This Chick Read: Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

Dolly and her son moved back home to Whitfield, Rhode Island for the summer to help out her dad and her brother save the family home. Working at the family fish shop while problem solving needing a new roof and not having the funds to get one, she runs into local scion Stewart Whitfield with a flat tire. At the end of a messy, very public break-up, Stewart is having a really bad week. A picture of an attractive young woman changing his tire is not what his reputation needs, so when it comes out in the paper the paper prints that he was teaching her instead of the other way around. Stewart tracks Dolly down to apologize and ends up with a paid for fake girlfriend. This sounds like a terrible idea to Dolly but when he offers to pay for her new roof she figures why not? As they get to know each other what was once fake starts to feel very real.

I eagerly wait for Annabel Monaghan’s book to come out every year. She is one of a handful of author’s that I can always count on to write a great story, create wonderfully real characters, and to know I’m going to enjoy practically every word that’s written. This book delivered on all three of those things. Their opposites attract/fake boyfriend-girlfriend tropes worked, although there were some silly, totally saw it coming story lines. I enjoyed the fact that Dolly was level headed and so real, and that Stewart was a workaholic who excelled at business but not at changing a tire. Their journey towards love was sweet and heart-breaking at the same time. I wasn’t sure when the shoe was going to drop on their fake scheme and it kept me reading every chapter!

Something else this author excels at is writing great familial relationships. Dolly’s dad was just wonderful and his sense of humor and dad advice were great additions to round out the story about her situation at home. Her son’s backstory held all of the drama of youth, but gave Dolly some great moments as a mother. She was such a well-rounded character.

If you love love, family relationships, and a little drama, then you should pick up this book and give it a go. I was not disappointed one bit and am not looking forward to next year when this author will release her next book.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Dolly All The Time

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This Chick Read: First and Forever by Lynn Painter

Duffy Distefano is a long-time fan of her football team, the Minneapolis Coyote’s. When she has an unfortunate interaction with the mascot at a game, she becomes the most hated person in Minneapolis. When she has the opportunity to go on a local TV show and tell her side of the story she jumps at the chance. What she doesn’t expect is for the Coyotes star tight end to join her on the show, and for them to have great chemistry! Connor Cunningham thinks he’s just helping out his PR department by making nice with Duffy, but when she starts hazing him on live TV he sits back and enjoys the show. She knows his stats better than he does and when her father drags out a chair and joins the interview they have the audience in hysterics. He can’t help but want to see her again.

You know, I don’t think I’ve ever read a Lynn Painter novel that I haven’t liked and I’m not starting that here. First and Forever was absolutely charming. Duffy is unlike any romance heroine I’ve ever read. She’s attractive, but doesn’t really care about her looks, she’s funny but always gets slotted into the friend-zone by her dates, and she lives with her father- who is an absolute hoot! When Connor calls her on the phone to ask her out and she says she needs to call him back, I laughed out loud. She was so adorable and Connor, too, was drawn to her charm.

I don’t want to give away any of the wonderful scenes that this author created to draw in the reader (and Connor!), but when you get to the paint ball scene you are going to laugh just like I did. This girl is hysterical and Connor is all in for her brand of crazy. So was I. OK, that’s all I’m going to tell you other than, just READ THE BOOK. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* First and Forever

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Chase the Light (National Parks Summers #2) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

When National Park ranger Scout Johnson discovers a packet of notes in an old lighthouse in Acadia Park, she joins together with Naki Dana, a historian of Penobscot heritage and together they start to unravel the mystery of forgotten shipwreck and its treasure. As they explore the territory, it brings them together and ignites feelings in Scout that take her by surprise. Also hunting for this treasure is journalist and newspaper owner Chase Fletcher. Chase see’s this treasure hunt as being his last chance to save his paper and despite his attraction to Scout and the possible future he sees with her, he’ll have to make a decision to save his paper or hold off on getting the scoop of a story of a lifetime.

I have never read a novel by this author and I was eager to unravel what sounded to be a great mystery. I love history and the mix of native american heritage, shipwrecks, and treasure hunting drew me in and after the first chapter where Scout discovers a letter with a clue, I wa all in. Suzanne Woods Fisher created a fascinating main character. Scout’s childhood, which we learn all about in this novel, created a strong-willed, caring, true to herself main character. She grew up in the south and had the qualities you’d expect from a young southern woman, and then she had this backbone. I love that mix of strength and honor. I also loved how Naki Dana, described as inhumanly tall, dark, good looking, and with Presence- note the capital P, made her extremely nervous. Although polite and polished, she couldn’t help but take peeks at him and was tongue tied in his presence. This made for a very fun tension as they hunted for treasure.

