Tag: amazon

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (2/8/21)

Here is the US it’s the day after the Super Bowl and if you’re a football fan, like I am you stayed up late watching the game. Despite your feelings about the teams playing, it’s hard not to get caught up in the food and entertainment. Of course, this year it was just our family pod watching around our TV with no outside guests but we still fixed up some fun appetizer’s and watched the beginning of the game together. Despite this football excitement I did manage to finish a book last night. Yep, I watched football and read at the same time. It’s a hard habit to break. Here is what I finished and what I’ll be reading starting today.

This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion about what books I am reading.

JUST FINISHED

The first in the Wild West MC series and it won’t be the last in the series I’ll read. I was pleasantly surprised again that this novel was again, just like the Dream Maker series, a return to this author’s older style of writing. More story than detailed romantic scenes. Thank goodness!

JUST STARTED

Well, I haven’t started a book and don’t know which one I’m going to turn to. This is kind of unusual for me as I usually have them stacked up! I do have a couple of ARC’s due in a couple of weeks so I will probably get started on the following novel. Don’t hold me to it because another cover may catch my eye and divert me!

What great book is sitting on your nightstand waiting for you to return and pick it up this evening? Please let me know in the comments. You never know, your pick could be the one that diverts me away from Quiet in her Bones!

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

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This Chicks Audio Review: Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse #1) by Charlaine Harris

Sookie is a waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Sounds pretty normal, right? Well, Sookie is not your average pretty blonde who serves customers for tips. Well, she does do that, but she also has to try really hard not to listen in to their thoughts. You see, Sookie can hear what people are thinking and she has to throw up walls in her head to keep them out of it. When a vampire comes in to her bar and sits at her table Sookie is completely captivated. You see, she doesn’t have to keep his thoughts out. He’s silent, and because of this he’s very attractive to Sookie. She’s not afraid of his vampirism, but once she gets to know him she see’s that there are many things she doesn’t like about the world of vampires. In this first novel in the series that birthed a popular HBO series called True Blood, we get to know the people of Bon Temps, as well as the others that live on the fringes of this town.

I read this series as they originally came out. This novel was published in 2001, 20 years ago. When the series True Blood came out, I was initially excited. However, I’m one of those people who believe that the series didn’t capture the tone of the original novels and although set in Bon Temps and having the same characters, can’t really claim to be the same series. I still have all of these books on my shelf, but truthfully, haven’t picked one up again because the goriness of that series is the image that my mind recalls instead of the original stories and the heart their characters portray. I am a huge fan of listening to some of the series I’ve read and when I saw the first two novels in this series on sale I decided to re-visit Sookie, Bill, and the characters I used to love and I am so happy I did! They were dark, but the humor and heart were exactly as I remembered and I really enjoyed Johanna Parker’s narration. She nailed Sookie’s character and read this novel with the naiveté and resolve that this character deserved. If, like me, the tv series turned you off and tainted your memories of these books, give these audiobooks a try. I truly was pleasantly surprised.

Dead Until Dark as the first novel in the series is an introduction to Bon Temps and the world Charlaine Harris created. We get to know Sookie, Bill the vampire, Sam her werewolf boss, and other fan favorite characters. Sookie stumbles upon some murders and is determined to help solve the mystery when her brother is implicated and is about to be charged. She knows he didn’t do it, because she hears people’s thoughts, but she has to help find proof. Her bright eyed optimism sets the stage for how Sookie lives and the reader can’t help but be charmed by her, but also by how she see’s the world. The secondary story of her relationship with Bill is also intriguing because he is her first boyfriend. These two stories intertwine and I am once again reminded why I loved these books originally and am so happy that fate decided to place them on sale in front of me. 🙂 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood, Book 1)

Copyright 2021 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: Dream Maker (Dream Team #1) by Kristen Ashley

Evie Gardner is a technological genius but her family has always held her back. Always being asked to bail them out, or support them when they don’t have any cash she’s held off on her plans for her own life and taken a job at Smithie’s as a stripper. Only by showing herself off can she make enough money to save for college, if she wasn’t always having to hand it over to them. When her brothers bad choices land him in jail again, Evie expects to be called to fund his release. Instead she’s asked to meet with a sketchy guy who hands her a bag of drugs to keep safe. Thankfully she has Danny Magnussen on hand to help her deal with the fallout from that bag getting stolen. Now her family has put her life on the line and that is just not cool!

A true throw back to Kristen Ashley’s Rock Chick series, this was a fun romp that was more story than action, thank goodness! When this author started her career she mastered the women in jeopardy story, but one thing set hers apart. Her ladies had a girl clan that also rose to the occasion, not letting their alpha guys save the day and steal the show. OK, maybe those guys save the day but it’s nice to have a girl group to lean on and let loose with and the Dream Team is no different than the Rock Chick’s except they might have better heads on their shoulders.

Danny “Mag” Magnussan is not one of the Hot Guys, he’s one of the Commando’s and it was interesting to get a behind the scenes look at Hawk’s commando team and “where they are now.” Danny seems the perfect match for Evie, willing to step in and keep her safe but not wanting her to change who she is. I liked their balance of help and support they gave each other in this novel and it added a different element to KA’s normal action adventure sequence. It didn’t take away from the fun at all and added depth to their colorful life.

If you’re in the mood for an easy read, this series is a fun romp down memory lane. It was fun to re-visit characters from other series, but even more it gave me hope that this author might turn away from some of the hard core physical activity that she’s been writing more recently. This book was fun, sexy, and had a good girl gang. You can’t beat that for your weekend read! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase! Dream Maker (Dream Team Book 1)

Copyright 2021 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: Troubled Blood (Cormoran Strike #5) by Robert Galbraith

Cormoran was visiting his sick Aunt when he was recognized and approached by a woman who’s mother had gone missing 40 years ago. Intrigued by her story, he agree’s to take a year to look into Margot Bamborough’s disappearance. Coincidentally at the same time as a serial killer was stalking the section of town where her office was located. As he and his partner Robin Ellacott dig into the mystery they discovered the previous investigator had a breakdown and compromised the investigation, filling his notebook with astrological signs and mutterings. Do Strike and Robin have any success in unraveling this mystery? Well, considering this is a detective novel, the answer is yes. However, there were many surprises unveiled!

Despite this author’s personal shortcomings, J.K Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith writes amazing pieces of fiction. The Cormoran Strike novels are deftly written and filled with twists and turns. In fact, I was again surprised by the ending which just keeps me coming back for more.

If you were looking for an update or further advancement of Cormoran and Robin’s relationship the book is riddled with insecurities. I’ll admit, I’m one of those who are rooting for this couple to get together despite the possibility of it hurting their business partnership, so I was a little frustrated, however there was a rather sweet upside to their relationship that keeps my heart going pitter pat, even as they are solving murder and mayhem.

If you are looking for a mystery with a good hook and lot’s of emotional ups and downs, this cold case will certainly fit the bill. If you’ve never read one of the books in this series, I don’t think you needed it to follow this plot, however for those that love a hint of romance you’ll get more out of the series if you start at the first novel, Cuckoo’s Calling.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase! Troubled Blood (A Cormoran Strike Novel, 5)

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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It’s Monday, what are you reading? (1/25/21)

I haven’t felt well for a couple of days (bad back) so I’ve been listening to an old favorite while trying to sleep and distract myself from my aches and pains. Isn’t it interesting how you can divert your brains attention in another direction? I’m sure there are a ton of medical papers on that but I’ve found that an audiobook will help me fall asleep when my brain won’t shut down, and in this case distract me from the pain I’m feeling. Enough about that, let’s talk about the books that I’ve been reading.

This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion about what books I am reading.

JUST FINISHED

Mercy Thompson is one of my favorite female fantasy characters. She’s tough, but doesn’t mind having a soft side. She’s loyal to a fault, but she’s also a lot of fun. If you’re looking for an action packed fantasy series to listen to I do recommend this one.

JUST STARTED

The third book in the Central Park Pact and one I look forward to getting into. I have enjoyed the first two novels and really have gotten to like this author’s style. This is the only series of her’s I’ve read and I’m looking forward to digging into some others.

Happy Monday everyone! What book are you reading to help jump start your week?

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads11 Comments

This Chick Read: Blood Heir (Aurelia Ryder #1) by Ilona Andrews

Set in the Kate Daniels world Blood Heir is the story of Julie Lennart, Kate’s adopted daughter, 8 years after she followed her Grandmother Erra out of Atlanta. A lot has changed in those 8 years, her magic, her face, and her name. Using the moniker Aurelia Ryder, she finally returns to Atlanta when a legendary evil threatens her adopted mothers life and the only family Julie has known. In fighting this evil she faces not only her own fears, but also people she was close to in the past.

This was a controversial novel for Ilona Andrews to write. Apparently Julie was not a popular character because she always seemed to resent Kate but also because she left Atlanta with out speaking to anyone and there wasn’t any closure. I guess now we know the reason why. I didn’t have these same feelings about her as other Kate Daniels enthusiasts. I eagerly awaited her story hoping that it would answer some questions as well as let me see some of the characters in this world I loved for so long. I got a little bit more of the latter than I did the former. In fact, I have more unanswered questions than I do any unresolved ones. However, I know that Ilona Andrews will eventually check off every one of my questions. Including what happens when she and Derek find each other again.

