The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage

Goodreads blurb: An irresistible modern fairy tale about a British princess who must decide between her duty to her family—or to her own heart.
It’s New Year’s Day in Tasmania, and the life Lexi Villiers has carefully built is working out she’s in the second year of her medical residency, she lives on a beautiful farm with her two best friends Finn and Jack, and she’s about to finally become more-than-friendly with Jack—when a helicopter abruptly lands.
Out steps her grandmother’s right-hand-man, with the tragic news that her father and older brother have been killed in a skiing accident. Lexi’s grandmother happens to be the Queen of England, and in addition to the shock and grief, Lexi must now accept the reality that she is suddenly next in line for the throne—a role she has publicly disavowed.
Returning to London as the heir apparent Princess Alexandrina, Lexi is greeted by a skeptical public not ready to forgive her defection, a grieving sister-in-law harboring an explosive secret, and a scheming uncle determined to claim the throne himself.
Her recent life—and Jack—grow ever more distant as she feels the tug of tradition, of love for her grandmother, and of obligation. When her grandmother grants her one year to decide, Lexi must chart her own will it be the one determined by an accident of birth, or by her own heart?

my take: 3.5 out of 5. This is total Royal family fan fiction, which is fun, but really not what I expected from a Reeses Book Club Pick. Althoguh its cool to go into this world, the book is a bit too long. Additionally it is too based in the current royal family which more than inventive seems a little bit too simplistic. I did ship the relationship though.

Heart the Lover by Lily King

Goodreads blurb: “Lily King has written another masterpiece. This book overflows with her brilliance and her heart. We are so lucky.” —Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of This Time Tomorrow
From the New York Times bestselling author of Writers & Lovers comes a magnificent and intimate new novel of desire, friendship, and the lasting impact of first love
You knew I’d write a book about you someday.
Our narrator understands good love stories—their secrets and subtext, their highs and free falls. But her greatest love story, the one she lived, never followed the simple rules.
In the fall of her senior year of college, she meets two star students from her 17th-Century Lit Sam and Yash. Best friends living off campus in the elegant house of a professor on sabbatical, the boys invite her into their intoxicating world of academic fervor, rapid-fire banter and raucous card games. They nickname her Jordan, and she quickly discovers the pleasures of friendship, love and her own intellectual ambition. But youthful passion is unpredictable, and soon she finds herself at the center of a charged and intricate triangle. As graduation comes and goes, choices made will alter these three lives forever.
Decades later, the vulnerable days of Jordan’s youth seem comfortably behind her. But when a surprise visit and unexpected news bring the past crashing into the present, she returns to a world she left behind and must confront the decisions and deceptions of her younger self.
Written with the superb wit and emotional sensitivity fans and critics of Lily King have come to adore, Heart the Lover is a deeply moving love story that celebrates literature, forgiveness, and the transformative bonds that shape our lives. Wise, unforgettable, and with a delightful connective thread to Writers & Lovers, this is King at her very best, affirming her as a masterful chronicler of the human experience and one of the finest novelists at work today.

my take: 4.5 out of 5. This book is devastatingly sad yet thoroughly beautiful all at the same time. It really is all that life is, ups and downs, highs and lows, love and heartbreak. The characters are flawed and gorgeously written and there were so many tears by the end I was a bit embarrassed reading this in a public place . Also this book might be my equivalent of a 90 min play with no intermission, short and sweet without loosing any of its literary power. Please grab a copy!

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean

Goodreads blurb: Bringing together the slow-burn simmer of psychological suspense and the propulsive drive of crime thrillers, The Death of Us is the story of a marriage turned inside out by a violent encounter that sets fire to the hairline faults that were there from the start.
Late on a summer’s evening when they are thirty years old, husband and wife Edward and Isabel’s home is invaded by a serial killer. In the wake of this violation, the solid foundation of their love reveals cracks and instabilities that might have been there all along, and their marriage crumbles.
More than 25 years later, they are reunited for their tormentor’s trial and forced to confront their relationship: the secrets, the passions, and the encounter that binds them still. Isabel has waited years for the man who nearly ended her life to be caught. As she’s tracked news of his increasingly violent criminal life, she’s connected with other survivors and prepared for the moment that she’d get to read her victim impact statement aloud in court. She is sure she’ll speak her truth and finally let the past go. Edward has spent the years since the break-in—and the breakdown of his marriage—trying to figure out how a near-miss with death killed so much else in their shared life. Unlike Isabel, he’s not eager to relive these terrible memories. But even though he’s moved on—he’s found love again, his old life almost unrecognizable ​to him now—he can’t resist accompanying Isabel to their intruder’s sentencing. What would revenge or justice feel like? Can closure set Isabel free? And what might that freedom mean for Edward?

