This Chick Read: Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

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

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

This Chick Read: Avenging Angel by Kristen Ashley

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

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

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Avenging Angel

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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

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

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

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

❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

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

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

This Chick Read: Mind Games by Nora Roberts

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

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

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

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

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Mind Games

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

This Chick Read: Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau

As the last unwed daughter out of five, Emily Hung is getting tired of her mother’s attempts at setting her up with the perfect man. Her newest attempt is Mark Chan. When they meet at her sister’s wedding Emily is not impressed with this boring engineer. At her mother’s second attempt at tricking them into a date Emily decides to fight back and convinces Mark to fake date her, but her mother has spies everywhere so they have to step it up. They start going on real fake dates and Emily finally see’s behind Mark’s sweater vest wearing persona. Maybe mother does know best?

This author has a great sense of humor! Emily’s inner dialogue often had me laughing and her characterization of Mark, before she got to know him, was quite spot on. Until she saw behind the sweater and could read his slight facial expressions. This stoic engineer had a sense of humor but found it hard to open up to people. Well, everyone except Emily it seemed. Their cute interactions and made them easy to root for but it was their idiosyncrasies and the way that they supported each other that sold me on the story.

As you got to know these characters the reader was given insights into their characters, making these sweet and funny moments more poignant. Both of them were fighting against insecurities and challenging family dynamics giving the story some much needed conflict so it wasn’t just about a fake dating scheme. As with most of our own lives Emily and Mark’s were balancing acts and throwing “finding love” into the mix caused ripples both good and bad. The author’s spin on this story was fun and cute, but the real-life problems resonated for me and I think it will for other readers as well. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie

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: This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

The first time Lucy met Felix, she was grabbing a bite to eat alone while waiting for her friend to arrive on their island vacation. She spent an amazing night with Felix and the next morning put the pieces together that he was her friends brother, Wolf. Each year when she escapes to the island, she vows to stay away from Felix and every year ends up in his bed. Despite their intense connection, Lucy always kept her heart out of it until the week before her best friends wedding, when Bridget asks her to come out to the island.

Carley Fortune writes wonderfully emotional beach-centric novels. Or lake-centric, but the local always involves sand, water, and great seafood. Those things certainly set that laissez faire mood which I think is required for a great beach read. This Summer Will Be Different felt, well, different, more intense and kind of frustrating.

Lucy, our heroine, is dealing with the trauma of losing her aunt and trying to make a go of the flower store her aunt left her. She is also harboring the secret of a years-long vacation relationship with her best friends brother. Felix, or Wolf, is on the island going about his life but you just know that he’s living for those moments with Lucy that are few and far between. This novel had boat-loads of conflict to work through and despite my impatience to get to that final conclusion, it was done really well and my turbulent feelings were worth the experience. But it was exhausting, truly. I needed a vacation after reading my vacation book!

Every year I look forward to Carley Fortune’s newest book release and this year is no different. There were so many great moments in this book (the chemistry! the great best friend relationship!) but there was something holding me back from an all in five star rating. I liked it a lot, but I’ve liked other books by this author more. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* This Summer Will Be Different

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: Happy Medium by Sarah Adler

Gretchen Acorn’s fake spirit medium business is going well so when her most lucrative customer asks for her help for a friend, she agree’s to go off to the country to “help” vacate a ghost from a farm. What she doesn’t expect is to actually see that ghost, hear why he is haunting the farm, and stick around in the country for a month to try to convince the cute, young, farmer why he can not sell his farm and move to the city.

It’s kind of unconventional to have your heroine be a con-woman. I’ll admit that have a fake medium business is probably on the low end of the con spectrum, but I did have a little trouble buying what she was selling. Of course, so did the young farmer, Charlie. He however because charmed by her good looks and spirit whereas I remained skeptical that a romance between the two of them would ever be believable.

I’ve enjoyed Sarah Adler’s books in the past so I was somewhat surprised I was having so much trouble with Happy Medium. The redeeming character was Everett, the ghost. He was a quirky character but added some much needed humor and was a foil to Gretchen making her seem reliable and “normal”. He was a ghost with questionable morals after all.

