Tag: reading

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (7/10/23)

Summertime, when the reading is easy… I love summer and hot weekends and staying inside with a good book. This weekend I enjoyed a graphic audiobook and realized, yes, their tagline “a movie in your mind” is totally appropriate! I also started a new book that got off to a wild start and I can’t wait to keep reading. Life is good!

JUST FINISHED

If you haven’t tried a graphic audiobook then you are missing out! Magic Bites is the first novel in one of my favorite series and I’ve got to admit, it’s probably my least favorite in the series as well. However, listening to it backed by music, sound effects for the fight scenes, and a different actor for every character is truly an experience and made me like this book more than ever!

Magic Bites Graphic Audio

JUST STARTED

This one is off to a quick start and I’m curious to see where it leads. I’ve heard many great things about this author but this is my first time reading her. So far, so good!

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick Read: Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

International Popstar Winter Young is at the top of the charts and one of the most watched stars in the world. He should be flying high but his insecurities and some trauma from his past has him looking for something more. Enter Sydney Cossette, a member of a secret government agency, who is assigned to be one of Winter’s bodyguards when he performs for a European oligarch’s daughters birthday party. Winter’s on stage persona makes him the perfect foil to gather top secret info and stop an illegal arms deal from going through. Of course, not everything goes as planned.

Marie Lu’s novels are written for one purpose, to entertain her readers. Stars and Smoke delivers on this promise! Winter Young is a very interesting character,he’s the youngest son of a mother who never paid him much attention, favoring his older brother who reminds her of happier times. When that brother dies, Winter is left feeling like she wishes it had been him instead, so when he’s approached by the agency he has a couple of reasons to help them, but he never figures that he would be good at what they’ve asked him to do.

Sydney was kind of a wildcard character. She lived to succeed at her job and didn’t think much of this superstar with whom she was paired. She quickly finds out that he is not the person who he portrays on stage and has some serious skills that translate well into his new career as a spy. I loved how these two characters interacted and the chemistry they had as partners and possibly something more.

Stars and Smoke was a very fast paced story that was a movie in my mind. I could very easily visualize everything I was reading on the page and easily connected with the main characters. It was fun to read, which is one of the best compliments I can give to a book.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Stars and Smoke

Copyright 2023 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: The Dane of My Existence (A Bard’s Rest Novel #2) by Jessica Martin

On the rise lawyer, Portia Barnes, is in her hometown of Bard’s Rest on a summer sabbatical before starting her job as managing partner in Boston. While everyone else in her small town is obsessed with the bard, Portia kind of couldn’t care less. That doesn’t mean that when she spots a land developer’s interest in the island where the big production is set every year, she’s not going to do her damndest to stop it. Cozying up to the competition is not beneath her, but she doesn’t expect to fall for Benjamin Dane’s kindness and lack of arrogance.

This is the second novel in the Bard’s Rest series, and I liked it even more than the first novel. There’s something about the heroine, Portia, who disdains her kitchy hometown, but still tries to save it’s legacy theater. Seeing her walls crumbling under Ben’s charm was fun, but it was really her strong sense of family that won me over. I could imagine being that woman who wanted to leave Bard’s Rest behind her, but then finds that it means more to her than she ever understood. This story had a lot of heart!

I’m somewhat obsessed with the idea that there may be a real town out there like Bard’s Rest, but at least I know that there’s another sister who has yet to have her love story told. Can’t wait! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this novel to purchase this book!* The Dane of My Existence

Copyright 2023 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? (7/3/23)

If you’re living in the US, Happy 4th of July weekend! We are, of course, celebrating our nation’s independence, but do you know what else I’m celebrating? A day of reading! OK, I may do a few other things but I’m definitely going to crack open a book and read a chapter or fifteen. In fact, I started a fun book this weekend. Here’s what’s on my radar.

JUST FINISHED

This was a bit of light reading, and a totally fun young adult end of the world romance. I picked this title randomly and found a new young adult author to read. Love doing that!

JUST STARTED

This author had me at the soccer ball on the cover. I’m a sucker for a soccer themed romance and I knew this author would deliver. I’m reading this one now and it’s cute and angsty. Just what I was in the mood for when I picked it up.

How are you spending your holiday?

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: My Top 5 Most Anticipated Book Releases- July’23

It’s that time again when I take a look at all of the book releases for the upcoming month. I feel like I say the same thing every month but there’s quite a few that I need to read and didn’t know were coming out. Chime in in the comments with your own Top 5.

#5 BOOK RELEASE

A heist book that has a bit of romance? Sold!!! This sounds like a fun book.

Synopsis: To exonerate her best friend, one woman must mastermind a jewelry heist during the wedding of the season in this hilarious romantic-comedy caper from the author of The Dating Plan. 

Simi Chopra is on a bad-luck streak. She’s lost yet another job, her student loan debt won’t stop growing, her basement apartment is a certifiable flood zone, and now her best friend has been accused of stealing a multimillion-dollar diamond necklace. To put it lightly, she’s desperate for a break—that’s right when Jack waltzes out of the bushes and into her life.

Jack is just as charming as he is mysterious. When he offers to help her find the missing necklace and steal it back, Simi jumps at the chance to clear her friend’s name and collect the substantial reward. But every good heist needs a crew. All she needs to do is transform a ragtag group of strangers into an elite heist crew, infiltrate a high-society wedding and steal the necklace from a dangerous criminal before the happy couple say “I do.” Meanwhile the bride is keeping secrets, a detective with a slow-burn smile keeps showing up at her door, and the ultimate robbery might not be the wedding con, but the way Jack is stealing her heart.

Click this link to purchase this book!* To Have and to Heist

#4 BOOK RELEASE

This one was not on my radar at all, but it looks like it could be a cute rom-com with an older pair of protagonists. I’m definitely intrigued!

Synopsis:

Maggie is an unapologetically grumpy forty-eight-year-old hermit. But when her college-aged son makes her a deal—he’ll be more social if she does the same—she can’t refuse. She joins a new online gaming guild led by a friendly healer named Otter. So that nobody gets the wrong idea, she calls herself Bogwitch.

Otter is Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist using the guild as an emotional outlet from his family drama caring for his aging mother while his brother plays house with Aiden’s ex-fiancée.

Bogwitch and Otter become fast virtual friends, but there’s a catch. Bogwitch thinks Otter is a college student. Otter assumes Bogwitch is an octogenarian.

When they finally meet face to face—after a rocky, shocking start—the unlikely pair of sunshine and stormy personalities grow tentatively closer. But Maggie’s previous relationships have left her bitter, and Aiden’s got a complicated past of his own.

Everything’s easier online. Can they make it work in real life?

Click this link to purchase this book!* Role Playing

*Amazon associate- if you purchase one of these book through the link I’ll receive a small stipend!

#3 BOOK RELEASE

I’ll admit, I’ve already read this novel and it’s so cute! I love the setting of Bard’s Rest and can’t wait for the third book in the series.

Synopsis:

Portia Barnes is the youngest managing partner in her law firm’s history, and she and her stilettos are poised to step into the role of her dreams—leading the firm’s new Boston office. But first she’s taking a summer sabbatical in her hometown of Bard’s Rest, New Hampshire, where she discovers something’s rotten in the midst of the town’s annual Shakespeare festival.

Hotshot commercial developer Benjamin Dane is sniffing around Bard’s, and while Portia isn’t necessarily a Shakespeare fanatic like the rest of her family, she’s not about to let him bulldoze the town’s beloved outdoor theater. Yet to Portia’s dismay, Ben proves as skilled as she is when it comes to outworking, outmaneuvering, and one-upping the competition. While she’s never hesitated to wage war against hyper-successful alpha males, Portia is caught off guard by Ben’s openness and lack of arrogance. As her own long-constructed walls start to come down, Portia begins to wonder if he might be more than an archnemesis.

With her heart on the line and the future of the town hanging in the balance, Portia faces an impossible decision—Ben or Bard’s?—unless she finds a way to broker the merger of her life, and ensures the curtain falls on a happy ending for everyone.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Dane of My Existence

#2 BOOK RELEASE

You can’t go wrong with a book by Katherine Center. Her book sometimes make me laugh and sometimes make me cry, but I know I’m going to connect with the characters and be completely entertained.

Synopsis: Love isn’t blind, it’s just a little blurry.

Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life―placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition―the next, she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality with every face she sees.

But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls into―love? Lust? A temporary obsession to distract from the real problems in her life?―with not one man but two very different ones. The timing couldn’t be worse.

If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to find her way. But perceiving anything clearly right now seems impossible. Even though there are things we can only find when we aren’t looking. And there are people who show up when we least expect them. And there are always, always other ways of seeing.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Hello Stranger

MY MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK FOR JULY 2023

I love, love, love Jane Porter’s novels. The characters are close to my own age and the story always hits that emotional button. I can’t wait to read Flirting with Fire, I just know I’m going to love it.

Synopsis: Love isn’t just an act in this captivating and flirty romance by New York Times bestselling author Jane Porter.

Forty-nine-year-old Margot Hughes has lived and breathed theater for the past twenty-five years. After a devastating breakup with her playwright fiancé, she wants nothing to do with the industry. She has sworn off New York, theater, actors—all of it. She returns to her hometown on California’s central coast and takes a job in real estate, where she manages significant investment properties. But Margot’s suddenly thrown back into the theater world when Sally, her friend and boss, who had been restoring and funding Cambria’s historic theater, has a heart attack. Before she knows it, Margot is tapped to take over the troubled summer production of Barefoot in the Park.

But the play is no walk in the park—the leads and director have all quit, and Margot struggles to find new actors…until Max Russo arrives. Forty-five-year-old Max is a former soap opera star turned rugged cowboy on TV’s most popular western series.  Max has a huge following and is the perfect hero to step up and save the play, provided Margot stars opposite him.   Although adamant she would never return to theater, Margot enjoys the long hours of rehearsal with a professional like Max, who is charming, witty, and passionate. But when the curtains close, can Margot allow herself to fall for Max when he represents everything she left behind?

Click this link to purchase this book!* Flirting with Fire

July will be a romance reading month for me! What books are you looking forward to being released?

Have a great Sunday!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads1 Comment

This Chick Read: Magic Claims (Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years #2) by Ilona Andrews

Kate and Curran are living their “retired” lives in their new home outside Wilmington. When they receive a guest at their door who asks for their help in saving their small town from evil, they decide retirement might not be their purpose in life and accept the job and the offer of a large chunk of land in the forest. This job will forge a path to a new beginning, a keep for the new Wilmington Pack, and embracing their true nature’s and what that will mean in raising their son, Connor.

If you are a fan of Kate Daniel’s books, then you most likely did as I did and downloaded a copy as soon as it came out on June 13th, and then voraciously read it. The Wilmington Years is an offshoot of Kate’s original series and continues the story of she, Curran, and their son Connor, who they are trying to raise “normally” in a large home on the shore near Wilmington. However, normal is not who they are and despite their best efforts, they keep heading off to save the locals, or fight the unruly, not really giving a hoot that they are blowing their cover. Kate is the daughter of Roland, who once ruled the world and despite not wanting to rule as he did, she does have a boatload of power that she lets loose in small amounts. Her mate, Curran, used to be the alpha of the Atlanta pack and despite his “retirement” the shapeshifters in their area still consider him to be their leader, and he really doesn’t do anything to negate that impression. Instead he embraces it. Both of them make for interesting parents to Connor, who has inherited his father’s shapeshifting and strength, and his mother and grandfather’s magic. Their efforts at parenting are often hilarious and make for some great reading material.

This novella takes up right where Magic Tides left and Kate and Curran’s decision to help the town of Penderton means that they are about to make a decision that will alter the way they live their future lives, and Connor’s. I loved how both of them made their own decision, supporting each other, and owning what was to come in the future. I just wish that that future was now and that I had the next book in hand. I am that eager to see where this new fork in the road takes them.

As with all Ilona Andrews novels, this one was chock full of action sequences, witty reparteé, and much needed humor to break up the gore. I loved every moment! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Magic Claims

Copyright 2023 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: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

From the author of 2022’s bestseller, The Dead Romantics, this new novel provides the magical setting of an apartment that allows it’s inhabitant to slip through time and fall in love with a man seven years in the past.

Clementine thought she knew what she wanted in life. Her job at a publishing firm, her small circle of friends, and her once a year trips with her beloved aunt Analea. When her aunt dies, she inherits an apartment that reminds her of that loss daily until one day she comes home and a strange man is staying in her apartment.

It isn’t just the magical apartment that makes this story so wonderful, it’s also that she took the time to fully develop our main characters and gave the reader insight into their feelings both happy and sad. Clementine, when she meets Iwan is pulled into this magical moment in part because she is feeling lost and needs this magical moment to help balance those emotions after losing her aunt. Iwan is also one charming young man, and almost in spite of herself, Clementine needs his warmth to bring her out of her darkness. Unlike Iwan, the reader is aware that these moments are a slip in time but it’s so easy to get lost in their developing love. You almost forget that there is going to have to be conflict and that that seven year difference will need to take place before our characters can have their hea.

If I had read this novel before reading The Dead Romantics I would have absolutely loved it. My enjoyment was slightly dimmed because my expectations were set kind of high. However, putting my love for that previous novel aside, I can say that this story is just as good, just in a slightly different way. The element of surprise was lacking a bit because the reader was on the journey with our main characters in real time, but at the same time I loved how we saw that contrast between Iwan of seven years ago and the man he became. It helped give a contrast to Clementine’s character and who she needed to become in order to find happiness. I thought that growth was so well done and the story very satisfying.

If you love a little magic in your romance then you need to pick up this novel! I promise, you will love this novel. These characters are so special. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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 Seven Year Slip

Copyright 2023 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 Reads1 Comment

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (6/26/23)

Sorry for my absence, but I’ve taken a few weeks off from some of my weekly posts. I have not, however, stopped reading! I can’t imagine what it would take for me to not crack a book open, seriously. With a couple of weeks on vacation, here’s what is now on my nightstand.

JUST FINISHED

I had recently read Kate Clayborn’s ‘Georgie All Along’ and realized there were quite a few novels she’d written that I hadn’t read. I wanted to get caught up and this was the first in the lot that I’ve managed to read. Loved it! Cute premise and very realistic response to winning the lottery. I liked these characters a lot and found myself not wanting to put this book down.

JUST STARTED

I started this series when I was on vacation and have gotten hooked! The audiobook is narrated by Christie Moreau and does a great job with all of the accents and male/female voices. This series is totally fun and absolutely unbelievable, but who needs a believable plot in order to be entertained?

I’d love to hear what you all are reading right now. Share in the comments!

Happy Monday and happy reading!

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Florence Day is writing the final book in her four book contract as a ghostwriter for one of the most prolific and popular romance authors. After a bad breakup, she’s having trouble writing that hea. She meets with her new editor, a rather stern yet attractive man, who doesn’t relent on this novel needing a happy ending. With one day to finish the book she finds out that her father has suddenly died. She puts the book on a temporary back burner and heads home to say goodbye and help her family plan a funeral. What she doesn’t expect is for her new editor, Ben, to show up on the doorstep of the funeral home…. as a ghost.

The Dead Romantics was such a surprise. A young romance writer who can see ghosts is a rather unique choice as protagonist, but her love interest being a ghost is an even bigger leap. Despite this unique situation the novel’s story just makes sense and Ben’s confusion over what happened to him is balanced by Florence’s family and her need to give her father the funeral he wanted. As Florence and Ben take on these tasks they find a bond developing that just doesn’t make sense since he is, well, dead. I kept wondering how the author was going to make this work and she seamlessly delivered a story that was entertaining, emotional, and left the reader feeling great about their journey.

The byplay between Ben and Florence was certainly entertaining but there were some family dynamics in play throughout this novel as well. Florence left her small town behind and moved to New York to pursue her dream of writing, but never came back home. She was known for “seeing” ghosts and wanted to put that stigma behind her. Unfortunately she put her family behind her as well and her father dying didn’t allow her the time to fix things with them while he was alive. I loved her brother and sister, the family funeral home business, and this charming town who can’t help but be in everyone else’s business. Working through all of her feelings with her ghostly editor by her side made this story unique, weird, and wonderful.

I saw The Dead Romantics on a Best of Romance 2022 list and I have to say that I would agree with the decision. This unique, quietly romantic novel deserves all the accolades. If you haven’t read it yet, please pick it up and read it on vacation this year. You will love it, I promise!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Dead Romantics

Copyright 2023 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: Play For Me by Libby Hubscher

Sophie Doyle has her dream job as the head athletic trainer for the Boston Red Sox when she makes a call during the World Series that gets her fired, her boyfriend dumps her, and the city of Boston hate her. Needing to escape she takes a short term job as a trainer at a New Hampshire boarding school. She ends up roommates with three men, two of whom are wonderful, and the third, Jonas Voss, is gorgeous and surly. With a positive outlook on her new life, Sophie is determined to help her new students, even though they are more interested in music than sports, and make inroads with her attractive and grumpy roommate.

This was the perfect kind of sports romance. The sports revolved around our heroine, who rose to the pinnacle in her field in a male dominated world. When that world blows up around her she doesn’t give up and looks to redeem herself. The second thing I loved about this romance was that our hero Jonas was a musician and didn’t know a lot about sports so they were opposites who attract, but this story also had an enemies to lovers element. The story set-up was great, the character development felt full, and the romance-to-be was a lot of fun to read. Who doesn’t love a grumpy hero?

This novel took two of my favorite tropes, a sports romance, and an enemies to lovers plot and melded them into a fun story. There was also a redemption element for both characters that helped us root for their individual challenges as well. There was a great cast of characters, in particular the other two roommates who were an involved gay couple, and Sophie’s best friend, a famous movie-star. There was plenty of back story and plot to keep even the most jaded reader interested. Truly, this was a breeze to read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Play For Me

Copyright 2023 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