ARC Review – Everything For You by Chloe Liese or one of the most heartfelt, honest and loving romance books ever

Hello lovelies!

Today I’m reviewing one of my favourite romance books ever!

Title: Everything For You (Bergman Brothers #5)

Synopsis:

Gavin

We’ve been teammates for two years, but it feels like a lifetime that Oliver Bergman’s been on my last nerve. A demanding captain and veteran player, I’m feared and friendless, while he’s the beloved rising star, all sunshine smiles and upbeat team spirit. To make matters worse, he’s obscenely attractive. In short: he’s genetically designed to get under my skin.

Avoiding Oliver has been my survival tactic on and off the field. But when Coach drops the bomb that we’re now co-captains, avoiding him becomes impossible, and keeping the truth from him–let alone my distance–is harder than ever.

Oliver

Life was great until soccer legend Gavin Hayes joined the team and proved he’s nothing like the guy I grew up idolizing. Instead, he’s a giant–albeit gorgeous–grump who lives to rain on my parade. I’ve sworn off pranks since entering the public eye, so rather than settle our differences the Bergman way, I’ve had to settle for killing Gavin with kindness. There’s just one problem: killing him with kindness is killing me.

To make matters worse, Coach gives us an ultimatum: put an end to our enmity or say goodbye to being captains. I’m prepared to be miserable while we meet her demands and make nice, but the last thing I expect is to discover an explosive attraction we can’t help but act on, and worse yet, to realize the man hiding beneath Gavin’s gruff exterior is all I’ve ever wanted.

About: Everything for You is a grumpy-sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, age gap sports romance about an upbeat rising soccer star with anxiety and his curmudgeonly veteran teammate who lives with chronic pain. Complete with nosy senior citizens, nosier siblings, and a meddling coach, this standalone slow burn is the fifth in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.

5 stars: Persephone – Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring. Persephone is my favourite goddess because she is full of contradictions – she represents both strength as queen of the underworld and a softness as a floral maiden. She teaches me how it’s okay to be both. If Persephone appears, that means that the book was one of the best books I’ve ever read, that it holds a particular place in my heart and that it is now part of my favourite books ever.

Iris– Goddess of rainbows. Nothing new here, we all know that rainbows represent the LGBTQ+ community so this Goddess will be featured whenever a queer relationship or character appears.

Blogmas Day 2- 5 Christmas books on my TBR 📚🎄

Hello lovelies!

Welcome to day 2 of Blogmas! I love reading “season-related books”, ie: spooky books for Halloween, Black stories during black History Month, and Christmas related books during Christmas time! Last year I only read Faking Under The Misteloe which I loved and I’m hoping to find new favourites too! WIthout further ado, here are 5 Christmas books on my TBR!

The Misteloe Motive by Chloe Liese

Synopsis: He loathes the holidays. She loves them. She’s full of festive cheer. He’s brimming with Bah, Humbugs. Besides unreasonably seasonable names, the only thing Jonathan Frost and Gabriella Di Natale have in common is a healthy dose of mutual contempt. Well, that and the same place of employment at the city’s most beloved independent bookstore, Bailey’s Bookshop. But when the store’s owners confess its dire financial state, Jonathan and Gabby discover another unfortunate commonality: the imminent threat of unemployment. With the Baileys’ requests to minimize expenses, win new customers, and make record sales dancing in their heads, Jonathan and Gabby conclude—barring a financial Christmas miracle—one of them will soon be cut from the payroll. Neither are willing to step down from their position, so they strike a bargain: whoever has more sales in December gets to stay on in the new year; the loser will resign. With a lifetime’s worth of festive tricks up her sleeve, Gabby should easily outsell her nemesis, except the unreadable Mr. Frost’s every move seems purely designed to throw her off her game. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gabby’s deceptive ex won’t quit pursuing her, and her anonymous online friend suggests they take a break. Worst of all, as the pressure mounts to save the bookshop and her job, Gabby meets a new, tender side of Jonathan. Is this the same man she’s called her cold-hearted enemy? Maybe he’s got a motive she just can’t figure out—or maybe Jonathan Frost isn’t as chilly as she once thought. Maybe Jonathan and Gabby already know—and love—each other in ways they never thought possible. This is an #OwnVoices story for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author.

Why I want to read it: Chloe Liese is one of my favourite romance authors and the synopsis and representation are made for me!

My favourite audiobooks 🎧📚

September has been an incredibly busy month for me (the busiest month of the year, if we’re being honest) and audiobooks have been my lifeline when I was commuting to and from classes. I know some people are still hesitant on giving audiobooks a chance, so I thought I would make a short list of some of my favourite audiobooks, that will both appeal to beginners as well as seasoned readers. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do if you give them a chance!

---

Synopsis: A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous break up.
Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the real reason why they split at the absolute height of their popularity…until now.
Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.
Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.
Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

Why I love it: What is "anotherbookworm" post if I don't mention Daisy Jones and the Six at least once? This book converted me to audiobooks and the cast was so spectacular that it made the book part of my top 3 all-time favourite books. It is is told through articles and interviews so the format couldn't be better for an audiobook, not to mention an all- star cast. If you need an extra push, the book is currently being adapted by Reese Witherspoon's production company with Sam Claflin and Riley Keough in the leading roles! 

Book community news: New covers, new book projects and new releases happening this week! 🥰✨📚

Hello lovelies!

I hope you are all doing well. There have been so many exciting news for the book community this past week and I wanted to gather them all here and share them with you!

Books being published today (June 15th)

The Prince and The Pauper retelling: Sisters of the Snake by Sasha and Sarena Nanua

Synopsis: A lost princess. A dark puppet master. And a race against time—before all is lost.Princess Rani longs for a chance to escape her gilded cage and prove herself. Ria is a street urchin, stealing just to keep herself alive. When these two lives collide, everything turns on its head: because Ria and Rani, orphan and royal, are unmistakably identical.A deal is struck to switch places—but danger lurks in both worlds, and to save their home, thief and princess must work together. Or watch it all fall into ruin.Deadly magic, hidden temples, and dark prophecies: Sisters of the Snake is an action-packed, immersive fantasy that will thrill fans of The Crown’s Game and The Tiger at Midnight.

A rich, dark urban fantasy debut:  Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury

Synopsis: A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.
After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass in order to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic.
Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her?
With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything.

I am fortunate enough to have received an ARC and be part of a Book Tour! I will be having an author interview soon so stay tuned!!

A Fantastical Historical Romance: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

Synopsis: A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance.
Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She's also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it's a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.
Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he's under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.
When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her--hopefully proving, once and for all, that she's as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them. 

Book deals

• 

• 

• 

• Chloe Liese is one of my new favourite romance authors (reviews for The Bergman Brothers series soon!) and I am beyond thrilled that she is releasing more books into the universe!
• Tricia Levenseller’s The Shadows Between Us is getting a companion book!! 🥳
• The Queen Holly black is releaqing a new book. Enough said.

Book cover reveal

• 

• 

• 

Lokk at all these beautiful cobvers and books coming to us in the next few months! How blessed are we? I am especially excited for Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye!

Book news

Sanaa Lathan To Make Feature Directorial Debut With Paramount Players’ ‘On The Come Up’!! You can read the full article here.

This is so excitng!!

There were just so many goof bookish news this week so I wanted to share! Hope you enjoyed!

Always Only You by Chloe Liese – Book review

Hello lovelies! I am back with a review of a book that changed my life. Nothing more, nothing less!

Title: Always Only You (Bergman Brothers #2)

Author: Chloe Lise

Synopsis: Always Only You is an opposites-attract, forbidden love sports romance about a nerdy, late-blooming hockey star, and his tough cookie coworker who keeps both her soft side and her autism diagnosis* to herself. Complete with a meddling secretary, tantric yoga torture, and a scorching slow burn, this standalone is the second in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.

*This is an #OwnVoices story for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author.

---

5 stars: Persephone – Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring. Persephone is my favourite goddess because she is full of contradictions – she represents both strength as queen of the underworld and a softness as a floral maiden. She teaches me how it’s okay to be both. If Persephone appears, that means that the book was one of the best books I’ve ever read, that it holds a particular place in my heart and that it is now part of my favourite books ever.

You know that feeling when you finish a book and feel broken but whole at the same time? Where you feel like you’ve stepped inside a dream and once it’s over you have to go back into your real life, deal with things and you fell very very sad about it? Well this was me after finishing this gem of a book. I cannot stress how in love with it I am; more accurately, I love this book as much as Frankie and Ren love each other, that means: a lot.

I read the first book in the Bergman Brothers series which was recommended to me by a lovely friend but she especially recommended this one to me. I absolutely adored the first one but this one made me swoon. I felt like I was going to faint because I just had too many mushy, “omg they’re so cute I can’t” feelings.

I absolutely love the grump/ sunshine trope and there’s nothing better than pining in romance (in my humble and completely biased opinion) and this book delivers . I like the fact that Frankie (aka the heroine) was the grump and that Ren (male interest) was the sunshine. It was a nice change! It also helps that Ren loved her grumpy self and didn’t expect her to smile constantly, he really valued when that happened. He loved everything about her, the good and the bad and treated her wonderfully. He worshipped the ground she walked on, which should be the standard.
Every cute moment they shared were the death of me and the intimate scenes they had were hot but they didn’t simply have sex (which is you know, pretty cool; good for them!) but they made love and it was beautiful.
I wish I could list every moment that made me go *swoon* but the list would be never-ending; I will just say that I loved the not so ironic use of terms of endearment.

But most importantly I loved (and I mean “loved’ as in my “heart hurt”) the representation and how accurate it was. Frankie is on the autism spectrum and she has rheumatoid arthritis which requires her to walk with a cane. And that didn’t take away or make her less than capable. I loved how she embraced it because these things didn’t define her; they just made her who she is. The most beautiful part was seeing her learning to love herself and letting others love her the way she deserved.

There were a lot of talks about disability with other characters which I think were very clever and honest. One moment that brought me to tears is when Frankie talked with another character who is also on the autism spectrum. Seeing autistic women understanding and helping each other was really what did it for me. I’m also on the spectrum and seeing myself represented in such a validating and beautiful way was indescribable. I felt seen and loved. I am on the process of getting diagnosed and this book gave me the extra confidence to actually get things in motion and not anxiously waiting for things to happen. It reminded me that being in the spectrum is a wonderful and special thing and to celebrate everything that I am.

Then there were the little things that raised my expectations in a romantic partner ever higher which are really the bare minimum but which I value I guess? Ren’s patience, love and care were UGH. So good. So good. I want that, please and thank you. He was very honest and loving and soft. He’s also a redhead, an athlete and a Shakespeare nerd??? This is the man of my dreams. Honestly, the quotes about Shakespeare which were used in a brilliant way and at the perfect time took me out and I will never recover. They also briefly mentioned Kierkegaard and Jane Austen. Could this book have gotten any better? (No, it was perfection).

Always Only You is one of the best romance novels ever written. I cannot explain how seeing a woman on the spectrum with a disability being loved for who she is meant to me. Thank you Chloe Liese!