Tag Archives: book review

2016 Book #101 – Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle

Posted in 2016, Blog tour, Book reviews, Contemporary romance, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2016 checklist, Reading Challenges by

61ix7tuxs6l-_sx332_bo1204203200_Title: Christmas Joy
Author: Nancy Naigle
Date finished: 10/24/16
Genre: Contemporary romance, holiday
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
Pages in book: 352
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Joy Holbrook might be all work and no play, but that changes when her Aunt Ruby takes a fall that lands her in a rehabilitation center before the holidays. Joy takes a leave of absence from her job as a market researcher to run the family farm, even though the timing may hinder her chance at garnering the promotion of her dreams.
Ben Andrews isn’t your average accountant. He also happens to be the handiest man in Crystal Falls. He’s helped his elderly neighbor, Ruby Johnson, decorate for the annual Christmas Home Tour―and win―the last several years. He’s not about to let some drop-in niece break their winning streak.
Ruby seems overly concerned about Joy being able to handle Molly. Under the impression she’s referring Molly the bunny that is one of the menagerie of animals, Joy’s not worried at all until the next morning when a little girl named Molly shows up. For the sake of her aunt, Joy is forced to partner with Ben while Ruby is on the mend to help with preparation for the Christmas tour and, in the process finds her career-focused heart dreaming of a family.
Will the magic of Christmas help her to open her heart and find her everlasting joy?

My rating:  3.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book will count towards my “PopSugar 2016 Checklist” reading challenge, marking off the “a book with a protagonist who has your occupation” square, since the male lead in the story is an accountant just like me! This book is about Joy Holbrook, a woman with an exciting career in marketing with a firm in D.C. She is up for a promotion and has been working extremely hard towards this goal. When she gets a call about her Aunt Ruby being in the hospital, she drops everything and drives the 5 hours home to Crystal Falls to make sure she’s ok. While her aunt is in a rehab center for her broken ankle, Joy (eventually) accepts the help of Ben Andrews in getting Ruby’s house set up for a big Christmas event taking place in a few week’s time. Joy was able to get some time off work to take care of things in Crystal Falls, and between getting the house ready, taking care of Ruby’s vast variety of animals (its pretty much a literal zoo there on the farm) and watching after Molly (a young girl Ruby helps to take care of) Joy’s days are jam-packed and surprisingly joyful. Joy finds herself happier than she can remember being in some time, which makes her begin to wonder if she could leave the life of the city behind and be happy in this small town?
Overall I liked this book. The description of the festival and of the community that made up the small town of Crystal Falls was heart-warming and really helped to get me into the holiday spirit. It was a little cheesier than I usually go for but cheesy is sometimes exactly what you’re looking for! I thought this was very similar to how I feel while I’m watching one of those Hallmark Christmas movies, and I honestly hope it gets picked up as one because I would love to see it! This was definitely a light read and some of the conversations seemed a bit forced but it was a sweet read that is sure to get you dreaming of a white Christmas. And the lessons that the reader can take away from the book are ones that are most important this time of year: to work a little less, spend more time with family, and to appreciate the moments we’re given with our loved ones.

The bottom line: I thought this was a good read, definitely a little cheesy but also heart-warming and cheerful. This is a great one to get you into the Christmas spirit!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #100 – To Love and To Cherish by Lauren Layne

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Contemporary romance, Wedding Belles by

51bimis3kcl-_sx303_bo1204203200_Title: To Love and To Cherish
Author: Lauren Layne
Date finished: 10/19/16
Genre: Contemporary romance
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
Pages in book: 320
Stand alone or series: #3 in the Wedding Belles series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in The Wedding Belles, a contemporary and witty romance series about three high-powered New York City women who can plan any wedding—but their own.
Alexis Morgan has spent the past eight years devoted to turning her tiny start-up into Manhattan’s premiere wedding planning company, The Wedding Belles. Now that her business is thriving, it’s time to turn towards her much neglected personal life, and Alexis approaches her relationships like she does everything else: with a plan. Not a part of that plan is Logan Harris, the silent partner in the Belles, and the one person who’s been there for her since the very beginning. But Alexis needs someone fun, and Logan’s all business, all the time—except when a late night at the office ends with an unexpected kiss that leaves the usually cool and together Alexis reeling.
Logan has lusted after Alexis since the day he walked into the tiny Harlem apartment that used to double as her office. But the ambitious wedding planner has always been untouchable…until now. Alexis has made it clear that she’s on the dating market—and equally clear that he’s not in the running. But when Alexis finds herself in need of a date for her sister’s last minute wedding in Florida, Logan knows it’s the perfect time to show Alexis that there’s more to him than numbers and spreadsheets—and beneath the pinstripes and glasses lies a hot-blooded heartthrob. As Florida’s sultry days turn into even hotter nights, Logan’s out to convince Alexis that the fling of a lifetime could just maybe turn into forever…

