Book Reviews - Random Olive

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Weekly Reads: December 29, 2025 to January 4, 2026

Jan 6, 2026

Hat Trick by Chelsea Curto (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 4 of the DC Stars series. Starting with a total downer here when hockey player Riley gets injured in a car accident and loses his right leg. We get a story of his progression through grief and rehabilitation, with athletic trainer Lexi by his side. Of course, he’s always had a crush on Lexi and she’s a total commitment-phobe, but let’s be real here, they will most definitely fall in love. I loved the slow burn process of building their trust and friendship and then the slow dance into a physical relationship. I like how they team up together to work on Riley’s physical training and how supportive Lexi is. Plus, Riley has his own ways of impressing Lexi.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Sin Bin by Chelsea Curto (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 5 of the DC Stars series. Timeline overlaps a little bit with Hat Trick and starts with a one night stand between hockey coach Brody and his player’s sister Hannah. Things get interrupted, but it’s a reminder for Brody to keep things professional and his distance. But then a year and a half later, his daughter needs a new figure skating coach and Hannah is available for the job. They rekindle their acquaintanceship and so much more. Even with the age gap between Brody and Hannah, you don’t feel it at all. These are clearly two mature and consenting adults here who are falling into more than just lust. Loved it.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

My January Duke by Kate Bateman (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Rake Review, Season Two series. Novella that takes places in the same universe as the Her Majesty’s Rebels series. Olivia has just buried her father, found herself in a heap of debt, and suddenly being rescued by her friend’s older brother and longtime crush Devlin. He’s kind of offering a marriage of convenience or a marriage of lust, but she’s hesitant since she’s been in love with him for many years and doesn’t want to commit to something that’ll break her heart later. What’s interesting about this book is that you don’t get Devlin’s point of view until at least halfway through the book, and it’s all fairly typical motivations once we hear about it. Easy breezy straightforward historical romance read.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. If traveling gives you anxiety, this book isn’t for you because everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Ada is on her way to her sister’s destination wedding in Ireland, but her flight gets cancelled, she is low on funds, and has no place to stay. She meets a nice handsome stranger named Jack along the way, only to find out that he’s actually the best man at the wedding, and she’s probably supposed to hate him. It’s a lot of arguing and bickering through their road trip from London to Belfast, with some minor flirting along the way. Mostly made me anxious, wondering what catastrophe would strike next.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Shop this book via Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

Time to Shine by Rachel Reid (2023)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Mostly fluffy and super cute. Landon is the newbie on the Calgary team and the very outgoing Casey invites him to stay at his house instead of finding his own place because he’s got the room anyway. Well, actually Casey is afraid of the dark and living alone, but no one talks about that. We’ve got a grumpy-sunshine romance here that is an absolute delight to read. Teammates to friends to roommates to lovers and they fit so perfectly together. Loved it.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Wow, this one will rip your heart out. Adam and Riley haven’t spoken to each other in about 12 years, when Adam suddenly shows up at Riley’s dad’s funeral. Bad timing man. They also had a teammates, roommates, friends with benefits thing going on back when they played hockey together, except it was only when Adam was drunk enough and he definitely did not fall in love the way that Riley did. We get a few heartbreaking flashbacks mixed in with Adam’s present-day redemption scheme. Everyone’s skittish and wary here, because Adam seriously broke Riley’s heart and I am skeptical too. But feelings are feelings and totally undeniable in this romance novel setting. It’s pretty much a small-town second chance romance here, no one plays hockey anymore, and Adam is actually divorced to his wife because he realized he was gay. Duh. Full of angst, so you have to be in the right headspace for this one.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Shop this book via Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm // Available on Kindle Unlimited // Get a free trial to Kindle Unlimited

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Audiobook Favorites Narrated by Morag Sims (historical romance)

Jan 5, 2026

Here’s a round up of some of my favorite audiobooks narrated by Morag Sims. Click on the images to be taken to the LibroFM sales page and grab a copy for yourself. (Affiliate links used, so I get a small commission if you purchase from my link)

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Grayson Family Historical Romance Book Series by Beverly Jenkins

Dec 31, 2025

Vivid by Beverly Jenkins (1995)

Historical romance. Post-Civil War Michigan. Book 1 of the Grayson Family series. A female doctor in this era is a tough sell, but Dr. Viveca Lancaster (Vivid to her family) is ready to prove herself in a small town in Michigan. It doesn’t help that the town sorta-mayor Nate is skeptical of her wanting to stick around. He’s got his own hang-ups after his city-bred wife divorced him. But Viveca fits right in and definitely shows her competence to all the townsfolk. Of course the angry bickering between Nate and Viveca turns into flirting and so much more. Not much in the way of external plot for most of the book, but once we have our sights on a villain, Ms. Bev makes sure they get their comeuppance.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Jewel by Beverly Jenkins (2008)

Historical romance. 1880s Michigan. Book 2 of the Grayson Family series. Eli just needed a pretend wife for one dinner with a big city newspaperman to earn an investment, but ended up with a real wife instead when gossip gets out. Jewel is the only daughter of the gruff and surly lumbarjack and used to caring for her many older brothers. She never expected to marry, and especially not to Eli, the man she’d had a teenage crush on. She tries to make sure this is a marriage in name only, but he’s trying to convince her to make a real go of the relationship. It’s a lot of flirting and seducing on Eli’s part to get Jewel to comply. The romance is here is fairly predictable, but it was nice catching up with this town again and seeing everyone work together to built Jewel and Eli’s new house. Danger comes back into town in the form of cousin Nate’s ex-wife and we get to see all the chaos she brings with her.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Weekly Reads: December 22 to 28, 2025 (hockey romance, historical mean girls, and reconstruction era historical romance)

Dec 30, 2025

Power Play by Chelsea Curto (2024)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the DC Stars series. Piper needs some sex lessons after a divorce to a total jerk leaves her feeling totally unconfident in the bedroom. And the perfect tutor is the team goalie Liam, who is usually super stoic, but really has had a crush on Piper this whole time. But it’s only lessons. Followed by fake dating for his sister’s wedding. And then maybe an accidental drunken marriage in Vegas. Super steamy, loads of feelings, and the best friend group imaginable for all parties. If you’re looking for a feel good romance (in all the best ways), check this one out.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Like in Love with You by Emma R. Alban (2026)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Kinda like Mean Girls, but make it regency, and the rival ladies fall in love. Lady Rosalie has her life and her friends’ lives all planned out and is not pleased when newcomer Catherine is garnering all the attention from the gentlemen. There’s also some bad blood between their mothers and a bit of tug-o-war over a suitor ensues. Except Rosalie and Catherine have eyes for each other, and not all that interested in Mr. Boring. We get lots of fun friend group outings, a very supportive brother for Rosalie, and a meddling aunt. Super fun read.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Harper Collins Audio.

Winds of the Storm by Beverly Jenkins (2006)

Historical romance. Reconstruction-era America. Book 2 of the Le Veq Family series. Archer and Zahra meet during the war when she rescues him from capture and saves his life. They cross paths again after the war when Zahra poses as a brothel madam to gather intelligence. He doesn’t recognize her, but certainly plans to seduce her. We get a simmering seduction here alongside the espionage associated with Zahra’s mission. Steamy and dangerous.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Shop this book via Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Bookshop.org

Slap Shot by Chelsea Curto (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the DC Stars series. Hudson is very clearly a relationship kind of a guy and totally squicked out by the wannabe stalkers posing as personal chefs. And when Madeline needs a chef job and happens to have a connection in DC, she’s set up with a job for Hudson. We get the sweetest slow burn friendship and romance here as Madeline and her daughter Lucy set up shop in Hudson’s home, cooking him meals and paying more attention to his health and nutrition than his underwear drawer. It really helps that Madeline does not follow hockey and is not starstruck by the guy. Hudson of course is the best of the best and takes things super slow with Madeline, mostly because he doesn’t want to upset the friendship, and also probably because he’s her employer, and then a smidge because she’s clearly skittish about guys. Loved this low-angst romance.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Audiobook Favorites Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

Dec 29, 2025

Here’s a round up of some of my favorite audiobooks narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. Click on the images to be taken to the LibroFM sales page and grab a copy for yourself. (Affiliate links used, so I get a small commission if you purchase from my link)

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Belvoir’s Library Historical Romance Book Series by Alexandra Vasti

Dec 24, 2025

Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Belvoir’s Library series. There are so many of my favorite of tropes blended into this delightful novel. Peter is a new duke who grew up in America and is now seeking custody of his younger half siblings. His friend Selina, the sister of yet another duke, is helping him improve his case by finding him a suitable candidate to marry. Except these two are actually more attracted to each other than anyone else and all of Peter’s courtships are comically bad. We get to see a series of terrible courting excursions and then ultimately Selina and Peter get caught in a compromising situation themselves and need to marry. Meanwhile, Selina has her own potential for scandal by owning and running a circulating library with a secret section of elicit texts. She’s trying very hard not to get caught at this, since it’ll ruin Peter’s custody case, but he’s amazingly supportive after she tells him her secrets. There are a fun cast of characters here with Selina’s loving and supportive family, Peter’s young siblings, and even the ladies that Selina had suggested for Peter. I enjoyed this book so much; it was full of humor, steam, and a low-angst romance.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Belvoir’s Library series. We get to mix a little bit of road trip with a little bit of fake identity and throw in a bit of fake marriage in this romp! The social awkward and painfully shy Lydia has shown up at an earl’s castle in Scotland to propose a marriage of convenience after three years of secret correspondence with the man. Except Arthur the earl is not who she had been writing to, it was his younger brother pretending to be the earl. And then the brother might be in some sort of scheme with a rifle part and Arthur needs Lydia’s help to track him down. It was so fun reading these two work together to solve the case and Arthur was just so impressed by Lydia’s cleverness. All the best kind of chaos, yearning, and steam.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Dreamscape Media via NetGalley and Libro.fm.

Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Belvoir’s Library series. Something suspicious is going on when two anonymous writers are publishing very similar gothic novels. Lady Georgiana is ready to fight this woman who is quite possibly copying her, but then gets all tongue-tied when she finds out it’s her teenage crush and former family butler’s daughter Catriona. They spend most of the book bickering and misunderstanding each other’s circumstances and there’s a huge element of self-denial for Georgiana who believes herself the cause of harm for the people around her. The banter and flirting is great though and I loved this awkward crush and slow-burn romance. There’s a bit of underlying mystery plot at a creepy manor house they’re visiting, so expect some problem solving from our Belvoir’s crew at some point. Overall, loved this book.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Libro.fm.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Weekly Reads: December 15 to 21, 2025

Dec 23, 2025

Off Camera by Chelsea Curto (2024)

Contemporary romance. Book 4 of the Love through a Lens series. Our guy Reid is the social media manager for a football team and in a feud with the unknown social media manager for the neighboring team. And of course, they have a meet cute at a bar without knowing who the other person is. And then of course, they meet again at a wedding and have an amazing one night stand. Avery and Reid are obviously perfect for each other, but when they realize that they’re online enemies, the prospect of dating goes out the window. Except for the part where their friends overlap, they have an active work-related bet, and then decide to have a friends-with-benefits relationship. Super sweet, super steamy development of their relationship. Loved this one.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

A Lady’s Guide to London by Faye Delacour (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Lucky Ladies of London series. Della is passionate about all her endeavors and in her attempt to draw more clients to the gambling club she owns with her friend, she asks the author of a gentleman’s guide, Lyman, to include her club as a destination. He says no, so she quickly decides to write her own guide instead. Except the publisher has paired them together into some co-writing mentorship sort of deal. He’s super rigid and prickly and she’s all flirtations and smiles. I enjoyed seeing these total opposites fall in love, and learn more about Lyman’s backstory. The events of this book overlap with the next one, so it’ll make a lot of sense to read them back to back.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.

A Most Worthy Husband by Faye Delacour (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Lucky Ladies of London series. Hannah is fed up with her mother’s matchmaking, so she seizes an opportunity to ruin herself by paying a man to kiss her where they can be seen. Silas is all sorts of hesitant, but eventually agrees for the money. It’s a whirlwind of scandal that turns into a fake courtship and a fake engagement. But Silas really is a stand-up guy, even if a bit misunderstood, and totally deserving of love an affection. Hannah is a bit naive in regards to scheming to get her parents back together, but aside from that, she does have genuine affection for Silas. Definitely a case of he falls first and harder though, which I adore.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebook via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Seduction of Mr. Alfred Saintsbury by Lydia Lloyd (2025)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Virgin Gentlemen’s Club series. Super chaste virgin vicar gets seduced by the scandalous patroness of his vicarage, but really, it’s all just permission for him to find pleasure. Alfred and Annabelle definitely have a rocky start here, with him being embarrassingly attracted to her and her having a devious plan to seduce him. Super steamy, but also a lot of work in dealing with shame and events of the past. I loved how Alfred was all sorts of soft and caring and submissive, but also served as caretaker of Annabelle. She was delightfully cold and ruthless at first, which makes her emotional journey all the more satisfying.

Advance ebook provided by Lydia Lloyd.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited