December was such a great review month!

Did My Love Life Shrink in the Wash by Kristen Bailey

I didn't realize this was part of a series but it reads like a standalone. And it's hilarious! 

Beth and long-term boyfriend Will are navigating the trials of pregnancy and new parenthood after a drunk night and a missed pill. Beth shares some of the more humiliating and awkward situations during childbirth. Then once baby Joe is born it becomes more like the movie Look Who's Talking as she shares what she thinks baby Joe is thinking.  But the less sleep Beth gets and the more hours Will puts in at his stressful job,  the farther they get apart. The awkwardness of her new body shape leaves her self-concious. When Will leaves them,  saying he needs a break,  things get a little darker but still with humorous moments. 

This was a quick read.  I found myself laughing out loud so many times! What a great and truthful picture of motherhood. 

Thank you to Kristen Bailey and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Second Dive by Jasmin Miller

Chloe returns to her hometown ten years after she left.  Ten years after breaking up with the love of her life by text. All she wants is to apologize to him and get on with her life.  But events keep throwing them together. First at a bachelor's charity auction,  then a hospital volunteer project. At a time when Noah's Olympic swimming career seems to be falling apart,  now his mind is conflicted by the emotions Chloe still causes for him.  There was a reason they couldn't be together then and why she must keep her distance from him now...and she dreads telling him the truth. 

This was a sweet second chance romance that took a depressing turn at the end. I suffer from a medical complication that causes infertility,  so the emotions in this book were a little too close to home for me and just made me depressed. Honestly,  I think the cover model was the best part of the book for me 😉

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. 

200 NetGalley Reviews!!!!!

I can't believe I didn't know about NetGalley 3 years ago!  Now it's one of the best things I've ever known. While they haven't all been winners,  I'm glad I can request whatever books sounds good to me so that I'm able to give 95ish% of them good reviews. And then there's some that I get SO EXCITED for that I share that excitement with ALL my friends,  whether they read or not. You know,  those books you wish you could rate higher than 5 stars?!! I've discovered some really great authors through NetGalley that I probably wouldn't have read without it. 

The Garden of Promises and Lies by Paula Brackston

I have very few series that I have fallen completely in love with, but this is definitely one of them! I can still remember seeing the beautiful cover of The Little Shop of Found Things (Book 1) and wanting it on sight. Xanthe and her mother move to the small town of Wiltshire to open an antique shop. Xanthe has always been drawn to antiques and has the unique ability to hear certain pieces "singing" to her. After a chance encounter with one such antique in the first book draws her unexpectedly into the past, Xanthe has been practicing her ability since, finding out by a friend and former traveler that it's called "time spinning". She found a book for spinners in the second book, which is helping her learn to control her ability. But she's not the only spinner, and a very evil man, Benedict Fairfax, had followed her back to the present, putting her and her family in danger to try and steal the book. Her newest antique, a beautiful wedding dress, draws her to 1815, where Fairfax is engaged to marry a young heiress. Xanthe must find a way to keep the book of Spinners from him and stealing his own artifact, an astrolabe that might help her interpret the book.
This book ended on a huge cliffhanger. I can't wait to find out what happens next! I've had the privilege of reviewing each of the books in this series through NetGalley. Thank you so much to Paula Brackston and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousins

After coaching her anxious hospital roommate through her labor, Connie delivers her baby girl just a minute after Tara's baby boy on New Year's morning. Being the first 90s baby and up for a cash reward and diapers for life,  Tara also steals the lucky Irish name of Quinn that Connie had wanted to name her girl. Instead she was named Minnie...Minnie Cooper. And with the loss of her lucky name,  Minnie seems forever jinxed. After a chance meeting when Quinn released Minnie from the bathroom she'd accidentally been locked in on New Years Eve, they discover their odd connection. Incidents later keep throwing them together.  Can these opposites actually belong together? 

The author's writing style just drew me in.  I like how the story takes you from the present back to incidents in the past where they didn't even know they were connected. What a great book to read right before New Year's. 

Thank you to Sophie Cousins and Putnam Books for the opportunity to read this festive holiday book. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Ten Rules For Faking It by Sophie Sullivan

Everly Dean has always hated her birthdays. Something always seems to go wrong on her birthday and her 30th is no exception. Trying to surprise her boyfriend with an early morning coffee date, she instead finds him in bed with his assistant. Then she tries to vent her frustration to her best friend and coworker at the radio station, only to realize that she announced her embarrassing breakup live on air. All of a sudden their ratings are soaring, everyone messaging advice and offering to take her out on dates. When Chris, her boss and secret crush, suggests a bachelorette style dating special, Everly agrees for the sake of keeping her job. But as she dates her way through the game, she starts to realize the bachelor she really wants isn't even in the game.
This book was a slow build. I love the radio station setting and the story was really unique. I really like the focus on Everly's crippling social anxiety, which I suffer myself. Everyone close to her is so accepting of her limits, especially her hunky boss Chris
Thank you to Sophie Sullivan and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Trusting Skylar by Susan Stoker

Four friends that fought together as Army Deltas take a deal to begin working for the FBI rather than having their team split up.  They create Silverstone Towing as a front for their undercover work. Carson (Bull) goes out on a call to rescue a woman whose car broke down late at night. From the first, there's just something about her that raises his protective instincts. 

Skylar is a dedicated Kindergarten teacher, seeming innocent of all the darkness in the world that Bull deals with. As they grow closer,  he knows he should tell her about his FBI assignments,  but he's afraid she won't accept him once she learns the truth.  But when she and one of her students disappear,  he will stop at nothing to find her. 

Overall I liked this story and I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of the guys in Silverstone. Sometimes I found Bull to be a little over the top alpha and Skylar just a little too innocent to believe but it kept me hooked to find out what happens next. The teaser about the next book featuring Eagle sounds intriguing. 

Thank you to Susan Stoker and Montlake for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thank You, Next by Sophie Ranald

Zoe is a chef at the Ginger Cat pub in London, named after the stray cat she found and adopted, who had become her only male companion.  Feeling she's missing something,  she creates a Tinder profile,  where she discovers men are fascinated with sending pictures of what's in their pants. After she becomes discouraged,  her friend tells her she should make it into a game.  She decides to date one man from each star sign,  leaving the most likely matches until last to see if her astrology app is right.  Her dates are mostly disasters and getting progressively worse.  Will she ever find The One?!

Reading this hilarious book made me so glad I met my husband before the time of dating apps. I think I would have given up after the date with the guy who brought his kid. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Bookouture and Sophie Ranald for the laughs! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Christmas Island by Natalie Normann

Holly has been suspended from her job right before the holidays. She decides to visit her brother's new home on an isolated Norwegian Island. She discovers quickly that Norwegian winters are mostly always dark when she loses her way and almost stumbles off a cliff.  Saved by a large fluffy black cat and the island's hermit,  Tor, things between them are at first awkward and tense but as they spend more time together they become friends then lovers. This book explores a lot of traditional Norwegian Christmas food and celebrations. 

Thank you to Natalie Normann and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read this book. It really helped put me in the Christmas spirit. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten

This book is impeccably researched historical fiction about the life of a washerwoman named Marta who rechristened herself Catherine Alexyevna, gained the notice of Peter the Great, and became his second wife. Her cunning and ambition helped her to become the first woman ruler of her country after Peter's death. 

I love the story of this strong woman in history who I've never heard of before. Her history is fascinating and the author spares no detail when it comes to the violence,  murder,  and rape scenes (sometimes a bit too much detail).

Thank you to Ellen Alpsten and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Pandemonium by Susanna Strom (World Fallen #1)

Although the guy on the cover is hot,  don't be fooled into thinking this is your typical romance.  I was more drawn to the apocalyptic story going on around the sparks of attraction. 

Kenzie is a college student dedicated to her success.  While on a deadline for an important paper, she turns off her phone and shuts out the world.  But when she emerges from her solitude,  she finds the world in chaos. A flu virus with a very small survival rate is sweeping the nation. Kenzie escapes to the only family she has left,  her autistic cousin Miles. He has always been into conspiracy theories and has built a compound with high tech security and all the supplies they'll need for years. Ripper, a member of a nearby motorcycle gang, lives next door to Miles and had become friends with him, looking out for him. After a rough meeting between Kenzie and Ripper, she judges him by his gang affiliation,  but soon realizes there's kindness under his tough exterior.  And she's always had a thing for the bad boy bikers in her favorite books. 

I love Kenzie and Ripper! I can't wait to find out what happens next with this virus in the next book,  Maelstrom. 

Thank you to Susanna Strom and Cougar Creek Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

An Imperfect Christmas by Tanya Jean Russell

Two years ago, heartbroken and humiliated after an awkward incident with her best friend, Maggie Green fled to London to make a new life for herself. Now she has prestigious career and looking forward to an upcoming promotion, and a serious relationship with her coworker Rupert. But then, right before her planned holiday at home, she gets a call from her doctor about abnormal test results, her boyfriend breaks up with her, and to top it off he informs her that he got the promotion and her position has become redundant. She returns home for the holidays in fear and shame, only to face the past in the form of her best friend Nate. Sparks fly between them, but can she ever forgive him for what he did to her two years ago? I always seem to have a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit, but this book helped me a lot. Nothing wrong that a little romance and holiday magic can't fix. It was a cute story. Thank you to Tanya Jean Russell and Sapere books for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own

If I could step inside my Kindle library...

I have 2 more shelves packed with books upstairs also,  but there are 650 books in my Kindle library and 200 in my book library. These beautiful library pictures on the internet always get me dreamy though. 

My new Kindle Oasis (Purchased Black Fri 2020)

Perfect book cover to describe the time of year I bought my Kindle, and the horribly imperfect year I bought it in,  right?!

I'd been looking at a Kindle Oasis for over a year, but with the $250 price tag and a paperwhite that still worked, I couldn't justify spending the money.  But as the year went on and I found my downloads getting slower and slower on my old one,  the Black Friday price of $174 sounded more reasonable to me. My nursing home paid us a rather small bonus for putting our own lives at risk dealing with covid. After actually contracting it the week before Thanksgiving,  I felt I more than earned a little present for myself out of that bonus. My tired and overworked Paperwhite retired to my sister in law's house,  where it will live on with a life of ease after my constant overuse (seriously! 218 books read and still counting this year alone).

I love the larger screen and I have my page turn buttons back that I loved on my original Kindle.  But...the battery life is exaggerated.  The 4 week battery life was based on a mere 30 minutes a day. What average reader would only spend a few minutes on their kindle a day, yet pay $250. AND the 4 weeks is based on turning the light completely off, the touchscreen off, airplane mode on...well, you get the picture. All the extra features I bought it for, I have to turn off or the battery is crap.

Don't get me wrong, other than the battery life, I am in love! The reading experience is phenomenal. Overall I'm very satisfied,  but maybe that's one thing they can improve on for the price they charge. 

The Burbs and the Bees by Cathryn Fox

4 of 5 ☆

Look out farmersonly.com the women will be flocking to your site after reading about smoking hot Nova Scotia farmer Jay Andrews. After their meetcute almost drowning together in icy water, Alyson arrives at the orchard she inherited from a great uncle. Her father accused her of not being able to stick to anything for more than a month and she's bet her trust fund to prove him wrong. But she begins to have serious doubts about her capabilities after being chased around the yard by a rooster named Cluck Norris and promptly falling on her face in the mud at the feet of none other than her hot rescuer who just happens to be her neighbor. I had so much fun reading this book. I laughed so hard and I was sharing the hilarious parts of the book with my friend until I got her too interested. I had to stop sharing all the fun so I don't ruin the book for her! I definitely needed this romcom as I sit here recovering from covid. Thank you to Cathryn Fox and Entangled Publishing for giving me the best laughs in weeks! I already purchased Hooked On You and I'm hoping to have as much fun with it as this one. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. See all my goodreads reviews

Vic Lee's Corona Diary 2020 by Vic Lee

4 of 5 ☆

 This is an excellent timeline for the Covid 19 pandemic. It portrays the facts of the virus in graphic novel form providing information but also the more humorous incidents during this ongoing disaster. While the author is based in London, he covers the details of the pandemic response in many other countries including America, my own country. The artwork is just amazing. I plan on buying a hard copy of this book when it's released.

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The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

5☆

In the past, I've enjoyed Kristin Hannah's books for their family drama. But her last 3 novels have been more historical fiction and I'm LOVING it! Her writing style just paints a mental picture for me, so much that by the end of this book I was crying! Elsa lives in enforced solitude, an outsider in her own family. Shortly after her 25th birthday, Elsa's had enough. She goes against her parents orders and visits the speakeasy in town to listen to music wearing her new red silk dress. She meets Rafe, an Italian man who actually makes her feel pretty. Soon after, Elsa is dumped on Rafe's doorstep, shamed, disowned, and pregnant. And there, with Rafe's parents on their Texas farm, she finds her true place...a family who loves her and a place she loves to call home. But then the stock market collapses and the nation falls into a Great Depression. The farm dries to dust as the rain refuses to fall. Starving and choking on dust Elsa refuses to leave for years, until she becomes forced to by her son's failing health. Fleeing toward the promise of jobs and prosperity in California, Elsa again realizes she'll have to fight for the survival of herself and her children against the unfair practices of the landowners. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! 

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The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is really great! But the first short story "the Veldt" gave me the shivers. The book was published in 1951 but almost perfectly describes today's smart home. The children are raised by the technology in the home with no love for their real parents. And when that technology is threatened. ..yikes! The rest of the short stories combine to make the main story of the illustrated man come alive. 

I'm reading The Haunting of Brynn Wilder with its own illustrated man and this book was mentioned several times. So I put the Haunting down for a bit to read Bradbury. Now to finish my original book! 

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The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book surprised me in that it is unlike the creepy gothic ghostly books this author has written before. This reads more like a romance novel with a mysterious handsome hero. There were so many mentions of Bradbury's The Illustrated Man, which is the nickname they've given Dominic, the main male character, that I had to put this book down and read Bradbury first. It's not necessary as the author provides a brief description of the classic, but I'm glad I read Bradbury for a deeper understanding of the plot. I was really enjoying the book and the relationship between Brynn and Dominic, but as I closer and closer to the end of the book I still had so many questions. Where does the Haunting come in, what's up with Alice, and room#5, etc? Then, bam, a plot twist that explains everything! 

While I do prefer the author's more creepy books, this one was still enjoyable. Thank you to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing, and of course Wendy Webb for the opportunity to read and review this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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