In Jaci Burton’s “Hope Smolders”, sturggling divorcee Jane has put her personal life on hold to raise her kids – until she runs into Will, her ex’s former best friend, who convinces her it’s time to start having fun again.
As the first story in a series, this definitely pulled me in. A small town, romance and characters that have their own baggage? Yeah, sign me up. That seems to be the thing that draws me in lately.
I love that Jane is working on being a strong independent woman. And even when Will comes in to try and help her, she still holds onto her independence. Alright, she might take it a little too far. But I can totally respect and admire that strength and power.
The pool setting, the romance and the feeling of second chances makes this a perfect summer romance. There are some bumps along the way, but ultimately, this is such an easy and sweet read. One I’ll definitely return to.
Title: Only Mostly Devastated Author: Sophie Gonzales Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Contemporary romance, LGBTQI Dates read: 24th – 25th October 2021 Pace: Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Hodder Year: 2020 5th sentence, 74th page: Did you do this on purpose, or what?
Ollie falls for Will over the holidays, but once Summer’s ended, Will stop texting him back.
Enrolled at a new school – Will’s school – Ollie finds that the affectionate and comfortably queer guy he knew from Summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This version of Will is a class clown, a basketball jock and, well, a bit of a jerk.
The last time Ollie gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would be a fool to truth him with it again. Right?
Not only is this a fantastic and fun LGBTQI+ romance, but it is also a really sweet coming of age story. It made me cry. I’m incredibly hormonal with the whole being pregnant thing, which may be why I started to cry. But still… tears. And feelings. It was wonderful.
I’ll move onto the romance aspect that I enjoy in a moment. But part of what made me cry and connected me so strongly with this story was the way in which Ollie is dealing with his own family dramas. Set with a backdrop of getting older, having confidence in oneself and just finding a new path in life, Ollie’s journey is powerful. He is able to take on board things that I know, I, myself have found difficult. But he’s able to finish off this tale with pride and his head held high. In the most adorable way possible.
Family is such a backbone of this story. It’s a great driver for the tale. But, there is also the aspect of friendships. Ollie makes some amazing friendships from the very beginning of his time at Collinswood. But he also has to work hard for some others. I like that it’s not this picture perfect joining of people that come together. Ollie has to negotiate different personalities and motives. But, eventually, he’s able to find his own “secondary family”.
Will and Ollie are an incredibly cute and fun couple. There is a lot of complications and negotiations. Much drama. But, all in all, both Will and Ollie are able to find themselves and what they want in their lives. I love the ending of this story. They’re heading off into an unknown future that is full of beautiful potential and everything just feels… settled. Not complete. There is a lot of life left to live. But there is also so much hope.
Title: Marriage and Murder Author: Penny Reid Series: Solving for Pie #2 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Cozy mystery Dates read: 24th – 29th October 2021 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: SmartyPants Romance Year: 2021 5th sentence, 74th page: The lie.
The Devil is in the details…
Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries). His future mother-in-law has other plans, plans his intended has been willing to indulge, much to Cletus’s chagrin. Therefore, so must he. To a point. But truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if the meddlesome matriarch disappeared, at least until the nuptials are over.
On the night of Cletus and Jenn’s long-awaited engagement party, just when the surly schemer is of a mind to take matters into his own hands, a shocking events upends everyone’s best laid plans and sends the small hamlet of Green Valley into complete disarray. The final months leading up to Cletus and Jenn’s matrimonial bliss are plagued with chaos and uncertainty. Will Cletus and Jenn finally make it to the altar? Or will murder and mayhem derail their happily-ever-after?
And most importantly, who done it?
After the most enjoyable of moments in Engagement and Espionage, I couldn’t wait to pick up Marriage and Murder. Luckily, this was one of those times that I actually had it sitting on the shelf, ready to go. So, of course, I dived right in. And I most definitely was not disappointed. This was an amazing story. love the contemporary mystery feel. Loved the story line. And, as always, loved Cletus and Jenn.
This may make me a slightly bad person… but, personally I love the fact that Kip dies in this story. I mean, death is bad and all. But he is the kind of villain I most fear. The sort that is so deliriously self-righteous that you just… can’t even reason with them. Or bribe them. Or really in anyway do anything. And they’re also the type of person that I fear the most in the world. I mean, someone who has no logic and you can’t have an open, safe and frank conversation with? Yup. That’s scary. So in this story, I appreciated that he can no longer quite torture Jenn and Cletus. Once his murder is solved anyway.
I always love a good mystery in which you can’t quite guess what / who the guilty party is. The facts of this get more and more blurred as there are potentially two different murder methods / villains. I loved trying to piece together all of the bits and pieces as Cletus and Jenn rush to try and do the same thing. I mean, I would love this story just because of the amazing lead couple. But the fact that there is a mystery I spent the whole time trying to piece together? Completely priceless.
This is most definitely one of my favourite books to have read recently. Again, mostly because, well, Cletus and Jenn are awesome. They’re fun and quirky, they’re completely unique and they just leave me with a huge smile on my face from the very beginning. Definitely an impossible couple to forget. And not one that I would want to. I’m so glad that this story ends in their marriage. Now I get to find out about the next part of their relationship when I save up the money to buy Home and Heist.
Title: Engagement and Espionage Author: Penny Reid Series: Solving for Pie #1 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Cozy mystery Dates read: 22nd – 24th October 2021 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: SmartyPants Romance Year: 2020 5th sentence, 74th page: What am I going to do about those cows?
Jennifer Sylvester made her deal with the devil… and now they’re engaged!
But all is not well in Green Valley. A chicken choker is on the loose, 61 dead birds most “fowl” need plucking, and no time remains for Jennifer and her devilish fiancé. Desperate to find a spare moment together, Jenn and Cletus’s attempts to reconnect are thwarted by one seemingly coincidental disaster after another. It’s not long before Cletus and Jenn see a pattern emerge and the truth becomes clear.
Sabotage!
Will an undercover missions unmask the culprit? Or are these love-birds totally plucked?
I already know that Penny Reid can write an amazing romance and a wonderful story. Plus, I did fall stupid in love with Cletus and Jenn in Beard Science. But, I was a little intrigued as to whether she could write a decent cozy mystery or not. It turns out, she can. And, like everything else I have read by her. It’s brilliant. And fun. And just all around a really good read.
I love that throughout this story, there is not only the question of who is out to get Jenn, but how Cletus is going to propose. I love that he is sweet enough to have multiple rings and to want to try again and again to get the exact right proposal. He’s incredibly dense, but also completely adorable. A nice balance in my opinion. I mean, I don’t know many people who aren’t kind of dense in at least one area. And the fact that for Cletus, it’s how relationships work… loved it.
One of the hardest things I’ve found about being in a relationship is trying to juggle everything when things get a little hectic. I know that my partner is always in my corner, but I also know that I need to make the time and space to show him that I’m also in his corner. I love that Cletus and Jenn very much go through this. They are madly in love and completely understanding of one another, but they’re not quite meshing completely throughout this story. Something that, realistically, I think most relationships go through at some point.
Jenn and her mother have a contentious and difficult relationship from the very moment that you meet them. I like that Reid acknowledges this and works towards finding a more satisfactory way to live with one another. It’s a difficult line to walk and I found the way that they try and negotiate this to be absolutely brilliant. It’s a reminder that no one is perfect, and all relationships need work – particularly those that have been dysfunctional for far too long.
There are a number of cute moments throughout this, but the part that, of course takes my attention the most – the battle that Jenn and Cletus face. The way that they are racing against the clock to try and figure out who, exactly, is trying to sabotage them. The relationships and the negotiation of their worlds’ just makes this all that much better. And, of course so much harder to put down.
Title: Marry in Secret Author: Anne Gracie Series: Marriage of Convenience #3 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Historical romance, Regency romance Dates read: 23rd October 2021 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Berkley Year: 2019 5th sentence, 74th page: If they didn’t know they couldn’t fuss, couldn’t ask me endless, impossible questions.
Heiress with a secret Lady Rose Rutherford – rebel, heiress and exasperated target of fortune hunters – has a plan to gain the freedom she so desperately desire: a marriage of convenience to the biggest prize on London’s marriage mart
Hero with a past There’s just one problem: the fierce-looking naval officer who crashes her wedding and claims to be the dead husband she secretly married when she was still a schoolgirl.
A very inconvenient marriage Broke, embittered by betrayal and with a secret agenda of his own, Thomas Beresford needs Rose for only one reason – her fortune. Her family knows it. Thomas knows it. But Rose refuses to accept it, and when she takes matters into her own unpredictable hands, Thomas finds himself in an infuriating predicament: He’s falling in love with his wife….
Rose is such a pillar in the first two Marriage of Convenience books that I’ve been seriously looking forward to finding out more about her story. The fact that she’s actually been married the whole time this series has been going?!?!?! FANTASTIC. And so, very, expectedly Rose.
There are so many little secrets and tragedies that are revealed throughout this novel. Ones that you kind of guess at, and ones that you just didn’t see coming. I love that Rose and Thomas are able to keep me on my toes throughout. And most of all, that they keep me guessing from that very first moment.
