Tag: romance

This Chick Read: Make It Sweet by Kristen Callihan

Emma is known for her role as Princess Anya on Dark Castle when at the read through for the final episode she finds out she is being killed off. Returning early to her home she finds her boyfriend getting it on with their waitress from the night before. Needless to say, it was a very bad day. Needing something to relax away from the camera’s and attention she decides to stay at the villa of a friend of her grandmother’s. Lucien has a life threatening injury on the ice and is hiding away at his grandmother’s villa when she asks him to pick up her good friend’s granddaughter at the airport. Grumpy about being manipulated into doing something he didn’t want to do when he picks Emma up he is surly especially when Emma (who he has always been a big fan of) doesn’t recognize him in return. Mixing slapstick humor with a really sweet love story Kristen Callihan again gives us flawed characters we can love as well as some amazing food that had me searching the cupboards for anything sweet.

Make It Sweet although a stand alone novel has a couple of characters from Kristen Callihan’s last book Dear Enemy. Macon Saint is Emma’s love interest on the series Dark Castle. He and Delilah’s wedding takes place in Make It Sweet and it’s fun to see the conclusion to their romance. However, if you never read that book they would still be utterly charming and you wouldn’t miss anything by not having read Dear Enemy, so please pick up this book. I feel like I need to explain the series Dark Castle that both Emma and Macon star in. As a comparison think Game of Thrones style violence and sex. So you can see part of Lucien’s aggravation at meeting Emma and she not knowing who he is whereas he is a big fan and has seen her almost completely naked. It makes for some funny scenes where he is aggravated and she’s completely clueless, although in a very smart way. This is no dumb blonde.

Usually it’s the heroine in these stories that I’m more drawn to because, hello, I am a girl and can identify with a woman better. However, Lucien’s trauma was more interesting to me and had more long term affects on him psychologically. How was this pro hockey player going to get past this life altering injury. I won’t ruin the surprise but we find out that Lucien is a man of many talents and this other talent of his is brought out to woo Emma, although I don’t think he knew that was what he was doing at first. I’ll admit to feeling a little woo’d myself and wished my own husband had this same talent. LOL

Make it Sweet is a charming story about two totally likable characters, one sweet and one surly. They are both working through some tough life altering drama’s and despite those hours despairing over their future they decide to let love into their lives. I really liked their message and I loved these two characters, as well as some of the side characters in the story. This one is worth picking up and if you have Kindle Unlimited it’s in your subscription. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!* Make It Sweet

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Meant to be Immortal (Argeneau #32) by Lynsay Sands

There are a few ways to kill an immortal with fire being one of the quickest. When Mac Argeneau finds himself in the basement of his new home with it on fire and no way out, he immerses himself in the tub until the fire fighters can get him out. Of course, then he has to drink the blood of all of them to recover and wipe their minds when he heals miraculously. Which he does except for investigator CJ Cummings whom he unexpectedly can’t mind read. A sign that she is his life mate, something he though would never find as he’s been alive for 1000 years. Not wanting to lose her he attaches himself to her side and insists she be his body guard and she unwillingly goes along.

I should know better than to jump into a series at book 32. Seriously! However, it was really easy to grasp the concept of these Argeneau’s, all vampire- like immortals who are long-lived through nano’s in their blood stream. Nano’s that require them to drink blood constantly. CJ has been burned by her ex and is not that willing to let Mac charm her but when his whole family arrives she doesn’t really stand a chance. I liked her back story better than his empty charms but this book was easy to read so I didn’t hold my feelings of ambivalence against it.

Mac was a scientist, researching nano’s, I’d guess to help keep his family living easily but that was not ever really explained. I thought it odd that he’d be so smart when it came to research but so dumb when it came to his life mate. CJ was kind of prickly but she wasn’t that hard to understand. It annoyed me a bit that it was like watching a boy get his first crush, bumbling about a bit. I like my hero’s a little more take charge. CJ didn’t seem to mind though.

