Reading Update: 30%

 

Monday and kicking it into gear with a contemporary romance. This takes place in Wisconsin but here in MN we still have a good amount of snow on the ground, so seems fitting. 

Poppy's mom died when she was young, and she had to step up to take care of her two younger sisters, but now she's tired of them being so dependent on her all the time. 

Taking a much needed two weeks to reboot her life, Poppy meets Sam, and suddenly, she's the one being taken care of. 

Sam thinks Poppy might be the one, but he's been burned before, so he is taking things slow. 

Poppy is about to be spoiled and learn that it doesn't have to always be on her shoulders. 

*Bonus Irish wolf hound named Bubbles! 

Hideaway at Silver Lake by Jennifer Greene purchase link

Chicken Piccata with Lemon Sauce recipe

Reading Update: 30%

But this man--this aristocrat, whom she had expected to abhor--drew her like no other. The comte said more with his eyes than most men did with a lifetime of words.

Review: The Rodeo Queen

The Rodeo Queen by Marcella Bell
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. 

“I need you to cowboy up.” 

It's the second season of the reality show Closed Circuit and after A.J. and Lil (The Wildest Ride) saved the inner city rodeo program CityBoyz by getting it's accounts back in the black, Diablo Sosa doesn't quite understand why founder Henry “Old Man” Bowman wants him to compete. Henry claims with all the new money, they need more recruits and Diablo competing will give them the attention they need. After Henry was a pseudo father to him and saved him when he was thirteen from going to jail, Diablo will do anything for him. Taking a sabbatical from his job as a lawyer, Diablo is going back to the rodeo, something he hasn't done in fourteen years. 

It was a smile filled with the unspoken promise that, should they ever find themselves in intimate settings, he wouldn't be gentle and that she wouldn't want him to be. 

Sierra Quintanilla is the host of Closed Circuit and in her late twenties, knows what it takes and how to stay at the top as The Rodeo Queen. She must be glam and look beautiful at all times, always act like a lady in public, and never consort with the cowboys. The restrictions at times chafe but her love of horses keeps her in the game. She's never been tempted before but when Diablo comes on the scene, she's suddenly ready to risk and question what she really wants out of life. 

No one had ever called her beautiful when she wasn't trying to be. 

The Rodeo Queen read a lot like the first in the series (you could start here but the first was so good you should go back and read it), the author gives us a complete story with fully fleshed out characters. I love how this author tells a story but I will say the romance isn't always the star of the show for me. Sierra's working out of what she really wants out of life and questioning if she wants to take a chance/risk with Diablo was a lot of her character's story, not so much the actionable falling in love. There's a lot of time spent in the characters heads as they emotionally wrestle with working out decisions. Diablo struggles with past pain of having romantic partners wanting to hide their relationship with him because he's Black and Latine. So, with Sierra being the host of the show he's on and having a sort of morality clause in her contract and Diablo not wanting to feel like a dirty little secret, you can see where the angst springs from. 

Just how far was she willing to push the boundaries of rodeo queen propriety? 

The rodeo competition, mostly, stays in the background (there was one scene that in reversal, had me thinking it went too long), except for a villain plot involving a contestant jealous over not being able to be as good as Diablo and another older contestant, Julio. Diablo's life experience taught him to recognize and prepare for what such attitudes can do and we get a tense scene, that also opens Sierra's eyes to ways Diablo could be feeling, as while Sierra is Cuban herself, her lived experience is different than Diablo's. It's a way that the author gives the characters multiple layers and they feel like fully fleshed out beings. While there were some side characters and A.J., Lil, and Henry from book one make appearances, this was almost all Sierra and Diablo's story. 

She wanted the mess and the risk of going all the way with him or she wanted to leave him alone. 

The story only takes place over a two month period but as we spend a good amount of time in the main character's heads, I felt like I really knew them and on the handful of dates they go on, these two really talked and I could see why they would feel an attraction to one another. It's something that I can struggle with in romance as I feel like things are rushed but while I could read the emotion, the actionable I was talking about felt absent as we were in their heads a lot. Because of Sierra's job, these two had some go and stop moments, stopped by Diablo as he didn't want Sierra to regret anything, before we get our open door (beach) scenes. 

And he wanted her. 

And she wanted him, more than she'd wanted any other person in her life. 

Then ending had Sierra not stepping up when Diablo wanted her to and we get a third act breakup that leads into a personal tragedy for Diablo that has him stepping away from the competition for awhile, giving Sierra time to decide ultimately what she wants out of life. While the personal tragedy was sad for Diablo, the character's relationship with him was too periphery and we don't get to really know the character for me to feel the deep emotional hit and then it's rushed at the end. But, it did give a chance for Diablo's found/chosen family to come together, along with Sierra, to give a sweet heartfelt scene. The characters didn't get out of their heads enough for me to feel the romance was front and center and the ending felt more like the start to a happily ever after, instead of a wrap-up to one. Overall, this was a grounded, slow burn love, great story that had characters with multiple deep layers that will have them lingering in your mind long after you put the book down. 

And because this line has the Garth Brooks' song stuck in my head now, 

Tomorrow would be for bulls and blood and dust and mud [...] 

And they call the thing rodeo(!)

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

The first in the Closed Circuit series, The Wildest Ride, was one of my favorite books of 2021. I've been highly anticipating this second one. 

😍 

We got a glimpse of Sierra and Diablo in the first book and I can't wait to see them together. ❤️🤠 

The reality show Closed Circuit is back for a second season and Sierra is ready to shine as hostess. But troubled youth made good now lawyer Diablo is back home and these two have chemistry that can't be ignored. 

The Rodeo Queen by Marcella Bell purchase link

Firecracker Cauliflower recipe

Review: Next of Kin

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars 

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

She could not deal with the horror of what lay before her. 

Next of Kin was an emotionally intense, gripping story that pitted against and brought together a family. Leila has always taken care of her younger sister Yasmin, even filed to become her ward when Leila first turned eighteen. Growing up poor, their mother committed suicide, Leila has fought and clawed her way to the top and is a partner in her own architecture firm. While her professional life is going great, she's currently separated from her husband Will as she has suffered numerous miscarriages and wants to adopt and he doesn't. Yasmin's life is different with a lower paying job as secretary but married to Andrew and they have a happy three year old Max. Leila frequently helps them out with money, some behind Yasmin's back, and watches Max at least once a week. But when Andrew calls her in the morning to take Max to nursery, she resents a little the always intruding and thinking she can because she doesn't have children, even though she desperately wants one. Leila always helps out though, and when on the way to work and drop Max off, she gets a frantic call from the office about missing blueprints needed immediately for an important meeting, she forgets Max is in the car and goes straight up to her work. 

'They say she left Max on purpose.' 

The unthinkable happens and Max doesn't survive the three hours in the hot car. While Leila, Andrew, and Yasmin are dealing with the pain of loss, Detective Shep comes into the picture and Leila finds herself suddenly charged with manslaughter. Most of the story is told from Leila's point-of-view but we also get some from Yasmin, Det. Shep, and Andrew. With what Leila is charged with, this was obviously an emotional story. The first half was great at flushing the characters out and allowing the reader to get to know them, giving the reader time to learn the make-up of some of the characters and decide if they are/were reliable narrators. 

That was the thing about grief: once the tears ceased, you were left with a hatred of everything. 

Part two starts about the midway point and begins the court case. This did have some legal thriller/drama to it but, other than some of Shep's pov, it stays away from procedural and is more nestled in getting better looks at the four immediate family characters. Through the witnesses brought on the stand and Shep's inability to let the case go and continuing to search, there were some bombshells dropped; some I saw coming and others that were a complete surprise and kept me from fully coming to a concrete answer on Leila. 

Now she saw that the very thing that kept her together might also be her undoing. 

I inhaled this story, the writing style and Leila's character drew me in while having me sympathize and be aghast at their family dynamic. Each character was full in their own right, the jealousy between the sisters, their husbands attitudes toward their sister-in-laws, each relationship brought in depth drama that was highly engrossing. 

And that was how it started. 

Part three and the last twenty percent really lit up the drama, maybe a bit too many swings?, and even though the court case is over, the fallout continued. Almost all the questions get answered (I have some lingering thoughts on Andrew) and the ending was neither a high or a low for me and after all the reveals in the end, I was simply wrung-out. If you or your book club is looking for a mystery, thriller, and drama, this had all that in spades with high emotion.

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70%

 

Lelia swallowed, finding the answer to her earlier question.

How far was she willing to go to prove that she was innocent?

She was willing to go all the way.

I am inhaling this book! Holy god, is this intense with the high emotional issues and the reveal of new evidence. I need to read more legal thrillers and check out this author's backlist. 

Reading Update: Page 1

 

It's the weekend and I'm crockpot-ing and diving into this mystery/thriller. 

Leila receives a panicked call from her brother-in-law, his baby son Max isn't at the nursery. 

Leila is horrified to realize she forgot to drop Max off and has instead left him in her car. 

Oof, this legal thriller is going to be emotional and intense! 

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah purchase link

Crockpot Shredded Buffalo Chicken recipe

Review: The Countess of the Revolution

The Countess of the Revolution by Lana Kortchik
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

The sprawling Kazan Cathedral, the symbol of Russia’s victory over Napoleon, of freedom and sacrifice, of bravery and spirit, sported a red revolutionary flag. 

Count Dmitry Orlov is throwing his Countess Sophia Orlova a lavish twenty-third birthday party but it's March of 1917 in Petrograd and the only people who show up are the Bolsheviks. Arrogance kept Dmitry from leaving the city when Sophia wanted to leave with their friends and now their home is being ransacked and the men surrounding them are calling for their blood. Before Sophia is struck down, a man enters and with his authority he saves them. Nikolai, Dmitry's younger banished brother because of his ideals, is a Bolshevik and manages to keep them alive in the home that isn't their own anymore. However, revolutions are never easy and Russia is not done with her turmoil, as the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, and Imperial Army all vie for power, Sophia, Dmitry, and Nikolai are all tossed around by the winds of fate and love. 

Her crime was having everything while they had nothing, having been born into luxury while their whole lives they had struggled to put bread on the table. 

Told from Sophia's point-of-view, this hit some of the big moments and followed along the broad strokes of the revolution during 1917-18. Sophia was younger and previously very privileged, as the story goes on, reader's get to know Sophia and see that ennui was starting to creep into her life and she wanted to care more about things other than balls and jewels. She had worked as a nurse and helped Russian soldiers coming home injured from World War I, so she has some taste of the outside world. It seemed pretty instant her attraction to Nikolai (there are a lot of “twinkling” eyes in this) and what pulls her to him is his caring and passion for something that seems big and important. Dmitry seems to only care about his cigars and keeping up appearances, so when Nikolai talks about his vision for the new Russia, he seems more interesting and her attraction to her brother-in-law grows. 

‘Tsar Nicholas abdicated in favour of his brother, who refused the throne and surrendered the power to the Provisional Government. As of today, there is a new order in Russia.’ 

The danger of the revolution and the forbidden love developing sets the story up for some great emotional dramatics but Nikolai never developed beyond a good-looking guy who writes speeches and while the historical events and people are mentioned and Sophia has to run and sometimes interacts with them, I never completely felt the depth of it all. The story and characters read like New Adult historical fiction to me, not quite delivering the emotional depth for me. Sophia likes that Nikolai cares about something important but it's more from a fangirl pov, she doesn't necessarily agree, disagree, or thinking deeply about it all and Nikolai seems to just travel around saving her at moments and write speeches; we never see what he is doing for the Bolsheviks. The romance between the two was pretty weak for me. 

The newly established regime saw danger everywhere. And it endeavoured to eliminate this danger at all cost. 

The story did have Sophia traveling from Petrograd, to Kislovodsk, and then to Tambievskii in the mountains to be with the Cossacks and we get a glimpse of Andrei Shkuro. With the war, we of course get the drama of her trying to hide her feelings for Nikolai from Dmitry and her bestfriend Regina. Regina develops a liking for Nikolai too and is convinced he is going to ask her to marry him. For a long time, the reader isn't sure if Regina is making something up in her own mind or if Sophia's feelings are one-sided. It's around the half-way point that Nikolai makes his feelings known but then he's captured as the Mensheviks are taking power and his fate becomes unknown to Sophia for a while. 

He was her husband’s brother. 

The second half has things deteriorating between Sophia and Dmitry and it becomes harder for her to hide her feelings for Nikolai. The last twenty percent hurried along with betrayals, seemingly betrayals, and Sophia finally making a choice. The chaotic and dangerous atmosphere of Russia at this time was felt, all the running from city to city, Nikolai getting arrested and then Dmitry and Sophia getting arrested, the changing regimes in power but the romance between Sophia and Nikolai felt like teenagers in the throes of hormonal first love, which didn't really fit with the real life dangerous times. The epilogue also didn't fit for me as it was from Dmitry's point-of-view and while it gave an update on how things worked out for Sophia, the tone of it didn't work as the story had previously been all from Sophia. This had some interesting moments but the overall mood felt more like, easier, on the surface New Adult historical fiction.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

A light early dinner for me and settling in with this historical fiction. 

Petrograd in March 1917 and revolution is on the horizon. 

Countess Sophia Orlova and her husband are saved by Nikolai, but he supports the revolution. Sophia decides to help the cause by setting up a hospital and also captures Nikolai's heart. 

Revolution and a forbidden love. 

The Countess of the Revolution by Lana Kortchik (paperback - March 28) purchase link

Smashed Herb Lemon Baked Potatoes recipe

Review: Sweet Pea Summer

Sweet Pea Summer by Alys Murray
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

2.5 stars 

The truth was that May Anderson left Tom Riley. You've got to remember that, because no one else in Hillsboro did. 

The youngest Anderson sister has kept to herself ever since something happened between her and her highschool sweetheart Tom, caused him to leave town without her after graduation. May's sisters, parents, and whole town assumed Tom left her behind breaking her heart because in a small-town, youthful indiscretions, like accidentally throwing a baseball through a window, aren't forgotten and Tom got the reputation as a “bad boy”. May never told the truth, she ended up being too scared to trust Tom to leave her when they went into the big wide world and broke up with him. So May ended up being pitied and protected by the townspeople and not wanting to lose that, as her family's farm business relied on the towns good favor, she didn't correct anyone. But now Tom is back in town, trying to save his family's winery and seeing how everyone is treating him is making May feel very guilty and when they have to work together for a festival, old hurts and buried emotions are coming out in the open. 

Even after everything, holding her this close was like coming home. 

Second in the Full Bloom Farm series, Sweet Pea Summer brings readers back to the small-town of Hillsboro, CA and the Anderson family. If you read book one, you'll remember that Tom was engaged to Annie, the sister of book one's male main character but it didn't last long and they're just friends now. A lot of this story was spent in May and Tom's heads. The crux of the issue is that May doesn't want to admit that she lied by omission and let Tom unfairly take the blame for their break-up, the whole town treats him like dirt, causing his wine business to be suffering, but May doesn't want to tell the truth because she doesn't want the town to turn on her. It's cloaked in May wanting to stay in her “safe” life space but after two-hundred plus pages, it got frustrating and, frankly, whiny. It was all too drawn out and mewling and, as there are not flashbacks to the couple's romance in highschool, you'll begin to wonder why Tom is even waiting around for May. 

She'd let the small-minded gossip of people they didn't even particularly like---gossip they'd spent most of their lives laughing at and ignoring---completely alter the trajectory of their lives. 

The Anderson family and sisters, Harper and Rosie, for the most part, were out of the story but they came in a little at the end to hassle Tom, find out the truth and be angry with May, and then have their make-up scene. Dad Anderson shows up to have a father-daughter talk and Tom gets some friendship scenes with Annie and a kick in the pants talk from his grandmother but other than that, it's pretty much character head space and May-Tom interactions. 

Why did he want nothing more than to throw the past away and start over with the one person who'd made that very thing so impossible? 

This kisses only story had May and Tom mostly made-up a little after the half-way point and into the second half, May finally starts to take direct action to help Tom's reputation (still too scared to tell the truth, though). We then get a very late third act break-up that just about had me wishing they were done for good because of how ineffectual May was still being, our female main character gives us the Grand Gesture and it finishes with a happily ever after. 

She'd missed him. And having to miss him in the first place was entirely her fault. 

May was too scared to trust Tom and leave with him after graduation breaking both their hearts, lived the next eight years cocooned in a safe haven protected by the lie that gave her the goodwill of their small-town and Tom traveled the world lonely only to come back home and find out he was the “bad guy” and thought it was honorable to wait for May to the tell the truth. As May kept being quiet, it was harder for me to give her character the benefit of the doubt and therefore harder for me to cheer for their romance. This did have small-town vibes, cozy and mean gossip, a touch of women's fiction, and an eventual happily ever after.

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