Tag: reading

This Chick Read: Soulgazer (The Magpie and the Wolf Duology #1) by Maggie Rapier

Saoirse is cursed with a volatile magic. When she loses control her father offers her in marriage to the ruthless and cold Stone King. Knowing she’s being sent to her death, she’s determined to break her curse. On the eve of her wedding she seeks out the Wolf of the Wild, Faolan, the Pirate King. He’s in search of a mystical isle and swears he’ll help her break the curse if she’ll find this magical isle for him first. Saoirse knows better than to trust a pirate, and if he wants her help, he’s going to have to marry her first.

A debut novel by author Maggie Rapier, Soulgazer delivers on all fronts for this fantastical romantasy. A magic curse- check! A devilishly handsome hero- check! A heroine who has sass, strength of character, and a hopeful heart – check! This novel held my interest from the very first page, which is really hard to do when you’re introducing your reader to a brand new world. It may have been tons of work on her end, but for me, the reader, it seemed effortless.

With strong Gaelic references, the author very kindly gave us a preface to the story that told us how to pronounce everyone’s names. Of course, once I got into the book (I read this as an ebook), I never went back to the preface and my inner voice still butchered all their names. I did remember our heroine’s, pronounce SEER-SHA, or at least that’s why my Irish husband told me and that’s what I went with as I read her story. Saoirse (Seersha) was a most excellent character. What I liked about her the most is that despite being treated like “shite” her whole life, she has retained this inner strength that carries her forward with her mission to help Faolan find his magical island even though she has probably wanted to give in to her fate numerous times.

Faolan is the gorgeous hero pirate. He’s 70% song and swagger, and 30% alpha hero. Once he marries our Saoirse, he is a sworn protector. Is it all because he needs her to find this island? Or does he have true feelings for our girl? His journey with Saoirse and the pirate crew takes the reader on an epic journey that feels very mythological and Sisyphean in nature. I totally dug the tasks and tales as well as the building romance between Faolan and Saoirse. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I hope this author has the majority of book two in the can because I’m ready to keep on reading!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Soulgazer

Copyright 2025 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 Inheritance (Breach Wars #1) by Ilona Andrews

An interdimensional invasion brought unimaginable suffering but it also awoke talents slumbering deep inside us. Adaline is a Talent. She works for the government search breaches for magical metals and medicine to help Earth repel an interdimensional enemy. Two kids, one cat, bills, benefits, mortgage and school tuition…Risking her life became routine. She has gone into hundreds of dimensional gates without a problem, but this time everything goes to hell. Two kids, one cat, bills, benefits, mortgage and school tuition…Risking her life became routine.

Ilona Andrews occasionally releases new novels a chapter at a time on their blog and normally I don’t let myself read them. For some reason when I started getting The Inheritance in their newsletter I read the first chapter….. and got absolutely hooked. This story is novella length and they stopped the free releases well before the end, but I eagerly anticipated every blog post. They released the book on all bookseller sites pretty quickly and I started from the beginning. I’m glad I did because they inserted a few new scenes that really added to the story and fleshed out the characters a bit more.

Adaline is our main character. She’s stuck in the breach with the group’s K-9, Bear, who also survived the initial attack. She and Bear go on a journey further into the breach and discover all manner of beings. Some who are dangerous, but also some species who are just going about their everyday alien lives. Ada and Bear need to do some kind of gross things that make their bodies powerful and in Ada’s case, her magic becomes more fierce. Where before she could use her “sight” to find valuable minerals and medicines, now she has fierce fighting skills which come in handy as she keeps them alive. The end goal being that she returns through the gate and gets back with her kids. The motherly “force” is strong in this one.

Outside on Earth we also follow Elias, who heads the guild that sent Adaline and her team into the breach. His moments are brief, but his awesomeness was very reminiscent of Curran from the Kate Daniels series, and truly, Ada is very reminiscent of Kate. Both strong individuals with great conversational skills (even though Ada is mostly talking to a dog), and as with the first Kate Daniels novel- zero romance. However there is that glimmer of hope (and a note from the author that there will be a romance between the two). Not to say this novel is like Kate Daniels, however it reminded me of it in bits and pieces.

