Author: deborahkehoe

Hi! I am an avid reader who annoys her husband because I always have my head buried in a book. I was an English major, and have finally decided to do something with the knowledge and skills my parents love and money have given me. Mostly I'm just a chick who reads. A Lot.

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (7/31/23)

OK, I know I said a couple of weeks ago that I love the summer when it’s hot outside and I can curl up inside in the air conditioning with a good book, but this weather is ridiculous! In Nashville it’s been triple digits and it’s pretty hard to cool down even with air conditioning. Regardless, I am still curling up with a good book… or two.

JUST FINISHED

It’s a good thing the weather was so hot because I chose to listen to this novel and it’s fast paced action sequences, fight against good & evil, and love story were hard to set aside. Oh, and did I say there was dragons????!!! I LOVE dragons!

JUST STARTED

After the action in Fourth Wing, I needed a genre switch and chose Beneath Dark Waters. This novel started off with a jolt and I’m loving the heroine so far. Can’t wait to see where it leads.

Are you staying out of the heat? Hang in there with a good book!

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick’s Audio Review: Meet Me In The Margins by Melissa Ferguson

Savannah Cade, editor of small publishing house of highbrow literature, drops the manuscript of a romance novel she’s writing at the feet of her new boss, William Pennington. Relieved at not getting fired for that snafu, she hides the manuscript in the hidden room she’s found and when she returns for it, she finds the first chapter has snarky edits written in the margins. After submitting it to a competitive romance publishing house and receiving some of the same edits back, she is given 6 weeks to complete the manuscript and she needs the help of her mystery editor. Striking up an unseen agreement to help her with the edits, she and her mystery editor exchange comments and get to know each other in the margins. Savannah finds herself more and more attracted to this mystery man but she just can’t figure out who he might be.

I love when the novel I’m reading takes place in the city where I live. Recognizing landmarks, restaurants, and coffee shops in a book is a lot of fun and when that place is Nashville, TN there can be a lot of comedy had from a scene in a honky tonk and there was a great pivotal scene early on in this book that set the tone for the relationship between Savannah and Will and I knew I was going to like a lot about this book. I wasn’t wrong.

Meet Me In the Margins is narrated by Talon David, who is a new narrator to me. I liked her voice and how she imbued life into the characters, but I’m not sure if it was her delivery or if it was the way the novel was written- there were times that her voice seemed a little too formal. You know when your speaking and your read the words “It is” and if you say it you say “it’s” but it’s read “it is”? I think this author didn’t use some of the more common language and it came off as a slightly stilted read. Not the narrator’s fault at all I think, but it was something I noted when I listened to the book. Despite those brief moments, I really enjoyed the narration and the story.

What book lover doesn’t like reading about a character who is trying to write her first romance novel? I found those scenes between she and her mystery editor to have a lot of wit and I really liked the direction the author took the story. Other than that slightly stilted language that gave the narration a hiccup, I liked this novel a whole lot. William was a very proper gentleman and Savannah an interesting young lady and you could feel their interest in each other. Because this was a novel that didn’t go “between the sheets” the build-up to the big reveal felt a little long, but I appreciated the sweetness of the story and characters. I especially liked Savannah’s best friend Lilah. I thought she was a hoot!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Meet Me In The Margins

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Flirting With Fire by Jane Porter

Margot Hughes has spent 25 years of her life pursuing a career in theater and after a horrible break-up with her fiancé she moves back home to Cambria and finds work in real estate. When her boss and friend, Sally, has a heart attack, Margot finds herself flung back onto the stage, helping launch Sally’s local historic theater production of Barefoot in the Park. The director and lead actor’s had quit and Margot was having trouble casting when TV star Max Russo arrives in town to see his dear friend Sally and agrees to help Margot by taking the male lead if she will cast herself in the other spot. While regretting the circumstances Margot reluctantly finds herself enjoying being back on a stage, especially opposite a professional like Max, and the heat that strikes between them makes for some really interesting scenes.

Even though Flirting with Fire can be read as a standalone novel you will find some familiar characters popping up from the other Flirting novels by Jane Porter. I’m not sure if her other books have more mature hero’s and heroine’s but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading a novel about people who have similar thoughts and feelings to my own. Margot is 49 years old and while Max is slightly younger, it’s refreshing to read a novel with a solid story with some sizzle with characters who are a bit more mature. Margot had appeared in the other Flirting novels and I was eagerly anticipating her own love story because her devastating breakup had already been told and I was happy to see her get her own hea. She and Max had an instant attraction but what I really loved about the two of them together was they understood each other’s life decisions. It was easy to like and root for them.

I’ll admit I love books set on the stage. It’s not something I’ve ever aspired to do but it sure is fun to read about putting on a production and the team work it takes to make it happen. Margot and Max made a great team and their energy made for some fun reading! This novel hit all of my buttons and once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Flirting with Fire

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick’s Audio Review: Happy Place by Emily Henry

College sweetheart couple Harriet and Wyn have been broken up for five months but haven’t yet told their close group of friends. When Harriet and friends plan a vacation visit to their favorite beach cottage she is surprised when Wyn shows up. Stuck together for a week while being on a couples vacation is a hardship but all of this close contact reminds them of their chemistry and how much they miss each other. Happy Place is Emily Henry’s love story between this couple but it’s also about growing older, growing apart, and still finding those commonalities that will make you hold on to the ones you love.

I look forward to Emily Henry’s novels every year so when Happy Place was released I immediately checked the audiobook out from the library and started it up. Narrated by the uber talented Julia Whelan who has voiced Emily Henry’s other novels, I’m immediately drawn to these six characters but especially to Harriet and Wyn. This cottage at the beach is resident doctor Harriet’s happy place, especially since she and Wyn broke up, and Wyn promised her that he would stay at home for this vacation with their friends. So, when she arrives and finds him there plus that they’d have to share a room she is furious. She doesn’t want to put on a happy face with their friends and carry on this facade. However, they made their bed and if they don’t want to spoil the impromptu wedding of two of their friends, they need to fake it til they make it. Easier said than done.

This second chance romance was heart-rending. Their love story was told in flashbacks so the contrast between their falling in love and preparing for their life together and the current situation is so drastic it really helps build the tension between the two characters. Julia Whelan who voices every character did such a great job, I was totally enmeshed in this story and wanted desperately to know how it ends way just to end my torture. I will admit that I cried through about four hours of this audiobook. The build-up had such heartache, coupled with the great friendships and knowing how those change as life goes on. Oh my gosh, I loved this book for what it made me feel, but hated going through all of those feelings. I think it took two days for me to recover and my eyes to un-puff. I kid you not.

If you love slow burn romances then you need to read Happy Place. The characters are developed so well, not just our two main characters but all six of these best friends. You come to care for them all and as an older person myself, really appreciating what these 30-somethings are going through because I’ve gone through the change in friendships myself. Feeling those emotions again was agonizing and so real and true. Despite my going through a box of tissues I wouldn’t have missed reading this book. Happy Place was a gem. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Happy Place

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: To Have and To Heist by Sara Desai

Simi Chopra is buried in student loan debt, can only find entry level jobs despite her BA, and is constantly being set up with men by her South Asian parents who mean well but are too involved in her personal life. When her hacker best friend Chloe gets set up as the fall guy when an expensive necklace is stolen from a museum, Simi doesn’t hesitate to run to her aid, and meets Jack while hiding in the bushes. Jack proposes a scheme to steal back the necklace and help get she and Chloe’s off the police’s short list of suspects. Hilarity ensues.

This is my first novel by Sara Desai and I’m unsure if the style of this book is her norm but OMG Simi was sooo funny! Her inner commentary about her life and those of the people around her were laugh out loud hilarious. This novel was not at all what I was expecting. Needless to say, I loved Simi. She was a complete wild card and I really didn’t know what she was going to say next. Her crew that she pulled together for the heist were all definitely outside the spectrum of normal that it made for some really fun reading.

I didn’t really know what to think of Jack. Simi was a pretty luscious lady and she not only had her eye on Jack, but also the detective charged with solving the museum robbery and I wasn’t really sure who she was going to settle down with, they were both kind of sweet. For me, there were some problems with a Simi- Jack pairing as he seemed to always have his own agenda and for a girl who was always left on her own I wanted a lot better for her. However, he sure was charming and their scenes were a lot of fun.

The side characters in this novel were a large part of what made it so successful. Rose, her over lusty landlord was a hoot and I loved the secondary love story between Chloe and Gage. There was a lot going on in this novel but these characters didn’t make it hard to keep reading. What fun! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* To Have and To Heist

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (7/17/23)

JUST FINISHED

My first novel by Sara Desai and I had so much fun with it! It was silly, irreverent, charming, and emotional. Everything you could ask for a weekend read. This book comes out tomorrow!

JUST STARTED

Book #3 in the Grey Gates series by Vanessa Nelson. I am loving this fantasy series. Party investigative, part magic – it’s everything I’d hoped for!

What books are you reading today?

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Prince & The Apocalypse by Kara McDowell

Wren Wheeler has anticipated her school trip abroad for years but when it finally happens she finds the experience wasn’t what she dreamed of at all. Sick with the flu, a fight with her best friend, and missing her family all contributed to her just wanting to be at home. On her last day in London she decides to grab a quick breakfast at a restaurant her sister recommended and finds herself saving the crown prince from the paparazzi making her miss her flight back home. When news gets out about a meteor strike heading towards the Atlantic, flights ground to a halt and the only person she has to turn to is the crown prince himself.

This novel was a fun bit of fantasy! Wren is not impressed by Prince Theo’s star status at all which makes for some fun dialog, and there’s nothing like an end of the world scenario to bring two people together that would never normally hang out. As they travel across Europe to Greece where a private plane can whisk Wren back home these two grow closer. Is it circumstance or are they really drawn to each other’s personalities? That’s a question the second book can and I hope will answer.

If you like young adult novels that aren’t realistic but are fun to read then The Prince & The Apocalypse may be the right novel for you! I certainly enjoyed this fun flight of fantasy remembering my own young dreams of meeting my own prince. It’s only in a book where that man could be the Crown Prince of England! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Prince & The Apocalypse

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Portrait artist Sadie Montgomery wakes up to a temporary condition called “facial blindness” making painting portraits absolutely impossible to do. She is determined to find a way to paint her entry to the North American Portrait Artists competition, a chance to make a name for herself with her art. As she is navigating this new world she is also falling in love with not one, but two very different men. Her life is a mess and her family one big drama so she’s used to overcoming obstacles but this one might be more than she can take.

Katherine Center strikes again! Hello Stranger is more than a romance novel, it’s really about a woman trying to find her way in an obstacle filled life. Her facial blindness is just one more problem, but when she meets a very sharply dressed veterinarian she’s determined that they are the perfect match. Until she meets her very helpful neighbor. Unable to identify anyone by their faces she has to rely on all of her other senses which makes for some great comic relief. Sadie’s sad story becomes heartwarming and that humor makes a kind of unreal problem feel very real indeed.

I thought it a very clever tool to write a novel where descriptions of people’s faces just don’t happen. Just like Sadie, the reader is totally reliant upon the clothing people wear, their perfume, or even what they eat to identify friend or foe. This novel was really different and although I wasn’t surprised by where it led me I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the journey. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Hello Stranger

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads1 Comment

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (7/10/23)

Summertime, when the reading is easy… I love summer and hot weekends and staying inside with a good book. This weekend I enjoyed a graphic audiobook and realized, yes, their tagline “a movie in your mind” is totally appropriate! I also started a new book that got off to a wild start and I can’t wait to keep reading. Life is good!

JUST FINISHED

If you haven’t tried a graphic audiobook then you are missing out! Magic Bites is the first novel in one of my favorite series and I’ve got to admit, it’s probably my least favorite in the series as well. However, listening to it backed by music, sound effects for the fight scenes, and a different actor for every character is truly an experience and made me like this book more than ever!

Magic Bites Graphic Audio

JUST STARTED

This one is off to a quick start and I’m curious to see where it leads. I’ve heard many great things about this author but this is my first time reading her. So far, so good!

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick Read: Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

International Popstar Winter Young is at the top of the charts and one of the most watched stars in the world. He should be flying high but his insecurities and some trauma from his past has him looking for something more. Enter Sydney Cossette, a member of a secret government agency, who is assigned to be one of Winter’s bodyguards when he performs for a European oligarch’s daughters birthday party. Winter’s on stage persona makes him the perfect foil to gather top secret info and stop an illegal arms deal from going through. Of course, not everything goes as planned.

Marie Lu’s novels are written for one purpose, to entertain her readers. Stars and Smoke delivers on this promise! Winter Young is a very interesting character,he’s the youngest son of a mother who never paid him much attention, favoring his older brother who reminds her of happier times. When that brother dies, Winter is left feeling like she wishes it had been him instead, so when he’s approached by the agency he has a couple of reasons to help them, but he never figures that he would be good at what they’ve asked him to do.

Sydney was kind of a wildcard character. She lived to succeed at her job and didn’t think much of this superstar with whom she was paired. She quickly finds out that he is not the person who he portrays on stage and has some serious skills that translate well into his new career as a spy. I loved how these two characters interacted and the chemistry they had as partners and possibly something more.

Stars and Smoke was a very fast paced story that was a movie in my mind. I could very easily visualize everything I was reading on the page and easily connected with the main characters. It was fun to read, which is one of the best compliments I can give to a book.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Stars and Smoke

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads