When it comes to romance novels, a common trend is girl meets boy, they develop a case of the hots, problem strikes, and with their love they solve the problem and live happily ever after. I won’t lie, they’re fun to read, no doubt. Like any other genre, it gives the reader a chance to jump into another’s life and escape from the mundane. Though, it is a bit more difficult to live vicariously though a character when you can’t relate to them. Sure, use a dash of “suspension of disbelief” and you’re all set, but it really is not the same.

Ali Thomas, daughter of one of Hollywood’s biggest 60’s stars, owns a chocolate shop in St. Magdelana, CA. There, she takes in the strays of the town, helping those around her through either her desserts or her kind heart. When her local handyman hires a reserved and mysterious worker Matt Baker, it unadmittedly becomes love at first bite of truffle. Together, they realize they need to work through their past demons before their romance can finally be.

Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea melodically tells the tale of booklover and son of a fortune-teller Zachary Ezra Rawlins as he ventures into his story, one beneath the earth in gilded caverns of books and glowing ballrooms. After stumbling upon an old, author-less book in his university’s library, he realizes he is one of the characters within it. Trying to figure out how this could be, he traces the origins of the book and finds himself at a high class, literary-themed party. There, he meets Dorian and Mirabel, learns the truth of the Starless Sea, and goes on an adventure to save it and those he loves.

Sisters by Choice follows the stories of three ambitious women, two cousins and one first cousin once removed, as they struggle with making their dreams a reality. Together on Blackberry Island in the Pacific Northwest, they learn from each other and grow– Sophie Lane, rebuilding her cat product company after a fire while dealing with her internal trust issues; Kristine, starting a new bakery while trying to save her marriage; and Heather, trying to move away from her abusive leech of a mother. Mixed in, you get a douse of romance as Sophie toys with the heart of local Tai Chi instructor Dugan with a mysterious past.

As a kid, I used to be a voracious reader, devouring whatever book made its way into my hands. Then, when high school hit, I found that I could only muster up that type of an appetite for books during summer. Well, since starting college, I haven’t had any time truly off (summers meant studying for the MCAT, doing research, etc.), so reading was never made a priority. After a friend gifted me a book for Christmas and I found I was struggling to read it, I decided I needed to just read without any strings attached, like before. Just reading in any way I like, maybe books with no purpose other than to entertain, ya know? So, I picked up a book I started ages ago and let myself enjoy it. That book would be Butterfly Bayou by Lexi Blake (go ahead, judge me). After reading it, I made a Goodreads page and decided I’d also post my reviews on here, because why not? OH, link to the Goodreads here if someone is reading this and wants to friend me. I’m always happy to find people to get/give book recommendations. Anyways, here is my review, nothing special, but if you’re looking for a romance novel, here ya go!