Reading
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Review: The Other Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys #3) by Julia Quinn
After reading the second book in this series, I immediately closed it and opened this one up. I couldn’t wait to read more about the Rokesby brothers and their romances. Andrew was my favorite brother from the first book and I was really looking forward to reading his romance. I was actually really surprised by this one, it went in directions I just wasn’t expecting. Julia Quinn is the master of historical romances and after reading just a couple of pages, I had to remind myself of that fact. I definitely questioned some of this book initially, but by the end I was swooning right along with Poppy over Captain…
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Review: The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (Rokesbys #2) by Julia Quinn
There is absolutely nothing like a Julia Quinn novel to get me through a reading rut. I can literally pick up any Julia Quinn and be transported by the charming story, romance, and witty dialogue. I adore her Bridgerton books and the Rokesby books are a prequel to the main Bridgerton series. I read Because of Miss Bridgerton earlier in the spring, and I quickly ordered the other books in this series. I actually meant to read this book while I was in Arizona but I forgot it at home and yes I could have downloaded it to my iPad but I already had a copy at home so I…
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Special Feature and Excerpt: My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa
This book caught my eye for so many reasons! Not only is it by a POC but it sounds freaking amazing from the summary! The dark sultry cover drew me in and made me just want to curl up in front of a fire and devour this debut novel! It sounds like the perfect fall read and guess what I am doing with this one…..I am taking it with me on our road trip vacation to read! After reading this lovely excerpt, I couldn’t be more excited if I tried! This book has been getting a ton of advanced praise from early readers, and normally I would shy away from…
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Review: A Most Clever Girl: A Novel of an American Spy by Stephanie Marie Thornton
I started reading Stephanie Marie Thornton’s books years ago and absolutely feel in love with her story telling style! One of the things I found the most compelling was she wrote stories about women in antiquity. Women that wouldn’t be likely to have a ‘story’ that was well known. For example the Empress Theodora and the women of Genghis Kahn. I loved that she took well known women in antiquity, but were unlikely to generate mainstream stories, and then created a story for them. I adored her early books and when I saw that she was making the shift into the more modern era, I was a little sad. That…
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Review: Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Hank Phillippi Ryan has quickly become a favorite author of mine! I have adored all of her books that I have read and I was super excited to check out her latest novel, Her Perfect Life. One of the things that I have loved about Ryan’s novels is that she always writes compelling female characters that are flawed and complex and this book sounded like it would be right up my alley! Her mysteries are always a fun read and since Ryan is a former investigative reporter each book has this great investigative quality that feels modern and relevant. Ryan has also won numerous awards and accolades for her mysteries…
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Review: Among the Poppies by J’nell Ciesielski
After reading J’nell Ciesielski’s latest novel, The Ice Swan, I was craving more from her and I noticed that I hadn’t read one of her earlier books, Among the Poppies! So a real no-brainer here, as many of you know I am a huge Great War romance fan and this book was literally right up my alley and I couldn’t wait to read it! It was a super fast read—-because it was good! Ciesielski is a hidden gem author for me. She writes consistently well written and researched books and the romance always feels epic and believable. While Will wasn’t as charming and dashing as some of her other heroes,…
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Special Feature and Excerpt: The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen
Give me all the Victorian Romances please! Especially the sweet ones. I am a romantic at heart and there is just something so satisfying about romances. While they might be predictable, there is comfort in that and I always finish a romance and feel genuinely happy and satisfied. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, they over come a conflict, and then live happily ever after! It really is the best kind of book to read for me! I find myself smiling and falling in love with the hero right along side the heroine. Now when you add in a historical element—well you truly have my attention! Historical romances are…
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Review: Along Came a Lady (All the Duke’s Sins #1) by Christi Caldwell
This was my first Christi Caldwell romance and I was so excited to read it! I have seen Caldwell’s novels around the bookish world and I have often wondered how they compare to other historical romances. So when this one came up for review, I knew I had to jump on it even if I had to rearrange my reading calendar to make it happen. I know a lot of people raved about this one and said it was the perfect book for fans of the Bridgerton books. I have to say, Caldwell has a voice all her own and while there might be similarities to Julia Quinn, they are…
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Review: Wait for It by Jenn McKinlay
I might be from Oregon, but I lived in Arizona for 10 years and I absolutely love the desert. I hate that more books aren’t set in Phoenix. This summer I was going to spend a month in Phoenix and I was really excited to read a book set in Phoenix that was also a romance! Needless to say I times my review for this book with my trip, I couldn’t wait to read this one. I have read one of McKinlay’s books prior to this and I thought it was good so going into this desert setting book, I was hopeful that I would enjoy it and escape but…
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Review: It Takes Heart (Heart Resort #1) by Tif Marcelo
This author has grown on me over the years. When I picked up one of her books I wasn’t sure what to expect but then I was completely lost in her stories and couldn’t wait to read more from her! One thing I noticed though was Marcelo writes a variety of stories. Not just women’s fiction but romance too. I was super excited to read this latest novel that was more contempo romance than women’s fiction. Second chance romance isn’t really my favorite troupe but I was excited to see what Marcelo did with it in this book. One of the things that I also love about Marcelo’s writing is…