Two for Tuesday: Five Star Romance Edition

 

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Two for Tuesday is going all in on five stars today. Two romances, two very different worlds, both worth whatever's left of your summer reading time. 

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan and The Open Era by Edward Schmit have both been out all summer, so I won't bore you with a big summary eery. Five stars for both.

I listened to Dolly on audio, narrated by Julia Whelan, and she's perfect for this one, which should surprise no one. Dolly herself is everything I want in a romantic lead: a real, down to earth woman with a job that's an actual job and a family that feels like an actual family. She's not twenty-five, and doesn't need to be. Her teenage son could have been written as an eye-rolling cliché and wasn't. Her brother's mental health struggles are handled with real care. There even a subplot where Dolly keep's a relationship with Stewart's mother even after the third act breakup. Monaghan's writing is sharp and funny then sneaks up on you and makes you feel things. Perfection. 

The Open Era is a completely different vibe and just as good. Austin is funny, smart, sweet, grieving, and dealing with real anxiety that's written honestly, including going to therapy for it. Watching him navigate a Grand Slam tournament and sudden media attention as the first openly gay man competing on that stage is moving. Diego might be the sweetest love interest I've read in a long time. The Grand Slam setting gives it this electric, high stakes backdrop, and for a debut novel, Schmit's control of the pacing is impressive. This is Schmit's debut novel and it's a stunner.

If you want romance with characters who have actual layers and depth, who are smart and funny, and feel real, both these books deliver. Crackling tension, great banter, swoon-worthy moments, the whole package. 

These are two five star reads to close out your summer. You can't go wrong with either one. 

You can grab a copy of either book at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this post, you might be interested in my review of Reality Bites. It's a fun romcom by Amy Mass.

Habits of the Sea

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps keep this space going.

A man out of time. An island that shouldn’t exist. And a girl who spent decades trying to convince herself she imagined both.

Clay Lockhart is a fable. Except he’s real.

Ellie Mills has one brief encounter with Clay and his impossible island when she’s twelve years old. Then she spends years telling herself it never happened, that it was a dream, a story she made up. Her heart knows better. Decades later there’s another sighting of the mythical island, and Ellie realizes she has to find out the truth about the timeless man and the place that vanished.

This is a beautifully written novel about grief, healing, and love. It's atmospheric and lyric. It’s about choosing love and choosing your fate even when it seems impossible.

There’s also a warning tucked inside the fable and the love story, and it’s about caring for and respecting our world. As the decades pass, Ellie and Clay notice small changes in the seas. They don’t understand what those changes mean until danger arrives at their shore and they realize the world and the water they knew is already gone.

Carlotta Brentan’s narration is marvelous. It reminded me of Julia Whelan narrating The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and since that’s my favorite audiobook of all time, that’s about the highest compliment I have to give.

Perfect for readers who love literary fiction, slow burning character driven stories, and impossible love stories. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted listen. Habits of the Sea is out now. Grad a copy at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in Little Wild, another character driven love story with magical realism.

About the Author

Shea Ernshaw is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wicked Deep, Winterwood, A Wilderness of Stairs, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, and A History of Wild Places. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and repeatedly chosen as Indie Next Picks. She lives in a small mountain town in Oregon and is happiest when lost in a good book, lost in the woods, or writing her next novel. Follow Shea on Instagram or visit her webiste for more news and information about Shea and her books.

Road Trip

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book and she did NOT phone it in.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen.

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews was a blast, and I think a lot of you will feel the same.

Sisters Maeve and Therese Dunigan are nothing alike. Maeve is practical and by the book. Therese is an actress and free spirit who hasn't been back to Savannah in years.

When their mother dies, they inherit the painting that's been hanging over the fireplace their whole lives. Their mother always swore it was valuable, with roots going back generations to Ireland. They never really believed her.

Until Therese sees a news article about an identical painting that just sold for over a million dollars. And both sisters happen to have wolves at their door.

So off to Ireland they go. Two sisters who can barely stand each other, chasing a family mystery that turns out to be way more complicated than either of them expected. There are family secrets, a murder to solve, a charming whiskey maker, an atmospheric Irish village, and a dog with an important role in the story.

I listened to this on audio and Kathleen McInerney's narration was spot-on. She kept every character distinct and handled the timeline shifts without ever losing me. This is the kind of book that makes a long drive or a beach afternoon feel too short. No notes. Pure fun.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📅 Pub date: June 2

If you enjoyed this, you might also be interested in The Other Sis of Now.

