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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¨
Between the Lines
4.5 âď¸
Author: Tracey Magruder
Spoiler-free ARC review
I loved this book from beginning to end, and I felt so good reading it and getting to know its main charactersâwho, by the way, were wonderfully written. I was engaged the entire time with the story and found myself looking forward to each chapter, eager to see what would come next.
Our female main character is Sadie Reed, an American writer and editor who hasnât written in a long time and is quietly hoping to find her way back to that part of herself. Fresh out of a long and very toxic relationship, she is looking for a new beginning while still dealing with things from her past that wonât simply go away. She gets assigned an editing project in England to help a very grumpy and difficult-to-work-with author. Meet bestselling author Corbyn Pearce, our main male character.
At the beginning of the assignment, Corbyn is definitely not happy, but he doesnât exactly have a choice after missing several deadlines for his next book. He lives in a small town near London, filled with kind and lovely people he once spent time withâuntil a tragedy changed his life. After that, Corbyn chose to avoid people and places altogether. As Corbyn and Sadie spend time together, we not only get to see how they navigate their working relationshipâthe give and takeâbut also the funny and cute moments (mostly thanks to Riley the dog), as well as the possibility that fate may have played a role in bringing their lives together.
Not only is the character development for both main characters wonderful, but the secondary characters are also funny and add so much to the story. And honestly, who wouldnât love a goofy dog that truly shines in this cozy yet emotionally deep story?
This is a very slow-burn romance, and while that may not be for everyone, I personally felt it was perfectly suited to the story and allowed the emotional connection between the characters to develop in a natural and meaningful way.
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy a cozy contemporary romance filled with warmth, while also appreciating characters who must navigate their feelings, past trauma, and insecurities in order to grow and be open to new experiences (including romantic ones).
Genres: Romance | Contemporary Romance | Contemporary | Emotional Romance
Tropes: Very slow-burn romance | Found family | Emotional safety | Grumpy x sunshine | Healing journey | Small-town setting
Content note: This story touches on heavier emotional themes and past experiences that may be sensitive for some readers. Please check content warnings.
Thank you to author Tracey Magruder for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Author: Tracey Magruder
Spoiler-free ARC review
I loved this book from beginning to end, and I felt so good reading it and getting to know its main charactersâwho, by the way, were wonderfully written. I was engaged the entire time with the story and found myself looking forward to each chapter, eager to see what would come next.
Our female main character is Sadie Reed, an American writer and editor who hasnât written in a long time and is quietly hoping to find her way back to that part of herself. Fresh out of a long and very toxic relationship, she is looking for a new beginning while still dealing with things from her past that wonât simply go away. She gets assigned an editing project in England to help a very grumpy and difficult-to-work-with author. Meet bestselling author Corbyn Pearce, our main male character.
At the beginning of the assignment, Corbyn is definitely not happy, but he doesnât exactly have a choice after missing several deadlines for his next book. He lives in a small town near London, filled with kind and lovely people he once spent time withâuntil a tragedy changed his life. After that, Corbyn chose to avoid people and places altogether. As Corbyn and Sadie spend time together, we not only get to see how they navigate their working relationshipâthe give and takeâbut also the funny and cute moments (mostly thanks to Riley the dog), as well as the possibility that fate may have played a role in bringing their lives together.
Not only is the character development for both main characters wonderful, but the secondary characters are also funny and add so much to the story. And honestly, who wouldnât love a goofy dog that truly shines in this cozy yet emotionally deep story?
This is a very slow-burn romance, and while that may not be for everyone, I personally felt it was perfectly suited to the story and allowed the emotional connection between the characters to develop in a natural and meaningful way.
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy a cozy contemporary romance filled with warmth, while also appreciating characters who must navigate their feelings, past trauma, and insecurities in order to grow and be open to new experiences (including romantic ones).
Genres: Romance | Contemporary Romance | Contemporary | Emotional Romance
Tropes: Very slow-burn romance | Found family | Emotional safety | Grumpy x sunshine | Healing journey | Small-town setting
Content note: This story touches on heavier emotional themes and past experiences that may be sensitive for some readers. Please check content warnings.
Thank you to author Tracey Magruder for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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.
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