Review: Someone to Remember by Mary Balogh

Someone to Remember by Mary Balogh

Publication Date: November 5th 2019 by Berkley

Pages: 272 (about 149 for the novella, the rest excerpts from the previous Westcott series)

Source: Publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

About the book:

It's never too late to fall in love in this enchanting new story, a novella in the Westcott series from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.

Matilda Westcott has spent her life tending to the needs of her mother, the Dowager Countess of Riverdale, never questioning the web of solitude she has spun herself. To Matilda, who considers herself an aging spinster daughter, marriage is laughable--love is a game for the young, after all. But her quiet, ordered life unravels when a dashing gentleman from her past reappears, threatening to charm his way into her heart yet again.

Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson, does not expect to face Matilda Westcott thirty-six years after their failed romance. Moreover, he does not expect decades-old feelings to emerge at the very sight of her. When encountering Matilda at a dinner hosted by the Earl of Riverdale, he finds himself as fascinated by her as he was the first day they met, and wonders whether, after all these years, they have a chance at happiness together. Charles is determined to crack the hard exterior Matilda has built up for more than three decades, or he will risk losing her once again....

*Includes bonus excerpts from the Westcott novels*

My Thoughts:

Someone to Remember was such a lovely romance! Mary Balogh never fails to bring out emotions, and I actually shed a happy tear (or two) while reading.

Matilda as a secondary character in the past, kind of blended in, she was labeled a mild-aged, fussy spinster, and sort of shuffled off to the side.  But in the last book Matilda took some initiative and made a bold move that would’ve been considered shocking at the time for the sake of a family member. There were hints at that point of a love lost between Charles and Matilda, and so I was hoping we’d get a romance between them. I was sooo thrilled that she got her second chance at with her first love!

As this is a novella, things do progress quickly between Charles and Matilda, and why shouldn’t they? They knew each other well thirty years prior, and now at a mature age it made sense that they knew exactly what they wanted once reunited.  I didn’t feel cheated out of the process because at first Matilda and Charles are tentative, and unsure of each other’s feelings; they feel vulnerable admitting just how much their parting affected them at the time and over the years. But I’m happy to say that they both chose to leave regrets behind, and not dwell on the lost years, because what does that accomplish other than sorrow?  And it would’ve made this a depressing read.  Instead, their meeting again is a joyful reawakening of the intense passion and love they felt for each other. Matilda and Charles “twinkled” with happiness and it was such a delight!

Matilda might be considered to be in the “shady” part of her middle age, at fifty-five, but before you go thinking that fifty-five is old, think about some of these women and tell me if you see them as elderly: Gillian Anderson is fifty-one, Sigourney Weaver is seventy, Famke Janssen is fifty-four. As a woman turning fifty soon, I can tell you I don’t feel old, well most days I don’t, lol. I didn’t get into running until my mid-forties and I ran my second half-marathon earlier this year. So of course, I’m over the moon that Matilda got her chance to shine and reclaim her one true love!

4 Suns

Spotlight & Giveaway: Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher

I absolutely loved the movie How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, so when I heard Not the Girl You Marry compared to the movie I wanted to read it. I haven't got around to it yet, but I still wanted to share the book info, an excerpt and giveaway hosted by Berkley!

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J Christopher

Publication Date: November 12th 2019 by Berkley

Pages: 320

Purchase Links:

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook | IndieBound | BAM | Apple Books | Kobo

About the book:

How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days gets a millennial makeover in this romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Andie J. Christopher.

Jack Nolan is a gentleman, a journalist, and unlucky in love. His viral success has pigeon-holed him as the how-to guy for a buzzy, internet media company instead of covering hard-hitting politics. Fed up with his fluffy articles and the app-based dating scene as well, he strikes a deal with his boss to write a final piece de resistance: How to Lose a Girl. Easier said than done when the girl he meets is Hannah Mayfield, and he's not sure he wants her to dump him.

Hannah is an extremely successful event planner who's focused on climbing the career ladder. Her firm is one of the most prestigious in the city, and she's determined to secure her next promotion. But Hannah has a bit of an image problem. She needs to show her boss that she has range, including planning dreaded, romantic weddings. Enter Jack. He’s the perfect man to date for a couple weeks to prove to her boss that she’s not scared of feelings.

