Ah, another satisfying romcom from the queen of the spicy read!

Hallie Welch has been harboring a secret crush on Julian Vos since their high school days, when they almost smooched in the romantic vineyards that belong to his family. Now Julian is back in town, and Hallie might finally get a second chance at that kiss. But they are so different—he an uptight professor and she a carefree, chaotic gardener—that surely nothing can come of their attraction, right?

I always dig into Tessa Bailey books with relish, knowing I'm in for a swoony, steamy good time. The characters are flawed but loveable, the chemistry is off the charts, and the dialogue is cute and sassy. Sure, the premise can be a bit over the top, and if you think too carefully, the conflicts often don't make much sense, but that's romance for you. I'm in it for the light and fluff, and that's exactly what I get.

This story's combination of tropes—grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, and second-chance romance—is a fun one and there's sure to be something for every romance reader. And the setting of a vineyard could not be more romantic and undoubtedly appeals to the lush in me.

My only small nitpick here is that the secret admirer angle doesn't really make sense. It dragged the story out longer than was necessary and could easily have been left out. But then the title wouldn't make any sense, so there you go.

Of course since it's a Tessa Bailey book, I have to mention the spice level. Her books are pretty explicit, possibly shockingly so if you haven't read one before. So tread carefully and definitely avoid if that isn't your jam.

I'm already excited for the next book. I see that Julian's sister will get her own story and I can't wait to read it.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

More and more, I've really come to enjoy Sally Hepworth's brand of domestic suspense, and The Soulmate is another worthy one to add to the collection.

Pippa and Gabe's perfect house is situated on a cliff, with sweeping views and a dramatic drop down to the jagged rocks and sea below. That's why they always warn their children to stay away from the edge. But the spot attracts unwanted attention, with people coming there to end their lives. Up till now, Gabe has managed to talk all of them from jumping, but his luck has finally run out. But when Pippa learns that the woman who jumped has a connection to Gabe, she starts to wonder if she really knows her husband at all.

Dun dun dun! Okay, that premise sounds awesome. I can't help but be drawn in, and it turned out to be a riveting read. This easily could've been one of those books I read in one sitting if I had the time.

But to properly enjoy this, I think it's important to set the right expectations. This book isn't a mystery or thriller by any means. It's more of a domestic drama, with the narrative told in a nonlinear fashion to add that necessary bit of suspense. And it works. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, even though there was nothing that shocking or crazy going on.

Hepworth has a way of sketching out the dynamics in dysfunctional families that just hooks the reader. This time, it's a marriage that seems perfect from the outside, but the flaws are there once you peel away the layers. Add to that children, extended families, and a dose of mystery, and it makes the whole thing very fun and exciting.

As for the big reveal at the end, there really wasn't anything like that. While everything is explained and resolved, there certainly weren't any jaw-dropping or even eyebrow-raising moments. But it still feels like a satisfying conclusion.

This is the third Sally Hepworth I've read, and now that I have my expectations set correctly, I've really come to enjoy her stories and writing style. Whenever I want a family drama with a dash of suspense mixed in, she's definitely an author I reach for.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.

The story that started it all, Legends & Lattes is what originally helped put cozy fantasy on the map. And to this day, I still think it sets the gold standard for the genre.

I don't know what I expected going in. The cover would have me thinking it's some sort of Dungeons and Dragons fanfic. But I don't know anything about the game, so I imagined this wouldn't be my jam. Ha, was I wrong.

Viv is tired of being a bounty hunter and is hanging up her sword. The orc is settling down to the quiet life, opening a coffee shop in the city of Thune. But can she really leave her previous life behind and find success and a new home, especially in a city where she is a complete stranger and no one even knows what coffee is?

Ah, this story! It's just brimming with joy and heart on every page. To read it is to be enveloped in the gentlest, warmest of hugs. You don't have to be an orc or bounty hunter to fully appreciate the themes in here—of starting anew, finding yourself and a place to belong, and opening your heart to never thought-of possibilities. It's such a core part of the human experience, and this book captured a most lovely rendition of it.

But to say this story is cozy doesn't mean it's boring. To the contrary, there is excitement and tension aplenty, with all the right components to have me turning the pages as fast as I could. I wanted to gulp it down, but also to savor it slowly. I couldn't think of a single thing I didn't enjoy in here, from the characters to the plot to the writing.

I can totally see why this book has gotten all the hype, and I can't recommend it enough. Now I know what you're thinking: But Yun, I don't read stories about orcs or hobs or gnomes. Well, neither do I, and look where I am. Obviously, if you only enjoy tales of sadness and misery, this book isn't for you. But if you want something truly heartwarming and delightful, then this is not to be missed.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

I'll be right here. Until they drag me off the line. I'm not going anywhere.

Oh, Anthony Bourdain. The world lost a great chef and unmatched culinary ambassador the day you died.

Kitchen Confidential is the memoir that originally put Anthony Bourdain on the map. I never got around to reading it when it was first published back in 2000, but I've always been a fan of his, catching his No Reservations and Parts Unknown whenever I had the chance. So it's with no small amount of excitement that I've finally gotten around to his famed memoir.

Reading it for the first time more than two decades later, I can't help but feel as though a ghost has leapt off the pages. His voice is as vibrant as ever, his eye for the delicious and the shocking coming through on every page. To read his words is to experience his view of the world, and it is filled with food, drugs, profanity, and astonishing candor.

If you've ever been curious about how a professional kitchen is run, well, this will satisfy that curiosity. And what's in here is eye-opening, to say the least. Sprinkled with Bourdain's self-deprecating dark humor, it's sure to make you chuckle and cringe in equal measure. After having read this, I'm not sure I'm in a particular hurry to eat out, at least in the types of restaurants he highlights.

What makes Bourdain so special is clearly evident amongst the pages here, even from a book he wrote long ago. He has a way with words, building what would be mundane happenings at the hands of a lesser wordsmith into riveting and scintillating vignettes. And he does this again and again. I couldn't look away.

In particular, his chapter on his first visit to Japan has all the flavors of what would become his trademark later. His unabashed enthusiasm for trying new foods and experiencing new cultures, and his innate understanding that the two are inextricably linked. To read his words is to feel his emotions, and they are tinged with the bittersweet—wonder for new culinary adventures but also sadness for all that he wouldn't have the chance to experience.

I confess I'm a full-blown foodie. I love trying new restaurants, finding new things to eat that I've never had before. That moment, when you take the first bite of a never-before-tried dish and realize you've found a new favorite, it's one of the best feelings in the world. And Anthony Bourdain passionately embodied that. To read about his early days is an honor, and I'm glad I finally got around to it.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.

All of Our Demise is a solid conclusion to the duology, and yet...

I can't help but feel unsatisfied. I remember how much I enjoyed the previous book. It was fresh and exciting, filled with memorable characters and interesting story arcs. I wanted to keep turning the pages and couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

But this book somehow lacked that vital energy. Where is the fun? Where is the excitement? Almost everything that happens in here, you could foresee from book 1. The only exception is a development near the end, and I'm not sure I totally buy it. It feels like it came out of nowhere and was thrown in for emotional punch rather than to add something meaningful to the story.

It doesn't help that this book is so long. Instead of just sticking to the tournament (the most exciting part), we also have side stories involving random spellmakers, follow the detailed fallout as townspeople freak out about the curse, and putter around as each champion deals with their families. It's just too much and takes the momentum away from the main plot.

The writing also feels more YA. There are lots of moments when we stop right in the middle of the action to pontificate the meaning of various champions' lives, or take multi-page detours into their romances with each other. Perhaps if I were younger, this would appeal to me, but it doesn't work for a grizzly old curmudgeon like myself.

Don't get me wrong, this is a decent story. But it seems to suffer from sequel syndrome. On the surface, everything that worked for the first book is here. But somehow all the elements don't quite come together into the riveting tale it should've been. Instead, it feels like a rather mundane, long-winded wrap up of a foregone conclusion.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

Not just roommates, but bedmates (though not at the same time)! Really, what an intriguing premise! I suspect my early twenties broke self would've been tempted, if only I'd been clever enough to have thought it up.

And yet, the tantalizing premise somehow didn't translate into a riveting story for me. I'm not sure what happened here, other than maybe it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

I thought it was a story of two strangers slowly falling in love with each other thanks to their cramped quarters. And yes, that is part of the story, but it felt like it wasn't the main focus. For one thing, because Leon and Tiffy aren't at the flat at the same time, it takes quite some time before they really start to interact and eventually meet.

Instead, we spend a lot of time on side characters and side plots, with Tiffy's ex-boyfriend, her three best friends, her place of work and work drama, Leon's girlfriend, his brother, and his search for Johnny White. Phew, there's a lot going on!

In fact, the storyline around Tiffy's ex-boyfriend just went on and on. He was clearly the bad guy here, but I didn't feel scared or repulsed by him as I should've been, only annoyed. He is so overwritten that he comes across as rather cartoony, more like the caricature of a villain rather than an actual one.

I also didn't jell with the way Leon's point of view was written. He is meant to be a guy with few words, so his parts were written as sentence fragments. But it just made him feel wooden and awkward to me.

Still, there were enough cute moments and the characters are undeniably loveable, so it wasn't a terrible read or anything. I definitely had fun. But in the end, I just didn't see the magic here that everyone else did.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

If I had a choice, I wouldn't want this life either.

What is it about Prince Harry's story that is so riveting to us common folks? Is it morbid curiosity about the royal life? Or is it that we can all relate to dysfunctional families and it's hard to look away when it plays out on such a public stage?

It must not be easy to be Prince Harry. He lost his mother when he was just 12 years old, and instead of being protected by the adults in his life, he was forced to parade through London behind her coffin in some sort of bizarre show of stoic grief. At a time when he needed abundant love and support, his family became ever more uptight and withdrawn, with their motto of "never complain, never explain." I'm not sure how any child growing up in such circumstances could hope for happiness or even normalcy.

And yet, against all odds and with many missteps along the way, he grew up to be a soldier and dedicated public servant, and eventually found happiness with Meghan. But through it all, his family seemed determined to keep him silent and in his place, even at great personal cost to him and his wife.

Here finally is his chance to tell his story in his own words.

And the result is everything I could want in a memoir: heartfelt, reflective, and bracingly honest. Prince Harry doesn't shy away from talking about the mental and emotional toll of his unresolved grief for his mother nor addressing the controversial events of his life. But if you're hoping for jaw-dropping revelations or juicy gossip, this isn't it. I only follow royal news in passing, and there's nothing in here that really took me by surprise.

In approaching this, I'd heard a lot of commentary around why Prince Harry felt the need to write this memoir at all, especially when he and his wife have been so expressive about wanting privacy and peace for their family. But after having read this, it totally makes sense.

In psychology, there's this concept of the Real Self vs. the Ideal Self, which states that the bigger the gap between who we present to the world and who we really are on the inside, the more cognitive dissonance we feel; whereas the more aligned the two are, the happier we are. For so long, Prince Harry has been toeing the family line while being forced to keep silent about every mischaracterization and abuse printed about him and Meghan. Thus, the version of him that he showed to the world is not his authentic self. I imagine the mental anguish at having to pretend must wear one down, and it is freeing to finally show the world who he really is.

This memoir also has a heck of a love story, and I'm always up for one of those. I've very much respected Prince Harry ever since his deployment days and then seeing all the good that he has done for veterans with the Invictus Games. And while I didn't watch Suits, everything I've come to know about Meghan seems to indicate she is also worthy of my respect, using her fame to support women's rights and social justice. Every time I see them interact, it's clear their love for each other. So to read their love story is a joy, despite all the ugliness that was going on at the time.

For me, my personal philosophy has always been to live the life that is most authentic to who I am, and I certainly couldn't begrudge others doing the same. And so I must applaud Prince Harry for having the courage to live his best life and to share his story, even in the face of overwhelming opposition. Good for him.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars