This Chick Read: The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck by Kylie Scott

When Lilah Goodluck saves the life of the Good Witch Willow she is given five predictions of her future, including lottery numbers and the fact that she will die on Sunday. She doesn’t believe any of it until she gets home and finds her boyfriend cheating on her… prediction #1. When the next one quickly follows and then she meets her designated soulmate, Alistair Lennox, the illegitimate son of the British king, she figures her life is doomed and sets about checking things off her bucket list, with Alistair by her side.

I wish Kylie Scott wrote a little quicker because I swear, her novels do not disappoint. More similar in style to her last book End of Story than to her rock star or alpha male romances, a little more sweet than salty, but just as good. Lilah has led a pretty safe life as a librarian until she starts to believe the good witches predictions when she branches out to try new things. Leaving any fears behind, she sasses her supposed soulmate and starts trying new experiences and realizes that she is actually enjoying life. It doesn’t hurt that Alistair is drop dead gorgeous, has a Scottish accent, and doesn’t seem to want to leave her alone in case the prediction about her death were to come true. This totally unique premise had me hooked from the start and riding along on their reluctant relationship satisfied my need for something different. It didn’t hurt that the book was just too dang good to put down.

I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t like about this book. The pace was great and Lilah’s bucket list items kept the book moving along. Alistair was a hunky hero with a dramatic backstory which added an interesting twist to their romance, and the side characters were quirky and interesting. Honestly, the more I think about this one, the more I realized how much I really liked 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!* The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck

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.

This Chick Read: Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Misery Lark is the daughter of the most powerful Vampyre Councilman in the southwest. When she is called upon to help broker peace between the Vampyre and their enemies the Weres she steps up to do her part. She marries the alpha wolf, Lowe Moreland. Lowe doesn’t trust easily and he really doesn’t trust his new bride.

I am obsessed with this novel! Her first novel in the paranormal genre and Ali Hazelwood hits a home run. The world building….wow! Vampyre, Humans, and Were live in the world together but in separate, heavily guarded regions. The humans are about to have a shift in leader which jeopardizes their vampyre relationship. When this new pact is made between Vampyre and Were – the first since a previous reunion ended in a massacre, Misery is asked to sacrifice her secret life among the humans to move into the unknown. Coming from a species who has very few emotional expressions, Misery finds the Were’s and their passionate responses dangerous but shows no fear and only increases her sassy, quick witted responses. She was fearless and funny.

Lowe was the perfect contrast to Misery’s coolness. She pretty much ignored his alpha stature and advanced into were life with humor and bravery- and had her own agenda. Lowe was conflicted in wanting to protect this little vampyre and see what she was up to. I loved their interactions and was fascinated with the differences in their species. This was a book where once I got lost in the world and the plot I COULD NOT PUT DOWN. It’s truly been awhile since I’ve said that.

Do you love Ali Hazelwood’s STEM romances? This one is different but there are many similarities too! Misery is smart, sassy, difficult, and brave. Just like the STEM heroines. Lowe is a bit more alpha, but he’s pretty similar to STEM romance heroes. Tall, handsome, in over his head with the female he’s interested in- definitely! It is just a different world that they live in, but everything Ali Hazelwood quirk that you love from her previous books are in this novel too. I am so eager for a second book in this series. We get a hint at the end so there better be one!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Bride

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.

This Chick Read: Making the Match (River Rain #4) by Kristen Ashley

Tom and Mika met long ago when Tom was a rising tennis star and Mika was the “It” girl. Tom was already in love and despite wanting to be friends, Mika knew it would be too hard and they went their separate ways. Years later after Mika goes through a personal loss they meet again but Tom’s transgression against his now ex-wife was too big for Mika to take the chance and she shut the door on any kind of relationship. Present day, Mika receives a packet in the mail the provides details that would affect a large sports company and picks up the phone to call Tom to ask for his help. Together they decide to investigate that mystery as well as start a new friendship with each other.