Before Jack and Hannah know it, their fake relationship starts to feel all too real—and neither of them can stand to lose each other.

Excerpt:

Berkley has generously provided a copy of Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher to one reader. The giveaway is open to US Residents only. Good luck!

Sunday Post #52

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 this week hasn't been great for me since I got sick last Saturday at my daughter's house I've been sick all week and ended up being out a day and a half from work.  Being on cold meds has made me fuzzy and my brain hasn't been running at full capacity, lol! I've caught a few posting mistakes I had to go back and fix after the post was already live. Oh well. What can you do? 

I was soooo excited to see this news that the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr will be releasing on Netflix December 6th!! It's one of my all-time favorite romance series' and they've just released a few images.  I can't wait! What about you? Have you read any of the books?

Read:

(click on cover for Goodreads link:)

Loved The Bromance Book Club! I think I read it in one day (like I said, fuzzy details). Spun Out was really good, too and there's a giveaway for each books (links on the right sidebar). I'm continuing the Widows Island novellas by Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot by audiobook and enjoying the series. They're available on Kindle Unlimited both in e-book and audio version.  Rancher's Wild Secret was just okay for me. It was a little over 200 pages, so a quick read, but revenge plots are tricky for me. Still, an entertaining spicy romance.

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

You all know I LOVE the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong so I was thrilled to get an approval! I got a library audio of An Alaskan Christmas.  Hope it's good. The Verity Kent series sounded like my kind of mystery series, especially after reading Sophia Rose's review of the latest installment. 

Watched: 

I don't think any of the sequels will ever live up to the original Halloween, but this was entertaining despite the usual "too stupid to live" character moves. Hey, what would a horror movie be without shouting "don't do it!" at the movie screen?

Make sure to check out the giveaways on the sidebar to the right especially because one features a $100 Amazon Gift Card!!

How was your week?

Giveaway & Spotlight: Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

I'm thrilled to feature Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward, because I'm currently reading this and having fun!  Childhood pen pals that reconnect and fall in love? Sign me up! Griffin is a dirty talker, but also a sweetheart!  As part of this feature I'm sharing an excerpt as well as a giveaway: A copy of Dirty Letters & a $100 Amazon Gift Card!!! Wow, right?!  Be sure to scroll down to the bottom and enter for a chance to win. 

Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

Publication Date: November 5th 2019 by Montlake

Pages: 294

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible

About the book:

She had yet to meet him but had never forgotten the British boy who’d warmed her heart.

As childhood pen pals, Griffin Quinn and Luca Vinetti couldn’t have been more different. Over the years, through hundreds of letters, they became best friends, sharing their deepest, darkest secrets.

Until one day it ended.

Griffin never understood why Luca disappeared. She was special. She knew the real him like no one else. He writes her a drunken letter, an angry one, never expecting her to write back.

Before they know it, they’re right where they left off. This time with heat.

But as playing catch-up goes from fun to flirty to downright dirty, Luca wants more. She wants Griffin in the flesh. That’s where it gets risky. Because when they meet, the mystery will be over. And once they really get to know each other, there’ll be no going back.

But what I found could change everything.

EXCERPT: Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward:

The small dining room table had a pile of mail. I’d had Dad’s mail forwarded to my house, so mostly it was just catalogs and junk. Once a month, Mrs. Cascio sent me everything that arrived, even though I’d told her it wasn’t necessary. I mindlessly fingered through the pile, not expecting to see anything worth keeping. But I stopped at an envelope addressed to me—well, not me, but Luca Ryan. That was a name I hadn’t heard in a long time. In second grade, my teacher, Mrs. Ryan, started a pen pal writing program with a small town in England. We weren’t allowed to use our real last names for safety reasons, so the entire class used her last name—hence I was Luca Ryan. I checked out the return address for the sender’s name.

G. Quinn

Wow, really? It couldn’t be.

