Tag: book review

This Chick Read: A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

When Iris and her best friend Bobby walk the streets of and find an Italian street fair, Iris spots a little gelateria that looks to be the same as the one in a photo of her mother’s. The next day, Iris goes back to that shop and meets the owner, Gio Belotti, and sample’s a taste of their vanilla gelato and realizes it’s the exact same one her mother used to make her. Gio shares that his uncle, who owns the shop, is in the hospital and that formula may be lost if he never regains his memory. Iris offers her services as a chef to help “recreate” the recipe and get’s to know Gio and his family and falls in love with them both.

Iris came to New York to escape from a bad relationship but to also see the places in New York that meant the most to her now deceased mother. When she finds work and starts to build her small family of friends in Bobby and his partner Robin, it seems natural that she is living near the places that her mother loved. As the book goes on she learns more about her mother, the struggles she went through and through that process gains strength in herself. Iris particularly went through a lot of self discovery and came out stronger. When she meets Gio, she is immediately attracted to him and is drawn to his family. Their warmth and generosity fills up that lonely place inside.

A Winter In New York is a novel that feels nostalgic, and there certainly is quite a bit of looking back in the form of learning the story of Iris’s mother, but it is also a story about moving forward. Iris finds her inner strength and finally finds a place where she feels like she belongs. Even if it takes her a while to believe in that place and in herself. I liked this story a lot, and especially loved the Belotti family, Gio, and his daughter Bella. That family is the one that we all want to belong to and it was easy to root for Iris to untangle her life and believe that she deserves this happiness she has found. The satisfying conclusion was everything I wanted to read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* A Winter in New York

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey

Laurel is working as the Social Media Manager for an Ohio State Tourism magazine when she gives her boss the impression that she is married with two kids, owns a farm, and is a fabulous cook. That’s actually her twin sister, Holly, who’s social media she does handle for all of the products that come off the farm. When her boss gets dumped and invites himself for Christmas, Laurel has to fake it till she makes it, pretending to be married to her frenemy, Max Beckett, and cooking that big Christmas Eve Eve meal. Luckily Max knows how to cook. Is he maybe not so bad as she’d once thought?

I’ve enjoyed previous novels by this author and the synopsis made the book look really cute. The pace was quick and the side characters quirky- Gilbert was a bit of a mess but in a charming sweater dad kind of way and I loved Holly, Laurel’s twin sister. Unfortunately, I didn’t love Laurel! Her situation was rom-com ready but all I could see was a young woman who complained a LOT and couldn’t see the fabulousness that was Max Beckett. Why he could see through her cattiness can only be because the author worked really hard to make her likable. I think that if she had been nicer to Max a little sooner I wouldn’t been ok with her set-up, but that combined with the big lie to her boss made her a little hard to take. I was so disappointed!

This novel was certainly not all bad. There were some comedic fish out of water moments and general clumsiness that garnered a couple of smiles and I certainly loved her family. Max, despite being beaten down by Laurel remained a good guy and you couldn’t help but like him. So there was enough to keep me entertained. See, not all bad! I’m sure there are readers out there who will not have the same difficulties in liking the main character, since there was cute-content to make up for her general unlikeable-ness. Give this one a try and see which side of the line you fall on. ❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Faking Christmas

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary

Izzy and Lucas, frenemies at best, are both receptionists at the Forest Manor Hotel when the hotel literally falls apart around them. Desperate times call for desperate measures and the owner cuts back and the two of them take on tasks to pitch in and keep their jobs. One of those tasks is to clean out the lost and found room. When they find a box of forgotten “lost” wedding rings Izzy is determined to find the owners and return those sentimental and important items. When the first ring is paired with a substantial reward, something the hotel desperately needs, Izzy and Lucas compete against each other to find the remaining guests for those lost items. While doing so they reignite the feelings they’d once had for each other.

