All I Want For Christmas – Maggie Knox

Author: Maggie Knox
Date: October 4, 2022
Pages: 352
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Son
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SUMMARY:

Will they hit the right notes this holiday season?

When Sadie and Max are selected as contestants on the famed reality singing show Starmaker, each thinks they’ve finally gotten their big Nashville break. But then they’re paired up for duet week and stun the world with their romantic onstage chemistry. With fans going wild for #Saxie the network demands that they remain a duo on and offstage, or exit the competition. Faking a relationship until their final performance in the Starmaker holiday special shouldn’t be too hard, except for one small problem—Sadie and Max can’t stand each other. 

But with their dreams just within reach, they agree to the ruse. Will their fake relationship be exposed before they can win? Or might their phony connection turn real by the Christmas finale?

REVIEW:

I could not put it down. It so fun, cute, and would have been a quick read if I didn’t have too many other things to do. I mostly read the book at night. I loved how Sadie and Max connected on certain levels! It takes place during Christmas time so reading it in February is a little bit different. I loved the cozy cabin and snow element that the author threw in.

So when Sadie and Max have to fake a relationship, it was not what either one wanted but they both wanted to make their break. Time goes on as they do develop feelings for each other but both have a hard time telling each other that. There’s drama up and down, cute moments, not so cute moments and such a lovely festive vibe throughout the book.

It’s a must read if you like enemies to lovers type of trope with cute moments. I really enjoyed the book and will be on the lookout for more from the author.

Review: Never Rescue a Rogue – E-Arc

I received an E-Arc from the publisher for an honest review!

• Author: Virginia Heath
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin’s Griffin
• Date: November 8, 2022
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
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Summary:
Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair only tolerate one another for the sake of their nearest and dearest. Everyone believes that the two of them are meant to be together, but Diana and Giles know that their constant pithy barbs come from a shared disdain―not a hidden attraction. Diana loves the freedom of working at the newspaper too much to give it up for marriage, and Giles is happily married to his bachelor lifestyle. But they do have one thing in common―the secrets they can’t risk escaping.

When Giles’ father, the curmudgeonly Duke of Harpenden unexpectedly turns up his toes, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes crawling out of the woodwork who knows the true circumstances of his only son’s birth. As the threat of blackmail becomes real, Giles must uncover the truth of his parentage first, or else he and all those who depend upon him will be ruined―and dogged bloodhound Diana is his best hope at sniffing out the truth. As Giles and Diana dive into his family’s past, the attraction that the two of them insisted wasn’t there proves impossible to ignore. Soon, the future of the Sinclair estate isn’t the only thing on the line…

My Review:
Oh my gosh! I got an e-Arc from the publisher one morning. That was such a nice surprise since I was having such a long week. I know I haven’t updated the blog much, lots of things going on!! But this book was such a gem to read.

I’ve read the first book “Never Fall for Your Finance” and loved it. This one meets the same level! Another lovely adventure with the Merriwell Sisters! This book had all the feels. Granted there is an attraction between Diana and Giles. You feel the emotion build up but do they get together? It kind of reminds me of Bridgerton from Season 2. Historical Rom Cons rule!

I will say Diana is such a lively, independent character who takes no grief and is always determined to find the truth. She banters with Giles, hence the attraction and power builds up between them. Giles on the other hand shows himself off as not important and reckless in a way to the public, but to his friends he is a true gentleman and holds honor dear to his heart. To me he seems wicked cool. I love the interaction between the two.

Giles learns of his father’s death and then there’s a question mark hanging over his head of who is his mother. He begins his search to find out the truth. Diana gets involved to help Giles with this mystery. While in this process, Gile’s long lost Uncle Gervais shows up wanting take over the estate! Who will get the estate and the title duke?

I can see this story into a movie. That would be awesome to see.

I did laugh a few times while reading this book! There was a few kisses involved as I squealed with delight because I wanted Giles and Diana to become a couple but do they? I will admit the cute steamy part in the book was sweet and adorable! You have to read the book to find out what I’m talking about.

There were some new words that popped up in this book that made me actually looked them up because I had no clue what they meant but the flow of the writing and story being told was well done. It held my interest a great deal.

So if you are looking for adventure, humor, a friendship turned to lovers attraction rom con, then you gotta pick this book up! Plus it’s historical too! I’m so happy to have read this book! Thank you to Kejana Ayala for this surprise.

A line from the book that I enjoyed:
“Loved her with all of his stupid, misguided noble heart.”

I spy Fiction Books

Check these romance fiction books out!

Which one would you read?

The widowed Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham are infamous among English high society as much for their sharp-tongued bickering as their flirtation. One evening, an argument at a ball turns into a serious wager: Jeremy will marry within the year or Diana will forfeit one hundred pounds. So shortly after, just before a fortnight-long house party at Elderwild, Jeremy’s country estate, Diana is shocked when Jeremy appears at her home with a very different kind of proposition.

