It’s Monday, what are you reading? (10/10/22)

It’s my favorite time of year when the weather is fantastic and there are too many great books to read. This last week, besides working, I also enjoyed a bit of the beautiful weather, AND read some great books. HA! Who says you can’t do it all?!!

JUST FINISHED

What a fun novel! It was poignant, funny, and oh so sweet. I will be writing a review soon, but let’s just say that this one did not disappoint.

JUST STARTED

I plan to start this book as soon as I stop writing tonight. It’s a romantic fantasy and looks like a lot of fun! I can’t wait to dig in.

Did anyone get outside this week or did you hunker down on the couch with a good book? I hope it was a good one!

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

This Chick Read: A Turn of the Tide ( A Stitch in Time #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Miranda Hastings has seen both of her sisters travel through the stitch in time in Thorne Manor and has been waiting on her opportunity to follow in their footsteps. However instead of traveling to the future as her sister Rosalind did, she travels to the past. She finds herself in Thorne Manor during the Georgian era arriving just in time to divert privateer Nicolas “Nico” Dupree from his untimely death. She has seen his ghost walking the lane where he dies, in her own time, and is determined to save him from his death. While intruding on that fateful night she stumbles upon a conspiracy and with the help of Nico and a couple other ghostly friends, she lends a hand hoping to save the day and send these ghosts on to their final rest.

This novel was a little different than the previous two in that Miranda knew exactly what she was in for when she stepped through that stitch in time in the attic of Thorne Manor. She didn’t expect to travel to the past, but her instant connection to Nico made sticking around pretty easy. MIranda’s independent nature was stifled in her own time and her chemistry with Nico and he “friendly” nature, allows her to experiment with a sexuality that men of her time trod upon. I actually really liked the more sexy nature of this book as it added another layer to a mystery that was pretty easy to solve. I also liked that NIco and MIranda were a mixed race pairing. No one really seemed to pay attention to that fact at all, which may not have been historically accurate but it was refreshing.

This novel was definitely easy to read and the mystery wasn’t much of a mystery at all. Despite my wanting a little more depth I did enjoy this novel and always like to support a favorite author. If you find yourself wanting to read a paranormal romance, I don’t think you need to read the previous two novels. This book stands alone on it’s own, but I bet you’ll be interested enough to go back and read the first two. My favorite was the first novel A Stitch in Time. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase!* A Turn of the Tide

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.

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: My Top 5 Most Anticipated Book Releases- Oct’22

Ok, I know it’s Wednesday and I’m a week late getting this post out, but it’s never too late to talk book releases, right??? I know I say this every month, but boy! There are a lot of books coming out next month that I really want to read. Somehow, I’ve narrowed them down to 5.

#5 BOOK RELEASE

I thought Jackie Lau’s book Donut Fall in Love was a cute light-hearted romance and am looking forward to seeing a couple of characters from that novel achieve their hea. This one intrigues me, but I’ll admit it’s not going to be War and Peace. Sometimes you need a light-hearted book to get you through a tough week!

Synopsis: They say to never meet your heroes, but when Vivian Liao’s roommate gets engaged to her favorite actor’s costar, she has no choice but to come face-to-face with Melvin Lee again. He’s just as funny and handsome as he is on-screen…but thinks she is a snob and a sellout. It’s none of his business how she chooses to live her life, no matter how charismatic he is.
 
Mel is used to charming audiences as an actor and stand-up comedian but can’t connect to Vivian. She’s a smart, talented artist—which is why he thinks she’s wasting her life as a corporate finance drone. The only thing uniting them is their goal for the wedding to go off without a hitch.
 
As they collaborate on wedding cake and karaoke parties, Mel realizes he might have seriously misjudged this bridesmaid, while Vivian discovers the best man might just be as dazzling off-screen as he is on. With the wedding underway, maybe more than one happily ever after is in the future.

Click this link to purchase!* The Stand-Up Groomsman

#4 BOOK RELEASE

Sophie Cousens has written some of my favorite more poignant novels over the last couple of years. This book sounds like a little soul-searching and a lot of romance. I hope.

Synopsis:  Head-in-the-stars Audrey is about to marry down-to-earth Josh. Though they are polar opposites, they have a healthy, stable relationship; Josh is just what Audrey needs. But romance should be unpredictable and full of fireworks, and as the big day approaches, Audrey’s found herself wondering if Josh really is “The One.”
 
    So, when Josh’s sister shows up to the rehearsal dinner with Fred, Audrey’s “What If? guy”—the man she met six years ago and had one amazing day with—Audrey finds herself torn. Surely Fred’s appearance the night before she is due to get married can’t be a coincidence. And when everything that could go wrong with the wedding starts to go wrong, Audrey has to ask herself: Is fate trying to stop her from making a huge mistake? Or does destiny just have a really twisty sense of humor?

Click this link to purchase!* Before I Do

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase a book through one of these links I’ll receive a small stipend.

#3 BOOK RELEASE

I have read several books by Mimi Matthews including the first book in this series. I enjoy the real-ness of her characters. I can’t wait to see how this book surprises me.

