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The Sunday Post #239 | February 21, 2021

Sunday, February 21, 2021

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 share what's coming up on your blog in the week ahead.

Another week... still working from home. It's been eleven months of working from home with just a couple short interludes of being in the office. It's just bizarre sometimes to think it's been almost a year of this. A year of having our lives shaken up and looking so different. And how so many things now seem normal when before they would have sounded so very strange.

It was a fairly uneventful week... other than me being a total shopaholic (online, obviously). I ordered new rugs from Amazon (dining room, foyer, hall) and that turned into "let's just start adding to the cart." So that happened. The Amazon delivery drivers are going to hate me next week. Might be time to put the snacks/drinks table back out on the front porch. :)

This week's 80's music fix is a one-hit wonder. Anyone remember Beat's So Lonely by Charlie Sexton? And just a head's up - there are no vocals in the video until about a minute and a half in. Looong instrumental intro.

Tuesday, February 16

Top Ten Tuesday: Mardi Gras Edition

Thursday, February 18

Short Take Reviews:

Well Played & Parental Guidance

Friday, February 19

Review: The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros

WHAT I COMPLETED IN THE LAST WEEK

Listened to:

Torn - Carian Cole

I downloaded this one from Hoopla after hearing a Booktuber rave about it. It was a taboo/age gap romance and I was pretty impressed with how Cole portrayed it and let it play out. She steered clear of anything salacious and the character's actions (and reactions) felt realistic. I'll likely continue on with the companion series at some point.

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING

Reading:

Return To Us - Corinne Michaels

I'm reading an ARC of Corinne Michaels' latest and I'll probably finish it up today (which is a good thing since it releases Tuesday). As with every book I've read from Corinne, I love these characters and I'm pulling so hard for them.

PHYSICAL BOOKS:

A Court of Silver Flames (ACOTAR #4) - Sarah J. Maas

It's been a looong time since A Court of Wings and Ruin (three years... four??) and I am so ready to return to the world of the Fae and Rhysand's inner circle. This is a chunky monkey, too... over 700 pages!

How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share?

I'd love to hear about it!

Review: The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros #NewRelease #EntangledPublishing

Friday, February 19, 2021

THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED

Rebecca Yarros
Publication date: February 23, 2021
Genres: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Historical, Romance
Format: eARC
Source: Entangled Publishing
5 Stars

Twenty-eight-year-old Georgia Stanton has to start over after she gave up almost everything in a brutal divorce—the New York house, the friends, and her pride. Now back home at her late great-grandmother’s estate in Colorado, she finds herself face-to-face with Noah Harrison, the bestselling author of a million books where the cover is always people nearly kissing. He’s just as arrogant in person as in interviews, and she’ll be damned if the good-looking writer of love stories thinks he’s the one to finish her grandmother’s final novel…even if the publisher swears he’s the perfect fit.

Noah is at the pinnacle of his career. With book and movie deals galore, there isn’t much the “golden boy” of modern fiction hasn’t accomplished. But he can’t walk away from what might be the best book of the century—the one his idol, Scarlett Stanton, left unfinished. Coming up with a fitting ending for the legendary author is one thing, but dealing with her beautiful, stubborn, cynical great-granddaughter, Georgia, is quite another.

But as they read Scarlett’s words in both the manuscript and her box of letters, they start to realize why Scarlett never finished the book—it’s based on her real-life romance with a World War II pilot, and the ending isn’t a happy one. Georgia knows all too well that love never works out, and while the chemistry and connection between her and Noah is undeniable, she’s as determined as ever to learn from her great-grandmother’s mistakes—even if it means destroying Noah’s career.

Told in alternating timelines, THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED examines the risks we take for love, the scars too deep to heal, and the endings we can’t bring ourselves to see coming.

In The Things We Leave Unfinished, Yarros delivers two love stories and two timelines and flawlessly weaves them together in a way that had me completely engaged and invested.

In the present time, Georgia has returned to the Colorado town where she was raised by her late great-grandmother, Scarlett Stanton, a successful and beloved romance novelist. Coming off a bitter, high-profile divorce, Georgia is seeking solace but instead finds her estranged mother in town. Learning that her mother has posed as Georgia, the estate's executor, and brokered a deal to sell Scarlett’s unfinished manuscript, immediately puts Georgia at odds with Noah Harrison, the popular author who has been hired to complete the novel.

In 1940 England, Scarlett is serving in the British Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, alongside her sister Constance, when she meets dashing and charming American pilot, Jameson Stanton. Throughout separations, family interference, and the harsh realities of war, Scarlett and Jameson fall in love. And the aftermath of their great love will be felt for generations to come.

Decades later, Scarlett’s manuscript recounting her love story with Jameson remains unfinished, and Georgia and Noah clash over the appropriate ending. While Noah pushes for a happy ending, Georgia knows such a thing does not exist.

Yarros brought these characters and events to life in a way that I don’t often experience. Even though both timelines are compelling, it was Scarlett and Jameson’s story in the past that completely captured my heart and emotions. While certain aspects of the story are known from the start, even that did not soften the blow when tragedy struck. The sense of loss was almost a physical ache and I felt as shell-shocked as the characters. From the thrill of a passionate love affair, to the unwavering bonds of sisters, to hope in the face of hopelessness - I experienced it all within these pages.

The Things We Leave Unfinished is a stellar story of love, trust, family, and sacrifice. These characters and their stories stayed with me long after I turned the last page and wiped away my tears, and will, without a doubt, be among my favorites of the year. This is a timeless, emotional story that is not to be missed.

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

THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED

RELEASES ON FEBRUARY 23, 2021

YOU CAN FIND THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED HERE:

GOODREADS | AMAZON | AMAZON UK

BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Short Take Reviews: Well Played & Parental Guidance

Thursday, February 18, 2021

WELL PLAYED
Jen DeLuca

Series: Well Met #2

Published: September 22, 2020

Source: Overdrive Audiobook

4 stars

Stacey is jolted when her friends Simon and Emily get engaged. She knew she was putting her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother, but it's been years now, and even though Stacey loves spending her summers pouring drinks and flirting with patrons at the local Renaissance Faire, she wants more out of life. Stacey vows to have her life figured out by the time her friends get hitched at Faire next summer. Maybe she'll even find The One.

When Stacey imagined "The One," it never occurred to her that her summertime Faire fling, Dex MacLean, might fit the bill. While Dex is easy on the eyes onstage with his band The Dueling Kilts, Stacey has never felt an emotional connection with him. So when she receives a tender email from the typically monosyllabic hunk, she's not sure what to make of it.

Faire returns to Willow Creek, and Stacey comes face-to-face with the man with whom she’s exchanged hundreds of online messages over the past nine months. To Stacey's shock, it isn't Dex—she's been falling in love with a man she barely knows.

*****

Well Met was a surprise hit when I read it in 2019, so I was excited to return to De Luca’s Ren Faire world in Well Played. Stacy was a character who had put her life on hold and was torn between the status quo and making big changes in her life. When she started an email correspondence with her summertime hook-up she was surprised to find there was much more to him than she thought. But all was not as it seemed.

While this one did not have the same charm for me as Well Met, it was still a fun read. Stacy was likable and relatable and I totally enjoyed being back at the Ren Faire with familiar characters. I was never fully sold on the romance aspect or how easily the conflict was resolved, and those issues kept this from being quite as big a hit as the first book. Still, it was a fun read, and having Brittany Pressley return as the narrator made for an engaging listening experience.

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Avery Flynn

Series: Ice Knights #1

Published: June 17, 2019

Source: Hoopla Audiobook

3 stars

All I want is to play hockey on the Ice Knights, instead, I’m in a viral video for all the wrong reasons and my mom—yes, my mom—has taken over my dating apps. Then, when I think it can’t get any worse, the fates deliver Zara Ambrose, a five-feet-nothing redhead with more freckles than inches and who’d rather be anywhere other than on a date with me.

Now a bet with her friends and my PR nightmare have us both stuck in this go-on-five-dates-with-the-same-person hell situation.

What could go wrong? Nothing—as long as I remember the rules. Don’t notice the way she looks in a dress. Don’t react when she does that little shivery sigh thing whenever we touch. Don’t think about the fact that she’s never had a toe-curling orgasm that wasn’t self-delivered and just how badly I want to change that.

Five dates—that’s it—and then we go our separate ways. At least, that was the plan.

*****

I downloaded the audio for Parental Guidance because it has been languishing on my TBR for over a year. Plus it was available on Hoopla so it had that going for it. Hockey player Caleb and artist Zara are matched (by his mother) on a dating site and agree to five dates. Caleb needs to do damage control and repair his image, and Zara was badgered to take part by her BFF. Naturally, these two opposites clash/come together and, over the course of several dates, find that the other person is exactly who they want and need.

This was cute but I found some things just didn’t add up for me. Like why Caleb was the one whose image was tarnished and in need of a PR fix when he didn’t do anything wrong? His teammates were caught on video talking trash and, while he didn’t shut it down, he also didn’t take part. So that made no sense. And the way he and Zara were so adamant about not doing certain things because it went against the “rules.” Um, they were the ones who set them, so just agree to ditch them! So, while this one was not particularly memorable, it was still a cute read and provided some entertainment.

HAVE YOU READ EITHER OF THESE BOOKS?

Top Ten Tuesday: Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler! | Mardi Gras Edition

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC:

Mardi Gras Edition | Books with Purple, Yellow and Green Covers

Mardi Gras isn't exactly a holiday I celebrate, or even really think about. But coincidentally, I just read a news article yesterday about how the 2020 Mardi Gras events in New Orleans spawned approximately 50,000 coronavirus cases and turned the city into a COVID hotspot. This year they've closed the bars and put restrictions in place so hopefully there won't be a repeat.

Even though Mardi Gras isn't a thing for me, Top Ten Tuesday turns it into another reason to peruse my shelves and admire the pretty covers. And that never gets old. :) Here are some purple/yellow/green covers from my Goodreads 'Read' shelf.