True Love Starts With You

My Thoughts

The Belle
I have read and loved every Kristan Higgins book I have read before this and Good Luck With That is no exception. This book as part of the pseudo series that takes place in Cambry-on-Hudson has a different feel from her other romance books. They are definitely more women's fiction that romance, although romance does play a part, they are also much deeper and more emotional in my opinion. And wow, was this particular book emotional and hard to read at times. I know there’s been a lot of criticism of this book and it’s topic, I have to say in my opinion and POV it’s unfounded. But this is my opinion. Not to say it won't be hurtful for some readers but it's also not a story that shouldn't be told.

Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // Travel By Page to the West End

"I wouldn't have to lose my temper if people weren't such morons."
--Lucy Parker, Act Like It

My Thoughts
The Belle
When Hannah started telling me about a book she read on the plane home and how great it was, I was intrigued. Then she mentioned it 1. takes place in London 2. is low on drama and high on hilarity and 3. focuses on people in the West End theater scene, I was sold! And I am so incredibly happy with my decision to impulse buy these books and read them immediately. They were the perfect balm to my soul after leaving the UK (and battling a bout of the stomach flu).

The Castle Always Knows

Genre: Adult Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Gothic Mystery

Publisher: Random House

Pages: 368

Publication Date: April 17th, 2018

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads

My Thoughts
If you've been here before or know me you'll know that I love Laura Andersen's alternate history Tudor novels. When I saw that she was writing a Gothic mystery taking place in Ireland I was like, SIGN ME UP! And while it's always exciting to start a new book by one of your favorite authors, it's also a littler nerve-wracking not knowing if you'll enjoy this departure in genre as much as the other. I can safely say I had nothing to worry about.

Keeping It Interesting

My Thoughts

The Belle
Sophie Kinsella has slowly but surely become one of my go-to authors for fun and light-hearted but not superficial read. Her stories have lovely themes, fantastic heroines, and more than enough humor to go around. Her newest book Surprise Me fit this bill.

UK Recs Fit For a Queen // Books

In case you don't follow me on social media, Hannah and I are currently traveling around the UK! We both wanted to commemorate our adventure on our blogs and what better way than to talk about all the different facets of the UK and why we love it. We'll be talking about our favorite books set in the UK, movies, and what initially drew us to our love of this place.

Today, we're talking books. It was super hard to limit our lists to 10 books but we did it...we did it. Here are some of my favorite UK books and what to read if you're looking for a UK kind of fix.

Rising Above

My Thoughts
The Belle
While I haven't reviewed every Kristan Higgins book I've read, I have a good reason. I binge read her entire backlist of SIXTEEN BOOKS within about 5 weeks...closer to 4 if I'm being honest with an outlier or two as I was waiting to read them because towards the end I needed to cherish them. When I saw her newest book was coming out soon, I requested it and was blessed with it's presence on my doorstep a few weeks later. Spoiler Alert: It did not disappoint.

What a Gal!

"Hey, how about me?"

--Susan Isaacs, Shining Through

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Publisher: Harper & Row

Pages: 402

Publication Date: July 1st, 1988

Source: Borrowed from Library

Find on: Goodreads 

My Thoughts

The Belle After reading and loving The Alice Network, there is a 'For Further Reading' section at the end. Of course, I looked up each book and Shining Through stuck out to me immediately. An American Jewish woman in love with her boss in 1940 finds herself traversing through a series of dramatic life events that eventually brings her to 1942 Berlin...as a spy. How does she get there? Well, you'll definitely have to read the book to find out.

Love Gives You Wings

"Easy answer...You."

--Tiffany Reisz, Michael's Wings

My Thoughts

The Belle
It's no secret that Michael has a huge place in my heart since meeting him in The Angel. His vulnerability and sensitive soul won me over immediately. In this new novella, we get to see so much more of Michael and the man he has become.

The Past is Never Forgotten

"I'm stronger by myself. I'm stronger than you know."