About the Author

Mary Kay Andrews is The New York Times bestselling author of Bright Lights, Big Christmas, The Homewreckers, The Santa Suit, The Newcomer, Hello, Summer, Sunset Beach. The High Tide Club, The Beach House Cookbook, The Weekenders, Beach Town, Save the Date, Ladies’ Night, Christmas Bliss, Spring Fever, Summer Rental, The Fixer Upper, Deep Dish, Blue Christmas, Savannah Breeze, Hissy Fit, Little Bitty Lies, and Savannah Blues. A former journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Visit Mary Kay's website for more news and information about her book.

Reality Bites

 

A scientist walks onto a reality dating show. No, this isn’t a joke. It’s her only shot at saving her lab.

Thank you Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the gifted ARC.

Reality Bites by Amy Mass is the romcom your beach bag is waiting for. 🐸

Grace Lambert is a serious scientist dedicated to saving an endangered frog species from extinction. Her entire family? A bunch of influencers. Her mom has an HGTV-style Instagram, her dad runs a yoga YouTube channel, and her brothers are all over TikTok and Twitch. Grace has never had social media a day in her life, and she’s perfectly fine with that.

Then her lab loses its funding and suddenly the cash prize on a reality dating show looks a lot more appealing.

So Grace shows up on set with zero idea what a reality show is and no interest in the other contestants. And absolutely no intention of falling for anyone. Especially not Andrew, the show’s attorney, who she immediately annoys and who immediately annoys her right back.

You can probably guess where this is going. And it’s a blast getting there. Reality Bites hits every romcom trope you love: fish out of water, nerdy girl who doesn’t realize she’s gorgeous, enemies to lovers, the third act breakup, the grand gesture, the HEA. It hits them well. The banter between Grace and Andrew is sharp and genuinely funny. But my favorite part was watching Grace’s family, the influencers she never quite understood, rally around her when she needed them most and use their skills to fight for her lab. That family dynamic gave the book a little extra heart.

This is a debut novel, and Amy Mass (a TV comedy writer who worked on Last Man Standing and The Goldbergs) clearly knows how to write funny. It shows. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out May 12. 

If you liked this review, you might enjoy my review of Fangirl Down. 

About the Author 

Amy Mass began her career in advertising in New York City. She moved to Los Angeles, where she wrote for hit television comedies, including Last Man Standing and The Goldbergs, for twelve years. During the pandemic, she moved to rural Georgia, where she writes romcom novels and films and lives with her family.

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates

 

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson is exactly the unhinged genre mashup you didn't know you needed.

Picture this: speed dating, a masked killer, and a heroine who's essentially a walking encyclopedia of both romantic comedies and horror films. Jamie is, frankly, the most qualified person to handle this situation, and watching her navigate a frantic chase scene one moment and slow-burn flirtation with Wes the next is an absolute joy.

Thompson's writing is sharp (and yes, that pun is very much intended.) She takes every trope you love from both genres (the final girl! the meet-cute! the red herrings!) and weaves them together with genuine craft and a confidence that makes the whole thing sing. It should not work. It absolutely works.

Narrators Stefanie Kay and Patrick Zeller, whose performances, paired with some perfectly deployed sound effects, make this audiobook feel genuinely cinematic.  I was cackling, then tense, then sighing over the romance, sometimes within the same chapter.

If your reading diet needs something that goes down like Scream meets The Proposal, consider this your official recommendation. This one has been shelved firmly in the "trust me" section. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks Simon & Schuster for the gifted listen! Out now!

What two genres would you mash together for your dream book or movie?

About the Author

Shailee Thompson is a writer and educator based in Brisbane, Australia. She’s always had a penchant for women with smart mouths, soft hearts, and strong wills going up against extraordinary odds. How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is her debut novel. 

Love Me Stalk Me

 

She thought she was sexting an AI boyfriend. He was very real and already obsessed. 

Love Me Stalk Me by Laura Bishop is a bold, buzzy, bedroom-door-wide-open romance that leans hard into obsession and the he falls first fantasy and has a blast doing it.

Izzy is a stressed manager at a high-end department store. She’s stuck in a soul-sucking relationship with a man who treats her like an afterthought. Looking for a safe place to vent, she downloads an AI boyfriend app for emotional release and late-night flirting. What she doesn’t know? The “AI” on the other end is very real. Cal, the store’s dangerously attractive new head of security, has been listening in, falling fast, and quietly hacking his way into Izzy’s digital life. When Izzy thinks she’s sexting an algorithm, she’s actually building an intimate connection with the man watching her back at work.