What I love the most about these novels is how fast paced they are. Although if you need to stop to cook dinner, work, or do some chores, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Right from the first chapter I am intrigued by this character who is so different than the Julie I remember from the past. Of course, she now calls herself Aurelia Ryder, and with the name change comes a who new set of magical skills. Oh, and did I mention the new face? That story needs to be read as it’s really a part of Aurelia’s evolution story and shouldn’t be spoiled by a blogger, but don’t take too long to read it, it’s worth finding out!

As with a lot of first novels in a series, this one sets up a lot of plot lines. Julie is now Aurelia, looks different, and has some uber magical skills that match the new name and face. Some of our other favorites are also different. Ascanio, who was her “friend” or at least cohort in her youth is set up as an adversary of sorts, which is different than I expected. Then, of course, there’s Derek, who like Aurelia, has gone through his own transformation. So, what I expected to find, didn’t end up happening and I found myself just a touch disappointed until I just let go of my issues and let myself get immersed in the story. Will it all make a little more sense in the second novel? This one ends on a cliff hanger so you can only hope the answer to that question is yes.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Blood Heir (Kate Daniels World Book 1)

Copyright 2021 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: Enjoy the View (Moose Springs #3) by Sarah Morgenthaler

Despite being on the young side of 30 River Lane’s acting career is in trouble. Enough that she has talked two of her friends into heading out to Moose Springs to take her first step behind the camera producing a tourism documentary for the area. What she doesn’t bargain for is a town full of people who don’t want any more tourists in their small town. The permits she signed up for? They go missing. None of the locals will be interviewed for the production and she’s been kicked out of every restaurant in the area. Desperate, she and her team are left filming on the side of the road when she meets mountaineer Easton Lockett. He’s quiet, taciturn, and helplessly attracted to the vivacious River. When she suggests turning their tourism doc into a documentary about climbing their local mountain Mount Vail, it’s Easton who she turns to to get them up the mountain.

This series started off so strong with Graham and Zoey in The Tourist Attraction. I was charmed by the characters and the town, so when I read the second novel, Mistletoe and Mr. Right I had pretty high expectations. I did get a solid rom-com but I felt like their was something missing in my leading man and lady. Not in Enjoy the View. I had always been curious about Easton. He was a quiet guy in the background to both of the main characters in the first two novels. I didn’t know that I would love him so much. It helped that River was sassy, irreverent, and just as attracted to Easton as he was to her. Even more, she was the underdog in this story and just so easy to root for!

The friendships that drew me to love the first novel was a huge part of the attraction in Enjoy the View but surprisingly it was River’s two friends Jessie and Bree who were her biggest support group and also happily led her down the road to silliness. The three of them together were fun and showed how true friendships work. I love when there’s a good girl gang, and even though Jessie was a guy, he’s totally in the girl group in this novel. Easton too had a those friends who were so devastatingly fun in the first couple of novels. Those friends helped the reader see the man beneath the beard and his true nature which was gentle, fun, and loyal. An all around great guy. Of course, that broad chest and build helped elevate that attraction.

The thing I loved most about this story was that River, a woman who seemed to have it all, was really finding herself in Moose Springs, Alaska. In climbing her way to the top of this mountain, she falls in love, but she also learns a lot about herself and who she wants to continue to be. That self revelation is thought provoking, charming, and in the midst of a dangerous climb up a mountain, exhilarating. That she did it with Easton at her side was the frosting on the cake.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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!* Enjoy the View (Moose Springs, Alaska, 3)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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This Chick Read: You Have a Match by Emma Lord

When Abby sends her DNA in to one of those services to support her friend Leo who’s trying to find his family she doesn’t expect to get anything back but the normal ancestry results. Instead she unexpectedly finds out that she has a full blooded sister and she only lives across town. When she meets up with Savvy, she’s talked into heading off to summer camp to get to know this older sister she never knew she had and find out the story of how her parents gave up their first child.

After having read the ultra sweet first novel by Emma Lord titled Tweet Cute, I knew I’d read You Have a Match. This author’s style is very readable and her characters very identifiable. Abby is easily the girl next door whom we can all see a little bit of ourselves in, but this situation is something we’d only read in, well, a novel. Savvy’s personality is the complete opposite of Abby, an Instagram blogger with a huge following, Savvy is constantly looking for the best shot. Abby, too is looking for the best shot, but she takes pictures of wild life, and her best friend Leo has created an Instagram account and logged all of her best shots. She’s never even opened it up to take a look.

Abby had all of the usual high school problems including that one incident with her best friend Leo that turns their friendship into almost something more. That tension between them hangs over their heads through the entire novel in a will they or won’t they that didn’t get too tiring because of the larger story between Abby and Savvy. Ultimately, the romance was interrupted by a family drama that was oh so much more interesting. I liked how these kids handled their “adult” issues. Their actions didn’t seem so out of the norm for a normal teenager, yet was youthful enough where I didn’t feel like I was reading about adults in 16 year old bodies which was refreshing.

You Have a Match was not quite as cute as Tweet Cute but was a solid second novel. I’ll have to keep Emma Lord on my must read if she keeps putting out stories like her first two novels. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase! You Have a Match: A Novel

Copyright 2021 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: Hideaway by Nora Roberts

Caitlyn Sullivan comes from a long line of Hollywood royalty. When her grandfather dies when she’s a small girl her family gets together to celebrate his life and Cate is kidnapped and held for ransom. Managing to escape Cate finds her way to the Cooper farm where a young boy, Dillon Cooper finds Cate hiding out in his kitchen. Whisked away to Ireland to be brought up outside the limelight, Cate comes back to the US to try her hand at the family business and to find herself. What she ends up finding is harassment and danger that has followed her throughout her life. Moving back to the town where the kidnapping took place Cate and Dillon find each other again and strike up a friendship that soon turns to something more.

When you pick up a Nora Roberts novel it’s expected that the story will take you away and Hideaway definitely lived up to my expectations. Caitlyn was a wonderful heroine. Despite living her life with threats hanging over her hear the only think she fears is to let someone love her because she’s afraid for their lives. She is always willing to step up and fight for herself. Her family, with the exception of her mother, was a dream family. Sure, they were all famous actors, but wow we could all hope to have such support and love in our lives. I also liked how Dillon and Cait were on the peripheral of each others lives up until they were adults. They knew each other, had that fearful experience from their childhood in common, and a solid friendship before they took it to another level. It was a really nice progression of their relationship.

Hideaway is not just a romance. It’s the story of Cate’s life and the different aspects to her learning who she is and what she wants her journey to be about. The story has four parts. Her childhood, her young acting career, her life in NY and exploring what she wants for the future, and her life as an adult with a career once she lives in northern California. Danger exists in each of these moments or times of her life so the escalation when she hits California doesn’t come out of left field. We know who the culprit is but not how they will strike again which keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, not able to relax into the romantic aspect of the story.

If you are a fan of romantic suspense, and Nora Roberts, Hideaway is right up your alley. I thought it was the perfect escapism novel. The story was far away from my pedantic life yet somehow I could envision myself in Cate’s shoes. It definitely did a great job of giving me an adrenaline rush at the end! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!*Hideaway: A Novel

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick all rights reserved

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

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This Chick Read: The Forever Girl (Wildstone #6) by Jill Shalvis

Maze heads back to Wildstone for the wedding of her BRR, Cat, and a reunion with her estranged gang of friends. Expecting them to hate her for her absence, instead she’s embraced back into their hearts. Uneasy about facing Walker, the man she once loved and left, she finds that their chemistry is just as fiery and hard to resist. Maze’s past has taught her to guard her heart but these friends are formidable and she learns she is stronger with them by her side than she is alone.

I have to talk about how much I loved Maze. Sure, I’ve read many books where the heroine is flawed, but there was something about Maze that made me care about her. Usually, I get tired of the self castigation, but Jill Shalvis walked that fine line of being too sorry for yourself, and allowing yourself to move past her issues. Maze blamed herself for something big that happened when they were all kids, but she allowed herself to be loved and to accept their judgement (which was no judgement). For me, Cat was actually the character I got impatient with because of her neediness. She needed her friends to be back together and she needed her fianceé to be something other than what he was. However, her wedding was the incident that brought this group back together so I understood her purpose.

Walker was a different story. Sure, he also had his issues. I mean, they were foster kids so that comes with a lot of baggage, but he was just so solid. I liked him from the get go and once I figured out I adored Maze, I totally rooted for them and eagerly read their reunion and all that followed. He was just all that.

I have read a couple of the other Wildstone novels but The Forever Girl doesn’t reference any of the characters in the past and can be read as a stand alone novel, so don’t be fearful of that #6 after the title. If you’re a fan of Jill Shalvis novels as I am, please pick up The Forever Girl. It’s the perfect story about lost friends and found love which really hits the right note during this pandemic. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this ARC through Net Galley for my honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase!* The Forever Girl: A Novel (The Wildstone Series, 6)

Copyright 2021 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