Marry in Secret also hints at the final story in this series. One that I’m sure will be just as exciting and cute as the first three. But, I digress. Unlike some romances, this pulls in the first 2 couples repeatedly and beautifully. So not only are you finding out about Rose’s happily ever after, you get to keep track of Em and Lily’s as well.
I completely adored the joyful sweetness of this tale. There was just enough drama to pull me in, but mostly it was just… damn cute. A perfect way to drift away for the afternoon on a cloud of love.
All the Winston Brothers bonus scenes and deleted excerpts all in one place!
After the emotional intensity of Beard Necessities, this was a great way to come down and just flow out of the Winston Brothers series. It’s not intense, but it is enjoyable and easy.
The short stories in this collection are just fun. There’s not anything huge or life shattering in it. And you’d be more than filled in on the Winston Brothers if you didn’t read this. But, as I mentioned, it is a bit more of a mellow finish than Beard Necessities provides. But you kind of expect that with Billy and Scarlet as leads in that.
Like the Knitting in the City collection, I didn’t love Beardy Bonus like like did the rest of the series. That’s not to say anything bad about it… I just didn’t quite NEED this in my life as much.
Overall this is a fun, easy and engaging story that had me smiling and giggling as I got to revisit some favourites.
Title: Beard Necessities Author: Penny Reid Series: Winston Brothers #7 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Chic lit, Contemporary, Contemporary romance Dates read: 22nd October 2021 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: SmartyPants Romance Year: 2019 5th sentence, 74th page: “Then why are you drunk?”
Beards, brothers, and bears! Oh my!
Billy Winston’s family is going to see him happy and in love if it’s the last thing they do.
No one deserves happily-ever-after quite as much as the second oldest Winston brother and his lady love, Claire McClure (aka Scarlet St. Claire). Cruelty and circumstance tore them apart almost twenty years ago. Secrecy and bitterness kept them separated.
But you know who’s tired of their separation and stubbornness? Everyone. Especially billy Winston’s family. And now they’re going to do something about it.
Well-meaning interference means the star-crossed lovers can’t stop tripping over each other in the hills of Tuscany, the catacombs of Rome, and the waterways of Venice. Billy and Claire find themselves thrown together and at the mercy of the Winston siblings’ shenanigans.
But will their forced proximity bring them together? Or push them even further apart?
It’s taken me a while to get to this story. I’ve been attached to the idea of Scarlet and Billy from fairly early on in my reading of this series. But, it’s taken this long to actually get to this book. Partly because I obviously read all of the other books in this series first. But, mostly because I knew that they had the most tragic of backstories. And sometimes I really struggle with the sad backstories. They’re just so… sad.
Having said that, I did get the worst of the “sadness” over during my reading through of Beard in Mind. But I was worried about how long Reid was going to prolong the pain. I mean we’re talking a love story that is decades in the making and filled with lots of tragedy. I was still feeling tentative reading this. Luckily, it was NO where near as painful as I was expecting.
In fact, Scarlet seems to jump on board with the whole plan fairly quickly. And she’s able to stick with Billy as all of the secrets of the oast unravel. Don’t get me wrong, she’s no dishrag – she most definitely gives him what for when she finds out what he’s been keeping secret. But, her willingness to finally get over her crap and finally try made the hard parts so much more pleasant.
I loved the plotting and scheming of the Winston family throughout this. Surprisingly, nothing hugely backfired on them. And it filled this story with many, many beautiful, lighthearted moments. Finally, the epilogue helped to tie in all of the Winston family’s happily ever afters. Leaving me feeling grateful and at peace. Now onto the next series in my Penny Reid pile…
Title: Beard with Me Author: Penny Reid Series: Winston Brothers #6 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Chic lit, Contemporary, Contemporary romance Dates read: 19th – 21st October 2021 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: SmartyPants Romance Year: 2019 5th sentence, 74th page: How’re we going to pay for all this stuff?
Beards, brothers, and bears! Oh my!
‘Beard With Me’ is the origin story of Billy Winston and Scarlet St. Claire (aka Claire McClure) and is just the beginning of their epic love story.
No one is better at surviving than Scarlet St. Claire and making the best out of circumstances beyond her control is Scarlet’s speciality. In an apocalyptic situation, she’d be the last person on earth, hermitting like a pro, singing along to her CD Walkman, and dancing like no one is watching.
Scarlet is clever, Scarlet is careful, and Scarlet is smart… except when it comes to Billy Winston.
No one is better at fighting than Billy Winston and raging against his circumstances – because nothing is beyond his control – is Billy’s speciality. In an apocalyptic situation, he’d be the first person on earth to lead others to safety, overcome catastrophe, or die trying.
Billy is fearless, Billy is disciplined, and Billy is honorable… except when it comes to Scarlet St. Claire
I have been putting off reading this book for ages. I knew that it was going to be sad and heartwrenching. And that it was probably going to make me cry. Turns out, it wasn’t ANYWHERE near as bad as I expected. It wasn’t happy, and I still cries. But less tears than expected.
One of the reasons I think this destroyed my heart a little less than expected was probably the fact that I had Beard Necessities ready to go. Knowing that regardless of how sad I found this, the part ending was RIGHT THERE most definitely helped. But, more than that it was Scarlet. She was able to take hold of all this horribleness and be filled with joy. And humour. I seriously loved all of her jokes.
That’s not to say that there wasn’t tragedy and Scarlet was always happy in this. She had so many battles to face. And at fourteen. Then, considering what else she faces after the conclusion of this story. Seriously tragic. Not to mention Billy. I think it was Billy’s ending that completely destroyed my self control. To love someone that truly and deeply… I’m not sure I can even fathom it.
Yes, this story was less soul destroying than I had expected. But it was still completely heart wrenching. It was the kind of story that helped me to completely invest in the couple (even though I WAS already invested). And it is obvious that it was very much needed. But wow. Make sure you have tissues handy.
Title: How to Grow a Baby Author:Clemmie Hooper Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again) My Bookshelves:Medical, Non-fiction, Pregnancy Dates read: 17th August – 21st October 2021 Pace: Slow Format: Non-fictional text Publisher: Vermilion Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: It is around 37.5cm long (from head to toe, but it is curled up inside you).
Everything you wanted to know but were too embarrassed to ask – a guide to pregnancy and birth straight from the midwife’s mouth.
Mum to four and midwife to many, Clemmie Hooper wants to share her knowledge, wisdom and stories about pregnancy and birth. Based around the time of your antenatal appointments, she’ll guide you through each crucial stage of pregnancy as well as fully preparing you for labour, birth and beyond. From how to prevent tearing to what you really need in your hospital bag, Clemmie reveals everything pregnant women need to know with a good dose of humour and wit.
Probably not one of my favourite pregnancy books of late. I think partly that was because this was very UK based, and it was a little more decisive in advice than others. Plus, Up the Duff was amazing, and I don’t think much actually compares to it.
Having said that, I didn’t mind this book. It was interesting and did have some good information. Just not much that is pertinent to me. I mean, I’m Australian, it makes somethings hard to relate to in a UK based book.
Regardless of the fact that I didn’t necessarily love this, it was still worth the read. Still a book that I enjoyed and found some useful information in.
I’ll probably flick through this book another few times our if interests sake. But, not one I feel the need to ever read cover to cover again.
Title: Queene of Light Author: Jennifer Armintrout Series: Lightworld / Darkworld #1 Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Fae, Magic, Paranormal romance Dates read: 14th – 21st October 2021 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Mira Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: When someone wished to speak with the Queene, they would wait forever.
In a time not long from now, the veil between fantasy and reality is ripped asunder – creatures of myth and fairy tale spill into the mortal world. Enchanted yet horrified, humans force the magical beings Underground, to colonize the sewers and abandoned subway tunnels beneath their glittering cities.
But even magic folk cannot dwell in harmony, and soon two Worlds emerge: the Lightworld, home to faeries, dragons and dwarves; and the Darkworld, where vampries, werewolves, angels and demons lurk.
Now, in the dank and shadowy place between Lightworld and Darkworld, a transformation is about to begin…
Ayla, a half faery, half human assassin, is stalked by Malachi, a Death Angel tasked with harvesting mortal souls. They clash. Immortality evaporates, forging a bond neither may survive. And in the face of unbridled ambitions and untested loyalties, an ominous prophecy is revealed that will shake the Worlds.
I really, really wanted to like this novel. I mean, the premise is great and the writing is good too. But I just… couldn’t get into it. I’m not sure if that was just the mood I was in (so this is definitely in the reread pile) or just generally not my speed.
One of the things I found most difficult about this novel I think was the characters. I found it hard to connect to both the leads and honestly could not have cared less what happened to them. Not exactly something that inspires me to keep reading.
Again, I really loved the premise of this story. And the world building certainly intrigued me. I will most definitely give this another try since I did love the world that this was built in. And I’m intrigued as to how the female lead is going to get out of her weird marriage.
All in all, whilst I got halfway through this and gave it a DNF, I didn’t hate it. Enough that it’s staying on my shelves ready for another attempt in years to come.
Earth and Skye 