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Bella Heartwood Book Reviews
đ 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! đâ¨
Love on the Brain
â 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! 𤊠I had this book on my TBR for a while, and Iâm so happy I finally picked it up :)
Iâve read Ali Hazelwoodâs books before and I love her writing, but I have to admit that I wasnât totally sure about this one in the first couple of chaptersâmainly because, from what I knew, STEM and science play a big role in it. But that little âfearâ went away very quickly, because I got hooked on Bee and Leviâs story so fast! đ¤ Thereâs definitely plenty of technical terminology, but itâs embedded so well into the story that I was completely here for it!
Bee KĂśnigswasser, our main female characterâabsolutely and hilariously obsessed with âWhat would Marie Curie do?ââis fresh out of a painful love situation that also impacted her work as a neuroscientist. Sheâs now stepping into an amazing opportunity at NASA⌠but thereâs a catch. Sheâll 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 donât go quite how she expects, and Levi doesnât exactly seem interested in making things easier. But as the story progresses, we learn that Leviâs âbad bloodâ with Bee isnât quite what she thinks it is. Bee and Leviâs interactionsâand even just Beeâs inner monologueâare so wonderfully written, so entertaining, and I genuinely couldnât 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, Iâm confirming that Ali Hazelwood is my favorite author đ¤đŠˇ
If youâre looking for a super fun, entertaining (and also steamy!) love story with an at-times awkward boss lady main characterâand youâre open to a science-heavy setting and terminologyâthen I highly recommend giving Love on the Brain a try đ¤
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! 𤊠I had this book on my TBR for a while, and Iâm so happy I finally picked it up :)
Iâve read Ali Hazelwoodâs books before and I love her writing, but I have to admit that I wasnât totally sure about this one in the first couple of chaptersâmainly because, from what I knew, STEM and science play a big role in it. But that little âfearâ went away very quickly, because I got hooked on Bee and Leviâs story so fast! đ¤ Thereâs definitely plenty of technical terminology, but itâs embedded so well into the story that I was completely here for it!
Bee KĂśnigswasser, our main female characterâabsolutely and hilariously obsessed with âWhat would Marie Curie do?ââis fresh out of a painful love situation that also impacted her work as a neuroscientist. Sheâs now stepping into an amazing opportunity at NASA⌠but thereâs a catch. Sheâll 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 donât go quite how she expects, and Levi doesnât exactly seem interested in making things easier. But as the story progresses, we learn that Leviâs âbad bloodâ with Bee isnât quite what she thinks it is. Bee and Leviâs interactionsâand even just Beeâs inner monologueâare so wonderfully written, so entertaining, and I genuinely couldnât 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, Iâm confirming that Ali Hazelwood is my favorite author đ¤đŠˇ
If youâre looking for a super fun, entertaining (and also steamy!) love story with an at-times awkward boss lady main characterâand youâre open to a science-heavy setting and terminologyâthen I highly recommend giving Love on the Brain a try đ¤
Good Spirits
â 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 Iâve read by author B.K. Borison and oh wowâit did not disappoint a single bit. Iâm completely obsessed with this book and its main characters đ
Nolan Callahan is the Ghost of Christmas Past, and heâs been getting âassignmentsâ 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 donât look quite as usual. As the story progresses and they spend time together, Nolan canât quite figure out why he was assigned to Harriet. She is notâor doesnât seem likeâa bad person that needs help to move on.
The concept of exploring the charactersâ 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 piecesâalways 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 Harrietâs past, but they also help each other navigate present situations and potential future scenarios that they werenât able to face on their own. I love that thereâs 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 đ¤
The key factor of time running out due to a deadline for Nolan to âhand overâ 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 Iâve read by author B.K. Borison and oh wowâit did not disappoint a single bit. Iâm completely obsessed with this book and its main characters đ
Nolan Callahan is the Ghost of Christmas Past, and heâs been getting âassignmentsâ 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 donât look quite as usual. As the story progresses and they spend time together, Nolan canât quite figure out why he was assigned to Harriet. She is notâor doesnât seem likeâa bad person that needs help to move on.
The concept of exploring the charactersâ 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 piecesâalways 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 Harrietâs past, but they also help each other navigate present situations and potential future scenarios that they werenât able to face on their own. I love that thereâs 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 đ¤
The key factor of time running out due to a deadline for Nolan to âhand overâ 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 âď¸
Narrators: Nina Yndis and Maxim Reston
Audiobook spoiler-free review đ§
Iâm a fan of Ali Hazelwoodâs writing, and so far every book Iâve read by her has been a five-star experience for me. Because of that, I went into this novellaâs audiobook expecting something similarâbut unfortunately, it didnât 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 Ethelâopening 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 didnât fully connect with their romance, if Iâm 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 didnât 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 (itâs actually my favorite), and paranormal romance is a big yes for me. That said, I didnât particularly care for the âlosing memoryâ aspect of the storyâkey to the plotâeven though it adds to the setup.
I also have to mention that the main male characterâs narration wasnât my favorite. Iâm not sure if it was the accentâwhich I understand makes sense within the context of the storyâor something else I canât quite pinpoint, but it didnât 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 didnât 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 âď¸
Narrators: Nina Yndis and Maxim Reston
Audiobook spoiler-free review đ§
Iâm a fan of Ali Hazelwoodâs writing, and so far every book Iâve read by her has been a five-star experience for me. Because of that, I went into this novellaâs audiobook expecting something similarâbut unfortunately, it didnât 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 Ethelâopening 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 didnât fully connect with their romance, if Iâm 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 didnât 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 (itâs actually my favorite), and paranormal romance is a big yes for me. That said, I didnât particularly care for the âlosing memoryâ aspect of the storyâkey to the plotâeven though it adds to the setup.
I also have to mention that the main male characterâs narration wasnât my favorite. Iâm not sure if it was the accentâwhich I understand makes sense within the context of the storyâor something else I canât quite pinpoint, but it didnât 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 didnât 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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