Reading Update: Page 1

 

July was a Month. But feeling unburdened and ready! 

And maybe time for a little villainy... 

Jacqueline is trying to revive her romance writing career, so she goes on a Bachelor-like reality show. 

While she seems to be the frontrunner for the bachelor's heart, a one night stand she had before the show, ends up being a producer and their chemistry doesn't seem to have ended at one night. 

Jac is trying to play the game but she's getting the villain edit and falling in love. 

This sounds juicy good! 

The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore purchase link

Review: Jewel Me Twice

Jewel Me Twice by Charish Reid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

After five years of not seeing her, Magnus had to know what trouble she was up to. 

It's been five years since Magnus walked away not only from their crew but from Celeste. Now, an antiques store owner by day, but not able to give up the thrill of thieving, Celeste works with Bea, a young woman she's befriended and trained. When a job has Celeste running into Magnus, and the death of their mentor, Dr. Doris Grant, has them working together again, the heat reignites between them. As they go on a stealing treasure hunt that Doris set-up for after her death, they'll have a second chance to decide what's really important and what they want out of life. 

And rather than see the woman he cared for jeopardize her life again, he left them all behind. 

Jewel Me Twice started off with a little bit of movie True Lies and Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibes that instantly captured my attention. The danger and heat simmering when Celeste and Magnus run into each other for the first time in five years while on a job, was definitely felt. The tension continued when they get delivered a red envelope alerting them that their mentor and the one who recruited them into her crew of thieves, has passed on but wants the old crew to get together at her home, where she'll send them on one last treasure hunt. It was, oddly, when the treasure hunt began that I thought the flow lost some of it's way. Celeste gets left Doris' diary and we get sections of what she had wrote. It becomes obvious that Doris feels some responsibility for how everything went down after a job failed that caused Magnus and Celeste to split. Doris sending them on the treasure hunt is her way of getting them back together and giving them their second chance to get things right.

Did they truly know each other? Beyond the intimacy they shared? 

Celeste and Magnus were older characters, forties, that were more set in their ways. There was some towards the end realizing how each was at fault for how things ended but Celeste's chip on her shoulder was a bit too real for most of the book for me. Her attitude towards Magnus fooled me even as the reader and I started to feel that she did only want Magnus for bedroom scenes and didn't have or want that deeper emotional connection with him. Some of her antagonism is from Magnus growing up rich, even though his parents died in a car crash when he was young, and knows he didn't start his thieving career from necessity, like her. There's also friction from Magnus not liking how Celeste takes chances and Celeste thinking he's too controlling on jobs. They have some working out about these feelings but I still felt the bulk of their relationship was bedroom scenes that, albeit, read on page hot but not emotionally grabbing and giving the depth I like and have me believing and connecting with their relationship. 

Along with Bea, there were two other secondary characters from their old crew, Lawrence and Santiago that brought some outer world rounding out; Bea and Santiago very much feel like they could be set-up for their own book. While they travel to Estonia and Sweden, we don't really spend a significant time there to really feel the settings and they were pretty efficient at their jobs, so, except for the last one, the heists felt more like a blip (since I'm personally obsessed with them, I have to mention, Fabergé egg bonus moment!). The last job brought in a princess and Interpol agent with some tangents that I felt didn't quite fit. I thought this started off strong but there was some not fitting quite right pieces, the riddles, treasure hunt, emotional connections, diary entries, that ultimately hurt the flow for me.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

What a Week that was, I'm doing nothing but relaxing and reading 

🍷📚 

He was her partner-both in crime and between the sheets.

Y'all 

Let me top off my wine glass 

It's been five years but to honor their mentor's wishes, Celeste and Magnus are going to have to put grudges behind them. 

High stakes, treasure hunting, and second chances 

Jewel Me Twice by Charish Reid preorder (July 23rd) link

Chipotle Lime Salmon recipe

Review: They Dream in Gold

They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

She knew nothing of the place in the world she and her mother came from, and as a child she believed that they had come from sound.