Happy Medium, for me, was just an ok story. As I mentioned, I had trouble with the main character and if I can’t love the heroine I’m not going to love the story. I’m sure there will be plenty of other readers who will adore this story, but I have to go with my gut on this one and give it a three rating.

❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book! Happy Medium

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- May’24

OK, I can’t believe that we are already in the month of May. This year has gone by so fast! My TBR just keeps growing and I know there are not enough hours in a day/month/year that I can tackle all of the books I want to read. Despite that growing list, I’m going to pick the 5 books that I’m most excited to see being released in May. These five will definitely be on my TBR and hopefully I’ll be able to crack open a page.

This is the second outdoor adventure competition romance that I’ve seen coming out in May. They both look cute but this one edged out the other since it’s an adult contemporary. Looks like a fun and easy read and should be put in your carry on for the first beach vacation of the year.

Synopsis: Orie Lennox has spent her entire life prepping for her happily ever after — and now that she’s graduated, she’s low-key wondering, when the heck is it gonna hit. Her love life, her new job, her relationship with her sister: none of it is quite what she envisioned it to be.

One evening, on a whim, she applies for a reality show where she’ll be stranded on an island, with a bunch of strangers, to play a game of human chess for a shot at a million dollars. What better way to force herself to break up with the things that aren’t bringing her joy, than to abandon them all on short notice to live off the grid on a beach in the South Pacific!

Orie’s shocked when she ends up cast in an experimental romantic edition of the show: and even more surprised to find that her old high school crush, Remy, has been cast as well. Orie’s one of ten contestants, set to compete in formidable challenges, while speed dating, in the wilderness: without deodorant, toilets, shaving cream, or showers. (How!?)

She finds herself tied up — literally — in a game of risky alliances as she navigates ever-growing feelings for her one that got away, alongside an exciting array of budding new relationships.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Attached at the Hip

When Nora has one of her romantic suspense releases I want to immediately snatch it up. This one seems to be more sinister than normal. yeah!

Synopsis:

As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.

Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.

The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse—because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them—and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…

Click this link to purchase this book!* Mind Games

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

I have just recently discovered Elle Kennedy’s college hockey series. If you like your romance a bit raunchy and characters with a lot of heart, you need to reach for one of her books. She was recommended to me and I’ve gobbled them all up.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Dixon Rule

Crazy Rich Asians was such a fun novel and the movie was technicolor bliss. I saw this synopsis and thought- I have to read this one!

Synopsis:

Rufus Leung Gresham, future Earl of Greshambury and son of a former Hong Kong supermodel has a problem: the legendary Gresham Trust has been depleted by decades of profligate spending, and behind all the magazine covers and Instagram stories manors and yachts lies nothing more than a gargantuan mountain of debt. The only solution, put forth by Rufus’s scheming mother, is for Rufus to attend his sister’s wedding at a luxury eco-resort, a veritable who’s-who of sultans, barons, and oligarchs, and seduce a woman with money.

Should he marry Solène de Courcy, a French hotel heiress with honey blond tresses and a royal bloodline? Should he pursue Martha Dung, the tattooed venture capital genius who passes out billions like lollipops? Or should he follow his heart, betray his family, squander his legacy, and finally confess his love to the literal girl next door, the humble daughter of a doctor, Eden Tong? When a volcanic eruption burns through the nuptials and a hot mic exposes a secret tryst, the Gresham family plans—and their reputation—go up in flames.

Can the once-great dukedom rise from the ashes? Or will a secret tragedy, hidden for two decades, reveal a shocking twist?

In a globetrotting tale that takes us from the black sand beaches of Hawaii to the skies of Marrakech, from the glitzy bachelor pads of Los Angeles to the inner sanctums of England’s oldest family estates, Kevin Kwan unfurls a juicy, hilarious, sophisticated and thrillingly plotted story of love, money, murder, sex, and the lies we tell about them all.

Click this link to purchase this book! Lies and Weddings

Since this author duo moved on from New Adult fiction I’ve completely enjoyed virtually all of their novels. They immediately hit my TBR and if I don’t read it, I listen to the audiobook!

Synopsis:

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Paradise Problem

There were so many books to choose from and these are the ones that I chose for my own pleasure reading. What did I miss? Let me know in the comments!

This Chick Read: At First Spite (Harlot’s Bay #1) by Olivia Dade

Athena Greydon’s fiancé ends their engagement one month before their wedding but after she has quit her job, sold all of her furniture because she was moving in with him, and purchased him the house next door as a wedding gift. Having no job and no place to live, Athena does the unthinkable and moves in next door to her ex-fiancé and across the alley from his brother Matthew Vine the Third. The man who convinced his brother to break their engagement. What’s a girl to do but torture the man with loud erotica audio book’s, scary Halloween decorations, and bad housekeeping. What she doesn’t figure on is liking what she thought was an unlikeable, rigid man, who turns out to be not that unlikeable at all.

When Olivia Dade writes well, she really hits it out of the park. At First Spite was funny, sad, sweet, and quite salty. I really didn’t know what Athena was going to serve up next to poor Matthew but I knew that I would enjoy whatever it was and that he would tolerate it because he feels awful for how his decision to break up his brother’s relationship ruined Athena’s life.

The Spite House was appropriately named because it’s 10 feet wide and butt’s up against the original house and takes in all the light from it’s many windows. It’s on a very old historical alley and faces the house across from it which is only 40 feet away. This close proximity means Matthew and Athena are literally in each others faces when they are in their homes. A great set-up to a love story and many opportunities for comedic scenes.

I really enjoyed this novel. It has my favorite enemies to lovers trope and provided a lot of humor, but it wasn’t all fun and games. There were some quite serious issues like depression which were dealt with in an appropriate and realistic manner. These plot points only made me enjoy the light moments even more. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* At First Spite

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: Christa Comes Out of her Shell by Abbi Waxman

After a tumultuous childhood, Christa Liddle has hidden away, both figuratively and literally. Happily studying sea snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Christa finds her tranquil existence thrown into chaos when her once-famous father—long thought dead after a plane crash—turns out to be alive, well, and ready to make amends. The world goes wild, fascinated by this real-life saga, pinning Christa and her family under the spotlight. As if that weren’t enough, her reunion with an old childhood friend reveals an intense physical attraction neither was expecting and both want to act on . . . if they can just keep a lid on it. When her father’s story starts to develop cracks, Christa fears she will lose herself, her potential relationship, and—most importantly—any chance of making it back to her snails before they forget her completely.

Ever since I read Abbi Waxman’s Garden of Small Beginnings I have been a huge fan. Christa Comes Out of her Shell captures that same quirky real life effervescence that the first novel had. Right from the moment Christa is introduced while viewing her sea snails I fell in love and as the story moved along each moment had its own reveal about Christa’s character. She wasn’t perfect, but she was perfectly awkward and fun to read about. The story itself about a long lost father who appears out of nowhere after twenty-five years was a bit unrealistic but I’ve never let realism get in the way of great storytelling. This family who was angry but at the same time overjoyed to see their father had moments that rang true. Conflicting emotions, long held convictions, but overall a love for each other who saw and would see each other through difficult times. It was such an easy story to read.

When it comes to romance, I’m not sure it’s Abbi Waxman’s focus. She’s such a great storyteller that sometimes the romantic angle kind of feels like an add-on. I’ll admit that for me that was the case with the romance between Christa and Nate but I also loved how that romance was an escape from the press of responsibility for Christa. She didn’t know how to feel about her father but that instant connection with Nate was easy to figure out and explore. It made sense while at the same time felt like it wasn’t needed. See, I was conflicted too!

Needless to say, I’ve liked all of Abbi Waxman’s story’s and this one was no different. In fact, it’s my second favorite that she’s written. Cute, light, and an escape from reality.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Christa Comes Out of Her Shell

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.