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This Chick Read: To Kill a Badger (Honey Badger Chronicles #6) by Shelly Laurenston

Socialite, Nelle Zhao attracts attention on social media but right now she’s trying to have a low profile keeping her honey badger teammates out of trouble. She isn’t sure when that became her job but she admits, she’s really good at it. Too bad some people don’t appreciate it, like lion Keane Malone who is determined to crush the de Medici’s, another lion clan who are hurting innocent humans for fun, and killed his father. He normally doesn’t want any help, but when jet-setting Nelle, joins the fight his instincts start purring.

When you read a Shelly Laurenston shifter novel you need to take off your “based on reality” hat and put on your “it’s all about fun reading” hat. Always irreverent, Laurenston’s novels combine great dialog, strange and quirky characters, and romances that shouldn’t make sense but become believable, well, if you can change into a honey badger or lion kind of believable. Interesting and kind of exhausting because there is so much going on.

After checking reality at the door I hunkered down for some fun reading with this kind of crazy honey badger group. I’ve read the majority of these novels and some were better than others with this one ranking right in the middle. Maybe it was because I took a break from them for awhile, but Nelle and Keane’s story was crazy but enjoyable. Honey badgers in real life are known for their fierce nature, taking on creatures much larger and not backing down. In this action-packed novel Laurenston takes these traits and puts them on steroids. These honey badger ladies are crafty, crazy, and fierce with a capital F. They are also fun with a capital F.

I enjoyed Nelle and Keane’s slow building romance. She kind of snuck in under his guard until he was just used to her being there and then thought, “oh she kind of smells good” or “those legs are long and luscious” then wham- they were a couple. Again, not reality based but it was well done and kept me reading. If you like a lot of action, some violence, and a break from reality in your romances this may be the perfect book for you!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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 Kill a Badger

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.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming

Wildlife biologist, Dorothy Valentine is out in the field when she’s attacked by a lion. In a good news bad news kind of way, she doesn’t die but she and the lion are abducted by alien’s. Waking up on the ship Dory freaks out and ends up escaping in a pod, with the lion- named Toto. They land on a planet where dinosaurs run rampant, and she meets not one, but two alien hotties who help her navigate her new home. As she explores this new land with Sol, Lok, and Toto she learns more about how and why they’ve all ended up together and whether she even wants to try to get back home or create a new home with her two new mates.

A cute cover, seeing this novel on a bunch of “best of” lists for 2025 romance, and my own curiosity about how this synopsis can possibly lead to a great romance had me picking up this book and giving it a chance. You know what? It was kind of cute. I’m not really into threesome romances, so that aside, the plot was actually really interesting, the heroine sassy, and the hero’s a mix of alpha and intellectual. Toto’s storyline was probably not really needed, but hey, all gal’s need a best friend, even if that friend is in lion form. Overall it kind of worked!

There were a few plots making this novel more intricate than the comic book style cover would lead you to believe. An inter-species war, genetic manipulations, and talking lion’s who are falling in love with a local sabre tooth tiger aside, it held my interest and was an enjoyable, easy read. I’d recommend this novel for the more adventurous reader!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com

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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This Chick Read: The Love Fix (Sunrise Cove #8) by Jill Shalvis

When Lexi Clark is summoned home to Sunrise Cove by her sister Ashley to help her with one of her deceased mother’s last requests she’s met at the airport by her easy spirited sister and her childhood arch-nemesis turned crush, Heath Bowman. Lexi’s life is in a downward spiral but she could never say no to her sister and finds herself delivering six letters, and learning a lot about herself.

I’m not surprised that I loved the characters in this novel because writing great characters is where this author excels. Lexi is the misunderstood older sister who has closed herself off from having any emotions for her family because they’ve always disappointed her. Heath has a self deprecating charm and easy going nature, but he always does what’s right, helps out the less fortunate, and has always had a soft spot for Lexi. Ashley is a free spirit, but deep down wants to have a relationship with her sister that she was never able to explore while their mother was still alive. It’s a novel that explores all three characters but revolves around Lexi and how she is re-building her life.

There were several aha moments for Lexi’s character that kept the momentum building allowing Lexi to grow and evolve. She and Heath’s somewhat antagonistic relationship was one of those moments and I thought the author did a great job of sharing their stories and the moments that they understood what drove each other and how that understanding drew them to each other. These moments weren’t lightning bolts but gentle understandings that were super effective in allowing the story to grow in an organic way that didn’t take your head out of what you were reading. I really enjoyed those small moments and I think that deft touch is what made this novel work so well. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Love Fix

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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This Chick Read: For the Record by Emma Lord

I’ve read most of Emma Lord’s young adult novels but For the Record is 100% adult fiction. It’s not too spicy, but it’s a very emotional story. Sam and Mackenzie’s bands were on tour together and their schtick was to pretend like the two of them were arch enemies. Of course, their fans ate it up but at some point they actually started caring for each other. All of a sudden Sam disappears and cuts off their budding relationship. At the same time Mackenzie has surgery on her thyroid which affects her vocal chords, so she can no longer sing her own bands songs.

Two years have gone by and Mackenzie is finally singing again but under a pseudonym, and Sam wants to start up a solo career. The only way their record label will even consider backing them is if they become a duo. Old hurts and feelings make it a rocky start but of course, with trust and lots of chemistry their old feelings start to come back.

All of the trauma from what happened to each of them two years earlier makes their present situation with a lot riding on the outcome a joy to read. I loved how the author made it so easy for me to hate or like these characters. The story was great and this reader was definitely rooting for both their career and their relationship to succeed. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* For the Record

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.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: A Silence in Belgrave Square (A Below Stairs Mystery #8) by Jennifer Ashley

Kat Holloway’s beau Daniel McAdam has a talent for dangerous work as a Scotland Yard agent. When his boss puts him on a dangerous case and promises that this will be his last one if he can solve it. On an investigation of her own, Kat discovers some of her friends and colleagues have been victims of blackmail. If Kat and Daniel wish to save each other and the crown they must prove the blackmailer’s identity and stop the ones who are trying to eliminate them.

This novel really had a sense of urgency because Kat spent a good majority of her time worrying over Daniel’s safety. Of course, being an investigator herself, she couldn’t stand by with Daniel in possible danger, she was going to do everything possible to keep him safe. When her own investigation begins to parallel Daniel’s the reader realizes that Kat too, may be in danger. The pace and tension in the story build until I was literally on the edge of my seat.

With Daniel’s life in possible danger, Kat must face her feelings for him, and there are some very tender scenes (finally!). I was afraid this meant the series was over, but low and behold, a 9th book is on pre-order already so never fear, or intrepid amateur sleuth and her beau will be back in action solving mysteries again in the near future. I can’t wait! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* A Silence in Belgrave Square

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.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings

Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.

Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.

I was hooked by the cover and intrigued by the synopsis and you know what? There were moments that I really liked in this story and the easy writing style of this author made reading this book a breeze. Why didn’t I embrace it whole heartedly? Eva’s character had some traits I really liked. She overcame a difficult past, had a strong work ethic, and was doing what a lot of us do/did in our 20’s- doing something she didn’t like very much but knew it would lead to that next step in her career. All of these were parts of her personality that were admirable, but she was such a hard character to like. Her difficult past built a wall that very few people were able to scale, her strong work ethic and dreams for her future caused her to make some decisions on the job that were not in her own best interest, and the worst thing was how she treated Rylie. She was pretty brutal which admittedly was her on air persona, but in private she didn’t really give him a break either- at least for two thirds of the book. Why, if she was so hard to like did I keep reading? Rylie.

Unlike Eva’s character, Rylie was further in the process of working through his own past discretions, one of which was Eva and he’s relationship in college. He entered their on-air agreement with honesty and hope that he would be given a second chance by Eva. She was pretty horrible and snarky to him, but he seemed to like that a lot. That’s not my own thing, but I can understand that sometimes opposites attract and because I read the entire novel saw Eva’s redemption arc pay off with her gentling her interactions with Rylie. Thank goodness. By the end I respected both of their characters equally but there was a big chunk where I leaned towards team Rylie over Eva. That’s never a comfortable place to be when reading a romance where you want so badly to like both characters. I did get there though!

❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Well, Actually

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.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: He Falls First (Colburn Brothers #1) by Jill Shalvis

Ryder Colburn is busy running his family business and taking care of his ailing father- a different man than the heavy-handed father from his youth. He doesn’t have time for women, but when one is in the path of a fast moving car in jumps in for the rescue. Penny has scars inside and out. Back in California living with her grandma and brother in their aging house, she’s too busy cooking for her catering job and caring for her family to spend another moment on a man she probably can’t trust. Ryder, however, keeps proving his trustworthiness, and seeping into all the cracks in her defenses.

First- I love series that are based on brothers! Especially since we get to know the quirks of those men in each book that leads up to their own novel. Second- dual POV’s can sometimes be confusing but in this novel it allows the reader to see into each character in a way that brings insight into their interactions and really, really worked. Third- I love it when the hero has patience, is gentle, and eases into the heroine’s life rather than breaks down barriers. He Falls First was exactly that- Ryder was intrigued, attracted to, and patient with the very skittish Penny. When we learn her back story we can certainly see why she was all prickly and he worked for that happily ever after and I was all in for their story- 100%.

