This Chick Read:  a Chapter Excerpt of Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston

Shelly Laurenstons new novel Hot and Badgered doesn’t come out until March 27th, but when offered the chance to read a chapter in advance of the release, I just couldn’t pass it up! I zipped through this chapter, once again loving the humor, dialog, and action. Her novels are unlike any other shifter novels. 

Here’s the synopsis:

It’s not every day that a beautiful naked woman falls out of the sky and lands face-first on grizzly shifter Berg Dunn’s hotel balcony. Definitely they don’t usually hop up and demand his best gun. Berg gives the lady a grizzly-sized t-shirt and his cell phone, too, just on style points. And then she’s gone, taking his XXXL heart with her. By the time he figures out she’s a honey badger shifter, it’s too late.

 Honey badgers are survivors. Brutal, vicious, ill-tempered survivors. Or maybe Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is just pissed that her useless father is trying to get them all killed again, and won’t even tell her how. Protecting her little sisters has always been her job, and she’s not about to let some pesky giant grizzly protection specialist with a network of every shifter in Manhattan get in her way. Wait. He’s trying to help? Why would he want to do that? He’s cute enough that she just might let him tag along—that is, if he can keep up . . .

Unfortunately, we have a little while to wait until this fun new novel in The Honey Badgers series comes out. I can’t wait!


Click this link to pre-order! 

Hot and Badgered (The Honey Badgers)

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This Chick Read: Sweet Tea and Sympathy (Southern Eclectic book 1) by Molly Harper

Margot Cary’s career as an event planner in Chicago ends with the biggest splash in Chicago’s elite society and her name becomes synonymous with failure. What she needs is some time off for people to forget what happened, and for her to dust off her resume and find a new job. Out of the blue, her great Aunt gives her a call and asks her to come help run the family business, The McCreary Family Funeral Home and Bait Shop. Yep, you wouldn’t think the two would have anything to do with each other, and no, they did not use someone’s toes as bait. Margot is skeptical about the job and doesn’t know anything about her father or his side of the family, but desperation and the need for a job makes her accept the job, at least temporarily. However, along with the job comes a family that she never knew she wanted, and a father who she thought didn’t want her.

This novel is a little bit family saga and a little bit romance. Don’t let that hint of romance fool you, this novel is about a girl who never knew she was lost, until she was found.  I loved the contrast of Margot’s fish out of water city girl attitude and the kookiness of her small town family. They had a ton of heart and the way they melted Margot’s endeared them to me and made me relish those scenes.

When Margot and Kyle meet, Margot is drawn to his sweet sadness. I don’t want to say their love story was lackluster, but it was certainly secondary to her need to learn about this new family and get to know a father that she felt abandoned her as a child and that didn’t disappoint me at all. Kyle was certainly wonderful, but he had a lot going on in his head too. I liked how the gentle Southern pace of their romance allowed the reader to focus on the other more central story line about family and roots and also made Kyle’s journey of acceptance of this new relationship feel real.

The name of this book, Sweet Tea and Sympathy was certainly apropos both to the southern roots of Margot’s family and also some of the challenges that needed to be overcome by both Margot and Kyle before finding happiness. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Sweet Tea

Click this link to purchase!  Sweet Tea and Sympathy (Southern Eclectic Book 1)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Amor Towles has written an elegantly worded story about Alexander Rostov, an aristocrat who was sentenced to house arrest in the grand Metropol hotel in Moscow. Set in 1922 when being an aristocrat was considered dangerous to the new Bolshevik regime, this fascinating glimpse into life at that time captured my heart, as did Alexander Rostov. 

You may think Alexander’s life would be encapsulated, and in some ways it was. He couldn’t leave the Metropol, but as it was located across the street from the Kremlin, everyone at some point passed through its doors. Alexander, used to living in the upper eschelon of society, did have to make changes. Gone were the large room of suites he had inhabited before his sentence. He was now relegated to life in a room the size of a closet. However, his life was really lived outside of his rooms. He dined in the beautiful restaurants in the hotel and his family became the people who worked and stayed in the hotel. His culture and charm are completely alien to the age we live in now, but the wording was so descriptive that I could easily visualize it, although I’ll admit to seeing it’s scenes in black and white, with Cary Grant cast as Alexander.

