Tag: overdrive

This Chick Read: Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin

Jude and Lauren have been best friends since the third grade and despite their differences they are always there to support the other when times get rough. Usually they both don’t hit rock bottom at the same time. After Lauren’s fiancé leaves her and their daughter, Lauren’s confidence takes a hit, but she stays strong for her daughter Adelaide wanting to show her that a strong woman can achieve anything. Jude is also going through some family issues. Since her father died her mom has gone off the deep end and Jude’s been floating her money, not knowing how to deal with this new situation. Needing each other’s strength, Lauren (and Adelaide!) and Jude move in together. Together they start a podcast about being single, raising a daughter, and dating building a brand that strikes a chord with their listeners. They just wish that real life were as funny as their podcast portrays, but despite life’s challenges the strength of their friendship will help pull them through it all.

A novel about friendship, love, and family? Sold! I’m a huge fan Alexa Martin’s NFL romance series, Playbook, and while this novel is not a romance there is plenty of love to be had on its pages. The friendship between Jude and Lauren is the kind of friendship that women dream of and probably rarely ever get. It defies all of life’s changes, marriage, and children. Jude is Lauren’s biggest fan and the feeling is absolutely returned. Of course, there is a lot of conflict in this novel as well, but just as in a romance, these ladies do get their happily ever after.

Who is my favorite character in this novel? Adelaide, of course! This five year old little girl has an old soul and enough sass to fill a swimming pool! Her character was such fun to read and added some much needed humor to the drama. I totally want Adelaide to star in her own young adult, new adult, and adult contemporary novels. She was a hoot!

I love how Alexa Martin shares her perspective through her characters. Her romance novel couples were of mixed race, and this lady friendship is between a white woman and black woman and Jude’s character speaks to the things she’s learned about racial inequality and how her best friend Lauren has been treated in her life. Jude is a mouthy white woman who doesn’t have a problem calling out injustices on behalf of her friend, despite Lauren not wanting to bring attention to them herself. This is a fictional novel but that doesn’t mean that the reader can’t learn by what the characters go through. Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes had many such moments.

If, like me, you are a fan of Alexa Martin’s you’ll probably pick up this novel. If you’ve never heard of Alexa Martin I think you will enjoy reading this story about overcoming obstacles while having a good friend by your side. These characters were easy to identify with, root for and love, plus there’s Adelaide, the star of the book. LOL!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase!* Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes

Copyright 2021 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

Portrait of a Scotsman (League of Extraordinary Women #3) by Evie Dunmore

Hattie Greenfield is a bluestocking, a woman who has thoughts about her independence and rights. She, along with her friends, belong to the Women’s Suffrage Movement. An organization that is hoping to overturn and reform women’s rights in their homes, as well as being given the right to vote. Hattie does have some form of independence as one in a class of female scholars at Oxford and her father gives her a little bit of freedom. However, when she ditches her guard to take a tour in the home of an unmarried gentleman, Lucian Blackstone, she starts the ball rolling in a direction she doesn’t intend. She finds Mr. Blackstone enigmatic and interesting and she is drawn to him, but when she “leans in” to him to give him a kiss they are discovered and her actions prove to much for her father to overlook. She ends up married to Lucian Blackstone.

Hattie is the daughter of a banker in a family full of business minds. Because of her dyslexia she finds herself shuffled into the “pretty” catagory by her family and her intelligence is discounted. Mind you, she’s smart enough to be taking classes at Oxford, but her inability to write things down without getting numbers and letters confused makes her father think she’s not bright. Hattie is also a victim of circumstance. Her father has built his wealth but they are not in the higher levels of society and her marriage to a lord is of the utmost importance to help elevate her family’s station. When she is seen giving Mr. Blackstone a peck on the lips, in front of a group of people no less, she is forced to accept his hand in marriage and despite her fascination with him she has a lot to learn about her husband and his intentions.

Lucian comes from a coal mining family background. Her mother after being knocked up by the lord of the manor (who probably raped her) comes back to live in the coal mining town she is from, which is where Lucian starts his life. When he’s a young teen he becomes homeless and lives on the streets of London and talks his way into a shop keeper’s job, and his upward trajectory is started. He never forgets where he came from and who the man was who took advantage of his mother. The rest of his life is built for him to make money so he has the chance to take him down. So you can see that Hattie has a lot to deal with when she becomes married to Mr. Blackstone.

I have been fascinated with this era and have found this series to be so interesting! I think Portrait of a Scotsman portrays that world in black and white, and what it means to be a woman in it regardless of how much money you have. Until Hattie’s world changed by marrying Lucian Blackstone she was just going through the motions of being in the Suffrage Movement. Her handoff from her father to a husband without being given a choice brought the truth home. She had zero control over her own life. So what is Hattie to do about it? You’ll just have to read this riveting novel yourself to find out.

Never fear, there is romance in Portrait of a Scotsman, although Hattie certainly makes Lucian work for it, but for me this story is more revelatory for our main character (and me!) than it is romantic. Yes, there is a lot of heat between Hattie and Lucian, but she is on a journey of self-discovery and just because she’s married doesn’t mean that’s going to be the end of her education. Truth be told her journey does not actually happen alone, her husband learns quite a few things himself, and after quite a bit of conflict they do achieve their happily ever after.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link if you’d like to purchase this book!* Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women)

Copyright 2021 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? (9/6/21)

A long holiday weekend makes it easy to set aside time to read. I set myself up with a difficult task of reading and reviewing four books that all come out on the same day. How did I do that?!! Three down and one to go thank goodness. I’m doing much better than I thought I would. If you live in the US and had the extra day off this weekend I hope you’re enjoying it with a good book as well!

JUST FINISHED

I’ve read this author’s previous two novels and thought I new her style but I was really surprised by the switch from YA contemporary to YA Christian (is that a genre?). This was definitely more religious than I’d normally pick out for myself but I let myself sink into the story and the message this author wanted to tell and really LOVED it. Please look for my review this week.

JUST STARTED

This is the last ARC for the four books I needed to read and review that are out next week. This looks like a fun, light story which is why I left this one for last. I haven’t yet started it but I think this will be what I’m reading on my day off today.

Are you on holiday this weekend as well? Or are you looking forward to getting off from work and getting back to that great book you started this weekend? Either way, I hope your book is a good one and brings you much joy!

Happy Monday!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

June Jones is content working as a library’s assistant in her villages local branch when it’s threatened with being shuttered. Although the funds have been dwindling and it’s a bit shabby, this library is the home away from home not just for June but also for other villagers who need a place to gather. Never having left the small boundaries of her village June is distraught on behalf of the village but mostly on behalf of herself, who’s memories of her own mother are tied to the books in this building. The shy June must decide what’s more important, living with her mothers memories, or fighting this shut down and making new memories of her own.

Set in a quiet English village, June seems to be your typical quiet librarian. More at peace with books than with people. As this novel moves forward the reader see’s June as the villagers see her, the tie that binds her villagers together. I was pleasantly surprised by how moved I was by this novel. I thought I knew what I would be reading but as June dared to live outside the quiet comforts she knew the pages filled with color and emotion.

If this novel were only about June it may have been a typical story about a girl who likes to escape through a good book. Instead it was about June’s relationships with the people in her village and how her kindness helped them through their own trials throughout the years. Giving book advice, tutoring a high school student, teaching an older man to read, there were many facets of June that we don’t initially see. Each new light shone through a different character that was introduced and I have to admit there were some pretty outstanding characters that helped June shine so bright.

The Last Chance Library’s pace started off slow but as I got immersed in the story it quickly quickened. I found that sleepy English villages can be pretty exciting, or at least they can when the villagers decide to rise up. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Last Chance Library

Copyright 2021 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: Uncharted (Survival Instincts #2) by Adriana Anders

Hot-shot pilot Leo Eddowes is asked to evacuate a man from the wilds of Alaska and eagerly jumps at the chance, despite some bad guys on her tail. Crash landing near his cabin, Leo realizes that she was led astray for the man she’s rescuing is non other than most wanted ex-agent Elias Thorne. Needing to rely on each other to survive they help each other outwit and out-survive the men who want to find them… dead or alive. While on the run Leo finds that Elias isn’t the dangerous man she’s been led to believe and she’s determined to help him rebuild the life he’d left behind. As soon as they get out of the Alaska wilderness.

It’s been a couple of years since I read the first novel in this series but what I did remember is how fast-paced the story was, and how each chapter held my interest. Uncharted was no different. It started off with a plane crash and even as our two main characters were getting to know each other they were doing it while running for their lives. Leo was a really great character. Not only was she a great pilot but she had a lot of hidden depths that were revealed as the novel moved along. Despite her own fears she had so much empathy for Elias that she let her emotions take over and went with her gut in allowing herself to develop feelings for him.

Elias surprised me as well. He had been living by himself for the last decade and had pretty much lost his way, living inside his own head about all that had gone wrong in his past. He saw Leo as too good to be true, but he didn’t fight his feelings very hard either and let the mountain man take charge. He was going to get her out of the wilderness even if it killed him. I loved how the two of them connected emotionally and just totally went for it. The danger of the moment pushed them a bit and probably because of that it didn’t seem too far-fetched.

Uncharted was a fun book to read. I really loved how they fought their enemies, feelings, and their environment and despite the danger you just knew they were going to come out on top. If you have not read Whiteout, the first novel in the series you don’t need to although the underlining story crosses through both books. I think you can get the gist by reading this novel as a standalone. However, Whiteout was really good too so if you have the time pick it up first. I promise that the time will fly by while you read these books! The stories are action-filled and the characters full of a passion for life and for each other. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Uncharted: A Scorching Hot Forced Proximity Romance (Survival Instincts, 2)

Copyright 2021 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: Fake by Kylie Scott

A-list actor Patrick Walsh stops in the restaurant where Norah works as a waitress once a month for a little peace and quiet. One day he’s followed in by his manager who accosts his quiet evening . Norah tries to run interference but ends up as a sidekick to their stupid plan of his dating an “everywoman”. Someone not from his life who would help him do some damage control on his rapidly eroding reputation. Norah’s bland manner in the face of his hotness makes her the perfect person to partner in this crazy scheme. She is totally unimpressed with him, or at least she makes him think so. Their perfect plan starts to unravel when they start to develop feelings for each other. Of course!

This is the perfect “I dated a famous actor” fantasy. Or it would be if Norah were actually dating Patrick. I loved how despite the script they were supposed to follow they actually liked each others personalities. Norah was low-key but didn’t have trouble saying what was on her mind. This was something that Patrick wasn’t used to which made her unique. He on the other hand wasn’t anything like the characters he portrayed in the movies. He was quiet and a bit of a grump, so much so that each time he smiled Norah considered it a win.

I have come to love Kylie Scott’s stories. Even if some of them are kind of silly like the plot in Fake, the reader ends up going all in, loving the characters and rooting for them to find their happily happily. This novel was no different. It was a bit of light-hearted fun, with a side of serious. Enough that the conflict (albeit kind of a minor one in this plot) brought the reader to a conclusion where they were satisfied, at least that’s how I felt.

Despite the fantasy plot, or even maybe because of it, I can’t think of a thing I didn’t like about this novel. I loved the characters, plot, and how Patrick and Norah grew together over time. It was a fun book to read, perfect for a vacation getaway or a long drive listening to your audiobook. I can’t wait for the next West Hollywood novel!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Fake

Copyright 2021 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 Chicks Audio Review: Firstlife (Everlife #1) by Gena Showalter

What if the life you were currently living wasn’t your only life? Tenley Lockwood has been sent to the Prynne Asylum, a prison for those kids who have not chosen who to spend there Everlife, Troika or Myriad. To factions who need to build their armies and who are fighting for control over the Everlife. Ten has a fascination with numbers and both Troika and Myriad are convinced that she holds the key in their war for dominance in the Everlife. They send two handlers to help convince her to choose their faction and she becomes close with both of them. As they fight to keep her alive and give her the chance to choose before her Firstlife ends she makes some discoveries about both that make her decision hard. A decision that may disappoint the one she loves.

Firstlife was a non-stop action adventure novel that luckily was easy to follow. Ten was the person that both factions believed they needed to gain dominance over the other. The reader was told the reason but other than surviving a bunch of attempts on her life she didn’t really show the reason why she was that special. She was pretty obstinate in not letting anyone push her to make a decision before she was ready, despite the life and death action that was going on around her. I’m going to guess we find out about her abilities a little more in the second novel? At least I hope so.

As with many YA fantasy novels, Ten is helped by two young men, both of whom she becomes close with but unlike the typical YA trope, only one she falls for. Without spoiling her choice I will say that she doesn’t let her feelings sway her decision on who the best faction may be for her which was pretty refreshing!

I listened to the audiobook of this novel and it was narrated by two people, Emma Galvin and Zachary Webber. I am familiar with Zachary Webber’s work and per usual he was awesome. Emma Galvin read from Tenley’s point of view which was the majority of the story and I thought she did a great job of displaying all of the emotions this character felt while being chased through the majority of this book. A tough read, for sure!

I am a huge fan of fantasy novels and have had this series on my TBR for awhile. I really enjoyed the narration and if you have the time would recommend your giving this book a try. If you read it instead of listen, I’d imagine the action would speed your reading along quite quickly. You’ll be surprised at how much this character goes through. It was kind of exhausting!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase! Firstlife (An Everlife Novel)

Copyright 2021 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: Deep (Stage Dive #4) by Kylie Scott

Ben and LIzzy have a secret friendship. They text and call each other but never take it any further despite their attraction to each other. Why? Well, Ben is the bass player for the world famous band Stage Dive, and Lizzy is his best friend and bandmates new sister in law. Who has been declared hands off, except for that one night…. When Lizzy finds herself pregnant their secret friendship is blown wide open.

