Tag: romance

This Chick Read: The Muse of Maiden Lane (Belles of London #4) by Mimi Matthews

Stella Hobhouse is a skilled rider, stalwart friend, and decent sketch artist. She’s also overlooked in London society. Her gray hair makes her invisible and her pious brother’s restrictions and dwindling inheritance means that things are becoming desperate. She must find someone to marry. Edward “Teddy” Hayes is an aspiring artist and knows true beauty when he sees it. After a bout of scarlet fever left him in a wheelchair, Teddy knows good fortune when he finds it. He’s determined to make Stella his muse and is willing to offer marriage to make it happen.

I’ve appreciated Mimi Matthews novels about the “Belles of London” for various reasons but mostly because her heroines buck society’s expectations. Stella’s story is a little bit different because she is both a pariah because of her unusual hair color but she’s also close to impoverished and reliant upon her brother’s good nature, of which he has none. When she has to make a difficult decision about her future she is brave enough to try to make things happen on her own.

Teddy also has his own difficulties. As a man in a wheelchair, his family tends to coddle him and try to make decisions for him. His “marriage of convenience” that he offers to Stella helps his independence, but isn’t the only reason for his offer. He truly is attracted to and wants to be with Stella. I loved that these two people who had difficulties in their lives found each other and a way to be in love together. For me, their stories made for a more emotional book which made it different than the others. I liked it!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Muse of Maiden Lane

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

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This Chicks Audio Review: Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood

Video game designer Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime to design a game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only downfall is that she’ll have to work with her arch-nemesis Jesse Andrews.When their two companies both win the bid to co-design the game their bosses think a wintry retreat is just the answer to get their teams to bond together. Viola has tried to befriend Jesse before but has been snubbed repeatedly and she is not looking forward to this retreat, but in order to be part of this dream job she’s willing to suck it up. Unfortunately she doesn’t count on their chemistry making a bad situation…..better?

Narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster who gave these characters life, this novella was just the right fit to get an Ali Hazelwood fix. The audio book is about 4 1/2 hours but there’s a lot packed into this five day retreat. Great back stories for our two main characters, lots of anxiety, great dialog, and a resolution that packs an emotional punch. This enemies to lovers romance brought the gaming world to life, but even better, this author created three dimensional characters in a very short timeframe. Something a lot of authors struggle with when writing novella’s but this author excels. If you have the time, I’d add this audiobook to your TBR and when you find that 4 1/2 hours of downtime, give it a go. I think you’ll find it a fun story!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this audiobook!* Two Can Play

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

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This Chick Read: Mr. Nice Spy (My Spy #2) by Tiana Smith

After fireworks designer, Andee Paxton takes an online DNA test she finds out that her biological father is none other than Holt, an international arms dealer. The CIA shows up at her door where she meets very handsome CIA analyst officer Adam Chan. When Chan lingers over coffee they find themselves knocked out and kidnapped by her father’s men. Waking up in a bunker as boyfriend and girlfriend Andee and Chan play their parts while her very scary father tries to get to know her and sell her on the family business as well as get her help in creating a very nasty bio weapon. Chan and Andee’s fake relationship is the only thing keeping her sane as they try to figure out their escape plan and save the world.

What a fun rom-com/spy novel! Tiana Smith has a very easy style of writing that made this story a joy to read. Lots of action, great dialogue, and a few scary bits for conflict made for a complete escape from reality and an enjoyable weekend of reading. I haven’t read the first novel in this series but I’ve found it at the library and have it on my TBR.

Besides the great action series, Andee and Chan were both really interesting characters and their immediate chemistry gave the romance some heat. Andee is one of those smart heroine’s that I love to read about- go STEM romance leads! her degree in chemical engineering makes her a great sidekick for a spy. She didn’t let her emotions get the better of her and was doing her part to find a way out. Chan, too, was an interesting guy. Yes, he was a CIA analyst, but he is also hearing impaired. I liked how his “weakness” became a strength in the story. The fact that the descriptions of him as well as Andee’s immediate attraction made him eye candy for my imagination didn’t hurt either. Really, this story was just 100% enjoyable and I can’t recommend it enough.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Mr. Nice Spy

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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This Chick Read: a bunch of Nora Roberts!