My rating:  4.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book is about Alexis Morgan, owner of the Wedding Belles in NYC (a wedding planning company). I haven’t read the other books in this series yet, but I’m guessing Alexis has been a character involved from the beginning of the series since she is the owner of the company and the previous books in the series are centered around other girls that were working at Wedding Belles. Alexis has known her whole life what she wanted to do, she’s had the vision for what Wedding Belles could be and she’s been working to make that vision a reality pretty much her whole life. Her silent business partner, Logan Harris, wasn’t a part of the dream from the beginning but now she can’t imagine running Wedding Belles without him.  Logan has been in love with Alexis since the moment they met and he has been patiently biding his time, waiting for Alexis to open her eyes and really see him. And after 8 years for waiting, Logan’s father calls him home to London to take over the family business,  giving Logan the nudge he needs to force his hand with Alexis and stop waiting. But is Alexis too scared to admit that she cares about Logan too?
Overall I liked this book a lot, it was entirely engaging and I didn’t want to put it down. Logan’s character was great if a little unrealistic, I don’t know of any guy that would actually wait for someone for 8 years like that. Alexis was an ok character for me, I actually connected with her on the control issues but overall I found her to be a frustrating character. Logan kept telling her she needed to be brave and I really agreed, I thought that she should have been a little more open to Logan since she obviously loved him and also wanted to be happy. And overall the story line made me a little sad, not only because Alexis and Logan could’ve had a closer relationship sooner but also for Alexis and her sister who were kind of in a relationship limbo for ten years as well. This book overall was great though and I would really like to find time soon to read the other books in the series. Worth the read, I would recommend it!

The bottom line: I thought this was a really sweet book. I did get frustrated with the story line at a couple points but the author really engages the reader with the characters, I didn’t want to put it down! I hope to find time very soon to read more in the series. I would recommend this one!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #99 – The Boy Is Back by Meg Cabot

Posted in Book reviews, Fiction, For the love of books, Women's fiction by

51nmz4qlfrl-_sx330_bo1204203200_Title: The Boy Is Back
Author: Meg Cabot
Date finished: 10/18/16
Genre: Fiction, women’s fiction
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
Pages in book: 368
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: Edelweiss NOTE: I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

In this brand new stand alone novel for adult readers, a scandal brings celebrity golfer Reed back home to the small town, the crazy family, and first love he once left behind.
Reed Stewart thought he’d left all his small-town troubles-including a broken heart-behind when he ditched tiny Bloomville, Indiana, a decade ago to get rich on the pro golf circuit. Then one tiny post on the Internet causes all of those troubles to return with a vengeance.
Becky Flowers loves her small-town life, her small-town business, and especially the small-town wedding she’s planning. She hasn’t thought about her no good high school ex, Reed Stewart, in years. Until suddenly-thanks to a news story that goes viral on every gossip site on the Internet- Reed comes bursting back into her lifelike an Indiana summer twister.
Now everything Becky and Reed thought they knew about themselves (and one another) has been turned upside down, and they – and possibly the entire town of Bloomville – will never be the same, all because: The Boy is Back.

My rating:  4.5 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book is about Becky Flowers, owner of a moving consultant company in rural Indiana. Becky’s life is going along fine, she’s in her late twenties, owns her own business, and has a devoted boyfriend. If things are going so well though, why can’t she stop thinking about her high school boyfriend Reed Stewart? And even worse, when he comes back to town to help his parents, why can’t she seem to resist being near him?
Reed Stewart hasn’t stepped foot in his hometown in 10 years, ever since his father told him to leave and never come back. All this time though he’s kept tabs on Becky through online and through his family to make sure that things are going well for her, never thinking much of his need to keep track of her. But when he comes home to help his family through a crisis, he must come face to face not only with Becky but also with his lingering feelings for her.
Overall I just loved this book. It was hilarious, I was laughing out loud the whole time I was reading. I really just love Cabot’s sense of humor in this book and the other two similar novels she’s written about Boys.I also really just so much enjoy the epistolary style of writing and I think Cabot specifically does a great job at this, compiling a variety of written mediums to form a well-rounded novel. The cast of characters was endearing and entertaining, especially Becky and Reed. I also really liked Cabot’s use of some specific pop culture items like auto-correct and Facebook. This was a great read and I would definitely recommend!