--Victoria Fox, The Silent Foutain

Genre: Adult Contemporary and Historical Ficiton

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Pages: 400

Publication Date: October 31st, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Silent Fountain was pitched to me because of my love for Susanna Kearsley, so of course I was all over it. Dual timeline. Mystery. Foreign setting. I was sold.

Welcome to Gideon's Cove

You might have seen on my Mug Life recently that I fell into a Kristan Higgins rabbit hole and it was everything I didn't know I needed and more. I decided to do a fun and different kind of series review. What I loved about this series--and there was a lot--was that each book felt distinctly different. A lot of times when I read a series in a binge the details become blurry or I confuse the heroines or heroes because they're so similar but this is not the case with Gideon's Cove--or Blue Heron but stay tuned for that. SO. Here's a fun breakdown on which book to start with if you're feeling sassy and don't want to start with the first or if you're just looking for a quick breakdown of what makes each book unique.

Do You Believe in Fairies?

"You don't need anybody's permission to live the life you desire, Olivia.
You need only the permission of your heart."

--Hazel Gaynor

Genre: Adult Contemporary & Historical Fiction

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Pages: 364168

Publication Date: August 1st, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
This being my first Hazel Gaynor novel, I didn't know what to expect. But when I started reading the prologue I knew I was in for a captivating story of fairies, magic, and growing up. This story is a dual timeline with the past component taking place from 1917-1920 and is about an actual historical event known as the Cottingley Fairies when two young girls seemed to capture real fairies while playing in the beck behind their house. The present day story is about a woman who inherits her grandfather's bookshop after his death and finds one of the little girl's from 1917 story about those events.

A Deal With the Devil

"The devil doesn’t smile...The devil smirks."

--Tiffany Reisz, The Red

Genre: Adult Contemporary Fantasy Erotica

Publisher: 8th Circle Press

Pages: 249

Publication Date: July 11th, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle 

When I heard Tiffany Reisz was writing an erotica I immediately added it to my TBR. Her Original Sinners series changed my life in so many ways that I'll be here all day if I had to list them. The Red is an erotic fantasy which is something I had never read before. I don't even know if there are any books in this sub-sub genre (heh, sub, get it?) but I digress. This Erotic Fantasy is about a woman whose art gallery is way in the red...that is named The Red. A man comes to her and offers to save the gallery by paying her in expensive paintings and in return she will give him one night a month with her in the biblical sense. She agrees.

The Devil Needs His Share

"If this isn't heaven...I don't know what is."

--JR Ward, The Devil's Cut

My Thoughts
When it comes to JR Ward this woman can do no wrong in terms of her writing and books. I have yet to meet a Ward book I do not fall head over heels in love with...The Devil's Cut is no exception. I was nervous to start this because I have come to love these unlikeable characters and root for them so hard that if they all didn't end up in a happy place after so much pain and turmoil, I would be so sad. I wanted a satisfying conclusion to this series...but what I got was so much more.

Bestie Beatriz Binge // The Collected Works

Hannah and I decided to read all of Beatriz Williams books together after my incessant text messaging to her while I was reading my first book. I read 80% of her entire collected works in about a week and a half. I'm seriously smitten. Utterly obsessed. I wanted to read nothing else and re-read until my hearts content. Hannah was also so obsessed--see what I did there?--and we had the best time reading them together and then discussing. We had a standing phone call date the morning after every book we finished. They're that good. And what better way to share our overwhelming love than with a book event all this week showcasing what we love about Beatriz William. We give you...the Bestie Beatriz Binge!

Today we're doing a breakdown of all her books and what we thought! I'm giving you a Quick and Dirty summary and What Hooked Me because every.single.book. made me obsessed! So I wanted to tell you what exactly it was that made me obsessed.


OVERSEAS
Quick and Dirty: A woman from Wisconsin (have to plug that, sorry not sorry) working in 2007 NYC in finance meets an uber billionaire who seems to fall in love with her on the spot. Secrets are everywhere, the connection is instant but feels ancient, time travel to WWI is legit.

