Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Telling her best friends about accidentally summoning a goddess, being named her priestess, and being blessed with the ability to breathe fire wasn’t something that Kenna would like to repeat”

Forged in Flames by Ali Williams

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I’d read some of the author’s contemporary romances before so when I found out she had a shifter romance coming out? Heck yes! And it’s absolutely delightful, with a strong heroine and the exact opposite of an alphahole hero. It’s no exaggeration to say that Kenna is very surprised when the statue she’s working on suddenly turns into Belisama, a goddess she’s never heard of, and proclaims that she’s her priestess. But the blacksmith figures she can just shrug it off and finish off the […]

A Bonkbuster Double Feature

Mistral's Daughter by Judith Krantz

Princess Daisy by Judith Krantz

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Every so often I go on a kick of reading those commercial romances about driven young women published in the 1980s that are sometimes called bonkbusters. You must admit they are rather addictive in their escapist nature and their pulpy plots. It annoys me when people dismiss them as ‘trashy,’ as though they have to make excuses for not reading Dickens or whoever all the time. There’s still good writing there- and I think that’s especially true when it comes to Judith Krantz. Mistral’s Daughter […]

“I wish our happiness was enough.”

A Show for Two by Tashie Bhuiyan

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I absolutely adored Tashie Bhuiyan’s first book so of course I was incredibly excited for this one, especially since it hinted at a celebrity romance. While I don’t think her sophomore effort is as good as her debut, it’s still a fun and sweet story with enemies-to-lovers and an incredible meet-disaster. Since she was a child, Mina has loved the movies. With her sights set on attending a prestigious program in California, she knows that her best bet to get in is to win the […]

“I’d possibly started down the road of caring about him differently. Albeit in a very slow, easily spooked car.”

I You Want Me Close by Skye Kilaen

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If it’s a new Skye Kilaen, you know I’m going to read it! While this is set in Austin (and there’s a brief mention of Knockdown), it’s not part of that series. What it is is lovely and emotional friends-to-lovers romance. Look, it says hurt/comfort on the tin and holy crap that’s exactly what you get! Simon’s a larger bisexual guy, pleased to finally be working at a place that doesn’t care about his sexuality. He has two work friends: Mina, who sits in the […]

Road Trip Romance

No Rings Attached by Rachel Lacey

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Lia is on the hunt for a fake girlfriend to go to her brother’s wedding with her, and her best friend Rosie offers up her childhood friend Grace as an option. Sparks fly when the two meet, but Grace has a complicated past and is wary of relationships. This is the second book in the series, but reads perfectly well as a stand-alone. Though the story starts off with the fake-dating trope, things quickly heat up between the couple until they enter a complicated relationship […]

Aggressively meh

Blame it on the Brontes by Annie Sereno

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I usually love second chance romances and the blurb sounded right up my alley, but unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me. “Find Garland, write the book,” she repeated like a mantra with every strike of a foot against pavement. “Save your job.” Athena’s an assistant English professor given an impossible assignment: find out the identity of C.L. Garland, the author turning classics into erotica (“David Copafeel”), and write a book about it by the end of the year, or her job is gone. […]



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