The book is short and I don’t want to give away any more than I already have, but I just have to give one more note. If you are an uber fan of this author duo, you will find some crossover between characters (species?) in this novella and the Innkeeper series. Just enough to make you go “huh!” and smile to yourself. Truly, every small little Easter egg they drop makes me squee in enjoyment and wish that they could write quicker and set aside a little time to finish book 2. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Inheritance

Copyright 2025 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: Crazy Spooky Love (Melody Bittersweet #1) by Josie Silver

Melody Bittersweet see’s dead people. Psychic powers run in her family and Melody decides to separate from the family business and open up her own- Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency. With her best friend Melanie and brand new ghostbuster in training Artie, they get their first client. Unravel the mysterious haunting of a local mansion who’s owner would like the ghosts to stop scaring away the potential buyers. Up against her ex-boyfriend Leo Dark and trailed by local reporter Fletcher Gunn who is always trying to discredit her family, Melody is determined to solve this case and launch her business.

This was not your typical Josie Silver novel. It had a cozy mystery feeling, with hints of wackiness and a very small amount of romance. This author works her magic and despite this not being something I’d normally read, she captured my interest because I was kept wondering what craziness could possibly happen next!

I very easily cast reality aside and with Crazy Spooky Love, you really need to throw away the logic and let in the cookiness. This book is a bit silly, but Josie Silver still writes characters that a reader can love. I felt kind of sorry for Melody’s unlucky in love persona because I’m sure growing up seeing dead people couldn’t have been easy for a teenager. As an adult, though, she’s doing alright! She has two handsome guys vying for her attention and has the smarts to put the ghostly clues together to come out on top in the end. Again, silly, but fun and very easy to read- if you’re in the mood! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Crazy Spooky Love

Copyright 2025 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: Night’s Fall ( The Four Realms #1) by Kristen Ashley

Prince Aleksei of Nightfall is the True Heir. The next king, the fiercest warrior, and the mightiest beast in all the realm. Laura Makepeace is a talented costume designer who is recovering from a vicious attack where she lost something vital. Out for a night with the girl’s Laura is determined to put on a pretty frock and celebrate the evening with her friends. What she doesn’t expect is to be brought over to the Prince’s table in the VIP section of the club. Suddenly, Laura finds herself being courted by a prince and thrown into the limelight and politics of the realm, and royal family dysfunction. The Fall only brings forth a True Heir during times of war, and Aleksei is worried what this means for his family, Laura, and the kingdom of Nightfall.

Surprise! A new Kristen Ashley novel was just released. She’s a much beloved, prolific writer, but this one took me by surprise because she doesn’t often start a new fantasy series. Set in the future where shifters mingle with humans, this love story between a prince and his true mate starts fast and never stops until the last page is turned. I don’t always love KA’s fantasies, but this one was appealing. Why? I loved the futuristic world of flying cars mixing with a ruling class of flying dragons. A dichotomy of beastly and mechanical, love and passion, and peace with war. There was a lot about this world to learn, but the plot is fast moving, and the characters easy to like and love.

At first Aleksei came off as kind of elitist, but get him out of the public eye and he was tender, moody, and shocking for a KA novel, a bit of a dragonic alpha. Laura was old-fashioned, but clever, creative, lovely (of course!), and had a backbone. This heroine was no simpering miss. She was ready for battle if needed. The two of them together had tons of chemistry, but even more importantly, they really seemed to “like” each other. I enjoyed their chapters where they got to know each other and felt that build up to love with each reveal about themselves.

I’m a fan of this author’s and read every book she releases. I don’t always love them, but this story was easy to like, fun to read, and left me with an I can’t wait for the next in the series to come out. Addictive reading at it’s finest.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Night’s Fall

Copyright 2025 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: To Kill a Badger (Honey Badger Chronicles #6) by Shelly Laurenston

Socialite, Nelle Zhao attracts attention on social media but right now she’s trying to have a low profile keeping her honey badger teammates out of trouble. She isn’t sure when that became her job but she admits, she’s really good at it. Too bad some people don’t appreciate it, like lion Keane Malone who is determined to crush the de Medici’s, another lion clan who are hurting innocent humans for fun, and killed his father. He normally doesn’t want any help, but when jet-setting Nelle, joins the fight his instincts start purring.

When you read a Shelly Laurenston shifter novel you need to take off your “based on reality” hat and put on your “it’s all about fun reading” hat. Always irreverent, Laurenston’s novels combine great dialog, strange and quirky characters, and romances that shouldn’t make sense but become believable, well, if you can change into a honey badger or lion kind of believable. Interesting and kind of exhausting because there is so much going on.

After checking reality at the door I hunkered down for some fun reading with this kind of crazy honey badger group. I’ve read the majority of these novels and some were better than others with this one ranking right in the middle. Maybe it was because I took a break from them for awhile, but Nelle and Keane’s story was crazy but enjoyable. Honey badgers in real life are known for their fierce nature, taking on creatures much larger and not backing down. In this action-packed novel Laurenston takes these traits and puts them on steroids. These honey badger ladies are crafty, crazy, and fierce with a capital F. They are also fun with a capital F.

I enjoyed Nelle and Keane’s slow building romance. She kind of snuck in under his guard until he was just used to her being there and then thought, “oh she kind of smells good” or “those legs are long and luscious” then wham- they were a couple. Again, not reality based but it was well done and kept me reading. If you like a lot of action, some violence, and a break from reality in your romances this may be the perfect book for you!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* To Kill a Badger

Copyright 2025 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: I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming

Wildlife biologist, Dorothy Valentine is out in the field when she’s attacked by a lion. In a good news bad news kind of way, she doesn’t die but she and the lion are abducted by alien’s. Waking up on the ship Dory freaks out and ends up escaping in a pod, with the lion- named Toto. They land on a planet where dinosaurs run rampant, and she meets not one, but two alien hotties who help her navigate her new home. As she explores this new land with Sol, Lok, and Toto she learns more about how and why they’ve all ended up together and whether she even wants to try to get back home or create a new home with her two new mates.

A cute cover, seeing this novel on a bunch of “best of” lists for 2025 romance, and my own curiosity about how this synopsis can possibly lead to a great romance had me picking up this book and giving it a chance. You know what? It was kind of cute. I’m not really into threesome romances, so that aside, the plot was actually really interesting, the heroine sassy, and the hero’s a mix of alpha and intellectual. Toto’s storyline was probably not really needed, but hey, all gal’s need a best friend, even if that friend is in lion form. Overall it kind of worked!

There were a few plots making this novel more intricate than the comic book style cover would lead you to believe. An inter-species war, genetic manipulations, and talking lion’s who are falling in love with a local sabre tooth tiger aside, it held my interest and was an enjoyable, easy read. I’d recommend this novel for the more adventurous reader!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com

Copyright 2025 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 Love Fix (Sunrise Cove #8) by Jill Shalvis

When Lexi Clark is summoned home to Sunrise Cove by her sister Ashley to help her with one of her deceased mother’s last requests she’s met at the airport by her easy spirited sister and her childhood arch-nemesis turned crush, Heath Bowman. Lexi’s life is in a downward spiral but she could never say no to her sister and finds herself delivering six letters, and learning a lot about herself.

I’m not surprised that I loved the characters in this novel because writing great characters is where this author excels. Lexi is the misunderstood older sister who has closed herself off from having any emotions for her family because they’ve always disappointed her. Heath has a self deprecating charm and easy going nature, but he always does what’s right, helps out the less fortunate, and has always had a soft spot for Lexi. Ashley is a free spirit, but deep down wants to have a relationship with her sister that she was never able to explore while their mother was still alive. It’s a novel that explores all three characters but revolves around Lexi and how she is re-building her life.

There were several aha moments for Lexi’s character that kept the momentum building allowing Lexi to grow and evolve. She and Heath’s somewhat antagonistic relationship was one of those moments and I thought the author did a great job of sharing their stories and the moments that they understood what drove each other and how that understanding drew them to each other. These moments weren’t lightning bolts but gentle understandings that were super effective in allowing the story to grow in an organic way that didn’t take your head out of what you were reading. I really enjoyed those small moments and I think that deft touch is what made this novel work so well. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Love Fix

Copyright 2025 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: For the Record by Emma Lord

I’ve read most of Emma Lord’s young adult novels but For the Record is 100% adult fiction. It’s not too spicy, but it’s a very emotional story. Sam and Mackenzie’s bands were on tour together and their schtick was to pretend like the two of them were arch enemies. Of course, their fans ate it up but at some point they actually started caring for each other. All of a sudden Sam disappears and cuts off their budding relationship. At the same time Mackenzie has surgery on her thyroid which affects her vocal chords, so she can no longer sing her own bands songs.

Two years have gone by and Mackenzie is finally singing again but under a pseudonym, and Sam wants to start up a solo career. The only way their record label will even consider backing them is if they become a duo. Old hurts and feelings make it a rocky start but of course, with trust and lots of chemistry their old feelings start to come back.

All of the trauma from what happened to each of them two years earlier makes their present situation with a lot riding on the outcome a joy to read. I loved how the author made it so easy for me to hate or like these characters. The story was great and this reader was definitely rooting for both their career and their relationship to succeed. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* For the Record

Copyright 2025 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: A Silence in Belgrave Square (A Below Stairs Mystery #8) by Jennifer Ashley

Kat Holloway’s beau Daniel McAdam has a talent for dangerous work as a Scotland Yard agent. When his boss puts him on a dangerous case and promises that this will be his last one if he can solve it. On an investigation of her own, Kat discovers some of her friends and colleagues have been victims of blackmail. If Kat and Daniel wish to save each other and the crown they must prove the blackmailer’s identity and stop the ones who are trying to eliminate them.

This novel really had a sense of urgency because Kat spent a good majority of her time worrying over Daniel’s safety. Of course, being an investigator herself, she couldn’t stand by with Daniel in possible danger, she was going to do everything possible to keep him safe. When her own investigation begins to parallel Daniel’s the reader realizes that Kat too, may be in danger. The pace and tension in the story build until I was literally on the edge of my seat.

With Daniel’s life in possible danger, Kat must face her feelings for him, and there are some very tender scenes (finally!). I was afraid this meant the series was over, but low and behold, a 9th book is on pre-order already so never fear, or intrepid amateur sleuth and her beau will be back in action solving mysteries again in the near future. I can’t wait! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* A Silence in Belgrave Square

Copyright 2025 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: Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings

Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.

Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.

I was hooked by the cover and intrigued by the synopsis and you know what? There were moments that I really liked in this story and the easy writing style of this author made reading this book a breeze. Why didn’t I embrace it whole heartedly? Eva’s character had some traits I really liked. She overcame a difficult past, had a strong work ethic, and was doing what a lot of us do/did in our 20’s- doing something she didn’t like very much but knew it would lead to that next step in her career. All of these were parts of her personality that were admirable, but she was such a hard character to like. Her difficult past built a wall that very few people were able to scale, her strong work ethic and dreams for her future caused her to make some decisions on the job that were not in her own best interest, and the worst thing was how she treated Rylie. She was pretty brutal which admittedly was her on air persona, but in private she didn’t really give him a break either- at least for two thirds of the book. Why, if she was so hard to like did I keep reading? Rylie.

Unlike Eva’s character, Rylie was further in the process of working through his own past discretions, one of which was Eva and he’s relationship in college. He entered their on-air agreement with honesty and hope that he would be given a second chance by Eva. She was pretty horrible and snarky to him, but he seemed to like that a lot. That’s not my own thing, but I can understand that sometimes opposites attract and because I read the entire novel saw Eva’s redemption arc pay off with her gentling her interactions with Rylie. Thank goodness. By the end I respected both of their characters equally but there was a big chunk where I leaned towards team Rylie over Eva. That’s never a comfortable place to be when reading a romance where you want so badly to like both characters. I did get there though!

❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Well, Actually

Copyright 2025 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