Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Opposites Attract Enemies to Friends to Lovers

The Stand-up Groomsman by Jackie Lau

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I know a Jackie Lau romance is going to make my heart happy. In some ways The Stand-up Groomsman is a departure from the types of Lau books I’ve enjoyed in the past. In this follow up to last year’s Donut Fall in Love Lau takes a more serious tone and unpacks some bigger emotional truths, in this case how we handle expectations and how it interacts with larger family dynamics. But in most ways, this is almost exactly the type of book I’ve come […]

A slightly happier ending to this story of fatal foes than Romeo and Juliet

Fated Blades by Ilona Andrews

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4.5 stars This was an ARC from Netgalley. My views and opinions are my own. On the alien planet of Rada, most of the powerful families have genetic abilities in some way or another, but the ones born with lethal combat abilities are the fiercest of rivals, and none more so than the Adlers and the Baenas. They are constantly vying to be the most dominant, and now both families are close to discovering the secrets behind their genetic abilities. Matias Baena, head of his […]

Enemies to Lovers, Hockey Style

Unexpected Goals by Kelly Farmer

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It isn’t that often that I come across an enemies to lovers romance in which the protagonists genuinely dislike each other for legitimate but bridgeable reasons and neither is a terrible person. Kelly Farmer’s Unexpected Goals was a very enjoyable read with two protagonists who genuinely and quite famously dislike each other at the beginning and end with a lovely happily ever after. Maisy Goode and Jenny Donato have had a public beef after an incident in a game between Team Canada and Team USA […]

Love was the last thing on their minds

Destiny's Captive by Beverly Jenkins

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

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Romance has been a great salve for the general pandemic malaise. I’ve been loving own voices books featuring Black protagonists finding love, even when it was absolutely the last thing on their minds. These three novels all written by Black women were refreshing and reminded me why I love this genre. I absolutely love reading about an independent woman who falls in love with a sexy man who has his act together. I picked up Destiny’s Captive by Beverly Jenkins from the library. I had […]

Hawaii is for lovers

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

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The Unhoneymooners was my first foray into the Christina Lauren catalog. I’m trying to become more versed in contemporary romance. In March, I visited Hawaii and this book allowed me to daydream again about island life. This book seemed like a perfect match. Olive Torres thinks she is cursed with bad luck. She is recently laid off and has moved into a small apartment. Her love life is nonexistent. Meanwhile, her sister, Amy, seems to have all the good luck. She has a knack for winning […]

Just some rambling thoughts about a book I love.

Prince's Gambit (Captive Prince, #2) by C.S. Pacat

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I re-read this whole trilogy in October, but I only ended up writing a review for #2. Oh, well. I’m not going to be able to write a real review of this. It would just come out garbled with enthusiasm. Instead, I’m going to do a real spoilery bullet point thing and see what comes out. Absolutely do not read any further unless you’ve already read all three books. *If Laurent didn’t already know that Damen was Damianos, he would know by the end of […]



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