HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!! I hope everyone has a fun (or relaxing) weekend lined up. I will be continuing to put my hands in the dirt (and read when I’m not in my landscaping mode). 😉
P.S. If you’re looking for something really awesome to watch (very heartfelt and it has that real “like our books” feel) I’d recommend watching “Gifted“. It’s about a guy (Chris Evans) that becomes a “single father” of sorts to his young niece that he raised from the time she was a toddler. Her mom – his sister – committed suicide in his home, leaving him with this tiny baby. And he soon learns (when she starts at a new school) that she is incredibly gifted in mathematics (just like her mother was). Pure genius. SO fun to watch!!!
Of course… there are those that believe a gifted child like her should not be in such a “normal/general” learning environment, and so the battle begins. The actors were incredible (and the relationships between the characters, the teacher, his neighbor… his mother… totally believable). And the star of the movie was absolutely that sweet-snarky little actress that played his gifted niece. A must watch! I watched it last night while putting together this list, and it was a 5 star movie for me!
BLASTS FROM OUR BOOK PAST!
- 2 years ago, we wanted barbarians! Reader Recommendations – Our Favorite Barbarian Warlord Fantasy Books
- 4 years ago, I went 5-STAR CRAZY for this duet! Aly Martinez – The Darkest Sunrise Duet
- 4 years ago, this one had everyone in a frenzy!! Book Review – The Unrequited by Saffron A. Kent
- 5 years ago, we were craving this kind of celebrity! The Ultimate List Of Sports Star Romance
- 6 years ago, I reviewed this gritty biker book that so many were LOVING! Book Review – Fearless by Lauren Gilley
- 6 years ago, this first book in this series stole my heart!! Jessica Topper – Love & Steel Series
- 7 years ago, this was one of my favorite books (and still IS!). Absolutely incredible!! And so is this author!! Book Review – Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- 7 years ago, this was the first book I read by this amazing author and I WAS HOOKED on her!!! Book Review – After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- 8 years ago, I 5-starred this one!! P.S. I have a sort of… “cameo” at the end of the book that had me giggling and that I didn’t see coming. 😉 Book Review – Left Drowning by Jessica Park
- 8 years ago, we discovered a new male romance author! I wonder where he is now… ? P.S. There’s a pic of me and him at Book Bash. Look at our CRAZY height difference. 😂 Book Review – Jane’s Melody by Ryan Winfield
- 9 years ago, I was enthralled with this totally forbidden romance (a cop and a teen). Book Review – Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
- 9 years ago, this was the first one I read by Alice Clayton and I LOVED this angsty series BIG TIME! Book Review – The Unidentified Redhead by Alice Clayton
- 10 years ago… I fell in LOVE. I had NO idea what I was in for, and then I met Travis, and this book was EVERYTHING I needed. And this was just the start. What I Am Reading Today – Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE FOUND FOR THE WEEKEND !!
➔➔➔ TWO MONTHS FREE KINDLE UNLIMITED DEAL!!! <— For new members only. If you haven’t tried it yet, now’s your chance. WE ARE LOVING IT!
- Break Away: A Midwest Small Town Romance by Vanessa Sheets <— CADY RECOMMENDS IT!
Cady: Love your blog. I found many new books and authorsfrom your blog. I came upon a new author Vanessa sheets. Her debut brought all kind of feels. The title is break away. Super angst. Please share and read.
- Alphahole Roommates Series Box Set : Contemporary Enemies to Lovers Roommate Romances
by DD Prince <— SERIES BUNDLE!! - Brooks: A Mountain Man Curvy Woman Romance (Brothers in Arms in Alaska Book 5) by Kali Hart <— LIVE!!
- The Brazen (Calamity Montana Book 3) by Willa Nash <— THEY’RE STUCK TOGETHER DURING A STORM… “…A brazen billionaire, he seems intent on ruining Kerrigan’s life.But if Pierce Sullivan thinks she’ll go down without a fight, he’s sorely mistaken. Pushed to the extreme, she drives to his ritzy mountain lodge to force the arrogant You Can Call Me Mr. Sullivan to hear her out. No sooner does she arrive than a snowstorm traps her with Pierce. Stranded together for days, she’s in for the battle of her life. Pierce is nearly irresistible by candlelight. Without his suits and fancy cars, he’s almost human…”
- Rules of Play: Nerd/Jock MM Romance (The Script Club Book 2) by Lane Hayes <— LIVE!!! M/M ROMANCE!!