Lizzy has had a crush on Ben since she was 19, when her sister started hanging out with Mal from Stage Dive. She would admit that she semi stalked him into being her text buddy and kind of friend. After she ends up pregnant Ben tries to do the right thing except he doesn’t know how. She goes on tour with them but isn’t “together” with Ben and his life hasn’t changed all that much. Except he doesn’t have any interest in one night stands anymore.

LIzzy and Ben were always just side notes to the other members of the band and their girlfriends and I’ll admit that this book felt like the author kind of kept that side note thing going. It took them too long to commit to their feelings for each other. Lizzy feels betrayed and Ben needs a friend of his to show him how he’s failed at being there for her before he figures out he needs to change his ways. It was slightly frustrating. I didn’t hate reading this novel because Kylie Scott is way too talented to leave me hanging out there too long but these two weren’t my favorite pairing of the series. The other band mates and their ladies were just too charismatic. Ben and Lizzy felt like it tried to hard to get that same reaction from the reader.

I’m kind of sad that this was the last book in the Stage Dive series and it ended on somewhat of a bummer note for me. I think I’m going to go back an re-read the other novels so that I remember how much I loved those characters. That may also give me a little more insight into Ben and LIzzy too. Although my impression is that they didn’t change all that much from their previous iterations. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Deep (Stage Dive Series Book 4)

Copyright 2021 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: Battle Royal by Lucy Parker

Sylvie Fairchild and Dominic De Vere first met on a television cooking competition. No they weren’t both competing, Sylvie was, but Dominic was one of the judges. They loathed each other at first sight. When Sylvie opens up her bakery right across the street from Dominic’s they can’t help but be competitive, each striving to win the next big account. When Sylvie gets cast as one of the judges on the same cooking show where she met Dominic its the first time she see’s more than a few minutes of him. When the palace announces a royal engagement they end up working together to unravel a mystery. The more time Sylvie and Dominic spend together they see another surprising side to the person he/she thought they knew.

Full disclosure! I am a HUGE fan of both Lucy Parker and the British Baking Championship which their show is based off of, so I knew going in that I was going to either hate this novel or LOVE it. Lucy Parker’s writing chops wins again and I ended up falling for both of these characters. Battle Royal was “brilliant” as the British say, but it was also a ton of fun.

Sylvie Fairchild is all glitter, sparkles, and colors, and Dominic is staid, neutral, and elegant. Who would have thought that the two of them would strike a match? When they start researching a mystery about the royal house, they get glimpses of something in the other that strikes a chord in what they’ve missed through their entire lives. I really liked these two as a couple and even though they had a long journey it was totally worth the happy ending.

This novel had all of the fun themes of a fast paced story. A competition, evil characters, a historical mystery, and the behind the scenes drama of a baking show. A lot of characters had emotional journeys, not just our two main protagonists, and I really got involved in every sub plot. This novel was so much fun.

If you haven’t read Lucy Parker’s London Celebrities series, please check them out. I think I read each one a few times over the last year because they made me feel good when I needed that jolt of happiness. Battle Royal is my newest addiction and you can bet I’ll be getting a copy in every format.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase!* Battle Royal: A Novel

Copyright 2021 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? (8/16/21)

This past week saw my first foray back into an office environment. Although my company has opted for a hybrid setting, two days in the office and one day at home. It was good to see everyone face to face, although really we only see people’s eyes nowadays since we’re all masked up in person, but that camaraderie is hard to replace over a Zoom call. LOL. I don’t know about you, but I must be one of the few who enjoy working at home more than I do in the office. I relish the quiet and being able to make a business call without having 20 people listen in on my phone conversation. What does this have to do with what I read this week? Well, I used my audiobook to cut out the conversation around me and finished up a fun science fiction novel. Let’s get to discussing books!

JUST FINISHED

I previously read this novel but listening to it was a lot of fun too. It’s very fast-paced and our main character is troubled but has a great heart. She grew a lot in this novel, but having read the series I know that her future also has a lot of person growth which I love. There is also a romance component to this series, which adds some sizzle, but honestly the action scenes were what I loved about these novels the most. Check it out if you haven’t read it, this series is a blast!

JUST STARTED

This novel is falls into the romantic suspense genre, which was a perfect sequé from the action-packed fantasy novel I had just finished. I’m about 40% into it and the story starts out fast which our heroine under fire. I have recently discovered Adriana Anders with the first novel in this series and really enjoy her quick and easy style of writing! This is book two so look up the first “Whiteout” if you want to jump into the series. It’s good!

You can see I’m all about the action this week! What genre of book has caught your attention this week? Is it good? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads