything. I never get tired of spending time with them.

You can always check out my OG review full of first-time flails if you would like more detailed thoughts.

Favorite Quotes

“I’m starting to understand that you can always make time for the things that matter.”

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Reviewing the Unreviewed: January 2022 (Part I)Her Pretend Christmas Date by Jackie Lau
Series: Cider Bar Sisters #2.5
Genres: Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Publication date: December 8, 2020
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller
How I got it: From the library
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
My rating:

She's home for the holidays with her starchy fake boyfriend...

Although she's the fun and outgoing one, Julie Tam has always lived in the shadow of her older sister, Charlotte. Now Charlotte has a good career and a great boyfriend whom their parents love, and Julie has neither of those things.

Her blind date with Tom Yeung is disastrous; however, he's exactly the sort of guy her parents would like--a methodical, strait-laced pharmacist who even folds his underwear and wears paisley ties. So, she pretends they're a couple to impress Mom and Dad in their phone conversations. When her mother insists that Julie bring Tom to her hometown for Christmas, Tom, who has no plans for the holidays, agrees.

But Julie doesn't know how she'll tolerate a whole weekend in his company, especially when they have to share a bed and participate in a gingerbread house competition together. The man is irritatingly proper and set in his ways.

Except after hours of baking and skating and opening presents, she's starting to find Tom annoyingly attractive and even endearing. And now, she doesn't want this holiday weekend to end...

My Thoughts

I got sidetracked during the holidays, so I was finishing up some holiday books well into January. I don’t usually do that, but I couldn’t resist this year. This novella was absolutely delightful. The mix of forced proximity + fake it till you make it + opposites attract pulled me right in from the very start. Add in a delightfully quirky family Christmas and a few feels and I’m totally on board. It really was too much fun. Jackie Lau’s holiday novellas are the best when you just need a quick dose of pure joy.

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Reviewing the Unreviewed: January 2022 (Part I)Dashing Through the No by Tara Sivec
Series: Summersweet Island #3
Genres: Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Publication date: November 17, 2020
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Kelsey Navarro, Tim Paige
How I got it: From the library
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
My rating:

‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through Summersweet,
Tess Powell was annoyed and wanted to retreat.
With a BIC in her hand and a frown on her face,
everyone knew she needed a break from this place.
Wanting the holiday to be nothing but the best,
Bodhi took his girlfriend to the mountains to rest.
While visions of fire happily danced in Tess’s head,
soon she would see she had everything to dread.
Crying kids, singing hippos, and a stalker with a van,
definitely wasn’t part of Bodhi’s evacuation plan.
But all he wanted for Christmas was for her to say yes,
to the question he kept asking with zero finesse.
With some help from new friends and their holiday cheer,
Tess and Bodhi get much more
than they asked Santa for this year.

My Thoughts

Full disclosure: I didn’t get off to a great start with the Summersweet Island series, but now I’m thinking I might need to go back and give the first book (which I DNF’d) another shot. It could’ve been a mood thing.

Goodreads reviews tell me Tess and Bodhi are fan favorites, but they were new to me. It didn’t matter though, I still adored them. I might not have caught all of the nuances, but it didn’t keep me from enjoying this book. A fun bonus? Some of the characters from Christmas Cliché also made an appearance and I appreciated that since I just finished it the other day.

This was quirky, laugh-out-loud funny, a little steamy and even gave me a few feels.

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Reviewing the Unreviewed: January 2022 (Part I)The Plight Before Christmas by Kate Stewart
Genres: Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: eARC
How I got it: From the author
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
My rating:

Clark Griswold was onto something, at least with his annual holiday meltdown. And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ, happ, happiest Christmas EVER.

When Mom insisted that we all gather at my Grandparent’s ancient cabin for an old school family Christmas, I fully intended to get into the holiday spirit with the help of the three wise men, Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels, and Jim Beam. But those boys did absolutely nothing to offset the shock or temper the sting of seeing my EX on our doorstep the first day of our holiday soiree.

Apparently, Santa missed the memo, and this elf is pissed.

Stuck for a week with the man who obliterated my heart nearly two decades ago, I did the only thing I could do and put on my game face, thankful for the home advantage.

I knew better than to drink that last cup of eggnog.

I knew better than to get tongue tangled beneath the mistletoe with the only man to ever break my heart.

I knew better than to sleep with Satan’s wingman on the eve of the Lord’s birthday.

I could blame the nog. I could blame the deceitful light blue eyes, thick, angelic hair, and panty evaporating smirk…but mostly, I blame Eli because he always knew exactly which of my buttons to push.

I foolishly thought a family Christmas filled with nostalgia was going to turn my inner Scrooge around, but this year’s festivities went up in flames. Leave it to the ghost of my Christmas past to be the one to light the match.

Fa la la la la, la FML.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My Thoughts

The Plight Before Christmas was one I actually started reading in December but didn’t have time to finish before the new year. This book had it all — Christmasy setting and feels, family hijinks, an adorable kid, tons of laughs, plenty of steam and more feels than I thought it would deliver. It gave off big National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation vibes — if that movie was a steamy rom com, that is — and since that’s my all-time favorite Christmas movie, it’s no wonder I loved this book as much as I did. If seasonal second chance romances are your jam, you must read this book.

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Reviewing the Unreviewed: January 2022 (Part I)Going for the Goal by Sara Rider
Series: The Perfect Play #3
Genres: Contemporary
Publication date: February 13, 2017
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Elizabeth Hart
How I got it: From the library
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
My rating:

Sara Rider returns with the third book in the Perfect Play series—a fast-paced, icy hot romance featuring a sports agent fighting an attraction to the NHL’s bad boy…and his ability to melt her heart.

In this perfect book for romance and sports fans, professional sports agent Jillian Nichols knows how to play the game to get what she wants. But admitting to what she needs has always been a challenge. Will she ever let her guard down long enough to let someone in? Or will the bad boy hockey player Nick “the Punisher” Salinger have to fight harder than ever for a chance to win her heart?

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed this quite a bit. Jillian was just the kind of strong, driven woman I want to read about in romance novels. Nick had a good heart. I liked the two of them together. I didn’t love the conflict near the end of the book because blackmail(ish) plotlines drive me batty. But, I didn’t dislike it enough for it to take me out of the story. All in all, a really good sports romance with a good mix of sweet and sexy.

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Reviewing the Unreviewed: January 2022 (Part I)Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQ, Romance
Publication date: January 18, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Format: Hardcover
How I got it: I bought it!
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
My rating:

Recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, Dahlia Woodson is ready to reinvent herself on the popular reality competition show Chef’s Special. Too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying—not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. Still, she's focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money.

After announcing their pronouns on national television, London Parker has enough on their mind without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. They’re there to prove the trolls—including a fellow contestant and their dad—wrong, and falling in love was never part of the plan.

As London and Dahlia get closer, reality starts to fall away. Goodbye, guilt about divorce, anxiety about uncertain futures, and stress from transphobia. Hello, hilarious shenanigans on set, wedding crashing, and spontaneous dips into the Pacific. But as the finale draws near, Dahlia and London’s steamy relationship starts to feel the heat both in and outside the kitchen—and they must figure out if they have the right ingredients for a happily ever after.

My Thoughts

Y’all, I don’t even have the words to tell you how much I loved this beautiful book. There was so much good here, I’m not even sure where to begin. First off, I adored the cooking competition setup, which is unsurprising as I’m an unapologetic GBBO fan. But what I loved best about the competition is that it brought Dahlia and London together. Those two had me all up in my feels as their friendship blossomed into more. I loved the representation in this book. This entire journey was as sweet and emotional as it was sexy. It was absolute perfection.

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Reviewing the Unreviewed: January 2022 (Part I)Running Wild by K.A. Tucker
Series: Wild #3
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Publication date: January 25, 2022
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: eARC
How I got it: From the author
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
My rating:

Veterinarian Marie Lehr knows unrequited love all too well after pining for her best friend, only to watch him marry another woman. It’s a mistake she will never make again, especially not when she can practically hear the clock ticking on her childbearing years.

The trouble is, she can’t seem to find anyone who appeals to her even a fraction as much as that burly bush pilot did. Competitive musher Tyler Brady certainly doesn’t, especially not after the heated altercation with the handsome but arrogant, spiteful man.

Or so she thinks.

While volunteering at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Marie discovers that first impressions may have been false, and her attraction to Tyler is very real. But his heart belongs to someone else, leaving him with nothing to offer but friendship. Marie’s been down this road before and knows how that ends. Yet, no matter how hard she works to keep from falling for Tyler, it seems she’s doomed to follow her own trail once again.

From the internationally bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes the story of a woman at a crossroads in her life, struggling between the safe route and the one that will only lead to more heartbreak.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My Thoughts

If I’m being totally honest, I’ve spent much of the series NOT being Marie’s biggest fan… but I was intrigued by her. I was thrilled she was getting her story told and I couldn’t wait to learn more about her and watch her find her chance at love. Running Wild was everything I wanted and more. Marie was relatable and easy to root for. She pulled at my heartstrings more than once and I had my fair share of feels related to her and Tyler. Expect some Jonah and Calla feels, too. I love them so much. Running Wild is a heartwarming and sexy must-read.

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Reviewing the Unreviewed: January 2022 (Part I)Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood
Series: The STEMinist Novellas #1
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Publication date: February 8, 2022
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Format: Audio Listening Copy
Narrator: Emma Wilder
How I got it: From the publisher
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
My rating:

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn….

As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight.

The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him…and the easier it is to love him.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My Thoughts

Unsurprisingly, I loved this. Being that I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers — especially when it’s mixed with forced proximity — it’s no wonder. Mara and Liam were *chefs kiss*. I also thoroughly enjoyed the way Emma Wilder brought them to life through her narration. Under One Roof was a delightful way to spend a couple of hours. I’m already chomping at the bit to get Sadie and Hannah’s stories.

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Let’s Chat

Have you read any of these books?
Any faves?

Kim

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Leave a Reply to Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) Cancel reply

2 responses to “Reviewing the Unreviewed: January 2022 (Part I)

  1. A lot of ones here on my TBR. I listened to the Ali Hazelwood book last month and enjoyed it. I get what you’re saying about the Sivec series first book. It took me a bit to get through the very first one, but once I got hooked into it, I loved it. I just read the last one in the series and loved it, so now I need to go read all the ones in between. Plus she said she is writing another one! lol Thanks for sharing your reviews!
    https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/