Representation – at least one protagonists is explicitly not Christian
If Shakespeare was an Auntie, Book #1
Heat Factor: There’s plenty of stuff that goes on, but he is very invested in her, er, orchid.
Character Chemistry: It’s Something at first sight, they just can’t agree on what that Something is.
Plot: They’re soulmates who have fundamentally different beliefs about love, which pushes them apart, but life goal deadlines for both of them push them back together.
Overall: The Prem scenes after they have sex for the first time are amazing.
Region Two, Book #2
Heat Factor: There’s some sex at the beginning, and then a really long dry spell
Character Chemistry: Their relationship is going through a lot, so their chemistry comes and goes
Plot: Uh. Let’s destroy the HEA from Book 1.
Overall: The first half of this book went some seriously unexpected places, which made for a very unusual romance reading experience.
The Girls in Apartment 5G, Book #1
Heat Factor: They do not even kiss, my friends.
Character Chemistry: Noam is extremely opaque, but he plays with Shayna, who is a bit tightly wound, so it’s fun
Plot: Shayna and Noam, Orthodox Jews who grew up in NYC, are suddenly and unexpectedly sent to North Pole, Alaska just weeks before Christmas, for an end-of-year review meeting with a big client
Overall: I really enjoyed this read, mostly because it’s so playful
Heat Factor: Kisses in the snow
Character Chemistry: Soulmates, in the “you fill in my missing pieces” sense of the word
Plot: Rachel needs to write a Hanukkah romance and is feeling uninspired—so she tries to get a ticket to the Matzah Ball, a huge party being planned by none other than her first love.
Overall: I have very mixed feelings
Heat Factor: I mean, it is technically explicit sex, but it’s done in a vignette style until nearly the end, when it feels much more traditionally written
Character Chemistry: I had big feels, but it was because of Zach’s journey, not because of Zach and Eugenio together
Plot: Baseball players fall in love, but one refuses to come out and things fall apart. Until they get a second chance.
Overall: Y’all. I have just been on a whole emotional roller coaster.
The Smut Report 