As with all of Jill Shalvis’ novels, the surrounding characters added a ton of heart to the main storyline. Ryder’s dynamic with a father who, due to his health, is no longer the man from his youth, Penny’s interfering grandmother, her fatherless brother Wyatt who years for a male figure to her worship, and of course Ryder’s brothers. I can’t wait to read the next novel in this series to see where the author takes all of these characters. This was a good one folks! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* He Falls First

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.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Wildflowers by Kylie Scott

When Astrid Hardy wakes up in the basement of her neighbor Dean Wallace’s house she’s a little concerned. He’s determined to save her because the end of the world is coming. This all sounds like doom-prepping nonsense to Astrid, but as they watch it play out on TV and hear the gunshots in their own neighborhood Astrid starts to believe there might be something to his paranoia. How will they navigate this new world together?

I’ll admit that after living through our own pandemic I wasn’t sure about this plot, however I love this author and she is a must buy for me, so I one-clicked my way into starting this book as soon as it was released. My first thought as Astrid finds herself locked in this guys basement. Ummmm, guys, it would be hard to go from prisoner to this guys pretty cute unless there was some Munchausen syndrome action going on, but no! Kylie Scott made me believe in these two. It helped that this was a slow burn romance and Astrid didn’t fall immediately in love with Dean. It also helped that two-thirds of the world were dead and lawlessness was the rule. Dean was ex-military and somewhat of a bad-a$$. Who wouldn’t want him on your side?

This was not your normal romance, but it is a well-written apocalyptic romance. I loved not only Astrid and Dean’s characters, but the community they built and the team-work from all the characters. They were quirky and funny, but when in danger they banded together to beat the odds. This was a different novel, yes, but it held all the elements I love from a Kylie Scott romance. Quirky characters, sassy dialog and a whole lot of heart. I can’t wait to read it again! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Wildflowers

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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This Chick Read: The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

Every summer for the past ten years, six awe-struck bakers have descended on the grounds of Grafton, the leafy and imposing Vermont estate that is not only the filming site for “Bake Week” but also the childhood home of the show’s famous host, celebrated baker Betsy Martin. The author of numerous bestselling cookbooks and hailed as “America’s Grandmother,” Betsy Martin isn’t as warm off-screen as on, though no one needs to know that but her. She has always demanded perfection, and gotten it with a smile, but this year something is off. As the baking competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s merely sabotage—sugar replaced with salt, a burner turned to high—but when a body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.

This book was released in 2023 and has been on my radar for one reason only- the theme! As a lover of baking competition shows, how could I not be drawn to a mystery set during one of those same shows? This one is not in England, but in our own backyard- Vermont. Each chapter gives the reader the point of view from the perspective of a different character, so once I get them all straight in my head, the insights that POV provided into their reasons for being on the show got the plot rolling right along. They weren’t all captivating, but together it painted the picture very well. One of the most interesting characters was the host, Betsy Martin. In front of the camera she portrayed one persona but was she that person in private?

Each chapter led us through a mystery that read more like an Agatha Christie novel than Stephen King, so if you’re faint of heart, no worries. There wasn’t too much blood spilled between these pages. This was a very fast paced, easy to read mystery with very few moments of boredom or drudgery. This was a fun read! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Golden Spoon

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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This Chick Read: Tenderfoot (Avenging Angels #3) by Kristen Ashley

Harlow O’Neill has been waiting for Javier Montoya to make his move. She’s interested in him, he’s interested in her, but he just isn’t taking that first step. She’s read all the Rock Chick books and knows how these Alpha males claim their woman. He’s just not claiming her. One evening Harlow’s undercover on a mission for the Angel’s and Javi blows her cover and Harlow is not happy about it. That evening he says hurtful things to Harlow and she retreats, determined to just be polite and move on from her crush. Javi on the other hand goes all in, knowing he messed up. The Angels investigation turns dangerous and Javi moves Harlow in with him for “her protection”. He starts to open up about his past and Harlow learns some things in his history that explains his behavior and she starts to fall in love.

Tenderfoot is the third book in the Avenging Angels series. The Angels are a part time investigation team a la Charlie’s Angels, where they’re backed by an unknown who calls themselves Arthur. They’ve got the cars, gadgets and a cool crib to hang in while doing their investigative work. The Angels are complete amateurs but have actually solved a couple of crimes which has given them confidence which may or may not be a good thing. Harlow is the positive, girly-girl of the group- the cheerleader. She always sees the bright side of things and truly, her commentary during these investigations add a nice bit of humor to those dialogs.

This series is not War and Peace by any means, but it’s entertaining and Kristen Ashley has given it that retro KA vibe- harkening back to her roots by spinning off from the Rock Chick series, which was the series I first read of hers and made me fall in love with her writing. Admittedly, this novel, mainly due to Harlow’s positivity and Javi’s he-man alpha-ness felt a little over the top but the book was entertaining and gave me that escape from reality that I needed. If I have anything slightly critical to say it would be that although Harlow’s dialogue was sweet and sunny, there was an excessive use of exclamation points. It did build her character as the “cheerleader”, but I thought it was a little overdone. Besides, that this was an enjoyable book and I can’t wait for the next installment. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Tenderfoot

Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads