Tag: book reviews

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (12/30/19)

The Monday after a holiday is always hard, but not when you’ve got a great book to read! This post originated over on Book Date , so thanks for the idea and letting me join in the discussion!

JUST FINISHED

First sentence read: “The night I became the youngest person- and the only female ever- to win the Austin Fire Department’s Valor Award, I got propositioned by my partner.”

Click this link to purchase!* Things You Save in a Fire: A Novel

JUST STARTED

First sentence read: “For the first three years, it’s fun being a pro football player’s girlfriend.”

Click this link to purchase!*Intercepted (Playbook, The)

As you can see, the holidays (and my vacation) have gotten me into a romance reading mood! Both of the above books are perfect vacation reads and I’m really enjoying all of this free time to get to some of the books on my TBR.

I hope your Monday is off to a great start and you are reading a fabulous new book! Don’t keep me in suspense, what are you reading?

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads5 Comments

This Chick Read: And Dangerous to Know (Rosalind Thorne Mystery #3) by Darcie Wilde

Rosalind Thorne, due to the error’s of her father, finds herself in an unusual circumstance, managing her own household and making due with “gifts” from the ladies of the ton whom she has helped. Her livelihood is trust and she can’t afford her good name to be smudged, taking that income away. When Lady Melbourne needs help solving the disappearance of some personal letters she agree’s to help track them down but it seems she hasn’t been told the entire story. These letters are connected to a woman’s murder on the estate’s property and Rosalind once again finds herself embroiled in a more serious investigation.

It’s been almost two years since the previous novel in this series but I easily fell back into these characters and remembered why my instinct was to add this one to the top of my TBR. The era of 18th century England is a fascinating one and this series gives us a different viewpoint of what it’s like to live that we haven’t seen in other novels, tv shows or movies. What happens to young women whose families fall on unfortunate circumstances? Well, worse things than what’s happened to Rosalind and her friend Alice, definitely, but having to “work” for a living while retaining your social status? Interesting and quite hard to navigate as Darcie Wilde portrays so well in her character Rosalind Thorne. I’ll admit that the social intricacies are as interesting to me as the actual mystery Rosalind is trying to solve, but in And Dangerous to Know that mystery is actually quite well done.

As Rosalind is investigating the disappearing letters and murder of a young woman she is also figuring out her feelings for her two beau’s. One a dashing Duke from her past life and the other a Bow Street Runner who is closer to the life she is now living. I think this novel brings us closer to a resolution to that storyline, but only just slightly. We are closer to seeing what’s going on in Rosalind’s mind and heart though. The next novel should reveal quite a bit more, or at least I hope so!

If you love historical mysteries as much as I but you haven’t read the first two novels in this series then please start at the beginning. Part of the fascination is getting to know these characters and I think you need to do that by reading the books in sequential order. The pace will help you immerse yourself in their world and sets the mood for Rosalind’s investigation. I can’t wait for the next novel, but since it took a while for this novel to be written I probably need to dial down my anticipation, just slightly. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase!* And Dangerous to Know (Rosalind Thorne Mystery Book 3)

Copyright The Reading Chick 2019 All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads1 Comment

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

This tree looked smaller on the lot, I swear!

No matter where you are or what holiday you celebrate I wish you the very best day. If you are celebrating by yourself this holiday season -may your neighbors be friendly, your streaming service be filled with holiday movies, and your bookshelves and kindles be filled with a bounty of stories to read.

Love to you all!

Merry Christmas!

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards #1) by Sarah MacLean

Lady Henrietta Sedley has declared her twenty-ninth year the Year of Hattie. She has a plan for her own renaissance from old maid spinster/virgin to deflowered business woman, in charge of running her father’s shipping business. When she finds a beautiful man tied up in her carriage, the Year of Hattie starts to go awry. Well, with the exception of the deflowering plan. that seems to be right on track. Unfortunately, after finding Beast in her carriage his revenge plan gets set in motion and when it butts heads with the Year of Hattie? Well, a new plan needs to be made.

I have never read a Sarah Maclean historical romance, but this one definitely got put on my radar by a bunch of book reviewers who raved, with good reason about how different these characters were and how refreshing that change made to the story. Hattie is a modern woman in every way except the time she’s living in. In today’s world she’d have been the President of the boardroom. Smart, witty, and able to out think the men working around her. She was also a healthy size. As with the women of today, she was aware that her size and intelligence made her unattractive to men of her time. Her fortune made her more attractive, but her father’s dukedom was not inherited but “gifted” for good services and dies when he does. So the “Lady” in her title is more a courtesy than an actuality.

“Beast” or Whit, as he’s really named, is an actual son of a Duke, albeit one born on the wrong side of the bed. After a traumatic childhood living on the streets, he and his brother “Devil”, from the first novel, have created their own kingdom in Covent Garden, the slums of London. When he finds himself tied up in Hattie’s carriage he must find revenge upon the person who put him there and he thinks Hattie will lead him to that person. This begins their game of cat and mouse, and as that game plays out their attraction to each other hampers each others plans but it’s their wit and intelligence that seals their fates.

I can’t finish this review without mentioning Hattie’s friend Nora. She’s the daughter of a Duke, likes to where men’s clothing and is the sidekick and sometimes instigator of Hattie’s adventures. There is a hinted at romance between she and Whit’s female Man at Arms. I loved that this queer romance was introduced and hope that they get their own story or novella. She’s a hoot and I think her story would be fascinating!

I love a good historical romance, especially one that veers away from established trope’s for this genre. Hattie is someone that a woman in any age can identify. She has self doubts about her looks and struggles to excel based upon her own skills and not her feminine genitalia. Unfortunately it takes a special man to overlook the more’s of the time they live in. Whit is just that man and their story is told in a riveting way in Brazen and the Beast. By the way, I didn’t read the first novel before picking this one up and whereas I’m going to go get it immediately, I didn’t miss out on any key plot lines without having read that novel first. Fear not! Read on historical lovers!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Opinions around the Blogosphere

“As with all of the Sarah MacLean books I’ve read, this one gets stunning marks from me. Whit and Hattie are wondrous. I love their world. ” Snark and Squee

“I really enjoyed their banter and there are some very sexy scenes between them. Hattie managed to accomplish all her goals in the end, bravo for her. She did it all with class and sass!” Past Midnight

Click this link to purchase!* Brazen and the Beast: The Bareknuckle Bastards Book II

Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Risk It All (Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters #2) by Katie Ruggle

Cara Pax is normally a behind the scenes supporter of her family’s Bounty Hunting business doing research as she finishes getting her degree to be a kindergarten teacher. When her mom takes off which their house as collateral on her bounty, the sisters are forced to up their game taking on more dangerous jobs. Cara decides to go off on her own and try to bring in a possible murderer, Henry Kavinski. When she actually comes face to face with him and he doesn’t kill her? She decides he’s innocent and Henry will do everything he can to keep her safe.

This Bounty Hunters series is off to a great start! While Cara is more like a librarian than a bounty hunter she’s been trained in hand to hand combat and has plenty of backbone despite her quiet demeanor. When her kidnapping forces she and Henry together they don’t fight their attraction very long. Despite a predictable ending I did enjoy the sweetness of their love story.

The only thing that bothered me even a little bit was that I couldn’t get a very good picture of Henry in my mind other than that he was a big kind of quiet guy. Cara was vivid and bright, he just kind of paled in comparison. Despite that small thing, I still really liked this couple and this story. If you are in the mood for a quick paced romantic suspense novel pick this one up! Even though there’s an underlying series story I do think this novel could stand on it’s own. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Risk It All (Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters)

Copyright 2019 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

TBR Thursday 12/19/19

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

Synopsis:

Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.

Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.

Emilie and Annette swap lives―Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician’s assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.

But when their nation instigates a terrible war, Emilie and Annette come together to help the rebellion unearth the truth before it’s too late.

Click this link to purchase! Belle Revolte

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Best Thing by Mariana Zapata

Some things are easily forgiven. Other things… not so much.

Lenny DeMaio made herself a promise: she was done.

Done thinking about him.

Done worrying about him.

Done reaching out to a man who clearly didn’t want to be found. 

Too bad no one gave Jonah Collins the memo.

There is nothing better than a surprise release by Mariana Zapata. It’s like Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and your Birthday all wrapped up in tissue paper. When The Best Thing released, I got a call from my usually taciturn sister. “It’s out! Mariana’s new book has been released!” My sister is not much for fangirling, but Ms. Zapata’s books are worth a little squeal or two. I, even though at work, went to my favorite bookseller site and downloaded that puppy. I was mad I had just started a new novel. I hated stopping in the middle of a book!

We met Lenny DeMaio in Zapata’s previous novel Luna and the Lie. Now, I won’t lie, as much as I love Mariana Zapata, Luna was different than her normal romance novel. It was a little darker and although I loved it, I was hoping that The Best Thing would be a little lighter and our heroine more self assured. Lenny was Luna’s best friend and very self assured, with a nice side of sass. I knew I was going to love her story. A few years had gone by in storyville and Lenny was now running the Maio House, the MMA gym her grandfather started. The reader is immediately thrown into the story. Lenny’s pissed about someone named Jonah Hema Collins so we assume he is our hero. The big surprise is that he’s a rugby player! A new sport for a Zapata novel and one I know nothing about… well, except the word scrum. I know what that is! LOL.

When Jonah is finally introduced to the story in person, I immediately notice something different. He’s so polite and nice! I can’t figure out why Lenny isn’t giving him a chance and even though we are given hints (don’t worry, I won’t give anything away!) I want it explained! Even after the explanation and our journey of watching the relationship develop between Lenny and Jonah commences, my feelings for Jonah don’t change, they just get stronger. He is so freaking nice! Really! He’s quiet, kind of shy, but super nice and unlike tons of previous Zapata heroes, completely likable from the first moment. I like it!

There are so many things to love about this novel. Jonah is wonderful, Lenny has sass and strength, but the best theme revolves around family. Lenny’s grandfather raised her and their relationship is so special. You get a hint of it in Luna, but Grandpa Gus is awesome! He’s cranky, also sassy, and he loves Lenny as much as can be humanly possible. The two of them are everything to each other. So family is a HUGE part of this novel, and their story will wring a tear or ten out of you, promise.

If you’re in the mood for a wonderful story about family, finding love, and friendship then you need to purchase The Best Thing. It’s on Kindle Unlimited if you have that plan, but really it’s worth the few dollars spent on purchasing it. I am an avid re-reader of her novels, so it’s already sitting on my virtual shelf, I’m waiting for the paperback in the mail, and I’m eagerly anticipating the audiobook release in a couple of months. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* The Best Thing

Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? (12/16/19)

Happy Monday everyone! I ran across this post on Book Date and liked the idea of sharing what I’m currently reading, and hopefully hearing about what you’ve picked up off your shelf. So here goes!

JUST FINISHED

When your favorite writing duo posts a note about a wonderful historical romance, when they write romantic fantasy, you just have to give it a try!

FIRST SENTENCE READ: “The trouble began with brandy.”

Click this link to purchase!* A Wicked Kind of Husband

JUST STARTED

FIRST SENTENCE READ: “Cara tried to act casual as she walked along the motel’s cracked, weedy sidewalk, but she knew she looked like what she was: a kindergarten teacher–well, almost–who was scared out of her mind.”

Click this link to purchase!* Risk It All (Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters)

Now that you know what books I’ve got on my shelf, what are you reading this fine Monday?