Synopsis: A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.

Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.
 
For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can’t spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins—she proposes to Captain Blunt.
 
In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride—and to read—as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes…

Click this link to purchase!* The Belle of Belgrave Square

#2 BOOK RELEASE

The long-awaited 4th novel in the Kingmaker Chronicles is out this month! I’ve re-read the series, gearing up for Jocasta and Finn’s story. I Can’t Wait!

Synopsis:

THE WAR OF GODS IS JUST BEGINNING

After centuries of conflict, the three kingdoms of Thalyria have finally been reunited. But now the queen has been cursed, the royal lineage has been broken, and no one knows who’s behind the plot to threaten the once-fractured realm’s fragile new peace.

Desperate to help, Jocasta—the king’s younger sister and a gifted healer—hatches a daring plan to find Circe’s Garden, a fabled island where she hopes to discover an antidote. But she can’t do it alone. She needs the strong arm and unflinching bravery of the warrior she’s loved since childhood—her brother’s right-hand-man and captain of the guard, Flynn of Sinta.

Flynn has spent years fighting to deny the desperate longing burning between them, but he cannot allow Jocasta to face this danger alone. He swears he will be her shield, and together they will do the impossible. Yet with old feelings blazing bright and treachery brewing on Mount Olympus, one thing is clear: Thalyria and its new royals are still pawns in an epic game of power—one that might end in a War of Gods.

Click this link to purchase!* A Curse of Queens

MOST ANTICIPATED OCTOBER’22 BOOK RELEASE

Part thriller, all drama, Mad Honey looks like a book that I need to schedule a weekend to read. I know I’m not going to be able to put this one down!

Synopsis: Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising their beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined that she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in and taking over her father’s beekeeping business.
 
Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start. 
 
And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can trust him completely. . . .
 
Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in Ash, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.
 
Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Click this link to purchase* Mad Honey

This Chick Read: Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score

YouTube star Maggie Nichols flips houses and films them for her channel, earning a million followers with her charm and talent. When she finds her next house in Kinship, Idaho, she immediately starts interviewing the local contractors to help her get this Victorian mansion ready for re-sale. When she meets hot landscaper guy, Silas, and his sweet dog she feels a clinch in her.. heart, a feeling that Silas definitely returns. Has she finally found a place she can call home?

Maggie Moves On is sweet, funny, and tugs on your heartstrings and if she hadn’t let Silas finally “catch” her, I would’ve written myself into this story and captured him myself. This was one romance novel where the hero is actually someone I could see myself also falling for, and his dog was the icing on the cake.

I loved Maggie and Silas together, but I also loved all of the characters that made up this sweet story. If Kinship Idaho were a real town, this book would have people moving there in droves. I loved the sense of community, the quirky characters, and the love everyone feels for each other. When someone faces adversity the whole town shows up to help them get through that difficult time. Ahhh, I love romance novels and the small towns where their stories reside.

It’s hard to pick out a favorite moment in a book that is filled with great moments, but I’d have to say that when Maggie and Silas meet is probably a meet cute that I will never forget. I won’t spoil it for you all, but if if you’re even going to crack this book open, you need to at least read through their first meeting. I bet if you get that far, you’ll keep turning the pages. This story and these characters are pretty irresistible. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Maggie Moves On

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.

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (9/26/22)

I finished an audiobook this week that really got me thinking about our country’s revolution. My Dear Hamilton is the story of Eliza Hamilton and her husband Alexander, made famous in the musical Hamilton. Although really he was one of the founding fathers of our country and should be famous for that, but hey at least the musical has us talking about it all again. I have had this book For-ev-er. I have met Laura Kamoie, one of it’s authors, years ago and purchased the book when it came out in 2016. Then it sat on my audible shelf until I watched Hamilton for the third time and thought, you know what? I want to know more than what this version of Hamilton’s story is telling me. Wow, I learned a lot and it was so interesting! Don’t be surprised if you see me reading more from the Revolutionary War era. It’s fascinating, really! Let’s catch up on the books I’ve been reading lately!

JUST FINISHED

This book was so, so long! It’s funny but when you are reading books on your kindle and it takes forever for your % to move forward you know the book must be a behemoth. Did I like it? Review to come. I did and I didn’t.

JUST STARTED

I haven’t really started this book yet but it’s certainly high up on my TBR. I’ve got it checked out from the library and am eagerly anticipating how good it will be after I loved Elena Armas’s The Spanish Love Deception. I’ll let you know what I think!

Have you read any good books lately?

Happy reading and happy Monday!

Deb

This Chick’s Mini review: Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood

This final book in Ali Hazelwood’s mini series about three best friends. This book follows NASA aerospace engineer, Hannah. In grad school Hanna needs to interview someone for an assignment and her best friend Mara hooks her up with her cousin Ian who is in the same industry and who was on the team that sent the last rover to Mars and they have instant heat but years later they are arch-rivals.

Out of the three Women of STEM books, this one was the book that I’d have liked to see as full length. There was obvious chemistry between Hannah and Ian and I would’ve liked to have explored each character a little more fully to develop that chemistry into full fledged heat. Hannah had a really interesting back story that begged to be told and I would’ve liked to have known a bit more about Ian’s personality that wasn’t just limited to young genius.

What I liked the best about this novel was how each of these characters were so strong and independent but they needed each other and were better together than by themselves. At least they were in my mind. LOL.

I love all of Ali Hazelwood’s novels. The characters are interesting, funny, and smart. The dialog is sassy and you just want to be their friends in real life. (I also wouldn’t mind taken home my own Ian…)

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Below Zero

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.

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (9/12/22)

Who out there reads multiple books at one time? I’ll admit that I usually am listening to an audiobook and reading a book or two simultaneously. I usually only physically read two books at once if one of them just hasn’t grabbed me and I’m committed to reviewing it. Otherwise I just put it down and never pick it up again. I listen to books all the time; while walking in the morning, driving in my car, and even if I’m doing something that doesn’t require thinking while at work. I’ll admit that doesn’t happen as often as I’d like though! LOL. Here are the books that have been on my nightstand recently.

JUST FINISHED

There were moments in this book that I really liked and moments where I just went “huh”. It was definitely different than I’d expected!

JUST STARTED

I’m pretty methodical in my reading and when I get a book to read and review I usually wait a little closer to the release date to read but I love this series by Olivia Dade and immediately cracked it open. I’m not disappointed so far!

Have you read any good books lately?

Have a great Monday and happy reading.

Deb

This Chick Read: The Boy with the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith

This one has a pretty simple premise. Baker, Joelle Prima has a mad crush on Max Boyson, the man who owns the book store next door. Every morning he comes in for his latte and mildly flirts. Joelle, is super shy and just when she gets up her nerve to ask Max out they find out that their landlord will be remodeling and the two of them will have to share a very small space in the back of the building until the build gets finished. Needless to say, sharing a small space is eye opening and sparks fly.

I thought Joelle’s character was really well written. She is of Filipino descent and her bakery has a lot of that cultures flavors. It all sounded totally delicious and I wanted to get my hands on an ube latte after finishing this book. It sounds intriguing! Unfortunately, Joelle’s family and the ube latte were what kept me reading this book. I loved her multi-generational family living situation and how she was so close to her family. What bothered me was Max’s character. His background of being brought up by an alcoholic mother and raised by relatives who didn’t want him around really affected his character. He was so mean! I had a really hard time looking past his anger and finding the thing (other than his looks) that would sustain a relationship with Joelle. I won’t give away the story, but yes, this is a romance and they do get together at the end, but boy does Joelle have to work hard to get there. Max just got lucky finding someone who would put up with all his baggage. I’m not sure I would have stuck around after the first argument.

When the story reverted back to Joelle and her family I was intrigued, but this is a love story and unfortunately for me it fell a bit flat. I could connect with Joelle, but Max didn’t have a lot of redeeming qualities other than his good taste in finding Joelle. I do realize that reading is subjective, so if this synopsis sounds good to you, please read this book. It just wasn’t to my taste. ❤️❤️❣️

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 Boy with the Bookstore

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (9/5/22)

If you live in the US, I hope you have a wonderful day off from work, if you were lucky enough to have the day off. I do, and added on to my long weekend with a couple of extra days, so I’m really enjoying the time to relax and read. Here’s what I’ve been spending my time with.

JUST FINISHED

Ruby Fever came out a few weeks ago, and yes, I had already read this book. I love following up my initial read by listening to Ilona Andrews novels because I find that the nuances in hearing someone narrate the story give me more insight and enjoyment, catching variation in the plot that I may have missed when reading the novel. It was definitely the case with Ruby Fever. Listening turned my 4 star review into a 5 for the audiobook.

JUST STARTED

The fifteenth novel in the series is just as action-packed as the first, if not more so! This book has so much going on that you just don’t want to put it down. Beware! You will sit and read this one in one day!

How are you choosing to spend your Monday? I hope it’s a good one!

Deb

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (8/29/22)

As you get older the birthday’s that I always looked forward to when I was younger become more daunting. Yesterday was my birthday and I again faced my aging body and face in the mirror. Yes, I’m carrying some extra weight and have started to get lines next to my eyes but I still faced this day celebrating the fact that I’m healthy and have a great life. I enjoyed my celebration with my husband and my family. I also gave myself some time to relax and start a new book. Of course, I did!

JUST FINISHED

I received an ARC of this book and despite the fun premise, I felt a little let down by the writing and the characters. I’ll tell you a bit more in my review.

JUST STARTED

This cover is a little creepy, isn’t it? I usually love Elise Kova’s covers, but this one is not my favorite. Luckily, it’s book 3 in the series and I didn’t need to see the cover to want to read the book. LOL. I just started it but I’m enjoying how unique this story is and am thrilled with the development of the characters.

I hope you all had a great weekend, and happy Monday!

Deb