BeckyBookstore

Reading Round Up: January 21st-31st

Happy Wednesday! How is everyone’s week going? Mine is going well. I am hoping to finish two books in the next few days. Hopefully I am getting back into my reading groove! I read 4 books to finish up my reading in January and overall I enjoyed them all. I think it’s a tie between Enjoy The View and Accidentally Engaged as my favorite.

Enjoy The View by Sarah Morgenthaler – 4 Stars Returning to Moose Springs, alaska is always a fun time and when the main male lead is a grump I AM HERE FOR IT!! We met Easton back in the first book and he is the quiet guy who doesn’t have a lot to say. While driving home he sees a woman on the side of the road pulling a suitcase behind here, doing the right thing Easton pulls over to help but instead gets yelled out for ruining her shot. I loved the first meeting between Easton and River, who is an actress turned producer and doing a documentary on Moose Springs. Since the town is blocking any filming , River hires Easton to take her and her camera crew up Mount Veil. I loved the parts of the story that deals with climbing the mountain and how it helped the relationship between the two grow. My only complaint about the book was that at times I found River’s character to be overly stubborn, because she is an accomplished climber she doesn’t take all of Easton’s warnings seriously and it really frustrated me. This series is one of my favorites and I am so glad we get another book about Easton’s Twin Ashtyn! Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for my gifted copy for review!!!

Would Like To Meet by Rachel Winters – 3 Stars This is the second time I have tried to read this book and I think I only pushed through because it was a buddy read. I will say the last third was more enjoyable than the first two thirds. Evie is an agents assistant and is trying to get one of their screen writers to submit his new script. To help with this she decides to recreate famous meet cutes in rom com movies. Honestly I didn’t care for these scenes which is probably why I liked the last part better. She befriends a man and his 7 year old daughter in the beginning of the book and the interactions between them were my favorite parts of the book. Overall this was an okay book and if you are a fan of rom com movies then you might want to pick this one up!

Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron – 4 Stars Accidentally Engaged follows Reena who runs into a good looking neighbor who lives across the hall but then learns that he is her father’s new employee and who her parents are trying to make a match with. Reena is not wanting an arranged match but she soon starts up a friendship with Nadim which leads to a fake engagement so that Reena can enter a cooking competition. There were so many descriptions of food and cooking and it was one of my favorite parts of the story! This one has great friendships and I loved reading those parts as well as the romance. I really enjoyed this one and thought it was a very fun romance! I highly recommend picking this one up. Thank you Forever Pub for my giveaway win!!

Forever Bold by Kathleen Brooks – 4 Stars This is number 15 in a series that I have been reading forever. These are always fun reads and I enjoy returning to the town of Keenston Kentucky and it’s crazy cast of characters. I love that you always know what you are going to get with these stories, a great love story and an action packed adventure. Highly recommend these if you like fun quick romance reads.

Book Blitz: The Best Man by Alex Kelly

The Best Man
Alex Kelly
(From Connemara With Love #1)
Publication date: November 12th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

I always turn up at just the wrong moment. I never know how to make the most of a situation; I don’t know the right thing to say, or when I should come or go.
Let’s just say I have really shit timing.
I’m not a smart guy. I don’t have great ideas.
I’m practical, a hard worker; someone who lives for his family, and for the air that she breathes.
It’s just a shame that the “she” in question never knew this. It’s a shame that I waited all these years to make my move. It’s useless to tell you, readers, that it was already too late; that I’d screwed everything up, once again. And, this time, my mistakes forced her to come home.
Except she didn’t want to stay.
And now she hates me – or maybe she doesn’t. I still haven’t worked out what’s going on between us, but like I said, I’m not the sharpest tool in the box. And even though this could be my last chance, I’m not going to be the one to ask her to stay. Not even if she turns out to be the one I’ve always waited for.
Because she doesn’t belong in this place.
And she doesn’t belong in my life.
My name is Alex Brennan, and this is my story: of how I realised I’d lost the most important person in my life, before I even had her.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

I walk behind her wordlessly, until we get to the door of her building. I’m a gentleman, and she knows it. I’ve always walked her to her door – something her brothers have always taken the piss out of me for – because I want to be sure that she gets home okay, and that nothing happens to her. I don’t do it now because of everything that’s just happened; I’ve always done it, and I always will. I’m not ashamed of that. If there’s one thing my mother taught me, it’s that I should never be ashamed of who I am and what I feel, and I’m not going to start feeling shameful tonight. So I walk up to the top floor with her without being asked why. Once we get to her front door, Ellie sticks her key into the lock and opens it, then stands, unmoving, with her forehead against the wood, trying to work out what should happen next.

“Don’t ask me,” I say, helping her.

Ellie turns slowly to face me.

“Now’s not the right moment,” I say, because it’s true. Even though the only thing I want right now is to push her inside, lock us into her apartment, and make love to her until we can’t walk anymore.

She smiles and nods; she knows this is for the best, too. I step closer to her and stroke her face, before gently pressing my lips to hers. Then I say it, because I can feel her fear pulsing into my chest.

“I’ll never ask you, Ellie.”

I’m an idiot, but I carry on anyway, because I love her more than I love the idea of the two of us together.

“I’ll never ask you to come back.”

I let go of her face and take a few steps back.

“Why not?”

“You know why,” I say; and from the way her eyes grow wide, I realise that she already knew my answer all along.

Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Michelle Hercules always knew creative arts were her calling but not in a million years did she think she would write a novel. With a background in fashion design she thought she would follow that path. But one day, out of the blue, she had an idea for a book. One page turned into ten pages, ten pages turned into a hundred, and before she knew, her first book, The Prophecy of Arcadia, was born.

Michelle Hercules resides in The Netherlands with her husband and daughter. She is currently working on the Legends of Gattica series.

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Hosted by:

Top 5 Tuesday: February 9th 2021

Hello Friends! I am here today with this week’s Top 5 Tuesday, this is a weekly meme that was created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm, and is now being hosted by Meeghan reads. This weeks theme is top 5 series that I would like to start.

Top 5 series I want to start

An Ember In The Ashes by Sabah Tahir – YA Fantasy

Grant County series by Karin Slaughter – Adult Thriller

In Death series by JD Robb – Read the first one and really want to continue it – Romantic Suspense

Charlotte Holmes series by Brittany Cavallaro – YA Mystery

Lucky Harbor series by Jill Shalvis – Contemporary Woman’s Fiction

Book Blitz: The Hollow World by Tracy Auerbach

The Hollow World
Tracy Auerbach
(Fragments, #3)
Publication date: February 2nd 2021
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

The time has come for Kai and her friends to make a final stand, and as the war begins, everyone must choose a side. But with the lines between good and evil more blurred than ever, Kai has to stick with her convictions and follow her heart. Kai’s first priority is to free Finn from the clutches of Tessa Raven, who has become no better than the evil she once fought against.

As Kai reluctantly turns against the people she once considered her closest friends, she becomes entangled in a struggle with a mysterious new power that threatens to destroy what is left of Finn and change everything she thought she knew about the planet.

Meanwhile, Charlie and Aric remain behind and help Raven breach the underground world of the Science Council. All bets are off as they prepare to cross every line and burn every bridge in an attempt to claim the world that has abused them for too long.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

Too many missing coefficients.

Raven ran her ungloved hand over the smooth, cool metal of the missile. She needed it to shatter the barrier—opening the way down so that she could destroy the Science Council. She knew enough about terminal ballistics to be able to calculate its exact impact on the crystal tube that led to the Science Council’s underground lair when it struck. The only problem was that the makeup of the tube was so unique…

“It’s a thing of beauty, Raven,” Sayers commented. He stared at her hungrily from his spot amongst her people, seeking approval.

“Yes, it is,” she offered, and he smiled.

“The only problem is, because the substance we’re striking has never been studied, there’s no way to tell if it will work without testing it. Our likelihood for success is still low.” She glanced around the interior of the Dome of Artifacts, taking in the relics from the original Earth with an appreciative eye. “And I’m not willing to risk destroying all of these artifacts by blowing up the whole place when the chance of it failing to destroy the tube is unacceptably high.”

Her soldiers stood around her, silent, waiting for her suggestions. She’d been trying to puzzle this out for three weeks, and the answer was painfully obvious: a last straw plan. And yet, she hesitated, because there was a small part of her that wanted to try every other possible scenario before resorting to what she knew would work, even though she knew that wasn’t logical.

Damn my weakness.

“We’ll need something softer,” she said at last. “Something that will turn to mush on impact rather than ricocheting off the crystal and taking out this whole place. Also, we’ll need something much bigger… heavier.” She scrutinized the crystal tube housing of the elevator platform that had, thus far, been impossible to penetrate.

“Would you like us to try crafting a hollow missile that’s twice this size?” asked Larson. “We’d have to melt this down first.” He gestured toward the missile they’d taken three weeks to craft and painstakingly calibrated.

“No.”

The time to divulge her last straw plan was now. She knew a missile wouldn’t work. A rain of bullets wouldn’t work. But she happened to have a special tool—a former friend who could run at the speed of a bullet and who was close to two hundred pounds.

A human body hitting the tube at that speed would spread adequate weight over a large enough surface area to crack open the entryway to the Science Council’s underground world like an egg. Also, a body would explode upon impact, resulting in a mostly liquid byproduct, causing minimal damage to the artifacts.

Finn’s sacrifice would save the planet.

Author Bio:

Tracy Auerbach is an author of science fiction and fantasy for teens and adults. As an avid reader with a vivid imagination, she chose to study film, English, and education, and went on to teach and write STEM curriculum for the New York Department of Education. This helped to polish her writing skills and ignite her passion for science fiction and fantasy.

Her first scholarly article, published in Language Magazine, was about the value of active, creative learning in science.
On the fiction side, Tracy’s work has been featured in the online literary journal Micro-horror, The Writing Disorder fiction anthology, and the “(Dis)ability” short story anthology, in addition to her novels.

When she is not teaching or writing, Tracy is usually reading or spending time with her family. She lives in New York with her husband and sons.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Hosted by:

January Book Haul

Hey Friends! I am here today with my January Book Haul! This does not include any books I thrifted for the month as that will be a separate post. I received/bought 14 new books this month which is quite a bit. I did participate in a few Valentine swaps and the books are included here since I got them in January.

( There is an extra book here that I thought I got in January but was from December )

Books from Book Boxes – 2

Lore by Alexandria Braken – Owlcrate (Currently Reading)
The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

Giveaway Wins – 3

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay – Goodreads and Minotaur Books
Shipped by Angie Hockman – Goodreads and Gallery Books
Riley Thorne and The Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score – Instagram win

Gifts – 4

The Ex-Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey
Wild At Heart by K.A. Tucker ( Read – 5 Stars )
Forever Wild by K.A. Tucker ( Read – 5 Stars )

ARC’s From Publisher – 2

Jackson by Laquette – Gifted by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Friends Like Us by Sarah Mackenzie – Gifted by Forever Pub

Books I Bought – 3

The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne ( Read – 4 Stars )
The Hunter by Kerrigan Byrne
How To Fail At Flirting by Denise Williams ( Read – 4 Stars )

Did you get any new books this month?

February TBR

Hello Friends! How did everyone’s January go? Mine was pretty slumpy all around. I did read some good books but overall I felt distracted all month and watched a lot of TV which is not like me. Im hoping February goes better and to help with that I am going to try to pick less specific titles to red and more generalities. I am hoping to participate in the #blackauthorreadathon which is being hosted by a ton of youtubers and instagrammers. Here is the link to Steph’s Romance Book Talks announcement video. I am also doing a few buddy reads and I have some January and February ARCs that I need to get too as well.

Let me know what your reading plans are in the comments!

For my back list books (which is any book I bought prior to January 1st 2021)

Bitter Falls by Rachel Caine
Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lissa Kay Adams – I didn’t get to it in January.

I have some buddy reads as well this month and some will double up as clearing up some of my ARCs.

In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk
Shipped by Angie Hockman – ARC
First Comes Like by Alisha Rai – ARC
The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

For Kayla’s Buzzword – This month is a color in the title

White Out by Adriana Anders

Here is a Bingo board for the readathon.

Some hopefuls for this.

Jackson by Laquette
Sweet Talkin Lovers by Tracey Livesay
Legendborne by Tracey Deon
A Duke, The Lady and A Baby by Vanessa Riley
Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan

Hoping February is a better reading month and I can get some of these books read! Happy Reading!!

January Reading Stats

Happy Sunday Friends! I was hoping to get one more book in this month but I am not far enough into any to be able to finish it today. So for January I read 11 books, considering I have been in a slump thats not too bad. One of things I am trying to do different this year is get rid of half star ratings, so I will have to decide if it leans more up or down in the rating. I decided to do this because Goodreads does not offer that option and I want to be more consistent across all my platforms. Do you use half stars or a different type of rating system?

Books I read in January

Physical Books – 6 Books
E-Books – 5 Books
Library Books – 3 Books
ARC’s – 3 Books

Genres

Contemporary Romance – 8 Books
Thriller/Mystery – 1 Book
Paranormal Romance – 1 Book
Historical Romance – 1 Book

( I am only putting each book in what I think is the most prominent category )

Star Ratings

2 Stars – 1 book
3 Stars – 1 book
4 Stars – 8 books
5 Stars – 1 book

2 Stars

Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley

3 Stars

Would Like To Meet by Rachel Winters

4 Stars

How To Fail At Flirting by Denise Williams

Only When Its Us by Chloe Liese – Reread

The Boy Toy by Nicola Marsh

Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder

The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne

Enjoy The View by Sarah Morgenthaler

Forever Bold by Kathleen Brooks

Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron

5 Stars

Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane

Until Next Time, Happy Reading!

Reading Round Up: January 11th-20th

Hello friends! How is everyone’s month going so far? Mine has been a little slumpy. I am finding it hard for a book to keep my concentration and I am also struggling to find the words to write reviews or instagram or blog posts. I am trying not tp put pressure on myself but sometimes it is hard. Im hoping things will turn around soon and I can get my mojo back. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane – 5 Stars I have been sitting on this one awhile before I wrote my review because the book is still making me think about it. We have Lila whose husband goes missing one morning and no one knows where he went. We also follow the lead detective on the case as she thinks more is going on that what it seems. I don’t want to say too much about this book because it might spoil it. I loved the twists in this book and while I could see a few of them coming I was still surprised by the ending. I can’t wait to read more from Darby Kane!

The Boy Toy by Nicola Marsh – 4 Stars Samira hasn’t been home in nearly a decade after a divorce sent her wanting a change of scenery. She returns home to help her cousin as she sets up a new medical practice. Samira is an independent woman and does not want to follow the path that her traditional Indian mother would like her too and struggles with what she really wants out of life. While home she starts up a fling with An Australian stunt man who is 10 years younger her. Overall I really enjoyed this story and the relationship between Samira and Rory and Samir and her family. There are a few hard hitting topics in this book so you may want to look into trigger warnings if you are wanting to know more.

Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder – 4 Stars Wolf shifter romances are my absolute favorite type of paranormal romances! Joe is on trial for killing a handful of men and his new team of lawyers includes the very attractive Neha Ahluwalia who is there to dig more into who Joe really is. This is a fast paced romance where there is a lot going on from the very beginning. I loved learning about Joe’s history as well as the reason he is what he is. The romance between the two main characters was also quick but they explain why that is and it is also very steamy! For part of the story we have a second storyline about two other characters and I wasn’t as invested in them, it felt more like filler than essential to the plot. The group that is helping Joe and Neha which is called Third Shift was some of my favorite parts of the story and I am so happy that we will be getting more books for them! Overall this was a fun suspenseful romance and I am excited to read more from this author. Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for my complimentary copy for review!

The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne – 4 Stars This was a fun historical romance, I always enjoy stories about characters who think they are irredeemable. I enjoyed the romance between the two characters and also the friendships in the story. I am excited to pick up more from this series as I really enjoyed her writing. Also this one was pretty steamy if you like that in books!

Top 5 Tuesday: January 19th 2021

What are some books that you would like to read this year? Let me know in the comments below!

Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams – I put this on my tbr every month hoping I will get to it. Other books always seem to come first so this one gets pushed back but I REALLY want to read it.

God’s of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – I have already started this one but it is very different from what I normally read so I am taking it slow.

Bitter Fallls by Rachel Caine – Sadly Rachel Caine passed away last year and her upcoming book Heartbreak Bay is her last book in this series. I need to get through Bitter Falls first so I can finish the series.

An Ember In The Ashes by Sabah Tahir – I am trying to expand my reading this year and I hear good things about this series so I would like to try it.

The One by John Marrs – I really tried to get to this one last year but just couldn’t fit it into my reading. Hoping I can this year!

Reading Round Up: January 1st-10th

Hello Friends! I am here today with my first round up for the month. So far my reading is pretty slow this month. I have been in a small slump and it’s been hard to pick anything up. Im hoping the second half of the month goes a bit better but we will see.

Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley -2 Stars The premise for this one was a bit off for me, we have the main character Gwen who has been sleeping with a mystery man for a year and a half. The mystery man only comes at night while she is asleep and she has no idea how he gets in. One day she lands herself in trouble by going to the local Motorcycle Club looking for information on her sister. When she gets home mystery man is there waiting for her, he broke in again! One of my big problems with this story is the insta love all the men have for our main character. We have mystery man who she is sleeping with, then after 5 minutes the MC President wants to make her his and the police officer who is helping her out wants her too. I am not a fan of stories that have the main character wanted by all within so little time, plus they end up throwing in a 4th guy who is her best friend and it was just too much. I will try another book by the author but probably not in this series.

How To Fail At Flirting by Denise Williams – 4 Stars This was a fun romance that had some hard hitting topics mixed in, I like when an author can weave both lightheartedness and seriousness in the book. Our main character Naya has been recovering from a bad relationship for the last three years and her friends finally persuade her to start going out again. While out she meets Jake and the two spend the evening together. Turns out Jake is also involved in some stuff going on with Naya’s job. The two must decide if what they feel for each other is worth it when their jobs are conflicting. I really enjoyed this book and the struggles Naya goes through in trying to get over past. If you are looking for a great romance that isn’t very fluffy then I would highly recommend this one.

Only When Its Us by Chloe Liese – Reread – 4 Stars This was a reread for me and I enjoyed it just as much this time as the first. Chloe writes her characters so real and I love that. Willa is a surly soccer player who is behind in a class and tries to get help from Ryder, the guy who sits next to her in class. Willa thinks he ignores her when he doesn’t respond to her questions but it turns out that Ryder lost his hearing. After the misunderstanding the two form a tentative friendship that ends up growing into more. Ryder’s family is one of my favorites and I love that we get to see so much of them in these books. This entire series so far is great!