Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Can't Wait Wednesday... I can't wait for Can't Help Falling in Love by. Sophie

It's Can't Wait Wednesday!


 "Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine." - Wishful Endings


I can't wait for...




Release Date: 9/17/24

Book synopsis from Goodreads:

A struggling waitress and the heir to a major Seattle company stumble into a high-profile fake engagement while simultaneously trying to keep up with their own love lives in this flirty fall rom-com!

Lexi Danby is looking for some no-strings, fall fun. Once a college track star, she was forced to drop out when her father passed away. Now she’s trying to make ends meet while putting herself through school and caring for her grieving mother. When her comically bad waitressing lands her directly in the path of a handsome, charming stranger named Will, Lexi may just have found the distraction she’s been looking for. Their first date looks promising until a misunderstanding at a party thrusts Lexi and Will into a fake engagement they can’t talk themselves out of. And Will turns out to be a member of Seattle royalty.

Will Grand is heir to a major company, and Seattle’s most eligible bachelor. But he’s been placed in charge of an important merger with a company that values family above all else, and needs to show them that he’s settled down. While a fake engagement is advantageous from a business standpoint, it’s not so great for a budding relationship with a woman who’s wary of commitment. With a woman who Will is beginning to care about much more than he could have anticipated.

As Lexi gets a taste of Will’s glamorous world and the pair keeps up the pretense of their fake engagement for the press, they decide to see where a more casual relationship takes them out of the spotlight. And amid apple picking in comfy flannels, outdoor breweries in the crisp air, and fun Halloween preparations, Lexi starts to realize the scariest part of the season might just be taking a chance on love.

"Sophie Sullivan consistently crafts romances to root for." -Courtney Kae, author of In the Event of Love and In the Case of Heartbreak

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Top 5 Tuesday - Top 5 Books with Time Travel 7/30/24

 Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Bionic Bookworm, now hosted by Meeghan Reads. If you’re interested in participating, check out their blog to get the details and the prompts for each week. 



This week's topic: top 5 books with time travel




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New Book Releases 7/30/24

 Happy book birthday to these new releases!!


The Grandest Game by. Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Book synopsis from Goodreads:

Get caught up in the puzzles, games, danger, romance, and riches of this lush new chapter in the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games saga.

Seven tickets. An island of dreams. The chance of a lifetime.

Welcome to the Grandest Game, an annual competition run by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four infamous Hawthorne brothers, whose family fortune she inherited. Designed to give anyone a shot at fame and fortune, this year’s game requires one of seven golden tickets to enter. With millions on the line, those seven players will do whatever it takes to win.

Some of the players are in it for the money. Some for power. Some for reasons all their own. Every single one of them has secrets. Amidst it all is Grayson Hawthorne, tasked with a vital role in this year’s game. But as tensions rise and the mind-bending challenges push the players to their limits—physically, mentally, and emotionally—it soon becomes clear that not everyone is playing by the rules.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes delivers a brand-new series in the world of The Inheritance Games, where fan-favorite and new characters collide in a game you’ll never forget.

Do you have what it takes to play?

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Book synopsis from Goodreads:

A delicious and dark gothic romance from bestselling author Romina Garber!

THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…

After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.

Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.

As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized.

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Book synopsis from Goodreads:

With the dream of Avalon in ruins, Tamsin and her friends are all that stands in the way of Lord Death's plans to unleash the horrors of Anwnn on the world of the living. As the Wild Hunt carves a bloody path across continents, Tamsin is mustering allies, tracking down powerful artifacts, and traversing into new otherlands in search of a way to stop him.

Legend tells of a “Mirror of Beasts,” powerful enough to trap even Lord Death in its accursed glass, but the mirror is not all that it seems. Tamsin must confront her own darkest secrets if she hopes to tap the mirror's strength to defeat her enemies.

Arthurian legend bleeds into contemporary action, and scars of the past are torn open anew by a starcrossed love that refuses to go quietly. This riveting conclusion to the Silver in the Bone duology will hold you in its thrall until the very last page.

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Book synopsis from Goodreads:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lexi Ryan comes a romantic fantasy in which a human princess armed with death’s kiss and a fae shifter on the run become unlikely allies when a mission to assassinate an evil king collides with a fatal prophecy.

Princess Jasalyn has a secret. Armed with an enchanted ring that gives her death’s kiss, Jas has been sneaking away from the palace at night to assassinate her enemies.

Shape-shifter Felicity needs a miracle. Fated to kill her magical father, she’s been using her unique ability to evade a fatal prophecy.

When rumors of evil king Mordeus’s resurrection spread through the shadow court, Jasalyn decides to end him once and for all. Felicity agrees to take the form of the princess, allowing Jas to covertly hunt Mordeus—and starting Felicity on the path that could finally take her home.

While Jasalyn teams up with the charming and handsome Kendrick, Felicity sets out to get closer to the Wild Fae king, Misha. Kendrick helps Jasalyn feel something other than anger for the first time in three years, and Misha makes Felicity wish for a world where she’s free to be her true self. Soon, the girls’ missions are at risk right alongside their hearts.

The future of the human and fae realms hangs in the balance as fates intertwine. Between perilous tasks, grim secrets, and forbidden romances, Jasalyn and Felicity find that perhaps their stars are the most cursed of all.