There were other wonderful side characters and sub-plots, a teen romance, a missing father and domineering mother, and of course, Chase Fletcher and his chase to save his family’s business. I loved how the author gave us the contrast of Naki’s strong silence, and Chase’s smooth charm and how different their interactions were with Scout. All of these things helped create a well-rounded cast list and a story that shone. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Chase the Light

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchased this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Rolls and Rivalry (Gaming and Romance #3) by Kristy Boyce

When Hazel’s former best friend, Max, moves back to town she thinks her plan for her Senior year is all set, but he’s not the boy she remembers. As color guard captain, she’s determined to lead her team to an award winning season. Max, joins the band in the drum unit, and for some reason he’s copping attitude and leads the charge in the rivalry between their two units. Needing a distraction from the stress, she puts her second plan into play. She wants to lead a D&D game. She recruits her best friend, and in a moment of madness asks Max and another drummer to join. Playing the game outside their rivalry helps she and Max get closer and reignites the crush she had on Max when she was younger. Is this the start of a new friendship?

I’ve enjoyed this series by Kristy Boyce despite being totally outside the target demographic. Hazel and Max’s high school rivalry and D&D games brought back old memories, even though I wasn’t in the band or played D&D myself. It reminded me of how our high school friendships were the linchpin of all of our emotions and are a huge part of molding us into who we are as adults.

Hazel’s expansive friend group, her role as leader of the guard, and her budding friendship/romance with Max added to the stress she was already feeling from her family. I liked the way the author didn’t whitewash Hazel’s first instincts to lead the color guard in a rather strict way and the lesson she learned about uniting together as a team and still having fun along the way. I also liked how Hazel was open to communicate with her peers, Max, and her parents and it was through that communication that she achieved her goals. A great lesson for someone of any age, which is probably why I enjoy these novels. That and the peek into the D&D world, which is totally alien despite my love for fantasy novels.

You’ll enjoy this book, as well as the others in the series if you, too, like stories that are uplifting where the heroine learns life lessons. Or even if you just love marching bands and Dungeons & Dragons. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Rolls and Rivalry

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West

Sutton is back in her hometown to take care of her grumpy, ailing mom. When she runs into her best friend from childhood, Tara, she gets dragged into a bet. She and another stranger are going to pretend to be engaged and go to couples therapy. If the therapist guesses they aren’t a real couple her friend’s fianceé will agree to go to his own couple’s therapy with Tara. Sutton and Elijah head to their first therapy session as strangers but come out knowing a little bit more about each other and a homeworks from the therapist. As they continue to attend these sessions Sutton and Elijah seem to only be proving one thing this true connection forming between them is threatening to unravel everything Sutton thought she knew about family, friendship, and her own heart.

You can rely on Kasie West to create characters that you can identify with, draw you in, and make you think “yes! I have felt the same way”. When I read this story I could totally identify with Sutton and her situation. She and her mom don’t have the best relationship. Her mom’s injury makes her grumpy, but she’s always been very critical of Sutton’s choices in life. As Sutton goes through her therapy sessions with Elijah she uses some of what’s she’s learning about herself to deal with her issues with her mom too. Lesson learned? Therapy is good!

Elijah was a sweetheart. Adorable, friendly, flirty, but he also seemed to care a lot about Sutton as the novel moved forward. There was some great chemistry between the two of them and despite all of the things they are both dealing with in their lives, they connect on a real level. The author’s portrayal of their story was so seamless that I sped through this novel relishing the way it ended. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGally for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Stranger Things Have Happened

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Rerserved

*Amazon Associate- If you purchased this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Happy Ending by Chloe Liese

Thea and Alex met when Thea was going to pick up her dog from her recent ex-husband’s home and Alex was going to pick up his daughter at his recent ex-wife’s new boyfriends home- Thea’s ex. Both a little off guard by the situation they find themselves in, they spin a little tale about being childhood best friend’s. What starts as a little prank, two years later, grows into a true friendship. When their ex’s ask them to take a group family vacation they realize this friendship might be growing into something more.

