Tag: reading

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (9/6/21)

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

JUST FINISHED

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

JUST STARTED

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

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

Happy Monday!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

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

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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This Chick Read: Uncharted (Survival Instincts #2) by Adriana Anders

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

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Fake by Kylie Scott

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

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

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

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

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Fake

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

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

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

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

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

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

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

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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It’s Monday, what are you reading? (8/23/21)

A rainy weekend is the perfect time to read on the couch while listening to those drops hit you window. The only thing that would be better is if the temp was a little bit chillier. I started two books this weekend, one of which is an audiobook and both were fantasy novels. I seem to be in that mood!

JUST FINISHED

This cover is totally romance worthy isn’t it? But that title is all fantasy novel! I ran across this on Amazon and as it was a Kindle Unlimited book and I’m a subscriber I thought I’d give it a try. I read the reviews and they said this was good and I have to admit, I really enjoyed the story! It was a lot darker than I’d been prepared to read but I guess when you start off with a dragonrider kidnapping a young woman to be his bride it’s not your typical romantic fantasy. The characters were very interesting and the story took me somewhere completely unexpected. It’s not often I’m surprised and in a good way! I’ve already gotten the second book in the series and can’t wait for another rainy day to read it.

JUST STARTED

From the same world as Kill the Queen and Protect the Prince, Capture the Crown is the story of Gemma the Gargoyle Queen. I’m listening to the audiobook of this novel and hope it captures my interest as much as her previous series. I loved the action-filled story and the side-story romance. Will Gemma be as interesting? We’ll see!

Which genre is your go-to genre when you want to get away from real life drama? I’ve been on a total fantasy kick lately! Let me know in the comments.

Have a great Monday!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads3 Comments

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: My Top 5 Most Anticipated Book Releases- Sept’21

School is back in session and Fall is just around the corner. Boy, time flies when you’re reading book after book! It looks like September will be no different as there are a bunch of great releases coming out. Here are the books I am most anticipating!

#5 BOOK RELEASE

I liked the idea of the Caraval series more than I actually liked the actual stories, but I will admit to loving the lyrical language this author writes. It’s for this reason that I’m looking forward to reading a book about happy endings, or is it a book about tragedies. Hmmm, I guess I’ll have to see which direction this author takes our characters!

Synopsis:

For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings…until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.

Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.

But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game — and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…

Click this link to purchase!* Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, 1)

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase any of the books on this post through an attached link I’ll receive a small stipend.

#4 BOOK RELEASE

Ah, second chance love romances. You either love them or you hate them! I’m pretty ambivalent but when you throw a witchy theme in the pot I’m pretty sure it’s the brew that rings true! 🙂 Seriously, this book does sound pretty cute. Is it a coincidence that two witch themed romances are coming out in the same month? I think not!

Synopsis:

Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.

That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.

Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Ex Hex: A Novel

#3 BOOK RELEASE

I haven’t been reading quite as much YA as I have in the past but this synopsis made me curious. It was just vague enough to peak my interest. I did also really enjoy this author’s last novel More Than Maybe, which put her on my radar.

Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Meg Hennessey just found out her entire childhood was a lie. So instead of taking a gap year before college to find herself, she ends up traveling north to meet what’s left of the family she never knew existed – all while questioning the ideals she grew up with.

While there, she meets Micah Allen, a former pastor’s kid whose dad ended up in prison, leaving Micah with his own complicated relationship with faith. The clock is ticking on his probation hearing and Micah, now 19, feels the pressure to forgive – even when he can’t possibly forget.

As Meg and Micah grow closer, they are confronted with the heavy flutterings of first love and all the complications it brings. Together, they must navigate the sometimes-painful process of cutting ties with childhood beliefs as they build toward something truer and straight from the heart.

Click this link to purchase!* Never Saw You Coming: A Novel

#2 BOOK RELEASE

I’ll admit, this wasn’t even on my radar until I was looking through the titles and the cover caught my eye. The synopsis is pretty adorable though so I need to give this book a look!

Synopsis:

When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding…six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

Click this link to purchase!* The Love Hypothesis

MOST ANTICIPATED SEPT’22 BOOK RELEASE

I have not missed reading one of Evie Dunmore’s books in this series yet. Portrait of a Scotsman is the best one yet! I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy and I loved the whole evolution of their story. What makes this authors books unique is that not only does she write great characters but you also really get a lesson on what is happening with the different levels of society of this era. This is set during the English Suffrage Movement and is a fantastic read.

Synopsis:

Going toe-to-toe with a brooding Scotsman is rather bold for a respectable suffragist, but when he happens to be one’s unexpected husband, what else is an unwilling bride to do?

London banking heiress Hattie Greenfield wanted just three things in life:

1. Acclaim as an artist.
2. A noble cause.
3. Marriage to a young lord who puts the gentle in gentleman.

Why then does this Oxford scholar find herself at the altar with the darkly attractive financier Lucian Blackstone, whose murky past and ruthless business practices strike fear in the hearts of Britain’s peerage? Trust Hattie to take an invigorating little adventure too far. Now she’s stuck with a churlish Scot who just might be the end of her ambitions….

When the daughter of his business rival all but falls into his lap, Lucian sees opportunity. As a self-made man, he has vast wealth but holds little power, and Hattie might be the key to finally setting long-harbored political plans in motion. Driven by an old desire for revenge, he has no room for his new wife’s apprehensions or romantic notions, bewitching as he finds her.

But a sudden journey to Scotland paints everything in a different light. Hattie slowly sees the real Lucian and realizes she could win everything–as long as she is prepared to lose her heart.

Click this link to purchase!* Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women)

These were my Top 5 and will by no means match your own. However, if you like the genre’s I read you may want to pick up one or two of these books. If I missed something that you want to shout to the world about, please say it in the comments below. I’d love to hear what books you can’t wait to read!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads7 Comments

This Chick Read: Deep (Stage Dive #4) by Kylie Scott

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Battle Royal by Lucy Parker

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

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

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

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

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

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

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

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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It’s Monday, what are you reading? (8/16/21)

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

JUST FINISHED

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

JUST STARTED

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

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

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads