Tag Archives: fiction

Bout of Books 25 Update – Day 1

Posted in 2019, Bout of Books 25, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

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Started out strong yesterday for the first day of the read-a-thon! I had yesterday off to go to the spa with my Momma for Mother’s Day, and we got some reading done there. And then when I got home I kept reading more! I didn’t want to put this book down so I ended up reading the whole thing in one day yesterday. So anyways my Monday’s progress is below:

Update

Monday

Time spent reading: (Approximately) 5.5 hours
Number of pages I’ve read today: 320 pages
Total number of pages I’ve read: 320 pages (Day one! Ha)
Books read: Started and finished The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (Review to be posted today!)
Challenges: I did not do the introduce yourself in six words challenge for Monday, I’ve done it for a couple of the previous Bout of Books challenges already and didn’t have time to post yesterday since I was so focused on reading.

Stay tuned for continued progress (maybe) made in tomorrow’s post on my Tuesday update!!

2019 Book #26 – Once Upon a Bad Boy by Melonie Johnson

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Contemporary romance, Fiction, Romance, Sometimes in Love series by

5139QFh1KqL._SX303_BO1,204,203,200_Title: Once Upon a Bad Boy
Author: Melonie Johnson
Date finished: 5/12/19
Genre: Contemporary romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Pages in book: 384
Stand alone or series: #3 in the Sometimes in Love 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 SAY NEVER
Sadie Gold is ready to take her career to the next level with the role of a lifetime. Finally, she can shake her reputation as a pretty face with more wealth and connections than talent. But Sadie is not prepared for the wild turn her own life is about to take. The man in charge of training Sadie for her most demanding role yet is none other than her first real boyfriend―the one who took her heart and ran away.

WHEN IT COMES TO LOVE
Bo Ibarra is as good-looking and irresistible as ever. Maybe even more so, now that everything once worked against them―Sadie’s pampered and privileged upbringing and Bo’s childhood in a family struggling to make ends meet―is in the past. But the future is still unwritten…and getting there, together, means coming clean about painful secrets and slashing through nasty tabloid rumors while trying to control the attraction that crackles between them. Maybe it’s finally time for them to walk off into the sunset and into a true and lasting 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.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series, Getting Hot with the Scot, and wanted to read more of the novels in the series. This book started out pretty good, and I ended up liking it, but there were pieces of the novel that I didn’t enjoy. I just don’t really care for the whole “second chance” trope – I need to realize that at some point and stop trying to like them. I just always get so depressed thinking about how much time they’ve missed out on and how much of life they’ve wasted apart. Sadie and Bo had great chemistry and the emotions in this novel were off the charts, though at the end it got to be a bit much. While it was romantic and sweet, there were some pretty cheesy pieces to the story. I liked it but didn’t love it, I think the first book in the series was my favorite. Overall it was a good series though and I really enjoyed it! I would recommend it.

Link to author website

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

2019 Book #25 – Smitten by the Brit by Melonie Johnson

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Contemporary romance, Fiction, Romance, Sometimes in Love series by

51SAeQMII+L._SX304_BO1,204,203,200_Title: Smitten by the Brit
Author: Melonie Johnson
Date finished: 5/7/19
Genre: Contemporary romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: May 28, 2019
Pages in book: 384
Stand alone or series: #2 in the Sometimes in Love 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:

DEFINITELY, MAYBE…OR LOVE, ACTUALLY?

English professor Bonnie Blythe expects her life to play out like her favorite novels, especially now that her long-term boyfriend has finally proposed. So when a shocking discovery leads Bonnie to end her engagement, she decides to close the book on love. But the plot thickens when a brand-new character enters the scene―and quickens Bonnie’s heart.

With his brilliant blue eyes, sexy accent, and irresistible charm, Theo Wharton is like a romantic hero straight out of a Jane Austen novel. When fate places Bonnie in England for a summer―conveniently close to Theo―she realizes a hot friends-with-benefits fling is exactly what she needs to start a fresh chapter. Just as Bonnie begins to believe she’s falling in love, an eye-opening revelation into Theo’s life makes Bonnie feel like she’s wandered into one of her favorite books. Will Bonnie have the courage to risk her heart and turn the page with the dashing Brit to find her true happy ending after all?

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.

