Monday, June 17, 2019

2019 Audiobook Challenge: Mid-Year Check In


Hot Listens and Caffeinated Reviewer are hosting their 7th annual Audiobook Challenge and I'm posting my mid-year check in. 

I was aiming for the Marathoner 50+ books and it looks like I'll have no problem since I've just hit 40 books.  I listen to books back and forth to work and it's at hour each way, and listen to books while running or doing chores, but I didn't realize I listened to this many!

Here are a few of my favorites so far this year:

5 Stars:



4.5 Stars:




Saturday, June 15, 2019

Sunday Post #32


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 back up in Northern California and it's been a weekend full of fun kid activities. When went to the park and had fun on the swings and slides. My arms are killing me because I picked up and rode down the slides with my 14 month old granddaughter about a million times, lol.  Today we went to another park with a big petting zoo: cows, goats, chickens, and bunnies. Plus a few roosters cock-a-doodling away.  There was even a the merry-go-round. Lots of fun!




Read:
(Click on cover for Goodreads link:)


I enjoyed Darkness Returns, but would've liked it better had I read previous books in the series.  You'd Be Mine was a delight! Country Music tour with the headliners falling in love. I listened to the audio book and enjoyed the duel narrators.

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:
(Click on cover for Goodreads link:)


Hope and Other Punchlines is a library audio book and I'm enjoying it a lot. After that brutal cliffhanger in Archangel's Prophecy I can't wait to dive into Archangel's War! Love Lorelei James romances and her Blacktop Cowboys series. How to Love a Duke in Ten Days was offered to me and I do love a good historical romance. 

Watched:


Loved Captain Marvel! Now I need to catch up with the other movies in the superhero realm.

How was your week?


Giveaway: Splash Into Summer Blog Hop

I'm participating in Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop hosted by BookHounds and will be giving away a $10 Giftcard to either US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble or up to $10 at The Book Depository to one readers. See below for a list of participating blogs or click HERE.

As part of this post I thought I'd feature a few of my favorite Summer reads:




A $10 Giftcard to either US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble or up to $10 at The Book Depository.  The giveaway is international as long as The Book Depository ships to your country.  Click HERE for their list of countries.


Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Spotlight Feature & Giveaway: Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey

Movies like You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle are some of my favorite rom-coms so I'm excited for Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey about a girl waiting for a guy like the Tom Hanks (the characters he's played at least, lol) to sweep her off her feet. To celebrate the release I'm sharing an excerpt and giveaway of Waiting for Tom Hanks below.


Publication Date: June 11th 2019 by Berkley 
Pages: 320
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

About the book:

A rom-com-obsessed romantic waiting for her perfect leading man learns that life doesn’t always go according to a script in this delightfully charming and funny novel.
Annie Cassidy dreams of being the next Nora Ephron. She spends her days writing screenplays, rewatching Sleepless in Seattle, and waiting for her movie-perfect meet-cute. If she could just find her own Tom Hanks—a man who’s sweet, sensitive, and possibly owns a houseboat—her problems would disappear and her life would be perfect. But Tom Hanks is nowhere in sight.

When a movie starts filming in her neighborhood and Annie gets a job on set, it seems like a sign. Then Annie meets the lead actor, Drew Danforth, a cocky prankster who couldn’t be less like Tom Hanks if he tried. Their meet-cute is more of a meet-fail, but soon Annie finds herself sharing some classic rom-com moments with Drew. Her Tom Hanks can’t be an actor who’s leaving town in a matter of days . . . can he?



Excerpt:


Berkley has kindly provided a Paperback Copy of Waiting for Tom Hanks to one reader.  The giveaway is open to US Residents only.  Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Sunday Post #31


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.


Last Wednesday-Sunday my life revolved around doing wedding flowers, and of course, attending the wedding.  Phew, glad it's over! It was fun, but it was a lot of work! The picture above is some of the flowers at the San Francisco Flower Mart.  For a flower lover this place is heaven.  

Anyhow, I'm at home relaxing this weekend after a hectic week back to work.  It's hot here in Southern California, like mid to upper 80's, so we were got some nice time outside in and out of the pool. 

Read:
(click on cover for Goodreads link)



This is two weeks worth of reading:  
Diamond Fire (re-read by audio) (my review)-5 Stars
 A Touch of Forever (my review5 stars
Wolf Rain (my review)-4.5 stars
  The Cowboy and His Baby (my review)-4 stars
Make Me No Grave (my review)-3.5 stars

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:
(click on cover for Goodreads link)

I'm trying to curtail my requests, so I only have the one here, Marry in Secret, and only because it was requested by the publisher. I did request Sapphire Flames and was denied on Edelweiss *sobs*.  I've since requested on Netgalley and haven't heard back. Not a good sign. Oh well, it's not like I don't have a million other books to read between now and when it's released! 



Watched:


I was hoping White Hot would be really good since it's was adapted from a Sandra Brown book and she was a producer.  Not so much.  So cheesy and I couldn't stop looking at Shenae Grimes-Beech's horrible helmet hair throughout the movie!

How was your week?


Friday, June 7, 2019

Review & Giveaway: A Touch of Forever by Jo Goodman


Publication Date: June 4th 2019 by Berkley Books
Pages: 416
Source: Publisher & Purchased Audiobook
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible

About the book:

A marriage of convenience turns into a sweetly seductive love-off-the-rails romance in the latest Cowboys of Colorado novel from USA Today bestselling author Jo Goodman.

Lily Salt has sworn off men. After finally gaining her independence, the last thing she needs is another man telling her what to do. But the handsome railroad engineer from New York isn't at all what she expected. He's kind, gentle...and tempting enough to make her wonder what a second chance at love might be worth.

A self-acknowledged black sheep, Roen Shepard knows what it means to feel alone. Recognizing a kindred spirit in the reserved widow whose fascinating blue-green eyes have seen too much, and charmed by the warmth of her ready-made family, the two begin an unlikely friendship.

When a complication from his past follows him to Frost Falls, Roen proposes a mad scheme to protect the new life he's built and keep close the stubborn woman he's accidentally fallen for--a marriage of convenience. But Lily has secrets of her own, and the closer he gets to uncovering them, the more he comes to realize that the only truth that matters is the secret to unlocking her heart.

My Thoughts:
Lily Salt has been through a lot, but finally has settled into a comfortable, contented life as a widower and mother of four children.  Her careful attempts to keep people at arm’s length goes by the wayside when Roan Shepherd, a railroad engineer, new to Frost Falls takes notice of her.  She tries to rebuff his interest, but Roan he’s persistent and as a further complication he hires her son Clay as an assistant.

My heart went out to Lily in the previous book, and so I was so pleased that she’s doing so well for her and her children here.  I liked that she was an independent woman and didn’t need a man to make her happy, but the addition of Roan was like icing on a cake. The gradual way their friendship forms was a delight to experience!  The careful way Roan treated their burgeoning romance made me fall hard for Roan! The kids were very much a part of the story, each so sweet, and it was touching how protective they were of their mother. These kids needed careful handling as they were affected by the abuse of their mother, as well.  I loved how Roan interacted with them, never overbearing, but a father figure there to support and love them. 

There’s a bit of suspense here too, as with the previous installments, with Roan’s past mistress in the mix.  A selfish sociopath if there ever was one, with her shady detective in tow.

An interesting mix of side characters/stories grabbed my attention. Fedora Chen, an American Chinese woman and the obstacles she faces in this time period, with a nice little romance brewing there, too! I’m wondering if the next installment, if there is one, might feature Fedora? I also enjoyed the Old West setting: the historical aspects of the railway expansion, and life in the 1800’s.  Always interesting to imagine how it would be to live back then without all the modern conveniences we have now, and with the differences in attitude towards women and minorities. 

I’ve loved the two previous installments, but A Touch of Forever is my favorite to date! The quiet, but intense emotions between these two sucked me in to this lovely story!  It is a slow burn romance, but wow it heated up!  As a side note, it’s not necessary to read the previous books to enjoy this one. In fact, each book can easily be read as a standalone.

I switched back and forth from the e-book to my audio copy.  I loved the Laurel Lefkow’s performance! She captured some of the wry tone of comments and teasing I didn’t necessarily pick up on until listening to her reading.  I paid a little more attention while traditionally reading and it definitely enhanced my experience.  I listened at my usual 1.25xs the normal speed.

5 Suns



Berkley Books generously provided a finished Paperback Copy of A Touch of Forever to giveaway to one reader.  The giveaway is open to US Residents only.  Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Review: Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh


Publication Date: June 4th 2019 by Berkley
Pages: 416
Source: Publisher
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

About the book: 

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us on a new adventure in this next novel of the Psy-Changeling Trinity series...

The end of Silence was supposed to create a better world for future generations. But trust is broken, and the alliance between Psy, Changeling, and human is thin. The problems that led to Silence are back in full force. Because Silence fixed nothing, just hid the problems.

This time, the Psy have to find a real answer to their problems--if one exists. Or their race will soon go extinct in a cascade of violence. The answer begins with an empath who is attuned to monsters--and who is going to charm a wolf into loving her despite his own demons.

My Thoughts:
I think the description is a little misleading, because it features the side story a little too prominently, because this story is mainly about Memory, a woman who was held captive, and Alexei the Changeling Wolf who found and rescued her.

Memory, an E (empath) Psy, was a remarkable woman, who despite her long captivity retained her spirit and strength.  When Alexei finds Memory he’s enraged at the man who’s held her captive, but delighted to find Memory hasn’t been broken by the experience. She’s as fierce and furious as a lioness, and Alexei finds himself magnetically drawn to this amazing woman.  Alexei is determined, along with his Pack, to find and punish this man, before he hurts anyone else.

While Memory recovers and learns to strengthen her shields there’s an irresistible attraction brewing between her and Alexei. It’s intense, sexy, and fun! I love that Nalini Singh tempers some of the horrific parts of the story with humor. Alexei was a complete sweetheart!  He may be a growly, protective wolf, but he was charming and not above using naughty, playful nips as a distraction. There’s a lot of fun sparring between these two. While each have their sad histories, both were determined to keep the other out any dark funk that threatened to swallow them up.   

As I said, there’s another story, part of the continuing arc in the Trinity spinoff. First, the Psy Net has been slowly collapsing because of “Silence” the way of life which has now, thankfully, fallen.  “Silence” the term the Psy used for living a life without emotions, and by doing that they excluded parts they didn’t know kept the Net healthy.  The Net doesn’t have long unless they find some solutions.  While the fall of Silence is a good thing, there have been some repercussions.   One of the repercussions plays a prominent part in this installment, and Memory ends up being a big factor as all these stories tie in together.  I was amazed to find out Memory’s abilities.  Nalini Singh’s creative mind never fails to impress me, with the addition of Memory in the whole equation and this wonderful fantasy world!

I’m fairly new to the Psy-Changeling series.  In fact, before picking up the first Psy-Changeling Trinity book, which is said to be considered “season two” of the Psy-Changeling series, I had only read the first book in the Psy-Changeling series.  I mention this so you don’t let the number of books in the previous series keep you from picking up Wolf Rain.  In fact, I think you could read Wolf Rain without reading any of the other books and still enjoy it, but I do think you’d get more if you read at least a few of the previous books.

Wolf Rain was an addictive, sexy adventure, and I’m glad I set aside time to read chunks at a time.  It’s really not the kind of book you want to read in bits and pieces.  I can’t wait for the next one!

4.5 Suns