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Hashtag Holidate
Hashtag Holidate
Lucy Lennox | 2025 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
HASHTAG HOLIDATE is a standalone story set in the Made Marian world, with plenty of mentions of the Marian family to make you feel at home.

Adrian is an influencer who travels from place to place, hoping to make it big with his 'Twelve Holidates' feature. Maddox is the owner of a four-generation hardware store, who dabbles in photography, and has his roots set firmly at home. So, yes, these two are opposites from the very beginning, and even more so if you count the grumpy/sunshine vibe too.

This was an easy, well-paced read that has lots of tension between the two MCs. They obviously get together, which leads to steamy times. I don't say this very often, but while I enjoyed them together, I loved the snark and tension more.

One thing that personally didn't work for me was the use of hashtags at the end of each chapter. I skipped over them to get to the main story, but that's a me thing. I'm sure for others who follow the Insta/influencer lifestyle more, they were a fun feature.

Anyway, an easy Christmassy read that made me smile, and one I definitely recommend.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 25, 2025
  
40x40

Merissa (13495 KP) rated Toxic B!tch in Books

Sep 10, 2025  
Toxic B!tch
Toxic B!tch
Cassie Lein | 2025 | Contemporary, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
TOXIC B!TCH is a standalone featuring a morally grey FEMALE character! Yep, you heard me. How many male characters have I read? This is the only one I can think of where it's the female, and let me tell you... I loved it!

Malik is such a teddy bear - sweet and naive, yet very conscious of his weight. As far as Indigo is concerned, he is everything she never knew she needed, and she is VERY protective of him. Although, to be fair, her idea of protection are slightly different to mine! 😆 I didn't cry about what happened though. Malik didn't deserve the treatment he received from someone else.

I thought this was brilliantly written - dark, deadly, delightfully crazy, and yet a body positive story too. The one thing I absolutely adored was the interplay between Indigo and Malik - even before he found out all about her. She is feisty and sassy, with no filter, and he is there for it. He loves that she doesn't play games, and she is just what he needs too.

Another hit by this author that I read in one sitting because I simply couldn't put it down. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 10, 2025
  
40x40

Merissa (13495 KP) rated Pose for Me in Books

Nov 3, 2025  
Pose for Me
Pose for Me
RS McKenzie | 2025 | Crime, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
POSE FOR ME is a standalone dark romance with a Daddy/boy relationship. And trust me when I say that's the most normal thing about the book!

What we have here is a book about a serial killer who kidnaps the FBI agent who is hunting for him, and both of them getting more than they thought they would. And when I say serial killer, I mean someone who kills people just because... they're not bad people, or have done bad things. They're just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, catching the eye for whatever reason of the wrong person.

My favourite part of a Daddy/boy romance is the caretaking aspect of it, and this had that in spades, even though you may think it unlikely. I've read others, but none hit the mark as much as caretaking, and this had everything. Possessiveness, neediness, lingerie, c0ckwarming, it's all here and I loved every moment.

I read this book in one sitting and couldn't put it down. I loved every word, and now I need to find the other book mentioned so I can read that too. Absolutely brilliant and definitely recommended by me.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 3, 2025
  
Dress Blues (Recalled to Love #2)
Dress Blues (Recalled to Love #2)
Lisa Carlisle | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dress Blues (Recalled to Love #2) by Lisa Carlisle
Dress Blues is the second novella in the Recalled to Love series, and is a complete standalone from the first. In this one, we meet Vivi who left the military after a devastating injury, and Jack, who has now left the military too but is unsure of what to do now. The sparks flew between these two when they first met, but nothing was allowed to come of it as Vivi was enlisted and Jack was an officer. Now though, they don't have those rules to get in the way, so it's all dependent upon whether they can work it as a couple.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I have to say that Stella stole the show! There is uncertainty in both of them for different reasons, and they will have to overcome those before they can move forwards together. I loved that Jack was pushy for all the right reasons, but could also completely understand where Vivi was coming from. I admired the fact that she admitted the fault, and worked on it to conquer it, rather than letting it beat her.

The story flowed at an even pace, and there were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. This story has the feel-good factor, and is definitely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
The Forgotten Girls
The Forgotten Girls
Owen Laukkanen | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Received an ARC from First To Read for an honest review:

First, I like many others it seems, did not know from the blurb that it was book 6 in a series. That scared me just a tiny bit when I started it, but as I read the book I realized it definitely also works as a standalone.

Second, I'm not big on crime novels that are not of the "cozy mystery" variety. That being said, the more violent scenes in this book were not...bothersome. It worked it's way up in intensity, but there was nothing that forced me to step away from the book and take a breather.

That being said, though, the book was full of amazing scenes beautifully described that you couldn't, as a reader, NOT picture, even if you didn't want to. Lines like: "Even the sky seemed static, just a blank wall, a paint swatch, 'chronic depression gray'." were scattered throughout, and they place you in the wintry, desolate, desperate situation of the characters so that you are right beside them, experiencing what they are, for better or worse.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, even though the content was not a topic of my normal choosing (sorry, serial killers hunting women freak me out).

Extra bonus for the techy geek stuff I didn't know about the "cloud" that I had to double check with the more "techno-advanced" member of our household about. Definitely makes me think twice about the idea of even donating a used phone.