This Chick Read: Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter

Olivia Marshall has had some truly bad luck, most recently catching her fiancé cheating on her with a co-worker she partnered him up on a work project with, and her apartment burning down after she burned his love letters on a barbecue. Having to move back home into an apartment with her brother and his roommate she thinks she’s hit rock bottom. Until she gets a “What are you wearing?” wrong number, an exchange that lifts her mood and turns her life around. An ongoing exchange that improves her self-worth, she starts to look forward to these texts from Mr. Wrong Number.

Colin Beck has always looked at Olivia as his best friend’s messed up little sister until he realizes she is Ms. Misdial and he has been sexting his best friend’s sis. Now he can’t help but see her through different eyes, eyes that no longer see her as a little sister, but as a grown up woman who he is coming to admire.

Mr. Wrong Number was an absolute hoot! Olivia was a hot mess but she had a joie de vivre that was hard to resist and even staid and studly Colin couldn’t help but see it. Their text exchanges were so funny I swear I had trouble keeping from laughing out loud. Lynn Painter does a great job inserting humor and emotion into every word. This was a well written rom-com!

Of course, disaster in the wake of Olivia finding out the truth about Mr. Wrong Number can’t help but happen but the story turns really sweet as Colin tries to woo her back. For a novel that I mistakenly took as shallow (albeit funny!), it had some hidden depth and those emotions kind of slapped me upside the head. I should know better than to judge a book by it’s cover and sassy title. This book was fun, but it also had heart, and the witty banter continued even after the texting was done.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Mr. Wrong Number

Copyright 2022 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: The Deepest of Secrets (Casey Duncan #7) by Kelley Armstrong

It’s hard to keep the peace in Rockton when all of its citizens have secrets. When those secrets threaten to be revealed, it’s Casey’s job to find out who is the culprit. When it becomes clear that that person may also cause harm and possibly murder people, solving the mystery becomes imperative. With the help of her boyfriend Sheriff Eric Dalton, Casey navigates the secrets of Rockton, against a deadline that may split them up forever.

Set in the isolated forests of the Yukon, Rockton was a city that was built for one reason. To make money from people who are desperate enough to want an escape from their real life. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a resort town, this is a town that survives because its inhabitants work to make it survive. They arrive in Rockton with no past, their lives scrubbed clean. However, the reasons they’ve left the world behind may not be easily wiped clean, coming out in their habits and personalities. When the committee starts accepting people who are no longer escaping bad situations but are bad themselves, the community begins to change and Casey’s life investigating crimes becomes much busier, but the one thing that stays consistent is that no one knows anyone’s history. In The Deepest of Secrets, that ideal is threatened. The first to have his secret revealed is fellow officer, Will Anders, one of Casey’s best friends.

This series has been so enjoyable because of the complicated characters, their bonds with each other, and the city and location. It’s mysterious, eery, and the perfect setting for a fantastical mystery series. These flawed people have worked hard to make a community, made friends and built connections all while a mysterious committee has the power to change their lives. That fear of not knowing what comes next is a huge theme in this book. Casey is solving a mystery, but she’s going against their rules and running out of time. This sense of urgency is prevalent throughout the novel making my stomach churn with an uncertainty. Is this the last novel in the series? I am sad that it may be over, but boy, it was a fantastic ending. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Deepest of Secrets: A Rockton Novel (Casey Duncan Novels Book 7)

Copyright 2022 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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It’s Monday, what are you reading? (2/21/22)

After some wild weather last week, this weekend was cold and clear. Perfect to be out and about doing errands and having lunch with friends. Of course, it was also the perfect weekend to lay low and read that book you’ve been eyeing. What did I do? I a little bit of both!

Thanks again to Book Date for starting this fun post where we can share what’s on our shelves and what books have captured our attention.

JUST FINISHED

I have had this audiobook in my list for a couple of years and decided to give it a listen. What I didn’t expect was to be captured by the story immediately and love the narration by Lucy Price-Lewis! Oh my lord those French accents! The story of a young woman hired to look into the artwork found in an apartment that hasn’t been opened in 70+ years was thrilling and romantic. Give this audiobook a listen, it’s fantastic!

JUST STARTED

I just started this one last night but I’m loving Lynn Painter’s style of writing and the humor has me laughing out loud. I can’t wait to get back into this fun novel!

I hope you were able to enjoy your weekend with a little time spent outside, but also were able to settle down at the end of the day with a good book. Share what you’re reading! I’d love to hear.

Happy reading and have a great Monday!

Deb

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This Chicks Sunday Commentary: Goodreads 64 Favorite Romances…

Putting aside a few hours this morning to write some blog posts I made the mistake of clicking on the banner at the top of my Goodreads feed titled “It’s romance week at Goodreads!”. Click HERE. Curious to see how many of these top romance novels I’ve read I quickly got sucked in by how many I have NOT read. What???!!! I read many genres but my top two are Romance and Fantasy and I really thought I would’ve read a LOT more on this list! There are some pretty popular novels but there are also some that just never got on my radar. How can I be a book blogger without having at least tried to read some of these? Well, to give myself a bit of a break, there is only so much time in a day and I do have a full time job.

I also noticed that some authors had multiple books on this list. Good for them, but seriously bad for me. Once you fall behind with an author who is that prolific, it’s hard to keep up! Christina Lauren and Jasmine Guillory I am talking to you!

Just to be fully transparent, I have read the Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners which were both fantastic, but seriously, how do you keep up with all of this talent?

Ok, so you know I’m missed quite a few, but how many novels have I read on this list? 24! I think that’s pretty good! So, there are only 40 books left that I haven’t read. There are quite a few authors on this list that I’ve never heard of, which doesn’t scare me at all! I love finding new, talented authors and have done that quite a bit recently. There are 14 that I’ve never read, which explains my numbers a bit. Unless my fellow book bloggers have talked up an author or book, they may not hit my radar at all.

I’m going to confess something that I know many of you will find shocking. I have never read a Colleen Hoover book before and she has two books listed. I know, I know, they are excellent, blah, blah, blah. I’m a big chicken when it comes to sob story synopsis’! If it sounds like it will make me cry, I probably won’t read it. Shocking I know. So these two are out. Not gonna happen. Feel free to try to convince me.

There are some FANTASTIC books on this list. 5 star reads for sure. Which are my favorites? The two Mariana Zapata novels are really good.

I read Emily Henry’s Beach Read a year ago and fell in LOVE with the characters. I also read her novel People We Meet in Vacation and even though my visceral connection to the characters wasn’t the same as Beach Read, I still really liked that novel. I’ve read Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis twice, and The Spanish Love Deception is devine. So many emotions.

There are a few novels that are on my TBR already. All the Christina Lauren’s and Jasmine Guillory’s obviously, but also these:

There are just too many! So how do I lessen this list.

I’ll admit to not liking a couple of the authors listed. I won’t name them, but one in particular has struck out for me a couple of times and I just don’t have the time to give her another shot. The synopsis’ always sounds great and try to pull me in but every time, I read the novel and find it wanting. So, no can do. Not going to go there again. Is that bad? Again, there are 40 books on this list of great novels that I haven’t read! Just trying to cull them down.

I think my best bet is to just do what I always do. Find a list like this and start adding them to my wishlist on my Overdrive app for my local library. Hopefully, I’ll be able to fit them in here and there, in between the new books coming out, the ARC’s I’m committed to, and you know, life. But, boy do they tempt me! I want to start a couple of them right now.

If you didn’t see the link at the top of this post, please scroll back up. Check out the books on this list and let me know, how many of these books have you read? How many have you missed? How many do you think you will read? Come on, don’t stress out, this was kind of fun.

Happy reading!

Deb

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This Chick Read: A Perfect Equation (The Secret Scientists of London #2) by Elizabeth Everett

Six years ago, Miss Letty Finley made the ultimate mistake, she entrusted herself to a man who wooed her and damaged her reputation beyond repair. Shunned from society, Letty turns to her other love, math. Currently she is a member of Athena’s Retreat where scientific women gather to further their learning in a safe environment. When their leader leaves town on vacation, she is asked to run Athena’s Retreat along with the Viscount Greycliff. A man whom she can’t stand and who carries an extreme dislike for her as well. As they work together they start to understand each other better and their budding friendship turns into a sizzling attraction.

A Perfect Equation does a great job of grabbing the reader right away with interesting characters. It’s not often in a historical romance where our heroine is a mathematician and actually gets lost in her mathematical formulas. Furthering her learning in Athena’s Retreat introduces the reader to a cast of wonderfully quirky and real characters that provide diversity and a feeling of realness to this historical romance novel. These women are striving towards equal rights and a better future for women and the reader is given a real feel for their struggle in live and in love.

Grey also has interesting aspects to his character. Not your normal “Lord” he has epilepsy and fears having seizures and appearing weak in front of his peers. He was taught from an early age that if he controls his emotions he can control his seizures and he’s a bit of a cold characters. HIs place in charge of the ladies of Athena’s Retreat allows him broaden his horizon in regards to equal rights, but it also introduces emotion into his heart. How does he handle the fear of having emotions which may cause him to have seizures? You’ll need to read the story and find out!

I hadn’t read the first novel in this series and although I don’t think I mentioned a thing, it did make me curious enough to look for it in the library and check it out. You don’t need to read it though, to enjoy A Perfect Equation, never fear! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* A Perfect Equation (The Secret Scientists of London)

Copyright 2022 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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It’s Monday, what are you reading? (2/14/22)

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! If like me you have to work today and can’t spend it with your sweetheart, at least you can put in your earbuds and listen to your favorite book boyfriend! Admit it, we all do that at work once in awhile. Sometimes it makes that long day just a little more bearable. Here is what I’ve been reading this week!

JUST FINISHED

I just finished the audiobook for the fifth book in the Iron Druid Chronicles series. This is such a fun irreverent series and I’m enjoying the ride. My favorite character? Atticus’s dog, Oberon. Voiced by Luke Daniels he sounds a bit like a smarty Scooby Doo. So funny!

JUST STARTED

The seventh book in the Casey Duncan series, these mysteries are so enjoyable and the characters wild and weird. Casey is once again trying to solve an investigation in the city of Rockton. Will it be her last?

I’ll admit that in addition to these books I’m also listening to one of my favorite romance novels called From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata. About two figure skaters who partner, go to the Olympics, and fall in love. It’s an enemies to lovers and so, so good! The Olympics got me in the mood!

Are you reading a romance novel for Valentine’s Day? Let’s hear it!

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: An Impossible Imposter (Veronica Speedwell #7) by Deanna Raybourn

When Veronica and Stoker are approached by Sir Hugo Montgomerie, head of special branch, to look into the reappearance of a missing heir Veronica knew she was going to be facing a phantom from her past. She once knew Jonathon Hathaway but had thought him dead in a volcano eruption in Krakatoa six years ago. It’s up to her to identify him for the family but things are never as simple as they appear. If he is the missing heir he would gain access to an incredible fortune in jewels and Veronica is their only hope. During this investigation Veronica must come face to face with a ghost from her past and reveal her secrets to Stoker, the man she now loves.

An Impossible Imposter had the same drama and adventure as previous Veronica Speedwell novels, but what intrigued me and kept me reading was again her relationship with her partner and lover, Stoker. We have gotten to know the two of them over these seven novels but I feel like it’s always Stoker’s secrets that are revealed. This time Veronica’s own past comes back to haunt her making her fearful of what he will think if her past is revealed. This added a fine bit of tension that is sometimes missing from the more personal aspects of these novels.

In addition to the mystery of Jonathan Hathaway and if he is or isn’t the heir to Hathaway Hall is only the tip of the mystery iceberg. The background behind the fortune in jewels becomes the center of the story adding some historical relevance to the fictional story by taking the story briefly back to the past when England occupied India. This background added color to an already lurid mystery making this story a page turner.

If you’re a fan of this series you MUST pick up this novel. There is plenty of angst and passion between our two main characters and the mystery while not very mysterious, had all the drama of a good soap opera. I keep expecting this series to taper off, but this author is skilled at making me want to read the next installment. Unfortunately I know I’ll have to wait another year for the next one to appear.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* An Impossible Impostor (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery Book 7)

Copyright 2022 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: The Girl in the Mist (Misted Pines #1) by Kristen Ashley

Actress and author Delphine LaRue needs a secret retreat from a crazy stalker and her security team recommends a house on a lake in the northwest town of Misted Pines. Delphine falls in love with the house and starts renovating when she sees a young girl in the mist. Then she finds out that there is a killer in Misted Pines, their sheriff is incompetent, and her hot neighbor is the man the town is relying on solving the mystery and keeping their town safe.

When I saw that Kristen Ashley was writing a romantic thriller I was so excited! She does a great job writing women in jeopardy novels, and The Girl in the Mist branches off from that trope into a mystery. Was it perfect? No. Was it fun and enjoyable? Yes. I loved that KA is trying something new and I hope she sticks with it, this book holds so much promise!

Delphine LaRue differs from other KA heroines in that she is slightly older. She’s 53, has been married twice, and has two grown daughters. Despite that slight age difference, Delphine is the same kind of heroine in other novels from this author. She is sweet, funny, totally likable, pretty, and quirky. The hero is pretty similar to other alpha heroes in her novels although he is older as well. Hot, stoic, strong, dependable, and did I say hot? Cade is an ex Navy Seal and FBI Profiler, which makes him somewhat secretive, but also totally smart. What we come to find out is that he’s also a legend in that area and the town totally depends on him for their safety.

I think the Girl in the MIst does a good job at setting an eery mood. There’s a stalker,a killer, and the mystery wasn’t one that I could figure out easily. I’ve read some reviews trashing this novel and I just don’t see how it could be seen as anything but entertaining! It’s a bit of a slow burn novel which is different for this author and that could possibly make some of her readers mad but not me! I am very happy with this energetic, fun, romp in a spooky little town.

If you are a Kristen Ashley fan expect a few changes, but in essence it’s the same style of book she typically writes. There is a bit of a mystery, our characters don’t immediately jump in the sack, and she spends time setting up the story. All things I can get behind and enjoy. I rate this one as a solid must read! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* The Girl in the Mist: A Misted Pines Novel

Copyright 2022 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

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (1/7/22)

Good morning! I hope you all had a great weekend of reading! I’ll admit, one of my favorite authors had a new audiobook release and so I was listening to her book all weekend and didn’t get much reading done. I did everything with my ear buds in this weekend. LOL. My poor husband was pretty ignored. I did get a book finished last week, so let’s get to what I’ve been reading.

Thanks again to Book Date for starting up this fun dialog for all of us to chime in on what we read.

JUST FINISHED

I have a love for mixing in a historical romance in between my fantasy, romance, and science fiction genre’s. I love how in the past couple of years the diversity of characters has probably mirrored how life was historically. In this case our main characters are white, but the women of Athena’s Retreat are very diverse both intellectually and racially. It’s so refreshing! I enjoyed this book and all of the very diverse characters.

JUST STARTED

YAY! An audiobook released late last week from one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, Mariana Zapata. She is a true genius when it comes to slow burn romances, which also make for great audiobooks. I have been listening to this one in all my free time. The narration truly brings the characters to life.

I am totally in the mood for a mystery next, does anyone have a good one to read?

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

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This Chick Read: Getting Clean With Stevie Green by Swan Huntley

Stevie Green has spent the last 20 years moving around the country, moving from one bar to another, having one night stands and running from her past. When her mother calls and asks for her help packing up her house and moving, Stevie heads home. She reinvents herself and starts a decluttering business and with her sisters help pursues being number one. As she declutters others lives she faces a few facts about her life, sexuality, and that horrible item from her past that she’s spent the last 20 years not forgetting.

For all of you who like to know about triggers, this one has a bunch of them. Be warned there is alcoholism, suicide, sex, and a quirky family. OK, maybe the quirky family isn’t a trigger for everyone, but it is for me! 🙂 Stevie is a 37 year old who does not have her act together at all, but she’s great at faking it, until, well, she doesn’t anymore.

Despite all the things distracting Stevie in this novel, or maybe because of all the things that were distracting in this novel, it was a quick read. I found Stevie to be sad, funny, and desperate to have a normal life and have someone normal to love her. That last is what makes her so identifiable. I am nothing like Stevie Green and yet before I found it, I yearned for that special someone. In Stevie’s case she wasn’t sure if that someone was a man or a woman.

This was a very fast moving novel about a woman who was facing her past while at the same time facing who she was in the present. I thought it was a really different style of book than my normal read and realized that sometimes it’s good to read outside that box. Getting Clean with Stevie Green was quirky, funny, and moving and I thought it was pretty darned good! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Getting Clean With Stevie Green

Copyright 2022 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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