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Bella Heartwood Book Reviews
💌 Bookish thoughts, cozy vibes, and honest feelings — all in one place. I mostly review romance and romantasy books, from sweet to steamy (and all the messy feelings in between!), but I also like to explore other genres. I hope my reviews help you discover your next favorite read! 📚✨
Love on the Brain
⭐ 4.75/5 stars
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Release date: August 23, 2022
Genre: Romance | Contemporary | Contemporary Romance | Enemies to Lovers | Fiction | Adult | Workplace Romance
Wow, what a fun and enjoyable book Love on the Brain was to read! 🤩 I had this book on my TBR for a while, and I’m so happy I finally picked it up :)
I’ve read Ali Hazelwood’s books before and I love her writing, but I have to admit that I wasn’t totally sure about this one in the first couple of chapters—mainly because, from what I knew, STEM and science play a big role in it. But that little “fear” went away very quickly, because I got hooked on Bee and Levi’s story so fast! 🤗 There’s definitely plenty of technical terminology, but it’s embedded so well into the story that I was completely here for it!
Bee Königswasser, our main female character—absolutely and hilariously obsessed with “What would Marie Curie do?”—is fresh out of a painful love situation that also impacted her work as a neuroscientist. She’s now stepping into an amazing opportunity at NASA… but there’s a catch. She’ll be co-leading a project with her long-time nemesis, Levi Ward (our male main character). Yikes.
Her first days working at the NASA lab don’t go quite how she expects, and Levi doesn’t exactly seem interested in making things easier. But as the story progresses, we learn that Levi’s “bad blood” with Bee isn’t quite what she thinks it is. Bee and Levi’s interactions—and even just Bee’s inner monologue—are so wonderfully written, so entertaining, and I genuinely couldn’t stop myself from rooting for her… and for them.
There were a couple of surprises toward the end that made it even more fun!
This contemporary romance was everything I wanted, and once again, I’m confirming that Ali Hazelwood is my favorite author 🤗🩷
If you’re looking for a super fun, entertaining (and also steamy!) love story with an at-times awkward boss lady main character—and you’re open to a science-heavy setting and terminology—then I highly recommend giving Love on the Brain a try 🤗
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Release date: August 23, 2022
Genre: Romance | Contemporary | Contemporary Romance | Enemies to Lovers | Fiction | Adult | Workplace Romance
Wow, what a fun and enjoyable book Love on the Brain was to read! 🤩 I had this book on my TBR for a while, and I’m so happy I finally picked it up :)
I’ve read Ali Hazelwood’s books before and I love her writing, but I have to admit that I wasn’t totally sure about this one in the first couple of chapters—mainly because, from what I knew, STEM and science play a big role in it. But that little “fear” went away very quickly, because I got hooked on Bee and Levi’s story so fast! 🤗 There’s definitely plenty of technical terminology, but it’s embedded so well into the story that I was completely here for it!
Bee Königswasser, our main female character—absolutely and hilariously obsessed with “What would Marie Curie do?”—is fresh out of a painful love situation that also impacted her work as a neuroscientist. She’s now stepping into an amazing opportunity at NASA… but there’s a catch. She’ll be co-leading a project with her long-time nemesis, Levi Ward (our male main character). Yikes.
Her first days working at the NASA lab don’t go quite how she expects, and Levi doesn’t exactly seem interested in making things easier. But as the story progresses, we learn that Levi’s “bad blood” with Bee isn’t quite what she thinks it is. Bee and Levi’s interactions—and even just Bee’s inner monologue—are so wonderfully written, so entertaining, and I genuinely couldn’t stop myself from rooting for her… and for them.
There were a couple of surprises toward the end that made it even more fun!
This contemporary romance was everything I wanted, and once again, I’m confirming that Ali Hazelwood is my favorite author 🤗🩷
If you’re looking for a super fun, entertaining (and also steamy!) love story with an at-times awkward boss lady main character—and you’re open to a science-heavy setting and terminology—then I highly recommend giving Love on the Brain a try 🤗
Good Spirits
⭐ 5/5 stars
Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
Release date: October 21, 2025
Genre: Romance | Christmas | Holiday | Fantasy | Paranormal | Fiction
✨ Spoiler-free review (premise details only).
Good Spirits is the first book I’ve read by author B.K. Borison and oh wow—it did not disappoint a single bit. I’m completely obsessed with this book and its main characters 💖
Nolan Callahan is the Ghost of Christmas Past, and he’s been getting “assignments” for many years to help people during the holidays overcome something from their past and move on to the next Christmas ghost. But when he gets his new assignment, Harriet York, things don’t look quite as usual. As the story progresses and they spend time together, Nolan can’t quite figure out why he was assigned to Harriet. She is not—or doesn’t seem like—a bad person that needs help to move on.
The concept of exploring the characters’ past by visiting memory after memory felt so original to me, and it was really well executed. A lot of the backstory is revealed in bits and pieces—always just enough to help the reader care for the characters and understand who they are, and why they are the way they are in the present.
Nolan and Harriet not only connect with each other while exploring Harriet’s past, but they also help each other navigate present situations and potential future scenarios that they weren’t able to face on their own. I love that there’s enough depth in both main characters that I was able to really feel for them, without losing the fun, intense interactions that make it so addictive 🤗
The key factor of time running out due to a deadline for Nolan to “hand over” Harriet to the next Christmas ghost works perfectly to create high stakes, and I never felt that the story became rushed or overly tense because of the time aspect.
