Saturday, July 16, 2022

Lucky Brat by Christophe Cazenove

Another delightful book with Maureen and Wendy showing the highs and lows of sisterhood. Whether it's Maureen trying to read Wendy's diary or driving Wendy nuts as she searches for the perfect four leaf clover. We again get to see glimpses of the two of them all grown up as well as time with their parents. A fast read and an enjoyable one.

Four stars
This book came out January 19, 2021
Follows Hurricane Maureen
Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla
Opinions are my own


Friday, July 15, 2022

The Haunted Studio by Hayley LeBlanc

Hayley is starring in a TV show about a girl detective. Her two best friends on the show are her two best friends in real life, Cody and Aubrey. Her little sister on the show, Amelia,  is a diva in real life. Very dramatic; for example, she "faints" every time she forgets her lines. Their show moves to a new sound stage for their second season and one of the first things the trio learns is that there is a a ghost supposed to be haunting the set. Amelia quickly picks up the story and helps spreading rumors. Hayley has experienced some weird phenomena on the set herself. She doesn't want her show to end so she sets out to figure out what's going on. 
This was a fun start to a new mystery series. 

Four stars
This book come out August 19, 2022
ARC kindly provided by Sourcebooks Kids and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thursday, July 14, 2022

Grace Under Fire by Julie Garwood

Regular readers of the series, I do not think you will be disappointed. You get the a gorgeous, virginal heroine (who has never even had an orgasm) with chiseled manly hero who will never stop to ask directions. They are both remarkable (Isabel has just graduated college and she's a really good listener who is also an amazing singer/songwriter but a terrible driver (so quirky!); Michael is an ex-Navy-SEAL lawyer who graduated college at 20 and is about to join a law enforcement group that is hard to get into). New to romance readers will find this book exactly meets expectations. Garwood has found a formula and sticks to it including throwing a whole bunch of stuff at the heroine that only the hero can rescue her from. Like, a lot of stuff including a man who has just been shot lurching toward Isabel and she, reacting quickly, grabs his gun and shoots the man chasing him directly between the eyes. 
I have been waiting to read Isabel and Michael's book otherwise I might have given up on the series but there is also something comforting in knowing exactly what you're going to get when reading a Garwood book. I just wish her characters would start using condoms. Or even acknowledge that birth control is very integral to romance in the 21st century. 

Three and a half stars
This book come out July 19, 2022
Follows Wired
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer

Franny Doyle and Hayes Montgomery III have the ultimate meet cute -- she's having the worst day of her life, fired from her job and on the subway when her dress splits all the way down the back. He lends her his jacket and someone captures a series of photographs making it look like the two are having insta-lust. It's not true but it launches the two of them into their fifteen minutes of fame which each can use for some momentum. Especially since Franny accidentally launches her new interior design version on the fictional version of Good Morning, America.
It is a series of coincidences that lead the two to meeting again and again. Even though neither really believes they are going to be in a relationship with the other, they are going to end up in an HEA.
The best part of this book is the friendships. Franny has her ride or dies and Hayes has his cousin Peyton.

Four stars
This book came out March 15, 2022
Borrowed as hard copy from library
Opinions are my own


Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Fascial Fitness by Robert Schleip, Johanna Bayer

This book showed up as available in my library and I thought it looked interesting so I clicked. It's an interesting book that I think may have been translated or written by someone for whom English is not a first language because there are some odd word choices. That can make it difficult to interpret some of the exercises but there are pictures that will help you figure them out. 
An interesting read, especially the information about the fascia and why it's so gosh darn important to do the exercises and to just move in order to keep your fascia working optimally.

Three stars
This book came out July 6, 2021
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Monday, July 11, 2022

Cultish by Amanda Montell

It took me a little bit to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed Montell's writings. She grew up with a father who had escaped a cult and his stories fascinated her. She feels like growing up with parents like that meant that she had a better chance of identifying a cult. I really liked that she mentioned that it is usually optimistic people who end up staying in cults, not under or overly educated people (though those two things seem to help). 
In her talking about cults, she touches on Jonestown (and the fact that a-the people drank Flavoraid and b-most didn't want to drink it) and how that happened.  There is also discussion of the Heaven's Gate group. Both times, she talks about how, viewing people as being in cults seems to dehumanize them, that others can judge them based on that. However, it is easier than many people think to join a cult. Reductive language, creating a we/they attitude, shaming people for wanting to leave are all tactics. Of course, there are things that could be argued whether or not they are cults: MLMs, CrossFit, QAnon.

Four stars
This book came out June 15, 2021
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Sunday, July 10, 2022

Remember Love by Mary Balogh

While growing up together, everyone thought that Gwyneth Rhys would grow up to marry her next-door neighbor. What no one realized was that she was in love with his older brother, Devlin Ware. One magical night they kissed and promised to be together. That was the same night that Devlin discovered a secret about his family that led to his banishment. 
Six years later, after a lifetime of being in the army, Devlin is back and is now the Earl of Stratton. Everything has changed and Gwyn is on the cusp of being engaged. But can old love be rekindled? Or did it never die?
The first part of this book was So Slow. Even slower than most Balogh novels. But in the second part, it picked up and was a better Balogh flow. 

Four stars
This book comes out July 12, 2022
Followed by Remember Me
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own