• Home
  • The Blogger
  • Review Style andu0026nbsp;Ratings
  • Contact

Always Bring Books

  • TTT: Books That Give Off Summer Vibes

    June 2nd, 2020

    Hello! How are you? This week I’m diving back into Top Ten Tuesday, which was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

    The topic is books that give off summer vibes (or winter if you live in the southern hemisphere). I’ve chosen ten books from my TBR that either have summery covers or are coming out this summer and have me eagerly awaiting their release.


    My Summer of Love and Misfortune by Lindsay Wong

    Expected publication: June 2nd 2020 (today!)

    Iris Wang is having a bit of a rough start to her summer. In an attempt to snap her out of her funk, Iris’s parents send her away to visit family in Beijing, with the hopes that Iris will “reconnect with her culture” and “find herself.” Iris resents her parents’ high-handedness, but even she admits that this might be a good opportunity to hit the reset button.

    Iris expects to eat a few dumplings, meet some of her family, and visit a tourist hotspot or two. What she doesn’t expect is to meet a handsome Mandarin-language tutor named Frank and to be swept up in the ridiculous, opulent world of Beijing’s wealthy elite, leading her to unexpected and extraordinary discoveries about her family, her future, and herself.

    Beach Read by Emily Henry

    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.

    Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

    Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn’t come at a worse time—threatening Emma’s promotion and Jo’s new movie.

    As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a “source” is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is “no comment”.

    With the launch of Jo’s film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all…but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames?

    All Adults Here by Emma Straub

    When Astrid Strick witnesses a school bus accident in the center of town, it jostles loose a repressed memory from her young parenting days decades earlier. Suddenly, Astrid realizes she was not quite the parent she thought she’d been to her three, now-grown children. But to what consequence?

    Astrid’s youngest son is drifting and unfocused, making parenting mistakes of his own. Her daughter is intentionally pregnant yet struggling to give up her own adolescence. And her eldest seems to measure his adult life according to standards no one else shares. But who gets to decide, so many years later, which long-ago lapses were the ones that mattered? Who decides which apologies really count? It might be that only Astrid’s thirteen-year-old granddaughter and her new friend really understand the courage it takes to tell the truth to the people you love the most.

    In All Adults Here, Emma Straub’s unique alchemy of wisdom, humor, and insight come together in a deeply satisfying story about adult siblings, aging parents, high school boyfriends, middle school mean girls, the lifelong effects of birth order, and all the other things that follow us into adulthood, whether we like them to or not.

    One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

    Expected publication: July 7th 2020

    Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers–and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?

    Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition–under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She’s in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That’s it.

    But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She’s in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale. In this joyful, razor-sharp debut, Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men–and herself–for a chance to live happily ever after.

    Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

    Expected publication: June 30th 2020 

    From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico—“fans of classic novels like Jane Eyre and Rebecca are in for a suspenseful treat” (PopSugar).

    After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

    Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

    Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

    And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

    Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

    Expected publication: June 16th 2020

    As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined . . . until now.

    But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing–and too earth-shattering in its implications–to be forgotten.

    In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it.

    Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and inevitably, of savagery and death.

    Yet it is also far more than that.

    Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us–and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

    Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it–and like none you’ve ever read before.

    Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

    Expected publication: July 21st 2020

    Truth is a human right.

    It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father. Even though Cora hasn’t spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government—and with him in hiding, that attention is on her. She neither knows nor cares whether her father’s leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him—until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades.

    Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to uncover the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary. The alien presence has been completely uncommunicative until she convinces one of them that she can act as their interpreter, becoming the first and only human vessel of communication. Their otherworldly connection will change everything she thought she knew about being human—and could unleash a force more sinister than she ever imagined.

    The Guest List by Lucy Foley

    Expected publication: June 2nd 2020 (today!)

    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?

    Afterland by Lauren Beukes

    Expected publication: July 28th 2020

    Twelve-year-old Miles is one of the last boys alive, and his mother, Cole, will protect him at all costs. On the run after a horrific act of violence-and pursued by Cole’s own ruthless sister, Billie — all Cole wants is to raise her kid somewhere he won’t be preyed on as a reproductive resource or a sex object or a stand-in son. Someplace like home.

    To get there, Cole and Miles must journey across a changed America in disguise as mother and daughter. From a military base in Seattle to a luxury bunker, from an anarchist commune in Salt Lake City to a roaming cult that’s all too ready to see Miles as the answer to their prayers, the two race to stay ahead at every step . . . even as Billie and her sinister crew draw closer.

    A sharply feminist, high-stakes thriller from award-winning author Lauren Beukes, Afterland brilliantly blends psychological suspense, American noir, and science fiction into an adventure all its own — and perfect for our times.


    What books that give off summer vibes are you looking forward to?

    Happy reading!

  • Books Coming Out This Summer

    June 1st, 2020

    Hello! I hope this finds you well.

    Today I’m sharing a list of five books coming out this summer that I can’t wait to get my hands on. Most are YA, and links go to Goodreads.


    The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson

    Expected publication: June 2nd 2020

    When Dean Arnault’s mother decided to run for president, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone, least of all her son. But still that doesn’t mean Dean wants to be part of the public spectacle that is the race for the White House—at least not until he meets Dre.

    The only problem is that Dre Rosario’s on the opposition; he’s the son of the Democratic nominee. But as Dean and Dre’s meet-ups on the campaign trail become less left to chance, their friendship quickly becomes a romantic connection unlike any either of the boys have ever known.

    If it wasn’t hard enough falling in love across the aisle, the political scheming of a shady third-party candidate could cause Dean and Dre’s world to explode around them.

    Shaun David Hutchinson is one of my favorite authors of all time. I’m beyond excited for this book.

    The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

    Expected publication: July 14th 2020

    Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right?

    After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick’s best friend (and maybe the love of his life).

    Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl meets Marissa Meyer’s Renegades in TJ Klune’s YA debut.

    I received an ARC of this from Tor Teen recently, but it’s been on my tbr since March. TJ Klune is such a gifted writer.

    I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch

    Expected publication: July 28th 2020

    Rhodes and Iliana couldn’t be more different, but that’s not why they hate each other.

    Hyper-gifted artist Rhodes has always excelled at Alabama’s Conservatory of the Arts despite a secret bout of creator’s block, while transfer student Iliana tries to outshine everyone with her intense, competitive work ethic. Since only one of them can get the coveted Capstone scholarship, the competition between them is fierce.

    They both escape the pressure on a fanfic site where they are unknowingly collaborating on a graphic novel. And despite being worst enemies in real life, their anonymous online identities I-Kissed-Alice and Curious-in-Cheshire are starting to like each other…a lot. When the truth comes out, will they destroy each other’s future?

    Anna Birch is a new-to-me author, and this is a premise I can’t resist!

    The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

    Expected publication: June 9th 2020

    Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings. If they were real, her mother would still be able to remember her name and not in a care home with early onset dementia. A condition that Saoirse may one day turn out to have inherited. So she’s not looking for a relationship. She doesn’t see the point in igniting any romantic sparks if she’s bound to burn out.

    But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.

    Unbothered by Saoirse’s no-relationships rulebook, Ruby proposes a loophole: They don’t need true love to have one summer of fun, complete with every cliché, rom-com montage-worthy date they can dream up—and a binding agreement to end their romance come fall. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren’t forgetting one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it’s over, the characters actually fall in love… for real.

    This is Ciara Smyth’s debut, and I’m really looking forward to reading a teen lesbian romance.

    Loveless by Alice Oseman

    Expected publication: July 9th 2020

    Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.

    As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.

    But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.

    Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?

    I haven’t read any of Alice Oseman’s books (yet). This is definitely one I can’t miss.


    What are you looking forward to reading this summer?

    Until next time, friends. Happy reading!

  • #Rombklove 2020: Day 1 Comfort Reads

    May 1st, 2020

    Hello, friends! How are you today? Can you believe it’s already May?

    Since I missed it last year, I decided to participate in #Rombklove this month. It’s a month-long celebration of the romance genre brought to you by Ana Coqui.

