Nich Reads Romance

Just another romance reader who consumes entirely too much caffeine.

[nichreadsromance]

"I've only been in this little omega's home for one night, but my Alpha already knows: we aren't leaving."

Genre: Omegaverse / Paranormal Romance Series: MVP: Most Valuable Pack #5 (Standalone) Pages: 486 Pages Format: Arc E-Book Publication Date: June 13th, 2025 TROPES

☀️ Why Choose ☀️ Colorful Plus Size Librarian & Pro Baseball Team ☀️ Fake Engagement ☀️ Forced Proximity ☀️ Enemies to Lovers ☀️ Second Chance ☀️ Found Family ☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine ☀️ Heats, Ruts, Nesting and lots and lots of Knots.

RATING :⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ SPICE :🌶️🌶️🌶️

⚾ SUMMARY

Her whole life, Bridget's been made to feel less than because of her size and the sharpness of her scent. With her family constantly trying to “fix” her and berating her, she's convinced she will never find a pack, let alone a true mate. So, when the Locke Pack propose a fake engagement to help clean up their image, Bridget agrees knowing it's the only way she will ever be able to take care of herself. It was the perfect arrangement, until the world found out that the ring on her finger held no more meaning than a piece of costume jewelry. With the gossip not dying down, the pack decide there is only way to fix this for all of them... They're going to have to move into Bridget's cottage... even if it only has one bed.

⚾ INITIAL THOUGHTS I have been dying for a good Omegaverse romp for a long time and I knew the moment I saw Ari post the trope list on her Instagram that this was a book I needed to read. Thankfully, my arc application was accepted and I got to dive right in!

⚾ THE CHARACTERS

Bridget - There's nothing I love more than a bright, bubbly and smart mouthed FMC & Bridget was the epitome of sparkling. But... she was vulnerable and full of self-doubt thanks to her tw*t of a sister and mother. Though, despite everything she was forced to endure and deal with growing up, she knew her strengths and she didn't let other people's opinions and treatment of her change who she was and how she treated others. She was smart, quirky, sweet, so full of life and I'm so thankful that when these alphas pulled their heads out of their asses and realized that fake engagement wasn't so fake anymore, she didn't just let them in.

She made them work & and boy did they ever. These men had me from wanting to swing to swooning hard & they complimented each other so perfectly. They each have very distinct personalities, and it was so cute to watch them adapt to each other and to Bridget. Watching them grow as a pack and independently made the ending even that much more endearing.

Though as much as I loved Adrian, Jesse, Colt & Dante... they weren't my favorite character. That honor lies with the old bitchy bat of a neighbor, Betty. Honestly, there is absolutely nothing I love more in a book than the old crotchety lady who secretly loves you as if you were their own child but does nothing but insult you. Also, I just want to cuddle up on the couch with Colt & Munchie.

⚾ THE STORY

This wasn't only a story of romance, but also a story of self-acceptance and coming into yourself. Bridget has always been confident and resilient, but there was still a part of her that doubted and shamed herself. She didn't believe she would ever find her true mates, but not because she didn't deserve it, but because she was convinced nobody would ever want her. (eff you Alicia) So, to watch Bridget and her pack go through the ups and downs of potentially bonding with someone you weren't scent matched to was a roller coaster that legitimately gave me anxiety.

That Gala scene with Jesse - I about died!!! Also, I truly enjoyed Colt's storyline. Out of all the alphas, it was his story I was most invested in. Redemption. Healing. Cuddles on the couch with Munchie. Watching him find the strength and the initiative to move forward and leave the past behind him was beautiful watch and I'm so grateful that he didn't just do it for Bridget. He did it for himself too.

⚾ OVERALL

This was my first Ari Wright book, but I can promise you it won't be my last. I'm going back to the beginning of the MVP pack and starting from the beginning. It's not very often I find an omegaverse author that I obsess over, but Ari is now one of two!

Xo, Nich

⚾KNOT YOUR CATCH release on June 13, 2025 ⚾FOLLOW ARI ON : Instagram

** A big thank you to Grey's Promotions for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[nichreadsromance]

A Good Book by Jewel E. Ann

"Of course I could break her heart. It's not my fault that when they fall, they fall hard."

Genre: Contemporary Romance Series: Sunday Morning Book Three Pages: 345 Pages Format: Arc E-Book Publication Date: May 22nd, 2025 TROPES

🤎 Best Friends to Lovers 🤎 Unrequited Love 🤎 Preacher's Daughter 🤎 Coming of Age 🤎 College 🤎 He Falls First 🤎 Second Chance 🤎 Slow Burn 🤎 ASL Rep !!

RATING :⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ SPICE :🌶️. 5

SUMMARY

Gabriella Jacobson has been in love with her sister's ex-boyfriend for as long as she could remember. She even followed him states away to college with ever loyal best friend, Ben, in tow. When she finally gets her chance with Matt, she realizes that her determination to be the only daughter who hasn't disappointed her preacher father, has left her in a pickle... She has no idea how to kiss. Enter Ben, who despite having been in love with Gabriella since they were kids, has absolutely no idea that teaching his best friend how to kiss would change the trajectory of both of their lives forever and not necessarily for the better.

INITIAL THOUGHTS This was a highly anticipated read for me. I met Gabrielle as the pestering little sister in the first book, Sunday Morning, and in the second book, The Apple Tree, it became clear that when it was time for her book, it was going to be big. Gabrielle was the "good daughter" - at least, that's what she thought compared to her sisters. Sarah and Eve nearly shattered their preacher father's world in the first two books, but I just knew that Gabrielle's story was going to be so much bigger.

THE CHARACTERS

Gabriella was the embodiment of a young woman trying to find her way in the real world while holding on tightly to the faith that had helped her weather all her storms. She was frustrating and misguided at times, but won't most of us at her age? I don't truly remember what it was like to be a college student in love, but with the way my anxiety reacted to Gabi's emotions and reactions to the predicament she finds herself in, I could only assume it was incredibly similar considering I went through a less dramatized version of the same thing. While I felt her obsession with her sister's boyfriend was a tad over the top, it just goes to show how well Jewel brings each and every character she writes to life in a realistic way, because the dramatics to me, are what made the "young, and incredibly naive" part of personality so honest.

Ben, on the other hand, was... Well, he was Ben. He was charming, delightful & loyal to a fault. he was faithful, caring and he loved Gabi so much that for years, he was willing to sit back and watch her pine after someone else.

'Loving Gabriella Jacobson was easy. Being her best friend? Pure torture.'

My heart shattered for him long before Jewel annihilated us all with the early twist of fate that would push them apart and send the boy who dreamed of one day being a conductor into a downward spiral that nearly cost him more than what he thought he lost.

Also, I have to mention Gabriella's sisters here as well. They were true sisters. It didn't matter what Gabrielle did or said to them, they were there for her. They didn't judge. They didn't belittle. They answered the phone and were willing to do whatever they needed to do to make sure their baby sister was okay.

THE STORY

This was a beautiful story of friendship, love and growing up. Seeing Gabriella grow through the first two books and into her own really made it more special because I got to see how she evolved from the mouthy little sister to the young woman trying to find her place in the world.

It not only had me up until two am, but it made

feel like someone was telling me a story about their life. A "How I Met Your Mother" if you will...

The emotions.

The reactions.

The conversations.

The fights.

The longing.

The jealousy.

The forgiveness.

It was true. It was raw. It was exactly how I pictured two young best friends in college navigating the situation they had found themselves in.

The setting was perfect as well. Set in the eighties with no cell phones, no laptops and only letters to communicate with someone long distance truly this made this book. I don't think Jewel could have reached the same level of angst and drama if there were cellphones or easy access to people who live hundreds of miles away from you.

The letters were one of my favorite things about this book!

OVERALL

Jewel certainly saved the very best for last & I will forever cherish Ben & Gabby. Their love was the purest and most honest I have come across in such a long time, it was actually refreshing to feel the anxiety coursing through the pages. It was the perfect ending to an amazing series!