- Breaking Free: An M/M, Enemies-to-Lovers, Sports Romance (South River University Book 3) by Isabel Lucero <— LIVE!!! M/M ROMANCE!!
- The End Zone (Atlanta Lightning Book 2) by Riley Hart <— LIVE!!! M/M ROMANCE! “…Seeing my best friend West, happy with his fiancé opened my eyes to things I’ve been missing in my own marriage. My divorce, which was amicable, followed. Strangely, at West’s wedding, I find myself confiding in Darren, the straight, confirmed bachelor and star quarterback of the Atlanta Lightning. Darren is a full-steam-ahead kind of guy, and one talk leads to hanging out, swapping phone numbers, and pranking West and Anson while they’re on their honeymoon. When I head back to California, I expect our chats to end, but I couldn’t be more wrong…”
- Discouraging the Duke (Dukes Done Wrong Book 1) by Alexa Aston <— LIVE!!! HISTORICAL ROMANCE!
- To Have and To Hoyden (The Hoydens of Hyde Park Book 1) by Eva Devon <— LIVE!!! HISTORICAL ROMANCE!
- The Secrets of Lord Grayson Child (Cynsters Next Generation Series) by Stephanie Laurens <— LIVE!!! HISTORICAL ROMANCE!
- Rainfall by Melissa Delport <— ONE OF MY LATEST “BLASTS FROM THE PAST” and this book always gets a major reaction! One of my forever favorites and UNFORGETTABLE!
Cristina: OMG! Rainfall by Melissa Delport STILL is with me to this day! That ending stands as my #1 for shock value and completely tore me apart! My heart just sank and the tears flowed! I don’t think I’ll ever forget that book!
Maryse: Unforgettable for sure!! It was just so unexpected and clever, really.
Rochelle: I just googled rainfall on Amazon to read the reviews and in the reviews they mention you Maryse! They mention this book made it to your top 10 list in 2014. Fun.
Lisa A: Whenever I see Rainfall mentioned, I just have to take the time to say how much I loved it (and hated it in the same breath). It will stay with me forever. …I had to keep putting it down, muttering “oh no no no no”. I walked away. I glared at the book from across the room. I walked wide circles around it for a long time. The tears would not stop. …Such a deep and visceral reaction I had to it!!!
- Suddenly Forbidden by Ella Fields <— NATALIE WANTS MORE LIKE THIS ONE!
Natalie: Do you know any others that are similar to Suddenly Forbidden by Ella Fields??
I have read a couple that were kind of close. But, I was curious for any others’ suggestions??
- Heated Secrets (Rose Garden Apartments Book 1) by Elizabeth Lennox <— LIVE!!!
- Tyres’ Wraith (Inferno’s Clutch MC Book 9) by E.C. Land <— LIVE!!!
- Savage: (The Men of Mafia St. Clair Book 4) by Celeste Granger <— LIVE!!!
- All Fired Up: A Small Town Second Chance Firefighter Romance (Hometown Heat Book 1) by Lili Valente <— LIVE!!! SHE BOUGHT HIM AT AN AUCTION “…I wasn’t counting on Naomi buying me at the firefighter charity auction. Now I’m forced into a month of dates with the one woman who cuts through my defenses like no one else, and I’m starting to think maybe she’s right…maybe we are different people than the teenagers who failed at love. Maybe this isn’t a fire I have to put out…”
- Crow Kings of Carnage MC: Prospects (Kings Of Carnage MC – Prospects Book 5) by M.N. Forgy <— LIVE!!!
- Nash: A Hathaway House Heartwarming Romance by Dale Mayer <— LIVE!!!
- Rebellious Surrender: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (The Surrender Series Book 2) by Zoe Blake <— LIVE!!!
