Tag: romance

This Chick Read: The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith

Indie rock star, Greta James, breaks down on stage after the death of her mother, the world catching it on camera and making her grief go viral. Pushing back the launch of her sophomore album, Greta takes her mothers place on a 40th anniversary cruise to Alaska with her father, a man that she loves but that she’s always had a rocky relationship. Maybe this trip will help bridge the gap and keep her from losing both of her parents. While cruising she meets Ben Wilder, a guest speaker about a novel he’s written based upon The Call of the Wild. Ben is also going through personal loss, his broken marriage and missing his two little girls. In each other they find something that connects them and may help them overcome their trauma.

I have read two other books by this author and have loved them all. She balances drama and happiness so deftly and takes me on a journey that stays with me for awhile. Greta was an interesting character. Her first love is playing the guitar and everything in her life has taken a back seat to her commitment to be the best. Her father has spent her life worrying that she is choosing something that is doomed to bring her heartbreak, and despite her success he can’t help but lecture and push her to take a safer route. It’s actually kind of sweet if you think about it, but super frustrating as well. When she meets Ben, he becomes a safe place for her to escape from her complicated emotions surrounding her mother’s death and her feelings for her father but as the days pass she realizes that he is going through his own mixed up life and their vacation romance may be just that.

One of my favorite side characters is a young girl on the ship who idolizes Greta. She makes a great contrast to where Greta was in her childhood and where she is now in her own life. By helping this girl with her own guitar playing she gives her something that she never received in return. I thought that was a really neat circle of life moment that tied the drama in the book together really well and added moments of joy that I can’t say were missing but were only sprinkled sparingly through the book. It’s funny how having those brighter moments makes the contrast that much greater, isn’t it?

This was a very well planned, well executed novel. I really need to go back and read through Jennifer E. Smith’s backlog of books. I bet there are quite a few other nuggets of gold to be discovered.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Mr. Wrong Number

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 Reads2 Comments

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

I know February is a short month, but seriously? Time is flying by this year! In already looking towards the March book releases I’m feeling like I’m falling seriously behind. There are too many books out there and too little time to read them. March has some amazing book releases, so I’m just going to add the five that are on my own radar.

#5 BOOK RELEASE

There is something about this synopsis that is drawing me in. It helps that the author is Lauren Kate because I know she will not let me down. By Any Other Name probably should be higher on my list except for a couple of much anticipated by me novels that are filling the top 2. Is this novel on your own radar?

Synopsis: What she doesn’t know about love could fill a book.
 
With a successful career as a romance editor, and an engagement to a man who checks off all ninety-nine boxes on her carefully curated list, Lanie’s more than good. She’s killing it. Then she’s given the opportunity of a lifetime: to work with world-renowned author and her biggest inspiration in love and life—the Noa Callaway. All Lanie has to do is cure Noa’s writer’s block and she’ll get the promotion she’s always dreamed of. Simple, right? 
 
But there’s a reason no one has ever seen or spoken to the mysterious Noa Calloway. And that reason will rock Lanie’s world. It will call into question everything she thought she knew. When she finally tosses her ninety-nine expectations to the wind, Lanie may just discover that love By Any Other Name can still be as sweet.

Click this link to purchase this book!* By Any Other Name

MY #4 BOOK RELEASE

Rebecca Serle’s novels touch my heart and boy One Italian Summer looks like it could be a tear jerker. I’m a big fan of this author and am eagerly looking forward to reading this novel.

Synopsis: When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: to Positano, the magical town where Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.

But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother’s spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.

And then Carol appears—in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn’t understand what is happening, or how—all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue.

Rebecca Serle’s next great love story is here, and this time it’s between a mother and a daughter. With her signature “heartbreaking, redemptive, and authentic” (Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author) prose, Serle has crafted a transcendent novel about how we move on after loss, and how the people we love never truly leave us.

Click this link to purchase this book!* One Italian Summer: A Novel

MY #3 BOOK RELEASE

From Rebecca Serle’s mother-daughter novel in my #4 spot to a young lady who travels on a vacation with her parents, trying to understand her relationship with her father. I love this author and she often touches my heart with her novels. I’m anticipating another great read.

Synopsis: Right after the sudden death of her mother—her first and most devoted fan—and just before the launch of her high-stakes sophomore album, Greta James falls apart on stage. The footage quickly goes viral and she stops playing, her career suddenly in jeopardy—the kind of jeopardy her father, Conrad, has always predicted; the kind he warned her about when he urged her to make more practical choices with her life. 
 
Months later, Greta—still heartbroken and very much adrift—reluctantly agrees to accompany Conrad on the Alaskan cruise her parents had booked to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. It could be their last chance to heal old wounds in the wake of shared loss. But the trip will also prove to be a voyage of discovery for them both, and for Ben Wilder, a charming historian, onboard to lecture about The Call of the Wild, who is struggling with a major upheaval in his own life. As Greta works to build back her confidence and Ben confronts an uncertain future, they find themselves drawn to and relying on each other.

It’s here in this unlikeliest of places—at sea, far from the packed city venues where she usually plays and surrounded by the stunning scenery of Alaska—Greta will finally confront the choices she’s made, the heartbreak she’s suffered, and the family hurts that run deep. In the end, she’ll have to decide what her path forward might look like—and how to find her voice again.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Unsinkable Greta James: A Novel

MY #2 BOOK RELEASE

Mercy Thompson is one of my favorite urban fantasy characters. She never thinks twice about sacrificing herself for others, and in this novel she could be sacrificing herself for someone who has been stalking her. I can’t wait to see what Patricia Briggs does with the characters in this universe. She never disappoints.

Synopsis: Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must face her greatest fears in this chilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

The vampire Wulfe is missing. Since he’s deadly, possibly insane, and his current idea of “fun” is stalking Mercy, some may see it as no great loss. But when he disappears, the Tri-Cities pack is blamed. The mistress of the vampire seethe informs Mercy that the pack must produce Wulfe to prove their innocence, or the loose alliance between the local vampires and werewolves is over.
 
So Mercy goes out to find her stalker—and discovers more than just Wulfe have disappeared. Someone is taking people from locked rooms, from the aisles of stores, and even from crowded parties. And these are not just ordinary people but supernatural beings. Until Wulfe vanished, all of them were powerless loners, many of whom quietly moved to the Tri-Cities in the hope that the safety promised by Mercy and Adam’s pack would extend to them as well.
 
Who is taking them? As Mercy investigates, she learns of the legend of the Harvester, who travels by less-trodden paths and reaps the souls that are ripe with a great black scythe. . . .

Click this link to purchase this book!* Soul Taken (A Mercy Thompson Novel Book 13)

MY MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE FOR MARCH’22

I have read, listened to, and read again Anne Bishop’s novels that take place in the perfectly terrifying world of The Others. Crowbones finds us back in The Jumble with resort owner Vicki DeVine where she is faced with having to solve a couple of murders before the Others decide humans are more trouble than they’re worth. These novels are eery, creepy, and fantastically fun. I…. can’t…. wait…..

Synopsis: In this engrossing and gripping fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her friends must find a killer—before it’s too late.…

Crowbones will gitcha if you don’t watch out!

Deep in the territory controlled by the Others—shape-shifters, vampires, and even deadlier paranormal beings—Vicki DeVine has made a new life for herself running The Jumble, a rustic resort. When she decides to host a gathering of friends and guests for Trickster Night, at first everything is going well between the humans and the Others.
 
But then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. When the impostor is killed along with a shape-shifting Crow, and the deaths are clearly connected, everyone fears that the real Crowbones may have come to The Jumble—and that could mean serious trouble.
 
To “encourage” humans to help them find some answers, the Elders and Elementals close all the roads, locking in suspects and victims alike. Now Vicki, human police chief Grimshaw, vampire lawyer Ilya Sanguinati, and the rest of their friends have to figure out who is manipulating events designed to pit humans against Others—and who may have put Vicki DeVine in the crosshairs of a powerful hunter.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Crowbones (World of the Others Book 3)

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

There are so many other great books coming out in March that it was seriously hard to choose my top 5. I hope my choices helped bring some on your radar, but if you think I missed anything feel free to shout out your most anticipated book! There’s always room on my TBR (LOL!).

