pickA deep dive (no pun intended, I swear) into swimming's history - both its modern incarnation as a recreational activity during the early 19th-century, and the Classical era from which those 19th-century Romantics drew their inspiration, when swimming was infused with heroic, and even divine, qualities. I love to swim, and I also love books where an obsessive examines the subject of their passion in detail, so this one was perfect for me.
A relaxing Wednesday evening!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️ I want to preface by saying this: I‘m so damned tired of romance novels that are nearly 500 pages. Get. To. The. Freaking. Point. But, I digress. While I wasn‘t super keen on certain aspects, which are laid out in the author‘s note, I generally liked the setting and characters. It was a decent vacation read.
pickHazelwood does it again. Steamy and fun with compelling characters going through it. Not for the faint of heart, especially if power dynamics aren‘t your thing. Not really mine but the high level aquatics competition setting was a big hit for me.
pickThis was something! While there were still some classic Hazelwood elements (tall, dark male… tiny female… both smart) this went more into them being exceptional athletes with a side of kink exploration. The issues with the best friend/ex seemed to flow realistically and I liked the conclusion. The epilogue read a little weirdly, but that‘s fine. Did get my final March #wickedwords -Pen!
pickFrom one of my least favorites to one of my fave favorites. Lukas may be my top hero, and I liked that the conflict seemed more natural than some. Also the stuff between Scarlett and Pen worked out in a believable way. Scarlett‘s running away was a tad extreme, but sure. I was surprised I liked this as much, given the MCs were college-age, but this worked for me in a way that Check & Mate didn‘t.
pick5/5
This is my favorite Ali Hazelwood read yet. I loved Scarlet and her struggle with her collegiate diving career after a devastating injury, her growing friendship with diving captain Pen, and her new relationship with Pen's ex, Lukas. I also loved the cameos from Olive Smith and Adam Carlson from The Love Hypothesis
Spring Break in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We‘re fortunate to live just a few hours away.
Not sure about this book, y‘all 🫣