I have heard of this author, of course, but I don’t usually read paranormal books. I do have friends who are great fans of Lynsay Sands so I was curious and requested the book. I was surprised to find her writing to be a bit simplistic and expected a little more detail to the back story especially since we are on book 32 of the series. Without having read the others I can’t say if this was her normal style or if this was an off book. I can only rate it based on my own experience. Yours may be completely different so please pick it up and give it a chance, after all he does look good in that shower! ❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase!* Meant to Be Immortal (An Argeneau Novel, 32)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Dear Enemy by Kristen Callihan

Receiving a text from who she thinks is her sister Sam, Delilah responds and starts a text conversation from her childhood nemesis Macon Saint. Macon, who teased and tormented her through her formative years. When she discovers that her sister had been working for now mega tv star Macon as his assistant and stole an invaluable piece of jewelry she faces her fears and tries to make amends. Unfortunately her offer is rebuffed and turns into a job as his new assistant and personal chef. Picking up where they left off they re-engage by teasing and tormenting each other except this time it feels very different.

I’m a big fan of Kristen Callihan’s style of writing. It’s so easy to find something to like in her characters. In this case Delilah is sassy, doesn’t have trouble standing up for herself, and is a normal size woman who likes to eat. Macon’s past behavior makes way for this new sexy Macon who disarms her by turning her old nickname Tot into a term of affection. Pretty soon they are developing an affection for each other that makes Delilah uncomfortable and Macon say ‘finally!’.

I love the enemies to lovers trope and this one is handled really well. Clever dialog, serious attraction, and lots of hurry up and wait. This is a slow burn romance so if you like sexy times from the moment they meet again, you have to wait a bit until the heat gets turned up. I like slow burn romances because it gives the characters time to connect and in the case of Delilah and Macon they had a lot of hurt to overcome. Macon caused a lot of trauma for a sensitive teenaged Delilah which scarred her future. I loved how horribly he felt and how hard he worked to make things right.

I’m so glad I got around to reading this because I bought it in March of last year when it came out. The best thing about waiting to read it is that she has another book out now. These aren’t a series, but they live in the same world which can be interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing how the connection plays out. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Dear Enemy

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Wild Fire and Wild Wind (Chaos #6.5 and #6.6) by Kristen Ashley

Wild Fire and Wild Wind are both novellas released under the 1001 Dark Nights umbrella. I’ve read a few other authors 1001 Dark Nights novellas and I will say that Kristen Ashley delivers the most complete story arc’s in her novellas leaving the reader satisfied as if they’d read an entire story. In fact, in Kristen Ashley’s case, I actually prefer a more succinct story as her longer novels sometimes get too wrapped up in descriptions of outfits and rooms on the way to finally telling the story. These two stories were short, but wrapped up the storyline of their father who died long ago. A father who was much loved by his Chaos MC brothers, leaving a legacy behind that both boys, now men have had to live up to. These two brothers, Dutch and Jaggar, have dealt with the death of their father in different ways and through meeting their ladies finally are able to deal with his death and his legacy as a Chaos MC brother.

WILD FIRE

Part of the legacy their father left behind was his love for his wife, Keely, and how he set eyes on her and she him and the rest was history. They were together from that moment on. Dutch follows in his fathers footsteps. Despite Georgie’s bad attitude when they first meet he’s undeniably drawn to her and once she drops that attitude he finds her kookiness “cute”. I wish I could say that I found her kookiness cute too, but unfortunately it wore a little thin for me. At first it was different, but as I kept reading I just couldn’t see why, other than their looks, these two totally different types of characters would be drawn to each other. I did like how she helped him deal with the emotions from his father’s legacy, so that redeemed her a small bit.

I did enjoy the story. Dutch was trying to help a troubled kid deal with the murder of his father. In true KA style, she brings in a bunch of characters from other novels to help. Of course, the Chaos MC brothers, his step-father Hound, but also Eddie and Hank from the Rock Chick series. I enjoyed how everyone rallied and that story arc was completed. One other thing that I loved about this novel is that it was more story than love scenes. In the past couple of years you never knew what kind of KA novel you were going to get. Hard core love scenes or a novel with a great story. In this novella you get more of the second than the first. I applaud that choice! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Jaggar is the younger brother of Dutch, and his story feels different than his brothers. He, too has lived with the legacy of his father but he was just a tot when his father died and doesn’t remember him at all and had dealt with those emotions in a different way. He is a party guy, not taking anything seriously and running through women indiscriminately. However, he has a much deeper back story to his romance with the heroine, Archie that gives his story more gravitas.

A teenage Jaggar was visiting his father’s grave when he see’s a funeral going on at a grave nearby. He notices the teenage girl sitting in front of the grave and their eyes connect. He leaves a note on the headstone letting her know that although she is sad now, that things will get better, life will move forward. Over the next 10 years they connect briefly until they get to now when he see’s her chasing down the street after a young kid and decides to help out. He decides the timing is right for the two of them, but she is done. She feels betrayed that he’s stayed away over the years and that the promise in his note wasn’t kept. Archie is why this story is so good and as it goes on you want to know her even more. Unlike Georgie, Archie is serious and seriously cool.

The story arc in Wild Wind is focused around Archie and the kids she supports. These are latch-key kids who don’t have anywhere to go for a few hours before their parents get home. There is one kid in particular that Jaggar is drawn to, and he moves in to help when he realizes this kid is in trouble. Through helping him, he is able to deal with his feelings over his fathers death and with Archie’s help breaks through the emotional roadblock he has put up to avoid those feelings. For me, this was handled well and it helped me connect with Jaggar and Archie much more so than the story in Wild Fire did for Dutch and Georgie.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

If you have read these Chaos MC novels and know the story of John Black, how he died, and how that death affected the Chaos characters, I think you’ll enjoy these novellas. They feel very different than each other which is good because Jaggar and Dutch despite being brothers are nothing alike. Neither are Georgie and Archie. I did enjoy one book more than the other but I do think both of these were good solid stories and the romances made sense for the characters.

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: To Love and to Loathe (The Regency Vows #2) by Martha Waters

Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, the Marquess of Willingham have known each other forever. He’s a school friend of her brother’s and has been tormenting her for years. Their constant bickering hiding a mutual attraction that neither has acted on since Jeremy’s half-hearted proposal during her first season. Diana, turned him down and married not long after. Now that she is widowed his quick wit and biting sarcasm and directed her way again. One day Jeremy calls on her at an indecent hour and proposes a union of a different sort. He has recently ended a relationship with another lady who gave him bad reviews and he wants to ease his mind by having a brief affair with Diana during his two week house party, knowing she’ll tell him the truth. Having her own motives, Diana agree’s and finds that she might feel more than she bargained for.

I will admit that I wasn’t a big fan of this author’s first novel in this series, To Have and to Hoax. I am, however, thankful for having read it because her friends, including Violet the heroine from that novel, are again a big part of the plot in To Love and to Loathe. Unlike the fake illness Violet undertook to reel her husband back into their marriage, in this story Diana, is carrying on an affair while trying to win a bet by marrying him off before the year is done. You know how that’s going to turn out! I did really like the sense of humor written into these characters. They were a lot more fun to read about and I found myself a little bit more invested in the outcome. Of course, I wasn’t afraid the book would end without their falling in love, but the story was engaging and the antics of the house guests kept me turning the pages.

One of the more interesting side notes to this story were the societal mores that the ladies and gents of this time lived. Jeremy was known as a cad for all of his affairs. As a Marquess, and even in his younger days, the son of a Marquess, things came easily to him. Women threw themselves at him and when he was rated poorly by his previous lady love it was Diana who pointed out that women may have been faking it all along just because of who and what he was. An opinion that was eye opening and fun to read. Diana, as a widow could reveal to someone that she might be willing to have a liaison and in fact hoped that having one with Jeremy would go towards helping her gain more experience in that endeavor. However, if she became talked about then despite her being a “Lady” her reputation wouldn’t recover. It wasn’t a huge part of the story but a scene that stuck with me.