- All Of Me Duet by Siobhan Davis <— AIMEE RECOMMENDS THIS ONE!
Aimee: Hey!! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!! I had a long one spent working and reading so I have a recommendation!
All Of Me duet by Siobhan Davis
It was so good!! It was full of angst, heartbreak and the lead female has two love interest that she can’t choose from
- Tangled by Em Wolf <— AIMEE ALSO LOVED THIS ONE!!! AND SO DID I! UNFORGETTABLE & so angry and fun!
Aimee: I just finished an Enemies to Lovers book in 1 day! It was so good!!! Full of angst!!! Tangledby: Em Wolf
Maryse: I LOVED THAT ONE!!!!!!!!! I am so with you! In fact, here’s my Book Review!
- Their Mountain Captive: A Mountain Menage Romance (Men of Lonely Mountain Book 1) by Kayla Wren <— LIVE!!!
- 5 Rounds: An Enemies to Lovers Sports Romance (The Fight Game Book 1) by Nikki Castle <— LIVE!!!
- ROCHELLE IS EXCITED ABOUT THESE:
How did I miss not one but two books by J Bengtsson. A automatic buy. One is Next in Line and Hunker Down. Just started Next in Line. My summer reading list is growing.
Just finished Pam Godwin’s Lesson in Sin. Another author I always read. However I did pickup her Deliver Us books 1 to 6. They are released on Audible as 2 books.
From your recommendation I purchased 44 Chapters about 4 Men and pulled up the Netflix of Sex/Life. Just started when my kids had to come downstairs. They are older and it is still embarrassing!
- The Mixtape by Brittainy Cherry <— RECENT RELEASE & WE HAVE MORE FEEDBACK!
Cristina: I finished “The Mixtape” by Brittainy Cherry, and as usual, she took my breath away! Every time I read one of her books, I learn something new about myself. She just has a way of writing emotions that bring you all the feels! I feel everything that her characters go through the entire way through. She is simply amazing! Don’t miss out on this one!
Oliver will tug at your heartstrings and I want Emery as a best friend! And her daughter is just hilarious and adorable! “Every person in this world has a mixtape of sorts, a collection of tracks that defines their lives. Each memory is a song, and they all come together to create a masterpiece. So, tell me your story. What lyrics, what melodies, live on your mixtape?”
- Wreck (Fuel Series Book 2) by Ginger Scott <— LIVE!! GINGER SCOTT’S LATEST! SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE BUT HE BROKE HER… “…when fate calls him home, he sees it as his chance to take back his girl, to make his heart whole and to put his makeshift family back together. Just one thing. That family? And more importantly, that girl? They want nothing to do with him. When Dustin left Hannah without a word, he broke a promise. More than that, he broke a bond. He broke Hannah….”
- Pop Goes The Biker: Turf Wars #3 by Bella Jewel <— LIVE!! BELLA JEWEL’S LATEST!
- Letters from Afghanistan by Maricla Pannocchia <— FREE DOWNLOAD!!! TWO 14 YEAR OLD GIRLS BECOME PENPALS… “...Olivia has to write letters to a girl studying in an Afghan school. That’s how she connects with Basya. Basya is 14 years old and lives in a small Afghan village. She dreams of becoming a teacher but she has to face so much just in order to survive and get an education. When Basya is in trouble, Olivia will have to find her own strength and courage to help her friend. A coming of age story to celebrate diversity and a friendship that knows no borders…” The author says:
I want it to be available to as many people, especially young people, as possible. It will be downloadable from my own website and people who feel up to donating something to say “thank you”, as if they have bought the book, can do so through my PenPal or, even better, they could donate to a charity I talk about at the end of the book which supports female students in Afghanistan.
- Hell Theory Series by Lauren Gilley <— MONY LOVES THIS SERIES!!
Mony: I read both King Among the Dead & Night in a Waste Land (Hell Theory) by Lauren Gilley earlier this year. Among the best PNR I’ve read in 2021.
The final book in the series, Vanish Into Light, was released in June. Finally getting to it – I’ve scanned it – to be honest I read some great bits – promises to be awesome. Unique plot lines. Great writer. 🙂
AUDIOBOOK LVERS!
➔➔ Not a member of Audible yet? Get a free 30 day audible trial (which includes one title from their premium selection of best sellers and listen all you want to thousands of titles in their growing Audible Plus Catalog.)
➔➔ AND! Audiobook Matchmaker!! <— Find out which of YOUR Kindle books are available as audiobooks at a BARGAIN-PRICE! This is how it works. Click on that link & Amazon will show you all of your Kindle books that are also available as an audiobook at a seriously discounted price. This way, you can switch back and forth, seamlessly between your ebooks and your audiobooks. VERY COOL!
- One Moment Please by Amy Daws <— AIMEE LOVES THIS ONE!
Aimee: Not sure if you have this one as a recommendation but I listened to it as an audible and it was sooo good!! Romantic comedy about a surprise pregnancy!Has a brooding doctor as the love interest!
One Moment Please by Amy Daws. I will be checking her other books out!
- Midlife at Midsummer: Paranormal Women’s Fantasy (Not Too Late Book 5) by Victoria Danann
PREORDERS (going live soon!!! 😀 )
- The Good Lie by A. R. Torre – July 20th 2021
- Last Guard (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 5) by Nalini Singh – July 20th 2021
- Totally Folked (Good Folk Book 1) by Penny Reid – July 20th 2021
- The Ice Duchess: Prequel to the Duchess Society Series by Tracy Sumner – July 22nd 2021
- Pretty Falling Pieces by Isabelle Culpo – July 25th 2021
- The Muse: A Beautiful Magic Standalone by Lauren Blakely – July 26th 2021
- Small Favors by Erin A. Craig – July 27th 2021
- For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing – July 27th 2021
- The Duke Goes Down: Duke Hunt by Sophie Jordan – July 27th 2021
- Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas – July 27th 2021
- Claimed (Lair of the Wolven, The Book 1) by J.R. Ward – July 27th 2021
- A Good Day for Chardonnay: A Novel (Sunshine Vicram Series Book 2) by Darynda Jones – July 27th 2021
- Love Next Door (Lakeside Book 1) by Helena Hunting – July 27th 2021
- Not a Happy Family: A Novel by Shari Lapena – July 27th 2021
- The Right Side of Wrong by Prescott Lane – July 29th 2021
- The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray: A thrilling new time travel adventure by O.R. Simmonds – July 30th 2021
➔➔➔ Looking for more book releases? Check out the upcoming new releases here or check out the latest new releases here.
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I picked up Whisper Down the Lane when it was on sale last week and I’m totally hooked. It’s very unsettling and I’m loving the nods to occult horror fans!
OMG I LOVE UNSETTLING!!!! *runs to look it up*
Okay I just one-clicked it. I gotta read this!!
I can’t wait to hear what you think! It’s very well done and clever.
Finished Brooklynaire and now onto Rare Vigilance by M.A. Grant. I read a review that made me flip over to kindle and one click.
Have six books I’m trying to see if I can finish this month.
Did you like Brooklynaire?
I did. Not a favorite of the year but a solid enough CR.
I had similar thoughts, bev. It was solid and I enjoyed it too.
Finished Repeat by Kylie Scott. It fell a little flat for me.
Now to decide on the next one.
Kylie Scott can be hit or miss for me. I haven’t read this one.
You are powering through your reads. Yay bev!
I am and it feels good. Are you planning on reading the new Kleypas when it’s released?
Oh yes! I’m looking forward to it.
Maryse
At the beginning of your column you mentioned “putting your hands in dirt”. I assume you are talking about yard work or gardening. If you are your dirt should be referred to as “soil”. After all you grow things in soil.
Ah yes… soil. But I’m getting my hands dirty which was what I love to do on weekends. LOL! Hence… dirt. 😂
Why is sticking to a budget so hard? I’ve put myself in a book budget which makes me want to buy even though I know my reading doesn’t keep pace with my buying lately. Well, it never has but especially the last few years, lol.