#Rosie Danan

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: Bi Adult M/F Romances

These are M/F Romances where half the couple is bi. For books where both halves are, click here and here. Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz You, Again by Kate Goldbeck The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan A Gentleman in the Street by Alisha Rai With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson Bonus: Coming in February, The Friendship Study by Ruby Barrett

[backndforthfromnewyork]

the roommate, rosie danan

[myloveforhergoeson]

ash's march 2024 reading round up

find all the books and fics i read this month under the cut with a link to the synopsis and my reviews/ratings attached :)

this is just for fun! i'm not a professional, i just like to read <3

booklist!

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy (18+)

• review: good book, fun read! nothing extraordinary but entertaining nonetheless, but i did struggle because the two main characters share the names of a few of my best friends... weird. anyway, i'm such a sucker for a second-chance romance, as logan and grace have in this novel after they're on the path to a relationship, but logan can't seem to get over the girl his best friend is dating... after a summer apart, both of them return to college and find themselves getting mixed up in each others business, which allows for time to reevaluate and find out together just what went wrong! love seeing a man grovel after he makes a mistake lol. but, again, it was a fun read, nothing super special or groundbreaking and i think elle kennedy has some internalized misogyny she needs to work out which comes through a bit in her writing sometimes. i don't think women in romance novels should always be put through terrible situations to culminate in a moment of love-clarity, but that's just me. that scene told me more about logan's character than grace's, which was nice to see him stand up for her and her friend, but still. hurt to read a bit. i am also slightly worried for graces' future as a therapist. she has absolutely no empathy when logan was opening up about his struggles with his father's alcoholism - to her credit, he wasn't telling her everything, not that he needs to, but still... regardless, i thought these two were cute. even after he blew her off big time in the beginning, he worked to prove he made a mistake and actively worked to better himself. i thought graces' list of things he needed to do to win her over was adorable - i wish there was more time spent on seeing him complete these tasks! the ramona (grace's kind of best friend) side plot was interesting but i was very caught off guard with how it was resolved... but! still enjoyed this book nonetheless~

• tw: depictions and scenes around alcoholism in a side character, side character held at party against her will

• rating: 3/5 boxes of blonde hair dye it must've taken grace to dye her hair

2. Happy Place by Emily Henry (18+ish)

• review: oh my god oh my god oh my GOD!!!!!!!! no book i've ever read has had such an emotional grip on me. i must've cried like five separate times while reading this book - not because it's sad, but because i found myself identifying with so many of the themes (and also because i may or may not have been going through it at the time of reading). this is a beautifully written tale about two ex-fiances, wyn and harriet, reuniting five months after their break up to join their friends on their yearly vacation to their favorite place in the world - a beach house in maine! - without telling anyone they've broke up. now, they must play the part of the once-happy couple they were in order to keep the peace and not ruin everyone's vacation. seeing how family, friendship, growing up, moving apart, grief, and not listening to one's heart affected each character absolutely gutted me in ways i was not expecting at all. like i said, i identified with so many of these themes, and the way they're all interwoven throughout the book is so masterful it literally brought me to tears. and not like silent streaks, i was sobbing at some parts. i also really loved that the book was told between two time periods: the present or "real life" and the past or "happy/dark place" so we could see the full span of wyn and harrys relationship, the connections they made with their friends, and how important each and every character is to each other. the scenes of the past felt so nostalgic, like i was there with everyone as friendships, and subsequently relationships, developed. the scenes from the present were just as comforting, even with all their real-life struggles. oh, yeah, and it was a romance novel. dubs for the second chance romance this month! anyway this one absolutely wrecked me and i cannot recommend it enough; one of my favorite books of all time! i could literally talk about it forever, but i'll stop here for now!

• rating: 5/5 times i stained the pages w my tears <3

3. Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan (18+)

• ok. lots to say about this one too but for different reasons lol. overall, i love the concept of this book. an archaeologist (clark) attempting to hit his big break after a rough patch, a curse breaker (riley) hired at the same site because the castle they're excavating has not let anyone discover much about it for hundreds of years, scottish folklore, romance... on paper this is a perfect book for someone like me, who loves both archaeology and the supernatural. however. i do not think that the concept of enemies to lovers really works in modern settings. i really think i've only enjoyed that trope in fantasy settings, but that's just me. like, you're telling me she straight up threatens him with a knife in the first 30 pages and he didn't immediately call the cops on her? he tries to humiliate her not even two chapters later? she breaks into his camper a chapter later? like yall... this isn't even enemies to lovers these guys just straight up hate each other. besides that, i thought the concept was fun. the curse placed upon the castle hundreds of years ago was on a romeo-and-juliet type couple and ended up affecting clark and riley in the same way, hence the enemies to lovers aspect. i thought the castle pushing them to be together to make up for what happened in the past was really cute! that being said the book specifically called out the enemies to lovers trope by name like eight separate times. it made me want to scream! we know that's whats going on, no need to repeat it! and i love a good modern reference, but im not sure four separate criminal minds shout outs were necessary. i love matthew gray gubler too but i do not need that to be randomly thrown in for no apparent reason. the book was really slow to start, i don't think i was really interested until about halfway through. also, i'll say it. some people really aren't meant to be together and i think those people are riley and clark. physical chemistry does not equal emotional chemistry and his confession really just came out of nowhere - i was so jarred. overall, weak characters, okay cringe millennial writing, and very interesting, detailed, and well thought out plot. there were some really great parts that made me blush or laugh out loud!

• 2.5/5 times clark made a comment no self respecting archaeologist would ever make...

fic list!

learning to love by autisticbarbie (3k)

• fandom: big time rush (tv)

• pairing: james diamond/original male character

• yall... such a cute one shot. literally had me giggling and kicking my feet and shit while reading. very well written too; i was so invested!!

this was the only fic i finished this month because i typically go for longer stories! (sorry to the two Inuyasha one shots i read and forgot to bookmark...)

but, i just started an incredibly long dr who/ofc fic called lost in time by whovianeverlark17 on wattpad and, as always, i'm reading icegirl2772's james diamond/ofc story take a shot in the dark on ao3! i'm not at the point where i've read enough of the first to recommend, but if you're a fan of btrtv fics take a shot in the dark is definitely for you!!!!!!! i love you oc fics i love you!

[selkiemaidenfae]

books read in 2024: do your worst by rosie danan

✧✧✧

"this was an absolute nightmare. a woman with no sense of right and wrong held a knife half an inch from his jugular and all he could think about was leaning closer, death be damned, so he could kiss her again."

[shxpeshifterr]

All the books I’ve read in June

[tireideum-livro]

"Nas histórias, quando um príncipe se apaixona por uma princesa, o felizes para sempre era garantido porque o fim era só o começo."

- Que vença o pior, Rosie Danan.

[melodysbookhaven]

“Change always comes with a closing cost. But it's still worth trying. Not because the odds are particularly good, mind you, but considering the alternative. There's value in the struggle. Value in touching the raw and bloody parts of our souls, opening them up to the sunlight, and hoping they heal.”

Rosie Danan, The Roommate

[letal-y-poetica]

Mi personalidad contiene multitudes.

The roommate, Rosie Danan

[jcpdiesel21]

I finished Rosie Danan's The Roommate earlier this week and while it was merely fine, it was an enjoyable audiobook and I will definitely pick up The Intimacy Experiment because I liked Naomi so much as a secondary character. I discovered via Twitter a bonus chapter called Their Birthday Present that takes place between the two books and GOOD GOD it was so scorchingly hot that it BLEW MY MIND.

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: Adult Queer Jewish Romance

The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan (bi m/f) Unwritten Rules by KD Casey (m/m) Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman (f/f) A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee (trans m/pan f) Season of Love by Helena Greer (f/f) Bonus: For an entire series dedicated to Sapphic romances set during Jewish holidays, check out Roz Alexander’s Hot for the Holidays series

[bookbarf]

Just finished Do your worst by Rosie Danan and it was not for me. I wish books had tags like fanfic instead of finding out halfway through that it’s Insta love with light bdsm kink.

If I’d known that I wouldn’t have picked it up, yknow? Not judging people who do like it but we read what we enjoy and I was not the target audience for this book. I didn’t leave a review anywhere for it because I’ve always thought it unfair to rate a book that I wasn’t the target for but meh.

[wadwitchesonly]

“You fuzzy bitch,” Riley said, not without some respect.

Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan

[bekah-reading]

68

3/5

Okay, so coming off of the SoC duology- I needed something light. So I grabbed this. It’s short- around 250-300ish pages.

The writing was meh, the characters felt shallow and a bit immature for their age. It was meant to be like enemies/rivals to lovers but nah, it was insta-lust from the get go.

Riley is a curse breaker; she and her family have been doing this for generations. She is the first one to make a living of it, and gets hired to break a curse on an old castle in the Scottish Highlands. Clark is an archaeologist who is dealing with a scandal and is excavating the castle to try and redeem himself.

The plot was fine, this was just mid all the way through. I felt pretty much like ‘whelp I didn’t love it but I don’t hate it, so it’s just fine.’

I bought it because someone told it had Buffy vibes- and this is not Buffy. Don’t expect any Buffy things, but it did feel almost like it did have Buffy vibes so I was happy with that.

[morgan--reads]

The Roommate - Rosie Danan

Summary: Cautious east coast socialite Clara Wheaton throws caution to the wind to join her crush at a house in LA only to find that he’s leaving for a tour with his band. While he’s gone, he’s sublet his room to Josh, whom Clara soon discovers is a famous porn star. Frank discussions about sex and pleasure soon turn into a business idea, but they also spark something more. 

Quote: “Women need this. No. Women deserve this. Women need to know that their pleasure matters.”

My rating: 3.0/5.0  Goodreads: 3.57/5.0

Review: Fun, but a bit of a mess, this book is trying to do too much at one time. Trying to tackle stigma around sex work, class differences, the evils of the porn industry, advocating for women’s pleasure, and the burden of family expectations is difficult to do while maintaining a light-hearted sexy romance. Clara and Josh have chemistry, the sex scenes are proof of that, but there’s too much distracting from their romance to really root for their happy ending.

[shxpeshifterr]

[bookishbethanyerin]

• book review: do your worst •

I am a sucker for pretty much every iteration of rivals to lovers, and with “Do Your Worst,” Rosie Danan takes the classic workplace rivals trope, gives it some supernatural pizzazz, and turns the tension way, way up.

Which is to say that I had an extremely good time reading this steamy little romp.

The story follows Riley, and American cursebreaker who is called in by the new owners of a manor in Scotland that the locals swear is cursed to see if there’s anything she can do, and Clark, an archaeologist with something to prove who is there to make sure nothing historically important is destroyed before renovations begin.

But when Riley and Clark meet at a pub, they have no idea who each other are, and sparks fly. Then, the very next day, Clark tries to get Riley fired because he thinks she’s a fraud.

So! This gives us insta-lust to workplace rivals with deep antipathy to lovers, and the journey is incredibly fun. And when all the tension between these two finally ignites, it gets very, very spicy very, very quickly.

It’s a book with a fun premise, fantastic banter, great characters, and, you know, hijinks while exploring the folklore of Scotland – honestly, what more could you want?

4.25🌟

3🌶️