Have a great month of reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads3 Comments

This Chick Read: Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter

Olivia Marshall has had some truly bad luck, most recently catching her fiancé cheating on her with a co-worker she partnered him up on a work project with, and her apartment burning down after she burned his love letters on a barbecue. Having to move back home into an apartment with her brother and his roommate she thinks she’s hit rock bottom. Until she gets a “What are you wearing?” wrong number, an exchange that lifts her mood and turns her life around. An ongoing exchange that improves her self-worth, she starts to look forward to these texts from Mr. Wrong Number.

Colin Beck has always looked at Olivia as his best friend’s messed up little sister until he realizes she is Ms. Misdial and he has been sexting his best friend’s sis. Now he can’t help but see her through different eyes, eyes that no longer see her as a little sister, but as a grown up woman who he is coming to admire.

Mr. Wrong Number was an absolute hoot! Olivia was a hot mess but she had a joie de vivre that was hard to resist and even staid and studly Colin couldn’t help but see it. Their text exchanges were so funny I swear I had trouble keeping from laughing out loud. Lynn Painter does a great job inserting humor and emotion into every word. This was a well written rom-com!

Of course, disaster in the wake of Olivia finding out the truth about Mr. Wrong Number can’t help but happen but the story turns really sweet as Colin tries to woo her back. For a novel that I mistakenly took as shallow (albeit funny!), it had some hidden depth and those emotions kind of slapped me upside the head. I should know better than to judge a book by it’s cover and sassy title. This book was fun, but it also had heart, and the witty banter continued even after the texting was done.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

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!* Mr. Wrong Number

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

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (2/21/22)

After some wild weather last week, this weekend was cold and clear. Perfect to be out and about doing errands and having lunch with friends. Of course, it was also the perfect weekend to lay low and read that book you’ve been eyeing. What did I do? I a little bit of both!

Thanks again to Book Date for starting this fun post where we can share what’s on our shelves and what books have captured our attention.

JUST FINISHED

I have had this audiobook in my list for a couple of years and decided to give it a listen. What I didn’t expect was to be captured by the story immediately and love the narration by Lucy Price-Lewis! Oh my lord those French accents! The story of a young woman hired to look into the artwork found in an apartment that hasn’t been opened in 70+ years was thrilling and romantic. Give this audiobook a listen, it’s fantastic!

JUST STARTED

I just started this one last night but I’m loving Lynn Painter’s style of writing and the humor has me laughing out loud. I can’t wait to get back into this fun novel!

I hope you were able to enjoy your weekend with a little time spent outside, but also were able to settle down at the end of the day with a good book. Share what you’re reading! I’d love to hear.

Happy reading and have a great Monday!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads3 Comments

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: Goodreads 64 Favorite Romances…

Putting aside a few hours this morning to write some blog posts I made the mistake of clicking on the banner at the top of my Goodreads feed titled “It’s romance week at Goodreads!”. Click HERE. Curious to see how many of these top romance novels I’ve read I quickly got sucked in by how many I have NOT read. What???!!! I read many genres but my top two are Romance and Fantasy and I really thought I would’ve read a LOT more on this list! There are some pretty popular novels but there are also some that just never got on my radar. How can I be a book blogger without having at least tried to read some of these? Well, to give myself a bit of a break, there is only so much time in a day and I do have a full time job.

I also noticed that some authors had multiple books on this list. Good for them, but seriously bad for me. Once you fall behind with an author who is that prolific, it’s hard to keep up! Christina Lauren and Jasmine Guillory I am talking to you!

Just to be fully transparent, I have read the Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners which were both fantastic, but seriously, how do you keep up with all of this talent?

Ok, so you know I’m missed quite a few, but how many novels have I read on this list? 24! I think that’s pretty good! So, there are only 40 books left that I haven’t read. There are quite a few authors on this list that I’ve never heard of, which doesn’t scare me at all! I love finding new, talented authors and have done that quite a bit recently. There are 14 that I’ve never read, which explains my numbers a bit. Unless my fellow book bloggers have talked up an author or book, they may not hit my radar at all.

I’m going to confess something that I know many of you will find shocking. I have never read a Colleen Hoover book before and she has two books listed. I know, I know, they are excellent, blah, blah, blah. I’m a big chicken when it comes to sob story synopsis’! If it sounds like it will make me cry, I probably won’t read it. Shocking I know. So these two are out. Not gonna happen. Feel free to try to convince me.

There are some FANTASTIC books on this list. 5 star reads for sure. Which are my favorites? The two Mariana Zapata novels are really good.

I read Emily Henry’s Beach Read a year ago and fell in LOVE with the characters. I also read her novel People We Meet in Vacation and even though my visceral connection to the characters wasn’t the same as Beach Read, I still really liked that novel. I’ve read Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis twice, and The Spanish Love Deception is devine. So many emotions.

There are a few novels that are on my TBR already. All the Christina Lauren’s and Jasmine Guillory’s obviously, but also these:

There are just too many! So how do I lessen this list.

I’ll admit to not liking a couple of the authors listed. I won’t name them, but one in particular has struck out for me a couple of times and I just don’t have the time to give her another shot. The synopsis’ always sounds great and try to pull me in but every time, I read the novel and find it wanting. So, no can do. Not going to go there again. Is that bad? Again, there are 40 books on this list of great novels that I haven’t read! Just trying to cull them down.

I think my best bet is to just do what I always do. Find a list like this and start adding them to my wishlist on my Overdrive app for my local library. Hopefully, I’ll be able to fit them in here and there, in between the new books coming out, the ARC’s I’m committed to, and you know, life. But, boy do they tempt me! I want to start a couple of them right now.

If you didn’t see the link at the top of this post, please scroll back up. Check out the books on this list and let me know, how many of these books have you read? How many have you missed? How many do you think you will read? Come on, don’t stress out, this was kind of fun.

Happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: A Perfect Equation (The Secret Scientists of London #2) by Elizabeth Everett

Six years ago, Miss Letty Finley made the ultimate mistake, she entrusted herself to a man who wooed her and damaged her reputation beyond repair. Shunned from society, Letty turns to her other love, math. Currently she is a member of Athena’s Retreat where scientific women gather to further their learning in a safe environment. When their leader leaves town on vacation, she is asked to run Athena’s Retreat along with the Viscount Greycliff. A man whom she can’t stand and who carries an extreme dislike for her as well. As they work together they start to understand each other better and their budding friendship turns into a sizzling attraction.

A Perfect Equation does a great job of grabbing the reader right away with interesting characters. It’s not often in a historical romance where our heroine is a mathematician and actually gets lost in her mathematical formulas. Furthering her learning in Athena’s Retreat introduces the reader to a cast of wonderfully quirky and real characters that provide diversity and a feeling of realness to this historical romance novel. These women are striving towards equal rights and a better future for women and the reader is given a real feel for their struggle in live and in love.

Grey also has interesting aspects to his character. Not your normal “Lord” he has epilepsy and fears having seizures and appearing weak in front of his peers. He was taught from an early age that if he controls his emotions he can control his seizures and he’s a bit of a cold characters. HIs place in charge of the ladies of Athena’s Retreat allows him broaden his horizon in regards to equal rights, but it also introduces emotion into his heart. How does he handle the fear of having emotions which may cause him to have seizures? You’ll need to read the story and find out!

I hadn’t read the first novel in this series and although I don’t think I mentioned a thing, it did make me curious enough to look for it in the library and check it out. You don’t need to read it though, to enjoy A Perfect Equation, never fear! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* A Perfect Equation (The Secret Scientists of London)

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

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (1/7/22)

Good morning! I hope you all had a great weekend of reading! I’ll admit, one of my favorite authors had a new audiobook release and so I was listening to her book all weekend and didn’t get much reading done. I did everything with my ear buds in this weekend. LOL. My poor husband was pretty ignored. I did get a book finished last week, so let’s get to what I’ve been reading.

Thanks again to Book Date for starting up this fun dialog for all of us to chime in on what we read.

JUST FINISHED

I have a love for mixing in a historical romance in between my fantasy, romance, and science fiction genre’s. I love how in the past couple of years the diversity of characters has probably mirrored how life was historically. In this case our main characters are white, but the women of Athena’s Retreat are very diverse both intellectually and racially. It’s so refreshing! I enjoyed this book and all of the very diverse characters.

JUST STARTED

YAY! An audiobook released late last week from one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, Mariana Zapata. She is a true genius when it comes to slow burn romances, which also make for great audiobooks. I have been listening to this one in all my free time. The narration truly brings the characters to life.

I am totally in the mood for a mystery next, does anyone have a good one to read?

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads6 Comments

This Chick Read: Getting Clean With Stevie Green by Swan Huntley

Stevie Green has spent the last 20 years moving around the country, moving from one bar to another, having one night stands and running from her past. When her mother calls and asks for her help packing up her house and moving, Stevie heads home. She reinvents herself and starts a decluttering business and with her sisters help pursues being number one. As she declutters others lives she faces a few facts about her life, sexuality, and that horrible item from her past that she’s spent the last 20 years not forgetting.

For all of you who like to know about triggers, this one has a bunch of them. Be warned there is alcoholism, suicide, sex, and a quirky family. OK, maybe the quirky family isn’t a trigger for everyone, but it is for me! 🙂 Stevie is a 37 year old who does not have her act together at all, but she’s great at faking it, until, well, she doesn’t anymore.

Despite all the things distracting Stevie in this novel, or maybe because of all the things that were distracting in this novel, it was a quick read. I found Stevie to be sad, funny, and desperate to have a normal life and have someone normal to love her. That last is what makes her so identifiable. I am nothing like Stevie Green and yet before I found it, I yearned for that special someone. In Stevie’s case she wasn’t sure if that someone was a man or a woman.

This was a very fast moving novel about a woman who was facing her past while at the same time facing who she was in the present. I thought it was a really different style of book than my normal read and realized that sometimes it’s good to read outside that box. Getting Clean with Stevie Green was quirky, funny, and moving and I thought it was pretty darned good! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Getting Clean With Stevie Green

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 Reads3 Comments

This Chick Read: A Modest Independence (Parish Orphans of Devon #2) by Mimi Matthews

Solicitor Tom Finchley was taken out of the orphanage where he grew up and apprenticed to a solicitor in London. Under his tutelage, Tom learned the Machiavellian ways of manipulation and threats that the solicitors of the time crafted. He is ready to change his ways and settle down to a quiet life as his friend Justin Thornhill has done (in book #1). While helping Justin and Helena he had met Helena’s companion Jenny Holloway and been intrigued. After having been given a modest amount of money which would allow her independence, Jenny is ready for adventure. She comes to Tom to receive those funds so she may go off to India to search for Helena’s brother the Earl of Castledon. While there having the adventure she always wanted and without the help of any man. Needless to say, Tom upsets these plans.

In A Modest Independence Mimi Matthews gives us more of a glimpse of how a woman’s life during this time in history is curtailed by who she is tied to; a husband, brother, or father. In this case Tom decides to join Jenny on her journey as her “brother” as it would not be correct for a man and woman to travel alone, despite his having hired two Indian servants to join her. Their attraction for each other grows due to the close confines, the question is how or if they will do anything about it and the societal rules that would be broken if they did. I’ll admit to finding that fascinating.

Another glimpse behind how people lived during this time is provided through Ahmad and Mira the two half Indian cousins that Tom hired as Jenny’s servants on the journey. As they are half British and half Indian, how are they treated? There are plenty of moments that show their inequality and provide great context to this time as well as help us get to know these two characters who are in A Siren in Sussex.

As an aside, part of the novel takes place in Egypt, which I am currently vacationing in and found fun to read and see through our heroine‘s eyes the sites and sounds of a Cairo That is much different than it is today.

I am again fascinated by this author’s writing style and the realism that she imbues into her story. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed this novel so much without the moments of inequality, conflict, and concerns that our heroine would retain her independence. I loved Tom Finchley’s bravery in the face of this type of woman and loved that they found a way to be together. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!* A Modest Independence (Parish Orphans of Devon)

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

Sometimes when I look ahead for my top releases I have trouble coming up with five, which is why January only had three. February does not have that problem at all. Guys, there are a lot of good books coming out next month! A good mixture of genre’s that will keep me turning pages. Here are my top 5!

#5 BOOK RELEASE

I love a great fantasy novel and when you pair that with my love for this author’s book A Queen’s Rising, I know I’m going to pick up this book and read it. Despite the ugly cover.

Synopsis:

Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.

As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.

With unforgettable characters, a fast-paced plot, and compelling world building, A River Enchanted is a stirring story of duty, love, and the power of true partnership, and marks Rebecca Ross’s brilliant entry on the adult fantasy stage.

Click this link to purchase this book!* A River Enchanted: A Novel (Elements of Cadence Book 1)

#4 BOOK RELEASE

I’ve actually had the privilege of reading Hunt the Stars already and guys, it’s really good! The first book in a new series, it starts off fast and keeps on moving! This is a science fiction serial and I can’t wait to read the next installment.

Synopsis:

Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together—even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can’t refuse—no matter how much she’d like to.

With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons—for both anger and desire—she’s endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he’s promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal.

But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife’s edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie—with the quiet Valoff who’s been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, she’s put her heart on the line.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Hunt the Stars: A Novel (Starlight’s Shadow Book 1)

#3 BOOK RELEASE

This series character driven series is at times eery, mysterious, and mystifying. It takes place in the middle of the wilderness in a town called Rockton. A town filled with people who are looking to escape their reality. These people may be hunted or they may be hunters. A mystery always needs to be solved and Detective Casey Duncan and her boyfriend Sheriff Eric Dalton are the only two who can solve them. I love this series! This is book #7.

Synopsis:

It’s not always easy to live in the hidden town of Rockton, something Detective Casey Duncan knows firsthand. Tucked away in the Yukon wilderness, the community survives—and thrives—because the residents’ many secrets stay just that—secret.

But what happens when these secrets start to come out? Overnight, no one is safe. It’s not a question of if your secret will come out—but when.

Casey and her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, need to find the culprit while protecting those who have been thrust into the spotlight. For a place built on privacy and new beginnings, Rockton isn’t handling these revelations very well. People are turning on one another, and when one of the loudest complainers turns up barely alive, it’s clear that their trickster is actually a murderer.

The threat of exposure is reaching its breaking point, and no one knows what’s going to happen next.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Deepest of Secrets: A Rockton Novel (Casey Duncan Novels Book 7)

#2 BOOK RELEASE

This is #7 in a wonderfully written historical mystery series. Each mystery reveals more about our two main characters Veronica and Stoker. I can’t wait to see what new piece of information will be revealed in An Impossible Imposter.

Synopsis: London, 1889. Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian beau Stoker are summoned by Sir Hugo Montgomerie, head of Special Branch. He has a personal request on behalf of his goddaughter, Euphemia Hathaway. After years of traveling the world, her eldest brother, Jonathan, heir to Hathaway Hall, was believed to have been killed in the catastrophic eruption of Krakatoa a few years before.
 
But now a man matching Jonathan’s description and carrying his possessions has arrived at Hathaway Hall with no memory of his identity or where he has been. Could this man truly be Jonathan, back from the dead? Or is he a devious impostor, determined to gain ownership over the family’s most valuable possessions—a legendary parure of priceless Rajasthani jewels? It’s a delicate situation, and Veronica is Sir Hugo’s only hope.
 
Veronica and Stoker agree to go to Hathaway Hall to covertly investigate the mysterious amnesiac. Veronica is soon shocked to find herself face-to-face with a ghost from her past. To help Sir Hugo discover the truth, she must open doors to her own history that she long believed to be shut for good.

Click this link to purchase this book!* An Impossible Impostor (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery Book 7)

MY MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE IN FEB’22!

This book wasn’t even on my radar until I started looking at all of the book releases, but this synopsis hooked me. I have to read this book!

Synopsis:

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Paris Apartment: A Novel

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

What do you think about my top 5 picks? They may be completely different than your own. I am seriously committed to a couple of series and when those books come out they automatically drop into my must read list. I have a couple of those this month. Please share any books that you can’t wait to read that may be released next month. I’d love to get them on my radar!

Happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads3 Comments