You Had Me At: One of my triggers for books that will make me add to my TBR instantly is time travel romances or love that transcends time and centuries. While there was instant love, it didn't bother me because this is one of my favorite sub-genres. I loved that these two people had a connection for a secret reason and getting all the pieces over the course of the book was so fun and romantic!

Just Your Neighborhood Tinderella

"But when no answer comes for the remainder of the night, I change back into my pj's. Switch from coffee to wine. It calms the crazy and lulls me back to sanity. Back to what I know, anyway.
Back to the only things I can count on."

--Ricki Schultz, Mr. Right-Swipe

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Grand Central

Pages: 304

Publication Date: June 6th, 2017

Source: Review copy provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle When I got the email pitching Mr. Right-Swipe I was immediately intrigued. I read the synopsis and I thought to myself, this is a book you have to read. Why? Because as we all know, I have lived the trials of online dating and set-ups and let me tell all you married or longterm relationship people out there, it is ugly. Not just physically but proverbially as well. When the tagline of the description is 'for everyone who's had a bad date' I knew I was hooked.

Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // From Page to Plane with The Alice Network

"There are two kinds of flowers when it comes to women...The kind that sit safe in a beautiful vase, or the kind that survive in any conditions...even in evil."

--Kate Quinn, The Alice Network

The Alice Network & the French Countryside

My Thoughts

The Belle
When I found out Kate Quinn (an instant favorite author after I read Mistress of Rome and the rest of the series) had a new book coming out I instantly perked up. When I found out it took place in both WWI and WWII, I immediately emailed the publisher begging for a review copy, they took pity on me and thank the gods because it was hands down one of the best reading experiences I have ever had.

(Fae) Beauty and the (Red) Beast

"A line constricted around his ankle. He met her gaze for a split second.
'You bitch--'"

--Kresley Cole, Wicked Abyss

Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Gallery Books

Pages: 384

Publication Date: April 25th, 2017

Source: Review copy provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
When Wicked Abyss showed up in my mailbox I was hesitant. I haven't read any of the other books in this series but heard great things about it. It's book 18 so do I have to start at the beginning, that's overwhelming. When the lovely Steph from No BS Book Reviews told me she read it and loved it and I don't need to read the previous books to enjoy it then I basically jumped on it. She was oh so right.

Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere // Travel By Page to Italy

It's no secret I am in love with Italy. It falls just behind the UK in where my mind always goes to and where my heart lays. The food, the culture the architecture, the history, there is nothing about Italy that I don't love. So of course, I find myself reading quite a few books that take place here. Today I'm featuring my favorite books that take place in Italy, both past and present, to help you travel by page to one of my favorite places in the world...Italy.

The Final Shot

"Was she wrong to want more than that?
To want passion? She wanted someone who stormed the castle, who was so overcome with need that he'd tear down the walls to get to her.
Maybe it was archaic to crave that but she did.
Of course, she also wanted her freedom and independence.
Was that even possible?
To have it all?"

--Elle Kennedy, Midnight Target

Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 384

Publication Date: April 25th, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Previous Books in Series: Midnight Rescue & Midnight Alias & Midnight Games & Midnight Pursuits & Midnight Action & Midnight Captive & Midnight Revenge
Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
Le sigh. From the very beginning of this series, I have loved it. The badass female heroines who take no shit and give zero fucks and the men that love them. Midnight Target is the long-awaited final book in the series that brings us Sully and Liam and Cate and Ash, respectively. It makes me so sad to say goodbye to this series and these characters but Midnight Target did not disappoint in the least.

The Notes of Rebellion

"Never allow yourself to believe you should be silent."

--Samantha Shannon, The Song Rising

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Pages: 374

Publication Date: March 7th, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Previous Books in Series: The Bone Season & The Mime Order 
Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
I am a huge fan of this series and have bene eagerly anticipating the next novel since it's predecessor came out. This book did not disappoint. I'll try and stay vague as it is the third book in the series and if you haven't read this yet--why haven't you read this yet?!--I don't want to spoil anything so I'll do my best.