Mrs. Julien

I Bought into Amazon’s Author Exploitation Again

Under the Mistletoe: Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood

Under the Mistletoe: Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey

Under the Mistletoe: All by My Elf by Olivia Dade

Under the Mistletoe: Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur

Under the Mistletoe: Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria

January 16, 2025 by Mrs. Julien Leave a Comment

I mean, I assume it’s exploitive. It is Amazon. Having had some success with the Improbable Meet Cute collection for Valentines Day, and, as someone who absolutely loves a Christmas novella, I paid for one (the Ali Hazelwood) and borrowed the other four of these Under the Mistletoe “get to know a romance author with a free read” stories. I imagine Amazon is doing the same thing as telling someone to work for free for the exposure. I hope they were compensated in some way. […]

Isn’t There a White Knight Upon a Fiery Steed?

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

December 5, 2024 by Mrs. Julien 5 Comments

Alternate Titles: Obtuse Women and the Men Who Love Them Tall, Professional Man Owns His Own Home What Makes Us Vulnerable Makes Us Human This contemporary romance review started with just The Love Hypothesis and morphed into an amalgamated Ali Hazelwood catchall. I didn’t combine them just because it’s quicker, but because I really struggled with conveying my feelings about The Love Hypothesis. Then I had had a bit of breakthrough while re-reading it Love Theoretically and Not in Love for Cannonball Read honesty purposes, then I […]

I Loathed This Book. Hostile Review Follows

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

October 25, 2024 by Mrs. Julien 5 Comments

Is this grumpy/sunshine romance or old coot/youth? Do vegans wear leather skirts? How much does an average hockey player weigh? Why does she keep cooking them dinner? How is this a rational custody arrangement? Keep reading to find out. From Amazon: Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while […]

ALL the Kate Canterbary

Shucked by Kate Canterbary

July 6, 2024 by Mrs. Julien 6 Comments

Owing to a significant gap writing CBR reviews, I had discovered and embraced many new authors by the time I started participating again, including Kate Canterbary. As is my way, I discovered her from an Emmalita review of The Worst Guy which is, so far, Canterbary’s best book. I have since consumed most of her output with consistently good to sometimes excellent results. Canterbary is great at steam and even greater at clever. Despite plowing through her back catalogue, Shucked (The Loew Brothers) is the […]

Bonus: Ridiculous 1830s Fashion

Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase

March 20, 2024 by Mrs. Julien 4 Comments

Five series and 28 or so books into a very successful career, it comes as no surprise that Loretta Chase is a really consistent historical romance author who provides great entertainment value combined with sincere emotional connections. I loved Dukes Prefer Blondes when I reviewed it for Cannonball Read in 2016 during Romancelandia’s Year of Difficult Men* and I adore it now. I went back to revisit a specific scene and the next thing I knew, I’d re-read to the end and then gone back […]

(Most of) The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jiminez

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston

February 26, 2024 by Mrs. Julien Leave a Comment

“Improbable Meet Cute” is a great concept for a short story/not quite a novella collection! The “Amazon Original Stories” branding makes me nervous because it just screams “Do it for the publicity instead of the money because we said so!”, so I made a point of paying for all five stories to support the authors. In reviewing them, I am tried to decide if they should be appreciated as a delightful, self-contained jewel or as something that leaves you wanting more like a novella or even […]

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