The bottom line: I loved this book, I couldn’t stop laughing! This is one of my favorite writing styles too, similar to her other books Boy Meets Girl and Every Boy’s Got One. Great read and I would definitely recommend!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #97 – Till I Kissed You by Laura Trentham

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Contemporary romance by

51acaxkhhylTitle: Till I Kissed You
Author: Laura Trentham
Date finished: 10/12/16
Genre: Contemporary romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: August 2, 2016
Pages in book: 320
Stand alone or series: #3 in the Cottonbloom series
Where I got the book from: The Reading Room NOTE:I received this book for free from The Reading Room in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Regan Lovell grew up on the wealthy Mississippi side of Cottonbloom—and now, as mayor, she’s determined to save it from the fate of so many small towns. Part of her plan to help the local economy is the Labor Day tomato festival. If only she wasn’t being undermined by Sawyer Fournette, who’s planning a crayfish-themed celebration on the Louisiana side of the river on the very same weekend. The pranks and sabotage are getting out of hand, and she’s had it with him—no matter how much she enjoyed those stolen hours in his truck bed, so many years ago…
Sawyer knows that Regan’s never forgiven him for breaking her heart—but despite his reputation as a low-class swamp rat, he’d never hurt the woman who still secretly drives him crazy with desire. Someone in Cottonbloom has it out for her, though, and Sawyer intends to watch her back…and the rest of her too, if she can ever let go of her distrust. But will a common enemy be enough to unite them—and finally fulfill the promises they made one passionate night under the stars?

My rating:  3.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book is about Regan Lovell and Sawyer Fournette. Once high school sweethearts, there is now no love lost between them. Ever since Regan caught Sawyer cheating when they were in college, Regan hasn’t been able to look back on her memories of Sawyer without bitter regret and anger clawing at her insides. And now that she’s mayor of Cottonbllom, Mississippi and Sawyer is commissioner of Cottonbloom, Louisiana, they have an excuse for their rivalry. Unfortunately it also throws them together on numerous occasions, which is why they end up spending more and more time together during the summer before their respective towns’ festivals. But when Regan begins to be threatened, Sawyer’s protective streak resurfaces and they’ll both be forced to face the fact that neither of them have really ever moved on from one another.
Overall I really liked this book. I liked the characters and I loved the great amount of tension the author created between the hero and the heroine. The two towns were quirky and full of interesting people. I did think that the ending was kind of an odd fit for the story and that the discovery of the “villain” of the story was a little anti-climactic. This is the third in the series though and after reading it I would definitely be interested in reading the other two books in the series, about Sawyer’s siblings. While at points a little slow, this was an endearing novel that I didn’t want to put down. I would definitely recommend, especially for anyone who is a fan of contemporary romance!

The bottom line: This was a sweet book. I liked the story line a lot and the author did a great job of creating tension between the hero and heroine. A good read, especially if you like romance novels.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #96 – The Peculiar Miracles of Antoinette Martin by Stephanie Knipper

Posted in Book reviews, Fiction, Magical realism by

51lfjgkxu-l-_sx329_bo1204203200_Title: The Peculiar Miracles of Antoinette Martin
Author: Stephanie Knipper
Date finished: 10/9/16
Genre: Fiction, magical realism
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Publication Date: August 2, 2016
Pages in book: 325
Stand alone or series: Stand-alone
Where I got the book from: Library Thing NOTE: I received this book for free from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Sisters Rose and Lily Martin were inseparable when growing up on their family’s Kentucky flower farm yet became distant as adults when Lily found herself unable to deal with the demands of Rose’s unusual daughter. But when Rose becomes ill, Lily is forced to return to the farm and to confront the fears that had driven her away.
Rose’s daughter, ten-year-old Antoinette, has a form of autism that requires constant care and attention. She has never spoken a word, but she has a powerful gift that others would give anything to harness–she can heal with her touch. She brings wilted flowers back to life, makes a neighbor’s tremors disappear, and even changes the course of nature on the flower farm.
Antoinette’s gift, though, comes at a price, since each healing puts her own life in jeopardy. As Rose–the center of her daughter’s life–struggles with her own failing health and Lily confronts her anguished past, the sisters, and the men who love them, come to realize the sacrifices that must be made to keep this very special child safe.
Written with great heart and a deep understanding of what it feels like to be different, The Peculiar Miracles of Antoinette Martin is a novel about what it means to be family and about the lengths to which people will go to protect the ones they love.

My rating:  3.5 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book is about Rose and Lily Martin and Rose’s daughter Antoinette. Rose and Lily have always had a special bond, even for sisters. And when Rose has Antoinette, Lily loves the little girl more than anything. But Lily sees a lot of herself in Antoinette and she is afraid of trying to help her sister care for a girl with special needs. So Lily leaves home and starts a life on her own. When Rose calls six years later though, its to ask once again for Lily to come home. Rose needs help more desperately than before, she’s dying and she’s not sure how much time she has left. But can Lily really come home that easily? And can she be responsible for such an extraordinary girl like Antoinette?
Overall I liked this book ok, though I will admit it wasn’t one of my favorites. I liked Antoinette’s character and I loved being able to hear her thoughts and her perspective even though she couldn’t speak, I thought that was an interesting part of the story. The story line of this book reminded me a lot of The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott, so if you’ve read that one and enjoyed it then I would definitely recommend reading this one. And if you like magical realism this is a great one to read.

The bottom line: I liked this book but I don’t think it thrilled me or anything. It was a good book though. If you liked The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott then I would definitely read this one!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #95 – Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

Posted in Book reviews, Fiction, For the love of books, Thriller by

51ms72awqil-_sx328_bo1204203200_Title: Behind Closed Doors
Author: B.A. Paris
Date finished: 10/7/16
Genre: Fiction, thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: August 9, 2016
Pages in book: 304
Stand alone or series: Stand-alone
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth; she has charm and elegance. He’s a dedicated attorney who has never lost a case; she is a flawless homemaker, a masterful gardener and cook, and dotes on her disabled younger sister. Though they are still newlyweds, they seem to have it all. You might not want to like them, but you do. You’re hopelessly charmed by the ease and comfort of their home, by the graciousness of the dinner parties they throw. You’d like to get to know Grace better.
But it’s difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are inseparable.
Some might call this true love. Others might wonder why Grace never answers the phone. Or why she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. Or why she never seems to take anything with her when she leaves the house, not even a pen. Or why there are such high-security metal shutters on all the downstairs windows.
Some might wonder what’s really going on once the dinner party is over, and the front door has closed.

My rating:  4.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book is about Grace Angel, who is married to Jack Angel while she’s in her thirties. Grace’s sister Millie has Down Syndrome and after Millie graduates from her current school Grace will be responsible for her care and Millie will live with her. This is one of the main reasons why Grace hasn’t married yet, her previous boyfriends did not want to be responsible for Millie’s care. But Jack is different than all the other men, he really wants Millie to be a part of their lives. As the story unfolds, we are told parts alternating between the past and present, and towards the end of the book the past and present sort of overlap. Even from the first chapter the reader realizes there is something not quite right with the idyllic scene presented to us, though it takes a few minutes for us to put a finger on what’s wrong. As the chapters unfold though, our horror grows at what has happened to Grace’s life, and what may soon happen to Millie’s life as well.
Overall I really liked this book. I have to warn readers though, this book will turn your stomach. The abuse that Grace endures is not for the light of heart. This is definitely a book you will not be able to put down, and the ending will have you jumping and screaming at the suspense. Your mind may need a shower after this one though, the villain of the story is devious and undeniably evil. I was utterly terrified at the end, and because I was finishing it at 12:30am, I was afraid to close my eyes for the next half hour after I finished it. This is a terrifying book but it was a great read with an awesome ending. I would definitely recommend!