The true heart in this story were in the relationships he built with the people around him. Nina, a young girl of six at the beginning of this book was his adventurous friend who led him on a journey of secret passageways and scientific experiments. His friend Mischa, who came and went from the hotel bringing news about the outside world and the political changes Russia was going through. Anna, an actress that he builds a longstanding relationship with, Marina, the seamstress and friend, and his evolving relationship with the Maitre’d and chef at the restaurant who eventually become his best friends. Sophia, however was the relationship that helped Alexander evolve beyond a gentleman into a father. Their relationship at times touched and broke my heart.

I listened to the audio for this book and while it was long, Nicholas Guy Smith’s voice wove this tale and did justice to the beautiful prose. The story of Russia’s growth from a monarchy to communism was a part of history that I wasn’t that familiar but became enraptured. I will definitely be looking for more books from this era.  ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️


Click the link to purchase this book!  A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chicks Sunday Commentary: What is your Passion?

I know this headline caught your eye! What in the world is Deborah talking about? I know, I know, we all have likes. I like taking walks on cool fall days watching my dog hunt for squirrels. I like sitting on the couch next to my husband, holding his hand while we watch a tv show. I like having dinner with my family and wondering at the random subject changes and how we got from point A to point B in the conversation. I could go on and on about my likes. My world is filled with Deborah likes…

What is your Passion is an interesting question isn’t it? For some people their passion is their faith, for others their passion may be their jobs or family. If we were to take away the obvious- no husbands, wives, family, god, food. As much as i love chocolate, no that isn’t a passion! Passion is what is in your gut. What makes you thrive for life?

It won’t come as a secret to any of you but my passion is discovering a special book. A book that takes you completely by surprise and makes you think! I spoke with the founder of a website for authors called Reedsy. There’s a section on this website with a list of book review bloggers and The Reading Chick is on this list. (whee!) When he and I were talking he asked me what percentage of books have I given five stars to.. I thought about it and really, haven’t a clue but figure it must be somewhere around 20-25%. I have very few books that I review below three stars because I want to honor the work an author puts into producing that book.  So that percentage may be higher. There should be a sixth star for books I feel passionate about and believe it or not, there haven’t been that many. But there have definitely been a few.

Let’s get back to that question though, What is your Passion? My passion is to find that one great book. The one that catches me by surprise and that I can’t wait to tell my friends and family about, the one where our conversation makes you curious, makes you hit that on click buy button.

What is your Passion? I would love to hear it! I know you love your kids, wives, husbands, and of course, god. What is your passion?  Shout it out!  Or, just put it in the comments below. I want to hear it.

Until next Sunday!

Deb

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This Chick Read: Rituals (Cainsville #5) by Kelley Armstrong

The final book in the wonderfully weird and paranormally powerful Cainsville series. I couldn’t wait to read it! Olivia Taylor Jones and her boyfriend Ricky broke up at the end of the previous novel because she had feelings she needed to explore with Gabriel. Sounds pretty normal, right? Well, in this series, Olivia, Ricky and Gabriel are re-living the lives of Matilda, Arwyn and Gwynn a love triangle that ended tragically.  Having learned their story, the three of them are determined that they are going to do things differently, with their love and friendship, most improtantly for them to avoid the tragic ending.  Of course, there is another evil force that is blocking their path to happiness. Will they be able to conquer evil and live their happily ever after?

Finally! I have been waiting for Olivia to give Gabriel a chance. Yes, he’s broody, kind of odd and anti social. But he’s also sweet, strong and overbearing. Did I say overbearing was a good thing? Not necessarily, but in his case it is ok. Ricky’s new role as friend, rankles him a bit, which isn’t a surprise. However, he stepped aside gracefully which made me like him more than I already did. He saw the writing on the wall and stepped aside.  The fact there is love and respect between all three of them is something we can all learn something from in our own often tumultuous relationships. I love these three! I love them even more when they are fighting evil together.

I was sorry to see the ending to this series. It’s quickly become one of my favorites just as Kelly Armstrong is one of my favorite authors. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️


Click this link to purchase!  Rituals: The Cainsville Series

Copyrigh 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Why Do Dukes Fall in Love? (Dukes Behaving Badly #4) by Megan Frampton

Indeed, why does anyone fall in love? Michael, the Duke of Hadlow is way too busy being Duke-ish to concentrate on his love life. He is determined to not rest on his Duke-ish laurels and spends most of his time in business pursuits. He doesn’t have patience for small talk or common courtesies, so going to a ball and meeting a woman isn’t high on his list. Lucky for him, a woman, in the guise of a much needed secretary falls in his lap. Edwina, recently widowed and needing to support she and her daughter Gertrude, interview for the position of the Duke of Hadlow’s secretary. Edwina, having invested her previous husbands money successfully before her brother in law mis-managed and lost it all, is very bright. A trait that the Duke finds extremely attractive. Of course, the fact that she is gorgeous doesn’t work against her either. To give the Duke credit though, it is her mind he is the most attracted to and the fact that she isn’t offended by his discourteous disposition.

