Review: Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

 

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Publication Date: June 11th 2024 by Berkley & Penguin Audio

Pages: 384

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 56min

Narrators: Callie Dalton & Jason Clarke

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Rue and Eli are on opposite sides of a hostile takeover of Kline. Rue works as a biotech engineer for the company and Eli works for Harkness, the company who’s taken control of their finances. However, before this happened, they met through an online app for a hookup, and made a connection.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Not in Love. I got off to a rocky start, set it aside, read a few friends mixed reactions and then dived back in, a little more prepared for the story, and was hooked.

 

I’m not a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope if there’s a lot of mean back and forth. It’s hard to come back from that, but this wasn’t that. I’m also not a fan of more sex than plot, and there were quite a few sex scenes. I read a couple, (they were well done and very hot!) and then skimmed over the rest. The plot lines, the reason Eli and his friends were investigating Kline, what was behind the takeover, as well as Rue and Eli’s troubled backgrounds, were what grabbed my attention and kept me invested in the story. The story was more serious, less silly and laugh-out-loud than Hazelwood’s previous romances, and it fit the story. Even though they were on opposite sides of this conflict, they couldn’t stay away from each other.  I truly liked both Rue and Eli and rooted for their HEA. I appreciated there wasn’t a dramatic third act breakup, too.

 

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to the audio version of the story. Callie Dalton and Jason Clarke did a phenomenal job narrating and I loved that they each performed their character the whole way through, even when it wasn’t their POV! Such a treat!

4 Stars

Book Description:

A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science—from New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who’s off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.

Review: Bride by Ali Hazelwood

 

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Publication Date: February 6th 2024 by Berkley

Pages: 416

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Misery Lark, the daughter of a powerful Vampyre, is called upon to serve as a “Collateral”, a guarantee of peace between the Vampyres and the Werewolves, but instead of just residing with the enemy, she’s to marry the Alpha of a powerful pack, Lowe Moreland.

Tensions are high between Humans, Vampyres, and Werewolves, with casualties on all sides, but this isn’t the only reason Misery agrees to this arrangement. Misery’s foster sister has gone missing and Lowe Moreland’s name has come up in her search for her.

Misery was so wickedly fun with her clever, ironic humor, and big heart! And Lowe was everything you want in an Alpha: protective, caring, and lethal!

I’ve enjoyed Ali Hazelwood’s contemporary romances, so I was excited and more than a little curious about her venture into paranormal romance.  Bride features all the fun features in shifter/vampire stories: mates, primal instincts, and supernatural abilities! This marriage of convenience between opposing sides/species was sort of a fantasy Romeo and Juliet without (thankfully) all the horrid tragedy! I loved everything about this slow burn romance! Misery and Lowe were deliciously hot together! Bride does not disappoint!

5 Stars

Book Description:

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Review: Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

 

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Publication Date: November 7th 2023 by G.P. Putnam & Sons for Young Readers & 

Penguin Audio

Pages: 368

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 31min

Narrator: Karissa Vacker

Source: Publisher

Rating: 3-3.5 Stars

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Librofm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I have loved most of Ali Hazelwood’s stories, so even though I don’t read much YA anymore I was excited to pick this one up. It ended up being a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed parts, but some not so much, mostly because of Mallory. She was such a frustrating character. The way she treated her friends and Nolan rubbed me the wrong way. Also, I think Mallory’s approach to sex (in the beginning) was supposed to come off as sex positive, but I don’t count <Highlight for spoiler>frequent random hookups on apps like Tinder a positive for anyone<End of spoiler> much less the YA crowd this is being marketed to. Lots of pop culture references, and things in the story that felt they were there to check a box.

Things that worked for me: Nolan! He was so amazing to Mallory and her family. He didn’t get riled up even we he had just cause. Loved Mallory’s friends: Easton, Defne and Oz. Loved how Oz served up some much-needed brutal honesty to Mallory! I enjoyed all the bits about chess. I don’t know much about the game or competitions, but it was fun and it stirred my curiosity for sure.

I alternated between an audio and e-copy of Check & Mate. Karissa Vacker is one of my favorite narrators and I think she made the story more enjoyable. She does such a wonderful job with both male and female voices. She breathed life into these characters for me! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

I’m one of the few who didn’t love Check & Mate, so I’d check out other reviews, like Kiersten’s on We Live and Breathe Books or Carole's Random Life.

3-3.5 Stars

Book Description:

In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life's moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.

Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory's focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious "Kingkiller" Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan's loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What's even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory's victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can't help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren't only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent...and infuriating...)

Review: Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

 

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Publication Date: June 13th 2023 by Berkley & Penguin Audio

Pages: 368

Audio Book Length: 12hrs 33min

Narrator: Thérèse Plummer

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Elsie is barely making ends meet as an adjunct teacher, so she takes on a side job being a fake date for those in need.  However, there’s light at the end of the tunnel because she’s interviewing for her dream job. To her horror Jack Smith, the brother of one of her fake-date customers is on the panel set to interview her. Jack knew her as her brother’s librarian girlfriend, suspiciously perfect, but finding out she’s one of the physicist interviewees and lying to his brother puts his back up. Thankfully, this farce doesn’t go very far.

I adored both Elsie and Jack and rooted for their romance! They had such an intense connection right from the beginning and I loved that neither played games! After years of adapting herself to please others, being with Jack, who wanted her honesty, was refreshing and a relief to Elsie. These two brought out the best in each other!  And my goodness, this romance was spicy! But, thankfully, not just sex, sex, sex either. Their interactions were so fun, so delicious, I just couldn’t put this story down!

Love, Theoretically is my favorite Ali Hazelwood to date! My review doesn’t do the story justice. I’ll just tell you that I absolutely loved this romance so hard! One of my favorites of 2023!

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to the audio version. Thérèse Plummer’s performance, as usual, was excellent! Both her female and male voices were wonderful! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed. A definite recommend!

5 Stars

Book Description:

Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain.

The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.

Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.

Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?

Review: Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood

 

Loathe to Love You (The STEMinists Novellas #1-3) by Ali Hazelwood

Publication Date: January 3rd 2023 by Berkley

Pages: 371

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Under One Roof: Liam and Mara inherit the same house, and neither is willing to budge on dividing it so they end up living together. Opposites loath each other Liam’s employed by big oil, and Mara’s an environmentalist, but there’s more to that story. Their bickering over little things like who stole the creamer made me laugh. Of course, as they get to know each other they find out their assumptions may not have been correct and there’s more than a spark of attraction. Sexy dreaming, and lots of wanting from afar. This was a slow-burn-to-scorcher kind of romance. 

4 Stars

Stuck with You: Sadie spent a day with Erik, and they had an immediate connection that ended in a steamy, lust filled night that she thought would lead into something profound and lasting. However, the next day Sadie hears things about Erik and her heart crashes. Fast forward three weeks and it’s her worst nightmare: she’s stuck in the elevator with him.

I was a little disappointed with the way Sadie jumped to conclusions after hearing what her boss said and didn’t even check with Erik to get his side of the story.  A lot of heartache could’ve been avoided. I did love their initial meetup and the immediate, intense attraction between them. This is a romance, so I knew they’d eventually get everything sorted. 3.5 Stars

Below Zero: Five years ago, Hannah and Ian had an immediate connection, enamored with each both physically and professionally. They spend an afternoon debugging code, with the attraction between them brewing, which leads to a hot and lusty encounter! Hannah won’t agree to anything but a physical relationship, so they go their separate ways. I had to shake my head at Hannah.

They meet again when Hannah gets her dream job at NASA where Ian works, but it’s not smooth sailing as Hannah thinks that Ian has sabotaged her project.  However, it’s Ian who comes for her when she’s trapped in an icy crevasse, waiting for death.

Loved this steamy second chance romance! Ian had my heart from the beginning and I could understand why Hannah had her walls up. 4 Stars

I enjoyed all three of the STEMinist novellas! I listened to them last year when they were released as audios only but did a re-read when they came out in this new bundled book, Loathe to Love You, and I think I liked them even more the second time around. They had just right amount of spice, very hot stuff, but not too much, and they were a lot of fun!  I thought for the short number of pages the characters were well developed and I was invested in each of their HEAs. There’s even an extra bonus chapter at the end, a nice epilogue for all three couples.

4 Stars

Book Description:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a collection of steamy, STEMinist novellas featuring a trio of engineers and their loves in loathing—with a special bonus chapter!

Under One Roof
An environmental engineer discovers that scientists should never cohabitate when she finds herself stuck with the roommate from hell—a detestable big-oil lawyer who won't leave the thermostat alone.

Stuck with You
A civil engineer and her nemesis take their rivalry—and love—to the next level when they get stuck in a New York elevator.

Below Zero
A NASA aerospace engineer's frozen heart melts as she lies injured and stranded at a remote Arctic research station and the only person willing to undertake the dangerous rescue mission is her longtime rival.

 

Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

 

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Publication Date: August 23rd 2022 by Berkley

Pages: 350

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Bee is a neuroscientist called in to work on a neuroengineering job for NASA, a dream job, the only drawback is working with her nemesis, Levi Ward. Levi made it clear that he didn’t like her, avoiding her at all costs back in grad school, but Bee isn’t going to let that stop her from taking the job.

 I absolutely loved The Love Hypothesis last year, so I was eagerly looking forward to Love on the Brain. It was fun being in Bee’s quirky brain, her internal monologue had me laughing at loud a bunch. Levi was a sweety, too. They bonded over Star Wars, cats, (I’m a big fan of both, too!) and more! I was totally on board for them to get their misunderstandings from the past sorted out since they clearly were meant to be together, which took a little longer than necessary, IMO. They were a cute couple, and it was a fun read. If you were a fan of The Love Hypothesis you’ll enjoy Love on the Brain, too!

4 Stars

Book Description:

A STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis--with explosive results.

Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project--a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia--Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school--archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it's her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas...devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?

About the author:

Ali Hazelwood is the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, as well as a writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband). Learn more at alihazelwood.com or follow Hazelwood on social media:

Facebook: alihazelwood                Tik Tok: @alihazelwood

Instagram: @alihazelwood           Twitter: @EverSoAli

Review: Stuck With You by Ali Hazelwood

 

Stuck on You (The STEMinist Novellas #2) by Ali Hazelwood

Publication Date: June 7th 2022 by Berkley

Pages: 127

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Sadie spent a day with Erik, and they had an immediate connection that ended in a steamy, lust filled night that she thought would lead into something profound and lasting. However, the next day Sadie hears things about Erik and her heart crashes. Fast forward three weeks and it’s her worst nightmare: she’s stuck in the elevator with him.

I was a little disappointed with the way Sadie jumped to conclusions after hearing what her boss said and didn’t even check with Erik to get his side of the story.  A lot of heartache could’ve been avoided! I did love their initial meetup and the immediate, intense attraction between them! This is a romance, so I knew they’d eventually get everything sorted.

I’ve enjoyed all three of the STEMinist novellas and I thought for the short number of pages the characters were well developed and I was invested in each of their HEAs!

3.5 Stars

Giveaway! The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

 The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood was a 5-star read for me. One of my favorites of 2021, but a have an extra copy so I'm giving one away to one lucky reader! Fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

 A Paperback Copy of The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. The giveaway is open to US Residents only. Good luck!

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Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

 

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Publication Date: September 14th 2021 by Berkley

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I loved The Love Hypothesis so much! The story opens up with Olive in the most awkward of situations, planting a kiss on the first guy to come along and the fun begins!

Olive doesn’t want to be the reason her best friend doesn’t date her ex, Jeremy. It’s not like she really felt much for him, but Ahn holds herself back because of the girlfriend code. Olive lies to Ahn by saying she’s already moved on and a fake romance is born with the most hated professor in the department: Adam Carlsen. He’s got a reputation of being unapproachable, intimidating, and a straight-up ass, yet he’s anything but with Olive.  Adam has his own reasons for wanting a fake romance, and they agree to keep up the pretense. Of course, they draw closer, and Olive is surprised at his thoughtfulness, how much fun she has with him. They click in a profound way, and she finds herself falling for this moody, broody guy. Is she setting herself up for heartbreak? Olive doesn’t imagine he could feel the same.

The Love Hypothesis had me cracking up with all the awkward situations, rooting for Olive as she digs herself in deeper. It was obvious to me that Adam had it bad for Olive, but of course she’s more than a little obtuse picking up on the clues, and there were many. They had oodles of chemistry and were playfully antagonistic, their relationship was just so much fun! I just wanted to just smoosh these two together! But trust…, they get their time together and it is worth the delay!

I had such a huge smile on my face while reading! The Love Hypothesis was a phenomenal debut! Multi-layered characters, clever, fun dialogue, and romance full of giddiness and longing. Definite re-read material!

 5 Stars

Book Description:

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.