Cute story. It dealt with grief more than I expected and it was a little too much for me personally right now, but everything else was good.

Parts of this worked for me and parts of it did not. I love the idea of a Renaissance Faire setting but there wasn't enough of it in the story. Jess starting a new job, in a new town while also dealing with the fresh grief of her sister's passing started us off on a sad note. Mo just being a grumpy misunderstood teddy bear was okay, but he said "uhh" far too much or just grunted. The story itself was fine, and I loved Jess' friends for knocking sense into her, but ignoring her pain seems like a dumb thing to do for a professional athlete of her supposed caliber. I also wasn't a huge fan Khalil popping up again so much. He was kind of an ass to his hypersensitive brother and teased him too much. Grow up dude. I'm also disappointed by the lack of closure we get from Jess and her parents. That was actually an interesting plot point and it just got sidelined.

✨ Review ✨ Give Me a Shot by Gia De Cadenet; Narrated by Ryan Lee Dunlap & Natalie Naudus

Thanks to Dell, PRHAudio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Jess, a former competitive archer and now professor, and Mo, a mechanic, meet up at a Folk School specializing in medieval / ancient crafts, where Jess does archery and Mo does blacksmithing. Neither likes being the center of attention, but are put in the center of a Reneissance faire plan to save the school.

Both are dealing with their own combination of big feelings, anxiety, grief, etc., and this made it a heavy read for me. Jess is dealing with the traumatic loss of her sister, anxieties about life and family, separation from her family, etc., while Mo's neurodivergence and extra strong empathy make being around stress, big groups of people, and big emotions extra difficult. While all of this big messy anxiety, etc. was hard for me to read at times, I really appreciated how the two of them saw each other through it all.

(extra bonus points for Mo's amazing family, Jess's awesome friends, Mo's single fathering, and the ren faire vibes).

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: contemporary f/m romance
Setting: Ann Arbor/Detroit, Michigan
Length: 9 hours 53 minutes
Pub Date: May 6, 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ renaissance faires
⭕️ single dads
⭕️ grappling with big emotions / grief / anxiety

Okay, so I was hyped for this one—blacksmith x archer? Renaissance Faire? Neurodivergence? Sign me up! But… I finished it feeling a little underwhelmed. The good stuff: Mo is a gem. A quiet, plant-loving, emotionally aware single dad who actually communicates? Rare. I think the author did a great job representing HSP rep. Jess had her moments too (any woman who threatens a man with a crossbow on sight has my respect), but she also low-key annoyed me? Like, girl, stop self-sabotaging. The angst dragged a bit, and I wish we’d gotten more of the Folk School/Ren Faire fun—that part got sidelined for heavier drama.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publsher for the ARC! Opinions are my own.

Delayed Review!

This book really surprised me! I went in not knowing what to expect and I was delightfully surprised by it! I liked that it had neurodivergence rep and that it had some heavier topics such as dealing with grief/unexpected loss of a loved one. The story was super fun and I loved hearing about how they were going to save the Folk School and about all of the different people who worked there. Overall, I just enjoyed the story,

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the e-ARC of "Give Me a Shot" by Gia De Cadenet available now!

Communication between the MCs was A+, they started off on the wrong foot and became short-lived enemies. Which I enjoyed very much. Heavy topics were discussed and written with care and sensitivity from the author.

Thank you so much to @dellromance for the advance reader’s copy of Give Me a Shot. I had a thoroughly great time reading this story that had so much heart and wit.

I’ve learned about myself that I take some time to warm up to stories centered around grief simply because it makes me uncomfortable, and Give Me a Shot is centered pretty heavily on our FMC’s grieving. I think Gia De Cadenet addresses grief with nuance and respect in this story and gives our FMC the grace she deserves. I also really appreciated the mental health/anxiety and HSP rep for our MMC. We don’t get the opportunity to read about positive mental health rep for men very often and I appreciate the way Mo is loved on despite his insecurities.

I loved the uniqueness of the setting for this story, which is a folk school that is hosting a renaissance fair to financially save the school. I’m sucker for the “community comes together and saves revered establishment from predatory corporate greed” so all of that hit the mark perfectly for me. I absolutely love renaissance faires and was excited to take content pictures of this book at the fair.

I do think the pacing of this story could have used some better editing but overall it was an enjoyable read and I’d recommend it to contemporary romance readers who are looking for something unique.

Jess and Mo are definitely a couple that I found myself rooting for from the beginning. I felt like both characters were very relatable. Jess was grieving after the loss of her sister and Mo was probably the perfect person to help her through that grief. They really complimented one another. 

I did not know much about either Renaissance Fairs or Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) like Mo before reading this book. I could tell that the author did a lot of research on both of these subjects and did a really good job writing about them. And, while I enjoyed the main characters, my favorites were the side characters. I loved Jess's friends Alice and Stephanie and the friendship she had with both of them despite the long distance between them. I also loved Mo's elderly neighbor Mrs. Sargysan and the sage advice that she gave both Mo and Jess. And, I also enjoyed Mo's family, especially his brother Khalil as he lovingly teased his brother about this blossoming romance.

I would have liked to know more about Mo's ex-wife and why things didn't work out for them. They obviously still had a good co-parenting relationship because of their daughter but that's all we know about her. And, I also would have liked the author to have done a deeper delve into the abusive relationship between Jess's parents and her relationship with both of them. It would be nice to see if a relationship has been restored between Jess and her mother in a future book. I guess I want to see some happiness for her mother too!

This book is the third installment in a series about the Sarda brothers. I read the first one, Getting His Game Back,(featuring Khalil and Vanessa) ,but I haven't read the second yet so I can attest that this book can definitely be read as a stand-a-lone. 
 
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine / Dell and NetGalley for the gifted ARC.

Who says you cannot learn from fictions? In this book, I appreciate Gia’s effort into researching and highlighting the neurodivergence in highly sensitive people. Reading about HSPs in such a light has opened my mind to considering people in my circle that may be an HSP. So thank you Gia for teaching us and providing representation for “moody” and “grumpy” people around us.
I truly appreciate the various themes explored in this book— intersectionality between love and grief, difficult conversations between friends, domestic abuse and second-chance romance. Mo and Jess are a reminder to us that humans are multi-faceted and life is a continuum of finding yourself in different seasons and finding love and hope in them.

Alright, so this was one of those books that left me feeling a little torn. On one hand, I loved the male love interest, Mo Sarda, — charming, grounded, and honestly the only reason I kept turning the pages. He had that perfect mix of emotional depth and quiet strength, and every scene with him was a win.

On the flip side... the female main character, Jess? Kind of drove me up the wall. She had this frustrating habit of making everything more complicated than it needed to be. I get that flawed characters can be more "real," but some of her choices just felt exhausting rather than endearing.

That said, the book did do something interesting with messy family dynamics. It wasn’t your typical fairytale romance — there were tangled relationships, awkward reunions, and a lot of emotional baggage that gave the story more depth. It’s not all fluff, and I actually appreciated that.

Overall, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. If you can handle a slightly annoying protagonist and want something a little deeper than your average rom-com, it’s worth a shot. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself rooting for the guy more than the actual relationship.

This was such a refreshingly tender romance! Give Me A Shot brings together a quiet, emotionally aware blacksmith and an archery-loving professor as they team up to save a local Folk School by throwing a Renaissance Faire. Yes, it’s as charming as it sounds, like we’re all living in Stars Hollow.

Mo and Jess are both dealing with grief and figuring out how to move forward. Their connection is slow burn, full of awkward honesty, vulnerability, and sweet chemistry. I especially appreciated the thoughtful portrayal of Mo as a Highly Sensitive Person—it’s rare and beautifully done.

The story leans more emotional than fast-paced, but the payoff is worth it. If you’re into grounded, character-driven romances with a unique setting and plenty of heart, give this one a shot.

**Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC. All opinions are my own.**

The third installment in an interconnected series of stand alone, highly recommend reading the other two first!

Jess and Mo have a heck of a meet cute, him startling her to a point she takes up arms in the form of a bow and arrow. When they're later looped in to assist at a Ren Faire to save the local folk school from closing down, a little proximity, a lot of emotions and some sparks, its only a matter of time before they lean into their feelings.

I feel like there was a LOT going on in this book with heavy back story lines that were competing with each other a little toooo much for how fast everything was resolved (and heavy things at that). But overall a fun read!