Deb

*Amazon associate- I’ll get a small stipend if you should purchase the book through the above links.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads5 Comments

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: My 5 Most Anticipated Book Releases- Jan’20

Every month I take a look at the Goodreads most anticipated book list and compile my own. Next month is the first month where I feel like my taste in books must be completely different than the average reader because the first book I picked on their list lands at #16 and that isn’t even my most anticipated book release. Mine is their #111! Well, here’s to bringing more attention to the less anticipated books! Cheers!

MY #5 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK

A cute sounding rom-com by an author who I’ve recently re-discovered and come to love. Can’t wait to read Love Her or Lose Her.

Synopsis:

Rosie and Dominic Vega are the perfect couple: high school sweethearts, best friends, madly in love. Well, they used to be anyway. Now Rosie’s lucky to get a caveman grunt from the ex-soldier every time she walks in the door. Dom is faithful and a great provider, but the man she fell in love with ten years ago is nowhere to be found. When her girlfriends encourage Rosie to demand more out of life and pursue her dream of opening a restaurant, she decides to demand more out of love, too. Three words: marriage boot camp. 

Never in a million years did Rosie believe her stoic, too-manly-to-emote husband would actually agree to relationship rehab with a weed-smoking hippie. Dom talking about feelings? Sitting on pillows? Communing with nature? Learning love languages? Nope. But to her surprise, he’s all in, and it forces her to admit her own role in their cracked foundation. As they complete one ridiculous—yet surprisingly helpful—assignment after another, their remodeled relationship gets stronger than ever. Except just as they’re getting back on track, Rosie discovers Dom has a secret… and it could demolish everything.

Click this link to purchase!* Love Her or Lose Her: A Novel

#4 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

Emma Mills writes quirky YA novels that manage to reach my inner teen every time I read one of her novels. Her books always fall high on my TBR!

Synopsis:

When Nina decides to take a radio broadcasting class her senior year, she expects it to be a walk in the park. Instead, it’s a complete disaster.

The members of Nina’s haphazardly formed radio team have approximately nothing in common. And to maximize the awkwardness her group includes Jamie, a childhood friend she’d hoped to basically avoid for the rest of her life.

The show is a mess, internet rumors threaten to bring the wrath of two fandoms down on their heads, and to top it all off Nina’s family is on the brink of some major upheaval.

Everything feels like it’s spiraling out of control―but maybe control is overrated?

Click this link to purchase!* Lucky Caller

MY #3 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

This sounds like a current version of You’ve Got Mail, but in reverse! I can’t wait to read how our protagonists fall in love in real life while battling it out anonymously in the twitterverse.

Synopsis:

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming — mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.

Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.

All’s fair in love and cheese — that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life — on an anonymous chat app Jack built.

As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate — people on the internet are shipping them?? — their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them

Click this link to purchase!* Tweet Cute

MY #2 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

Sounding surprising supernatural and spooky, yet also fielding a bit of a romance? Sold! (I love alliteration :))

Synopsis:

Echoes Between Us is bestselling author Katie McGarry’s breakout teen contemporary novel about a girl with everything to lose and the boy who will do anything to save her.

Veronica sees ghosts―more specifically, her mother’s ghost, thanks to the blinding migraines that consume her whole life and keep Veronica on the fringes. But the haunting afterimages make her wonder if there is something more going on….

Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but this All-American is hiding an adrenaline addiction that could kill him. Drawn to each other after a chance meeting, can they help each other battle the demons that haunt their every step or will they push their luck too far and risk losing it
all…including their lives?

Click this link to purchase!* Echoes Between Us

MY #1 MOST ANTICIPATED JAN’20 BOOK RELEASE!

My favorite Librarian-spy duo are back! If you haven’t read the Invisible Library series you are missing out! Don’t start with this novel, I think it’s #4 and there’s an underlying plot that you don’t want to spoil between Irene and Kai. I love this series.

Synopsis:

In the latest novel in Genevieve Cogman’s historical fantasy Invisible Library series, Irene and Kai have to team up with an unlikely band of misfits to pull off an amazing art heist, or risk the wrath of a dangerous villain in his secret island lair.

A Librarian spy’s work is never done, and after their latest adventure, Irene is summoned back to the Library. The world where she grew up is in danger of veering into chaos – so she needs to obtain a particular book to stop this happening. And the only copy of the edition they need is in the hands of a notorious Fae broker and trader in rare objects: Mr Nemo.

Irene and Kai make their way to Mr Nemo’s remote Caribbean island, and are invited to dinner – which includes unlikely company. And Mr Nemo has an offer for everyone there. He wants them to form a team to steal a specific painting from a specific world. And he swears that that he will give Irene the book she seeks, if she joins them – but only if he has the painting within the week.

No one can resist the deal he offers. But to get their rewards, they’ll have to work together. And is this really possible when the team includes a dragon techie plus assorted fae – filling the roles of gambler, driver and ‘the muscle’? Their goal? A specific Museum in Vienna, in an early twenty-first-century world. Here, their toughest challenge might be each other.

Click this link to purchase!* The Secret Chapter (The Invisible Library series)

Do your own most anticipated books match up with the Goodreads list? Check it out in the link below!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/popular_by_date/2020/January

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

When Gavin Scott’s marriage is on the rocks he turns to fellow Nashville Legends ballplayers for help. He’s embarrassed that it’s a problem in the bedroom that has let down his marriage but learns that may not actually be the real issue when their ‘Bromance Book Club’ prescribes a historical romance called Courting the Countess to help him with his knowledge of how to re-build his relationship with his wife. He realizes that sometimes the problem on the surface is not the real problem at all and he works really hard to open up and communicate with Thea, but is it too late?

A novel where men get together and read romances in order to help them figure out the inner workings of the female mind? I’m in! The premise of the Bromance Book Club was kind of silly and charming but I was surprised to learn that this story also had a lot of depth. Gavin needs to learn why he and his wife started to change and in the midst of figuring out how to bring the heat back, their characters also came to the realization that their experiences with life in the past may have made an impact on how they are acting towards each other now. I liked the balance of serious and silly and looked forward to reading every page to see how our couple figured things out.

Thea’s past with an absentee father and problematic mother caused all sorts of problems in her marriage that I think readers could identify with and how she slowly accepted Gavin back into her heart was at a pace that helped the situation feel believable and allowed me to buy into their story. The thing that was hard to swallow was how at first she had already written Gavin off and just wanted it to be all over already. She spent a good portion of this book pissed off and when that anger wasn’t directed at Gavin I enjoyed it. I had a little harder time with the balance of anger and forgiveness. I loved Gavin right from the start, but didn’t love her for him. In the end I was glad he got his gal, but I wished she had been a little more likable.

I also wish a little more time was spent with the Bromance Book Club. These guys were pretty funny and I think there almost needed to be a little more humor to balance the serious love story. The next novel revolves around Thea’s sister Liv and Gavin’s teammate and adversary Braden Mack. I think that relationship may provide a little more humor even though Liv may be working through some of the same issues as her sister. She was not a favorite of mine in this book, but I loved Braden Mack. Hopefully there’s a better balance and she let’s the anger go a little sooner than her sister.

This book has been on my radar for quite a few months. While it didn’t knock it out of the park for me it was a solid 4.0 rating and a novel I enjoyed in a series that I can’t help but feel may get better as it goes along.. at least that’s my hope! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“The Bromance, like I mentioned before were a hoot, and there were parts of this story that were entertaining. I loved the scene where Thea finally stands up to the queen bee WAG, and her and Gavin’s daughters were absolutely adorable. While The Bromance Book Club wasn’t a solid winner for me, I am interested in reading the next book in this series. Even if I do loathe myself a bit for it.” Books and Beauty Are My Bag

“The Bromance Book club may be a sweet and entertaining rom-com, but there is certain depth to it, as it is also a very relatable tale of second chances and family dynamics. ” Readingtonic

Click this link to purchase!* The Bromance Book Club

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads