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.

Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {6}

Back for another edition of Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews! I fell into a huge blogging slump with less than zero motivation so here's a few highlights of some of my favorite reads over the past few months...and longer...Enjoy!

The Opposite of Love is one of Hannah's all-time favorite books and I knew at one point I had to give it a try...and I was SO happy I did! I loved this book. There are so many quiet elements to this book that had me thinking about it long after I shut the final page. At it's core, it truly is the making of a family. I loved reading about Emily's journey to the family she's always wanted and felt like she'd been missing. I adored her relationship with her grandfather. I loved that she was imperfect and had flaws and struggled to figure out what she wanted in life. I loved that it was about family. This book was a slow delve in Emily's life and being in her head and living her story was a fantastic journey. It's one of those beautiful books that doesn't shout at you to listen, it sits back and lets you absorb it's message slowly and long after the final page is turned. I was thinking about this book and certain moments from it for days after reading it. If you're looking for a story about family that takes a roundabout way to get there but is beautiful in its quiet moments...this book is for you. 

Not Your Typical Rockstar

I'm not gonna lie. For the longest time I really had no interest in this series. I am very anti-celebrity, royalty, anything having to do with being famous. I don't like reading about. I don't care. I don't like the theme of 'he's a prince or he's a famous actor what's he doing with me' because it's all bullshit to me. Nobody is better than anybody else and because of my opinion on that, I stay away from royalty and celebrity-based romances. HOWEVER. If something comes highly recommended enough by a very trusted friend, I'll usually at least give it a college try. When I saw these on my library's Overdrive for audio, I thought I'd give it a try...and I am so glad I did!

Mug Life {6}

While I've got my blog motivation going, might as well do an updated yet throwback Mug Life! I took this picture in Seattle and ironically it has all--mostly--of the elements I needed for it so why not! Let's do a travel version of Mug Life, switch it up a bit AND combine it with a review of the book pictured...you can kind of see it...sorry *shrugs*

My Current Read // Not the best picture but what I WAS reading IN BED WITH THE BEAST by Tara Sivec and LOVING IT!! It's the second book in the Naughty Princess Club series. I was so excited for this book because--duh--Beauty and the Beast, pease note my book sleeve. I thought this book was clever and smart and I loved Belle and the 'beast.' I loved that she was shy and unsure of herself and really came into her own. Beast was patient and kind and so thoughtful. I loved the twists and nods to the original fairy tale in the first book and this book also was SO clever in it's delivery. Her bad dates and parallels to the inanimate objects from the story were just too, too good. The friendship between Belle, Cindy, and Ariel was incredible. They are so honest and real yet supportive of each other in the perfect balance. I CANNOT WAIT for Ariel's book because she is so crass and in your face, I cannot wait to see her vulnerable and fall in love *sigh*.

Underneath the Mug // I took this in the moment while at a cafe recommended by Wendy! So it's not a mug per say but I was really enjoying my morning coffee at an adorable cafe in Seattle!

Get Nailed // Essie's Mint Apple Candy was perfect for Spring! I'm not a huge fan of spring colors but I've been definitely vibe'ing with some pastels lately!

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews {5}

Back for another edition of Quick and Dirty Mini-Reviews! So I feel a little bad giving mini-reviews to two of my hands down, all-time, will buy everything they write, favorite authors but I just love them so much that it's hard for me to articulate WHAT makes me love them so much so flailing mini-reviews of feels combined with JUST READ THE BOOK YOURSELF ALREADY is what we get. Susanna Kearsley and Mhairi McFarlane deserve more words than I give them but I just haven't figured out how to translate flails into text yet. Maybe one day. Enjoy!

As you probably know by now, Susanna Kearsley has become an instant favorite author. Her books speak to me on such a deep level. I feel as literally transported as is possible while not leaving my couch. Which actually fits perfectly with her books because they almost always involve some sort of transportation. Kismet. The Rose Garden did not disappoint in any respect from what I have come to expect from Kearsley. This book had love. Longing. Deep and complex emotions. Historical elements. Time travel. It was incredible. It's truly hard for me to articulate exactly what makes these book so special to me, they just are. The fill me with a desire. A sense of longing parallel to what her characters are feelings. I feel at home when reading her books. I feel like I want to experience a journey just like her characters and book a plane ticket to somewhere in Britain and never come back. How I feel about the UK and the feelings it invokes in me for no reason at all is exactly how her characters always seem to feel so I feel akin to her characters in a way I never thought I would be able to feel. She describes these places and sense of belonging to a place you shouldn't feel a longing for in the exact way I feel I cannot say enough how much I love her books and will enjoying re-reading all of them immensely and eagerly await for her newest book! Rating: VIP

Love Can't Be Quantified

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake // Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord // Eleven Scandals to Start To Win a Duke's Heart

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 432 // 357 // 367

Source: Bought and Borrowed
Publisher : Avon Books

Goodreads

An Unbreakable {Code} Love

"Any man deserving of your notice will need nothing to impress him but that you should be yourself, 
and any man deserving of your love will see you as you truly are, 
and love you notwithstanding."

--Susanna Kearsley, A Desperate Fortune

Genre: Adult Contemporary and Historical Fiction

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Pages: 528

Publication Date: April 7th, 2015

Source: Borrowed

Previous Books By This Author: 
Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
If you can't tell, I've been binging all of Susanna Kearsley's backlist of books and I thoroughly enjoying it! As with her other books, I fell in love with this one. I've come to expect certain things when I read a Kearsley book and those things were all present in this book.

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.

(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.

An Unexpected Gift

"I believe everything happens for a reason."

--Sarah J Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

Genre: New Adult, Adult Fantasy 
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 705

Publication Date: May 2nd, 2017

Source: Bought

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon
Previous Books in Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses & A Court of Mist and Fury

My Thoughts

The Belle
This book has been a long time coming. I have loved this series from its inception. The Beauty and the Beast theme in ACOTAR, the not everything is always as it appears ACOMAF, and the inspirational fight for the right thing ACOWAR. While I won't talk too much about the plot details as to not give away spoilers, I will tell you a few reasons why you should read ACOWAR or start this series if you haven't yet.

Hot Cross Buns

"I never stayed. Anywhere. I loved being on the road, meeting new people, hanging my hat somewhere just long enough to sink my teeth into something that used to be incredible and needed to be brought back to life.
And once that was done, ti was off to the next project."

--Alice Clayton, Buns

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Gallery Books

Pages: 324

Publication Date: May 23rd, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon
Previous Books in Series: Nuts & Cream of the Crop

My Thoughts

The Belle
When I saw Buns show up on NetGalley I immediately requested and started after I finished my current read. If you've been here and read my rave reviews for it's predecessors, you know that I was ready to go back to the Hudson Valley with some homegrown hotties. And I was not disappointed.

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.

A Marriage of Convenience

"I've been so alone for so long. Surrounded by people, yet essentially on my own, and facing a lifetime along--and I thought I was content with that, 
honestly I was. 
But last night, when people...came forward to support me...I was un, unwommaned by their generosity."

--Anne Gracie, Marry in Haste

Genre: Adult Historical Romance

Publisher: Berkley Books

Pages: 320

Publication Date: May 2nd, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
When I saw Anne Gracie had a new book in a new series I was beyond fangirling. Since getting The Perfect Rake as a Christmas gift and falling in love with it and every book of hers since, there’s been now 9 total, I was SO excited to get this for review! This new series is about marriages of convenience and it did not disappoint.

It's All Greek To Me

"You know you're looking for something?
Well, I feel like I'm looking for something, too, I just don't know what it is.
But until I've found it, I feel like I can't stop exploring."

--Jo Watson, Finding You

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance, Travel

Publisher: Forever

Pages: 368

Publication Date: May 2nd, 2017

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
When I got the pitch for this book, I was immediately intrigued. You can sell almost any book to me with the words destination romance or travel romance or takes place in ________. I love stories that take place in other countries, especially romances. I can relate to them *ahem* and I always like to see how a happily ever can play out in a beautiful location.