Tag: book reviews

This Chick Read: When Gracie Met the Grump by Mariana Zapata

Gracie Castro was raised by her grandparents, always on the run and changing their names. After their death, Gracie is living in a small, nowhere town tutoring ESL to her online students when a man drops out of the sky into her front yard. Not just any man but one of the Trinity. A surly superhero who seems to have lost his powers and needs a place to recoup. Gracie is fascinated and despite knowing she has been living in that small town too long, she stays and helps him gain back his strength. This is their story.

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD

Mariana is an auto-buy for me and after a long drought I was eager to read her new novel. Verdict? I was disappointed. I don’t have a problem with romantic fantasy novels so a superhuman / heroine in jeopardy novel is right up my alley. I had trouble liking either of these characters. Gracie has a mysterious background that isn’t really explained until whoever she is running from finally catches up. I didn’t count the pages but it took a good portion of the novel to get to this point in the story. Prior to that more riveting portion of the novel it was just a grumpy superhero who deigned to grace Gracie with his presence. Other than how handsome he was, and that was brought up quite a lot, almost like the author was trying to persuade us to like him for his looks, there wasn’t a lot to like. Now, I’ve read every single one of MZ’s books multiple times. I own the audiobooks as well as the e-books and I know that she likes a surly man and a down on herself heroine, but there was very little relief up until the above incident where Gracie’s past catches up to her.

When her past finally caught up to her I was like- YAY! This is now going to turn into a thriller with Lexi using his superpowers, coming to the rescue, etc. That is what should’ve happened, but the author just let the whole thing kind of peter out. Yes, Lexi did get them out of there but it was kind of anticlimactic. But I keep reading. I’m thinking that this book just has to get better! I am doomed for disappointment. Despite their close contact their is very little chemistry- other than his good looks, of course, and Gracie is doom and gloom about her future. It’s not until the very end that we get a hint of chemistry, but it’s more like auto-love and I’m really kind of turned off by this point. So disappointing.

This novel had all of the elements of being a great “trying a new genre” MZ novel. She gave hints of what she was trying to accomplish but never went for it. If you’re going to have a superhero character, let’s actually see him in action. Let’s see what makes all of America love this guy besides his looks! Through his actions we could have fallen in like with him, aka Wall of Winnipeg, Luna and the Lie, even Kulti! She didn’t give us a very good look into his character, so I didn’t buy into the romance. I wanted to, but I just really couldn’t talk myself into liking it very much. I do have a hard time giving her a horrible rating though so When Gracie Met the Grump is getting a 3.0 average rating. It’s really more like a 2.5, but I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt. I will take another look at it when the audiobook comes out. Maybe I’ll like it better the second time around. ❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* When Gracie Met the Grump

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*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 Stand-Up Groomsman by Jackie Lau

Vivian’s roommate gets engaged and asks her to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. She’s excited at the prospect despite the fact she’ll have to see Mel again, the Grooms best friend and best man. Mel is a stand-up comedian whom she met previously and despite him being funny on stage she found him irritating in person, especially after he insulted what she does for a living. Forced into close contact with Mel during all of the wedding hoopla, she becomes intrigued by the contrast of who she met previously and this kind-hearted man she is around now. This is their love story.

I loved Vivian and Mel! These two were real people with real problems that readers can easily identify with and respect. Both of them are bi and how their sexuality has caused problems for them personally is a bit part of the story and their discovery of who they are, separately, and as a couple. Vivian’s personality is very even. She seems to be more of a watcher of life than a person who is actively participating. Her relationship with her roommate Lindsay was her first step outside the box, and the fact that Lindsay’s fiance is a famous actor has made her deviate from her staid lifestyle. Meeting Mel is a good example of her trying something new. Of course, their first meeting was a disaster but she allows Mel to apologize and become her friend. Mel’s a stand-up comic so his personality is outrageous and funny- he wears bright loud clothing and seems to pursue the clown persona. He is actually very different than that bright shirt he is constantly wearing. He has dark thoughts and self doubts that keep him up at night worrying over his life and happiness. When he meets Vivian it’s like a bright light has shown through that darkness and despite trying, he can’t forget her.

As you can imagine, this book is a great mixture of fun and seriousness. It’s rare that the hero overshadows the heroine for me because as a female I’d normally identify more with a woman. His problems were so present though and I really felt his emotions a lot more than I did Vivian’s even though she was also working through some of her own issues. They were both great characters separately, he just shone more. Together though, they were passion, fire, and constant. I know constant isn’t normally a romantic description but it was something they both needed in the other. They were the yin to the others yang and made a perfect pairing. It made for a great romantic novel and I enjoyed it tremendously.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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 Stand-Up Groomsman

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: Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin

After the death of her father, Ava Burch moves to the small town of Cuervo from Houston to create a small law practice with a friend. She brings with her Huck, the search and rescue dog that her father had trained. She joined SAR, a volunteer search and rescue and gets sent out on her first search for a lost child. While out she finds an abandoned camp and takes some photos. Her find leads to an investigation into the disappearance of a woman a couple of years ago. As she digs deeper she finds herself the target of random acts of violence making her think she may now be a target.

I really enjoy Laura Griffin’s style of writing a mystery. Granted they are more romantic thrillers than hard driven mysteries but she has now become one of my go-to authors when I need to switch up genre’s. Ava Burch and Investigator Grant Wycoff were an interesting pairing. Ava dresses like she still lives in a big city and drives a smart red sports car and Grant is living in his home town and working for a small police force but they are both attractive, smart, and in fiction land bound to have found each other so I’ll forgive how quickly they become involved and important to each other. Danger does that to a couple, right? Ava, as with Laura Griffin’s other heroine’s, doesn’t stop at turning in her photos and leaving a message for the sheriff, she decides to do some investigating on her own. After all, she’s a lawyer from a big city and her dad used to be a cop. Her instincts tell her something is off, so she moves forward, driving Grant nuts with her ability to find things that were overlooked by his own police force. I can’t help but like that about her!

I won’t give away the mystery in this review but the story leading up to the final reveal was nicely done and fun to read. Not too heavy or bloody, just a woman in danger and her hero who will come to save the day. Just the way I like my romantic thrillers! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase!* Vanishing Hour

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: Built to Last by Erin Hahn

Child superstar Shelby Springfield left her stardom behind when she moved back to Michigan. Flipping houses with her dad, she’s approached by her ex, now a producer, to star in a home makeover show with her childhood co-star and friend Cameron Riggs. Cam was her first love and the guy she always turns to when she needs help… and he always gives her that helping hand. This time is no different despite having his own thriving career at Nat. Geo. Will the two of them finally have time to commit to each other?

This was such a great story! Cam and Shelby were two of three child stars on a popular tv series and the producer of their show, Lyle, was the third. Lyle is the perfect evil foil to making Cam the good guy in this story but in Shelby’s eyes Cam was always in that good guy role. When Cam commits to doing the pilot with Shelby their friendship takes center stage. You can feel how close they are and how much they mean to each other, even all these years later. You can also feel the chemistry through their flirtations and it was totally fun to read.

Both Shelby and Cam had issues from their childhood that needed to be faced in this novel for their relationship to move towards commitment. Shelby had a stage mom that was in it for the money, selling out her only daughter creating a story filled with lies, just so she could capitalize on it and make a buck. Cam lived on the west coast with his mom when he was acting and never had a great relationship with his father and brother. Moving back to Michigan is the chance for them to revisit these relationships and hopefully come out the other side with a healthier outlook. Of course, not everything goes as planned.

I loved this poignant look back at first love. Cam and Shelby’s chance at redemption was a wonderfully fun story but their was also a lot of depth in both these and other characters in the novel. In my mind the best novels are filled with heart and this stories heart was overflowing emotionally. I really enjoyed reading this novel. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase!* Built to Last

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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It’s Monday, what are you reading? (10/17/22)

It’s the best feeling when you read a few good books in a row, isn’t it? I’ve been reading a little bit for pleasure and a little bit of advanced copies and it’s been a great mix of genre’s and story’s. I’ve felt my want to read increase because I haven’t had a dud in a while. Here’s what’s on my tbr.

JUST FINISHED

I only recently discovered Jackie Lau when reading Donut Fall in Love, which I really liked. The Stand-Up Groomsman is the second book in the series and again, I really enjoyed this book. The characters felt real to me, with real personal problems. I identified with some of what they both felt, and also spent a good bit of time laughing at their antics. Mel is such a great character and I enjoyed he and Vivian’s story.

JUST STARTED

I have a love for historical romances and Sarah MacLean is one of my favorite author’s in this genre. Her heroine’s don’t need to be rescued and in fact are the ones usually rescuing someone. I just started this book but it’s off to a great start and I’m really liking Adelaide. We’ll see where she leads me!

If you feel like sharing the books you’re currently reading, please do! I’d love to add some new novels to my TBR.

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: A Duel with the Vampire Lord (Married to Magic series) by Elise Kova

Technically, A Duel with the Vampire Lord is the third book in the Married to Magic series, but as each of these books are stand alone novels, they can be read independently, without having to read the others in the series first.

Floriane is the Forge Maiden in Hunter’s Hamlet. It’s her job to forge all of the silver blades that will be used to hopefully slay the Vampire Lord when he arrives with the Blood Moon to try to gain access to Hunter’s Hamlet and kill them all. Floriane’s twin brother will fight for the first time and as he has been secretly training Floriane, she will stay behind and protect their mother. When the evening arrives, her brother brings her a magical draft and tells her to drink it that night as it will give her strength in case a vampire breaks through their forces. When the time comes and Floriane drinks the draft it gives her super powers, including increased hearing and she can hear her brother scream. She runs to the front lines and comes face to face with the Vampire Lord.

I’m a big fan of Elise Kova’s and love the way she crafts her fantasy novels. For me, this is the first one that I had trouble buying into. I loved the set-up with Floriane’s heritage as the Forge Maiden, and Ruvan’s inheritance of the title Vampire Lord. The lore surrounding the “curse” on each side of the battle tells the same story- a curse was wrought unto the vampires/humans that they must kill the vampire lord/Chief hunter in order for the other species to survive. Without giving away that important aspect to this story, it took way too long for everyone to figure out that there was a problem with the story behind that curse. Way too long. I usually read a couple of novels at the same time and will admit that I picked up other books rather than making my way through this story because I got a little bored with the set-up. That is not a normal habit for me with this author at all. I just didn’t find that portion of their story or the romance between Ruvan and Floriane to be all that interesting. As an aside, the cover also threw me off a bit. It’s the first where I found myself really disliking how the characters looks were interpreted. I usually fall in love with the cover first!

I’m used to Elisa Kova’s novels having the heroine go through fierce battles, personality conflicts, and passionate feelings but Floriane’s character was fiercely stubborn in her beliefs about the vampire/human conflict and that stubbornness didn’t redeem her in my eyes, despite her actions in the last third of the novel. I feel like I’m kind of being hard on her, but that’s just how I feel about her and those feelings are reflected in how much I liked the book. Ugh. I hate that because again, I’m a big fan of this authors.

What did I like about the book? I loved Ruvan and his buddies. What a great cast of characters and their backstories filled with drama and gloom only made me love their bickering and friendships even more. These vampir were not the scary beings of childhood nightmares but normal folk who loved and lost. Actually that contrast between Hunter’s Hamlet residents and the vampir were very striking and probably caused my feelings of “blah-ness” I felt towards Floriane. She paled in comparison with these interesting people.

If you’re like me and you are a fan of Elise Kova’s fantasy novels, please do read this one and decide for yourselves whether you feel the same as I. Reading is like artwork in that it’s all relative to the person reading/viewing the piece. You may fall in love with Floriane and not have the same issues I had with this novel. In fact I hope that’s the case. I’m almost positive you’ll feel the same way I do about the cover though. LOL. ❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* A Duel with the Vampire Lord

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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: Station Eternity (The Midsolar Murders #1) by Mur Lafferty

Mallory Viridian is a murder magnet. Wherever she goes people get murdered and some intuition into puzzling out the clues makes her the only person who can solve them. Tired of murder following her footsteps, Mallory got approval to live on an alien space station where there are only two other humans living among the aliens. Unfortunately that doesn’t last long, a space shuttle is headed their way and you got it, murder follows. Mallory is the only person who can see the connections and solve the murder.

There was something really unique and intriguing about this novel. I’ve definitely never read a book about a young woman who murder seems to follow, and at the same time, travels to outer space to make her escape. The species on the space station are also totally unique and interesting but it took me a little while to convince my brain to switch from a mystery to science fiction mid step. Of course, the author was leading up to the murder following her into outer space, but I was distracted by the new and interesting friends Mallory had made. It was a little clunky and yet enjoyable at the same time.

Mallory was a bit of a loner, and I don’t blame her one bit! However, that did make her a little bit harder to connect to than Xan, her one human friend on the space station. It would seem that it might be harder to have a more interesting back story than Mallory but Xan’s was also pretty spectacular. On Earth he worked for the military in the corpse removal department. I can’t remember the exact name, but when tragedy strikes there is a team that goes in and collects the dead and Xan was one of those team members. After a tragedy strikes, Xan also wants to escape and was lucky enough to be abducted by aliens, ending up on the same space station as Mallory. Yep, you go that right. He was abducted. As you can imagine, this novel was a mix of slapstick humor and seriousness which was a little disorienting to read.

I didn’t realize that this is the first book in a series until I went to look at the title and noticed that subheader. Hmmm, did I like it enough to stick around to read a book #2? I’m not sure. I didn’t hate it, but I’m also not eagerly anticipating the next book. I think I’ll have to wait and see where the synopsis leads 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!* Station Eternity

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: A Curse of Queens (Kingmaker Chronicles #4) by Amanda Bouchet

Cat and Griffin are expecting their first child when Cat is cursed with a never-ending pregnancy. Jocasta, Griffin’s sister, sends for all scrolls with a mention of Circe, hoping to find the goddess of plants and herbs so that she can make an elixir to take the curse from Cat. In order to find her Jocasta must go on a journey that she may not come back from. Volunteering to join her is Flynn, the man whom she has loved since she was a young girl. A man who she shared one kiss with when she was 18. A kiss that changed their relationship forever. Now is the chance for the two of them to reconcile their relationship and hopefully find the cure that will save their sister and the land.

I’ve always liked Jocasta. Her love for her family is what drives her and I like how she uses her brain to avoid crazy situations. She seems pretty happy with her herbs and helping the locals medical needs. The one thing that she isn’t happy about is her relationship with Flynn. Her love is unrequited or so she thinks until this journey places them all in danger and those hidden feelings reveal themselves.

As with all Greek mythology, their journey includes several tasks they must complete before it reaches the conclusion they want. With a little help from a couple of gods they stay on the right path. If I had to guess there are two paths to a fifth book in the series. You can only hope!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase!* A Curse of Queens

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: A Turn of the Tide ( A Stitch in Time #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Miranda Hastings has seen both of her sisters travel through the stitch in time in Thorne Manor and has been waiting on her opportunity to follow in their footsteps. However instead of traveling to the future as her sister Rosalind did, she travels to the past. She finds herself in Thorne Manor during the Georgian era arriving just in time to divert privateer Nicolas “Nico” Dupree from his untimely death. She has seen his ghost walking the lane where he dies, in her own time, and is determined to save him from his death. While intruding on that fateful night she stumbles upon a conspiracy and with the help of Nico and a couple other ghostly friends, she lends a hand hoping to save the day and send these ghosts on to their final rest.

This novel was a little different than the previous two in that Miranda knew exactly what she was in for when she stepped through that stitch in time in the attic of Thorne Manor. She didn’t expect to travel to the past, but her instant connection to Nico made sticking around pretty easy. MIranda’s independent nature was stifled in her own time and her chemistry with Nico and he “friendly” nature, allows her to experiment with a sexuality that men of her time trod upon. I actually really liked the more sexy nature of this book as it added another layer to a mystery that was pretty easy to solve. I also liked that NIco and MIranda were a mixed race pairing. No one really seemed to pay attention to that fact at all, which may not have been historically accurate but it was refreshing.

This novel was definitely easy to read and the mystery wasn’t much of a mystery at all. Despite my wanting a little more depth I did enjoy this novel and always like to support a favorite author. If you find yourself wanting to read a paranormal romance, I don’t think you need to read the previous two novels. This book stands alone on it’s own, but I bet you’ll be interested enough to go back and read the first two. My favorite was the first novel A Stitch in Time. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase!* A Turn of the Tide

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: Flight (The Texas Murder Files #2) by Laura Griffin

Former forensic investigator Miranda Rhodes is taking a break from murder in the small town of Lost Beach taking wildlife photos when she finds a murdered couple in a canoe on a river. She instinctively snaps photos before heading back to shore to call it in to the local police. As the person who discovered the bodies she is interviewed by the police but ultimately its her skills and a forensic investigator that lands her in the middle of this murder investigation, as one of the team. When Miranda becomes the center of the murderers attention Detective Joel Breda, the lead investigator on the case finds himself becoming very protective of Miranda.

I read book 3 in the series first but liked it enough to go back and read the first two as well. I really enjoy Laura Griffin’s style. Her mysteries have a hint of romance and don’t have the gritty feel that some thrillers have, it’s easy reading and good characters. Two things I can always get behind. Miranda was an interesting character. She was burnt out from her previous job which contrasted nicely with her taking wildlife photos. I liked that aspect of balance in her character. Of course, when she becomes and integral piece of the murder investigation her character becomes even more interesting. As the lead detective on the case Joel Breda’s character was more straightforward alpha male. He was interested in Miranda right from the start but had these horrible murders happening in his hometown. He wanted to solve the crimes and protect the woman he was coming to care about. Very straightforward and no surprises. These two characters fit very well together and the romance and mystery kept me turning the pages.

There were only a handful of people the reader was introduced to who could be committing these crimes so I won’t say the murder was that big of a mystery but it was well thought out and had some gripping moments. All in all, I enjoyed this book and would recommend this book and the series to anyone who likes a lighter feel to their mystery novel reading. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Flight

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*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