    Here are the prompts for the month:

    #RomBkLove May 2020 prompts

    Day 1: Comfort Reads

    day 1: comfort reads #Rombklove

    This is a great prompt because this past month I’ve been doing a lot of comfort reading and, more recently, thinking about what authors and subgenres are comforting to me.

    I’m not much of a re-reader so I don’t have specific go-to books, but I do have authors I’ve turned to when the anxiety and/or stress has ramped up. One of them is the inimitable Tessa Dare. I listened to The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2) last month, and it was precisely what I needed. It’s narrated by Mary Jane Wells, who is an excellent voice actor. It made me laugh and boosted my hope in humanity, and I loved the heroine Alex. Here’s a more in depth review of the book.

    Another of my go-to authors for comfort reads is Sarah MacLean. Her books are feminist and lovingly written. One of my favorites of hers is A Scot in the Dark (Scandal & Scoundrel #2), which I read in 2018 and then convinced a friend to borrow last year. It features one of my all-time favorite couples, Lily Hargrove and Alec Stuart, the Duke of Warnick, an imposing, broody Scotsman.

    Because of my love of Sarah MacLean’s books, I’m currently reading Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards #2). Hattie is a savvy, curvy, and determined heroine, and I’m quite fond of her.

    So it would seem historical romances featuring smart, determined female characters have provided the comfort reads I’ve needed recently. Perfectly fine with me.


    What books, authors, and/or tropes do you go to for comfort reads?

    Until next time, friends!

    Litsy | Goodreads | Instagram

  • Book Review: The Virgin and the Rogue by Sophie Jordan

    April 28th, 2020

    Hello, friends and fellow readers! How are you? I hope the day is treating you well, and you’re safe and healthy.

    I’m sharing a review of a new release that’s out today.

    The Virgin and the Rogue (The Rogue Files #6) by Sophie Jordan

    Charlotte Langley, being the cautious sister of her family, has agreed to marry her lifelong friend. When she drinks a cordial that’s supposed to help relieve her discomfort on the night of a dinner involving her betrothed’s family, the cordial turns out to act as an aphrodisiac that elicits in Charlotte a desire for Kingston, a man who isn’t her fiancé. He’s the visiting stepbrother of her brother-in-law the Duke of Warrington. Sexy shenanigans ensue.

    I loved this book! The unique premise attracted me in the first place, and the fact that Charlotte begins the story experiencing the onset of the painful cramps that precede her menstruation hooked me in. Not at all what I’ve come to expect from historical romance, to be honest, but completely welcome. (And relatable.)

    Since the idea of someone being dosed can be problematic because consent, I want to be clear about how it’s handled in the book.

    Somewhat spoilers ahead:

    Charlotte is given the tonic that turns out to be a kind of aphrodisiac by her sister Nora, an herbalist and scientist who gives her a tonic for her pain every month but has tinkered with the ingredients this time around. The fact that neither one of the main characters dosed each other and that the tonic’s effects were essentially an accident allowed me to read through their first sexual encounter without feeling squicky. Having said that, I know these events are going to affect different readers in different ways.

    What I loved about the book was the character growth of both Charlotte and Kingston. Their interactions with and attraction to each other lead to the two of them realizing their own true worth. This realization allows them to break out of their predefined roles and choose each other. In that way, the title of the book is perfect.

    Besides the extremely satisfying and lovely character growth of the relatable main characters, the rompy plot was enjoyable and fun, with just a touch of angst, and the steamy scenes were well done (read: hot). I gave the book 4 stars on Goodreads. This is the kind of historical romance I’m here for.

    I look forward to reading more by Sophie Jordan.

    ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.


    Have you read anything good lately?

    Until next time, friends. Stay safe.

    Instagram | Goodreads | Litsy

  • Mini Book Reviews

    April 23rd, 2020

    Good afternoon, friends! I hope you’re doing ok and are staying safe wherever you are.

    Today, I have spoiler-free book reviews of a few thrillers I’ve read recently.

    The Banker’s Wife by Cristina Alger

    After Annabel Werner’s husband, a banker for an offshore bank, boards a private plan to Geneva that disappears, he is presumed dead, and Annabel begins searching for answers. She comes to the conclusion that his death wasn’t an accident and that she may be in danger, too. At the same time, society journalist Marina Tourneau has finally made her dream come true now that she’s engaged to Grant Ellis, the son of a powerful billionaire. After the sudden death of her mentor, Marina decides to do one more story, and she uncovers information that points to some of the most powerful men in the world of finance.