I squinted at the postmark. It was from a PO box in California, not England, but I didn’t know any other Quinn other than Griffin. And the handwriting did look pretty familiar. But it had been close to eight years since we’d exchanged letters. Why would he write now? Curious, I ripped it open and scanned right to the bottom of the letter for the name. Sure enough, it was from Griffin. I started at the beginning.

Dear Luca,

Do you like scotch? I remember you said you didn’t like the taste of beer. But we never did get around to comparing our taste in hard liquor. Why is that, you might ask? Let me remind you—because you stopped answering my letters eight damn years ago. I wanted to let you know, I’m still pissed off about that. My mum used to say I hold grudges. But I prefer to think of it as I remember the facts. And the fact of the matter is, you suck. There, I’ve said it. I’ve been holding that shit in for a long time. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not obsessive or anything. I don’t sit in my house thinking about you all day long. In fact, there have been months that go by when thoughts of you don’t even enter my brain. But then some random thing will pop into my head out of the blue. Like I’ll see some kid in a pram eating black licorice, and I’ll think of you. Side note—I’ve tried it again as an adult, and I still think it tastes like the bottom of my shoe, so perhaps it’s that you just have no taste. You probably don’t even like scotch. Anyway, I’m sure this letter won’t find its way to you. Or if by some miracle it does, you won’t answer. But if you’re reading this, you should know two things.

1. The Macallan 1926 is worth the extra cash. Goes down smooth.

2. You SUCK.

Later, traitor, Griffin

What in the hell?

Author Biographies 

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared on more than one hundred bestseller lists and are currently translated into twenty-six languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children, where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of more than twenty novels. A former television news anchor, Penelope has sold more than two million books and has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list twenty-one times. She resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

Together, Vi and Penelope are the authors of Dirty Letters, Hate Notes, and the Rush Series. For more information about them, visit www.vikeeland.com and www.penelopewardauthor.com.

Connect with Vi Keeland: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Connect with Penelope Ward: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Review & Giveaway: The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club #1) by Lyssa Kay Adams

Publication Date: November 5th 2019 by Berkley

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook | Target | BAM | IndieBound 

 Apple Books | Kobo

About the book:

The first rule of book club:
You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

My Thoughts:

The Bromance Book Club was such a delight! Marriage and committed relationships aren’t always a walk in the park. There’re times when you fight, maybe grow apart or wonder if you’ll make it together long term.  I think this story realistically captured the feelings a couple go through when struggling.  Yet, despite the serious, angsty nature of the subject, the author made Thea and Gavin’s story fun, filled with parts that’ll make you laugh! I thought the idea of having men use romantic fiction to help them understand and solve some of their marital problems was brilliant! I wish men would do this in real life! I’ve certainly gained some perspective and learned a few things about relationships from reading romances, and I think it would do men a world of good to hear how we think, even if it’s from fiction. The scenes with these big-time baseball athletes dissecting and analyzing scenes from a historical romance to gain wisdom were hilarious!

Anyone who’s ever been married or in a long-term relationship I think will really appreciate the reality of the circumstances Thea and Gavin find themselves in. My heart truly went out to them both, each having valid reasons to be hurt and upset, but especially for Gavin, because the realization that Thea wanted a divorce was devastating to him.  But as the Book Club pointed out, “it’s all about the backstory” and Thea’s history definitely factored into her decision heavily. Didn’t help that her sister, Liv, wanted Thea to kick Gavin to the curb without giving him any second chances; I didn’t care for her attitude at all.  You don’t just throw a marriage away when things can be fixed, especially when there are kids involved! I’m happy that Thea didn’t let Liv’s opinions in influence her decisions.

I loved watching Gavin and Thea find their way back to each other, rediscover what brought them together in the first place: that zing of irresistible attraction that made it hard for Gavin and Thea to keep their hands off each other and also the deeper qualities that truly bound their hearts. It was two steps forward, one step back at times, but I loved every minute! I finished the book with a smile on my face and a happy sigh!

Even though Liz was a PIA, after getting a bit of her side in the end I understood where she was coming from.  I’m eager to read her story with Mack next!

