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If You Like This Trad Romance You Might Like This Indie 

If You Like This Trad Romance You Might Like This Indie 

Jul 28, 2022

I’ve done a few posts like this throughout the year, and since it’s the Indie Accords this month, I thought it would be a perfect post. You all know that I love reading indie, you can check out nearly 100 of the ones that I have loved now. And I thought what better way to get people to read more indie books than show them something similar that they may have read in the form of traditionally published books. 

Traditionally published books, are those that are published from an established publishing house (and their imprints). Think Penguin Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Macmillan Publishers, and Simon & Schuster. Indie books are from small independent publishers with no ties to the big 5 and self-published authors. 

Let’s get into it. Here are the indie books I think you may like if you have read these traditionally published books. 

I know there is a lot of you out there that loves A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas and the world that she has created. So I think you may love The Longing of Lone Wolves (Fae Guardians #1) by Lana Pecherczyk as well. While they are different, they give off a similar vibe and I loved it. Throw into a new world, with supernatural creatures, Clarke has to find a new way of living, and when she is the only one that can see Rush. Things are about to get very interesting. 

If you loved the romance in Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert then I think you would really enjoy Alight (The Firecracker Cousins #1) by A.H. Cunningham. I’ve only read Alight recently and I enjoyed it quite a bit. When estranged friends come back together, tension is high. And then feelings start to get in the way, well there is only one way to relive the tension. This is hot, sexy and a fantastic friends to lovers. 

While this doesn’t have the same ‘hate-to-love’ romance, I think if you have loved The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, if you might love Always Only You (Bergman Brothers #2) by Chloe Liese. Okay I will take any excuse to talk about the Bergman Brothers, but this office romance just hits. If you are looking for a fantastic grumpy sunshine romance with fantastic disability rep and characters that are everything. Then read Always Only You, honestly just read the whole series. 

You all know that I adore Katee Robert and her Dark Olympus series. But if you loved that or want to try something new in Greek Mythology retellings. Then you need to read Drag Me Up by R.M. Virtues. I’ve just read the first book in their series but I am hanging to read the rest and I cannot wait. It’s on that similar darkest leave and smutty as hell. I love seeing what different people do with retellings and the world that R.M Virtues has created is so fascinating. 

And there we go! Those are the indie romances that I think you might like if you enjoyed reading these traditionally published romances. Have you read any of these? What did you think of them? Do you know any other indie books others might enjoy similar to popular traditional published romances? Let’s Chat! 

Don’t forget to check out all my other indie accords posts. From my tbr to check-ins and other indie-related posts. 

Reading The Highest-Rated Books On My TBR

Reading The Highest-Rated Books On My TBR

Jun 12, 2022

I did a post like this a little while ago, but I thought it would be fun to do it again. So today I’m sharing my thoughts on 3 of the highest-rated books on my tbr. I found this round really interesting and I cannot wait to share my thoughts with you. 

But before we get into that, there were a few rules that I had set myself. I picked the books from my Goodreads tbr. And if you have been here before you know that I don’t use my Goodreads tbr for just the books that I own. So firstly the book has to have over 1000 reviews. This just means it was fairer in the rating. Secondly, it had to be the first book in a series or one that I could read as a standalone. And the last thing was that I had to either; own the book, it is a decent price on kindle or it is on kindle unlimited. I didn’t want to really buy any books, so I had to compromise a little. 

Because of all this, the books that I read with the highest-rated on my GoodReads tbr were; Me + Somebody’s Son: A Heights Story by Christina C. Jones, The Words by Ashley Jade and Broken Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #1) by J. Bree. 

Now that you know the books let’s get into what I thought about them. I had a lot of fun doing this. It was a great way for me to get out of my slight reading slump, but also knock off some books that I have wanted to read for a while. 

 

Me + Somebody’s Son: A Heights Story by Christina C. Jones with a 4.51-star rating from 1125 reviews. 

This novella has been on my tbr for a while now. A went on a novella binge a little while ago and this was added to my tbr during that time. I was intrigued by the plot of this book from the start. And I knew I wanted something short just to get me back in reading. And this is what this book did. 

The romance was fantastic and while it was a novella, I didn’t feel like I was missing a whole lot. I did want to see our protagonists interact a little more. I just wanted a little more communication between the two. But it was still a really enjoyable read. 

The romance was hot, the protagonist was fantastic and overall it was a great read. It ended up being a 4-star read for me. So that is pretty much spot on with everyone else. 

 

 

 

 

The Words by Ashley Jade with a 4.45-star rating from 13, 554 reviews. 

I don’t know where to begin with this book. I honestly don’t know has it has such a high rating. Normally I’m on the same page with a lot of people about books, but this one. And if I wasn’t reading this book for this post, I would most likely not have finished this book. 

There isn’t much to say about this book. I was intrigued by the plot and I think that is what kept me going. But the romance? The romance was just so toxic. Lennon and Phoenix are so bad for one another, they just push each other all the wrong ways. 

I enjoyed the first part of the novel, even then I did have quite a few problems with it. But the second part was just a mess. And the fact that this book was nearly 700 pages.  It was just so boring, and toxic and I didn’t know what was happening half the time. I wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t. I ended up giving it 2 stars. 

 

 

 

 

Broken Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #1) by J. Bree with a 4.48-star rating from 11.417 reviews. 

This book has been on my tbr for some time now. But I just haven’t been in the mood to pick it up. This post was a great push for me. And I’m glad that I did. Because I ended up really enjoying this book. 

Now I’m not going to lie, I was a little confused for quite some time in the book. Mostly about how the world works, what the gifts mean, and what are the bonds. But as the book went on I found out a little more. I’m still not solid on the world, but I am getting there. 

There wasn’t much of a romance in this book, which did surprise me. I do feel that things will heat up in the second book. It is a reverse harem book, as our protagonist has multiple bonds, and most of them are arseholes at this point. But I’m excited to see where it’s taken. 

Overall, this is a solid 3.5 rating for me. And maybe if I understood the world a little more it would be a little higher. But I’m excited to read more. 

 

And there we go. That is what I think of the highest-rated books that were on my tbr. Have you read any of these books? what did you think of them? Are you planning on reading them? Let’s chat! 

Should I Read These Romance Books

Should I Read These Romance Books

May 10, 2022

There are so many books that I want to read. So many romance books I want to read. So today I thought I would come to you are ask for your help. I need you to help me decide if I should read these romance books. 

I have an up and down relationship with recommendations from the internet. Whether it’s from tiktok or Twitter, sometimes a book sounds fantastic and then I’m left disappointed.

So I need your help. The books on this list are ones that I’m just not sure if I should read, but they have caught my eye. Let me know if you have read any of them? Are they worth it? Let’s get into it. As always these are in no order. 

Ask Me Why by Harloe Rae | Unhinged (Necessary Evils #1) by Onley James. | The Bloody Bride (The Rocchetti Dynasty #1) by Bree Porter | Only the Positive (Only You #1) by Elle Thorpe.

The Unseelie Prince (Maze of Shadows #1) by Kathryn Ann Kingsley | Twisted Ginni by Nicola Rose. | Vicious Kings (The Dark Elite #1) by Eva Ashwood | Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout #1) by Lucy Score.
 
Lords of Pain (The Royals of Forsyth University #1). by Angel Lawson and Samantha Rue. | Blood and Ruin by Rumer Hale.
 
And there we go! Those are the books that I’m not sure if I should read. Have you read anything from this list? What did you think of them? Should I read them? Let’s Chat! 
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book blogger 💻| romance books 💜| bookseller 📖
💌 angel@angelreads.com
📚15/150

I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I have a love-hate relationship with this series. But I ended up really enjoying this one. It’s best friends to fake dating to-lovers. It’s always been you, bad-boy/good-girl, and I loved that. While Save Your Breath has quite a few tropes, it really leads itself to it, and it works. 

Aleks and Mia have known each other for years now. Since they were teenagers, that angst has been building up this whole time. And you can tell right from the get-go, it’s fantastic. I even wanted more of it, because I love pain. When Aleks went to live with Mia’s family as a teenager, sparks flew, but for many reasons, they both put their feelings aside. And well, now they are not only going to be fake-dating, but they might as well be engaged, too. 

I really enjoyed seeing how both Aleks and Mia both tried to hide how they were feeling throughout the whole ‘fake-dating’ situation, but anyone could see it. They know each other as no one else does. Aleks has a lot going on, and while I do think this was brushed over a little too much, Mia is his centre. Mia is a massive music star and is a female in the industry, so yeah, people don’t respect her. Obvsiouly because why couldn’t a female star be badass and write about the things that she has gone through? Aleks and Mia get each other, and that is very clear from the start; they are both just trying to squash everything. We get to see them slowly start to show how they feel, and well, one night it all explodes. 

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot; it’s not my favourite of the series, but I had a great time reading it. I liked Aleks and Mia a lot as characeters and while I think the mental health aspect could have been explored a whole lot more, I can see why it wasn’t. The romance was slow and spicy, the angst was great, and the payoff for these two was what they needed. 

Tropes
🏒Sports/Hockey Romance
🎤Fake Dating/Engagement
🏒Childhood Friends to Lovers
🎤Forced Proximity
🏒Athlete x Pop Star 
🎤Angsty Slow Burn 

Content Warnings
Mental Health Struggles 
Suicide Intention 
Family Deaths 
Alcohol Consumption
Violence on Ice

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #bookreview
Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I onl Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I only ended up reading 3 books in. 3 pretty fun books but one of my slowest readings months in a while. 

And I’m going to be honest here it’s because I’ve been constantly reading Heated Rivalry fanfics. 🤷‍♀️ I’m having the best time though. 

How was your reading in February? Any 5  star reads? 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #februarywrapup
January was a really solid reading month. I read s January was a really solid reading month. I read some books that had been on my tbr for some time, reread a few things that peaked my interest. I also started a few new series. And just had a good time!

I just had a really good start to the year. While February is a little slow so far I’m looking forward to what I can pick up.

What did you read in January? Any 5-star reads? Let’s chat! 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #januarywrapup
Can you believe that it’s already February? I know Can you believe that it’s already February? I know I can’t. But that means it’s a new month with more releases coming out! And that makes me excited. Some fantastic titles releasing this month and I cannot wait to read them. 📚

A couple of these are on my TBR already and some have just caught my eye and that makes me super excited to pick them up. 🖤

What are you looking forward to reading this month? Let’s chat! ✨

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #Februaryreleases2026
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