Tag Archives: reading

2019 Book #50 – Buzz Books 2019 Romance Sampler

Posted in Book reviews, Fiction, Romance by

51nJyTD8rGLTitle: BuzzBooks 2019 Romance Sampler
Author: Various – see below
Date finished: 7/29/19
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Various
Publication Date: July 12, 2019
Pages in book: 252
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.

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

These are the samples that are included in the BuzzBooks 2019 Romance collection – each excerpt I’ve included a brief summary of my thoughts (based solely on the excerpts provided) and my interest in reading the whole book:

  1. Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (November 5, 2019) – This was a really engaging first few chapters but I don’t think it is for me. It made me so sad to think about those little girls and what they’re dealing with. I know it’s really popular and I’m sure I would like it but I’m just not interested in reading it right now.
  2. The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken (August 27, 2019) – There was a lot going on in this book even just in the first couple chapters. There was a lot of dark, murderous stuff in the excerpt too and I didn’t quite grasp what was going on with just the first couple chapters.
  3. Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J Christopher (November 12, 2019) – This one seemed super good! I really liked the first couple chapters of this one, it was engaging and really grabs the reader into the story. I’m planning to request this one and hopefully read the full e-galley!
  4. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn (December 31, 2019) – I loved the start of this one. The excerpt really leaves you hanging on the edge of a cliff and I can’t wait to find out what happens. I loved the lyricism of the author’s writing and how well developed I felt like the main character was even just within the first couple chapters. Definitely requesting this one so I can hopefully read the full e-galley!
  5. Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (September 3, 2019) – Seemed like a solid historical romance, nothing really grabbed out in the first couple chapters to grab me though. I think I’d enjoy reading it but I’m trying to limit my NetGalley requests.
  6. The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson (December 3, 2019) – This excerpt was tough, it didn’t really get far enough in to give you a feel of what the story would be. It seemed ok but didn’t grab me.
  7. The Bachelor by Sabrina Jeffries (February 25, 2020) – I liked this one, it sounded pretty good actually. I think I’d enjoy reading it but I’m trying to limit my NetGalley requests so I will have to pass on this one.
  8. The Princess Plan by Julia London (November 19, 2019) – I’ve already signed up to review this one so I was interested to read the first couple chapters. It sounds interesting and I’m looking forward to reading it.
  9. The Little Bookshop on the Siene by Rebecca Raisin (January 7, 2020) – This sounded like it would be sweet and most likely interesting to a book reader like me but the heroine sounded a little too naive for me based on the first couple chapters. I’m kind of interested in the book but am trying to limit my NetGalley requests so I think I’ll pass on this one.
  10. Unspoken by Kelly Rimmer (November 26, 2019) – I was actually kind of interested in this one but I can not get on board with these two people getting back together. Overall the second chance romance is not an enjoyable trope for me but especially with how much hatred there was between these two at the start of the book I just can’t see how they’ll end up reconciling.
  11. A Royal Christmas Wish by Lizzie Shane (September 10, 2019) – This one didn’t quite catch my interest, the heroine seemed like she was somewhat whiny which doesn’t appeal to me. And overall the plot doesn’t sound like it would be something I’d love.
  12. The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm (March 31, 2020) – Lot of potential here! Just the first couple chapters had me feeling so many things. I’m definitely going to be requesting this one and hopefully will get to read the full e-galley!
  13. A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon (February 25, 2020) – This one wasn’t for me (I don’t love cowboy romances anymore) but definitely seems like something others would enjoy!

2019 Monthly Status Update: July

Posted in For the love of books by

outdated_technology_update_required_thinkstock_871052724-100749659-largeJuly was HUGE! I got so much reading done. I had a vacation at the end of the month but had no internet so I’m just catching up on my blog posts today. Another reason I got so much reading done is that last month I discovered the Fated Mates podcast, which I’m now addicted to and am working my way through Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. I’m only allowing myself to read one though for every ARC I get read, so it’s encouraging me to get my reading done faster! So anyways, here are some highlights from July for me:

Monthly Stats:
# books read this month: 16
# pages read this month: 5,923
# books read year-to-date: 53
# pages read year-to-date: 18,081

Favorite Books I Read this Month:

I’ve been devouring Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series and have loved almost all those books so far (on #11 now). Other than that I also enjoyed Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient (4.5 stars), which I read on vacation, and Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham (4.5 stars).