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Ok as someone who’s not into the D & D scene or Renascence Faires, I wasn’t sure how I would enjoy this book but I knew I wanted to read it based solely on the MMC, who was a grumpy neurodivergent and he did not disappoint. Mo had such unique and interesting attributes that endeared me to him almost from the moment he appeared in the page and even through some tough topics that were covered throughout the story, he remained his best self and showed thoughtfulness and empathy towards Jess, the FMC. Jess had some major trust issues and needed to do better at communicating, but at heart she was a genuinely kind person and therefore it made it easy to see that these two could belong together.
While HSP is a new concept for me, I learned a lot about it in this story, but I didn’t feel like it was overwhelming. It just seemed to help understand Mo and his response to things.
Besides the romance aspect, there’s a great secondary story about the power of friendship as Jess’ close friends help navigate her through some difficult times as well as her new feelings for Mo despite the distance between them.
This is evidently part of a series, which I wasn’t aware of until after reading it so clearly you can read it as a standalone, but I will definitely be reading the rest of the books and anything else this author writes!
Thanks to Dell Publishing and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Love. Adored.
These two man. They were just perfect together. I had so much fun reading this and loving these two. I giggled, squealed and love them. I liked how protective he was.

this one was a lot of fun! i wish i would’ve gotten more closure between jessica and her parents because i think that would’ve definitely helped her process her grief, especially when we learn that her mom follows the same pattern her sister did. i also wish we could’ve seen her grief process more. mo was a beautiful, beautiful mmc and i loved everything about him — no notes.

overall id give this 3.5 just because i feel like our fmc wasn’t completely flushed out in my opinion. would definitely recommend this though!

This was a very emotional read, and I was unprepared for that. It touches a lot on grief, repressed feelings, sibling loss, and HSP ( highly sensitive person). The romance was nice and just the right amount of light spice for the tone of this book. I just feel like the heaviness of the book drew me out at times or made the story slow. I am not sure, it just did not hit for me but that does not at all make it a bad read.

Thanks to netgalley and Random House PG – Ballantine for the Arc!

I was excited to read this because the plot seemed interesting but I just couldn’t get into the writing or the story.

Oh how I loved this book!

This is such a beautiful portrayal of real and messy people, and the love they can have when they put in the work. (We love an emotionally aware MMC, and we love some neurodiverse rep!) This book made me laugh, cry, and occasionally kick my feet. If you loved Well Met (DeLuca) or Taking Initiative (Stewart), you'll want to read this one asap!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

RenFaire romance unfolds between two tough-on-the-outside leads, one an archer and the other a blacksmith.

✨ Pub Day Book Review: GIVE ME A SHOT by Gia De Cadenet ✨

💘 Book Synopsis: Jessica Anderson is new in town and guarded after the loss of her sister. She seeks solace in work and her archery, but knows she needs to try to make friends in town too. Mo Sarda is the first person she meets and it does not go well. When they meet again, Mo seems terse and uninterested, but also empathetic and kind. When Jess and Mo are forced together to help save the Folk School they both love, they soon realize each has so many more layers than are first apparent and sparks fly. They now need to work through their past hurts if they can have a shot together.

🥰 My Take: What a fun, beautiful, and nuanced steamy romance! This is the first book I’ve ever read that talks about and aims to normalize sensitivity processing nuances specific to Highly Sensitive People. I was in near tears and felt so seen. While I loved this about the book, the nuances of HSPs were included by name throughout the book slightly more than I felt necessary. This though is my only critique. I loved both the main characters, they each had believable back stories that gave them depth, and they are so, so good together. The RenFaire buildup and setting were delightful bonuses. Highly recommend this book and I’ll be looking to add more from @gia_decad to my TBR.

Read GIVE ME A SHOT for
✌️ Dual POV insights
👑 Renaissance Faire setting
🏹 Female archer with black cat energy
🔥 Gruff male blacksmith who’s actually a softy
💗 Single girl dad
⚡️ Sensitivity processing neurodivergence rep

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5 stars)

😘 Thanks to @DellRomance for the gifted digital and physical ARC. Such a treat! All opinions are my own.

👩🏻‍🏫 Reader Note: Grief at the off-page loss of a loved one due to domestic violence. Take care.

As a therapist and HSP myself I loveddd the mental health rep of the grief and Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) neurodivergence pieces of this story.

Story was so much more than a romance. But the romance was really good too!!

Such a soft, tender, sweet, and spicy read. This isn’t your average romance read. It was perfect cozy feel-your-feelings and have a good cathartic release kind of book. Loved it!