They Dream of Gold was a story of how the changing tides of life pull and push us while we're trying to set our feet firmly in the ground. As a debut, this is one of the best I've ever read, the flow from one point-of-view, timeline, and setting to another was tightly held together by the connections between the characters. This type of story could have so easily got away and fell apart but the author's writing style and tone keeps the traveling sands feel discussed in the author's note. I would consider Bonnie our main character and touchstone as she blows into other characters' lives and as she's with them, readers then get tangents into those character lives.

When we enter into Bonnie's life, it's 1969 Switzerland and she's heavily pregnant. Staying at her mother-in-law's home, the household is tense and stressed that they haven't heard from Mansour, Bonnie's husband. He's a musician who's been out on tour and when a radio report comes on that the women fear could hold the answer, Bonnie knows it's time to figure out what happened to Mansour. The story then branches out, giving us Bonnie's childhood, her mother couldn't take care of her when she was younger, so she left Paris to stay with her grandmother in Brooklyn, and then as each character, Bonnie's mother Claudine, Mama Eva, and the other two women staying in Mama Eva's home, Marie and Sokhna, along with Mansour and friends and colleagues Mansour makes along his way and how Bonnie and Mansour met, we flow into each characters' pov and visit their lives at certain times in their history. From 1969 Switzerland, 1949 Senegal, 1927 Alabama, and other times and places, the story manages to give intimate insights into what happened to these characters and how that has shaped and molded them in the 1969 present.

This structure sounds zig zaggy, but I promise it works, we never info dump stay with one character, it's more of a constant flowing around as the present search for Mansour is the central plot line for bringing in and connecting all these characters. As Mansour is a musician and that is a main part of what brought him and Bonnie together, it's all around in the story and what I'd keep in mind if you're more of a linear reader to help you get into the flow of this. There were moments of quiet devastation, fierce love, hope, and strength that will keep you thinking about these characters for a long time. Historical events were in the background and forefront at times to ground the reader in the time and place of the character pov you're reading at the time, adding more layers to the characters. This was an amazing story on how other's not only affect our lives as they come into and leave it, but how we carry and pass on, whether familial, friendship, or romantic, those little grains of emotional experiences from one generation to another. There was so much to experience and feel in this, that I can't recommend it enough.

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50%

This is a debut??? 

The author and editor showed all the way up making this one of the best tightly constructed stories, especially since there are time jumps and character pov changes happening frequently!, I've read for a while. 

Hoping the second half lives up to the first and Bonnie's journey doesn't end in total heartbreak

Review: A Novel Love Story

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.7 stars 

I had a great time reading this with Wanda, for thoughts and comments: Novel Love Story Buddy Read 

A woman trying to get over heartache ends up in her favorite romance series 

Loved the magical realism aspect of winding up in your favorite romance series town and seeing the characters in their element. 

Loved the highlighting of romance tropes and the commentary on why romance books are special to readers but also how it's important to keep perspective on real and fictionalized. 

This definitely has romance but at times it's in that lit fiction vein and probably not first or second for what I loved about this the most. Ending has a little bit of rushed feeling but really enjoyed reading this one.

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50%

So many questions, who is Anders really?!?

A Novel Love Story Buddy Read

Reading Update: 10%

 

Traveling the globe this Monday 

Bonnie's pregnant at her mother-in-law's house in Switzerland when the radio reports a body found in the waters by Geneva. The women of the house fear it's Mansour, as he hasn't contacted anyone for weeks while on his band tour. 

Not wanting to believe it, Bonnie sets out to find out what happened. As Bonnie travels the globe in 1969, the story glides around to other timelines and povs of the other women in Mansour's life. 

It's an intimate look at intercultural relationships, dreams, pasts, people, places, times, and how one person can connect and affect so many different lives. 

They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar preorder (July 30th) link

Hawaiian Shrimp Bowls recipe

Reading Update 10%

Alone. In a rainstorm. In a no-name town in the middle of the woods. Without cell phone reception. 

Liking the vibe feel, light Gothic?, of how this one is starting off 

Buddy reading with Wanda over on GoodReads if anyone else wants to join!

A Novel Love Story Buddy Read

Review: The Au Pair Affair

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.7 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

A nanny job should be a cakewalk, right? 

The Au Pair Affair is second in the Big Shots series were the friends of the main couple from book one, get their time to shine. Tallulah is in a cafe across from Burgess' penthouse, when she catches a clip of the hockey player elbowing an opposing player in the nose. Even though her gut told her she could trust Burgess and really got along with his twelve year old daughter Lissa, the trauma of surviving one man who hid his true self until it was too late for Tallulah, is now resurfacing. Even when Burgess walks into the cafe and Tallulah gets those calming vibes from him, she's scared to trust herself. It's not until Burgess' scheme to pay the majority of rent to make sure Tallulah is safe with a teammate's almost step-sister, that Tallulah decides to trust her instincts and take the job. While Burgess is trying to respect the boundaries of their age difference, eleven years, and boss/employee dynamic, Tallulah is ready to act on all that steamy chemistry between them, but wants to keep it no strings. Burgess knows they have the real thing though, he'll accept nothing but hearts fully committed. 

“Give me a chance to show you that you’re safe with me.”

I had no problems jumping into the series here and liked how the story got rolling right away. Tallulah and Burgess had palpable heat right away, something that Bailey excels at and was much appreciated. Bailey also knew what she was doing when she made Burgess the one who wanted their relationship to be real and committed. Having him lay his cards out right away, his serious feelings for Tallulah, worked because it plays into his more mature age, thirty-seven, and helps take away any ick feelings to their boss/nanny relationship with giving Tallulah the decision making control. Tallulah wants to sleep with Burgess but is still working to fully reclaim her daring, live life to the fullest self after her traumatic experience (we get Tallulah telling Burgess about what happened later in the story). Burgess was never pushy but never let an opportunity to show Tallulah who he was pass-by, he says he'll be her bodyguard when she's nervous to do some daring bucket list items, like skinny dipping. It all works because he's there supporting her, while having the hots for her, and Tallulah's in the driver's seat for their encounters but always getting tempted by Burgess. 

Tallulah did a little skip as she reached him and his heart followed suit. Yeah. Yeah, she was worth trying for. 

Along with Tallulah learning to trust herself again, there's some of Burgess having angst over his age and how it's leading to the eventual end of his career and how he's having issues connecting with his daughter Lissa. There's not a lot of hockey in this, more like peripherally job shading in but how Tallulah bonds with Lissa and helps Burgess' relationship with his daughter definitely added a sweet strengthening block to their relationship. Just when Tallulah is deciding to fully go with her gut, some of the danger on the horizon hinted at comes into play and the second half has an angst moment where Lissa's preteen emotions and hopes throws a wedge into Tallulah and Burgess' relationship and when Burgess gets a serious injury, he lashes out with hurtful words, shattering some of that trust Tallulah had built up. 

He usually defended other people, but . . . she’d come to his defense? 

The third act breakup happens early enough in the latter second half, that we get a good look at Burgess actionable working for it to get Tallulah back and a believable working through her emotions Tallulah. A little forced proximity at the wedding of book one's couple, will probably delight readers of the series as they get another look at their HEA. Overall, this felt more refined than earlier works of Bailey I've read and I thought made this read even better, the hotness is still there but I believed in the emotion even more. There feels like a set-up happening between one of Burgess' teammates and the teammate's not quite step-sister that has me desperately wanting to read their book and I hope it's next in the series. This, had Burgess knowing what he wants and won't compromise for it but always supporting and protecting and Tallulah building herself back up with her own strength but only growing stronger when she leaned on Burgess' support, and hotness, don't forget the hotness.

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Reading Update: Page 1

The NHL season is over, Congrats, Panthers!, but summer calls for a Tessa Bailey 

Tallulah needs the money to keep studying to be a marine biologist, so she jumps at the chance to be a live-in nanny. 

Burgess is a hockey veteran and newly single dad, whose daughter wants her parents back together, even as he tries to get back on the dating scene. 

I think we all know where this is headed! Tallulah and Burgess have that inconvenient chemistry that has Tallulah trying to walk away, and Burgess putting it on the line for his second chance 

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey preorder (July 16th) link

Chipotle BBQ Shrimp Tacos recipe

Reading Update: 10%

She only comes up to his shoulder, "so big he could beat her senseless" but wait, what's that smell? 