I’m sure the names Edwina and Gertrude were common names historically, however, it did seem odd to me that their names seemed old fashioned yet, the Duke’s name was the more current and very common Michael. Ok, does this have anything to do with the plot or whether I liked or disliked the book? Not really, other than it was jarring to hear the name Michael in concert with the names Edwina and Gertrude. But, I’m letting myself get sidetracked… I liked quite a few things about this novel.

  1. Edwina, although gorgeous, was liked because she had a brain. Very unusual for this time!
  2. Gertrude at six, had quite a few things in common with the Duke. They were both impolite, asked too many questions, and weren’t concerned with how others perceived them.
  3. I loved how when Edwina would teach Gertrude how to be polite, use please and thank you, consider how she would like to be treated as how she should treat others… The Duke was learning at the same time. Kind of a reverse pygmalion.
  4. Edwina, decided to give in to her widowy (word?) rights. You betcha. She was going to sleep with the Duke!

There was a bit of humor in the telling of Edwina and Michael’s ( don’t their names sound funny?) story.  There was a LOT of passion. The Duke, although insensitive, did learn and get less insensitive. He also (finally) saw Edwina’s worth and fought for her. As the hero should in all historical romances! This was my first novel by Megan Frampton and I liked her writing style! I also love a happy ending, and by the end of the book, I definitely knew why this particular Duke fell in love. ❤️❤️❤️


Click the link to purchase!  Why Do Dukes Fall in Love?: A Dukes Behaving Badly Novel

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

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This Chick Read: Obsession Falls (Virtue Falls #2) by Christina Dodd

What would you do if you saw a little boy in danger from two men? I’d like to think I’d step in, but then what if they turned on me? Taylor Summers has to make this decision when she see’s a boy being pulled out of the trunk of a car and his would be killers talking about his murder. She does the unselfish and puts his life before her own and distracts the killers so he can escape. Unfortunately this action completely changes her life. She is convicted in the press of kidnapping the boy and then dying in a car explosion. Her identity gone, her previous life dissolved, she goes on the run from the killers.

Taylor was amazing. As a little girl her father taught her some survival skills, but she took those memories and actually lived in the wild for a few months. When she lands in Virtue Falls, she starts a fresh new life, until the kidnapper finds her and she has to learn a new set of skills to outsmart him.

This was a great second novel in the Virtue Falls series. Half of the book took place before Taylor arrives in Virtue Falls but when she does, our favorite characters from the first book become a part of the plot and we get to see where their lives are now. That’s always fun because sometimes you just don’t want to let good characters go. Obsession Falls was action packed, our heroine took charge of her own life and made it work for her, and there’s even a bit of a love interest for her, although that was the weakest part of the plot. She was strong enough to get through everything on her own so it kind of annoyed me when a man tried to take charge and “save” her. Luckily it annoyed Taylor too! This book can be read as a stand alone, but Virtue Falls was a fun book to read if you want to start at the beginning.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click HERE for my review of Virtue Falls.


Click link to purchase! Obsession Falls: A Novel (The Virtue Falls Series)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

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This Chicks Sunday Commentary: The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy

On this Halloween Eve, or the eve before the eve, I thought we could discuss some of my favorite fictional witches or warlocks. I think witches have gotten a bad rep! These are all witches who use their power for good, well, mostly.

1) Diana Bishop from Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy and A Discovery of Witches

A sweeping tale of  history, romance, and magic, Diana Bishop learns to embrace her origins. The forbidden love story between she and vampire Matthew Claremont enhances the story as they time travel through history. This is a great series if you haven’t read it yet!

Click this link to purchase!  A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy)

2) Rachel Morgan from The Hollows series by Kim Harrison- Dead Witch Walking

One of my favorite paranormal heroines, witch Rachel Morgan and her best friend’s Ivy and Jinks, fall in and out of love, survive the perils of their friendship, and build a thriving business solving crimes. Kim Harrison has created a world that I never wanted to leave and even though Rachel’s storyline has ended,  the world of the Hollows lives on in The Turn.

 
Click these links to purchase these novels.  Dead Witch Walking 

and The Turn: The Hollows Begins with Death

3) Paige Winterbourne in The Women of the Underworld series by Kelley Armstrong- Dime Store Magic

Paige finds herself at odds with the coven she was born into when she is declared the guardian of a very strong teenage witch. Despite opposition, Paige navigates this political world filled with Covens and Cabals and finds her own inner strength, love and power.  All of these novels in the Women of the Underworld series depict strong women who kickass physically, but more importantly they outwit and outsmart those who dare to go up against them.


Click this link to purchase!  Dime Store Magic (Otherworld)

4) Geillis Duncan from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander

Geillis befriends the main character, Claire, through their common knowledge of herbs. She poisons her husband and ends up being tried for witccraft. She was a crafty one that Geillis the way she befriended Claire to gain power. Claire gets caught up in the accusations and only through Geillis’s acknowledgement of the baby she was carrying did Claire go free. Geillis gave me the creeps and because of that she did her job and was an effective character.

Click this link to purchase!  Outlander

5) Samantha and Sabrina from Bewitched

Ok, I know these are not literary fiction characters but come on! Who doesn’t love that sweet housewife and her sassy cousin? 

 

If you have your own favorite fictional witches whether they be from novels, movies, or TV please share! It’s time to celebrate these witchy characters,  Happy Halloween!

Speaking of witchy characters, here’s a picture of my mom, sister, and I from our Witches Halloween party last night. 


Until next Sunday,

Deb

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This Chick Read: Under Locke by Mariana Zapata

Mariana Zapata novels are known for a slow burn storyline. Usually our female lead hates the male lead and it takes awhile for him to get back into her good graces until all of a sudden she realizes she is in love with the guy. Under Locke follows this trope, however, even though it takes Dex a little while to redeem himself in Iris Taylor’s eyes, the reader doesn’t have to wait until 90% to get their first kiss. Yeah!

Dex Locke is a biker in an MC, but he’s also a tattoo artist and owns a successful tattoo shop. Iris is down on her luck and flat broke. She is sleeping in her older half brothers spare room and goes on a job interview he sets up for her at his MC brothers tattoo shop. Despite her misgivings for working for Dex, she accepts the job. Needless to say, Dex’s surly attitude and snarly demeanor is not her idea of a good boss, even less so a love interest, and sparks fly. However, she keeps the job and over time, and multitudes of apologies, the two end up becoming friends.

Even though this book was unlike her other more sports themed books, I still liked the setup and story. Iris has a really sad back story. She is a rather timid thing, but watching her grow into a little dragon when facing down Dex made me appreciate her spunk and fire. Dex was surly through the whole book, but his moments of tenderness and humor, saved solely for Iris made me root for him. The fact that they reached their first kiss quicker than normal and I got to see their relationship develop a little more, I loved. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️


Click this link to purchase! Under Locke

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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This Chick Read: A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V. E. Schwab

I was excited to finally get to A Gathering of Shadows, the second book in V. E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series. I was fascinated by these worlds she has created with a series of London’s that went from no magic to full magic, colorless and colorful. There were moments of brilliance, but  those moments were overshadowed by a dullness, my feelings mirroring her London’s spectrum of colors.

I still really liked the characters. Delilah is a fascinating mix of distrust and curious cat. In A Gathering of Shadows she expands her knowledge of the magic she holds by serving as a pirate and tutoring under the captain Alucard. Alucard was probably my favorite new character in this book, his roguishness was charming and I couldn’t quite figure him out, which held my interest. Kell, stuck in London, held captive by his own spell tying he and his brother Rhy’s lives together, a tether that was necessary but now binds his adventurous soul. Maybe it was because of that tether thet the first half of the book was really slow moving and dare I say boring? Part of the fun of the first novel were his journeys, and there were only a couple of those in A Gathering of Shadows. Kell and Lila apart also made the story lack fire, noticeably, because when her ship finally docked in Maresh even the thought of the two of them spotting each other made me sit up in my seat scanning the pages for that moment. That moment did not disappoint.

The latter half of the book made up for my lackluster feelings for the first. It was vibrant, exciting, and passionate! However, I can’t forget my struggle to keep slogging through the first half so I am giving this one only ❤️❤️❤️.

Do you agree? What kept you reading this book? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Click the link to purchase! A Gathering of Shadows: A Novel (Shades of Magic)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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