Month: December 2020

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – December 9

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. The expected publication date is January 5, 2021.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, Rachel Hawkins’s The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for. 

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending? 

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Christmas from the Heart

Title: Christmas from the Heart
Author: Sheila Roberts
Genre: Romance
Publisher: MIRA
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

USA TODAY bestselling author Sheila Roberts takes readers to the charming, snowbound town of Pine River in this irresistible holiday romance.

Sometimes you need to look beyond the big picture to see what really matters

Olivia Berg’s charity, Christmas from the Heart, has helped generations of families in need in Pine River, Washington, but this year might be the end of the road. Hightower Enterprises, one of their biggest donors since way back when Olivia’s grandmother ran the charity, has been taken over by Ebenezer Scrooge the Second, aka CFO Guy Hightower, and he’s declared there will be no more money coming to Christmas from the Heart.

Guy is simply being practical. Hightower Enterprises needs to tighten its belt, and when you don’t have money to spare, you don’t have money to share. You’d think even the pushy Olivia Berg could understand that.

With charitable donations dwindling, Olivia’s Christmas budget depends on Hightower’s contribution. She’s focused her whole life on helping this small town, even putting her love life on hold to support her mission.

When Guy’s Maserati breaks down at the edge of the Cascade foothills, he’s relieved to be rescued by a pretty young woman who drives him to the nearby town of Pine River. Until he realizes his rescuer is none other than Olivia Berg. What’s a Scrooge to do? Plug his nose and eat fruitcake and hope she doesn’t learn his true identity before he can get out of town. What could go wrong?

Review:

Livi Berg runs a charity called Christmas from the Heart in her small town of Pine Rivers. She inherited the charity from her mother and grandmother. One of their biggest donors is a company in Seattle, who been donating since Livi’s grandmother ran the charity. When Livi emails them to ask about their donation, she’s told that they can’t give her one this year. She speaks to the CFO, Guy Hightower, who says he can’t spare the donation this year. Livi has to make do with the small donations that she receives in town. Then one day, Livi stops to help a wealthy man, whose Maserati broke down on the side of the road. She hopes that he will be generous enough to help with her charity. However, the man is Guy Hightower. He recognizes Livi’s name, so he makes up a fake name since he knows she hates him. Guy has to stay in town for a few days, waiting for his car to get fixed. He spends time with Livi, getting to know her and her charity. He soon realizes that he may have been too quick to toss Livi and her charity away, but he may be in too deep to reveal his true identity.

This is a great Christmas story. There were some heartwarming parts of this story when Livi worked with her charity to give those less fortunate in her town a happy Christmas. The people in the town were so generous with each other, even when they didn’t have much to spare.

There was also a lot of tension, since Guy was pretending to be someone else. I could tell he would be a good match for Livi, but he was lying to her. I knew she would find out who he really was eventually, but I couldn’t put the book down. It didn’t end exactly the way I predicted, which was a nice surprise.

This is a fun Christmas romance!

Thank you MIRA for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan

Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler

Have you read Christmas from the Heart? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Christmas Themed Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is a Holiday Freebie so I’m doing a list of Christmas Themed Books. Here’s my list:

1. Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler

2. Christmas Island by Natalie Normann

3. In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

4. All I Want for Christmas by Wendy Loggia

5. A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday

6. The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

7. Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler

8. 25 Days Til Christmas by Poppy Alexander

9. Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

10. A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1)

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1)
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.

Review:

Kell is an Antari, a magician who can travel between the parallel Londons: Red, Grey, White, and Black. Kell acts as a messenger between the different leaders of the parallel worlds, but he also collects items that he smuggles between the worlds. After making a bad deal, Kell meets Lila Bard, a wanted pick pocket. Together, they have to battle against a dangerous magic that is not from their worlds.

I read this book a few years ago, but I loved it so much, I wanted to read it again. I read it as a buddy read over a few weeks. I got so much more out of the story reading it all at once.

I love V.E. Schwab’s poetic language in this story. She has so many memorable quotes. One of my favourites is “I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.” Schwab is such an amazing world builder, and her beautiful phrases make the story a work of art.

This book is an exciting introduction to the Shades of Magic series!

What to read next:

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Shades of Magic, Vol. 1: The Steel Prince by V.E. Schwab, Andrea Olimpieri (illustrator)

Other books in the series:

  • A Gathering of Shadows
  • A Conjuring of Light

Have you read A Darker Shade of Magic? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – December 7

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Christmas from the Heart by Sheila Roberts.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading The Last to See Her by Courtney Evan Tate.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – December 6

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 9 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… A Darker Shade of Magic

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Red and White Books

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Red and White Books. Here’s my list:

1. Harvey Comes Home by Colleen Nelson

2. Blood Countess by Lana Popović

3. The Honey-Don’t Lost by Christina Lauren

4. Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten

5. Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker

6. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

(All book covers from Goodreads)

Did you make a Six for Sunday list?

Review: All I Want for Christmas

Title: All I Want for Christmas
Author: Wendy Loggia
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Publisher: Underlined
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 3, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

This sweet and magical romance about a girl who has just one wish–someone to kiss under the mistletoe–is the perfect holiday escape!

Bailey Briggs is counting down the days to Christmas: she lives for holiday music, baking cookies, going on snowy sleigh rides, and wearing her light-up reindeer ears to work at Winslow’s bookstore. But all she really wants this year is the one thing she doesn’t have: someone special to kiss under the mistletoe. And she’s 100 percent certain that that someone isn’t Jacob Marley–athlete, player, and of questionable taste in girlfriends–and that Charlie, the mysterious stranger with the British accent, is the romantic lead of her dreams. Is she right? This will be a December to remember, filled with real-life Christmas magic . . . and, if she stays on Santa’s nice list, a wish that just might come true.

Review:

All that Bailey Briggs wants for Christmas is a kiss under the mistletoe. Christmas is her favourite holiday, so she goes all out with baking, decorating, and shopping. One night, she meets Jacob, a boy from school, while she’s working at a bookstore. He doesn’t seem like her type but they start hanging out. Then she meets Charlie, a hot British guy, who seems to be exactly what she’s looking for. Jacob makes an effort to spend time with Bailey, but she thinks she’s meant to be with Charlie. Bailey has to figure out which guy will fulfill her Christmas wish.

This is a fun holiday romance. Bailey and her family love the holidays, so they have lots of Christmas traditions. There were some classic Christmas scenes, such as cookie decorating, going to a tree farm, and lots of shopping.

Even though Charlie seemed like the man of Bailey’s dreams, I found him creepy at first. He appeared just when Bailey needed help many times. Everything made sense in the end, though. It turned out to be a clever holiday story, even if it was a little cheesy at the end.

This is a great holiday story to put you in the Christmas spirit.

What to read next:

New Year’s Kiss by Lee Matthews

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Have you read All I Want for Christmas? What did you think of it?