Quick Reviews

 Bear With Me Now by Katie Shepard (2023)

I was so looking forward to this book - the title and cover initially drew me in, and I thought the premise sounded great.  While attending a wilderness therapy retreat with his sister, Teagan starts falling for Darcy, a guide/handywoman at the retreat, and with a little prodding from his sister, he hires Darcy as his sober companion and she returns to NYC with him.  Problem is, Teagan is not an alcoholic, and what will Darcy do when she finds out?  This started out good - I liked Darcy at the beginning; she's brash and bold and confident - plus, she saves Teagan from a bear!  But when they get to NYC, it all fell apart for me.  Darcy has absolutely no qualifications to be a sober companion or any kind of therapist.  She thinks that by listening to podcasts, she can fix Teagan.  Not only this, but she actively pursues a relationship? fling?  no-strings-attached sex? with him.  I guess since she's not a real therapist, it's not bad, but it felt so unethical and immoral.  Teagan seemed a bit obsessed with Darcy, and the way he inserted himself into her job search (actively looking for and applying for jobs for her) felt really weird.  Also, even though he's not an alcoholic, he does have some mental health issues, which were not dealt with in constructive ways (he makes the unilateral decision to go off his meds in order to have better sex).  Darcy, on the other hand, clearly has some sort of learning disability, and I felt like the author hinted at it but almost completely glossed over it.  I think an exploration of that would have gone a long way in helping the reader understand Darcy better.  3 stars

The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead (2023)

What happens when a shy librarian decides to have a one-night stand with a handsome stranger?  Well, in this case, a freak lightning strike causes a fire at their hotel before any of the good stuff happens, and when they are photographed fleeing for safety, she finds out he's actually a gubernatorial candidate and they start a fake relationship to keep the press from gossiping.  Sounds fun, right?  And it absolutely was, as well as unexpectedly heartfelt and deep at times.  I just loved this book.  Although it took me a little while to get into it (because, life), soon I didn't want to stop reading.  I fell in love with Alexis and Logan and their unconventional journey to happiness.  Alexis was such a relatable character - she's shy, a book lover, often afraid to stand up for herself and what she wants.  But she grows so much during this book, learning to put herself first when she needs to, and discovering what she truly wants out of life.  And Logan - sigh, so dreamy!  Through just small words and actions, I could tell how much he cared for Alexis, but was scared to make it real.  There were some communication issues, and it seemed like too often they were interrupted just as a major breakthrough was going to happen, but I found myself not caring - I was rooting too hard for them!  Great writing, well-rounded characters, a little spicy but worth the slow burn!  5 stars

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