Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Christmas Wish

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

 

The Christmas Wish

Lindsey Kelk

Expected publication date: November 10, 2022

What if it really was Christmas every day?

Gwen has had quite the year. Newly single and in trouble at work, a family Christmas could be exactly what she needs – fresh country air, piles of presents and festive films. But since when were families relaxing? Between her parents interfering in her love life, fighting with her sister and an awkward run-in with Dev, the boy next door, Gwen is grateful that Christmas only comes but once a year.

But when someone in her family makes a Christmas wish, she wakes up to discover she has to relive the day all over again.

And again.

And again.

As Gwen does her best to grant the wish, she begins to realize that even the people closest to us have secrets of their own, and just because her heart is broken, doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed with a little Christmas magic… - from Goodreads
 

Guest Blogger: Show Some Love For Indies #3 - Smartypants Romance Edition

 

 

Today is the final installment in Michele's guest series on indie authors!

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Authors are no longer confined to traditional publishing – the number of writers self-publishing seems to have exploded over the last few years. With access to so many forms of social media and the technology to format and market their own books, authors can have successful careers without ever being accepted by a traditional publishing house. This is also great for readers, as we have access to so many more wonderful authors.

Today’s installment focuses on authors who self-publish and are also part of Penny Reid’s Smartypants Romance imprint (SPRU).

Karla Sorenson – Love at First Sight series (SPRU) and the Washington Wolves and Ward Family series. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Nora Everly – Monroe Brothers (SPRU) and Barrett Brothers. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Piper Sheldon – Scorned Women’s Society (SPRU) and other contemporary and paranormal works. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Juliette Cross – Part of the Green Valley Heroes series (SPRU). Other series include contemporary (Beauville) and paranormal (Stay a Spell).

Aly Stiles – Work for It series (SPRU). Genres are wide, with rockstar, angsty and paranormal romances. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Laney Hatcher – London Ladies Embroidery (SPRU) and Bartholomew Family historical romance series. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Susannah Nix – Common Threads series (SPRU). Other series include rockstar, women in STEM and small town romance.

Jiffy Kate – Fighting for Love series (SPRU). Small town and sports romances set in New Orleans. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Allie Winters – Lessons Learned series (SPRU). Also has billionaire and new adult series. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Have you read any of these indie authors? If so, any favorites?

Romance Quick Reviews

Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills (2022)

After a disastrous one-night stand, a former football player turned coach and a former beauty queen are surprised to find they're now neighbors in her small hometown.  Will they make the most of their second chance?  I'd heard so many good things about this author, and this book in particular, that I had really high expectations - and unfortunately, this missed the mark for me.  I honestly can't even really explain why.  Something about it just didn't click for me.  I have no problem with one-night stands, but the reasons behind it seemed a little icky to me and I wasn't necessarily rooting for Ronan and Nova to overcome it.  I liked that Nova dropped everything to be there for her younger sister, but she also seemed so aimless.  Ronan and Nova's conversations were often cringey and cliche, with too much purple prose.  The side characters felt quirky just for the sake of being quirky, and the depictions of teenage football players felt so off.  This book has such a high rating on Goodreads, so this seems to be more of a "me" issue, and I hope other readers enjoy this book more than I did.  2 stars

My Cone and Only by Susannah Nix (2021)

 

When I first heard about this new series, which follows the King siblings in their small Texas town, also home to their family's ice cream company, I was pretty excited, but unfortunately, this first book was a bit of a letdown.  The first book focuses on Wyatt King and his relationship with Andie, his best friend's little sister.  They have both been hiding their feelings for years, but when Andie needs Wyatt's help to fix up her house so she doesn't lose it, they finally open up to each other.  It's a cute trope, and I liked Wyatt's loyalty to Josh, but there were things that didn't work for me.  I didn't expect that the King family would be so... dysfunctional?  Usually in these types of series, it's a very close-knit family, but the Kings just seem like a mess.  And Wyatt basically has nothing to do with the family business, so that seemed odd.  Also, I'm not sure what Andie saw in Wyatt - he drinks, smokes weed, lives in a disgusting apartment, has no steady job, and sleeps with any girl who looks at him.  The story is fairly predictable, but it has the happy ending you're looking for in a romance.  3 stars

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Runaway Groomsman

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

 

Runaway Groomsman

Meghan Quinn

Expected publication date: October 11, 2022

Quinn comes a heartfelt romantic comedy about new beginnings and finding the romanticized happily ever after in the most unlikely of places.

Hollywood screenwriter Sawyer Walsh knows a good love story when he sees it. But when it comes to real life romance, he’s a mess. That’s how he finds himself standing at the altar…as his ex-girlfriend ties the knot with his very famous best friend. The pressure, the resentment, the media coverage—it’s all too much—and before he knows exactly what he’s doing, he’s making a run for it, leaving a shocked congregation and flashing cameras in his wake.

Needing to lie low amid the media fallout, Sawyer lands in the charming town of Canoodle, California, where he crosses paths with Fallon Long, who runs the Canoodle Cove Cabins, a family-owned business and Sawyer’s new short-term residence. Overwhelmed with renovations and her long list of responsibilities, Fallon is struggling to make ends meet while attempting to bring the cabins back to their original glory. So when Sawyer arrives, she is grateful for the income, but immediately writes him off as just another vapid Hollywood hack, until he begins to prove her wrong at every turn.

As Fallon comes closer to saving the family business, an undeniable bond forms between her and the handsome screenwriter. But the pressures of her family obligations and Sawyer’s notoriety might prove to be too much for anyone to handle. Could Canoodle be the setting for a new romance—or is true love just a Hollywood cliché? - from Goodreads
 

Top Ten Tuesday: My Fall TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is our fall TBR.  Now that it's autumn, I'm finally feeling ready to move away from romance a bit and lean more into thrillers, mysteries, spooky stories, and gothic reads!  (But yes, there's still a romance in there!)

What will you be reading this fall?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Wherever The Wind Takes Us

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

 

Wherever The Wind Takes Us

Kelly Harms

Expected publication date: October 18, 2022

When life stops making sense, it’s time to raise the anchor and follow the tide.

Twenty-two years of marriage, and all Becca Larkin’s divorce settlement includes is a live-aboard sailboat and a huge helping of heartache.

So when normally cautious Becca proposes a girls’ trip with her daughter, Liv, boating from Maine to a ready buyer for the boat in Miami, it seems like a recipe for a fun summer and a fresh start. After all, how hard can this sailing thing be?

Enter Grant Murphy, a stunning Irish sailing coach that Liv can barely stand—and Becca can’t seem to resist. Grant’s too young for Becca, but he’s insightful and kind, and his passion for sailing is contagious. Through his eyes, Becca sees for the first time in years a future she might want to navigate toward.

There are seventeen hundred miles between Maine and Miami, but the journey Becca’s on can’t be charted on any map. And the only way to get there is to hoist the sails and throw caution to the wind. From the bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler comes a sparkling novel about mothers and daughters, change and escape, and learning to love again. - from Goodreads
 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books With Geographical Terms in the Title

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is books with geographical terms in the title.  I had a fun time perusing my shelves for this one!

What titles did you find this week?

 

Guest Blogger: Show Some Love for Indies #2 – New Girls on the Block

 

Michele is back for the second installment in her Show Some Love for Indies series!

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Authors are no longer confined to traditional publishing – the number of writers self-publishing seems to have exploded over the last few years. With access to so many forms of social media and the technology to format and market their own books, authors can have successful careers without ever being accepted by a traditional publishing house. This is also great for readers, as we have access to so many more wonderful authors.

Today’s installment focuses on authors newer to indie publishing.

 

Elsie Silver – author of the Gold Rush Ranch and Chestnut Springs series, focusing on horse trainers and rodeo riders in Canada. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Chloe Liese – author of the Bergman Brothers series, which centers around a big Swedish family of brothers and sisters. Will also be making her traditional publishing debut this fall.

BK Borison – author of the Lovelight Farms series, set on a Christmas tree farm in Maryland. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Jenny Bunting – Currently publishing her Finch Family series, which takes place in and around a winery in California. Currently enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.

Julie Olivia – Currently publishing her Honeywood Fun Park series, which takes place at an amusement park. Available in Kindle Unlimited.

Victoria Denault – Author of hockey and small town romances, with two titles under Sarina Bowen’s Heart Eye Press publishing imprint.

Catherine Cowles – Small town romance author whose books are self-proclaimed “suspense lite."

Have you read any of these indie authors?

Quick Reviews: Pride & Prejudice Retellings

A Certain Appeal by Vanessa King (2021)

A contemporary retelling of the classic Pride & Prejudice, set in and around a New York City burlesque show.  Liz Bennet was an aspiring interior designer until an incident at her internship forced her to give up her dream.  She made her way to NYC and started working at a burlesque show, where she ultimately meets Will Darcy.  I tend to really enjoy P&P retellings, and there was a lot to like about this one.  I liked the way the author updated the characters; Jane is now Liz's gay best friend and her other sisters have been replaced by a found family at the burlesque show.  Although a bit clumsy with his words (when he can actually get one in), Will Darcy is dreamy - handsome, successful, and totally into Liz.  The chemistry between them just oozed off the page; the tension between the two is the heart of the original story, but I liked that the author brought them together more quickly in this version.  I expect that retellings generally won't deviate too much from their original source material, but my quibble here is that it almost followed it too closely, despite the modern setting.  There's really no question because you know exactly how everything will turn out.  King's lush writing definitely helps, but I felt myself looking for something a bit more.  3.5 stars

Accomplished by Amanda Quain (2022)

 

This Pride & Prejudice retelling focuses on one of the secondary characters of the original book, Georgiana Darcy, as it modernizes the story and reimagines it set at an elite private high school.  I loved that this story wasn't about the main couple, but rather tells a new story from a different point of view.  Here, Georgiana (Georgie in this modern version) has been duped by Wickham, who was selling drugs from her dorm room without her knowledge, and she is returning to school as a pariah.  But Georgie isn't ready to give up, and she hatches a plan to reclaim her good name.  I liked the parallels to the original, although this story definitely doesn't rely too much on it, so it feels really fresh.  I felt for Georgie and was rooting for her to succeed, but at times her plans felt so... I don't know, singular?  Not well-thought out?  There wasn't a lot of nuance; it was more like, "If I do this one thing, everything will be fixed," without necessarily thinking through all the consequences.  I guess, to be fair, she is a teenager, but it reinforced my feelings that YA is no longer a top genre for me.  3 stars

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Prince of Song and Sea

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

 

Prince of Song and Sea

Linsey Miller

Expected publication date: October 4, 2022

For fans of Twisted Tales and Villains is a brand new YA series that retells the classic Disney stories you thought you knew from the Disney Princes' perspectives.

Before Prince Eric’s mother, the Queen of Vellona, went missing two years ago, she reminded him about the details of the deadly curse that has plagued his entire life. The curse? If he were to kiss someone other than his true love, he would die. With a neighboring kingdom looking for any excuse to invade their shores, and rumors of ghost pirates lurking the seas, Eric is desperate for any information that may help him break his enchantment and bring stability to Vellona. The answers he has been searching for come to him in the form of a letter left from his mother that reveals Eric must find his true love, the one with a voice pure of heart, or kill the sea witch responsible for cursing him in the first place.

Now Eric is on a quest to find the Isle of Serein, the witch's legendary home. But after he is rescued by a mysterious young woman with a mesmerizing singing voice, Eric’s heart becomes torn. Does he enter a battle he is almost certain he cannot win or chase a love that might not even exist? And when a shipwrecked young woman with flaming red hair and a smile that could calm the seven seas enters his life, Eric may discover that true love isn’t something that can be decided by magic. - from Goodreads
 

Giveaway: Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Happy Monday, everyone!  And happy Labor Day to everyone here in the US!  Just a quick post today to announce a giveaway because I've ended up with two copies of Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I preordered a copy myself months ago and the event I went to last week included a signed copy with the ticket, so I want to share the TJR love by giving away my preordered copy!

A few rules and notes:

• You must be at least 13 years old and a resident of the United States to enter.
• The giveaway will be open until September 9, 2022.
• The winner will be notified by email, and they will have three days to respond with their full name and mailing address.  If they don't, another winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks and good luck!

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Month in Review: August 2022

 

August was a busy month!  I went to the office one day to have my annual review, which thankfully went very well!  My sister threw a belated birthday party for our niece (her birthday is in January, but it's much more fun to have a pool party!), so that was a fun day.  Henry has another tooth coming in, right next to the other one.  And we went on our first family vacation!  My dad and stepmom rented a house right on the beach in Virginia Beach and my sister, 3 of my 4 brothers, and all their families headed down for a week.  The cousins had so much fun hanging out together and there was lots of laughter and smiles and noise!  We took Henry to the aquarium and zoo for the first time and also spent a morning walking on the boardwalk and seeing the King Neptune statue, among other art installations.  Although he wasn't a fan of putting his feet in the ocean, Henry enjoyed sitting on the beach and playing with his Tupperware of water.  He also tried to eat the sand many times, which wasn't good!  We had a local photographer come out to the house to take some updated family photos on the beach, so I'm excited to see how those turn out.  At the very end of the month, my sister and I attended a bookish event, Taylor Jenkins Reid talking about her new book, in-person!  I feel like she doesn't come to the east coast often, so when this event was added a couple weeks ago, we jumped at the chance.  She actually contracted COVID a few days before the event but thankfully tested negative the day before and was feeling better, so the event went on!  Taylor was so wonderful to listen to - she's charming and funny - it was a great night!

The Books

 

 

A Wild Rose // The Last Dress From Paris // Signal Moon // Just Haven't Met You Yet

 

 

 Neanderthal Seeks Duchess // The Viscount Who Loved Me // Beauty and the Mustache // Before the Crown

 

The Posts and Reviews

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday: All I Want For Christmas

Guest Blogger: Book Bonanza 2022

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Once Upon a December

Fiction/Nonfiction Quick Reviews: The Paris Edition

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Love That Were Written Over 10 Years Ago

Can't-Wait Wednesday: So This Is Christmas

Blog Break + Quick Reviews: Amazon Short Stories

Guest Blogger: Show Some Love For Indies #1 - The OGs 

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Before I Do 

 

 

How are you doing?

 

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.