This Chick Read: On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci

Emmanuelle Peroni and Cooper Endicott grew up as best friends having a lot in common. He was the son of the Governor and her father had been Mayor of Hope Lake, Pennsylvania for 30+ years. Over the years their friendship has been strained as she’s fought feelings for him and been hurt by his lothario ways. When her father announces his retirement as Mayor he plans to groom Cooper to run in his place. However, Cooper’s single status and charming charisma starts to work against him giving his running mate a lot of material to expose. When he asks Emma to help him by running his campaign she balks, not wanting to give him anymore time than her vote. However, he’s her best shot at maintaining the status quo in both her job and personal life. As they work together she starts to have feelings again but will Cooper give her more of his heart than he had in the past?

On the Corner of Love and Hate was kind of an enemies to lovers romance. I say kind of because they weren’t really enemies since they considered each other a best friend, but there was an anger on Emma’s side that was lacking on Cooper’s. The first half of the book explained Emma’s side, their past, and Cooper’s somewhat smarmy present. I had a bit of trouble liking either of these characters until the second half of the book. Emma complained too much and Cooper’s charm rubbed me the wrong way. Also the introduction of a past girlfriend into the story threw me and truthfully kind of pissed me off. What was he thinking?

Emma’s acceptance to run his mayoral campaign helped to show each of these characters strengths. Cooper’s charm was less smarmy and more appealing while Emma’s whiny workaholic tendencies worked very well towards pushing Cooper to be his best. Also, pitting him against a sleezy running mate helped Cooper look less sleazy. Boy, reading this makes me look like I didn’t enjoy the book at all, doesn’t it? I did actually like it more as I read on and liked the ending a lot. It just took me a bit to get there.

❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a free copy of this ARC through NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase!* On the Corner of Love and Hate (Hopeless Romantics)

Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights REserved

*Amazon Associate

Blog Tour Stop! Review: Quiet Man (Dream Man #4.5) by Kristen Ashley

We are celebrating the most recent release from Kristen Ashley by participating in the blog tour! QUIET MAN is part of her Dream Man series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. It just went live! Check out the book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now. 

Purchase your copy of QUIET MAN today!

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon AU

 

About QUIET MAN: 

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Ashley comes a new story in her Dream Man series… Charlotte “Lottie” McAlister is in the zone. She’s ready to take on the next chapter of her life, and since she doesn’t have a man, she’ll do what she’s done all along. She’ll take care of business on her own. Even if that business means starting a family. The problem is, Lottie has a stalker. The really bad kind. The kind that means she needs a bodyguard. Enter Mo Morrison. Enormous. Scary. Quiet. Mo doesn’t say much, and Lottie’s used to getting attention. And she wants Mo’s attention. Badly. But Mo has a strict rule. If he’s guarding your body, that’s all he’s doing with it. However, the longer Mo has to keep Lottie safe, the faster he falls for the beautiful blonde who has it so together, she might even be able to tackle the demons he’s got in his head that just won’t die. But in the end, Lottie and Mo don’t only have to find some way to keep hands off until the threat is over, they have to negotiate the overprotective Hot Bunch, Lottie’s crazy stepdad, Tex, Mo’s crew of frat-boy commandos, not to mention his nutty sisters. All before Lottie finally gets her Dream Man. And Mo can lay claim to his Dream Girl. **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**  

Add QUIET MAN to your Goodreads TBR here!

Purchase your copy of QUIET MAN today!

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon AU

REVIEW:

Kristen Ashley has been going back to her roots, recently writing novella’s in both her Rock Chick series and now the Dream Man series. Both series were early favorites of mine. In Quiet Man, Lottie Jet’s (Rock Chick) extremely talented stripper sister gets her own Dream Man in the form of Mo Morrison, one of Hawk’s commando’s. When Mo steps in as her private security after Lottie gets a disturbing letter from a stalker they each know immediately that the other is their chance at love.

Each Rock Chick and Dream Man story have elements of danger, fun, and heated tension between our two main characters. Even though Mo is not very chatty he gets his point across with a grunt or nod and Lottie doesn’t seem to think his lack of voice is a reflection on his character. A character we learn pretty quickly has plenty of depth and a back story that’s easy to like. Since I’d already liked Lottie and felt like I knew who she was, I was surprised by the few new things I found out. These surprises kept me happily interested and reading until the end.

It’s hard to write novella where your readers connect easily with the main characters. Usually there are too few pages and the author tries to jump immediately into the story and something gets lost in the translation. Quiet Man, for me, didn’t have those same problems. In part because I already knew these characters and the jump into the story fit well with my memory of both Mo and Lottie. It was also a nice return trip to some of my favorite characters in KA’s very large list of novels. I had fun with this novella and I think if you’re a fan, you will too. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a free copy of this ARC for my honest review and it was honest!

“OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! I FREAKING LOVED IT!!!!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!!! This was pure Old School Vintage KA GOLD!!!” ~Aestas Book Blog

“[Kristen] Ashley captivates.” ~Publisher’s Weekly “There is something about them [Ashley’s books] that I find crackalicious.” ~DearAuthor.com, Kati Brown


 

About KRISTEN ASHLEY:

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorize and she hadn’t taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen’s Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning. Nothing’s changed. Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she’s blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched). Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up. And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.   Connect With Her: Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram |  Goodreads   |  Twitter  |  Bookbub

It’s Monday! What are you reading? (8/19/19)

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

Quiet Man (Dream Man novella #4.5) by Kristen Ashley

First Sentence Read: “I’m getting a breast reduction.”

JUST STARTED

A Dress for the Wicked by Autumn Krause

First Sentence Read: “When I was growing up, the rector of our parish told me, “Don’t judge the people by the way they dress. There can be angels in rags and demons in silk.”

One is a little sexier than the other, but then I did need a change in pace! LOL. I’m actually really enjoying the start to A Dress for the Wicked, a YA novel that feels to be a little Hunger Games meets the Selection, with a little Project Runway thrown in! We’ll see if it can keep up the fun pace!

It’s the start to a new week. What are you reading this fine Monday?

Deb

This Chick Read: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

The Bride Test is the stand alone sequel to Helen Hoang’s wildly acclaimed The Kiss Quotient. Khai Diep is introduced to the reader as unfeeling and incapable of love. Despairing of ever having grandchildren, his mother goes back to Thailand to find Khai a wife. In the bathroom of a large hotel she meets Esme, the house maid of that hotel. Enjoying Esme’s lack of artifice and her practical manner, she issues the invitation to Esme to come to America for the summer, meet Khai and see if they’d be a good match. All expenses paid, with a job waiting tables at her restaurant waiting on the other side. Down on her luck Esme takes advantage of this opportunity and takes her first plane trip to the US, where she proceeds to charm Khai with her lack of feminine wiles.

I had a few issues with the Kiss Quotient. I had such a hard time overcoming the fact that FINALLY a book was written about an autistic woman falling in love, yet that love was a hooker. So many people overlooked his profession but for some reason (I don’t know, sanity?) that was a line I just couldn’t cross. Thankfully, The Bride Test had none of those issues. Khai, too was autistic. However, his self proclaimed issues were his emotions, not his lack of sexual prowess as was Stella’s in The Kiss Quotient. I loved learning about Khai’s difficulty’s trusting himself to let go and feel. I learned a lot about autism reading from his POV. Funny enough, Esme seemed to have plenty of self worth issues herself but hers came from her social standing. Their character growth ran parallel to each others and I relished seeing how this country girl taught Khai how to learn to love.

This novel had plenty of humorous moments and titillating scenes that fans of The Kiss Quotient will be happy to hear about. Esme is a fish out of water in the US and she makes plenty of social gaffe’s, however she’s so sweet and charming that you are laughing with her instead of at her. Khai’s confused attachment to her grows and he becomes her biggest champion, albeit in a way that shows he’s absolutely clueless about how to navigate a romantic relationship. They really were the perfect couple.

The Bride Test is a unique romance novel in that its main characters are not perfect at the end of the book. You get the feeling that both Khai and Esme have a long journey of self discovery ahead but they will do it hand in hand. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“These two weren’t perfect people, but they were perfect for each other. I loved how she wanted Khai’s consent before she did things that would trigger him. How she asked him to show her how he liked things and how he wanted to be touched.” Books and Blends

“Overall, I adored this book.  There are some things that happened near the end that felt rushed and far-fetched but not enough to truly bother me.  I breezed through this one and it even brought tears to my eyes.  That does not happen to me that often with a romance!” Kristin Kraves Books

Click this link to purchase!* The Bride Test

Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

It’s Monday! What are you reading? (8/12/19)

Happy Monday everyone! I ran across this post on Book Date and liked the idea of sharing what I’m currently reading, so here goes!

JUST FINISHED

The Best Thing by Mariana Zapata

First Sentence Read: “I knew it was a shitty idea to click on the link on my home screen.”

