Beth Favorite’s Books of 2023!

Posted on December 10, 2023 by Bethlylou

It’s that time of the year! Where we look back at all of the books we read this year and pick our favorites. These are my favorite books of 2023. They are in no particular order but in order that I read them.

The Dangerous Damsels series by India Holton – The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, The League of Gentlewoman Witches and The Secret Service of Tea and Treason were such a fun trilogy of books I loved all the prim and proper pirates and witches and their flying houses. It has the perfect mix of romance, hijinks and adventure.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty – Keeping with the pirate theme. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is such a fun story of piracy, adventure and magic. Unlike most books where the protagonist is young and just starting out, Amina is in her 40’s and well established. She has to come out of retirement for this adventure and not only have battle the present but the past. So much fun.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – This was the book of the year. I don’t remember the last time that people were excited about the release of a book. The sequel, Iron Flame got the full Midnight release party treatment. Violet has a chronic illness that makes her a poor candidate to be a dragon rider but she’s forced to join by her mom. In a mixture of Hunger Games and Harry Potter. Violet will become a rider if only she can survive, which in this school is not a given. Did I mention there are dragons?
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade – Spoiler Alert and it’s sequel All the Feels are delightful. This is such a nerd romance. It’s mixture of romance, fandoms and fan fics is irresistible. Who doesn’t dream of meeting a handsome actor and falling in love? Marcus and April are the perfect couple. It’s also so great to have a plus size romantic lead. To often we are forgotten about so it’s great to finally get the guy at the end.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood – This was another TikTok find. I am a sucker for enemies to lover trope and I guess also the relationship of convenience trope. It was was such a fun read and I was invested from the beginning. I can’t wait to read more from Ali Hazelwood.

Those were mine. I want to hear what books you loved this year! Maybe they will be mine in 2024!

Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Posted on October 28, 2023 by Bethlylou

I am glad that I didn’t know that this started out as a Reylo fanfic because I think that would have ruined it for me. And that would have been a shame because I really enjoyed this book. It was very cute. I wasn’t sure about the whole Professor/PHD student romance at first because that could be fraught with red flags but I thought it was handled well.

Olive is a Phd student who out of nowhere kisses Professor Adam Carlsen to convince her best friend Anh that she is over her ex. She plans a fake relationship with Adam in hopes that Anh will feel okay dating her ex. Adam goes along with it because well Stanford is withholding some of his financing because they believe he’s about to leave. So they make plans to date for a period of time but of course they fall in love. In between their witty banter and back and fourth’s Olive is also looking for funding. Her mentor is retiring and is already kinda checked out. So she is seeking new labs to keep working on her research. Of course this comes with a whole bunch of complications, mostly stemming from she is a woman in the STEM field.

It’s pretty clear from the get go that Olive and Adam have chemistry. That it’s not just a work proposition that is keeping them together. They help each other help and help each other grow. I really liked reading them as a couple. If I had one qualm about was how it ended. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that the slimy guy gets it but it also felt rushed to me. Other than that I found it to be delightful and I look forward to reading more Ali’s books.