Beth O’Leary has a really easy style of writing that makes connecting with the characters simple, which I really appreciate. The Wake-Up Call had one of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers, and two main characters that were easy to like and root for a happy ending. The conflict of the plot between those two characters took a little while to resolve but by the time it did, I knew backwards and forwards the who, what, when, where, and why’s of their disagreement and/or miscommunication. The author did a good job of allowing the reader inside the character to help understand their perspective.

The plot to save the hotel was fun and I really liked the side characters, both good guys and bad. They helped create that feeling of a well-rounded story and sometimes gave the main characters a push in the right direction towards their final romantic conclusion. I appreciated all the drama and humor that went into creating the hotel setting and the strange characters you’d probably find in in true life were definitely inhabiting Forest Manor Hotel.

If you’re interested in a quick plot and interesting characters, you may want to give Beth O’Leary’s newest novel a try! I enjoyed it!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Wake-Up Call

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Only Good Enemies (Galactic Bonds #2) by Jennifer Estep

When we last saw Vesper Quill, she had been kidnapped, thrown into a war, found herself bonded to one of the world’s famous military warriors, raised to a Lady in society, and taken over the tech company she used to work for… I know, this is a lot for a first book! Book 2 jumps right in where book 1 left off. Vesper is the head of Quill Corp, making all things tech work smoothly. Yes, she’s still a lady, but she stays as far away from society as she can until she gets kidnapped and is thrown back into that hellish world, with her bonded partner, Kyrion Calderon right by her side. Will they be able to keep their bond a secret or will their brutish leader syphon off their powers as they did Kyrion’s parents, ultimately killing them. This fast-paced novel never left us hanging for answers. It delivered the plot in a wham, bam, thank you ma’am kind of way… and I loved it!

The Galactic Bonds series is my favorite kind of sci-fi serial. Gutsy heroine meets alpha male hero and they strike up an unlikely partnership all while fighting enemies and a growing attraction. This story was filled with heaps of action adventure, and a whole lot of sassy and grit, and it never stopped moving. If you pick up this novel, be prepared to not be able to put it down until you’ve read the final page. The action never stops and you just have to see how this couple will fight everyone to stay together.

I really enjoyed the first novel in the series, but I have to say that this one blew book #1 out of the water. What made it better? Vesper is no longer fighting against these powers she is developing and is learning how to use them, for herself, but also in the fight against evil. I love good vs. evil plots. Also, Kyrion is no longer worried about how his parents died, he realizes that what he and Vesper have is worth fighting for and chooses to do that almost from the start of the book. That is a hard combo to resist! There are also plenty of fun side characters who ad humor, camp, and also create a team with Vesper and Kyrion so that they aren’t going it alone anymore.

If you like sci-fi serials with a hint of romance, you’ll enjoy this series. I swear, I have never been disappointed by a Jennifer Estep novel. Her style is so easy to read and I always enjoy every page turned.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Only Good Enemies

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Audio Review: House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Bryce Quinlan was a party girl and then her best friend was murdered leaving Bryce to spiral into the darkest of places. Hunt Athalar a fallen Angel, was once a fierce warrior and is now slave to the Archangel. He is tasked with partnering with Bryce to find the killer. As the two of them search out the killer they dig through Crescent City’s underbelly developing a trust for each other that draws them out of the darkness.

This novel was a commitment at over 800 pages. When you translate that to an audiobook, it is 27+ hours of your time. I’ll admit that was a bit daunting but Elizabeth Evans, the narrator, did an excellent job of bringing these characters to life and embuing them with different voices so that I didn’t have any trouble following each character and piecing together the story. The world this author creates was fascinating and strange. Filled with angels, demons, fae, were, mer, sprite’s, etc. There was every fantasy and paranormal race in this novel that it could have been a bit much, but somehow the hierarchy all made sense and we were given a path to follow with two great characters in Bryce and Hunt.

Bryce was my favorite kind of heroine. She was sassy, layered, emotional, loyal, and most of all easy to love. As half-fae, she dealt with discrimination but was strong because of that difference, and in fact that strength is what carried her through her investigation. She had balls and didn’t back down from a challenge and she was given several in this novel. As her partner, Hunt was kind of the antithesis of Bryce. He was once a deadly warrior, able to bring lightening down on his enemies. As a slave to the Archangel, he has to do his bidding. Luckily he is partnered with Bryce, who brings a little light into his life despite also driving him crazy. Their chemistry was amazing and I loved how they grew into each other throughout this novel.

In an 800 page novel you aren’t going to be able to keep the plot going full speed ahead the entire time. Yes, there were chapters that could’ve been cut to shorten the book, but if you stick it out to the final third the culmination of their investigation reaches a catalyst that had me on the edge of my seat. It was so worth the 600 pages I had to read to get to that point. Such a great conclusion and it had me immediately reach for the second novel. I wasn’t scared to jump back into another 800 page story (or 27 hour audiobook!). ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* House of Earth and Blood

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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This Chick Read: You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

When Ari and Josh first met Ari was a rising comedian doing odd jobs to pay the rent while sharing a flat in New York with a girl Josh hoped to make his girlfriend. They couldn’t be more different, he was a chef with a very rigid schedule and timeline to fall in love whereas Ari was carefree and didn’t want to be constrained by the rules of a relationship. They clash and then don’t see each other again for a few years, when inevitably they run into each other again with the same kid of results. This happens a few times over the years until they are both handling break-ups at the same time and strike up an unlikely friendship until their turning to each other for comfort becomes something more. You, Again is a slow burn enemies to friends to lovers romance that takes the reader on a journey.

I couldn’t help but make comparisons to When Harry Met Sally as I was reading this novel. Ari and Josh literally run into each other at different points of their lives over about 10 years. Despite Ari’s job as a comedian and some witty conversation it didn’t have as much humor as When Harry Met Sally, but it had just as much of an emotional hit. Over those 10 years both of these characters change so much and even though they seem to make unlikely friends, when they finally get to that point of needing each other the reader is just really ready for that relationship to evolve. From that point forward the pace speeds up just a little but Kate Goldbeck held back that happily ever after until just the right moment. I felt wrung out by the delay but it was really worth the wait.

I know there were other characters in this book that helped make our heroine and hero real, Josh’s sister, Ari’s best friend, and a couple of other friends who meandered in and out over the years, but the real heart of this story was Ari and Josh that I now can’t even remember the side characters names in order to give them a shout out. All I remember was how I felt as our two main characters fell in and out of like and love, and as they got older seeing what used to be important to them change and become not so concrete. I liked the realness of this plot. We are not the same people we were 10 or 20 years ago and it’s natural to shift our perspectives or bend for a good friendship. How Ari and Josh evolved then fell in love was not easy but it was really rewarding.

You, Again was not the book I expected to read when I read the plot, it was a lot more. It has a bit of humor, yes, but it was the emotional depth in these characters that took me by surprise and kept me interested. At times it wasn’t easy to read and I was a little uncomfortable but those are the best kinds of books aren’t they? This one made me think while reading it and that is the sign of a really good book. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* You, Again

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (9/11/23)

I’ve spent the last two weeks moving so I really haven’t read too many books, but I did finish one book by Ashley Poston that was cute, and started a new one last night. I miss my reading time! Here is what is on my virtual nightstand!

JUST FINISHED

I’ve enjoyed this author’s recent adult contemporary novels and wanted to finish out this young adult series I’d started a few years ago. The Princess and the Fangirl was a cute re-telling of The Prince and the Pauper, although I certainly wouldn’t have gotten that reference if I hadn’t read it in the synopsis. It was a fun story and I really enjoyed the comic con setting and interesting characters!

JUST STARTED

Very easy to get into and as entertaining as Meghan Quinn’s novels usually are. This was the perfect book for me to pick up and escape into!

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Things We Left Behind (Knockemout #3) by Lucy Score

Sloane Walton and Lucian Rollins were once close friends but are now frenemies at best. They are on two opposite ends of the spectrum, she’s sunshine and rainbows and he’s surly and too good looking for his own good. Constantly thrown together by their best friends, they argue and bicker, making everyone think they hate each other, but deep down are remnants of that friendship they used to have. When Lucian’s investigation into a local criminal bleeds over onto his friends, Sloane is the first person he wants to lock in a room for her own safety, but Sloane’s just like her dad. A bleeding heart do-gooder who wants to help and get to the bottom of the mystery, despite jeopardizing her own safety. This is the story that fans of this series have been waiting for- Lucian and Sloane’s story.

I enjoyed the first two novels in the series but Lucian and Sloane’s story was the one I was really waiting to read. Surly bad guy Lucian was such a mystery, we were never really given any backstory and only the fine polished surface of good looks and possible villain. We knew he really wasn’t though. Sloane, in the previous books, was always a fun best friend and the person you went to for good advice. The author dangled their dislike in front of the reader’s faces making us want to take a big chomp out of them but we were never given the chance. Boy, that wait was worth it.

Once you dive into this novel and understand their backstory, everything makes sense. I fell in love with Sloane’s do-gooder attitude even more and my curiosity about Lucian only grew until by the end I was all in for these two seemingly mis-matched pair, who were actually a perfect fit. One of the things I love the most about enemies to lovers plots is seeing the alpha male go from serious to cracking a smile and there were many smiles to be had by everyone by the end of this book. Well done Ms. Score! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Things We Left Behind

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Long Game by Elena Armas

When an altercation between Adalyn and the Miami FC soccer mascot goes viral Adalyn is forced to take a leave of absence, sent by the owner of the team (her father) to troubleshoot a team in North Carolina, the Green Warriors. What she finds in North Carolina isn’t a minor league soccer team but a team of young girl misfits and their surprising coach ex- pro soccer goalie Cameron Caldani. From day one, Adalyn and Cam but heads but they both have a soft spot for these girls and team together to provide this struggling team a winning formula.

Honestly, this author had me at the soccer romance, but I was also along for the rom-com and enemies to lovers tropes. Adalyn was that type A pencil skirt and high heels exec who was definitely out of her element in the wilds of North Carolina, but I admired her spirit and her need to redeem herself if not only for her father and team, but also for herself. Cam had his own reasons for being in NC and finding out those reasons took a good long while, but luckily the tension between our two main characters kept my interest and then those sweet girls provided the comic relief and heart tugging moments.

Like I said above, I love a great sports romance and whereas this one was a little light on the sports it still fit the bill. The small town romance aspects with the kooky characters, lovable kids, and fish out of water elements helped keep the plot moving providing enjoyable scenes and heart-warming moments. Elena Armas certainly knows how to deliver.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Long Game

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Big Little Spells (Witchlore #2) by Hazel Beck

After helping her sister beat back evil in the first novel, Rebekah Wilde is drawn back to St. Cyprian to come before the Joywood (think witch tribunal) to go through the same trial she took that had her banished from her friends and family and told she couldn’t practice magic anymore. Now, back in her hometown, she’s been embraced by her friends, and has come face to face with the immortal who trained her as a teenager and whom is offering his help once again. Nicholas Frost is still as remote and arrogant as ever, but for Rebekah he is willing to take chances and beat the odds and win her heart.

Rebekah is a bit more of a rebel than her sister, so her perspective seemed more fiery and unapologetic, which I’ll admit, I like in a heroine. She definitely has a chip on her back, but she’s also hiding a secret that she knows will be revealed. This secret is the catalyst to why she has remained absent for the last decade, and facing her own demons is harder than facing the Joywood. I’ll admit that Nicholas, because of his stoic demeanor isn’t the kind of hero I typically root for because he was so hard to understand. However, I liked the combustible chemistry these two characters had in every scene, and that kept me turning the pages, curious as to how their relationship would develop.

I love good vs. evil stories and that’s what this series brings to the table. The Joywood have a hidden agenda that Rebekah and her friends will slowly unveil. In this novel we get glimpses of the why’s and wherefore’s without revealing every bit of that story line, leaving the reader curious about what the next book will reveal. I liked this book enough to want to read the next novel and see where the story leads me. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Big Little Spells

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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