4.5 Suns

Connect with Lyssa Kay Adams:

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Berkley has kindly offered up a copy of The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams to one reader. Yay!  The giveaway is open to US Residents only.  Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.

Review & Giveaway: Spun Out by Lorelei James

Spun Out (Blacktop Cowboys #10) by Lorelei James

Publication Date: November 5th 2019 by Berkley

Pages: 336

Source: Publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

Years in the Army equipped Bailey Masterson for many things: target shooting, rappelling off cliffs, dodging grenades. She's lived through horrors that still give her nightmares. But nothing in Bailey's life-or-death training prepared her for caring for the tiny terror that is five-year-old Olivia Hale. Or how to control her raging attraction to Olivia's father, Streeter, the rugged, green-eyed cattle rancher who undermines her every move even when he stars in her dreams.

Streeter Hale has room for only two things in his life: his daughter and his job. He doesn't date. He doesn't get attached. Not anymore. So not only is Streeter stunned by Olivia's improved behavior after just a few days with Bailey, he's downright floored by his immediate attraction to the woman. But with secrets in her eyes and a body that doesn't quit, Streeter begins to worry that Bailey Masterson might just be the one woman to heal his fractured family and broken heart.

One thing's for sure--these two wrecked souls are spinning out of control as they desperately try not to fall in love...

My Thoughts:

Bailey’s supposedly on leave from the army, spending the summer with her sister, Harper and her kids after the birth of Harper’s newest, but Bailey hasn’t been completely honest with her sister.  Bailey’s not only off for the summer, she’s out for good.  The reasons are tough, and a year ago Bailey didn’t deal well with it, but she’s on the mend mentally, even if she’s keeping all of it to herself. Bailey ends up putting her skills as an army Sergeant to use when the parents of Split Rock see her potential for whipping their kids into shape, and she ends up commanding a kiddy bootcamp for the summer.

Streeter is a rancher at the Split Rock and doesn’t have much time for dating being a single dad since his daughter, Olivia, was six months old.  His wife’s death left him angered, heartbroken and confused, and he still can’t figure the whole thing out. As a parent, my heart went out to Streeter! Olivia isn’t your average five-year-old; the past events have left her with issues, and she’s a handful.  But Bailey’s style of no-nonsense handling breaks through to Olivia, putting Bailey on Streeter’s radar. Even more so when she moves next door.

Streeter and Bailey had some rough times, and I was happy that Streeter had Bailey to confide in. Baring intimate details that he never shared before and gaining some peace in the process.  He gained peace and a lot of sexy times, lol! Man, this one was spicy!

I wish Bailey had been a little more forthcoming, but I do understand why she withheld. I was glad when it all came out.  Depression and how it affects us was a major factor in this story, and I was happy to see the progress Bailey made being more open and honest with her family, and others and how healing that was. I really enjoyed Bailey and Streeter’s realistic and heartwarming journey to happiness!

As a side note, this can be read as a stand alone even though it’s book ten in the series.

4 Suns

Berkley has generously offered up a copy of Spun Out by Lorelei James to one reader. The giveaway is open to US Residents only. Good luck!

Sunday Post #51

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 north at my daughter's house and unfortunately I'm sick. I feel like death warmed over. My daughter and her kids were sick and passed it on to me. Like I said, I feel totally horrible. We stayed in today and watched three movies from the Marvel Comics Universe since we didn't have any energy to do anything else. Hopefully, I'll kick this thing quickly, but if my daughter is any indication I won't be feeling good anytime soon. :(

Read:

Been super busy so all I've finished were two audio books. Enjoyed both and both are Kindle Unlimited.

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:

I love Loreth Anne White's dark atmospheric mystery/romances, and so of course I added In the Dark. I also downloaded the next two books from Kindle Unlimited of the Widow's Island novellas (see above) by Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh, but I'm too tired to add those covers above. They're quick, entertaining mysteries. 

Watched:

Yes, I watched four movies in two days because that's what you do when you're sick, lol. Well, that and feed and care for kids.  Sick moms never get a complete break. We put on a movies for them in the bedroom while we were watching these, or it was nap/bedtime. Wouldn't want to give the kids nightmares.

How was your week?