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Book synopsis from Goodreads:

A love-averse Korean royal court cuisine instructor in search of a perfect-on-paper husband is waylaid from her practical, heartbreak-proof plan when she meets a gorgeous professor—and prince in disguise—who will do anything to prove to her that love and happily ever after can be theirs.

Emma Yoon runs a small business as a culinary instructor in Los Angeles teaching Korean royal court cuisine to young ladies striving to marry into the exclusive upper crust Korean families. She has built her business alongside her renowned Korean matchmaker godmother, which brings her one step closer to her dream of opening up a culinary school on her own. But when her godmother’s fellow matchmakers decide to meddle in Emma’s love life in a bid to sabotage her godmother, and indirectly push Emma's dream out of her reach, she must go on a series of arranged first dates and find herself the perfect-on-paper husband to help save both, her godmother's reputation and her dream--even if she's not ready for love. But when she meets Michel Aubert, a professor at USC, after a series of disastrous first dates, she wonders if she might reevaluate her position on love.

Prince Michel Aubert is bound by duty and responsibility to his country, but an arranged marriage is the last thing he wants. If he is going to spend the rest of his life in service of his people, then he at least wants someone he loves and trusts by his side while doing it. He needs to find a woman who loves him for who he is before his engagement to his handpicked bride is announced. Emma Yoon might be just the woman he is looking for.

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What new books are you getting this week?

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Mini Book Reviews 7/27/24

 I've got some mini book reviews for you this week!  Here is what I read and what I thought about them:



The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by. Megan Bannen - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just finished listening to this audiobook and reading the last 40% of this and this was a fun book mostly because I love Mercy's family.  The characters are so unique and vibrant and the romance was very much like "You've Got Mail" with the letter writing but there's some spice.  I really enjoyed this one.


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The first part of this book was kind of predictable with an arranged marriage but I felt like the second half was where we finally get introduced to the dragons in this story!  It's got some spice but I was hoping the main couple had more time to get to know one another.  I'm interested in what will happen in book two.


Friday, July 26, 2024

New Book Release 7/26/24

 Happy book birthday to this new release!



Title: Curses and Cauldrons

Author: Lizzy Prince

Book synopsis from Goodreads:

From the outside, Mystic Hollows is an enchanting small town. Within its borders is a centuries old divide between two covens. A curse taints the first-born witches of the most powerful magical families. It’s a burden they’ve been taught to bear. But dark secrets buried long ago are bubbling to the surface.

Josephine Delvaux can’t touch anyone without feeling pain. Small it’s impossible to avoid contact when you have healing magic and work in the family business.

Roman Blackthorn has slowly been shutting himself off from the world. When you’re cursed to never feel the touch of another, it’s hard to care about anything.

One accidental brush of skin changes everything. For the first time, their curses don’t matter. Their families and covens, on the other hand, are a completely different problem.

Curses and Cauldrons is a paranormal romance that will leave you spellbound until the last page!

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Can't Wait Wednesday....I can't wait for Heir by. Sabaa Tahir

It's Can't Wait Wednesday!


 "Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine." - Wishful Endings


I can't wait for...



Book synopsis from Goodreads:

Prepare for the action-packed, ruthless, and romantic new fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award winning author Sabaa Tahir about love, legacy, and vengeance.

An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.
And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.


Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hot-headed mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her tribe for an unforgiveable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who speaks to the earth, air, and water to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But then, she falls for a charismatic and inconvenient fugitive who keeps getting in her way.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire, nephew of a famed and venerated empress, but he’s loathe to pick up the mantle when his aunt steps down. As the son of the most hated emperor in the history of his people, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir masterfully interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with the burdens of power, the treachery of love and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed. Get ready for a dark and breathless journey that will captivate readers and that may cost these young people their lives―and their hearts. Literally.

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Top 5 Tuesday - Top 5 Books with International Travel | 7/23/24

 Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Bionic Bookworm, now hosted by Meeghan Reads. If you’re interested in participating, check out their blog to get the details and the prompts for each week. 




This week's topic: top 5 books with international travel


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Vietnam

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Spain

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South Korea

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Italy

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Philippines


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Top 5 Tuesday topics: July 2024

2 July: Top 5 anticipated reads for Q3 2024

It’s time to talk about all the shiny new books coming out in July, August and September 2024. What are the books you can’t wait to hold in your hands the most?

9 July: Top 5 books with small town vibes

Not sure about you, but I have a fondness for books set in small villages. Doesn’t matter if it’s a crossroad town in the mid-west, or a small fishing village in Norway. If the population is so small a stranger sticks out like a sore thumb, that’s the vibe we are going for.

16 July: Top 5 books set in a big city

In the total opposite to the week before, we are now aiming for a big city setting. Give me all of those big city feels where a person could get lost in the foot traffic walking down the street.

23 July: Top 5 books with international travel

Whether it’s a fictional land or ours, let’s share all of those travels across countries, whether by sea, air, or land. You could even find a book where the characters jump over a border!

30 July: Top 5 books with time travel

Ahh, the most outrageous travel of all  and the most unreal. Tell us about your fave books where the characters skip through time (or space). If you can’t think of any, a book that spans multiple eras will also do the trick.