JUST STARTED

The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken

First Sentence Read: “The great king had barely taken his last breath before one brother took the head of another.”

Mariana Zapata’s book came out this weekend and I had to drop everything else and read The Best Thing. It was very different than her previous novel,sweet, gentle, and so funny! Loved it! I started The Blacksmith Queen as a change in pace and boy was it off to a bloody start! G.A. Aiken writes with such a tongue in cheek irreverence. I’m enjoying it so far!

What are you reading this fine Monday?

Deb

Friday YA: P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #2) by Jenny Han

Starting off right where To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before ends, Lara Jean decides she wants to be a real girlfriend to her fake boyfriend Peter Kavinsky. Writing another letter, Lara Jean delivers it in person to Peter and finds him at home. They have a sweet reunion and their relationship is now cemented in reality. That doesn’t mean all of the drama has ended! Peter still talks to he ex, Genevieve, on a regular basis.

Admittedly, I read To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Love You back to back and may be getting a few details between the two books mixed up, so please forgive me if I do!

P. S. I Love You’s Lara Jean is not quite as relaxed as the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Lara Jean. Peter is her first boyfriend and dealing with a boyfriend who won’t let go of his ex starts to undermine her self confidence and those doubts make her sound a bit whiny. In the first novel I wanted to crack Peter over the head for his obtuseness, and in this novel I switched over to wanting Lara Jean to stop being so whiny!

There are two key conflicts in this novel. The continued resolution of who shot the hot tub video, and another of Lara Jean’s past love’s responding to her letter. Peter’s response to who shot the hot tub video made me swing back into the “this guy’s a jerk, just let him go already” team. I was riding the edge already because he’s a bit cocky, but his defense of Lara Jean arrives a little late. When John Ambrose shows up, he seems like a white night in comparison to Peter. That contrast made me sit up and take interest in a novel that had started to feel a little flat.

Kitty, again, steals the show. That kid had such sass, she was great fun to read. I also really liked Lara Jean’s interactions at the senior living center, and in particular her conversations with Stormy. A resident of that community who could give Kitty a run for her money in sass and fun. The USO party Lara Jean threw with John Ambrose’s help only made me like him more and I wondered why Lara Jean had such a problem picking her leading man. In my eyes he was definitely the better pick!

Again, this series totally reminded me of the insecurities of my own youth. I never had two guys fighting over me, but that is a fantasy that all girls and women have that despite it being stereotypical always adds a nice tension to a story. In this case it was definitely needed. I haven’t yet read the third and final novel in this series, but have it on my TBR and I know I’ll get to it sooner rather than later. I am invested in reading Lara Jean’s story and want to see her mature and grow into the awesome woman she’s on her way to becoming.

Explicit Ranking: I’d give this novel a 3 out of 5 based not on Lara Jean’s own actions, but on conversations about sex. The hot tub video and how her peers reacted differently to both Peter and Lara Jean is a conversation starter in how women are perceived if they’ve had sex versus men. I think this is a great lesson learned early and appreciate how it was displayed in this novel, even if I didn’t like every reaction.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* P.S. I Still Love You (2) (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before)

Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

The Chick Read (audio review): Cake-The Newlyweds (Cake #4) by J. Bengtsson

Narrated by Andi Arndt and Joe Arden, Cake: The Newlyweds continues Jake and Casey’s love story from marriage to newlyweds. As one of the biggest rock stars in the world it would seem that they’d have wedded bliss but their otherwise smooth road had quite a few potholes to fill before they truly found happiness.

Each novel in the Cake series has revolved around the horrific incident in Jake’s past when he was kidnapped and had to murder his kidnapper to escape after one month of captivity. In Cake, the first novel where Jake and Casey meet and fall in love, Jake’s mental challenges are revealed but he seems to want to battle those challenges for Casey’s love. In Newlyweds, Jake is still fighting those battles and it’s much harder than he thought it would be, because the world doesn’t revolve around only him and Casey soon has her own battles to fight when she loses someone very close to her. I really liked the realistic way that J. Bengtsson dealt with both of these subjects combining humor with humanity.

For those of us who love continuation stories, following Jake and Casey’s story through their nuptials is a dream come true. However, I read a couple of these novels out of order and I think this may have been the one novel that was affected by my having insight into later plot reveals in the McKallister family. This spoiled the rising tension a little for me, a I knew from the next novel (which I’d already read) the happy outcome. Although, truthfully, it’s a romance so there was always going to be a happy ending, right? However, I really came to love the other McKallister’s and was ready to move on from Jake and Casey sooner that I would’ve thought.

I listened to this novel, narrated from a dual perspective by Andi Arndt and Joe Arden, both of whom did a wonderful job. They acted out their parts rather than read them, which makes a huge difference in my enjoyment. In fact, I’ve gone on to search for these narrator’s because i liked their portrayal so much. Kudos!

Cake: The Newlyweds was a solid second act. I’m glad to have witnessed Jake’s resolution to his kidnapping because having that hanging out there would have been a black spot on this great series. I liked also how Casey was given her own blackness to overcome. It gave her character more depth than the happy cheerleader she’d been up to this point. I’ve already read Rogue Wave which spoiled a few things for me in this novel, so don’t read that one before this book, but it was also fab. I’m ready for the next novel, will it be Grace or Quinn? I almost feel like if it’s Quinn it might undercut Grace’s story? If you’ve read these novels, let me know what you think! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Cake: The Newlyweds (Cake Series) (Volume 4)

Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: July’19 Wrap Up!

Ahh summer! Long days full of sunshine, vacations to exotic locales, and hopefully plenty of time spent reading a much anticipated book or two. Two out of three ain’t bad! I don’t have a vacation scheduled until the end of the month but I have spent some of these long days full of sunshine reading. Let’s take a look at the month of July to look back on some of my favorite books read, and catch up on what happened on The Reading Chick.

JULY’S BEST READS

How to Marry a Werewolf (A Claw and Courtship Novella) by Gail Carriger

“Even though How to Marry a Werewolf is a novella, Carriger is able to build a back story for Faith that gives her character depth making her three dimensional. If you’ve read past novels (and you should before reading this novella!) Channing is a familiar face. Always growly and at times rather inhumanly wolfy, it’s surprising to see him as a romantic lead. However, somehow it works!” How to Marry a Werewolf: A Claw & Courtship Novella

The Smallest Part by Amy Harmon

“Mercedes was a hard worker, loyal friend, and was the backbone of their friendship. She would never betray a friend which is why she stepped aside when Cora declared her feelings for Noah. This book starts with Cora’s death and through flashbacks we see how their feelings were intertwined. How Mercedes and Noah always had just a little more feelings for each other and how that one moment deflected Noah towards Cora instead of Mercedes. It kind of killed me emotionally, but this was a really good book!” The Smallest Part

Dating-ish (Knitting in the City Series #6) by Penny Reid

“I am in love with the Knitting in the City series! Each time I read a book, I think ‘this is my favorite’! Until I read the next book in the series, which quickly surpasses the previous and becomes my favorite book in the series. This time, instead of reading, I decided to try out my new Romance Audible package on Amazon and listen to Dating-ish, narrated by Joy Nash. Boy was that a delight!” Dating-ish: A Humanoid Romance (Knitting in the City)

THIS CHICKS SUNDAY COMMENTARY

I finally got around to taking part in the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag. It is a fun tag because I get to look back at all of the books I’ve read in the first half of the year and talk about a few of my favorites. If you missed my post, please check it out!

The Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

I also took a look back at June and looked forward into August for my most Anticipated releases. Missed them? Here you go!

June Wrap Up!

My Most Anticipated August Releases

WHAT’S ON TAP FOR AUGUST!

August is the start of birthday season in my house. My husband’s birthday is the 17th and mine is the 28th. In honor of our birthday’s, I’m going to do a few small giveaways. I’ve got quite a few books and bookish items that I’ve been meaning to give away that I collected at the Booklover’s Convention I went to in May. I also have a TON of reading to do! 7 ARC’s I need to read and review before their release dates. Whew! I kind of got carried away.

There are quite a few books I’m excited to read this month but I think the one I’m most curious about is…

She is known for her paranormal and fantasy romances so this thriller is quite a surprise! Here’s the synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh welcomes you to a remote town on the edge of the world where even the blinding brightness of the sun can’t mask the darkness that lies deep within a killer.…

On the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, Golden Cove is more than just a town where people live. The adults are more than neighbors; the children, more than schoolmates. 

That is until one fateful summer—and several vanished bodies—shatters the trust holding Golden Cove together. All that’s left are whispers behind closed doors, broken friendships, and a silent agreement to not look back. But they can’t run from the past forever. 

Eight years later, a beautiful young woman disappears without a trace, and the residents of Golden Cove wonder if their home shelters something far more dangerous than an unforgiving landscape.  

It’s not long before the dark past collides with the haunting present and deadly secrets come to light.

Release Date: December 03, 2019.

Purchase link: A Madness of Sunshine

What is the book you are most looking forward to reading this month?

Deb

This Chick Read: Dating-ish (Knitting in the City #6) by Penny Reid- Audio Review

I am in love with the Knitting in the City series! Each time I read a book, I think ‘this is my favorite’! Until I read the next book in the series, which quickly surpasses the previous and becomes my favorite book in the series. This time, instead of reading, I decided to try out my new Romance Audible package on Amazon and listen to Dating-ish, narrated by Joy Nash. Boy was that a delight!

Marie, our heroine, is just about to cancel her subscription to an online dating service when she gets a notification that she has a PERFECT match! Excited at the prospect of meeting her perfect match, Marie eagerly meets this date at a local coffee house and proceeds to have the most confusing and weird first date she’s ever had before in her life! This strange man is her perfect match? After doing a dump and run, Marie runs into him again when her knitting group next meets. It’s a surprise to find that he’s the next door neighbor and childhood friend of her knitting buddy Fiona, but even more surprising is the fact that their date was part of a research project on what women want in a man. As it turns out, Matt is a scientist and is working on a project to create an compassionate AI (artificial intelligence) that will provide a person with all of the emotions they need from a mate. Marie is upset, horrified and angered that her perfect match was a fake! To get even, she blackmails Matt into letting her read his research for an article she’s going to write about how there are services available to facilitate emotional fulfillment. Think professional cuddlers, not hookers!

As Marie and Matt hang around each other, an undeniable chemistry is sparked, but as this is a slow burn novel, the two of them have plenty of hilarious emotional hijinks before their feelings become their reality. In typical Penny Reid fashion, these two odd ducks have found their perfect match, but they really have to work at the happy in their ending.

Part of the reason I love this series is because these characters are not new to us when we start the novel. Marie, as part of the knitting group is known as the level headed, organized friend. In fact, as a professional journalist, she can compartmentalize with the best of them, and we’ve seen her do this in the past. Matt, as Fiona’s neighbor, is also a familiar character. Although I didn’t quite realize how much of an emotional oddball he really was from our previous interactions. Joy Nash reads his character so well! Kind of aloof and very sciency in a nerd-voice. You’d have to listen to it to figure out what i’m talking about, but she does a great job! Marie’s narration is also spot on, and Joy Nash acts out the narration so that I feel as if I’m listening to a movie rather than someone reading from a book. She is seriously good!

Each book in the Knitting in the City series can be read as a stand alone. Be warned though, previous characters sometimes have big parts in our main characters romance, so it may be better to start at the beginning so that you don’t miss out on any subtle character arc’s. Although Marie and Matt’s romance is brilliant enough on its own merit. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Opinions from around the Blogosphere

“I would have never thought a book about robots would be sexy but Penny Reid makes being smart sexy! Matt and Marie have an amazing love story. It is defiantly a slow burn kind of love story and it is so much fun to read. ” Cup of Tea Book Blog

“The book is full of computer and AI jokes and banter that should make you laugh. Marie and Matt are both complex characters with their own issues to deal with. And the cast of secondary characters, which has grown as the series has progressed, is charming as usual. ” Kat Vinson

Click this link to purchase!* Dating-ish (Knitting in the City) (Volume 6)

Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? (7/29/19)

Happy Monday everyone! I ran across this post on Book Date and liked the idea of sharing what I’m currently reading, so here goes!

JUST FINISHED

First Sentence: “Late June in Seattle sometimes delivered the heat.”

JUST STARTED:

First Sentence: “I wouldn’t have been caught dead in here a year ago.”

I met Marie Harte at the Booklover’s Convention in May and her publisher sent me the first novel in this series, ‘Veteran Movers’. I read it and thought the premise was really cute. Ex-Vet brothers start a moving company and only hire Veterans. The two brothers are completely different. One was more business minded and conservative while the other was beefier and crass. I’ve now read both of their stories, and they were as different as the men’s personalities. Smooth Moves is the second novel about Cash, a musclebound Marine with heart. I liked his story even if I didn’t really identify with either character.

I saw Hate Notes listed in an article about great audiobooks and had to give this one a try. I found it on Kindle Unlimited and surprisingly enough the audio came along with the membership! Yeah! I’m reading a listening and like the two main characters story so far!

Now that you know what I’m reading…

What are you reading on this fine Monday?