Author: Jana

Top Ten Books On My Birthday Wish List

Posted June 20, 2022 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 15 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic has become a sort of biannual tradition! I host this topic at the end of June every year to coincide with Christmas In July (a gift-giving event I host)  and my birthday (which is tomorrow). I also host is the week of Christmas! List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to your wishlist so that people can grant your wish. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address [here’s how to do it on Amazon] or include the email address associated with your ereader in the list description so people know how to get the book to you. Then you can jump around the Linky and grant some wishes! You can do this anonymously or identify yourself in a gift note (including your twitter/insta handle, blog URL, or email address in the gift note would allow people to thank you). You might even have some of your own wishes granted! I love doing this, because sending cheer to others is a sure-fire way to make myself happier. Here’s some of the books I’d love to own:

How to Tame Your Duke by Juliana Gray
A Night Like This by Julia Quinn
What Happens In London by Julia Quinn
Forbidden by Suzanne Brockmann
Castles by Julie Garwood
Enemies Abroad by R.S. Grey
Because You’re Mine by Lisa Kleypas
The Highywayman by Kerrigan Byrne
Neighbors Like That by Carina Taylor
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

Here’s my wish list on Amazon! I’ve got a bunch of other titles on there as well, any of which I’d be so happy to read!

Have you read any of these books? Which ones should I push to the top of my TBR?
Have fun granting wishes this week! I hope all your dreams come true.

Top Ten Tuesday Link-up – 6/14/22

Posted June 13, 2022 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 14 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is “Books I Wish Had An Epilogue” (or maybe a second epilogue). I get very attached to characters, and I miss a lot of them long after the book is over. Sometimes I’ll gaze over at my bookshelves and remember some of the amazing stories, and how I’d love to know what those characters are up to all these years later. I just want to check in on them and see what’s happened in their lives! Unfortunately, though, I’m just not in the mindset to write up this post this week! So I’m taking a mental health break and only posting the link-up this time. I’ll be jumping around to visit some of your posts, though! And I’ll be back with another TTT next week. :)

Which book(s) do you wish had an epilogue?
Are you like me and wonder what your favorite characters are up to years after the book has ended?

Top Ten Books With a Unit of Time In the Title

Posted June 6, 2022 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 11 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic was submitted by RS at The Idealistic Daydream, and features books with a unit of time in the title (seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc.). This should be a fun challenge!

1. Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily
2. Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis
3. Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber
4. Eighty Days to Elsewhere by K.C. Dyer
5. My One Week Husband by Lauren Blakely
6. The Proper Way to Stop a Wedding In Seven Days or Less by Victoria Alexander
7. A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare
8. The Five-Year Plan by Carla Burgess
9. Every Waking Moment by Brenda Novak
10. Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Have you read any of these?
Which books did you choose this week?

Ten Qualities I Look for In a Comfort Read

Posted May 30, 2022 by Jana in About Me, Top Ten Tuesday / 11 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is all about comfort reads: the books that feel like home and make me warm and fuzzy when I read them. Since I don’t re-read much, I decided to share qualities I look for when I’m on the hunt for a comfort read. Obviously, I can’t find all ten of these qualities in every book I choose. Sometimes I’ll get 2-3 and that’s good enough for me! I can’t wait to see what you consider to be a comfort read, and just know that this topic is going to add a bunch of books to my to-read list!

The Necessities: 

These are the non-negotiable qualities that a book must have for me to consider it a comfort read.

  • There’s got to be some kind of romance going on. 
    It doesn’t even have to be the main storyline! A thriller with a small sprinkling of romance would definitely make the cut.
  • Overall, it needs to be happy.
    I have have heard that some people find comfort in reading stories where the characters are suffering or struggling with the same things they are, because it makes them feel less alone. I’m the opposite. I don’t like commiserating with characters in my books, and would rather read something happy that takes my mind off my life.
  • I need to be in the mood for it. 
    I’m a major mood reader. I can want to read a book so badly, but if I’m not in the mood for it at the time I sit down to read it then I’m not going to like it.

The Bonuses:

These are the qualities that push a book even further into the “comfort read” zone for me. Sometimes a book will have several of these, and that’s pretty exciting!

  • It takes place at Christmas time.
  • The character(s) is on vacation somewhere I love or would love to visit someday.
  • It’s set in a world unlike mine. I also love fantasy and sci-fi, which both transport me to completely different and exciting places!
  • It has one or several of my favorite romance tropes: fake dating/engagement/marriage, friends to lovers, best friend’s sibling/sibling’s best friend, or forced proximity.
  • It’s funny! I love witty banter or hilarious situations.
  • The characters are super loveable.
  • It’s written by one of my favorite authors. I love Lisa Kleypas, Christina Lauren, Sarah Morgenthaler, Sarah Hogle, R.S. Grey, Tessa Dare, Julia Quinn, Sarah Morgan, Jenn Deluca, Riley Sager, and Mary Higgins-Clark.

Books That Fit the Bill:

I know I said I don’t re-read often, but I do have a list of books I have re-read (and will continue to do so) and books I want to re-read soon! Here’s a few of them:

 

What makes a book a comfort read for you?
What’s your ultimate comfort read? I’d love some recommendations!

Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas | Book Review

Posted May 26, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas | Book ReviewDevil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas
Series: The Ravenels #5
Also in this series: Cold-Hearted Rake, Marrying Winterborne, Devil In Spring, Hello Stranger, Chasing Cassandra, Devil In Disguise
Published by Avon on February 19, 2019
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 375
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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A scintillating tale of a beautiful, young widow who finds passion with the one man she shouldn't . . .

Although beautiful young widow Phoebe, Lady Clare, has never met West Ravenel, she knows one thing for certain: he's a mean, rotten bully. Back in boarding school, he made her late husband's life a misery, and she'll never forgive him for it. But when Phoebe attends a family wedding, she encounters a dashing and impossibly charming stranger who sends a fire-and-ice jolt of attraction through her. And then he introduces himself—as none other than West Ravenel.

West is a man with a tarnished past. No apologies, no excuses. However, from the moment he meets Phoebe, West is consumed by irresistible desire . . . not to mention the bitter awareness that a woman like her is far out of his reach. What West doesn't bargain on is that Phoebe is no straitlaced aristocratic lady. She's the daughter of a strong-willed wallflower who long ago eloped with Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent—the most devilishly wicked rake in England.

Before long, Phoebe sets out to seduce the man who has awakened her fiery nature and shown her unimaginable pleasure. Will their overwhelming passion be enough to overcome the obstacles of the past? Only the devil's daughter knows.

*happy sigh* Can I just say that my Lisa Kleypas-a-thon is doing wonders for my mental health? I am enjoying her books so much that I literally want to read nothing else right now. I can easily say she’s my favorite author, and that’s crazy to me because I’ve had favorite authors before but I’ve never loved every single thing an author has written. Ever. Lisa Kleypas is that author for me. I just can’t find anything wrong with her books! I don’t know why it took me until this year to finally jump into her stories, but I guess it happened at just the right time for me. Devil’s Daughter is book #5 in the Ravenels series, and we finally get West’s love story!! I knew I was going to love it, and I did. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. WEST. West appears is introduce in the first Ravenels book, Cold-Hearted Rake, and he’s very unimpressive at that point. He was a spoiled brat who thought only of himself, but he quickly transformed into a hardworking, caring, and compassionate man when he moved to Eversby Priory to help his brother, Devon. If you’ll remember, Devon inherited a title and an estate (with tenants) after his brother died in a freak accident. He was also thrust into the position of taking care of his brother’s widow, Kathleen, and his sisters: Helen, Pandora, and Cassandra. Devon sends for help and all of a sudden, West has a purpose, a family, and many people depending on him. He has continued to evolve and warm my heart, and quickly solidified his position as my favorite member of the Ravenel family (although, don’t quote me on this because I love them all and will deny such an accusation). He is whip-smart, flirtatious, dependable, loyal, passionate, caring, loving, etc. All the good things.

2. Phoebe arrives at Eversby Priory to attend Pandora’s wedding to Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent. Their love story is told in book #3 of the Ravenels (Devil In Spring). Phoebe is a widow and mother of two adorable little boys (I usually don’t love kids in romance, but these two stole my heart), and I really loved how sweet and strong she was. She married her childhood best friend, Henry, who suffered his whole life and ultimately perished from a wasting disease. That kind of devotion to a person, and that willingness to essentially sign up to be their caretaker until the end of their life, shows you the kind of person Phoebe is. She’s selfless and wonderful. Henry’s death left her to raise two young children on her own, plus manage an estate that is sort of being swindled away from her by her late husband’s friend. Oh, and she lives with a witch of a mother-in-law who would rather turn the family home into a mausoleum for her son than allow for enjoyable, happy living. Phoebe is a saint, really.

3. The romance is *chef’s kiss*. Phoebe has suffered recent and very real loss, so she guards her heart closely.  She’s also aware of a past between Henry and West–one that West does not remember–so she has already thrown all her walls up against West before she even arrives at the wedding. When they inevitably meet, West is captivated by her beauty and her sweet disposition. That charming, flirtatious, smooth-talking, smirking West would be hard for anyone to resist, but Phoebe does a great job of it. This cat and mouse game quickly turns into a genuine friendship as West works slowly and patiently to garner her trust. He offers to help teach her how to run her estate and maximize productivity among her tenants. He is so, so sweet with her boys that I nearly lost all my teeth. I loved watching him wiggle his way into that family. I also loved watching him give Phoebe the tools necessary to manage her estate, secure inheritances for her sons, and stand up for herself in the process. And then… then comes the love story. What a beautiful, tender, slow-burning romance. There are so many sweet and poignant moments between these two that pierced my heart and made me swoon. The care West shows Phoebe gives her the safe space she needs to tear down her walls and fall in love again. I loved watching it all happen.

4. Lisa Kleypas has a knack for writing amazing dialogue. It’s always full of love, romance, swoons, and humor. 

5. As I always say, I loved seeing the other members of the Ravenel family pop up and it was even better that it was for a wedding! And of course, Sebastian St. Vincent is there to see his son get married and I LOVE Sebastian. I love all the opportunities Lisa Kleypas gives us to catch up with him. And now he’s this salt and pepper grandpa to Phoebe’s children, which I just loved! In addition to the Ravenel family, I loved the other supporting characters. I loved reading West’s interactions with the people who work on his estate. I LOVED Phoebe’s older son, Justin. He’s precious!

6. A random side note, but something I love that needs to be pointed out: I love that every book where Sebastian plays any type of role in the story has “Devil” in the title. Devil In Winter is his story, Devil In Spring is his son’s story, Devil’s Daughter is his daughter’s story, and there’s one more devil Ravenel book on the horizon, Devil in Disguise, that I’m nearly done with and I won’t spoil the role he plays in that one!

All in all, is it any surprise I loved Devil’s Daughter? I’m just going to lie to myself and pretend that Lisa Kleypas is going to write a million more books in this series. I never want it to end!