so_many_books's reviews
828 reviews

I have to say, May Archer is the queen of small town romances for me. O'Leary, the Hollow, and now Copper County. If you're craving a good, funny, and delightful small-town romance with a little bit of extra kick of excitement, then you've come to the right place.

The Pretenders of Copper County picks up where the Sunday Brother's series left us. With a Sunday brother, Reed, who hasn't found his love yet.

Reed and Chris. Oh boy, where to start?
Their story starts with the funniest misunderstanding/meet cute when Reed picks up Chris for a protective assignment, which Chris interprets as a totally different kind of pick-up.
Honestly, from their first meeting, the story is a whirlwind of craziness, and I am pretty sure Reed Sunday is still trying to pick up his jaw from the floor after experiencing the phenomenon called Chris Winowski.

The tropes tell it all: bodyguard, pretend relationship to hide from danger, only one bed, ridiculously small town with all the small town feels, lumberjack/nerd pairing, sunshine MC.

May managed to weave these tropes together with humour, fantastic characters, and sweet scenes into the most enjoyable and entertaining read I had in a long time.
I laughed out loud, couldn't stop giggling, and always had a smile on my face while reading.

Chris's character is the best in many ways. I loved his neurodivergent brain (cuz you can't tell me he's not on the autistic spectrum), I loved his goodness, and I loved his enthusiasm for every small thing. He is written to perfection, and you can't help but love him from the very first minute. I also loved that although he seems helpless and a little too innocent for the world, he's actually very competent and can take care of himself.
Reed is grumpy to Chris's sunshine. He's the quintessential protector with a soft spot for a particular short cutie. From he first moment he meets Chris, he questions his grumpy closed-off life.
Their adventures together are so flipping funny and sweet. I was amused the whole time and was never bored for even a minute.

Copper County is the next in the line of perfectly quirky small towns May have come up with. And it does not disappoint. Everything you love to see in the small town trop is there. Nosy but sweet neighbors, quirky little shops, a campground that needs to be renovated, sweet teenagers butting their heads into other people's business. All there was the perfect backdrop to Chris and Reed falling in love.

All in all, I can't say much other than read this book if you love any of the tropes mentioned above. It's guaranteed entertainment, and I also guarantee that you will be hooked.

I enjoyed reading it, and I definitely had a good time.

First, what I liked:
- Obviously, the charity game at the beginning of the book is amazing. All the Collective shenanigans in one place. I loved how Easton felt so comfortable with them. It was a lot of fun.
- I applaud the hockey player × ref pairing. It brings a tension that we rarely see in sports romances. Additionally, it was nice to see a hockey game from Knox's POV.
- The pining at the beginning is top-notch. Both parties, Easton and Knox, have very big unrequited feelings for the others. Their secret crush is only secret because of Easton's brother, Connor, who is Knox's best friend.
- This book, again, is funny, lighthearted, and a lot entertaining.

And now, what could have been better:
- Their backstory. While both Easton and Knox have some thoughts about when and why their crush started, their feelings are a bit unfunded in the books itself. I wanted to be there personally how younger Easton came to realize his feelings, and I wanted to see Knox years later, awkwardly realize his.
- Actual relationship development. It feels like we're jumping from distant pining to boyfriends in one chapter. I know they've been friends forever, so we don't need get-to-know-you dates, but being friends and being a couple is two very different things. Plus, they barely see each other because of their job and the, either spend their time together sleeping or doing the dirty. What do they actually have in common? That, we don't get the answer to.
- Sigh... men who can't communicate are my cryptonite. Why? Why can't you just talk to the love of your life about your fears?
- The characters have been consistently one dimensional in recent books. And Knox and Easton are the same. They have a job that is their entire personality. Easton has his brothers, and Knox has Connor as his best friend. They don't seem to have a life outside of that. Do they like to watch movies? Read books? Go hiking? Play mini golf? What other thing do they have?  Do they have friends outside of the family? Well, it seems those are not important.
- No real resolution of their problems. We didn't get to figure it out why Knox is scared so much. We don't get to see how they manage their crazy schedules long term. We don't get to know a whole lot of things.

All in all, if you just want a quick, funny, and entertaining romance, this one is definitely a good choice. The whole series is. But don't expect well-developped characters or deep thoughts.

I enjoyed reading it, and I definitely had a good time.

First, what I liked:
- Obviously, the charity game at the beginning of the book is amazing. All the Collective shenanigans in one place. I loved how Easton felt so comfortable with them. It was a lot of fun.
- I applaud the hockey player × ref pairing. It brings a tension that we rarely see in sports romances. Additionally, it was nice to see a hockey game from Knox's POV.
- The pining at the beginning is top-notch. Both parties, Easton and Knox, have very big unrequited feelings for the others. Their secret crush is only secret because of Easton's brother, Connor, who is Knox's best friend.
- This book, again, is funny, lighthearted, and a lot entertaining.

And now, what could have been better:
- Their backstory. While both Easton and Knox have some thoughts about when and why their crush started, their feelings are a bit unfunded in the books itself. I wanted to be there personally how younger Easton came to realize his feelings, and I wanted to see Knox years later, awkwardly realize his.
- Actual relationship development. It feels like we're jumping from distant pining to boyfriends in one chapter. I know they've been friends forever, so we don't need get-to-know-you dates, but being friends and being a couple is two very different things. Plus, they barely see each other because of their job and the, either spend their time together sleeping or doing the dirty. What do they actually have in common? That, we don't get the answer to.
- Sigh... men who can't communicate are my cryptonite. Why? Why can't you just talk to the love of your life about your fears?
- The characters have been consistently one dimensional in recent books. And Knox and Easton are the same. They have a job that is their entire personality. Easton has his brothers, and Knox has Connor as his best friend. They don't seem to have a life outside of that. Do they like to watch movies? Read books? Go hiking? Play mini golf? What other thing do they have?  Do they have friends outside of the family? Well, it seems those are not important.
- No real resolution of their problems. We didn't get to figure it out why Knox is scared so much. We don't get to see how they manage their crazy schedules long term. We don't get to know a whole lot of things.

All in all, if you just want a quick, funny, and entertaining romance, this one is definitely a good choice. The whole series is. But don't expect well-developped characters or deep thoughts.

Celestial Monsters is a great sequel to The Sunbearer Trials. While the first book was an action-packed race for survival and raised some very interesting questions about the trials, Celestial Monsters is the more mature and more critical sibling.
After the disastrous ending of the first book, Teo, Aurelio, and Niya embark on a road trip/quest through Reino del Sol to save their friends and the world.
Their journey is adventurous, exciting, and slightly hilarious. I loved that we get a glimpse of more cities and areas in this world because it is one of the things that I absolutely loved in the first book. I also loved how all of them learned to trust in themselves and their power while fighting Monsters and saving people.
The extra in this book is that we get a second POV, Xio. They (using they pronouns because they try using that in this book) are not exactly our favourite at this moment, but I think it's kinda genious. They are the most conflicted about how the gods rule their world, and they voice lots of valid points for change. They also think a lot about their actions and are one of the driving forces of the story.

Xio's thoughts are reflected in Teo's, who also discovers that there are a lot more problems with how the gods rule the world, trying to help the humans but also bringing their own drama to them.

Celestial Monsters is a real treat with lots of adventures, character development, critical thinking about the world, and questioning authority. It's about friendship and self-discovery. It has a bit of romance, lots of battles, hilarious situations, and an epic storyline. Both Teo and Xio learn a lot and show a different side to them.
I immensely enjoyed this book, and the audiobook is awesome❤️