The bottom line: I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to get some parts of the story because of the abuse but the ending really knocked my socks off. I would definitely recommend!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #94 – My Brown-Eyed Earl by Anna Bennett

Posted in Book reviews, Historical Romance by

51495rqxtwl-_sx303_bo1204203200_Title: My Brown-Eyed Earl
Author: Anna Bennett
Date finished: 10/4/16
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Pages in book: 352
Stand alone or series: #1 in the Wayward Wallflowers series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

NEVER SEND A DEBUTANTE
William Ryder, Earl of Castleton, is at the end of his noble rope. Not only has he broken ties with his longtime mistress, his mother has publicly announced her wish for him to marry a suitable young lady―if only to help him raise the twins left in his care. Hiring a governess should solve some of Will’s problems…but when he meets the candidate in question, he finds himself in an entirely new predicament.
TO DO A WALLFLOWER’S JOB
Miss Margaret Lacey is brainy, beautiful, and, once upon a time, Will’s betrothed. But she bowed out of the engagement―and, since then, has never been the same. A tragic accident robbed her of everything, and now, at age twenty-three, her marital prospects are slim to none. Penniless but not without pride, Meg convinces the vexingly handsome Will to hire her for the job. What neither of them could have expected from this arrangement, however, is an attraction that burns stronger than ever. Are these two lost souls finally ready to be schooled in the art of love?

My rating:  4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. Be sure to check out my Blog Tour post on this book, including an excerpt and a giveaway, here! This book tells the story of a Miss Margaret Lacey, a woman determined to obtain a governess position to keep her uncle out of debtor’s prison. Her uncle has been extremely generous taking Meg and both her orphan sisters into his household and supporting them after the death of their parents. Meg is determined not to be a burden though, and so she seeks a position that her friend had heard of in an Earl’s household, only to come face to face with Will Ryder, the man she rejected in a marriage proposal almost 10 years before. The last time she saw Will has haunted her, for she not only humiliated both him and herself but that was also the fateful night she lost her parents. Meg doesn’t see how she could possibly work for Will, but brick by brick he wears down her heard. The more time Will spends with Meg, the more he realizes how much light she brings into his life, and that of his two new young wards. But with their tragic past, do they really have a chance at happily ever after?
Overall I really liked this book! Will’s character was a little overly cocky for me but he was also deviously charming. And I just adored his twin wards, Diana and Valerie, they were such sweethearts. The book definitely grabbed at me, I honestly just didn’t want to put it down! But at the same time, I thought the plot could have been expanded in certain places a bit further. I liked the addition to the plot of a bit of danger/suspense though, as that definitely added to my enjoyment of the book. I felt a certain connection with Meg because I too, probably like many of us, think of myself as a bit of a wallflower. I also liked her strength of character contrasted by her vulnerabilities. For me, this ended up being an extremely sweet and heart warming romantic tale. I would definitely recommend!

The bottom line: I liked this book, the story line was interesting and the cast of characters was engaging. If you like historical romances especially, this is a good pick! It is a quick read with a romantic story, just what we all need.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #93 – Hero in the Highlands by Suzanne Enoch

Posted in Book reviews, Historical Romance by

51gza1urlnl-_sx303_bo1204203200_Title: Hero in the Highlands
Author: Suzanne Enoch
Date finished: 10/2/16
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Pages in book: 384
Stand alone or series: #1 in the No Ordinary Hero series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Scotland, 1812: He’s ferocious and rugged to the bone, an English soldier more at home on the battlefield than in any Society drawing room. And when Major Gabriel Forrester learns that he’s inherited the massive Scottish Highlands title and estate of a distant relation, the last thing he wants to do is give up the intensity of the battlefield for the too-soft indulgences of noble life. But Gabriel Forrester does not shirk his responsibilities, and when he meets striking, raven-eyed lass Fiona Blackstock, his new circumstances abruptly become more intriguing.
Like any good Highlander, Fiona despises the English―and the new Duke of Lattimer is no exception. Firstly, he is far too attractive for Fiona’s peace of mind. Secondly, his right to “her” castle is a travesty, since it’s been clan Maxwell property for ages. As the two enter a heated battle of wills, an unexpected passion blazes into a love as fierce as the Highlands themselves. Is Fiona strong enough to resist her enemy’s advances―or is Gabriel actually her hero in disguise?

My rating:  4.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Gabriel Forrester, a self-made man who enjoys his life as a soldier and whose only desire in life is to keep doing the job that he’s good at. That all changes though when some great-uncle he’s never even really heard of dies and leaves him a title. And so Gabriel becomes the new Duke of Lattimer. This is one of the few issues I had with this book. I feel like if some old guy with no kids was duke for 20 years, they probably wouldn’t have waited until after he died to start looking for who the guy’s heir would be. They probably would have had it figured out ahead of time. So anyways, getting past that issue, Gabriel finds out that he’s a duke and that one of his properties in the Highlands doesn’t ever seem to make money and that it has a surly steward who doesn’t want to send down a set of financials for him to review. So he goes up there to investigate himself, only to find out that his steward is a young and very attractive female. Fiona has been barely holding everything together over the last few years and the last thing she needs now is a nosy Sassenach butting in his head where it doesn’t belong. Neither of them can deny their attraction to each other, but can they learn to trust each other as well?
Overall I really liked this book a lot. I thought it was a sweet and romantic story. And I just loved loved loved Fiona’s character. She was hard-headed and stubborn and just so fierce, it was entirely refreshing to see a heroine so confident and independent. I liked Gabriel a lot too, I loved how straightforward and sincere his character was not only with Fiona but with everyone he interacted with. This book had a good cast of characters, some of the side characters had some funny antics. I thought that the author did a great job of getting the reader to really see into the character’s minds and emotions. This was a great read and I would definitely recommend it!

The bottom line: I really enjoyed this book, I always like a good historical romance novel! I would definitely recommend, especially if you enjoy Highlander novels.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Monthly Status Update: September

Posted in 2016, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

patch-management-updates

I can’t believe how fast September flew by. September is a big month for me since both my Mom’s and my birthdays are in the middle of the month. This past month we also went to Block Island, 2 weddings, and 2 birthday parties. Lots of events this month meant unfortunately less time for reading. Work is also starting to pick up for me so I will be reading even less in the next couple months but I’m hoping to keep active with my overwhelming reading schedule!

Monthly Stats:
# books read this month: 11
# pages read this month: 2,530
# books read year-to-date: 92
# pages read year-to-date: 27,833

Favorite Books I Read:

At Risk by S.G. Redling – 4.25 stars
Now That It’s You by Tawna Feske – 4.25 stars

Books I Didn’t Particularly Enjoy: 

I read My Husband’s Son by Deborah O’Connor this month and I didn’t particularly care for it, it was just a little out there for me.

Other Posts this month:

I was pretty busy this past month so I didn’t get a chance to do any other posts! Stay tuned for next month, I’ll have at least one author Q&A post.

Status of 2016 Reading Challenges:

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016 Checklist – 19/20 books read
Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge – 8/24 books read
Penguin Random House: Challenge Your Shelf A-Z Reading Challenge – 0/26 books read

October TBR list:

If I have extra time I’ll be working on my back list of ARC’s but I will also be trying to get some specific October books read:

-My Brown-Eyed Earl by Anna Bennett
-Hero in the Highlands by Suzanne Enoch
-Till I Kissed You by Laura Trentham
-The Peculiar Miracles of Antoinette Martin by Stephanie Knipper
-Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
-The Boy Is Back by Meg Cabot
-To Love and To Cherish by Lauren Layne
-Faithful by Alice Hoffman
-Melody’s Key by Dallas Coryell
-The Legendary Lord by Valerie Bowman
-When a Laird Finds a Lass by Lecia Cornwall

 

2016 Book #90, #91 & #92 – Short stories by Renee Ahdieh

Posted in Book reviews, The Saga of Shahrzad and Khalid, Young Adult by

So last year I read The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh and just loved it. I pre-ordered the 2nd book in the series pretty much immediately (The Rose and the Dagger) which unfortunately I haven’t gotten to yet. I was also excited to discover that Ahdieh published a few short stories within The Wrath and the Dawn series to help give the reader various backgrounds to the main story line. I recently read all 3 so I thought I would share my thoughts, though since they were such short reads I decided to put them all into one post.

The Moth and the Flame – 4.0 stars – 37 pages – This short story tells some of the back story of Despina and Jalal, which I really enjoyed. I almost felt like I would have been interested in hearing a longer version of this, maybe even a full-length novel. I thought this was a great pre-quel to the series. This short story even has some interactions with Ava, the first Queen so it has some great background information for the first book.

The Crown and the Arrow – 3.25 stars – 11 pages – This short story tells of Khalid’s point of view on the day that Shahrzad was chosen as his seventy-second bride. I thought it was a good view into Khalid’s thoughts and a good lead-in to The Wrath and the Dawn but other than that did not include many new details.

The Mirror and the Maze – 3.75 stars – 11 pages – This short story is actually from the period after the first book but before the second book in the series. It tells Khalid’s point of view upon returning home to Rey and finding his city is in flames and his people killed and injured. I think this was a great short story for leading into the second book and I find that I’m itching to get to it now!