I’ll admit, I had zero interest in reading this novel. That’s a rarity for me because I read practically all of Kristen Ashley’s novels (I skipped the erotica) and have read the first three in this series and enjoyed them tremendously. Why, if I enjoyed the others was I going to skip this novel? It deals with a cheating spouse and I didn’t think I could look past that transgression to root for this couple. BUT I picked it up anyway because I wanted to read the most recent novel that just came out and knew this couple would be a part of it, if only as side characters. Surprisingly, I liked it. Not as much as the other novels in the book but I did enjoy more than I thought I would.

I’m not sure what makes an “It” person other than KA telling us that this character had it all that made her so fascinating to society, but as a person, I like Mika. She was interesting and had a view on life that was different and made me want to keep reading. I LOVED her daughter and hope she gets her own book in the future. She was FAB. Tom has been in the previous novels because they all revolve around his own family. His ex-wife’s love story as well as his daughter ‘s gave us a peek into his own emotional trauma and other than the cheating he seemed like an interesting character. What the author did with these two together was give the reader a reunion love story but also gave us this side plot “mystery” to focus on. For me that side plot was integral to pulling me into their story and ultimately had me liking the novel and these two characters.

Surprise! I really liked the two main characters by the end of the book. It helps that this author excels at giving her main characters interesting family members and friendships. They round out a story and provide comic relief or a glimpse into the future of another novel. This series is full of those moments and luckily enough I have purchased the newest novel already and can get down to reading it! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Making the Match

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.

This Chick Read: The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

Bree Camden and her best friend NFL quarterback Nathan Donelson are strictly in the friend zone. Although she has feelings, Bree doesn’t want to jeopardize a friendship that started when they were in high school. Once a ballerina striving to become a professional, Bree suffered a terrible accident that killed those dreams. Not wanting her circumstances to hold Nathan back she pushes him away and it’s years before they speak again. Now best friends again, they are both fighting their feelings. After a night of drinking Bree spills her secrets to a TMZ reporter and her story about she and her best friend goes viral.

This book has been on my radar for a bit but for some reason I hadn’t chosen to read it before now. I haven’t read a book by Sarah Adams but I’m for sure going to read more of her books now. This story combine’s the “best friends” and “fake boyfriend” tropes to create a really cute story. I thought Bree and her struggles to keep her dance studio open was something readers could identify with and let’s face it, Nathan and his secret crush on Bree was too adorable to turn away from. The only thing that got old was that Bree took too long to give up the “best friends” moniker and allow herself to give in to her feelings. When she finally did, the reading was easy breezy and so much fun.

My favorite part of this book was Nathan asking his football friends for advice on how to woo Bree. There’s nothing like a bunch of guys giving advice. The cheat list idea was totally cute and reading those ideas coming to fruition- some good and some bad- made for some funny moments. If you’re looking for that feel-good weekend or vacation novel, this is the book I’d recommend. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Cheat Sheet

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.

This Chick Read: The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka

After a recent divorce, singer-songwriter Riley Wynn approaches her label with a great concept, an album based on all of her break-ups. When her famous ex claims her newest single hit is about him she looks up her first love, Max, and asks him if she can release his name to the press. He agrees under one condition, he wants to go on tour and play the piano in that single. As they tour, they slowly work out their baggage and are given hints of hope for a future.

When Riley shows up at the retirement living center that Max is running he is faced with the regrets from his past. He chose his family over a life on the road with Riley and has always wondered what his life would’ve been like if he’d made the other choice. Her offer is the chance for him to see where that path would’ve led. I like a good second chance romance if the plot moves quickly but The Breakup Tour seemed to mire the story in both of their regrets, making it seem like it took forever before either of them could move past them. Because of that slow pace I felt like the tone of the story was moody and sad rather than playful and fun.