    Holy crap! I devoured this book. Talk about a page-turner. Intrigue and plot twists abound, and the momentum never lets up.

    The subject matter was very timely. It involved events I can believe are happening right now in the world, unfortunately.

    I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

    Alger definitely knows how to write a stylish thriller. I look forward to reading her other books.


    Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

    I ended up starting this book late the other night after flying through The Banker’s Wife. I wanted another fast-paced read, and this shaped up to be very tense and a bit of a rollercoaster ride.

    Vivian Miller is a CIA analyst in counterintelligence trying to discover the identities of leaders of Russian sleeper cells in the U.S. Whilst accessing the computer of a probable Russian agent, she stumbles upon a secret that changes everything for her.

    It was a fun, quick read. Not really what I expected, but I don’t read a lot of spy thrillers. (Perhaps it’s time to change that.) I figured out most of the major twists, not an uncommon occurrence for me.

    I have mixed feelings (read: frustration) about the main character’s actions and behavior. But I don’t go into a thriller expecting great characterization.

    I appreciated that one of the book’s themes is the problematic idea of the question “Can women have it all?”

    I gave the book 3 stars on Goodreads.

    TW for manipulation/gas lighting.


    Have you read these books? What did you think?

    Litsy | Goodreads | Instagram

  • WWW Wednesday

    April 22nd, 2020

    Hello, friends! How are you? I hope your day is going well and you’re continuing to stay safe.

    Today is Earth Day, and it’s a hot and sunny one (91 degrees Fahrenheit) where I am.

    Welcome to another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words. It involves answering three W questions:

    What are you currently reading?
    What did you recently finish reading?
    What do you think you’ll read next?


    What I’m Currently Reading

    The Expats by Chris Pavone

    I’m not very far into this yet, but I’m not sure how I feel about it or if I’ll keep reading. There’s something off about the tone for me. Maybe the book is still finding its footing? We shall see.

    Coraline by Neil Gaiman

    I’m reading this children’s fantasy novel for my IRL book club. We’re meeting virtually next week to discuss it.

    What I Recently Finished Reading

    Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

    I read this book in one day. It’s a very quick read about a CIA analyst in Russian counter-intelligence who discovers something that changes everything and tests her loyalty. I’ll be sharing a spoiler-free review of it soon.

    What I’m Reading Next

    I have no idea! Lol. Since I’m a mood reader, I’ll probably browse Overdrive/Libby and my bookshelves to see if anything catches my eye.


    What about you? What are you currently reading? Have you recently finished anything good?

    Litsy | Goodreads

  • Manic Monday: Currently Reading

    April 20th, 2020

    Hello, friends! I hope today’s treating you well and you’re staying safe.

    It’s Monday again, so I’m back with a rundown of what I’m currently reading.


    What I’m Reading

    Info: Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

    January 23rd 2018 from Ballantine Books

    Summary: What do you do when everything you trust might be a lie?

    Vivian Miller is a dedicated CIA counterintelligence analyst assigned to uncover the leaders of Russian sleeper cells in the United States. On track for a much-needed promotion, she’s developed a system for identifying Russian agents, seemingly normal people living in plain sight.

    After accessing the computer of a potential Russian operative, Vivian stumbles on a secret dossier of deep-cover agents within America’s borders. A few clicks later, everything that matters to her—her job, her husband, even her four children—are threatened.

    Vivian has vowed to defend her country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. But now she’s facing impossible choices. Torn between loyalty and betrayal, allegiance and treason, love and suspicion, who can she trust?

    I picked this ebook up on a whim on Overdrive late last night. I had just finished devouring a different thriller, The Banker’s Wife by Cristina Alger (review to come soon) and was looking for something with similar pacing and deft writing. I proceeded to fly through the first 20% of Need to Know before succumbing to the need for sleep on my couch.

    I’ve found mystery/suspense/thrillers provide great distractions and escape during these bizarre and depressing times of whiplash-fast change. And my local library has been a great source of backlist titles that I never got around to reading when they first came out.


