Tag Archives: Atria

Review: Cross My Heart

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Cross My Heart by Megan Collins
Publisher: Atria
Pub Date: 1/14/2025

Thank you Atria for the free advanced copy.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rosie Lachlan becomes entangled in a dangerous obsession after suspecting her heart donor was the late wife of author Morgan Thorne, with whom she feels destined to be. As she uncovers unsettling truths about Morgan’s past, Rosie must confront whether her connection to him is love or a fatal mistake.

Cross My Heart is the first book I’ve read by Megan Collins. The intriguing premise initially drew me to this thriller. The story is told through Rosie’s perspective, interspersed with emails between them in DonnerConnnect, and other emails Morgan sent, which added an interesting layer to the narrative. The characters were all unlikable, unreliable, and unhinged, making questionable choices that effectively added to the story’s tension. However, I found Rosie, the main character, to be particularly daft and annoying. While the story started off strong, it began to drag in the middle becoming repetitive and overly focused on Rosie’s monotonous overthinking. The writing leaned more toward telling than showing which lessened some of the impact. That said, a couple of unexpected twists sparked my interest with the plot. Overall, it was an entertaining three-star read.

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Review: Kiss Her Once For Me

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Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun
Publisher: Atria Books
Pub Date: 11/1/2022

Thank you to Atria Books for the free book in exchange for my honest review. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

GoodReads Synopsis: 

One year ago, recent Portland transplant Ellie Oliver had her dream job in animation and a Christmas Eve meet-cute with a woman at a bookstore that led her to fall in love over the course of a single night. But after a betrayal the next morning and the loss of her job soon after, she finds herself adrift, alone, and desperate for money.

Finding work at a local coffee shop, she’s just getting through the days—until Andrew, the shop’s landlord, proposes a shocking, drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes and isolation. They make a plan to spend the holidays together at his family cabin to keep up the ruse. But when Andrew introduces his new fiancée to his sister, Ellie is shocked to discover it’s Jack—the mysterious woman she fell for over the course of one magical Christmas Eve the year before. Now, Ellie must choose between the safety of a fake relationship and the risk of something real.

Perfect for fans of Written in the Stars and One Day in December, Kiss Her Once for Me is the queer holiday rom-com that you’ll want to cozy up with next to the fire.

Review: Kiss Her Once For Me is a queer Christmas romance that takes place in Portland, OR. This romance novel contains fake dating, forced proximity, and forbidden romance. I really loved The Charm Offensive so I had high exceptions for this one! I loved the music and pop references in the book. I think there should have been a playlist at the end of the book or something! The biggest part that didn’t work for me was the storyline The plot seemed interesting, but the storyline was an utter mess. There were too many subplots going on and the flashback section was so drawn out. I couldn’t get onboard with Ellie and Jack’s insta-love connection and the miscommunication of it all. There were so many times where one of the characters could have come clean and they didn’t. This wasn’t for me. I’d recommend skipping this one.