You know when you are sick and you just want some comfort food? For me that food is usually a grilled cheese sandwich or a frozen chicken pot pie. These things just make my heart warm and help me feel just that small bit better. Well, Nora Roberts books are grilled cheese sandwiches for my spirit. I needed a hit of comfort food and happened upon her backlog of books when I was surfing my digital library. She has been so prolific that there are some books from 20 years ago that I know I read when they came out but honestly didn’t remember and thought, why not? I was surprised at how much I loved this venture down memory lane (or lack of memory as the case may be).

The book I read had a much older cover than this newer version, but as the book came out in 2001 I’d imagine it’s had a few variations. As noted by this cover, this book centers around the Giambelli family and Sophie, specifically. Her grandmother in a rather machiavellian way maneuvers, she and her step-son into swapping positions in the family business. Tyler MacMillan runs his grandfather’s vineyard and when he’s told Giambelli is merging with MacMillan and he has to give up running the vineyard to learn marketing and promotions, he is not pleased at all. Especially as he’s paired with the energetic and very attractive Sophie. Attraction ensues and when you add a little danger in the form of someone using their wine to poison people, voilâ! You get a wonderfully written romantic suspense novel that still holds well over time. I’ll admit that I did look up what cell phones looked like in 2001 for entertainment value, but that’s neither here nor there. The story held my interest and gave me that comfort I needed. Plus I liked Sophie and Tyler’s unusual and kind of begrudging love story. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Next up!

Yeah, I couldn’t just read one book I had to read one of the Irish trilogy’s! I didn’t remember this series at all and was immediately drawn into the magic of Ireland and the beloved Gallagher family. Jewels of the Sun was written in 1999, so it’s an oldie but goodie, but again since these novels had a bit of fantasy in the story my mind wasn’t diverted by technology and I easily fell into the story. This first novel follows Aidan Gallagher, who runs the local pub with his brother and sister. Gallaghers is filled with light, love, and a bunch of Irish characters who add a lot to the plot and give the story some charm. Jude Murray is the heroine, has some Irish heritage, and moves into her great aunt’s (I think?) fairie cottage, which is right above Prince Carrick of the fairies castle (as in below the earth). Her cottage is haunted by the love of Prince Carrick’s life and their story is the reason for the trilogy. They need three couples to find true love to have their curse broken so they can be together. The other two couple being Shawn and Brenna, and then Darcy and Trevor. The thing I love about these trilogy’s is that when they are good, you get lost in them and you just want to keep reading. The great thing about reading books this old is that they are all available to read!

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Some Nora Roberts books are better than others, of course, but all four of these were pretty solid! If you are like me and read too many books in a year to remember the plots of books you’ve read over 20 years ago, then you may want to go to your nearest library and pick up a virtual copy! Or you can purchase your copy at the links below.

Click this link to purchase The Villa!*

Click this link to purchase The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy!*

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

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This Chick Read: Somewhere Along the Line by Mallory Thomas

Piper Paulson and James Newhouse ride the same train in to work every day. He’s in a suit, she’s in retro t’s and jeans. They are complete opposites, yet their eyes connect, then look away until one day when the Elvis convention is in town and the only seat available is next to each other and they take a chance and talk. One conversation that leads to their being connected during a freak incident on that train. Neither one of them is looking for a relationship but circumstance and chemistry keeps bringing them together. Will this connection turn into something more?

I liked this opposites attract romance. Piper and James are drawn to each other in large part because they remind each other of their past. She reminds him of his mother and he reminds her of a previous relationship. Both add conflict to their reaching their happily ever after and make for some interesting story arc’s that held my interest and kept me reading. Were there problematic moments? Yes, but the positive outweighed the negative and these problems didn’t slow the story down or take me out of the story so I was able to stay “in the moment” and move past those brief moments.

I looked up the author and didn’t see any other books in her bio so I believe this is her debut novel. In this reviewers humble opinion I think she did a solid job, gave us interesting characters to read about, and created a plot that was simple but had some dynamics that were unexpected and gave the reader that element of surprise that keeps us reading. Nice job! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it is honest!

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn

Maren Laughlin’s life just took a left turn. When she rejects her boyfriends proposal, she quits her decades long job as a park ranger and moves back to her childhood playground to check in on her inheritance, a decrepit bait shop in Northern Wisconsin. Josiah Cole runs the resort that abuts Maren’s bait shop. A childhood best friend of her brother’s they used to hang out as children but life moves on and he’s now divorced, with two great kids. He’s happy with his life but when Maren moves in next door he starts catching feelings. She’s beautiful, funny, and his kids love her and their friendship is just so easy. Despite her brothers warnings, Joe and Maren are in the middle of a relationship without even trying.

