Contemporary · Young, New adult/College

With the fire on high – Elizabeth Acevedo

38739562| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.

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My thoughts:

What a gorgeous, lovely book cover. If only the storyline would be as gorgeous. I know it is a highly popular book and very up-to-date when it comes to YA contemporary. It did however not impress me much. I did not connect with it at all and it did not touch me emotionally in any way. I can appreciate it and I do understand why it is so highly liked but it didn’t do much for me. It’s quite repetitive and the same things happening over and over again throughout the book. Maybe it was more apparent since I listened to the audiobook. And the avid use of the characters names was almost driving me crazy. Specially “Baby Girl”. A little more him, her, them would have lighten the text.

Anyway. I  see the value and appeal but it just did not live up to the hype and anticipation the bookish community has created for it. And to be honest, the plot is way too easy. She is 17 years old with a child in a pretty poor household. And every setback around her is nice and neatly resolves by them self’s within a chapter or two. It just gave me a non-realistic picture and I feel it probably would have had a bigger impact if not so “dreamy”.

Contemporary · Fantasy/Paranormal · Romance

Escape from the green – Jessica Gadziala

34608739._SY475_| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis:
Amethyst
Determined not to be a pawn in my mother’s game any longer, I finally decided to take my destiny into my own hands.
But I had made a promise to myself many years ago when I used to dream about running away. If I was getting my freedom, he was getting his too…

Drake
Imprisoned. Enslaved. That was my life for longer than I cared even to admit, beaten and humiliated for what I was. Draca. Dragon fae. The supposed last of my kind. Except I wasn’t. But that was a secret I’d take to my grave.
I’d learned long ago to accept my fate, that freedom was not something I would ever know again.
But then one day after one of the worst snowstorms in my memory, the daughter of the man who had shackled me in iron chains to begin with burst into my barn with a key and a mission. Free me. And herself.
Things, though, often don’t go to plan. And we found ourselves stuck in the middle of something no one ever could have predicted. A war between the Light and Dark fae.
Our futures uncertain, we decided there was only one place to go.
Back to the land of my kind. To see if any were left. And if they would have us.

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My thoughts:

The magical land of The Green is on the brink of War. Where dark and light fairies lives together with a million other creatures. We have good characters, evil characters and those you feel are good but keep doing “evil” things. It is interesting, captivating and somewhat suspenseful. AND of course there is dragons in it. I could not have been asking for more. Unfortunately I just don’t feel for it.

I cannot say it was as good as the first one. It is good, don’t get me wrong, but it lacked some of the “umph” I felt from the first book. And it may not be that positive that I found Sal and Smokey more interesting than the two main characters the book actually was about. I do really hope Gadziala one day in the future write Sal and Smokey’s book. I would love to take part of that story.

This one however, I found it just okay. It was nice to spend time with, but I would not read it again in a near future.

Contemporary · Romance

Fix it up – Jessica Gadziala

39963632._SX318_| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: “The chance of a lifetime. With one little catch.”

All Brinley Spears has ever dreamed about since she completed design school four years ago was getting noticed. By the right people. By the right companies. Anyone who could finally help launch her career onto a new level.

Unfortunately, the opportunity comes to her in the aisle of a home improvement store while she was arguing with the world’s most irritating contractor… Warren Reyes.

It was everything she ever wanted, the chance to star in HITV’s hit show Fix It Up. There’s one problem though. The producers think Brin and Warren are married. And want them as a pair… or not at all.

So, desperate for the opportunity she has always wanted, Brin hatches a plan. One fake marriage. One season of a show. And then they can both go their separate ways.

You know, if they don’t kill each other first…

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My thoughts:

Fantastic! For you who have not yet read Fix it up by Jessica Gadziala, doesn’t know that the word “fantastic” is repeatedly written throughout this book. And it’s a perfect word to describe it. Fantastic! Just utterly, rip out my heart and put it back in again, fantastic. I can’t do anything other than recommend it. Specially if you are looking for something fun, light and easy with great characters, plot and some hot, sexy stuff. Start here.

It’s an easy, lovable and funny book which is a little different from what Gadziala normally writes. But I like it. No, I Love it! It’s refreshing and reminds me a little of R.L Mathewson who writs fantastic and funny romantic contemporary. It is nice to see that Gadziala, even though she is one of my favorite authors, isn’t a one trick pony.

I love Warren and Brinley. Missed some more detailed descriptions of the characters and there were some grammatical errors even I could detect, but that was so small stuff that I don’t even bother thinking about it.

Great stand alone and nice that not everything has to be a series. Gadziala is a queen when it comes to publish books and she writes faster than I have time to read. But in the end Fix it up, is just Fantastic.

Contemporary · Romance · Suspense

Preacher – Dahlia West

25676540._SY475_| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Jack “Preacher” Prior is at a crossroads — literally. Left for dead in the Badlands, he’s managed to survive. He’s stolen a truck, but where can he go? Body broken, mind reeling from betrayal from his own MC brothers, he knows he won’t last a day back in Rapid City in his current condition.

Two roads stretch out in front of him. One leads to the city and one deep into the black hills where no one knows him as the former President of the Badlands Buzzards. Revenge is not a question; it’s an absolute. Preacher will get his due soon enough or die trying.

Erin Walker is at a crossroads of her own. Dealt a bad hand by being the daughter of Buck Walker, ex-Rodeo Champ, she’s made her own way in the world without his help. She owns Thunder Ridge Ranch outright, and she’s carved out a piece of paradise for herself with her own two hands. She’s not giving it up without a fight, but she’s alone in the world with no one to trust.

In Erin, Preacher finds something that doesn’t exist in his own world: a smart, fierce independent woman who sets his blood on fire. For Erin, the mysterious man who threatens her life might very well be the only one who can save it.

Can Preacher put aside his desire for revenge against his old MC and accept what’s in front of him: a woman who needs him and a future worth having? Erin knows in her heart that Preacher is a bad, dangerous man, but can she trust him anyway?

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My thoughts:

I read Preacher for the first time back in early 2017 when I was still riding that contemporary romance in a MC gang wave and it is just as good as I remembered. It is an easy enough story to follow, deep and developed characters and just enough romantic suspense that makes it more of a feel good book and certainly made me nostalgic and thirsty for more.

I have had Preacher on my “To be read again” list for some time. I missed Jack, Erin, King, Bee and the Thunder Ridge farm. I missed that “easy” suspense and deep romantic struggles between two different people with completely different worlds. I love that Erin is one hell of a strong character and how Jack not only saves her, but she saves herself to. The end is a little too easy, just as I remembered thinking last time, but still really, really good.

This is supposed to be the first one in a series. West, I’m still waiting. 😉

 

Classic/Historical · Contemporary · Fiction/Science Fiction · Mystery/Crime

Sixteen trees of the Somme – Lars Mytting

42102301._SY475_| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Edvard grows up on a remote mountain farmstead in Norway with his taciturn grandfather, Sverre. The death of his parents, when he was three years old, has always been shrouded in mystery – he has never been told how or where it took place and has only a distant memory of his mother.

But he knows that the fate of his grandfather’s brother, Einar, is somehow bound up with this mystery. One day a coffin is delivered for his grandfather long before his death – a meticulous, beautiful piece of craftsmanship. Perhaps Einar is not dead after all.

Edvard’s desperate quest to unlock the family’s tragic secrets takes him on a long journey – from Norway to the Shetlands, and to the battlefields of France – to the discovery of a very unusual inheritance. The Sixteen Trees of the Somme is about the love of wood and finding your own self, a beautifully intricate and moving tale that spans an entire century.

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My thoughts:

I wish Goodreads had the ability to let us readers give half stars in rating. I would really need that function right now because I can’t decide if I want to give it a two star or a three star rating. Don’t get me wrong, I kind of liked the book. It was just so damn slow and that (in the end, no spoiler) mostly evolved around some threes just made it unbelievable. I could not connect with it and even though it was an interesting and kind of fun puzzle game regarding the family history, it was just not enough. I didn’t even like the main character that much.

I believe that if I hadn’t had the audiobook, I would have struggled to finish. It was just so tedious, I didn’t like the main character, who apparently cannot have a non-sexual relationship with women and the ending was quite unclear. Much better to listen, but the book itself was not as good as I had expected.

Gold star for the nice writing. I thought that was really good and Mytting did a great job with it.

 

Chick Lit · Contemporary · Mystery/Crime · Romance

Whiskey and gunpowder – Liliana Hart

37655464| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
Something…bedazzled?

In twenty-four hours, Addison Holmes will be a married woman. Maybe.

A week to plan a wedding in the south is not for the fainthearted, but Addison (along with the help of her neurotic mother, unreliable sister, and unpredictable Aunt Scarlet) are determined to pull it off.
There’s just one problem. Okay…two problems.

Problem #1: The preacher is missing.
This seems like a bad omen to Addison, and all the best investigators she knows are taking part in the pre-wedding festivities (that’s code for drunk).

That leaves one man for the task: FBI Special Agent Matt Savage. But Addison isn’t sure he’s the man for the job. She and Savage have a complicated history, and Savage could make the preacher disappear forever if it served his own agenda.

Problem #2: Rosemarie Valentine is in charge of booking the bridal party for a spa day. Enough said.

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My thoughts:

The sixth book in the series about Addison Holmes starts of as usual, with her complaining about something and in a situation beyond her control but still, somehow her fault. The sixth and hopefully last book was unfulfilling, repetitive and shallow. I’m so tired of her constant bitching and talk about how fat she gets from just looking at a cinnamon bun. You could feel that even the author was tired of writing the series and just no longer cared. And that is pissing me of. I overall really liked the series and if this indeed is the last book, it was not up to it full potential and I feel as readers deserved more.

Contemporary · Romance · Young, New adult/College

Rhythm, chord & Malykhin – Mariana Zapata

26148083._SY475_| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Twenty-six-year-old Gaby Barreto might be a lot of things (loyal, sarcastic, one of the guys and a pain in the butt depending on which family member you ask), but dumb isn’t one of them. When her twin brother invites her to go on tour as his band’s merch girl, she isn’t exactly screaming at the top of her lungs with joy.

With no job opportunities pounding on her door, an ex-boyfriend she would still like to castrate, and no end in sight to moving out of her parents’ house in Dallas… it would be dumb to say no to the chance of a lifetime. Two bands, three continents, one tour. Spending the next ninety-plus days with three beloved idiots and eight complete strangers shouldn’t be a big deal, right?

If only the singer of the headlining band didn’t have tattoos… a great personality… a fantastic body… and if he wasn’t so funny….

Let’s be real: Gaby never had a chance against Sacha Malykhin.

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My thoughts:

I have to say that I really enjoyed this one, but I usually do when written by Zapata so why I expected anything less, I can’t say. It was funny, light and sweet. Just what I needed to take the edge of the stress I experienced in the beginning of July.

I love Zapata’s way of writing, which always seems to capture me right from the first word. She is the queen when it comes to slow burns and characters with many layers and this is certainly the one to top the list. It was almost a little to slow for my taste. It made it feel like it went by in a flash at the end when “finally” things started to happen.

Overall happy but I just didn’t quite love it.

Chick Lit · Contemporary · Fiction/Science Fiction · Mystery/Crime · Romance

The husband’s secret – Liane Moriarty

17465450| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: My Darling Cecilia
If you’re reading this, then I’ve died . . .

Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret – something so terrible it would destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others too. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive . . .

Cecilia Fitzpatrick achieved it all – she’s an incredibly successful business woman, a pillar of her small community and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia – or each other – but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s devastating secret.

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My thoughts:

I really, really liked The Husband’s secrets. Never read anything by Moriarty before but keep seeing her name circulating out there in the bookish community. So when I found one of her books in my grandma’s bookshelf I just had to buy myself a copy and give it a try. Grandma has great taste in books.

At first I was a little confused. Judged by the synopsis, I thought that the letter would have had a much bigger part of the story than it actually has. But it is the three main characters, Cecilia, Rachel and Tess, and what was happening in their day to day life, that’s actually was the focal point. I like the history twist of the story, the character and their relationships. It is not disappointed at all that it was not what I first had foreseen. It is relatable, believable and realistic. Really well written and even though it is suppose to be a chick flick, the mystery feel of it and the dark emotions certainly made it a lot more likable for me. It made it more captivating, if you understand what I mean. And that ending was both wonderful, heartbreaking and you sit there thinking, what could have been and are not in your own life and on the butterfly effect.

Non of Moriartys books has interested me but after this I certainly feels that I should look into them to. Maybe I have missed something big here. Either way, I would differently recommend The Husband’s secrets. A perfect book for those late summer days.

Contemporary · Romance · Suspense

Through the fire – Katie Ruggle

36748616| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Kit Jernigan despairs of ever fitting in with her new tight-knit K9 unit. They’ve been through too much to open their arms to a stranger―and as mysterious fires begin raging across Monroe, she can’t convince them to trust her long enough to catch the woman she knows is responsible.
Wesley March, local fire spotter, knows Kit is right, and he’s willing to help her prove it. But the more time they spend together, the closer they get…and the more danger they’re in. A member of the K9 unit’s inner circle is determined to get revenge―no matter who gets burned in the process.
This time, it’s personal.

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My thoughts:

“I’m In Love!”

I’m in love. I love Wes! He is one of the best characters I have read about in a really long time and Ruggle have finally produced a book with the content and stability of a five star rating. I have not been shy with my thoughts about the Rocky mountain K9 unit series. After the grand slam of Search and Rescue (which I loved) I was expecting the same caliber with also this series. Which we didn’t receive in my opinion. But the fourth and last book just blew my mind and it was a perfect ending for the series and I could not have expected more.

Wes is a character who is super smart but has almost little to no social skills and is really uncomfortable with people due to that he have problems with interpreting them. He reminds me a lot of the character Don Tillman from the series with the same name, written by Graeme Simison except that Wes is not clueless when it comes to love. He just has troubles knowing if his feelings is reciprocated or not. Kit is the perfect female character for him and them together makes the sparkle fly. There is nothing fast in their relationships and they take their time, which makes it even more perfect. I often think the romantic aspect of a book is going forward to fast. I want substance and I certainly got it.

The plot of the story is also great. We have some final unraveling in some stuff and it was a lot of tension which made it even more captivating. I literally could not stop reading. It all mixed together with what I know from the three books before and the excitement for now, made it a reading journey I cannot stop ravaging about. I’m so happy I continued the series even though I was not a huge fan.

I feel a lot more exciting to continuing books written by Ruggle and she has started a new series. Let’s she was she is bringing on. 😀

Contemporary · Fiction/Science Fiction · Shortstory

The deal of a lifetime – Fredrik Backman

36297706| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: It all begins with a father telling a story to his son on Christmas Eve. But this isn’t your typical Christmas story. The father admits to his son that he’s taken a life but he won’t say whose—not yet.

One week earlier, in a hospital late at night, the man met a five-year-old girl with cancer. She’s a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.

As the man tells his son about this plucky little girl, he slowly reveals more about himself: while he may be a successful businessman, idolized by the media and his peers, he knows he failed as a parent. Overwhelmed by the responsibility of fatherhood, he took the easy way out and left his wife and little boy twenty years ago to pursue professional success. Now he is left wondering if it’s too late to forge a relationship with his son, who seems to be his opposite in every way—prizing happiness over money, surrounded by loving friends in a cozy town where he feels right at home.

Face to face with the idea that something is missing, the man is given the unexpected chance to do something selfless that could change the destiny of the little girl in the hospital bed. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he needs to find out what his own life has actually been worth in the eyes of his son. And so, he seeks him out and tells him this story…

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My thoughts:

“Short story”

Sad story about the meaning of life, the choices we take and the people they affect. Filled with love, hate, happiness and sadness. All emotions crammed onto not even 100 pages. I’m glad it was as short as it was and my Fredrik Backman craving I have had the last days is finally saturated. And now I have officially read every book Backman has published so far and he is still one of my absolute favorite authors.