Month: July 2019

Ten Books with Beautiful Places On the Cover

Posted July 29, 2019 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 25 Comments

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a freebie post, which I love because it allows you to express your creativity! It also allows you to do more niche-y, specific topics that I don’t usually select as weekly prompts because I want to keep things broad so everyone can participate. Anyway, I can’t wait to see your list and potentially steal it (with credit, of course) for a future TTT!

I chose to feature books with beautiful places on the book cover. I’m a sucker for a great cover, but even more so if there’s a place I love, or a pretty landscape scene, or a cute shop or house on the cover that makes me want to jump in and be there immediately.

One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan
When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny with a Dashing Stranger by Victoria Alexander
Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
The Summer Getaway by Tilly Tennant
Sailing to Capri by Elizabeth Adler
Summer’s Lease by Carrie Elks
Ever My Love by Lynn Kurland
Finding You by Jo Watson
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

What topic did you pick this week?
Which of these covers is your favorite?


Tomb of the Ancients (House of Furies #3) by Madeleine Roux Spotlight and Giveaway

Posted July 26, 2019 by Jana in Book Spotlight, Giveaway / 2 Comments

Tomb of the Ancients, the third and final book in the House of Furies trilogy, came out this past May and Wunderkind PR is graciously offering up a finished copy to one of my readers! Read more about the book below, and enter to win!


Tomb of the Ancients by Madeleine Roux
Series: House of Furies #3
Published by HarperTeen on May 14, 2019
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The war between old gods and monsters comes to a thrilling climax in this final book in the “darkly delightful”* House of Furies series, from the New York Times bestselling author of Asylum. (*Publishers Weekly)

Free from the nightmares of Coldthistle House, Louisa and her friends have taken up a posh new London residence. But there’s no rest for the wicked. Religious zealots from the shepherd’s flock are gathering in the city, and ominous warnings are being left on Louisa’s doorstep. With the evil influence of her father’s spirit growing stronger—trying to take over—Louisa knows she will be forced to pick a side in the coming war between the old gods, whether she’d like to or not.

To save herself, Louisa is desperate enough to do whatever it takes—even if it means returning to Coldthistle House and striking another deal with Mr. Morningside. To uphold her end of the bargain, Louisa will have to rejoin his supernatural staff to venture to a gateway between worlds, a place of legend: the Tomb of Ancients. But, as always, there’s a catch…

Have you read any of the books in this series yet? What did you think?

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Top Ten Settings I’d Like to Visit More Through Books

Posted July 22, 2019 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 20 Comments

Sorry I’m late! I had kittens on me!

I love visiting new (or beloved) places through books, and this week’s topic allows me to share some of my favorites with you! I tend to gravitate towards books set in the following places/kinds of places, so if you have any recommendations for books you think I’d love based on my picks this week, please leave them in the comments below!

Creepy Hotels/Apartment Buildings (Like in Lock Every Door by Riley Sager)
Alaska (I love the scenery and the Northern Lights)
Ships/Yachts/Boats (Bonus points if people are visiting cool places.)
Outdoor/Wilderness (Camping, survival stories, etc.)
Secluded Resorts (Like the Snow Crystal Ski Resort in Sarah Morgan’s O’Neil Brothers series)
Venice, Italy (Really, any place in Italy.)
New York City (I SO heart New York, especially at Christmas.)
Castles (Like in Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare)
Any place with snow!! (I love cabins, fireplaces, Christmas, blizzards, etc.)
Cute, quaint, picturesque small towns (Like Kristan Higgins’s Gideon’s Cove)

Which settings do you love and would like to see more of?


The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare | Mini Book Review

Posted July 18, 2019 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 2 Comments

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare | Mini Book ReviewThe Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
Series: Girl Meets Duke #1
Also in this series: The Governess Game
Published by Avon on April 22, 2017
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 389
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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Buy on Amazon

When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules… 

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:
- They will be husband and wife by night only.
- No lights, no kissing.
- No questions about his battle scars.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
- They will have dinner together every evening.
- With conversation.
- And unlimited teasing.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love…

This is a suuuuper mini review, but I just don’t have a ton to say! Everyone knows that I love Tessa Dare, but this book was not a favorite of hers. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t particularly memorable. I really enjoy marriage of convenience stories, and I liked Ash and Emma. I found it funny that these two were going to try and keep the passion out of the marriage and just make a baby, when it’s so obvious that they’re falling for each other. I liked the dual points of view. I loved the cat, Breeches. I enjoyed the romance and the banter. Really, I don’t have any specific complaints other than the fact that the magic just wasn’t there for me like it usually is. I’ve loved some of Tessa’s other books more than this one!


Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors

Posted July 15, 2019 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 19 Comments

Happy TTT! This week’s topic was harder for me than I thought it would be, just because I read books by a LOT of authors, and many of those authors that I love (s0 far) only have 1-2 books out right now. I feel like an author has to have been around for a while and have multiple books out in order to be an auto-buy author for me. For example, I’m thinking of this one author and I love her a lot but she’s released two books in two years, with no more announced right now. I know I’ll buy it, but it’s hard to put her into this category since she is so new and has so few books. So I’m sticking with the authors I’ve been reading for YEARS and have proven how wonderful they are to me!

Tessa Dare

Christina Lauren

Tracey Garvis-Graves

Mary Higgins-Clark

Jill Shalvis

Riley Sager

Jenn Bennett

Kate Avery Ellison

Sarah J. Maas

Sarah Morgan

Which authors are auto-buy authors for you?