Tag: reading

This Chick Read: Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Rue Siebert is a successful engineer at Kline, a promising bio-tech start-up. Her life is stable and secure until Kline is bought out and their very attractive front man comes in to evaluate the company. Eli Killgore and his partners want Kline, but since meeting Rue, Eli also wants her but she’s off limits, or she should be. Rue and Eli are faced with amazing chemistry and decide to have a secret affair with a deadline. The day the buy-out goes through.

Ali Hazelwood’s novels typically run more towards a slow burn love story but Not In Love immediately introduces the heat and the flame just gets hotter as the story moves forward, never dimming. Not quite erotica, but the steamiest novel I’ve read in quite awhile. So, if you are leary of explicit scenes, especially in audio books, you may want to steer towards a paperback that you can skim through. This author has always done a great job at building up the tension in the two main characters, and because she’s taken away the ‘will they or won’t they’ build-up she supplies us with a really great subplot, the reason for Kline’s takeover.

In an interview I read with the author, she described this novel as being full of “angst”. I’d certainly agree. Rue delves into this secret relationship with Eli, has constant regrets, and her friends don’t want her to have this relationship. Eli, too, has friends who don’t agree with his pursuit of Rue. Reading both character’s POV’s help the reader understand these characters and definitely adds to the emotional tension. I was thankful for Eli’s point of view because Rue comes off as kind of a cold character, hiding all of her wants and needs behind this cool persona. A facade she uses to protect herself from hurt. If I hadn’t been able to see how Eli viewed Rue, it may have been difficult to get past her walls and identify with her and like her.

I truly enjoy these STEM romances by Hazelwood. She is now not the only one writing in this sub-sub genre, but I favor her style and look forward to seeing what aspects of real-life women she will write into her characters. Rue was a little more difficult to like, but I still appreciated her differences and loved how Eli viewed and was attracted to her character. Their love story was different, a little more antagonistic, and yes “angsty”, but I still enjoyed reading their story. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Not In Love

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.

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This Chick Read: Avenging Angel by Kristen Ashley

Raye Armstrong has a need to right the worlds wrongs. As she’s tracking down an alleged kidnapper she runs across private investigator Julien “Cap” Jackson who was trained by the Nightingale Investigations team in Denver. Cap is immediately drawn to Raye and inserts himself into her life meeting her friends, family, and neighbors. Raye take just a touch longer to realize Cap is the man for her but once she does she lets him into her life and never looks back, but she still continues her Avenging Angel efforts.

Finally a spin-off of KA’s first series, the Rock Chicks. Cap was a teen in those books, and at the time, better known as Sniff. A scrawny, pimply faced young kid who was surviving on the streets of Denver before being adopted and raised essentially in Nightingale Investigations. His new nickname came about in the military because of his likeness to Captain America. Scrawny boy becomes big muscled and attractive man a la Chris Evans. It was fun to catch-up with his character but Raye was truly the star of this story. Just as with the Rock Chick series, she was a woman with a mission and hers was to defend the weak and put the dangerous and despicable behind bars. Also like the Rock Chicks, she has her girl posse that she partners with while on these dangerous missions.

The romance story arc between Cap and Raye was instantaneous and while it was fun, it was really Raye’s personal story arc that captured my interest. Cap was certainly there to support her, but it was her group of friends at home and her girl gang that gave this novel that Rock Chick feel. Slightly nutty, but a group of people with big hearts that were there for Raye when she needed them and/or just created a fun scene. This novel set the stage for a series of new stories centering around this group of friends and I can’t wait to delve in and read where their lives take us. The next book in this series is out in December! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Avenging Angel

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.

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This Chick Read: Birding With Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb

When a friend asks Celeste to partner with his buddy John for an event, newly divorced Celeste dives into the project and pretends to be his girlfriend. What she doesn’t realize is that John doesn’t need a girlfriend but a partner in Tucson’s largest bird-watching contest. Needing the recognition that the title winner will receive in order to start his bird-watching business, John agrees to become teammates, and a fake couple. As John and Celeste hike through the wilderness, it feeds Celeste’s hunger for new adventures and John’s tutorials are great practice for his dream job. Their chemistry becomes undeniable and they decide to be birders with benefits.

Birding With Benefits has a very simple premise and a pretty simple story but the characters had some depth which added interest and fun to the story. Celeste’s ex left her with some insecurities that she is fighting hard to overcome. Yes, she was a little too exuberant at first but her character grew on me and I enjoyed her antics even if it was a severe departure from my own comfort zone. I’m probably a little more like John, quiet, and comfortable in his skin. Not needing to live up to anyone’s expectations except his own. I did really like how their personality quirks brought out something in each other, for John a little bit of silliness, and for Celeste a little bit of stability. They were a good match.

This author did a great job of creating two likable characters and explored this opposites attract theme to its limits in a new and interesting way. Who’d have thought you could find love while birding? I enjoyed both the silly aspects of their first-meet, but also the journey as they helped partner each other through some new changes in their lives. All in all an enjoyable book!

❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Birding With Benefits

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.

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This Chick Read: Just For The Summer by Abby Jimenez

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work. Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

Just as with other Abby Jimenez novels, Justin and Emma are well thought out, fully fleshed characters. Justin, after agreeing to raise his three siblings after his mother’s jail sentence doesn’t have a lot of time to date Emma, but he knows she is THE one. Despite what they set out to do, he has fallen for her. I love Justin’s caring nature and willingness to be there for Emma despite his own troubles. Emma after a tumultuous upbringing has created a lifestyle as a traveling nurse that makes it almost impossible to set down roots. Her baggage is real and it’s pretty heavy. It’s sad to say, but as I was reading this I was waiting for her to take her bags and run. I don’t relish feeling that about one of my romantic leads. It made it really hard for me to commit to trusting her character which affected my enjoyment of the book.

Were there some positive moments in this book? Absolutely! Was there great dialog and humorous moments? You bet! I laughed and felt all the emotions. I just held myself back from fully committing. Kind of like Emma did actually. Hmmmm.

❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Just For the Summer

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.

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This Chick Read: Wild About You by Kaitlynn Hill

Natalie Hart is struggling to pay her college tuition when she sees a casting call for a very popular outdoor reality show called Wild Adventures. She cares about her skin care routine too much to have much camping experience but she submits and application and wins a spot on the cast. She’s up for the adventure and the chance at the winning prize that will help her pay her bills. When she’s partnered with the surly, outdoorsy, Finn Markum she is determinedly cheerful and hopeful that his experience and her social media charm will help them make it to the final. Along the way, maybe there’s the chance at building some friendships.

Wild About You was a fun, very easy to read young adult adventure style novel with two completely likable main characters. Kaitlynn Hill did a very good job at contrasting her easy breezy style of writing with some real-life problems such as anxiety, panic attacks, and parental issues. The game show format made it easy for the reader to connect to all of the cast of characters while at the same time rooting for our favorite main character duo.

There were several things I liked about Wild About You. These young characters had real-life issues that a reader could easily identify with, the growth of Natalie and Finn’s relationship was steady and sweet, and the competition. Actually that last thing was probably my favorite because I’m a reality show competition fan. All of these things made this story interesting, light, but with a bit of depth- adding character to the right parts of the story. I thought it was very well done! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Wild About 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.

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This Chicks Sunday Commentary: My Top 5 Most Anticipated Book Releases- June’24

Are you gearing up for a vacation this summer? There are some great book releases in June, just in time for you to grab one or two and take them with you! These are the books I’m really looking forward to reading.

#5 BOOK RELEASE

If you like romances with a hint of magic you should pick up an Ashley Poston novel. Most recently she’s had big hits with The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip. A Novel Love Story’s synopsis seems to fit this magical realism genre. I can’t wait to sit on a beach and dip into this book!

Synopsis: Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel…

Because it is.

This place can’t be real, and yet… she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.

Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.

Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.

Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.

Click this link to purchase this book!* A Novel Love Story

#4 BOOK RELEASE

The best-selling author of The Sun is Also a Star and Everything Everything, Nicola Yoon’s newest novel One Of Our Kind gives me a ‘something’s wrong in the burbs’ vibe.

Synopisis: Jasmyn and King Williams move their family to the planned Black utopia of Liberty, California hoping to find a community of like-minded people, a place where their growing family can thrive. King settles in at once, embracing the Liberty ethos, including the luxe wellness center at the top of the hill, which proves to be the heart of the community. But Jasmyn struggles to find her place. She expected to find liberals and social justice activists striving for racial equality, but Liberty residents seem more focused on booking spa treatments and ignoring the world’s troubles.

Jasmyn’s only friends in the community are equally perplexed and frustrated by most residents’ outlook. Then Jasmyn discovers a terrible secret about Liberty and its founders. Frustration turns to dread as their loved ones start embracing the Liberty way of life.

Will the truth destroy her world in ways she never could have imagined?

Thrilling with insightful social commentary, One of Our Kind explores the ways in which freedom is complicated by the presumptions we make about ourselves and each other.

Click this link to purchase this book!* One Of Our Kind

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

#3 BOOK RELEASE

I was lucky enough to receive an arc of this novel and enjoyed it tremendously. Another women in STEM romance with sizzling heat and intellectual smarts. Great characters and plot too!

Synopsis: Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who’s off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Not In Love

#2 BOOK RELEASE

Ah Christina Lauren, how I do love thee, when your books are good that is. Tangled Up In You is the fourth installation in the Meant To Be series . Each author spins a romance from a fairytale and in this case the story is Disney’s Tangled. Always willing to give one of their novels the benefit of the doubt, I’m excited to jump into this story!

Synopsis: Ren has never held an iPhone, googled the answer to a question, or followed a crush on social media. What she has done: Read a book or two, or three (okay, hundreds). Taught herself to paint. Built a working wind power system from scratch. But for all the books she’s read, Ren has never found one that’s taught a woman raised on a homestead and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years how to live in the real world. So when she finally achieves her lifelong dream of attending Corona College, it feels like her life is finally beginning.

Fitz has the rest of his life mapped out: Graduate from Corona at the top of his class, get his criminal record wiped clean, and pass himself off as the rich, handsome player everyone thinks he is. He’s a few short months from checking off step one of his plans when Ren Gylden, with her cascading blonde hair and encyclopedic brain, crashes into his life, and for the first time Fitz’s plan is in jeopardy.

But a simple assignment in their immunology seminar changes the course of both their lives, and suddenly they’re thrown out of the frying pan and into the fireon a road trip that will lead them in the most unexpected directions. Out on the open road, the world somehow shifts, and the unlikely pair realize that, maybe, the key to the dreams they’ve both been chasing have been sitting next to them the whole time.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Tangled Up In You

MY TOP BOOK RELEASE FOR JUNE’24

Based on the synopsis and the title I’m hoping I’ll get a few laughs from this book. Katherine Center has written two of my favorite comedy rom-coms so the chance is there! The synopsis looks good so I’m all in.

Synopsis:

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies—good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates—The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!—it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone—much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script—it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter—even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules—and comes true?

Click this link to purchase this book! The Rom-Commers

Pick up a book and get reading!

Deb

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This Chick Read: Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio

Orie Lennox has graduated from college but life just isn’t what she thought it would be. She’s a social media influencer with her sister, is dating someone she doesn’t love, and is having trouble figuring out what she’s going to do with her life. When she sees a casting call for a Survivor-like television show, she decides to submit an application and within months is off to Fiji as one of ten contestants. If she’d read the fine print on her contract she’d have realized that there was a chance that she would actually be in a spin-off and finds herself in a Survivor-ish speed dating reality show with no showers, deodorant, or makeup and literally attached at the hip to another contestant. When she finds that first contestant is her high school crush, Remy she thinks it’s her chance to get her life back on track.

I love discovering a new author that can balance the “rom” with the “com”. Christine Riccio had me laughing out loud at Orie and the other contestants antics. Orie was so easy to like and her alliances in the reality show were a lot of fun to read. I kind of wish this program was real because I’d totally be watching it every week and Orie would’ve been who I’d be tuning in to see. She was a mess in her real life, but has an addiction for Survivor that makes her the perfect contestant. Remy was a good foil for Orie, and truthfully there wasn’t a character in their game I didn’t like. I appreciated that every person Orie interacted with made her grow as a character and helped her determine her life’s goals. Seeing her grow was really what made this story so successful.

There were so many favorite moments in this book that it’s hard to pinpoint a few, but here goes. Look for the tree episode for a great bit of comedy and sweet interactions, the secret handshake between new friends, and pretty much any time Orie surprised people by kicking their butts. LOL This was a really fun read and I’m curious how it will sound as an audiobook so I’ll probably go back and give it a re-read and listen to 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!* Attached at the Hip

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.

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This Chick Read: Liar’s Point (The Texas Murder Files #5) by Laura Griffin

It’s par for the course when a murder cuts short the first date Nicole Lawson has had in months. A body has been discovered at Light House point and a yoga instructor called it in. When Nicole interviews the woman she feels as if their only witness is holding something back. Lead investigator, Emmet Davis, has been Nicole’s rival and secret crush but when another body turns up she needs to set aside those feelings and work with Emmet to find out who is targeting their hometown.

I’ve enjoyed The Texas Murder Files series and have watched Nicole and Emmet tip-toeing around each other through four other books. I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure how Laura Griffin was going to pull off a mystery and a romance between these two, but Liar’s Point had an ease to it that gave the story a casual feel that fit the beach setting. The only tension, really, was the kind of high strung Nicole. As the only female detective in her department she feels like she’s fighting for position among the men but really she is the best detective they’ve got and her instincts are spot on.

The mystery itself wasn’t difficult to follow and I enjoyed the interactions between the characters, but I’ll admit it was the dynamic between Emmet and Nicole that I looked forward to reading. Readers have been waiting a long time for these two to get together. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Liar’s Point

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.

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This Chick Read: Mind Games by Nora Roberts

Every June, the Foxes drive up into the Appalachian mountains to drop their two children off with their Grammie. This year, as they head back down the mountain, they don’t realize it’s the last time they’ll see their children. When twelve year old Thea goes to sleep that night she dreams of their murders back home in Philadelphia and through that special kind of sight, connects with the killer. It’s her vision that puts him away in a maximum security prison for the rest of his life, but through that connection he continues to haunt her until she figures out a way to stop it.

Nora Roberts is the queen of many romantic subgenres and romantic suspense is one of my favorites. She writes great characters and her settings span the entire country. Mind Games takes place in the Appalachian mountains, which are pretty close to where I live and have driven through many times. I loved the vibe of that setting and how the evil that haunted Thea jarred with that easy country living and created this jarring note every time he entered the scene. Ms. Roberts always sets the tone so well.

I enjoyed all of the characters that made up Thea’s family and friends. The love story aspect of the book happened a little too late, to my taste, and the childhood trauma a little too long. I had wished that a little more time was spent in the current time but understand why the author chose to build upon Thea’s early childhood and build the suspense that would carry through to adulthood. I still wish we had gotten a little more romance and a little less evil prisoner.

I have read so many Nora Roberts novels and I have strong opinions about what makes a good NR story and when they are just average. I think this one falls kind of in between. Mind Games reminds me of some of her earlier novels where they feel a little less fleshed out. I still enjoyed it but it’s not one of my favorites. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Mind Games

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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This Chick Read: Unsteady by Peyton Corinne

Ever since Rhys Koteskiy took a brutal hit during the Frozen Four he’s suffered panic attacks every time he steps on the ice and is getting little sleep at night. The only time he feels calm is when Sadie Brown’s brand of chaos hits the ice. After witnessing one of his panic attacks during an early morning skate, Sadie and Rhys start a friendship. He feels too much and she feels too little but together they create the calm that each other needs.

I came across a review for this book that made me curious. A hockey player with panic attacks and the chaotic ice skater with behavioral issues? How will this author convince the reader that these two are the perfect match? Rhys’s problems were easy, a concussive hit that blinded him temporarily would scare anyone. I think we can identify with that, but Sadie’s back story could easily have painted her in the wrong light. Drunk father, caretaker to her two brothers, working multiple jobs to help pay bills, uses casual hook-ups to take the edge off, and is on Waterfell University’s ice skating team? Hmmm. How was this author going to pull over this Cinderella story? Sadie’s reputation was in tatters, but this hardworking college kid was in an untenable situation and her love for her brothers just shone through all of the grittiness of her character. After a while that light is what I saw. Mission accomplished.

I always enjoy stories that include children, especially if they are cute and add humor or heart. Sadie’s brothers both created tension but also gave the plot a release of sorts with their heart tugging moments. Rhys’s parents were also great side characters and their non-judgemental attitude was refreshing in a novel that is geared towards a younger reader and those characteristics were a great contrast to Sadie’s own deadbeat dad. Their involvement in the story created a roundness that made this novel feel more complete and not just a new adult college romance novel. I’ll admit I’ve been on a bit of a college hockey binge lately so these things set this novel apart from a lot of the others I’ve read. This was a well done and well thought out story.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Unsteady

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.

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