Romance Reading Round Up | Part 1 // Who is this new Rendz?

Greetings readers!

So a while ago I posted about the recent Adult contemporary romances that had been calling my attention. It’s so unlike me. I mean, I don’t really read pure-romance and if I do I have a specific type…but I decided to give it a go this fall and well it was an adventure.

Unfortunately, I only got to a few of those books on my list because most of them have very long wait lines on my library’s ebook website. So instead I went on a perusal and found some other romance books to read while I wait and I have to say, some were good choices and some missed the mark.

So here’s a little wrap-up because if I’m not sharing my awkward romance reading experiences on the internet then why am I here?

I AM A HOANG-STAN

Let me tell you!!!!

via Goodreads

 

My Goodreads Review:

Well that was fun. This is my second ever contemporary romance read…no it’s the third. Possibly 4th?
Whatever, the point is that I don’t have much experience with this genre and I think I liked this one the best! It was super cute, heart-warming, steamy (really steamy–did not see all that coming lol), and DRAMATIC. And I love drama.

Will definitely be reading the next one!

I have to say, that I absolutely loved Stella and Michael, both as individuals and as a couple. They were both so interesting and had such incredible stories to tell. The story itself was hilarious, I was laughing the whole way. But it was also steamy hothothot. Like I was not expecting THAT and let’s just say I looked like a tomato because I am who I am.

via Goodreads

My Goodreads Review:

Ok. So. I loved Esme and Khai. I did. Like girl loves boy love girl 😭
But QUAN 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Can’t wait for his book.
And The Authors note really made me cry hot dang.

This was a lovely follow up. Very different from TKQ, but I still had a great time with these characters. I think that Esme and Khai made such a great couple, but their individual journeys took precedence and were really inspiring! HOWEVER, QUAN STOLE THE SHOW FOR ME. HE IS AMAZING OMG. I LOVE HIM! I know we are gonna have to wait a bit for his book, but I am over the moon excited for it!

Also the Author’s Note in this book had me in tears! I super related to it as the child of an immigrant and I think that people should read it if they pick up this book! It adds much needed perspective!

---

I GOT MY LIFE TOGETHER AND READ THIS AMAZING BOOK

via Goodreads

My Goodreads Review:

This was absolutely lovely. Adorable. Funny. A phenomenal cast of characters. So much wit and banter! The right HEA. Feeling very gushy rn ♥

Ugh, I loved this one. I mean, I’ll be honest it took me a bit to get over his name “Red” but eventually I warmed up to it. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, these characters were phenomenal. So much personality and pump, I loved every second of reading this. I am so looking forward to reading about the rest of the Brown sisters. There are three of them so I am hoping for lots of fun!

 

---

THEN I TOOK A TURN FOR THE MEH…

via Goodreads

My Goodreads Review:

Really good first half and then like an okay middle and then the last 30% was meh/ugh.
I didn’t love anything or anyone by the end.
Will I still read the next one…. Probably.

This series had a lot of promise at the beginning and it just dwindled into meh. I was super surprised when I first started reading and found out that this entire series was set in TORONTO. HELLO, PATRIOTIC RENDZ! And I think that’s the thing I liked the most about this book. The characters had promise but fell really flat in the latter half of the book. There was one character I just could not stand and like I didn’t buy any of the excuses the other characters gave for her behaviour, Sorry, not sorry. The cover is cute, but it doesn’t do justice to Jane’s story, I think.

…AND THE WORST

via Goodreads

My Goodreads Review:

DNF @ 67%
I CANNOT.
I SIMPLY CANNOT ANYMORE.
Enough with the stupid finger on the nose
Enough with sacrificing your goals for quality time
All y’all do is have sex, what is even your relationship.
I can’t. NOPE.

This was such a struggle. I hated the characters. At first they were alright and then I found them downright stupid. He was a douche bag and she was an idiot. It was also a second chance romance story so we didn’t get any of that bond-building, but if I’m being absolutely honest, these characters had no chemistry. They had a history of hooking up and they just picked up where they left off. I couldn’t finish this book. Not to mention, I listened to the audiobook and since all they did was have sex…it was a little too much for me.

---

AND THEN I WAS SAVED BY A NOT-SO-ROMANCE

via Goodreads

My Goodreads Review:

3.5-3.75…maybe the full 4.

I went into this book looking for a pocketful of sunshine. And while I did get a rainbow it came after this gigantic storm of drama and bad decision after bad decision.
To say I enjoyed myself would be accurate.
To say I was close to pulling my hair out from sheer stress and frustration would also be accurate.

It’s really a story about family, community and self-discovery. It takes some WILD turns, but was still a lot of fun. This was not the fluffy romance I was hoping for, but I do love family stories and this was a wonderful one!

FUN NOTE: I listened to the audiobook and I could tell the narrator wasn’t Canadian or Torontonian for that matter. Hearing her pronounce the 2nd T in Toronto instead of Torono was one thing, but hearing her pronounce Yonge as y-unj instead of like young was eeek! It gave me a little laugh too.

I pretty much said everything I needed to say in my review. This wasn’t really a romance-romance, it was a contemporary story about family dysfunction and expectation, that I really related to. It was also set in Toronto SOOOO 🙂

---

AND BACK UP TO THE GOOD!

via Goodreads

3.75
This was cute, funny and wild. Definitely missed that moment of total meltdown, but I actually didn’t mind too much. The characters are what really make this and I loved them to pieces. I felt like the end was a bit too rushed and I would have liked to delve into that drama. But it’s a solid read.

I had a fabulous time reading this! It’s my first Christina Lauren and I know they are a huge name in the romance world and I am very glad that I enjoyed it so much!

Again, the characters were what sold this book to me. They were wonderfully crafted and had such great chemistry. The plot was cute if a little out there, but I really enjoyed it!

Now, I listened to the audiobook and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the narrators. I feel like she was a little too monotone and didn’t have enough of that exciting bubbliness of Hazel. And he…well his “feminine” voice was a little too eeek. Ummm not to mention the fact that I sped it up so he kind of sounded like a chipmunk XD

---

---

So for round one I’d say it’s pretty successful! I had lots of fun even though there were some setbacks with some of the books.

I think this will be the end of my romance phase for now though. I’ve been missing fantasy and I have lots of ARCs waiting for me!

Let me know what you think! What are some of your favourite romance books? Have you read any of these? What kind of love stories do you like the most? 

Happy reading!

~ Rendz