I love these adult novels by Erin Hahn. She describes Joe and Maren’s relationship as just so easy to fall into, and this book was exactly the same. I started reading, and before I knew it I had developed feelings for these characters in part because of the easy flow of the story, but also because of the setting and the kids. This story was a joy and I relished reading Maren and Joe’s story.

There isn’t a great romance novel if there’s not a hint of conflict and we do have a couple of storylines that create that dynamic for our duo. Maren’s brother is Joe’s best friend, and he doesn’t hesitate to warn Maren off of catching feelings for Joe. He’s also a bit of a dope to Maren and gave the reader a person to get frustrated at that wasn’t our hero or heroine. Joe also isn’t the swinging single guy, he comes as a package with his two kids who added a lot to the story- as well as a dumb ex- spouse that the reader could also focus some energy on hating. It was only Maren and Joe’s feelings that were easy breezy, these conflicts gave the story a lot of heart in their conclusions.

I’ve read the other two novels in this stand alone series. I say stand alone and series in the same sentence because Maren’s two best friends were the heroines from the previous two adult novels by this same author. It’s always nice to see how other characters you’ve read have advanced their storylines and I welcomed that brief peek. Despite their reoccurance, you can read this novel as a stand alone and not miss a thing but I bet when you’re done, if you hadn’t read the other two novels you’re going to want to pick them up and catch up!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Catch and Keep

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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This Chick Read: Wish I Were Here by Melissa Wiesner

Math Professor, Catherine Lipton has a plan for everything but when she starts a new job and her identity disappears she doesn’t even know where to start to get her documentation put back into the system. She reluctantly accepts help from her frustratingly laid-back doorman Luca Morelli. With his help she finds herself breaking the rules, meeting mysterious strangers, and generally having a great time. As she unravels the truth behind her identity disappearance she realizes that she may have been missing for a lot longer than she realized.

The publisher has described this book as being for readers who are fans of Sophie Cousens and Ashley Poston, and you know what? They were exactly right! I like both of those authors and I really enjoyed reading this novel about Catherine’s journey with the help of her very charismatic doorman Luca. Melissa Wiesner did a great job of showing Catherine’s growth from straight as an arrow professor to a more open to anything lady who is drawn to someone who seems to be her complete opposite.

This novel had one of my favorite things that I usually only find in small town romances. A fun, quirky cast of characters. I think because a lot of the story involves the building that they live in that building became the small town and each of those residents were fun, funny, and just plain lovely. Of course, they were all geriatric, so no chance of a second book in the series about one of the other characters in the book, but they added such joy to the novel. It’s funny because in real life young people don’t seem to tolerate the aging generation but in the best romance novels some of those older folks become my favorite characters. There were quite a few in this book.

The romance between Catherine and Luca wasn’t without its frustrations, but the story is what pulled this book together and gave it the gravitas needed to feel complete. The romance was just kind of a side note so please don’t think this is going to be a steamy novel. It’s not, but Catherine and Luca do provide enough sizzle to bring a romantic feel to the pages. That part of the story in my eyes isn’t the most important it was the sense of family and feeling like you belong that struck home for me. I liked this novel and hope this author will continue to write and give us a second book to look forward to! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* Wish I Were Here

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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

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This Chick Read: Primal Mirror (Psy-Changeling Trinity #8) by Nalini Singh

Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted, especially after her brain injury. Her thoughts are scattered and her memory is fuzzy or just blank. The only thing she knows is that she must protect her unborn baby, a baby she has no recollection of conceiving. Leopard Alpha, Remi Lenier’s instinct is to protect, his pack, his allies, and his new neighbor. Her eerie eyes and changing scent confound the man and intrigue his cat. Nothing about Auden is as it seems and when she asks for his help Remi can’t help but respond.

Primal Mirror is the 8th book in the series, but this Psy-Changeling world is over 20 books in. I’ve read a few across both Psy series and I feel like if you’re familiar with the details of this world you can jump right in mid series. That’s what I’ve done when I chose to read Primal Mirror, the newest novel in this world. It didn’t matter that a few characters may have had recurring plots, I was intrigued by Remi and Auden and wanted to read their story, not the backlog of other novels. It was easy to immerse myself in this world again and get wrapped up in this intriguing and kind of eerie story.

