Garrett Song is this close to taking the reins of his family’s LA fashion empire…until the Song matriarch insists he marry her handpicked bride first. To block her matchmaking, he recruits Natalie Sobol to pose as his wife. She needs a fake spouse as badly as he does. But when passion burns down their chaste agreement, the flames could destroy them all…
I can honestly say that I loved this one – I’ve never read anything by Jayci Lee, but after experiencing her writing I’ll be sure to pick up more. So much of this made me think of kdramas (which are something I love) that I had a great time reading it.
It was so spicy and such a fast read (maybe at some points advancing too fast, but understandably with it’s length) that I almost read it all in one sitting. I would definitely say that the characters had depth and each had their ulterior motives for the relationship. I do love a good fake dating trope and this one definitely satisfied that for me. Overall, I would definitely read it again and look forward to reading more of Jayci Lee’s writing.
Jayci Lee writes poignant, funny, and sexy romance. She lives in sunny California with her tall-dark-and-handsome husband, two amazing boys with boundless energy, and a fluffy rescue whose cuteness is a major distraction. She is semi-retired from her 15-year career as a defense litigator, and writes full-time now. She loves food, wine, and travelling, just like her characters. Books have always helped her grow, dream, and heal. She hopes her books will do the same for you.
Werewolf barista Julie and her new girlfriend go on a date to a close-up magic show, but all heck breaks loose when the magician casts a horrible spell on their friend Chet. Now it’s up to the team of mythical pals to stop the illicit illusionist before it’s too late.
I didn’t know much about this except that a lot of people I follow thought it was adorable but I had definitely heard enough to want to pick it up. Let me just say that I am so glad I did! The art style is so whimsical and beautiful, the style and color palette just perfect for the setting and story. I loved the mystery and overall storyline and really feel like it is a good start to the series. I definitely would like to see more in the series and learn more about the characters and their backstories. These characters have such great relationships, but also their own insecurities and I would love to see more expanding on that.
What’s your dream? Do you believe that God will answer your prayers so that you can fulfill that dream? Do you really believe that He is faithful? Unrealized dreams can cause deep pain that lasts for years. What takes away that pain? The journey through life is a learning process that each human must endure. I say endure because the learning is not always comfortable. You are not alone in anything you do. The lessons learned and talked about in this book can help anyone who is dealing with trouble, pain, human interaction, or faith. By reading this book, the author hopes you will learn a little about music, a little more about life, and a lot about the love of God.
Full disclaimer, I do know the author and did help with preliminary edits before the book was published, but that didn’t factor into my review or reading experience.
That being said, this is a wonderful telling of a story through different stages of music and musical terms. Musical terms are used to describe different stages of life as well as different personalities. The author weaves parts of her life through these terms, exploring some of her defining moments and how music and faith have changed and shaped her. Essentially how she became comfortable in her skin, secure with her faith and even showing that even now she still deals with vulnerabilities. It’s a wonderful story of life as it is, rough patches, bright spots, love and laughter.
I feel even if you aren’t religious you can still find valuable content and lessons within this book. It’s a great story of finding yourself and finding your way towards enjoying your journey as it takes you through life.
First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.
That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.
There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.
I found this book to be a fun mystery that was definitely full of twists and turns, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. There were a number of plot elements that I felt were unnecessary and didn’t really add anything to the story, but rather detracted from it. Also I kind of felt like the Monica at the beginning of the book was a completely different person to the Monica at the end of the book, and not just because she grew as a character.
I did definitely enjoy the twists and turns, as well as the constructing of the puzzle as more and more of the mystery regarding the deaths of the cheerleaders was revealed. Everything was resolved at the end in a satisfying way and I did feel like everything was answered. The writing was easy to read and engaging. Overall I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, but it just wasn’t entirely for me.
Amanda Lovelace, the bestselling & award-winning author of the “women are some kind of magic” poetry series, presents a new companion series, “you are your own fairy tale”. The first installment, break your glass slippers, is about overcoming those who don’t see your worth, even if that person is sometimes yourself. In the epic tale of your life, you are the most important character while everyone is but a forgotten footnote. Even the prince.
This is probably my favorite of Amanda Lovelace’s collections that I have read. There are powerful themes of toxic relationships, finding your way out of them and self empowerment, but there are also a ton of trigger warnings that go along with it. If you have been in a toxic relationship I would definitely go into this carefully, I’ve been in them and this spoke to me, but it may be completely triggering in a negative way to someone else. If you pick it up definitely check the trigger warning note at the front to evaluate if it’s something you want to pick up.
As always Lovelace’s imagery and the flow of her writing were beautiful. She is able to evoke such powerful messages in small little packages and I loved it. I’m definitely eager to see what else she comes out with in this new series as I completely loved this one.
Can the witness protection program keep her identity secret? After Allison James finally escapes her marriage to a monster, she becomes the star witness in the case against her deceased husband’s powerful crime family. Now it’s up to US Marshal Jaxson Stevens, Ali’s ex-boyfriend, to keep the WITSEC widow safe. But as the danger escalates and sparks fly, will Jax be able to help Ali escape her ruthless in-laws?
This was my first title from the Harlequin Intrigue line as well as from Debra Webb and I was not disappointed. This story was a non stop from the beginning to the end and filled with action. While I’m not a huge fan of a lot of misunderstandings, it was understandable between these characters considering their past. I really enjoyed the way they were written as well as their points of view while going through the story.
Webb’s writing was easy to read and really enjoyable, I just loved the fast pace of the story and flew through this story. I will definitely be looking forward to future in this line and from Debra Webb herself as I really enjoyed her writing!
DEBRA WEBB is the award winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 150 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at www.DebraWebb.com.
Witness Protection Widow is out now, so if you’re interested be sure to check it out. Happy reading!
Tails You Win is an engaging collection of poems written from the dogs’ perspective. It is the seventh book of original metric rhyming verse by Gill Rowe and contains beautiful hand-drawn illustrations.
Starting with the Afghan Hound and Airedale Terrier, Tails You Win charmingly encapsulates the traits and personalities of fifty different dogs. Whether you’re dotty about Dalmatians, mad about Miniature Dachshunds or crazy for Cavaliers, there’s truly something for everyone in this cheery homage to dogs.
I was intrigued by the concept of this poetry collection and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by it. I was in the mood for something fun that would make me smile and this collection certainly did that. Each poem in this collection address a different breed a dog (granted, not every breed is represented) and works through the alphabet.
Each poem’s language and format is tailored to the breed as well, so a breed that may be more active and quick in mannerisms has a poem with short lines and quick paced stanzas. Breeds that are considered more regal or prim will have a different style.
All in all this was exactly what I needed and put a smile on my face.
In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.
Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.
This book was not quite what it was marketed as, but it was still amazing. I was expecting a full on portal fantasy from what was talked about and while it wasn’t quite that, I was still very surprised and pleased by the story.
I fell in love with Harrow’s writing and the clear voice that she gives to each character, whether it be January herself or character’s whose voices she reads of in books. Much of the time you don’t know who is truly on the side of January and there are some people who are constantly shifting who we aren’t sure about.
While there were some plot devices that were a little predictable, it’s an adventure filled with a ton of twists and huge growth on January’s part. While I would have loved to know a few more things at the end, it was a beautiful and at times thrilling story.
After writing my #FlashbackFriday post last week I got to thinking that I would really like to do some rereading of those favorites, so what better way to do it than to incorporate it into a challenge! With all the books I need to read this year this is probably going to be a form of torture, but I also think it’s going to be fun. Each month (or so) I’ll pick a few titles from my shelves that are specifically tied to when I was younger and give them a reread. We’ll just have to see how it goes, fingers crossed!
Now let’s get to the ones I picked for the first round of this. I’m pretty much always in some stage of a Nancy Drew reread, so I picked up the next original mystery I’m on in my reread, #11 – The Clue of the Broken Locket, and I picked up the next one in the files that I need to get through #3 – Smile and Say Murder.
Next is a reread of L.J. Smith’s Night World series, though I’m still salty about the fact that Strange Fate, the finale has never been released. At think point I’d just like an outline to see how things end. This month I’m going to start with book one, which used to be titled Secret Vampire (not my favorite in the series, but the starting point).
The other one I’m going to pick up is probably not known by anyone, it came out at the same time R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series was out and from another similar series that was being started. This one is The Forever House by Mark Rivers. My best friend and I both have fond memories of this one and I haven’t read it since I was a teenager, so I figured it was time for a reread.
So, that’s going to be the first group of books I pick up and reread. We’ll see if they still hold their places in my heart as they did when I was younger. I’m sure some opinions and feelings may change, but we’ll see!
Slay meets Eliza and Her Monsters in Eric Smith’s Don’t Read the Comments, an #ownvoices story in which two teen gamers find their virtual worlds—and blossoming romance—invaded by the real-world issues of trolling and doxing in the gaming community.
Divya Sharma is a queen. Or she is when she’s playing Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest online game. Divya—better known as popular streaming gamer D1V—regularly leads her #AngstArmada on quests through the game’s vast and gorgeous virtual universe. But for Divya, this is more than just a game. Out in the real world, she’s trading her rising-star status for sponsorships to help her struggling single mom pay the rent.
Gaming is basically Aaron Jericho’s entire life. Much to his mother’s frustration, Aaron has zero interest in becoming a doctor like her, and spends his free time writing games for a local developer. At least he can escape into Reclaim the Sun—and with a trillion worlds to explore, disappearing should be easy. But to his surprise, he somehow ends up on the same remote planet as celebrity gamer D1V.
At home, Divya and Aaron grapple with their problems alone, but in the game, they have each other to face infinite new worlds…and the growing legion of trolls populating them. Soon the virtual harassment seeps into reality when a group called the Vox Populi begin launching real-world doxxing campaigns, threatening Aaron’s dreams and Divya’s actual life. The online trolls think they can drive her out of the game, but everything and everyone Divya cares about is on the line…And she isn’t going down without a fight.
I was super excited about this book when I heard about it. Being a gamer myself I’m very aware of the toxicity that can be found in the gaming community, especially when it comes to female players, so having a book that tackles this head on was such a joy to see.
I was not disappointed at all and can easily say that Don’t Read the Comments will likely appear in my favorite books of the year list. It not only discussed the gaming community and how celebrities in that community are treated, but also addressed other issues in the gaming community, different family dynamics and issues and so much more. The discussion regarding how Divya guards her identity and information out of fear of being pursued or doxxed is something that is seen in a number of industries, not just the gaming community.
I fell in love with so many of the characters, even when they perhaps weren’t acting the best. They were all moving cogs within the story that contributed greatly to the plot. There were also wonderfully inserted moments of humor that not only lightened the events, but perfectly added a realness to the story.
This was really such a wonderful read and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Eric Smith is an author, prolific book blogger, and literary agent from New Jersey, currently living in Philadelphia. Smith cohosts Book Riot’s newest podcast, HEY YA, with non-fiction YA author Kelly Jensen. He can regularly be found writing for Book Riot’s blog, as well as Barnes & Noble’s Teen Reads blog, Paste Magazine, and Publishing Crawl. Smith also has a growing Twitter platform of over 40,000 followers (@ericsmithrocks).
Social Links: Author website:https://www.ericsmithrocks.com/ Twitter: @ericsmithrocks Instagram: @ericsmithrocks Facebook: @ericsmithwrites
The Wandering Wordsmith 