As I sit here high on life and leftover Halloween candy, I’m reflecting back on the month of October. It went almost as quickly as the Milky Way bars out of my Halloween candy stash!
My reading slowed down quite a bit in October. Part of that was ending my old job and starting the new one (it’s going fabulous so far!), but mostly it was because I was in the mood for some historical mysteries and those take a little longer for me to read and listen to. Here are some great books from my October reading list.
OCTOBER- BEST READS!
Yes, this was NOT a historical mystery! LOL. My favorite fantasy duo released the next installation in the Innkeeper Series and I rushed to read this one. It was as good as was promised! Review has been written and scheduled!
This is the 5th book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. Our Viscount Devlin likes to solve mysteries utilizing his position in society to go where Bow Street can’t. There are a LOT of novels left in this series and I’m listening to them instead of reading. The amazing Davina Porter is the narrator and she makes me forget that I’m living in Tennessee and not in 18th century England. Her characterizations are incredible. For those of you who have listened to the Outlander series, it’s the same narrator.
My recommendation is to really give yourself time to read this one continuously. It’s take about 30% in before I was fully invested, but when I hit that point I didn’t want to stop. It was really good!
November 1st was the start of the ebook embargo by MacMillan publishing. They are limiting our local libraries to an 8 week wait on newly published books and then only allowing them to own it for a specifies length of time. For most of us who can’t afford to buy every single book we want to read this is a HUGE deal! I wrote a post notifying my fellow book lovers about the details of what was going on and asked you all to sign a petition. If you missed those details, please click the link below.
I always look into the next month to see what books are being published and which one’s are on my own radar. If you missed my post, please click the link below!
It will come as no surprise to anyone that I have a lot of reading in front of me! Whereas I don’t have a lot of reviews that must post in November, I have quite a few in early December! I’ll try to wrap those up and get them written early so I can relax around the holidays!
Enjoy your own month of reading and let me know if you read a really great book. I’m always looking to add to my TBR!
Kristen Peterson is one of those girls that is effortlessly beautiful, sarcastically funny, and everyone’s best friend. The moment Josh Copeland meets her he knows she’s the woman for him. With her boyfriend on deployment, Kristen has plenty of time to hang with her best friend helping her plan her wedding. As the maid of honor to Josh’s best man, they are thrown together on many occasions and develop an easy friendship that could turn into so much more, except for two things. Her boyfriend and the fact that she has a medical condition that will make her unable to have children.
This was one of those books that is a delight to read at least for the first half of the book. I loved Kristen’s personality. She was so freaking funny but also had so much heart. She and Josh together were really effortless and the tension that built between them as she fought to keep that wall up was extreme! As the second half of the book rolled along I’ll admit to moments where I wanted to kick her in the shins to just make her get over herself and give him a chance. Thankfully the tender moments outweighed the frustrating, but I did seriously question my resolve to finish this book.
With the exception of a lack of communication skills, Josh was the perfect guy. Handsome, had a great job, and a good personality. The fact he was so nice was kind of unreal but knowing I was reading a fantasy filled romance novel I let myself enjoy his wonderfulness. There were a couple of tense emotion filled scenes where he just shone and I again wanted to kick Kristen in the shins because her reactions just didn’t make sense! LOL! Who wouldn’t want to do everything in their power to be with this guy?
Thankfully, knowing this is a romance and a happy ending is pretty much guaranteed I chose to enjoy the ride and not question things too much. The ending was happy just as I’d hoped and this amazing couple fought through adversity and then some… to finally get that happy ending. The Friend Zone had moments of hilarity mixed with tension filled heartbreak. I hit all points on the emotional spectrum and still enjoyed the novel. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Opinions from around the Blogosphere
“What I expected upon picking up The Friend Zone was a light-hearted, fluffy contemporary romance perfect for summer. And while the book delivered with the romance, angst, and humor, it also contained a layer of emotional complexity that was unexpected in the best way.” Paws and Paperbacks
“The Friend Zone in three words: Witty, Relatable and Emotional” Novel Gossip
After looking through the November releases I’ve realized that I’ve fallen off on keeping up with a few series and because I haven’t read the second book, chose not to include the much anticipated third release in a couple of different series. I’d imagine you’ll take a look at my Top 5 and think, “where’s …!” Because of that and the fact there seems to be a huge number of cowboy romances being released (not my favorite at all!) I struggled a bit to find five. So… Here are my 5 most anticipated November’19 book releases.
