Posted June 8, 2020 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 21 Comments
This week’s TTT was stolen from Louise @ Foxes & Fairy Tales because I thought it was so funny! I think we book lovers tend to add books to our to-read lists and then forget about them all the time. Have you ever scrolled through your to-read list, seen a cover or title, and gone “Wait. What’s this about again? When did I add this to my list?”? I know I have! So those are the books I’m sharing today: books I once wanted to read (and probably still do), but can’t remember why I added them to my to-read list (aka what are these books even about?!). If you see a book I need to be excited about, let me know!
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
Must’ve Done Something Good by Cheryl Cory
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
The Chocolate Thief by Laura Florand
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler
Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi
House of Shadows by Darcy Coates
Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet
Can anyone tell me why I wanted to read these?
Posted June 4, 2020 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment
Lucky Suit by
Lauren Blakely Series: Sexy Suits #1 Also in this series: Birthday Suit Published by Lauren Blakely Books on July 1, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance,
Romance Pages: 129
Format: Audiobook Source: Audible Add to
Goodreads Buy on
Amazon Kristen Leonard is done with setups. She’s not interested in your son or your nephew or your butcher or the guy who mows your lawn, thank you very much, grandma! After all, she’s a modern woman—she’ll take her chances on the algorithms of online dating to find her ideal man. Before long, she meets a man who might just be the one—he’s hilarious, quick-witted, and full of heart. And when she meets up with Cameron in real life, he certainly looks exactly like his profile picture…but something’s not quite right.
There’s really no telling what brought them together and all bets are off as to whether or not they can trust their hearts over their heads. After all, can you fall in love with someone you’re not sure you really even know?
Lauren Blakey might be one of my new favorite authors! After reading Lucky Suit and its sequel, Birthday Suit, in less than a week’s time (and giving both of them 5-star ratings) I’m eager and excited to read more from her! Lucky Suit was a free Audible Original about a year ago, so I grabbed it because I’m a huge lover of romance (as you know). This one was short and sweet, just how I like them sometimes!
What I Liked:
- I loved the narrators. Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber have both rocketed their way into my very favorite narrators ever. They were both so much fun to listen to, and really brought the characters to life. I’m going to keep an eye out for books read by both of them in them in the future. Andi’s got this sassy, sweet voice and can really bring the snark and sarcasm. And Zachary has this swoony, sexy voice that made me totally fall for Cameron. He’s also great at infusing personality into the character.
- Kristen and Cameron are both such great characters. I love Cameron for how sweet he was with Kristen’s grandma, playing online poker and talking fancy cars with her. I can just picture him winking and humoring her, and I love guys like that. He’s also funny and charming and so sweet!
- Kristen is super relatable. She’s skeptical of dating and finding the right guy, and I totally agree with her. She’s very smart and completely analytical about a lot of things.
- Jeannie, the grandma, is a HOOT. I love her so much!
- The pranks in this story are top notch. No spoilers, so I won’t expound on this!
- No sexytimes, which I appreciate because they make me blush on audio!!
What I Didn’t Like:
- Honestly, I just wish the story was longer. I wanted more romance, more online chats, more Jeannie antics, more everything! But it’s a favorite of mine just as it is, so I’m not that upset!
Additional Thoughts:
- Definitely read this one before you read Birthday Suit. Even though it’s tiny, and basically a novella, Cameron shows up in Birthday Suit and I was excited to see him again. You appreciate him more in BS if you’ve read LS, at least in my opinion. Although, I’m pretty sure Lucky Suit takes place DURING Birthday Suit because we never hear about Kristen, just a “mystery woman”. But anyway! Do it for Cameron.
- Must find more books read by Andi and/or Zachary!
- Must go browse Lauren Blakely’s other books and find more swoony stories!
All in all, this was so much fun and I highly recommend it! If you can listen to it, do it, because I think it made me love it even more.
Posted June 1, 2020 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 16 Comments
Welcome to another TTT! And happy summer! I can’t believe summer starts this month. Have we been quarantining for 7 years yet? I’ve chosen to share 5 books I loved that give off summery vibes and 5 from my TBR that look like the pages will drip sunshine. Some have summery covers or titles, and some just have very summery content. I’m looking forward to browsing some of your books this week. Goodness knows I need a little vacation to a tropical paradise right about now!
Summery Books I Loved
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren – Hawaiian unhoneymoon!
On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves – An island!
Well Met by Jen DeLuca – Summer Renn Fair
Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton – Italy!
Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins – Look at that boating cover!
Summery Books On My To-Read List
Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras
Around the World With My Ex by Maxine Morrey
Emerald Coast by Anita Hughes
Finding You by Jo Watson
Well Played by Jen DeLuca
Posted June 1, 2020 by Jana in Blog Event / 6 Comments
I’m so excited to announce that Jessica (Reading with Jessica) and I are hosting a fun summer reading event called New-to-Me-Author Summer Bingo! We’ve both been wanting to collaborate on something on our blogs, and since we’ve both been meaning to start branching out and exploring the works of authors we’ve never read before this event was born. We hope you’ll join us!
The Basics:
- This event lasts from June 1st-August 31st, which is perfect because it won’t overrun any other reading challenges you’re participating in or books you’re excited to read that don’t fit this challenge’s parameters.
- You can only count books towards the bingo card if you have not read that author before.
- A bingo can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. You can also go for multiple bingos or blackout if you’re feeling ambitious.
- Use the hashtag #nasbingo to share updates on your progress and tell us what you’re hoping to read.
I cannot wait to participate with you all summer!!!
Here is the bingo card with all the prompts, as well as a blank one if you’d like to fill in the books on your TBR or update it once you’ve read. Feel free to share this challenge with others!