SANDALWOOD 

Nevermind, hots being had now 

He would gain more than a wife for his keep. He would also have a woman who was not only pleasing to his eyes, but one rumoured to be well versed in bed. 

A THREE FOR ONE 

Starting off with everyone winning

Review: Meet Me in Tahiti

Meet Me in Tahiti by Georgia Toffolo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

But Finn hadn't needed to be told: he'd always known Zoe was off-limits. 

Meet Me in Tahiti is the third book in the Meet Me series about four childhood friends that experienced a traumatic car accident in their senior year that has left lasting marks on each one in different ways into their adulthood. Zoe was the rich girl fairy princess that her parents and everyone in town coddled, this only increased when she became a paraplegic after the accident. Finn was the boy who had to drop out of school to work three jobs to help his ailing mother, but for a summer where they both worked at a restaurant together, Finn and Zoe recognized and were drawn to something in the other. For two years they danced around each other until after Zoe's accident has Finn finally making a move, only to be rejected harshly by a Zoe who was hurt and in pain about her new circumstances. Now, when they meet twelve years later, they're still drawn to each other but that old pain is still there too. 

He wanted time with her. 

This had a sweet and lightness to it, with a first half that had Finn just absolutely sick for Zoe that captured my heart. I'm serious, when Zoe shows up at his hotel resort, oh yes, kid from the wrong side of the tracks Finn does good and is now an owner of six hotel resorts, he's supposed to fly out the next day. He keeps making up excuses, and it will have you almost feeling sorry for the guy because of how helpless he is over her. We get some reminiscing flashbacks to Zoe and Finn during that summer together and then the two years and ultimate breaking point of when Zoe was harsh with him. The angst is all about Finn during his younger years staying away because he didn't feel good enough for Zoe and how that has carried over to him as an adult. Finn staying at the resort with Zoe though, is all about him wanting to show her that he's good enough for her now, so he's pretty much all-in from the beginning. Zoe for her part, felt too young and unexciting for the two years older Finn when they younger and now as an adult, still won't believe that he could ever like her like that. So, we have two people who are both wanting to get together, Zoe finds adult Finn even more attractive and definitely wants to start something with him, so why is this book three hundred pages? Well, we do get that sweet yearning and tension in the first half but the second half drags out with multiple rinse and repeat moments of stop, go, and misunderstanding. 

She laughed. “Are you only interested in one thing?” There was the smile, the glow, the heat, that promise. 

“Depends how you classify one thing.” 

One thing. The one thing was her. 

When they meet back-up as adults, Zoe is twenty-eight and Finn thirty, they do have some younger feel to them, especially Zoe with her “giggling” and covering her face whenever she's flustered, if the giggling hadn't been repeated so many times, it wouldn't have tripped me up as much, because these two did have a sense of reverting to their when-we-met younger selves that, mostly, worked tone. They share some kisses in the second half but the door is firmly closed in this one, they're headed to bed and then Zoe's waking up in the morning with a quick mention that they did sleep together. 

And it was at that precise moment that Zoe fell in love. 

I really enjoyed how Zoe's disability wasn't an element of the story but rather a part of her character, she's a travel writer and while she obviously acknowledges, lives, deals with other people's missteps, and thinks about accessibility, it wasn't forced but simply the fabric of her life. Having Finn growing up with a mother who taught him a lot in this regard and then him, obviously, thinking about Zoe when working to design the resort in Tahiti, really laid down a strong foundation building block in their relationship. All the secondary characters played their parts and helped to fill out the world and add to different dynamics of our two main characters. There's not a lot of the series connection friends in this but they share phone calls for some appearances. As the vast majority of the story takes place at the island resort, you'll also get some great tropical setting with descriptions of food, flowers, and some boat rides. I lost my heart to Finn and how much he just wanted to be around Zoe in the first half but there were a bit too many stop and repeat moments in the second that wore me out some. There's a grand gestures ending, covert by Finn and overt by Zoe, that will make you smile and if you're looking for an island setting and a sweet, trembling but trying couple, you'll want to pick this one up.

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