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.

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.

Romance · Suspense · War/Military

Blindsided – Kaylea Cross

32951240| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: It’s a Titanium Christmas reunion… Grace and Alex Rycroft have just moved into their newly renovated house in upstate New York and they’ve invited the whole Titanium Security crew to celebrate an early Christmas with them. But not all is merry and bright. Unfortunately things don’t go as planned. When the unthinkable happens at a veteran’s charity event in the middle of Manhattan, the team must pull together to take down the attacker and rally around a wounded teammate in the tragic aftermath. With one of their own left fighting for his life, it’s going to take a Christmas miracle to pull him through and make the holiday season bright. (*Note: This novella is a final wrap-up of the Titanium Security Series and is not meant to be read as a stand-alone.)

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My thoughts:

“Perfect, just perfect.”

The last book in the Titanium Security series and I cried like a baby. It was so wonderful to meet them all again, but “stuff” happens and it was terrible, but in the end it was the most perfect closure on a great series and I could not have asked for more. I have nothing more to say but only that this series is worth reading by everyone who likes romantic suspense in a war environment where both the male and female characters is strong and lovable. Perfect, just perfect. Kaylea Cross has several series in the same caliber and I hope they are just as good.

The order the Titanium series should be read in is as following:

Ignited
Signed
Burned
Extinguished
Rekindled
Blindsided

Contemporary · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense

Dirty laundry – Liliana Hart

36303602

| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: A new novel in the New York Times bestselling series: Coroner JJ Graves and her husband Sheriff Jack Lawson are back on the job when the body of an elderly woman is found in Bloody Mary.

Rosalyn McGowen is everyone’s favorite great-grandmother. She always has baked treats in her bag, she smells of roses, and she takes in stray cats. No one knows who could hurt a sweet old lady. But Rosalyn isn’t exactly as she seems. Every Thursday at noon Rosalyn secretly posts The Bloody Mary Tattler on social media, and it has everyone in town both captivated and horrified.

When Rosalyn’s secret is discovered along with her body, it’s not easy for JJ to determine her death as a homicide. But it’s not long before they discover the list of suspects is endless and Rosalyn didn’t exactly take all of her secrets to the grave.

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My thoughts:

“There relationship is so well written, it feels natural and realistic and it is easy to connect with.”

Another brilliant J.J Graves story from Liliana Hart. I read book 4.5 in the series several years ago and then I quite forgot about the series while waiting for book five. It was nice to pick up the thread again. I really like Harts writing where you get this warm, fuzzy feeling and even though the book about murder, death and human eating cats, there is also an aura of a feel good book at the same time. Mostly because I love JJ and Jack. Their relationship is so well written, it feels natural and realistic and it is easy to connect with. This time the book also has the feel of a mix between “desperate housewives” and “Midsomer Murders”. Such a fun story and plot to follow.

The conclusion in the end was however somewhat rushed and rich in details. It was a little hard to keep up with it to understand who the killer was and the why’s. It also ended on a major cliffhanger and we still haven’t received the whole truth around JJ’s dead parents. There is just so many loose threads floats around and it is time to knot some of them and be done with it. It is time to reveal those secrets.

Contemporary · Romance

Breathe – Kristen Ashley

18773967| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: There’s nothing like the first time . . . 

In Carnal, Colorado, Faye Goodknight is the town’s quiet, shy librarian. She may also be Carnal’s last remaining virgin. For years, Faye has had a crush on Chace Keaton, but the gorgeous cop has always been unattainable. She’s resigned to live contentedly with only her books for company-until Faye suddenly meets Chace alone in the woods . . .

Chace doesn’t think he’s the good guy everyone believes him to be. He’s made a lot of choices he regrets, including denying his feelings for Faye. Through his choices, he’s come to believe the pretty librarian is too good for him, but after their time in the woods, Chace realizes that she may be his last chance for redemption. Soon, their long simmering desires grow to a burning passion. Yet always casting a shadow over their happiness is Chace’s dark past . . .

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My thoughts:

“KA is so good at what she does that even she may not be able to maintain the expectations she has created.”

“I’m so bored.” That was my main thought throughout the whole thing. I don’t know what it was, but it never fell right with me. Didn’t find the characters as good as I know Ashley usually writes them, the story was mostly repetitive information from the earlier books and the romantic part of the plot was just overrated. KA is so good at what she does that even she may not be able to maintain the expectations she has created. I’m disappointed to be honest and it was not what I expected.

I struggled so much, I feel exhausted and broken. I really wanted to DNF it but couldn’t do that to her since KA is one of my favorite authors. But I tried, Oh lord did I try and maybe it would have been more humane to end it in the middle and not knowing what I know now.

I’m tired and I need a break. No romance for a while now. I need to read some other stuff and hopefully find my reader self again.

Contemporary · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense

Nine Lives – Sharon Sala

36576332| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: The synopsis written to this book is so bad and filled with misinformation. It was misleading and wrong. Whoever wrote that one needs to quit their job. Here, read Katy’s review on Goodreads. She knows how to write an synopsis. 😀

 

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My thoughts:

“I love how Cat not loses herself and stand strong in her opinions and still are not one of those dumb as heck characters you in the end just dislike.”

Sharon Sala is a really skilled author when it comes to mixed characters and points of view. No “this chapter, this character” way of writing. She has it all jumbled together and you jump from one character to another in the blink of an eye. And it is never confusing, never boring and you get to view an situation from several directions. It is not a skill I see often among the authors I read and feel it is important to highlight.

The book itself was really good. I liked the characters and I especially like Cat. She is an character right up my ally. The plot is insane and really intriguing, exciting and so, so sad at some moments. I can really see myself continue this series (there is a total 3 books).

I love how Cat not loses herself and stand strong in her opinions and still are not one of those dumb as heck characters you in the end just dislike. The romantic part of the book feels realistic but in no way takes over the story. I’m happy with the outcome and it was a book I could feel cozy with.

Contemporary · Romance · Suspense

Diamond Bay – Linda Howard

420741| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: KELL SABIN WAS IN TROUBLE

He knew it the minute the other boat drew near, the minute he heard the crack of rifle fire over water. Wounded and desperate, he flung himself into the Gulf and headed for shore.

Rachel Jones wasn’t looking for trouble, much less a man, but in Kell she found both. He was washed up on her beach, unconscious, like so much driftwood, but he was every inch flesh and blood. Her body responded in the only way it knew how, but what really frightened her was the response of her heart. Like it or not, she was in love.

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My thoughts:

“Nothing really deep that grips you but still exciting enough to keep you going.”

One word: mediocre! But to be honest the book is older than myself and we already know I’m a hard reader to please. However I did like it. Although more romance than suspense it is still nice to spend some time with an “Old, but Goldie”. It is quite light and airy. Nothing really deep that grips you but still exciting enough to keep you going.

The plot is a typical “been there, read that” and nothing surprising. Was a little fast in the end and it could have been a little more developed. I liked the characters but not the instant love situation. I liked the plot but I did not like the slowness in the middle of the book. But I especially liked the dog Joe.

Adult fiction/Erotica · Classic/Historical · Contemporary · Fiction/Science Fiction · Romance

The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid

32620332| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ’80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

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My thoughts:

“Can an author write so perfect that you in the end, are questioning your very own existence?”

Let me first say that I had no idea what to expect when going into 2018 most mentioned book. What I did know is that it had an interesting synopsis and I kept seeing it in my Goodreads and Youtube feed. Trying not to be caught up in the hype wave I have “ignored” it for some time while it was in my TBR pile. Well I have certainly stopped ignoring it now and joined the hype train. *toot toot* Here I come because wow this was so worth the wait!

Can a book be this perfect? Can an author write so perfect that you in the end, are questioning your very own existence? Can a story be so consummated that you start to wonder “was this really a fiction?”. I know that this is supposed to be a literary fiction but it was read more like a chick lit/true story. A deep chick lit with none of that “hubba bubba” love. It was just about life. From the beginning to the end! Honest from page one. It is the most well- devolved, character driven story I have ever read, where you have it all from the emotion spectrum. Love, hate, delight, rejection, pleasure, sadness, courage, fear, anticipation, hopelessness, willing, anger, grief, strengths and everything else.

There is so many human destiny’s and so much feelings, in so many different ways crammed between the covers that you can’t help but wonder, is it true? I ended the book at work and literally wanted to cry, not suitable for an open office landscape. I could not (off course) cry there and then but that is how strong of impact it had on me. It is so much grief and agony but still so much love that in the end it is worth it. Don’t believe me? Believe the other 33 000 people who have given it a five star rating on Goodreads.