I wouldn’t call this novel a historical romance rom-com but it was more spirited than I expected and I did laugh a couple of times. If you are looking for a historical romance with a small twist give this one a try. I think you can read it without reading the previous novel so never fear! Purchase away! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase!* To Love and to Loathe: A Novel (2) (The Regency Vows)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick’s Wednesday Commentary: My Top 5 Most Anticipated Book Releases- April’21

I’m a little late and didn’t get this post out last weekend as planned. Then I got caught up reading all of the synopsis of all these great books that are coming out in April. It was hard to choose! So, it’s Wednesday instead of Sunday, but it’s still March! Well, at least it is here in the US. These are my Top 5 picks for our April book releases.

#5 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

I don’t usually go with the slightly spooky stories, but this seems like there’s an element of fantasy that is drawing me to it! Check out this synopsis and let me know what you think.

Synopsis:

A dark, twisty modern fairytale where three sisters discover they are not exactly all that they seem and evil things really do go bump in the night.

Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are unquestionably strange. Ever since they disappeared on a suburban street in Scotland as children only to return a month a later with no memory of what happened to them, odd, eerie occurrences seem to follow in their wake. And they’re changing. First, their dark hair turned white. Then, their blue eyes slowly turned black. They have insatiable appetites yet never gain weight. People find them disturbingly intoxicating, unbearably beautiful, and inexplicably dangerous.

But now, 10 years later, 17-year-old Iris Hollow is doing all she can to fit in and graduate high school on time – something her two famously glamourous globe-trotting older sisters, Grey and Vivi, never managed to do. But when Grey goes missing without a trace, leaving behind bizarre clues as to what might have happened, Iris and Vivi are left to trace her last few days. They aren’t the only ones looking for her though. As they brush against the supernatural they realize that the story they’ve been told about their past is unraveling and the world that returned them seemingly unharmed 10 years ago, might just be calling them home. 

Click this link to purchase!* House of Hollow

#4 MOST ANITICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

I like a good opposite’s attract novel and again, this synopsis sounds interesting.

Synopsis:  When Vanessa Price quit her job to pursue her dream of traveling the globe, she wasn’t expecting to gain millions of YouTube followers who shared her joy of seizing every moment. For her, living each day to its fullest isn’t just a motto. Her mother and sister never saw the age of 30, and Vanessa doesn’t want to take anything for granted. But after her half sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her baby daughter, life goes from “daily adventure” to “next-level bad” (now with bonus baby vomit in hair). The last person Vanessa expects to show up offering help is the hot lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. After all, she barely knows him. No one warned her that he was the Secret Baby Tamer or that she’d be spending a whole lot of time with him and his geriatric Chihuahua. Now she’s feeling things she’s vowed not to feel. Because the only thing worse than falling for Adrian is finding a little hope for a future she may never see. 

Click this link to purchase!* Life’s Too Short (Friend Zone)

#3 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

I received an early copy of this novel and really thought it was cute! It’s a historical rom-com and our protagonists witty dialog carried the novel.

Synopsis:

The widowed Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham are infamous among English high society as much for their sharp-tongued bickering as their flirtation. One evening, an argument at a ball turns into a serious wager: Jeremy will marry within the year or Diana will forfeit one hundred pounds. So shortly after, just before a fortnight-long house party at Elderwild, Jeremy’s country estate, Diana is shocked when Jeremy appears at her home with a very different kind of proposition.

After his latest mistress unfavorably criticized his skills in the bedroom, Jeremy is looking for reassurance, so he has gone to the only woman he trusts to be totally truthful. He suggests that they embark on a brief affair while at the house party—Jeremy can receive an honest critique of his bedroom skills and widowed Diana can use the gossip to signal to other gentlemen that she is interested in taking a lover.

Diana thinks taking him up on his counter-proposal can only help her win her wager. With her in the bedroom and Jeremy’s marriage-minded grandmother, the formidable Dowager Marchioness of Willingham, helping to find suitable matches among the eligible ladies at Elderwild, Diana is confident her victory is assured. But while they’re focused on winning wagers, they stand to lose their own hearts.

Click this link to purchase!* To Love and to Loathe: A Novel (2) (The Regency Vows)

#2 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE

Again, the synopsis of this novel drew me in. The cover looks like a romance, which it is, but it’s also a mystery. This one looks intriguing.

Synopsis:

The straphangers of Ealing Broadway station are familiar with Mary O’Connor, the woman who appears every day to watch the droves of busy commuters. But Mary never asks anything from anyone. She only holds out a sign bearing a heartrending message: Come Home Jim.

While others pass her by without a thought, Alice, a junior reporter at the Ealing Bugle, asks Mary to tell her story. Many years ago, Mary met the charming and romantic Jim Whitnell. She was certain she’d found her other half, until one day he vanished without any explanation. But Mary believes that Jim isn’t a cad, that he truly loved her and will return—especially because she’s recently received grainy phone calls from him saying he misses her.

Touched but also suspicious, Alice quietly begins her own investigation into Jim’s disappearance, unraveling a decade-long story filled with desire, heartbreak, and hope. With Greaves’s signature warmth and charm, Anywhere for You is a romantic and immensely moving novel about the enduring power of love and finding happiness in unexpected places.

Click this link to purchase!* Anywhere for You: A Novel

MOST ANTICIPATED APRIL BOOK RELEASE

The Hating Game was such a great book, but I really didn’t like 99 Percent Mine. I am giving this author the benefit of the doubt placing Second First Impressions in the #1 spot based on the synopsis and my hope that she delivers another great novel. Fingers Crossed!

Synopsis:

Dazzle (n): Brightness that blinds someone temporarily.

Position Vacant: Two ancient old women residing at Providence Retirement Villa seek male assistant for casual exploitation and good-natured humiliation. Duties include boutique shopping, fast-food fetching, and sincerely rendered flattery. Good looks a bonus—but we aren’t picky. 

An advertisement has been placed (again!) by the wealthy and eccentric Parloni Sisters. The salary is generous and the employers are 90 years old, so how hard could the job be? Well, none have lasted longer than a week. Most boys leave in tears. 

Ruthie Midona will work in Providence’s front office, and be at the Parloni’s beck and call, forever. That’s sort of her life plan. If Ruthie can run the place in her almost-retired bosses’ absence, with no hijinks/hiccups, she has a shot at becoming the new manager. She might also be able to defend her safe little world from Prescott Development, the new buyer of the prime site. Maybe after all that, she can find a cute guy to date. All she needs to do is stay serious—and that’s what she does best. 

Until, one day, someone dazzling blows in to town. 

Teddy Prescott devotes his life to sleeping, tattooing, and avoiding seriousness. When Teddy needs a place to crash, he makes a deal with his developer dad. Teddy can stay in one of Providence’s on-site maintenance cottages—right next door to an unimpressed Ruthie—but only if he works there and starts to grow up.

Ruthie knows how this sweetly selfish rich boy can earn his keep—and be out of her hair in under a week. After all, there is a position vacant…

Click this link to purchase!* Second First Impressions: A Novel

I say this every month but it bears repeating. My top 5 may not be your top 5 books but I’d love to hear what you’re looking forward to reading. Please feel free to share in the comments. If I happened to hit on one you are also looking forward to? Let’s chat! I love talking good books.

Until next month.

Deb

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Marriage on Madison Avenue (The Central Park Pact #3) by Lauren Layne

Audrey Tate and Clarke West have been best friends since they were kids. They’ve watched been the third wheel in each other’s romances and despite two fake engagements have never had a romantic entanglement. When Clarke’s mom starts to matchmake again and tries to set him up with an ex-girlfriend he turns to Audrey for help again asking for fake engagement #3. However, this time they have to fake a few kisses and the engagement goes on longer than it ever has before. Audrey starts to see Clarke differently and those feelings are returned. How can they go back to being best friends after these feelings have been released?

The third novel in The Central Park Pact, Audrey was for me, the least interesting out of the three friends who made a pact to save each other when they were headed for trouble with the wrong man. She always seemed a little flighty but in this novel I got to see that she had a little more depth than I’d given her credit. She is a social influencer and has a huge following. When she is attacked online for her most recent break-up she agree’s to Clarke’s fake engagement to help her get this blogger off her back. What she doesn’t count on is her followers going gaga over her bridal posts. She gets caught up in the fun, trying on dresses and eating cake and lets the lie propagate. All while starting to have feelings for her best friend. These feelings aren’t one-sided Clarke is also starting to see her as a beautiful woman, not just his beautiful friend.

This was the least surprising book of the three in The Central Park Pact series. Audrey and Clarke were totally likable and their friendship was always on solid ground. There weren’t any hidden feelings and insecurities that they had to work through they just had to decide do we or don’t we? I enjoyed following along on their marriage preparations but would have liked a little more conflict, but it was an enjoyable read.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Marriage on Madison Avenue (3) (The Central Park Pact)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Still Standing (Wild West MC #1) by Kristen Ashley

Clara was married to who she thought of as the man of her dreams when the rug was pulled out from under her. He was arrested for embezzling life savings from the elderly to pay for her home and in a gated community and the Mercedes she drove. Duped by her husband and castigated by the general public, Clara retreated to a slum-like apartment trusting only her childhood friend. Except for that friend was married to a low-level gangster. Good intentions went bad when Clara agree’s to run errands for her friend’s husband, bringing her to the attention of some rather unsavory low-life’s. Which is how she meets Buck, President of the Aces High MC. He takes one look at Clara and decides it’s the beginning of them. Clara somehow misses that message until she runs into trouble again and Buck and his MC bail her out.

I feel like I’m on a roll with Kristen Ashley novels. I’m really enjoying them lately. Still Standing is a woman in jeopardy trope, which Kristen Ashley in her earlier novels did so well. Clara is a good girl that just doesn’t understand how and why she got herself into this position. Buck, as the president of an MC, is not the man she ever thought she’d end up with, but then look how her last husband turned out. On the surface he was bright, shiny, and clean but underneath he was dirty. Buck is kind of the reverse. On the surface he is rough and dirty, but he actually lives by a code and that code is brotherhood and honor. Clara see’s that and wants to be good enough for him. Unfortunately, she feels dirty and doesn’t see herself as being good enough for him. It’s a really interesting twist on the usual MC novel. I’ll admit I liked this pair as a couple. I also liked the way Kristen Ashley told the story. It really reminded me of what I loved so much about Mystery Man, Tyra and Tack’s story from long ago. Also, one of my favorite KA novels. Another good girl with a slightly unsavory MC President. This one not quite so clean as Buck and his brothers, but just as fascinating.

I have really high hopes for this newest MC series. There was some great physicality, but there was also a lot of story packed into this novel as well. It had a nice even balance and I didn’t find myself skimming through sex scenes to get to the plot. If you want to read a Kristen Ashley series from the start, I’d read this novel. As I said above, it has the feel of the Chaos novels, and if you like it you have 8 of those to go back and read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Still Standing (Wild West MC Series Book 1)

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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This Chick Read: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Beth Fremont and her friend Jennifer work in the newsroom of a newspaper. They know that their emails are being monitored by corporate but they still conduct private conversations that might be thought to be inappropriate to the powers that be. Normally and email is sent to the writers if they are misusing their emails, but they never receive one, so they continue their discussions thinking that maybe that “monitoring” isn’t actually happening. Lincoln O’Neill is the guy whose job it is to monitor those emails. Every night when he gets to work he goes through the notification file and see’s Beth and Jennifer have again been tagged. The problem is that their emails are just so interesting!

The majority of this novel are the email exchanges between Beth and Jennifer. They talk about everything under the sun. What’s going on in their lives, marriages, relationships, etc. Their exchanges are engaging, funny, and insightful. If I were Lincoln, I’d want to keep reading them too. The problem is that Lincoln starts to fall for one of them. They are both in relationships, Jennifer is married and Beth has a long term boyfriend. Lincoln is dying to see what they look like but most of the time they work during the day and he works at night, but he can see pictures on their desks. Beth’s boyfriend is a good looking guy who is in a band and Lincoln through their emails knows that it’s not the perfect relationship and he gets his hopes up.

This novel is the perfect mix of voyeurism and hilarity. You learn a lot about these characters through their writing but you also learn a lot about Lincoln. He is a big part of the story. I was surprised by how invested I got in both of the girls stories because I really on learned about them through emails. This was a very different kind of love story but I enjoyed it a lot. It was actually quite funny and I can see why Lincoln didn’t want to stop reading those emails, for the most part they were really funny!

This is not a new novel, it was released in 2011 and takes place in 1999 as the year is turning to 2000. Technology is a small part of the story because Lincoln is essentially in the IT department and in 2000 everyone was worried what would happen to their technology when that year turned over. As I lived through all of that I found it funny to remember how we were all so worried and then nothing happened. That added to the humor for me in this novel. If you are in the mood for a slow burn romance that is truly different, I’d give Attachments a chance. It’s more story than romance and I loved the humanity in these characters. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase!* Attachments: A Novel

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick Read: Threshold of Annihilation (The Firebird Chronicles #3) by T.A. White

Picking up exactly where Age of Deception (book #2) left off, Kira finds herself back on her ship heading towards Jettie and the other children. Instead of being able to get on the planet undetected she finds that it’s the host of the quorum, a sort of Olympic planetary games and you can only be on the planet if you are competing. Having competed before under an Alias, Kira signs up hoping to lie low and avoid the Tuann. Unfortunately they are also planetside and although wanting to remain hidden Kira isn’t very good at flying under the radar. She is wanted by not just the Tuann and Graydon, but also the Haldeel empress and her Tsavitee enemies. This makes for an action packed novel that I really couldn’t not put down once I was enmeshed in this story.

Why are these books so good? Kira is a strong heroine who has a sad background which makes the reader root for her on every level. We want her to find friends, family, love, kick enemy butt, and have her heroism revealed for all because she is just that awesome. T.A. White’s world building is fantastic and once again I’m looking around through Kira’s eyes and soaking it all in. Her writing is very descriptive and despite the alien landscape you can very easily identify and “see” everything. It is so easy to lose yourself in a novel filled with great characters and vibrant worlds.

Kira is still playing cat and mouse with her love interest and fellow Tuann, Graydon. The most awesome thing about their relationship is not their amazing chemistry, it’s that this man allows her to be who she is and although he’s protective he doesn’t try to shelter her from danger. He see’s her for the person she is and although her actions make him nervous he encourages her growth instead of inhibiting it. You can’t help but love a guy like that.

We learn a lot more about Kira’s character and background because of her foster parent role to her “niece” Elena, the daughter of another lost Tuann child. Her role as mother reveals interesting aspects of her character that I really didn’t expect to see. No, she’s not the most nurturing woman but she is loving and shows that through her mentorship and guidance. Seeing that side of her added depth to her character that surprised me again. Be prepared for quite a few surprises to be revealed in this novel, the plot is now moving along pretty quickly and I can’t wait to see where the next book leads us.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Threshold of Annihilation (The Firebird Chronicles Book 3)

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On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads