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This trend of books with adventure incorporated has really been working for me and so I’m delighted to bring you three reviews of books I really enjoyed. And all three are out because despite the fact that I read two of the three prior to their release, I for some reason just never wrote the reviews. So let’s dive into those so if you haven’t made up your mind quite yet, you’ll know whether or not you want to pick them up! As per usual, thanks to Netgalley and the respective publishers for the e-ARCs and the audio copies of The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold and Destination Weddings & Other Disasters.

The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold by Ally Carter

If you grew up on Ally Carter, this book is obviously for you. If you didn’t, please allow me to encourage you to get swept away into Ally’s fun spy novels. If there’s one thing Ally Carter excels at (and there are many), it’s writing a spy romance where you are just as invested in the romance as you are the stakes of the situation. Now, did I completely follow the stakes in this particular installment? Well… Maybe not. But I was giggling, kicking my feet, and screaming while listening to this audiobook whilst driving if that tells you anything. I did text my sister about how much I was loving this book while I stopped for gas on my drive. The audiobook took an already fantastic book and elevated it to sheer perfection, so I highly recommend that method of consuming the story.

In regards to the question you may have about whether or not you should reread the first book in this companion series first, I think that’s entirely up to you. I think that any excuse to reread The Blonde Identity is a good one, but I didn’t re-read before I read it and don’t feel like I missed anything. If you’ve not read The Blonde Identity at all, I don’t think you have to, but the appreciation for the side characters will definitely be enhanced if you do. Plus, you’ll get to read another fantastic book!

The Ripple Effect by Maggie North

This entire year has really been me emphasizing again and again to myself, and y’all getting the side-effect, that I love books and media about women starting over or going after the life they want. I feel like I’ve needed books like The Ripple Effect so badly in this phase in my life. Essentially, The Ripple Effect follows Stellar, who is described as a “burned out” ER physician, but you come to realize that she’s burned out in large part because of her unsupportive work environment. Can’t imagine what that’s like. Anyway, she also has this thing where she thinks that she needs to be perfect and have no real needs so that her friends will love her. And she winds up helping out on The Love Boat because her best friend needs some help. Then she maybe lies a little bit that she and McHugh are in a relationship and things just keep escalating from there.

I absolutely loved the way this book combined my love of so many things and the way that it really spoke to me about burn out, about being scared to let yourself be vulnerable, about how telling the truth can be absolutely terrifying, and so much more. If you’ve been looking for a book with messy emotions and messy dynamics, this book certainly delivers. And I included it in this adventure romance section because the outdoors absolutely play a role in this story because that is the setting. And it’s kind of fun to read about how kayaking can be such a test of a relationship and really shine a light on relationship dynamics. All that to say, I highly recommend this book and I hope that if you pick it up, you’ll love it like I did.

Destination Weddings & Other Disasters by M.C. Vaughn

A fabulous follow up to the first book, Romancing Miss Stone, I really enjoyed the way this book took the complicated family dynamics touched on in the first book and said, “let’s dive into that.” Destination Weddings examines motherhood and sisterhood with a breadth that I don’t think I’ve seen very often in recent contemporary romances. These relationships are allowed to be explored without ultimately taking over the relationship because it’s Julia’s mom’s wedding taking place on Belize that puts all of our characters into the same place again. 

Meanwhile the romance between Julia and Carson was so interesting. Julia tutored Carson in high school and he randomly started being really awful to her and made her life rather awful. When they’re reintroduced because he’s the son of the man her mom’s about to marry, Carson immediately seeks to make amends. I really liked the way that he handled himself and the way that Julia would check him when he would almost over-compensate for being an ass in the past and think he could fix things for her in the future without asking. 

I listened to this on audio and I would definitely recommend! I had a great time listening to this one.

Closing Thoughts

Honestly I really recommend all three of these books! If you’re just in the mood for something that’s fun, I’d say The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold is the right pick for you. If you want something more emotional, I’d recommend The Ripple Effect and if you want a Goldilocks book of somewhere in the middle, give Destination Weddings & Other Disasters a shot!

xx