As sparks fly in real life and Izzy finally breaks free from her awful boyfriend, the story takes a darker turn. When Izzy is put in real danger, Cal’s devotion shifts from secretive to protective. He’s all in. No hesitation. No half-measures.

This audiobook is spicy, fast-paced, and unapologetically over-the-top. The dual POV works beautifully here, letting listeners sit inside both Izzy’s vulnerability and Cal’s intense, slightly unhinged devotion. CJ Bloom and Sebastian York absolutely understand the assignment. Their performances are confident and sultry. They perfectly matched to the story’s tone.

While I found the story entertaining, Cal’s cyber-stalking crossed into slightly uncomfortable territory for me. This one lives firmly in fantasy-land. If obsessive, morally gray heroes are your thing, you’ll probably eat this up.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for the complimentary listen. Love Me Stalk Me is out now. If you’re in the mood for a spicy romance with obsession, protection, and zero chill from the male lead, this one delivers. 

qotd: do morally gray romance heroes work for you? Or is that a hard no?

#spicyromance #audiobookromance

#morallygrayhero #romancereads

About the Author

Laura Bishop writes books about obsessive men, clever women, and the dangerously thin line between love and psychological warfare. A military spouse and full-time wrangler of two wildly energetic boys, Laura lives in Florida, where she survives on caffeine, chaos, and the occasional quiet moment when everyone’s finally asleep—a.k.a. prime stalking-I-mean-writing time. She is the author of Hate Me Take Me and Love Me Stalk Me.

The Odds of You

 

A meet-cute at 30,000 feet, a writing crisis, and an impulsive escape to Scotland. This audiobook had me hooked.

Sage wasn’t looking for a meet-cute at 30,000 feet, but the universe had other plans. On her way to Comic Con, the data-analyst-turned-surprisingly-bestselling-author finds herself instantly clicking with Theo, a rising star whose charm is matched only by his good looks. They have a spark and then Sage promptly shuts the door. Between social-media scrutiny, a looming deadline, and a sequel she can’t seem to write thanks to ADHD, anxiety, and a heavy dose of imposter syndrome, she decides she has no space for romance. So she does the only logical thing. She makes an impulsive escape to Scotland.

What was meant to be a quiet retreat to outrun family drama and reclaim her creative brain turns into something far more complicated and far more wonderful when Theo reappears. The Scottish setting is lush and moody and the chemistry simmers. Their banter is quick witted and fun, while their connection shines with tenderness and heat. I loved how sensitive, grounded, and quietly confident Theo felt, and Sage’s neurodivergent experience was written with so much care that she felt incredibly real on the page. Of course there’s a break up. But that gives each of them time to work out some family and career issues before finding their way back to each other. 

The audiobook brings all of this to life beautifully. Georgina Sadler’s narration is warm and expressive. It’s perfectly tuned to Sage’s emotional arc. She hits both the humor and the vulnerability.

This is a heartfelt, atmospheric, spicy second-chance romance that definitely worked for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary early listen. The Odds of You releases Jan. 6.

QOTD: What kind of book do you want most between Christmas and New Year’s? Something light, immersive, or familiar?

#macaudio2025 #audiobookreview #romanceaudiobook #secondchanceromance #bookstagramromance

About the Author

Kate Dramis is a former copywriter based in Atlanta whose obsession with fantasy worlds and escaping into a good love story eventually drove her to chase her dream of being an author. Inspired by a dream about a woman calling down lightning to save a friend, The Curse of Saints was Kate’s debut novel and became an instant #2 Sunday Times bestseller. She has a BA in journalism from the University of Georgia.

Five for Friday: Five Audiobooks for Holiday Downtime

 

Happy Friday bookish friends!

December listening doesn’t need to be ambitious. These are audiobooks for wrapping gifts, walking the dog, hiding in the car for ten extra minutes, or just letting someone else do the storytelling while your brain rests.

If you’re looking for holiday romcom audiobooks, romantic comedy audiobooks, or simply cozy audiobooks to help you unwind during a busy season, I got you. These are all easy, low-stress listens that shine on audio. They’re perfect for holiday downtime when you want something comforting, fun, and effortless.

What’s your go-to comfort listen this time of year — audiobooks or music?

#audiobookrecommendations

#holidayaudiobooks

#cozylistens

#romcomaudiobooks

#bookstagrammystyle