I loved how the author’s actually gave us the lyrics to the songs we were reading about. They all fell at the end of the book and I think I’d have liked to have read them sooner, but they were a wonderful addition and were filled with the words I’d imagined while reading about Riley singing them. I always enjoy song-filled stories and The Breakup Tour (the novel) could’ve had an album full of words filling these pages.

I enjoyed Riley and Max’s second chance story and although I’d wished their happy reunion was filled with more light hearted moments it felt real. I thought the ending was totally satisfying and I loved where the story led us. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click the link to purchase this book!* The Breakup Tour

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.

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

I feel like this February has more books being released by authors I love than normal. This was a hard list to choose my favorites, but I am up for the task! I’ve perused my favorite book lists and found a few that I can’t wait to read and a couple that I’ve already enjoyed. Here are my top 5.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this novel. Guys, it was so good! I love the way Kylie Scott writes characters who a reader can enjoy. Sometimes I feel like I’m forcing myself to like a character in order to get through a story. Not this one! I loved these two main characters.

Synopsis: When Lilah Goodluck saves the life of Good Witch Willow as they’re crossing a busy L.A. street, the last thing she expects is five unwanted predictions as a reward. Who gives someone the winning lotto numbers then tells them they’ve only got a week to live? And who believes in that nonsense anyway?
 
But when the first three predictions come true within twenty-four hours, Lilah’s disbelief turns to mild panic. She’s further horrified when she nearly runs a car off the road that belongs to Alistair Lennox, who just happens to be the illegitimate son of the British king.
 
While Alistair is intrigued by her preposterous story, Lilah is adamant about resisting the heat between her and the playboy prince. If she denies he’s her soulmate, then the last prediction can’t come true, right? As the days count down, they become maybe friends…and then maybe more. But between the relentless paparazzi and some disapproving royals, finding time for love isn’t easy, especially when her days may be numbered.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck

Tia Williams previous novel Seven Days in June was soooo good! I knew A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was going to make my top 5 with its book release. Can’t wait!

Synopsis: Leap years are a strange, enchanted time. And for some, even a single February can be life-changing.

Ricki Wilde has many talents, but being a Wilde isn’t one of them. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. Where they’re long-stemmed roses, she’s a dandelion: an adorable bloom that’s actually a weed, born to float wherever the wind blows. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her.

When regal nonagenarian, Ms. Della, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumps at the chance for a fresh beginning. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers.

One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way.  

Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked. 

Click this link to purchase this book!* A Love Song For Ricki Wilde

It’s been a few years since the last Katie Ruggle romance novel and when I saw this one was coming out I clicked that auto-buy button immediately. Her characters are quirky, fun, and always surprise me with their depth. She also writes a great action sequence so don’t be surprised if there’s a little danger in that romantic plot.

Synopsis:

When Dahlia Weathersby’s sister disappears on what should have been a simple day hike, Dahlia immediately heads deep into the Colorado Rockies to find her. Knowing she’ll never survive the mountains alone, she convinces the local hermit—adorably grouchy survival expert Winston Dane—to be her guide. All it takes is a good helping of Dahlia’s charm…and just the teeniest bit of blackmail…before she’s got all six-foot-something of him wrapped around her finger. But even with her very own mountain man in tow, things aren’t going to be easy. There are:

  • Long hikes through gorgeous wilderness? Check.
  • Bears? Check.
  • A single shared sleeping bag? Check.
  • Enough sparks to set the Rockies ablaze? Check, check, check.

With everything the wilderness has to throw at them, it’ll take more than charm and some city girl ingenuity to make this trek anything but a disaster waiting to happen…and an adventure she’ll never forget.

Click this link to make a purchase!* Fish Out of Water

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase one of these books through the appropriate link I’ll receive a small stipend.

When Erin Hahn is good she is really good. The premise leads me to believe this one is going to be great. Plus that cover? Gorgeous!

Synopsis: The only thing keeping nineteen-year-old Case Michaels together after the death of his best friend, Walker, is a list Walker left behind of things he wants Case to accomplish in his absence. So far, though, Case hasn’t even been able to continue riding bulls in the rodeo circuit, something he’s done his entire life, balking at the thought of competing without Walker by his side. But the list? Case is determined to follow it to the letter– and he follows it all the way to Winnie Sutton.

Eighteen-year-old Winnie Sutton just wants to keep her family together. She graduated high school early to work long shifts at the Michaels family ranch so she can support her younger siblings and a father who’s more than happy to let Winnie fill the responsible parent role. If she sometimes sneaks out to ride the horses herself and forget about life for a while– well, that’s no one else’s business– until the day she crashes headfirst into Case Michaels. Case sees her riding skills and immediately ropes her into competing for the ranch and becoming his friend.

Winnie and Case couldn’t be more different, but Case can’t help but be inspired by Winnie’s badly-hidden passion for riding and competition. And there’s something about Case that makes Winnie want to try grasping onto a dream for herself, whether that’s a shot at a rodeo trophy, the annoyingly handsome rancher’s son who won’t leave her alone, or maybe both.

Click this link to purchase the book!* Even If It Breaks Your Heart

A paranormal romance by Ali Hazelwood?!!! I was so lucky to get this book ahead of time and can’t wait to listen to the audio book when it comes out. It was original, the characters (as usual) were amazing, and the world building was so surprising! I can’t wait for a second novel in this world.

Synopsis: A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again…

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she’s ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Bride

This Chick Read: The Bright Spot (Sunrise Cove #5) by Jill Shalvis

Luna Wright runs the happy but struggling Apple Ridge Farm with her motley crew of friends. They’ve made a place for themselves in the community with their farm to table cafe, a menagerie of rescued animals, and some small boutiques run by her grandmother. When the owner of Apple Ridge Farm dies and leaves Luna half of the property to be run with his investment manager Jameson Hayes, she finds that the old man had a lot of secrets. Can she keep her family together and the doors open?

Luna not only collects homeless animals, but she seems to collect quirky friends and family members. Something that she must have in common with the author because she excels at writing about circles of friends and eccentric family members. My favorite moments in this story did revolve around Luna and her rag tag group of friends. Those relationships showed off Luna’s strength of will and love for her friends. The fact that she wanted to take on the world and protect her little family was nice but got a little tiring. I loved her resolve but wanted the resolution to come about a little quicker. The addition of Jameson into their group as her partner and love interest added some emotion to the story. I like him a lot and liked the way he settled her. She was a lot to handle!

I read Ms. Shalvis’ novels because I know I’m going to get fed some comfort food. Interesting characters, an envious circle of friends, and a lot of heart. This book delivers all of that plus a good-hearted love story that rounds out the novel really nicely. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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 Bright Spot

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.

This Chick Read: The Lily of Ludgate Hill (Belles of London #3) by Mimi Matthews

Lady Anne Deveril is the unofficial leader of her group of friends and she has slowly seen them fall in love. When her father died many years before, she chose to leave that chance of love behind and followed her distraught mother into mourning. Her childhood friend, Hart, was the one she left behind and ever since their relationship has become antagonistic. However, when she needs a favor he is the first person she turns to, but being the difficult man that he is, he wants something in return. He wants Anne to attend a house party at his grandfather’s estate and to forego wearing her mourning colors.

Mimi Matthews historical romance novels often have interesting situations and diverse characters which makes her novels really enjoyable to read giving them a realistic feel that a lot of historical novels just don’t achieve. In this case Anne makes a difficult decision to stand by her mother in her many years long of mourning her father, wearing black and putting herself in a difficult place with her peers. A young woman is supposed to be trying to catch a husband, of course, and Anne has zero interest in achieving that goal. Hart, however, is tired of waiting on the sidelines and decides to push her towards her future, which includes him.

Of the three novels in the series this one is my least favorite only because of its more straight historical romance path. It was interesting to see how Anne and Harts past was intertwined as we had no inkling before this novel and only saw their antagonistic behavior towards each other. However, they were both in the upper echelon of society so there wasn’t really any diversity, and the only difficulty was the fact that a distant cousin inherited her father place in society which leaves she and her mother reliant upon him. An unfortunate part of our history but I found it interesting to see how they dealt with being victims in a world ruled by elite white guys. To me that was the best part of this novel.

Despite it landing in the my number three spot in the series, I still enjoyed this novel. Mimi Matthews is truly a talented writer and creates really interesting characters that you want to know more about. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, pick this series up. Although this novel can be read as a stand alone I think you’ll get more out of it if you’d read the other two novels first. They will give you a feel for this author’s writing and you’ll understand a bit more of the characters you’ll be reading about. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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 Lily of Ludgate Hill

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

This Chick Read: Recipe For a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden

American Chef Georgia May Jackson is close to achieving her goal, running a restaurant in Paris. She’s on the cusp of success when it all falls apart during one very bad day. At the same time, she loses her sense of taste, everything tastes bitter. When her absentee mother reaches out from the West Coast and offers her a place to stay she jumps at the chance of getting to know her mom and somehow recover her sense of taste. When she arrives on the island she goes on a journey of discovery that just may help her regain her magical skills.

This story really surprised me because there was so many sub-plots. The most important that drove the story was of Georgia and her mother Star. They have been estranged since she was five years old and her absence left a big hole but when she left she had instilled a love of cooking in her daughter that drove her to leave home and explore the world. The second plot was her potential love interest Cole. They were drawn to each other but his past is filled with secrets and drama and Georgia is only on the island temporarily so their story is a slow burn. The third plot is Georgia’s need to achieve her dream of running a restaurant and getting her mojo back. That’s the plot that to me was the most interesting, although all three meshed really well and created a solid novel with a great story.

There was a magical element to this story that made the book really fun to read and I looked forward to all of the little hidden four leaf clovers, the magical setting, and Georgia’s returning mojo. The pace was perfect and I was rooting for Georgia to reach her magical happy ending.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Recipe for a Charmed Life

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.

This Chick Read: Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

Riley has huge aspirations for her future.. she wants to direct a Broadway musical. When she takes her mom’s car to the city to see a show without her permission, she’s grounded and has to work at her dad’s gamer shop in her free time. When she finds out the spring musical has been canceled, she is determined to save it, but she’s stuck at the game shop with her nerdy (but cute!) co-worker Nathan. They strike up a deal, she’ll flirt with him to make his girl crush jealous and he’ll act as her boyfriend at school to get her ex off her back while she works on the musical. As they spend more time with each other she finds out that she likes the Dungeons and Dragons role playing almost as much as she likes spending time with Nathan.

I’ll admit that I’m a little older than the target demographic for this novel, but I love occasionally reading young adult novels. The emotions are so pure and in the case of Dungeons and Drama, the plot was too cute. I enjoyed this novel very much! The story mixed humor, nerdiness, and great family dynamics. I felt for this cute teen girl who’s parents are divorced. She has drifted apart from her father and isn’t sure she can handle working in his store, which she sees as the catalyst for her parents divorce. When she enters that gaming universe she’s definitely a fish out of water which creates some pretty funny scenarios. Her interactions with Nathan and the other boys who game D&D in the back room are pretty great, the dialog is spot on and so funny!

The romance portion of this novel was very sweet and totally PG. A lot of young adult novels read like an adult romance but in this novel the heat was very mild and was totally appropriate for young readers. In fact, I was so surprised at the emotions this novel wrung out of me considering my age in comparison with the demo target. This author did a great job of writing for all ages!

If you love sweet romances that make you reminisce about your high school days, pick up this novel! The writing was great and the story was fun and engaging. You can’t ask for much more than that!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Dungeons and Drama

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.