    Books I DNF’d Last Week

    Not surprisingly, the list is somewhat long!

    Info: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

    This travel/adventure memoir returned to the library in Libby before I could renew it, and I don’t feel the need to continue reading it at the moment. With that said, I will probably eventually return to it, as it’s well-written and fascinating.

    Info: A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian

    The fact that I dnf’d this book last week doesn’t mean it’s not a good book, or even that I didn’t like it. As a mood reader, I don’t make myself finish reading a book that I’m not interested in. Life’s too short. Reading historical romance in ebook or paper format isn’t my cup of tea right now.

    Info: How Not to Fall by Emily Foster

    Info: Headliners (London Celebrities #5) by Lucy Parker

    How Not to Fall as well as Headliners are both on my “DNF or finish later” Goodreads shelf now because I plan to finish reading them at some point in the future.


    What are you currently reading? What kind of books have you been reading? Do you DNF books?

    Until next time, friends. Happy reading!

    • Instagram
    • Goodreads
    • Link
  • First Lines Fridays

    April 17th, 2020

    Hi, friends! I hope today is treating you all right and you’re staying sane during these strange times.

    First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

    • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page.
    • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first.
    • Finally… reveal the book!

    Ballard and Jenkins rolled up on the house on El Centro shortly before midnight. It was the first call of the shift. There was already a patrol cruiser at the curb out front and Ballard recognized the two blue suiters standing on the front porch of the bungalow with a gray-haired woman in a bathrobe.


    Sound familiar? Any guesses?

    The Late Show (Renée Ballard #1) by Michael Connelly

    July 18th 2017 from Little, Brown and Company


    Summary: Renée Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing none as each morning she turns her cases over to day shift detectives. A once up-and-coming detective, she’s been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.

    But one night she catches two cases she doesn’t want to part with: the brutal beating of a prostitute left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a nightclub shooting. Ballard is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her own partner’s wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night. As the cases entwine they pull her closer to her own demons and the reason she won’t give up her job no matter what the department throws at her.


    This is one of my current reads. I began it this morning shortly after waking up (sometimes I read while still in bed as my brain’s coming online lol). Because the new season of Bosch, one of my favorite TV series, became available today, I was thinking yesterday about reading Michael Connelly’s books. Bosch is an Amazon original based on Connelly’s Harry Bosch series of detective novels.

    A still from season two of Bosch.

    I was able to check out the first book in Michael Connelly’s newest series about LAPD detective Renée Ballard thanks to Overdrive and my local library. I’m not crazy about the premise of the book, but I like Ballard so far.


    Until next time, friends. Happy reading and stay safe.

    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Goodreads
    • Link
  • Book Review: The Governess Game by Tessa Dare

    April 16th, 2020

    Hello, friends! I hope you’re hanging in there during this rough time.

    Today I’m sharing a review of a book I loved.

    Let’s get right to it!

    The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2) by Tessa Dare

    August 28th 2018 from Avon

    Buy: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

    Alexandra Mountbatten makes her living setting clocks when she finds herself having to accept a post as governess to two unruly orphans. Their guardian is Chase Reynaud, the heir to a dukedom and the man Alex refers to as the “Bookshop Rake,” after they literally run into each other at a book shop called Hatchard’s.

    I adored this book. The Governess Game is delightful and funny, with a touch of angst and a cast of wonderfully drawn and wonderfully endearing characters. One or two scenes made me laugh aloud–a rare occurrence when I’m reading.

    Alex is one of my favorite heroines that I’ve read so far this year. She’s intelligent, independent, ambitious, determined, and refuses to put up with disrespect from Chase. Her goal is to turn her love of astronomy into her profession, and she shows herself to possess savvy in how to go about it.

    The witty banter between Alex and Chase is always on point. The two of them make for a very ahem interesting dynamic on page. The tension between them is fire, and the sexy scenes are steamy and so well rendered.

    I also enjoyed how much Chase’s two wards Rosamund and Daisy brought to the story. They are precocious, but in a believable way, due to what they went through prior to landing with Chase. Their scenes with Chase and Alex are the ones that made me laugh aloud. And, without Rosamund and Daisy, the book’s overarching theme of found family wouldn’t resonate as well as it does.

    I gave the book 4.5 stars on Goodreads. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because the pacing felt a little off to me, particularly in the latter half of the novel. Part of it was Chase’s sometimes immature and self-sabotaging behavior. (Thankfully, he eventually pulls his head out of his own rear end.)

    I listened to most of the audiobook–narrated by the fantastic voice actor Mary Jane Wells–in one night and then stayed up late the next night to finish it. It was exactly what I needed to read earlier this week, considering all of the upsetting headlines coming out daily.

    With The Governess Game, Tessa Dare has become a go-to author for me, and I plan to check out the rest of her backlist ASAP.


    Have you read this book? What did you think?

    I hope you’re staying safe. Until next time, friends.

    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Goodreads
  • WWW Wednesday

    April 15th, 2020

    Hello, friends! I hope you’re doing well wherever you are.

    Welcome to another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

    There are three W questions to answer:

    What are you currently reading?
    What did you recently finish reading?
    What do you think you’ll read next?

    What I’m Reading

    Devil’s Daughter (The Ravenels #5) by Lisa Kleypas

    February 19th 2019 from Avon

    Buy: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

    Summary: Although beautiful young widow Phoebe, Lady Clare, has never met West Ravenel, she knows one thing for certain: he’s a mean, rotten bully. Back in boarding school, he made her late husband’s life a misery, and she’ll never forgive him for it. But when Phoebe attends a family wedding, she encounters a dashing and impossibly charming stranger who sends a fire-and-ice jolt of attraction through her. And then he introduces himself…as none other than West Ravenel.

    West is a man with a tarnished past. No apologies, no excuses. However, from the moment he meets Phoebe, West is consumed by irresistible desire…not to mention the bitter awareness that a woman like her is far out of his reach. What West doesn’t bargain on is that Phoebe is no straitlaced aristocratic lady. She’s the daughter of a strong-willed wallflower who long ago eloped with Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent—the most devilishly wicked rake in England.

    Before long, Phoebe sets out to seduce the man who has awakened her fiery nature and shown her unimaginable pleasure. Will their overwhelming passion be enough to overcome the obstacles of the past?

    Only the devil’s daughter knows…

    I started reading this earlier today, so I don’t have much to say about it yet–except how much I like the pretty cover. After reading a sample on Libby (thanks, library!) and then seeing the 6 month long waitlist for their one ebook copy, I borrowed the audiobook version. It’s narrated by Mary Jane Wells, who might be a new favorite narrator of mine.

    What I Recently Finished Reading

    The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2) by Tessa Dare

    August 28th 2018 from Avon

    Buy: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

    Summary: After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud: duke’s heir in the streets and devil in the sheets. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart . . . without risking her own.

    Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education—in pleasure. That should prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling . . . and he’s in danger of falling, hard.

    I stayed up late last night to finish reading The Governess Game despite feeling tired because I stayed up late the night before reading it. That’s how much I enjoyed this historical romance.

    What I Might Read Next

    Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane #1) by Elizabeth Hoyt

    August 1st 2010 from Grand Central Publishing

    Buy: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

    Summary: Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London’s most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she’s spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk . . .

    Caire makes a simple offer-in return for Temperance’s help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to London’s high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as cold calculation soon falls prey to a passion that neither can control-one that may well destroy them both.

    I’m not sure if this will be the book I read next, but it’s definitely at the top of my ever-growing tbr. I’ve heard good things about the Maiden Lane series, and Wicked Intentions is currently on sale for $1.99 on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.


    Have you read any of these books? What are you currently reading?

    Until next time, friends. Stay safe!

    • Instagram
    • Goodreads
    • Link
←Previous Page
1 2 3 4 … 9
Next Page→

Blog at WordPress.com.

 

Loading Comments...
 

    • Follow Following
      • Always Bring Books
      • Join 97 other followers
      • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
      • Always Bring Books
      • Edit Site
      • Follow Following
      • Sign up
      • Log in
      • Report this content
      • View site in Reader
      • Manage subscriptions
      • Collapse this bar