I was really excited about Bonnie’s story after first reading about her in the previous book in the series, Getting Hot with the Scot. I didn’t end up loving this book quite as much as I expected to. I couldn’t connect with Bonnie’s character entirely. I did relate to her love of the literary world and how much of a book-nerd she was. Unfortunately she was a little flighty for me, it felt like she was consistently running away from her problems and her feelings. And she was just so melodramatic, she kept doing like these really dramatic things in reaction to situations based on what she thought one of her literary characters would do. And Theo was a bit too thick-headed for me too. In the last book in the series, Getting Hot with the Scot, the chemistry between the two main characters was intense and leapt off the page, but I didn’t feel that as much with Bonnie and Theo. The plot was a little lackluster for me, after the excitement and drama of the beginning of the book there wasn’t anything else that was really as climactic. This one wasn’t my favorite but I did still enjoy it and I like the series overall so far. I’m onto the third in the series now (it doesn’t come out til June so I likely should have waited but I’m so into the series I just couldn’t wait!)

Link to author website

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

2019 Book #24 – Getting Hot with the Scot by Melonie Johnson

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Contemporary romance, Fiction, For the love of books, Romance, Sometimes in Love series by

51HxXsW4HGL._SX304_BO1,204,203,200_Title: Getting Hot with the Scot
Author: Melonie Johnson
Date finished: 5/5/19
Genre: Contemporary romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: April 30, 2019
Pages in book: 368
Stand alone or series: #1 in the Sometimes in Love 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:

SINGLE LADY SEEKS DUKE

IT’S TIME TO FLIRT WITH A MAN IN A KILT

Cassie Crow, a pop-culture reporter for a TV talk show, is focused on becoming a “serious” journalist. But when she stumbles into a kilted Highlander with a killer accent, Cassie decides that taking one night off from work and spending it with a sexy Scot couldn’t hurt. . .

Logan Reid has built a career on his charm, hosting a series of off-the-wall hijinks on the Web. But when the Scottish prankster meets the all-American, equal parts intelligent and irresistible Cassie, Logan realizes that one night of fun won’t be enough. Could it be that this career-focused, commitment-phobic couple is finally ready to take a chance at true and lasting love?

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. Also make sure to check out my Blog Tour post on this book!

I haven’t read anything by this author before, but the books in this series sounded cute and I wanted to give them a try! I’m glad I did as I ended up really enjoying this novel! Cassie and Logan’s chemistry fairly leapt off the page and I didn’t want to put the book down. There were definitely some cheesy parts but the ending was very romantic. Logan was a little thick-headed but I loved how much he was swept off his feet with his feelings for Cassie. I’ve already read it at this point but while reading this novel I was drawn into the connected story of Bonnie and Theo and just couldn’t wait to read the next one in the series. As a reader I especially liked the tie in with literacy in this book and that Cassie advocated for women to be able to read whatever they want, whether it be romance or something else. People shouldn’t be shamed for reading what they enjoy, any form of reading and creativity should be encouraged and enjoyed! Reading this book made me smile and while it wasn’t an overly complex or thought-provoking read, I enjoyed it and that’s what should matter.

Link to author website

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

2019 Book #23 – No Other Duke But You by Valerie Bowman

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Fiction, Historical Romance, Romance by

51OnprgpqRL._SX304_BO1,204,203,200_Title: No Other Duke But You
Author: Valerie Bowman
Date finished: 5/4/19
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: April 30, 2019
Pages in book: 320
Stand alone or series: #11 in the Playful Brides 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:

A lady with a love potion. A Duke who takes it by mistake. Romance and mischief ensues when plans go awry in No Other Duke But You by Valerie Bowman.

SINGLE LADY SEEKS DUKE

Lady Delilah Montebank has her marital sights set on the Duke of Branville. There’s just one problem: he barely knows she exists. But no matter, she’s got a plan to win him over with her charm, her wit―and perhaps the love potion she has in her possession wouldn’t hurt her cause…

Lord Thomas Hobbs, Duke of Huntley, thinks his best friend Delilah’s quest to become a duchess is ridiculous. He’s always said he’d rather give up all the brandy in London than commit to one person for life. Besides, he knows that Delilah’s love potion can’t possibly win over Branville…since she accidentally gave it to him instead. But perhaps this is the excuse he needs to show her he’s always loved her…

Delilah can’t believe she gave the potion to the wrong duke. Then again, Delilah could do a lot worse than win the hand of her handsome best friend. Could it be that the right duke has been before her eyes all along?

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. Also make sure to check out my Blog Tour post on this book!

I’ve read a few of the previous books in this series and enjoyed them, as I enjoyed this one. My main issue with this book is an issue that I end up having with a good amount of romance novels, lack of communication. I’ve said this before specifically with this series and have found this to be a continued frustration with some of the series’ plot lines. I just wish people could learn to talk to each other more! There were some points of the plot that I did enjoy, especially towards the end with the love potion. It reminded me a lot of the play they were performing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and was a bit like a comedy of errors. It was funny and kept me interested. Delilah was a delightful character though, she was very endearing with her quirkiness and slight bumbling. And I loved how devoted Thomas was to her, how long he waited for her to realize he was standing right there all along, and how good their relationship was. I love when we get to read about someone who has quirks and flaws and that their person loves them because of those characteristics rather than in spite of them. I liked the book, it was sweet and a quick read. I would recommend it.

Link to author website

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

2019 Monthly Status Update: April

Posted in For the love of books by

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And I thought March was a crazy month, April was even crazier! Work really slammed me in April and I was trying to make sure I was still getting enough sleep so I didn’t read AT ALL for four weeks. Not my best time but I made it through. So anyways, here are some highlights from April for me:

Monthly Stats:
# books read this month: 1
# pages read this month: 515
# books read year-to-date: 22
# pages read year-to-date: 7,157

Favorite Books I Read this Month:

I only read one book but I can’t say I loved it so I’ll skip this for this month!

Other Posts this month:

Nothing for this month!

Next Month TBR List:

I didn’t really get to any of my April books so I’ll have to read those too but these are my upcoming to reads for May:

-Next Girl to Die by Dea Poirier
-The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
-The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
-Smitten by the Brit by Melanie Johnson
-The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey

Short list for next month but based on my track record so far I’m hoping to be able to read at least these! I’m also hoping I’ll have time to catch up on a couple I missed over the first months of the year since I do have some concentrated reading time coming up this month! Looking forward to participating in Bout of Books this month, some vacation time, and also my reading retreat at the end of the month!

2019 Book #22 – Ricochet by Sandra Brown

Posted in Book reviews, Fiction, Romance, Romantic suspense by

51iJvQPeJzL._SX272_BO1,204,203,200_Title: Ricochet
Author: Sandra Brown
Date finished: 4/29/19
Genre: Romantic suspense
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: 2007 (originally published August 15, 2006)
Pages in book: 515
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: Purchased!

Blurb from the cover:

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seeing Red presents a spine-tingling story of murder and betrayal in high society Savannah, where a homicide detective finds his career—and life—on the line.

When Savannah detective Duncan Hatcher is summoned to an unusual crime scene, he knows discretion is key. Influential Judge Cato Laird’s beloved trophy wife, Elise, has fatally shot a burglar. She claims self-defense, but Duncan suspects she’s lying, and puts his career in jeopardy by investigating further. Then, in secret, Elise makes an incredible allegation, which he dismisses as the lie of a cunning woman trying to exploit his intense attraction to her. But when Elise goes missing, Duncan finds that trusting the wrong person could mean the difference between life and death for both of them.

My rating:  3.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review:

I have read a lot of books by this author in the past and I just love her books. I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus lately, between work and trying to catch up with having a semblance of a personal life, there hasn’t been much time left for reading. I decided to pick this one up to get re-started since Sandra Brown is one of my all-time faves.

I liked this book ok. There were some good plot twists, and there was a good amount of suspense to the plot. It was just so sad – I felt so bad for all the characters involved. And there was some darkness too, Duncan went to a pretty dark place in trying to catch Savich at the end and I thought he ended up a little too far outside the lines for me. This wasn’t my favorite of Sandra Brown’s novels but I enjoyed it and I think it’ll help me get back into the swing of reading again! I’d recommend giving it a try if you enjoy romantic suspense or a cop mystery.

Link to author website

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

2019 Book #20 – Kingdom Cold by Brittni Chenelle

Posted in Book reviews, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult by

411E7gzFfZLTitle: Kingdom Cold
Author: Brittni Chenelle
Date finished: 3/17/19
Genre: Young adult, romance, fantasy
Publication Date: February 14, 2019
Pages in book: 278
Stand alone or series: #1 in the Kingdom Cold series
Where I got the book from: Author/Publisher
NOTE: I received this book for free from the author/publisher 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:

Attempted murder, that’s how sixteen-year-old Princess Charlotte’s engagement starts. It seems like the only thing she has in common with Prince Young of Vires is their mutual discontent.

When her kingdom’s attacked, Charlotte’s parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom’s future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart? One must fall.

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.

I liked this book more than I expected to. Charlotte started out pretty whiny and petulant (not to mention impulsive) and I was worried those traits were going to stay with her throughout the book. Fortunately her character evolved some over time and I even ended up liking her. I didn’t feel that I really got to know her full character though, there were parts of the story that moved too quickly for me and it felt almost like there were large gaps in the story and the development of the relationships. Charlotte obviously evolved into a strong and fierce princess and I wish I had seen that transition more fully. The author’s writing style could use some smoothing out where I thought there might be rough edges, but I really enjoyed the plot and the potential of the characters. There was emotion, action, adventure, romance, and danger – everything you could want in a novel. I didn’t want to put it down and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. The ending was so overwhelmingly sad but was also something different and made it a little more unpredictable. I’m not sure how the author managed to transition the story into a second book but I’d be pretty interested to find out.

Link to author website

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

2019 Book #19 – My Favorite Cowboy by Donna Grant

Posted in Book reviews, Contemporary romance, Fiction, Romance by

51dx-XI3drL._SX304_BO1,204,203,200_Title: My Favorite Cowboy
Author: Donna Grant
Date finished: 3/13/19
Genre: Contemporary romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: February 26, 2019
Pages in book: 320
Stand alone or series: #3 in the Heart of Texas 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:

Audrey Martinez is a veterinarian who has devoted her whole life to the care and protection of horses―even if doing so leaves her little time for meeting a man. Who would have thought that a strange case of criminal horseplay would lead her to falling deeply, wildly in love? If only the man who makes her heart race faster than a wild mustang would let his guard down, that is. . .

Caleb Harper is no ordinary cowboy. Sure, he wears his hat, boots, and jeans like a second skin, and displays an easygoing charm that comes from years of working on the ranch. But with his military background, and Army buddies at his side, he is tried-and-true Texas tough. Audrey knows she can trust a man like Caleb to help her save horses. But can Caleb trust himself to resist his attraction to Audrey―or will the sparks of their desire end up getting them burned?

My rating:  2.0 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.

This is the third book in the series by this author, and I’ve read the rest of the series also. I had previously thought that this was a trilogy, but turns out there is a 4th book coming out later this year! I liked the premise behind this series, but put into practice so far I haven’t loved the series. This book specifically I had trouble with. I found the characters to be a bit naive in their relationships and the way the relationships developed felt a bit too simple to me. The plot line was intended I’m sure to build up tension and build to the crux of the plot, but the pieces almost felt like they didn’t fit together to me. If you like cowboy romances, I’d say this one was ok but wasn’t my favorite.

Link to author website

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

2019 Book #18 – The Time Traveler’s Guide to Modern Romance by Madeline J. Reynolds

Posted in Book reviews, Fiction, Young Adult by

51GhoOR5+lLTitle: The Time Traveler’s Guide to Modern Romance
Author: Madeline J. Reynolds
Date finished: 3/7/19
Genre: Young adult, romance, science fiction
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Publication Date: March 4, 2019
Pages in book: 166
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:

Elias Caldwell needs more than his life in nineteenth-century England has to offer. He’d rather go on an adventure than spend one more minute at some stuffy party. When his grandfather gives him a pocket watch he claims can transport him to any place and time, Elias doesn’t believe it…until he’s whisked away to twenty-first-century America.

Tyler Forrester just wants to fall hopelessly in love. But making that kind of connection with someone has been more of a dream than reality. Then a boy appears out of thin air, a boy from the past. As he helps Elias navigate a strange new world for him, introducing him to the wonders of espresso, binge-watching, and rock and roll, Tyler discovers Elias is exactly who he was missing.

But their love has time limit. Elias’s disappearance from the past has had devastating side effects, and now he must choose where he truly belongs—in the Victorian era, or with the boy who took him on an adventure he never dreamed possible?

My rating:  2.0 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.

I was intrigued by the cover on this book and thought it would be an interesting one to read, though I’m not sure that was the best idea since I’m not usually the biggest fan of time travel novels. I tend to find them a little too out there for me, I tend to be more of a literal person so books that delve into science fiction I can’t always get into. Plus I’ve been finding it harder and harder to connect with characters in romance young adult books. That phase is so far in the past for me that I have trouble remembering what it feels like to be young and full of angst. So suffice it to say, this book wasn’t what I’d call my cup of tea. That being said, it was an interesting book and if you like (a) time travel / science fiction (b) young adult romance or (c) preferably both, then this would be a good book to check out. The story line was interesting and was a fairly quick read but still had character and plot development. I found the plot to be a tad scattered but again that could be the result of my ambivalence to the plot for person opinion reasons.

Link to author website

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