Tag: book reviews

This Chick Read: Heir, Apparently by Kara McDowell

After surviving a narrowly-averted apocalypse last summer, Wren is trying to live a normal life as a Freshman at Northwestern. When she receives a marriage certificate in the mail carrying two signatures, she has to face a big problem. Theo, her adventurous companion during the apocalypse the previous summer, signed his real signature on what was supposed to be a fake wedding certificate. Now, Wren may be married to the soon to be King of England! Spotting him on social media, with her dog Comet, in Canada, Wren and her best friend decide to get her dog back. Oh, and to also face the consequences of that marriage certificate.

This series is a fun escape from reality and I’m a big fan. After reading The Prince and the Apocalypse last year, this author jumped onto my radar and I knew I wanted to keep an eye out for the sequel. After all, the first book had so many unanswered questions. The biggest being did they or did they not really get married. Heir, Apparently picks up right where the last novel left off. A few weeks later Wren is trying to live a normal life on campus at Northwestern but she can’t quite get Theo off her brain and not only because he stole her dog Comet. When she and her best friend Naomi launch a plan to get her dog back, I settle in for a fun read. I know mishaps and miscommunications are sure to follow! What I didn’t expect was a survival style adventure Part deux.

This story arc definitely plays heavily on the little girl fantasy of having a handsome prince fall in love with the normal American teenage girl and it does it really well. I would’ve wished for a bit more open communication between the main characters to speed their emotional story arc a long a little sooner, but honestly they are both teenagers and you can’t expect them to communicate like adults. What I did love was that they had to rely on each other in order to survive the plane crash on the deserted island, which brought them close again and definitely recaptured that action-adventure style I enjoyed from the first novel. If you want a fun romp of a novel then I think this one captures that spirit!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book! Heir, Apparently

Copyright 2024 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: Unwanted (Men and Monsters #1) by Mia Sheridan

Harper Ward is summoned to the Sheriff’s office in order to use her tracking skills to help investigate two murders with similar deaths. Their only suspect is a man who appears to be a savage, living off the grid in the wilderness. His appearance is unkempt, but she sees intelligence and kindness in his eyes. As the investigation advances, Lucas is kept at the center, but is he really the wild man he appears to be? A cold blooded killer? Or is he a victim. Harper needs to find these answers because the more time she spends with him, the harder it is to guard her heart.

This novel captured my interest a few pages in and I absolutely could not put it down. Harper’s character had an incredible back story that was delicately woven into this story. Her every move and desire made absolute sense and her interest in Lucas, a man whose appearance is frightening but whose demeanor is gentle, especially with her, made their interactions riveting. These were two characters that I wanted to read and know more about. As the plot unfolded and their secrets were unveiled Harper and Lucas became more interesting instead of less.

Flashbacks typically drive me crazy, but Mia Sheridan used them to advantage, moving the plot forward incrementally through these stories. These episodes were heart-wrenching and sometimes difficult to read but provided the reader with even more of a reason to root for these characters. As the more romantic elements unfolded these flashbacks provided a reason for being in the wilderness and I was rooting for this boy and had hope for his future and him finding a home and happiness.

This novel had it all. A great mystery, strong male and female lead, a warm hearted romance, and a redemption arc at the end. It looks to be the first in a series and I’m looking forward to the journey this author is going to take the reader on in these future novels. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Unwanted

Copyright 2024 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 Game Changer by Lana Ferguson

Delilah Baker’s local cable show’s numbers are dwindling and she comes up with a plan to approach her brother’s NHL team and ask for a special guest appearance by one of their players. When they send Ian Chase, her childhood crush and brother’s best friend, their on-screen chemistry is sizzling. Ian, too, needs the PR boost and agree’s to a fake dating scheme that gives them both what they need. A way out of his PR nightmare, and a boost to her ratings. What they both don’t count on is the re-kindling of their friendship with an added bonus, the start of a brand new romance.