This story is sweet, magical, steamy at times, and absolutely wonderfully written. This book is an absolute page-turner!
A must-read for anyone who loves character-driven romance with tenderness, growth, and a touch of Christmas magic.
Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
Release date: October 21, 2025
Genre: Romance | Christmas | Holiday | Fantasy | Paranormal | Fiction
✨ Spoiler-free review (premise details only).
Good Spirits is the first book I’ve read by author B.K. Borison and oh wow—it did not disappoint a single bit. I’m completely obsessed with this book and its main characters 💖
Nolan Callahan is the Ghost of Christmas Past, and he’s been getting “assignments” for many years to help people during the holidays overcome something from their past and move on to the next Christmas ghost. But when he gets his new assignment, Harriet York, things don’t look quite as usual. As the story progresses and they spend time together, Nolan can’t quite figure out why he was assigned to Harriet. She is not—or doesn’t seem like—a bad person that needs help to move on.
The concept of exploring the characters’ past by visiting memory after memory felt so original to me, and it was really well executed. A lot of the backstory is revealed in bits and pieces—always just enough to help the reader care for the characters and understand who they are, and why they are the way they are in the present.
Nolan and Harriet not only connect with each other while exploring Harriet’s past, but they also help each other navigate present situations and potential future scenarios that they weren’t able to face on their own. I love that there’s enough depth in both main characters that I was able to really feel for them, without losing the fun, intense interactions that make it so addictive 🤗
The key factor of time running out due to a deadline for Nolan to “hand over” Harriet to the next Christmas ghost works perfectly to create high stakes, and I never felt that the story became rushed or overly tense because of the time aspect.
This story is sweet, magical, steamy at times, and absolutely wonderfully written. This book is an absolute page-turner!
A must-read for anyone who loves character-driven romance with tenderness, growth, and a touch of Christmas magic.
Hot for Slayer
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 3.75/5 stars ⭐️
Narrators: Nina Yndis and Maxim Reston
Audiobook spoiler-free review 🎧
I’m a fan of Ali Hazelwood’s writing, and so far every book I’ve read by her has been a five-star experience for me. Because of that, I went into this novella’s audiobook expecting something similar—but unfortunately, it didn’t quite land for me.
Hot For Slayer follows a centuries-old vampire named Ethel (short for Aethelthryth) and her sworn enemy, vampire slayer Lazlo Enyedi. When Lazlo suddenly loses all memory of who he is and what his mission has been, he ends up relying on Ethel—opening the door to unexpected humor, forced proximity, and the possibility of something more between them (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241192694-hot-for-slayer)
There were definitely funny moments, and I enjoyed parts of the storyline as well as the two main characters, Ethel and Lazlo. However, I didn’t fully connect with their romance, if I’m being honest. I think my main issue is that while the novella is short, fun, and easy to get through, it might actually be too short. The length didn’t give the love story enough room to breathe, which made it hard for me to truly root for the relationship.
The premise itself is great and had a lot of potential. I love the enemies-to-lovers trope (it’s actually my favorite), and paranormal romance is a big yes for me. That said, I didn’t particularly care for the “losing memory” aspect of the story—key to the plot—even though it adds to the setup.
I also have to mention that the main male character’s narration wasn’t my favorite. I’m not sure if it was the accent—which I understand makes sense within the context of the story—or something else I can’t quite pinpoint, but it didn’t fully work for me.
Overall, I think this is a fun and enjoyable novella, especially for listeners who are looking for a quick paranormal romance audiobook.
While it didn’t fully resonate with me, Hot For Slayer may still be a great pick for romance fans who enjoy enemies-to-lovers, amnesia tropes, and paranormal audio reads that are light, quick, and entertaining.
Rating: 3.75/5 stars ⭐️
Narrators: Nina Yndis and Maxim Reston
Audiobook spoiler-free review 🎧
I’m a fan of Ali Hazelwood’s writing, and so far every book I’ve read by her has been a five-star experience for me. Because of that, I went into this novella’s audiobook expecting something similar—but unfortunately, it didn’t quite land for me.
Hot For Slayer follows a centuries-old vampire named Ethel (short for Aethelthryth) and her sworn enemy, vampire slayer Lazlo Enyedi. When Lazlo suddenly loses all memory of who he is and what his mission has been, he ends up relying on Ethel—opening the door to unexpected humor, forced proximity, and the possibility of something more between them (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241192694-hot-for-slayer)
There were definitely funny moments, and I enjoyed parts of the storyline as well as the two main characters, Ethel and Lazlo. However, I didn’t fully connect with their romance, if I’m being honest. I think my main issue is that while the novella is short, fun, and easy to get through, it might actually be too short. The length didn’t give the love story enough room to breathe, which made it hard for me to truly root for the relationship.
The premise itself is great and had a lot of potential. I love the enemies-to-lovers trope (it’s actually my favorite), and paranormal romance is a big yes for me. That said, I didn’t particularly care for the “losing memory” aspect of the story—key to the plot—even though it adds to the setup.
I also have to mention that the main male character’s narration wasn’t my favorite. I’m not sure if it was the accent—which I understand makes sense within the context of the story—or something else I can’t quite pinpoint, but it didn’t fully work for me.
Overall, I think this is a fun and enjoyable novella, especially for listeners who are looking for a quick paranormal romance audiobook.
While it didn’t fully resonate with me, Hot For Slayer may still be a great pick for romance fans who enjoy enemies-to-lovers, amnesia tropes, and paranormal audio reads that are light, quick, and entertaining.
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