Sophie Reads YA: October 2025

October Summary

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ARC Review: Accidentally His (Designing Debutantes #3) by Sabrina Jeffries

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Accidentally His
Series: Designing Debutantes #3
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Published January 23rd 2024 by Zebra

Goodreads Synopsis
With a fresh new hook for readers of Regency romance by Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, and Madeline Hunter, New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries returns to the Dazzling Debutantes series featuring a trio of ladies who defy social constraints by starting a business as party planners to the ton. The creative force behind London’s most dazzling events, these young women know plenty about fashion, food, and the perfect setting—but there is always more to learn about love…

As a viscount’s heir, Rafe Wolfford is obligated to take a wife someday. But she must be the right sort of wife—not too independent, and not inclined to delve into his escapades as a spy. The forthright, perceptive Lady Verity is altogether the wrong choice. But Rafe’s courtship is merely a ruse to discover whether Verity or anyone else associated with Elegant Occasions is leaking crucial information to the French. That mission is all that matters—until fate, and desire, intervene.

After enduring one disastrous engagement, Verity won’t easily open her heart again, preferring to devote herself to Elegant Occasions. Rafe is charming, handsome, and kisses like the very devil, but she knows he’s harboring secrets. Still, when her ex-fiancé tries to ruin her reputation, Rafe offers his hand. For the sake of her family and business, Verity has little choice but to accept. Yet turning this arrangement into a true marriage will require daring and trust—which neither will embrace easily, making surrender all the sweeter . . .
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Mounting onto his biggest mission to date, Rafe Wolfford needs to come out of the shadow's and step into the light of the ton. A viscount's heir, he's been working for the military during the war, spying and discovering spies in return, but when his uncle is injured and left for dead, he's out for revenge. He knows that someone linked to Elegant Occasions is leaking crucial information to the French, and was responsible for his uncle's injuries, and so Rafe has infiltrated their events for the past year. He thinks he done so without notice, but Lady Verity knows that Rafe and her mysterious Phantom are one and the same. Verity is happy being unmarried and working for the business she set up with her sister's following their parents' scandal, but she is still drawn to Rafe whenever they meet. However, she was left with scars following the very public jilting she received, and it's clear Rafe is hiding something. Can she open herself up to heartbreak again?

This book was the best ending to the Designing Debutantes series that I could've asked for. I knew that Verity's romance with the Phantom would be special, and it really was. We'd seen Rafe in his various disguises in the previous book, but only Verity had noticed him, and realised it was the same person each time. From the moment she met Rafe as himself, she knew he and the Phantom were one and the same, but Rafe was still none the wiser. Seeing both of them flirt around each other, while slowly falling in love was special, and it was so good to see how Rafe joined the family. He was an orphan, who had only really known his uncle and though he was definitely a caring guardian, he was a military man, and Rafe was forced to join up too young as well. I had guessed at who the villain was early on in the book, but there were that many twists and turns that I started second guessing myself at times. There was one big reveal that I didn't see coming, but it was definitely worth it! I can't wait to see what Sabrina writes next.

Dates Read:
October 15-16, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

4 Stars

ARC Review: All Superheroes Need PR (Supers in the City #1) by Elizabeth Stephens

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All Superheroes Need PR
Series: Supers in the City #1
Author: Elizabeth Stephens
Published May 27th 2025 by Montlake

Goodreads Synopsis
He’s a villain looking for a hero rebrand. She’s the marketing genius who can make it happen in this fantastical romantic comedy by the author of the Beasts of Gatamora series.

Over two decades ago, forty-eight young, gifted superheroes fell to Earth and were eventually marketed as opposing heroes and villains. Now, one exceptionally gruff bad guy is looking to hop teams. Hello, PR director Vanessa Theriot.

His real name is Roland Casteel a.k.a. the Pyro. First, swap that with the less incinerating the Wyvern. Next, put him in spandex to highlight that near-godlike body. Finally, give that hero in training a heroine—if Vanessa will play the part in a pretend romance guaranteed to make the city swoon. She’s game. As shy as Vanessa is, it’s her job to be Roland’s very own Lois Lane. Who knew that fake dating would change their worlds?