This is a tough review for me because I love Chloe Liese’s novels. She always has realistic characters who are slightly challenged by life. Happy Ending’s characters are challenged by a situation, but as characters they didn’t really hold my interest. I like a friends to lovers romance, and the plot set this one up nicely, but for me, something was missing. Thea’s pining for Alex was kind of annoying and his not so secret crush on her was equally irritating. These two people who claimed to be best friends just didn’t communicate at all. They each subverted their emotions so they could continue this lackluster friendship. It was well written, but I just found the story boring. I hope she gets back to writing interesting characters on the next novel!

❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved.

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This Chick Read: What Lasts by J. Bengtsson

As a fan of J. Bengtsson’s Cake series, I was intrigued by her news that she was writing a prequel about the couple that created all of our favorite characters…Michelle and Scott McCallister, the parents. After six books about the McCallister siblings, you’d think the reader would know everything about Michelle and Scott, but I learned that my knowledge only brushed the surface. What Lasts takes us back to the 80’s and the beginning of it all.

Michelle has grown up in privilege and when she meets Scott, someone who is not among the privileged (at all), she embarass’s herself in front of him, and yet Scott is intrigued. Not thinking she’ll ever show up, he invites her to his gig that night and surprisingly she shows up. This is just the beginning of Michelle showing up for Scott. As we learn from the other novels, Michelle wants more from her future than to marry whomever her parents deem appropriate, so she gives it all up for a single dad who works three jobs in order to be there for his boy, Mitchell. What follows are a couple of decades of having and raising kids, living in poverty, and Scott trying to live up to what he thinks Michelle needs.Then comes the backbone of all of Cake’s novels. Jake’s kidnapping, return, and skyrocketing career to rockstardom. How do Michelle and Scott handle all of the above? The details are in the novel so I’ll let you see if you like how their story is told. I’ll admit, I found it kind of lackluster.

I love these books, but what I really like about them are the relationships between all of the siblings. Was I curious about Michelle and Scott? A little bit? Scott was obviously a character so it was kind of cool to see where all of his unusualness came from. Michelle always came off as a bit of a cool customer. I knew she came from a wealthy background but even after learning about their struggles, and how as a mother she felt during all of the kidnapping trauma, I just never really warmed up to her. So, for me, I didn’t find their story that riveting. What it did do though, is make me want to read all of the sibling novels again, so really it did it’s job! I’ve read them all at least twice as well as listened to the audiobooks. I have my favorites, but I think this time I’m going to read them in order.

❤️❤️❤️

Thank you so much for allowing me to read an early copy! I’m a SoCal girl who grew up in Ventura County, so I always love to read stories that take place in that area. I’m looking forward to going back and taking a visit to SoCal with some of my favorite characters.

Click this link to purchase this book!* What Lasts

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn

Layla Bailey spent the last year telling herself she’s moved on from her divorce with her college sweetheart. Wanting to stay amicable she accepts an invitation to her ex-sister-in-law’s wedding in Paris, the place where she and her ex spent their honeymoon. No problem, she tells herself, even though he’s bringing his new girlfriend. She spends the first night having a fun dinner with the bride then wakes up the next morning to find that something she innocently said has caused the bride to doubt following through with the wedding. It’s up to she and the taciturn best man, Griffin to make sure this wedding happens.

I did kind of cut to the chase on the above synopsis making this sound like a bit of fluff, when it absolutely was not. The Paris Match shredded my heart. I loved Layla, and the more we all got to know Griff and his heartbreaking back story, the more I came to love him as well. While they tried to figure out the reasons why the bride starting having doubts they both did a lot of soul searching. Layla on why she was trying so hard to be “amicable” with her ex and his family. Yes, she’s a very nice and loving woman, but there are limits to what she’s going to allow. Griff who maybe should’ve been named Gruff, hit his limits pretty quickly- on her behalf. I’ll admit there’s nothing I love better than someone who is a protector, and despite not understanding his feelings on why he felt so deeply, Griff was her support.

Layla was such an easy character to like. She tried to do all the right things, be pleasant, kind, professional (she was a doctor), but at the same time kind of let people walk all over her. As the novel moved forward you could see her backbone straighten. She needed to take this trip back to the city she loved so much and had all of these memories from her past life- face them- and make new ones. I’m a big believer in learning from your mistakes and moving forward. It took her a little while to see and accept them, but ultimately she was able to do that- with Griff’s help. Griff had his own troubles he needed to face and Layla was just as much a supporter to him as he was to her. A perfect partnership if they can get past their pasts and face the future together. This was a lovely story and I really enjoyed reading it- even though I left a wad of tissues by my bedside.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Paris Match

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Family Lies (San Diego #4) by Karen Rose

When a woman calls her sister Akiko out of the blue claiming to have information about her birth mother, detective Kit McKittrick is immediately suspicious. Kit has a bad feeling and insists on going with Akiko to the meeting. When the woman doesn’t show up they go to her house they are fired upon and seek refuge in the house where they find her dead body. Although she’s on medical leave, Kit can’t leave the investigation up to anyone else and breaks the rules to keep searching for answers. Was Mary Sherman Akiko’s birth mother and why did she wait so long to reach out to her? As Kit investigates and more bodies turn up, Kit wonders if this secret should be left buried.

This was by far my favorite book in the series to date. Kit has been a hard protagonist to get to know, and in this novel she not only opens up about her family and her relationship to Akiko, but she also opens up to Sam, the man she’s in love with and just started to date seriously. Kit has come a long way from the isolated, cold woman in book one. I love Kit 2.0, she is easy to like and relatable!

The mystery of Akiko’s parentage was a fascinating read. You always hear stories about adoption and the wondering of who a real parent might be, in this case Akiko would’ve been much better off never learning anything about her family. The tale is tragic, sad, and kind of scary. Beyond that, I’ll not reveal any of her secrets, you’ll have to read it yourself! Needless to say, I enjoyed this novel a lot and am giving Karen Rose her first five star rating from me. This tale was entertaining, emotional, action-packed, and absolutely gripping! You all will enjoy this one!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Family Lies

Copyright 2026 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchased this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying #1) by Ilona Andrews

When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn’t take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she’s been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel.

Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters’ ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she’s coming to love—a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes—and attentions—of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will end: in a cataclysmic war.

I am obsessed with this book. I’ve read it twice and am finding new moments to love and marvel at with each reading. One of my favorite series that this author duo has written is the Kate Daniels series, and there are a few similarities. Maggie, like Kate, has a huge heart. While Kate swings a sword and has huge magical skills that evolve over all of that series, Maggie enters this world kind of as a newborn. She does have a skill, although it’s not warrior like, she has knowledge of what will happen to characters in this world she’s been dropped into, and she can use that knowledge as currency to move herself from homeless street person, to “Lady” Maggie. Like Kate, Maggie’s huge heart means that she makes connections with characters who she will move the world for- or in this book, attempt to save their world. Also like Kate, Maggie will sacrifice herself for her loved ones. Other characters in this book provide the weapon-wielding and action, and while Maggie is at the center of it all, she is the strategist behind all of their actions and some of those actions are self-sacrificing. Kair Toren is a big chess board, and Maggie knows all the moves but they don’t always work out the way she thinks they will. Hence the “Undying” moniker. She does make mistakes and those mistakes result in her knowledge that she can’t be killed- or at least not yet.

Note before reading- this novel is much darker and more gruesome than Ilona Andrews other books. There are definitely light-hearted moments as well as humorous ones, but they are trying to save their kingdom and there’s not a lot of time for fun. Maggie has a great sense of humor and I hear these author’s voices when she has an inner monologue. Ilona Andrews has a snarky humor that takes you out of a dark moment and adds a little lightness and clarity that works beautifully in this context. I can’t wait to hear the audio for this book. I just know it will be superb and those snarky thoughts even more funny in someone else’s voice. Although I do a great job in my head.

Maggie has a love interest sub plot or maybe not so sub-plot, that is intermingled in the main story. This love story is dark, brooding, filled with distrust, lots of emotions, and of course conflict. Some of this conflict comes in the form of adversaries whom our hero thinks may vie for Maggie’s heart and other obstacles he unwittingly places himself. Our hero, is very possessive, very powerful (an amazing swordsman!), and of course, doesn’t want to share. All the things that make a romantic fantasy fun to read. Their journey is not an easy one, after all they are trying to save their kingdom- and there are many things standing in their way. I can’t wait to see how all of this gets resolved in book two!

If I could give a 10.0 rating I would.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️)

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me

Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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