Tag: book review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

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

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

JUST FINISHED

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

JUST STARTED

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

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

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

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Girl in the Mist (Misted Pines #1) by Kristen Ashley

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

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

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

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

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

JUST FINISHED

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

JUST STARTED

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

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

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads6 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads3 Comments

This Chick Read: Hunt the Stars (Starlight’s Shadow #1) by Jessie Mihalik

Ex- soldier turned bounty hunter Octavia Zarola is looking for a big pay-off so that she can keep her crew together an hire someone to fix her ship. When an offer of a lifetime comes her way it just had to be from former Valoff soldier General Torran Fletcher. Accepting the job may mean entrusting her crew’s life to the people they were once at war with but the pay is just to good to pass up. When she finds out what they are being paid to find it becomes a job they just can’t turn down.

Tavi and Torran are both hero’s from the Valoff-human war. Tavi is infamous for having completed a mission that killed a large number of Valoff civilians. At least that was the story the human side told. The real story was something else entirely and left Tavi and her crew at odds with their military. The last person she wants to work a bounty with is a Valoff team, one who knows the story her military made up. As they all travel to Valoff the group has the chance to get to know each other and make connections that make them view each other in a different light.

Hunt the Stars had a very quick start, which I loved, not needing a big set up to get character back stories and get the plot moving. It was immediately apparent that Tavi and Torran were going to have a big conflict- bigger than going up against each other in the last war. The feelings they built on the trip to Valoff would be explored but also diverted once Tavi’s team finds out what it is that they’re truly searching for. The arc between these two characters was filled with the tension of attraction but also of an unknown bump in the road that was to come. As with all great character driven novels, the side characters were just as important to the story as the hero and heroine and Hunt the Stars had some great characters. I’m eager to see if the second novel that centers around Kee and Varro is able to continue the fast pace and fun reparteé that Kee delivered in Hunt the Stars. She is by far the most energetic character on the crew.

If you like serial science-fiction novels this series may just fit the bill. The series is off to a better start than Jessie Mihalik’s first and I’m anticipating some fun-filled adventures from this crew in the future.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Hunt the Stars: A Novel (Starlight’s Shadow Book 1)

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (1/31/22)

Don’t you love it when your weekend has the perfect balance of getting out and doing things and having time to sit and read a good book? Me too! I was able to read a couple of good books and mentally get myself ready to start the new week. Here’s what was on my kindle.

JUST FINISHED

I can always count on Penny Reid to give me a charming love story with quirky characters. Usually I’m not a big fan of the marriage of convenience trope but Abby certainly needed the time to figure out where her head was at! This was a cute story, perfect for a weekend of reading.

JUST STARTED

You know when you get a pick and then realize that it’s the second in a series that you haven’t read yet? Yeah, this one. Luckily it doesn’t seem like I need to have read the first novel to get the gist of the story. I literally just started it but so far so good!

It sure looks like I’m in the mood to read romance novels, doesn’t it? LOL. What genre of book are you currently reading?

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick Read: A Modest Independence (Parish Orphans of Devon #2) by Mimi Matthews

Solicitor Tom Finchley was taken out of the orphanage where he grew up and apprenticed to a solicitor in London. Under his tutelage, Tom learned the Machiavellian ways of manipulation and threats that the solicitors of the time crafted. He is ready to change his ways and settle down to a quiet life as his friend Justin Thornhill has done (in book #1). While helping Justin and Helena he had met Helena’s companion Jenny Holloway and been intrigued. After having been given a modest amount of money which would allow her independence, Jenny is ready for adventure. She comes to Tom to receive those funds so she may go off to India to search for Helena’s brother the Earl of Castledon. While there having the adventure she always wanted and without the help of any man. Needless to say, Tom upsets these plans.

In A Modest Independence Mimi Matthews gives us more of a glimpse of how a woman’s life during this time in history is curtailed by who she is tied to; a husband, brother, or father. In this case Tom decides to join Jenny on her journey as her “brother” as it would not be correct for a man and woman to travel alone, despite his having hired two Indian servants to join her. Their attraction for each other grows due to the close confines, the question is how or if they will do anything about it and the societal rules that would be broken if they did. I’ll admit to finding that fascinating.

Another glimpse behind how people lived during this time is provided through Ahmad and Mira the two half Indian cousins that Tom hired as Jenny’s servants on the journey. As they are half British and half Indian, how are they treated? There are plenty of moments that show their inequality and provide great context to this time as well as help us get to know these two characters who are in A Siren in Sussex.

As an aside, part of the novel takes place in Egypt, which I am currently vacationing in and found fun to read and see through our heroine‘s eyes the sites and sounds of a Cairo That is much different than it is today.

I am again fascinated by this author’s writing style and the realism that she imbues into her story. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed this novel so much without the moments of inequality, conflict, and concerns that our heroine would retain her independence. I loved Tom Finchley’s bravery in the face of this type of woman and loved that they found a way to be together. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!* A Modest Independence (Parish Orphans of Devon)

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

This novel is on a TON of must read lists and after reading it I can totally see why. Katrina and Nathan wrote a best selling romance together three years ago but haven’t talked since. They are contracted to write one more book together, something that Nathan really needs since his solo novel isn’t doing well. Katrina had retired from writing but agrees to write this last novel. Through flashbacks we learn what happened three years ago at the same time as they are working on their current book and the reader can’t help but root for these two best friends who had lost their way and may (or may not) find the path back to each other.

Normally flashbacks drive me crazy. I’m a person who likes to be in the hear and now and I like the same thing from the stories I read. However, the use of the flashbacks parallel where the characters are in the story and help drive both the characters and readers feelings back and forth. It was deftly done, and being manipulated has never felt so good. I honestly wasn’t sure if Katrina and Nathan would ever have anything but another great book written by the two of them.

One of the things I liked the most about this novel was the back and forth between tension filled scenes in current time, then a flashback to explain where the two characters were in their relationship during the writing of their last book. I also loved how despite the tension, they were awed equally by each others talent, and they read each other’s moves and reactions so well. It was fascinating to see their love story being written…twice.

I’m a big fan of this writing duo and am glad that they’re branching out into the adult genre. Their talent is in giving their characters thought-provoking feelings and then acting on them, sometimes to the detriment of themselves. Something we all do in real life. Kat and Nathan were no different than you and I in how they’ve made mistakes and either ignored or fixed them. This relatability is a big reason why the story works so well. There is something in both of them that I can see in myself, and I don’t think I’ll be the only reader to think this. Don’t let 2022 go by without reading The Roughest Draft, I have a feeling that it will land on my best of 2022 list, and it’s only January.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase!* The Roughest Draft

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (1/24/22)

With a couple of weeks of reading for pleasure I’ve gotten to re-read and read quite a few great books! It’s funny how if I’ve reserved a book to review mentally I put it in a different mental category, even though they may be books I’ve anticipated reading too. The mind is a tricky thing. LOL. Here are the books that are on my radar.

Again, I’d like to thank Book Date who has started this topic for other bloggers to join in and keep the conversation going.

JUST FINISHED

I love Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, enjoyed the first novel in the series, and it still took me almost two years to read this book. Now that I’ve caught up with Squad 312 I am not letting another two years go by without finishing out the series. This is fast-paced, has a lot of emotional punch, and a great sense of humor. I really do love this writing team.

JUST STARTED

I love great historical mysteries and this series is fantastic. I’m mid-way through and love the direction this plot just took! Book #7 in the series and it’s still fresh and fun.

These are the books that are on my nightstand. What are you reading today?

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads