Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR | 2024

 

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

This Week's Top Ten Tuesday Topic:

My Summer TBR

 

If you know me even a little, you know that me and TBR's are like oil and water. We just don't mix. I never, ever plan what I'm going to read - it's always something I decide in the moment. But I also never met a list I didn't like, so bring on the summer TBR! :)

All these gorgeous, colorful covers are making me positively giddy and I want to read them all now. Hopefully at least some of these will contribute to a fantastic summer of reading. 

Till Death Do Us Part - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

Crossroads - Devney Perry

Slow Dance - Rainbow Rowell

Hills of Shivers and Shadows - Pam Godwin

The Outlaw Noble Salt - Amy Harmon

The Feud - Sawyer Bennett

Forgotten Desires - Corinne Michaels

Heartsong - TJ Klune

Catch the Sun - Jennifer Hartmann

This Used to Be Us - Renee Carlino

Are any of these books on your TBR?

Short Take Reviews: Small Town Romance Edition

 

Fall With Me

by Brooke Montgomery

Series: Sugarland Creek #3

Published: 5/29/2024

Goodreads

4.25 stars

✔ Grumpy x Sunshine (she's the grump)

✔ Frenemies to Lovers

✔ Six Year Age Gap

✔ She Can't Stand Him (but he's Obsessed)

✔ Family Saga Series

I've been loving the Sugarland Creek series since its prequel (Come With Me) and each book has focused on one of the close-knit Hollis siblings. In this instance, it was Landen and did he have a time with Ellie. Her outright hostility did nothing to diminish his feelings for her. When a barrel racing accident left her with some short term memory loss, and she showed interest in Landen, he was torn but ultimately saw his chance - and hoped that if/when her memory returned, her new feelings for him would override whatever animosity she once had. If you love a guy who falls first, you'll love Landen and his unwavering feelings (and patience!) for Ellie. It's worth mentioning that, as with the previous books in the series, the prologue is truly heartbreaking as it sets up a significant event in Landen's past. Montgomery provides trigger warnings and also notes that the prologue can be skipped. 

The One I Left Behind

by Piper Rayne

Series: Plain Daisy Ranch #1

Published: 5/14/2024

Goodreads

4 stars

✔ Second Chance Romance

✔ Single Mom

✔ Retired Football Player

✔ Return to Hometown

✔ Former High School Sweethearts

Ben and Gillian had plans for their future. Ben was headed to college on a football scholarship and once he was drafted by the NFL they would marry and start their life together. Instead, their relationship foundered under the strain of separation and the break-up had a lasting impact on them both. Gillian is now a single mother and Ben has returned to his small Nebraska hometown to help on the family ranch. It was obvious there was unfinished business between these two characters and Gillian was understandably hesitant to revisit the past and go down that road again. Even so, these two seemed to rekindle their relationship awfully fast for two people who had been apart for fourteen years. That could have been a stumbling block, but I found the characters to be so likable that I was willing to go with the flow and just enjoy the ride. A highlight for me was the side story with Gillian's son and his relationship with Ben. There was some animosity there (on the boy's side) and I appreciated the way Ben didn't push and eventually earned his respect. The great cast of secondary characters and a set-up for the second book has me more than ready to continue the series.

Do you enjoy small town romance?

The Sunday Post #364 | June 9, 2024

 

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.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

My Sunday Posts seem to be turning into an every three weeks kind of thing. I can live with that.

For those that use Blogger, have you noticed any formatting issues lately? It's been giving me fits the last week or so. Formatting text and links has become such a pain and I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed a change? My fingers are crossed that it's a temporary glitch.

Summer may not officially start for a couple more weeks, but Florida did not get the memo. It was over 90 F (32 C) every day this week, and today it's expected to reach 100 (37 C). I am not ready for this. 🔥

I am not a baker (mostly because I have no sweet tooth) and probably have not baked any kind of sweet treat in a decade. But I randomly felt the desire to whip something up last week and made these cherry pie bars. So. Much. Yum! The Husband took most of them to his office (he volunteers at the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society) and they were a huge hit. If you're looking for an easy treat, I can recommend these.

Photo credit: The Country Cook

My sister, who has been a huge Prince fan since the 80's, texted me Friday to inform me that it was Prince Day. Who knew that was a thing? 🤷 So, Terri, here's a Prince song just for you. 😀 

ON THE BLOG

Tuesday, June 4

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Evoked Strong Feelings

Thursday, June 6

Review: This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

WHAT I READ

  

  

Kindle: The One I Left Behind by Piper Rayne - 4★

Kindle: Callum by Sawyer Bennett - 4★

Audio: The Pool Boy by Nikki Sloane - 3.75★

Kindle: No Tomorrow by Carian Cole - 4.5★

CURRENTLY READING

    

Audio: The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen

Kindle: Fall With Me by Brooke Montgomery

NEW ADDITIONS

Not a thing.

TOTALLY RANDOM

HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Review: This Could Be Us | Kennedy Ryan

This Could Be Us

by Kennedy Ryan

Series: Skyland #2

Pub: March 5, 2024

Genre(s): contemporary romance, women's fiction, adult fiction, African American romance

4.5 stars

GOODREADS

Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.

But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She's too busy keeping a roof over her daughters' heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.

But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?

After all she's lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?

________________________________________________________________

Every time I have a new Kennedy Ryan book in my hands, I know I’m about to experience something special. This Could Be Us delivered the same powerful reading experience that I have come to expect.

 

From outward appearances, Soledad Barnes has it all. The home in a desirable Atlanta neighborhood, the successful husband, the flourishing kids – until it crumbled in spectacular fashion. The life she envisioned is gone, destroyed by betrayal and greed. Suddenly scrambling to support herself and her three children on her own, Soledad relies on her domestic goddess skills and her own ingenuity and parlays that into an exciting new career. An unexpected development in the new life she was crafting was a burgeoning relationship with Judah Cross, the man who exposed her husband’s crimes. Filled with uncertainty about exploring a relationship with Judah, Soledad chooses to focus on herself. Self-reflection and self-discovery become the keys to unlocking a life she never imagined.

 

There was so much to love in This Could Be Us. Soledad had an incredible support system in friends Yasmen and Hendrix. These were truly ride-or-die friendships. Soledad’s journey was a lesson in self-reliance and resilience, the power of knowing your own worth and using your voice. I was in awe of Sol’s strength as she rebuilt her life, providing emotional support to her daughters, and prioritized her own healing and growth. My only quibble was that I didn’t understand Soledad’s insistence that she would not marry again. Yes, her husband proved himself to be truly unworthy, but the way she was so adamantly opposed to marriage puzzled me.

 

And then there was Judah. What a man. (Feel free to insert Salt-N-Pepa’s “Whatta Man” lyrics here.) If you love a pining hero, Judah is your guy. He had it bad for Soledad and I ate it up. He was also an amazing father to his twin autistic sons and he and his ex-wife should be in the Co-Parenting Hall of Fame. His devotion to his sons was obvious in every interaction. He was also sensitive, intelligent, and so smitten with Sol. He paid attention to every aspect, every detail, of her life and was willing to give her the space she needed, while also ensuring she was very aware that he wanted more.

 

Kennedy Ryan is an incredibly gifted storyteller. Whatever external factors occur in her stories, the focus is always on the characters and their journeys. I listened to this on audio and the narration by Inés del Castillo and Jakobi Diem breathed life into Soledad and Judah. I loved this powerful story of self-discovery and second chances.

Have you read This Could Be Us?

Top Ten Tuesday: All the Emotions | Books That Evoked Strong Feelings

 

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

This Week's Top Ten Tuesday Topic:

Books I Have Strong Feelings About

 

I love a book that can evoke strong emotions. In fact, those are my go-to reads. I rarely go for the light and fluffy stories (no "sweet" romances or cozy mysteries), and I don't really care for rom-coms. Nope, give me all the emotions and the angst and let me wallow in it. I want a story that is going to make my heart hurt, make me pine right along with the characters, and (hopefully) elicit some tears. Those emotional books... that's my sweet spot.

But strong feelings can go either way - sometimes I'm overwhelmed with love for a special character, sometimes a character or plotline makes me positively ragey. There are books that will forever bring a smile to my face, and books that make me roll my eyes every time I think about them. 

So here's a mix of books that, for various reasons, I have very strong feelings about. (And yes, there's more than ten.)

The Characters Who Stole My Heart

  

Wolfsong (Ox) | The Girl He Used to Know (Annika) 

The Reckless Oath We Made (Gentry)

The Books I Wanted to Throw Across the Room

  

Until the Last Breath | A Thousand Boy Kisses | Fireball

The Character Deaths From Which I Will Never Recover

  

The Stars Are On Our Side | Boone | The Serpent King

The Books I Will Never Not Love

  

Some Kind of Perfect | Still | Him

Have you read any of these books?