After his latest mistress unfavorably criticized his skills in the bedroom, Jeremy is looking for reassurance, so he has gone to the only woman he trusts to be totally truthful. He suggests that they embark on a brief affair while at the house party—Jeremy can receive an honest critique of his bedroom skills and widowed Diana can use the gossip to signal to other gentlemen that she is interested in taking a lover.

Diana thinks taking him up on his counter-proposal can only help her win her wager. With her in the bedroom and Jeremy’s marriage-minded grandmother, the formidable Dowager Marchioness of Willingham, helping to find suitable matches among the eligible ladies at Elderwild, Diana is confident her victory is assured. But while they’re focused on winning wagers, they stand to lose their own hearts.

Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac’s husband went missing. Her desperate search has yielded no answers, and she can’t imagine moving forward without him. But for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try.

Autumn takes her kids home for the summer to the charming beachside town where she was raised. She seeks comfort working alongside her mother and aunt at their bookshop, only to learn that her daughter is facing a huge life change and her mother has been hiding a terrible secret for years. And when she runs into the boy who stole her heart in high school, old feelings start to bubble up again. Is she free to love him, or should she hold out hope for her husband’s return? She can only trust her heart…and hope it won’t lead her astray.

Molly McKenzie’s bright personality and on-trend fashion and beauty advice have earned her an impressive social media following, as well as a shiny monthly paycheck. When her manager-turned-boyfriend tells her of an upcoming audition to host a makeover show for America’s underprivileged youth, all her dreams finally seem to be coming true. There’s just one catch: she has little experience interacting with people in need.

To gain an edge on her competitors, she applies to volunteer at a transitional program for aged-out foster kids during summer, only the program’s director, Silas Whittaker, doesn’t find her as charming as her followers do. But since forfeiting a goal has never been her style, Molly’s only option is to accept the terms Silas lays out and submit to his rules–even the most ridiculous ones pertaining to social media.  

Soon as the residents of the home become more than a means to pad her career resume, and Silas becomes more than an obstacle on her path to fame, her once-narrow focus expands to include the deep needs of those she’s serving… and perhaps the ones she’s neglected inside herself as well. It took years to build her platform, but only one summer to discover what really matters most.

Next up is..

I am hoping I can read these this week.
Juggling adulthood and parenthood has been a bit of handful!
Wish me luck.
Has anyone else read these yet?

The Bookshop of Second Chances Review

• Author: Jackie Fraser
• Date: May 4, 2021
• Publisher : Ballantine Books

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an E-Arc for a review!

Summary:
Thea Mottram is having a bad month. She’s been let go from her office job with no notice–and to make matters even worse, her husband of nearly twenty years has decided to leave her for one of her friends. Bewildered and completely lost, Thea doesn’t know what to do. But when she learns that a distant great uncle in Scotland has passed away, leaving her his home and a hefty antique book collection, she decides to leave Sussex for a few weeks. Escaping to a small coastal town where no one knows her seems to be exactly what she needs.

Almost instantly, Thea becomes enamored with the quaint cottage, comforted by its cozy rooms and shaggy, tulip-covered lawn. The locals in nearby Baldochrie are just as warm, quirky, and inviting. The only person she can’t seem to win over is bookshop owner Edward Maltravers, to whom she hopes to sell her uncle’s antique novel collection. His gruff attitude–fueled by an infamous, long-standing feud with his brother, a local lord–tests Thea’s patience. But bickering with Edward proves oddly refreshing and exciting, leading Thea to develop feelings she hasn’t felt in a long time. As she follows a thrilling yet terrifying impulse to stay in Scotland indefinitely, Thea realizes that her new life may quickly become just as complicated as the one she was running from.

My Review:
Scotland, a bookstore, coping with changes life and finding romance slowly is a great combination in this story. I loved the story. It took me a while to read it because once again life has been throwing me some curveballs. The writing for me was a bit different but not in a bad way, it was amusing.

Thea is the main character in this book who I could identify with a bit. She finds out her husband leaves her for another woman which all the emotions hit her. While she is dealing with this, she finds out she has to deal with her Great Uncle cottage in Scotland. Off she goes! I love how she adjusts to the life there. How she tries to figure things out for herself.

While being up there she meets Edward who is such a grumpy character that owns a bookstore. He has his own baggage that he is dealing with too. You’ll learn more of that as the time goes on. Anyways, Thea’s interaction with Edward is hilarious. They throw comments to each other and yet they do talk to each other. I could see a communication between them. It was totally different and strange at the same time but they click. It was like a slow connection to each other, that’s how I saw it.

It is an up and down story but at a slow pace which was really nice. There was tons of drama, detail of landscapes and even some swears from the characters which made it enjoyable too. Just when I think I knew what was going to happen next, I was wrong. That kept me interested in the story. You should definitely give this book a read if you wan to try for something different!

