Sunday Post #23

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week.

The weather has been beautiful for running so I had no issues getting my runs in.  Still busy at work, which is draining. It seems like there's been a resurgence of the flu and that always makes the hospital busier than normal.  Still, the weekend has been good. We went out to dinner tonight. Wine, conversation and much needed relaxation:

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

Stone Cold Heart was enjoyable, but not my favorite Laura Griffin.  In Her Sights was a fun start to Katie Ruggle's new series featuring five bounty hunter sisters.  Polaris Rising immediately sucked me in! However, I wouldn't recommend the audio.  I bought the audio and e-copy together thinking this might be a road-trip book, but when I started listening I was disappointed to find the narrator made Ada feel overly dramatic and at times arrogant, which is not how she came across when I was reading the story.  I did not like her performance of Marcus Loch (the hero) at all. Won't be buying the audio for the next book, but I'm really looking forward to the next story!

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:

(Click on title for Goodreads link)

I gave a happy yelp (at work) when I saw the approval come through for Storm Cursed, the newest Mercy Thompson book. I was losing hope after requesting it a couple of weeks ago and hearing nothing. Yay! I got an audio copy from the library of Watching You.  I hope it's good!  Christi Caldwell is a new-to-me-author, but I was offered the book by the publisher and I thought I'd give it a chance. Has anyone read Christi Caldwell before?  I do love a well-done historical romance!  

Watched:

Makes me laugh and of course, Sheldon always steals the show.

Review: In Her Sights by Katie Ruggle

In Her Sights (Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters #1) by Katie Ruggle

Publication Date: March 26th 2019 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pages: 384

Source: ARC Provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

Five bounty-hunting sisters
Deep in the heart of the Rockies
Fighting to save each other
...and the men who steal their hearts

Bounty hunter Molly Pax fought hard for everything she has, turning the bail recovery business she shares with her sisters into an unqualified success. So when their sticky-fingered mother jumps bail and puts the childhood home up as collateral, Molly's horrified. To make matters worse, every two-bit criminal in the Rockies now sees her family's misfortune as their next big break.

She needs help, stat.

Enter rival bounty hunter John Carmondy: six feet of pure trouble, with a cocky grin to match. John's the most cheerfully, annoyingly gorgeous frenemy Molly's ever had the pleasure of defeating...and he may be her only hope of making it out of this mess alive.

My Thoughts:

Molly is the oldest and has been like a mother to her sisters, since their own mother, Jane, is a very selfish, flighty woman.  Jane is something else and she causes a lot of trouble, she ticked me right off! Jane puts the family home up as collateral when she needs to make bail, the home that Molly and her sisters paid off after Jane just about drained it dry with a reverse mortgage. So, yeah, she’s a real winner of a mom.

Now Molly is saddled with locating her mom, and at the mercy of a shady bail bondsman force to catch a dangerous bail skipper or have him start legal proceedings to take their home. 

Fortunately, Molly has John Carmondy, a fellow bounty hunter at her back. 

This was fun start to Katie Ruggle’s new series about bounty hunter sisters!  Molly and John were delightful together! At the beginning Molly views John as a rival bounty hunter, but it’s clear John is very much at her side from the beginning.  Molly’s not sure why he’s stuck to her like glue and she’s at first distrustful and a bit snarky to him, but John has so much fun with her snips and snipes.  He’s all easy going with playful, flirtatious grins, letting whatever barbs Molly sends flying amuse and encourage his pursuit.  

The fun is interspersed with tension, action and danger, as Molly and John pursue their skip, a dangerous criminal fond of explosives.  I appreciated that Molly always had a plan and didn’t have any TSTL moments.  John and Molly made an excellent team, always backing each other up, but Molly’s sisters are a force to be reckoned with, too.  I expect each additional book to feature a different sister.

Molly and John’s romance wrapped up sweetly, but the problems caused by the mom’s criminal activities were not. I think Cara’s story is up next as the efforts to disentangle themselves from Jane continue.

4 Suns

Review: Faking Forever by Catherine Bybee

Faking Forever (First Wives #4) by Catherine Bybee

Publication Date: March 12th 2019 by Montlake Romance

Pages: 329

Source: ARC from Publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

About the book:

From New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes a new First Wives novel about wanting a family…and finding love.
Shannon Wentworth’s biological clock is ticking, and she isn’t going to let her single status keep her from having a baby. When her wedding-photography business takes her to Mexico, she has every intention of finding a willing baby daddy to help her out. Until the bride goes AWOL, leaving Shannon to coddle the arrogant fiancé who has accused her of sabotaging his wedding.
Victor Brooks never could have imagined that he’d be on a honeymoon for one. Only here he is, taking a hard look at his life after the younger women he thought he loved walked out. The woman who volunteers to help him reflect is the last person he expects to be attracted to. Between the tequila, the sun, and one earth-shattering kiss, Victor finds Shannon a distraction too sexy to ignore.
They strike a deal: wait three months, cool off, and see if their tropical beach attraction is worth taking up when they go back home. Unfortunately, that’s just enough time for the past to come calling. All their best-laid plans are at risk. So is the last thing Shannon expected to matter the most: her heart.

My Thoughts:

Shannon’s been the most subdued character in this series, kind of in the background, not outspoken at all.  We’ve got hints that she’s sad over the breakup of her marriage.  It was a business arrangement, but Shannon fell in love with her husband, and hoped he felt the same. Instead, he served her divorce papers the day after the agreed upon date was up.  Now that Shannon’s turning thirty-five her biological clock is ticking, and she’s determined to have a baby even though she doesn’t have a man. Her latest photo shoot job, a destination wedding, fits in nicely with her plans as she intends to stay after the job finishes, and find a man to father her baby, someone she’ll never see again.  She never thought the annoying groom-to-be would put a wrench into the works.

On the plane ride over to the wedding site, Shannon meets Victor and is immediately irritated by his rude behavior and lets him know, something that’s out of character for her.  She has no idea he’s the groom of the wedding she’s supposed to shoot, but they knock heads even after she learns who he is.  A fun push and pull! The bride takes off leaving Victor at the altar, and Shannon and Victor end up spending a lot more time together, not that they’re happy about it, at first.

I was a little worried about Victor, because he was supposed to be marrying another woman, and the romance develops with Shannon happens while he was to have been on his honeymoon. However, it’s quickly apparent that Victor and his intended bride were never really in love. Shannon and Victor do try and put off dating for a time to make sure they’re not a rebound sort of romance, but that only works for a little while because they can’t stay away from each other.

This is a classic hate-to-love romance; a slow burn situation as Victor and Shannon get to know each other. They spent a lot of time platonically while the heat turns up between them, falling a little harder each day.  It was lovely!  There are some insecurities on both sides, a little bit of drama from exes, but nothing exasperating or over-the-top, just the type of real-life bumps you run into while falling in love. 

The cherry on top was the HEA epilogue that not only featured Shannon and Victor in the future, but also the other previous couples in the series!

4.5 Suns

Sunday Post #22

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week.

So I took an unplanned blogging break, I haven't posted for two weeks! It's been so busy at work, I've been so tired that just getting in my runs for training has been tough. 
I'm now out of town in Sonoma (Wine country) California now, getting some much needed time off and I'm able to get on the computer and write up a post! Yay! 


Read:
(click on cover for Goodreads link)

Basically the only books I've been able to read are audio books because yeah, I've had no time. My commute and my running times have been the only time I've been able to read!  So, Storm Front and The Consuming Fire were road trips with my husband and they were fabulous! The Consuming Fire was narrated by Wil Wheaton and he's such an excellent performer. I highly recommend reading The Interdependancy series by audio, but the story is amazing whether you decide to read or listen.  Storm Front was narrated by James Marsters, aka Spike from Buffy. Really enjoyed it and already have the next one.  Faking Forever was so good, my favorite of the series. I alternately listened and read. The narrator was lovely!  Marine Force Recon was a total bust. One dimensional characters and an unbelievable plot made this one a no-go for me. Oh-my-goodness, I'm loving the Mercy Kilpatrick series by Kendra Elliot! I'm seriously addicted! If you're a fan of romantic suspense/mystery stories, this series is a win.  Plus, it's Kindle Unlimited so you can read and listen as part of your membership. I've already got the next book locked and loaded.

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:

(click on cover for Goodreads link:)

Love Claudia Connor's romances so I was thrilled to get her newest.  Wolf Rain should hold me over until I get the next Guild Hunter book.  Haven't read anything by Linda Broday, but Saving the Mail Order Bride sounded good.  Got my library copy of Fool Moon, the second book in the Dresden Files series.  Will be listening again. 

Watched:

Clueless always makes me laugh. A classic in my opinion. 

How was your week?

Sunday Post #21

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week.

I'm in Cambria, California right now, right by the Pacific Ocean and it's raining as I write this post. The weather has actually been beautiful, sunny with gorgeous clouds floating on the horizon., (see first picture). I got my run in this morning then went wine tasting.  Well, those clouds came in for a visit and now we're getting rain. Doesn't matter because I'm currently enjoying a fire and a glass of wine, (see second picture) :). 

Moonstone Beach, Cambria, California

Kindle, wine & fire = perfection!