The brother’s best friend is a frequent romance theme and The Game Changer uses it wisely. The backstory for Ian’s character brings a little more gravitas to the novel. A big secret, an obnoxious father, and of course hiding their real romance from her brother made this book interesting and yet somehow it fell a little flat for me. A lot of time was spent building up Ian’s character, but Lilah remained one dimensional. Yes she had a baking show, and yes she still had the crush on her brother’s best friend but that was pretty much it. Her dream of having a romance with that crush was coming true and yet for some reason, I just didn’t care that much. It felt a little too set up and lackluster for me to get too invested.

If you like spicey romance novels, The Game Changer will deliver the goods, but what this novel needed was a rock solid, interesting plot. For me, it only delivered half of it’s promise.

❤️❤️❤️

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 Game Changer

Copyright 2024 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: Body Check by Elle Kennedy

Hayden Houston spent her childhood being dragged around the country by her hockey coach dad and as an adult they are no longer close. However, she re-joins his world to help him through a nasty divorce leaving her teaching job, and ex on the west coast. At a bar with a friend she finds a one night stand guy, not realizing that he’s one of her dad’s star players. She was looking for one night but Brody Croft is looking for a commitment.

In the forward Elle Kennedy tells the reader the story of Body Check being the first book she ever wrote and her excitement at it’s new release. I’ve read a lot of her other sports romances, and if this is her first novel ever she’s a pretty consistent writer. Yes, her character development is a little more well developed in her newer novels but Body Check was consistent with her current style and story.

As an adult, Hayden moved both literally and figuratively as far from her father’s world as possible. She was once close to her father but they have drifted further apart, so when she returns to his side she’s surprised at the changes and doesn’t want to believe any of the rumors about his drinking and behavior. Her growing relationship with Brody gives her a shoulder to lean on as well as a release in tension (ha!). She was a little clueless which made me a bit impatient with her but the story was interesting and her developing relationship with Brody fun to read. 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!* Body Check

Copyright 2024 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 Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood

When Delphie chokes on a burger and appears in the afterlife she finds herself in the laundromat of her after life therapist Merritt. While in the waiting room she meets a handsome stranger who has landed in the after life by mistake and gets bumped back to the living. When she finds out he’s her soulmate she begs Merritt for a return trip for her chance at love. Merritt, a fan of romance novels and all their tropes breaks the rules for her and allows her 7 days to be kissed by her true love. If she doesn’t get her kiss, she’s back in the afterlife.

This unique premise caught my eye but it was the quirky characters, humor, and my favorite enemies to lovers trope that kept me reading. Delphie hasn’t had a great life. Estranged from her parents, living a pretty solitary life, she now finds herself given an impossible task; to find her soulmate in a city of millions. Enlisting the aid of her co-workers and neighbors, she begins to follow his trail. As she does, she gets to know all of these people who have been in her life, but whom she has never allowed herself to befriend. I loved how these seven days truly changed Delphie and made her realize that she doesn’t want to leave this life behind and there are reasons to live.

This was definitely a quirky premise and these characters were often laugh out loud funny. This is the first novel I’ve read by Kirsty Greenwood and I’ll be looking for others with the hope she delivers on the humor again. It’s also worth noting that she delivers great relationships too. Delphie was a loner and her journey starts from scratch. She has to make friends, change her demeanor from sour and grumpy to open and welcoming, and she falls in love! This novel was transforming in a lot of ways and it was a lot of fun to read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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 Love of My Afterlife

Copyright 2024 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: Under Your Spell by Laura Wood

After being let go from her job, dumped by her boyfriend, and kicked out of her apartment you can’t blame Clemmie Monroe for doing something way out of character- getting drunk and having a one night stand with a handsome stranger. When that stranger ends up being a world famous rock star whom she is babysitting as a favor for her music exec sister while he writes an album admittedly he’s hard to ignore. Her life’s a disaster but their summer together is kind of magical.

Clemmie was a bit of a hot mess. One of a trio of sisters born to a philandering rock star father, I loved Clemmie’s bond with her untraditional family and her sisters in particular. They were all vastly different and their unique personalities livened up quite a few scenes in this book. Clemmie’s relationship with her father isn’t great. He was never around for her when she was young, more interested in his own stardom than being a father. So, when she realizes her one night stand is the very famous Theo Elliott she wants nothing to do with him, but she’s made a promise to help her sister by providing the location for him to have peace and quiet and write his long anticipated album.

Theo was pretty down to earth for a rock star which made him pretty easy to like. The fact he was completely smitten with Clemmie made her avoidance of him fun to read. He had to work for their budding relationship which created some tension, as well as allowed the author to develop these characters, giving them back stories and depth that an insta love novel wouldn’t have provided. I really enjoyed their journey and loved the resolutions to their conflicts. Overall this was just a really easy to read enjoyable story.

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!* Under Your Spell

Copyright 2024 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: Tangled Up In You (Meant to Be) by Christina Lauren

Ren grew up on a farm completely off the grid. Never had a cell phone, watched current TV shows, no social media, and doesn’t know how to live in the real world. She’s homeschooled and has earned scholarships to go away to college, something that her society hating parents are against but she perseveres and enters her freshman year at age 22. Fitz also attends Corona College and has relied on his charm and willingness to go the extra mile to gain himself privileges at school that may or may not have improved his grades. When she catches him in a compromising position at midnight in their classroom she bribes him to take her on his trip to Nashville.

The Meant To Be collection are stories written by different authors that take after a different fairy-tale. Tangled Up in You very loosely takes themes from Disney’s Tangled, which admittedly I’m not familiar with, however I am familiar with Rapunzel which I believe Tangled is based off. Confused? Yeah, me too. Despite the supposed fairy-tale theme, Tangled Up In You was a departure for this author duo. Part romance, part mystery, and definitely pg-13 rated this novel still had characteristics of other Christina Lauren books. Great dialog, fabulous and interesting characters, and an interesting hook.

I LOVED Ren. I would gobble up more books about Ren. She was such an interesting character and it was fun to explore this new world of college life and life in the outside world that she’s never inhabited and is now living. Fitz also grew on me. I really liked that despite Ren’s innocence, she saw right through his act and didn’t allow him to take advantage of her good nature. Once they got rolling on their road trip the two of them together were entertaining and well, I just fell in love with them as a couple.

There was a lot of heart in this story. So much that I teared up a couple of times and laughed softly in a few others. The only thing that holds me back from giving this a 5 rating is the three sentences they included at the end wrapping up their life in the future. I hated that! I’d rather have imagined my own life for them than to be given three sentences of a throwaway ending. If they go back and delete that paragraph it’s a five star read from me. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

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!* Tangled Up In You

Copyright 2024 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 Sunday Commentary: My Top 5 Most Anticipated Book Releases – July’24

Temperatures are stretching into the upper 90’s in Nashville and I’m staying indoors to beat the heat. This is the perfect weather to really get into that book you’ve been looking forward to coming out. There are several on this list (ok all five!) that I’m going to be reading as soon as I can!

#5 BOOK RELEASE

I’m a sucker for sports romances and this series by Liz Tomforde has been really entertaining. Despite landing in my #5 spot, I’ll probably pick this one up first. LOL

Synopsis: Kennedy

I’m the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors, and after years of putting up with a sexist lead doctor, I’m desperate to land my dream job with a new team next year. All I have to do is maintain my professional reputation for my final season in Chicago.
But a Las Vegas run-in with the team’s shortstop threatens it all, leaving me with a fuzzy memory and a ring on my left hand.
Now, not only am I legally bound to the most persistent man I’ve ever met, but thanks to Isaiah’s scheme to save my job, I have to pretend the whole thing was a planned elopement and not a drunken mistake. Isaiah Rhodes is reckless, impulsive, and frustratingly charming. He’s also my brand-new husband.
They got the saying wrong. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas… sometimes it follows you right back home.


Isaiah

As the shortstop for Chicago’s professional baseball team, I’ve had my fair share of fun. But that all ended the day Kennedy Kay became a single woman.
I’ve crushed on the team’s athletic trainer for years. I’ve flirted to no avail, so imagine my surprise when I woke up in Sin City with a ring on my finger and my favorite redhead in my bed.
We agree to stay married for one baseball season, just long enough to keep her job safe, but in my mind, I’m using our time together to prove to her I’m husband material.
Kennedy might be reluctant to join in on our game, but it’s one I refuse to lose.
So come on, wife… play along.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Play Along

#4 BOOK RELEASE

This cover is just it for me! It makes me want to pick up the book and read it, even before reading the synopsis!

Synopsis: Two opposites decide to test their chemistry with one steamy night together. But will once be enough?

Nova Porter isn’t looking for love, and she certainly has no explanation for her attraction to buttoned-up, three-piece-suit-wearing investment banker Charlie Milford. Maybe it’s his charm? Or maybe it’s his determination to help her fledgling business however he can. Either way, she’s distracted every time he’s around. With her new tattoo studio set to open in her hometown of Inglewild, she doesn’t have time for frivolous flirtations. 

In an effort to get Charlie out of her system once and for all, Nova offers a proposition. One night. No strings. They’ll kick their uncomfortable attraction to the curb and return to their respective responsibilities. But their explosive night together scatters their expectations like fallen leaves. And with Charlie in town as the temporary head of Lovelight Farms, Nova can’t quite avoid him. 

And Charlie? Well, Charlie knows a good investment when he sees one. He’s hoping he can convince Nova he’s worth some of her time.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Business Casual

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase a book through any of these links I’ll receive a small stipend.

#3 BOOK RELEASE

Rainbow Rowell has a deft hand in enveloping her characters in all the emotions. I admit, sometimes I don’t want to go there but this synopsis makes me think “this is the one!”.

Synopsis: Back in high school, everybody thought Shiloh and Cary would end up together . . . everybody but Shiloh and Cary.

They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh’s porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha—Shiloh would go to go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change.

Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed.

Now Shiloh’s thirty-three, and it’s been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She’s been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she’s back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned.

When she’s invited to an old friend’s wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there—and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything?

The answer is yes. And yes. And yes.

Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost.

It’s the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Slow Dance

#2 BOOK RELEASE

Anything by Elena Armas and I’m just picking it right up. Her books are just that enjoyable.

Synopsis: osie Moore has given the opposite sex—and love—plenty of chances. Four exactly, if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you include her no-longer-absentee father. Nonetheless, when the influential man decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece and Josie learns that her romantic history isn’t great PR for the family, she jumps at the chance to offer a solution.

Matthew Flanagan is in the mud. Literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but after taking a wrong turn on his way to Green Oak, North Carolina, his car is stuck. So, he grabs a duffel bag with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life (and vehicle) back on track. But instead, he stumbles upon his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.

What starts as a big misunderstanding quickly turns into a fake engagement, with Matthew playing the role of the doting fiancé as he and Josie are swept into a PR whirlwind. The ring on Josie’s finger makes her stomach turn, but she knows this is only temporary. They have rules in place, and one of them is that no matter what, there will be no exchange of “I dos.” But that’s easier said than done, as lines soon start to blur, and the rest of the small town comes to believe the fifth fiancé is truly The One.

MY TOP PICK FOR JULY’24

So, I’m not in love with this cover. If I didn’t know that this author rocks a hockey romance I’d probably never pick it up. However, since I’ve read every one of her sports romance novels and I know she is a great author, it gets my top pick.

Synopsis: After a childhood spent being dragged around the country by her hockey coach father, Hayden Houston intends to take some time to figure out her future. Whether that future will include her currently off-again boyfriend remains to be seen. What it certainly won’t include is the for-one-night-only guy she just met at a bar.   

It seems hockey star Brody Croft did not get the memo about being temporary. Big, bold and driven, he’s dedicated in everything he does. Up till now, that’s been his team—the one owned by Hayden’s dad. But his night with Hayden has sparked something he didn’t expect. The two of them are good together. Really good. There’s a connection he’s never experienced before, one he knows they’d be wrong to ignore. Even with a game-fixing scandal testing both their loyalties—to teammates, to friends…to family. 

Part of Hayden wants to turn tail and run. A complicated relationship with a bad boy hockey player is exactly what she never wanted. But when it comes to Brody, Hayden is realizing that people can be so much more than what they seem.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Body Check

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Fighting the Pull (River Rain #5) by Kristen Ashley

Hale Wheeler inherited billions from his wealthy father. His mission is to spend that money helping rebuild the world’s resources. He doesn’t have time for love but when he meets celebrity journalist Elsa Cohen he is tempted by their chemistry. Elsa, too, is on a mission to build her career reporting the celebrity news and knows that an interview with the elusive Hale Wheeler will make her career. The two of them want very different things from love but can they forge a path together?

The fifth installment in the River Rain series, this novel tells the story of Hale and Elsa but also gives us glimpses into the lives of other couples who’s stories we’ve followed. That’s what I love about Kristen Ashley’s series, the characters are so integrated into each others lives that their stories aren’t just one and done. You get these little extensions into their lives while enjoying a fresh story. Hale and Elsa have been side characters and their story arc began a few books back so the author has been building their tension in the background. All of these connections are like one of those little biosphere’s incapsulated in glass. The oxygen is feeding the organisms who keep growing, moving, and staying interconnected. I love it when one of her series works well together and The River Rain series is a good example of that.

Hale has a tragic life story. Raised by his mentally unstable mother full time, then spending part time with his father Cory who loved him but had trouble showing it physically, Hale has trouble facing his own feelings which makes his pursuit of Elsa both interesting and hard to read. Elsa is loving and open a contrast to his more closed off emotions. Of course watching them make that connection and figure out how to be a couple is what makes a good romance great and Fighting the Pull had moments that were both touching and emotionally fraught. This made for a really good story and an un-put-downable book.

If you love romances with great characters, lots of heat, quirky and loving side characters, and a bit of danger, then this book will fit the bill. Unfortunately, to get the real benefit of all the quirkiness in those side characters, please read the series in it’s entirety. If you don’t have the time, I think you’ll still enjoy this book but you’ll miss a few nuances, and back stories from other books in the series but you’ll still enjoy the read.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Fighting the Pull

Copyright 2024 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 Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor

Navigating high school is difficult for a math nerd but Marlowe Meadows had managed to gain the attention of the most popular boy in school and for two years was half of that golden couple. When he suddenly breaks up with her stating that she isn’t very romantic she is determined to win him back. When she gets paired with black clothes, guyliner wearing rocker Ashton Hayes for an English project she reads some poetry he’s written and asks him to help her become more romantic and win her ex back. He’ll help her write some love letters and she’ll help his band go viral. As they spend more time together and she starts to develop feelings Marlowe wonders if there isn’t a perfect formula for love. How could she have gotten things so wrong?

After reading Serena Kaylor’s debut novel Long Story Short I knew I was going to pick up her next young adult novel. She seems to favor math nerds for heroine’s and I love a good STEM romance. In The Calculation of You and Me Marlowe is on the spectrum as well as being a math nerd and her ability to read nuances and jokes are difficult for her. This made what her ex said to her especially brutal and Ash’s appreciation of these traits more romantic and sweet. Needless to say I wanted her to stop trying to win back her douchebag ex and fall for Ash but she needed to figure things out at her own pace and it was totally fun to read her journey.

Learning how to be more romantic included a series of “lessons” set up like dates, as well as reading all the different romance tropes. It was fun to see this young math nerd open up to romance by doing something all of us readers already enjoy. Reading romance novels! I loved how she and her girlfriends found this new world of happily ever afters. This was just icing on the cake of a very good story already but it did make it a bit more fun. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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!* The Calculation of You and Me

Copyright 2024 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