my take: 3.5 out of 5. I had really high expectations for this one, as I really trust jordys book club and he had it as his number one of the year, above some of my favorites like Wild Dark Shore and Broken Country. It definitely did not meet those expectations. It is not a bad book, its just good, not great. I really enjoyed the interesting structural storytelling where one of the characters is narrating the pat whilst the other the present. I however, wanted more of a bang, and the reveal felt like a wimper. There is some good character development and marriage insifght but not best of the year material

The Bodyguard Affair by Amy Lea

Goodreads blurb: A secret romance writer discovers that the hottest story of summer might just be the one happening between her and the Prime Minister’s bodyguard, from the international bestselling author of Set On You.
Andi Zeigler lives a double life. By day, she’s the no-nonsense, steadfast personal assistant to the Prime Minister of Canada’s wife. By night, she slips out of her heels and writes romance novels under a top-secret pen name. But when her steamiest book, The Prime Minister & Me, unexpectedly becomes a bestseller, rumors of a real-life affair between her and the PM start swirling out of control.
Enter Nolan Crosby, the PM’s new close protection officer (aka bodyguard) – and Andi’s failed one-night stand from three years ago. Nolan’s in town very temporarily to care for his mother, who’s battling early-onset Alzheimer’s. But when the scandal erupts, Andi ropes him into a fake-dating plan.
As loyal employees, they’ll pretend to date for the summer, just long enough to put the scandal to bed and save their boss’s reputation. In an unexpected plot twist, Andi and Nolan discover that keeping their romance strictly fictional might be easier said than done.

This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.

My take: 3.75 out of 5. This was a really cute rom-com, with a great side of politics. I did not know what to expect and i read right through it in one sitting. I loved the meet cute and the re-meet cute and all the side characters were engaging and well developed. I do not know how many political appointees want to be romance writers but I loved that concept. (i was also picturing Justin Trudeau as the Prime minister the whole book!)

In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams

Goodreads blurb: A homecoming to Rome, Kentucky, sparks a new romance—and lots of drama—between two old family friends, from the New York Times bestselling author of When in Rome, Practice Makes Perfect, and Beg, Borrow, or Steal
Madison Walker left Rome, Kentucky, determined to prove she could make it in the culinary world. But after years of chasing success in New York, all she has to show for it is a shattered confidence and a desperate need for a fresh start. Coming home isn’t part of the plan—until an unexpected job offer lands in her lap, giving her a chance to rebuild everything she’s lost: the head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant in her hometown. The only catch? It comes from James Huxley, owner of Huxley Farm, her brother’s best friend . . . and the last person she wants to work for.
James has always played it safe, keeping his head down and doing what’s expected of him in the family business and never contemplating anything different—until now when Madison’s happiness is on the line. He’s loved her quietly for years, knowing she’s never seen him as more than an annoyance. Now that she’s back, he’s determined to change that–even if it means he can only ever be her friend. The one problem? His charming, wildly successful younger brother, Tommy, seems determined to win her over first.
Then Tommy is called away on business and Madison and James are tasked with launching the dreamy farm-to-table restaurant on their own. But as the town starts meddling in their relationship, Tommy’s pursuit of Madison grows more relentless, and Madison’s fears threaten to hold her back, keeping things strictly professional becomes impossible. And when an unexpected disaster on opening night collides with a long-simmering sibling feud, both Madison and James will have to face their biggest insecurities—and decide if love is worth the risk or if some dreams are safer left untouched.

This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.

My take: 3.5 out of 5. A cute finale for the When in Rome series. This might be my least favorite trope, because its not a friends to lovers its a – i don’t talk or accept my feelings trope. It is however very well written and I love how obsessed Hames is with Madison. You do get a bit of that in the previous books, and its adorable but I wish we got a lot more as to why he was obsessed. At some points it seems superficial and weird and I wanted more backstory. They do make an adorable couple4 and I loved the ride. Also you can never go wrong where there is so much food discussed! A cover note: ! do have to say reading the book I would have never pictured MAdison as a pink dress girl but I guess I didnt read this as detailed!