dkehoe

[dkehoe]

I haven’t loved all of Ivy Asher’s books, but this one hit all the right notes. It’s an epic fantasy with a strong female protagonist, the characters shift into dragons, the male lead is kind of quiet but strong and hot, and did I say there are dragons? The book starts off super fast. Ever has escaped from a stronghold where she’s tortured for her blood, the bad guys are after her and she chooses jumping off a cliff to a certain death instead of ending up back in her cell. Instead of dying she wakes up in a hospital where she’s told that the Horde has been called to retrieve her and again she must escape her fate. She’s been taught that the Horde (also dragons) killed her family and is her enemy, but when she comes face to face with them she sees a unit that acts loyal to their leader, is snarky, and makes her curious. The leader is Aeson Noctis, the King’s second son and he is fascinated with Ever. The fast paced action and quick-witted dialogue kept me turning pages, but it was the mystery of Ever’s origin story that I was really curious about. She’s a kind of dragon called a Syphon, and her brand was supposedly wiped out with the killing of the previous king’s reign. Her identity as a Syphon is mysterious, as is Ever’s mission, to kill the people who took the Syphon powers away from them. As a plot, it’s not a bad one, but everything Ever thinks she knows about what happened to her family is not necessarily as she believes it, which throws a big kink into her revenge. Oh, and then there’s the love interest, Aeson- she doesn’t count on falling for one of the Horde. As with most of Ivy Asher’s books, there are some great side characters, some of whom we want to know more about and don’t get to, but they do certainly add some much needed warmth and color. If the plot were only going to be about Ever’s need for revenge it would be kind of boring, but she develops some feelings for the people around her which makes her plotting even more tremulous. The reader is left hoping she knows the truth and her plans will be a redemption arc instead of Ever turning into an anti-hero. We’ll have to wait for the next book to find out which side of the coin she lands on. I can’t wait! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Click this link to purchase this book!* Spark the Flames Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Natural Resources police officer Sloan Cooper had just arrested three men taking down hikers in the Western Maryland mountains with her partner, when they stopped at a convenience store. Sloan walked right into a robbery in progress and got shot in the chest almost losing her life. She was shocked back to life on the operating table and took some time off to recover at her family’s home in Heron’s Rest. Having a hard time not working, when Sloan hears of a woman who goes missing leaving her car behind in a grocery store parking lot she searches through the database for similar cases. She finds a lot of cases matching the description but nothing ties the victims together. The new man in her life, Nash, proves to be a great sounding board for her theories and with his help she soon finds that missing connection. There’s just something about the comfort of reading one of Nora Roberts romantic suspense novels. Her pacing is steady, allowing her to build the characters back stories and allow the reader the time to really connect with and care for the characters, but she also develops the romance at that same pace. The two plots don’t outdo each other but rather complement each other so that moving from the romance to the mystery doesn’t distract from the other but rather adds to it. I loved that especially about Hidden Nature. Sloan’s rehab from her wounds gives the reader a great gage of her head space. She’s exhausted, then frustrated, then angry, then resolved and we’re along for the ride with each of those feelings. When she’s finally ready to embrace those romantic feelings for Nash the reader is brought along seemlessly into those new emotions and is ready for Sloan to feel better, so begins to root for their romance and for Nash to jump on the we love Sloan bandwagon. Of course, he does, and that part of the story feels very natural. The hardest part for me to read was from the killer’s point of view. Of course, it’s natural to feel uncomfortable, but I kind of wished for a little less of them and more of Sloan and Nash. That’s my only criticism of a really solid novel. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest! Click this link to purchase this book! Hidden Nature Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Jane Jackson has built her adult life on the mantra ‘Fake It Until You Make It’. Her childhood was spent on a sitcom as the sidekick “Janey Jakes” but now she’s trying to make it as a Hollywood Executive. When she claims to be able to talk a popular musician, Jack Quinlan, into writing a track to help them launch a movie she’s pitching Jane has to ask for help from her one-time crush Dan Finnegan. Jack is playing a festival in Dan’s hometown and she needs Dan’s connections to help her, well, connect with Jack. A week in close quarters with Dan is Jane’s idea of hell, but stranger things have surprised her. I recently discovered this author when I finally listened to an audiobook that I’d purchased of one of her other books, and fell in love. I love her style of writing, her lovable yet flawed characters, and most of all that slow burn romance. Annabel Monaghan believes in that big build-up in tension and I just love how that makes me eagerly turn the pages. It’s a Love Story had me feeling all that pent-up emotion that I remembered from the first novel of hers I read, Phoebe Goes Off Script. When combined with humor, charm, and an emotional punch you are left with one stand-up novel that’s just really easy to sit back, read, and enjoy. Dan was set up to be this kind of co-worker jerk who had stood in Jane’s way on another project but by the end of this novel he was the sweet misunderstood hero that every woman wants to meet. On the flip side, Jack Quinlan is the trauma from Jane’s past that serves as a tool for the conflict Jane’s character needs to overcome to believe in love. The juxtaposition of her past and present with the men from her present and past really gave this novel a punch of feeling. I loved Jane’s journey but especially when she and Dan finally work things out. I can’t wait to listen to this book on audio because I think a great narrator could make me love it even more the second time around. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest. Click this link to purchase this book!* It’s a Love Story Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate – if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Mia Neal has a love for F1 racing and when a friend suggests she starts her own podcast she thought it would be her little side gig. When her comments about struggling racer, Xander Bishop, goes viral her podcast gains popularity. When Xander’s rival invites her to the Miami Grand Prix she accepts his invitation and meets Xander for the first time. Sparks fly during a confrontation and he invites her to the next race as his guest. Will her new fans understand her relationship with Xander? What’s not to like about this story? First, I, like many of the US has gotten to know and love F1 racing and reading a story set in that world intrigued me. Second, podcasts are just the thing in romance novels right now, so combining those two things seemed a smart strategy. Mia and Xander were totally likable characters, with both being surprisingly down to earth and normal. Xander didn’t throw his money around, was a family man, and his struggle to succeed in the F1 world was an interesting take. Mia, too, had a great back story and a struggle to overcome and her need to stay true to herself and her fan base gave her character a truthfulness that you just couldn’t turn away from. I liked them both! The only thing missing for me was that the author toned down the glitz and glamour in order to make the characters real and easier for the reader to connect with. I would’ve actually liked to read about the behind the scenes world in F1 racing including the money and fashion. However, what we got was still fun and made for a great weekend read. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest. Click this link to purchase this book!* Not So Fast Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Katie Vaughn’s life has gone up in flames. She’s ended a bad relationship and now her job is facing lay-offs. In order to save her own, she take a job producing a video in Florida about a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, despite not being able to swim. Something she hides from her coworker, Cole- who is also Hutch’s brother. That’s just the first lie she ends up telling. When she gets to Florida and meets Hutch, who’s possibly the most handsome man she’s ever met, she gets caught up in a few more lies, the least of which is not being able to swim. As she faces some of her fears, and gets to know Hutch and his aunt Rue, Katie realizes she needs to take this chance to really be brave at last. Katherine Center’s novels come out every year just as Summer is about to start. I look forward to reading her books because I know I’m going to love the characters and the fears and/or obstacles they are always trying to overcome. She writes with a tongue in cheek sense of humor but also with a lot of heart, which makes her books lovely to read. The Love Haters had all of these things. Wonderful characters who weren’t perfect and needed a little smoothing over, and obstacles that they needed to overcome before finding their happily ever after. This story wasn’t any different, so why didn’t I connect with it as much as I usually do? Katie and Hutch were interesting, their lifestyle choices understandable, and the conflicts in their lives emotional. Each of them separately were amazing. I think I didn’t feel a huge connection between them as a couple. Katie had a tendency to hide herself behind some of her phobia’s and Hutch had learned from a young age to hide his feelings. These walls each of them had built kept the reader, or at least this one, from that connection that I’m always looking for between the romantic couple. For me, that was problematic and I felt a little like I was reading a synopsis of a therapy session. Hoever, the story was great, their situations relatable, and they were both lovely, nice people and you couldn’t beat the sunny setting. Maybe it’s just me, but because of these little things I held back on my rating by one star. Nothing huge, this one is still a four out of five rating, but normally I go all in with five stars for this author, so it’s a bit of an anomaly for me. You may feel completely different! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest! Click this link to purchase this book!* The Love Haters Copyright 2025 the Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate-if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Documentary filmmaker Lilah Graywood never thought she’d be producing a film on F1 racing but when her co-owner and boyfriend of their business convinces her to spend their summer doing this she doesn’t have the heart to say no, until he dumps her and tries to fire her from her own company. As revenge she and back-up race car driver Arthur Bianco decide to create a secret partnership where she will film his comeback and take control of Max’s documentary. When she and Arthur have to fake a relationship she gets to know the real Arthur, and his hidden vulnerabilities. Their chemistry soon makes it hard to pretend and Lilah has to face her true feelings. F1 has certainly become a popular subject in romance and as an F1 fan I was worried that this novel wouldn’t portray it well, but you know what? Madge Maril did the sport justice, AND gave us really likable characters in an interesting romance. When Lila got dumped I was all in for the revenge plot, and her relationship with Arthur seemed like it would lean towards a friends to lovers, which is my favorite trope. What I didn’t expect was for their to be so much depth to these characters! I loved Lilah’s love for documentary filmmaking, but also how she began to love this sport that she at first thought was ego-driven and dumb. When she began to see how she could create this great story about Arthur’s comeback and then also began to let herself fall for him while filming it? Wonderfully written. If you love F1 this book is a no-brainer and you need to read it. If you love romance novels and don’t know anything about F1? Still read this book! The characters are well written, the pace of the story is fast (as it should be when about racing!), and the chemistry is fab-u-lous! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest! Click this link to purchase this book!* Slipstream Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you have purchased this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Just outside of London lies an institution with a secretive aim, to train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. When a powerful lord’s systemic attacks on young women’s rights in Parliament, the Academy sends for one of their best pupils to infiltrate the lord’s inner circle. If she brings down the viscount she earns her freedom. Betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has different plans for the viscount. He needs his support to help him rebuild the rookeries of St. Giles and Effie’s plans completely stand in his way. Effie and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that’s complicated by a blossoming desire. Mimi Matthews delivers another really great historical romance. This time with the theme of women’s rights. Although I got the feeling that Effie was more interested in her freedom at first, but as the story moved forward you could feel her shift to believing that what she was fighting for was in fact what was best for her. Her attraction to Gabriel was immediate and their conflict gave a really great tug and pull of both their developing feelings but also where they stood in the fight for womens rights. Gabriel had his own interests he wanted to protect, but it ended up being the love of a good woman that won him over in the end. This author has always shown us different sides of London society and this novel was no different. Although Effie was passing herself off as a lady, she had a mysterious background that was a sub-plot and gave insight into her actions. She and Gabriel ended up having a lot in common which drew them together as well. With the addition of a truly reprehensible bad guy to add more conflict to an already great story this one you shouldn’t miss reading. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest! Click this link to purchase this book!* Rules for Ruin Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Sheriff Harry Moran has a stack of files on his desk of cases that the inept sheriff before him may have messed up. When a gun in a double homicide gets traced back to one of those files, Harry makes the decision to head to the woman left behind. When Lillian Rainier opens the door, Harry is jolted by feelings he hasn’t felt since his wife died. As far as Lillian’s feelings, she’s had a crush on Harry for years but with this cold case mystery pending they take the time to not only investigate the murder but also to investigates they both are starting to feel for each other. When a witness turns up, they realize the killer is cleaning up his past mistakes. Kristen Ashley’s Misted Pines series are good old fashioned romantic suspense novels and I’ve enjoyed getting to know all of these characters. A few of these characters make an appearance in The Woman Left Behind, a couple of whom help Harry with some out of town investigating. Otherwise, this story really centers on two characters who have not really been in any of the previous novels. Harry on the periphery, but only just. I enjoyed the lack of distraction as it read like a stand alone more than a part of a series. The mystery in this story was quite good. It was a cold case regarding the disappearance of Lill’s parents when she was 18 years old. I liked the use of this case as a back story for the difficulties Lill had faced in her life and the obstacles she’s had to overcome. As Harry was the Sheriff and privvy to these details it allowed them to jump forward emotionally a little more quickly than would in real life, but then all of this author’s novels have a bent of a jump in time element speeding the romance along. Their emotional connection didn’t suffer from any insta-love backlash for the reader, but more of a whiplash reaction to all the emotions Lill was going through because of the appearance of that weapon being tied to her missing family. Was this the best novel in this series? No. I still enjoyed the first book the best but I did think this was a solid romantic suspense novel and enjoyed getting to know these characters and their stories. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Click this link to purchase this book!* The Woman Left Behind Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Video game designer Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime to design a game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only downfall is that she’ll have to work with her arch-nemesis Jesse Andrews.When their two companies both win the bid to co-design the game their bosses think a wintry retreat is just the answer to get their teams to bond together. Viola has tried to befriend Jesse before but has been snubbed repeatedly and she is not looking forward to this retreat, but in order to be part of this dream job she’s willing to suck it up. Unfortunately she doesn’t count on their chemistry making a bad situation…..better? Narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster who gave these characters life, this novella was just the right fit to get an Ali Hazelwood fix. The audio book is about 4 1/2 hours but there’s a lot packed into this five day retreat. Great back stories for our two main characters, lots of anxiety, great dialog, and a resolution that packs an emotional punch. This enemies to lovers romance brought the gaming world to life, but even better, this author created three dimensional characters in a very short timeframe. Something a lot of authors struggle with when writing novella’s but this author excels. If you have the time, I’d add this audiobook to your TBR and when you find that 4 1/2 hours of downtime, give it a go. I think you’ll find it a fun story! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️ Click this link to purchase this audiobook!* Two Can Play Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

After fireworks designer, Andee Paxton takes an online DNA test she finds out that her biological father is none other than Holt, an international arms dealer. The CIA shows up at her door where she meets very handsome CIA analyst officer Adam Chan. When Chan lingers over coffee they find themselves knocked out and kidnapped by her father’s men. Waking up in a bunker as boyfriend and girlfriend Andee and Chan play their parts while her very scary father tries to get to know her and sell her on the family business as well as get her help in creating a very nasty bio weapon. Chan and Andee’s fake relationship is the only thing keeping her sane as they try to figure out their escape plan and save the world. What a fun rom-com/spy novel! Tiana Smith has a very easy style of writing that made this story a joy to read. Lots of action, great dialogue, and a few scary bits for conflict made for a complete escape from reality and an enjoyable weekend of reading. I haven’t read the first novel in this series but I’ve found it at the library and have it on my TBR. Besides the great action series, Andee and Chan were both really interesting characters and their immediate chemistry gave the romance some heat. Andee is one of those smart heroine’s that I love to read about- go STEM romance leads! her degree in chemical engineering makes her a great sidekick for a spy. She didn’t let her emotions get the better of her and was doing her part to find a way out. Chan, too, was an interesting guy. Yes, he was a CIA analyst, but he is also hearing impaired. I liked how his “weakness” became a strength in the story. The fact that the descriptions of him as well as Andee’s immediate attraction made him eye candy for my imagination didn’t hurt either. Really, this story was just 100% enjoyable and I can’t recommend it enough. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest. Click this link to purchase this book!* Mr. Nice Spy Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Synopsis: Silla Nordvig is running for her life. The Queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous quest: travel the treacherous Road of Bones—a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer—and go to Kopa, where a shield house awaits her. After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen’s ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively.Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones? Narrated by Islay Jacobs in a charming English accent, The Road of Bones follows Silla on her journey to get to Kopa with the help of the Blood Axe Crew, led by Reynir, or as she refers to him, Axe eyes. He is a viking-esque warrior who slightly terrifies Silla when she hides away in their wagon as they start their journey on the Road of Bones. When she’s found out, her life is threatened, but it’s her charming nature, and the fact that she can cook that lands her a semi-permanent position with their crew at least to the next town. All the while she has the Queen’s warriors hunting throughout the countryside for her as well as an agent of the queen who has a magical ability that is frankly terrifying but also really useful in getting information out of the people she questions. This novel is filled with loads of adventure, lots of killing, comradery, and a side of romance. Things that are common in epic tales of heroism and adventure. Silla herself starts off as a young 20 year old girl, but ends the novel a slightly stronger woman who has learned a lot about life’s lessons, evil, and heartbreak. I’ll admit to finding her younger self slightly annoying because she was so naive, and still kind of annoying when she lost that naivete yet still refused to embrace her true self. However, I loved the camaraderie, and tales of adventure. I’ve never read a book by this author but I’ve already checked out the second novel in the series because after 25 hours of listening (truth!) I need to know that Silla is going to embrace her future and become the woman I know she can become. If you are a fan of epic fantasy novels you may like this series. This first novel has given me hope that a female author can write an epic tale that has a strong female lead that can conquer, kick butt, fall in love and remain someone that I can root for until the end. Fingers crossed that book #2 delivers! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️ Click this link to purchase this book!* The Road of Bones Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate -if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

You know when you are sick and you just want some comfort food? For me that food is usually a grilled cheese sandwich or a frozen chicken pot pie. These things just make my heart warm and help me feel just that small bit better. Well, Nora Roberts books are grilled cheese sandwiches for my spirit. I needed a hit of comfort food and happened upon her backlog of books when I was surfing my digital library. She has been so prolific that there are some books from 20 years ago that I know I read when they came out but honestly didn’t remember and thought, why not? I was surprised at how much I loved this venture down memory lane (or lack of memory as the case may be). The book I read had a much older cover than this newer version, but as the book came out in 2001 I’d imagine it’s had a few variations. As noted by this cover, this book centers around the Giambelli family and Sophie, specifically. Her grandmother in a rather machiavellian way maneuvers, she and her step-son into swapping positions in the family business. Tyler MacMillan runs his grandfather’s vineyard and when he’s told Giambelli is merging with MacMillan and he has to give up running the vineyard to learn marketing and promotions, he is not pleased at all. Especially as he’s paired with the energetic and very attractive Sophie. Attraction ensues and when you add a little danger in the form of someone using their wine to poison people, voilâ! You get a wonderfully written romantic suspense novel that still holds well over time. I’ll admit that I did look up what cell phones looked like in 2001 for entertainment value, but that’s neither here nor there. The story held my interest and gave me that comfort I needed. Plus I liked Sophie and Tyler’s unusual and kind of begrudging love story. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Next up! Yeah, I couldn’t just read one book I had to read one of the Irish trilogy’s! I didn’t remember this series at all and was immediately drawn into the magic of Ireland and the beloved Gallagher family. Jewels of the Sun was written in 1999, so it’s an oldie but goodie, but again since these novels had a bit of fantasy in the story my mind wasn’t diverted by technology and I easily fell into the story. This first novel follows Aidan Gallagher, who runs the local pub with his brother and sister. Gallaghers is filled with light, love, and a bunch of Irish characters who add a lot to the plot and give the story some charm. Jude Murray is the heroine, has some Irish heritage, and moves into her great aunt’s (I think?) fairie cottage, which is right above Prince Carrick of the fairies castle (as in below the earth). Her cottage is haunted by the love of Prince Carrick’s life and their story is the reason for the trilogy. They need three couples to find true love to have their curse broken so they can be together. The other two couple being Shawn and Brenna, and then Darcy and Trevor. The thing I love about these trilogy’s is that when they are good, you get lost in them and you just want to keep reading. The great thing about reading books this old is that they are all available to read! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Some Nora Roberts books are better than others, of course, but all four of these were pretty solid! If you are like me and read too many books in a year to remember the plots of books you’ve read over 20 years ago, then you may want to go to your nearest library and pick up a virtual copy! Or you can purchase your copy at the links below. Click this link to purchase The Villa!* Click this link to purchase The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy!* *Amazon Associate- if you purchase a book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Piper Paulson and James Newhouse ride the same train in to work every day. He’s in a suit, she’s in retro t’s and jeans. They are complete opposites, yet their eyes connect, then look away until one day when the Elvis convention is in town and the only seat available is next to each other and they take a chance and talk. One conversation that leads to their being connected during a freak incident on that train. Neither one of them is looking for a relationship but circumstance and chemistry keeps bringing them together. Will this connection turn into something more? I liked this opposites attract romance. Piper and James are drawn to each other in large part because they remind each other of their past. She reminds him of his mother and he reminds her of a previous relationship. Both add conflict to their reaching their happily ever after and make for some interesting story arc’s that held my interest and kept me reading. Were there problematic moments? Yes, but the positive outweighed the negative and these problems didn’t slow the story down or take me out of the story so I was able to stay “in the moment” and move past those brief moments. I looked up the author and didn’t see any other books in her bio so I believe this is her debut novel. In this reviewers humble opinion I think she did a solid job, gave us interesting characters to read about, and created a plot that was simple but had some dynamics that were unexpected and gave the reader that element of surprise that keeps us reading. Nice job! I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it is honest! Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

[dkehoe]

Margaret Arden wants more from life than the existence she’s known. She dreams of becoming a successful writer but after she takes a brutal set-down from a publisher she fears that she might have to give up that dream and marry to support her family. Bridger Darrow is back from the war and hopes to build a successful career as a publisher. The future looks grim until he stumbles upon some loose pages of a fantastic novel and realizes that the author is none other than the young woman he told off at a party earlier that week. Bridger must publisher her book and he fights to regain her trust, sparks fly, and they find themselves embroiled in a mystery that they must solve in order to help their friends. I haven’t read a book by this author but and was so pleased when I found the characters to be interesting, the dialogue fun, and the story easy to read. Despite Margaret and Bridger’s disastrous first meeting the chemistry was undeniable and their passion for books something that most romance readers share. I loved these characters and rooted for their happiness, especially in light of all the chaos surrounding them. A pretty typical story about a young woman reliant upon her relatives for survival, Margaret knows her only chance at not marrying an old geezer to pave the way for her younger sisters in society is to sell her novel and make enough money to launch them into society. Despite this story of a woman’s plight being told again and again the love for writing and stories was a refreshing take on this historical novel. What really added originality was the fact that a male publisher saw enough in a woman’s story to stand by her and publish the novel. That might have been a bit of a historical stretch for the time but it made for a great way for this couple to have a bit of conflict and fall in love. If you’re like me and you like to dip into the historical romance genre as a palate cleanser I think this one will hit the right note for you. Not too serious and not too silly, for me this one was just the right fit. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest. Click this link to purchase this book!* Much Ado About Margaret Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Storee Taylor never thought she’d go back to the small town where she spent Christmas’s with her great-aunt, but after she falls and breaks her hip, she packs her bags and heads back to the town where Christmas never sleeps. Seriously, the town is Christmas themed 365 days of the year. Her aunt Cindy was determined to win the Christmas Kringle contest this year and if she can’t do it then she can make Storee enter the contest and run. Cole Black and Storee were friends when they were kids but then Storee disappears for 10 years on the night his parents died and Cole has never forgiven her for leaving in his time of need. When he finds out that Storee has entered the Christmas Kringle contest he decides to also compete and out Kringle Storee. When I read the synopsis I thought that this sounded kind of cute and the cover was charming. I’m also a fan of Meghan Quinn’s rom-com stories, so color me surprised when I found myself seriously disliking this story. I’m used to reading Christmas stories out of season so I don’t think it was the holiday cheer in October. It just felt like the story was forced, the enemies to lovers plot (normally my favorite romance trope) overdone, and the kooky town characters that I usually find charming were just kind of annoying. Bah humbug, right?!!! I hate to hate on an author I normally like a lot, but this book was just not for me. Now, I don’t want to go into any detail because I know those serious Meghan Quinn fans aren’t going to care what this one book reviewer thinks and can only say, please read it for yourself and discover if you agree or disagree. For me, it was just overdone. ❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest. Click this link to purchase this book!* How My Neighbor Stole Christmas Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Maren Laughlin’s life just took a left turn. When she rejects her boyfriends proposal, she quits her decades long job as a park ranger and moves back to her childhood playground to check in on her inheritance, a decrepit bait shop in Northern Wisconsin. Josiah Cole runs the resort that abuts Maren’s bait shop. A childhood best friend of her brother’s they used to hang out as children but life moves on and he’s now divorced, with two great kids. He’s happy with his life but when Maren moves in next door he starts catching feelings. She’s beautiful, funny, and his kids love her and their friendship is just so easy. Despite her brothers warnings, Joe and Maren are in the middle of a relationship without even trying. I love these adult novels by Erin Hahn. She describes Joe and Maren’s relationship as just so easy to fall into, and this book was exactly the same. I started reading, and before I knew it I had developed feelings for these characters in part because of the easy flow of the story, but also because of the setting and the kids. This story was a joy and I relished reading Maren and Joe’s story. There isn’t a great romance novel if there’s not a hint of conflict and we do have a couple of storylines that create that dynamic for our duo. Maren’s brother is Joe’s best friend, and he doesn’t hesitate to warn Maren off of catching feelings for Joe. He’s also a bit of a dope to Maren and gave the reader a person to get frustrated at that wasn’t our hero or heroine. Joe also isn’t the swinging single guy, he comes as a package with his two kids who added a lot to the story- as well as a dumb ex- spouse that the reader could also focus some energy on hating. It was only Maren and Joe’s feelings that were easy breezy, these conflicts gave the story a lot of heart in their conclusions. I’ve read the other two novels in this stand alone series. I say stand alone and series in the same sentence because Maren’s two best friends were the heroines from the previous two adult novels by this same author. It’s always nice to see how other characters you’ve read have advanced their storylines and I welcomed that brief peek. Despite their reoccurance, you can read this novel as a stand alone and not miss a thing but I bet when you’re done, if you hadn’t read the other two novels you’re going to want to pick them up and catch up! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest! Click this link to purchase this book!* Catch and Keep Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[dkehoe]

Math Professor, Catherine Lipton has a plan for everything but when she starts a new job and her identity disappears she doesn’t even know where to start to get her documentation put back into the system. She reluctantly accepts help from her frustratingly laid-back doorman Luca Morelli. With his help she finds herself breaking the rules, meeting mysterious strangers, and generally having a great time. As she unravels the truth behind her identity disappearance she realizes that she may have been missing for a lot longer than she realized. The publisher has described this book as being for readers who are fans of Sophie Cousens and Ashley Poston, and you know what? They were exactly right! I like both of those authors and I really enjoyed reading this novel about Catherine’s journey with the help of her very charismatic doorman Luca. Melissa Wiesner did a great job of showing Catherine’s growth from straight as an arrow professor to a more open to anything lady who is drawn to someone who seems to be her complete opposite. This novel had one of my favorite things that I usually only find in small town romances. A fun, quirky cast of characters. I think because a lot of the story involves the building that they live in that building became the small town and each of those residents were fun, funny, and just plain lovely. Of course, they were all geriatric, so no chance of a second book in the series about one of the other characters in the book, but they added such joy to the novel. It’s funny because in real life young people don’t seem to tolerate the aging generation but in the best romance novels some of those older folks become my favorite characters. There were quite a few in this book. The romance between Catherine and Luca wasn’t without its frustrations, but the story is what pulled this book together and gave it the gravitas needed to feel complete. The romance was just kind of a side note so please don’t think this is going to be a steamy novel. It’s not, but Catherine and Luca do provide enough sizzle to bring a romantic feel to the pages. That part of the story in my eyes isn’t the most important it was the sense of family and feeling like you belong that struck home for me. I liked this novel and hope this author will continue to write and give us a second book to look forward to! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest! Click this link to purchase this book!* Wish I Were Here Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associat- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.