Would Like to Meet

• Author:Rachel Winters
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
• Date: December 3, 2019

What the book is about:
Can you fall in love like they do in the movies?

It’s Evie Summers’s job to find out. Because if she can’t convince her film agency’s biggest client, Ezra Chester, to write the romantic-comedy screenplay he owes producers, her career will be over. The catch? He thinks rom-coms are unrealistic–and he’ll only put pen to paper if Evie shows him that it’s possible to meet a man in real life the way it happens on the big screen.

Cynical Evie might not believe in happily ever after, but she’ll do what it takes to save the job that’s been her lifeline . . . even if it means reenacting iconic rom-com scenes in public. Spilling orange juice on a cute stranger? No problem. Leaving her number in books all over London to see who calls? Done. With a little help from her well-meaning friends–and Ben and Anette, the adorable father-daughter duo who keep witnessing her humiliations–Evie is determined to prove she can meet a man the way Sally met Harry. But can a workaholic who’s given up on love find a meet-cute of her very own?

My thoughts:
Okay so I read this little gem!  I have been waiting to snag this book from the library and I finally did.  I took a whole day off to do nothing but read.  That was such fun!   Anyways the book…

This was such a cute, rom con/meet cute style book.  The way it the story was written was really interesting.  I figure the main character was going to meet someone right away but I was wrong.   Throughout the book Evie takes chances going to try to set up rom coms for herself to see if they actually work.  She’s trying to prove a fact.  She takes chances!  I loved this.   I was laughing quite a bit.    Evie’s group of friends are so awesome which I thought would be kind of cool to have a group of friends like that too.    As the book goes on and on, Evie realizes who she is in this process of trying to do rom com meet ups.  I loved this.  She was believing in herself and standing up for herself at the end.   There were some tender moments which did make me go “awwwww.”     I loved it!    I could picture everything going down in my head that happened with Evie.   I kept rooting for Evie.  I think it would be amazing to see this book in a film.   Oh one thing I liked was when Evie mentions some awesome rom com movies, she listed some of my favorites..okay maybe all of them were my favorites!

So get this book on your list to read!

Want to read

These are the books that I want to read…….

Are you going to read any of them?

The Nightjar by Deborah Hewitt is a stunning contemporary fantasy debut about another London, a magical world hidden behind the bustling modern city we know.

Alice Wyndham has been plagued by visions of birds her whole life…until the mysterious Crowley reveals that Alice is an ‘aviarist’: capable of seeing nightjars, magical birds that guard human souls. When her best friend is hit by a car, only Alice can find and save her nightjar.

With Crowley’s help, Alice travels to the Rookery, a hidden, magical alternate London to hone her newfound talents. But a faction intent on annihilating magic users will stop at nothing to destroy the new aviarist. And is Crowley really working with her, or against her? Alice must risk everything to save her best friend―and uncover the strange truth about herself.

New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans is a safe haven after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent in the middle of the carnival season, Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city, from its music to its fancy soirées and even its danger. She becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s enigmatic leader, Sébastien Saint Germain.

When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in Sébastien’s own lair–the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks–Celine battles her attraction to Sébastien and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

After a third murder, New Orleans becomes gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose–one who has now set Celine in his sights. As the murderer stalks her, Celine finally takes matters into her own hands, only to find herself caught in the midst of an age-old feud between the darkest creatures of the night, where the price of forbidden love is her life.

He’s lost, trapped, doomed for all eternity…
Rich, titled, and undead, gentleman vampyre James Maitland, Lord Kettering, fears himself doomed to a cold and lonely existence-trapped for decades in an abandoned castle. Then, beautiful Scottish witch Blaire Lindsay arrives, and things begin to heat up considerably…

Unless he can persuade her to set him free…
Feisty Blaire Lindsay laughs off the local gossip surrounding her mother’s ancestral home-stories of haunting cannot scare off this battle-born witch. But when she discovers the handsome prisoner in the bowels of the castle, Blaire has no idea that she has unleashed anything more than a man who sets her heart on fire…

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she’s in her revealing wench’s costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they’re portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

Kailyn Flowers was always calm, rational, and controlled–until she ended up sprawled all over Daxton Hughes, the former actor she totally crushed on as a teenager. Then she did the unthinkable: She became a mortifying fangirl in five seconds flat, which may or may not have included professing her undying love. And oddly, he didn’t run away. In fact, their meet cute led to a friendship she never saw coming. Of course, she never saw his betrayal coming, either…

Now Dax needs her help. As guardian to his thirteen-year-old sister, he’s in way over his head. And though Kailyn hasn’t forgiven Dax, she isn’t heartless enough to make him fend for himself, either. Soon their friendly meetings turn into flirty dinner dates, and Kailyn can feel their chemistry is as explosive as ever. But how can she possibly let down her guard again to a guy who has heartbreak written all over him?

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.