Author: Jana

Top Ten Books I Didn’t Expect That I Would DNF

Posted September 4, 2023 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 11 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic was submitted by Sia @ everybookadoorway.com, and is Books That Defied My Expectations. I decided to share books I expected to love and ended up DNFing (did not finish) instead. I rarely talk about the books I abandoned partway through, so I thought it would be an interesting change. I won’t elaborate too much on why I DNFed because I hate hurting feelings. In most cases, these books just weren’t for me!

1. Love on Deck by Kasey Stockton (DNFed at 30%)
There were some things mentioned that indicated that either the author has never been on a cruise before or didn’t research what they are like beforehand. I won’t go into all the nitty gritty, but I really struggle when this happens.

2. Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura (DNFed at 34%)
This was one of my most anticipated 2023 releases, but I really didn’t like the characters and the dialogue was extremely corny/cheesy.

3. The Heiress at Sea by Christi Caldwell (DNFed at 15%)
I love a romance on the high seas, but found the writing style to be incredibly frustrating. The heroine is also one of the stupidest heroines I’ve ever read about. The story is way too silly and lacking in all plausibility.

4. What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall (DNF @ 15%)
I am a very character-driven reader, and I couldn’t stand the main character here.

5. The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren (DNFed @ 57%)
I tried so hard, but I just did’t like Fizzy as a main character. I couldn’t connect with her and didn’t care about her journey. This also really didn’t feel like a romance to me.

6. Seatmate by Cara Bastone (DNFed @ ?)
Sicne audible hates letting us know what percentage we’re at, I didn’t mark where I was when I stopped. I LOVED the first two books in this series, but this one just didn’t do it for me.

7. When in Rome by Sarah Adams (DNFed @ 51%)
After ADORING The Cheat Sheet, it’s hard to believe this book is by the same author. I felt no chemistry between the main characters, the same things and the same conversations kept happening over and over again, and Noah’s eyes kept getting more and more obnoxiously green as the book went on. I kept reading about how everyone in this book is so beautiful and so perfect and so pretty, and that was it. It felt very shallow.

8. The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James (DNFed @ ?)
I feel like this might have been a bit too creepy for me? lol. I don’t remember now!

9. An Accidental Odyssey by K.C. Dyer (DNFed @ 39%)
I remember feeling a very passionate hatred for the main character. LOL

10. Then Came You by Lisa Kleypas (DNFed @ 33%)
I. Love. Lisa. But I did not love this book. There’s major consent issues, and some very unlikeable characters.

Feel free to disagree with me, but please be nice! lol.
What books have you read that defied your expectations, good or bad?

Top Ten Books Featuring Water on the Cover

Posted August 28, 2023 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 14 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is super broad: Water. These can be books that take place on/in/under the water, books with water/bodies of water in the title or on the cover, etc. If you know me, you know I love a pretty cover so I decided to share book covers with water or bodies of water on them! These are all books I’ve either read and enjoyed, or hope to read soon!

Would You Rather by Allison Ashley
(I know this is not the cover the book ended up being published with, but I wish it was and this is my form of protest.)

The Secret by Julie Garwood

438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea by Jonathan Franklin

Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins

Rebound by Noelle August

Captivate by Vanessa Garden

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

By Love or By Sea by Rachel Rager

The Love Academy by Belinda Jones

The Widow by Carla Neggers

Four Romantasy Books I Enjoyed & Six I Want to Read

Posted August 21, 2023 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 19 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is genre freebie, which means you get to pick a genre and build a list around it. I’ve talked about romantic suspense and historical fiction in previous posts like this one, so today I thought I’d talk about the romantasy (romantic fantasy) genre! I’ve fallen in love with this genre over the years, but good ones are hard to find (I’ve DNFed quite a few)! I’m hoping maybe some of you have recommendations for me based on the ones I’ve enjoyed and the ones I think I’ll like! I’m purposely not including YA fantasy (unless they’re steamy) because I like the spice!

Romantasy Books I’ve Enjoyed

A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
(I don’t consider this series to be YA, even though one could argue that it is.)

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

Ledge by Stacey McEwan

Romantasy Books on my To-Read List

A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet

Winter of Ice and Iron by Rachel Neumeier

Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

Of Earth and Flame by Elayna R. Gallea

The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison | Book Review

Posted August 18, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison | Book ReviewIn the Weeds by B.K. Borison
Series: Lovelight #2
Also in this series: Business Casual, Mixed Signals
Published by Berkley on July 13, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 334
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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A grumpy farmer and a no-nonsense social media influencer have another chance at love in this charming romantic comedy.

Evelyn St. James isn’t the kind of woman you forget. Beckett Porter certainly hasn’t. One incredible weekend in Maine, and he’s officially a man distracted. He’s not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings, but Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He can’t stop thinking about her laugh. Her hand pressed flat against his chest. Her smiling mouth at his neck.

So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he is…confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon. When Evie disappears again, Beckett resolves to finally move on.

But Evie, who has been feeling disconnected from her work and increasingly dissatisfied with life online, is trying to find her way back to something real. She returns to the last place she was Lovelight Farms and the tiny town of Inglewild. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two incredible nights with.

*happy sigh* The Lovelight series is quickly becoming a cozy favorite of mine. I adored Lovelight Farms when I read it last Christmas, and In the Weeds is even better! Evie and Beckett get their second chance at love, and I enjoyed their journey. Readers met Evie in the first book, as she was the social media influencer who highlighted Lovelight Farms at Christmastime. It was mentioned at that time that she and Beckett had had a steamy night together recently, which made for an awkward surprise reunion when she showed up at the farm. Just like that night in the hotel room, she disappeared on Beckett without a word after she had enough info for her piece on Lovelight Farms. In the Weeds begins with a flashback to that fateful one-night stand, where readers get all the juicy details of what happened between the two of them.

Spring has sprung in Inglewild, and I loved seeing the flowers bloom and tagging along on planting days on the farm. I’m happy to report that Beckett’s adorable kittens are still babies who rule the farm and have Beckett whipped. I fell in love with this broody farmer in the first book. There’s just something about a man who loves to rescue animals, and I suggest you prepare to melt over a sweet little duckling in this book. I enjoyed getting to know Beckett more, and I loved Evie as well! Evie is experiencing some major burnout with her job and is feeling a little lost in her life. When her assistant asks her to name the last place she felt truly happy, Lovelight Farms immediately flashed across her mind. So, of course, she returns… not really knowing why. She and Beckett run into each other right when she arrives and finds out there’s no place in the entire town for her to stay and Beckett, being the gentleman that he is, offers her one of the spare rooms in his house. She moves into his house and back into his heart. There’s so many feelings between these two, my goodness. The romance in this story feels so real and raw. It is a very slow burn, dripping with angst and I loved it. They both have a lot to work through personally, as well as together. Their nights drinking tea together on his porch, their mornings skirting feelings around the kitchen, and their not-so-secret longing for one another was delicious. I just loved watching them work through their emotions and their feelings.

Inglewild is the most amazing town. The gossip phone tree, activated when anything interesting happens, made me giggle. The supporting characters, some of whom are instrumental in getting these two together, warmed my heart. Everyone is ready, willing, and eager to lend a helping hand whenever needed, whether it be to offer baking advice or help warm someone up who fell in a freezing lake. I loved seeing Stella and Luka again, as well as Layla. These three, plus Beckett, own Lovelight Farms together and I love this supportive found family of friends. If one of them is out stress digging in the fields in the middle of the night, the rest of them will climb out of bed and bring shovels and coffee to dig together in silence. If someone is camped out on the floor of their kitchen feeling sad, at least one of them is bound to show up and sit on the floor with them. The friendships in this series make my heart ache in the best possible way.

As with the first book, I love B.K. Borison’s writing. Her descriptions of the scenery and the goings on at the farm made me feel like I was there. She writes the best love stories and characters you’re sure to fall in love with. I’ve already read the next book in this series because I could not pull myself away from this cozy world she’s created. I’d like to stay here forever!

Top Ten Characters from Different Books Who Would be Great Friends

Posted August 14, 2023 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 13 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is Characters from Different Books Who Should Team Up, which was submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext. What a fun topic! I enjoyed looking through all my books and thinking about the different characters and who would make good friends. It was a challenge in some cases, but I now need all of these authors to team up and make my ideas come to life.

1. Evie from In the Weeds by B.K. Borison and Nari from Christmas at Frozen Falls by Kylie Dunbar
Both Evie and Nari travel around for their social media accounts, Evie to showcase small businesses and Nari to showcase fun travel destinations. I think they’d love discussing what they do and traveling together!

2. Olivia from First to Fall by Jenny B. Jones and Olive from The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Their names are similar, and both of them pretended to be married to someone they didn’t like before ultimately falling in love with them! If that doesn’t bond you, I don’t know what would.

3. Mila from The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn and Grace from The Last Bookshop In London by Madeline Martin
Mila and Grace are both brave women who sacrificed a lot and fought against Hitler in different ways during WW2. And they’re both bookish, so I think they’d have a lot in common.

4. Nathan from The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams and Dallas from My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh
These guys are both athletes who fake date the women they ultimately fall in love with in order to gain better publicity for themselves. Nathan plays football and Dallas plays hockey, so I can picture quite the bromance between them as they talk about sports and living life in the spotlight. I think their partners would be great friends, too!

5. Leah from Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm by Jaimie Admans and Stella from Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
Both Leah and Stella bought Christmas tree farms on a whim! They live in different countries, so they won’t be each other’s competition. They can just share tips and bond over their love of trees!

6. Adam from The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood and Matt from Hotshot Doc by R.S. Grey
This one is hard to explain because it’s just a feeling I have. Matt is a cocky surgeon, Adam is a cocky professor. Both are young and successful and they like science/medicine. I dunno! I think they’d be buds if they ever had any spare time!

7. Maybell from Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle and Zoey from The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
They’re both so sweet and have similar personalities!

8. Noah from Enemies Abroad by R.S. Grey and Caleb from Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison
If these two taught in the same school, I’d want to go there for sure. They’re both super nice guys!

9. Avery from Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton & Nina Bocci and Sunday from Love, Loss, and Pasta Sauce by Stephanie Taylor
Both ladies flew off to Italy after hitting a major pothole in their love lives for a fresh start and found love. I think they’d love going out for gelato together!

10. Easton from Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler and Graham from The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley
These adrenaline junkies would make great mountain climbing/hiking buddies!

Do you agree with any of my picks?
Which two characters from different books do you think would make good friends?