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-
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 ~
