Special Feature/Excerpt: Johanna Porter is Not Sorry by Sara Read

Something about this book just spoke to me. Hot rising star in the art world, turned no body soccer mom. I mean isn’t that the fear of every woman who has a child—that they will fade into obscurity. Not that I would regret ever having a child, but I can totally relate to just this single summary sentence. The second I had my son and became a stay at home mom, I felt completely out of the loop at my old job. I never heard from anyone and the education world moved on without me which was hard to process. So when I saw this little part of the summery I was like SOLD, I need to read this book.

But my reading calendar was full, so I opted for a feature and excerpt instead but know that this book is on my TBR list for the upcoming spring/summer. I had a few early reviews online and I am certain this is going to be a book I will really enjoy. A mom who loves the F word—-yes! The main characters receives a mysterious invitation to the art world—-also yes! It sounds sassy, smart and I love the whole middle aged female lead who decided to take back what is hers. I am simply so excited for this one!

I think this book has so much to offer especially to readers who are in the 40 year old demographic like me. I can already relate to Johanna Porter and I cannot wait to read this book. Today I have an excerpt for you guys to check out and if you are as compelled as I was after reading the excerpt, you will definitely want to get this one on your TBR list for the spring!

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Review: The True Love Bookshop (Somerset Lake #3) by Annie Rains

Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of Annie Rains. But then when I looked her up on Goodreads, I found that I did recognize some of her book covers! They all look like Hallmark holiday movie covers and I am totally here for it! After recognizing her covers I was even more excited to read this book, considering I had in fact picked up one of her holiday books in line at the grocery store this year to check out while waiting to check out!

So what made me say yes to reading this one? Well, when it came across my desk for review, I couldn’t wait to pick up something light hearted and happy! I am almost always game for something light and happy especially at the holiday season. But the last few months I have been on a full tilt murder mystery kick and I needed this light and happy book now more than ever! So I wholeheartedly agreed to review this one in an instant! I am so glad that I did too!

This book came at the perfect time for me, and even though it’s part of a series, I didn’t feel lost or anything in this one. It had it’s own unique storyline and characters and honestly how could I pass on a book about finding love in a bookshop?! The answer is—-I couldn’t! What I didn’t count on was the unexpected mystery contained in this story. It was the perfect book to segue from all the intense thrillers I’ve been reading—a book with a bit of a mystery to satisfy my mystery craving, but also a HEA with romance and books!

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Special Feature: In it to Win it by Sharon C Cooper

In the last few years, the publishing industry has been blasting our bookshelves with BIPOC authors and novels and I am absolutely here for it! I think representation is so important even if I am Caucasian, I have a biracial child and LOVE seeing diversity in books, television, and movies! I also love all the focus on having more plus size characters in books, overall this movement for inclusion and representation has been such a welcome change in many different media—books being one of them!

Author Sharon C Cooper has written multiple successful romance novels and series and this latest novel, In it to Win it, is just her latest! This book features a modern competitive romance story with strong characters and I think readers of multiple demographics will find something to love in this one based on the early reviews I have been reading! I was so sad that I couldn’t fit it into my review schedule but was excited to share it with you guys!

The first thing that caught my eye about this one was the plot. I liked the ‘in the trenches’ female lead, Morgan, who is fighting hard to make a life for herself and help children in her community. Then you have this billionaire developer who has a history with Morgan who also wants two buy the property Morgan is interested in. This sounds like such a great story filled with tension, chemistry, and a modern story line! If. you are looking for a new romance to check out then you don’t want. to miss this one!

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Review: Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese

I have been knee deep in romantic suspense murder novels and while I am loving them, I always love a good romance. When I decided to review this one it was because I loved the cover (the girl with the sleeve tattoo spoke to me since I have a sleeve too!) and I loved that it was a Much Ado About Nothing retelling! While Much Ado About Nothing isn’t my favorite Shakespeare play, I did enjoy it and was eager to check out this more modern retelling.

I haven’t read anything by author, Chloe Liese, but I loved that she is a dedicated romance writer committed to everyone having their own unique love story. I like the inclusivity and I see that she is an established author which means that she is tried and true so I was eager to check out this latest novel by her, especially since it’s not part of a series. That way I can sample her writing before committing to reading a series if that makes sense.

I quickly scanned early reviews for this novel before reading it and was pleased to see a lot of people enjoyed it, picking up new to me authors can sometimes be intimidating—exciting, but intimidating. I have a handful of authors that I will read whatever they put out and then there are those new authors that I see around the blog-o-sphere that I think I might like, but sometimes it’s hard to pull the trigger on a new author but in this case, I am glad that I did!

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Review: Kiss Me, Catalina by Priscilla Oliveras

I read the first book in this series (West Side Love Story) earlier this year and thought it was really well written with lots to enjoy. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this second novel by Priscilla Oliveras. New readers do not need to read the first book, West Side Love Story, to enjoy this latest book though. It works well as a standalone novel and you will not feel lost with in the story or characters at all as this book has it’s own set of independent characters and it’s own plot.

The thing that caught my eye about this one (besides having read the first book and the author) was of course the beautiful cover and the promise of a unique and untold story. I love that Mariachi plays a big part in these books. It feels like something new and different with a lot of cultural flavor and I loved the sound of a romance formed on the road as part of a Marachi tour.

This is my second book by Oliveras and I was not disappointed. I am eager to pick up other books by this author but this series has been a real delight to read. I know she has written some other standalone novels, a couple of which have been on my radar for quite some time, all of which have been fan hits so if you are looking for your next read you might want to check her out as well as this book, because I liked this one even better than West Side Love Story!

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