But falling head over heels for real makes for a dangerous shift in the narrative. A monstrous supervillain is bringing out Roland’s bad side again. This time, it’s to save a woman who, against all the odds, is becoming the human love of his superhero life.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Years ago, 48 superheroes fell to Earth, and the world was never the same again. In the years since, the battle lines have been drawn, and the arrivals are either heroes or villains, with all the branding and publicity to make it profitable. Vanessa is the owner and manager of an up-and-coming PR company, and she needs the new contract in order to continue the business. Roland was formally a villain, but has now turned to the good side, and needs a complete rebrand - including a loving girlfriend to make it believable. That all sounds great, until Roland announces he will only work with Vanessa, and she needs to be his ‘girlfriend’. What may have started out as a Lois Lane fake romance, soon proves to be anything but.

Wow, this book was epic! I was not expecting how funny and gut wrenching it was - Elizabeth really knocked it out of the park here. Vanessa was an amazing FMC, vulnerable and imperfect, but loveable all the same, and when I say Roland fell hard, he fell hard, and was ready to go toe to toe with anyone and everyone who got in between him and her. I’m someone who loves superhero films, so when this book popped up on NG, I knew I’d enjoy it, but I loved it! The plot, the romance, the characters - everything was engaging and so diverse. A few things happened that I was not expecting, but the cover perfectly matches the book, and I am now desperate to get my hand on book 2. Elizabeth is now one of my auto-buy authors!

Dates Read:
June 20-21, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

October

Stacking the Shelves: October 25th 2025

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3 Stars

ARC Review: Vow to Have (Vowkeepers #2) by Stephanie Corin

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3 Stars

ARC Review: Vow to Protect (Vowkeepers #1) by Stephanie Corin

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4 Stars

ARC Review: Dating Dr Love by Rachel Dove

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Dating Dr Love
Series: None
Author: Rachel Dove
Published July 16th 2025 by Boldwood Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Diagnosis: career chaos...

Doctor Chloe Henry is a no-nonsense surgeon gunning for a promotion. All that stands in her way is her smug colleague, Doctor Johnathan Carson, who’s beloved by the board for his charm and for simply being a man. When a one-week medical conference promises her a chance to shine, Chloe packs her power suits and determination, ready to crush it—or at least avoid strangling Carson.

Take once a day...

Enter Logan Broderick, aka Doctor Dante Love, TV’s hottest (and most medically inaccurate) neurosurgeon-slash-plastic-surgeon. After yet another scandal involving booze, starlets, and bad decisions, Logan’s sent to the same hotel to lay low. But things go awry when Logan and Chloe literally crash into each other—half-naked—in her bathroom. Cue viral chaos.

Prescription: Romance!

To save face, Logan proposes they fake-date. She’s the real doctor to his fake one; he’s the PR boost she didn’t want. But as bickering turns to banter and sparks fly, Chloe wonders: can Dante Love save her?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After a disastrous string of headlines in the media, actor Logan Broderick's, aka Doctor Dante Love, career is in tatters. He needs to lay low for the next few weeks or else he'll be written out of his show, and will never get a prestigious role in a Hollywood blockbuster. Under a pseudonym, he checks into a remote Cornish hotel, but a mix up at check in leaves him in the room of surgeon Dr Chloe Henry, and the paparazzi get a risque photo of the pair. Now they need to work together to pretend to be in a committed relationship to repair Logan's reputation, and not completely destroy Chloe's chances of being promoted to head of surgery. That'll be easy, right? It's not like they'll catch any real feelings or anything.

I was blown away by this book. I read another of Rachel's books last year, so when this one popped up, I knew I needed to read it. It was funny, and heartfelt, with the perfect amount of chemistry and romance. Logan was the lead actor on a TV medical drama, a la Grey's Anatomy, who had hit the papers recently with a string of drunken escapades and papped photos with a number of woman, making the public think he's a manwhore or something similar. This also happened at the same time as the show's lead writer's marriage is breaking down, and Logan is in the running for a make or break war film. He seriously needs to clean up his image, or he's going to lose it all. I loved his character and his growth across the book. He was flirty and a bit of a mess at the start, but soon he found his feet and his caring side was definitely a plus. He fell hard for Chloe, and he was there by her side to big her up to the other doctors at the conference, especially those who looked down on her for her name, or her gender. Chloe was one of those Henry's, but because she went into general practice, and the NHS at that, her family all looked down on her, and treated her like rubbish. She was also one of the only women in her department, and that played a huge role in how hard she had to work to even be considered for the promotion. When Logan learnt all of this, his protective side came out, and he fought tooth and nail to show how caring, lovable, and capable Chloe was, in every part of her life. Considering the book focused on a major actor and a surgeon, they both were believable and real characters, who I was rooting for and whose romance was well worth the hard moments. Another great book from this author, I look forward to her next book!

Dates Read:
August 17, 2025

Rating
4 Stars