The Sunday Post #154


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog, 
showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is
coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the info here:
Sunday Post Meme

  • First week back to work after vacation is always fun. (Ahem... )
  • @HiltonGrandVacations contacted me about a photo I posted on Instagram and asked to use it on their social media. How cool is that?! I had to sign a release and send them the pic and now I'm stalking their IG page to see if it shows up. 
  • My niece stayed with us Friday night and we were in full-on girl's night sleepover mode. Makeovers, face masks, you name it. Good times. :)
  • My mom has bronchitis and I'm a bit worried about her. Nothing to play around with at age 74.
  • I had created a graphic/mood board for The Bride Test but I put together the review post so quickly (literally, moments before I walked out the door for vacation) that I totally forgot to include it in the review. Gah! So, whether it makes sense or not, I'm sharing it now because I was so happy with it. Humor me.
  • Happy Mother's Day to those who celebrate! Whether you are a mom, have a mom, are a mother figure, have great memories of your mom... whatever the case may be, I hope you have a wonderful day. 


WHAT I READ IN THE LAST WEEK:

     
  
Intercepted (Playbook #1) - Alexa Martin
Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink #1) - Laura Kaye
Intercepted was so, so good and I am thrilled that I listened to it on audio. The narration by January LaVoy was just perfection. I was hoping to continue on with Fumbled on audio but when I checked OverDrive the wait was 10 weeks. Uh, no. I'll just pick up my physical copy, thank you very much. 

Hard As It Gets was... pretty good. It took me a week and a half to read it. It was interesting enough while I was reading but when I set it down I wasn't exactly thinking about it or itching to pick it back up. Still, I got sucked into the relationships between all the characters by the end so I'm sure I'll continue the series.

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING: 
    
     

Unbroken (Loveless, Texas #0.5) - Jay Crownover
Long Shot (Hoops #1) - Kennedy Ryan

After finishing Crownover's Saints of Denver series I was still itching for more from her, so I picked up the arc for Unbroken, the prequel for her new series. I'm just getting into it but enjoying it so far.

Long Shot is my current audio read. I've been all about the sports romances lately and I was also eager to try something by Kennedy Ryan. I'm loving it so far but Sam and Amber have me so nervous! They've both warned me that it's super emotional so now I'm all on edge while listening, worried about what's going to happen next. 


PHYSICAL BOOKS: 
       
I was in total book-buying mode a week or so ago when I hit up Book Outlet online and went crazy. Book Outlet can be hit or miss for me but I was feeling like I hit the jackpot last week. I just unboxed my order yesterday and I plan on doing a separate post later this week to share what I got. (Spoiler: I got All The Books!)

KINDLE BOOKS: 

Top Secret - Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy
A collab between Bowen + Kennedy is reason to rejoice. I pre-ordered this baby and can't wait to dive in.

eARCS FOR REVIEW: 
 

The Burning Shadow (Origin #2) - Jennifer L. Armentrout
Getting approved for Armentrout's latest Origin book that comes out in October?
Day. Made.






How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share? 
I'd love to hear about it!
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Review: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

THE UNHONEYMOONERS 
Christina Lauren
Publication date: May 14, 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Format: eARC
Source: Gallery and NetGalley



GOODREADS  *  AMAZON








S Y N O P S I S

Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion . . . she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas.

Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there’s a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo.

Agreeing to a temporary truce, the pair head for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is worth having to assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the weird thing is . . . Olive doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, the more she pretends to be the luckiest woman alive, the more it feels like she might be.
M Y   T H O U G H T S

Enemies-to-lovers and fake relationships are not usually my jam. But leave it to Christina Lauren to not only make it work, but make me love it.

CHARACTERS.
It was easy to fall for both Olive and Ethan. I could relate to Olive having a sister who was “the golden one” and her being “the other one”, and loving and supporting her sister without being resentful. Olive was quite the pessimist but also managed to not be bitter. Ethan came across as so cold and dismissive at first and I had the biggest smile on my face as he slowly thawed and I was able to see the kind of guy he really was. The subtle changes as they started to realize there was something more happening between them were so well done that it was impossible not to pull hard for these two.

PLOT.
Like I mentioned, hate-to-love just isn’t my favorite trope. And I almost always steer clear of fake relationships. But, y’know, it was Christina Lauren and I can’t say no. The reasoning behind the “hate” part seemed reasonable and I totally understood Olive’s feelings toward Ethan. Their time in Hawaii while on the “honeymoon” was so hilarious. I adore good banter and this delivered big time. Olive and Ethan’s heckling and teasing was so on point and I was living for it. The pacing was perfection because by the time they returned home and the plot took a more serious tone, I was completely invested.

FAMILY.
Olive’s family was the best! I loved this big, messy, dynamic group who were so in each other’s lives and so crazy supportive. (Can I pretty-please-with-sugar-on-top have a book about cousin Diego?)

GRAND GESTURE.
I admit it, I’m a sucker for a grand gesture. Yes, I think real life should be just like the movies with impromptu musical numbers and grand gestures that make you swoon. And Christina Lauren totally brought it with the grand gesture. Sweet, adorable, swoony. Boom. *mic drop* I wanted to stand up and cheer.

OVERALL.
Simply put, The Unhoneymooners has it all. Sweet, funny, sexy, endearing, heartwarming, emotional… this was feel-good romance at its finest.

4.5/5 STARS

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.





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April Wrap-Up


WHAT HAPPENED IN APRIL
  • I completed the beginners yoga series in April. Not sure I'm a total yogi/convert but I enjoyed the instructor and sharing the experience with The Husband and my mom.
  • Celebrated my younger sister's birthday. How is it she's getting older but I'm not? :)
  • The Tampa Lightning didn't make it past the first round in the Stanley Cup play-offs. I no longer have a stake but I'm low-key pulling for the Carolina Hurricanes.
  • Had my yearly eye exam for new glasses and contacts. And would like to say that daily wear multi-focal contact lenses must be made of platinum because they are freaking expensive. (I think I say this every year but it's true.)
  • Took a week off (which lopped over into May) and enjoyed some much needed R&R.
WHAT I READ IN MARCH


I read/listened to ten books in April which is a repeat of March. No five star reads in April but I still read some really great books. The Bride Test and How To Save a Life were real stand-outs. 

Getting Schooled by Emma Chase | 4/5 stars
Salvaged* (Saints of Denver #4) by Jay Crownover | 4/5 stars
My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren | 4/5 stars
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang | 4.5/5 stars
Flesh* (Flesh #1) by Kylie Scott | 3.5/5 stars
Skin* (Flesh #2) by Kylie Scott | 3/5 stars
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren | 4.5/5 stars
How To Save a Life by Emma Scott | 4.5/5 stars
Tangled* by Emma Chase | 3.5/5 stars
The Year We Fell Down (The Ivy Years #1) by Sarina Bowen | 4/5 stars
* denotes audiobook

FORMATS
Total Read: 10
2 physical books
4 e-books
4 audio books
2 ARCs

TOP OF THE HEAP
The Bride Test, How To Save a Life, The Unhoneymooners

THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAP
Skin
It was entertaining... but also pretty ridiculous.

THE ONE THAT MADE ME RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY
The Bride Test
I could have just kept on reading about Khai and Esme (and Quan). I love those characters.

THE ONE WITH THE AWESOME EPILOGUE
Salvaged
The epilogue mentioned every single main character from the Marked Men series plus the Saints of Denver series and my heart was bursting with the last look at the characters I'd come to love.


WHAT HAPPENED ON THE BLOG
I had 17 blog posts in April (down from 24 in March) but that's what a week away will do for you. I posted 5 reviews plus a series review (for the Saints of Denver) so I'm giving myself a gold star. I shared the things that make me pick up a book as well as my favorite rainy day reads. 

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING
      

Hard As It Gets  (Hard Ink #1) - Laura Kaye
Intercepted (Playbook #1) - Alexa Martin
I'm not exactly flying through Hard As It Gets. It's been a week and I'm 170 pages in. I enjoy it well enough while I'm reading it, but it's not like I think about it when I'm not reading or can't wait to pick it back up.  The exact opposite is true for Intercepted. I'm listening to this audio book every chance I get and seriously loving it. I adore both main characters, they act like adults (imagine that), and the conflicts are realistic, not over the top drama. I'm at about the 80% mark and don't want it to end!


WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE READ IN APRIL?
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The Sunday Post #153


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog, 
showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is
coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the info here:
Sunday Post Meme

  • Back at home after a wonderful week of R&R. Lazy days of poolside reading, poolside lunching... and maybe even a little poolside dozing. (All while under shade and wearing SPF 100. I'm like a vampire, I do not do the sun.)
  • We celebrated our 20th anniversary with dinner at a favorite restaurant. Great food, great service, and we marveled at how the years (27 in total) have passed so fast.
THIS IS WHAT 20 YEARS OF HAPPY LOOKS LIKE
  • I unexpectedly got to meet up with a friend while away. Brittany and I met through blogging several years ago and it just so happened we were in Orlando at the same time (pretty amazing considering she had traveled from Canada!). We met up for dinner one night and had a fantastic time. 
  • And now its back to reality. :) I'm meeting my mom and sisters for our monthly breakfast this morning, doing some laundry this afternoon, and getting ready to return to the office tomorrow. *huge woe-is-me sigh* But I'll leave you with a few pics from the past week.
  
  



It wasn't a totally silent week in my absence. My review for The Bride Test was already written so I was able to pre-schedule it for posting. That's the extent of me blogging ahead. :)

 Friday, April 26
Review: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang


WHAT I READ IN THE LAST WEEK:

*crickets*     
  
Despite being on vacation and having all the time in the world, I didn't finish a thing. Don't ask me how that happened. *shrugs*


WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING: 
    
  

Intercepted - Alexa Martin
Totally loving this one! I adore Marlee and the audio version is just so much fun. 

 Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink #1) - Laura Kaye
This is my first by Laura Kaye and I'm liking-it-not-loving-it. I'm about 100 pages in so we'll see how it goes. 


PHYSICAL BOOKS: 
        

I always hit up the Barnes & Noble near our resort when we're in Orlando. Why is it that it seems somehow better than the two Barnes & Noble's that I have right here at home? :) Anyway, I picked up Fumbled, because I definitely need more from Alexa Martin, and Serious Moonlight because there's no way I won't love it.

KINDLE BOOKS: 

Valencia and Valentine - Suzy Krause
This was available through Amazon Prime's First Reads (I think that's what it's called?) and it sounded like one I'll enjoy.

eARCS FOR REVIEW: 
      

Unbroken (Loveless, Texas #0.5) - Jay Crownover
Arctic Wild (Frozen Hearts #2) - Annabeth Albert







How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share? 
I'd love to hear about it!
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Review: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

THE BRIDE TEST 
Helen Hoang
Publication date: May 7, 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Format: eARC
Source: Berkley and Edelweiss



GOODREADS  *  AMAZON








S Y N O P S I S

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions — like grief. And love. He thinks he's defective. His family knows better— that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can't turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn't go as planned. Esme's lessons in love seem to be working... but only on herself. She's hopelessly smitten with a man who's convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme's time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he's been wrong all along. And there's more than one way to love.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

I was convinced there was no way I would possibly enjoy The Bride Test as much as The Kiss Quotient. Silly me, because Helen Hoang proved she is no one hit wonder.

If you’ve read TKQ you’ll remember Michael’s cousin Khai. His autism means he processes emotions differently and after the loss of his best friend as a teenager, when he felt unable to truly grieve, he decided that also meant he was unable to love. Enter Khai’s mom who has decided if Khai isn’t going to find a wife on his own, she’ll just have to do it for him. She meets Esme while in Viet Nam and arranges for her to come to California. And so it begins.

There are so many differences between Esme and Khai – their education, their culture – but I loved that Esme simply accepted Khai as he was, without being aware of any labels. She was able to look past his social awkwardness, his quirks, and see how truly kind and compassionate he was. And I appreciated that they were both so brave – they took chances, pushed themselves, and made steps toward a possible future neither had envisioned.

She’d come to find him. No one ever looked for him. They all knew he wanted to be alone. Except is wasn’t always that way. Sometimes he was alone out of habit. Sometimes it took effort to distract himself from the growing emptiness inside. - Khai

Esme was so sweet and so determined to make this arrangement work. She had her own insecurities, about her immigrant status and her lack of education, but she was willing to work hard to overcome those challenges. Even though I sometimes felt like I didn’t know enough about her, I was still totally won over by her perseverance and her sense of self-worth.

She wasn’t rich, classy, or smart, but she wasn’t something you could use once and throw away. She had value. You couldn’t see it in the clothes she wore or the abbreviations after her name or hear it in the way she spoke, but she felt it, even if she didn’t entirely understand where it came from. It pounded in her chest, big and strong and bright. She deserved better than this. – Esme.

The moments between Khai and his brother Quan were some of my favorites. And when he was getting a little sex ed from Quan and Michael… oh my goodness, so hilarious and so priceless. Quan was always, always there for Khai and I loved their connection. Quan accepted him but also challenged him.


I don’t want to keep comparing The Bride Test to The Kiss Quotient (I know it’s not fair) but, like it or not, it’s going to happen. And while this one didn’t quite have the same charm as TKQ, it was still a total winner. I may have had a few quibbles (I wish I’d known Esme better, I wish she hadn’t kept her secret until the very end), but I was able to overlook those in the face of so much Helen Hoang goodness. There were moments that made me laugh, moments than were so sweet I thought my heart would burst, plus delicious sexytimes and characters that I was pulling for on every single page. Don’t miss this sweet and swoony romance!

4.5/5 STARS

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.




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