#5 MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE
Synopsis: We come from two different worlds. I’m from the streets. She might as well live in an ivory tower. I made my living with my fists. I doubt she could even throw a punch. Our paths never should have crossed. We never should have met. That doesn’t change the facts. I would sell my soul to taste those red lips. Fight the devil himself to hear her laugh. Burn in hell to have a single night. Scarlett Priest shouldn’t even know men like me exist, but sometimes temptation is stronger than will. If this is how I go down, it’ll be worth every second of the fall.
Jack Nolan is a gentleman, a journalist, and unlucky in love. His viral success has pigeon-holed him as the how-to guy for a buzzy, internet media company instead of covering hard-hitting politics. Fed up with his fluffy articles and the app-based dating scene as well, he strikes a deal with his boss to write a final piece de resistance: How to Lose a Girl. Easier said than done when the girl he meets is Hannah Mayfield, and he’s not sure he wants her to dump him.
Hannah is an extremely successful event planner who’s focused on climbing the career ladder. Her firm is one of the most prestigious in the city, and she’s determined to secure her next promotion. But Hannah has a bit of an image problem. She needs to show her boss that she has range, including planning dreaded, romantic weddings. Enter Jack. He’s the perfect man to date for a couple weeks to prove to her boss that she’s not scared of feelings.
Before Jack and Hannah know it, their fake relationship starts to feel all too real—and neither of them can stand to lose each other.
he first rule of book club: You don’t talk about book club.
Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.
Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.
Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.
Billy Winston’s family is going to see him happy and in love if it’s the last thing they do.
No one deserves a happily-ever-after quite as much as the second oldest Winston brother and his lady love, Claire McClure (aka Scarlet St. Claire). Cruelty and circumstance tore them apart almost twenty years ago. Secrecy and bitterness kept them separated.
But you know who’s tired of their separation and stubbornness? Everyone. Especially Billy Winston’s family. And now they’re going to do something about it.
Well-meaning interference means the star-crossed lovers can’t stop tripping over each other in the hills of Tuscany, the catacombs of Rome, and the waterways of Venice. Billy and Claire find themselves thrown together and at the mercy of the Winston siblings’ shenanigans.
But will their forced proximity bring them together? Or push them even further apart?
This second-chance romance brings back the entire Winston gang, playing cupid in one last story of love, hi-jinks, and family collusion.
Synopsis: Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.
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I know my Top 5 will not match your own top 5 but I’d love to hear about them! Let me know in the comments what books you’re most looking forward to being released next month!
Tate Jones and Sam Brandis meet and fall in love while on a two week vacation in London. He was her first lover and confidant and ultimately broke her heart. 14 years later Tate is an actress who shows up for a role of a lifetime and finds out the screenwriter is none other than Sam. This reconnection brings up all of her past hurts. Will they take advantage of this second chance?
OK, boy, this story was so much more than the brief synopsis above. Another huge plot point is the fact that Tate’s father is this huge actor and is cast in a supporting role in the movie. Tate has always wanted to have a better relationship with her father and her journey towards the discovery of who they both are is at times heartbreaking and is such a great sub plot to this novel! I really feel that without that additional conflict the story would have fallen a little flat. I’m always a sucker for daddy issues and boy, this daddy has issues!
I loved Sam right from the start and was just as heartbroken as Tate when their relationship couldn’t get past their first big conflict. However, it was Tate and her family/friends that held this story together. Her Nana and mom were awesome and her best friend Charlie was funny and ferocious.
I recently read Christina Lauren’s Unhoneymooners and that novel was hilarious and fun. This novel had more heart and depth. There was some humor from the cast of characters but there was a lot of emotional turmoil in Tate’s heart and it was that emotion that drew me in. I feel like this novel was different than their other books because of how adult the topics and the maturity of the characters. If you look for those heart tugging moments in the books you read then you need to pick this one up! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Happy Monday everyone! I ran across this post on Book Date and liked the idea of sharing what I’m currently reading, and hopefully hearing about what you’ve picked up off your shelf. So here goes!
JUST FINISHED
First Sentence Read: “Nana turned to inspect the hotel room.”
JUST STARTED
First Sentence Read: “Just when Caleb Stuckey thought it couldn’t get any worse his mom walked in.”
I feel a little guilty for reading two romances back to back because I usually switch up my genre’s, keeping the choices fresh. However it took me a week to read Lady Rogue, a historical fantasy of sorts and I just wanted to catch up. Romances are typically a quick read and Parental Guidance was next on my list from the library. It looks cute!
Now that you know I’m on a romance jag, what are you reading this fine Monday?
Moving back to your home town is never easy but when you’ve lost your job, been dumped, and don’t have a penny to your name it’s a necessity. 38 year old Marley is back in her childhood bedroom living with her parents when her mom gets her a new job as the high school girls soccer coach and gym teacher. Marley couldn’t wait to leave town after high school and now she’s right back in the midst of teenage angst, cliques, and raging hormones- oh wait, those raging hormones are hers! High school crush Jake Weston is a teacher at school and when Marley ends up in the principal’s office she finds herself in a fake relationship signing an ethics contract! She has definitely hit Rock Bottom… or has she?
Rock Bottom Girl nailed all of my sweet spots; down on your luck heroine, girls soccer (I played in high school), hunky high school crush, and humor with a capital H! Marley was the type of heroine who doesn’t believe in herself but at the same time manages to rise to every occasion albeit sometimes accidentally. Her hijinks had me laughing out loud and reaching for the tissues. Not because I was crying from the emotion but because I was laughing so hard my eyes were streaming.
Jake Weston was the perfect hero. A little too good to be true, actually, but I’m going to overlook that perfection. He was the perfect foil to Marley’s imperfect life. Despite her flaws, he falls for her hook line and sinker, as do I. She was a tough heroine to dislike!
This was my first novel by Lucy Score. I stumbled upon it by accident and am thankful for whoever it was that recommended it. It’s a slow burn romance and there’s plenty of build up to the relationship and when our two main characters get together? Oh my! After finishing Rock Bottom Girl I immediately jumped on Amazon to see which novel I’d read next. I hope they’re all as good as this one!
By day Emmie Echavarre is a gruff no nonsense woman working in a man’s world as a marketing executive at a tool company. At night she’s a totally different person fun and outgoing. She’s been forced to show strength in her all male environment or put up with inappropriate behavior from her co-workers. She’s especially sensitive to her co-worker Tate, social media guru and fellow office mate who has seemed to have taken an instant dislike to her from day one. When he suggests they work on a marketing project together she’s surprised at his willingness to get along. Emmie slowly unveils her inner softie and their relationship starts to change.
I so wanted to like this novel! It was my favorite romance trope (enemies to lovers) and Emmie’s Filipino background was a refreshing change. BUT for some reason the author used Tate’s being white as this glowing contrast. I mean, seriously glowing in her description. There was a couple of times where I flipped back through the pages to see if there was mention of Tate being an albino because her descriptions were so fiercely about the whiteness of his skin and hair color. I really just didn’t feel it was necessary to mention unless that was a part of the story, which it wasn’t.
The other thing that bothered me a lot was all of the inappropriate behavior in her workplace. Emmie seriously had to change her whole persona to survive being objectified because she was one of the few women working for this tool company. One of her boss’s was a woman and the description given to her was that she was a peppy mom, which I thought frustrating also! Why were their descriptor’s so stereotypical? I will say that the stereotypes were just as bad for the men with Tate being described as Thor-like. All these descriptors did was make me feel like the writer was trying too hard. I don’t know, it just felt kind of awkward.
As the story progressed and we got to know Tate a little bit better I questioned where she was going with his character. His behavior was anti-social, grumpy, possessive, jealous, and kind of over the top. I fluctuated between thinking he was autistic or this was the author’s version of alpha male. You can understand my confusion!
Maybe I was too hard on this novel because my first job out of college was at a tool company in the marketing department just like Emmie and Tate and I had too many real life experiences to compare this story with, but whatever it was I just didn’t buy what the author was selling. Was it horrible? I read the whole thing, but more out of curiosity than because I was enjoying it, but I also didn’t hate it. Faker just had too many problems that went unresolved. ❤️❤️❤️
Opinions from around the Blogosphere
“Overall, I liked it. I liked it more than the parts I didn’t like. I just didn’t love it. There were too many similarities with The Hating Game. But as someone who loves both an enemies-to-lovers trope and workplace romance, it was a fun read and a great debut. I will definitely look forward to reading more by Sarah Smith.” Beauty Book Corner
“As much as I did enjoy this, I did have to take off a star because there were a few things that made me raise an eyebrow. Such as her seeming to be really obsessed with his pale skin and then the actual conflict of this story. However, I let the good outweigh the bad here.” Books and Blends
Happy Monday everyone! I ran across this post on Book Date and liked the idea of sharing what I’m currently reading, and hopefully hearing about what you’ve picked up off your shelf. So here goes!
JUST FINISHED
First Sentence Read: “Wanted: Airship Doctor. Physician welcome, surgeon preferred.”
Ahh Percy, how I do love thee. Well, especially after having read this book! I love Gail Carriger’s quirky historical steampunk series and this was a great wrap up novel to The Custard Protocol.
JUST STARTED
First Sentence Read: “I’ve read enough stories to know how they worked.”
OK, Ok, I know I said I was starting this book last week, and I did! I just read another book before I started this one, so I’m still reading it. Enjoyable so far! Although, I admit that first sentence isn’t very grabby.
What are you reading this fine Monday? Comment below!
When Molly and her sisters find out their mom has skipped bail and used their home as collateral they need to find her before she leaves town and they lose their house. Fellow bounty hunter John Carmondy always seems to show up when Molly is about to arrest a skip. This time when he finds out Molly is on a dangerous quest he signs on as her partner so he’s there to watch her back. Molly’s always had to take care of her sisters and having someone take care of her quickly turns her feelings from annoyance to sizzling heat. Soon their feelings for each other put everything real on the line.
Molly and John had such amazingly, snarky dialog, it was so much fun to read! The way John just kept showing up displayed his obvious interest but Molly was absolutely clueless. I do remember thinking, come on Molly get a clue! But when they pair up to find their skip it allows her to see him in a better light and she realizes she can rely on him. That finally opens the doors to another type of relationship. John on the other hand was all in from the very beginning. Boy, he had a LOT of patience! LOL
Katie Ruggle writes very entertaining romantic suspense novels and In her Sights seems to be the start of a great series. This novel had a quick pace and it was very easy to get emotionally involved and I finished the novel in no time. As with her other series there’s an underlining plot thread that will run through all of the novels in the series so as this is the first novel, start here and enjoy the rest as they come! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
If you would like a chance to win a free copy of this novel please click the link below!
“Overall I thought this was a decent start to the series. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for Molly’s sisters and what will happen to their mother. Readers who enjoy the trope of rivals to lovers will enjoy this one. I would also recommend it to readers who enjoy a small amount of suspense mixed into their romances.” Harlequin Junkie
“The romance was served on the side as Ruggle set up the overall series but also introduced us to key characters. She did this all while providing hunts for bond skippers, deadly encounters, attempted burglary, blackmail and more.” Caffeinated Reviewer
Happy Monday everyone! I ran across this post on Book Date and liked the idea of sharing what I’m currently reading, and hopefully hearing about what you’ve picked up off your shelf. So here goes!
JUST FINISHED
This novel was touted as being the next Hating Game which I think did it a disservice. The Hating Game was innovative and new. With that in mind I couldn’t help but compare the two and I’ll admit I was disappointed. Even though it uses my favorite trope, enemies to lovers, there was just so much that I didn’t care for. I’ll save those comments for my review.
JUST STARTED
With the word library in the title my hopes are high. I’ve heard great things and I’m expecting a little heartache and hope out of this novel.
Now that you know what’s on my radar and in my hands this week, please feel free to share what you are reading this fine Monday!
The Reading Chick 
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