Read:

(Click on title for Goodreads link)

You all know I'm a fan of a sexy cowboy romance, and Maisey Yates is my go-to author for a sexy, emotionally satisfying read.  I've been waiting for Dane and Beatrix's story for a while and so I picked it up early. It was sweet and pretty low on drama. I've been seeing the Murder Bot Diaries around and so I scooped up the Audible Daily Deal for All Systems Red. Or maybe it was just a sale? Anyhow, I got it on sale and listened last week. Narration was solid, and the story was entertaining. Didn't knock my socks off, though, and I'll be reading library lends to continue the series as the books, which are novella length are kind of pricey.  Lucky Suit was an Audible Original complimentary member pick for last month (?) .  At any rate, I really enjoyed it! It was short, just over 2 hours, but sweet and cute.  Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber narrated, both amazing performers! A Holiday by Gaslight was a library request after reading Sophia Rose's review, and loved it!  This is why I love visiting other blogs, because you find out about the wonderful, maybe lesser known reads that are oh-so-lovely!

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:

(Click on title for Goodreads link:)

I bought all three of these books, the first two I was thinking of listening to on our trip out here to the coast. I have to pick things my husband might like, too, and Polaris Rising sounded like our kind of  read, and we both loved The Collapsing Empire so I bought the second book The Consuming Fire.  We ended up starting Storm Front by Jim Butcher, narrated by James Marsters (aka Spike from Buffy!) as my library lend came through and it just struck us. It's really good! We're loving it and should be done by the time we get home tomorrow night. I bought The Martrimonial Advertisement after reading and loving A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews last week.  I can't wait to dive in! 

Watched:

Nothing! I've been too busy working, running, and reading. I'd like to watch Triple Frontier with Ben Affleck and Charlie Hunnam when it comes out next week on Netflix. 

Review: A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews

A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews
Publication Date: November 13th 2018 by Perfectly Proper Press
Pages: 175
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Source: Library Lend

About the book:

A Courtship of ConvenienceSophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He’s grim and silent. A man of little emotion—or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she’s ready to put an end to things.
A Last Chance for LoveBut severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn’t as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there’s Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What’s a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there’ll be no false formality. This time they’ll get to know each other for who they really are.

My Thoughts:

The book opens with Sophie breaking her courtship with Edward, because in the two months they’ve courting he’s show little or no emotion and she can’t be with someone seemingly void of personality. But upon thinking on it (with the careful nudges of her mother) did Sophie perhaps make a hasty decision? What if there is more to Edward than he let her see?

They decide to put the breakup on hold and try to get to know each, being more open and honest.  They’d already planned for Edward to come and stay at the family country house over the Christmas Holiday, so this is a perfect opportunity to see if they’re suited.

Edward was smitten with Sophie the moment he laid eyes on her. Being rich, but in the trade class their match would help him fit into the higher classes, but this has nothing to do with why he wants her. Sophie is under the impression that her position in society is the only reason Edward wants to court her, no doubt Edwards wealth would be a godsend to her family, but she needs to be at least friends with the man she ends up with. 

Sophie’s never dated someone from trade, a lower class, but she’s not a snob, and doesn’t expect all the social niceties.  Something Edward didn’t grasp during the two months they were seeing each other. Unfortunately, because Edward wanted to make sure he got things right, he consulted a “helpful” guide on courting and thus held back in showing any emotions opting for “proper” etiquette to court a lady.

Once it becomes clear that Sophie wants to know the true Edward their relationship blossoms into a lovely, swoony romance! Seeing Sophie and Edward fall for each other was a delight. While this is definitely a smut free romance, their kisses were magical and passionate! Left me with tingles all over!

This wasn’t a very long book, 175 pages, novella territory, but it was oh-so-wonderful!  The setting was described beautifully, a perfect winter wonderland.  I love it when a cover correctly depicts a story, and this one was perfection and gorgeous!  I needed more by Mimi Matthews so I bought: The Matrimonial Advertisement. Can’t wait!

4.5 Suns

Review: Wild Country by Anne Bishop

Wild Country (The World of the Others #2) by Anne Bishop

Publication Date: March 5th 2019 by Ace

Pages: 496

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

In this powerful and exciting fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, humans and the shape-shifting Others will see whether they can live side by side...without destroying one another.

There are ghost towns in the world—places where the humans were annihilated in retaliation for the slaughter of the shape-shifting Others.

One of those places is Bennett, a town at the northern end of the Elder Hills—a town surrounded by the wild country. Now efforts are being made to resettle Bennett as a community where humans and Others live and work together. A young female police officer has been hired as the deputy to a Wolfgard sheriff. A deadly type of Other wants to run a human-style saloon. And a couple with four foster children—one of whom is a blood prophet—hope to find acceptance.

But as they reopen the stores and the professional offices and start to make lives for themselves, the town of Bennett attracts the attention of other humans looking for profit. And the arrival of the Blackstone Clan, outlaws and gamblers all, will uncover secrets…or bury them.

My Thoughts:

Bennett is one of the towns where the humans were obliterated by the Elders (the scariest of Others) since the Humans First and Last Group slaughtered many Others, and humans alike.  The Elders took out a bunch of towns, and so they sit deserted, but Bennett is a place that Others claimed, a town along an important train route.  They feel they must claim the town, so other nefarious human groups won’t come in, take advantage and settle. Unfortunately, Bennett’s still an attractive prospect to a human outlaw group, the Blackstone Clan; a group that hasn’t learned the importance of respecting the power of the Elders, or Others.  

Tolya Sanguinati is the new mayor in charge, but Jesse Walker, an Intuit from Prairie Gold is an informal confidant and advisor to him. As an Intuit she has uncanny powers of intuition, providing Tolya helpful guidance in any decisions made about the town.  I enjoyed their relationship, the trust between them even though she’s a human and he’s an Other.  It’s decided that they need to start recruiting humans and Others to revive the town and fill various positions needed for a small town to function. 

Jana just graduated from the Police Academy, but prejudices against women has made it hard for her to get a job.  She’s recruited to work for the Bennett Police Department, and even though she knows there’s bound to be difficulties working with a Wolfgard police chief, she welcomes the opportunity. There’s no love lost between Virgil Wolfgard, the police chief, and humans.  After all, his wolf-pack was slaughtered by the Humans First Last, so when Jana comes aboard it’s a bumpy road adjusting.  It’s entertaining as they feel each other out, find out what to expect. There are difficulties, but Jana is up to the challenge.  I was hoping (Highlight for spoiler:) there would be a romance between Jana and Virgil, there’s some definite chemistry there, IMO, but that was not to be in this installment.  I still think there’s potential there, but as for now, it’s Jana and Tobias. (End of spoiler)

The Blackstone’s are a nasty group, trying to bully their way into town and take over, their presence and threat had me on the edge of my seat. To be honest, I don’t know why the Tolya and the rest of the major players didn’t recognize them as more of a threat, especially with some of the warnings they got from Hope Wolfsong.  There were a lot of losses, and I’m wondering how it’ll affect the relationships that had started to form before everything came to a head.

I’ve loved The Others since the beginning, and I’m delighted to get more from this world, even if it’s not Meg and Simon.  I liked Lake Silence, the first spin-off book, but I enjoyed Wild Country even more.  I think part of the reason is that there were several characters here that I’d already met and wanted more of in the previous books: Tolya Sanguinati, Jesse Walker, Tobias Walker, Rachel Wolfgard, and Barbara Ellen Debany, but I have to say two new characters: Jana and Virgil were my favorites in this installment. Watching the humans and Others of Bennett working together and forming bonds, learning to trust, and yes, start a romance (or three, yay!) is what I love most about this series. I can’t wait for the next one!

4 Suns

Sunday Post #20

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week.

It's been a busy week with work and getting my runs in, but thankfully the weather cooperated until today.  It's been raining quite a bit all day, and it's still raining now, so I'll have to run tomorrow.  I've been trying to be good about my strength training days, too, and I tried a new HIIT workout yesterday that just about did me in. I'm sore today, and it'll take me a while to get my form dialed in.

Read:
(Click on cover for Goodreads link:)

It took me a while to get through Wild Country, but not because I wasn't enjoying it. I've been busy and it's not the kind of book you can just breeze through. I have to pay attention to all the details and subtext.  I'm excited to report there's romance, and I enjoyed it even more than the 1st spinoff, Lake Silence. Repeat was soooo good! I picked it up on impulse, after seeing it on Lindi's blog, because none of my other audiobooks were tempting me in the same way (I've been a moody reader lately) and I LOVED it! A second chance romance with a twist and the narration was fantastic! I was a little skeptical going in when I picked up Solace Island seeing some mixed reviews, but I liked it. A little cheesy in spots, but I thought it was thoroughly entertaining. I added Charming after reading about it on Anna's blog.  It was sizzling and a fun take on Cinderella! 

Purchased/Received/Library Lend:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link:)

I didn't know The Dark Bones was a sequel to A Dark Lure. I just saw Loreth Anne White and downloaded it. I love her atmospheric, dark mysteries, and they're sprinkled with a bit romance, which is always a win for me.  I'm continuing the Solace Island series with Cliff's Edge, which focuses on the previous heroine's sister. I've heard great things about Bear Town, but Arlene's recommendation finally made me send a request into the library. Just got approval for the audio book and I can't wait. 

Watched:

Oh man, Whiskey Cavalier was soooo bad! I apologize to any fans out there, but it was so corny and unbelievable!  I'm disappointed since I really like Scott Foley and Lauren Cohan.

On the other hand, I LOVED Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse! It's animated and not something I'd usually pick, even though I do love Marvel/superhero stories, but I wouldn't usually choose an animated movie unless it was for my grandson.  My daughter recommended this one and it was really good! Seems like there's potential for more stories to come. Great soundtrack, too!

How was your week?