Thursday, September 10, 2020

{Weekend Reads: 09/10-09/13} Catching Up on eARCs, audioARCs, and Buddy Reads!

 

Hey, guys!

I used to update you all via Goodreads and blog updates on what I was reading, but I decided to start it back up this weekend to touch base with you all and push out some books that I definitely recommend.

A weekend doesn't usually include a Thursday, but I'm being quarantined for the next couple of days, so I'm including it because who knows when I'll be cleared to go back to work.

I've been attempting to get used to a new work schedule, so my reading time has been considerably cut and it's been a process to get used to working full time. The past four years were taken up by school, working 2 part-time jobs, and attempting to keep up with social obligations. Being in quarantine from March to Jun was such a weird change, but going back to a regular schedule is just as strange. 

This (long) weekend, I plan on catching up on the four books that I've started in the past couple of weeks before diving into two buddy reads that start on Monday.


#1] The Switch by Beth O'Leary, 

performed by Daisy Edgar-Jones & Alison Steadman


Current Reading position: 80% (2 hours left)
-audioARC provided by NetGalley & Macmillan Audio-

Synopsis:

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some long-overdue rest.

Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She'd like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen.

So they decide to try a two-month swap.

Eileen will live in London and look for love. She’ll take Leena’s flat, and learn all about casual dating, swiping right, and city neighbors. Meanwhile, Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire: Eileen’s sweet cottage and garden, her idyllic, quiet village, and her little neighborhood projects.

But stepping into one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected. Will swapping lives help Eileen and Leena find themselves…and maybe even find true love? In Beth O'Leary's The Switch, it's never too late to change everything....or to find yourself.

My Thoughts So Far:

- This is an excellent audio experience. I love the narrators and the quality of this production. 
- I love Leena and Eileen. They're so similar, yet so different and bring so much to the story. 
- I think I prefer Eileen's half of the story to Leena's. That isn't to say that Leena's is bad, but Eileen is so hilarious and lovely. I'm just drawn to her story more. 
- The romances in this story do not take up the majority of this story. It's more a story of healing and growth, which I adore. I cannot wait to see how this story ends. However, I'm not the biggest fan of Leena's love story. It hasn't come to its climax, but I know how it's going to go. It's been done before and it isn't anything new. Eileen, however -- I hope it turns out how I'm envisioning. 
- This is my first Beth O'Leary novel, but I'm eager to listen to or read The Flatshare soon. 

Anticipated rating: 4 stars


#2] Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2) by Shelby Mahurin


Current Reading position: page 110/528
-personally pre-ordered-

I'm so behind on this buddy read! I was supposed to have this finished on Thursday, the 10th, but it definitely hasn't happened. This past weekend and this week have just been odd. I'm not sure why I haven't finished this book because the first 110 pages were fantastic. I just need to pick it back up. I've been carrying it around the house? But I haven't opened the book? Just odd.

Synopsis: 

After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Dames Blanches, Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To elude the scores of witches and throngs of chasseurs at their heels, Lou and Reid need allies. Strong ones. But protection comes at a price, and the group is forced to embark on separate quests to build their forces. As Lou and Reid try to close the widening rift between them, the dastardly Morgane baits them in a lethal game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy something worth more than any coven.

First Thoughts:

- Wow, I already love this so much and I cannot wait to read more.
- Witchy goodness right off the bat? Hello, yes, please!
- Lou and Reid are just going to go right for it, huh? Geez, I love love.  Let's go.
- I know that I'm going to be hurt by this book... is that why I haven't picked it back up yet?

Anticipated rating: 5 stars

#3] All Scot and Bothered (Devil You Know #2) by Kerrigan Byrne


Current Reading position: 5% (loc. 256/4928)
-eARC provided by NetGalley & St. Martin's Press-

Synopsis:

They are a dangerous duke, a fierce lord, and an infamous earl—dark, bold, brave men who know exactly what they want. And there is only one woman who can bring them to their knees...

He is first and foremost—at everything. A man who's made his own way in the world through ruthless cunning and sheer force of will. A strong and imposing Scot who can turn on the charm but does not suffer fools. His title: Lord Chief Justice of the High Court. His name: Cassius Gerard Ramsay. His mission: To investigate the goings-on at London's most notorious gaming hell, owned and operated by one of the most intriguing and desirable women he's ever met.

IN THIS GAME OF LOVE, THE RULES DO NOT APPLY

Cecelia Teague was an orphan facing a rather dire future—until a secret benefactor from her mother's scandalous past swept into her life. Sent to a prestigious boarding school and later to university, Cecelia believed high society was at her fingertips...Then, from out of nowhere, she became the inheritor of a gambling establishment. Now Cecelia must live two lives: one as a proper lady who finds herself undeniably drawn to Lord Ramsay and the other as a savvy gaming hell owner trying to save her business from the very same man. He has no idea she is both women...and Cecelia would like to keep it that way. But what happens when consuming passion and escalating danger threaten to reveal the truth?

First Thoughts:

- I've never read a Kerrigan Byrne novel before, but I'm already invested and enjoying her style of writing and the way she's developed her characters. 
- Most times when I'm starting a new historical romance novel, I can tell within the first 50 pages if I will enjoy it as intensely as I love my favorites. This has a lot of promise. 

Anticipated rating: (it's honestly too early to tell, but...) 4 stars (probably)


#4] Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club #3) by Lyssa Kay Adams


Current Reading position: 17% (loc. 856/5079)
- eARC provided by NetGalley & Berkley-

Synopsis:

A hacktivist and a cat café owner decode the friend zone in this romantic comedy from the author of Undercover Bromance.

Alexis Carlisle and her cat café, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chef’s sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim they’re sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trusts—her best friend, Noah Logan.

Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noah’s got a secret: He’s madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush.

Noah’s pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved “manuals” to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship he’s ever had. 


First Thoughts

- This is so excellent! I was instantly hooked and caught up in where the story left off in Undercover Bromance.

- I honestly forgot about the computer genius, Noah, but I've already fallen in love with him. He's a Whovian (Doctor Who), he's a total sweetheart, and has a rival that's Alexis's cat! How adorable.

- Alexis is peak-bad bitch material. I adore her. She obviously has a lot of trauma to get past after dealing with the events of Undercover Bromance, but even more hardship has been added onto her plate. We will see how this goes. 

- I love that we get to see more from Liv and Mack. Give me all of the happy endings, snark, and groomzilla energy from Mack.

Hopefully, I can finish these books this weekend. I'm aiming to finish The Switch this afternoon and get to the halfway mark of Blood and Honey as well. 


Anticipated rating: 5 stars



What are you reading this weekend?
Happy reading!
Olivia
~ Liv the Book Nerd ~
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{Review} Take A Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2) by Talia Hibbert

Amazon.com: Take a Hint, Dani Brown: A Novel (The Brown Sisters Book 2) eBook: Hibbert, Talia: Kindle Store

Page Count: 361
Published On: June 23, 2020
Published by: Avon
Genre(s): Adult contemporary romance
Steam: 4/5 (5 being super steam)
TW: the death of a parent and sibling, panic attacks 

My Rating: 5 stars


Goodreads synopsis:

Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.

When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?

Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his... um, thighs.

Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?

~ ~ ~

 Hey, guys!

I'm back with another gushing review. Once again, Talia Hibbert has blown me away with her characterization, representation, and overall writing style. 

Reading a Talia Hibbert novel is like breathing a breath of fresh air after a long stuffy day inside. I adore everything about this novel and I just adore Talia's writing style.

When I first read Get A Life, Chloe Brown in 2019, I fell in love with Talia's witty, smart writing style, her ability to include the perfect amout of steam and romantic/sexual tension, her flawless execution, and her delightful characters. It became an instant favorite of the year and it's one of the few books that I've already reread this year. 

This book has:
-fake dating
-a romance that stems from a viral video
-Zafir: a Muslim ex-rugby player with anxiety who uses his experience to teach mental health seminars for young rugby players 
- Dani: a fat, Black, bisexual witch with commitment issues
- a quirky, addicting writing style that you won't get sick of


From the first page, I knew that I would adore Dani Brown and her story. Not only was she instantly captivating and relatable, but there were also factors that went into her personality that I didn't expect -- but loved so much. Dani is such a blunt and fascinating character. Not only is she a practicing witch, in the midst of her journey toward a doctorate in a literature-based degree (and she has the best focus of study that she's immensely passionate about! I love it so much!), and she has the best confidence. 

While this concept is usually quite a cliche, Dani isn't like other characters. Hear me out. Dani is so freaking realistic. I saw so much of myself and so many facets of my friends in her. I related to her so much. She's so intensely passionate about her goals and aspirations, but she works hard for it. Additionally, she's Dani isn't like so many characters that I have read about. She's passionate, hard-working, and she guards her heart. There are so many romance novels where the character will just jump into the new relationship and they don't really worry about guarding their heart. 

Zafir was the perfect love interest. The representation of his anxiety disorder was done so well (in my opinion and based on my own experiences). I can't really go into it too much, but I cannot rave about Talia Hibbert's ability to discuss mental health gently and respectfully enough. 

This book is just so phenomenal. Read it!

Happy reading!
Olivia
~ Liv the Book Nerd ~






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Wednesday, September 9, 2020

August 2020 Reading Wrap Up

 

Hey, guys!

August has been so busy. I've been hired for a new job, I've started a whole new schedule, and -- just a lot of things have been going on. This month, I hadn't read as much as my previous reading months, but I'm really excited about what I've read this past month. While this past month was primarily taken up by audiobook reading, which is really surprising considering my stats last month, it doesn't really feel like I mainly listened to these stories. I've found a few new tropes and new authors that I adore (and dislike). Here are the books that I read this month!


Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
Read physically
5 stars

I will have a review up for this book in the next week, but holy cow this was everything I could have hoped for. If you love quirky, romantic, steamy romances, you will love this book so much. Dani and Zafir are such a lovely couple and I cannot push this book at you hard enough. Please read these stories about the Brown sisters! 

{Picture credit: me via Instagram}



Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Read via audio
4 stars

Since reading Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X, I've managed to pick up her releases as they've come out. Last year, With the Fire On High was one of Julia and I's bookclub picks and it was one of my all-time favorite 2019 reads as well. Her writing is always so beautiful, lyrical, and so well developed. It's really magical how fantastic her writing is. 

Once again, Acevedo didn't disappoint! This was such a beautiful story. It was written in verse and the audiobook was narrated by Acevedo and Melania-Luisa Marte -- what a powerful duo! Having the two narrators really added to the story and added the depth that I didn't know I needed. I loved how each narrator emphasized the differences in the poetry styles, the characters' personalities, and the little nuanced details. It's such a fantastic stylistic choice that I cannot get over. 

The topics and discussions in Clap When You Land are such important ones. While I do not want to spoil you, I do need to let you know that there are trigger warnings for stalking, assault, loss of a family member/parent, cheating, and plane crashes.

{Picture credit: me via Instagram}



King of the Libertines by Pam Godwin
ebook
2 stars

August was the month of romance-booktube! Naturally, I stumbled across Jess's channel (PeaceLoveBooksxo) and discovered her love for Pam Godwin. While I really didn't enjoy King of the Libertines, I'm eager to actually read the full-length novel that follows the characters in this novella. 

King of the Libertines follows the characters of Sea of Ruin, explaining their relationships and (I suppose) adding onto their dynamic. However, I felt like this novella was SO rushed, so surface level, and just not enjoyable at all. There were typos, grammar mistakes, and the character development was so unrealistic. I couldn't fully integrate myself into the world or actually care about the characters. It just wasn't for me. I'm hoping for more from the full novel, Sea of Ruin. 

Overall, I felt like this was a whole lot of nothing.



What Happens in Scotland by Jennifer McQuinston
ebook & physical
2 stars

Another disappointing read...