After reading the synopsis of Auden Scott and her memory issues and pregnancy I knew the plot could be slightly uncomfortable and without going into too many details that might spoil the plot, I will say that this was the case. If you can’t remember getting pregnant, chances are that the how’s and what-for’s are probably not going to be all sunshine and rainbows. As the plot surrounding Auden’s mystery is revealed it was very easy to root for the good guys, which is a great transition to the subject of Remi. As an Alpha, his instinct is to protect, but that doesn’t explain why he is drawn to someone that shouldn’t intrigue him, but he is a cat and cat’s are curious. Once he unveils the mystery he is all in to help Auden and keep her baby safe. I liked their interactions with each other, despite their personality differences. It certainly helps that Auden doesn’t seem to be interested in being removed from emotion as are most Psy. This makes their meld into a couple not seem so forced.

I’m not usually drawn to read Nalini Singh’s books, although I do like the mysteries she has started to write, but for some reason I was drawn to this book. It could be that the promotional tour did it’s thing and I seemed to cross paths with this book more than her others, but I’m not sorry that I did pick it up. Maybe because I’ve only read a few of these novels, but I found this one interesting, easy to read, and easy to get into. All in all, a solid weekend read! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Primal Mirror

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

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This Chick Read: The Match by Sarah Adams

Evie has dedicated her life and limited funds to Southern Service Paws, the company that matched her with, Charlie, her service dog trained to assist her with her epilepsy. She loves nothing more than helping to match other people in need with service dogs and when she gets a letter from a father looking for a service dog for his ten year old daughter who was just diagnosed with epilepsy, Evie jumps at the chance. When she meets them at their consultation meeting she finds out that the daughter sent the email signing her father’s name and he had no idea and was not pleased at the meeting. Despite his hesitations, pretty soon he comes on board and both Evie and Sam’s service dog change their lives.

I was drawn to this book because of the synopsis. It’s not often you read a description with a heroine that has epilepsy. I was really curious how this romance would work. Enter adorable kid, with a handsome father and voilá, cute plot ensues. There was a small hint of enemies to lovers at the beginning of this novel, but Jacob gave up on his disgruntlement pretty quickly. He loves his daughter and what’s best for her comes first. Awwww…

Evie also wasn’t what I expected. Yes, she has epilepsy and a service animal herself, but she is my favorite kind of heroine, sassy and sweet! She doesn’t have trouble standing up for herself even though her epilepsy can be quite debilitating. She has learned to live with her fears and so can look past them to the happiness that’s on the other side. She and Jacob were good with each other and I loved that she bonded with his daughter as well. Despite the newness of the premise, it was a pretty standard romance with only a small conflict to resolve. A quick and enjoyable weekend read! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Match

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

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This Chick Read: The Christmas You Found Me (Heart of the Wilderness #1) by Sarah Morgenthaler

It’s Christmas, a time for joy and happiness, but with her family gone and her marriage over, Sienna Naples is having trouble finding joy in the season. When a friend publishes an ad in the local paper saying Sienna is looking for a husband as a joke, she paints on a smile. Until single father Guy Maple shows up answering the ad. His daughter has stage-five chronic kidney disease and needs a kidney transplant. Guy needs to show that he can afford Emma’s anti-rejection medicine in order to be approved to be on the list. A heart-breaking story that Sienna can’t turn down.

I’m a fan of this author’s and have enjoyed all of her previous novels. Their light-hearted humor and sweet small town romances were easy to read and totally enjoyable. The Christmas You Found Me has the same sweet small town, and there is some light-hearted humor but this story has a lot more depth and feeling than her previous novels. The story was rich, moving, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with all the characters. Yes, it was a little insta-love, but the fact that this family needed each other so much was really moving and Emma’s story in particular was heart-breaking and imbued the book with love. At the end of the book was an author’s note about Sarah Morgenthaler’s husband dying suddenly and the tough time she’s had that made this shift in emotional content make complete sense and hopefully was cathartic. I know it made me feel all sorts of things both comfortable and uncomfortable and I really appreciated the journey.

There were so many things I loved about this book. I liked that Sienna was recovering from a horrible divorce and that this small family’s need filled her heart. I liked that Guy and Emma were puzzle pieces that fit into Sienna’s life right from the start but that the story moved slowly so that you could really feel all the emotions this author put into the plot. There were quirky townies that hopefully will get their own stories, and plenty of small town feel for those of you who love those small town romances. This novel was different but hit all the right notes. I really liked it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

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

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Christmas You Found Me

Copyright 2024 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