Tag: romance

This Chick Read: Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

Personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy is out of a job and had moved back in to her parents home while she tries to figure out what to do with her life. Her parents are supposed to be traveling the country in their RV and the house empty but they have double booked house sitters and she finds herself sharing the house with Levi Fanning, ex-bad boy and brother to the guy she had a crush on when she was a kid. When she comes across a diary she wrote about what she needs to do to prepare for high school, she realizes that the girl she used to be got lost, so she decides to do some of the things she wrote, with Levi’s help. As they make their way through her wishlist they learn a lot about themselves and each other.

Georgie, All Along was such a fantastic feel-good novel. I think every reader can identify with Georgie’s situation. Losing their job and finding themselves floundering of life’s choices. Also, finding a connection with a grumpy but sexy man. Well, I did the first, but not the second but her journey of finding herself, with Levi’s help was emotional, personal, and oh so fun to read.

Like I said above, Georgie was so easy to like. She may have been a little lost but her heart was in the right place and her method of finding her way entertaining. Levi was also that grump you always secretly crushed on. A troubled past combined with his taciturn nature made him slightly mysterious but also his story pulled at your heart. I knew immediately that I was going to root for these two to find their way to each other. Georgie never had that feeling of completeness, and Levi never had his own person to belong to. They were perfect for each other!

Most of my favorite romance authors include great groups of friendships in their novels and Georgie was a girl that collected friends. I loved how each of them wanted the best for her and supported her in finding her way, but also delivered the truths that she needed to hear. Levi didn’t have that gang, but that made his need for Georgie resonate even more and their union supreme.

If you are in the mood for an emotional journey that hits those storytelling high notes, this is the book you need to pick up. I enjoyed this one a LOT and this author is now on my must read list.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Georgie, All Along

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? (1/23/23)

What happened to the last week? Time flew by and despite all of the things on my calendar I still managed to have a little down time and complete a book. I look forward to that hour of reading every night. It helps my mind relax and release the stresses of the day. Here are the books on my virtual nightstand.

JUST FINISHED

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and I have to say that it really surprised me. I am not familiar with this author and didn’t really know what to expect but the characters were well developed and the plot was absolutely fun. Truly this one was a great weekend read.

JUST STARTED

This is book eight in the series so if you haven’t read the other novels, run out and borrow, buy, or well, borrow or buy these books! A Sinister Revenge picks up in the middle of Veronica and Stoker’s separation, but when his brother asks for their help they jump at the chance to investigate together again. I love these books and this one is especially well written.

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Folk Around and Find Out (Good Folk #2) by Penny Reid

Charlotte Mitchell, recently divorced mother of four, needs to get hired as a stripper at the Pink Pony. Hank Weller, owner of said nightclub, has not interest in hiring Charlotte after he got the blame for her husband leaving her for one of his dancers. Charlotte is interesting, beautiful, and too smart for his own good and he needs her to keep some distance. Unfortunately, he ends up hiring her- but as his bookkeeper. He quickly finds out that she’s not only beautiful, but she’s bright, sassy, and again very, very interesting. Despite his best intentions of staying away, he can’t help but to keep her close.

Charlotte has an ulterior motive for finding a job at the Pink Pony, and it’s not to change careers. She wants to find her cousin who may have gotten into trouble. What she finds is that the staff at the Pink Pony are like a family and Hank Weller is not at all who she thought he was. Instead he’s reliable, kind, and oh so handsome. But- she’s not interested in dating. She’s way too busy raising her four kids.

As with all Penny Reid novels, her characters are charming, quirky, and fun to read about. Folk Around and Find Out was no different. We’ve gotten to know these characters on the periphery of other novels but in this novel they shine on their own. Hank was always a mystery but as Beau’s best friend you knew that there was more to his character than “rich guy who owns a strip club”. This is of course true- and we really get to know his good character in this novel. Charlotte was also in the peripheral in other novels and I never really thought much about her before but now I wonder how I could’ve overlooked her. She is so interesting! BUT she and Hank together are much more than they are apart. I love how she is everything to him and he is a wonderful miracle to her. This was such a sweet story.

As with a lot of Penny Reid’s books that have kids in them, I fell in love with those little monsters. What a great little family of individual personalities. I love how Hank is charmed by them and falls immediately in love. You can’t help but like a man who is not put off by four kids! Charlotte and Hank are perfect for each other and their story was full of surprises, laughs, and love. This one is a completer charmer!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Folk Around and Find Out

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 Backup Plan (Sunrise Cove #3) by Jill Shalvis

Alice, Lauren, and Knox are childhood friends who all inherit an old Wild West B&B owned by Lauren’s great-aunt Eleanor, a woman who had a hand in raising both Alice and Knox, but who never chose to get to know her great-niece Lauren. Alice and Lauren used to be BFF’s until Alice’s brother died in a car wreck when she was a teenager, and Lauren seemed to blame her for his death. Knox’s mom used to work for Eleanor and he did odd jobs around her house learning bits of a trade that he would later turn into a career. When all three of them need to work together to fix up the old B&B they also have to face their pasts and learn how to make their futures.

I love a great Jill Shalvis novel and The Backup Plan has all of the fixin’s for a true heartbreaker of a novel. Alice has been on her own since she was 18 never settling down in one place and afraid to make a commitment in a job or relationship. When she sees Knox again she’s reminded of the huge crush she had on him in her youth. She is also reminded of her great love for her old friend Lauren and how it all went wrong. Alice has a tough time facing her past, especially when it counts.

Lauren has buried the secret of the night Will died and let her relationship with Alice falter in order to keep her secret, but she’s out of a job and the B&B can make all of her dreams come true and help her connect with her great-aunt whom she now realizes she may have always misunderstood.

Knox has avoided his hometown and gone on to build a successful eco-friendly construction business, won awards and done all of the big things he always wanted to do. When he sees Alice again and gets to know her sassy self, he calmly decides that he would like to stay and build a future. Will Alice buy into that same vision?

The Backup Plan has all of the emotional depth we look for in Women’s Fiction, and the great characters we expect from a Jill Shalvis novel. I loved reading about these characters and cared how they connected with each other again, rebuilding and falling in love. The best kinds of novels have a future written for their characters and in this novel that future is stamped in the lifeblood of each movement and word. I relished reading this novel and enjoyed the message and love found on every page. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

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 Backup Plan

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: Smoke and Steel (Wild West MC #2) by Kristen Ashley

Hellen Moynihan has goals. She’s strong, independent, and when her boyfriend isn’t showing her the respect she deserves she cuts him loose. Respect is of utmost importance and when she see’s a friend of hers being taking advantage by a man, she speaks up trying to get her friend to respect herself. Dustin “Hardcore” Cutler is a man who has dished out vengeance and in the past to one person who didn’t deserve the treatment. He and his MC brothers are on the path of redemption trying to make up for this past act. When he is put on Hellen’s detail, watching over her as a favor to her brother-in-law, he knows she is exactly the type of woman he’s attracted to, but because of his past acts he thinks he doesn’t deserve happiness. Yet, he somehow allows Hellen into his life and fells the warmth of that redemption soothe his soul.

I don’t typically read MC novels and in fact probably only read them when written by Kristen Ashley. I prefer hero’s to be “good” men, but I’ll admit there is something about a bad man who makes good that is appealing in a fantasy read. Core was just such a man. He and his brothers portrayed a horrible act, one that as a woman is not easily redeemed in a novel, but the fact that he beat himself up so much about what he did shows that he has that kernel of goodness inside his heart. Of course in real life I wouldn’t be so forgiving but since this is a novel I wanted to see where this story would lead. I really kind of liked it.

Core had that mix of gruff and surly mixed with an old world charm. Right from the start he treated Hellen with the respect that she was looking for, opening doors, holding her hand, helping her put on her coat, etc. He was also looking out for her safety. At times that could be difficult because Hellen was determined to help her friend with a man who was stealing from her. She and her girl gang came up with a scheme that would put her in harms way and Core would magically appear to remove them from harm. Classic KA storytelling a la Rock Chicks, which I do like a lot.

The heat level on this romance is sizzling hot, so if you are looking for a tamer storyline between the sheets this may not be the novel you’re looking for. I’ll admit to skimming the romance time to get back to the story, but luckily there were only a couple of more detailed scenes, so easy to avoid if you’re comfort level needs that.

I enjoyed this second novel in the series. Core and Hellen were opposites who when together made a great couple and their story was fun to read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

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: Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez

Vanessa’s mom and sister didn’t live to 30 so Vanessa has vowed to live every day like it was her last, traveling around the world and blogging about her life. She didn’t expect people to react so positively having followers in the millions. When her sister drops her baby off and never returns Vanessa has to change her life to fit this new little one. Adrian Copeland is a successful trial lawyer with an impeccable reputation and hard work attitude. When the screaming baby wakes him up, he goes over to his neighbor’s see what’s up and ends up babysitting while Vanessa takes a shower. Enjoying her personality, Adrian ends up spending more and more time with she and Grace until they are almost like their own little family unit. But Vanessa is a lifestyle blogger who is used to living life like there’s no tomorrow.

I have read the other two books in this series and they were cute, which is why I picked up the third. I did not expect this book to be so full of heart, have great characters, and leave me with soggy tissues to clean up when I finished reading. Whew! This novel hooked me in and then took me on a journey that I wasn’t sure I wanted, but definitely didn’t want to stop.

Vanessa was kind of a nut. A free spirit, she really fits that lifestyle blogger persona- or at least she seems to. She really has a hidden agenda, raising money for ALS, the disease that killed her sister and that her mother was also showing symptoms of. Vanessa is terrified that she too will die from this disease. That thought has filled her life and every decision she’s made since she realized it. Adrian is completely thrown by this fascinating creature that lives next door. He has been all about work and as he gets to know her he is realizing that there is so much more to life than being a partner in his firm and working 24/7. I loved seeing him blossom out of his work persona.

I can’t let this review end without saying something about Vanessa’s family who played a huge part in this book. As with most families, her’s had their share of issues. What was so nice about Life’s Too Short was how family was at the heart of the story. The ALS storyline, the baby, her father’s hoarding, her sister’s addiction, her brother’s money making schemes. All integral parts to making Vanessa who she was and why this novel worked so well. Loved! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Life’s Too Short

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.

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This Chick Read: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Genevieve and Shane meet when she gets transferred to his high school. She’d always been a bit of an outcast, moving around with her mom a lot and plagued with debilitating migraines. When Eva meets Shane, she is trying to make a friend, but ends up meeting her soul mate. Over seven days they hide away from everyone, getting to know each other, but also self-medicating. Fast forward to 15 years later with they are both best-selling authors and meet by chance at an author event. Each of them carries a lot of baggage from their past, but from that first moment the strands that connect them become concrete. This novel tells their story from their most painful moments to a time where their being together heals their woes and the word family becomes their world.

I have not read any other novels by Tia Williams, and picked this one up because of two reasons. The cover struck me as gorgeous, and the synopsis called out to me. I always love it when the subject revolves around writing, books, libraries, or authors. This story did have that connection for me, but when I started reading, it wasn’t the fact that Eva and Shane were authors that made me stick around, it was their connection. Their story of loss, love, and perseverance. It was the fact that family was something they strove to hang onto, even though they both didn’t have concrete ideas of what would make a good one. Eva is now a mother, her daughter is by far one of my favorite characters in this book, and Eva is raising her like she would’ve wanted to be raised. To be strong, educated, and without fear. To be a leader among her peers. All of the things that she didn’t have from her own mother, who was went from man to man looking for self-validation.

Shane also didn’t have those strong building blocks, growing up in the foster system. A big guy, he easily got into trouble so he self-medicated until not being drunk or on pills was his norm. As an adult, he is now one of the most sought after authors because of his reclusiveness, but what drives him is to go back to schools like where he and Eva met, and connect with young kids and give them hope that they will overcome their own struggles. I loved this part of Shane. A now sober man who wants to give back. It’s an inspiring part of his character that despite his short-comings makes him easy to like.

When Shane and Eva reconnect, Tia Williams does an amazing job of giving their feelings a sense of urgency and chemistry. I wanted the two of them to make each other their person and when it happened, I sighed with relief, eager for them to get that hea they deserved. Of course, things weren’t that simple for the two of them, but gosh this author knows how to write a scene and make me feel. I felt EVERYTHING… and loved it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book! Seven Days in June

Copyright 2022 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: The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

Carey Duncan met Melissa and Rusty Tripp when she was sixteen. She applied for a retail job in their store in her small town. When they were discovered by a home design network, Carey continued to work for Melissa as her assistant. She has helped them build their empire, but just as their launching a book tour, their marriage is on the rocks. James McCann was only recently hired by the Tripp’s as an Engineer on their show but has ended up being Rusty’s executive assistant. His career trajectory is reliant upon the Tripp’s making a success of their book and the second season of their new show. When it all starts to plummet, he and Carey team up to try to hold their bosses relationship together, while at the same time starting their own.

This novel came out a couple of years ago and has say on my library wishlist ever since. I’m not sure why I pressed pause because it was such a great romance. OK, yeah, Melissa and Rusty’s relationship was definitely on the skids, but when James and Carey banded together the became each others support system and their own story was sweet and funny. This story was a perfect example of using two relationships to show the contrast in healthy vs unhealthy which skewed the reader to loving James and Carey event more. Boy those Tripp’s were a mess!

I really enjoyed learning about Carey’s disability and how it made her life challenging. Especially when trying to keep designing furniture and other ideas for the Tripp’s. He story especially tugged on your heartstrings. I’ll admit to using Google to learn a little more. One of my favorite moments was James suggestion of using his engineering skills to design her a tool to use to make it easier for her to use her tablet. So sweet! This was a couple that I really rooted for from the start.

There were a lot of hijinks in this novel, just as there are in many of Christina Lauren’s novels. I’m not really fond of watching a marriage implode but I think the contrast of watching a new relationship being built helped provide the positive feeling the reader was left with at the end of the story. Well done! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Honey Don’t List

Copyright 2022 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 Happy Ever After Playlist (The Friend Zone #2) by Abby Jimenez

Two years after the sudden death of her fiancé and Sloan Monroe can’t seem to get her life back on track. Once a talented budding artist she is barely making ends meet working for a mass production company painting cat astronaut paintings. On the anniversary of her fiancé’s death she is driving down the road when she finds a stray dog. She takes him home and calls the name and number on his tags. She leaves messages for over two weeks, but in the interim she keeps feeding the dog and taking him out on walks which help her come out of her funk. When the owner finally calls back and says he’s out of the country, she offers to keep watching him, sending him texts and pictures daily. As those texts with Jason turn flirty she finds herself looking forward to the time when they can meet face to face, while at the same time feeling guilty for moving on. When she finds out he’s a famous musician she wonders if she can survive another heartbreak.

I read The Friend Zone when it first came out and even though I liked it I sat on this second novel. Who knows why, because as soon as I started reading it I knew that I was going to love it. It was so easy to read and I really loved both Sloan and Jason. Jason, despite his superstar status was so down to earth, calm, and charming. He knew that what he found in Sloan was something special and he pursued her with a steadiness that was sweet and smooth. Sloan was a bit more of a mess because of her fiancé’s sudden death but then who wouldn’t be? I loved how it was Jason’s dog, Tucker who brought her out of her slump, playing a great wingman for his missing owner. By the time Jason arrived on the scene Sloan’s heart was on the mend and she was more open to a new relationship. Was this book perfect? No. I had issues with the conflict that arose when Sloan joined Jason on tour. It was pretty manufactured but I had trust in the author to get us back on the trail to our happily ever after, and she did.

I seem to be drawn towards books that have solid friendships, and Sloan’s and Kristen’s was pretty much perfect. I can’t say I remember Kristen too much from The Friend Zone since I read it quite a few years ago, but she was a pretty funny foil to Sloan’s more subdued demeanor. Her antics created the perfect comedic foil to push Sloan into action on a few pivotal scenes. I smiled through her craziness and enjoyed their friendship. Every Thelma needs a Louise and that was who Kristen was for Sloan.

If you are in the mood for a quick romance that is surprisingly sweet with characters who have quite a bit of depth, this may be the perfect book for you! I am still wondering why I waited so long to read it, but hey, the third in the series is out already and now I don’t have to wait at all before diving in to another book that I know is going to bring me pleasure. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book! The Happy Ever After Playlist

Copyright 2022 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? (12/26/22)

For all of you who celebrate, Merry Christmas! I hope everyone got a little “me time” in the craziness of the holiday. I got a couple of Colleen Hoover books for Christmas and believe it or not, I’ve never read one of her books before and am looking forward to seeing what all of the hoopla is all about. Yesterday afternoon while my husband was watching football, I finished a book and read a short novella. So I successfully carved that “me time” and let my mind decompress from the holiday madness. Here is what’s on my shelf.

JUST FINISHED

Ilona Andrews releases chapters from the Innkeep series in real time and it is so hard to NOT read it as they write it. FINALLY the entire book was released and I purchased my kindle copy and dug in this weekend. It was sooo good! It moves us closer to finding out what happened to Dina’s parents but the mystery is not yet solved. Whew! I don’t want this series to end!

JUST STARTED

I haven’t started this book yet, but I think I might pick it up and give Colleen Hoover a try. This and the second book in this series was given to me for Christmas. I’ll let you know if I give it a try! If you’ve read it let me know what you think.

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads