Monday, April 19, 2021

Weekly Wrap Up

 


Hello my friends! Welcome to a new week. 

Last week was a low key sort of week for my family. The kids all had school. The teenager's asynchronous day changed from Mondays to Fridays so that threw our routine off kilter a bit. The 8 year old attended a birthday party at a bowling alley and had a blast. Meanwhile the 6 year old continues to rock his sight word lists that the teacher sends home. The 5 year old had her well child doctors appointment, and then that same day decided to cut her hair. She gave herself a mullet, and we had it fixed the next day. She now is sporting a cute little bob. As for me, well I had my first dose of the vaccine. Oh, and my husband is thinking about applying for a possible new job (at the same company).

Before we talk about the books I read last week, let's start by going over the stats.

Books Read: 7
Kindle Books: 7 
Pages Read: 1,764

My favorite book of the week was The Faker by Gina Azzi. Hockey romance, need I say more? I will say picking a favorite this week was ROUGH. So rough. But ultimately hockey won out. Because hockey.

So what did I read? Well let's talk.


1) Sweetened

by Annie Dyer
Rating: 3 Stars


First things first, Sweetened was good story. It was. Loved the banter between Lainey and Jake. The pranks they played on each other had me chuckling a few times. Also, the setting? LOVED it. Were there things that I wish would have happened? Absolutely. Then there was the fact that the beginning was a bit slow moving for my liking. Overall though I liked the story, and I'm curious enough to want to go back and read the first books in the series.


2) The Long Way Home

by Laura Farr
Rating: 4 Stars

The Long Way Home is the story about Jack, his son Jacob, and a woman named Aria. Jack lives in England, is a single dad, and works as an accountant. One day, Jack's sister Libby calls and tells him he and Jack should come visit her in Texas. She moved there a while ago to stay with family, and has since made it home. Jack is committed to his job, so trip isn't possible quite yet. Until a few days later it suddenly is. Jack and Jacob arrive in Texas, and upon arriving to the ranch, they meet Aria. She works on the ranch as a horse trainer. And this is their story.

Loved this book. Such a cute story. I loved the characters. The setting was fantastic. And now I want to go read the first three books in this series.


3) The Faker

by Gina Azzi
Rating: 4 Stars

Oh Torsten, how I have been waiting to read your story. Seriously, the minute he was introduced back in The Sweet Talker, I knew I had to know his story. I was just drawn to him. Then on top of that, you add in Claire's best friend Rielle, and well goodness, just leave me alone to read.

If you like age gap romances, as well as marriages of convenience, then pick up this book. Or if you're just a hockey romance reader, read this book. Actually, I suggest reading the entire Boston Hawks series because it's simply wonderful. 

The Faker releases on April 21, 2021.


4) My Almost Ex

by Piper Rayne
Rating: 4 Stars


I finally was able to read My Almost Ex by Piper Rayne! My Almost Ex was released on April 6, 2021, and is the second full length book in The Greene family series. I legit read this book in a day. I found myself unable to put it down, and fell for Adam and Lucy. Adam and Lucy were high school sweethearts, they got married at a young age, and a year ago Lucy left with no reason other than not being happy any longer. To say Adam was crushed would be an understatement. Well she's back. There's just one problem, she has amnesia and has not regained her memories. Upon seeing Adam, she is able to remember him and knows she's married to him. She doesn't remember leaving, nor the reason she left. 

It's just fabulous, and believe me had I not read The Faker this week, My Almost Ex would have taken the top spot.


5) Reluctantly Perfect

by SE Rose
Rating: 4 Stars


Reluctantly Perfect is a new adult romance. It features Megan and Clark who were childhood best friends, that is until a kiss changed everything when they were 13. Suddenly they turned into archenemies. This is the story of how former best friends became enemies only to become romantically involved. Oh, and they are both trying to get an internship with NASA that is only accepting 6 candidates.

Megan and Clark's story was an easy read, and I loved it. Also I can't lie, I want to be part of the Moore family.

Reluctantly Perfect is releasing on April 22, 2021.


6) Salvation

by Nicole Dykes
Rating: 4 Stars

Back in the beginning of March, I had read Recovery by Nicole Dykes, and at the end of that book I said I hoped that Charity would have her story told. Well friends, that is what Salvation is about! Salvation is Charity's story, and ooh was it good. Yes, it was a bit difficult to read about all that she has been through, but still. Plus we get to reconnect with Finn, and he was amazing. He stuck by Charity's side through it all and kept her safe. It was everything I wanted. Now, I will tell you that Charity reconnects with her brother Christian. It's not good. Nope, nope, nope. But we'll get his story in Retribution. So maybe there is hope for these two to repair their relationship.

7) Diesel

by Lyssa Cole
Rating: 4 Stars

If you recall my March Top 5 list, then you'll know that Driven by K.Bromberg was my favorite read of the month. Why do I bring that up? Well apparently there is an entire series (written by various authors) that takes place in the Driven world. I did not know this existed! I do now though, and I want to read them all.

Diesel by Lyssa Cole was my introduction to the series, and it was so good. We have Neveah, who works for Walker Tires, and is responsible for driver sponsorships. Walker Tires is struggling a bit financially, and they are looking for a driver that can bring in revenue to their business. Neveah has her eyes set on Luca DeMello. He is the resident bad boy, and the press loves to print EVERYTHING about him. Neveah sees his potential, and is looking past Luca's current image. What she isn't expecting is to fall in love with Luca. Friends, this story had my complete attention. I could not put it down. This book is perfect for those who enjoy sports romance, as well as hate to lovers.

Diesel by Lyssa Cole is releasing on April 22, 2021.

There you have it friends. Those are the SEVEN books I read last week. How I squeezed in seven, I'm still not entirely certain. But it happened. I think the fact that so many of the books were fast paced, and held my attention hostage, helped a lot. So many fantastic books read. So many fantastic places visited (England, Texas, Alaska, Boston/New York/Oslo, Kansas, California). So many characters that will stick with me.


Thank you for taking the time to read my wrap up. Please let me know what you've been reading lately.



Thank you to the authors and marketing companies for providing me with ARCs in exchange for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. A positive review was not necessary, I truly enjoyed the stories.