This was such a shallow read. The pacing was just horrible and it was just so unbelievable and annoying. I've been enjoyed the majority of the historicals that I've read this year, but this one was one of the worst. I'm debating even reading more from McQuinston's list of releases. 



Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
audio and physical 
5 stars

This is probably one of my newest all-time favorite books. This was such a phenomenal read. The audio experience was perfect and the care and detail that the audio narrator put into their performance were just flawless. I was discussing this book with one of my friends that had read and they had said they rated it 4 stars because it was a bit difficult to tell which character was narrating when the perspectives would change, but I found that that wasn't the case when listening to the audio. When I eventually switched to the physical book (sometimes I will do that when I get closer toward the end of a book), I found I didn't have that issue because I had become so used to the ways the characters would differentiate themselves. Naomi Novik is a masterful writer and I cannot wait for her next novel, A Deadly Education; which is released September 29. I cannot stress enough that you should absolutely pick this book up.


The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare
physical 
4 stars

Tessa Dare is such a feel-good writer. Anytime I pick up one of her books, it's like visiting a friend you haven't seen in the longest time. I'm always excited to read her novellas because, honestly, they're always hit or miss for me, but they're always ridiculously fun. This novella, I won't reiterate the very very long title, was so much fun! I'm so thankful for the lovely lady who gifted it to me in early August. 

Sometimes -- heck, most times! -- historical romance novellas don't do it for me. The pacing is wonky, the characters and their romances are uninteresting or hard to believe, or the writing is just bad. Thankfully, Tessa Dare is a queen, and does this story so much justice. Not only does she tackle an important topic in less than 150 pages, but she also does it well! The romance was so well developed, realistic, and it gave me Pride and Prejudice vibes. 

The only reason that this didn't get 5 stars was that, naturally, the cliches were just a bit much for me (emphasis on "for me"). Because I've read so many Tessa Dare novels this year, I feel like I can make an opinion regarding her writing capabilities. She can write the cheesiest and most ridiculous tropes red hot and so well done. This novella was short, so I just felt like the added depth that I so love in her work was just missing. I wish this was a full-length novel. It's so delightful. I wanted more!


Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After #2) by Tessa Dare
audio
3 stars

If you couldn't tell from my ramble above, I adore Tessa Dare. I think she is such a phenomenal writer. She creates such likable characters with such swoony romances that I cannot help but love and root for. I really enjoyed Clio's strong character and Rafe's personality. While the entire situation surrounding their romance is something I hadn't seen before (granted, I haven't read much historical romance), I still felt like it was missing a little something-something. This novel is one of her earlier novels so that definitely contributes to the quality of her writing (for me), this just lacked some of the elements that I really enjoy in her books. The relationship was swoony, but it didn't have as much chemistry and it kind of dragged in some areas. 

This was so fun, but not my favorite of her backlist. 



A Kiss at Midnight (Fairy Tales #1) by Eloisa Jams
audio
4 stars

This book! This book was so lovely! I think I've found a new historical romance author that I want to explore. This retelling of the Cinderella story was so wonderful. 

It felt a little rushed toward the end, but I adored this book. 



Storming the Castle (Fairy Tales #1.5) by Eloisa James
audio
4.5 stars

This was so short, but so freaking fun. 


When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James
audio
4.75 stars

Phenomenal! I cannot wait to read more from Eloisa James, especially her Fairy Tales series. I cannot get enough of these characters and the different dynamics James' writing brings to the historical romance genre.

Please read Eloisa James' Fairy Tales series!

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
audio
3.75 stars

This book started out really strong and intriguing, but around half-way, I really started to question where the novel was even going. I really really enjoyed the discussions that this book had surrounding performative allyship and racism, but really wished that there had been more of a focus on Emira's character development and growth. I loved her character and I just didn't think she shone like the side characters did. Alix was, of course, a massive part of the story, but I just wanted more about Emira. 

Total Books Read: 11

Audio: 7
Physical: 3
e-Copy: 1

Favorite read: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Least Favorite read: King of Libertines by Pam Godwin

What did you read in August?

Olivia
~ Liv the Book Nerd ~



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