Mini Book Reviews 8/16/24

 Hi everyone so here are some mini reviews for books I've read recently:

These books are arcs and will be released as stated.

Guava and Grudges by. Alexis Castellanos - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Release Date: 9/3/24

This one is a cute read with two rival families and star-crossed lovers.  Ana Maria (Amy) has a lot on her plate.  Her parents are pressuring her to go to college and take over the family business, a bakery that serves Cuban delicacies but she wants to go to Le Cordon Bleu instead.  She just doesn't know how to tell them that but in the meantime she's trying to compete for some college money and also she's falling for Miguel who is part of a family that her dad hates.  I think teens would relate to this one and the romance is sweet. I also really enjoyed all the mentions of Cuban foods! 

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The Blood Orchid by. Kylie Lee Baker - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Release Date: 10/22/24

This is the sequel and conclusion to The Scarlet Alchemist and I love the humor and action!  I felt as immersed in this world as I was when I read the first book.  The magic (alchemy) literally continues in this book.  There is less romance because Hong is in the in-between, but I loved the relationship between Zilan and her brother Wenshu.  Her bond to her family was something I loved in book one and we get more of it in this sequel.  I think the ending is bittersweet, but I love this duology!

Mini Book Reviews 8/8/24

 Hi friends!  Here are two books I read this past week and a mini review of each:

Nothing Like the Movies by. Lynn Painter - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Release Date: 9/24/24

Book review: 

I LOVED the first book in this series, Better Than the Movies and honestly it was perfect as a standalone.  I didn't expect a sequel!  But I got the arc for this book and read it and I stick with my previous assessment and say this sequel wasn't needed.  In Nothing Like the Movies, our favorite couple Wes and Liz are broken up.  Liz is thriving after the heartbreak of losing Wes.  But Wes, man, he went through so much in this book and I just felt sad for him.  They eventually get back together but I miss the magic they had in the first book.  

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Happy Medium by. Sarah Adler - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book Review:

A con woman, a goat farmer and a ghost?  This was such a quirky, funny rom-com! I loved Gretchen's relationship with the farm ghost, Everett, who is Charlie's ancestor.  They made me laugh with their antics!  As for Gretchen and Charlie's romance, he calls her out on her con-woman past and she eventually lets down her guard. It was nice seeing Gretchen open up and let people in!  Overall, this was a fun book.

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What have you read lately?

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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A Fire in the Sky by. Sophie Jordan - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

Mini Book Reviews | 7/20/24

 I read two more books I read this week and here are some mini reviews:

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A marriage of convenience? Rich people problems?  This one is the perfect summer read!  It is set on an island near Singapore, and two people who married for convenience have to attend a wedding and convince everyone they are a happily married couple, even though they hadn't seen one another in a few years.  This one was funny, steamy, filled with rich family drama and a lot of romance! 

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Birding with Benefits by. Sarah T. Dubb -  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Who knew birding could be so sexy?  In this opposites attract romance, Celeste who is 42, divorced and soon to be an empty-nester is trying a year of saying "yes" to everything!  Including partnering up with a stranger who is competing in a bird watching competition.  She's there to learn and to help her partner, John, with some fake-dating also.  I thought this was a fun and steamy read and another fun summer read.

Mini Book Reviews | 7/19/24

 Hi everyone! 

Here are the books I read and reviewed this week.

All Roads Lead to Rome by. Sabrina Fedel - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this young adult romance about two people who get into a fake dating situation but fall for each other in the process.  One of my favorite things about the story was the setting of Rome, Italy!  It's definitely a wonderful book for a summer read!

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The Mist Thief by. L.J. Andrews (The Ever Seas, #3) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This is book three in The Ever Seas series and I really loved the first two books.  This one is about Livia's best friend Jonas, and the elven princess she met in captivity, Skadi.  Skadi was a very mysterious character in book two and yes she does open up in this story and I like how she and Jonas compliment one another but I wasn't as invested in their story as I was in Erik and Livia.  Still it was pretty good because Skadi has found a family and man who appreciates her and Jonas learns to love.  I can't wait to read Mira and Tait's story!

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Are you planning on reading any of these books?

Mini Book Reviews - 7/8/24

 Hi everyone!  

I thought I'd do a post of mini reviews of books and arcs (advance reader copies) I have read in the past week.

The Seventh Veil of Salome by. Silvia Moreno-Garcia

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5)

Mini review: I loved the historical setting, 1950's Hollywood.  The story centers around the making of a sword-and-sandal movie that was popular in that time and the studio casts a Mexican actress named Vera.  We see her deal with the racism and sexism during that time period.  Another character that is important is Nancy who embodies an actress trying to make it big but trying any which way to get there - she's hateful and racist.  Lastly, Salome's story is interwoven with the other two characters and I found her story fascinating and filled with political drama.  For the most part I enjoyed the story but I think the ending was anti-climatic.

**I received this book as an arc.  The book will be published on 8/6/24**

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A Winter Wish by. Emily Stone

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5)

Mini review: I thought this was a cute holiday read! Lexie's dad has just passed and she never had a good relationship but he leaves her half of his travel company.  I love the travel destinations, the enemies to lovers romance, and I appreciated the relationships Lexie was trying to mend with her dad's memory and her step-sister.  Also there are lots of different Christmas elements in the story.  By it's conclusion, the story made me feel happy so I think this is a wonderful holiday romance. 

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Those are the two books I read and reviewed this week!  Thanks for reading!

Monthly Wrap Up - June 2024

 Here are the books I read this month and a little mini review of each.  If you want to see the full reviews I did of each, click the link and it will take you to my blog where I do full reviews.  Enjoy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4 Star Reads

Dungeons and Drama by. Kristy Boyce - musicals, dungeons and dragons, fake dating, friendships, high school romance.  I really enjoyed this one! I feel like the book cover captures this book so correctly. It’s sweet, funny and heart-warming. It’s filled with theater kids and gaming kids and when the two worlds combine it’s so much fun!

The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young - time travel, timeless love, mystery, magical realism. I love this author’s books and so far only read fantasy from her. This one was different but I enjoyed the mystery and putting all the pieces together. I may not have followed how all the time jump works but what made me love this book was the emotions it made me feel. I’m glad I finally read this one!

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⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 - 3.5 Stars Reads

Happily Never After by. Lynn Painter - wedding objectors, situationship, cute roommates. I thought this one had a fun premise and two characters that really got into the “objector” role. It never gets deep I think which works for Sophie and Max since they weren’t looking to fall in love but with all the time they spent together getting to know one another it seems inevitable, they just have to stop fighting it. The banter between them was fun and easy. I had my issues here and there but it’s a super quick read and Sophie’s roommates were such fun characters! Overall, it was good – I can see this as a rom-com movie.

The Dixon Rule by. Elle Kennedy - new adult, frenemies, college, hockey romance, series, kinky. I liked this one better than The Graham Effect except for that one scene that I wish I could have closed my eyes on lol. For the readers who like kinky sex, you’ll love this one. I usually like angst between two people but Diana and Shane didn’t need it. I love how they are enemies or maybe more frenenemies turned into lovers. Their romance progression was fun and they were both funny together. Like I really believe they are the most solid couple after everything they went through together and know they’ll be together forever. I just wish the books weren’t so long and things get thrown in at the end making some things feel rushed. I’m afraid to read Beckett or Will’s book because it’s definitely going to be kinkier and I can’t with the friends watching one another having sex. So we will see if I read the next book in the series, depends who it will be about!

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⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3 Star Reads

This Summer Will Be Different by. Carley Fortune - summer romance. I think I wanted more depth to this story. It was just okay for me but I think I will try her most popular book to see if she’s an author I’ll continue to read because I did like some elements of the story. Maybe I just went in with high expectations.

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Have you read any of these or plan to?