Review: Beach Read by Emily Henry

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Publication Date: May 19th 2020 by Berkley

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

About the book:

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

My Thoughts:

Hearing the title “Beach Read “ I think of a light, funny romance, and Beach Read was funny. Laugh-out-loud funny; parts that made me smile and giggle, but it was a lot more than that. Beach Read had depth and made me think. Made me think about relationships, how complex they are. How they can bring on such a range of emotions, good and bad, highs and sometimes intense lows, yet you’d bear all of that for someone you love.

January, a popular romance writer, is suffering from writer’s block and she needs to finish a book promised to her publisher by the end of the Summer. But she’s been dealt a hard blow. A disillusioned view of romance and happily-ever-afters don’t mix well with her deadline. So out of money and options January retreats to her father’s lake cottage to hunker down and write. Little does she know that she’s moved next door to Augustus Everette, her college nemesis, now an acclaimed literary author working on his own novel.  Their writing is polar opposite, and yet Gus share’s January’s problem: writer’s block. So, they strike a bet to help get out of the funk: he’ll write a rom-com, and she’ll write depressing but literary fiction without her signature HEA.

This was so much fun and yet full of soul-searching, longing, and lusty encounters! Gus and January have a shared history and yet they knew little of what actually made each other tick back in college. Both held some pre-conceived notions that were off the mark, and I loved it as they discovered the actual truth of both the past and present.  Both had some past hurts to get through, and as they do that together they grow closer and closer.  January’s afraid to lose her heart to dark, sexy, broody, Gus, and I was a little afraid for her, too! She didn’t need more heartbreak.

Oh, I just loved this story sooo much! The small-town setting of North Bear Shores, Michigan was magical! Just the kind of place I’d love to summer in, and I could picture the quaint cottages (like January and Gus’) lining the shores. There were quirky side characters that made me laugh and want to visit.  The writing was gorgeous without being pretentious or slowing the plot down and gave me all the feels!

Beach Read is a total recommend, one of my favorites of the year; one that’ll leave an impression! I’m still thinking of Gus and January’s story.

The Sunday Post #78

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 for me. My hours were back to normal and I was dead tired after work every day. 
We're painting my bedroom bookshelves this weekend. They were medium wood color and now will be white and I'm excited for the update. I might show before and after pictures next Sunday. 

Read:

Click on cover for Goodreads link:

So yeah, not much got done in the way of reading this last week. We've been binge watching Heartland and so my reading suffered.  I did absolutely love The Guest List, though!

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:

Click on cover for Goodreads link:

Looking forward to both audio books.

Watched:

Still binge watching Heartland. The hubby and I are addicted.We can't help ourselves! 

How was your week?

Audio Review: The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Publication Date: June 2nd 2020 by Harper Audio

Audio Book Length: 9 hrs 53 min 

Narrators: Jot Davies, Chloe Massie, Olivia Dowd, Aoife McMahon, Sarah Ovens & Rich Keeble

Source: Libro.fm & Publisher

Pages: 320

Links: Libro.fm | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

About the book:

A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the author of The Hunting Party.

The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

My Thoughts:

As the story begins, you’re propelled into the present day: The Wedding Night, as a storm rages with the feeling of impending doom. Quickly we’re taken back to the day before, getting to know the pertinent characters and their backstory, and I found it all riveting!

POVs:

Aoife: The Wedding Planner

Hannah: The Plus One

Jules: The Bride

Jono: The Best Man

Olivia: The Bridesmaid

The Guest List was an addictive mystery enhanced by a stark, isolated setting, lending an eerie, almost haunting quality to the story. In the description it’s compared to an Agatha Christie mystery, and I agree there are similarities: multiple POVs, most with a motive for murder, an atmospheric, beautiful setting, and a sense of justice (mostly) served by the end.  However, in the majority of Christie’s mysteries the murder happens early and the rest of the story is spent figuring out motive, interviewing suspects, getting down to what really happened and why.

Here in The Guest List we have a present day narrative, The Wedding Day, where something is about to go very wrong and someone is murdered, and then we flash back to the day before where the wedding party arrive to the island to join Will (the groom) and Jules as they prepare for the next day. It’s apparent from the beginning that there are darker undercurrents and things are not as perfect and beautiful as the couple seem. 

Oh, there are some very unlikable people here, ones you wouldn’t mind killing yourself!  I did have a few favorites, though, but there was no shortage of possible murderers, because plenty had a motive for murder. As the story goes on it becomes ever clearer who is at the center of motives, but still I wasn’t sure who would be killed.

