Tag: book review

This Chick Read: Begin Again by Emma Lord

Andie Rose transfers to the college of her dreams mid-year to be with her boyfriend Connor but finds out that he transferred back to the community college in their hometown to be with her. Despite this mix-up, Andie is determined to live out her dream at Blue Ridge State, pursuing a degree in psychology and finally getting to walk in the footsteps of her deceased mom, who also went to this school. What she builds is a great group of friends, and a budding crush of her dorms RA, while also determining that her life’s path may not be in the direction she has predetermined.

There was the obvious plot hiccup at the start of the book when Andie got to Blue Ridge State to surprise her boyfriend and he no longer lived there, but I knew at that moment that this wasn’t going to be a book where Andie and her childhood boyfriend went through college together. Andie’s life was on a different trajectory of self-discovery, and the more I found out about her boyfriend the less I liked him for her. Since her mom died, Andie is determined to fix things. She is generous in her heart and with her time, to the detriment of her own wants and needs. Her roommate needs to determine a major and Andie is there to help! Here RA is addicted to very strong coffee and Andie is going to help him cut back. She is fixing all of the problems around her but pretty much ignores her own. As a reader I was both admiring of her need to help and cringing that she wasn’t looking after herself. Luckily her group of friends is there to help her out!

I really liked Milo- as her budding love interest but also because he was a contradictory character. He was a grump who drank too much coffee and didn’t get much sleep, but he always seemed to be there to give sage advice. Their friendship was slow moving until it finally changed to something more. If you like quick romances, this is not the book for you. This was definitely a slow burn romance. They both had a lot of personal angst to work through before they could be there for each other. I kind of liked that though! You really got to know each character and care about where their story arc was moving, allowing the reader to totally buy in to the change in direction.

Begin Again was a sweet, slow moving, coming of age (yet in college) young adult novel. For those of you who want to know the heat level in the romance, this was definitely on the tepid side. It really was more a self-discovery novel with a side of romance. I enjoyed the pace and all of the diverse characters. If you’re in the mood for a slow moving story that is heavy on the sweet, this might be the 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!* Begin 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

This Chick Read: Folk Around and Find Out (Good Folk #2) by Penny Reid

Charlotte Mitchell, recently divorced mother of four, needs to get hired as a stripper at the Pink Pony. Hank Weller, owner of said nightclub, has not interest in hiring Charlotte after he got the blame for her husband leaving her for one of his dancers. Charlotte is interesting, beautiful, and too smart for his own good and he needs her to keep some distance. Unfortunately, he ends up hiring her- but as his bookkeeper. He quickly finds out that she’s not only beautiful, but she’s bright, sassy, and again very, very interesting. Despite his best intentions of staying away, he can’t help but to keep her close.

Charlotte has an ulterior motive for finding a job at the Pink Pony, and it’s not to change careers. She wants to find her cousin who may have gotten into trouble. What she finds is that the staff at the Pink Pony are like a family and Hank Weller is not at all who she thought he was. Instead he’s reliable, kind, and oh so handsome. But- she’s not interested in dating. She’s way too busy raising her four kids.

As with all Penny Reid novels, her characters are charming, quirky, and fun to read about. Folk Around and Find Out was no different. We’ve gotten to know these characters on the periphery of other novels but in this novel they shine on their own. Hank was always a mystery but as Beau’s best friend you knew that there was more to his character than “rich guy who owns a strip club”. This is of course true- and we really get to know his good character in this novel. Charlotte was also in the peripheral in other novels and I never really thought much about her before but now I wonder how I could’ve overlooked her. She is so interesting! BUT she and Hank together are much more than they are apart. I love how she is everything to him and he is a wonderful miracle to her. This was such a sweet story.

As with a lot of Penny Reid’s books that have kids in them, I fell in love with those little monsters. What a great little family of individual personalities. I love how Hank is charmed by them and falls immediately in love. You can’t help but like a man who is not put off by four kids! Charlotte and Hank are perfect for each other and their story was full of surprises, laughs, and love. This one is a completer charmer!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Folk Around and Find Out

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: Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson

A sequel novella to the best-selling A Sorcery of Thorns, Mysteries of Thorn Manor gives us a peek into the manor, er courtship, between Elisabeth and Nathaniel. Thorn Manor’s wards seems to be under a magical attack and Elisabeth and Nathaniel must solve the problem before they’re due to host the city’s Midwinter Ball. Investigating this mysterious manor reveals all sorts of secrets of current and past inhabitants and when they find out it’s those inhabitants who are creating the problem their relationship takes a turn.

The beautiful cover perfectly matches this author’s fantastical style of writing. It’s been a little while since I read A Sorcery of Thorns, but it all came rushing back in the first few pages. The author weaves a tale between Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas that leaves me feeling like Elisabeth may have more than one beau. What that just my imagination? There seems to be a lot of hand kissing and declarations of affection. If so, then Elisabeth will have one busy future! I will admit, once my brain went in that direction I did start to question things. Regardless, it was certainly interesting!

Just in case you were unaware, a novella is a short story. This one was about 188 print pages or 105 on my kindle, which is quite short. The story didn’t feel short though, it was very well rounded and quite complete. I just took a look at it on Amazon and I do feel like the kindle price may be a bit expensive for what you get though. This is a light-hearted bit of fun and unless you’re a super-fan, you may want to wait until it goes on sale.

If you are that super-fan and have been jonesing for another Margaret Rogerson story then jump on this one. It will give you a quick fix that will leave you wanting more. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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!* Mysteries of Thorn Manor

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Backup Plan (Sunrise Cove #3) by Jill Shalvis

Alice, Lauren, and Knox are childhood friends who all inherit an old Wild West B&B owned by Lauren’s great-aunt Eleanor, a woman who had a hand in raising both Alice and Knox, but who never chose to get to know her great-niece Lauren. Alice and Lauren used to be BFF’s until Alice’s brother died in a car wreck when she was a teenager, and Lauren seemed to blame her for his death. Knox’s mom used to work for Eleanor and he did odd jobs around her house learning bits of a trade that he would later turn into a career. When all three of them need to work together to fix up the old B&B they also have to face their pasts and learn how to make their futures.

I love a great Jill Shalvis novel and The Backup Plan has all of the fixin’s for a true heartbreaker of a novel. Alice has been on her own since she was 18 never settling down in one place and afraid to make a commitment in a job or relationship. When she sees Knox again she’s reminded of the huge crush she had on him in her youth. She is also reminded of her great love for her old friend Lauren and how it all went wrong. Alice has a tough time facing her past, especially when it counts.

Lauren has buried the secret of the night Will died and let her relationship with Alice falter in order to keep her secret, but she’s out of a job and the B&B can make all of her dreams come true and help her connect with her great-aunt whom she now realizes she may have always misunderstood.

Knox has avoided his hometown and gone on to build a successful eco-friendly construction business, won awards and done all of the big things he always wanted to do. When he sees Alice again and gets to know her sassy self, he calmly decides that he would like to stay and build a future. Will Alice buy into that same vision?

The Backup Plan has all of the emotional depth we look for in Women’s Fiction, and the great characters we expect from a Jill Shalvis novel. I loved reading about these characters and cared how they connected with each other again, rebuilding and falling in love. The best kinds of novels have a future written for their characters and in this novel that future is stamped in the lifeblood of each movement and word. I relished reading this novel and enjoyed the message and love found on every page. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

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 Backup Plan

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 Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Andie is a planner and knows exactly what she’s doing this summer. When those plans get derailed because of her politician father’s scandal, Andie gets the best job she can and notifies her best friends that she’s available for the summer. Walking dogs may be out of her comfort zone but she makes the best of a bad situation and when one of those dogs gets her closer to a cute boy named Clark she realizes this may be just the distraction she needs to distract her from her suddenly housebound dad. The Unexpected Everything is an unexpected pleasure.

Growing up the daughter of a politician, Andi knows that she’s under constant scrutiny. Her actions can’t cause problems for her Congressman father. When his own scandal derails his career and he’s a housebound father after a five year absence they have a hard time adjusting but not unexpectedly, they find a new path together but not without moments of growing pains. I really loved the father-daughter bonding in this young adult novel. Another great aspect to this story were Andie’s friends- Toby, Bri, and Palmer. Their solid friend group seemed perfectly sound until another secret rocks their world and makes them work to recover that bond they’d always had with each other.

Then there was Clark. A couple of years older but millions of years wiser- or so it seemed. A successful author of a best-selling fantasy novel Clark seems to have it all, but as the story unwinds we realize that there is a lot of depth to his character, a depth that makes Andi a little uneasy since she seems to avoid any kind of conflict in her own life. I enjoyed how being with Clark challenged Andie to think in a more mature manner and take a look at how she has been living her own life.

If I had any criticism it would be that I think this story could have been told in fewer words. The novel did seem to drag a bit and I got impatient to reach the conflict that I knew was coming. It could be because this is a young adult novel and those days are long gone, but I would’ve liked the author to get to the point a little bit quicker than she did. I will say the slower pace didn’t stop me from enjoying the story and investing in all of these interesting characters. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Unexpected Everything

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- of 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? (1/9/22)

My first Monday back after a couple of weeks of vacation. I had a nice mixture of down time and travel and read some books on my TBR that I had either purchased or borrowed. I really enjoyed the break! I’ve read 6 books since Jan 1, and I don’t think I really had one that I didn’t like! Here is the last book I finished.

JUST FINISHED

I’m quite a few books behind in this series but was in the mood for re-visiting some of my favorite characters. This mystery wasn’t so mysterious but was a great inter-departmental takedowns of some very bad people and I must say I enjoyed it a lot.

JUST STARTED

I haven’t really decided what I’ll be reading next but this book is certainly on my radar. A spin-off of the Casey Duncan series, I know this will be an eery, mysterious, romp in the woods. I’m looking forward to reading this one!

Happy Monday and happy reading.

Deb

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This Chick Read: Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez

Vanessa’s mom and sister didn’t live to 30 so Vanessa has vowed to live every day like it was her last, traveling around the world and blogging about her life. She didn’t expect people to react so positively having followers in the millions. When her sister drops her baby off and never returns Vanessa has to change her life to fit this new little one. Adrian Copeland is a successful trial lawyer with an impeccable reputation and hard work attitude. When the screaming baby wakes him up, he goes over to his neighbor’s see what’s up and ends up babysitting while Vanessa takes a shower. Enjoying her personality, Adrian ends up spending more and more time with she and Grace until they are almost like their own little family unit. But Vanessa is a lifestyle blogger who is used to living life like there’s no tomorrow.

I have read the other two books in this series and they were cute, which is why I picked up the third. I did not expect this book to be so full of heart, have great characters, and leave me with soggy tissues to clean up when I finished reading. Whew! This novel hooked me in and then took me on a journey that I wasn’t sure I wanted, but definitely didn’t want to stop.

Vanessa was kind of a nut. A free spirit, she really fits that lifestyle blogger persona- or at least she seems to. She really has a hidden agenda, raising money for ALS, the disease that killed her sister and that her mother was also showing symptoms of. Vanessa is terrified that she too will die from this disease. That thought has filled her life and every decision she’s made since she realized it. Adrian is completely thrown by this fascinating creature that lives next door. He has been all about work and as he gets to know her he is realizing that there is so much more to life than being a partner in his firm and working 24/7. I loved seeing him blossom out of his work persona.

I can’t let this review end without saying something about Vanessa’s family who played a huge part in this book. As with most families, her’s had their share of issues. What was so nice about Life’s Too Short was how family was at the heart of the story. The ALS storyline, the baby, her father’s hoarding, her sister’s addiction, her brother’s money making schemes. All integral parts to making Vanessa who she was and why this novel worked so well. Loved! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Life’s Too Short

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

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This Chick Read: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Genevieve and Shane meet when she gets transferred to his high school. She’d always been a bit of an outcast, moving around with her mom a lot and plagued with debilitating migraines. When Eva meets Shane, she is trying to make a friend, but ends up meeting her soul mate. Over seven days they hide away from everyone, getting to know each other, but also self-medicating. Fast forward to 15 years later with they are both best-selling authors and meet by chance at an author event. Each of them carries a lot of baggage from their past, but from that first moment the strands that connect them become concrete. This novel tells their story from their most painful moments to a time where their being together heals their woes and the word family becomes their world.

I have not read any other novels by Tia Williams, and picked this one up because of two reasons. The cover struck me as gorgeous, and the synopsis called out to me. I always love it when the subject revolves around writing, books, libraries, or authors. This story did have that connection for me, but when I started reading, it wasn’t the fact that Eva and Shane were authors that made me stick around, it was their connection. Their story of loss, love, and perseverance. It was the fact that family was something they strove to hang onto, even though they both didn’t have concrete ideas of what would make a good one. Eva is now a mother, her daughter is by far one of my favorite characters in this book, and Eva is raising her like she would’ve wanted to be raised. To be strong, educated, and without fear. To be a leader among her peers. All of the things that she didn’t have from her own mother, who was went from man to man looking for self-validation.

Shane also didn’t have those strong building blocks, growing up in the foster system. A big guy, he easily got into trouble so he self-medicated until not being drunk or on pills was his norm. As an adult, he is now one of the most sought after authors because of his reclusiveness, but what drives him is to go back to schools like where he and Eva met, and connect with young kids and give them hope that they will overcome their own struggles. I loved this part of Shane. A now sober man who wants to give back. It’s an inspiring part of his character that despite his short-comings makes him easy to like.

When Shane and Eva reconnect, Tia Williams does an amazing job of giving their feelings a sense of urgency and chemistry. I wanted the two of them to make each other their person and when it happened, I sighed with relief, eager for them to get that hea they deserved. Of course, things weren’t that simple for the two of them, but gosh this author knows how to write a scene and make me feel. I felt EVERYTHING… and loved it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book! Seven Days in June

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*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 Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

Carey Duncan met Melissa and Rusty Tripp when she was sixteen. She applied for a retail job in their store in her small town. When they were discovered by a home design network, Carey continued to work for Melissa as her assistant. She has helped them build their empire, but just as their launching a book tour, their marriage is on the rocks. James McCann was only recently hired by the Tripp’s as an Engineer on their show but has ended up being Rusty’s executive assistant. His career trajectory is reliant upon the Tripp’s making a success of their book and the second season of their new show. When it all starts to plummet, he and Carey team up to try to hold their bosses relationship together, while at the same time starting their own.

This novel came out a couple of years ago and has say on my library wishlist ever since. I’m not sure why I pressed pause because it was such a great romance. OK, yeah, Melissa and Rusty’s relationship was definitely on the skids, but when James and Carey banded together the became each others support system and their own story was sweet and funny. This story was a perfect example of using two relationships to show the contrast in healthy vs unhealthy which skewed the reader to loving James and Carey event more. Boy those Tripp’s were a mess!

I really enjoyed learning about Carey’s disability and how it made her life challenging. Especially when trying to keep designing furniture and other ideas for the Tripp’s. He story especially tugged on your heartstrings. I’ll admit to using Google to learn a little more. One of my favorite moments was James suggestion of using his engineering skills to design her a tool to use to make it easier for her to use her tablet. So sweet! This was a couple that I really rooted for from the start.

There were a lot of hijinks in this novel, just as there are in many of Christina Lauren’s novels. I’m not really fond of watching a marriage implode but I think the contrast of watching a new relationship being built helped provide the positive feeling the reader was left with at the end of the story. Well done! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Honey Don’t List

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 Happy Ever After Playlist (The Friend Zone #2) by Abby Jimenez

Two years after the sudden death of her fiancé and Sloan Monroe can’t seem to get her life back on track. Once a talented budding artist she is barely making ends meet working for a mass production company painting cat astronaut paintings. On the anniversary of her fiancé’s death she is driving down the road when she finds a stray dog. She takes him home and calls the name and number on his tags. She leaves messages for over two weeks, but in the interim she keeps feeding the dog and taking him out on walks which help her come out of her funk. When the owner finally calls back and says he’s out of the country, she offers to keep watching him, sending him texts and pictures daily. As those texts with Jason turn flirty she finds herself looking forward to the time when they can meet face to face, while at the same time feeling guilty for moving on. When she finds out he’s a famous musician she wonders if she can survive another heartbreak.

I read The Friend Zone when it first came out and even though I liked it I sat on this second novel. Who knows why, because as soon as I started reading it I knew that I was going to love it. It was so easy to read and I really loved both Sloan and Jason. Jason, despite his superstar status was so down to earth, calm, and charming. He knew that what he found in Sloan was something special and he pursued her with a steadiness that was sweet and smooth. Sloan was a bit more of a mess because of her fiancé’s sudden death but then who wouldn’t be? I loved how it was Jason’s dog, Tucker who brought her out of her slump, playing a great wingman for his missing owner. By the time Jason arrived on the scene Sloan’s heart was on the mend and she was more open to a new relationship. Was this book perfect? No. I had issues with the conflict that arose when Sloan joined Jason on tour. It was pretty manufactured but I had trust in the author to get us back on the trail to our happily ever after, and she did.

I seem to be drawn towards books that have solid friendships, and Sloan’s and Kristen’s was pretty much perfect. I can’t say I remember Kristen too much from The Friend Zone since I read it quite a few years ago, but she was a pretty funny foil to Sloan’s more subdued demeanor. Her antics created the perfect comedic foil to push Sloan into action on a few pivotal scenes. I smiled through her craziness and enjoyed their friendship. Every Thelma needs a Louise and that was who Kristen was for Sloan.

If you are in the mood for a quick romance that is surprisingly sweet with characters who have quite a bit of depth, this may be the perfect book for you! I am still wondering why I waited so long to read it, but hey, the third in the series is out already and now I don’t have to wait at all before diving in to another book that I know is going to bring me pleasure. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book! The Happy Ever After Playlist

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

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