FIND A GOOD BOOK ON : GOODREADS - AMAZON - JEWEL'S WEBSITE

FOLLOW JEWEL ON : INSTAGRAM

** A big thank you to Valentine PR for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[nichreadsromance]

"If you're lost, I'll find you. I'll give you my body, my heart, and my soul. I'll cherish every bit of yours in return. I'll fight with you. I'll fight for you. I'll love you for everything left of forever, in every lifetime we get.”

Genre: Contemporary Romance Series: Spunes, OR - Book 2 Pages: 336 Pages Format: Arc E-Book Publication Date: May 20th, 2025

TROPES

🤎 Second Chance 🤎 Marriage Revival 🤎 Forced Proximity 🤎 Road Trip 🤎 Secret Identity 🤎 Single Parents 🤎 Small Town 🤎 Found Family

RATING :⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ SPICE :🌶️. 5

SUMMARY

Wren and Ellis fell in love as children, married young, and had a baby early. They were happy until everything they held dearly began to fall apart. Now, Wren & Ellis are divorced and living in the small town of Spunes where it's impossible not to see each other -- especially when Wren's best friend, is Ellis sister. When their son, Sam, gets accepted into college, Ellis convinces Wren to extend their trip after dropping him off at campus in hopes that spending time together is exactly what they need to find what they once had.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

I knew from the moment Ellis told his family in Savor It "She's still a Byrd," that I NEEDED THIS BOOK MORE THAN I NEEDED AIR TO BREATHE & I'm so incredibly grateful to Tarah DeWitt & NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc.

THE CHARACTERS

It's not very often outside of the fated mates trope that I willingly call a couple soulmates, but that is exactly what Wren & Ellis Byrd and what they have been their wholes lives. I knew that from the very first meeting in Savor It and watching these two realize what they still mean to each other in Left of Forever was just absolutely beautiful.

Ellis loves his wife. Has always loved his wife. He just didn't have a very good idea of how he was supposed to love his wife, raise his child and as the oldest Byrd when their parents died, raise his siblings all at the same time. I feel like he was doing he was doing the best he could, but I don't think he realized that in choosing to care for everyone over himself, he was choosing to care for everyone over his own heart and in turn, he lost everything... I'm just thankful this man knew exactly what he needed to do to get it back.

He didn't just grovel and beg and plead for Wren to love him again. He put in the work. He made the choices. He plotted, planned and made sure that when the time came, that he was a man worthy of a second chance. And boy was he ever.

Wren loves her husband, but she also loves herself & she knows she deserves more. She was such a strong, resilient and soulful character. A loving mom. A badass baker. A beautiful friend. But she had this sadness about her that I really connected with... Maybe it's because she had a baby at seventeen (as did I) and in devoting her life to being a mother, she lost her sense of self along the way. She forgot that she was allowed to be a mother and have dreams that went beyond making sure her son graduated high school and got into college. She forgot that it was okay to choose herself.

Her story was my favorite part of this book. More so than the romance. Watching Wren find herself again and finally realize that it's not too late to find your true self was such a beautiful thing to witness.

THE STORY

I couldn’t honestly tell you what I loved most about this book, because I loved EVERY SINGLE WORD. Though, I could list just a few things that made my heart flutter.

The yearning.

The longing.

The aquarium.

The small touches.

The journal entries.

The “nothing we haven’t done before” challenge.

The peppered doodle.

The family dynamic.

Oddly enough, even the miscommunication and how they both still wanted to hold one another after five long years but didn’t think the other wanted the same had my heart galloping.

OVERALL

This was the perfect second chance romance! Ahh, I just can’t. This book was everything I needed. Tarah has quickly become my favorite auto-buy author and I’m fairly certain this book altered my brain chemistry. I CANNOT WAIT for the audiobook so I can replay it as much as I replay Savor It!!

FIND LEFT OF FOREVER ON  : GOODREADS - AMAZON - TARAH'S WEBSITE

FOLLOW TARAH ON : INSTAGRAM

** A big thank you to Tarah DeWitt & NetGalley for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.