Other Posts this month:

Summary Post – NERCA 2019
ARC August 2019 Reading Challenge Sign Up Post

Next Month TBR List:

Check out my ARC August 2019 Reading Challenge Sign Up Post which includes my reading list for August! Looking forward to a successful reading challenge this month!

ARC August 2019 Reading Challenge Sign Up Post

Posted in 2019, ARC August 2019, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

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Woo Hoo! ARC August is here again, and I can’t wait to dig into some of my backlog and my upcoming releases. I still have wayyyyy too many ARC’s from the past three years that I never got a chance to read, plus I missed the “deadline” for 12 additional ARCs so far in 2019. PLUS I have 6 ARCs scheduled to be read in August. SO you could say I have a lot of reading to accomplish! For those of you that don’t know, ARC August is a month-long reading challenge hosted by Read.Sleep.Repeat. and the only participation requirement is reading ARC’s! I participated in this reading challenge for the last four years (2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018), and every year this reading challenge has been super successful and productive. I hope to continue the productivity with this challenge this year since I have so much to read! I’ll be on a family vacation during the first few days of August and should be able to get a jump start on my reading for the month!

So here is the list I’m going to be working off of for this year’s challenge:

July & August 2019 ARC’s 

-Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
-The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins
-The Arrangement by Robyn Harding
-A Highlander Walks Into a Bar by Laura Trentham
-The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney
-The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
-The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
-Outfox by Sandra Brown
-To the Stars and Back by Camilla Isley

I’m hoping to also possibly get to some backlog ARC’s from previous years, but I’m in the midst of a series right now so between that and the ARC’s I might not be able to make it to previous years’ backlogs. I’m looking forward to a lot of the books I have lined up for August though – I can’t wait to get to reading!

Summary post – NERCA 2019

Posted in Book reviews, Fiction, Romance by

Last winter I had the opportunity to participate as a reader in the Romance Writer’s of America New England Reader’s Choice Awards. I read 10 books as part of the process, and I won’t post on all of them here but wanted to briefly highlight a couple that I enjoyed.

51B4Jp4cJQLInnocent Target by Katie Reus – 4.0 stars

I thought this book had great chemistry between Axel and Hadley – their relationship developed fast but the tension between them lept off the page. There were a lot of side characters mentioned – I’m fairly sure that they would have starred in their own novels in the series but I didn’t find that not having read them took away from my enjoyment of the book at all. This was a good read and I would recommend it.

 

51mlyPJrCoLEnter the Duke by Grace Callaway – 4.75 stars

I really liked this novel! Maggie was so nuanced and such a strong character, but also loving and vulnerable. And her daughter Glory was perfectly precocious. I just loved all the characters in this novel, and the plot was so exciting. There was action and adventure (a kick butt treasure hunt!) and lots of love. Both love through family interactions and relationship development but also through the hero and heroine’s romance unfolding. This book had an engaging story and a great cast of characters. I enjoyed it a lot and I’d recommend it!

 

41MsyU+JKaLFree to Dream by Tracey Jerald – 4.0 stars

This was a much darker story than I usually read but I did end up lot it. The story was engaging and ultimately a sweet read. I didn’t want to put it down! Cassidy had an interesting family also – I’m guessing at least some of them have their own stories eventually as well. And I loved that the ending of this book was realistic and involved the hero and heroine being in couple’s therapy to work through their issues. I also loved how climactic the ending was – I didn’t piece some of it together until the end (always nice to have a surprising plot twist included. This was a good read and I’d recommend it (be warned though that the book has some very dark pieces to it).

 

I had a great time participating in this and I hope I get to be a reader for it again next year.

2019 Monthly Status Update: June

Posted in For the love of books by

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June was a bit of a slow month for me. Work really took off again and also trying to balance that with still enjoying a few days off doing fun things – there just isn’t enough time in the day! Thank goodness I was at a reading retreat at the beginning of June since that was when I got over 1/2 my books for the month read. I’m a bit behind with review posts too but I’m working on catching up. June is also when I discovered the Fated Mates podcast, which I’m now addicted to and am working my way through Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. So anyways, here are some highlights from June for me:

Monthly Stats:
# books read this month: 6
# pages read this month: 1,704
# books read year-to-date: 37
# pages read year-to-date: 12,158

Favorite Books I Read this Month:

 

I liked a bunch of the books this month but none of them really stood out among the crowd. Stay tuned next month for some new favorites!

Other Posts this month:

The Earl Next Door BLOG TOUR!!
Quilting Retreat 2019

Next Month TBR List:

-The Starter Wife by Nina Lauren
-Fake Like Me by Barbara Bourland
-Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham
-How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway
-Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
-The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins
-The Arrangement by Robyn Harding

Quilting Retreat 2019

Posted in For the love of books by

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For those of you that don’t know, I attend a couple different quilting retreats with my Mom every year. You can see my post on last year’s retreat here. I also have a couple older posts from 2014, 2015, and 2016 retreats. I’m not a quilter but I have found over the years that a quilting retreat is a great way to get some good reading done! So I tag along and while all the other ladies are quilting, I read! This year I was also determined that I be creative as well so I brought a coloring book to try and enhance my creative abilities. I also ended up helping one of the ladies with a project for a quilt she was making that was super fun! This year was another super productive and fun year, and I wanted to share with you readers a run-down of what happens at our mystical retreat weekends!

Here was my overall schedule for the weekend:

schedule

We started retreat on Thursday afternoon this year, which was earlier than in recent years. The extra time made a big difference and allowed me just a bit more time to get reading and other things done! Below are some highlights and pictures from the weekend:

  • Thursday:
    • First picture colored! I purchased this Magical Planner on Amazon a few weeks ago because (a) I like magical things and (b) I like coloring. I already have a planner but I liked the information this planner has and I’m hoping to learn something new! Below are before and after pictures of the coloring! Love how all the colors really make the picture come alive.
  • Friday:
    • Mom and I went to a local winery, Chamard Vineyards, and did a tasting. We go here every year to get a stamp in our CT Winery Passports and also because we like wine! I snagged a few pictures below from the winery, which is beautiful.
  • Saturday:
    • My handsome husband came to visit! We shared a delicious lunch and then went for a hike. The retreat center where we go for the Quilt Retreat has extensive trails and also various sporting gear. We found a basketball court along the way and decided to stop and shoot a couple hoops (picture below!). There’s also a gorgeous outdoor worship space that I love taking pictures of every year, it’s right on the water and is just so peaceful. Picture included below!
  • Sunday:
    • I helped one of my friends, Debbie, with a quilt she was working on! I like stretching my creative muscles during retreat and I had great fun helping Debbie pick out which fabrics to use for the doggy glasses!

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I also included a picture below of a few other quilts that ladies (and mom) were working on during the weekend and another picture that I colored during the weekend. Also my desk space where I hang out for the weekend is pictured below!

 

2019 Monthly Status Update: May

Posted in For the love of books by

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May was such a productive month for me! I had Bout of Books mid-month and the last couple days of the month I have been at a reading retreat. I got a lot of reading done and really had a great month! So anyways, here are some highlights from May for me:

Monthly Stats:
# books read this month: 9
# pages read this month: 3,297
# books read year-to-date: 31
# pages read year-to-date: 10,454

Favorite Books I Read this Month:

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The Bride Test by Helen Hoang – 4.75 stars – I loved this one, it was a great read!

Other Posts this month:

No Other Duke But You BLOG TOUR!! 
Getting Hot With the Scot BLOG TOUR!! 
Bout of Books 25 – many posts! 
Product Review – Cashmere Writing Gloves 
Product Review – Color Street Nails

Next Month TBR List:

-Waiting For Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
-It’s Hot in the Hamptons by Holly Peterson
-The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
-One Night at the Lake by Bethany Chase
-Rogue Most Wanted by Janna MacGregor

Product Review – Cashmere Writing Gloves!

Posted in Blog tour, For the love of books by

I was recently approached by Literary Book Gifts with an opportunity to review one of their products, the Cashmere Writing Gloves. For those of you that don’t know, Literary Book Gifts is an online retail store that features many reading related items. From their site – “Literary Book Gifts is a webstore that celebrates these high-quality works of literature that so many of us have enjoyed reading. Books and authors are always in mind when creating each addition to the catalog. The titles and authors are chosen to suit young adults, women, and men alike. These stories are meant to be enjoyed long after reading the final pages and the cover is closed. As designs, now they can be.” There’s a huge variety of gifts for any book lover. Some of the T-shirts and totes on the site look awesome and there’s a variety of books featured! I’m sure I’ll have to buy one of my favorites.

I received a pair of the Cashmere Writing Gloves in Heather Purple. The gloves are very comfortable and will definitely keep my hands warm on those cold nights when my hands are outside the covers to hold a book or turn a page! They’d also be great for writers to keep their hands warm while working on their next great novel!

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As you can see from the photos, the gloves cover the whole back of your hand and have two finger openings, one for the thumb and then one for the other four fingers. The gloves are soft and comfortable and I’d recommend them! They’re a little steep at $52 but they’re cashmere and, from what I’ve experienced with them so far, they are a good quality product.

**I was provided with this free product in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Bout of Books 25 Update – Day 7 & Wrap Up

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

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So for one of my goals this year to help me focus more on reading and having concentrated time for reading, I decided to participate in two of the three Bout of Books reading challenges / read-a-thons this year! This was the second one for this year, with the first being in January. I was actually super successful over the last week with setting aside time for reading and I was able to get a lot done!

First let’s do my Day 7 (Sunday) update on reading.

Update

Sunday

Time spent reading: (Approximately) 3 hours
Number of pages I’ve read today: 212 pages
Total number of pages I’ve read: 1,375 pages
Books read: Continued reading My Favorite Half-Night Stand
Challenges: I did not do the challenge post for today

And now let’s look at how I fared for my overall Bout of Books 25 wrap up:

Time Devoted to Reading

I plan to read at least 1.5 hours each day during the week, with hopefully additional hours on Saturday and Sunday. Monday I’ll be at the spa with my Mom for Mother’s Day but hopefully can find time to read during the day while we’re there.
I met the daily reading goal 5 out of the 7 days. Tuesday I had to work too late and then Friday I had a bunch of other things I was getting done plus dinner out with family! I read extra some of the other days though so I made up for it. Overall I read over 20 hours for the challenge!

My Goals

My goals for this read-a-thon are that I’d like to participate in as much as I can: the daily posts plus reading every day. I’d really like to just focus on getting back into reading. My traditional busy season at work goes from January to April and it was a killer this year. I gave up on reading for April since all I was doing was making myself more tired. I’ve just recently picked up reading again and it’s been going well but I need to get back on board with my reading schedule in a big way.

I was able to read every day! Which was a big deal for me – I didn’t read hardly anything in April. I only participated in one of the daily challenges but I did that so I could concentrate more on reading! 

Books to Read

  • Read The Bride Test by Helen Hoang Finished and reviewed!
  • Read The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren Finished and reviewed!
  • Read Next Girl to Die by Dea Poirier Finished and reviewed! 
  • Read a book for my Bookish Reading Challenge Started and got almost all the way through – review to come soon for My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren
  • Read The Suspect by Fiona Burton Did not get to

 

Overall I thought I did super well with this challenge and made a lot of time for reading! I’m looking forward to participating in a Bookish Bingo challenge next month and hopefully get lots more reading done!

Bout of Books 25 Update – Day 6

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

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Posting this a day late since we were too busy having tons of fun this weekend! Saturday was goal day so I got a lot of reading done and it was great! It was the perfect relaxing day spent with my Mom and also dinner with the family. So anyways my Saturday’s progress is below:

Update

Saturday

Time spent reading: (Approximately) 7 hours
Number of pages I’ve read today: 372 pages
Total number of pages I’ve read: 1,163 pages
Books read: Continued reading Next Girl to Die and started My Favorite Half-Night Stand
Challenges: I did not participate in the challenge for yesterday – I focused on reading for the day!

Stay tuned for continued progress made in my next post on my Sunday update!!