I won’t say who I liked or hated because that alone could give away so much. I sort of knew the whys, which I think is important with a mystery like this. A reader needs to feel like they’re engaging in the solution, figuring it out along with the characters, and feel good about being right about their suspicions.  Still, I was surprised by a couple of twists and how it all played out. As I said, I was riveted until the end, wanting to see how it all turned out!

I listened to the audio version and I think it greatly enhanced an already fantastic story! There were multiple narrators, giving each character their own distinctive voice and unique perspective. Loved the accents! The multiple performers made it so I was never guessing who was telling the story as we switched back and forth between POVs, which is completely helpful with an audio. Ms. Foley aided with this, too, by labeling each change in narration. I highly recommend going the audio version route!

Lucy Foley is a new to me author, but not anymore! I’m looking forward to whatever she comes up with next!

Review: Alpha Night by Nalini Singh

Alpha Night (Psy-Changeling Trinity #4) by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: June 9th 2020 by Berkley

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads 

About the book:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her breathtaking Psy-Changeling Trinity series with a mating that shouldn’t exist…

Alpha wolf Selenka Durev’s devotion to her pack is equaled only by her anger at anyone who would harm those under her care. That currently includes the empaths who’ve flowed into her city for a symposium that is a security nightmare, a powder keg just waiting for a match.

Ethan Night is an Arrow who isn’t an Arrow. Numb and disengaged from the world, he’s loyal only to himself. Assigned as part of the security force at a world-first symposium, he carries a dark agenda tied to the power-hungry and murderous Consortium. Then violence erupts and Ethan finds himself crashing into the heart and soul of an alpha wolf.

Mating at first sight is a myth, a fairytale. Yet Selenka’s wolf is resolute: Ethan Night, broken Arrow and a man capable of obsessive devotion, is the mate it has chosen. Even if the mating bond is full of static and not quite as it should be. Because Selenka’s new mate has a terrible secret, his mind surging with a power that is a creature of madness and death…

My Thoughts:

Since the old constructs of Silence have crumbled and the divisions between the Psy, Changelings and humans have become less solid, everything is in flux. There is a secret faction that would like to ruin all the progress made toward unity and a desire to rule all three species.  This is the overreaching story arc at play in the series, but at the heart of each installment is a romance and is sort of a standalone story.  I do think a reader would benefit from reading in order to understand the continuing story behind all the attacks and dangers these groups face.

Alpha Night offers up an unlikely pair: Ethan, an Arrow and and Selenka, the Alpha of the Black Edge Wolf Pack. They’re thrown together after an attack on a joint symposium has them crossing paths and discovering they’re Mates. As in mating-at-first-sight…

The intense bond they share by mating, however, is shadowed by a force within Ethan that he keeps carefully reigned in; its forces ready to explode out at every turn. Being in a mating bond makes it difficult to keep this a secret, thank goodness, because Ethan needs help and Selenka is just the person to fight for her mate.

Loved the concept of a mating-at-first-sight, and with such an unlikely pair! Ethan’s a cold, efficient, deadly Arrow, and Selenka is a passionate fiery wolf-shifter. Both a strong power on their own.  Sounds like an odd match, but I do love me an intense opposites-attract romance! I! was so fun watching them navigate the complexities of a mating while trying to get to know each other; admiring each other, their strength and conviction, more and more as they do.  Ethan’s past broke my heart and I was happy he had Selenka in his corner. He needed unconditional devotion and love after what he went through. His devotion to Selenka and her Pack was also touching. He naturally fit in, despite coming from the cold, emotionless Silence protocol.

Selenka and Ethan were passionate and protective with each other. I’m happy that Selenka’s dominant nature didn’t scare Ethan or make him cower. He was a man confident enough to let his mate shine and take point when needed. He didn’t need to assert his own will or diminish Selenka in any way to feel more of a man, and it was lovely!

Nalini Singh has been nailing it with the Psy-Changeling Trinity series! I read a couple of the original series and enjoyed them, but there’s something about this new series I just love!

4 Suns

Sunday Post #77

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 weekend (which is why this is late). I went up to our place in Central California with family.  Cooked, babysat and did a six mile hike (pictures below).  

I had a large gopher/rattlesnake in my path.  Didn't want to get close enough to check! The weather was unusually cool for this time of year which was amazing for hiking.

Read:

Click on cover for Goodreads link:

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires wasn't your usual vampire book with the "nice" romantic versions.  Loved Alpha Night. Nalini Singh's spinoff from Psy-Changeling series has been a hit for me. This is my third time through Night Broken.  I don't know why I'm compelled to listen to Mercy while hiking, but I started it on my hike this weekend and finished it today. Still think Mercy deserves a medal for not strangling Christy!

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

I requested the audio at my library and it finally came through. Lovewrecked is an enemies to lovers romance and it sounds so good. It was up on Kindle Unlimited.

Watched:

Other than kids movies this weekend I continued binge-watching Heartland. I'm addicted!

How was your week?

Spotlight & Giveaway: The Persuasion by Iris Johansen

I've read a few of the Eve Duncan series in the past, long before Goodreads and it's a series I've meant to get back to, so I'm happy I've finally got the chance. I’m about a third of the way through The Persuasion right now which is focused on Eve's adoptive daughter, Jane.

Jane’s all grown-up and embroiled in her own dangers with Seth Caleb at her side. Jane’s not entirely happy about that as she broke things off with him, but she needs his help to find whoever has targeted her.  There's some passionate history between these two, and I can tell that even though technically they're no longer a couple it's just a matter of time before they're together again.  There's been some action and thrills and it's become apparent someone sinister has set their sights on Eve.

 I'm enjoying the story so I'm thrilled that the publisher has generously offered up two copies to giveaway to two readers! Scroll down below to fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win!

The Persuasion (Eve Duncan #26) by Iris Johansen

Publication Date: June 2nd 2020 by Grand Central Publishing

Pages: 464

Source: Publisher

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

About the book:

When Eve Duncan's daughter, Jane MacGuire, becomes a killer's target, Jane must team up with longtime love interest Seth Caleb in this thrilling novel from the #1 bestselling author of Smokescreen.

Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and ex-Navy Seal Joe Quinn are about to give Seth Caleb their trust for the most important duty of his life: keeping their daughter, Jane, safe at any cost. Her talent as an artist has caught the attention of a brilliant psychopath with a violent past.

Seth, Jane's strongest ally and fiercest protector, is determined to keep her out of danger, but that becomes nearly impossible when Jane is forced to take matters into her own hands and confronts the madman who wants her for himself...and wants Seth Caleb dead.

As Jane and Seth chase down their blood-thirsty adversary, they also have to reckon with their own epic love story. Can they finally commit to a life together, no matter how uncertain? As the two come face to face with danger, one thing is made clear: it will take both of them to confront and defeat this evil.

Grand Central Publishing has kindly provided two copies to giveaway to two readers! The giveaway is open to US and CA readers only. Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!

Review: The Cowboy Meets His Match by Jessica Clare

The Cowboy Meets His Match (The Wyoming Cowboy #4) by Jessica Clare

Publication Date: June 2nd 2020 by Berkley Books

Pages: 301

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

About the book:

A cowboy is in over his head in this contemporary Western from New York Times bestselling author Jessica Clare.
Single father Henry "Hank" Watson is a fresh transplant from Alaska to Painted Barrel, Wyoming. He doesn't want anything more from life than to put in a good day's work, then go home to his daughter, Libby. But when Libby needs some emergency work done on her curls thanks to a gum incident, Hank's out of his depth. He takes his daughter into town where he meets Becca, the local salon owner.

Becca's still nursing a broken heart after her ex dangled marriage in front of her, then bailed a few days before the wedding. She's done with men...or so she thinks. When she meets Hank and his little girl, she realizes that they need her help with more than just hair. It's clear they both need a woman in their lives.

Everyone in town thinks Hank is too gruff for someone as sweet as Becca. But what they don't realize is that he makes Becca feel loved. She can see a future with him and his adorable daughter...if they don't move back to Alaska.

My Thoughts:

Becca was jilted by her long-time fiancé two days before their wedding. Two years later the small town of Painted Barrel still laments her loss, and Becca is tired of being the sad girl left at the altar.  So when a big, silent, lumberjack of a man brings his cute daughter in with a hair emergency Becca sees the care and love he has for his daughter, finds out he’s single and asks him out on a date…and he says no.

Hank has a limited amount of experience with women being in a sparsely populated area of Alaska for most of his life. He’s been fooled by a woman before so when the pretty, soft, girly hairdresser asks him on a date it must be some sort of prank or scheme, right? Except Becca seems to act all out of heart helping his family when there’s nothing in it for her, and he falls a little more every time he lays on her.

Becca and Hank were such lovely characters, full of heart and emotions, made vulnerable by past hurts. I loved watching them gradually fall for each other, a little more each day.  I loved that this was a mature romance with no games played, each intensely attracted, but not wanting to get hurt again. 

I’ve been loving Jessica Clare’s Wyoming Cowboy series! The romances have been seriously hot, but also sweet and heartwarming. I can’t wait for Caleb and Amy’s romance to come after reading the little sneak peek at the end!